Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Tale of the Twin Wolves

By Storm Wolf77415 and Wing Commander White Wolf

Chapter 7

(EAS Archangel, Officer Quarters, February 2nd, C.E. 71)

BREE! BREE! BREE! The most annoying sound in the world emanated from the standard, military issue alarm clock. A fist lashed out, knocking the annoying machine to the floor with a clatter and then stomping it into little pieces "If I ever find out who invented alarm clocks, I'll stab them in the face!" Sebastian growled, rolling over to cuddle his wife. Lacus's eyes cracked open, blue orbs twinkling in mirth. It always amused her how much her beloved loathed alarm clocks, said it was a complex developed since the time he was young and had to endure waking up to his mother's alarm clock.

Out in the hallway, Anthony was just about to knock on his brother's door when he heard the clock hit on the floor. He sighed, "Some things never change." It had been nearly three days since the escape from Artemis. The Archangel and Aquilo slowly made their way towards Earth. The situation onboard had not improved any. With the quick escape from Heliopolis and the less than friendly reception at the Eurasian satellite, there had been no resupply. "Pup, come on, we've got an important meeting in ten!"

"I'll be there! Can I take a little time to wake up, first?" Sebastian snapped. Anthony glared slightly before crossing his arms.

"Yeah, you might as well wake up the Princess. She has her own duties as well, Pup. You don't want to get her in trouble too." He shot back. Irritation laced his voice, sounding atypical to his usual frosty demeanor. This was actually very common for the Twin Wolves in the morning. Sebastian would destroy his alarm clock and want to get back to sleep, forcing Anthony to come and drag him out of bed.

Sebastian's temper was rising. He was about to give another angry reply when Lacus squeezed his shoulder, her usual means of getting him to calm down. He looked into his wife's eyes, so clear and uncompromising. It was impossible for him to resist those brilliant blue orbs the same color as the sky he loved ot fly in. He could always count on their mollifying effect to calm him when he got worked up. The Storm Wolf sighed, rubbing his face to wake up, "Go on without me, Anthony. I'll catch up ASAP!" He ran his hand through soft brown locks, she really did look good as a brunette.

"Pups, what I am going to do with them?" The White Wolf sighed, as he walked away unaware of his partner's situation.

"Was it really necessary to take out your anger on the clock? It was just doing its job, honey." Lacus chided, lightly. Sebastian snorted, running his fingers along her pale cheeks. These were the moments he treasured the most. For a few precious seconds he could forget all of his nightmares and focus on the brilliant light of the woman he loved. She was his shoreline, the sight he always looked for when coming home. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "We have work to do. No more wasting time."

"Yes ma'am." He replied. The two got dressed and headed for their respective stations. Lacus to the bridge to take communications for the day, and Sebastian to the meeting Anthony mentioned earlier. He walked stiffly down the corridor, trying to banish any further sleep from his eyes. He entered Murrue's office, saluting the other senior officers. "Reporting as ordered, Captain." He said.

"Glad you could join us, Colonel." Anthony replied. "I was just addressing our situation to the others. We're running low on supplies and provisions…especially water. If we don't act fast, we could have some very angry people on our hands."

Richards nodded, "The Aquilo could make due if it was just for us. We have enough for a fifteen-man crew for three weeks. But as many people on board this ship, it would burn through it in one!" He pointed out. "If anyone has any options, I am wide open."

"I do have one idea, but I'd like to hear others before I present it." Anthony remarked. "How do you feel about a little grave robbing?" His voice dropped so low only Sebastian could hear it. The Storm Wolf stiffened. He knew immediately what his friend was talking about. The Debris Belt wasn't far from their position. It was a given they would have to pass through the place. His hands balled into fists, not exactly liking the idea but reasoning it was better than nothing. The younger man nodded, signaling his approval of the plan.

"No one else seems to have a better alternative. What is your plan, Captain Russo?" Murrue asked.

The Arctic White Wolf fixed his best glare on the three EA officers, showing why he was a denizen of the frozen North. "I know this will offend your sensibilities, but how you do feel about taking from the dead?" Mu's expression was unreadable, if he had any objections to the plan he said nothing. Both of the female officers were far more vocal in their protests.

"I beg your pardon? You want us to do that? I have never been so disgusted in my life!" Natarle said emphatically.

"Certainly there's some other source for our needs?" Murrue said, trying to be slightly more diplomatic in her response, but her disproval was clear in her eyes and on her face.

