I don't own anything except Ken DiFalco, his subordinates, and Sophia DiFalco
I also do not own the Odin; it is Deathzealot's creation, and the credit is his, not mine
Millenia Crescent does not belong to me either; she is the creation of arekuruu-inabikari-no-She
Also, all references to characters and events from the Equatorial Union Civil War are property of Ominae; for further information, see his story "Rebellion"
Section Nine Local Headquarters, Orb Union, Situation Room, February 10, C.E. 74
"Well," Ken DiFalco murmured to himself, "it's going to be interesting, trying to explain this one to Unato and Yuna."
As usual, he wore his typical gray trench coat, Griever tied to his belt, and his eyepatch covering his sensitive left eye. In this place, they were mostly affectations… but affectations that were comfortingly familiar, in the face of the previous day's events.
Section Nine's "Major" was mostly ignored by the others in the room; his analysts were far too busy examining the available data to pay any attention to their boss, particularly when it was clear he preferred them doing their jobs to them being obsequious.
"Quite the show last night, Major," Rick Chung remarked softly, standing at his CO's side. "The nuclear attack didn't come as a surprise, but the weapon Captain Foreman and Lieutenant Commander Chevalier described ZAFT countering with…"
Ken nodded. "Indeed. A Neutron Stampeder… I, for one, never even realized such a thing was possible. I did a lot of research into nuclear weapons following the Bloody Valentine, but even then I proceeded under the assumption that no nuclear weapon could be detonated without the fissionable material first reaching critical mass; the idea of a device that could prematurely detonate them without that…" He shook his head. "It changes the entire paradigm, Rick. Nuclear weapons have long been a mainstay of the Earth Alliance; they used them at the Bloody Valentine, Orb, the diversion before Victoria, and Operation Elvis, each time to devastating effect. With them out of the equation…"
"Yeah." Rick half-smiled. "Looks like we're in for a slugging match, Major; who knows what the Earth Forces will try next." He frowned then. "But… it occurs to me, Sir, that there's another consideration here: we're potential enemies of ZAFT, as well."
He didn't need to elaborate on his point. It was a matter of public record that Section Nine, in its capacity as a third-party anti-terrorist organization, carried nuclear weapons aboard its ships as a matter of course; depending on the mission, they would sometimes leave the nukes at their base, but they usually had at least a few aboard, in case of a truly serious breach of the Junius Treaty.
When that knowledge was put together with the fact that Gilbert Durandal had to be as aware as Section Nine themselves of the possibility of the two groups coming into direct conflict, it didn't take one of Ken's highly-paid analysts to realize there a great potential for a serious problem on their hands.
"We'll have to offload Odin and Asmodeus' nukes," Ken said at last. "I never liked the kind of overkill those cause anyway, and as of now we can no longer take the risk. If our resident Durandal expert is correct, eventual hostilities between ourselves and ZAFT are not only possible, but probable; under such circumstances, we would almost certainly be targets for the Neutron Stampeder."
Rick nodded. "Got it, Major. I'll relay the orders tonight."
"That's not our only problem, Boss," another voice announced, as the Situation Room's door slid quietly open and shut. "In fact," Tom Delaney went on, an unusually grave expression on his face, "we may have an even worse one."
Ken looked at him sharply. "What do you mean, Tom?" Worse than the possibility of our ships ripping themselves apart with their own ordnance? I'm not even sure I want to hear this…
"Reactors, Boss," Tom said simply. "Almost everything we have, be it ship or mobile suit, is powered by a nuclear reactor." His next words came unwillingly, due to the still thinly-healed wound they touched, but he said them anyway. "Remember how Sparky died, Boss."
The Major's eye widened, and Rick whistled in sudden understanding. "Good point, Tom," the former EURM soldier said, as Ken took in the caution. "Nuclear meltdown… Yeah, I guess a Neutron Stampeder could induce that, too…"
"Exactly," the ex-Gray Demon confirmed flatly. "Even if we toss all our nukes out an airlock, they could still irradiate us by sending our nuclear reactors out of control." He looked back at Ken. "Boss? Any idea how we might counter that?"
"…Not yet," Ken admitted, thinking furiously. Originally an engineer himself, by training, he'd worked with nuclear technology as early as fourteen, when he designed the original GENESIS. "Some kind of shielding… but I don't know what. Not yet." He turned his head toward Rick. "Rick, include Tom's warning in your dispatch to HQ tonight. I want our people working on a countermeasure, top priority."
Rick nodded (though mildly disturbed even yet by his boss's occasional birdlike movements, he was getting accustomed to them). "Roger that, Major." He tilted his head. "By the way, what's your schedule for tomorrow, Sir?"
The Major grimaced. "What else? I've got to make yet another report to Unato -and probably get chewed out for helping out ZAFT- and then I've got a meeting with Cagalli; with the WSTO treaty gaining popularity in the public opinion polls, we're starting to have some real worry about it. If we don't find a way to turn public opinion against the treaty…"
It was the Equatorial Union native's turn to grimace. "Like what happened to us, except with the approval of the people, as well as corrupt government officials… Ouch. Even the Chief Representative can't do much against that, can she?"
"Not without losing her job," Ken confirmed. "In Orb's history, no Chief Representative has ever been impeached, but it's theoretically possible, should the rest of the government feel strongly enough about it… and I remind you that Uzumi Nara Athha ended up resigning over the Heliopolis affair."
Rick sighed. "We never get a break, do we? You had the Bloody Valentine War, we both had the Equatorial Union Civil War, and now, just when we thought we'd be able to count on official government backing for a change…"
"It may not come to that, but I concur with the Major: it's a possibility you all -we all- must consider."
All three senior Section Nine operatives turned, hearing the deep voice -which had originated far from Orb- at the door Tom had entered not long before. The new arrival who stood there was a large man, close in size to Ken's late, lamented executive officer… but where Lance "Sparky" Cooper had been of Caucasian stock -albeit writ very large- this man was North African through and through, from his voice to his dark skin and large build.
He also, unlike anyone else in the building, wore the white uniform of an Orb Army officer.
"Colonel Kisaka," Ken greeted, with a nod of respect. "I didn't expect to see you here today. I thought you were busy preparing Kusanagi for future operations, in the wake of recent incidents…?"
Colonel Ledonir Kisaka, formerly Cagalli Yula Athha's bodyguard, smiled wryly. "I was," the big man -originally from the village of Tassil, in the African Community- said quietly. "This morning, however, I was called in to meet privately with General Tomanaga."
Ken allowed himself no visible reaction, nor did Tom… but both of Rick's eyebrows went up. Technically, Kusanagi should've been under the jurisdiction of the Navy's Space Division, but as the personal battleship of the Athha family, it instead fell within the Army's sphere of influence, as the Chief Representative's bodyguards were traditionally drawn from there.
And General Hideo Tomanaga was the current Army Chief of Staff… who would not normally be dealing directly with a mere colonel, however important said colonel's post.
Something big must've happened, Rick judged. Something big… and something we're probably not going to be happy to hear about.
"So," Ken said at length, "just what did General Tomanaga have to say, Colonel? Have they abandoned plans to launch Kusanagi, or…?"
For just a moment, Kisaka's mask slipped, showing a trace of disgust, before returning to quiet affability once more. "No," he said quietly, "the launch preparations haven't been canceled… although that might actually have been better." He shrugged. "Instead… I've been reassigned, to the Fourth Mobile Battalion."
Even Ken was nonplussed at that, while both his subordinates whistled. "They're putting you in command of an entire battalion?" the Major repeated, mild disbelief coloring his tone. "A mobile suit battalion?" He frowned then, thinking back on the various briefings he'd sat in on since becoming a de facto military advisor for Cagalli.
Four Mobile Battalion… That's, what, one company of Murasames, another of linear tanks, and the third standard infantry… Yeah, that's right, Fourth Battalion is the last one still using tanks, as I recall. But…
Ken glanced up. "That's not a colonel's billet," he said flatly. "That's a brigadier general's job."
Kisaka nodded, his small smile partly genuine this time. "True," he agreed. "But General Tomanaga has informed me that I'm getting the promotion to match. 'In recognition of my contributions to the Bloody Valentine War and to the defense of the Athha family', he said."
Rick snorted. "Yeah, sure; that's why they gave that aging coastal defense unit, with only one company worth beans in a real engagement. Yeah, that's great recognition for the captain of one of the ships that saved the entire world two years ago."
"Wait," Tom said abruptly, a new thought coming to mind in the wake of Rick's sarcasm. "Colonel -Brigadier- if you're being moved to Fourth Battalion… who's the new skipper of Kusanagi?"
The newly-minted general grimaced, dropping the pretense. "Captain Lyle Steig," he said simply, letting the name say it all.
Ken swore under his breath; Rick didn't even bother to keep his obscenity quiet. "One of the Seirans' toadies?" he said derisively. "That idiot couldn't win a water fight, let alone a space battle; not without help, anyway."
"He'll have it," the Major said slowly, considering the new data. "Yuna is, in my considered opinion, slightly less bright than your average rock, but Unato's no fool. Since he'll have to transfer a few others out of Kusanagi's company anyway, in case of hardcore Athha loyalists, he'll undoubtedly put one of his more competent lackeys aboard, as well. Steig will be a nice, dumb figurehead, while somebody smart -and without the rank to be a danger- does all the thinking…"
Kisaka simply nodded thoughtfully. It didn't take a former second-in-command of ZAFT to understand what was going on now… and as someone once high in the councils of Uzumi Nara Athha himself, Kisaka was fully as informed about the Orb power struggles as Ken. Somewhat more informed, in fact, since the Major was a relative newcomer to the realm of Orb politics; smart though he was, he lacked the intimate experience with the various factions Orb natives took for granted.
Therefore, Kisaka understood quite well the truth: the Seirans were clearly moving to cement their own hold on power, putting as many of their loyalists into important positions as they possibly could… and that fact struck him as ominous indeed.
"The Seirans are beginning to make their move," he said slowly. "Certainly Cagalli remains a factor in their planning, but they're already working -with some success- to minimize her power to interfere…" He gazed at Ken through narrowed eyes. "That move to take power inevitably leads directly through this building, doesn't it, Major."
"It does," Ken confirmed evenly. "Technically, even with all the Treaty loopholes we take advantage of, there's not much Section Nine can do to affect internal affairs here in Orb… but practically speaking, we're a force that could -and, I assure you, would- defend the Athha family claim to power, if it came down to it. That would, of course, be neutralized if Cagalli were removed from power legally, but that would still leave us as a formidable force in world affairs, as we've proven on several occasions already. Unato will not willingly permit us to continue to obstruct the Earth Forces."
"Which means as soon as he removes Cagalli from power," Tom interjected, "however it is that he finally manages to achieve it, we can expect an eviction notice at the least… and maybe even an arrest warrant."
Kisaka nodded slowly. "I trust, Major, that you at least have contingency plans for that eventuality?"
"I will not permit myself to be taken into Orb custody," ken said flatly. "Not because I know too much -not like the War- but because I owe it to people like Cagalli and… and Sparky, to keep on fighting, no matter what."
Rick nodded. "If that happens, our contingent in the Equatorial Union detachment here in Orb will abandon their cover… and then we declare Case Zulu, and get out of here like bats out of hell."
Lagrange Point 1, Dominion, Bridge, February 11th, C.E. 74
If I have to spend another month in this place, I am going to lose it completely, Rear Admiral Sierra Novak thought sourly. Been here since just after the Armory One raid, for pity's sake, all in expectation of a situation I'm not even sure I believe in anymore…
Spending four months stuck in Earth orbit, hanging there at the Lagrange point, with nothing for company but her crew and the officers aboard the small station servicing Dominion, had not improved Novak's disposition any. Originally delighted with her assignment to one of the new Archangel-class ships, delight had long since turned to total boredom, as she awaited instructions she was no longer at all certain would even come.
"Cheer up, Ma'am," Captain Alistair McKay advised with a small smile, glancing over from his place in the center seat. "At least we weren't part of that mess two days ago, right?"
Novak's lips quirked in a tiny, sour smile of her own. "True enough, Alistair, true enough; that business was just about the most disastrous operation we've had since Second Jachin… unless you count Break The World."
"Bit of a difference between them, Admiral," he reminded her, suddenly serious. "The Junius operation we deliberately lost… or sabotaged, I guess, since it was ZAFT doing the actual fighting. Operation Fatman…" He shook his head. "That was a disaster… and if you ask me, Ma'am, an ill-conceived idea in the first place."
