Amends Through Vengeance

by slkdragon

Four years after Mariemaia's attempt at world domination, humanity is expanding it's reach into space to secure it's own survival. But a new threat is against this growth and it's up to the Preventors to maintain the peace of the UESA.

Gundam Wing

Amends Through Vengeance

By

Chris Cook

The year is After Colony two zero zero. Jubilation sweeps throughout the colonies as they celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of their homes' construction. The people of Earth, instilled with a newfound sense of companionship with their brethren in space since the prevention of Mariemaia's invasion, joins the colonies in their festivity, creating an atmosphere of joy and peace throughout the Earth Sphere.

But, far beyond the reaches of even the most distant of colonies, another group of citizens are too preoccupied to take part in the merriment. Consisting of only a few hundred members, the colonists of Mars are busy manning the factories and structures needed to terraform the red planet for human habitation.

Started in AC 197, the Mars terraformation project has so far only established a small residential community consisting of engineers who are working to convert the planet into a warmer, life-supporting environment. The project's progress is slow, and even after three years, little change has been made, but the developments made so far have been encouraging, ensuring the planet's habitability by the end of the century…

The large, boxy freighter slowly drifts through space, heading for the asteroid-like moon Phobos, its body a dark silhouette against the red surface of its parent planet. Tiny thrusters on the freighter fire off at seemingly random intervals, making minute adjustments to the craft's approach. It silently soars towards a man-made opening in the moon's surface, guided by small blinking lights outlining the ship's path.

The craft quietly enters the cavity, which stretches through the entire moon to the surface on the opposite side. The tunnel's hatch closes shut behind the craft as its momentum causes it to drift forward. As the ship slows, technicians and mechanics hurry out into the hangar, beginning to make rushed checks on the craft's exterior and hooking it up to cables and hoses leading back to the hangar's walls.

As the craft receives maintenance and refuels, the officer in charge of this section of the Phobos Refueling Station watches the proceedings from a control room overlooking the hangar. After making sure his crew is doing what they're supposed to and doing it well, he reaches over to open a communication link with the ship under his supervision.

"Hey there, how was your trip?" he asks casually, a small smile on his face. He waits a moment, then receives a response from a young woman, her voice strong and direct, but with a hint of kindness in it.

"Productive. We hit a small pocket of meteorites on our way here, but nothing we couldn't handle."

"Sounds good." The officer responds, laughing softly. His demeanor then changes as he adopts an expression of solemn earnestness. "Look, I know this isn't what you came out here to do, but we've been having trouble with the other shipments coming in lately." He sighed regretfully before continuing. "I'm sure you know how important these supplies are, and I'm sorry we had to ask you to do this, but there was no one else."

When the woman responded, her voice hadn't changed and she sounded somewhat entertained by his words. "I assure you it's quite alright. This may not be what we came out here for, but we're happy to help. Besides, it's not like we had much to do in our other department."

The officer appears relieved and his smile returns as he wraps up the conversation. "Well, I can easily say that everyone here's grateful for your help and that we appreciate it. Also, it looks like everything on your ship seems to be in good order and refueling is complete. You're clear to head along on your way."

"Thanks," the woman's voice responds. As the maintenance crew vacates the hangar, the freighter's thrusters ignite, sending the ship through the tunnel and back out into space. It emerges from Phobos and gets an unobstructed view of the great red planet not far ahead.

The young woman punches some calculations into the craft's control panel, then sits back in her chair, removing her space helmet with a short sigh of relief. Her dark purple hair falls over her violet eyes and she smiles at the red landscape before her. She then turns to watch her companion remove his helmet, letting his long blonde hair flow free from the head covering's constraints.

He returns his hands to the ship's controls as Noin speaks to him, still smiling. "You seem awfully calm considering you've been reduced to such menial labor."

Zechs keeps his focus on the planet ahead as he answers in his low, rough voice. "Like you said, it's nice to help, but you're right to assume I'd prefer some other task. However, I did agree to do this for another reason other than assistance."

Noin's mouth opens in surprise and she regards her partner with wary eyes. "What do you mean?"

Zechs still doesn't look at her as he explains. "I refuse to believe that the recent supply shipments have been lost due to poor piloting skills. We passed through one of the fields that seems to be responsible for the lost ships, but even an average pilot could maneuver through one of those without sustaining heavy damage."

Noin turns to look out through the view port, her eyes narrowing as she thinks over what he said. "Are you saying you think there's some foul play involved?"

"I'm sure of it."

Noin turns back to him. "Do you think the RAMS may be involved?"

Zechs' eyes narrow, but he still keeps his gaze focused straight ahead. "There's no way of knowing that for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were."

Taking note of Zechs' tightened grip on the controls, Noin decides to let the matter rest for the time being. Together, they begin to enter the planet's thin atmosphere in silence, the freighter's hull glowing red from the heat of re-entry.

Far away, back on Earth, the various leaders and representatives of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation have convened in Brussels to confer about various topics involving the interests of all the people of the Earth and the colonies. Once again, they are discussing the Mars terraformation project. As always, Representative Lissenden from colony L1-C88223 is the one to mention the topic first.

Representative Lissenden, a wealthy man in his late forties, is one of a small group of colonial officials who fear that the conversion of Mars into a suitable human settlement will have ill effects on the colonies. It is this fear that drives him to do what he can to persuade the ESUN to halt the venture.

"Your beliefs, as always representative, are unfounded and lucrative," the committee director, Vince Narbut, says, irritation evident in his voice. "I can assure you that the colonization of Mars will have no negative effects on the already established colonies. You have nothing to worry about."

Representative Lissenden remains standing in the center of the room, unwilling to give up this fight easily. "But…"

Another member of the committee cuts him off. "Look, Lissenden. You've brought this matter up at every meeting since the project's announcement in After Colony 197." The committee member incorporates all the members with a broad sweep of his arms out before him. "We all admire your dedication and resolve, but this argument is getting tiresome. I'm sure we'd all appreciate it if you'd accept the committee's decision and allow us to move on to more pressing matters."

