Chapter 1: Peace Crusade

C.E. 84

Simpson Desert, Australia

Looking into the sky he saw nothing but destruction. Living among the waste that the earth had become, this was a common sight. The seeds of war had been planted long ago, but now they had grown and the flowers that bloomed did not smell sweet.

He stood wearing the uniform he had pledged to save the world in and the brown cloak he had found in the remains an Australian Mobile Defense Unit. It was tattered and did little to keep the sand from his eyes as the wind started to blow.

He looked down at his palms, these hands were covered with the blood of innocent men and women, yet he couldn't see it. The wind blew hard on his cloak as it flapped in the wind, a sandstorm was coming. He dropped his hands back to his sides and decided it was time to return to his shelter after a realization. A realization that this wasn't a sandstorm...these were the winds of a battle.

C.E. 80

Space Colony Oliver

"War. Its a powerful word is it not? And our world is filled with it and it is a terrible thing. Many claim to understand how terrible of a thing war is yet they refuse to change their course of action or understand the opposition's beliefs. If the people in this world would actually take a breath and talk for once, we could possibly avoid such things. Unfortunately it is not as easy as it seems. The human race is stubborn, even some of the most lenient people will have their moments when they can't hold back. Its because of this that people don't do as I've suggested. They don't want to give in. They want victory.

"Nobody wants to lose, whether it be something this large or something as simple as a bet, we don't want to be proven wrong so we push harder to pressure the enemy into slipping up so we can strike and take hold of success and understand the feeling that comes with it... We've had wars within two years of each other in the past and unless we take the initiative that may happen again one day. That's something your generation must learn and understand so they can pass it down to the next and so on. The time of spectating is almost over for all of you, soon you'll be needed to help make decisions that have the possibility of wiping out entire populations. That is not something to be taken lightly." Their teacher stopped, regaining his breath. He hoped he had gotten the point across and that his students understood, but glancing at the clock he realized he wouldn't have time for a further explanation. "I have a quick video that I wanted to show you all so that you…"

One student was unable to remain focused after listening to speak. Everything the man said clicked, everything the man said meant something. There's almost no way to create complete and everlasting world peace besides forcing on people, but even that way is almost impossible to maintain. Due to the restrictions this forced peace would create people would only raise into a full rebellion. How...how are you to create peace? This boy, Seyn Blue, craved to find his purpose in this world too. He had never thought of himself as beyond average, just another kid who wants to get through school with a passing grade. He wasn't tall, merely stood at about five foot five inches, or at least he did the last time he actually checked. His orange hair was combed to the right, but according to his mother blazed like a raging fire when he woke in the morning.

The bell rang. "Class dismissed! I'm sure you are all sad to hear this but no homework for tomorrow." Students stood from their seats and seeked out their respective groups and talked as they left the classroom. All except Seyn. "Mr. Blue?" Seyn reentered reality and looked at his instructor who stood before him. "You usually jump to leave the class...what's so different about today?"

"Sorry sir, I was just leaving." He stated as he stood and began to gather his books and other necessities.

"I see, enjoy the rest of your day Seyn."

"Thank you, I will." He dropped his things into his backpack and swung it over his shoulder as he walked towards the door. Upon exiting his friend, Leon Azy, matched his stride as they walked to their lockers.

Leon wasn't know well by everyone, primarily due to his lack of social activity. He could lock himself up for weeks on end with a computer and a couple boxes of microwave burritos, but when he did make the journey into the sunlight he was a quick-witted genius. His brown hair stood tall on his head, commonly tricking passersby into thinking he was taller than Seyn.

"What took so long gramps?" He asked as he jokingly bumped into him.

"You know, just had to put the grandkids to sleep, their parents are out of town." They laughed as they continued down the hallway.

"You doing anything tonight? Patches and I were thinking of going to the pool, its been awhile since we've gone. So how 'bout it?"

"So you're getting away from your computer screen for once? I think it'll be awful jealous."

Leon put his hands up on the back of his head and began to walk in a slow, supposedly cool manner.

"Yeah bro, sometimes you just gotta play hard to get." He put his hands back down and returned to walking normally. "So you wanna come or not?"

"I'm heading to the movies in about an hour so…"

"Come on, movies are everyday. Want to know what isn't everyday? Me not being busy making out with my computer screen." He smirked.

"As tempting as that is, I can't cancel. Sorry."