Sebastian folded his arms, looking off at the wall. "I don't like the idea myself, Lieutenant Ramius. But I think my partner is right. We're not disturbing the bodies. Just taking the resources we need to survive. There's plenty of EA and ZAFT ships in the field, and we'll take just enough for our purposes. Ammunition, spare parts for the GINNs and Lieutenant La Flaga's Zero, nothing more." He stood up a little straighter, "And perhaps we can leave a little memorial for the fallen…on both sides."

That seemed to placate Murrue and Natarle. It was relieving to know the enemy was willing to offer respect to the other side.

"I also have a plan for an extraction operation, Captain Ramius, pending your approval." Murrue nodded, Anthony took a breath and began. "The Archangel receives the cargo, with three search teams led by Ensign Badigruel, Lieutenant La Flaga, and Tech Officer Lamperouge. Team 1 will find derelict EA ships to raid ammo and parts. Team 2 will do the same but for ZAFT ships, and Team 3 will hunt for ice so we can use it for water. The Aquilo will be our shield against attack. Commander Richards will serve as your acting XO while the Ensign is off the ship."

"Works for me." Murrue said. "I think we might have to ask the help of Mr. Yamato and his friends. Would they be willing to assist us?"

"You leave that to us, Captain. We'll handle the rest." The Storm Wolf replied. The PA system buzzed to life. "Captain Russo, Colonel Connor, I think you guys need to get up here…now!" Harmony's voice was uncharacteristically somber. The six officers made their way to the bridge. They found the rest of the team standing there. Shawn's face was even more sunken in than usual. Duncan had his arms around both Gabrielle and Harmony, both girls shed quiet tears.

"What happened? What did you guys find?" Anthony asked. Duncan just pointed. With slow steps he made his way towards the viewport. He felt Lacus's dainty hand slide into his. The couple finally got a good long view of what it was. A huge plate ten kilometers in diameter, it almost resembled a continent in space. Lacus gasped, her hands coming up to her mouth. Sebastian let out a bestial growl, his eyes flashing gold for a second.

"Junius Seven…" Mu replied. "It drifted all way the here after that day…" Sebastian couldn't contain himself any longer, his hand lanced out, punching the bulkhead and leaving a sizeable dent in the wall.

"Excuse me…" he replied, walking out of the bridge with Lacus right behind. Anthony and the other Wolves sighed. Even after all this time, it was a wound that still had never healed.

"I suggest we get moving. I don't want to delay any longer." Anthony said. "Storm Wolves, report to the locker room and be ready to launch in twenty. I need go to brief our volunteers." He then left the bridge, in a much more subdued manner than his hot blooded counterpart, not even listening to Natarle whine about the damage Sebastian had caused to the wall.

(Locker Room)

Sebastian changed into his flight suit, clamping down on his emotions. He tried desperately to not let his feelings of February 14th, C.E. 70 rage out of control. "There is nothing you can do to change that day! It's over and done with!" He choked through tears, remembering a TS-MA2 Moebius mobile armor carrying a large white missile with an orange nose, aimed at a certain PLANT colony. "It's over and done with!" He cracked, failing to keep himself from breaking down.

Anthony came into the ready room at that point, seeing his partner and friend sitting on the bench. "Colonel Connor?" He asked, trying to get his attention.

"Yes Captain?" He said a little more sharply than he intended. Anthony flinched when he saw his partner's eyes. So full of rage and anguish remained from that day, and he would never fully be rid of it. The White Wolf looked the younger man in the eye with a stern but caring expression. He sighed, patting him on the shoulder, letting it go.

"You good to join the flight, Pup?" He asked his brother Wolf. Sebastian sighed returning the gesture.

"Yes Anthony," He said, much more calmly, putting his gloves on and picking up his helmet. He regarded it for a few seconds. The harsh lights of the locker room reflected off the white steel and plastic. It had been molded into the shape of a wolf's head, his favorite animal. To Sebastian, there was no creature nobler than a wolf, a protector and a defender. He had wanted to emulate those qualities and when crunch time had come he had failed horribly, with the shattered hulk being an eternal memorial to that failure.

Anthony nodded, "I'll coordinate the overall operation from the CIC. I'll let Lieutenant Ramius and Commander Richards handle the operations of the ship. Rally the pilots once the students are ready. I'll be back in ten minutes, have them all here when I get back, Colonel."