Reluctantly, Lissenden returns to his seat and gives the floor to the next speaker. He sits through the rest of the meeting, silently contemplating over what he'd said and how it'd been received. As soon as the meeting is adjourned, he gathers his briefcase and strides out of the committee chambers purposefully, moving quickly. He exits the building and trots down the long series of stone stairs to his waiting car. He ducks into it and the vehicle departs, leaving the building and the other committee members far behind.

Sitting in the backseat of the car, Lissenden picks up the receiver of the car's built-in phone and dials a number. After waiting a few moments, he gets an answer, from a low, gruff male voice.

"How did the meeting go?"

"The same as always."

"These damn Earthlings just don't get it, do they?"

Lissenden sighs remorsefully. "It would appear so."

"How should we proceed from here, sir?"

Lissenden thinks over his response for a moment before answering. "We will proceed as planned. It is imperative that we make our full intentions clear to the entire Earth Sphere before the Mars project progresses too far."

"Understood, sir."

Lissenden hears the line click off, then hangs his receiver up. Letting out a discouraged sigh, he gazes out the window at the bright blue sky.

Back on Mars, the Preventors' freighter is being unloaded as the two crewmembers disembark and head deeper into the spaceport. Having finished their job and reported in to their superiors, the two pilots are essentially off duty for the rest of the day and decide to take a moment to relax.

After buying two cups of coffee, the two make their way to the observation level, which is completely vacant. The spaceport was constructed purely for business purposes and as such doesn't hold many of the accommodations found at other spaceports. However, the building's architects believed that certain amenities should still be included. The vending machines and observation level are some examples of these.

A circular room filled with cheap, yet comfortable, seats and ringed with large, strong windows, the observation level allows an unobscured view of the Martian landscape in every direction. Zechs and Noin each have a seat facing the now setting sun, a tiny yellow circle much smaller in appearance than it is from Earth.

The two are quiet for a moment as the sun slowly slips lower and lower, but once again, Noin breaks the silence.

"You've been quieter than usual lately Zechs. Are you really that concerned about everything going on?"

Zechs quietly sips his coffee before answering. "I know the RAMS seem insignificant compared to what we've been through, but times are different now." He takes another moment to consider his thoughts before proceeding. "We've been trained to respond to trouble all our lives, but always with our mobile suits. Now that they're out of the picture, it's difficult to know how to proceed."

Noin considers his thoughts for a moment, then turns to him. "I don't believe it'll have that big of an effect on us. Mobile suits or not, you're still one of the strongest and most brilliant people on this planet. I'm sure that whatever comes up, you'll be able to handle it."

Zechs smirks as she continues. "Besides, if anything really big comes up, we've still got the Preventors' secret stash of mobile suits ready for emergency deployment."

Zechs' smile disappears as she reminds him of that fact. He continues staring straight ahead for a moment, then rises to his feet. Noin is about to say something to him as he walks away, but he speaks first. "I'll be back in a minute."

He wanders through the spaceport until he finds a sufficiently vacant area, then steps into a private phone booth to make a call. After waiting for a few moments, an old, familiar voice greets him.

"Hello?"

"Howard," Zechs states.

"Oh, hey Zechs! What's up?"

"I called to see how you were doing with supplies. Did you need anything out there? Running low on something perhaps?"

There are a few moments of silence on the other end, followed by Howard's response. "Nope, I'm pretty much covered for the next month or so."

Zechs can't help smiling as he answers. "Alright then. And Howard, thanks for all your help. I know I'm asking a lot of you to do this for me."

Howard's answer is flippant and has an air of carelessness about it. "Not to worry. I actually kind of like it out here. It's private."

Zechs smirks again. "Thanks again," he says before hanging up. He steps out of the booth and gazes out a nearby window at the setting sun once again. His thoughtful visage is slowly replaced by a weak scowl as he stares quietly. Something about all this feels…wrong. He continues watching the sunset for a few more moments, lost in thought, but is interrupted when a loud roar is heard, causing the spaceport to quake.

Dashing to the window, Zechs quickly spots a rising column of smoke coming from the nearby hangar. Not wasting any time, he hurries towards the disaster, fearing the worst.

He arrives a few minutes after the explosion, which has caused significant damage to the hangar's interior, but has quickly been contained by the present crewmembers. The fires have been extinguished and most of the smoke has been ventilated out. The explosion came from the very same freighter that Zechs had piloted in, and the freighter's nearly full fuel tanks also added to the destructive force of the blast. Unfortunately, many members of the maintenance crew had been working on the ship when the explosive went off and many lay dead or dying around the twisted hulk of the ship's remains.

Noin rushes into the hangar's observation room, where Zechs is, and joins him in watching the crews cleaning up the carnage. "I knew I should've checked the cargo personally," Zechs growls, mostly to himself. Noin wants to say something to comfort him, but can't think of the right words to say. As Zechs watches the medics carry off the dead and wounded, his eyes are drawn towards one worker carrying off a pile of debris. On top of the pile is a slab of metal with a distinct insignia painted upon it.

Zechs' eyes narrow and his fingers curl into a tight fist as he stares at it. A black ram's head with piercing red eyes stares back at him, crimson blood dripping from the tips of its spiraling horns.

A few days later, Representative Lissenden has returned home to the colony he represents. He resides in a large mansion, showcasing his wealth and importance to the colony's citizens that he stands for.

As he arrives at the entrance to his house, he is joined by an accomplice who falls into step alongside him as they walk inside.

"Greetings, sir," the accomplice says. He's a younger man, in his late twenties, wearing loose, casual clothes and worn boots. His face is unshaven and his hair short and wild. His eyes are hidden behind a pair of sunglasses that he keeps on even after heading inside. "How was your trip home?" he asks respectfully.

"Fair enough," Lissenden responds gruffly. "But it's hard to enjoy anything when so many people refuse to listen to reason. Why can't they see how important it is that we stop the terraformation of Mars?"

"We will make them see," his accomplice offers smugly. They continue on through the mansion, passing large dining halls and rooms built to accommodate big groups of people. Lissenden sighs heavily.

"How are things proceeding?" he asks, his voice tinged with regret.

