Phase 9 - Daring

"This will be your room," the maid said. It was a good sized room the the mansion where Cagalli, Athrun and their two sons lived. Yaro set his stuff down and nodded and the maid left. He was very tired from the battles in space and the journey back to earth. Kayla, Leyas and Kiran were also given rooms somewhere. Cagalli had understood their need for rest and told them what time dinner was normally served.

"Yaro, Leyas, Kiran, and Kayla," Cagalli said all their names as they stepped off the Minerva, "you have all grown so much since the last time I saw you." When Uzumi stepped off the ship Cagalli was able to stay collected upon seeing her son. Uzumi walked up to her and gave her a small hug. She smiled at her son and put a hand on his shoulder. When Athrun came off she showed the same amount of affection to him through looks. Yaro knew they would discuss things more thoroughly later but out of politeness they kept their thoughts to themselves at this time. Cagalli's reserved affections were a little bit surprising to him after what Uzumi went through, but then again Cagalli had been molded into a diplomatic leader since the second bloody valentine war.

He thought more about their arrival and Jeffery's rambunctious interactions with them, his younger cousin sure was a lot more outgoing than his parents in tense situations. Rumors circulated around that said Cagalli was once just as wild as her youngest son, she even ran away from ORB on one occasion to fight ZAFT in the desert.

"Where are they?" the young cousin asked, "let me see them! Did they all make it!" He broke from behind his mother and when he saw Uzumi he ran to his brother and hugged him, "don't ever go away to the PLANTs again! You wouldn't believe how hard it is to hold the fort down here alone."

"Jeffery calm down," Athrun said.

"Dad!" Jeffery said, "Can I go next time? Please, please." Yaro turned around momentarily to see Shinn Auska standing in the doorway of this ship. He wondered why the pilot did not exit like the rest of the crew.

"Greet your cousins, Jeff," Athrun said, "we'll discuss that when next time comes."

Yaro walked toward the window in his room and sighed as he saw the ocean looming in the distance, he had forgotten what it was like to be on earth. Here in ORB. It was his first home as an orphan in reverend Malchio's orphanage. He thought about Cadrid Yamato who used to work at the orphanage, she was like a grandmother to him and his siblings having been Kira's adopted mother and they had often visited her. He wondered if the others had thought about going to see her more often since they were now staying here indefinitely. He walked back around the room and thought about his past. Every time he came to ORB he wondered who his parents were and why he was orphaned. Maybe this time could be one of answers now.

Shinn watched his computer screen carefully calculating the battles that had been recorded by the Eternal. The Pain and the Hatred were formidable machines and it was only Uzumi that had been able to stand up to them. Shinn had analyzed the two enemy mobile suits as well and come to the conclusion that they were the better pilots and had lost based on the level their machines were at. The Lacus Clyne units were more advanced than these two ROW suits and since that was true Shinn wondered what these pilots could accomplish with something of a higher level. Leaning back he opened up another file, one Lacus had given him on information about the abandoned Mar's base. Kira had strongly believed that ROW might have a presence in that base, which is why he had left.

"Where did you get that conclusion Yamato?" Shinn asked himself once again trying to find what made Kira believe that ROW could be on Mars. Nothing again.

He shut off his computer and stood up looking around. The Minerva had successfully completed her first mission and brought Lacus Clyne's children to safety. That was something that he was very happy about. As he walked down the hall of the shuttle that had brought them to ORB he thougth about what future missions might bring. Stepping off he was greeted by Lunamaria Hawke who probably had some reason to yell at him. The joys of having an Ex.

"Athrun said to find you since you didn't get off earlier," she said in a dry reserved tone, "he wants to meet with and I about the next missions for the Minerva, it seems we have to work together."

"Will that be so hard?" Shinn asked her.

"Not if you don't get on my nerves," she said walking away. Shinn rolled his eyes, it should be fun being forced to work with the person who hated him most.

"You enrolled me into Home Economics!" Meiko practically yelled at Mike who had just handed her the school schedule she would be using undercover at ORB's finest military school.

