It was a month later and Sammie was in a strange place for her. She was standing under one-half Earth gravity on a 300 meter Agamemnon-class warship in high Earth orbit. The Prometheus; testbed of the Atlantic Federation's Stargate Force. "So the gravity generators work pretty good?"

Captain Merriweather nodded. "That's correct. And the first test shields. I'll be happy that we can let the magnetic accelerators lapse. Always hated using them. Antigravity is so much better."

"They are working on an advanced Striker Pack for the Daggers and Windhams that will use those."

"Larusia-class cruiser off our bow," the sensor operator called out.

The crew became tense as the coordinator-crewed ship appeared as a lurid-red icon on the display.

"Don't provoke any reaction. Deactivate all new systems before they reach sensor thresholds," Merriweather called out with a grand arm gesture.

"They've got new mobilesuits." New icons appeared.

"Confirmed ZAFT ZAKU taking up defensive positions. Laser communication opening now."

"This is Captain Morris of the Arlington. I understand this is the new test ship for the Atlantic Federation?" the supercilious voice on the other end asked in far too smug a voice.

"I'm afraid I can not confirm nor deny that information, Arlington." Captain Merriweather looked ready to chew nails and spit out armor plating.

"Understood, Prometheus," the voice replied. "Over and out."

Sammie winced as she saw the muscles tense on Merriweather's neck. "So we've got a leak in the shipyards, it seems." Her voice was remarkably calm.

"Oh?"

"Well, I can't see ZAFT and the PLANTs not raising a stink if they knew about BULWARK 1 and the gate," she replied simply.

"Point." Merriweather considered it for a good five minutes as the ZAFT ship slowly pulled away while doing some 'training exercises'.

The mission was a success... for both sides, much to their vexation.

Lord Djibril was almost screaming in frustration. "What do you mean my funding for the Gundam Destroys was denied? How are we going to destroy those damn hourglasses?" he shouted at the monitor in front of him that was showing the face of his contact within the White House.

"President Copland says that the Atlantic Federation has more important matters than starting an arms race. Sir?" his aide suddenly interjected. "Something isn't making sense. The Parliament and Congress both increased funding, even above what we were wanting. It's like they are preparing for war with the PLANTs... but don't want our extremism help for some reason."

"It isn't extremism, Paul. It's merely the only thing that humanity can do. But this change in stance against the PLANTs is worrying. See what you can do to ferret out where that money is going to."

"I can already tell you that it is being funneled into BULWARK 1 and the 1st Fleet, sir. I thought BULWARK 1 was a secondary site, but they've pumped more money into it than there we asked for Greenland's Heavens Base."

"More money without involving LOGOS? Thank you Paul, you've given me quite a bit of thinking to do." The effeminate leader of Blue Cosmos and LOGOS picked up his pampered Persian cat and sat in his plush leather seat in the middle of all of the deactivated screens. "What are you up to, President Copland?"

A chime sounded, signaling another incoming call.

A masked figure appeared on the screen. "Lord Djibril, the plans for stealing the advanced ZAFT units from Armory-1 are proceeding."

"Good. One way or the other, we'll destroy all Coordinators and cleanse the Earth."

Sammie O'Neill sighed as she slotted herself into a seat on the tube that can hold up to a hundred people. Scientists, engineers and soldiers filled up with her. Everyone latched themselves down.

Out in the middle of the huge cavern, the Stargate was moved in front of a train built like an old style subway on rails. The stargate dialed and the event horizon stabilized. With a cha-chunk of electric switches connecting, the mag-lift train moved forward. Two minutes later, the fifty car train was slowing down in the outdoors of a grass plain on another set of tracks.

A sergeant started yelling out orders as everyone sorted themselves out. Heavy loaders started to move supplies from the cargo cars. Hundreds of tons of supplies and building materials.

Sammie shaded her eyes as she looked over the artificial city that was growing here and the roads that led to where BULWARK II was being carved into the side of a mountain about twenty miles away. It was built like many larger army bases. Boxlike buildings, fences and men running around getting into shape. She walked over to the garage where electric DUVs were located.

"Colonel!" Diana shouted, waving her hand above her head. "I heard they have housing on base finally setup. I've got an apartment in C Block."

Sammie nodded. "I got my off base housing finished. Paid for the fabrication of my cabin and place was completed yesterday."

"Lucky devil. I'd heard they were offering reduced wages for plots of land on Pax Atlantica." The mobilesuit pilot grinned wildly. "I love Pax Atlantica because of the live fire ranges for mobilesuit practice!"