His guest's voice drops lower as he answers. "Things are going as planned sir, but we've run into some issues concerning Project Epsilon."

"Oh?" Lissenden asks, concerned. "What sorts of issues?"

The younger man waves his hand as if waving the issues themselves away. "Nothing to concern yourself with. Just minor details that need tweaking. But rest assured, we've got plenty of men working on the problem and should be back on schedule in no time."

Lissenden nods his head in understanding, but remains silent. He leads the way to a small elevator and presses the button to call it. The door opens and the two men step into it, the doors quietly closing behind them.

As the elevator descends, a young man steps out of hiding from around a corner, eyeing the elevator doors curiously. He has short spiked red hair with streaks of black dye running through, creating a striking image that denotes defiance. He has bright green eyes and appears to be young, in his late teens. He wears baggy clothes that are the same color scheme as his hair, adding to his rebellious image.

He stands staring at the closed doors for a few moments, then turns and strides off, a callous look on his stern face.

That evening, the defiant teen sits alone in one of the large dining halls, a plate of food before him, untouched. He moves the plate's contents around a bit with his fork and occasionally glances down the long table at the other untouched plate, the chair before it empty.

After a few minutes of this silence, the boy gets fed up and takes hold of a nearby remote. Pointing it straight ahead, he presses the power button, activating a television set across the room.

The television is set to a news network that spends a few minutes reporting on the bicentennial celebration. The teen smirks a bit as he watches, but soon the festivity is replaced with news concerning the Mars terraformation project. The teen returns to fiddling with his food as the television set blares its information.

"Reports are now coming in of an explosion at the Martian colony, which is still under construction. There are few details right now, but so far we know that the spaceport was damaged. Whether this was an attack of some kind or purely an industrial accident has yet to be determined."

At this, Sayze calmly glances up. The screen shows a grainy image of the Mars spaceport with a thin streak of smoke trailing from a portion of it. His small smirk returns as he watches the black gas drift across the orange soil of the distant planet.

"If this is indeed a terrorist attack, this would mark the fourth such attack this year. Officials refuse to comment as to whether the attacks are all associated with a single organization, but many people seem to believe this is the most logical conclusion."

As Sayze watches, he mutters to himself, "Nothing good can come from the terraformation of the red planet. If they establish colonies on Mars, what use will they have for orbital colonies like this one? Why would people prefer a floating slab of metal in space to living on an actual planet? If Mars becomes habitable, people all over the Earth Sphere will want to move there, leaving the colonies virtually uninhabited, empty shells that once had purpose." He lowers his eyes to gaze at his hands, which slowly ball into fists as anger takes over. "Everything we've worked for these last two hundred years will be gone, thrown away without a second glance."

He raises his head back up to glare at the television screen as it shows a distant image of Mars slowly rotating in space. "Martian colonization must be stopped."

Back on Mars, the sun is gone, the night sky blacker and filled with more stars than visible from Earth. Zechs and Noin are both still up, sitting together in a room within one of the main residential structures of the colony. The dark landscape beyond the window is nearly impossible to see due to lack of moonlight or artificial light, so their attention is instead turned to the television.

Together they watch the televised celebrations focused on the colonies' bicentennial. They see spectacular parades, large parties, and fireworks displays from all over the Earth Sphere. Noin smiles at the vibrant images, but Zechs intrudes on her thoughts with a short inquiry.

"How long do they plan to carry on this celebration?"

Noin looks at him with disbelief, but then smiles. "It's been two hundred years since the colonies were built. It only makes sense everyone would want to celebrate such an occasion, especially after the rough times everyone's been through recently."

Zechs says nothing, but his expression betrays his irritation. After a few awkward seconds of silence, he speaks again, his anger flowing freely this time. "I still don't see why we're the only two Preventors out here. The RAMS are probably the only real threat anywhere right now, and we know this place is their target."

Noin grows more concerned, and begins to get a bit defensive when she responds. "Come on, Zechs. First of all, you know there aren't very many Preventors to begin with. Second of all, you know some of them are tracking down the RAMS, trying to find out where they're striking from. Plus, there's no sense in gathering all the Preventors in one place. Better to keep them fairly spread out so they can respond to whatever comes up, wherever it is."

Zechs regards her words silently until she speaks again. "Besides, it wouldn't be fair to offer more protection to one colony more than the others, would it?"

At this, Zechs turns to her. He speaks calmly, but she can tell he's still angry. "This is no mere colony," he gestures to the planet around him. "This is much more important. This is a planet."

Noin opens her mouth to speak, but stops herself when she realizes Zechs already knows what she's going to say. He continues on, his anger beginning to melt away. "The RAMS want to put a stop to the Mars terraformation because they believe that if Mars becomes a colony, the orbital colonies that already exist will become obsolete and forgotten."

"But that's not true, right?" Noin asks.

"Actually," Zechs replies. "It is true. It won't happen immediately, but the colonies that exist now will be discarded in favor of Mars."

Noin's jaw slackens in surprise. "So…the RAMS are right?"

"To a degree," Zechs responds. "What they don't realize is that the colonies are very inefficient for their purpose. While they do work well, it takes constant monitoring, maintenance, and materials to keep them functioning correctly. The entire process costs a great deal and will continue to as long as the colonies exist.

"They're also very vulnerable. Floating out in the void of space, if a colony receives too much damage, it can quickly break apart, threatening the lives of everyone in the colony. Then of course, there's the debris from the incident, which presents a danger to the other colonies and ships traveling through the area.

"Mars, on the other hand, is a planet. It already has a stable orbit, and once terraformation is complete, it will be capable of supplying it's own materials. Although the colonies will become obsolete, it is a necessary loss. They were not built to last forever and will eventually present a danger to themselves and the Earth." He turns to gaze at the unseen landscape. "It is imperative that this project succeed."

Noin stares at his back, taking all this new information in. She thinks it all over for a few minutes, then selects which question to ask first, but is interrupted by the room's phone ringing.

