AN: Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the next chapter of this fanfiction. This chapter is the first mark of the fact that we are nearing the end of the long journey.
Kira: It's actually kind of sad when you think about it, and all that we've been through.
Elita: Yeah you can say that again.
Optimus: Never the less, we shall see to it that this story shall receive an ending that it deserves.
Cagalli: Hey what are you guys talking about? Remember this is the first in a trilogy, it's not like it's completely over for us yet. I mean there's still the sequel to this story alone and the third story both of which will have us facing...
AN: WAH! SPOILER! [hits a control that drops a large hammer on Cagalli that misses (sadly)]
Cagalli: Hey I saw that last part! AND WHAT THE HELL?! I WAS JUST SAYING THAT IT'S NOT OVER YET BECAUSE WE'VE STILL GOT TO DEAL WITH...
AN: DAH! SHE'S STILL GOING! [hits another control and this time an anvil drops on Cagalli]
Mu: Seriously? An anvil? One of the oldest cartoon cliches?
AN: Well I can't take all the credit for that one. One of my reviews suggested it and I thought it would be funny. And it was.
Kira: Uh, can someone help me get Cagalli out from under here?
[Everyone looks at AN]
AN: Nope. I write this thing. I am not risking Cagalli ending this story by putting me five feet under.
Optimus: Perhaps we should move to the story.
Elita: I got the disclaimer! lyokoMARVELanime does not own anything from any of the Gundam or Transformers franchises or any other franchise mentioned in this story.
Chapter 25: Dawn of a New Light
It had been a few hours since the Archangel, the Omega II, and the Kusanagi had reached space, and everyone had taken a moment to pause in order to do two things. One was ensuring the Kusanagi had completely assembled from the five compartments that made up the ship, and the other was taking a moment to grieve over the loss of the Orb nation and her leaders. It was especially hard on Cagalli, so much so that Kisaka found he could not bring himself to tell her not to cry, and Arcee found herself wishing that she could send her Holo-form through the Ground Bridge to console the girl, but right then and there, they needed to deal with a few other matters.
For the reason of discussing those matters, everyone had agreed to meet on the Omega II, since at the moment it was the only way they could all meet face to face without the Autobots all using their holo-forms. Now don't misunderstand, the Autobots did not mind using said function, but the holo-forms did have a downside of rendering their actual bodies inactive during the time that they were in use, and since they needed to be alert at all times right now, it seemed more practical to meet on the Autobot vessel instead of doing otherwise. So, after Murrue, Mu, Kira, and Athrun had all taken a tour of the Kusanagi, and met up with Chief Erica Simmons, they all took a Ground Bridge over to the Omega II, only pausing for a moment to allow Kira and Athrun a moment to help Cagalli calm down enough so that she would be able to come too.
Once everyone had arrived in the ship's Ground Bridge room, everyone who had not been aboard the massive vessel before took a moment to look around and gaze in awe of how the ship seemed just as big up close on the inside as it did on the outside before Bumblebee and Arcee both got everyone's attention. "Welcome aboard everyone," Arcee proclaimed with a smirk. "Optimus and the others are all waiting for us in the observation room."
With that said, the two Autobots began to lead everyone in the group to said location of the ship, and upon their arrival they all saw that Arcee was not kidding when she said that Optimus and the others were waiting for them, because Dreadwing and every Autobot was actually gathered there, except for one. "Hey where's Ratchet," Erica asked.
All the 'Bots immediately gained a somber look at this before Wheeljack stated, "We're not sure."
"What do you mean by that? How can you not be sure where one of your own friends is when he was right here on this ship back in Orb," Cagalli demanded, with slight worry in her voice that was cracking a bit still from the crying she had been doing earlier.
"That's just it, Ratchet wasn't always aboard in Orb," Elita replied sadly. "Sometime during the battle, Ratchet just vanished, and none of us knew about it until after Ironhide got hit by Bruticus's attack and Arcee had called for Ratchet to get him onto the ship."
"Well no one just vanishes," Mu pointed out. "I mean something had to have happened to him right? Did you check over any security videos you might have or whatever?"
"We did," Jazz replied. "Hound and I looked over the videos while we were waiting for you guys. Sometime after he had blasted apart some of the Earth Forces' ships, namely when he hit one ship with a barrage and shouted 'And stay broken' something seemed to get aboard the ship, catching his attention. After that though, it's not really clear what had happened."
"What do you mean," Kisaka asked.
"It's probably best if you were to see for yourselves," Hound answered as he brought up a holographic screen with the video on it. In the video, everyone could see that Ratchet was doing everything he could to keep the ship going while taking out the enemy ships, including the point that Jazz had mentioned a moment ago, reminding Mu of what he had said back in Orb the first time he saw it happened. Then a strange clanking noise resounded from off screen, drawing Ratchet's attention as he called out asking if someone was there. They all saw the medical 'Bot get more on edge as he switched his hands into his arm blades, until finally Ratchet let out a scream of fright and the video went dead. The feed did not return until later when Elita had come aboard the ship looking for Ratchet and only finding the bridge in its wrecked disarrayed state instead.
With the video having come to an end, Hound shut off the holo-screen and turned to everyone as he announced, "I think it's pretty clear what happened. Someone or something got aboard the ship while we were all being kept busy with the Earth Forces and Starscream's new Decepticon team and took the doc, but whatever reason that might be, we can only guess."
"Well Ratchet is our chief medical officer and the best medic in all the Autobots. Maybe whoever did this thought that if they got rid of him it would be easier to beat us since we didn't have Ratchet's medical expertise to patch us up," Bumblebee suggested, with Kira translating for everyone who could not understand him.
"And not to mention that Ratchet has done a lot of tech work for us as well since we came to Earth," Arcee pointed out. "Without him the Omega II wouldn't be at the level it is today. Plus he has also been working on other projects as well right, maybe the 'Cons of either group found out and grabbed him for that reason."
"All reasonable explanations for the why, but it still doesn't tell us who took him," Elita half shouted as she slammed a hand on the nearby table, getting everyone to jump.
"Be that as it may Elita, it is no one's fault that this happened, and whatever the case may be we will rescue Ratchet, no matter what it takes," Optimus reassured his sparkmate softly as he placed his hand atop hers. Elita smiled at Optimus in thanks for that before Optimus then returned everyone's attention to the main topic at hand saying, "But despite the temporary loss of Ratchet, we have more pressing concerns at the moment that we must address."
Kira could see the look in Optimus's eyes showed that the last Prime wanted more than anything to go out and look for his old friend, and that Optimus was probably infinitely more worried about Ratchet than any other Autobot. Despite this, Kira had to nod in agreement with Optimus's last statement as he could see that Optimus was doing his best to put the well being of the whole group ahead of his own desires, just like a true leader would be expected to do in these situations.
Bulkhead then hit some commands on the console as the meeting officially began with Kisaka taking the lead. "This is our present position," Kisaka stated, indicating the appropriate indicator on the screen which was displaying a map of the area of Space that Earth and the PLANTs took up as a whole. "As you are all aware the PLANTs are at L5 while Artemis is at L3. Proceeding to either of these locations would not be ideal for obvious reasons, which is why I suggest we head for the L4 colony group for starters."
