Kiyoko Ogata and her M.M.U. Izanagi tried to distance themselves from the combat taking place a few hundred meters away, where Arthur and Helena Kjestein's Sagittarius were locked in a fierce clash, but she couldn't gain enough space due to attacks from the other M.M.U.s in the U.S.C. squadron.
With its colossal Katana, Izanagi defended against a shot from Laila and her long-range rifle. The young Japanese pilot was still searching for an alternative when she received a direct message from Jerome Gagnier.
"Lieutenant Ogata, focus on the adversaries in front of you; don't worry about the First Lieutenant. Believe me, he's not just a sniper, and if our enemies believe that, they've already lost!
Focus on assisting the Hayabusas in defending the base!"
"...Yes, sir."
Kiyoko gripped her Izanagi's controls with force and frustration. She didn't want to lose anyone else due to her incompetence, but she complied with her vice-captain's orders, moving to assist the Hayabusas, who were having enormous difficulty against the enemy Sagittarius units, even in the gravity that gave them an advantage.
The violent dance of attacks exchanged between Arthur and Sagittarius continued. From a distance, they were just points of light, blue and red respectively, clashing in the blue sky. For every blow with her lightsaber, Helena had to defend with equal precision; the point-blank shots from her adversary's weapons were becoming increasingly difficult to avoid.
The U.S.C. captain sketched a small, involuntary smile; the Sniper of Chisinau was much more than that, indeed. And the excitement of combat was also shared by Gabriel Sirghi; the Ice Queen, whom the terrestrial forces knew almost as a legend, fought with frightening, almost robotic precision. Each movement could be the last, and after minutes of confrontation, the two pilots' talent was the only thing keeping them alive in a clash of forces that could last minutes, perhaps hours if it continued.
At that instant, Helena's communicator opened automatically; Leitz had mission updates for his captain.
"Captain Kjestein, the missiles have been launched. We only have a few minutes for evacuation."
Helena's grunt of frustration was not quiet; her chance to capture the most valuable enemy unit had ended. With a single click, she issued an evacuation signal. In any case, her mission had been, overall, a success; her enemies would have to make a terrible choice, and whatever it was, The Cathedral would have its revenge.
While evacuating, she looked to see if Arthur was waiting for her in surprise, but by then, the enemy M.M.U. was already flying at high speed towards Amaterasu base. The Aegis M.M.U.s' radios received the same message.
"We've detected a missile launch near our atmosphere; all indications are that its target is our base. First Lieutenant Sirghi, we will use Excalibur to eliminate this threat. Remaining units, provide cover so the shot can be made without problems."
The affirmative from all units was simultaneous. Arthur approached the Avalon, which was flying over the base at some distance, docking as the powerful Excalibur rose from its hatch at the top of the ship. A few seconds later, the systems were docked, and the cannon was already in Gabriel's M.M.U.'s hands. He took position, aiming for the skies.
It took a few seconds, but the target's position triangulation was quickly executed. However, additional information on Arthur's display made the first lieutenant raise his optical sight; he needed to reread what was there. A drop of cold sweat trickled down the pilot's forehead, and he immediately called his control.
"Avalon, verify our satellite readings. What is the number of targets?"
Gabriel's worried tone concerned the control bridge. Henry and Sol quickly put the information on the screen, and it was followed by a collective shock.
"Four missiles, sir! Three of them were launched earlier without us being able to detect them!"
Pellegrini rose from his chair in the center of the control bridge, approaching the large screen.
"What are the targets of the four missiles?"
Sol hesitated but answered subsequently.
"The first is heading for Amaterasu. The others... One is targeting Tokyo, the second Shanghai, and the third Jakarta!!"
By now, the entire squadron was aware of the critical situation, and their attention was directed towards space, where the missiles were already visible. Jerome contacted the Avalon.
"Wouldn't it be possible to use Excalibur to destroy all four?"
"No!"
Gabriel's response was immediate.
"We don't have enough energy for that, but I have a plan. Cancel the original triangulation and evacuate the base!"
The silence on the control bridge indicated what was happening: All eyes were now on Gianluca Pellegrini, awaiting his order. The quiet was broken by the Major-General's firm command.
"Follow Sirghi's plan. Evacuate as many people and materials from the base as possible. We will use our shields to assist in the escape."
"Understood!"
Avalon control complied with the orders, but the system failed; retriangulation was not possible. After a few more attempts, a direct message from Aegis command took over the Avalon's various screens. General Watkins, furious, intervened.
"What do you think you're doing, Pellegrini!? Your orders are to defend the base and destroy the missile targeting it. The rest is irrelevant!"
Irrelevant? Forty million lives—that was the number of inhabitants in the three cities that would be destroyed without intervention—irrelevant, according to Aegis command. The silent fury of the Avalon's crew was broken by a transmission from M.M.U. Arthur. Gabriel calmly repeated the phrase he had so often read in his cockpit.
"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."
The Avalon's system shut down immediately after that, as did M.M.U. Arthur's. Seconds later, it restarted. This time, however, it wasn't the Aegis logo appearing on the monitors, but that of Merseyside and the Royal Air Force. The Avalon crew seemed in shock, which was broken by Gabriel's request.