Zechs picks up the receiver and listens in silence for a few seconds. "Alright…Understood." With those two words, Zechs hangs up the phone and walks over to the room's closet. He takes out one of the pressurized space suits necessary for going outdoors on Mars, then turns to Noin as he begins to pull it on. "I've got some business to attend to out at the new Biogenetics lab west of here. It will most likely take a while, so I may not be back for a few days."

He finishes donning the suit and places the helmet under his arm, locking his eyes on her for a few moments before turning around and walking out the door wordlessly. Noin turns to the window, staring sorrowfully at the black desert beyond it. As she watches, she sees the brief outline of twin dust trails speeding away from the building, heading west.

Meanwhile, at colony L1-C88223, the rebellious teen, Sayze, sneaks up to one of the elevator doors distributed throughout his house. He discreetly sneaks into the elevator unseen. "Forbidden to use these, huh?" he mutters under his breath. "Try and stop me." He pushes the button depicting an arrow pointing down and casually watches as the doors close.

The elevator descends for a few minutes with Sayze eagerly watching the doors, unsure what to expect. Finally, the doors open and Sayze is presented with a short dark hallway, doors lining both walls until the hall turns left and right at the end. He tentatively steps out into the corridor and begins to quietly make his way down it. He reaches the end of the hall and decides to take the right turn. The hall continues a very short distance, but then turns left again, opening into a large chamber, about the size of most indoor sports stadiums.

The chamber is filled with people, strangers he's never seen before; all of them are wandering about, moving from station to makeshift station. There appears to be no order to what is going on, as some people monitor and work at computer stations, while other people are busy building and working on strange devices.

Sayze tries to remain hidden as he observes everything going on in this strange new place. As he watches, he notices a banner strung up high for all to see. Written upon it are the words Rebels Against Martian Settlement.

No way, Sayze thinks. My father's connected to the RAMS? He smirks to himself. I underestimated him.

As he studies the crowd, he spies his father wading through it, talking to the man who visited a few days ago, the one wearing the sunglasses. Sayze silently creeps forward, hiding behind some of the discarded materials piled about the room. He gets as close as he can to his father and the other man without being seen and watches attentively, listening in on their conversation.

"Look," his father was bellowing over the noise of the busy room. "I know we're trying to put a stop to the colonization of Mars, but I could really do with less bloodshed. I thought we were done with setting explosives on the colony's supplies."

The other man appeared somewhat nervous, but grinned widely as he answered. "Come on sir, you know how these things work. They didn't stop after the first three bombings, so we had to kick it up a notch. That's why this one was put on a timed delay so it would actually explode while on the planet, not while still on Earth or en route."

Lissenden nodded in understanding, but turned back to the other man with a look of anger on his face. "I know, I know, but I didn't agree to start this organization to kill people. I just wanted to stop the terraforming process, Jake."

Sayze's eyes widen briefly in surprise. My father created the RAMS?! How could this be?

He continues watching as his father goes on. "I don't care how you do it, but I want you to avoid as many casualties as possible from now on." The old man wipes at his brow. "Keep in mind, this is all to save the colonies, not to destroy Mars and everyone on it."

Jake looks defeated, but seems accepting of the fact. He's quiet a moment, but then with a quick look around, he leans in close to Lissenden. Sayze strains to listen and manages to hear what Jake says next. "What about Project Epsilon, sir?"

Lissenden recoils quickly, staring intently at Jake, his face a mixture of outrage, fear, and despair. "That is a last resort, and nothing more. I don't even want there to be any test runs of that project until there's absolutely nothing else we can do."

Again, Jake looks defeated, but nods his head once and says clearly, "Yes sir." With that, the two part, and Lissenden heads back towards the elevators, leaving Jake alone among the crowd. Jake stands quietly for a few moments, but then turns and heads further back into the chamber.

Sayze takes a quick look around the room. Noticing that there doesn't appear to be any sort of uniform or other mark of identification among the RAMS, Sayze takes a gamble and tails the strange man.

Jake disappears through a door at the back of the room and Sayze inconspicuously follows. The next room is even larger than the last one, but isn't lit very well, making it impossible to gauge just how big it is. All Sayze can see is a metal staircase before him leading upwards.

He takes a quick look around, then quietly begins climbing the stairs. He makes it about halfway up the staircase before he hears a loud snap and a series of bright lights at the center of the chamber click on. He cautiously glances over in the illuminated direction and what he sees causes his jaw to drop and his eyes to glitter with intrigue.

A few days later, it may be midday across the Martian desert, but it is still uncomfortably cold as Zechs drives the small, enclosed land rover across the reddish sand. As he drives, he catches glimpses of large factories in the distance, many of them working hard to combat that very chill while transforming the atmosphere into one more suitable for human settlers. Others are being used to convert the ice mined from elsewhere on the planet into usable water for the growing colony.

The facility Zechs is currently heading for has a somewhat different purpose. The work being done at the Biogenetic labs is to modify plants from Earth to survive in Martian soil. This will allow the plants to be grown outside, helping to convert the vast quantities of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into oxygen to further modify the atmosphere for human habitation.

Zechs arrives at the facility shortly before sunrise and is greeted inside by one of the geneticists. He's given a very brief tour on the way to their destination, a large indoor pasture. The pasture houses numerous barnyard animals, both for food and terraformation purposes. The reason for Zechs' requested attendance is evident almost instantly. There's a small flock of sheep in the enclosure, and all of the rams have been painted black, the tips of their horns dyed red.

Zechs takes note of this and turns to the geneticist that accompanied him. "Well, you've either got a pretender or the real thing here. Either way, it means trouble. You did well to contact me."

The geneticist looks over at Zechs, worry etched on his face. "What are you going to do?"

Zechs thinks for a moment, then looks back out at the pasture. "We'll wait it out for a while, wait until they make another move. Warn security to keep an eye out and increase surveillance throughout the facility." The geneticist begins to walk off, but Zechs suddenly thinks of something else. "Also, start monitoring all transmissions sent to and from this facility."

The geneticist pauses for a moment, but then slowly nods in understanding before heading on his way. Zechs watches the animals wandering about the pasture for a few more minutes before turning and leaving the chamber himself.