"I thought it would be good for you to get away from things that had to do with fighting," he responded opening the door to the apartment that she would be living in for the next month or so. She glared at him, this mission would be annoying enough without boring classes to complicate things. Her glare became stronger when she stepped into the girly apartment he had had set up for her. There were flowers in random places and everything just looked so different from what she was used to.

"I can't live here," she protested, "I can't do this. There is no way I am going to be able to rest in a place that looks like this."

"Just do what your told," Mike said handing her the keys to the apartment.

"I've done everything that was asked of me all my life!" She protested, "can't I have a little time to be who I am without anyone pushing me into a corner?" She was comfortable enough around Mike to reveal how she was really feeling about how she had been forced to live her life. She didn't have anyone else to turn to with Trey still in space.

"Meiko you can do this," he said putting a hand on her shoulder, "I promise you that soon things will get better."

"Will ROW ever release me?" She asked pushing for an answer, "or am I a slave of war forever? Does this just keep going?"

"When are you going to release yourself?" he asked countering her argument and he saw that she didn't understand, "Meiko no one can force you to do anything or be anything you don't want to be. You are your own person and you should never let people own you."

"Isn't that something you shouldn't be telling me?" she asked him.

"I don't believe that anyone should be involved in something they don't believe in," he responded, "if you don't want to be involved in ROW then leave."

"It's not that simple!" Meiko protested.

"Why can't it be?" he asked.

"Because I don't have anywhere to go!" she exclaimed, "and they would follow me! I know it! Its like Liene has this obsession with my mobile suit ability! I can't leave!"

"Then you've made your choice," he said, "so stop worrying about it."

"I get it now," she replied looking down.

"I'll be back at the end of the month with Liene," he said patting her head, "unless developments progress quicker than expected. Enjoy yourself a little Meiko for I have a feeling there are many more battles to come." As he left she frowned, she didn't want to deal with the battles that were still to come. She had a month to do her job and to take some time away from fighting. She just hoped that things would go smoothly down here, the last thing she needed was to fail this mission. Perhaps if she did all she was told for this mission she could ask for leave from the organization. Though she knew it was just a dream, it was the only thing that kept her going.

Milady floated through a room filled with bustling workers with ease, she was there to check on the updates of the new technology they needed developed. Most of it was limited to advancements in weaponry, equipment for Redemption's Space station, which was located in an asteroid, hidden to the outside world. There was one project within that room thought that she was very interested in, the SS-System, something that she had specially picked out the top technicians for. It was a system of masterful genius in the hands of the right pilot. It's full capabilities were unknown even to her scientists. Many predicted that the development of such a system could be dangerous, but Milday saw it as the only thing that could defeat ROW.

As she was floating she was accompanied by a couple of technicians and Yzak.

"How are we doing on that system?" Milady asked one of her technicians.

"The data we stole from ROW is top notch," she responded, "I think it's safe to say we're a step ahead of them in its development but the problem is we don't have anyone in our ranks who could possibly operate that thing." Milady did not care about them not having someone to operate the system yet, she was more concerned that ROW was trying to develop it as well.

"It doesn't matter what we have now," Milady replied thinking through recent developments, "we'll have someone as soon, I'm almost certain of it." Yes their plan was moving quickly, and she had finally found what seemed to be the missing piece in her plan. Now she just had to figure out how to acquire that piece without facing the inevitable backlash that could come from any rash actions. The move she planed to make next would most certainly have its consequences, but she was worried about her plan succeeding without her making that move. Her technicians seemed more concerned with the power of the system they were working on.

"But Milady there is no one in the whole universe strong enough to handle that power." Milady knew they were wrong.

"There is," she looks cloudy eyed, "in fact there are exactly six people who could potentially operate it, though I doubt that it would be wise of us to try and approach three of them."

"That system!"

"It's a death trap," Yzak said finally speaking, "you'd have to be crazy to put anyone in there, it would drive them insane." Milady did not doubt that most people would be driven insane by it.