"The L4 colony group," Bulkhead asked. "Why there?"
"Neither the Kusanagi, nor the Archangel will have to worry about resupplying for a while but that doesn't mean the supplies will last indefinitely. Water in particular will become a problem very soon, and as for the Omega II I really can't say how long it will last before needing resupplying as well. The group of colonies at L4 were damaged and abandoned after the war began. They may be uninhabited but they'll be useful as water resources."
"This sounds awfully familiar," Murrue remarked somewhat solemnly.
"Yeah it sounds kinda like what the Archangel was doing back when you guys first found me adrift in space. Kinda seems like coming full circle huh," Bumblebee whirred, with Cagalli translating somewhat absentmindedly this time and Arcee giving a small chuckle at the scout's comment. The fact Arcee did chuckle made her freeze for a moment wondering why she thought that was actually funny, but she was quick to shake it off.
"It'll be alright. This is different from Junius Seven," Mu reassured his girlfriend and everyone else, the former more so than the latter.
"You know I'm pretty sure there are still some functioning colonies at L4," Athrun stated, speaking for the first time since the meeting started and getting surprised looks from everyone as he got their attention. "Z.A.F.T. investigated the area after reports of a suspicious group hold up there. However this was quite a long time ago. Although no one really lives there anymore, some of the colonies still have functioning facilities."
"Yes I remember reading of those reports myself after Z.A.F.T. allowed the Nemesis to access their files," Dreadwing stated, also gaining everyone's attention for the same reason as Athrun had. "As such, Megatron had Soundwave lead an investigation team to see for themselves if the rumors were true or not, but they came up with nothing. It was suspected that the colony had somehow become capable of forming its own energon reserves in time, but since Megatron did not wish to simply watch and wait for that when he knew there were already reserves that were being mined on Earth he decided to leave it alone.
"That sounds perfect for all of us," Kira exclaimed happily, making a lot of the Autobots smile at how happy Kira seemed to be to have Athrun helping them out, and just having his childhood friend back on the same side as him period.
"There is one thing though," Mu commented, looking directly at Athrun and Dreadwing as he did. "Are you two okay with this? And not just you two, this question's for those other guys from Z.A.F.T. as well."
"Commander," Murrue stated, feeling that he was pushing the issue a little too soon, but Wheeljack interrupted before she could try to say anymore.
"No Mu's right," the sword wielding Wrecker stated. "We all saw you guys fight at Orb, and your actions spoke for themselves, but we can't help noticing the uniforms you guys are still wearing, or the emblem that Dreadwing's still wearing."
"Exactly, and depending on what happens I think the odds are pretty good that we're gonna end up fighting against Z.A.F.T. forces and Megatron's forces as well, not just Starscream's," Mu continued. "It won't be like Orb at all. Are you ready, really ready? I mean you are Patrick Zala's son and Megatron's most loyal soldier right?"
Now that seemed to bring Cagalli out of her absentminded state as she glared a bit at Mu. "Why should it matter to you who's son Athrun is, or who's soldier Dreadwing is? Athrun and Dreadwing are their…"
"For a soldier to desert his army, it's a much more serious matter than you seem to realize, especially for the 'Cons," Wheeljack cut in. "And not only that, but imagine if your father was the leader of the nation as well, or that the leader of the army was someone you were extremely loyal to for so long! You can't fight in a war unless you believe in the cause your side is fighting for, and things aren't so simple when you turn that belief on its head!"
Mu then added on one last thing to Wheeljack's rant. "Unlike Kira, Athrun's a regular soldier of the Z.A.F.T. military and Dreadwing has been with the Decepticons for eons. Both Wheeljack and I hate to force the issue, but I have to know. Can I count on you guys if we fight together?"
Everyone was silent for a moment, waiting in anticipation for a response from either Athrun or Dreadwing, until Athrun finally spoke up, at least for himself. "While I was at Orb…no, even before then in the PLANTs and on Earth, I've thought about a lot of things that I'd seen and heard. About what is right and what is wrong; what am I understanding and what am I not. I don't have the answers to these basic questions yet, but it's clear to me now that you people hold the same hopes for this world that I do, and that's how I feel right now."
After Athrun had said his piece, everyone was now just waiting on Dreadwing, who simply gained a determined look after hearing what Athrun had said and stated, "My days of being what some would describe as that of a loyal dog to Megatron are now over. After finding out about what happened to my brother, Skyquake, and what happened in Orb I think I now know what I should really be doing. No, that's not accurate; I think I've known what I should've done for a long time now, but I just didn't want to admit it. Though most of my kind will see my fighting beside you as an ultimate betrayal, I do not intend to blindly follow orders and never once question whether or not it would go against my honor and beliefs. That is why I am now certain that I at least belong here, not as an official Autobot but at least as an ally of them."
Everyone smiled and nodded happily at hearing the two say what they did, leading Mu to go so far as to comment, "Glad to hear that, and Athrun, you sound like a pretty determined fellow. Nothing like our Kira here."
If everyone was expecting Kira to be offended by that, they were disappointed as Kira simply smirked and stated, "Since we were little."
"It's quite an obligation that Orb has now entrusted to us all, and it's anything but a small task," Jazz then stated. "Not to mention that we're only three ships and a few Autobots, so what we're trying to do may be impossible, and everyone's still cool with this?"
Athrun glanced up to answer when he noticed Cagalli staring happily at him. When the blonde noticed this, she quickly glanced away in an attempt to hide the quickly growing blush, getting Athrun more curious, and causing both to almost miss Kira saying, "We have faith, because even if it's small, a strong light won't fade away."
Everyone smiled in agreement with this, and then Athrun thought he should mention something else important as he stated, "You know there are people in the PLANTs who feel the same way."
"Lacus," Kira asked, getting a nod in reply from Athrun and Jetfire, along with a small shocked expression from Bumblebee.
"You mean that girl from back when I was first brought onboard the Archangel? How would you know for certain about that," Bumblebee asked, just for clarification.
"She's Athrun's fiancée," Kira replied, getting a shocked expression from everyone who did not know, but especially Cagalli.
"Ex-fiancée actually," Athrun cut in. He then glared angrily at the ground as he told them what he had found out had happened after Kira and Jetfire left the PLANTs.
"It would seem that Miss Lacus Clyne would make a valuable ally in the future if we need her, but for now, we must focus on heading for the L4 colonies in order to setup a temporary base of operations, at least for the time being," Optimus then stated, getting everyone to nod in agreement. Seeing this, Optimus then added, "As of now, we can no longer take any chances in battle. For this reason, the Autobots will have to use every resource available to us and make certain that we are ready for everything, and that includes using our most powerful weapons."
As Optimus said this, he walked over to one of the walls in the room and hit a switch which caused the wall to open up and reveal that it was a storage station. The last Prime then pulled the item stored within the storage unit out and revealed it to be the familiar form of the legendary Star Saber sword that Kira, Ironhide, and Erica had helped him to retrieve. Having made sure that everyone saw the blade long enough to understand his meaning, Optimus then hefted the blade and stored it in a small carrying hilt that Ratchet had designed for Optimus to use specifically for the Star Saber, before the medical 'Bot disappeared.