Sammie just rolled her eyes at the pilot. "So you're going to spend your leave blowing stuff up in a Strike Dagger?"

"Only to get myself revved up." Diana was giving a couple of soldiers a hungry look. "Then I'll be hitting the bar. You should join us today. I heard you were MS certified."

The dark-haired colonel was giving it some serious thought. "Sure. We'll call it an exercise in building the team up. Is Rya'c and Mica around?"

"Mica's up at the offices where he's reading everything he can on the different cultures of Earth. He seems to think that there's an awful lot that is applicable to Goa'uld hunting." The younger officer shrugged. "Rya'c? He's probably in the Gym teaching some grunts some humility."

"Let's go grab him and Mica then."

The two members of SGF-1 headed over to one of the large buildings. It was a barracks and gym all in one. They found the middle-aged looking Jaffa busy taking on three ground pounders.

"SammieO'Neill. DianaHill. Have you come to practice?" the stocky Jaffa asked.

"Diana wanted to see if you and Mica were up for a bit of live fire practice in Strike Daggers," Sammie informed.

"Then perhaps we will spar tomorrow?" the Jaffa asked.

"Sure. We can do a barbecue at my place and then practice out back," she replied.

"As long as you aren't left near the meat, colonel," Diana said.

They picked up the older Mica and then headed out to the range.

Sammie was familiarizing herself with the Strike Dagger's controls. While she had gone through the training, the colonel had never been assigned to the unit during the war. She had been part of the commandos for the most part.

Diana, on the other hand, was a Mobile Suit pilot with fighter training. Her Strike Dagger (with the Striker Pack refit) was easily loping along.

The Stargate Force version of the Dagger had an extra seat for a co-pilot, where Rya'c and Mica were wondering why they had been dragged into this.

"SammieO'Neill, are you sure this is proper procedure?" Rya'c asked in a monotone voice.

"This is training and venting," she explained.

"Venting? I see no gasses."

"Emotional venting, Rya'c," Sammie replied. She shoved the two joysticks forward, dodging the paint-pellets of Diana's unit.

"DianaHill does not seem to be one to control her emotions greatly."

Sammie chuckled. "That is true."

The Strike Dagger raised its rifle up, firing a row of pellets at the other unit.

Mica was struggling to understand the little screen he was assigned here. "Doesn't that mean incoming?"

"Say what?" Diana yelled out, glancing at her 3D radar.

That was when three more Strike Daggers appeared. The catcall from Harvey Bird of SGF-8 was broadcasted loud and clear.

"Great, an ambush." Sammie ducked under the barrage. "And they'll crow for weeks if they bag us."

"I do not understand why we be put into a container, Sammie O'Neill," the Jaffa said, holding back a grin.

"Now that's just being mean, Rya'c. I already explained that phrase. Okay, Diana, let's retreat to that ridge. Just before we hit it, I want a dogleg and into that box canyon," Sammie ordered.

"Ah, yes. We are going to lure them into a trap," Mica saw as he replied.

"No, we're going to get ourselves trapped if we aren't careful," Diana said as she sent her Strike Dagger rocketing after Sammie's.

The abrupt change shocked the second group of Strike Daggers that had SGF-15 in it.

"How'd she know we were here?" Christina complained.

"Never mind that. After them!" Major Lewis Harold ordered, leading his trio of mobilesuits after SGF-1.

"Go right!" Sammie ordered, rocketing upwards and to the left after turning a corner in the box canyon. Both Strike Daggers leaped to the edge, spinning around to bracket the corner they had just left below them.

It was a massacre, as both teams fumbled their safe distance between units. Only Harold managed to make the lip and got a size 200 foot to his Dagger's head for his efforts. He landed with a thud on his Dagger's back before Sammie stitched him up with paint-pellets.

It was an hour later that they were all in the officer's club. "Fess up, Sammie. How'd you know about the second part of the ambush?" Bird asked in good natured frustration. They all had beers in their hands.

"I saw those two yokels talking to the roster officer while pointing at two Daggers. Whenever they are together, I know your two teams are planning something. I thought you would figured that after the last two times you failed one of your tricks," the senior officer said with a smirk.

Larry and Mitch winced. They had thought they were being subtle. Obviously not enough.

Mica smiled at that. "It's very interesting how quickly they both reacted."

"That's because Sammie is over-trained. I heard she's killed a lot of ZAFT commandos. She's one dangerous lady." Harold nodded and clinked a bottle with said officer.

