But we had no time to act: a loud and furious beam of light shot in the distance, hitting something in its way. There was a huge explosion and a red light appeared before our eyes. Both Seth and I stayed speechless and blinded by the rays from the lightshow, in the distance. We didn't even try to establish a communication with each other. The smoke, even though we we're in space and the empty battlefield were enormous, was elevating very high and the only thing we could do was to watch that horrible scene. We both knew what happened but we never thought they would actually do it on us. I closed my eyes and prayed for all the people that had died on that ship, the ship we both knew so well. Seth established the communication but stayed silent against the mike.
"..."
I couldn't say anything either. I wasn't able to open my mouth. The only thing I could do is open my eyes and to close them back, whipping the tears out, letting them roll on my cheeks. The Valliant and the Outpacer were now the only mobile suits existent of the Star Strike, mother ship of the Division. Everything had been destroyed: our pasts, our memories and our relationships with the crew… everything was gone. We we're condemned to be lost without an anchor, without any protection and a way to get fuel.My family, my home, my existence just vanished in a loud explosion before my eyes and I couldn't resign myself but to explode into sobs of sorrow. Seth sobbed too, but for me, he tried his best not to in front of his commander. But I wasn't a Commander anymore; I was his equal now and that was the only reason why I permitted myself to cry. I wasn't anything anymore. The Outpacer approached and its hand touched the Valliant's.
"What do we do now, Kim...?" I shook my head to his question.
"We...we have to go to the Headquarters on Earth...We're the only link they had with the Star Strike..."
"But, Kim! What about the Archangel?" The Archangel...It deserves to be destroyed! They slowed us down! It's their fault! They slowed us down and we couldn't protect the Star Strike!
"I say we let them die in the hands of those ZAFT soldiers."
"You're not serious, are you? You can't do that, you swore to the Division you'd help the Naturals side and fight the Coordinators! We can't let them die, not after what happened!"
"It's not my problem anymore. I am going on Earth to tell what happened and after that I'll..."
"You'll do what, exactly? You won't be able to do anything on Earth because of your remorse! You'll just shut yourself in your home and become a hermit, like you always did back on the Star Strike when something was your fault, when you'd have done something wrong! You would go to your room and sulk for days! Is that what you want to become? Is that how you want to live?"
"Shut up! I don't need you to tell me because I perfectly know it's true myself! I just don't get why you're being so judgmental! I don't know what to do, but I'll find something!" I screamed to him.
"Well, while you're waiting for a divine intervention, I suggest you follow me. We're going to investigate the debris." He said, cutting the communication. He flew to the incident's direction, the Valliant and I on his tail. There was still smoke and a lot of stuff hovering in space, making movements very difficult. What I saw next was totally unexpected: the Star-Strike's hangar was still in function! I guess the beam that hit the Star-Strike shot the mother ship from the right side, because the hangar was on the far left of the ship.
"Seth! There might be survivors! Let's go check the hangar!"
"I know! I'll open the gates for you!"
Seth slowly opened the enormous hanging doors or the remaining of the doors. I held my breath in hope that I would save someone today. Seth finally cut down the remaining pieces and the metal sliding doors hovered, leaving us the passage to the very damaged hangar.
"Kim, go look for anyone that is alive. I'll stay here to prevent the hangar from falling apart."
"Right. Wait here."
I looked around and saw a lot of debris from the impact with the ray beam. It was devastated, but still, it wasn't destroyed. I looked around and gasped. They took the Vengeance! How dare them! Wait 'till I get my hands on them! The Division won't be happy about this!
"Seth, they took the Vengeance." He gasped.
"What? They found it?"
"I guess. It's not in the security stall anymore. I think...they came here for it. That's why they came around the Star Strike. They came to steal the GUNDAM Vengeance."
It makes sense, actually. They had no reason to attack us unless they wanted...or feared something. They were scared that someone would use it...It's not like anyone dared to approach it either. Since Captain DuFlamme died, no one even came near it except for the mechanics. That would explain a lot...Now we're in deep shit.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn't hear Seth pointing at a certain spot, screaming.
