The drop pods launched, heading down towards Gibraltar and Carpentaria to on an intercept course with the Alliance fleet. The bolts on the pods broke off and the mobile suits jumped out. A hail of fire greeted them as Jet Windams rushed in for the kill. Two ZAKU Warriors were immediately downed, their remains hurling down towards the sea.

"The Minerva will be exiting our territorial waters soon," an aide told Yuna Roma Seiran.

"Are the preparations complete?"


The Minerva slowly cruised away from Orb. Meyrin was shocked when she noticed the sensor data. "Enemy fleet directly in front of us, captain!" She reported.

Talia looked ahead, stunned.

"Guess this is it," James said, the Zacynthus hovering next to the ship. "My guess is that our leaving was strictly so Orb doesn't get involved."

"Captain, the Orb fleet is positioned behind us," Meyrin reported.

"Battle alert!" Talia ordered.

On the Zacynthus, the mobile suits were already being prepped. Five strapped into the Legacy, activating its systems. The machine activated and the phase shift turned on, making the mobile suit's arms and legs white, while the chest and head turned yellow. "Legacy is good to go," Five reported.

"This will probably be the toughest battle we've had so far, but I have in you," Talia broadcast to both ships.

Gee, thanks, Five thought.


"Any reason we're on battle alert?" Shinn asked Lunamaria.

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

Shinn shook his head and strapped in to the Core Splendor. He launched immediately, combining the parts together to form Impulse. Rey and Lunamaria maneuvered their ZAKUs onto the top of Minerva to provide cover fire.

Thirteen followed suit, the GM Cannon landing above the hangar bay. A squad of Jet Windams appeared on the horizon, and the GM Cannon immediately opened fire with its long range beam rifle.

"Can't you use the turrets?!" Shinn asked, firing his beam rifle, as well.

"They don't have a lot of range, Asuka," Thirteen replied. "The drawback of heavy firepower."

The Alliance ships opened fire, peppering the sea around the Minerva. Thirteen took a step back as a rush of water struck the Zacynthus, drenching his mobile suit and obscuring his vision.

The ZAKU Gunner and the Impulse continued shooting down the approaching Windams. The Impulse took to the skies, drawing a beam saber and cutting through the units. The Legacy rushed in past Impulse, unleashing the RAWS. Four units, two on the arms, two on the legs, broke off and flew in a preprogrammed pattern, firing at any enemy unit within their flight path. Three Windams were caught in the first pass, the tiny weapons too fast for them to target.

Five smirked inside. This unit is amazing. Gonna have to ask Djarum why he didn't become a professional engineer.

The Minerva and Zacynthus kept up a steady stream of fire, knocking out scores of missiles before they could hit.

"I don't believe this," Lunamaria said. "We've got more enemies inbound."

"No time to complain," Rey's voice chided. "Just concentrate."


"These two ships are proving to be quite resourceful," the commander said. "Bring out the Zamza-Zah."

The ships slowly moved apart, making way for a massive mobile armor that needed three pilots just to function.

"That's a big frikkin' ship," James said. "All units, new enemy inbound!"

The GM Cannon fired several shots, but the mobile armor was too fast. The Legacy aimed its beam rifle and fired once, the bolt grazing the new arrival. "Well, so much for that approach," Five muttered, yanking the controls hard to avoid being hit by it.

The Minerva fired its Tannhauser, and Five watched in astonishment as the mobile armor raised its back end up, activating a positron deflector shield. The beam struck it head on, stopping the armor in its tracks, but the shield held. The Impulse rushed in, trying to attack its exposed sides.


Cagalli entered the military headquarters and noticed the Minerva was under attack. "Yuna, what is this?"

Yuna ignored her. "If the Minerva enters Orb waters, you have permission to attack it."

"Yuna, I don't think-"

"Stop being so damn sentimental!" Yuna yelled at her, and she froze.

Captain Todaka looked at the Minerva and shook his head. "I think it's disgraceful, allying yourself with the nation that attacked our home, and then firing on the ship that tried to save it. Fire warning shot that come up short of the target."

"Those aren't our orders, sir," an aide said.

"Damn the orders," Todaka said. "I'm the captain, not Seiran."

The Minerva and Zacynthus slowly approached Orb's territory, ignoring the gunfire heading their way.

The GM Cannon fired on the Zamza-Zah as it grabbed the Impulse by the leg. The phase shift shut down, and the Zamza-Zah crushed the Impulse's leg instantly. The GM Cannon kept a steady stream of fire directed at the machine, refusing to let it target the ships.

Shinn thought about his family as his machine fell. Images of his mother, father, and sister raced through his mind. He saw a seed in front of his eyes, and it burst. Shinn suddenly felt a surge of energy, and he pulled Impulse out of the fall. "Minerva, fire the Deuterion beam, and send out the Force Silhouette.!" The Impulse spun away as the mobile armor fired again.

The Deuterion beam fired, connecting with Impulse's antenna, restoring power. Shinn activated phase shift once again and the Force Silhouette attached itself. The Impulse rushed at the machine, activating the beam saber. It landed feet first on, and stabbed the beam saber directly into the cockpit. Shinn pulled away as the unit fell into the ocean and exploded. Five sighed in relief as the fleet began to retreat.


AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry. Scheduling difficulties again.