Such open criticism of official policy by a mere warship captain -even the flag captain of an admiral such as Novak- would've resulted in, at the least, a severe reprimand under some admirals… but Sierra Novak was one of a growing crop of flag officers who preferred that their senior subordinates speak their minds, with reason, if it meant a better working relationship… and more honest reports. In the wake of the severe losses the Earth Alliance's flag ranks had suffered toward the end of the First Bloody Valentine War, especially at Second Jachin, the direct influence of Blue Cosmos had waned, allowing more freedom of speech… and thought, at least within the confines of individual ships.
And in Novak's case, she'd learned the attitude directly from her own mentor, Admiral James Hamilton, the man whom she'd respected more than any other…
"For what it's worth," she said presently, standing up, "I happen to agree with you, Alistair." She stepped to her flag captain's side, and gripped the back of his chair of stability as she gazed out at the eternal night of space. "You're not the first person to voice it, either; Commander Hamilton did, among others." Her lips quirked in a genuine smile this time… though one tinged with irony. "That man is more abrasive than his father was, but he's got all of the Admiral's brains, and the reflexes to take his expertise into the cockpit… But yes, I think you're right, Alistair, and so do several others. Cyril Kimmer took First and Fourth Fleets in only under protest, and I believe Rick Taggart was also skeptical."
"Heads are gonna roll," McKay predicted. "I know Djibril and Sykes were the driving forces behind the attack itself, but whatever genius did the actual planning is going to find himself in very hot water indeed."
"True," Novak agreed. "Scuttlebutt says Admiral Desai was the one proposed the decoy tactic, the one that kept Ophanim and Kyriotite too far out to do any good. Now, that probably saved those two ships, but under the circumstances, I've got a feeling Marietta is going to be lucky if she keeps her head on her shoulders. At the least, I wouldn't be surprised if she's 'encouraged' to take early retirement; more likely, she'll be cashiered outright, just to make it clear who bears the most blame on our side."
"Could be worse," McKay said philosophically. "Maybe they'll promote Admiral Kimmer to take her place."
"I'd rather it be someone else," the admiral said, shaking her head. "Cyril's too good a combat commander to stick him behind a desk, especially at a time like this. No, I'd rather it was someone a bit less useful on the battlefield, like Vice Admiral-"
"Pardon me, Admiral," Lieutenant Atkinson interrupted from behind them, "but we're receiving a signal from Arzachel Command."
Novak raised an eyebrow. "From Rick, hm? Maybe he'll have some operational news for us… Put him through, Ron."
"Right away, Ma'am." Hurriedly tapping at his console -no mere lieutenant wanted to keep a vice admiral waiting- Atkinson swiftly transferred the incoming signal to the main display, giving Novak and McKay both a proper field of view.
Unlike their last direct communication, in the immediate aftermath of Break The World, Vice Admiral Rick Taggart didn't look as though he'd been awake for days on end; he appeared weary -understandable, under the circumstances- but not as harried or exhausted as he had in the wake of that terrible disaster.
"Rick," Novak greeted with a small smile. "Good to hear from you… I think."
"Likewise, Sierra," Taggart agreed, with a tired smile of his own. "You look like you've been holding up well enough, under the circumstances."
"Possibly because all we've been doing is hang here for months on end," she answered pointedly. "Rest is about all that we do. So is this a social call, or do you have something interesting to tell us?"
"Oh, I think you'll find it interesting, Sierra," he assured her. "And you, too, Alistair," he added, nodding at the flag captain. "Sorry it took so long to get back to you, but things have been pretty hectic here at Arzachel. What's left of First Fleet -along with Kyriotite, Fourth Fleet's sole survivor- made it back here this morning, and we were busy even before that, trying to analyze the outcome of Operation Fatman."
Novak nodded in understanding. "Did you come to any conclusions?"
"Yeah: we got steamrollered." Taggart's expression turned unwontedly serious, lacking his usual impish humor. "Fact is, Fourth Fleet was just about completely wiped out by just one ship. We still don't know just what in the world that Nazca was carrying, but we do know it's death on anything carrying nuclear weapons."
"We sort of gathered that," Novak said dryly, "from all the bright lights out at L5. So what about the reaction from the top brass? I know it's only been two days, but I imagine they've made some decisions in the matter."
"They have," Taggart confirmed. "First off, there was an immediate order -and I mean immediate; within two hours of the attack- to remove all nuclear weapons from every installation in space, be it ship or base. We sent the last of ours down to Earth this morning, in a reentry capsule… Also, though it isn't official yet, word is that Admiral Desai is being sacked… probably with a full-blown court martial."
Novak winced. "I can't say I'm surprised -if Ophanim had been allowed to move in, they might've found and destroyed that Nazca in time- but still… Any word on her replacement?"
"Not yet," the senior admiral admitted. "Though there have been some wild rumors about bringing Les Chernock back out of retirement, though whether to replace Desai or take over from her replacement is open to question."
McKay barked a short, incredulous laugh. "Vice Admiral Chernock?" he repeated in disbelief. "He's been in disgrace ever since ZAFT kicked his behind in the Blockade, five years ago! By the time the Earth Alliance was even formed, he was already on half-pay, drinking martinis in Vera Cruz. Who in their right mind would suggest bringing him back to active duty?"
"Don't ask me, Alistair," Taggart replied, shaking his head. "Now, I happen to think ol' Les was just used as a scapegoat; considering that it was the first time anyone on our side had even heard of military mobile suits, nobody could've brought Fourth Fleet home intact, and he was otherwise a pretty decent officer. Nonetheless, the very fact that he was a scapegoat ought to make the mere suggestion of bringing him back a suicidal career move. On the other hand, it was Director Azrael who spearheaded his removal, and since Azrael's dead…"
Novak nodded thoughtfully. "I guess you've got a point, at that… though whether or not the man would even consent to come back is an open question." She shrugged. "Anyway, I think that matter is a bit above our pay grade, Rick. Which, in turn, leads me to think you had another reason for getting in touch with me just now."
"I did indeed, little minx," Taggart acknowledged, pretending not to notice Novak's faint blush… or the look that, by rights, ought to have killed him. "Fact is, Admiral Sykes got in touch with me this morning, and informed me that there's been a new development with the Seirans."
Novak's eyes brightened with interest. "Something new is happening in Orb?" she asked eagerly, embarrassment forgotten as the prospect of an end to Dominion's endless rest filled her mind.
"Sure is," he said with a smile. "Maybe not decisive yet… but apparently Unato is intending to use Operation Fatman -and Section Nine's participation therein- as a propaganda tool. Something about how ZAFT -with the help of the Major's merry band of supposedly nonaligned cutthroats- massacred the entire Fourth Fleet with a new, nuclear-based WMD."
Disbelief returned to Novak's expression. "A ZAFT nuclear weapon?" she repeated. "Rick, even if that were believable -which it isn't, seeing as the PLANTs hate nukes- how, exactly, is that supposed to be a tool in our favor? In the right or not, we were the aggressors, and the whole world knows it!"
"The 'Big Lie', Sierra," he reminded her. "Remember, the bigger the lie a government tells, the more likely people are to believe it, simply because they don't think the government would dare say something so outrageous unless it were true."
She grimaced. "Right, right, the 'follow the crowd' mentality… Sorry, Rick, but I never could understand that sort of thing."
"Seeing as I've always suspected you were raised by wolves," Taggart said dryly, "that doesn't surprise me. Look, the point is, this might mean some genuine movement on your part soon enough… so I'm supposed to inform you to standby to implement Operation Meteor within two weeks."
A chill wind seemed to sweep through the bridge at those words… but that wind was followed not by fear, but by anticipation. Dominion's crew had been preparing for the mission codenamed "Operation Meteor" since shortly after the ship's commissioning. The idea of finally being able to carry out the operation…
Sierra Novak nodded slowly, with an equally slow smile. "Oh, we'll be ready, Rick. We'll be ready…"
Orb Union, DiFalco Residence, Roof
"Man, what a weird month," Dearka Elsman said with heartfelt sigh, leaning back against the railing of the DiFalco home's rooftop balcony. "A nuclear attack two days ago, foiled by a weapon I've never heard of… and then there's what was waiting for us when he got here last month…"
"Don't you mean 'who'?" Miriallia Haw suggested, resting her head on his shoulder. "I certainly didn't expect to see him there; even if I hadn't thought Ken killed him two and a half years ago, I never would've expected him to actually revive the guy."
"Me either," Dearka admitted. "I guess it is kind of nice that most of the old team is still around… but I don't know if I really trust him yet." He chuckled suddenly. "Of course, I'm not sure Yzak will ever trust me again. I'm kinda surprised he hasn't come down here to assassinate me yet, for not being there when the attack went down."
His girlfriend nodded silently. She knew Dearka's words weren't solely satire directed at Yzak Joule; they also stemmed partly from his own feeling of guilt. The night they'd looked up at the sky to see the lights of nuclear fire, they'd known as well as their hosts what was going on… and Dearka had wanted nothing more than to be up there himself, helping out his comrades. Being a mere spectator for such a battle didn't sit easily with him… not when it was his comrades -his friends- who were up there, fighting and dying without him.
That the battle had ended in less than half an hour, with the use of the device Ken had since informed them was called a "Neutron Stampeder", did nothing to assuage Dearka's guilt over not being there. Mir knew that, deep down, he thought that he could've done something, at least prevented some of the casualties that occurred before the Neutron Stampeder was used…
"What's done is done, Dearka," she said to him now, reaching an arm around his waist. "Maybe you could've done something meaningful if you'd been there… but maybe not, too. You heard what Ken said: even Yzak was having trouble, and the Duel is more maneuverable than the Buster. And even the Buster is only one machine; there's a limit to how much even that could've affected a battle on that kind of scale."
Dearka sighed. "Yeah, I know… but still, I can't help thinking that I could've done something. Besides, it was my duty to be there. We knew before we even left the PLANTs what the situation was heading toward…" He shook his head. "I'm not even sure why I was granted leave in the first place, all things considered."
"Probably because of the Stampeder," Mir suggested. "I mean, the pilots might've been in the dark about it, but the people doing the planning obviously knew; with that in mind, they probably figured that it wouldn't be a problem if you took the time to attend your best friend's wedding. And yes," she added, before he could interrupt, "I know there's the chance you could've at least helped out against that new machine that ambushed Yzak, but your superiors didn't even know it existed at the time."
He sighed again… but his mood was beginning to lift at last. "Yeah, I guess you've got a point there. I mean, before the attack not even Falcon had thought of the possibility that the Earth Forces had used Preybird-based technology in other mobile suits, so it was reasonable to assume that Yzak wouldn't face any really tough opposition back there…" He snorted. "Definitely reasonable, come to think of it. The top brass back in the PLANTs are no dummies, and neither they nor Falcon thought of it… or even Commander Le Creuset, and he's even more devious than Falcon, sometimes. Fooled Falcon and all of ZAFT about his intentions up until Mendel…"
Mir pulled herself closer to him. "And that's why you're still nervous around him, right?"
Dearka snorted. "Like you aren't? But yeah, that's part of it; and it doesn't help that the last time we saw each other, he nearly killed." He shook his head. "If I'd been armed, I might've killed him myself last month, before I even had the chance to think about it…"
Orb Union, Clyne Residence/Reverend Malchio's Orphanage, January 6th, C.E. 74 (One Month Previously)
Extending a hand to help Mir out of the car's front passenger seat, Dearka shot a bemused glance at Ken. "You know, I still don't know why you insisted we drop by here before getting settled in. It'll be nice to see Athrun and Lacus again, mind you, but it still would've been nice to at least get unpacked first."
Climbing out of the backseat -Dearka having insisted on driving, with the claim that Ken drove like a maniac… a sentiment he shared with several others who knew the ace- Ken gave his friend an enigmatic look. "Something you need to see," he said quietly, no trace of banter in voice or manner. "Better to get it over with, I think… especially considering the events of two years ago."
Dearka started to speak, paused, and finally shook his head. "And here I thought Murrue said you didn't talk in riddles anymore… Maybe it's just that you don't talk to her in riddles anymore, because I can't think of anything that happened two years ago that would be urgent now…"
"Dearka," Mir said dryly, as the trio walked toward the orphanage's front door, "this is Ken we're talking about, remember? Of course he speaks in riddles; he wouldn't be Ken if he actually said what was really on his mind."