Everyone knew that Optimus was definitely serious if he was really intending on carrying the Star Saber with him at all times now, and it was definitely a sign that the last Prime was no longer intending on holding anything back. The Autobots all understood this better than anyone else in the room, since they all knew that shortly after Optimus had returned from the mission to retrieve said sword, the last Prime had stated the sword's power was so great that it was only to be wielded in the most serious or most dire of situations, and the times they were now facing were clearly going to be some of those times.
Seeing all of this, led everyone to believe that the meeting had been finished for now, and so they all moved to return to where they needed to be right then and get back to work so that the three ships could head for the L4 colonies. As he and Athrun were about to leave though, Cagalli called out to Kira saying, "Kira, we should talk."
Kira was confused at first, but knowing what Cagalli was going through right now, he was more than happy to help the girl. Athrun just smiled at him and stated, "Just take your time. I'll see you guys later."
"No wait," Cagalli called out, stopping Athrun. "Athrun, stay here okay? I mean, please stay here."
Athrun could see that Cagalli really wanted him to stay, so he simply nodded in agreement and let her lead them off somewhere. Kira then asked, "Is it okay if Bumblebee and Arcee come too?"
"Yeah it's fine," Cagalli replied. "Actually, I want them to hear about this as well and Optimus too if possible."
Optimus nodded in agreement with this, having heard what the three were saying, and then motioned for Arcee and Bumblebee to come with them to another room.
Feeling that it would help with things, Optimus elected to have them all speak in his personal quarters, something that only Elita One had been able to do most of the time. Though the room itself was not all that impressive, there was still something about knowing it was Optimus's that gave it a safe, welcoming feeling.
Seeing that everyone had gotten settled for whatever Cagalli wanted to talk about, Kira turned to the blonde and asked, "Something on your mind Cagalli?"
Cagalli hesitated for a moment before she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the photograph that her father had given to her before he died. "It's this," Cagalli told Kira, handing him the picture.
"A photo," Arcee asked. "Who's in it?"
"Other side,' Cagalli whispered in reply.
Kira then flipped the photo over as Cagalli had said he should as Athrun looked over his shoulder with Arcee and Bumblebee looking on from where they could see it as well, and gasped in shock when he saw both Cagalli's and his own name written on the back. The four then looked at Cagalli in questioning surprise, wondering how she got it. "My father gave me this photo, just as I was boarding the Kusanagi," Cagalli explained, already feeling the tears coming to her eyes. "He said that I wouldn't be alone. That I'd be with Optimus, who had sworn to be there for me if I ever needed a father figure, that I'd be with Arcee whom I consider an older sister, and that…that I'd be with my brother!"
"Brother?! Kira's your brother? You're…Kira's sister?! Seriously, WHAT," Bumblebee sputtered in his beeps and whirrs, not paying attention to where he was stepping until he tripped and nearly fell to the floor until Arcee caught him. "Uh…sorry about that."
"N-no it's…it's alright," Arcee stuttered, blushing a little as she did. Wait, why am I blushing? And did I really just stutter?! Get it together Arcee; your little sister needs you right now...I wonder if this is how Chromia felt some days when she was looking out for me.
Cagalli finally started to break down and cry again as she latched onto Athrun for emotional support, which Athrun provided somewhat hesitantly at first since he was still in shock over this fact as well. As she cried a bit, Cagalli moaned, "What's all this supposed to mean?"
"I don't know," Kira whispered, still in shock himself. "I honestly don't have a clue."
Athrun looked back and forth between the two as he tried to process it all himself, realizing that his best friend had a sister that not even Kira knew about, and not just a sister at that either. "Twins…," Athrun breathed out.
"And here I thought Ratchet was just seeing things in his old age," Arcee muttered, causing the three humans to look at her strangely. Arcee then realized what she had let slip and immediately looked sheepish, until Bumblebee started chuckling at the fact that it was finally her who was looking that way instead of him for once which led to Arcee throwing the scout an annoyed glare.
"Did…did you guys know," Kira asked.
Optimus thought it would be best if he were the one to tell the three, not because he did not trust Arcee and Bumblebee to do so, but because he did not want Arcee to dig a bigger grave for herself than she was already starting to have. "Ratchet merely suspected that Kira and Cagalli may be related in some sense since his scanners from trips that the two had taken through the Ground Bridge indicated some genetic similarities that one would find among family members. As for whether or not the two of you were actually related, I cannot say whether or not he found that out for sure, but from what I understand from his last report on the matter, it appeared that you two being brother and sister was most definitely the case."
Bumblebee then stared at Kira and Cagalli himself for a moment before commenting, "You know, when you look at the two of them for a moment, there do seem to be some similarities between Kira and Cagalli."
"Yeah, I guess there is, but that definitely doesn't apply to their usual attitudes and personalities," Arcee added, getting a small chuckle from Cagalli at that.
"In any case, an inconclusive report from Ratchet and this picture doesn't really prove anything," Kira stated. "Though to be honest it would actually explain a few things."
"You mean like that weird familiar feeling you got around Cagalli that you told me about awhile back," Bumblebee asked.
"Yeah exactly," Kira stated. "But it still leaves a few things unanswered."
"Like who's the woman holding the babies," Athrun finished. Cagalli just shook her head to indicate that she did not know, but there was something else about this that was still bugging her.
"If Kira and I are siblings, then what am I," Cagalli asked, getting everyone to realize what one thing she was really confused about was. This revelation had made Cagalli question her identity as a person and whether or not she was a Natural or a Coordinator.
"Cagalli, look at me," Arcee told her little sister figure. As soon as the blonde's gaze had locked with Arcee's, the two wheeler stated, "Ratchet and Elita have done multiple scans to truly understand just what the real differences between Naturals and Coordinators really were, and I can say with absolute certainty that you are definitely a Natural, but as to why Kira's a Coordinator and you're not, I can't say. If you ask me though, that kind of thing doesn't make a scrap of difference."
"Arcee's right," Kira added. "And dwelling on it now won't do you any good Cagalli, and even if it's true, it doesn't change the fact that Lord Uzumi was still your father."
"Kira…," Cagalli whispered, and then she grabbed both Kira and Athrun in a tight hug, continuing to cry the whole time.
Seeing that the young humans needed a bit of time, Optimus thought it would be best for him to leave in order to give them that space. Before he did though, Optimus turned to Cagalli and told her, "I did give my word that the Autobots and I would stand in for Lord Uzumi whenever you felt that you would need a father figure in your life Cagalli, and I assure you that I would keep that promise even if your father had not asked it of me. To me, you, Kira, and all the other humans I have met, fought alongside of, and developed a bond with are all just as much a part of my family as the other Autobots are."