"Kim! I found some of them! Part of the crew, they're not dead!" I couldn't believe my eyes! I looked through the head window of the Valliant and saw a tiny life capsule with three people in it, every single one of them out cold.
"We better do something before they run out of oxygen!" said Seth, hurried.
"I know...but we have nowhere else to go... They can't be awoken like this! They'll die! We have to get back to Earth right now!" I knew what ran through his mind: the Archangel. I was not going on the forsaken floating death device.
"No way Seth! Not the Archangel!"
"It's their only chance to live, Kim! I won't obey you this time! Let's head back to the Archangel! It's our only hope to ensure our survival and theirs. Don't be selfish, you know what you must do and you must do it the right way."
"I'm not going Seth; you know I will not follow you." I simply said, cutting him rough.
"You know what is best for you and you will come with me, please. If it's not for you, at least do it for me. I need you in this world, you're the only family left out there for me, don't quit on me." He said, firmly gripping the life capsule in his mobile suit's hand, the other one ready to attack with a riffle gun.
"If they come after me, protect me, Kim." Why should I do that? I'm the one in charge here.
"...Who said I was coming with you, anyway?" I saw him smile through his window.
"My little finger told me that you wouldn't be able to survive without me." He said, smirking.
How can he smile in a time like this? We lost everything we had and he still manages to smile? How can he be so strong, so positive? I would just like to have 5% of his happiness and carefree nature...
"...You're finger is right about one thing: surviving is important. Let's go, I'm tailing you."
There was a pause and finally, he said: "Thank you." That somewhat normal thank you warmed my heart.
We left the debris and headed back for a long ride to the Archangel. I was a bit lost in my thoughts: why did they attack the Archangel at first? Do they have a GUNDAM as valuable as the Vengeance? Why did they attack the Strike? Holy cow...! They attacked the Archangel first because they thought they had the Vengeance! That explains everything! I guess we'll owe them an explanation...and an apology coming from me about the gates...I don't really feel like being nice to them. And I hate them for what they did to us...I'm doing this for you, Seth. I just hope we're not going into a booby trap because I'll seriously murder your face!
Since I was his backup for the returning, I had to be extra vigilant and aware, something I was not in the mood to be. I was tired, restless, hungry, sad and pissed at the same time, which produced a sort of PMS syndrome itself.
"Kim, are you watching my back? I can't see you."
"Of course you're not seeing me, idiot. I'm behind you, as you said. I don't remember you having eyes all around your head." He sighed and never replied. I understand him: he just doesn't want to reply. I saw human bodies and debris of all sorts by the window. I closed my eyes, recognizing some of my old friends out there. Where's that damn ship? The Outpacer changed speed to a more rapid one and I sighed. He had seen the outside too. We didn't talk about it at all.
I looked at the only thing that Captain DuFlamme gave me. It was about forty years old: his ancient gun from his grandfather. It was stained and crippled, but it has always been in my mobile suit since I ride it for the first time, five years ago. I was fifteen when I first touched the Valliant, a present from DuFlamme himself to me, his best student.
"Commander DuFlamme, is this mobile suit for me?" I screamed to him, overjoyed.
"I guess you can call it a gift." He simply said, smiling. I screamed at the top of my lungs, bursting my happiness to the world. My old friend from the military academy, Seth Yoshiro, had received one too and he went to get me and shown his to me.
"Isn't this amazing?" He finally asked.
"Very cool. I can't believe this is happening…!"
"Yeah...Let's hope we can use it well." He looked worried but DuFlamme put a firm and reassuring hand on Seth's shoulder. "I know you'll be a great pilot, Seth. From now on, you pilot GAT-X102 Outpacer. Be proud of yourself."
"Captain, what is the name of my mobile suit?" I asked him very politely.
"The only name it's got GAT-X100 as a code name. You can call it whatever you want to call it. It's your choice, Kim." I closed my eyes and thought really hard for a moment. Finally, one name stayed in my mind.
"The Valliant."