Ken favored her with a mock-annoyed look, but said nothing as they neared the door. Such banter would once have been utterly alien to him, in the wake of the repeated tragedies he'd endured early in the First Bloody Valentine War. Now, though, he'd begun to come to terms with his losses, aided greatly by his fiancé Murrue Ramius and battlefield partner Cagalli.
The passionate, affable, and almost cocky Ken DiFalco of the C.E. 69 Blockade was gone forever, but the cold, calculating killing machine that had replaced him had also mellowed since Second Jachin, becoming merely reserved instead of emotionless. The new Ken could take a joke… and even, when the situation warranted it, grin outright… occasionally.
They didn't even need to knock when they reached the front door; before Ken's hand could reach it, the door swung open, and a smiling Athrun Zala greeted them. "Dearka!" he said, before any of them could speak. "It's good to see you. How long has it been?"
"Six months, give or take," Dearka replied with an answering smile, clapping his former teammate -and once near-rival- on the shoulder. "Not since before Armory One, anyway. You've been busy playing engineer, while Yzak and I kept an eye on the PLANTs… for whatever good it did when the first strike did come."
Athrun nodded. "Yeah, patrolling L5 doesn't help much when it's an L4 installation that gets raided… Well, come in, all of you," he added, stepping to one side. "I've… got a pretty good idea of why Falcon brought you here first, so you might as well get it over with."
Dearka's eyebrows went up. Get it over with… first Falcon said it, now Athrun. Just what is it that's waiting for us here, anyway? It's not like both of them to get this mysterious on me!
Before he could air his suspicions, though, Mir nodded cordially to their host. "Hi, Athrun," she said quietly. "It's been a while."
Athrun nodded somberly. "Yeah, it has."
Neither Dearka nor Ken were surprised by the quiet exchange. They had both realized long before that, though Athrun and Mir could be on good terms, even friends, there would always be a certain coolness, a certain distance, between them.
After all, Athrun had been the one to kill Mir's first boyfriend, Tolle Koenig, nearly three years earlier.
Neither Ken nor Dearka had personally witnessed the event; they'd both lost their own mobile suits shortly before, and Ken had only just returned to the sky in Preybird when it went down… but unlike Dearka or Mir, he had discretely viewed the battle data later, and observed Tolle's final, ill-advised flight in Ken's own former ZGMF-515 CGUE.
He'd seen the brash youth's awkward attempt to engage Athrun's GAT-X303 Aegis… and watched as, seconds into the engagement, Aegis sliced the CGUE -and Tolle- in half with an almost casual saber slash, ending the Heliopolis survivor's life with brutal suddenness.
Ken had never told Mir exactly how her boyfriend had died… nor did he ever intend to. Tolle's own recklessness had been his undoing, but Ken had been in similar situations himself, and would not question Tolle's motives… or his bravery.
"Well," Athrun said presently, in a more normal tone, "come with me, and you'll see why Ken brought you here." He smiled faintly. "Just… try not to react too strongly, okay? I heard Mu already nearly shot up the place."
Mir blinked. "Um…?"
Her boyfriend simply sighed, falling into step with Athrun. "You'd better have a good explanation for this," he said wearily, "or else I'm going to feed both of you into the nearest fusion reactor. I'm getting a little tired of all the riddles, and I've already had a long flight down here. So…"
"You won't be feeling tired for long," Athrun said dryly, stopping at the living room door. "In fact…" Trailing off, he opened the door, stepped aside, and waited for the reaction he knew was imminent. I just hope Dearka isn't armed, he thought, then amended, No, I really hope Miriallia isn't carrying so much as a pocket knife. If she is…
Giving Athrun another suspicious look, Dearka stepped through, Mir at his side… and, like Mu, instantly stopped. "No way!" he blurted, looking -and feeling- as though hit in the head with a sledgehammer. "It… it can't be!"
Mir looked at him, then glanced at the blonde-haired man seated on the room's couch, and finally turned back to Dearka, a puzzled look on her face. "Uh… do you know him, Dearka?"
"Oh, I believe you could say that, Miss Haw," the blonde-haired man said with a small smile, before Dearka could regain his speech faculties. "I'm not surprised you don't recognize me -by the time we might've met, I was already 'dead'- but Dearka, well… I'd have been much surprised if he didn't recognize his old commander."
Her head whipped back toward the man, her eyes wide with shock. "What?!"
Still standing at the doorway, Ken shook his head. "I told you it was something you should take care of now, instead of later," he said calmly. "I knew that face would come as a bit of a shock to you, Dearka, considering what happened two years ago."
"But… but…" Dearka violently shook his head, trying to clear it. "But he's dead! Two years ago, Falcon, you killed him… and even if you didn't, why is he here?! I can't believe you'd allow someone like him to-"
"Just a moment, Dearka," Rau Le Creuset interjected, raising a hand. "Things aren't quite as they were when we last met, I assure you… including my mental state. A lot has changed in the last eighteen months, thanks in large part to Falcon… and Sophia."
Dearka glanced accusingly at his friend. "Sophia knew about this, too?" he demanded. "And you were the one behind all this?" At Ken's simple nod, his hands clenched involuntarily. "Why on earth would you do that, Falcon?! Have you forgotten that he nearly destroyed the entire world two and a half years ago?!"
Mir gripped his shoulder. "Let him talk, Dearka," she advised. "He can't explain himself if we keep shouting at him." Her own eyes were narrow, however, as she gazed at the ever-enigmatic soldier. "But you'd better have a good explanation for this, Ken. Bringing back Rau Le Creuset…"
Nodding gratefully to Mir, Ken leaned back against the doorway, gathering his thoughts. That went a bit better than I expected. At least Dearka didn't try to kill him outright, the way I thought he might… Of course, Yzak will probably be a different matter, but he can wait for the time being…
"All right," he said at last. "Rau, do you want to get the ball rolling?"
"I might as well," his former archenemy agreed, and leaned forward, hands clasped, propping up his chin; the incongruously casual pose from the ex-ZAFT commander threw Dearka off a little more… which at least made it easier for Rau to begin without interruption. "All right. Both of you know, of course, what my… mental state was like, toward the end of the War."
Dearka snorted. "Yeah," he agreed sardonically. "Completely out of your mind, if your ranting was anything to go by, when we fought at Second Jachin."
Rau smiled faintly. "Crude, but, I must admit, accurate. Well, the first thing you should understand, Dearka, is that I wasn't always completely insane. I did have my bouts, mind you -I was the one who burned down Al Da Flaga's home, for example, when Mu and I were only children- but enlisting in ZAFT allowed me to keep it largely under control for some time; as Falcon will attest, discipline can do wonders for keeping one's sanity intact."
Mir nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I can understand that." Having known Ken throughout most of his "automaton" period, in addition to being very familiar with his traumatic past, she knew better than most how fragile the ace had been during that time.
"Well," Rau resumed, "I must admit that it couldn't last. Considering my shortened telomeres, I was aging at a rate rapid enough to induce great pain at frequent intervals; I had medication to numb the pain, but it took its toll nonetheless. Now, despite certain… issues Falcon had with me over the Endymion disaster, I was not, in fact, insane at that time. I was quite sane for most of the first year of the War; it was only around the time of Heliopolis that my grip on sanity truly began to fray, and at that point it was mostly a matter of undermining my judgment."
"Which explains why you authorized D package weaponry for the final battle there," Dearka said slowly, realization dawning. "I'd wondered about that; justifying that to the Council, even with Archangel and the G-weapons as mitigating circumstances, couldn't have been easy."
"True," Rau acknowledged. "In point of fact, I couldn't justify it; I resorted to lying about what happened, or at least stretching the truth. I placed the blame on Falcon instead, suggesting that it was his destruction of Matthew and Olor's GINNs that really caused the collapse, however little he may have intended for it to happen. Now, there is a certain amount of truth in that, but it wouldn't have occurred at all had I not sent them in like that."
He shook his head then, and smiled ruefully. "But I digress; we can discuss the inner workings of my command decisions at a later date. At any rate, that was when my mind truly began to go… and by the time you and Yzak arrived in Gibraltar, while Archangel was in Libya, I was in a swiftly-descending spiral. My health had taken a turn for the worse, and my sanity followed suit as the pain grew more frequent, and more intense."
At those words, Ken's eyes took on a shadowed cast, as he recalled another man, with a very similar problem. Victor… I wish we could've talked more, before the end. If only I'd known what was wrong, maybe we could've done something, cured you like we did Rau…
Even as the thought crossed his mind, though, Ken knew that it was nothing more than wishful thinking. Victor Tempest's aging problem had been even worse than Rau's; by the time Ken had learned of his predicament, it was far, far too late to mend the damage… even had he been able to take the risk.
Which, of course, I couldn't. Victor was right: if I'd done anything else, ZAFT would simply have treated his injuries, and sent him out to fight me again… and with his mind in the shape it was in by then, he would have followed orders…
Nonetheless, Victor "Huckebein" Tempest's death would always sit heavily with him, for once upon a time, the unstable youth had been one of Ken's best friends…
Oblivious to Ken's bleak musings, Rau was still continuing his tale. "…So," he was saying, "I was actively planning to take advantage of Falcon and Zala's plots myself by the time Archangel departed Libya. My intention was to use them both to destroy the world, with the help of Muruta Azrael, and that remained my goal up to the very end of the War."
Dearka gazed at him through narrowed eyes, regard still harsh. "That much I know already," he said quietly. "And you also came very close to succeeding, nearly killing several of us in the process… and Sparky's death is basically your fault, too. So why, exactly, should I trust a madman? By rights, Commander, I should kill you right now." His mouth quirked in a grim smile. "Or maybe just hand Mir the knife; she's pretty good with one."
"So I've heard," Rau acknowledged softly. "And if you so chose… I wouldn't stop you. As you say, Lance Cooper's death was my responsibility, as were many others over the course of the last few months of the War."
"That's where I come in," Ken interjected, stepping fully into the room at last. "It was just after the battle that Odin found what little remained of Providence, and recovered both it and Rau's body."
Mir looked over at him in surprise. "I never heard anything about that. I mean, I remember Captain Chance and Admiral Halberton taking Odin out to look for survivors, but I never heard that they actually found Providence."
"That's because Falcon was more than a little paranoid about the whole affair," Rau said dryly. "If I had to guess, he was worried someone else might obtain my near-dead body, and revive me much as Tempest was revived by ZAFT. So, as soon as Jason contacted him, he ordered my body put into cryogenic stasis, for further study of my genetic anomalies… and for safekeeping."
"Right," Ken confirmed. "And eventually, he and Tempest -in his case separated into two, since I decapitated him in battle- were moved to Section Nine HQ, and kept in a cryo facility there. It was at that point that I enlisted Sophia's assistance, since she was the closest thing to a genetics specialist that I could get both quickly and discretely. She began working for Section Nine part-time as our top geneticist, and she's been studying Rau and Victor's body ever since."
Well, Dearka thought to himself, that at least explains why she kept disappearing every so often; makes sense Falcon would pick her, after her years of study into Metzinger's work… but that still doesn't explain one thing…
He looked sidelong at Rau. "Mind telling me how you being almost a corpse in cryo-freeze led to you being here, looking like you actually have regrets, and without ranting about the destruction of the world?"
"That would be because of the last Supreme Council election," Ken explained, smiling crookedly. "Fact is, I knew something about Gilbert Durandal that most people don't: for several years -right up until Second Jachin, in fact- he was Rau's personal physician. That alone was enough to make him suspect, as far as I was concerned, so I decided I needed an expert on how Durandal thinks. That, however, led me at first to a dead end: as near as I could tell, there weren't any experts on Durandal, at least none who were still alive." He nodded at Rau. "None, that is, except one… if I could both find a way to revive and repair his body, and restore his mind."
Rau nodded. "Yes," he said quietly. "You see, Dearka, it was pure necessity that brought about my resurrection. Had Falcon had any other options at the time, I'm sure he'd have left me in that limbo permanently… as he should have."
"As I would have been wrong to do," Ken corrected, surprising Dearka and Mir. "We walked a very similar path, you and I… and if I could have a second chance, you deserved one as well."
The ex-ZAFT commander sighed. "I wish I could believe that, Falcon, believe me… but it's not that simple."
Ken simply snorted, and Dearka rubbed his temples. I'm getting a headache, he thought wearily, listening to the -to him- unprecedented argument between the two former ZAFT commanders. And if I let this go on, we're going to lose sight of what we talking about, and I'll never get any answers…
Fortunately for his sanity, Mir quickly spoke up, before the other two could begin debating what was obviously an old topic to them. "Look," she said, glancing between Ken and Rau, "I think I can understand why you'd decide to bring Le Creuset back, Ken… but I don't quite understand why he isn't insane anymore, or what it is about Chairman Durandal that makes you so nervous."