"Why can't you...who's the chick?" He punched Seyn in the arm after realizing an obvious truth. "You can't hide it forever." Seyn ran his hand through his hair thinking of whether or not to tell him. They were at the fork in the hallway which branched off towards their lockers. Down Seyn's hall stood a girl, a girl very familiar to both of them. "Damn, you've got guts."

Next to Seyn's locker stood the girl of his dreams, Lyna Caz. Dressed in her white jacket and skirt, her long red hair stood out like a beacon as she waved him down. "Well I'll leave you to that, I'll tell Patches you're busy making out with her best friend." Leon snickered as he walked down his side of the fork.

Seyn overlooked his friend and walked down the hall nervously towards the girl he'd be spending the next two hours of his life with. He awkwardly began to open his locker as she began to speak. "No need to worry Seyn, I've picked out the perfect movie for the two of us. I'm sure you'll love it." She knew his interests, and he knew hers. The two of them along with Leon and Patches whose full name was Samantha Patch, formed their own little group. Of course it wasn't limited to just the four of them, but those four were inseparable.

They had all met up when they were in 5th grade 5 years earlier in year C.E. 75, the year Colony Oliver's construction had been complete and a first rate ZAFT defensive team was put into place. They were all among the first "wave" of people to decide to occupy the colony. People had various reasons for wanting to live in Oliver, for the first wave, the most common reason was that their relatives were tasked with building the colony so they decided to move as a family to a new place with a multitude of new job openings.

The Blue's were one of these families. Seyn's father along with President Jem Oliver laid out the original blueprints for the colony's construction and were responsible for seeing it through the initial stages that began in the year C.E. 73.

Both the Caz and Azy families immigrated to the colony as their parents were also held responsible for constructing the colony.

The Patch family came to Oliver looking for an escape from the life they had before, to start over. What their life was like beforehand was still unknown to most except for a select few, their craving for a new life wasn't questioned, so facts about their old lives weren't questioned either.

Whatever the reason for their immigration, these four children found a liking to each other, and ever since seventh grade Seyn found an especially strong liking to Lyna. Lyna at the time still saw him as a friend, and didn't find conversing any different from the norm, while Seyn fumbled almost everything he said in her presence.

Over the years she began to feel stronger feelings about him as they grew closer than they were with Leon and Patches, but it wasn't until sophomore year that Seyn finally managed to straighten out one sentence he said to her, to ask her on their first date.

Seyn closed the door to his locker and once again slung his backpack over his shoulder and turned to see her again. Finding himself lost in her eyes once again, he returned to fumbling his words as he had done so much in the past. "So... what are we...uh…"

"Watching?" Lyna asked with a smile.

"Yeah…" He rubbed the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed.

"Well you don't get to know yet. All you need to know is that its starting in twenty." She smiled and took his hand, making Seyn's face shine a brighter shade of red than her hair. She giggled and rubbed his hair. "Its fine, Seyn. Just calm down."

"Well…" He began to say as she put her hand back down at her side. "..I guess you're right." He laughed. "Just a little nervous...really."

"I'm still the same girl. Except now I'm the same girl who already told a certain someone that I really like them."

"Who's that?" Seyn asked jokingly just before she punched him in the shoulder. "Ow."

"And there'll be more where that came from." She said knowing strength wasn't exactly in any of her area's of expertise. "Now come on or we're going to be late, you know I like watching the previews."

"Okay I just gotta…"She dragged him by his hand and against his will, but he eventually gave way and walked at her side, her hand in his. It was a time of peace, but this peace...was fragile.

"Lord Psylence, are we ready to begin the operation?"

The masked man stood in his black and orange robes and looking from the glass opening of the bridge, facing Colony Oliver. "Disperse Mirage Colloid, the Starlord will approach!" The mirage colloid particles slowly dimmed and dispersed from the battleship, revealing its position directly in front of Colony Oliver. "Send out the wolves."

"Mobile Suit Team One, you are a go for launch."

"Understood. Alright boys, follow my lead." The teams commander spoke. With the flip of four switches the eyes of four black and orange mobile suits lit the hanger. As the launch gate slowly opened, two words described the reason behind their fight. "For peace."

The command room of the colony's security center went into a state of utter turmoil. "A battle cruiser has appeared from thin air! Four mobile suits approaching fast! What the hell do we do?"

"Urgh...what do they want? This is a civilian colony!" The operations commander slammed his fists on the sides of his chair. "First make sure that this isn't some kind of meeting or checkup from PLANT or the Earth Forces. We don't want to start a battle if that isn't their intention. While doing that prepare squads 1-3 for launch, we have a possible condition red on our hands."