"A machine that works with the brain and advanced reactions," technician says, "we're not even sure what someone strong enough could achieve with it."

"Like I said," Milday responds, "in its perfection there are six people that posses the ability to pilot it. The key is that we must make sure it is advanced enough to keep from destroying them."

"Are you sure this theory is true?" Yzak asked, she smiled at his question. The theory of Super Seed was indeed true, though she believed that no one had really scratched the surface of how strong someone who possessed the super seed could truly be.

"As I watch battle's from these individuals the more I understand that it's true," she responded, "it's just never been called upon by anyone."

"Then you can't be sure that it is real!" Yzak declared.

"We will know soon enough," She sighed stopping in front of a large mobile suit, "it's time for us to depart. We may be too late if we don't leave now." Reaching into her pocket she slipped out a white mask used to cover her face when entering a battle. Putting the mask on she turned to Yzak, "order the Reversal to be ready to leave in three hours." With that she floated out of the area. Yzak was worried about this mission but he knew that it was necessary. Looking up at his machine, he knew that he would have a fight on his hand against the Pain but he was ready for everything counted on him being able to defeat that machine.

"You brought Lacus Clyne's children here!" Junby Gratsler stood up in anger. Cagalli sighed, he was the one member of the council she wished she could get rid of, how he had managed to get elected was beyond her. The young radical always disagreed with her and Athrun, though they were often right. How could someone be so dumb as to argue as much as he did?

"I thought we had moved beyond this discussion Senator Gratsler, but I can see that I have not made myself clear yet," Cagalli responded, "Lacus Clyne was declared a criminal, her children were not. I think it is pointless to allow innocents to run around with the guilty when they are in danger of being corrupted." She hated putting on this mask of indifference to Lacus's situation but as the council did not know about her being involved with rise of the Minerva it was necessary. The story she had told the council is that the Minerva took custody of Lacus's children when they met up with her and decided to send them to ORB, she in turn had agreed to take them and to watch over them until the mess in the PLANT's had been cleared up. It was very close to the truth aside from some very minor details.

"Lacus Clyne is a wanted fugitive and the PLANTs will believe that we helped her once this gets out!" Gratsler pressed on. The other older members of the council were fed up with him as well and kept sighing. They remembered what Lacus stood for and were all out of sorts with what was happening in space. Though none of them believed that they had the power to help her and still keep their nation safe, none of them held a hate for her.

"So don't let it get out!" Athrun declared standing up to defend Cagalli, "You obviously don't realize that no one really knows her kids on earth do you? We thought this over Gratsler, we didn't just act! Aside from that the kids use the Yamato name which is common in ORB."

"But what if..." he was cut off by Athrun again.

"Then we will explain to them what we did and why it wasn't wrong!" Athrun exclaimed, Cagalli had not seen him this angry at a council member in years, it reminded her of good times from the past. Gratsler was obviously shaken by Athrun's commanding authority and sat down not daring to argue again.

"Now that we are beyond that," Cagalli said rolling her eyes, "on to other more important matters, our military strength must grow if we are to last. With war pressing on all sides we must remain vigilant in our beliefs."

"I think we need to act now," and older Senator stood up, his name was Berren Duabi, he had supported Cagalli as she had grown up on the council and was every loyal to her, "I have committees working on an act that should help us generate the funds to create a better military."

"I thank you for that Senator," Cagalli said with a sigh of relief. Maybe they could get through this time of turmoil, with a little bit more cooperation.

"Don't let Gratsler get you down," Senator Duabi said as he and Cagalli were walking the halls of the Capitol after the meeting, he had decided to show Cagalli the progress of the committee on his military act.

"I don't," Cagalli responded, "It's just hard to deal with him sometimes."

"I know what you mean," the elder Senator responded, "but you have come so far Cagalli, and you have grown to be a wise ruler like your father before you. He would have been proud." Cagalli felt a sense of nonchalance at the mention of her father. When she was younger she struggled so much in the council chamber trying to be like him but it seemed as she got older she began to feel him beside her every time she spoke. He guided her steps to becoming a better leader.