"Understood, Captain." He said, trying to keep his composure. Anthony nodded but then he grabbed his arm "I…need to pay a visit home while I'm down there. I won't get this chance again." The older wolf said nothing just inclining his head slightly. Sebastian's expression brightened considerably. "Thank you, Anthony."

"I expect nothing less from you, Sebastian." Anthony replied. "I know it is hard for you to be in this place, the memories that exist here. I know this is breaking open old wounds for you but it's more important than ever for you to keep your head on straight. You are my executive officer and the last thing I need is for my right hand man to go to pieces during such a critical operation. Stay frosty out there and watch your six, okay?"

"Will do!" Sebastian replied. His fellow Wolf gave him another affectionate squeeze on the shoulder and went to enlist the support of Kira and the others.

(Crew Quarters)

The White Wolf entered to see the students sitting around. Kuzzey flinched when the sniper entered. He rolled his eyes. "Excuse me everyone," He said. "I hope I'm not intruding. But we need help."

"What's going on?" Cagalli asked.

Anthony took a deep breath. This would be the tough part, selling it to them. "We're having supply issues, having to resort to really old school salvage methods to get by for the time being." He looked to them with a somber look. "One of the possible sights for salvage is the remains of the Junius Seven colony. I need volunteers for an extraction operation to J7 and a few derelict ships we found along the way."

"Say what? You really want to loot Junius Seven? It's a gravesite!" Kira was absolutely repulsed at the idea of desecrating the place.

"Only for what we need, most likely to grab ice in order to replenish our water supply." Anthony reassured him. "Trust me, Mr. Yamato I don't like this any more than you do." He looked to Cagalli and each of the other students in turn, "You know I wouldn't do this unless we absolutely had no other choice. We discussed it with the other senior officers and we agreed to have a short joint forces memorial for the dead. Anyone who wishes to help can come with me. Once you've suited up, meet in the ready room."

Everyone looked around, and all reached the same conclusion. "We want to help, Captain Russo." Flay said, "I think it's worth it to offer our respects."

"We are very grateful for that Miss Allster. Please go get suited up, I'll see you then." He said. After a few minutes, Anthony led the teens to the ready room where the other pilots were waiting. Sebastian raised an eyebrow at what Flay was wearing. The guys and were wearing the normal white space suits, but Flay and Miriallia both wore pink versions of Kira's flight suit.

"Is there a reason you're both wearing those, ladies? Last time I checked you weren't pilots. Unless you suddenly volunteered and got training in the last ten minutes." The Storm Wolf said.

"No, there weren't any normal suits in our size." Flay replied. Kira could only goggle at his girlfriend. He wondered when the operation was over if she wouldn't be interested in taking the Strike out for a little joyride when it was just the two of them alone.

"Yeah, and even this is a little tight." Miriallia blushed, tugging at the collar. The suit didn't leave much to the imagination, defining and flattering the curves of both girls in ways that had many of the male crewmembers staring. Anthony cleared his throat, making everyone focus on him again.

"Now if you're all done, we can get the briefing underway." He said. Everyone took his or her seats. Sebastian joined his partner at the front of the both men taking on the stern glare of a commander. The lights dimmed so the screen could be seen clearly. "Alright ladies and gentlemen, this is a resource recovery operation. You will be broken off into three teams for this so listen up because I'm not in the habit of repeating myself." He directed his gaze towards Natarle.

"Ensign Badigurel will head up the first team, call sign, Nomad One, consisting of Miss Connor, Mr. Koenig, Miss Haw, and Miss Allster. They will head to the J7 site and search for water sources and foodstuffs, you will be escorted by Angel Two and Wolf Two. Lieutenant La Flaga will head up and escort Nomad Two consisting of Mr. Buskirk, Miss Attha, and Mr. Levy. Your mission is to search through any Earth Alliance ship hulks you discover, salvaging parts, food, water, and ammunition. Escorts will be Angel One and Wolf Four. Tech Officer Lamperouge's team is Nomad Three, consisting of Mr. Argyle and Mister Pal. You will have the same objective as Nomad 2, but for ZAFT vessels. Wolves Three and Six are your escorts. The Aquilo and Sprites will be our CAP. Colonel Connor will be in charge in the field while I run things from the CIC."

