AN: Hey, we're back with another round of Destiny Sentinels! Now this chapter may be short compared to others, but my goal for this chapter was really a simple one, and I wanted to make sure that I really captured it right.
[Shinn is in background with a big neon sign that says something about Sentinel and Optimus but the rest is censored out]
Kira: Uh lyokoMARVEL...
AN: Not now, Kira. The idea for this chapter was to establish what I consider one of the major driving points in this story, while also emphasizing how the story because much more chaotic for some by the time both this story, and the original SEED Destiny series had come to this point.
[Shinn notices the censor and frowns before getting to try and say something about Bumblebee only to have the same problem]
Bumblebee: lyokoMARVEL, Shinn's trying to...
AN: I know, Shinn's going to try and come in here to give away some spoiler about something, but to be honest, I think I should just cut him a break and let him off easy this time, ya know? I mean, it's not like I always did something seriously messed up to you guys, mostly Cagalli, in the last story so...Anyhow, this will be the point which will also include what will likely be the biggest battle in the story up to this point, at least through the number of major characters that are participating.
[Shinn silently growls as he tries to get the sign to say something about the Grimlock and Bumblebee, only to once again have everything after their names censored out]
Cagalli, Kira, Bumblebee, Athrun, Smokescreen, and Arcee: lyokoMARVELanime!
AN: What?! [sees them all point behind him, and turns to see Shinn messing with the neon sign he was using to try and give away spoilers with]
Shinn: Come on you piece of junk. This should be working, so why is there a damn censor showing up over this stuff.
AN: [talking in a low dangerous tone] Shinn, are you trying to use some cheap sign to reveal spoilers?
Shinn: Eep! Uh...noooo. [sign flicks on to one of the previous spoilers he was trying to reveal] Maaaaybe.
AN: Okay, that stuff I just said about taking it easy on you this time? I changed my mind.
Shinn: W-what're you gonna do? Please don't hit the control and nearly kill me.
AN: Oh don't worry, I'm not leaving this to some cheap cartoon joke Asuka, or some special guest character. This time, I'm gonna deal with you personally.
Shinn: Wait, you're not gonna...
AN: Let me put it to you this way, dah. Spoiler. [presses control on wrist watch and instantly steps up into cockpit of the Avengers Age of Ultron Hulk Buster armor]
Shinn: Mommy.
[AN starts chasing Shinn around firing repulsors and smashing the suit's large fists at him in attempts to utterly destroy him]
Bumblebee: Well, they're going to be busy for a while. We should probably just get on with the story. Smokescreen, would you like to do the disclaimer?
Smokescreen: It would be my honor Bumblebee
lyokoMARVELanime does not own anything from any of the Gundam or Transformers franchises or any other franchise mentioned in this story.
Chapter 11: Storm at the Dardanelles
The following morning after Shinn's little side adventure in Diocuia was rather peaceful at the beginning, as the only real events that took place aboard either the Minerva or the Xanthium was each of the pilots getting to know their new Autobot partners' combat strengths and personalities, with the exception of Yzak and Mirage, as the latter was still insistent on the idea that he did not need help from a human, the addition of the new Gundams, and, of course, Athrun and Yzak showing Heine around the ship. Really the most excitement that had happened at all that day was when Heine insisted that everyone call him by his first name instead of any titles and gave the pilots and the Autobots that were with them at the time a small little speech on why he thought it was better for them to all think of each other as equals, and after that small speech, Athrun, Yzak, and Dearka were all instantly reminded of Jaylen and her attitude toward the exact same thing. Overall, the day was actually rather dull beyond that, well except for one thing.
"Luna, wait up," Shinn called out as he chased after his friend and "secret" crush. "Come on Luna, I thought we were going to hang out in Diocuia today."
"Wouldn't you rather go and see your new friend," Lunamaria asked Shinn angrily.
"What? Luna, I told you, I finished talking with Sentinel just a short while ago and I have the rest of the day off," Shinn reminded the girl. "I could even tell you some of the cool things he told me like about what some of the other planets that the ancient Cybertronians once visited were like if you want?"
"Not interested," Lunamaria huffed as she looked away from Shinn angrily.
"Luna, seriously, I really wanted to hang out with you today, but I can't do that if you keep trying to run away from me like you've been doing ever since this morning," Shinn pleaded. "At least tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing, Shinn. Absolutely nothing," Lunamaria replied without even a glance in his direction.
As the three veterans watched the two continue to have their lovers spat, despite whatever they said it was to the contrary, Dearka had to ask, "What's with them?"
"How the hell should I know," Yzak asked, and he and the blonde both then turned to Athrun, silently asking what he knew about it.
"Don't look at me," Athrun immediately told his two friends.
"Didn't you guys hear what happened," Rey asked when he walked up to the three.