Wandering towards the residential quarters, he makes his way into his personal room, set up for his short visit. He looks around the small room, his mind focused on the lab's situation. He has a seat at the small desk pressed up against the wall and gazes out the window before him.

The dark world before him is silent and still, the only visible movement is nearly imperceptible, the slow drift of the rocky moon Phobos as it rolls across the sky, a dim blotch against the black backdrop. Zechs watches the leisurely tumbling rock as he thinks things over, letting the tranquil motion sooth his anxiety, driving it away.

If the RAMS really did manage to infiltrate this lab, I doubt they'd commit a simple act of vandalism. Especially since their assaults have been getting gradually more destructive. This must be a simple prank, a joke for someone's personal amusement. Zechs narrows his eyes. But with how serious things have been getting around here, committing such an act is almost as bad as deliberately assaulting the colony facilities or their inhabitants.

Zechs shuts his eyes and lets lose his breath, overcome with grief. Sometimes it seems as if Milliardo was right. As long as there are people capable of fighting, there will be battles. He hears his personal communication device ringing and slowly opens his eyes, unwilling to speak to anyone at the moment. But that reluctance vanishes as his eyes jolt open, widening to take in the sight of the hundreds of fragments of Phobos scattering across the sky, sailing to the ground below.

He quickly gathers his communicator and turns it on, holding it to his ear while shouting into it, "What's going on?!"

Noin is on the other end of the line, her voice as frantic as his, but composed of more terror than anger. "We just lost contact with the Phobos Refueling Station! Apparently it's been destroyed by an unidentified craft!"

Zechs is already donning his pressure suit and heading for the facility's vehicle bay. "Any clues as to who it could have been yet?" He finds his rover and starts it up, racing out of the building before the large hangar door can even finish rising.

The other end of the line is boisterous, the voices of scared and confused people rushing about the room Noin is occupying. "No one knows anything yet!" she shouts over the din. "One minute, all systems were fine and nothing was amiss. The next minute, it was all gone." Her voice drops lower, and Zechs begins to worry about the amount of fear in her voice. "What do you think is going on, Zechs?"

Zechs was rocketing across the desert at reckless speeds, anxious to return to the colony's center point as quickly as possible. "I don't know, Noin. It could be the RAMS, but I never thought they could have that much power." He remains silent for a moment, but then decides to say what's on his mind. "Noin, I have a bad feeling about all of this…I want you to get away from there as soon as you can."

She remains quiet, and in the background Zechs can hear as someone else in the room shouts out, "We've got a signal! Something in the upper atmosphere!" Zechs strains to listen as the unidentified speaker continues. "It's broadcasting a communication line!"

After that, Zechs hears the familiar tone of a control room screen displaying a freshly established communications link. This is followed by absolute silence throughout the unseen room. He then hears a voice, its quality decreased by its passage through two sets of speakers, but its calm, even tone still eerie enough to send chills down his spine.

"I hold nothing against any of you personally, and I truly wish you'd listened. But the time for discussion has long since passed and you simply made the wrong decision." There's a brief pause, which no one interrupts. Even the whine of the rover's overworked engine seems subdued in the silence. But then the voice resumes its message, this time heavy with malice and hate. "In the name of the colonies, I hereby resolve to cease the development of the Mars terraformation project. I do this for the glory of the colonies!" Zechs can't help but gasp as he hears the words echoing from his memories and into his earpiece.

"Farewell."

In the distant night sky, Zechs spots a tiny speck of intense light, which suddenly arcs downward, a stream of energy cutting through the blackness. He hears Noin's voice sorrowfully utter, "Zechs…" as his hands grasp onto the rover's controls fiercely, threatening to pry them from the vehicle's chassis as he watches the beam smash into the ground, resulting in an enormous eruption of fire and smoke that lights up the horizon.

The rover's engine silences, the vehicle quickly losing momentum on the rocky ground as Zechs' attention to everything around him fades away, his communicator on the rover's floor, it's connection terminated. He stares in disbelief at the rising cloud far before him as his arms fall to his sides limply, his eyes focusing on nothing. "It can't be…" Zechs mutters.

The rover finally rolls to a stop and Zechs sits in silence, unsure of what to do next. Thoughts and emotions race through his mind at blinding speed, but he can't focus on any of them. He sits alone, slack-jawed and confused, until he hears a crackling over the forgotten communicator. Reaching down, he picks it up and numbly holds it by his ear, listening intently as the voice he has come to hate returns, this time coming over a direct frequency and no longer tainted with the grainy noise it held earlier.

"I have struck the first crucial blow against the Martian colony, and I urge any one remaining on the planet to contact those they wish to say farewell to before the rest of the facilities meet a similar fate. By Martian midnight tomorrow, the planet will once again be a cold, lifeless rock in space, as it should be."

The icy, remorseless voice continues on, but Zechs doesn't listen. He once again drops the communicator to the floor and takes a hold of the rover's controls. He whips the vehicle around and races northwards, his jaw set in a determined frown and his eyes radiating hatred.

Howard sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before donning his trademark shades. He could hear the loud sounds of machinery and maintenance equipment being turned on somewhere nearby. Getting up off his mattress, he leaves his room and makes his way through his makeshift home. It's an impersonal place, mostly just a few empty rooms connected by thin hallways, but he's decorated it to suit his style with tropical posters and old, worn pieces of furniture. He steps through an unmarked doorway and flicks on the nearby light switch, illuminating the large hangar.

Standing silently in the center of the large room is the infamous Tallgeese, clean and repaired since its last use against the forces of Mariemaia. But someone has disconnected all the restraints holding the suit in place and Howard can hear the mobile suit's powerful generator warming up.

As he stares up at the great white machine, he absently scratches at his scalp before shouting, "Zechs? That you?"

In response, the cockpit hatch opens and Howard's old friend steps into view, staring solemnly down at the old man. Howard sighs loudly and continues. "Just makin' sure, buddy. But I gotta ask: What exactly are you up to?"

Zechs responds directly, loud enough to be heard, but his voice still unusually calm. "Someone's out to destroy the Martian colony. He's already wiped out the spaceport and residential sites. I intend to stop him from getting any further."

