A quick Author's Note: This fanfic is simply a retelling of Gundam SEED with the addition of several new characters, retooled dialogue, and some characters having their fates changed. I have used the TV series, manga adaptation, movies, and novels to piece this together. I'd also like to take this time to thank an individual, ZGMF-X28A Nu-Liberty, for assisting me in this project. Several of the changes added to the story must be accredited to him. With that said, read on and I hope you enjoy it.

New Phase 01

"In the past twenty-fours, ZAFT forces have continued to advance on the space port. Stay tuned for all late breaking developments."

Kira Yamato sighed as his attention wandered back to his laptop. With a swift stroke of the keys, he closed the news window. He grew tired of hearing about the war nonstop. He readied himself to begin working again, except he was now distracted by his robopet, Birdy. It was an emerald and golden colored robotic bird, and it swooped all around before perching itself on the computer and cheerfully chirped. Kira had to smile at the tiny robot. Whenever he looked at it, he was reminded of the friend whom built it, and that day on the moon four years earlier.

Kira looked up to Athrun Zala, his best friend. It had been a sad day, for both Athrun and his mother had been told to leave for the PLANTS. Kira was concerned for his friend's safety, yet Athrun had insisted that a war between Earth and the PLANTS would never occur, and that his father was merely being precautious. As Coordinators, Athrun and his family faced discrimination from the Naturals, those who had never undergone genetic alterations. Kira's parents were Naturals yet he was born a Coordinator himself. Now thanks to political reasons, his friend had to evacuate. Before they parted ways, Athrun gave Birdy to him and made the promise that they'd someday meet again.

"Hey, Kira, any breaking news?"

Kira was snapped back into reality by his friend, Tolle Koenig, who had suddenly appeared. Tolle took a seat next to him. Miriallia Haw, Tolle's girlfriend, leaned in as well.

"What's all this?" she inquired, pointing to the pile of work laid about the picnic table.

"Let's just say Professor Kato dumped some extra stuff for me to look over." Kira replied, "I haven't even gotten half of it done." He jabbed a key, bringing up the news window once more. This time, the screen showed the terrible battle. ZAFT mobile suits decimated Earth Alliance forces and laid waste to the surrounding. The report indicated that the Kaohsiung space port in Taiwan was close to falling.

"Great, after only one week, and South China's already falling to ZAFT?" Tolle said.

Kira did find Tolle annoying at times, yet he admired him for his honest though blunt demeanor. Both he and Miriallia were his closest friends, and he enjoyed spending time with them. Yet there were times that they all grew weary of hearing about the war.

"With all this, what will happen to Orb?" Miriallia asked nervously.

Tolle shrugged. "There's nothing to worry about." He insisted. "I don't see this place ever becoming a part of the war."

His optimism reminded Kira of what Athrun said. He had said that a war such as this would never take place, and he had been wrong…

"I'm telling you, it isn't true!"

As Kira and the others made their to the electric car rental platform, they noticed a pair of young women clustered next to Flay Alster, another of Miriallia's mutual friends. She, Miriallia, and the other began to chatter away about topics that didn't interest Kira or Tolle. However, in Kira's case, it was Flay herself that interested him. She indeed possessed exotic beauty and had a personality to match. He didn't know much about her, apart from what Miriallia told him, but he couldn't muster up the courage to speak to someone like her. Apparently Flay had received a love letter from Sai Argyle. Everyone was so absorbed in the conversation that no one noticed when an electric car pulled up to the platform.

"Excuse me." A calm voice said from behind, "If you're not going to use this, may we?"

Kira and the others spun their heads back and saw a woman in sophisticated clothing and her raven hair cut short. She looked to be in her mid to late twenties. A pair of taller men stood behind her. Though her words were polite, her voice had an authoritative tone to it. She and her companions were slightly imposing, and even intimidating.

"Sure, go ahead." Kira said, stepping aside. The three strangers stepped into the available car and sped off.

Flay and her own companions immeadatily took the next available car, leaving Kira and his friends alone on the ramp. Kira couldn't shake off a strange vibe he got from the woman they briefly encountered. She seemed like a business type woman, yet seemed to act secretively. When the next car pulled up, Tolle and Miriallia jumped into the front seat, and Kira slumped into the back.