"That, Miss Haw, is something of a long story," Rau told her, momentarily jarred out of his melancholy musing. "One which, regrettably, I no longer fully remember. But the basics? It begins in large part with a young man by the name of Rey Za Burrel, while my own recovery continues through the offices of Sophia's files, recovered from Metzinger's lab some years ago, and Ulen Hibiki's just two years ago…"
Orb Union, DiFalco Residence, Roof, February 11th, C.E. 74
"Well," Mir said quietly, interrupting Dearka's reverie, "I can see why you're… uncomfortable with the whole idea. I wasn't too sure about it myself, even after Ken explained everything." She looked up at him soberly. "Do you trust him, Dearka?"
"If you mean Le Creuset, no, I don't," he said promptly. "He nearly killed me at Jachin, and he was trying to destroy the entire world at the time. I know, Falcon says he's recovered, and I have to admit the reversal of his aging lends some credence to the idea, but still… I can't just forget what he did back then, you know?"
She nodded sadly. "Yeah, I do know… I can't really say that I trust him, either; I mean, he was behind just about everything that happened in the last months of the War, at least by proxy." Mir shook her head. "To be honest, I don't know why Ken trusts him. Those two were mortal enemies for so long…"
Dearka sighed. "Yeah, it beats me, too. It isn't like him to be so trusting -his months-long silence about GENESIS three years ago is proof enough of that- but he does… And," he admitted with a rueful smile, "because he does, we're pretty much going to have to live with it, unless we want to try locking them both up."
They both chuckled at that idea. It was, of course, possible that they could do just that; Section Nine's loyalty was mostly to its commanding officer, but not entirely. Bringing back Rau Le Creuset from the dead could well be what they judged an insane act… but, as Dearka and Mir were both aware, there were two members of the organization whose devotion to Ken was absolute. They were also both highly experienced pilots, and one of them was a talented engineer and hacker in his own right.
In order to truly take Ken DiFalco out of the picture with anything short of a nuclear weapon, they'd have to go through Thomas Delaney and Leanne Eldridge first.
"Well," Dearka said at length, relaxing again at last, "I'll give Falcon the benefit of the doubt for now. After all, we're on the verge of being caught up in this war ourselves, so the last thing we need is him out of action. But still…"
"You'll be watching Le Creuset like a hawk," Mir finished for him, then grinned. "Or maybe I should say… like a Falcon?"
That set them both chuckling again, and the tension drained out of them completely as they watched the sun pass lazily across the sky.
Orb, Izanagi Island, Parliament Building, Chief Representative's Office
Why do I have the feeling I've had this meeting before? Section Nine's Major thought to himself, as he stepped into Cagalli's office once more. Once again, I've sent my forces to do the right thing, within the letter of our charter… and once again, Unato Ema Seiran summons me to call me on the carpet.
In fairness, the Major granted, adjusting his gasmask, Unato and his son weren't the entire reason he was here. Cagalli had also requested his presence, knowing full well that he almost certainly had a more complete analysis of the aftermath of the attack on the PLANTs than Orb itself did… and that he was one of the few allies she had at this point, regarding the World Security Treaty Organization issue.
Unfortunately, that just happens to place me in an "ideal" position to be cross-examined by Unato again… Well, I knew it was going to come from the moment I ordered Asmodeus out to the PLANTs; time for me to pull another semantic rabbit out of my hat, I suppose.
"Thank you for coming, Major," Cagalli said formally, seated as usual behind her desk; equally as usual, Kira Yamato stood behind and to the right of her chair, looking admirably grave. "Prime Minister Seiran would like to speak to you regarding Section Nine's recent actions; before we get to that, though, I'd like your analysis of the Earth Alliance's attempted nuclear attack against the PLANTs, two days ago."
"Of course, My Lady," the Major acknowledged, his mask hiding his smile at the distrust of Orb's own intelligence services implicit in Cagalli's request. Not that I blame her, considering the control the Seirans have been exerting over personnel assignments and political appointments of late… "In that case, My Lords and Lady, I present to you our after-action analysis of the Third Battle of Jachin Due."
Watching the Major step to a wall screen and bring it to life, Kira nodded mentally. Third Jachin… yeah, it figures that's the name that battle would get. And it's the only one of the three that Ken didn't participate in… Come to think of it, I think that and Boaz are the only battles anywhere near the PLANTs that he wasn't present for…
He doubted the fact was lost on the masked man before them. Once dedicated solely to the defense of the PLANTs, he remained a staunch patriot, aiding them whenever Section Nine's charter allowed for it; participating in Third Jachin merely be proxy couldn't have sat well with him, knowing him as Kira did.
If he was, in fact, perturbed by the fact, however, the Major didn't show it. Instead, he merely brought up on the screen a space map, showing an orbital diagram of the Earth Sphere, as well as exploded views of both Arzachel lunar base and the PLANTs themselves.
"This," the Major announced, "is how the attack codenamed Operation Fatman began, My lady. As befitted an operation named for the second nuclear bomb dropped in World War II, a number of nuclear weapons were shipped to Arzachel several months before the attack was launched; my analysts believe many of them were brought in from Ptolemaeus Base, presumably from underground storage areas untouched by demolitions."
Cagalli nodded at that. In the wake of the disastrous Second Battle of Jachin Due, and the subsequent anti-nuclear provisions of the Junius Treaty, the Earth Alliance had summarily demolished Ptolemaeus Base, making a great show of destroying one of their largest nuclear stockpiles in the process. Some, however -Cagalli included- believed that they had deemed Ptolemaeus to have outlived its usefulness, and was now potentially too vulnerable to assault or sabotage, thus requiring the move to a new base, one which appeared to have been originally built during the mad rush to the climax of the Bloody Valentine War.
That the nuclear stockpiles likely had, in fact, survived completely intact did not surprise Cagalli in the least. Having been present for a number of the greatest atrocities of the War -and having only barely escaped the Razing of Orb- she expected nothing but the worst from them… especially where nuclear weapons were concerned.
"This, however, was only the tip of the iceberg," the Major continued, oblivious to Cagalli's thoughts (or even, apparently, Unato's shifting in his chair at the reference to Earth Alliance treachery). "These images were taken on January Third, two months before the attack."
Kira, abandoning his disinterested bodyguard pose in order to bring his own military expertise to bear on the problem, stepped away from the wall, moving closer to the image. "Those are…" he murmured, examining the recon photos… and then his eyes widened. "Those are Archangel-class!"
"Right," the Major confirmed with a nod. "Captain Foreman also confirmed their presence at Third Jachin, though they didn't participate in the actual fighting. According to signal intercepts decoded and unscrambled after the battle, these are known as Kyriotite and Ophanim; as nearly as we've been able to determine, Operation Fatman was directed from Ophanim's bridge, under the overall command of Vice Admiral Cyril Kimmer."
Cagalli nodded thoughtfully. "Kimmer… Isn't he one of the new crop of admirals, promoted after Second Jachin blew up most of their old flag ranks?"
"Close," he corrected. "Kimmer was a rear admiral at Second Jachin, commanding Battleship Squadron 17, with Fifth Fleet. Nevertheless, yes, it's fair to say he's one of the newer crop. At this point, however, his exact stature from a practical standpoint is unclear, as is his connection -if any- with Blue Cosmos; until we learned he had been given Ophanim and Kyriotite, we didn't consider him prominent enough to bother keeping detailed files on."
She nodded again at that. Considering Section Nine's limited manpower -and funding, especially considering their weapons development programs- it only made sense for them to concentrate their intelligence-gathering efforts on officers they had reason to believe were actually important in the grand scheme. As one flag officer among many, Vice Admiral Kimmer was inconsequential; as the commander of two entire fleets, particularly with a pair of Archangel-class ships involved…
If they're building more Archangel-class ships, Cagalli thought with a sudden chill, they must've learned more from the War than we thought… and that they're a lot better prepared for the new war than we'd predicted. That means… No wonder Unato's starting to push so hard!
"Unfortunately," the Major went on, metallic voice taking on a grim note, "they aren't the only new ships we've discovered. Our reconnaissance has also revealed the existence of a third new mobile assault ship, this one parked at L1 for reasons currently unknown." He twitched his shoulders in a minute shrug.. "Though that, I suppose, is of little consequence to the matter at hand. The next datum, however, is quite significant." He tapped the screen controls, bringing up a new image… one which all three of his listeners found familiar, and unsettling.
"A Gundam!" Kira breathed, staring at the black mobile suit in shock. "They built a new one…?"
The Major nodded gravely. "It's only supposition at this point, as its exact operating system is currently unknown, but we believe that to be a reasonable assumption. This image was taken by Lieutenant Commander Chevalier's gun camera, just after Asmodeus entered the engagement; according to his report, and additional testimony supplied by ZAFT from Commander Joule, this new model is superior in several -perhaps all- respects to the Heliopolis-line G-weapons. Apparently going by the codename 'GAT-X506 Sigma', this unit outperformed GAT-X102 Duel, and was only driven off when Asmodeus arrived." His face was concealed by his mask, as ever, yet he still conveyed a very grim attitude as he turned to face his listeners. "Two points of grave concern have arisen from this encounter: according to Commander Joule, Sigma's pilot stated the machine was the 'latest product of Preybird-based technologies'… and shortly thereafter, he destroyed Duel's shield with a single shot from one of his rifles."
Even Unato's eyes went wide at that, and Kira inhaled sharply. Preybird-based technology wasn't as surprising as it might've been, considering the existence of Nightwing, but the idea of a weapon that could destroy an anti-beam shield outright with a single shot was more than merely unsettling; it was downright shocking.
In theory, it could be done; no defense was truly impregnable. Nevertheless, it was utterly without precedent, either in the Blockade, the War itself, or the more recent conflicts. Kira had, himself, used Freedom's shield to intercept weapons up to and including mobile assault ship-grade Gottfried cannons. Since Duel's shield had been upgraded even beyond Freedom's BVWI-era shield, the Earth Alliance had to have made a fundamental breakthrough in weapons' technology within the last two years to shatter that shield with a single shot.
Surprisingly, it was Unato who next broke the silence. "You said 'Preybird-based' technologies, Major," he said carefully. "Are you saying that the Earth Alliance now has access to some of the essential designs of Preybird itself?"
"They must, My Lord," the Major said flatly. "As you know, Commander DiFalco encountered and engaged a near-direct copy of Preybird during Break The World - based on Sigma's designation, we've tentatively ID'd it as GAT-X505- and judging from its performance there, the resemblance was far more than merely skin-deep. This 'Nightwing' held Preybird at bay until the very end of the operation, and that, My Lord, is a feat not many could accomplish, and certainly not in an incomplete copy of Preybird." He sighed, the exhaled breath making a harsh noise through his mask's filter. "Regrettably, they almost certainly obtained the data from us; our best guess, at the moment, is that they slipped a spy into our ranks before we were even officially established. As you now know, Preybird was in our custody at the time, for repairs… and thus at its most vulnerable, from an espionage standpoint."
Unato nodded thoughtfully, but said no more as he leaned back into his chair… a fact which struck Cagalli as ominous, considering how disturbing the Major's tidings were. New Preybird derivatives… that can't be good…
She took a deep breath, forcing the matter into the back of her mind for later consideration. "All right, then," she said, more calmly than she felt. "Major, can you give me a general outline of the salient points of the battle?"
"Of course, My Lady." Tapping at the screen's controls again, the Major focused the display on L5, in and around the PLANTs themselves. "On February Seventh, two entire Earth Alliance fleets departed from Arzachel Base, on Luna: Fourth, equipped with nuclear weapons and led by the Archangel-class mobile assault ship Kyriotite, and First, commanded by the Archangel-class warship Ophanim; Vice Admiral Cyril Kimmer commanded the entire operation from her command deck, though that fact did not become clear till after the battle."
Cagalli nodded, unsurprised. The Fourth Fleet's reputation for carrying nuclear weapons had begun when one of its ships, the Nelson-class battleship Franklin Roosevelt, carried a nuclear-armed Möbius and unsuspecting pilot Alicia Cateau to the attack on Junius Seven; that reputation had solidified when the Fleet was used for both the destruction of Boaz and the failed nuclear assault of Second Jachin. It had been wiped out in the latter battle by the first shot from GENESIS, but it was somehow fitting the resurrected unit would be used for the new attack.