"Commander Ozark!" The officer turned upon hearing his name being called by a second operator. "The mobile suits are preparing their weaponry, this is clearly an act of hostility!"

"None of those things match any records we have! We have no idea who they are!" A man yelled.

"You!" the commander pointed to an operator who then prepared to do his work. "Contact PLANT to send reinforcements, and alert of possible hostiles headed their way!"

"Yes sir!"

"Commander, squads 1,2, and 3 are beginning launch preparations!

"Good, tell them to get out there and stop those mobile suits in their tracks! Have squad two focus its efforts on the enemy battleship. Make sure to have them equip themselves with Plasma Launchers. Have squad 4 prepare for launch and then remain on standby, we may need their assistance.

"Will do sir."

"We can't contact PLANT! Our signals are being jammed, so we're limited this receivers within this vicinity."

Commander Ozark realized his position, and realized that there was no help for them. He and the people of the colony had to rely on the strength of these 24 pilots and their mobile suits. He never liked placing his life in the palm of another, but in this instance he had no choice in the matter.

The two sat in the theater together as the previews for new movies flashed across the screen showing action, comedy, and romance alike. Each trailer lit up Lyna's face, she was a very curious girl who hated being left in the dark about upcoming events. She was someone who wanted to be everywhere at one time, and hated that she couldn't. Seyn once again lost himself in her eyes, this was the day he had dreamt of for what felt like ages, except his nervousness prevented him from really living it. "Its getting cold." She said as he realized he had been staring for some time.

"Oh uh...here." He began to take his jacket off before she stopped him. She grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder and slowly leaned on his.

"There...that's better." She said with a smile across her face. She knew him to well, he smiled a little as well contemplating the thought. She knew what he wanted to do, so she did it for him.

"Lord Psylence, the colony has begun to show resistance to our attack." The captain of the Starlord, Daxton Tal, informed him. "Twelve ZAFT Zaku Warriors are launching from the colony. Just as you predicted."

"So it would seem. Patch me in to Hunter 01." The operator at the control panel next to them did as he was told, and soon Psylence was able to communicate with the commander of the elite team, Nowo Lance.

"Lord Psylence?" He asked. "To what do I the pleasure sir?"

"As I'm sure you're well aware, twelve mobile suits are approaching your position. You will not be able to avoid them, we assumed as much. I wanted to wish you the best of luck for this your first mission."

"Thank you Lord Psylence," Nowo replied. "There's no need to worry about us completing the mission. If anything sir, you'll need to worry about how to get some action in yourself."

Psylence chuckled at this remark. "As humble as always Admiral." Lord Psylence jested.

"The mission will be completed, you have my word. Now if you don't mind I would like to begin combat operations."

"Of course." Psylence cut of the communication to the soldier and was met by the gaze of the Captain upon returning to his side. "What is it, Captain?"

"I was just questioning whether or not those pilots have the skill to pull of such a feat."

"Nonsense Captain, those pilots have surpassed my original expectations for them and those at the time seemed impossible for anyone to reach. So naturally I'm positive we'll see success today."

"Who am I to question your word, Lord Psylence." The captain said as he faced front.

Psylence placed his hand on the top of the Captain's seat. "To think...we're moving closer to the peace we've craved for so long."

"Commander?" The squad leader of team one asked as they moved towards their targets. "Why is it that 12 pilots are being launched against four mobile suits? Doesn't it seem excessive?"

"An attitude like that will get you killed soldier." Ozark said. "The enemy is an unknown, it could possess limitless strength for all we know. Its better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. Am I wrong?"

"Not in the slightest sir, I understand." The squad leader nodded as he began to set up his soldiers on the battlefield. "Snipers remain in your current position and fire when I give the command."

"Yes sir!" The four of the six from squad one replied in unison as they stopped, their sniper rifles now up and ready to fire"

"Sir?" The snipers from squad three asked their commander.

"Follow suit, wait for my command." Their leader said as the two long range specialists stopped and prepped with the other soldiers in this field.

The soldiers slowly approached their targets. "Alright...remember the people in the colonies. We can't lose here. Not now." Squad leader one said.

"They're starting to set up Admiral." One of the attacking pilots told their leader.

"So it would seem." Nowo said. His long brown hair swooped down into his eyes so he opened the glass to fix how it laid."However things may look Hops, always leave room for doubt. You may simply be replacing the stupidity of these pilots not knowing what to do for strategic positioning. We don't know yet." He closed the viewing glass once again.

"Alright, I won't make the same mistake twice." Hops accepted this correction.