"Thank you Senator," she replied, "you don't know how good it feels to hear that. I often wonder what he would do when faced with this world." She looked out the window toward her country. "We are watching our world fall apart and it seems like we are powerless to help it."

"As long as we hold true to what we believe," the Senator began to speak, "I believe that through all the bad in this world that there will always be something stopping it. When the night comes upon we do not really know what the future holds, the sun may never rise again but in our hearts we truely believe that it will and it is in that belief that we have the peace to rest and to fight on through the night."

"You should address the nation, Senator!" Cagalli replied to him with as smile.

"Perhaps someday I will," he replied with a chuckle, "but for now I wish to work behind the scenes, for though there is always a sunrise, it takes lasting the night to make it to that sunrise."

"Then as we believe it will rise, we will fight on for it," Cagalli sighed.

"NO!" she yelled as the gun was pointed. She saw the scene through her violet eyes as she ran to stop Liene. She didn't want this, she didn't want him to die because of her. She leapt and grabbed Lienes arm pulling down the gun but he easily shook her off his arm and pointed the gun at her. Hate filled his eyes and she drew back in fear, she had never seen him like this before. Why had he become so angry at her? The little girl held her breath as she saw his finger move on the trigger. She looked toward the boy once again; fear was also evident on his face and pain as well. She knew that he would try to save her if Liene moved to fire the shot but she also knew that he no longer had the strength to do it. She looked around the faces of the officers but she knew no one would move to help her; they all believed in Liene's methods and they all hated her for being a coordinator. To them she was a tool; disposable and lifeless.

Looking back to Liene she saw his eyes had softened slightly.

"You just won't harden Meiko," He said putting his arm down, Meiko felt her heart rate start to slow as the gun was no longer pointed at her. She saw some relief come to the boy's eyes. Liene then looked at the boy and back at Meiko; his eyes once again grew firey. "If it takes force to create you into who you were born to be, then so be it." With that he quickly pointed the gun at the boy and shot before Meiko even knew what was happening.

"NO! DANIEL!" she cried out screaming the boys name. Liene walked toward the the other officers as Meiko crumbled beside the frail figure beside her.

"Meiko," he said as tears fell from her eyes.

"No don't..." she couldn't say the word as he reached up toward her.

"Please," he said, "escape ROW, survive." He then grew cold and lifeless. Gone was the first friend she had ever had.

Meiko woke from the dream without sitting up for she had gotten used to this dream, though it had been awhile since she had seen it so vividly. The dream was a memory, one that Meiko had thought that she had escaped. She was merely a seven year old girl when it had happened; Liene had taken her to the capital of the Atlantic Federation on an assassination mission, her very first. While a war torn part of the Federation she had met a boy of age 9 who was also with ROW. It was from there that things went downhill. She stayed in ROW becoming a cold warrior at times while at other times she felt everything, every pain that anyone else had. She often retreated behind her cold mask to be able to face the world, for outside of it she could only see pain.

Perhaps she could learn to accept it? Her life would never have the freedom of everyone else. She belonged to ROW just like the rivers belonged to the sea. Thought they flowed freely they would never sever connection to the vast body of water. No matter how many times she tried to be done, no matter how many times she begged for release she found herself completely trapped. At times when she had felt freedom it had smacked her down and caused her to hide. Hide behind ROW and it's single minded purpose, to restore the world.

She needed to clear her head, ever since she had fought against the Eternal her mind had once again wandered into the realm of seeking a life outside of ROW. She knew what life was like out there, it was pain and peril. She would be alone and she would not ever find the peace she sought. The real peace lay in her mask, behind the lines of ROW fighting all those who had lives of pain. She could not fathom how she had allowed the voices of so many effect her thoughts, she was her own person and Mike had convinced her that she fought for ROW. As an agent of ROW she was honored as a judge of the world gone so wrong and she would go back to being that person. Standing up she grabbed a cloak and walked out the door. She once more needed to see it, the monument that honored all those who had fallen in war; all those who killed and didn't deserve life, yet were honored for their sacrifice. Those people had not made the world any better, in some ways they had made it worse.