And, she thought with more than a trace of savage satisfaction, it's fitting that they were wiped out again in the process…
"They reached Lagrange Point 5 two days later," the Major was continuing, "on the Ninth. At that point, Vice Admiral Kimmer seems to have proceeded with a decoy maneuver: he held Ophanim back with Fourth Fleet, while most of First Fleet went in to soften up ZAFT's opposition, which was, perhaps, a bit more significant than they had expected. Exactly what happened beyond that point is unclear, save that for the next ninety-six minutes, operations were effectively at a stalemate: First Fleet couldn't breach ZAFT's defenses, but ZAFT failed to inflict crippling damage on First Fleet in turn."
As he spoke, flittering icons and data codes moved across the display, representing the massive engagement that took place near the remnants of Jachin Due. Though the time scale was compressed, it was clear from the many flickering icons just how brutal the engagement had been… until, as the Major had said, ninety-six minutes into the battle. At that point, the silver-gray icon of a Section Nine warship -Asmodeus- charged into the battle from the side, engaging and destroying an Agamemnon, while a smaller icon -representing a single mobile suit- collided with that of Sigma.
At that point, Sigma pulled back from the battlezone… and several new red icons moved in from the shadow of Jachin's remains.
"At this point," the Major resumed, "Sigma was driven into retreat by reinforcements from Asmodeus; as nearly as we can determine, our ship's arrival also spurred Admiral Kimmer into launching the second phase of Operation Fatman. Fourth Fleet joined First Fleet, while First Fleet's Battleship Squadron 3 withdrew to cover Ophanim. For the next sixteen minutes, the joint ZAFT and Section Nine defense was besieged with nuclear weapons, and the situation began to deteriorate as fresh Earth Alliance ships and pilots engaged the already-embattled defenders."
Kira watched the action intently, remembering as he did his own last encounter with nuclear weapons. He could easily sympathize with the defenders; True ZAFT had had more "Gundam-type" mobile suits at their command than ZAFT had in this engagement, but they had actually been outnumbered by an even greater margin.
"It's at this point that matters stray into a realm which my analysts not only failed to predict, but do not fully understand even now," the Major announced, and nodded at the icon marked "Marie Curie". "One hundred and twelve minutes into the battle, ZAFT employed a device known as a 'Neutron Stampeder', causing a cascade effect across the entire Fourth Fleet line. Exactly what it induced, we're not certain, but we do know that, within thirty seconds of the activation of Marie Curie's weapon, Fourth Fleet's sole surviving ship was Kyriotite."
He didn't need to say anything more about the destruction of the Earth Alliance ships; the titanic explosions had been perfectly visible in the night sky, and the memory of that sight was far more descriptive than anything he might've said.
Of course, Kira thought then, that may cover the battle… but there's still the aftermath to consider. And from what he's said so far, I don't think it's going to be good news.
Cagalli echoed his thoughts a moment later. "So where does this leave the balance of power, Major? With the Earth Alliance… or with ZAFT?"
"Unclear," the Major admitted, turning off the display. "Were we to base our determination simply on the Earth Alliance's penchant for nuclear attacks, I would say that ZAFT held the clear upper hand at the moment; certainly no new nuclear attacks will be launched in space. Unfortunately, there's also Sigma and Nightwing to consider… along with any other new machines they may have developed.."
"Are you saying, then, that this shifts the balance of power in the Earth Alliance's favor?" Unato asked, with an odd gleam in his eye. "Despite the loss of so many of their ships?"
"I said nothing of the sort," the Major corrected frostily. "The conclusion of myself and my analysts, in fact, is that the Earth Alliance has suffered a tremendous setback in orbit; new machines or no, the inability to use nuclear weapons will hamper them, and a handful of new mobile suits, however powerful, will by no means fully compensate for the destruction of so much shipping. They just lost something on the order of thirty million tons of warship, My Lord. In short, they just lost very nearly a third as much as they did at Second Jachin… in the very first battle of the new war. I'd say that puts there orbital fleets in a very delicate position indeed."
"But what of their ground-based forces?" Unato pressed.
"Untouched," the Major said warily. "…Why?"
The nobleman smiled thinly. "In that case, Major, as far as Orb is concerned, what occurred two days ago was a tactical victory but strategic defeat for the PLANTs. With the exceptions of a handful of bases on Earth, all of their military power is in space; therefore, the losses incurred during Operation Fatman have left them in a far weaker position to influence events on Earth. The Earth Alliance, on the other hand, has long kept its orbital and planetary operations distinct from one another, and thus have suffered no loss of capability here."
Cagalli looked at him sharply. She'd fully expected him to begin ripping into the Major for Section Nine's participation in the battle as soon as the masked soldier had finished his briefing; she had not expected him to take it so calmly… even smugly, as though it advanced his goal in some way that she failed to see. And if it advances his goal, then it's bad for all the rest of us…
"Just what are you getting at, Unato?" she asked cautiously, decidedly untrusting of his new, smiling demeanor.
"Just this, Lady Cagalli," he said, with another thin smile. "You will recall that the Major earlier recommended that we ally ourselves with ZAFT. At the time, of course, I strongly opposed the notion, but could do little more. Now, however, we learn that ZAFT is no longer in such a strong position. Therefore…"
"I didn't say that, My Lord," the Major interjected sharply. "Underestimated ZAFT's strength -and overestimating that of the Alliance- would be very foolish indeed. On an individual basis, any ZAFT mobile suit is worth two or more of the Alliance's most common Dagger variants-"
"But the Earth Alliance has considerably more than twice ZAFT's forces," Unato replied, unperturbed. "The provisions of the Junius Treaty required a reduction in forces, as I'm sure you recall, based on the available resources of each nation. Moreover, ZAFT has not held any kind of superiority over Earth since shortly after Panama, three years ago."
"Again, you're mistaking a mistake by underestimating ZAFT, My Lord," the Major said softly. "But if you insist on going by that measure anyway… just what is the point you're attempting to make?"
"It's very simple, Major," the nobleman said, and turned to Cagalli. "Lady Cagalli, I must inform you that the government will not ratify any kind of treaty with ZAFT… and that we will put the World Security Treaty Organization proposal to a vote one week from today."
After Unato departed, Ken ripped off his mask, started to throw it… and then visibly forced himself to relax, stuffing the mask into his trench coat instead. "Well, that tears it," he said tensely, taking a moment to glare at the door through which Unato had departed. "A week, huh?"
Cagalli sighed, slumping back in her chair. "A week," she said wearily. "We've got that long to try and turn public opinion around; if we can't, there isn't much we can do to stop him. That bastard… he knows how to play this game too well…"
Kira glanced between the two, brow furrowed. "You're sure he can pull it off? I mean, I know I don't understand politics very well just yet, but… After all, Orb was nearly destroyed three years ago, when Azrael dropped those bombs…"
"Oh, he can do it, Kira," Ken told him, moving to drop into a chair, looking wearier than he had in a long time. "I'm not totally familiar with Orb politics yet myself, but I remember Supreme Council meetings after I was promoted to Patrick's right-hand man. A skilled political manipulator -which, for all his faults and his near-total lack of charisma, Unato is- could all too easily turn this situation to his own advantage."
"He's using that very destruction," Cagalli added, closing her eyes. "Unato's preying on the people's fear of having Orb razed by nuclear weapons again… and I just don't have the experience to know how to counter him. Not yet. Public relations just aren't something I'm very good at."
Having been on the receiving end of his girlfriend's sharp tongue more than once himself, in times past, Kira couldn't disagree there. Cagalli Yula Athha was indisputably strong-willed, but subtlety was not, by any means, her strong suit.
Nor, unfortunately, was it Ken's; at least, not this type of subtlety. He could manipulate enemy military leaders into doing exactly what he wanted them to -hence his success in the capture of the Nova resource satellite- but his specialty was leading military men to certain conclusions; altering public opinion wasn't something he'd ever needed to do.
And that lack of skill is going to cost us, Kira realized. If we can't turn things around…
He glanced over at Cagalli. "How much will it hurt us if the treaty goes through?" he asked quietly. "Directly, I mean."
"Badly," Cagalli said honestly, opening her eyes again. "To begin with, if the treaty is ratified by the Cabinet, with public opinion as it is, I'll have basically two options: abandon my principles and sign the treaty… or resign, and show through that how much I believe it to be the wrong course. Unfortunately, while that may alter popular opinion in the long term, in the short term it leaves Unato effectively in control of Orb. I'll do it anyway," she added, fire smoldering in her eyes, "but we need to be aware of the cost… to us, as well as to Orb." She looked over at the ex-ZAFT ace. "You know what I mean."
Ken nodded. "Yes. As soon as he takes the reigns of government, Unato will either order Section Nine to leave Orb entirely… or, if he's feeling particularly confident -which he may be- he'll order my arrest, and send police with a warrant to our local HQ. At that point, all bets are off."
Kira sighed. "That's what I was afraid of… So, what do we do about it?"
To his surprise, it was Cagalli, not Ken, who responded, and without any hesitation at all. "We hold a council of war," she said decisively. "Right now."
Even Ken blinked, caught off guard by her quick decision… and, for a change, not entirely certain of where she was going with it. I'm used to being the enigmatic one around here, he thought, mind working furiously. What is it that she has in mind…?
"I don't follow," he said after a moment, choosing the easy way to get answers, rather than strain his brain. He'd learned once that it was unwise to challenge her physically; it appeared now that it might be wise of him not to underestimate her brains, either.
"It's simple," Cagalli told him, smiling faintly at his perplexed reaction. "Look, we know that, if this treaty does go through, the effects will be bad for all of us, right? So, the best thing to do is to have all affected parties talk it over… probably at Morgenröte, since we can be reasonably sure of their loyalty."
Kira nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense… I know they were more loyal to your father than to anything else when Archangel was first there, three years ago… So, who are we talking about here, Cagalli?"
"The three of us, obviously," she told him, "and, I think, Rick; he might have some useful insight, and it's only fair that we warn him that his Equatorial Union friends might be danger here before long." She turned to the ace. "Ken, can you arrange for Minerva's people to be there, as well?"
"Probably," Ken said slowly, still catching up with her quick thought processes. "Captain Gladys and Millenia, I think, would be the best; I don't know Trine very well, but I can already tell you he'll be better suited to holding the fort than for a serious strategy meeting." He rubbed his eyepatch thoughtfully. "I presume some of the other members of the old gang will be along, too; so, which ones?"
"Besides us, I'd say Murrue, Mu, Andy, and Sophia," Cagalli replied. "I'd say Le Creuset, too," she went on, unhappily but unflinchingly, "except that I don't think it would be a good idea to let ZAFT know that he's still around until absolutely necessary."
"Yeah," Kira agreed, thinking back to his own reaction to learning of the man's survival. "I… don't think it would go over very well, and it'd distract from the situation at hand."
"Concur," Ken mused, smiling faintly. Then he stood, and made his way to the door. "I'll start making the arrangements, then. See you at Morgenröte in, say, fifteen minutes, okay?"
"That sounds about right," Cagalli agreed. "But better make it thirty; isn't Murrue still at work?"
The ace shot her a mildly disgusted look, and then was gone… and Kira allowed himself a quiet laugh, moving to Cagalli's side. "Well," he said, amused, "you don't see that every day: you managed to confuse even Ken."
Cagalli grinned. "Watch it, Kira, or I might do the same thing to you sometime."
The Moon, Arzachel Base, Pilots' Ready Room
"All right, people," Commander Allen C. Hamilton told his pilots, "it looks like we're finally ready for active operations."
Jonas Pike and Oscar Goldberg both sat up straight in their seats at the news, looking intent… or more precisely, Pike looked intent, while Goldberg veritably radiated an eagerness to get on with the job of blowing things up.
Good thing I've got Pike in Sigma, Hamilton thought, resigned. Scar, now… he could be a real problem, considering his lack of subtlety… or anything resembling the ability to aim. I'll need Jonas to ride herd on him, I think…
"I take it the verdict is in regarding Operation Fatman, Commander?" Pike asked after a moment, jarring his commander back to the present.
"Unofficially, yes, Jonas," Hamilton confirmed. "The two of you are in the clear; Nova, of course, was ordered back early anyway, and as for your retreat, Jonas, that's being blamed on poor planning. The official line, apparently, is that Admiral Desai's operational planning should've taken Section Nine a bit more seriously." He snorted. "Officially, that is. Unofficially, the plan came from on high, and they need a scapegoat… though on the good side, Desai is probably one of our more useless admirals. A leftover from Azrael's time as Director, and one of the less competent ones, at that."
