The Archangel landed on the desert in North Africa. Without any time to relax, they are attacked by the ZAFT forces at night. They are the elite ground squad led by Andrew Waldfeld, also known as the “Desert Tiger.”
“I’m not going to let anyone die!” Not being able to hold his horses, Kira launches into the night. But he struggles to move in the sand, his legs sinking into it, and unable to keep a decent control of his stance. ZAFT’s quadruped BuCUE mobile suits attack him. However, Kira’s fighting ability is superb as a Coordinator. He quickly modifies the OS accordingly to the desert environment and adjust the ground pressure, so he won’t sink into the sand. Waldfeld is amazed at his quickness.
The main guns are fired from the “Desert Tiger” flagship Lesseps, meaning Waldfeld has become serious. But then, a mysterious radio transmission comes in directly to Kira. He follows the instructions and lures the BuCUEs into an underground cave. This uncanny scheme succeeds, destroying the mobile suits all at once.
Kira and the Archangel were saved by a guerrilla group led by Sahib…the resistance fighters against “Desert Tiger,” the “Desert Dawn” guerillas.