The Minerva slowly rotated to its right, now facing the giant, burning remains of Junius Seven. The Tannhauser cannon slid out of the front, aimed at the former colony. Nearby, the Ark got into position as well.

"Captain, we can't locate Athrun or Shinn," Meyrin reported.

"Either way, we have to destroy the fragments," Talia replied.

"Our GM units just barely made it back," Djarum said. "Should we start?"

The Minerva fired one shot, striking the side of the obstacle. A large chunk broke off and slowly drifted away. Not far away, Shinn frantically adjusted his reentry angle, trying to save the Impulse from burning up. He noticed Athrun's ZAKU unit was going down way too fast.

The machine's shield suddenly broke off, and the ZAKU started spinning violently. The Minerva fired one last shot, destroying the colony completely. Debris began raining down, chunks of rock fragments spreading all over the atmosphere. They struck Rome, China, Greece. All over the world, cities were ruined.

On the Girty Lue, Stella watched in horror. "Is everyone going to die?" She whispered.

"Begin searching for Athrun and Shinn!" Talia ordered.

"I wonder if they survived," Arthur said.

"I hope so," Talia replied.


The ZAKU's boosters shut down, and the ZAFT unit plunged towards the earth.

"I'm on my way, Athrun!"

Athrun looked at the comm in surprise. "Are you insane?! Not even the Impulse can slow us down."

A few seconds later, the suit shook violently as the Impulse caught it. The Minerva fired a flare to help the pilots locate them.

Once they landed, Cagalli rushed over to Athrun and hugged him. The ship shook suddenly, and Athrun looked around, alert. Rey walked over to him.

"It's probably the first shockwave from the impact," he explained.

The Minerva touched down on the sea roughly, the crew jolted by the impact. The Ark didn't even land on the water, opting to hover above it. Vino looked at Yolant. "The sea's pretty big, huh?"

"I'm sorry I went out on my own," Athrun was telling Cagalli.

"It's ok," she replied. "I know how skilled you are, and I'm glad you launched. We were able to minimize the damage, too."

"You're an idiot."

Cagalli turned around, stunned. Shinn glared at her. "The fall of Junius Seven wasn't natural. It was carried out by coordinators. They were bitter about the Bloody Valentine and thought all Naturals should be exterminated."

"The fragments still cause damage," Athrun told her. "I'm not sure the Naturals will forgive us."

"You still don't understand anything," Shinn said. "I feel sorry for you, Athrun."

Durandal held a press conference later that day. "I promise to provide aid in every possible way to help the people of Earth get through this dark time," he finished.

Djibril turned off the TV, smirking. "Despite the kind words, it appears the chairman knew more than he said."

He tossed several photos onto the table. The pictures showed GINNs attaching flare rotors to Junius Seven. "No one will forgive the coordinators for this. We finally have a chance to destroy all of them.


"We'll be heading to Orb as soon as repairs are completed," Talia told Cagalli.

"I'd like to show my gratitude, but I'm not sure it'll be possible," Cagalli answered.

Out on the deck, Lunamaria and Meyrin engaged in target practice. Rey stood next to them, also. Rey bulls eyed every target, surprising the girls.

"I'm not too good at this," Lunamaria told Athrun, nodding as James came up behind him. "Since you two are heroes among ZAFT, why don't you try?"

Athrun looked at James and nodded. "Where have you been?"

"Dealing with the aftermath," James replied. "Sorry I've been scarce."

The two aimed their weapons and fired. Every target that came up was immediately dropped. Shinn watched in amazement.

"This skill is unnecessary for me," Athrun said, handing her the gun back.

"It's good for protecting yourself," Lunamaria answered,

"True," James threw in, holstering his weapon.

"Why do you want to go back to Orb?" Shinn asked suddenly. Athrun walked off without saying anything.


AUTHOR'S NOTE: Late. I've been kind of sick, and it's slowed down my writing. Quality, too. I'll get better as soon as I can. Hellshadow