His expression softened slightly. "After we have completed the operation, we will have a short memorial service for all who died during the horrible tragedy last year, on both sides. I think it's the least we can do for them." Lacus smiled at that, and even Cagalli was happy, it made her feel better the Twin Wolves were going to the trouble of honoring both ZAFT and Earth Alliance. "Everyone report to the hanger bay, let's get this done and move out as quickly as possible. Dismissed!" He barked.

Anthony stepped away from the podium and directed his gaze at Kira. "I would be very careful out there, Mr. Yamato. It's a different place all together. Some won't have the same respect for the dead you do. They won't even care it's a graveyard."

"Understood." Kira replied. Anthony saluted and made for the bridge. He floated down into the darkened depths of the Combat Information Center, taking the center seat.

"Commander Richards, what's the status from Colonel Connor on the flight decks?" He directed to the Archangel's temporary executive officer.

"The Colonel reports green. Everyone's suited up and ready to launch, Captain Russo." Richard's reported. "Good luck, Natty." He whispered. Anthony gave a nod of approval, folding his arms in front of his face.

"Excellent, Commander. Captain Ramius, at your word. She's your ship." He directed to Murrue.

"Thank you, all units launch." Murrue replied, confidently and with authority.

"Nomad and Escorts, you're green and go for launch. Be safe out there, everyone." He said, "The status is Green/Guard. Escort leads, confirm." He got three confirmations from Sebastian, Harmony, and Mu. "Alright, Nomads stay in radio contact with command and escorts at all time. In the event of hostile engagement Nomads are to get close to the debris and power down. Escorts will be upgraded to status Yellow."

"Confirmed, White Wolf Actual. We'll keep you informed of any further developments." Sebastian replied. Anthony then hailed the Aquilo, on the same operational channel with everyone else.

"Aquilo, This is White Wolf Actual, launch Sprite drones now and begin Combat Air Patrol. There's no telling what's lurking around here." Anthony said.

"Confirmed White Wolf Actual, launching drones and establishing CAP right now." Kaitlin replied.

(Debris Belt)

Two G-Weapons, three GINNs, and one Zero escorted the MAW-01 Mistral worker pods into the abyss of space, with Sebastian flying lead in Predator. "Alright Nomad Teams, you know your objectives. Fly loose and check in every half hour, notify us as far as specs, ammunition, and part types. We're going to making a list so we want to make sure we get everything." The Storm Wolf noticed a quartet of dark shapes streak by. "There go the Sprites."

"What the?" Mu couldn't believe his eyes, flying by were what appeared to be Moebius Zeros, but instead of the brilliant orange the Hawk of Endymion knew so well they were in a muted blue-gray color scheme. "Command this is Angel One. Where did those extra Zeroes come from?"

Anthony came up on his screen with a bemused expression on his face. "They're not quite Zeros as you know them, Lieutenant. Say hello to the UCSV-120 Sprite. UCSV stands for Unmanned Combat Space Vehicle. They keep the big linear cannon. But the gunbarrels are replaced with two beam cannons in each pod. It gives them a lot more punch. An onboard AI maneuvers the gunbarrels. I think you'll find them quite effective."

Mu watched the unmanned versions of his machine head to the extreme edge of the operation zone. "Huh, imagine that, wonder if those guys can upgrade my Zero? The extra firepower would be useful, especially if we have to go up against the other G-Weapons." The Hawk remarked. Anthony gave it some thought.

"You could talk to Commander Richards, I'm sure he could give the schematics to Chief Murdoch and he could make the necessary improvements." The White Wolf remarked. The banter stopped and everyone set about to his or her assigned tasks.

(Junius Seven Ruins)

Predator and the Strike led the five Mistrals down towards the battered remains of the colony the Storm Wolf once called home. Sebastian swallowed hard, remembering the last time he had been here. "Nomad Team, follow me. There's somewhere we need to go first…something you all need to see." He said, leading down them a shattered street, Predator leading the worker mobile suits and the Strike bringing up the rear.

"Where exactly are we going, Colonel?" Natarle asked.

"Home…" was the only reply she got from him. She looked out the viewport and freaked out when a dead body beat against it. She froze upon taking a closer look and saw many other corpses littering the area. It was a bitter reminder of quarter of a million lives lost on that day so long ago.

"Sweet mother of God give them peace." She whispered. Natarle Badigurel had never considered herself a very religious person, but in that moment a prayer was very appropriate. She had never harbored any animosity towards Coordinators, and looked on with disgust at the attitudes many of her shipmates at the academy in Annapolis took towards their genetically altered cousins, bragging about how many space monsters they were going to kill. She had sworn never to judge a person by their genes after those experiences, and now she was seeing what such decisions made out of fear and prejudice had led to.