"Well, looks like you've a little competition." Tolle chuckled. When Kira didn't answer, he added, "Don't give up just yet."

Natarle Badgiruel removed her sunglasses and watched the scenery at the car traveled down the Central Shaft of the colony. She envied the civilians she'd seen on the platform. Their home had been completely untouched by the war. As an ensign in the Earth Alliance military, Natarle had seen many horrific battles. In some ways, Heliopolis reminded her of her own home, before it was brutally attacked by the ZAFT.

Chief Petty Officer Arnold Neumann sensed her mood, and the last thing both of them wanted was bring Heliopolis into the conflict. However, this mission was vital.

As an industrial colony for the neutral Orb, (a country comprised of a group of islands located just below the Equator) Heliopolis primarily served as a supplier of valuable interstellar raw materials. Even as war dragged on, Orb had outwardly maintained its neutrality. It was for that very reason why the Earth Alliance officers' recent arrival had to be in the utmost secrecy.

The car drove to the rear entrance of Morgenroete, a business owned by the government of Orb. Beneath the surface was a secret complex, complete with a factory capable of producing vast amounts of goods. The car parked at an underground hanger near the factory, and Natarle and her companions got out and walked to an observation platform, leaned over the railing, and finally saw it, a large white battleship.

Its length spanned to the total of three football fields. Numerous cannons lined its body and wings spread out. This new ship could fly in Earth's atmosphere as well as space. Its armor made it like a fortress. This was the Archangel, a new battleship part of a secret project being completed within Morgenroete. Ensign Natarle Badgiruel, Petty Officer Arnold Neumann, and Petty Officer Jack Tonomura were soldiers of the United Earth Alliance's 8th Fleet; they had come to Heliopolis to board the Archangel as crewmembers. With the new ship, they hoped their prayers would be answered, and the stalemate, and eventually the war would end.

Above the underground complex, Morgenroete construction site was buzzing with activity. Lieutenant Murrue Ramius, twenty-six, gave the last minute orders to her subordinates. Even though she was the highest ranking officer on site, there were a few troublemakers who saluted with pickup lines and catcalls.

"Lieutenant!" She turned to find Petty Officer Murdoch, one of the primary mechanics, sticking his head out the window of one of the several trucks parked off to the side. "We've finished our work here. If it's all right, we'll go on ahead to the ship."

Murrue nodded. "That'll be fine, excellent work." She waved as two trucks pulled away and disappeared around a corner.

"Hey Lieutenant, what do you say you treat us all to drinks later? After all, it's our last day here at Heliopolis!" One of the young officers called.

She cocked a brow. Immeadatily the officer sheepishly averted his attention and went back to work. Several other officers chuckled at the exchange. Murrue brushed a lock of her chestnut hair from her face and looked around. Everyone was indeed in high spirits, she knew, what with the operation drawing to a close. They only now had to load the new weapons onto the Archangel and their work would be completely finished. She was also relieved to have the burden of command taken off her shoulders soon.

Outside the colony, a freighter the size of a small building slowly eased into Heliopolis's port, and its presence was in absolute secret. On the bridge, the ship's

Captain heaved a sigh. His task was nearly done. "You have done an excellent job, Lt. La Flaga." He said, turning to the pilot standing at attention.

"I appreciate the compliment, sir." Lieutenant Mwu La Flaga replied, "I'm just glad we had no difficulties while on route to here." He was a slim man with chestnut colored hair in his late twenties. His handsome features belied his commanding demeanor. He was an ace pilot in the Earth Alliance Space Force and his exports were renowned. Are there any ZAFT vessels around?"

The captain chuckled at the question. "There's no cause for alarm." He assured, "They have no knowledge of our presence here. Even if they did, they know that they cannot start any hostile actions here."

"Captain." A new voice called. The captain shifted his attention to a group of young pilots. They all saluted, which the captain returned. They then left the bridge as quickly as they had entered.

"Do you think they'll be all right?" Mwu asked.

"They may be young, but they all are top guns selected to be pilots for the prototypes." The captain said, "They'll be just fine."

Mwu was a seasoned veteran, and even though the trip had gone off without a hitch, they wouldn't relax until the entire operation was completed.