"Open fire!" The squad leaders exclaimed. The snipers shot their beam sniper rifles, the recoil of the launch pushing them back slightly as the beams flew towards the four unknown units.

"Admiral Lance!" Binle, pilot of Hunter 02 exclaimed at the sight.

"Formation B2!" The admiral quickly reacted. As he stopped his forward progression and threw out a smoke grenade which quickly bursted limiting the amount of vision that the pilots had on the attackers.

The beams pierced through the smoke beam after beam as the smoke began to diffuse.

"Don't let up!" The squad leaders ordered their men as they continued to fire beam after beam. Their attack was relentless, and they didn't have the option not to be. It was their responsibility to protect the colony from any threat.

"Sir, should we confirm the kill?" Squad One's offensive operative inquired.

"Charge in blindly, unsure if the enemy was even hit?"

"Sorry sir." He said.

"We wait until the smoke is cleared." A beam shot from inside the smoke went directly through the chest of a ZAKU Sniper as it burst into flames as it exploded, another beam followed doing the same to another unit. "Evasive maneuvers!" The pilots scrambled to avoid the beams.

"You see that shot?" Drake Coin, member number four, asked excitedly while his rifle rested on the shoulder of Nowo's unit. "I mean seriously."

"Focus." Nowo said as he held up his shield blocking the fire from the ZAKU Snipers, giving both himself and Drake cover. Binle and Hops remained in the same position directly next to them. The infrared scoping option inside of their HUNTER units allowed them to see their targets from inside of the smoke, giving them an edge on the battlefield. They used their standard adjustable beam rifles, using these they simply extended the slide barrel and the assault rifle became a sniper rifle capable of more accurate, longer range attacks for the small price of a slower fire rate.

The Elite Assault Team of the Starlord Battleship. Admiral Nowo Lance, and Lieutenants Ryder Hopkins (Hops), Drake Coin, and Edmund Binle (Bin). They've never seen combat, but this day that changed.

Another pilot was taken out with a direct hit as the smoke was in its final seconds of usability.

"Formation B3, let's move!" Nowo yelled as he and Hopkins slung their shields over their backs and grabbed two smoke grenades, throwing them to the left and right of their current position.

"How many of those things do they have?" The squad leaders asked. Three of the twelve mobile suits had been shot down already and they couldn't bare to lose. Unfortunately for them no strategic positions were coming to mind. They weren't prepared for this.

"Squad two is prepared for launch."

"Have them head out, we need to sink that battleship as soon as possible." Ozark ordered.

Coin and Nowo boosted to the left leaving Hops and Bin to head in the opposite direction. Both Coin and Bin stopped in the midst of the smoke as Nowo and Hopkins drew two beam sabers from their waist conduits and blew through the smoke, curving into an upward spiral towards their targets.

"There!" A soldier yelled as he drew his axe from the slot in his shield. "Squad leader, back me up." He propelled himself towards Nowo's unit as his leader followed to try his best to prevent the pilots death.

"Wrong choice pilot." Nowo smirked as he dodged a downward swing at the head of his unit and cut the pilot's shield into halves with his right saber, following through with left saber in a circular motion and cutting through the mobile suit. The squad leader stopped himself as quickly as he could watching the mobile suit explode, and seeing the Black Unit appear emerge from the remains.

"What the hell is this?" He asked himself.

Nowo took notice of the pilot's lack of movement. "Its unfortunate that you refuse to fight." He charged forward once again and pulled back his beam saber for a fatal strike as the pilot moved to block with his shield. THe saber collided with the shield and the shear force pushed back the ZAKU Warrior. "Still have some fight left in you? Good, no regrets pilot."

"You...you son of a bitch!" The squad leader yelled. "How the hell do you sleep at night?" He asked as his rifle was drawn and he began to open fire. Nowo dodged left and right avoiding beam after beam. He pushed his left beam saber into its slot and pulled his shield from off of his back for a relentless attack. The shield made the pilot's beam rifle useless forcing him to retrieve his axe from his shield and hope for the best. He began to swing, only to notice that Nowo had already removed the arm from the mobile suit and hovered directly in front of him, the eyes of the Hunter stared directly into his camera leaving him terrified.

Nowo smirked. "You should be proud for not giving in until that last moment. That I respect." He stabbed both of his sabers into the chest of the mobile suit and moved his arms in opposite directions from each other, one down, one up, decimating the suit.