"You do realize the risk's we are taking in revealing the Reversal so early," Yzak said as they approached their target zone.

"It doesn't matter," Milady responded looking around the bridge of the ship towards the many fine people whom she had grown to trust so greatly over the years. She would never have predicted that her organization of Redemption would have grown so large.

"If the Reversal were shot down.." he was interrupted by her words.

"It won't happen now," she responded, "but perhaps someday this ship will see it's last battle and we will begin again."

"How do you know you will make it out alive?"

"I don't," she says, "all I know as that as long as there is good in this world someone will always rise up in the place of a fallen star. Someone will always fight for the redemption of mankind even when they are utterly alone."

"You'll be alright here Trey," his father said handing him a key, "we'll be home soon."

Trey gritted his teeth as memories of his fathers face floated through his mind; he looked more like his mother now but as a child he used to boast how he would look like his father. His parents had been civilians caught in the crossfire of civil war in his nation, innocent and without blame they were and still nothing could protect them. War had done this to them. Hate had done this to them. He had been left alone, a ten year old boy, left to face the world without anyone to guide him through when ROW came along and picked him up. He had accepted their help to survive and in exchange they asked him to fight for them. It had been easy to decided, no child wanted to stay in a war torn country and Liene had convinced Trey that he wanted to end the war. Mistake 1, trust.

The longer Trey had stayed in this organization the more he realized that it was all wrong. Memories of his parents had been in the forefront of his mind of late as he remembered everything they stood for. His father had often stated that there was a group behind all the war in the world. Trey had not understood it for many years but by the time he realized it might be ROW he had met Meiko, the little girl who needed his protection from the brutality and hatred of the people in ROW.

Trey floated above the floor in his room holding the key to his old him wondering why ROW still fought this way when they claimed to desire peace. Surely peace would come quicker if they laid down their arms. It was clear now, ROW did not desire the ideal peace of Lacus Clyne or Cagalli Yula Attha, but since that was so what did they desire. For now his loyalty lay with them because he wanted to protect Meiko, but what if she fell in battle? Would he leave?

"ALERT ALERT! ALL HANDS LEVEL 1 BATTLE STATIONS!" An alarm suddenly rang through the ship causing Trey to leap into action on impulse. Something was coming! He instantly was glad that Meiko had been sent away, the last thing that she needed were more battles. He rushed through the halls of the Prejudice heading toward the mobile suit bay and the Hatred; a name he dreaded having on his mobile suit. He opened the door to the hangar and saw hands rushing about scrambling the 1 ROW standard suit that had been transferred to their ship in Meiko's absence. They should have gotten more. He wondered what was after them, ZAFT or the Earth Alliance?

"What's going on!" He asked a crew member.

"A ship has been sighted on a course to Mars, it's not friendly whatever it is, they've already opened fire on us," the crew members face was frantic. The Prejudice was usually the ship launching the surprise attacks not having the attacks launched on it.

"Get the Hatred on the launch cannon now!" Trey ordered the hands.

"We haven't received any orders yet!" Another crew member said.

"Our communication lines are down!" Another yelled.

"What is going on!" Trey demanded, "get my suit ready! I have to get out there!"

"Take the ships main engines out! Fire everything!" Milady yelled as the Reversal bore down toward the Prejudice. Yzak repeated her orders trying to ignore the recklessness of her tactics in this attack. He knew what was important now, it was fate that they meet the Prejudice on their way to Mars; they would soon be able to capture their target and thus begin reversing the damage ROW had done on the world. Soon, those two suits would launch and he would capture one.

"The Prejudice main engines are having problems!" One crew member yelled.

"Fire sensor missiles now!" Yzak ordered as crew members rushed to obey. As the missiles fired millions of tiny sensors launched catching the beams the ROW ship fired back and exploding.