Athrun waited anxiously for the order to disembark. He looked to his fellow ZAFT soldiers. Yzak Joule, a top rate pilot, wore an icy expression on his face. He considered himself a rival of Athrun; ambitious and eager earn the rewards of victory. At many times, Athrun did what he could to keep his distance from him. Next was Dearka Elsman, a cynical, sometimes hot-blooded pilot who made the perfect counter-balance to Yzak. The pair of them was a deadly combination. He then shifted his gaze to Rusty McKenzie and Nicol Amalfi. Rusty acted as the glue that held the group together at times, and Nicol's gentle features belied his fighting abilities. Then there was Cade Fenix, the odd man out of the team. He just sat quietly and pushed his glasses back on his nose, and ran his fingers through his tan hair. Athrun didn't know much about him, apart from that he was the sole survivor of a team that was wiped out earlier in the war, and then eventually got transferred to their team. Cade was also cynical at times, but his technical knowledge, piloting abilities, and computer hacking skills did make him an asset. However, his attitude presented him as a slacker to some, especially Yzak and Dearka. Also he followed a lifestyle called Straight Edge, and that only made seem more unusual at times. It was indeed a diverse group, yet the all made up the Le Creuset Team.

"Something wrong, Athrun?" Yzak asked, "You look nervous."

"I don't see why any of us should be." Dearka declared, "Infiltrating an Orb colony will be all too easy. They wouldn't even suspect that we'd launch an attack."

"Don't be overconfident, Dearka." Nicol spoke up, "We can't let our guard down, even if Orb controls Heliopolis."

"Nicol is correct." A voice said. Everyone looked up to find Commander Rau Le Creuset, known to enemies and allies alike for his ferocious fighting abilities, standing before them. His face was concealed by a mask, giving him an enigmatic aura. "This operation is of great significance, the very outcome of this war may depend on your success or failure. ZAFT is counting on you all."

It was then they received the order to move out. Opening the hatch, they and their support troops stepped out into the vacuum of space and straight towards Heliopolis.

On the bridge of the Nazca-class ship, the Vesalius, Captain Ades watched the troops make their way towards the colony. "Are you sure we should proceed without the Council's approval?"

Le Creuset looked over to Ades. "Patrick Zala gave us his personal approval." He answered, "Should there be any problems with the Council, he'll take care of it. Besides, the operation is already in motion. What we must focus on now is what is happening inside that colony." He gazed upon a fuzzy photo of what appeared to be a mobile suit. "My intuition tells me that if we don't act now, we'll come to regret it later."

Kira and his friends took the automatic electrical car through the front gate of the Morgenroete complex. Even though they didn't know it, their department was involved in the research of military technology. They did enjoy their work in cutting-edge technology, all the while not realizing what their projects were tied to. They entered their lab, they expected to find their supervisor, Kato, but he wasn't there. Instead, Sai Argyle looked up from his work and grinned.

"Good to see that you finally made it." He happily greeted. Sai was the serious person of the group, often finding himself as mediator among his friends. He was also the young man Flay was attached to.

Kuzzey Buskirk, the final member of the group. He was seated in his usual spot at the far end of the table. Standing in the corner near him was a person that Kira had never seen before. He appeared to be a slim boy with brownish gold hair, but his hat obscured his face.

"Who're that?" Tolle whispered to Kuzzey.

Kuzzey only shrugged. "Apparently he's Kato's guests. He said he was told to wait here."

Kira looked over the stranger. What could he have had to with a robotics engineer like Kato?

Sai held up a disk. "Hey Kira, Kato told me to give you this." He passed it along. "He said you'd know what it is.

And indeed Kira did know what is was, and he rolled his eyes. "Great." He whined, "More work" Over the past several months, he had been Kato's personal assisstent in a number of projects. He swore that Kira was the best in processing data. Kira did enjoy the praise, but not the extra workload.

"So what is it?" Kuzzey asked, "Some new program?"

"More or less." Kira answered, "It's just a simple program upgrade for the mobile frame." Simply put, what the mobile frame was, was a sort of prototype for the research in new models of cybernetic devices.

"Never mind about," Tolle said, "what's this about a letter?"

Kira placed his hand over Tolle's mouth, insisting to Sai that it wasn't important. Of course, Kuzzey and Miriallia found themselves in the middle of it.