"Obviously not," Yzak pointed out. "What're you talking about Za…Rey?" Yzak was really trying his hardest to take Heine's speech to heart, but he found it rather difficult given how ingrained he had gotten into addressing the Minerva pilots by their last names.
"I doubt I need to tell you that Luna, Springer, and Evac all had to go and help Shinn last night when he got shipwrecked," Rey then replied.
"Yeah we heard about that part," Athrun commented. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Apparently he was found with a girl," Rey informed them. "And she seemed to have gotten close to Shinn. Really close."
Dearka immediately gained a smirk when he heard that and then said, "Oh, now I get it. This is Lunamaria's reaction of jealousy that's lashing out at Shinn. What's that one quote from that movie series about a boy in a secret world of wizards? 'Oh to be young and to feel love's keen sting', or something?"
"Yeah that's it," Yzak then answered with his own smirk. "But then you'd know all about that since…"
"Yzak, I swear, if you finish that sentence I can guarantee that you're cockpit will be targeted by the Verde Buster in the near future," Dearka immediately growled in warning.
"Miriallia dumped you," Athrun finished with a smile. When Dearka groaned in annoyance, Athrun then added, "You know, if you just told us what happened between you two, we might let up on this."
"For the millionth time, it doesn't matter! It's in the past," Dearka retorted heatedly.
"I don't know, it sounds like it could be a good story to me," a new voice then said, and the four then turned to see Heine walking over to them. "Sorry to cut in you guys, but the captain needs my fellow FAITH members and I on the bridge right away."
Athrun and Yzak immediately tensed with worry as the latter of the two asked, "Did something happen?"
"Not sure," Heine replied. "But Sentinel and some of his commanding Autobots are going to be at the meeting as well, so it must be something really important."
Athrun and Yzak both nodded in understanding and then excused themselves from Dearka and Rey so that the two could do some small work on their respective machines, but what neither of the two knew was that they would be in for a very great shock at the news they would receive when they arrived on the bridge.
"Did you say that the Earth Forces are receiving reinforcements near Suez," Yzak hollered the minute he heard the news.
"Yes that's right," Talia confirmed. "We still don't know if they're going to target Gibraltar or come our way, but the timing suggests that they'll try and take back what they lost. I'm sure they'll want to reopen their land route to Suez."
"I myself and Z.A.F.T. headquarters both feel the same way, so we'll be heading out into battle again soon enough," Sentinel said from over his holo-communicator with Chromia and Blaster next to him.
"What kind of forces do they have at Suez, other than their incoming reinforcements that is," Heine then asked.
"Forget about the numbers for now, there's a bigger problem that'll surely bring you down. They've got the Tidal Wave out there in that battle zone, plus the Carrier we faced in the Indian Ocean," Blaster quickly rapped.
Everyone was confused by Blaster's rapping for a minute until Arthur pieced it together and exclaimed, "You mean the one carrying those three machines they stole from us?!"
"Got it one, not bad son. This ain't gonna be easy, so we'll just be sure we're ready," Blaster rapped in confirmation.
"One, are they talking about the Armory One thefts, and two, does he always talk like that," Heine whispered to Athrun.
"Yes, they are, and yeah, he usually does most of the time," Athrun confirmed, suppressing a shiver from the memory of when Blaster had finally caught up to him and given him that "rap lesson" he promised. That was a scary time for Athrun.
"Moving on from the bad rapping," Chromia immediately interrupted before Blaster could do anymore of said rapping. "Our ships will be moving out to intercept as well. We'll be heading for the first line of defense at the Dardanelles, and guard the entrance to the sea of Marmera."
"Agreed," Talia said. "We should leave at o' six hundred hours. Is this plan alright with you, Heine?"
"Yes, of course it is," Heine instantly replied.
"Then I'll start getting the ship ready immediately, ma'am," Arthur then said.
"Good. Gentlemen," Talia then dismissed the Z.A.F.T. soldiers on the bridge.
Just as Athrun and the others were about to leave, Sentinel called out, "Athrun, there's something else you should probably know."
"Yes, Sentinel," Athrun asked.
"The reinforcements that the Earth Forces and the Eradicons are expecting are from the Orb Military," Sentinel then revealed.
Athrun's eyes immediately widened and he quickly protested, "Orb's an enemy? They can't be!"
"I understand that may be difficult to grasp, but right now they are just as much our enemy as Lockdown, his forces, and the Earth Forces are," Sentinel told Athrun apologetically, though Athrun could tell from the look on his face that the apologetic tone was forced. "And all Z.A.F.T forces in this region and my own Autobot forces have been given the order to stop the Earth Forces and the Eradicons from invading the Black Sea. A battle is inevitable at this point, and right now they are a part of the Earth Forces which makes them a part of the Eradicons. Is that clear?"
