The joint forces that were attacking the Minerva were at a loss after the Angel entered the middle of the battlefield. The MS-class fighters surrounding the Angel made the higher-ups of the joint fleet extremely sad and angry.
Crimson Forbidden, Dark Assault, Chaos, Abyss, Gaia, Crimson Sacred Shield, Emerald Storm, Dark Thunderbolt, Azure Duel, Assault Gundam, and even the Angel itself was engraved with the mark of the joint fleet. Except for Chaos, Abyss, and Gaia, the rest of the airframes, including the battleships, were all built by the joint fleet. Even Chaos, Abyss, and Gaia were taken from ZAFT by the joint fleet after investing manpower and material resources.
These airframes originally belonged to them. They were part of their war force. They were supposed to fight for the joint fleet, but now, they had all become the enemy's. Looking at the things that originally belonged to them, representing the other countries, flaunting their might in front of them, it was a feeling that made them feel a little indignant.
However, the intrusion of the Angel had indeed disrupted the joint fleet's combat deployment towards the Minerva. As a result, the pressure on the Minerva was reduced by a lot. Because the Angel was in the middle, other than the MS-class fighters that could bypass the Angel, the other side's battleships could not continue to suppress and attack the Minerva. Otherwise, there was a high chance that they would hit the Angel in the middle.
Although the joint fleet and Aube were now enemies, except for the previous battle, both sides appeared to be relatively rational. Of course, this was also the reason why the joint fleet did not have any extra troops and combat power to deal with Aube. In addition, both sides were still negotiating about the handover of the captives, so they appeared to be more restrained in dealing with both sides.
Aubrey couldn't take the initiative to attack because he was a neutral country, and it was inconvenient for him to do so. On the other hand, the Alliance was worried that the captives would push Aubrey into the hands of Zaft, so they didn't want to complicate the situation any further. However, when the main Angel appeared, it was obvious that it was helping Zaft's Minerva even though it didn't take the initiative to attack. Furthermore, it even released so many specially designed mechs in advance. It was as if it would attack anyone who dared to lay a finger on it. This made the Alliance feel humiliated and angry.
Although the Angel was the only warship, the joint fleet did not dare to underestimate the combat power of the Angel and the MS-class fighters guarding it. Once the combat power of the Angel and Minerva combined, the joint fleet's attack on Minerva would be devastating.
In the Dawn Gundam, Mu cautiously observed the situation around him through the cockpit screen. When he saw that the joint fleet's offensive had slowed down due to their appearance, he nodded slightly. Through the open communication device, he said to Bakirulu in the bridge, "It seems that the joint fleet is really afraid of us, but we can't keep this up forever. Although we don't care whether we offend the joint fleet or not, we can't go too far without a proper reason. We can be biased, but we can't really participate in the battle."
Bakirulu picked up the microphone at hand and said, "I understand. Unless the joint fleet takes the initiative to attack, we can't show any intention of attacking. The most appropriate thing now is to hope that the warship will seize this opportunity to leave this place immediately."
"Aiyaya, this is so troublesome." Mu shrugged and said, "In fact, the joint fleet's attack on Aube has already put the joint fleet in a hostile position. It's reasonable to attack them. If you ask me, it's not a bad idea to join forces with ZAFT to teach them a lesson. Why do we have to do all these twists and turns?"
Bakirulu did not refute Mu's words, but she also did not agree with his words. She just said calmly, "This is politics. Although I don't know what's on your mind, it's better not to do anything that will make you and Aube too passive. At least now is not the time."
Mu laughed and shook his head. "That's why I'm only suitable to be a soldier, not a politician."
"Pay attention. This is a battlefield after all. Don't be distracted by things you shouldn't be thinking about. As a soldier, you only need to do what you're supposed to do." Bakirulu put down the microphone in her hand and turned to the CIC next to her. "Inform the Minerva to evacuate immediately. We will buy time here."
"Yes, Captain." The CIC nodded and immediately contacted the Minerva not far away and sent Bakirulu's message over.