At one time, his candor would've surprised his subordinates, Pike in particular; after all, one did not normally speak so frankly about a flag officer when one was a mere commander. Pike, however, had long since realized that Hamilton was confident enough in his position to simply speak his mind, so long as no officers of captain rank or higher were present… and sometimes even then, depending on exactly which officer it was.
Pike had, at first, thought that his CO was taking advantage of who his father had been -particularly his father's "heroic" death at Second Jachin- but a month after being assigned to Project Zeta, he'd met Rear Admiral Novak, who had informed him it was simply that Hamilton had a truly towering level of self-confidence. Or, as she'd put it, "chutzpah". He knew he was good at his job, that his superiors knew that he was good at his job, and therefore that, as long as he avoided outright insubordination, he would pretty much be left alone, because he was one of their few pilots who could truly match up to the best ZAFT had to offer.
"So," Goldberg said presently, "Admiral Desai is taking all the blame?"
"Almost," Hamilton told him. "Desai, her staff… and a couple of dead officers from Fourth Fleet, most notably Rear Admiral Cartwright. I gather the official line is that he should've known something was up when ZAFT started trying so hard to protect a particular Nazca, and warned Admiral Kimmer." Another snort. "Of course, since Vice Admiral Kimmer had access to essentially the same information as Admiral Cartwright, you'd think he'd be tainted, as well, but apparently the desire for a scapegoat doesn't quite override their recognition of the need for all the competent flag officers we've got."
He didn't need to explain who "they" were; every member of Project Zeta was well aware of who their true superiors were… even if Hamilton and Pike both had a certain distaste for the notion. Distaste or not, they'd continue following orders, so long as those orders remained in accordance with the ideals of the nation to which they'd sworn their oaths.
"At any rate," Hamilton continued, "I didn't call you here to discuss the probable cashiering of various incompetent admirals. The point is that you both have been cleared of any responsibility for the losses in Operation Fatman, and thus will continue to serve as Project Zeta pilots… a fact which is particularly valuable under the present circumstances."
"The present circumstances?" Pike repeated, intrigued. "Is a new operation about to be underway, Commander?"
Hamilton smiled broadly. "Indeed there is, Jonas. The operation, in fact; one which may well give us another shot at both the 'Major' and the Demon Lord himself. Certainly Section Nine will be directly in the line of fire, so we may finally be able to put them out of our misery."
Goldberg leaned forward. "So what's up, Skipper?"
The commander didn't reply at first, instead bringing the wall display to life. "It seems, Scar, that my own Zeta has been deemed combat-ready just in time, because within two weeks, Operation Meteor will be launched… and this will be our target."
Oscar Goldberg took one look at the image that appeared, and grinned, while Jonas Pike whistled tunelessly… for the image was a map of the Orb Union.
Specifically, it showed Izanagi Island, location of Orb's Parliament Building… and the local headquarters -and, effectively, planetary nerve center- of the nonaligned counterterrorism unit known as Section Nine.
Morgenröte Harbor Facility, Recreation Section, Pool
Considering the number of military personnel -especially foreign military personnel- who had ended up at Morgenröte's original facilities during the Bloody Valentine War, most of them in situations requiring them to maintain a very low profile, it was, perhaps, inevitable that the newly-constructed facility, built after the War, would include sections specifically intended for such low-profile soldiers. If they were going to be present in the first place, and therefore supported by Very Important People within Orb's government, it only made sense to also include recreational facilities for them.
Minerva's personnel had gratefully made use of them since arriving in the country; though some of them -such as Shinn Asuka- had made brief sojourns into the country proper, most of them felt far more at ease within Morgenröte, a place populated by people whop actually understood them… and did not hold with the government's ideas about what was best for the nation.
Thus it was that Ken, having gratefully shed the gasmask he wore as "the Major", strode into the room with Morgenröte's Olympic-sized pool, trench coat fluttering behind him, to find a certain person… though what he actually found was a bit more than he'd expected.
The first person the ace spotted was Shinn, standing near the pool's edge in uniform, though with his coat folded neatly on a nearby chair. A couple of meters away was Rey Za Burrel, still in full uniform, looking at the pool with his usual air of detachment; and to Shinn's immediate left was Lunamaria Hawke, also minus red coat, staring -like Shinn- at the figure in the pool itself.
Ken opened his mouth, started to speak, and then shut it again, as his eye was caught by what the three ZAFT pilots were looking at. Floating in the pool was the woman he'd come to find: Millenia Crescent herself, swimming like she'd been born to it.
Except for the small matter that she was in the deep end, underwater… and had apparently been so for some time, judging from the looks on Shinn and Luna's faces.
Showoff, Ken thought to himself, mildly amused. Not very discrete, if you're trying to keep your true nature hidden, amigo… but on the other hand, if you're trying to appear as mysterious as possible, that's not a bad way to do it.
"Shouldn't she have come up for air by now?" Luna whispered to Shinn, eyes wide. "Even a Coordinator only has so much lung capacity, after all; how long can she stay under?"
"Beats me," Shinn replied softly, with a perplexed shrug. "Maybe she's got an unusual gene makeup…?"
"Well," Ken called, announcing his presence at last, "I'd wondered, Millenia, if you could still swim with that body, but I guess there's no need to ask that question after all, is there? Since you're doing a pretty good imitation of a barracuda right now."
Millenia grinned at him from underwater, then finally brought her head above the surface again. "Thought I had too high a muscle-to-mass ratio, did you?" she said, amused. "Let me guess: you figured I didn't have enough excess body fat to even float, right?"
"It crossed my mind," the ace acknowledged with a nod. Of course, they weren't truly speaking of muscles, but rather the small matter that Millenia's new body was mostly composed of synthetics, with a decided trend toward negative buoyancy. He'd suspected she had some kind of system to compensate, but he wasn't certain… and he did know that, eventually, her body would run out of the stored oxygen required for her still-organic brain, at which point even she would have to surface. It would take far longer than for any normal Coordinator, but it would happen; and if her buoyancy devices failed in anything deeper than the pool, she'd be in very, very serious trouble.
"Well," she told him now, still smiling, "there's more to me than meets the eye, you know. I've got some… built-in advantages, you might say."
Shinn and Luna exchanged a blank look, puzzled by the exchange. "D'you think everyone connected to the Grimaldi Falcon speaks in riddles?" Luna whispered.
He shrugged. "Not everybody; the Chief Representative probably couldn't be subtle if she took a course. But the Commander… well, she was one of his protégés, so I guess it figures they'd understand each other pretty well… even if I have no idea what they're talking about."
Though he found it undeniably puzzling, Shinn wasn't actually too concerned. He'd read up on all the material he could find detailing the Grimaldi Falcon's wartime career, and realized long since that subtlety and manipulation had long been his hallmark, a fact which clearly contributed to his success on the battlefield. Shinn's own opinion of Ken's manner here was that he -and, for that matter, Millenia- was simply keeping in practice, making certain that his skills were ready should he find himself needing them once again.
"Well," Millenia said at length, "did you come here to watch me swim, or has something come up, Sensei?"
All banter vanished from Ken's face in an instant, as the imperatives of the military man took hold once more. "As a matter of fact, something has," he said gravely. "Something serious, in fact… very serious." He jerked his head toward the door. "I contacted Captain Gladys on my way here; Cagalli and Kira are summoning the requisite people on our end. We're going to be holding a meeting in a few minutes… one with grave import to us all."
She nodded slowly. "A 'council of war'?" she said softly.
"Essentially," Ken confirmed, absently rubbing his eyepatch. "The political situation… well, let's just say that we think it's time to begin planning for possible worst-case scenarios. Toward that end, we'd like you and Shinn in on the meeting."
Millenia nodded again. "I'll be there in five," she promised. "Just let me change into my uniform, and I'll be right with you." Hauling herself out of the water, she padded quietly toward the exit, smiling briefly at Ken on her way by.
Ken shook his head. Well, at least some things haven't changed, he thought to himself, unsure as to whether he was amused or not.
Shinn, however, was not at all unsure of one thing: he was unsure of what was going on… or more precisely, how it pertained to him, personally. "Uh, Major? Why include me in the meeting, Sir? Commander Crescent I can understand, but…"
"Let's just say you remind me of someone I once knew," the ace told him, folding his arms thoughtfully. "Someone from a long time ago… And, of course, you're Minerva's number-two pilot, flying her only other 'G-type' mobile suit. That puts you in a special category… and you could also learn something from it."
Before Shinn could think of anything to say in response, the former leader of the Gray Demons turned, trench coat fluttering behind him, and departed, boots clomping quietly on the tile floor with each measured step.
Shinn and Luna glanced at each other, bemused. "Do you think anybody really understands that guy?" Luna wondered aloud. "The way he talks… even the way he acts, it just isn't like other people, you know? Does he have ice water running in his veins or something?"
"According to rumors from the First War," Rey said quietly, walking toward the exit himself, "the Major is the product of some kind of experiment himself, dealing with a new kind of genetic manipulation. Some say that was aimed toward producing a superior soldier; if so, when combined with his martial arts training, it would explain a lot…"
"Sometimes I wonder if anybody understands him, either," Shinn said with a sigh, after Rey had vanished. "Even after all the time we've known him, I still don't understand him any better than I did the day I arrived at the Academy."
"Maybe he's a clone of the Major," Luna joked, smiling. "But you know, he may have a point; there's a lot about the Major that nobody knows… like the full truth of his desertion."
The obsidian-haired shrugged, turning away. "That's true," he admitted, "but if you ask me… I think Commander Crescent is even more confusing." Shaking his head, both at the many mysteries that seemed to surround most of those around him and at the strange interest the Major was taking in him, he headed for the door.
Maybe, he thought, as the door slid aside, I'll finally begin to understand the Major a bit more, once everything begins… That Minerva was going to be on the move again fairly soon, Shinn did not doubt; the last he'd heard, repairs were due to be complete within the week, so that would remove the last engineering obstacle to departure. Presumably, he'd learn more details at the upcoming meeting.
After he, too, had left, Luna put a hand to her chin, frowning in thought. "That's weird," she murmured to herself. "Ever since we got to Orb, he's changed… that temper that always used to get him in trouble is actually starting to mellow. Could it be that Shinn is actually… getting over what happened, after all this time?"
That was a question she had a feeling would be plaguing her for the next several months, but somehow she didn't think she'd be disappointed by the final answer. She'd always liked Shinn, despite his… uncertain temper; and for all that she was more ambivalent than he was about the Major, she thought that, just perhaps, she could get over it, if he continued to have this kind of effect on Shinn…
Morgenröte Harbor Facility, Office
Captain Talia Gladys was decidedly puzzled, as she stood next to the large window overlooking Minerva's dock. Being called in for a meeting was nothing new, after all the months Minerva had spent in Orb -she'd spent a number of hours in this very office, discussing the ship's repairs with Alex Dino- but the summons for this meeting had been… unusual, to say the least.
To be sure, she thought to herself, anything the Major has to say is doubtless at least interesting… but he seemed more urgent about it than I would've expected, under the circumstances. So far, we've had few of the problems I'd expected, considering the current political climate… has something changed, since our last meeting?
Talia had a feeling she'd be getting an answer to that question soon; she also had a feeling she wasn't going to like that answer. Whenever the man the terrorist Sato had dubbed the "Demon Lord" was in a hurry about something, it tended to be bad news…
Her curious musings were cut short when the office's door slid open, admitting Ken DiFalco… and, to her surprise, a bemused-looking Shinn Asuka. "Apologies for the abrupt nature of the request for this meeting, Captain," Ken said courteously, "but I'm afraid I had little choice, under the circumstances."
Talia shrugged. "If it's as important as you're hinting at, Major, it's no trouble at all. May I ask just what the nature of this meeting is, however?"
"I'll explain in a few moments," he replied, and gestured for her to sit. "You may as well get comfortable, Captain; I'd prefer to wait on getting started until the others arrive, and this will take some time even then."
Sliding into the indicated chair, the captain sighed. "Somehow, Major, that doesn't really surprise me. From everything I've heard about you, nothing in a war is ever simple when you're involved, whether it's because you're plotting against someone, or someone is plotting against you…" She shook her head in wry resignation. "Well, can you at least tell me why Shinn is here, considering the high-level strategy meeting you're implying?"