Athrun could tell that Sentinel was really saying that he was expected to fight against Orb at his best and at the same time was testing his resolve to do so, and while Athrun did not want to give the reply he did, he knew that to maintain his cover he had no other choice than to say what he said. "Yes sir, Sentinel Prime," Athrun immediately replied. "If you don't mind, I'd like to inform the other pilots myself, or at least Shinn Asuka."
Sentinel and Talia both nodded in agreement to that and Athrun in understanding, and the veteran of the First Bloody Valentine War immediately left to find Shinn, already having a pretty good idea what the former Orb native's reaction to this would be.
Shinn's reaction to the news that they would be facing Orb was exactly what Athrun had expected it to be, that being stunned into silence for a few minute before yelling and slamming his fist into a nearby wall, not that Athrun could blame him, and a minute after that, Shinn said that he would still fight to protect others, and that included the Orb Forces, so Athrun was sure that Shinn would be fighting at his best both to defeat the Eradicons and Earth Forces, and save as many Orb Forces as he could. With that in mind, Athrun was now finding himself wondering how he was going to face the Orb Forces while maintaining his cover in Z.A.F.T., and that had led him to head up to the deck for a few minutes just as the Minerva was heading out with the Xanthium right behind.
"So you were in Orb all this time," Heine's voice suddenly observed, bringing Athrun out of his thoughts as he turned to see Jaylen's brother approaching him. "I've heard from others it's a wonderful nation."
"Yes it certainly is," Athrun replied with a fond smile.
"This place is beautiful too, in its own way," Heine then commented as he looked out to the departing form of the Diocuia port. After hearing Athrun agree with him, Heine then adopted a serious look as he half-asked, half-stated to his fellow FAITH pilot, "You'd rather not fight. I mean, against Orb."
"That's true," Athrun admitted. "But to be honest, I'm really not alone in that regard."
Heine nodded in understanding, knowing full well that Athrun was referring to Shinn, and then asked, "Alright then, who would you prefer to fight?"
Athrun was completely caught off guard by that question, and could only stutter, "It's not like I want to fight…someone specific."
"Yeah I thought so. Same here," Heine chuckled. He then got serious once more as he told Athrun, "That sums it up, eh? Stop worrying. You have to concentrate. We're in the middle of a war, and we're soldiers. If you forget, then you will die."
Athrun looked at Heine for a minute, remembering how he had been wondering if it would be okay to bring him in on what was really going on, but after what Heine had just said, Athrun was suddenly not so sure. He then reminded himself that he would have to think about that later, and decided to just agree with Heine for the moment and then turned to head back inside after a few more minutes out on the deck talking with Heine about what it was like working with Optimus's team during the last war, and what he thought working with Sentinel's team would be like in comparison.
A short distance away from the Minerva and the Xanthium's destination, the Orb fleet was meeting with Neo Roanoke and Lockdown to discuss their plan for the upcoming battle, much to Yuna Roma Seiran's ire on the latter of the two. "I see, the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmera," Yuna muttered to himself for a minute before he began to boastfully give out his idea on how to proceed. "If it were up to me, I'd wait for them here and attack them when they arrive. We should confront those ships as they come out of the straight. I think that's our best bet."
Neo Roanoke had to nod in agreement while Lockdown kept silent as Yuna carried on, feeling that he should only speak up if this speck calling himself Orb's Supreme commander said something that was worth a comment. "Z.A.F.T. has the Minerva and that new Prime's ship, the Xanthium, and I understand your concern with those ships, but that's the beauty of my plan. If those two ships are the core of their defense and we destroy them, then their entire line will collapse."
"I see you're not the supreme commander of Orb for nothing," Neo complimented the Seiran. "We'll give Orb the honor of leading the attack. You can lure the enemy to either the left or the right, and we'll join the attack from that side. Is that alright with you, Lockdown?"
Lockdown only nodded in reply as Yuna boasted, "My thoughts exactly! It's a beautiful plan."
"I believe that we'll encounter the enemy as soon as we get to the straight," Neo then informed Yuna. "We're counting on you."
"Just leave everything to us," Yuna assured the masked soldier of the Alliance. "You'll see how great the Orb military really is, and especially how great it is without those large metal freaks."
"Try to keep in mind that those freaks are a much greater threat than you realize if you were to simply annoy them enough human brat," Lockdown warned the man with the stupid ponytail.
"Of course, Lockdown," Yuna gritted out. "I meant no offense towards you; I was simply referring to the Autobots."
Lockdown nodded and then excused himself from the meeting as Neo did the same so that he may return to his own ship for the approaching battle, both missing the glare that Yuna had thrown at the spot where Lockdown's hologram was just a moment ago.
A few hours later, the Minerva and the Xanthium were both nearly at the point where they would encounter the enemy forces, and both ships instantly went to combat status with the Z.A.F.T. pilots standing by in their machines, and their respective Autobot partners preparing to launch. As he finished suiting up, Athrun glanced at Shinn as he began to head for the Core Splendor, and then immediately ran up to the Impulse pilot, calling out, "Hey Shinn. Are you really going to be okay?"