"Just doing my job." Sammie did not look thrilled with that thought. Her dark eyes had a haunted look.

"ZAFT is the military part of the orbital colonies, right?" Mica asked. "The genetically modified human of this world."

"Yeah, we just had a war," Diana said, frowning. A war that basically ended in stalemate thanks to the Three Ship Alliance. She had lost her first Dagger there and nearly her life when that Justice had taken her down.

"The Jaffa are also genetically modified to be stronger than normal. Among other things." Rya'c looked perturbed that the Tauri would do that to themselves.

"We're not too thrilled with that ourselves. But... since we found out about the Goa'uld, they suddenly seem like a minor issue." She grinned over at Major Bird. "Sorry, Bird, but you know its true."

"Yeah, evil space-aliens beat stupid genetic idiots out any day." Bird looked disturbed to admit that. He had not been shy in admitting that Blue Cosmos had a lot of right ideas.

"Yeah, as those Blue Cosmos idiots are trying to push us into another war," Diana complained. "They've been pushing to move all of our funding to that Heaven's Base of theirs in Greenland."

"Can your leaders not tell them no?" Mica asked.

"Our government... is complicated. And the threat of ZAFT isn't gone, though we are technically in a ceasefire. So we still have to prepare if hostilities break out."

None of them looked thrilled at that. Both sides were still rattling their sabers.

The theft of the new generation of ZAFT mobilesuits had finally completed and the Girty Lue had escaped, for the moment, the new ZAFT battleship Minerva. Roanoke had wanted to destroy it and the other combiner mobilesuit based on the Strike, obviously.

That was when the word came that Junius-7 had moved from its orbit.

"Will we be moving to assist?" Captain Ian Lee asked.

"Of course-" Not, the masked leader of Phantom Pain started to say, when a transmission was received across all channels.

"This is the Prometheus, we will handle the destruction of Junius-7. Please keep at least 250 kilometers at all time," Captain Merriweather ordered across the airwaves. "Helm, full thrust."

"The Prometheus? Aren't they all the way out by the Moon?" Ades asked.

"This doppler doesn't make sense, sir. We are showing a frankly impossible acceleration curve. They'll be at Junius-7 in ten minutes... from the far side of the Moon," the sensor operator called out.

Roanoke and Lee shared a shocked expression. That was impossible with any known propulsion system they knew of.

"N-Jammer effect detected. We won't be able to use any nukes," the Prometheus's XO called out.

The modified Agamemnon-class warship moved into near orbit at uncommon speed, hours before even the nearest ZAFT cruisers could respond.

"Sensors are picking up GINNs on the surface. They are starting to move."

"Raise shields!" Merriweather called out. He frowned as beams spattered on the energy bubble, starting to drop its power, again showing that it was not nearly as effective as it should have been. "Full positron flow to into Buster-1."

Deep in the bowels of the cruiser, an over sized missile starting to accept its payload of antimatter particles.

"Shields are down to fifty percent."

"Status of Buster-1?" Merriweather asked.

"Seventy percent."

"That will have to do. Fire Buster-1 immediately, divert all power to shields. Port thirty degrees, main thrust to full."

The rebel coordinators were confused at the attack. No nuclear missile could function. Even so, their instinctive reaction was to shoot it down.

One of them succeeded just before the missile hit, unleashing the Naquadah enhanced antimatter explosive. Junius-7 did not break. It did not shatter into dozen of pieces.

It exploded into bits. The coordinator pilots of the GINNs died before the shockwave could hit, killed by the super-intense burst of gamma and cosmic rays, but before their mobilesuits were shredded by the rapidly dissipating attack.

A second sun flashed, causing accidents across the world and several plane crashes. But the only affect of the actual meteor was minimal as pebbles and rocks burned up in the atmosphere.

The Prometheus shuddered, almost making it far enough away before the shockwave hit. Its weakened shields held for on the most minute of moments before collapsing. Then the armor on the outside of the ship boiled, blistered and shattered. Its high impulse engines stuttered and went out, but not in sequence.

The battered battleship was sent spinning through the firmament, causing many of the crew to lose their breakfast of only an hour ago.

"Fitz, remark into the log that the Buster-1 test was a success," Merriweather called out. "It looks like we finally figured out a way to make an antimatter missile work. Though we might suggest a little less Naquadah next time." OMNI had been experimenting with antimatter for a while, but the containment in missiles was too dangerous. Who wanted nuclear power at ten times the danger to yourself?