"Beam shields!" Milady ordered as some beams began to slip through the little net they had laid.

"Have Alice and Kruss launch the two Ginn units now!" Yzak said taking off cues from Milady.

Trey floated up to his cockpit quickly as crew members scrambled entering in the launch codes. Suddenly communication's returned and Trey saw Giligan's face on his monitors.

"Launch Trey! Take that ship out now!" Trey ignored the irrational captain's shouting. He would focus on protecting the Prejudice until it got it's engines back online, then he would focus on attacking the enemy. Protection of the lives on the ship was more important than destroying the lives of others. As he was thrown into space he noticed that the enemy vessel had launched two obviously inferior mobile suits. What game was this ship playing? One of the suits approached him. He tested the pilot by shooting at the machine a few times.

Trey watched as the pilot dodged with the experience of a veteran fighter and shot back a few times. The two mobile suits fought with shots from a distance until Trey noticed the trouble that the Prejudice was having with the other machine. With anger filling him he took out his beam saber and moved in for close combat with the machine. After a few minutes of battle Tray knocked away the machines shield and plunged his beam saber through the cockpit of the machine. He quickly fled the exploding mobile suit and moved his machine as fast as he could back toward the ship to take out the other one. Who ever these people were they seemed to under estimate the power of ROW. He would do as he was told, he would destroy his enemies.

"GET THE ENGINES BACK ONLINE!" Gilligan yelled watching the battle begin to unfold before him he noticed something on the side of the ship. Standing up he yelled at those who were in charge of the visuals of the battle "Get any identification we can on that vessel! Who is it that is attacking us?"

"Sir we have a visual of their symbol, it isn't ZAFT or the EA," A crew member said putting it on screen.

"Then who is it?" the commander asked looking at it. A simple black rose wrapped in a blue ribbon with a red R lacing around it. In shock he yelled, "Launch Strike missles and aim for the bridge!! Aim main cannons at the back engines! I want that ship down today!!"

"Who are they?" one person asked.

"The greatest enemy of peace," Gilligan responded as memories of the teenage brat filled his head. Liene had been assured by his assassins that she had been taken out after the Gibralter incident yet here her symbol was again, mocking him and once again intervening in the affairs of ROW, "it is Redemption!" The whole crew knew the name of the faction, it was truly their greatest fear that Redemption would rise again and that fear was now reality. "Get a message through to head quarters, if we can't take the ship down then they must be warned."

"Our communications are down!" someone declared causing Gilligan to grit his teeth. They could not allow this ship to slip by them, it was heading to Mars to rescue Yamato he was certain of it. He smiled as he realized it was a blessing in disguise that Meiko had been sent to earth at this time, that would through them for sure.

"The enemy has launched 1 ROW standard," Crew member Arian Smit declared, "their launchers are closed, it appears that there are no more mobile suits on board."

"I see," Milady responded, "then order Yzak to launch now and take out the rest of their force." She stood up and bowed her head in honor of her one fallen machine.

"Order the launching of Redemption's Honor!" Arian declared. Milady looked forward with determination, nothing was going to stop them this time. Liene may have removed the Pain from this ship but she was sure that they would face it once they got to ROW's base. Now they would show ROW that they had not been idle in the past years, they were ready for anything now!

"Redemption's Honor prepare for launch," the radio order from the bridge filled Yzak with focus. He had been told that the Pain was not presently on the battlefield but he would still have a fight taking down the Hatred. Smiling he powered up his new machine for the very first time in combat.

"Redemption's Honor," he said, "this is Commander Yzak Joule, launching!" The wosh of the canons would have sent an inexperienced pilot out of control but he understood what he was doing. He was able to quickly guide his machine into the thick of the battle. The Hatred stopped it's fight for a moment upon seeing the new machine enter the battlefield. Smiling Yzak fired multiple weapons at the machine hoping to catch it's attention while the other Redemption suits dealt with the ship. The Hatred responded immediately with it's own set of shots, which Yzak easily dodged. He then leaped into action knowing it would be a mistake to give his opponent time to analyze his fighting style. The Hatred along with the help of the Pain had taken out Dearka Elsman, an old friend of Yzaks and neither of them were to be underestimated.