Cagalli nodded to Optimus in thanks for that, and the last Prime returned the gesture before he left the room to return to the bridge in order to oversee the Omega II's safe travels to the L4 colonies with the other two ships in their group, leaving the three humans and the other two Autobots behind so that this small part of the growing family could have time to help one and other cope with the revelation that they all just had and everything else that they needed to deal with.
A short while later, Kira and Athrun had returned to the Archangel via a Ground Bridge, leaving Cagalli with Arcee and Bumblebee for the time being. Personally, Athrun thought it would have better if Kira was with Cagalli at this time, but Kira simply told his friend that it was a bad idea, since Kira felt his being there would only cause Cagalli to not stop thinking about it, and right now they could not afford many distractions. Athrun agreed that the idea made sense, but he could not help but feel that Kira should still stick around if he and Cagalli really were brother and sister, and he could tell by the look in Kira's eyes that the idea was really bugging him just as much.
Despite knowing this, Athrun still had something he needed to talk to Kira about, and he felt that he needed to bring it up as soon as possible. "Kira, do you think it'd be okay if I borrowed the Archangel's shuttle for a moment?"
"Why do you ask Athrun," Kira asked a question that was repeated by the glances that Dearka and Nicol were sending his way as well since they overheard him when he asked.
"I need to make a trip; a little visit to the PLANTs," Athrun explained. "I feel like I have to sit down with my father and have a serious talk."
"But Athrun…," Kira began.
"That's crazy," Dearka interrupted as he floated over to the two. "If you go back there in the Archangel's shuttle, you could be arrested on sight!"
"Dearka's right, and that's only if you're lucky," Nicol added. "I mean there's no telling what will happen to you if your father really has become as bad as Lord Uzumi said he has."
"I know guys," Athrun cut in, forcefully. "But still, he's my father."
Kira stared at his friend for a moment, seeing how serious Athrun was about this, and he could tell that Athrun needed to do this for many different reasons. It was not that Athrun was making sure he was ready to fight against his father if it came down to that, it was more that Athrun wanted to be sure as to whether or not Patrick Zala really had become as horrible as it seemed he had. Kira finally sighed as he answered, "I understand Athrun. I'll talk to Murrue and the others. I'm pretty sure they won't mind."
"Thanks Kira," Athrun thanked his old friend, and with that he moved to do some maintenance work on the Justice until he heard whether or not he had permission. He did not have to wait long though, as Kira had returned just as quickly as he had left saying that it was okay for Athrun to go, but only if he was escorted there by the Freedom and Dreadwing. Athrun knew that Dreadwing had more than likely insisted on going with him since the former Decepticon had seemed to become such a good friend to him, and knew that it was pointless to try and talk either him or Kira out of being his escorts, so he agreed to the terms.
A short while later, Athrun was suited up in his pilot suit and the shuttle was ready for launch. Before he climbed into the craft, Athrun turned to Nicol and stated, "Nicol, if I don't come back I want you to pilot the Justice."
Nicol scowled at this as he replied, "Forget it Athrun. You're the only one who should be piloting the Justice. I know it, and don't bother trying to ask Dearka to do it because he'll say the exact same thing."
Athrun looked at Dearka who simply nodded as a way of saying Nicol was right, and he simply sighed and nodded at what the two were really saying. Before anything else could be said between any of the four boys, a voice called out, "Wait a minute Athrun!"
Everyone looked to see Cagalli rushing towards them, or at least the closest thing to rushing that one could accomplish in a zero gravity environment, until she was right in front of Athrun, practically tackling him away from the shuttle as she demanded, "Why are you doing this? Tell me you're not really going back to the PLANTs!"
"I'm sorry," Athrun stared, but he soon found out that an angry Cagalli was not someone you start saying something with an "I'm sorry" to.
"Sorry doesn't cut it! What's going to happen to you if you return without that," Cagalli asked as she turned to the Justice.
"It's better if the Justice stays here, and if worse comes to worse, I'm sure Kira will take care of it," Athrun reasoned.
"That wasn't what I meant!"
Finally the two collided with the wall that they had been floating towards, which sent them rebounding in the direction that they had come from as Athrun stated, "I know, but I have to go. One way or the other I have to know."
Kira then felt it was time for him to step in before things got out of hand and floated over to the pair, placing a gentle hand on Cagalli's shoulder as soon as he reached them and softly said, "Cagalli…you know he has to."
Cagalli looked between the person that may very well be her brother and the green eyed boy in front of her, and finally relented saying, "Just promise me you'll come back, alright? You promise me damn it."
Athrun smiled as he nodded as he said, "In the words of the Cybertronians, I swear by the spark of Primus."
Cagalli giggled a bit at Athrun saying that, for some reason hearing him say it sounded funny to her, and then moved aside so that he could climb aboard the shuttle. A few minutes later, the shuttle and the Freedom had launched from the Archangel with Dreadwing following the two a few seconds later from the Omega II. Dreadwing looked on at the shuttle as he found himself praying to Primus and the AllSpark that his friend would return from his journey back to the PLANTs safely, but it did nothing to alleviate his worry that Athrun's return to the PLANTs would not bring what Athrun was hoping it would bring.
To say that Patrick Zala felt he had better days would be an understatement at the moment. There was still no word on the whereabouts of Lacus Clyne, and her infuriating broadcasts were still continuing, which just continued the chances of the pink songstress gaining more followers. The one saving grace when it came to the problems with Clyne was that Siegel Clyne had been found and killed, something that was good news for him even if it did sadden him a bit to hear that his former colleague had died.
To make matters worse, there was still no word from Athrun as of yet, and it was clear that recovering the Freedom would be more difficult than expected given the intelligence that Le Creuset had brought back on what had happened in Orb. Plus, add that in with the fact that the Earth Forces had now retaken Victoria and were now gathering all their forces at the moon, obviously in an attempt to launch some sort of end game against the PLANTs.
The fact that Starscream had finally resurfaced after all this time with a group of his own Decepticons that seemed to be allied with the Earth Forces was not much help on this matter either. When Megatron had found out about the actions that Starscream had taken, he reacted in the way that Zala had expected him to, and simply stated that he would ensure that Starscream would soon get exactly what was coming to him.
Thankfully, there was one other saving grace in the face of all this, and that was the fact that Soundwave's special mission while Le Creuset was observing things in the battle for Orb was a success. This fact was proven true by the simple fact that Megatron had shown him an image of proof of this success and stated that it would be extremely beneficial in ensuring that GENESIS was the most powerful weapon to be used against the damned Naturals and any Cybertronian that stood against them.
Patrick Zala was about to look further into this matter personally when he received a page that stated that Athrun had returned in an Earth Forces shuttle, and the Justice being nowhere in sight. Upon hearing this, Patrick was both furious and confused and immediately demanded that his son be brought to him at once. When Athrun finally arrived, he was flanked by two guards and was now facing both his father and Megatron.
"You two leave us alone," Patrick told the guards who had escorted Athrun, and the two immediately left the room as Athrun approached his father's desk, all the while throwing a hidden glare at the Decepticon warlord. "What's going on Athrun? What happened? Where's Justice, and what happened to the Freedom?!"