Shinn looked at Athrun for a minute before he finally said, "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. I mean, I know I should be thinking of the Orb forces as the enemy, but I just can't help but feel dirty fighting against them, even if it is what I'm being ordered to do."
Athrun nodded in agreement with Shinn when they entered the elevator that would take them to the mobile suit deck, and after a minute of silence, Shinn had to ask, "Do you think that if she were still there, Representative Athha would've been able to stop this?"
Athrun glanced at Shinn for a minute, unsure of how to respond, but in the end just replied with the truth as he said, "To be honest, I'm not sure. Cagalli may have been raised to go into the world of politics, but that kind of thing is a much more brutal and harsh battlefield than any she had ever been on before, especially since she was the youngest of all the Orb leaders. I know her feelings are sincere, but I won't act like you can run a nation on feelings alone. Even so, I'm sure that somehow, Cagalli will figure out a way to set things right."
"You sure about that," Shinn asked.
Athrun nodded and then smiled at Shinn as he asked, "You really love Orb, even though you're no longer with them, don't you Shinn?"
Shinn paused for a minute before he replied, "Yeah I do. It's my homeland after all, so why wouldn't I? That's why when I fight against any of the Orb forces today, or if I have to fight them in the future, I'll make sure that I do whatever I can to still keep them safe. If I can do that, then I won't be going against my goal to protect everyone and everything that I care about."
Athrun nodded in acceptance of that, and the two then headed for their Gundams to wait for the signal to head out. A minute after they did, the two ships received IDs on multiple Orb machines along with a number of Eradicon drones, and Talia immediately ordered, "Launch the Gundam units now. Ascend from water surface, ten to port."
When he heard Talia's orders, Sentinel immediately ordered, "Drift, Springer, Mirage, and Smokescreen, with me. We're heading out into battle. First Commander, you have the bridge."
"Aye sir," Chromia immediately replied as she placed herself in the command chair after Sentinel left to collect the flight-tech modulator he used off the shore of Orb and head for the launch bay.
A minute later, the pilots and the Autobots that would be partnered with them were all prepared to head out, and began the minute that Shinn called out, "Shinn Asuka, Core Splendor launching!"
"Sentinel Prime, rolling into battle!"
"Athrun Zala, Justice launching!"
"Smokescreen here, I'm heading out!"
"Yzak Joule in the Blu Duel. Launching now!"
"Mirage, ready to make the enemy disappear!"
"Dearka Elsman, Verde Buster heading out!"
"Drift, ready for battle!"
"Heine Westenfluss, Savior. I'm heading out now!"
"Springer, taking off!"
Soon enough, the five pilots and their respective Autobot partners had all headed for the Orb forces, and the minute they had, they had to avoid a missile barrage from the Orb carriers. Heine and Springer were quick to destroy to missiles with help from the Verde Buster's shoulder-mounted missile launchers and Drift's skilled sword maneuvers, and the minute they were in the clear, Shinn, Sentinel, and the others quickly headed after the Orb mobile suits. While Sentinel and his Autobots mainly took on the Eradicon drones, the Gundams were quick to engage the mobile suits, and one could easily tell that Shinn was doing his best to avoid the cockpits of the Astrays and Murasames that he encountered. Though his efforts were impressive, it was not quite enough for some.
"Shinn, stop holding back," Yzak shouted as he slashed through an enemy Murasame with the Blu Duel's beam saber and then fired on some attacking Eradicons with his suit's railgun, vastly annoyed with how his "partner" was ignoring him in favor of fighting Eradicons. "We can't afford to be playing nice like this!"
"I know that," Shinn shouted back. "And who said I was?" He then slashed his beam saber through an Astray's thruster pack, which knocked it out of the air and into the water, and then repeated the same action as he targeted similar points on the Orb mobile suits.
"Well, you've gotta hand it to him on making sure to stay true to his promises," Springer complimented as he fired on some enemy units in his helicopter mode.
"True, but we can't keep this up forever," Heine agreed while firing the Savior's beam rifle.
"We will not have to," Drift told Heine as he slashed through four of Eradicons with his two swords. "The Minerva and the Xanthium are nearly ready to fire their main guns."
Heine saw this and immediately ordered the others to get clear just as the ships were arming said cannons. A minute later, the two ships had taken aim and were now ready to fire on the Orb Fleet. When he saw this, Shinn's eyes widened in fear and he immediately hollered, "No, don't! Don't fire the Tannhäuser or the Xanthium's cannons, please!"
Sadly, his pleas came too late, and time seemed to slow down as the two weapons began to charge up. It seemed that the weapons would quickly decimate the Orb forces all so they could locate the Tidal Wave and the Earth Forces carrier, but just as the two weapons were about to fire, a green beam blast suddenly struck right through the Minerva's cannon and a blue energon blast hit the Xanthium's, canceling out the two ship's attempted attacks and destroying the weapons in the process.