Kira and his friends were also learning the hard way of the cost of war. Tolle had to keep from throwing up. Miriallia was on the edge of tears. And Flay…Flay burst out crying altogether. It was too much for her to take. "How could they do this?" She burst out, "What kind of monsters would go to these lengths?" The redhead sunk into more tears. In her own Mistral, Lacus closed her eyes, mourning silently for the ones who had died. Sebastian's sober face appeared on the monitor of everyone.

"I see you've figured out the reason for this little detour, Miss Allster. I know you haven't always liked Coordinators, but I want to let it sink in " The Storm Wolf said, "Take a good, long look at those bodies, everyone. These people will never know another day. Many of them were just children, all of them killed just because their DNA was a little different from others." He suddenly looked much older than his eighteen years.

"My family has a long standing military tradition," Natarle said, the anger very clear in her voice and body language, "I can trace my ancestry in the Atlantic Federation Armed Forces all the way back to World War II. I read their journals, when they talked about finding the concentration camps on their way to Berlin, the sheer suffering those souls endured…" She swallowed hard, "This atrocity is the kind of thing they fought against. They would have never condoned this at all…as do I!"

"A very smart decision, Ensign," Anthony replied sagely, "There's a time to follow the rules, and then there are times when you need to throw the book out the window and follow your heart. I think your family would have left the military on basic principle if they were ever ordered to commit such a horrific act."

"I'm in full agreement, Captain Russo." She said.

The team arrived at the remains of a ranch style house, Predator landed in the front yard. "We've reached our destination, set down here everyone." The lawn was crowded with such a plethora of machines. Sebastian looked at the front door with wistful eyes. Lacus came up next to him, giving him a hug around the waist. He looked to Kira who had just come down from the Strike. "As you said, Mr. Yamato. This is a graveyard. So it's only right for us to pay our respects. This was my home before the attacks. My family is here."

Trembling fingers reached for the doorknob. Two sets of hands came up to support him. He looked to see both Flay and Lacus flanking him, giving him reassuring looks. Sebastian took a deep breath and entered his former home. "Well…onwards and upwards." He said, finally crossing the threshold.

The first thing everyone noticed was despite how much like a tomb it felt, there was still an inviting air about the place. It wasn't a stretch for the former students to feel welcome here. The group started searching the house. Miriallia floated around the couch and screamed. Lying on the floor was a man in his late forties with salt and pepper hair, "Colonel…" she whimpered. Tolle held her, whispering silent words of comfort.

Natarle came up to look at the man, noticing the stark resemblance between him and the Storm Wolf, especially the brilliant blue eyes. "Let me guess…your father?" She asked.

He nodded soberly, "Yes…Joseph Connor." He said, plucking the picture frame in his hand. It was a picture of him, a younger Sebastian, and a woman with dark hair and playful green eyes sitting at a picnic table in a park, possibly on Earth. "My mother, Andrea. She died of ovarian cancer when I was 13. We moved to the PLANTs shortly after that. This place belonged to my grandparents. They should be around here as well."

"I think we found them!" Flay's voice came from the kitchen. Sure enough, the body of a couple both in their seventies floated there. The male was tall and thin with thin white hair on his face. His arms around the waist of his wife, also thin wearing glasses and long snow-white hair in a ponytail. It was becoming harder and harder for him to keep his emotions in check.

"Grams…" He whispered, taking the woman's hand. "Pope…" he turned to the man. "I'm home…" Lacus instinctively put her arms around him, sending all her love to him. Flay and Miriallia felt the urge to start crying again. Both of the boys just put their arms around the waist of their respective girlfriend. "There's one more person who lived here with us. Shannon Winston, my cousin. She was my surrogate older sister, always there for me when I needed her."

"Where would she have been at the time of the attack?" Kira asked.

"My room." He said, leading them up the stairs. He stopped in front of a door with a brilliant green Post-It note that said, 'Wolf's Den' on the front. Once again, trembling fingers grasped the doorknob. He tried to turn it but it wouldn't move. Miriallia stepped forward, gently pushing his hand away.

She smiled at him, "Allow me, Colonel. I think you've had enough trauma for today." It was clear to her how badly shaken it was making the Storm Wolf and she wanted to repay him for saving them back at Artemis.