His XO just started chuckling. "You might be right, Captain. Damage report! All crew, seal the ship or evacuate the areas we can't seal! Move it people!"

"Sir! We are being hailed by a ZAFT cruiser," the sensor operator called out. "They are moving to assist us."

"Prepare to abandon ship upon my orders if needed. Fitz, go make sure the self-destruct on the main generator is still working," Merriweather said coldly. No way in hell were those Coordinators getting his ship and its advanced technology.

"There is no doubt, sir. That was some sort of enhanced antimatter explosion," Meryn Hawke called out to Captain Gladys.

"Thank you, Meryn. Chairman Durandal?" Gladys asked from her command chair of the Minerva.

Durandal sat in silent, though furiously fast, thought. "Well, that's one way around the treaty," he finally said blandly. "I guess technically they aren't using nuclear weapons when they are throwing around the upgraded replacement technology." He would have to put his own scientists on it as fast as possible. Or some sort of counter.

Cagalli Yula Athha gulped silently. Those damn warmongers. They were spitting on the very memory of all those that died in the first war. "How dare they!" she suddenly shouted as she stood up from the seat that the chairman had invited her to stay in.

"Cagalli," Athrun Zala warned, putting his hand on her forearm. "They only killed people that were trying to murder billions."

"But the fact that OMNI now has this technology... is worrying, don't you think, Athrun Zala? Why do you need a Genesis, when you have that?" Durandal only let his smile slip slightly. He had Zala's son. He just did not know it yet.

"I need to get back to Orb immediately, Chairman. If I could leave the matters up to your captain? I'm sure Kusanagi will be more than happy to divert to pick us up," the young lion of Orb asked.

"Of course."

The rest of the crew looked around, sharing worried looks. That had been Athrun Zala with the Athha? What was up with that?

Yzaak smirked as his Nazca class cruiser Voltaire and Rousseau approached the crippled Earth Alliance ship.

"This is Captain Merriweather of the Prometheus. I will repeat once more that we need no assistance at this time. This ship is under the aegis of the Earth Alliance and we would ask that you keep your distance," his radio was speaking.

"Oh, dry up you idiot. Anyone can see that you need all the help you can get," the red-jacketed commander declared.

His green-jacketed friend just rolled his eyes. "They know we want a peek at their new technology, Yzaak." Dearka Elsman had to smirk. He knew his friend too well. He was too hot-headed to back down now.

"Then I have no choice then to warn you off. If you approach within fifty kilometers, I will activate this ship's self-destruct. It is as powerful as the missile we used to destroy Junius-7," came the reply.

That gave him a pause. "You would kill yourself to stop us from helping you?" the silver-haired coordinator shouted, smacking his fist on the back of the captain's chair.

"I will not allow any advanced technology from the Prometheus from being compromised in any shape or form."

Yzaak signaled to cut the channel. "Captain, how long until we get within 50 kilometers?"

"Only two more minutes." The captain of the Voltaire did not look happy at all.

"Signal the Rousseau to break off and stay outside that distance." The very young commander was thinking furiously. "Helm, prepare for an immediate change of course at the sign of any energy buildup. I want the engines of this ship pointed at them in a split second." Something only a truly excellent Coordinator pilot could even attempt.

"I'm detecting some odd pulses, sir. But not a build up- Wait, that reactor is suddenly going crazy-" the sensor operator.

Martinez was already spinning the ship frantically.

To say that the Prometheus blew up was a bit of an understatement. Luckily for Yzaak, Merriweather had been bluffing. It was only a quarter as powerful as the Buster-1 had been. Still, it crippled the Voltaire and damaged the Rousseau.

"Shit. They did it. They blew themselves up rather than let us see their technology," Dearka exclaimed as he pulled himself upright in the sudden zero-G environment.

The captain of the Voltaire winced. "I would have hated to face that ship in combat, sir. Their powerplant has to be at least twice as efficient as our own."

"How the hell did the Naturals do that again?" Yzaak shouted.

"Sir?"

Dearka nodded. "The same thing that happened at Heliopolis. New super-technology. We were damn lucky we stole those Gundams. ZAFT would have been massacred if we hadn't and they had gotten to full production."

Prime Minister Arden Mueller was looking at his Minister of Defense with a scowl. "What the hell happened to the snatch and grab?"

Mark Demps was fighting the urge to wipe his brow. "81st Autonomous Mobile Group is autonomous per your predecessor's decree."