Although the Angel and the small area around it seemed peaceful, the battle outside the area was still chaotic. Even if the cannons of the allied forces were blocked by the Angel, their MS-class missiles had the ability to fly and bypass the area where the Angel was to continue attacking the Minerva.
Even without the support of the battleship at the rear, there were still quite a number of allied forces surrounding the Minerva. It was just that the pressure was much less than when the main Angel had not entered the battlefield. At this time, other than the real Pulse Gundam and Aslan's Messiah Gundam that had left the battleship and engaged in battle with the allied forces' MS in the air, there was only the Tiger Three piloted by Heine, who had flown out from the main Angel. However, at this time, they were also being held back by the Wendams, who outnumbered them by at least ten to one.
On the warship, the two Zagus, one white and one red, were basically used as the Minerva's defensive turrets because they did not have the ability to fly. In the face of such a large number of MS's attacks, the five Zagus were unable to intercept all the MS's that were attacking the Minerva. At this time, the Minerva's outer hull was showing signs of damage. From what Bakirulu saw on the screen, there were at least five spots of fire that were still billowing black smoke into the air.
On the Minerva, Captain Thalia already had the idea of evacuating the moment the Angel entered the battlefield. However, the Minerva was surrounded by a large number of MS's and the warship's condition was quite severe. With only the Zagu Warriors and Zagu Phantoms left on the warship, it was difficult to evacuate when surrounded by more than ten MS's.
The entire Minerva was surrounded by laser beams and fiery snakes. The explosions of missiles caused the warship to shake uncontrollably.
Moreover, after the appearance of the Dominion Angel, although the Pulse Gundam was able to destroy many of the alliance's MS-class ships at once, it also allowed the Pulse Gundam to move closer to the front. It was almost as if it had entered the encirclement of the alliance's MS-class ships. Even the Savior Gundam and the Flaming Tiger that were responsible for providing support were implicated. This made Captain Thalia anxious and helpless at the same time.
Especially after hearing First Mate Arthur's report on the Angel, Captain Thalia slammed the armrest of his chair. He gritted his teeth and said, "Arthur, get the Real and the others to come back immediately. Prepare to evacuate."
"Yes, Sir." Arthur nodded frantically. He turned around and contacted the Real Pulse Gundam, Aslan's Messiah Gundam, and Heine's Flaming Tiger.
"MS's behind us. Three of them!" Following the radar report in the bridge, the three Vendams of the MS's alliance had circled around to the rear of the Minerva. Captain Thalia reacted immediately. "Automatic defense turrets, anti-beam grenades. Launch missiles!"
As soon as Captain Thalia's voice fell, four to five automatic turrets on the outer armor of the warship shifted their direction and started firing at the three Vendams. At the same time, seven to eight missiles were launched from the missile launchers and flew towards the three Vendams.
This wasn't the first time the Minerva was attacked from the rear. Although the rear of the Minerva was the warship's weakness, it didn't mean the Minerva didn't have the ability to deal with the enemies behind it.
Three missiles flew in different directions and detonated without hitting their targets. After a burst of white light, they turned into specks of starlight and scattered around the rear of the Minerva. The attacks of the three Vendams didn't have much effect on the Minerva due to the anti-beam coating. After the three anti-beam grenades exploded, they couldn't continue attacking the Minerva.
Not to mention, there were still a few missiles and three fire serpents attacking the three Vendams. The three Vendams were relatively calm in the face of the Minerva's attack. They fired a few shots at the incoming missiles and then scattered in different directions.
Perhaps they had underestimated the effect of the anti-beam grenades. Their initial attack on the missiles did not have the desired effect at all. Not long after the beams flew out from the muzzles, they were directly affected by the anti-beam grenades and directly dissipated. The few missiles spread out along with the three mechas and chased after their locked targets.
The three Vendams had to dodge the pursuing missiles and the fire serpents launched by the Minerva's automatic defense turrets. Especially since they weren't far from the Minerva, it wasn't easy for these low-level pilots to deal with attacks from two directions. Only one of the three Vendams managed to escape the Minerva's attack unscathed.
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