Hopkins cut the beam from a sniper in two, defending himself from a direct hit as that pilot was shot down by Binle in the smokescreen. "Hey you aren't useless after all." Hopkins laughed as he plunged himself into the thick of battle once again as two pilots charged from from opposite directions. "Here they come." He blocked each axe with one of his beam sabers as a third pilot approached with a rifle drawn.

"I can't get a clean shot!" Binle yelled.

"No need to worry." He kept his block and excelled his thruster use in his legs, flipping the body of the suit over entirely while the hands kept their place. The back of the suit now faced the third attacker, and the shield that remained there took its fire. Hopkins then switched his thrusters from facing back to facing the left and spun himself around, breaking the lock he had made with the other two pilots.

"Clear!" Binle yelled as he snipped the two pilots, their axes drawn, with one precise shot. The third pilot drew his rifle and fired at Hopkins whose back was facing him. He pulled to the left just in time after his alarms began to sound, and a beam shot threw the cockpit of the sniper.

As the unit burst into smoke and flame Drake questioned them once again, "You see that one?" Nine of the twelve pilots that had been sent out to defeat them, were defeated themselves. The soldiers that served under Squad One were now being commanded by Squad 2, their efficiency level dropping severely.

"Commander Ozark why haven't we launched Squad 4 yet?"

"Squad 4 will be responsible for protecting inside of the colony…at this rate there is no way they won't at least make it inside." The Commander said, unsure if we he was doing was correct in the current situation and even more unsure if it would be correct in the long run. Then he realized a large mistake on his behalf. "Run the alarms damn it! This is a code red situation! Get the civilians to the shuttles! Damn it, damn it! How could I forget that!"

"We're almost through. Keep your focus." Nowo said.

"Yes sir!" The rest of the elite team yelled in unison. Two of the three remaining ZAKU Warriors drew their rifles and focused their fire on Hopkins who was closest to their current position.

"We can't afford to lose!" Their squad leader yelled.

The smoke withered away leaving Coin and Binle in the open, though it was no longer an issue. "Taking the shot!" Coin yelled seeing his opening. He fired at the commander and as the beam barreled towards the enemy another soldier jumped in between and blocked the shot with his shield. "Oh so that's how we're gonna play." He flipped down a switch on the back of the black rifle unit, causing a constant beam to pour out of the rifle in whatever direction it was pointed. The beam pounded against shield and began to melt its way through without the pilots notice as they were focusing on maintaining position, a battle it was losing as well as the pure force pushed him back slowly.

The beam soon punctured through the shield and the units torso and it was engulfed in a blazing inferno. Drake proceeded to shut off the continuous fire feature as naturally it depleted the HUNTER's power level faster. "Did…"

"Yes we saw that!" Hopkins said. "Geez…" Hopkins pushed forward as Nowo came in for assistance. The beams dissolved, useless, as they hit Nowo's shield while he went in for a melee strike.

Hopkins switched both of his blades into reverse grips and combined them at the bottoms to create a double edged beam saber. Placing it in his right hand where it belonged he took his shield from his back into his left.

The squad leader fired at Nowo but his efforts continued to be fruitless as he moved closer and closer with his saber getting close to his target, Nowo stabbed his blade through the cockpit and kicked the Zaku off of his saber to avoid damage to his own unit upon the explosion that would ensue because of it.

Hopkins dove in towards the final defense soldier and stabbed his blade through them: receiving little resistance from the pilot as he cowered in fear.

The theater's screen shut down shortly after the movie had begun. "What?" Lyna asked as she sat up straight.

Seyn rubbed the back of his head trying to find a way to keep her calm. "Its probably just a little malfunction in the player, that's all." He said as he smiled at her.

"I hope so. Otherwise we spent good money to see a blank screen."

"We'll get repaid if its broken...and what do you mean we paid good money?"

They laughed but it was cut short by the sound of a voice over the speakers. "The colony is under a stage red alert. We have been informed to move to the bomb shelters for cover. Please exit the theater in a calm and orderly manner as to not heighten tensions."

"Stage red?" Lyna asked. "Does that mean...we're under attack?"

"I'm afraid so."

"That means my brother's going to be fighting…" Seyn removed his arm from around her shoulders seeing that now wasn't the best time for it.

"I'm sure we're wrong, its probably a drill. There isn't anything to gain from taking over this colony besides the colony itself so why bother hitting us?"

"Order squad two to pull back and take out the intruders, leave the ship for afterwards, it isn't doing anything at the moment." Commander Ozark ordered.