Howard nods in understanding, but then asks. "But do you really need the Tallgeese? I mean…"

"He's got a mobile suit, Howard. Otherwise I wouldn't be here." Zechs steps back out of view, closing the cockpit's hatch behind him. The noise coming from the mobile suit increases, and its single green camera eye flashes brilliantly. Howard steps out of the hangar, closing the door behind him as the Tallgeese walks out of the large chamber, the giant doors leading outside closing behind it.

"A mobile suit that can wipe out all those facilities so fast?" Howard mutters as he watches the hangar's doors seal shut. "Sounds like trouble."

Back outside, Zechs quickly reacquaints himself with his old suit's controls. Wasting no time, the hatches along the sides of the Tallgeese's vernier thrusters swing open, firing off great jets of flame and hurling the mech high into the atmosphere. As the mobile suit soars through the air at breakneck speed, Zechs activates the scanning systems within the cockpit and begins searching for anything that might clue him into the other mobile suit's location.

Finding nothing, Zechs broadens the range of his search and finally comes up with a signal. Found him, Zechs thinks, as he turns his craft towards Elysium Mons, one of the largest mountains on the planet.

As Zechs approaches, his grip on the control sticks grows rigid and strong, as he quivers with quiet rage. With the mobile suit's powerful engines, the mountain enters his range of vision quickly and he begins to descend towards it. As he does so, the signal he'd been following vanishes, winking out of existence on his screen.

He sets down on the mountain's rocky slope and sits quietly for a moment, planning his next move. After a few moments of anxious hesitation, he begins to search the mountain slope around him, moving around the peak's surface as discreetly as he possibly can, which is difficult with a giant robot. Boulders tumble down to the ground far below, dislodged by the mech's large feet.

Dammit, Zechs thinks. Gotta be quiet. Can't afford to lose the upper hand until I know exactly what I'm dealing with. He continues maneuvering across the rough terrain, keeping an eye out for anything unusual. He manages to move the Tallgeese up onto a large outcropping of rock, but it loses it's footing for a moment and Zechs has to scramble to keep the suit from causing a rockslide down the mountain's slope.

A few small rocks are dislodged and tumble down noisily and Zechs remains motionless, keeping an attentive ear out for any noise generated by another mobile suit reacting. He waits for a few moments, then sighs in relief.

"I thought all mobile suits had been destroyed, to prevent any more wars."

Zechs whips his head around to peer over his shoulder, turning the Tallgeese to see up the mountainside. Standing high above him is a motionless shape, a tall black form with no discernable features upon it. As he watches, two green eyes near the top of it briefly flash brightly, before dimming. Zechs magnifies his view, focusing on the eyes, and is taken aback by what he sees.

"It can't be…Epyon?!"

His old mobile suit stares back at him, freshly painted a sleek, jet black and it's torso concealed by a similarly colored shell. The suit seems taller than it used to be and appears to have had some aesthetic changes made to its design to increase the menacing look of it.

Remembering the suit's capabilities, Zechs panics, raising the Tallgeese's cannon to aim the barrel at his opponent. He fires three short bursts, but the yellow bolts of energy bounce harmlessly off the Gundam's shell. Zechs grunts in frustration as the other pilot's laughter rings through his cockpit speakers.

"Once, but no more," the wicked voice cackles. "Now it is…"

The mobile suit moves, the shell across its body splitting down the middle and folding outwards, revealing two large, bat-like wings that reach out to the sides, eclipsing the mountain behind him. At the same time, two smaller wings, more bird-like than the previous two, unfurl, stretching wide as their 'feathers' spread apart. The rest of the suit beneath the wings looks just like Epyon, save for the new paint job. The large sphere built into the center of the new suit's chest blazes a bright green as its pilot yells out.

"Chimera!"

The black Gundam leaps forward, whipping its left arm before it as the heat rod built into the shield extends like a long whip. Zechs moves the Tallgeese back, leaping off the rocky outcropping as the enemy advances, arm held high. Zechs extends his own heat rod and swings it forth, intercepting the other rod and intertwining them both in a loose knot. The Gundam settles down on the large rock and gazes down at the Tallgeese below.

During the brief pause, Zechs has time to think for a moment. Those wings…Wing Zero? Deathscythe? It can't be. What else did this guy manage to get his hands on?

"Like the new look?" his opponent asks proudly. "Chimera tells me that you were his companion in a past life. As you can see, I've made a few upgrades since then."

Zechs glares at the inanimate object representing his enemy, the same suit he himself had once used. "How did you get your hands on Epyon and the remains of the Gundams? Who are you?"

The other pilot chuckles briefly before answering, "The first question, I don't know the answer to. The second one, I can answer easily. I am Sayze Lissenden, hero of the colonies and Death to Mars." The Chimera's heat rod goes slack as the suit's left arm rises up, reaching behind it. Zechs tenses in anticipation, ready for whatever may come. "And you, Zechs Merquise…" The Gundam's arm lowers back down, pointing the long barrel of one of Wing Zero's buster rifles at the Tallgeese's torso. "Will not stop me!"

Zechs barely has time to shift the mobile suit's shield before him as the enemy suit opens fire, a vicious burst of energy slamming into the protective armament, melting away the paint instantly and heating the metal to unbearable temperatures moments later. The Tallgeese is propelled backwards, sliding down the mountain until the furious eruption subsides.

Within the cockpit, Zechs gasps for air, sweat dripping from his brow from the heat of the blast. He glares back up the slope at the dark shape staring down at him. He can hear Sayze's laughter ringing through the confined space, but he disregards it, thinking instead of his next move. Unsure how to combat such a powerful foe, he decides to go on instinct and fires the verniers again, blasting upwards.

The Gundam tracks him, the buster rifle's tip following his ascent and firing again. Zechs maneuvers around the beam, but is met with another blast. Zechs wheels through the air, flying just past shot after shot as he tries to gain the upper hand. Finally, the Gundam ceases fire and the Tallgeese falls back to the mountain's slope, crouching high above the black suit.