Everyone's eyes widened in shock at the sight, and only Shinn could voice the question everyone was wondering. "What was that, and from where?"
The answer came just as quick as the attacks had, for a mere second after Shinn had asked the question, a familiar white and black Gundam with blue wings soared through the sky into view alongside an equally familiar red and blue Autobot leader who was equipped with a modified version of the standard flight packs. As he swooped in, the latter of the two shouted out, "Autobots, stand down now!"
"The Freedom," Shinn gasped in shock.
"Kira," Athrun gasped in nearly equal surprise, but not entire surprise since he suspected that Kira and the others would take action after hearing about what Orb was doing.
"Optimus," Smokescreen then gasped at the sight of the one who was once known as the last Prime.
A minute after the Minerva and the Xanthium had both landed on the water's surface, the sea broke, and the Archangel and the Omega II revealed themselves before the frozen combatants, all of which were staring in shock at the sight of the two great heroes that had suddenly appeared before them, and each with different thoughts running through their minds. A minute later, theArchangel's starboard catapult opened, and from it came the familiar form of the pink and red version of the Strike Gundam, the Strike Rouge, which was followed soon after by Bumblebee, Wheeljack, Elita One, and Bulkhead from the Omega II. The minute the Strike Rouge was floating in the air alongside the Freedom, the pilot of the pink and red version of the Strike Gundam called out, "I am the Orb Union's chief representative, Cagalli Yula Athha."
"Lady Cagalli," Shinn cried out in shock, and his surprise was reflected on the faces of nearly everyone on the battlefield save for Neo Roanoke, Sentinel Prime, Athrun, Yzak, and Dearka.
"Attention Orb Forces, cease fighting at once. Disengage," Cagalli then ordered. "It's true that for certain reasons I'm presently away from the homeland; however, that does not change the fact that I, Cagalli Yula Athha, still hold the position of chief representative of the Orb Union. I am hereby ordering you; the Orb Forces must follow the nation's ideals, cease fighting, and withdraw their soldiers immediately!"
That's our girl, Athrun thought to himself, seeing that Cagalli was now finally showing her true self to the Orb forces once again, but his good mood soon changed when the sound of blaster fire reached his and everyone else's ears. They all then looked to see that Mirage and Springer had opened fire on the Strike Rouge, and the mobile suit would have been hit had Bumblebee not taken off and quickly blocked the shots with an energy shield that he was carrying. What came as more of a shock than the two Autobots firing on a mobile suit so quickly was the fact that all the other Autobots that had launched from the Xanthium, save for Smokescreen, had quickly engaged the new arrivals a minute later.
The Omega II Autobots that were on the ship's deck were quick to take action in response, as Wheeljack and Bulkhead both blasted towards Drift and Springer, while Elita One headed out to take on Mirage. Optimus himself had to intercept Sentinel Prime before his predecessor could slice the Freedom in half, and Optimus immediately cried out, "Sentinel, stop this! We are not your enemies! All we want is to…"
"Silence Optimus," Sentinel shouted. "If you're forces are willing to attack my ship, and stand against us, then I can see that I was right all along in what I suspected. You are no true Prime, and I will eliminate you and your followers both for your lies and your treachery!"
Optimus could only stare at Sentinel in shock for what he had said, but he then pushed himself back and pulled out his Energon Battle Axe as he said, "Then you leave me no choice, old friend. I had truly wished it would not come to this."
Sentinel only snarled at Optimus as he flew back to his gathering forces while Optimus's own team began to prepare themselves, and the battlefield froze for another moment until both Primes shouted, "Autobots engage the forces of the Xanthium/Omega II!"
As the two Autobot teams engaged each other in battle, Neo Roanoke had finally had enough waiting and called Yuna on the Takemikazuchi and demanded, "Yuna Roma Seiran, how do you explain this?"
"Y-yes…well… you see," Yuna stuttered in reply, as he tried to think of something to tell him.
"Who is that person? Is she really your country's representative," Neo interrupted. "If so, then why did she wait until this moment to appear out of nowhere with those Autobots and those ships, and then order your forces to withdraw?"
"I suggest you think carefully Seiran," Lockdown warned. "Because unless I get a satisfactory answer immediately, things will get more than simply sticky for you and your nation. I can guarantee that both will burn otherwise."
"I don't take orders from alien scum like you," Yuna shouted at Lockdown.
Before Lockdown could say anything in retort, Neo cut in between the two as he said, "While Lockdown will not be taking any major actions, I can personally promise that things will certainly get very sticky for you and your nation if I don't get a satisfactory answer immediately, and that also holds true if you don't learn how to respect your allies and superiors. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, well it's just…what I'm trying to say is," Yuna continued to stutter, getting more and more infuriated by the minute as he recalled how Cagalli and her alien freak friends humiliated him back in Orb, until finally, he came up with an answer. "SHE'S CRAZY! I DON'T KNOW WHO SHE IS!"