As Kira and the others went on with their talk, the newcomer saw his chance. He cautiously snuck over to the door that led to Kato's office. He had just reached out his hand and grabbed the knob, only to find it locked. Exasperated, he dropped his hand and returned to the corner. Kira looked over his shoulder at that time, glancing at the stranger. His eyes were like a brown-gold, but his expression was harsh. Kira didn't know why, but couldn't tear his attention away.

Athrun and the others stealthily approached a large exhaust port. He looked at his watch and calmly waited. The monitoring device on the exhaust port switched off right on cue. Athrun gave the signal and the team swiftly moved inside the shaft. Each of them scattered and planted several black boxes at various strategic points around the underground hanger. Athrun set the timer and watched the red light begin to pulse.

The Vesalius, followed by the Laurasia-class transporter, the Gamow, sped towards the colony at top speed. They were instantly detected.

"Attention ZAFT vessels! Your present actions are in violation of your treaty with the Orb Union! Cease and leave the area immeadatily!" a communication officer ordered, but his words went ignored.

Other officers hurried about the control room overlooking the Archangel's docking bay. They rushed frantically in the anticipation of battle. Abruptly, all communication channels spat out nothing but earsplitting static.

"The ZAFT vessels are broadcasting electronic interference waves!" the communication officer called out.

Everyone froze at the news. The Captain of the Archangel made the call. "This is a hostile act, without a doubt."

Back on the bridge of the freighter, a chill swept through. Multiple targets had been detected as Mwu rushed back in.

"Enemies?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

The Captain nodded. "Confirmed, we detected one Nazca-class and one Laurasia-class. Multiple mobile suits are approaching as well."

"What about the recruits?" Mwu asked.

"They've arrived and should be boarding the ship about now."

"There's a bit of good news." He replied. With the recruits on the new ship, they'd at least be safe for now. "Have Luke and Gale board their Moebius units, but wait before deploying them." He calmly told the Captain before he made his way to the freighter's hanger bay.

Back in the hanger that housed the Archangel, the crew and factory workers scrambled to finish preparing the ship at the news of the ZAFT incursion. The ship's captain, other senior officers, and the recruits all stood inside the control room, waiting for any developments.

"Captain."

"Don't worry, we'll let Heliopolis defense worry about this." He said, but quickly added, "We'll launch if we need to." He turned to Natarle. "Go find Lieutenant Ramius, have her commence complete transfer of the G weapons and assist in any way you can."

Natarle acknowledged and she and one another officer left. She immeadatily contacted Murrue and informed her of the present situation.

Back at the construction site, Murrue relayed the message to her subordinates and what was calm and orderly became a mad dash to get the new weapons to their destination.

"Begin loading the G weapons!" she shouted, "On the double, people!"

Above on the upper deck of the Morgenroete factory, Athrun and the others observed the activity below them. Yzak looked through a pair of electronic binoculars and smiled.

"There they are." He murmured, "Just like Commander Le Creuset said."

Dearka snickered at the sight of things becoming chaotic below them It seemed that their ships had done their first task in stirring up panic among the Earth Forces officers. "The vermin have been prodded out."

They watched as a female officer gave orders and motioned to trailers loaded with enormous containers.

"There are our targets." Athrun said, pointing.

"Oh, could the Naturals be anymore stupid?" Yzak said and pressed a transmitter button, calling their mobile suits to their position.

"It's time." As if on cue, the timers counted down to zero and the bombs detonated, explosions tore apart equipment and the ensuing inferno engulfed everything, killing all those in the path.

Kira and the stranger had just locked gazes with one another. Without warning, a thunderous roar swept through the building, followed by tremendous and violent shaking. Everyone nearly lost their footing and struggled to keep from tumbling over.

"What was that?" Kuzzey shouted, grasping on to a table, "A meteoroid collision?" Such accidents were known to occur, but everyone had the sense that it was no accident. They all made a dash out of the lab and into the hallways.

Back in the docks, Mwu hurried to board his Moebius Zero. The Earth Alliance Space Forces boasted impressive numbers of these single pilot mobile armors. Although they were powerful in traditional ship-to-ship battles, they rarely were a match for mobile suits. Mobile suits were nimble and possessed great firepower. The entire outcome of the war now hinged on these machines. As the freighter cruised back out into space, the fighters weren't far behind. It had been Lieutenant La Flaga's job to escort the recruits, now it was time to show the rookies how to fight.