Those were by far the best memories I had: the first day I became a pilot of the Division. I sighed and closed my eyes, thinking about what had happened to me, the opportunities I had. I wasn't able to think straight, my mind raging with murders and crimes I committed. I thought about the Star Strike being destroyed but ZAFT soldiers, but I'm no better! How many times did I do that to other people? I destroyed countless ships; space platforms and I even helped with the Bloody Valentine incident! I am the one to be blamed for what happened today, I recognize I haven't been the very best person I should have been for my parents...
"Kim, are you alright? You seem quite silent."
"I'm just thinking, Seth, I'm only thinking...about what we did, in the past few years." I said to him.
"I knew you would eventually bring the subject. I've been thinking about that too." He said.
"What we've done was so wrong...I wish I could go back in time and fix what I've destroyed..."
"We can't go back and repair the damages, Kim. All we can do now is helping the ones in need. You can't always bring up the past, we have to live in the present now, for everyone's sake."
"...You're right. Say Seth, do you trace the Archangel on your radar?"
"No, I've been trying to do that since we left the hangar...I think...They went on Earth..." Oh mother fucker! What do we do now? We can't descend to Earth in mobile suits, we'll be crushed by the gravity! What do we do now?
"I have a plan, Kim." That surprised me; he never had any plans before actions. That plan would end up crappy, as usual. I rolled my eyes.
"Surprise me, Seth. What did you manage to figure out?" He frowned and replied.
"I'm not stupid, Kim. I always think before doing something, you know that. You still manage, after all these years of boring jokes, mind boggling stupidities and the classic armpit fart, to surprise me, dear old friend.
"The Outpacer is made way thicker than the Valliant, Kim. I think you should hang on to me when we'll descend." What? Are you suicidal? You really, desperately want to die, do you? The gravity will kill us both! Oh my god, why?"No way! You can't be thinking straight, Seth! The Outpacer isn't strong enough to withstand the Earth's gravity! You'll be crushed under my weight!"
"That's not true. Before we left, the mechanics of the Star Strike installed on the Outpacer a new technology called GX-Grav, which permits me to go through Earth's gravity no problem. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner...We didn't have the time."
"If it's what you want, Seth, I'll say okay but...promise me you're not lying."
"Why would I lie when I want to protect you and other people? That would be stupid." I smiled. I knew he was sincere and a true man. I would never doubt of him, even in a situation of crisis.
"We'll arrive soon to the Moon Base, Kim. Be prepared because once we'll get though its territory, we'll be sucked to the Earth automatically. Put on your seat belt, it's going to be a bumpy ride." I wasn't scared but wasn't reassured either: I've never had this kind of training before now. I didn't know how strong the gravity would be.
"You know what you're doing, right?" I asked him. He simply nodded and took the Valliant's hands and pulled us in a round embrace, making the two mobile suits collide against each other. I say the moon from afar. I knew this would be scary and dangerous, but something told me to do it. We saw ships from all around the world gathering there, everyday. I guess the moon belonged to everybody on Earth, especially the Earth Forces. A blue dot flashed in my cockpit: someone was trying to communicate with me and it wasn't Seth. I pressed the blue button and a voice echoes in my cockpit.
"This is Admiral Yokona from the Moon Base. I am asking you what you are doing, pilot of the blue mobile suit! This is dangerous beyond our territory! I ask you to leave immediately!"
I could feel the gravity already, pushing us to the right. "Seth, we're deviating!"
"I know but I have no idea what's happening! I'm trying to launch our mobile suits back in the original position, but nothing is working!" The gravity became very heavy and we lost communication with the Moon Base. I panicked and tried to contact Seth, but the radio was intercepted with the satellite's waves. I buckled my belt tight and put my hands on my head, dropping in on my thighs. The gravity was now so strong it wasn't making us deviate, is was absorbing us around the Earth, pulling us like a bunch of wolves on a deer. I could see blue all around and I knew Seth activated the GX-Grav because the right was now smooth. A couple of minutes passed and I wondered how the people from the crew were doing. They must've been in the same position. But my thoughts were cut by darkness.
I opened my eyes to see a blue sky and very white clouds. I was in my mobile suit, but the cockpit was open, letting fresh air penetrate in the tight space and filling my lungs completely. I heard voices and screams of joy. I tried to move my head, but my muscles were so sore I winced. I will never do this again... Mark my word.