Athrun just stood his ground with a serious and determined look on his face as he simply told his father, "First things first. I have a question for you. What're your true intentions regarding this war?"
"What did you say," Patrick demanded, outraged at his son's impudence.
"You heard me father, how long are we going to have to keep fighting this war," Athrun demanded.
"What're you blabbering about?! What's important is the mission you were assigned! Now stop wasting time and make your report."
"I came back only because I felt I had to ask that one question in person. That's it father," Athrun calmly told his father.
"I'm warning you Athrun, I won't tolerate this talk especially from a boy who doesn't understand a thing," Patrick roared.
"I think you're the one who doesn't really understand what's going on here," Athrun retaliated heatedly. "Alaska, Panama, Victoria. You attacked because you were attacked first, and then you're attacked again because of that. This war only keeps escalating!"
"Where did you get these crazy ideas," Patrick demanded.
"I think it's actually quite obvious Chairman Zala," Megatron stated, finally speaking up, his voice sending shivers down Athrun's spine that the green eyed boy was surprised he was able to suppress. "Lacus Clyne has gotten to him."
Athrun growled before he turned a glare on his father half shouting, "All you can think about is meeting power with even more power, and that's gotten worse when he showed up here with his Decepticons!" Athrun had thrown an accusing finger at Megatron when he said that last part before he asked, "Tell me father, is that really your true intention? Do you believe that will ever bring an end to this war?"
"Of course it will," the elder Zala shouted. "When the very last Natural is dead the war will end, and just for good measure the same will apply when every last Autobot is dead as well!" Athrun's eyes widened in shock at what his father said, and he could not help but let out another growl at the dark, devious chuckle that Megatron gave in approval of his father's thinking. Patrick then grabbed Athrun by the front of his coat as he demanded, "Now tell me what happened to our machines, the Freedom and the Justice, and answer carefully because I forgive no one!"
"Are you serious," Athrun whispered, feeling himself growing more angry by the minute. "Do you mean what you just said father, about how you want all of the Naturals and Autobots dead?!"
"That's the whole point of both ours and the Decepticons' war! That reason and that reason alone is why we're fighting this war! How could you possibly have forgotten that fact," Patrick shouted, stating it almost as though he thought it was the most obvious thing in existence.
Patrick then threw Athrun onto the ground hard, and in the process Athrun's uniform coat's collar was opened allowing the amulet that Cagalli had given him to be freed from its confines underneath the coat. As Athrun stat up, he heard the sound of a gun loading and looked to see his father had a basic hand gun pointed right at him. In the background, Athrun could hear Megatron comment, "Holding a gun to your own offspring Chairman Zala? I'm impressed. You're even more ruthless than I ever gave you credit for."
Patrick smirked a bit on the inside for Megatron's comment before he returned his attention back to Athrun, still holding him at gun point, as he stated, "What a pathetic sight you are Athrun. Now stop this nonsense and answer, where are the Justice and the Freedom? I won't hesitate to have you arrested as a traitor if you don't answer my question."
Athrun simply sat there, glaring at both Megatron and the man who was supposed to be his father in silence as Chairman Zala walked over and hit a signaling device on his desk that called in several armed guards that quickly rushed in to hold him at gun point. Athrun could no longer deny it, what Lord Uzumi said was true. The man that Athrun had called father was truly gone, replaced by this power hungry warlord that now held him at gun point, and that made Athrun all the more furious. When Patrick Zala called out to him again, Athrun finally snapped and charged towards his father in anger, only to find even further proof that his father was no longer the man he knew when the Chairman shot him. The bullet merely grazed his arm, but it was still just enough to hurt Athrun so seriously that he collapsed to the floor.
"Don't kill this fool," Patrick Zala ordered. "There are still some things he needs to tell me. Take him away, and pry the location of the Justice and the Freedom out of him! Use whatever means of persuasion you find necessary. Lord Megatron, if necessary I would like for your people to interrogate him as well."
"It would be my pleasure Chairman Zala," Megatron stated coolly.
Patrick then directed his next comment towards his so-called son without even looking at him. "I'm very disappointed Athrun."
"I feel the same way," Athrun snarled as he was then led away.
As he watched him go, Megatron simply sighed in disappointment himself as he stated, "A pity really. I had such high hopes for him myself, but then again I suppose that is simply life. Shall we delay in your observation of our efforts involving our prisoner?"
Patrick paused for a moment before replying, "No at least not for too long. I want to see him as soon as possible. If what you say is true then he will be instrumental in ensuring that GENESIS will guarantee Z.A.F.T. and the Decepticons' victory in our respective wars."
Athrun hung his head as he was escorted out in hand cuffs, both because of how disappointed he was in his father and in himself for ever thinking that his father could have some redeeming quality. At the same time though, he was thinking about what Kira and Dreadwing had told him before the three had to part ways outside of Jachin Due's sensor range, how they had both stated it was not any of their times to die just yet, and he also thought about everyone that was counting on him to make it back, most particularly a certain fiery amber eyed blonde that he had promised he would come back to, and when he thought of her, he instantly began thinking of an escape plan.
Finally he saw his chance when they had paused before the van that would take him to prison. Taking advantage of his opponent's pause, he immediately kicked the one on his right away before slamming the one on the other side away with his shoulder, and then made a break for it. As soon as he had one of the "guards" slammed his rifle into another guard and quickly moved to block Athrun from any enemy fire as he started shooting at them himself all the while shouting, "I didn't expect this!"
He then tossed a few flash grenades at the offending forces as he grabbed Athrun's arm and pulled him into an alleyway where they would be safe for the moment. "Get down and turn your back to me. I'm gonna shoot your handcuffs," Athrun's mysterious savior told him. Athrun was quick to oblige and as soon as he was freed the mystery man handed him an extra gun he was carrying as he told Athrun "You're being way too reckless. Don't you want to live; I mean you even knocked over one of my guys."
"Who are you," Athrun asked as he loaded the gun he was just handed.
The man then lifted his helmet a bit to reveal the face of DaCosta who stated, "I'm with what they're calling 'The Clyne Faction'. You've thrown quite a wrench into our plans."
"I'm sorry. I had no idea," Athrun apologized, instantly recognizing DaCosta from when he and Dreadwing encountered him at the theater they had found Lacus in.
"Naturally. How could you," DaCosta chuckled. When his partner told him to hurry it up, DaCosta nodded and indicated for Athrun to follow them as they both then ducked out of their cover and started shooting at their enemies before making a run for it.
A few hours later, Athrun had gotten his wound quickly bandaged up and put in a sling, and now he and DaCosta were blasting out of the PLANT in a shuttle at full speed until they finally reached the vast, starry expanse of Space. Almost immediately after they had left the PLANT, they were greeted with the sight of a large, pink colored ship with a long main cannon and what looked like a run way dead in the center, and two large weapons arrays attached to either side of the back most part just before the main thrusters. As soon as the ship's captain had told them to enter in through the rear hatch and they had boarded as told, the pink ship blasted off at incredible speeds that even Le Creuset's ship would not be able to catch up with.