"Yes sir!" He turned and set to work only to bring more unfortunate news to his commander. "Sir, it appears that the ship is jamming the pilots signals, they can't communicate with anyone now. They're completely shut out."

"Looks like we have some visitors." Captain Tal laughed. "Your orders my lord?"

"Sir." Monitor 2 suddenly light up with the image of an eager pilot. "Allow me to sortie."

"You're sense of pride towards our work has been noted, you may sortie." Psylence responded, soon after the monitor returned to an empty state. "Activate Mirage Colloid."

"A grand suggestion my lord." Tal said as he followed the order.

The hanger slowly opened and the launch path extended as the pilots Hunter unit stepped on the booster which would send him into battle. "Operative Nyle Fell, Launching to defend in the Seeker Class Hunter." The pads pulled his suit forward a pushed him up and off the ship in the direction of the attacking mobile suit squad. The battleship was then shrouded by the mirage colloid making it invisible to the attackers.

"Only one man, this should be easy. After we take him out we move to find the battleship." The commander said. "Just follow my lead and we'll be able to make it through." The Zaku Warrior moved left away from the pack, expecting his soldiers to replicate his movements but receiving no such action. "Move! If you idiots stay there you'll be sitting ducks!" The pilots slowly dispersed in random directions with no order whatsoever, seemingly refusing to follow their commander's orders.

"Pilots appear to not be able to communicate. Jamming was successful." Nyle said as he moved towards his targets. "Activating SEEKER pack." The Hunter Nyle was operating was equipped with an attachment known as the SEEKER unit. The unit acted as a backpack to the standard Hunter and gave the pilot of the suit more equipment and more versatility in battle situations. Due to the SEEKER packs size, unfortunately a shield could not be given to the unit along with the pack unless immediately stored into the hands of the suit. From the back of the SEEKER two dragoon units detached themselves and moved into a tactical position.

"Dragoons?" The pilots noticed as they began to scurry around in different directions as they were approached. Nyle opened fire with his rifle at its standard setting and picked off one mobile suit before they were sent into a scramble to avoid fire. The bravest of the remaining five drew his rifle, only to take two shots from the dual dragoons.

"Two shots remaining." Nyle reminded himself. The SEEKER pack allowed dragoons to be implemented into mass produced units but each dragoon could only fire three shots before needing to re merge to the pack for recharging, taking 10 seconds to refill each shot.

"Damn it…" The commander said after realizing that his soldiers were cut off from his orders by jamming signals. His Zaku pushed forward through the ranks, understanding that without the structure his men were so accustomed to, they didn't stand a chance. He drew his axe from the shield attached to his shoulder and charged, only to have his first swing matched by Nyle's freshly drawn beam saber. Two other Zakus moved to assist their commander as the funnels blocked their advance, and sent them into an eternal sleep.

"One shot remaining."

The commander searched for a way to break the stalemate he had just placed himself in. Only him and one of his soldiers remained alive in the fight against one mobile suit."Where did they get so much power…? Who are they?" The other pilot fired and skimmed the shoulder of Nyle's unit forcing him to pull back as the funnels moved to his defense. The pilot dodged the first dragoon's beam and the second hit his shield. "We've got you bastard!"

Dragoon 1 docked into the SEEKER pack and was soon followed by dragoon 2, both needing to recharge. The mobile suits rushed him as he drew two beam sabers and blocked their axes, but two targets proved to be too much to handle with beam sabers as the commander pulled up and came down with his axe forcing Nyle to pull back from his lock with the second Zaku as they drew their axe down the Hunter's beam saber and removed its left hand.

"Nyle is taking quite the beating sir. Don't you think its time we support?" The captain asked. Psylence gave him a quizzical glance but soon returned to watching the battle.

"If we were to do that we would never know if he could really manage in these circumstances." Psylence said. "Information like that could prove to be invaluable."

"5.."

"This is what you get!" The pilot yelled with axe prepared.

"4…" The pilot swung as Nyle went horizontal, successfully avoiding, and kicked away.

"3…" The commander fired his plasma rifle which singed off the left leg of his Hunter.

"He's being torn apart out there." Tal persuaded.

"2…"

"We have you now." The two pilots moved to use the same strategy they had done before.

"1!" Nyle yelled.

"Dragoon 1, single shot charged. Dragoon 2 single shot charged." The mobile suit said. The dragoons jettisoned from the SEEKER pack and fired two beams to eliminate two suprised targets. The remains of the Zaku Warriors drifted off into space as the dragoons returned to the pack for recharging.