"Thank you, Miss Haw. That's very sweet of you. Proceed." He said. The girl took a deep breath, put her hand on the doorknob and let it swing open. Hovering there in the middle of the room was a woman in her early twenties, dark hair waving around her in the vacuum of space. Clutched in her arms was a stuffed wolf plushie. A single crystalline tear stuck on her cheek.

The Storm Wolf stood in front of his beloved cousin. He looked at the stuffed animal in her hands. He gently plucked it from her fingers. "I remember this…she gave it to me as a Christmas present when I was 6." His voice cracked. "I carried it everywhere with me. This little guy was what inspired my love of wolves in the first place." He reached out to close her lifeless eyes. "You guys might want to turn off your radios for what I'm about to do next, if you want to preserve your ears."

Natarle was about to ask what he meant when Sebastian threw his head back and howled. It was a howl of mourning, all of his pain and loss expelled in one rushed moment. He sank to his knees, letting the dam open. She kneeled over and awkwardly put her hand on his shoulder. "Colonel, we really should get moving. We still have a lot of work to do. We need to get that ice for the ship."

"You're right, Ensign. I just…needed that catharsis." He stood up, his eyes full of purpose. "I have a request for you. When we're done here, I'd like to take a shuttle and recover the bodies of my father, grandparents, and cousin. I want to give them a proper burial once we get back to Earth. It's my duty to them."

"Of course. We can keep them in the morgue until such time." She said. With the greatest care and reverence, all four bodies were laid out in the living room to be recovered later on. Sebastian gave the plushie to Lacus. She said nothing, just holding it to her chest.

"Nomad One, let's get going. The sooner we get done, the sooner we can go home." Sebastian said, all business once again. The Gundams and Mistrals kicked off and headed deeper into the remains of the city. They eventually found a couple of water towers with enough of the precious frozen liquid to keep them supplied for several weeks. Sebastian and Kira kept a vigilant eye over the Mistrals, as they slowly lifted the ice chunks out one at a time.

"Archangel to Nomad One, All others teams report good findings at their sites, they're on their way back. You're all that's left. Something happen to you guys?" Anthony radioed in.

"We're good over here, Anthony. We've recovered water from several rooftop reservoirs, not to mention we're also looking for bottled water as well. I want to say there's enough there to keep us happy for awhile." Sebastian replied.

"Copy that, Nomad. Don't forget to check any markets for frozen and canned goods, they should have survived as well." The White Wolf responded.

"Also…" Sebastian trailed off, "I paid a visit to my old home. Send someone, there's four bodies that have to be picked up and brought back."

"Understood, Storm Wolf Actual…" Anthony's voice was very subdued in its response. "I'll alert the morgue and tell them to prepare for four cold storage transfer."

"Thank you, Anthony." He said.

"No problem, my brother. It's what family does. White Wolf Actual out." The radio shut off with a brief crackle, and Sebastian endeavored to lock up his emotions once again and finish up his task. After collecting all they could carry, the eight mobile suits made their back to the Archangel.

(Elsewhere in the Debris Belt)

Unbeknownst to the two ships, they were not the only ones present. The collected space junk left behind after almost five hundred years of space travel made for very effective cover. The Archangel and Aquilo floated right by what they thought was just another battered Nazca-class vessel, not realizing there was a significant lack of battle damage on this particular ship. On the bridge of the PSV Redemption Captain Marie Yukari gave the white vessel her usual clinical appraisal.

"So this is the ship that gave Rau so much trouble?" She remarked, flicking her long salt and pepper hair out of her face. The low ponytail it sat in bounced about in the low gravity of her vessel. "If the reports are right, my errant son is on board as well. That won't do at all. We're just lucky we have business in the area as well. It must be fate."

"It's also confirmed that the remains of the Storm Wolves are on board as well, ma'am. Commander Connor, and Lieutenants Mason, Cooper, and DeMarchais further add to the problem, especially considering Mason and Cooper's GINNs have apparently been heavily upgraded." Her executive officer reported. "Plus Commander Connor has that new mobile suit."

Marie remembered reading Rau's reports about the Predator and Strike. Even though she only had GINNs at her disposal, she hadn't gotten to her position by being timid. "Bring the ship back up to combat readiness. We're going to take out the new Earth Alliance vessel." She folded her arms in front of her, "Well son, we'll see just what you're capable of. I hope you don't make it too dull."