"There is a reason his government fell at the end of the War." Arden frowned as he stared out at Denver's first snow of the year. "I've got Copland on my hind like a bad sore. He's beyond pissed that Phantom Pain is aggressively trying to start a war."

"Considering it was an Atlantic Federation battleship that was lost due to ZAFT's actions, I'm really surprised at that." Demps was thinking fast and furiously.

"Well, we can still put the PLANTs in the nutcracker for trying to board an Atlantic Federation ship." He was already crafting his demands for the captain of that ship to be handed over for 'war crimes.' Durandal would never hand him over, of course. The perfect action to force a confrontation.

Gilbert Durandal frowned as he moved his chess piece in his private quarters. "Rey. It's good to see you. The Minerva is in port at Aprilus-1?" Beside him, out in the depths of space, the hourglass-shaped colonies of the PLANTs spun in unison in neat, orderly rows.

"Yes. Captain Gladys is talking to her commander over at ZAFT headquarters." The young blonde man had just stepped into the elegantly bare room. "Chess again?"

"Of course. The actions of the Earth Alliance are... different than I expected. Prime Minister Arden Mueller is having to move more publicly than he normally would, as President Copland of the Atlantic Federation is breaking ranks with his Blue Cosmos masters." The leader of the PLANTs frowned, his too perfect features almost marred by the look. "He's making decisions that contradict his whole personality."

"Or he has a hidden motive making him act differently," Rey noted aloud.

"Yes, but what? He hasn't changed his anti-Coordinator stance. But it's like it is less important." The chairman moved a knight to a position, trying to draw out a bishop.

"So what are you going to do?" Rey asked.

"Well, I'm not going to let them drag Commander Yzak Joule down. His mother would crucify me in the next elections," he replied as he continued to think. "Besides, most people will not believe that the secrets of the Prometheus were worth blowing up their own ship, crippling the Voltaire and killing six Coordinators."

"If they've developed antimatter missiles of that power, I would have," Rey replied simply.

"Where did you hear that?" Durandal asked in a sudden snappish tone.

"That was from Copernicus. Their observatory happened to be looking in that direction to watch the fall of Junius-7 when it was vaporized. They are calling it an exotically amplified antimatter explosion," the red-jacketed ZAFT ace said as he sat on the couch in front of the chess game. His gaze on the game was quite intent. "Interesting. You are leaving your pawns in danger with that move."

"That's what pawns are for. To be sacrificed as needed."

Svarog looked over at the Goa'uld in front of him. "Well met, Morrigan. I understand you have been given some of Ancient Ra's holding out on the rim?" He gestured over to a gold-inlayed table covered in fine foods, their Jaffa taking position along the walls.

"That is correct, Svarog. Though why you care is beyond me," the Goa'uld within the human female replied carefully. She was of dark-red hair and severe of features in her totally black armor. Though the armor more held her host's breast up for display rather than protect them.

Svarog's own opulent, though semi-barbaric looking, clothes were a clash of furs and leathers, held together with harsh, gold chains. "I wish to ask a favor for you, if you have a Ha'tak near that world. Though it may take months, I wish you to send it to the world of the Tauri. I have recently come across information that makes me think that someone is using that world as a staging ground."

"And you are letting me know out of the kindness of your heart?" the heartless Goa'uld replied.

"Of course not. Though the fact it is not far from one of your holdings might bear you some interest. But the fact that they are developing advanced technologies that have not been seen in this galaxy... interest me," the slavic god of fire said, his dark eyes grim in pleasure.

"Ah, so I am to see if these technologies are there for the taking? And to get my nose cut off if they are too much? You will need to sweeten the deal, Svarog. Make me an offer that will convince me you wish to help against Apophis." Her blue eyes held no warmth, her gaze reptilian behind her stunning beauty.

Svarog considered it for a long moment. "Very well. Five thousand Jaffa and two Ha'taks are at your call when really needed."

"Wonderful." The blood-haired Goa'uld smirked at that.

An hour later, she was walking through the stargate to her own worlds. "Geail, inform Laighe that he is to scout the ancient homeworld of humanity carefully. Send a Tel'tak from Armathion. My Ha'tak there will divert to the Tauri homeworld."

"My lady, will that not take months to get there?"

"Then the sooner they start, the sooner they will be back to Armathion then. Obey your goddess," she snarled.

"Of course, great Morrigan."