Nyle took a moment to catch his breath and acknowledge the damage done to the suit. "Left leg, critical. Left arm at 60%, right arm at 74%. Suit is stablized and ready to return."

Squad 4 was sortied too late as the attacking elites had managed to insert themselves into the colony. Due to the jamming signals the Starlord continued to send out, the ZAFT soldiers could not locate their positions. Due to this they were wide open for a surprise attack. "Have all civilians managed to the ejection shelters?" Commander Ozark asked.

"Yes, the evacuation is well under way. We only require your order and they will be launched."

"Then do it." Ozark ordered the soldier. "This is our fight, no need to involve the civilians as chips to be bartered with."

"Well said commander."

Seyn and Lyna sat together in the shelter, surrounded by over a hundred civilians who were as scared and confused as them. What is going on? Seyn thought to himself. Is it really some kind of battle going on out there? If so, why here?

"Please calm yourselves!" A ZAFT officer ordered them. "We are to evacuate from the colony and we will explain the reasoning to you in a moment, right now we must focus on leaving. Is everyone buckled and secured to their seats?" The man and a few others patrolled the room and checked the belts of the people inside as they grew more uneasy than they were upon entering. He then turned to another and said,"We're good."

"Launching in 3...2...1." The people inside could feel the pod being propelled away from the colony they had called home for so long.

"What's happening…?" Lyna asked.

"I don't know," Seyn replied. "All I do know is that you won't need to worry about it."

"15 pods...21 pods...45 pods...all 50 pods have successfully been evacuated sir."

"Good. Order Devin to deploy two of his soldier to defend the pods and ensure they remain on course." Ozark ordered.

Lieutenant Devin Parks of Squad 4, the elite team assigned as final line in the sand for defensive operations at Colony Oliver. He received the order within a moment and was given the responsibility of deciding who to trust with defending the escape pods. This responsibility was not a large one as all 6 members of his team had proven themselves as the aces they were.

"Kceb and Matthew, you two are responsible for defending the civilians. The rest of us are to continue our search inside of the colony."

"Yes sir!" The team yelled. Kceb and Matthew branched off from the rest of the group and approached their exit into space.

"Are those…?" Psylence asked noticing something moving away from Oliver.

"50 shuttles are exiting the colony, Lord Psylence."

"We expected as much. Tell Luke and Andrew to launch."

"No need." Luke responded. "We're taking off sir." He spoke for the both of them.

"Best of luck to you two." The two HUNTERs began to launch. Luke's Hunter 06 was equipped with a SEEKER pack and two beam rifles, the same went with Andrew's Hunter 05. They were preloaded with long range weaponry due to Psylence's prediction that the colony would be evacuated in shuttles such as jobs were to knock out the engines and push them back towards the scene, taking no casualties in the process That would be the ideal course of action.

"Its strange that no guards have been assigned to them, expect them to send some in soon." Psylence suggested as they left the battleship behind.

"We will my Lord." Andrew acknowledged. The two were near the escaping shuttles in a matter of seconds, and with rifles drawn they opened fire on the pods, destroying the engines and thrusters of each. They launched their dragoons to seek out pods that were a longer distance away, the ones that had managed to launch first. Within no time over half of the shuttles were floating away, without any control over where they were going.

Nyle sat in the hanger, overlooking the repair team fixing his Hunter. He had served his purpose, being the newest and final member of the elite team aboard the Starlord, his purpose being to merely wait until he was needed. He wasn't needed per say, but he did manage to prove he possessed some worth, although it was done through damaging his own suit as well. Before he went out there he was certain he deserved a promotion from the rank of Ensign to the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade, one step above most of the elite team. He thought he was worthy of it at the time, but now as he could plainly see it wasn't how he'd thought it was. His goal was to surpass the rest of the team and take up the role of Admiral from Nowo Lance. He naturally wasn't the only one with this goal. A fellow member of the team, Ryder Hopkins, wanted to prove his strengths to Psylence but only to be given control. Hopkins wasn't a people person, if anyone from the crew were to be asked if he was they would say the same. Hopkins wasn't picked for his personality, he was chosen for his skill as a pilot as they all were.

"What's going on out there?!" People yelled and began to panic as they saw beams flying past them and hitting fellow escape pods. "Answer us!"

The ZAFT soldiers scrambled about trying to maneuver away, only to take a direct hit to their left thruster sending them spiraling out of control. People thrashed about in their seats and screamed. Lyna too was among these who lost control, confusion after all was the most dangerous of the emotions. Seyn did not panic, Seyn did not scream, Seyn didn't resort to asking for forgiveness, Seyn accepted his fate.