Neo seemed to accept that answer with a simple smirk and then closed the line as he ordered Stella, Sting, and Auel to head out into battle, while Lockdown prepared to take action with the Eradicons. The same could not be said for the Orb soldiers on the Takemikazuchi, though.
"Lord Yuna, what are you talking about," Captain Todaka demanded.
"That's the Strike Rouge, sir," one of Todaka's officers pointed out in agreement. "And take a look at the crest. That's Lady Cagalli's."
"Look, just because it's her mobile suit and her crest doesn't mean that it's her," Yuna shouted, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself than the others. "We…We just don't know!"
"But sir, that's her voice," another officer then argued.
"It…it's someone impersonating her," Yuna then retorted, still sounding like he was trying to convince himself, as Todaka and everyone else on the bridge could tell. "I can tell. I know her best; after all, I am her husband!"
"Lord Yuna, as I recall you were never actually married since Lady Cagalli herself objected to your marriage to her, and besides," Todaka tried to reason, but his reminding Yuna of that humiliating moment, only threw the idiot representative into more of a blind rage.
"Look, even if it is Cagalli, then she's been brainwashed! The real Cagalli would never do something this stupid and make a fool out of me," Yuna shouted, still trying to convince himself of his argument.
"Again, there was that whole thing where she objected to marrying you at the altar," Todaka's second in command, Amagi, pointed out under his breath. His reward for that was Yuna hitting him across the face in anger.
"SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH," Yuna hollered. "I DON'T CARE WHAT ANY OF YOU THINK YOU KNOW, THAT IS NOT CAGALLI, SO JUST HURRY UP AND ATTACK THEM AND THOSE FOUL BEASTS THAT CALL THEMSELVES THE AUTOBOTS!"
"How can you give that order," Todaka demanded.
"If we don't the Earth Forces and the Eradicons will attack us," Yuna then pointed out, just calming down enough to point out one of the few logical points he had made during the whole conversation. "It's too late to turn around and say sorry we quit, because if we do they'll attack us and our country!"
Todaka knew that Yuna was right in that regard at least, and he lowered his as he sadly gave the order to prepare to fire. The minute they were ready, albeit after some hesitation, Todaka thought to the blue winged mobile suit, I'm counting on you Freedom. "Fire!"
The minute everyone saw the Orb ships firing a missile barrage on the Archangel and its two mobile suits nearly everyone's eyes widened in shock, with the exception of Athrun who simply narrowed his eyes at the realization of who was likely to be leading the attack. The only one not completely shocked by this development was Kira as he quickly brought the Freedom before the ship and his sister, and then fired every one of his Gundam's weapons on the approaching missiles, with Cagalli finishing off the last ones after she finally shook herself out of her daze.
At that point, the battle recommenced in full, as the Earth Forces suddenly appeared to attack the Minerva, and the Eradicons soon after to attack the Xanthium, and Lockdown's forces were out in full, leading everyone to believe that the ship was either being commanded by drones or was fully automated and capable of fighting without a full crew on board. Soon after, Sentinel and the other Xanthium Autobots who were already out in the field were quickly joined by all of their allies save for Blaster, Tracks, and Blaster's Mini-Cons, and in response, the Omega II Autobots were soon out in full save for Ratchet, and Waltfeld had launched in his custom Murasame to help out.
The sight that followed was one of pure chaos and tragedy, as while Rey and Lunamaria defended the Minerva in their Zakus, and the Minerva's Gundam pilots fought off the Earth and Orb Forces as well as occasionally fighting against the Freedom, the Strike Rouge, and the custom Murasame, they had to witness the horrible sight of Autobots fighting against Autobots while both factions of the Cybertron army was also fighting against Eradicons. Athrun saw Bulkhead go toe to toe with Crosshairs, Hound having shoot out with Scattershot, and even Wheeljack crossing blades with Drift, as the Wreckers were fighting a battle of brother against brother. The next time their blades crossed, Wheeljack shouted, "Why are you doing this Drift? Why support such an insane order when you know that we're on the same side?"
"My apologies Wheeljack," Drift replied as he pushed Wheeljack away and slashed at his legs, only to find his blade avoided when Wheeljack jumped over it and then retaliated with a downwards slash, which Drift quickly blocked. "But even if I did wish to defy my orders, I cannot. I have a debt to Sentinel that I must repay in full, and if doing this helps me to do so, then my honor demands that I must."
"I'm sorry you feel that way then," Wheeljack then commented, and he then started swinging his blades at Drift even faster and harder than ever, at which point, both Wrecker teams were also fighting against Cyclonus, Demolisher, Bonecrusher, and Crumplezone.