Everyone at the construction site was caught in near pandemonium. Murrue did what she could to regain order, but had little success. They needed to know what caused the tremor and what their next move had to be. Just then, one of the workers rushed up to her.

"Lieutenant!" he panted, "I've lost all contact with the ship!" Before he had the opportunity to go on, and loud rumble shook the ground again. Everyone looked up to see that two of the GINNs were heading right for them. They all leapt for safety as the towering mobile suits began to open fire on the convoy, disintegrating vehicles and damaging the surrounding buildings. Murrue threw herself facedown until the explosions subsided. She looked up and the GINNs were gone, but she knew they'd soon be back.

"Those were ZAFT." She muttered and stood. "Prep the X303 and X105 for immediate combat!" She then shouted to her group.

As Kira and his friends scrambled to safety, they headed for the emergency stairs, as the elevators were now inoperable. They pulled the door open, finding several workers running up the stairwell.

"What's happening?" Sai yelled.

One of the stopped and looked over his shoulder. "We're under attack by the ZAFT!" He shouted back, "Some of their mobile suits are now inside the colony!"

Kira suddenly stood still, shocked by the news. The worker motioned to them to follow him and he was off once more. Kuzzey and Sai were the first through the door, when the stranger abruptly turned the opposite direction and ran down the hall.

"Wait a minute, you!" Kira shouted. Disregarding his own safety, he spun around and took off after them.

"Kira!"

"I'll be right back!" he called back. He tailed the stranger, finally catching up to him near the factory area. He grabbed hold of his arm and tugged back. Another blast shook the building, blowing the stranger's hat off, revealing delicate and feminine features.

"Hey, you're a girl." He gawked.

The woman glared at Kira. "Yeah, what'd you think?" She tired to break out of his grip.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, "Just leave us alone and go back!"

"Are you insane?" he countered, "It's too dangerous to just run around."

"I mean it." She growled, "There's something I need to check on my own." She had now wretched her arm free. "Now go back to the others."

"I can't do that now." Kira told her, pointing behind him. The corridor had now collapsed behind them, cutting off that path. He thought quickly. "I know, just follow me." He grabbed the woman's arm again and took off running, pulling her along.

"Let go!" she yelled, and then muttered, "Idiot."

"Idiot?" he repeated, tugging her even harder so she'd keep up. When he looked back, he was surprised to see that her eyes were now tearing up. He loosened his grip and stopped.

"Please, there's something I have to see." She insisted, and then hung her head down. "I was afraid that this would happen."

Kira frowned at her last comment. How'd she know that the ZAFT forces would attack? There wasn't any time to worry about that right at the moment. The entire building was falling in all around them. "Look, don't worry, we have to find shelters. There should be some near the factory." He gently interlaced their fingers and hurried towards safety.

Outside, all hell was breaking loose. The Earth Alliance forces deployed trucks loaded with surface-to-air missiles and mobile artillery, but they were greatly outmatched by the GINNs, and were destroyed them with ease. All the trailers loaded with undefended equipment were blown to smithereens. The firefight between the Alliance troops and ZAFT soldiers within the factory continued fiercely. Bullets and smoke filled the air.

Athrun and his team had infiltrated the factory and quickly headed for the four trailers carrying the Earth Force's new weapons that were parked directly ahead of them. Loaded on each was none other than the prototype mobile suits of the Earth Alliance. The ZAFT marksmen picked off the soldiers guarding the suits. Yzak leapt onto the rear trailer and ordered, "Destroy any and all equipment we can't take! Intel said that there are a total of six." He looked around. "Where are the other two?"

"They may be still inside the factory." Athrun said, "I'll take Rusty and check it out. You guys secure these four and we'll meet up with you later."

"All right, we'll leave it up to you guys." Yzak nodded. He turned to Dearka, Nicol, and Cade, who were already preparing to board the mobile suits. "Make sure you disable the self-destruct devices first!"

Kira and the girl finally made it to the passageway that lead to a hanger inside the factory. Ahead of them was a narrow catwalk stretched above the floor. He could see where the emergency shelter was. He held the girl close and ran across. Below them, the firefight only intensified. Explosions made the catwalk tremble, but it held. They were able to get safety across, when Kira saw something that made him stop dead in his tracks.