Cagalli fumed as she stormed out of yet another meeting. The Seirans were being particularly obnoxious. Her short legs led her down the stately halls of the government house. Somehow her posh business suit made her look serious, if not quite stately.

Her 'bodyguard' Athrun was following her at what seemed a more sedate pace. "I think you need a break."

"How?" she retorted scathingly. She scrubbed her hands through her short, almost ragged blonde hair. They stepped out into the parking lot.

Athrun opened the door to her sportscar. "How about we visit your brother and Lacus?"

"I don't want to bring them down. They have all those children," she whispered as she slid onto the plush leather seat.

Athrun put his hand on her knee. "There's something more, isn't there?"

"I want what he has," she said quietly as Athrun turned on the car. "And Yuna is pushing for our engagement."

Athrun's face turned sour at that, but he tried to hide it. "Let's go."

"No. We'll invite them to the beach house that I'm loaning Father Machio. All of them. The kids deserve a small vacation from the island." She was already planning ahead. Her brother was being too moody out there in that private retreat.

The dark-haired coordinator changed lanes on the highway and then headed to the marina. "Why don't we just go pick them up with your yacht?"

"Let me give him a call then."

Djibril smirked as he sat in his plush leather executive-chair, looking over the live feeds from his fleet as it moved towards the PLANTs. "This is your final day, you freaks. No more will you taint the skies of this pure and blue world."

The Earth Alliance fleet started launching Strike Dagger L's.

"Per the orders from OMNI and the Earth Alliance, I am demanding that you stand down and disarm so that we can arrest the war criminal known as Yzak Joule," the OMNI admiral said from the safety of his bridge.

"And we have already informed you that we do not acknowledge your domain. We will not hand over the hero Joule to jack-booted thugs like you," the coordinator replied over the radio.

"Start the attack."

The OMNI fleet and Daggers headed towards the spinning hourglasses off in the distance, only to be met with GINNs and then ZAKUs.

The distraction seemed to be working perfectly, as the Agamemnon-class warship Branston was launching its Dark Daggers loaded with N-Jammer Canceller nuclear missiles.

Before they had closed, a recon GINN detected them. "Nuclear payload inbound! I repeat-"

One of the Daggers cut the GINN down in brutal efficiency, then fell back into position. They reached active control distance for the missiles and fired.

"No! This can't be happening!" Yzak shouted as he lead his Joule team in a desperate charge to intercept them in their new ZAKUs. Would he be known as the one that caused a second Junius-7 attack? Would his name be as heavily reviled as Rau La Creuset?

In the control room of the ZAFT command in Aprilius-1, Chairman Gilbert Durandal entered hurriedly. "The preparations are finished?"

"Yes, sir. We are receiving a report of nuclear missile attack," a ZAFT sensor operator yelled out.

"Confirm the missiles, ready the N-Jammer Canceler Stampeder!" Durandal ordered.

"Inbound ships! That speed... it's impossible!" another sensor operator shouted.

Out in space, a Drake-class escort ship suddenly intruded on the battle at high impulse speeds as orders came for it to return to fleet formation, swerving in between the missiles and the PLANTs. "Fire suppression on those missiles!" her captain yelled out. "Don't let any hit the civilians! Shields to full!" The George Patton started firing at the missiles with its beam weapons.

"Firing Stampeder!" the ZAFT commander shouted in a panic at the thought that they were about to lose the Stampeder.

Out in space, near a Nazca class ZAFT cruiser, the N-Jammer Canceler Stampeder fired to catastrophic affect. The missiles and Strike Dagger exploded, killing all of the cold-blooded killers. The coruscating beam clipped the George Patton, sending it staggering and overloading conduits. Bodies were sent flying as the internal powerlines turned into impromptu explosives.

Captain Anne Danvers clutched grimly at her command seat. "Did we get them? Damage report!"

"Nuclear missiles were destroyed by that thing that the Coordinators used. Shields are offline. We only have five percent thrust," her XO called out. James Brannigan was a big, black man that was normally impeccably dressed and unflappable.

"Signal that we are retreating back to 1st Fleet. All crews work on shields first," Danvers ordered.

"We kicked up a hornet's nest, Captain."

"Not we, Lt. Brannigan. That was my order and my responsibility," she replied with a wry grin. "But I'll never allow civilians to be slaughtered mercilessly."

An Agamemnon Class carrier and its two battleships escorts were approaching rapidly at speeds that only Stargate derived technologies could have allowed.