The ace twitched his shoulders in a small shrug. "Call it advanced training," he said simply, motioning for the young pilot to sit as well, "something he wouldn't have gotten at the Academy. Also, he is one of your two G-type pilots. As such, he's undoubtedly going to bear a large part of the burden of defending Minerva, so it's only sensible -and right- that he know exactly what he's up against."
Talia nodded thoughtfully at that. Considering that she asked her pilots -the pilots of Strike Noir and Impulse in particular- to place their lives on the line every time they launched, she had to admit they did deserve to know why, and what they would be expected to face. Something the Major obviously understands almost too well, considering how the First War went…
The three of them waited in silence for a few minutes -Ken leaning against the window, arms folded in a pose Kira Yamato would've recognized instantly- until the door slid open once more. Millenia Crescent stepped through it, now dressed smartly in her red uniform, violet hair still glistening with dampness. "Sorry I'm late," she apologized, nodding to her captain (and shooting Ken a brief, indecipherable glance), "but drying off took a little longer than I expected. Of course," she added, glancing around the table, "it looks like we're still the only ones here, so-"
She chopped off mid-sentence, for the door abruptly opened again… this time admitting someone not in any form of ZAFT uniform. Nor, however, was it a civilian outfit, but rather a uniform Talia Gladys had seen on only a tiny handful of people… all of them belonging to one organization, and all of them dangerously competent, in one field or another.
First the dark brown hair, reaching now down to mid-back, registered with Talia, then the uniform itself: gray boots, trousers, and blouse, topped with a silver belt, a silver jacket with gray epaulettes, and silver gloves. On the cuffs were four golden rings, matched by stripes on the shoulder boards on the epaulettes, while the gray cap under the officer's arm had a row of silver oak leaves along the visor's edge.
It was the field uniform of Section Nine, combining unique tailoring with insignia based on that of a military not seen since the Reconstruction War, over sixty years before. It also marked the marigold-eyed woman wearing at as someone of great importance within Section Nine, since, as far as Talia knew, the organization had exactly two officers of that rank… both of whom were accounted for as the commanding officers of Odin and Asmodeus, and both of whom also happened to be male.
So who… Talia's eyes widened in sudden realization. It couldn't be! …Could it?
The newcomer's eyebrows went up at the resounding silence provoked by her entrance -even Shinn was looking more than a little nonplused- then she nodded in sudden understanding. "Of course," she said, with an apologetic smile. "The three of you wouldn't know, would you?" She extended a hand to Talia. "I'm Captain Murrue Ramius, commanding officer of the Section Nine Mobile Assault Ship Archangel."
Standing, the ZAFT captain shook the proffered hand… though if anything, the revelation was even more bemusing than the mystery that preceded it. "Pleased to meet you, Captain Ramius," Talia said sincerely, "…but I have to admit this comes as something of a surprise. I'd not heard of any female captains within Section Nine… or that the Archangel was considered one of their units. For that matter, I wasn't aware the ship even still existed."
"Well, she does, Captain Gladys," Murrue assured her with a smile. "I'm afraid my fiancé here has never been the most trusting sort, so some of Section Nine's resources don't appear on any official manifest outside of the organization itself."
Millenia chose that moment to stand as well, and saluted Archangel's captain respectfully. "I'm Commander Millenia Crescent, Captain Ramius," she introduced, carefully keeping any trace of uneasiness out of her expression.
In point of fact, she had been quite surprised to hear that this was Ken DiFalco's fiancé. The only resemblance she bore to either of the two women the ace had been linked with previously was a slight similarity between her eye color and Millenia's; in every other regard, Murrue Ramius was a standard distinct unto herself… though to be fair, Millenia had to admit she herself bore little resemblance to Laura Elsman, either.
In fact, she thought to herself, the real surprise is her age. There must be eight years between them… but come to think of it, I doubt anyone has accused Falcon of being immature within the last five years. And if they found each other amidst all this…
Millenia chopped off her thought there. She didn't really care to venture where her thoughts were taking her now…
"Pleased to meet you, Commander," Murrue said courteously, returning the salute, unaware of the other woman's inner uncertainty. "Ken's mentioned you before; he speaks highly of your skills, both in a mobile suit and with a sword."
Millenia shrugged, smiling faintly (the smile coming more naturally than she had expected it to). "Hard not to be good," she opined, "with Falcon teaching you. Being taught by the best tends to bring out the best in other people."
"That's been my observation, too," the older woman agreed, and moved toward the table. "So, Ken, who are we still missing?"
"Kira, Cagalli, and Andy," Ken replied promptly, still leaning against the window. "I thought we'd keep this meeting small; plenty of time for the details later, after we've got the important things hashed out."
She nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense," she agreed. "Well, I don't expect them to be long; from what little Kira told me when he called, things have gotten pretty serious, and it wouldn't be like any of them to dawdle when the stakes are so high."
Murrue took little notice of Ken's motionlessness, even after her entrance; she knew that, however demonstrative he might be under other circumstances, he was all business when it came to a meeting of such importance. When something this grave came up, the strategist reasserted itself within him; it was something she'd gotten used to long before they got engaged, and so took little notice of now.
It wasn't long before the door opened one more time, this time admitting Kira, Cagalli, and a man whose presence came as another surprise to Talia… while conversely, Shinn had been fully expecting to see him. Following behind the two Orb representatives, Andrew Waltfeld walked in, with only a trace of a limp to show that his left leg was a powered prosthetic, replacing the limb he'd lost three years earlier.
And, like Murrue, he wore the gray and silver of Section Nine, though with the broad stripe and single star of a commodore instead of a captain.
"Sorry we're late," Kira apologized, escorting Cagalli to a chair. "Traffic was heavier than we expected on the way here."
"And," Andy added dryly, "it took me a few minutes to convince Aisha this was a preliminary strategy meeting, not some pre-mission briefing that she needed to attend." He chuckled. "I finally had to point out that if the room got too crowded, our CO over there might've done something drastic."
"I don't cut my subordinates up for being in the way, Andy," Ken said with great dignity, "especially when they're subordinates in name only. I merely knock the excess participants unconscious and stack them neatly to one side."
The Desert Tiger grinned… though his amusement was directed more toward the ZAFT officers present. "Sure you would… I'm Commodore Andrew Waltfeld, by the way," he added, nodding to Minerva's people. "One of the Major's strategists, and CO of the Armed Transport Eternal."
Millenia whistled tunelessly. "My, my, Falcon, you have been holding back about your actual resources. Last I heard, Eternal hadn't been seen since the War, either." She raised an eyebrow. "Got any other helpful surprises for us?"
"Unfortunately, no," the ace admitted. "That's why Cagalli asked us all here today." He nodded at his friend and wartime partner. "Care to get the ball rolling, now that we're all here?"
She nodded. "Right, Ken." Taking a deep breath, Cagalli stood, and said, "I'm afraid, ladies and gentlemen, that the political situation here in Orb has taken a turn for the worse."
It was not, perhaps, fair to say that anyone present was surprised. Murrue had been kept abreast of the steadily declining situation by Ken, whose dual identity had given him unique access into Orb's governmental affairs; likewise, Andy had been informed by Kira, who had thought it best to keep the canny warrior apprised of such matters.
Nor were any of Minerva's group very surprised by the statement. Shinn, of course, had been prepared to think the worst of Orb from the very start, whereas Millenia and Talia had been keeping a close eye on things themselves, questioning Alex Dino on the matter whenever the opportunity arose.
Nevertheless, it still wasn't a pleasant thing to hear, by any measure.
"May I ask just what has happened, Lady Cagalli?" Talia asked at length.
"Operation Fatman happened," Cagalli replied wearily. "My prime minister has decided that, though the nuclear attack ended in a tactical victory for the PLANTs, it was also a strategic defeat, and so has decided there's no more point in even pretending to consider supporting the PLANTs. One week from today, he says, the vote on the WSTO treaty is going to go through."
The ZAFT captain sighed. "I was afraid of that… And I take it the odds of it being voted down are low, My Lady?"
"More like nonexistent," Cagalli admitted. "And with public opinion as it's been lately, I'd be crucified by the media and the people alike if I refused to sign it. Politically, it isn't an option at all… much as I hate it."
That statement touched off the hitherto silent Shinn, who practically exploded out of his chair. "So you're just going to give in?!" he demanded angrily. "Throw away everything you've preached about, and just-!"
"First of all," she snapped, cutting him off, "you were the one who was complaining about my father not doing that back in the War, remember? And second, I didn't say I was going to sign it, I said the public backlash would be bad if I didn't. But," she said forcefully, her icy malachite gaze locking with Shinn's fiery crimson, "I do have a third option."
Shinn sat back in his chair abruptly, speculation suddenly replacing the anger in his eyes, and Talia herself blinked. "A third option, My Lady?" she repeated. "What might that option be?"
"To resign my position as Chief Representative," Cagalli said, lifting her chin proudly, "in protest of a treaty whose signing would violate my own integrity, and throw away every principle my father died for, two years ago. To show that I would rather throw all this away than to sign into law a treaty which would make us nothing more than the Atlantic Federation's lapdogs."
Of those present, only Kira appeared completely unsurprised; to Millenia's amusement -tempered though it was by her own shock- even the ever-imperturbable Ken DiFalco's right eye had gone wide, and she was quite certain the left had as well, behind his eyepatch.
Murrue found her voice again first. "…Are you sure about that, Cagalli? Giving up the position entirely…"
"I never wanted it to begin with, Murrue," Cagalli said quietly, "but I did my best anyway, because I believed it was right… and if continuing to do what I believe is right means I have to do this, then I will, without hesitation."
Hearing those words, Shinn leaned back in his chair, mind suddenly uncertain. An Athha… standing up for her principles so firmly? If she resigns, she gives up every perk of status she has; would she really do that, in defense of principle…?
"Unfortunately," Cagalli went on, oblivious to -and uninterested in- the young pilot's thoughts, "it does leave us with a problem: the moment Unato has effective control of the government, I have no doubt he'll act against both Minerva and Section Nine. Once he does that…"
"So that's why we're here," Andy realized, nodding slowly.
"Right," Millenia concurred thoughtfully. "To try and figure a way out of this mess, before it kills us all." She glanced briefly at Murrue, then Kira, before her gaze finally settled on Ken. "Just what do we have at our disposal, anyway? Is it enough to offset Orb's advantage, as the 'home team'?"
"I don't know," he said honestly. "Section Nine's resources are, alas, limited; engaging an entire country -especially one which happens to be one of our two main sponsors- was never part of the plan. Moreover, much of our budget for the past eighteen months has been diverted to a… special project, which I would prefer not to discuss."
He nodded at Murrue then, who promptly stood. "Our current available resources," she began, walking to a wall display, "are unfortunately limited to what we have in Orb at this moment. Considering that, for all practical purposes, that also includes Minerva, we're actually somewhat better off than Archangel was three years ago, during our long journey from Heliopolis to JOSHUA. Conversely, however, our opposition is more technologically advanced than anything we fought then, and -considering that this is actual Orb territory- they're also more numerous than anything we had to fight at any given time. With that in mind, our limitation to just three ships is going to hamper us by a potentially significant degree."
"Wait a minute," Shinn protested, frowning. "Only three? What Asmodeus? Or Eternal, if that's still around too?"
Andy shook his head. "Practicalities, kid. Eternal isn't even atmosphere-capable… not to mention that her crew's scattered all over the place right now. Asmodeus is pretty much out of the question, too: with all that's been happening in space lately, it'd be too risky to leave S9 HQ uncovered. Also, this isn't like Archangel's descent to Earth in the War. That was in the middle of the Libyan desert, where the only hostile forces for hundreds of kilometers around were my land battleships, none of which had the reach to hit her on her way down, even if we'd known to expect her. Which, I might add, we didn't."
Talia nodded thoughtfully. "I see what you mean. Were Asmodeus to attempt an orbital descent into Orb right now, she'd probably be shot down before she could even think about defensive maneuvers." She sighed. "So, that leaves us with just Minerva, Odin, and Archangel, right? Well, I suppose it can't be that bad…"
"It could be worse," Kira put in with a nod. "Fact is, we're pretty confident we can at least get the ships into open waters, and deal with any Orb ships that try to give chase… even if it means we have to destroy them ourselves." He didn't look happy at the admission, but he did so without hesitation. One thing the War had taught him was that sometimes, it really was necessary to fight to the end. "The problem," he went on, "is getting out into the water in the first place. Until we get moving, Minerva and Odin are going to be pretty big targets. Archangel will be fine in the initial stage, since Unato doesn't even know she's still around, let alone that Section Nine has a harbor facility of its own out here, but the other two…"
"There's another problem," Millenia interjected, frowning pensively. "Mobile suits."