The Hatred changed it's tactics hoping to throw off Yzak who didn't fall for it.

"Is that all you got!" He yelled pulling out a few beamed knifes and shooting them toward the machine.

"Sir the ship has launched another mobile suit!"

"Get a visual!" Gilligan ordered as he watched the chaos unfold around him. This ship had to go down! The name of redemption could not be allowed to exist, how is it that they escaped ROW's operatives? He looked up to see the mobile suit appear on the screen and he gasped at what it was.

"Sir the machine appears to be of the Gundam class, and it is now engaged in combat with the hatred," the crew member said.

"I know what it is!" Gilligan yelled, "order trey to take that machine out now."

Trey struggled to keep up with the mobile suits fast movements, the pilot obviously had incredible skill. Out of habit Trey tried to call Meiko for aid but she was not here this time. He struggled dodging the machine's insane weapons as it pulled out different guns and beam weapons.

"Trey take the mobile suit down now," a crew member's voice said from the Prejudice.

"I'm kinda working on that right now," He yelled out of frustration as the machine pulled out another pair of beam knifes and launched them at him. He shot one and took the other to his shield causing it to explode throwing him off guard. What was this organization about? It seemed the entire fight was being won by speed and surprise. Trey gritted his teeth and fired at the machine destroying one of it's guns. When he looked again the machine was gone. A mirraige colloid? What was going on?

Suddenly the machine was on top of his with it's beam saber pulled out. He reached for his own but before he could take it the machine sliced the right arm off his machine and smashed the head, this damaging the camera. Trey could no longer see but he fired anyway hoping to hit that machine.

"Trey get back here," he heard orders being shouted, "the ship is moving by us and we have lost our engines, we have to retreat!" Just like that Trey sighed in relief, it seemed the machine did not want him dead. They had lost bad today. If only they had Meiko but then again she should no longer be forced to fight. Trey sighed wishing he had not been born in this time of unrest.

"We have them on the run!" Arian said with excitement. Milady smiled looking forward, their next surprise attack would have to be much faster than that one had been.

"Good," she said, "order Redemption's Honor to return to the ship and put us into stealth mode, we are going to the far Mars base." They had suceeded in step one, now they had to face a larger threat and a gamble she was not sure they could win.

It had been two days since their arrival in ORB and they would start school the next day. Yaro sighed as he walked through a park. He decided he needed sometime to think and he had found this peaceful place near the cliffs. It was here that he would clear his mind, here where the wind whipped through the trees and the sun shone down with peace and brightness. He had experienced so much and so little at the same time with the battles in space and the new chapter of his life, once again without parents.

Yaro slowly sat under a tree as he heard the laughter of some children playing. They were so innocent and untouched; how he longed to be like them again, to laugh and live as if though the world was perfect and without any flaws. The children were selfless, thinking only of how they could re-invent their games. They depended on each other to be able to play and they were quick to forgive should one of them offend the other. It seemed the older people got the more hardened and full of hate they became, it was that hate that drove the old to start wars that would be fought by the innocent. Why was the world so twisted? Yaro had watched all his life as Lacus and Cagalli had fought to create a better world and a lasting peace but he was beginning to loose faith in it. Could such a world of peace exist? Was there any answer?

Only in children could he see a perfect world. The love, innocence and tenderness of children was all that held the fragile threads of the world together. Why did everyone grow up to become haters instead of lovers? Leaning back he sighed at his thoughts, he could not answer his own questions and it filled him with fear. Everything around them was crumbling though this place seemed like it was in perfect peace. He could sense the greater portion of the world outside groaning in agony and truthfully he was in just as much agony.