A pair of mobile suits lay down on the floor below them. Each was impressive and almost regal in appearance. Kira had never actually seen a mobile suit expect in news bulletins and pictures. The one nearest them had reflective grey armor, and he stared in awe.

The woman however, was distraught at the sight. "So the Earth Alliance's new mobile suits are here!" She was trembling and she grasped the railing until her knuckles had turned white. "Father, why did you betray us?" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Her cry echoed loudly.

Kira tackled her down just before bullets whizzed passed their head. He had to drag her along as he lead the rest of the way to the emergency shelter. He hit the intercom and a voice came through the speaker. "Hello, is someone out there?"

"Yes!" Kira quickly answered, "My friend and I need inside! Please hurry and open up!"

"Two of you?" the voice asked with a clearly worried tone.

"Yes!"

Seconds anxiously passed. "That's not good; we can only take one of you."

"Then let my friend in, she's just a girl."

"All right, there should be another shelter in the 37th Block." The shelter's door unlocked, its light flashing from red to green. The door opened with whoosh.

"All right, get inside!"

But the woman hesitated. "Wait, what about you?" she frowned.

"I'll go find the other shelter. I'll be fine." Kira hit the button, slamming the door shut. The woman said something, but he wasn't able to hear her as she and her companion were taken to safety in the underground shelter.

Now all he had to do was get to a shelter himself. The 37th Block wasn't too far away from his current location, but he'd have to get close to the crossfire to get there. Turning on the ball of his foot, he headed back into the factory. He dashed in quickly and could make out several voices.

"Lt. Ramius!" cried a voice.

"Hamana, Brian! Hurry and get them online!" shouted a woman. Kira looked down and saw her, chestnut hair, wearing a factory uniform, and carrying an assault rifle. She stood atop the fuselage of one mobile suit, taking heavy enemy fire. She hadn't noticed that one of the ZAFT soldiers had slipped behind her and now was aiming his weapon.

"Look out, behind you!" he yelled.

She reacted without hesitation, spinning around and firing, sending a bullet right into the gunman's heart. She looked over her shoulder to her rescuer. "Hey, you!" she hollered, "Come down here!"

"Don't worry; I'm going to the 37th Block!"

"That path's been cut off! We're moving out!"

Another explosion rocked the factory, and Kira knew he had to go with his instincts and trust her. He leapt down from the catwalk, dropping at least fifteen feet to the floor. With the agility of a cat, he landed swiftly atop the mobile suit and stood next her. She only could blink at his display of athleticism.

A lone Alliance soldier fended off the attackers. He bulls-eyed one of the ZAFT soldier.

The bullets hit their mark, and the soldier fell dead.

"Rusty!" Athrun cried and he leapt out, spraying bullets at the soldier who killed his teammate. The Earth Forces soldier was shot dead.

"Hamana, no!" Murrue screamed and aimed her weapon. The ZAFT soldier fired first, striking her in her left shoulder. She cried out in pain and dropped.

Athrun had emptied his ammo clip, tossed his rifle away, and drew his combat knife. He raised the blade high and rushed forward.

Kira jumped to Murrue's aid, putting himself between her and the enemy. He gazed at the soldier's face and couldn't believe what he thought he saw. "Athrun Zala?"

Athrun stopped short. "Kira?"

Time seemed to freeze momentarily before Murrue took the advantage and pulled out her pistol and fired. Athrun dodged and hurried over to the unguarded mobile suit.

Murrue grabbed Kira and tossed him into the cockpit, following behind. Her shoulder ached, but she had to fight through the pain. "Just get behind the seat." She ordered, "I should be able to operate this, so we won't be completely defenseless." While she was no pilot, she knew the controls.

Kira did as he was told, watching as numerous gauges lit up, and the mobile suit was coming to life. A monitor activated, and they were able to see outside. He looked and saw Athrun dive into the second mobile suit. This was unbelievable, Athrun as a ZAFT soldier? He had always hated war, so now why was he fighting?

His thoughts went back to the controls as the mobile suit began to move. A series of words appeared on the monitor:

General

Unilateral

Neuro-link

Dispersive

Automatic

Maneuver

The acronym spelt out GUNDAM, the nickname of this new class of mobile suit.

Its visor shown on, its engine powered up, and large limbs torn away the restraints that fastened it to the trailer. It then stood among the flames and took its first steps.