"Retriangulate the missiles' positions, please!"
This time, Avalon command succeeded, not using Aegis satellites, but those of the British corporation. Pellegrini had more questions than he would have liked at the moment, but the mission had priority.
Gabriel readied his sights; the first missile, heading for Shanghai, would be his target. After a few seconds, he fired. The super-energized beam tore through the skies, again leaving a huge trail among the clouds. When it collided with and destroyed the first missile, Helena, returning to the Aldebaran near orbit, turned her attention to the now distant Avalon. They had made their choice.
"We only have energy for one more shot, First Lieutenant!"
Gabriel ignored the warning and prepared the second shot, destined for the missile targeting Jakarta. The U.S.C.'s Aldebaran fired a barrage of missiles towards the Avalon. Skillfully, Kiyoko, Jerome, and the other pilots of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces managed to repel the attack, buying time for Arthur's second shot, which also hit its target.
Two missiles remained, and perhaps there wasn't enough energy to deal with even one. Gabriel clenched his fists on his M.M.U.'s controls, raised his sights, and quickly began making adjustments to Arthur's energy distribution.
"What are you doing, First Lieutenant!?"
The Avalon's panic was justified; Gabriel had just transferred 90% of his energy to his thrusters. He ignored the protest, and disengaging from the Avalon, he distanced himself from the ship. With its wings shining like never before, Arthur emitted energy waves that created a violent movement in the waters of the bay near the base. Seconds later, the M.M.U. took off at astonishing speed towards space. Henry's protests followed.
"First Lieutenant, you're not prepared to deal with space! You'll end up passing out at this speed!"
Kiyoko just watched Arthur tear through the skies like a blue lightning bolt, without understanding what was happening. Jerome, however, deciphered his subordinate's intentions—his suicidal intentions.
"I will use my automatic system to hit the missile when it's near the atmosphere. I won't have energy to destroy the fourth target, but at least we'll avoid Tokyo's destruction. My apologies to everyone at the base...
Henry... tell them I love them."
The English pilot, stunned, rose from his seat, already holding back tears.
"Do it yourself, you son of a bitch!! Don't throw your life away like this!!"
Kiyoko finally understood what was about to happen, and her broken voice reached Gabriel's communicators.
"...First Lieutenant, please, no!"
"Kiyoko... When this is over, find a new meaning for your life. Don't waste it inside this cockpit. My sister will help you... Take care of them for me."
"...Yes, sir..."
Now a few kilometers from exiting the atmosphere, Arthur passed a few meters from where the Aegis squadron was. For an instant, time stopped when the two M.M.U.s crossed paths; Arthur's white and Sagittarius's black contrasted, but at that moment, Helena could understand her enemy's desire. And when her subordinates made a move to attack, she, with a simple gesture, stopped them.
With the dazzling horizon of the planet in his orbital view, Gabriel felt his consciousness begin to fade. He had no time to admire Earth in all its majesty, nor the stars in its background. He triangulated his next target's position; when it got close enough, Arthur would fire Excalibur on its own.
He looked at the Moon, which seemed so close, thought of Theresa, thought of his sister and niece... And then everything went black.
Excalibur fired, hitting the missile a few hundred meters from where M.M.U. Arthur was, now inert and shut down. Its energy was entirely consumed in the maneuver to exit the atmosphere; its pilot, adrift. The explosion's shockwave would destroy Merseyside's machine and, along with it, claim Gabriel Sirghi's life...
However, like a silver lightning bolt tearing through the skies, Jerome's Chevallier would perform its last act of heroism. "Hero," a label the French vice-captain would never accept after so many battles, so many losses. He no longer had family, only friends lost in some corners of the world. He never grew attached to his squadrons, until this last one. Kiyoko's struggle, the inherent goodness of a man like Gabriel—for these two, he saw a reason to do something heroic.
And so he did. Chevallier threw Arthur with all its strength back into the atmosphere before the explosion wave hit it. When he could no longer see the M.M.U. he had just saved, Jerome opened his helmet; at least the beauty of Earth would be a worthy prize for the sacrifice he had just made. The light of the explosion engulfed the M.M.U., ending Jerome Gagnier's story.
Kyoko flew at high speed towards M.M.U. Arthur, which was falling defenselessly in the atmosphere and would be an easy target for the U.S.C. Luckily, the Avalon and her compatriots from the Japanese forces came to her rescue and quickly retrieved the young pilot and her injured comrade.
The missile destined for Amaterasu entered the atmosphere—the only one Gabriel couldn't destroy—and seconds later, wiped the installation off the map, along with the surrounding cities. The impact would claim 400,000 lives, far fewer than the 40 million they had just saved.
In many parts of the world, similar decisions were made. In Europe, they sacrificed the base to avoid the destruction of London and Paris. However, in the United States, the choice was different: to save the four Aegis bases in the country, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago were sacrificed. The unimaginable human loss would be the trigger for the final phase of the war between Earth and the U.S.C. that had already lasted for over a century.