Athrun then made his way to the bridge, and when he arrived there he was greeted by someone he least expected to see. "Athrun, good. Are you alright," the familiar voice of Lacus Clyne called out, as the pink songstress herself turned around in her chair in order to float over to him.
"Lacus," Athrun gasped in shock before he caught her to stop her momentum. He then simply nodded in reply to the girl's question which brought a smile to her face.
"Hey nice to meet you," a male voice called out. Athrun then turned to be greeted by the sight of Aisha, and a man that he had thought was dead. "Welcome to the ship of the songstress, the Eternal. I'm Andrew Waltfeld kid, and I'm sure you remember meeting Aisha."
Athrun let out a soft gasp in shock of Waltfeld's appearance. Like Aisha, the man now had some cybernetic implants on his body that were clearly of Cybertronian origin, but his were more centered on his left side and slightly more obvious than his lover's. For starters, Waltfeld's left eye had been replaced with a large, metal eye piece that covered a part of his face and some of his head with a blue lens; his left arm was completely robotic looking right up to the middle of his upper arm, and his left leg was in the same state as his arm, each of them with flashing blue lights running through them almost like veins.
They were brought out of any further musings when one of the bridge officers announced, "Mobile suit force approaching sir! Fifty contacts! No wait, make that fifty three contacts. There's three Decepticons among them as well!"
"The Jachin Forces? Well I can't say I'm that surprised, and it looks like my old friends the Seeker Siblings are with them," Waltfeld murmured as he returned his attention forward while Lacus returned to her seat. "Prepare main cannon! Activate CIWS," Waltfeld then ordered.
"Do you have any mobile suits on board," Athrun then asked.
"Sorry we're fresh out of those," Waltfeld told Athrun.
"This ship was intended for the exclusive use of the Justice and the Freedom," Aisha then explained.
Before Athrun had a chance to say more on the matter, Lacus requested that they open all channels for an outgoing communication, and began trying to talk to the enemy units! "My name is Lacus Clyne. Although I am an enemy of Chairman Zala because we imagine different futures for our people, I have no desire at all to fight against you. Please let out ship go in peace, and I beseech you all once again to think carefully about what we should really be fighting against."
It was a tense moment of silence, but a moment was all they needed to confirm that the enemy was not going to be turning back and letting them go, and that left them with only one option. "Commence interception," Waltfeld then ordered.
The next minute, the sky was lit up with lights from the Eternal's missiles intercepting the enemy attacks. "Please try to avoid hitting the cockpits," Lacus then asked Waltfeld.
"That won't be easy either," Waltfeld half complained until Aisha swatted his right arm.
"Just do what the lady says Andy," Aisha playfully scolded him.
"Fine we'll try, but I was just saying…," Waltfeld mumbled before ordering the main cannon to fire. It was not long after that until the enemy units had surrounded them from all sides and had launched too many missiles for the Eternal's guns to intercept before they were hit. A fact that was made even more so when the Seekers sent out their own barrages of missiles at the Eternal. Just when it seemed they would be hit, a number of missiles were hit by a beam blast and another barrage.
"Is that Kira and Dreadwing," Athrun asked, and his answer came in the form of the Freedom and Dreadwing swooping in and blasting the remaining missiles out of the sky until there were none left to threaten the Eternal.
Dreadwing then assumed his robot mode and whipped out his cannon as he shouted, "Slipstream!"
"Dreadwing," Slipstream called out in shock as she assumed her robot mode. "You? You're a traitor as well?!"
"It would seem so, but I have a message for Lord Megatron," Dreadwing snarled, practically spitting the word lord as though saying it in reference to Megatron was a poison. "Be sure to give Skyquake my regards when you join him in the AllSpark, assuming I don't take you there with myself!" The former follower of Megatron then fired three shots from his cannon that immediately knocked all three Seeker siblings into stasis just as Kira finished off the remaining missiles and eliminated any chances of the Jachin Forces coming after them with a blast from the Freedom's full burst attack.
"Unknown ship, this is Kira Yamato in the Freedom with the former Decepticon warrior, Dreadwing," Kira called out to the Eternal.
"Kira, Dreadwing," Lacus exclaimed happily.
"Is that Lacus," Kira and Dreadwing both exclaimed at the same time as the image of their faces appeared on the Eternal's main monitor.
"Yes," Lacus replied. "It's so good to see you both, and thank you for your help."
"Yeah Kira and Dreadwing. Nice timing," Athrun smiled.
"Hey there youngster. You saved our butts," Waltfeld greeted casually.
"Second time he's tried, and first time he has succeeded. Pretty impressive," Aisha added.
"M-Mister Waltfeld and Miss Aisha?! You're both alive," Kira exclaimed.
"Yeah it's a long story, but we'll fill you in when we get out of here maybe over some coffee," Waltfeld remarked.
Kira smiled as he nodded in reply to that and then Dreadwing stated, "We should head for the L4 colonies. That's where the others were going and they may be there by now."
"Well then by all means, lead the way," Waltfeld requested, and in no time at all, Dreadwing had transformed and he and Kira began leading the Eternal to the safety of their temporary base.
A few hours later, the Eternal was docked inside one of the L4 colonies and everyone was once again meeting aboard the Omega II so that they could all get acquainted or reacquainted with the crew of the pink ship. "Begging your pardon ma'am and sir, but I'm Andrew Waltfeld. It's a pleasure and an honor to finally meet you both."
"I'm Murrue Ramius," Murrue greeted with a smile, happy to have such a formidable warrior with them
"And I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots," Optimus finished. "I must admit, even I find this to be quite a surprising development."
"I'd say the feelings mutual, right youngster," Waltfeld commented as he turned to Kira.
"You and Aisha both have a pretty good reason to hate me," Kira commented.
"Maybe, but we can't hold you responsible for something you didn't do, and you and Optimus Prime did try to save my life before the LaGOWE blew so I can't say that either one of us can really hate you at all. Besides that's what happens in a war. Everyone has some kind of reason, yet no one does."
Kira nodded in gratitude for Waltfeld's words and simply left it at that saying, "Thank you."
Waltfeld then turned to Optimus and stated, "I really must thank you especially. If you hadn't intervened when you did in our battle with young Kira here, then there's a chance that neither myself nor Aisha would've survived. I must say, it would seem the things some of your men told me about you are all true Mister Prime, and like I said before, it truly is an honor to finally meet you in person, and especially this time since it's not on the battlefield."
"The honor, and the pleasure is mine Commander Waltfeld, and you are most welcome for that," Optimus replied with a soft smile, showing that he meant every word of what he said. "I think it would be best to discuss everything that we all know at a later time given how much has happened today. I believe that many of our people require rest before we can properly discuss any course of action."
"Agreed," Murrue stated. "We'll all get some rest then reconvene on the Omega II first thing tomorrow morning."
With that everyone went their separate ways until the next day's meeting.
Before turning in, Cagalli had dragged Athrun to the side so that the two of them could talk for a moment before calling it a night. "You're always getting hurt," Cagalli half scolded as she gazed at Athrun's bandaged arm.