It was a part of him that existed from the time he was a child. A part of him that was always afraid, ashamed and filled with anger. Kira had always gently led him telling him that anger was a natural part of life; Kira was no longer here shielding him from his own mind and anger was welling up more and more. Yaro was beginning to believe that all the feelings within him that were wrong came from the life he did not remember. He had often wondered who his real parents were though Kira and Lacus had shown him love; he wondered why they did not love him enough to keep him. He stopped his heavy thoughts and began to focus on breathing, this was too much for him to handle at this time. He closed his eyes and began to envision his perfect world, willing himself to forget that it could never be reality he grasped at it and held it near. When he opened his eyes someone on the cliffs quickly caught his eye.

He blinked to make sure he was not seeing things, there stood the perfect figure of a young girl with long red hair blowing beautifully in the wind. The girls hands were clasped together at her chest and her head was down as if she was praying, he had never seen anyone more hauntingly beautiful in his entire life. Something about this girl called to him in every way. Who was she?

"Birdy," he heard a sound coming toward him and he looked to see something he had not seen in what seemed like forever. A green and white mechanical bird flying toward him, a signal of friendship given to Kira Yamato by Athrun Zala, something that graced the world in times of turmoil and peace. Behind it ran Kiran, Yaros blonde little brother with a huge smile on his face. Kiran had the same faith as Lacus always had, an innocence and love about him that Yaro was sure the turmoil in this world could not destory.

"Yaro!" Kiran called out to him. Yaro smiled at his younger brother.

"Hey Kiran," he said, "where did you find Birdy?"

"In the cockpit of Dad's mobile suit just before we left," Kiran responded looking up at the mechanical bird, "I miss Dad."

"So do I," Yaro stood up and put a hand on Kiran's shoulder, "but if he were here I know he would tell us to be strong and to keep going on for the sake of the future. Though he has been gone along time, he's not dead." Kiran brightened up a little.

"I know!" he said, "and i know he is coming back soon!" Kiran then was lost in thought for a few seconds before perking up, "Oh yeah I almost forgot, Uncle Athrun sent me to find you about something, I'm not sure what."

"Ok I'll be along soon," Yaro then turned to look toward where he had seen the girl and when he looked she was no longer there. Blinking he tilted his head, could he have imagined her? He turned back to see Kiran hurrying along toward home, curious he turned back one more time only to confirm that whatever he saw was there no longer. Yaro convinced himself that she must not be real, for such perfect beauty and surreal countenance could not exist. Breathing out he too started back toward their temporary home hoping that somehow he would find a way to fight the darkness while he was here in ORB

"You will never be strong enough!"

Words meant to break her.

"You will never be good enough!"

Words meant to bend her.

"You will not rise above!"

Words meant to destroy her. Not now. Everything she had been told her entire life was meant to destroy her and now she would show them once again that she was better than they could ever be.

Cold. Her eyes were cold and dark when she looked into the mirror. It had surfaced again, the monster she was. It was happening again, anger was rising in her heart as her eyes darkened even more. Meiko's emotions flowed into one smooth stream as she felt nothing else but determination. She would complete her mission as a solider of ROW and no one could stop her. She was born a solider, she was raised a solider and she would die a solider. The emotional pain that had plagued her for the past month slipped away as she fell back into the reverie of who she was always meant to be.

The cliffs of ORB were so peaceful and those people knew nothing of what really happened in the world.

She would make sure they felt it.

I feel like the worst author ever!!!!!!!!!!! I am so so sorry to everyone who has enjoyed this story, it is so important to me to write this story well but it is also kinda of complicated right now because thought I know most of the major plot twists I keep going back and fourth with what ROW's real evil goals are!!! So I was going to update over Christmas break but it was a needed break with college courses and now I am back so hopefully things don't get to bad.

SO I hope this chapter meets up to expectations! Please Review! The reviews that come in my email after I haven't updated in a few months really help remind me why I am writing this! I love it when you express your interest in my plot and characters and I love seeing your predictions so keep them coming! And thanks for being patient with me!

And forgive if some of this seems rushed, I did rush some of the scenes to get them done!

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-Winters Chill!