Is this really...how I die? He looked to his left, at Lyna crying into the palms that covered her eyes. I told you that you wouldn't need to worry...that you would be fine...I was wrong.

"We're too late!" Kceb exclaimed as he approached the mobile suits attacking the pods.

"Psylence was right, two incoming." Andrew said. Luke turned to see what he had just explained. Two ZAFT Zaku Warriors preparing to open fire.

"They wouldn't fire would they?" Luke asked. "I mean, we are surrounded but thousands of the people they were suppose to be protecting." He smiled. "This should be fun. Its like fighting a headless chicken! They won't have a clue what they're doing."

"I see that look on your face…" Andrew said. "Remember that were suppose to avoid killing as many as possible."

Luke's smile immediately fell to a frown. "Fine. I'll take the one on the left, you take the right." Drawing a beam saber from the Hunter's hip he charged Kceb's Zaku.

"What are these mobile suits? Do they belong to the Earth Alliance?" Matthew asked.

"Now's not the time to be pointing fingers Matthew, they're coming right for us." Kceb locked beams with Luke and the two pressed up hard against each other. Luke's Seeker pack activated and his dragoons moved over head, pointing down at Kceb's Zaku. Matthew quickly noticed and drew his beam rifle, only to have it shot from his hands by Andrew.

"Kceb!" Matthew yelled as the dragoons fired a beam each, completely removing the arms of his mobile suit.

"What!" Kceb panicked as he pulled back, only to be charged Luke once again. Andrew shot at Matthew who dodged left and right, the third shot skimming his shoulder shield.

"Agh…" Matthew drew his beam axe from his shield as Andrew fired again. The Zaku's axe sliced the beam in two, allowing Matthew to move on. Luke swung at the legs of Kceb's unit, but Kceb noticing this, pulled his legs upward, flipping himself over and kicking Luke back. Kceb's defeat was inevitable, and he knew that but he refused to just let it happen.

"This guy's starting to get on my nerves…" Luke referred to Kceb as the pilot boosted left and right in an attempt to refrain from taking fire which caused most of the shots to be avoided. He returned his saber to its rightful place and went back to retrieve the beam rifle he had dropped, once again dual wielding beam weaponry.

"Shit…" Kceb groaned. "If you can I need assistance back here, and I mean need it."

"These pilots seem much more skilled that those that Nowo's team confronted. Saving the best for last?" Andrew asked.

"It won't matter in the long run. By now he and the others have already abandoned their suits to execute phase 2," Luke explained.

"We can't find them anywhere sir. Plus two more of them are attacking the civilians." Lieutenant Parks informed his commanding officer.

Ozark was caught in a stalemate, wondering where to focus these few remaining soldiers. He knew what he had to make sure was done. "Parks, continue to search the colony and send the…"

"Stop right there pal." An unfamiliar voice rang out in the room causing everyone to freeze. A gun grazed the back of the commanders head as operators turned to see this unfolding behind him.

"Everyone please move into the hall." Another voice sounded and was followed by men and women leaving their seats, the commander among them.

"Commander?" Parks asked. "Commander what am I supposed to send?" The boy holding the gun smashed the control pad next to the commander's seat and the radio went dead. The male who held the gun to his face could not have been more than 17 years of age, and the second male who stood farther back couldn't be more than 18. They both stood wearing black and orange pilot suits, helmets on their heads to no doubt conceal their identity. Over half the room was evacuated by the time the second man questioned the firsts idea of holding a gun to his face.

"This is not the way its suppose to be done. Lower your firearm, but keep it ready." Even though these things were said the gun remained in place. "We aren't murderers."

This calmed the man down, and he lowered his gun and told Ozark to move into the hall with the others. Upon entering the hall Ozark saw two more men dressed in the same manner as the ones before collecting possessions in the pockets of the operators that had been moved there before him. The whole ordeal seemed strange to him as it wasn't being done forcefully besides the one soldiers movements. They overall treated them decently as they insured their own safety by searching people for weaponry.

"What do you people plan to do with us?" He asked their captors. One pointed his sidearm at him again but another waved him off as he approached.

"Trust me as I say this, we mean you no harm. We didn't wish to kill those men you sent to stop us, men I'm certain had families that loved them. But it was unfortunately a necessary occurrence that will be used as a stepping stool into a better future. I wish I could tell you more, but I cannot for my lips have been sealed in the interest of completing this task laid before us. None of you will be harmed as long as you don't retaliate."