Athrun simply smiled at the blonde before he told her, "It was your amulet that saved me."
Cagalli looked away at that to try and hide the faint blush that had appeared on her face with the faint smile that she now wore. "Did it really? That's good to hear." She then paused for a moment to gaze at the Eternal before she commented, "Just think, she escaped with that huge ship. She's really something."
Athrun threw Cagalli a questioning glance before he saw that her gaze had wandered over to Kira and Lacus who were also talking in another room that they could see into through a window. "Yeah, she really is," Athrun agreed.
"Are you sure you don't mind," Cagalli asked Athrun, facing him with a concerned look. "She is your fiancé after all."
Athrun sighed as he replied, "Weren't you listening before. She's my ex-fiancé, and not just because of my father branding her a traitor. It's also because I was such a fool."
Cagalli then smiled again as she told him, "Well better to realize the truth now than when it's too late, and I think Kira is just as much of a fool. I guess even Coordinators do stupid things, so we might as well just get used to it."
Athrun stared at Cagalli in mild shock at first before he started chuckling and said, "You think so…I guess you're right."
Meanwhile, Kira and Lacus were talking about what had happened after Kira and Jetfire had left the PLANTs, and that eventually led to the topic of the fact that Lacus had found out her father had been killed shortly before she had left the PLANTs herself. At that point, the normally happy, hopeful girl finally could no longer hold back her sadness or her tears and immediately broke down into sobs as she latched onto Kira and cried into his chest. Kira simply held her as he tried to make her feel better while he let her cry. The sight of this made Cagalli and Athrun upset as well as they too had heard about what happened to the songstress's father and neither one of them could help but look down sadly as they wished for a way to help the poor girl any way that they could, but knowing that right now they could not do anything.
During this time, the Earth Forces Lunar Headquarters was especially active, not only due to all the new arrivals from Victoria, but also because a new ship was running through its first simulation, or rather its most recent in a long line of simulations. The ship itself could only be described as a black Archangel, and it would be a very appropriate description as it was now the second ship of the Archangel class, designated as the Dominion. The reason for why the ship had been going through several simulations though was because the crew was somewhat unfamiliar with the ship's capabilities, and the only exception to this was the ship's captain who was anything but satisfied with yet another failure.
"What the hell do you guys think you're doing?! You're too slow! At this rate we won't even survive our first battle! Can't you get that through your heads," a very pissed off Natarle Badgiruel demanded. Sometime after she had left Alaska, Natarle had received a promotion to the rank of lieutenant commander and was given command of the Dominion shortly afterwards. While she was happy to be given command of a ship that she knew so well, Natarle would not be lying if she were to say that she wished she had the old Archangel crew manning these stations instead of the idiots that were serving under her command.
"Captain," one of the previously mentioned idiots spoke up. "I have fleet headquarters online."
Natarle just sighed in acknowledgement and waited for whatever it was that fleet headquarters wanted now. It turned out that she was to receive some new pilots and crew mates, one of which held a position in Earth Forces Command, but what really threw her for a loop was the fact that they requested she meet with them in the hangar instead of on the bridge. Natarle simply shrugged the strangeness off and made her way down there, but when she arrived, she was greeted with a sight that she was hoping to never see again.
Standing there in the hangar along with her superior and a blonde man in a blue suit, was none other than the Decepticon traitor Starscream. Natarle was about to go for her gun when her commander stated, "There's no need for alarm Commander. This gentleman is one of us."
Natarle could not believe what she just heard. Starscream, one of the Earth Forces? Something had to be seriously wrong here, but she was not about to question it so Natarle simply stood down and saluted. "Now let me introduce you to Director Murruta Azrael of the National Defense Industry Association, and Commander Starscream, the Earth Forces new ally of Cybertron. I'm sure you've heard of them?"
"Yes of course," Natarle replied. "Commander Starscream actually attacked the ship I previously served on as an enemy."
"Ah yes. I take it you are the one who previously served aboard the Archangel," Starscream commented. At Natarle's silence, Starscream simply smirked in knowing that he was correct and stated, "Well my apologies for that unfortunate time, but I assure you I was merely following the orders, however dysfunctional, of my former lord and master, Megatron."
Natarle did not acknowledge this any further which prompted the commander to state, "They will be joining you on your next mission. Director Azrael wants to observe the performance of the three state of the art mobile suits that have been assigned to your ship, and Commander Starscream has insisted that he accompany you along with his own forces as their own ship joins you on the same mission. Please, make them both feel welcome."
Azrael had taken a moment to glance around at his surroundings before finally facing Natarle, seeing she was shocked by what she had just been told, and stated, "Nice to meet you Miss Captain."
"Yes sir," Natarle replied with a salute. "Commander Badgiruel at your service sir."
"Ahem," Starscream coughed.
"Apologies sirs," Natarle forced out, still having a hard time stomaching the idea of working with one of the 'Cons that she had previously considered an enemy. "However…"
"However I never expected the captain of our ship to be quite so young and beautiful," Azrael interrupted, thinking that Natarle was about to question the judgment of allying with Starscream. "Is this an added benefit of some sort?"
"Rest assured sirs she's more than a capable commander. Her family has a long history of military service," the commander assured Starscream and Azrael, piquing both of their interests. "And as Commander Starscream has just stated, before she was given command of this ship she was deputy captain of the Archangel."
"Wow, so that means you're as familiar with them and the Autobot vessel as Starscream suggested you would be then," Azrael commented. "That should come in handy then, after all, our mission is to seek and destroy the Archangel and the Omega II."
Natarle gasped in shock at this information, partly because up until now she believed that the Archangel and the Omega II had been lost with the destruction of JOSH-A, and also because only seconds after finding out that the two ships and their crews were still alive she was being ordered to pursue them and destroy them. "Sir may I ask why this is," Natarle requested, her voice a little shaky.
"The reason is because the Archangel is a rogue ship full of traitors to the Earth Forces, and the Autobots are a wild card that threatens us as much as Z.A.F.T. and we can't risk having them around," Starscream explained.
"Commander Starscream is correct, plus they are now in possession of two very interesting machines that I wish to capture," Azrael stated. When Natarle threw him a questioning glance at this, Azrael elaborated saying, "The reason is because, I believe that the two machines that I want you to capture may be nuclear powered."
"What," Natarle asked. "But sir that's impossible. Nuclear based weaponry has been completely useless since Z.A.F.T. had launched their N-Jammers."
"That is true but remember it was also Z.A.F.T. who developed the N-Jammers, so it stands to reason that they would also have developed a way to counteract them as well," Azrael explained. "And if they have I want to find out what that is, and the secret lies with those two machines."
Natarle could barely say anything more now, so she simply elected to slowly nod her head in understanding. With that done, Natarle simply offered to show Azrael to the bridge of the ship as her duty said she should, and the whole time she was wondering just what had happened to the Archangel and the Omega II that would cause her superiors to label both as either traitors or a threat to the Earth Forces. Most importantly, she could not help but worry about what she may be forced to do when they did find them.