She didn't need to explain herself beyond that. Everyone in the room knew from personal experience that, however lethal their ships could be against other warships, they were very vulnerable to mobile suit attack. Archangel had been nearly destroyed more than once by mobile suits that had gotten too close for even CIWS to engage… and had also come all too close to losing the bridge to well-aimed fire from pilots just good enough to get into range for a single shot. For that matter, Minerva herself had nearly suffered that particular fate once.
No, none of the soldiers in that room had any illusions about the threat mobile suits posed.
"The biggest threat from Orb's suits is going to be numbers," Ken said pensively, and began to pace in front of the floor to ceiling window overlooking Minerva. "We're not quite as short on mobile suits as we are on ships, after all. Currently, we have Preybird, Impulse, Strike Noir, two ZAKUs… and, of course, the Freedom."
Millenia raised an eyebrow. "So, the rumors are true, huh? Orb really is keeping a nuclear-powered machine around?"
"We are," Cagalli acknowledged. "And the entire world knows it. They just don't do anything about it, since even the Atlantic Federation admits Azrael's attack three years ago was… excessive. They're willing to cut us that much slack, at least; not everyone in the Earth Alliance is a monster… not quite, anyway." She looked over at Ken. "Still… don't you have Murasames, too, Ken? I remember Asagi, Juri, and Mayura transferred to Section Nine pretty early on…"
The ace shook his head. "We do have them, yes, but they're up in orbit at the moment; getting certified on the Fiannas, in fact. Besides, even if they were ready to sortie, I couldn't ask them to. Not here; not when there's a good chance they'd have to kill Orb soldiers."
Not even Shinn felt like disputing that statement. His feelings toward Orb were… mixed, at best, but even he wouldn't dream of asking that of someone if it could possibly be avoided.
"So," Talia began, breaking the uncomfortable silence, "that's it, then? Three ships and six mobile suits against an entire nation's worth of warships and mobile suits?"
"Not quite," Ken corrected. "Remember, Dearka came to Earth last month, too, and he brought the Buster with him; under the circumstances, I've a feeling he'll throw in with us. Buster's not the most maneuverable machine around, even after Erica Simmons grafted GAT-X107 Raptor's old flight unit onto it, but it's still a formidable foe… and there's also the chance of another machine turning up."
He didn't elaborate on the final point; and before anyone could question him about it, Murrue quietly cleared her throat. "There you have it, people. Three warships, six -more likely seven- mobile suits, and of course Section Nine's local HQ contingent. That's what we've got at hand… now we have to figure out how best to use those resources, should the worst case scenario occur."
Equatorial Union, Capital City, Outdoor Café, February 13th, C.E. 74
"Oh, him?" The brown-haired woman chuckled quietly, thinking back. "Yeah, I know him… used to, anyway."
"So he really was a ZAFT pilot that far back?" the blue-haired youth pressed. "All the way back to the Blockade?"
Another chuckle. "Even farther back than that, actually. He was part of one of the very first graduating classes, back in '69." She leaned back in her chair. "It's going to take a while," she added thoughtfully. "It happened years ago."
The two of them had come to this café, in the capital of a neutral country, for varying reasons. Freelance reporter Jess Rabble sought for the tale of an ace whose exploits had become legendary; he'd once covered the man's disappearance from public view, two years before, and later served on the same side of the Equatorial Union Civil War, but he'd never actually met the man… and now he wanted to know just how the ace had gotten where he had. Or, as he put it, he wanted the true story, instead of the legends.
Natalie Hollis, former second in command of the Lacan team, also wanted the truth to be told… for she, like her old friend and commander Rick Lacan, had hated to see Kenneth DiFalco's name smeared with the accusation of treason. She knew him, understood him, in a way no disinterested observer ever could.
So when Jess Rabble had tracked her down over the global network and asked for an interview, she'd only been too happy too arrange this meeting in the Equatorial Union.
Now, Rabble was waiting patiently as Natalie organized her thoughts. "Did you know," she said at length, "that there are three kinds of aces?"
"No," Rabble replied, somewhat bemused by the apparent non sequitur. "I hadn't heard that; but then I'm a reporter, not a soldier. Why?"
"Well," she said, raising a finger, "there are those who seek strength, those who live for pride… and those who can read the tide of battle." She raised a finger with each point, continuing, "Those are the three. And him? He was… different. From the first day he joined the team, I knew he was something special."
"I hear they call him the 'Demon Lord' now," the reporter remarked.
Natalie smiled, remembering those long ago days. "Demon Lord… Well, I have to say it suits him. Leader of the Gray Demons, and the most exceptional pilot I ever flew with. He was seeking strength when I first met him, the strength to defend the PLANTs; after the Bloody Valentine, he lived for pride, intent on avenging the loss he suffered there…"
"An avenger?" Rabble said, surprised. "That's not what I'd have expected from him. I mean, I've heard the rumors about GENESIS' origin and everything, but…"
"Don't pay attention to the rumors," she said sharply. "Some of them are close to the truth, but none of them get it exactly right; and I didn't say he still lives for pride, did I?" Natalie shook her head. "No… the Demon Lord gave that up when he realized what he'd done. It's been a long time since I saw him, but I know that much. After Endymion… he's the kind who can read the tide of battle; in the end, he was one of the most influential pilots in the entire War, and he was there from start to finish…"
Rabble nodded thoughtfully; one thing he'd already decided, from talking to the retired ZAFT pilot, was the title for his next article: A Woman of Undying Faith. She was clearly unyielding in her faith in her old comrade in arms… the friend who'd long since surpassed her in reputation, but remained a fond memory nonetheless.
"So," he said now, "just how did it all begin?"
Natalie smiled again. "Well, I'd like to say it was a cold and snowy day; you know, something dramatic. But the truth is, it was in the eternal night of outer space… and the enemy that day was only a nuisance, compared to the Demon Lord…"
Orb Union, Izanagi Island, Parliament Building, Chief Representative's Office, February 18th, C.E. 74
Cagalli Yula Athha sat at her desk, only barely managing to restrain the stream of curses that so desperately wanted to break loose… and not quite managing to conceal the scowl on her face, as she waited for her office door to open.
Behind her, Kira laid a hand on her shoulder. "There wasn't anything you could've done, Cagalli," he said quietly. "We both knew this was coming, didn't we? After everything that happened over the last few months…"
"I know," she said, trying not to sound bitter, "but still… How could they do this? After what happened in the War, you'd think-"
Cagalli cut herself off with a sign, and leaned back in her chair. In point of fact, the latest turn of events didn't surprise her… but it didn't make her very happy, either. In fact, it accomplished just about the exact opposite, as evidenced by her scowl.
The treaty proposal had been put to a vote that morning, just as Unato had said… and the tally had been exactly what Cagalli had feared. The Parliament had not been unanimous in their recognition of the treaty, but it had been near enough: out of the seventy-odd members of Parliament present for the vote, sixty-nine had cast their ballots in favor of joining the World Security Treaty Organization. Now all that remained was for the treaty to be signed by the Chief Representative… and though she could technically refuse, it would be political suicide; a fact of which Unato Ema Seiran was only too well aware.
Kira suddenly drew back to the wall, face turning impassive, and Cagalli's scowl -barely- vanished, as the door swung open. First through it was, of course, the camera crew; Unato had seen to it that this "momentous occasion" would be broadcast worldwide. Cagalli suspected it was partly to rub her nose in it, thereby robbing her position of even more prestige and power, but even more than that he undoubtedly wanted to make sure the Earth Alliance knew without question that Orb was toeing the line, and would not have to be "punished".
Following on the heels of the camera crew was, of course, Unato himself, with his son following a step behind. In his hand, the prime minister carried a piece of paper -undoubtedly the treaty draft- and on his face was a carefully-concealed smile… a smile whose self-satisfied nature managed to leak through anyway, at least to those who knew to look for it.
"Lady Cagalli," Unato said formally, coming to stand in front of the desk, "I present to you the final draft of the World Security Treaty Organization proposal, duly ratified by Parliament, requiring only your signature to be signed into law."
Cagalli took the innocuous-looking sheet of paper, and simply stared at it for several moments. Though aware that she was now on live, worldwide television, she could not at first bring herself to do anything but look at it.
Here it is, she thought bitterly. The simple piece of paper that will sign away everything my father died for… and everything Orb could achieve to stop what's about to happen. With Section Nine's help, we could join forces with the PLANTs, and end this quickly, without compromising our principles… but instead Unato -and the entire government, curse them- insists on betraying our people again…
Even now, Cagalli couldn't understand how it had come to this. Orb had been struck with over a dozen nuclear weapons during Azrael's fit of vengeance; that terrible event had only occurred after the Earth Alliance had placed outrageous demands on Orb, demands which would've left the Orb people in even worse straits, in some ways, than those which they'd found themselves in upon evacuating Orb.
And yet Unato managed to effortlessly turn them toward the idea of allying ourselves with them… How can they possibly be so stupid?! So many people died for the freedom we've enjoyed since the War, and now they're just going to through it away.
Unless…
Abruptly, and to Unato's surprise, Cagalli came to her feet, still holding the treaty proposal. "Prime Minister Seiran," she said, in coldly formal tones, "you are asking me to sign a 'treaty' which would accomplish nothing more and nothing less than putting us under the dominion of the Earth Alliance, as little more than vassals… if that. You are asking me to sign into law a proposal which throws away every single gain Uzumi Nara Athha and Lance Cooper fought for, and yes, died for." She looked directly into the camera now, a wild feeling of exhilaration warring with her anger as she finally let it all out on worldwide television. "You're asking me to betray my people for a treaty that is fully as unjust as Muruta Azrael's demands in the Bloody Valentine War… as unjust as the quotas placed upon the PLANTs in the years leading up to the War itself!"
Eyes wide with shock, Unato raised a hand. "Lady Cagalli-!" he began sharply, only to be cut off by Cagalli's implacable anger.
"No, Prime Minister Seiran, I will not sign this into law. I realize you will undoubtedly find a way to enact it anyway, but you'll do it without any shred of legitimacy my presence might give it." Lifting her chin proudly, her malachite gaze burned into the camera lens. "As of this moment, I, Cagalli Yula Athha, daughter of Uzumi Nara Athha, resign my position as Chief Representative!"
And with that proud statement, Cagalli Yula Athha held the treaty proposal before the camera, and tore it in half.
Morgenröte Harbor Facility, Main Recreation Room
Watching Cagalli tear the treaty proposal in half on a live broadcast, with utter disbelief etched into the face of Unato in the background. Millenia discreetly looked around the room to see the flurry of activity the former Chief Representative had caused, she was laughing her head off internally.
Nodding silently to Shinn, who was talking to Luna and Rey about what they had witnessed, the mysterious mobile suit commander made her way out of the room and back towards the Minerva. She had a lot of preparations to do, and so little time to do it. But one thing was sure to her: it was always time for war.
"Well played…" Millenia said softly as she walked out of the room.
Author's note:
In the wake of the disastrous nuclear attack on the PLANTs, the Earth Alliance draws back, abandoning the offensive and surrendering the initiative as they regroup, and attempt to rebuild their forces. In the wake of the revelation of the Neutron Stampeder, their traditional battle tactic has been rendered worse than useless, so they now seek a new alternative… and turn their attention to the surface of their own world, in hopes of securing an advantage in the heretofore neutral nation of Orb…
Meanwhile, in anticipation of betrayal, Ken DiFalco, Murrue Ramius, and Talia Gladys begin making contingency plans… but remain ignorant of the greatest danger to them even now. And now, having been presented with a proposal that would throw away everything she's fought for, Cagalli Yula Athha instead renounces her title, and abandons Unato Ema Seiran to face the inevitable without her…
Okay, yeah, I know this chapter is extremely late. Well, this time it really isn't my fault: some sick bastard hacked my writing computer a few weeks ago -shortly after I updated A Call to Arms- and effectively destroyed it, leaving me without the ability to write for a week. Now, though, I'm back on track, and likely to remain so.
Now, I realize not much happens in this chapter. Unfortunately, every bit of it was necessary setup… and next chapter will be anything but dull. In point of fact, Chapter 12 will feature everything going to hell in a hand basket. So stay tuned. The story is about to jump back into high gear… In the meantime, though, I'd like at least some feedback on this one. -Solid Shark