As she fired from her position on the Minerva, Lunamaria could see the Aerialbots flying into action just as the Protectobots had arrived on the scene, and it was barely even a few seconds after that when the female Z.A.F.T. pilot saw the two combiner teams form into Superion and Defensor, and then collide their massive fists against one and other. The minute they did, Superion brought up his free arm's cannon, and Defensor just barely flew out of the way in time to avoid the shot that his fellow combiner had fired. "Superion, stand down and surrender yourself," Defensor shouted, channeling Prowl's policeman-ship as he did.
"Not happening, Defensor," Superion immediately retorted in reply, and he then engaged a pair of arm blades that extended from his Wing Saber arm, and charged just as Defensor intercepted the blow with the Trick-Shot Twins' combined rifles. The two then found themselves caught in a three way battle with Menasor the minute the Stunticons had arrived on the battlefield, and thus the battle of combiners reached a level that would have proved dangerous for any one too close to it, be they mobile suit forces or Transformers.
Heine was quick to engage the Gaia in the Justice, and he quickly knocked the land based Gundam down to the ground and off the ship it was on as he looked on at the sight of Ironhide and Jazz exchanging blows with Springer and Blur. Though they were having some small amount of difficulty given Blur's speed and Springer's abilities as a triple changer, Ironhide and Jazz were no slouches, even with Blur talking a mile a minute. "You really should just give up right now, since you can't win. We have more numbers, a better ship, better weapons, and are basically just better than you all around because we're in the right while you're in the wrong by supporting the fake Prime and…"
Blur was finally silenced when Jazz took careful aim with his Scatter Blaster and fired at the exact spot that Blur was running to, and all Optimus's first lieutenant had to say in response was, "And you talk too much for anyone's enjoyment."
Springer was quick to charge at Ironhide as soon as Blur was knocked of his feet and into a fist fight with Jazz, but being the Autobot weapons specialist for as long as he had been meant that Ironhide was always quick to react to a situation, and as such he was prepared to pull a Path Blaster on Springer. Springer then quickly evaded Ironhide's shots until finally, Ironhide had successfully blasted Springer out of the air and into his robot mode so that the two could meet each other in hand to hand.
Shinn did his best to avoid fighting the Orb Forces and when he did have to, he only targeted points that were away from their cockpits, making sure that the new arrivals saw that he was doing everything he could to help keep the Orb soldiers alive, and while he was doing that, he could see Smokescreen and Bumblebee facing off, though the former was a bit more hesitant than the latter. "Bumblebee, please, just give up. I don't want to fight you," Smokescreen begged his hero.
"I don't want to fight you either kid," Bumblebee replied. "But right now, you're boss has made a call that makes us enemies, but I don't think you want to do that. Just leave Sentinel and join us."
"I can't do that," Smokescreen replied as he activated his phase shifter to allow Bumblebee's blasts to go right through him. "Sentinel and his team let me join right out of the academy, gave me my big break to do great things, and have practically welcomed me as one of their own. I can't just turn my back on them!"
"I get that, Smokescreen, but are you sure they consider you as one of their own? What makes you so certain that they're not hiding something from you," Bumblebee then asked. Smokescreen did not have an answer, and he was nearly hit by Stinger because of his hesitation, had his phase shifter not been active and Bumblebee not intercepted Stinger before he could fire.
"I'm gonna enjoy tearing you apart cadet," Stinger shouted. "Just like I did back at Autobot Academy so often, my student."
"You lost the right to call me your student long ago," Bumblebee snarled. "And now, I'm gonna make sure you pay for your crimes against us." With that, Bumblebee and Stinger charged each other just as Smokescreen found himself facing off against Sideways before he could make a move to help at all.
As Bumblebee and Stinger began their showdown, Cagalli and Waltfeld were engaging Earth and Orb Forces while simultaneously facing off against the Chaos and the Eradicons Blitzwing, Thrust, and Astrotrain. As Cagalli avoided a blast from Blitzwing, wondering to herself how she and Waltfeld got stuck fighting some of the only Eradicons who could actually fly, she was nearly hit by a blast from Chromia, had Arcee not intercepted it at the last minute. "Cagalli, get out of here," Arcee shouted. "There's nothing more you can do here to help stop this from happening."
"I'm not leaving you guys to fight this alone," Cagalli immediately argued. "This is just as much my battle as it is yours, and if I have to fight against my own people to get them to stop and see reason, then I will!"
Arcee smiled at Cagalli's determination for only a second before her face hardened and she said, "Then get out of here and go back up Waltfeld. Leave this to me."
Cagalli only nodded to Arcee and immediately headed back to the golden Murasame, before the blue femme turned to face her sister just as Chromia said, "You must have a death wish, Little Cee. You know I can beat you."
"It's been a long time since those days, Chromia," Arcee retorted as she whipped out her arm blades and flew at her older sister, just as they suddenly found themselves caught between fighting each other, and fighting against Snowcat and Thunderblast.