Natarle was not the only one having a hard time with her current situation, but if you were to really compare hers to that of Megatron's newest prisoner you would say that the prisoner won hands down on who was having a tougher time. A fact that did not bother Megatron or Patrick Zala when they walked into the room to see the Autobot chained up, the latter still seething a bit over Athrun's escape and the loss of the Eternal because of the Clyne Faction. Megatron strode forward until he was almost right in their prisoner's face as he then said, "I do hope your stay here has been as comfortable as we can possibly make it…Ratchet."
The chief medical officer of the Autobots raised his head with a small groan as the light illuminated his appearance to reveal that his body was covered in severe injuries, whether they were from torture or when he was attacked aboard the Omega II one could only guess. You see during the battle for Orb, Laserbeak had somehow snuck aboard the ship and attacked Ratchet. The medic had tried his best to fight off the infamous spy bird of Soundwave's but it was all for not, and as soon as Ratchet had been subdued, he was hauled off to Soundwave and Le Creuset before they had brought him to his current location.
Ratchet simply glared at Megatron before he snarled, "Don't act like you really care Megatron."
"Now Ratchet is that any way to speak to your gracious hosts," Megatron asked in a casual tone.
"Gracious? Ha. Last I checked chaining someone up in a dungeon was not a way to be a gracious host," Ratchet barely laughed.
"Merely a precaution I assure you," Megatron stated. "Though before we move on to business, I would like you to meet my new ally, Supreme Chairman Patrick Zala."
Zala simply gave a minute nod to Ratchet which Ratchet did not return. Seeing that this was all that greetings would do for them, Megatron began discussing business. "I know that the Autobots would not actually have destroyed the piece of the synthetic energon formula that they found in the caves unless they had some way to have made a copy for themselves, and I also know that you would've been the one they brought it to."
"What's your point," Ratchet demanded, not actually saying anything that would indicate Megatron was in fact correct.
"Simply this, we have the other half of the formula," Megatron stated. As he said this, he activated a small device that showed an image of the other half of the formula that he spoke of, getting Ratchet's eyes to widen in shock. "All we need to complete it is to combine your work with ours and we will have…"
"Unlocked a way to ensure you never tire and simply win our war by outliving the Autobots," Ratchet cut in. "Well I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you Megatron, because I won't help you."
"You should really let someone finish Ratchet," Megatron barely snarled. "You see, I have been in contact with Shockwave, and he had researched the possibilities of what synthetic energon could be used for. The most promising of which was that, when mixed correctly with something that Chairman Zala's people are working on, it will grant us the power to restore Cybertron."
Ratchet was now shell-shocked by this revelation. Could the ability to restore Cybertron really lie within synthetic energon? It seemed too good to be true to the point that it may as well be impossible. It could not be that simple could it? The fact that Megatron was telling him this was enough to convince Ratchet that Megatron was in fact lying to him so Ratchet just stated, "Even if that were true, you have no way to get this to Cybertron or even disperse this supposed cyber matter, assuming that's what you're suggesting it is, into Cybertron."
"Now that is where you are wrong Autobot," Zala declared. Looking to Megatron and getting a nod of approval, Zala stepped forward and activated a display of his own that showed the specs for GENESIS. "With this we will be able to direct and disperse the cyber matter formula anywhere we wish to."
"Even so, not even Coordinators would be capable of completing such a weapon in such short time," Ratchet pointed out, knowing that was exactly what Zala intended for this to be for and that the man could not care less about what happened to Cybertron.
"You would be correct if it weren't for one fact," Zala stated. Megatron then opened the only window that was in the room to reveal that the Nemesis was actually right next to GENESIS itself, and the large device was already nearly completed.
"I understand your concern about this Ratchet, but rest assured if you do help us, you will be granted your freedom along with that of your fellow Autobots, even humanity if they are smart enough to surrender to our might before it's too late," Megatron then offered, knowing exactly what points to hit in order to convince Ratchet.
Ratchet could only look on at the monstrosity in horror, knowing that it would be completed with or without his help, and if he were to help there was a chance that his friends and humanity would survive. Megatron may not actually keep the promise that he just made, but Ratchet would most certainly make sure that he would be forced to. Finally, Ratchet sighed and stated, "…I will cooperate, but you already knew that didn't you?"
Megatron smirked deviously at this, and immediately released Ratchet from his chains before calling in Knockout to have the doctor of doom escort the Autobot medic to his lab where the synthetic energon and cyber matter formulas were being worked on. Once the two were gone, Zala then turned to Megatron and immediately asked, "Do you truly intend to free him when he is finished? He will know far too much of our plans once he is done here. We can't risk him leaving to tell his allies of our plans or any of our other secrets."
Megatron simply chuckled at Zala's apparent ignorance of his plans. "Rest assured Chairman Zala," Megatron coolly stated with a smirk. "I do not intend to let Ratchet leave when he is finished, but he will be freed. Free to join the AllSpark with the rest of his kind who have perished that is."
Hearing this, Zala's scowl instantly became a triumphant smirk at this revelation as he left, never once knowing that Megatron was planning something else as well, something that he was currently contacting Rau Le Creuset about at this very moment. "Everything is in place. Ratchet has agreed to assist us, and GENESIS will soon be completed. All that's left is your end of the job Commander Le Creuset."
"But of course Lord Megatron," the masked man's voice replied. "Soon the key to the final door of ending this war will be opened, and mankind's dream will finally be realized, allowing the Decepticons to obtain claim over both Earth and Cybertron."
Megatron chuckled at this as he stated, "I knew I was right to make you my only true ally among humanity Rau Le Creuset, prophet of humanity's end."
"And I am honored that you had done so Lord Megatron," Le Creuset replied before ending the communication, leaving any who may or may not have heard them to wonder just what these two were really up to, the only exception to this more than likely being Soundwave.
Kira: Still think this is funny? [He gestures to the anvil that Cagalli is still pinned under]
AN: Do you not see the way she's flailing around under there? It's not funny, it's hilarious! [Bursts out laughing and starts taking pictures]
Arcee: You do know that she's going to kill you for this right?
AN: No she's not. Not if she doesn't want this story to go unfinished, and the other two stories unwritten.
Jazz: Uh maybe we should move on with this so that we can ensure that she actually is okay.
AN: Ugh fine. Party poopers. Onto the preview!...
Friends have been turned into enemies, as the Dominion faces off against the Archangel and the Omega II along with the rest of the Four Ships Alliance. Just what will Natarle find when she engages in battle with her newest foe, and how will she be able to stomach working with Starscream? As the battle begins, Murrue cannot help but wish that she and Natarle had not met again like this, but Optimus's declaration of no surrender still resounds in her mind as well as the minds of everyone who had previously fought alongside the now commander. When things really begin to heat up, Le Creuset finally begins to show his hand as Kira and Mu learn of a truth that had long been forgotten or simply had long been hidden. What is it that awaits the new force of peace for Earth and Cybertron, and what effect will it have on the other two forces that both stand as their enemies and as each other's. Next time on Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Prime…Chapter 26: Prelude to the Final Battle. Blast down the shadow as you uncover the truth Gundam and Autobots!
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