"That's the Bismark. Admiral Daniels on the line for you, Captain." Brannigan winced at that.

"On the overhead." Danvers sat up a little more stiffly.

"Captain Danvers, consider yourself relieved of duty for dereliction of duty and ignoring a direct order," the admiral called out over the radio.

"Understood, sir. Lt. Brannigan, you have the con." She stood up and saluted her second in command, who received command of her beloved ship.

Cagalli stared off into the night sky as she saw a bright flare. She had just heard of the attack on the PLANTs. "Why?" she asked, her voice breaking in sorrow. "We were just are starting to recover!"

Athrun just shook his head. "I don't know." The waters of the Pacific lapped on the shore, the bright lights of the house only slightly illuminating them in the cold darkness.

"You won't leave me?" the young natural asked.

The coordinator just answered by hugging her close. The shorter woman gripped him almost too hard. Impulsively, he kissed her forehead. Her hand looped behind his neck, pulling his head down so that she could kiss him desperately.

"Stay with me... tonight," she finally said.

"Tonight?" Athrun kissed her thoroughly. "Or forever?"

"Let's see about forever." That was when the green-eyed young man scooped her up. He staggered slightly under her weight, but gamely headed up to the seaside house while kissing her frantically. A frenetic emotion that she reciprocated.

Kira and Lacus were further down the beach, watching the byplay of the two in momentary humor. The mood failed as they noticed more lights in the skies.

"Why is there so much hate, Lacus?" Kira asked as he held her close in the shadows of the palm trees on the shore.

"Fear. Humanity has always been afraid and we fear what we do not know," the ex-singer said in a sad voice. "Do you think Orb will be dragged into this war again?"

"That's what has Cagalli so upset. The Seirans are really pushing to support the Earth Alliance. And the moderates in the Eurasia Federation and Atlantic Federation are having a hard time of it," the Ultimate Coordinator said, his violet eyes narrowed in frustration.

"Will we be safe here?" she asked worriedly.

"I don't know. I hope so. Maybe I should talk to Murrue about taking preventative steps." Kira looked haunted at that thought. He did not want to fight again. But he would to defend Lacus.

"My knight will need his sword," the strawberry-blonde said, leaning into his side.

"I wish I didn't."

Colonel Sammie O'Neill looked over the hill through her digital binoculars. There was a group of Jaffa standing outside of the ruined mothership they were looking at. "Damn. What do you think, Rya'c?"

The stout Jaffa nodded. "This is unusual. Usually the Goa'uld leave their wrecks unless there was something of great import within or they can salvage the whole ship."

The sand-weathered, darkened form of Mica frowned. "And anything they value, we need to deny them?" This made him feel like a vulture, but he understood that they were in a weaker position than the Goa'uld.

"We don't dare dial in to get reinforcements until we have control of the item," Diana noted, looking through her own binoculars.

"There are only six Jaffa that we can see. There will be more inside," Rya'c warned.

"Then we can't play fair. If what they find is any size, they'll take it back the most direct means." Sammie was scanning the path. "That copse of trees-"

That was when a space ship de-cloaked over the edge of the clearing, roaring as it landed.

"Tel'tak. A Goa'uld freighter," Rya'c declared, almost showing his surprise. "It must be something that he does not want moved through the Stargate. Unusual."

"Or something that is a bit too heavy to drag the thirty kilometers to the Stargate on foot. Like that," Mica declared as he pointed where ten Jaffa were dragging a large, golden box.

Rya'c swore. "They will probably only use the Tel'tak to go to the Stargate, but as quickly as possible."

"What is it?" Sammie asked as she focused in on the large device.

"It is called a Sarcophagus. It allows the Goa'uld to raise the recently dead and heal any injuries," Rya'c explained with a very grim voice. The screams of his father still echoed in his nightmares.

"Say what?" Sammie and Diana half-yelled quietly. The colonel was thinking furiously. "All right." She pulled out a computer pad and hit some buttons. "Time for some noise. Mica, stay back and only support us."

Near the Stargate, the Jaffa on guard were surprised when explosions rocked the forest near them and smoke started billowing out from concealed devices. They turned and readied staff weapons, eyes turned outward for enemies.

None of them noticed the small robot unhook itself from the bottom of the Dial Address Device. It rapid-fire hit the buttons, purging the address that Sammie had sent it from its memory the moment it was finished. It pulled back underneath before the Jaffa could turn around, to see the Stargate dialing out.

They started firing to try to hit invisible foes until the Stargate suddenly shut off after a minute. They looked at each other in surprise.