As Kira fought to stop the two sides from fighting, and Yzak and Dearka fired on the Abyss to keep it from hitting any of their allies from underwater, the three could all see Optimus and Sentinel going at it and clashing Battle Axe against Double Bladed Sword until finally Lockdown joined the battle of leaders and threw his hook hand into the mix as well. Kira was about to move to backup Optimus when he suddenly had to bring the Freedom to a halt in order to avoid being hit by a beam blast. Looking to the source, Kira was surprised to see that it was the Justice that had fired on him, and he then had to block the follow up blow with his shield. As he evaded the next slash from the Justice's beam saber, Kira called out, "Athrun, what're you doing?! Stop this!"
"Sorry Kira," Athrun called out over his radio, tapping the controls as loudly as he could without anyone noticing. "But right now, I'm a soldier of the Minerva, and since you attacked the ship, then that makes you my enemy, no matter how much I don't want you to be."
Kira's eyes widened in surprise for a moment until he heard the tapping sound that Athrun was making on his controls. That was when he realized that Athrun was relaying his real message in Morse Code while he said something that would keep his cover intact. Upon realizing this, Kira gave a small smirk as he replied, "I understand."
With that declaration, the Freedom and the Justice, two Gundams who had once fought side by side like brothers, engaged each other in a battle that was rivaling that of the three leaders nearby. What no one really noticed though, unless they were to actually look for it, was that the whole time Kira and Athrun were fighting, their attacks were actually hitting the enemy suits and Eradicons, the whole time making it seem like it was the result of their attacks on each other having missed. Just as he was about to fire the Freedom's railguns, Kira noticed the Gaia flying towards an unsuspecting Savior with its beam wing blades powered up, and he reacted as quickly as he could.
Kira quickly flew the Freedom towards the Savior at its maximum thrust, and the moment it was close enough, it pushed the Savior down with both feet, making it seem like he was using the red mobile suit as a springboard, and then leapt up, allowing them both to avoid the Gaia's attack, and allowing Kira to charge at the Gaia and slash its wing blades apart with his beam saber. Heine could only stare in shock at the Gundam that had just saved him, wondering why he did it, until they all suddenly saw the Earth Forces send out a signal flare to retreat. The minute they had, the Eradicons and all the surviving Earth and Orb Forces immediately returned to their ships and quickly left the area.
After watching their enemy go for a minute, the Z.A.F.T. pilots glanced in the direction of Sentinel Prime's team and saw that they had been distracted by the Earth Forces' and the Eradicons' move to retreat long enough to allow Optimus Prime and his team to escape with the Omega II and the Archangel. After confirming that the two surprise forces had left, the Z.A.F.T.-Autobot forces returned to their ship so that they could make field repairs and then head for Port Turkios for full repairs. The whole time he was returning to the ship and then after, Athrun could only gaze off in the direction that the two ships had disappeared in hoping that Kira had gotten his other message.
[AN still trying to tear Shinn apart with the Hulk Buster while Shinn runs away screaming like a little girl]
Cagalli: Wow, he is really mad at him.
Kira: Yep.
Smokescreen: Hate to say it since we worked together so much, but better him than me.
Bumblebee: You said it, kid.
Arcee: No argument there. But on another note, now you all see why this is considered to be one of the biggest battles in the chapter so far, at least when it comes to the number of major characters involved.
Bumblebee: I know right, plus we've added a bit more to the mystery of my personal history with the Eradicons, particular with Stinger.
Cagalli: Can't wait to see what the story there is.
Kira: I think we may actually find out next chapter.
Smokescreen: Plus now it's pretty much confirmed that Sentinel did not even once believe that Optimus really is a Prime for some weird reason. I hope that gets explained soon.
Kira: I think the only explanation we'll be getting is the version Sentinel will use to cover up his actions, but enough on that, we need to wrap this chapter up for now, so since the author's busy, I guess we might as well say on
AN:[pauses in blasting Shinn to run into the camera's view of Kira] Onto the preview!...
Athrun goes out to contact his old allies from the Archangel and the Omega II, covering it up as a mission to try and locate the two ships so that he could talk to them and get them to stop what they were doing, while Shinn and the others are told Sentinel's true stance in reference to Optimus Prime's team. How will Shinn and the others react to Sentinel's declaration on the original Autobots? Meanwhile, Shinn, Rey, and Heine are given a special assignment from the Minerva's captain, but what sort of horrors will they find as a result? Next time on Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Prime: Destiny Sentinels…Chapter 12: Mysteries in Darkness. Justice, Smokescreen, fly to the truth in your quest for answers!
[AN goes back to blasting Shinn]
Kira: Well, I guess we'll just say...
Kira and all the others in this authors note: Please read and review, and we'll see you next time!
Shinn: Someone save me from this crazy maniac!
AN: Die spoiler boy!