Not stopping to think why the assault abruptly ended, Zechs again raises his own cannon and opens fire, aiming for the Gundam's exposed back. The beam makes contact, but instantly disperses. Zechs fires again and again though, regardless of the seemingly ineffective results. The barrage of energy slowly begins to take its toll on the mech, causing it to lurch backwards with each shot, even as it turns to face the Tallgeese. Slowly, the smoke from the blasts accumulates, concealing the Gundam from view. Finally, Zechs stops firing and waits to see what happens next, certain that his opponent hasn't been stopped yet.

Suddenly, the smoke erupts, parting at blinding speed as another shot from the buster rifle arcs towards the Tallgeese. Zechs deflects it with his shield, but the power is too much and the protective armor is torn from its mount, but not before Zechs manages to remove the hilt of one of the suit's beam sabers. The shield tumbles down the mountain unnoticed as the Tallgeese slides down the steep slope, barely keeping its balance as it goes.

As he draws nearer to his opponent, he ignites the saber, it's vibrant crimson blade illuminating the red rock around him. Zechs hears Sayze utter a smug scoff as the Gundam drops the buster rifle to the ground. It is then that he notices the long cable protruding from the butt end of the rifle, but he doesn't have time to ponder its purpose as the Chimera pulls forth the handle of its beam sword and activates the giant blade of energy.

Zechs fires the boosters again, sending the Tallgeese high into the sky, and with a single beat of its mighty wings, the Chimera follows, meeting its enemy in midair. The two weapons clash, casting a brilliant glow over the two suits and the mountain slope nearby as arcs of electricity fire off from the point of contact. The two suits push off briefly, then launch themselves at each other again, slicing harshly three times, neither of them scoring a hit. They separate again and both of them free-fall for a moment.

"You seem to forget," Zechs states, "I once piloted that suit. I know how it operates in close combat."

"And you seem to forget," Sayze retorts, "That this is a different suit."

With that, the Chimera emits a high pitched whine, and a few moments later, the Gundam's beam blade increases in size, growing almost twice as long and increasing in width at the base. Zechs unwillingly recoils physically as Wing Zero's boosters propel the Chimera towards him.

The Gundam whips the blade ferociously at the other mobile suit, staying far out of the range of Zechs' saber. Zechs struggles to deflect every swing that comes his way, but the going is rough, the longer blade harder to keep track of than any other weapon he's had to face.

"What's the matter? Too much for you?!" Sayze howls over the sounds of battle. Zechs grimaces as he continues to deflect strike after strike, the effort draining his energy. With a loud yell, Sayze swings wildly, the huge blade hurtling in Zechs' direction. He raises the saber to block, but the attack is too powerful, sending the weapon twirling from his hand.

Zechs' eyes dart to watch the thin weapon tumble through the air, but then he cries out in surprise as the Tallgeese suddenly jolts with an unexpected impact. He turns his eyes back to the main screen to see most of the Tallgeese's left arm plunging to the ground.

He doesn't have time to watch it however, as the Chimera launches straight at him, sword raised high. Thinking quickly, Zechs raises the cannon on his right shoulder and aims it forward. The end of the barrel is mere meters from the Gundam's facemask as Zechs pulls the trigger, firing a short blast of energy into the enemy's visage.

The force of the shot sends both suits flying backwards, the Tallgeese slamming into the mountainside as the Chimera plummets away. The Tallgeese slides a short way, but soon comes to a stop, remaining motionless.

Zechs breathes heavily, drenched in sweat from the intensity of the battle and his own uncertainty concerning the battle's outcome. He checks the mobile suit's energy levels and deems it still combat worthy, even if the mega cannon and a spare beam saber are his only remaining weapons. Zechs takes a moment to rest, unsure when he might get another chance to. He shuts his eyes and tries to control his breathing. I don't know if I can do this…Wing Zero and Epyon at once?

"You're even better than Chimera said you were," Sayze's voice calls out. Zechs opens his eyes to see the dark Gundam standing over his prone mobile suit, its head almost completely undamaged. Zechs doesn't even try to retaliate as the other suit's heat rod extends, coiling around what passes for the Tallgeese's neck. "You know, it's kinda nice that I got to try out this suit's true capabilities on such a worthy opponent. As you know, it's not as if the Gundams are around anymore for me to test myself against."

Seeing no other options at the present moment, Zechs begins talking to Sayze, buying himself some more time. "Why do this? Why prevent the colonization of Mars? Is it to save the colonies? Are you like the RAMS, believing that if Mars becomes habitable, the colonies will be forgotten, left to fall into poverty and eventually done away with?"

Sayze seems entertained by Zechs' words. "Oh, you figured it all out on your own. If only everyone else had done the same. But if you do realize the truth, why fight it? Why fight for Mars when you know it will lead to despair for so many?"

Zechs' grimace grows stronger as he discreetly presses a button, lengthening the mega cannon's barrel and causing it to split in half down the center. "Because we have to colonize Mars. The colonies won't last forever and are already a drain on resources. Mars has more than enough room for all the people living in the colonies now and it won't burden the Earth Sphere the way the colonies do currently."

There's silence from the Gundam's cockpit for a few seconds, but then Zechs hears two familiar electronic tones, which cause chills to run down his spine, paralyzing him momentarily. "What?!" he exclaims briefly. That thing's got the ZERO and Epyon Systems in it?!

The sounds emanating from the two running systems are soon joined by the confused grunts of Sayze. As Zechs listens, the young man begins to speak to himself, cryptically. "Uhn…Wha-what? Chimera? I don't…Agh!" The young man cries out in pain and Zechs winces, concerned about what's going on. He takes the moment to pull a switch unnoticed, causing energy to build up along the two halves of the mega cannon's barrel.

The teen's screaming continues for a short while, but then stops, replaced with heavy breathing and nothing else. After a few moments of this, the boy's voice returns. "Yes…Yes, I see now. It all makes sense." Zechs tenses as Sayze continues to speak, his concern growing as the teenager talks. "Mars is a great threat to the colonies and must be destroyed as such. But so is the Earth." The amount of malice in Sayze's voice grows as he carries on. "The only way to ensure the colonies' safety is to eradicate all threats to them. And that means both Mars and Earth. Both must be eliminated."