The the Stargate started dialing in return two minutes later.

Back at Tel'tak, Sammie was busy running forward in a crouching zig-zag. She barely stopped to fire a grenade from her under-rifle, then dove to the side while firing frantically at two Jaffa. Thank god they fought like Napoleon era soldiers, she thought to herself.

The remaining Jaffa were just starting to recover when another grenade rained down from a different directly.

"Come on, you stupid kangaroooos! It's gun-toting maniac time!" Diana shouted as she popped up behind a tree and gunned the first barely turned Jaffa down.

"Tauri! Get to the ship! Lord Svarog demands that we retrieve this for him!" The leader of the Jaffa shouted out. "Retreat to the ship-"

That was when Rya'c shot cut his legs out from under him. Even Mica had joined, using his pistol as judiciously as possible.

The pilot of the Tel'tak closed the door and was starting to take off when a fighter rocketed past, all black and dangerous looking. With a suddenly bleed-off of momentum, it turned into a black mobilesuit similar to the Dagger's of the Earth Alliance.

It's short, stubby and very deadly beam cannon was placed against the window of the freighter. Then, very carefully, it waggled its free hand (pointing-finger up) in a near universal sign language for 'no.'

"Cute," Sammie said as she cautiously stood up. "Samson, that you?"

"Right, Colonel O'Neill." The GAT-X390 Raider II Gundam only superficially resembled the first Raider. It was much slimmer and actually a good two meters taller. Instead of the wide shoulders, its was very tall, built specifically to transform to fit through the Stargate and break orbit under its own power.

"Get that gold box back to the Stargate. It has absolute precedence. This is a direct order," she yelled out.

"Sir?"

"Move, soldier!"

Sammie O'Neill came through the gate a day later at the head of her team. Playing hide and seek with Jaffa was never her idea of fun. "General Stafford," she called out to the control room that hung from the ceiling as the platform pulled away from the Stargate.

"Colonel O'Neill, after you've finished your debriefing and physical, I need to speak to your team immediately," the general ordered.

She led Rya'c and Mica Jackson into the clean-room of the infirmary where they lockered their weapons and then all four sat on beds. Diana looked unhappy as she laid down on the cold medical bed.

"You'd think that they could warm up the beds slightly," the pilot groused.

Sammie just grinned ruefully. "They actually work best at this temperature. They want to make sure we don't have any hitchhikers." Talk about a security nightmare.

MRI ran over their bodies, verifying that no Goa'uld was attatched to their spine.

"Looks Little G is getting slightly larger," Dr. Kinnerston said as he frowned at the display. "What is the external gestation period of a Goa'uld larva?"

"I do not understand the term you are using, DoctorKinnerston," Rya'c admitted.

"How long do the Goa'uld have to be carried by the Jaffa in your pouches," Mica offered helpfully.

"Ah. About five years, though they are moved more regularly," the Jaffa replied. "The Goa'uld may be not telling us very much so we do not know more of them."

"How long have you had this Goa'uld?" Kinnerston asked.

"Only twenty of your months," he replied stoically.

"We'll have to double check that, but right now General Stafford is expecting us." Sammie led them up to the number two conference room. The one without the nice leather chairs, she realized whimsically.

The general and his aide were sitting at one end. "Colonel Sammie O'Neill, this is Major Rickell. He's here to brief you on the situation and take your report. I'm going to be busy redeploying our special forces group. Good day." He was moving by the time he had finished speaking.

"That doesn't sound good, Major. What's going on?" Sammie asked, her dark eyes narrowed in thought.

"A state of war exists between the Earth Alliance and the PLANTs as of 10:00 hours this morning."

"How the hell did that happen? I thought President Copland was trying to play a politics game?" Diana exclaimed in suprised.

"The PLANTs were attacked by nuclear armed units of the Eurasian Federation's fleet, after similar requests were turned down by President Copland. OMNI deemed the threat of ZAFT's Millennium Project to be extreme enough to issue the attack orders," Rickell explained. "They used the pretext of Izaak Joule's attempted 'boarding' of the Prometheus and the deaths of those sailors to start the attack."

"I can't see Admiral Romev agreeing to that," Sammie said in thought.

"Oh? Hadn't you heard? Admiral Romev is in critical condition and is not expected to recover from an accident on the Autobahn earlier this week," the major said blandly.

The silence was quite tense and stretched as the two natives of Earth thought that over.

"Just peachy."