Zechs fidgets in his seat, suddenly restless and uncomfortable, and unwillingly causes the Tallgeese to shift. Sayze turns his attention back to his opponent and his jovial mood seems to return. "Ah, yes. Chimera explained it all to me. It told me how to prevent any more difficulties for the colonies, and the first step to peace…," The Chimera re-ignites the beam sword as the heat rod unravels from around the Tallgeese's neck. The dark Gundam draws the sword back. "Is eliminating you."

Reacting quickly, Zechs cries out as he hefts up the mega cannon, pointing it up at the Gundam's torso. Sayze reacts almost as quickly, bringing in Deathscythe's wings as a defense, but the emission of energy is too fast. The cannon emits a blinding ball of light that envelops both suits, demolishing the stone around them and producing an ear-shattering roar. Zechs holds on to the suit's controls firmly as the blast causes the entire area to shudder violently, tossing the suits about relentlessly. As the detonation consumes more of the rock around it, it grows bigger and brighter, resembling a miniature star released upon the red planet.

The brilliant explosion is visible for miles and soon fades, leaving an enormous crater carved into the mountain's face. Within the crater lies a battered Tallgeese, intact, but worse for wear. The cannon is still raised high and Zechs lies on his back within the suit, struggling to stay conscious. His vision blurs as he peers at the electronic screens around him, unable to determine what they mean. His vision begins to clear as he regains his composure, giving his head a quick shake before grabbing hold of the controls once again.

He urges the Tallgeese to its feet, and surveys the enormous crater. He begins to search for any remains of the Chimera, sure there will be some, but is distracted as the ground beneath him quakes. He makes the mobile suit hop a short distance as the rock bursts, liquid magma streaming out at high speed.

The Tallgeese continues to jump from place to place as similar eruptions occur across the crater's floor. Finally, Zechs leaps out of the crater with some assistance from his nearly depleted boosters and lands upon the lip of the quickly expanding lava pool. As he watches, the crater overflows, magma streaming down Elysium's slope in a broad torrent. As it travels downwards, it branches out, making multiple streams.

The heat radiating from the flowing liquid illuminates everything around it, and far below him, Zechs spots a brief hint of movement. He magnifies the image twice and isn't at all surprised by what he sees.

Backlit by the crimson glow of the molten rock around it, the Chimera rises to its feet, its eyes glowing brightly within its dark visage and one feathered wing remaining, raised high behind its right shoulder. As Zechs watches dispassionately, the Chimera's beam sword blazes forth a third time, the green energy a striking visual against the red-orange glow all around.

Sensing no other alternative, Zechs detaches the mega cannon from the Tallgeese's shoulder, allowing it to fall to the ground. He pulls out the spare beam saber and activates it, the red energy refusing to be forgotten amid the illumination around it, burning brightly despite the amount of red light struggling to overcome it.

The two mobile suits are motionless for a moment, but then the Chimera bounds forward, taking two steps before leaping over the river of magma and taking to the air. Zechs moves the Tallgeese into a defensive stance and awaits the Gundam's arrival.

The dark mobile suit falls out of the sky and swings its giant weapon in a great arc downwards. Zechs deflects it to the side, then brings his own blade across before him, aiming for the Chimera's waist. The Gundam steps back out of reach and the Tallgeese follows. The two trade blows back and forth while fighting dangerously close to the magma pool's edge. The planet seems to echo the fighters' intensity, the pool forming enormous bubbles that erupt on the liquid surface, sending molten rock hurtling into the air.

The two continue fighting, circling each other while parrying blows and dodging strikes as the volcano continues to pour its contents onto the plain below it. Zechs notices that Sayze has maneuvered the two of them so that the pool is behind him, but doesn't think much of it, confident in his skills to keep himself safe. He decides to increase his chances though, and amplifies the ferocity of his attacks, pushing himself to his limits as he cries out.

As the Chimera dodges a swift attack, something catches Zechs' eye. Still stored on the Gundam's back is the other half of Wing Zero's buster rifle. In the blink of an eye, Zechs formulates a plan and adopts a smug grin. The Tallgeese takes a step back and straightens up, standing tall. "This is the end," Zechs states flatly, eyes closed.

Raising its remaining arm, the Tallgeese hurls the beam saber at the Gundam, causing it to spin end over end as it travels forward. Reflexively, Sayze causes his suit to duck beneath the whirling blade. He watches it pass by harmlessly, but when he turns his eyes back to face forward, the Tallgeese is gone. He frantically scans the area around him and finally finds it as it falls out of the sky, vaulting above his hunched over Gundam.

As the Tallgeese passes the enemy mobile suit, it reaches out and grabs the buster rifle, pulling it free of its storage rack. The Chimera whirls around to retaliate, but Zechs is already charging the rifle up. He subtly notes that the rifle is connected to the Gundam's back via a long black cable, but doesn't think any more about it. Sayze quickly tries to sever the cable, but the beam sword's blade disperses before it can reach. Moments later, the Gundam's eyes dim, and the green ornament upon its chest grows dull.

With one last growl, Zechs pulls the trigger and the buster rifle releases a powerful blast, smashing against the stationary mobile suit and driving it backwards. Bits and pieces of the Chimera's armor begin to flake off as the suit flies back, carried by the stream of charged particles, but soon, the beam disperses, leaving the black suit to fall. The last of the Gundams smacks against the surface of the magma pool and slowly sinks beneath the surface, vanishing from view.

The Tallgeese stands upon the shore, still gripping the buster rifle, its long cord frayed at the end. After a moment, the single green eye fades and the mobile suit appears to somehow grow even more still. The hatch on the mech's torso opens, and Zechs steps out onto the platform created from the open entryway. He stares down at the magma pool for a moment, then turns his gaze skyward, the dim stars reflecting off his helmet as he stares on silently.

As the tiny sun begins to illuminate the sky to the east, his head drops forward, hanging limply. Isolated from the world, unseen within the confines of his helmet, a single tear rolls along his cheek, its existence forever to be unknown to all.