Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED/Gundam Seed Destiny.
Before I begin, I will address a very important review question that came up last episode. I already responded with a review, but in case you didn't see that.
Shadow wolf asked:
Nice chapter. I have a question though. If the ORB battleship has positron reflectors, shouldn't it simply use them to deflect the blast? Other machines with Positron reflectors were able to deflect Tannhauser blasts as well.
Response:
The positron reflector/beam shield thing is only mounted on the bridge of the ship, seeing as you have glass windows and such and the bridge is usually the spot where mobile suits go after to instantly destroy a vessel. It's a vulnerable part of the ship. The rest of the Takemikazuchi does not have reflectors but only ablative armor. So if the Tannhauser is fired and hits the carrier it will be destroyed. Does that answer your question?
The massive red and white positron beam raced through the sky headed directly towards the Takemikazuchi's deck, the air seeming to explode all around the blast. The massive ORB forces carrier was attempting to move out of the way but it was clear right now that because of it's enormous size it would not be able to evade the shot. Time seemed to slow down as the Tannhauser's positron cannon shot got closer to the Takemikazuchi. It was now half way there. Inside the bridge of the Takemikazuchi you could see Yuna Roma Seiran in the fetal position sitting in his chair crying, Captain Todaka had lowered his head, and Lieutenant Amagi had a gasping look on his face as he saw the beam head right for them.
The camera now cuts to show an aerial view of the fight. As the Tannhauser's positron beam heads towards the ORB carrier another positron blast appears off to the stern of the Takemikazuchi. Since the massive carrier had tried to turn to it's port when they saw that the Minerva was preparing to fire it's ultimate weapon upon, the ship was now on a diagonal angle to the Zaft vessel. In short, this second positron beam was coming from the Takemikazuchi's 5 o'clock, and the Minerva's 10-11 o'clock. Just as the Tannhauser's positron beam was about to come very close to the Takemikazuchi the second beam intercepted it head on and it seemed like both beams 'combined' in a sense and altered their course. This new positron beam was now headed away from the Takemikazuchi and near the Federation fleet. The beam hit the water next to one of the three Federation Carrier and created a massive explosion that launched a torrent of water into the air. The Federation carrier was instantly destroyed because of this explosion and so were a number of other Federation ships. A massive wave of water, almost the size of a small tidal wave was created, as well as a massive shock wave that tore through the air. The Jones, now one of two Atlantic Federation carriers in the assault was hit by the wave but didn't capsize. Neo and the rest of the people on the bridge were thrown around violently though. When the wave hit the Takemikazuchi the ship was already aligned with it for the most part and didn't budge much due to it's immense size, and the rest of the Aegis Mk.2-class vessels thanking their trimaran design to keep them from being thrown around like rag dolls. The Minerva was forcefully pushed to it's port in the air due to the air shock wave, the bridge crew seen trying to hold on while grunting due to the shock wave. Inside the battleship's hanger the Impulse did the best that it could to hold on from being thrown around.
"Damn. What the hell happened. I got to get out of here or risk doing a lot of damage to the Minerva's insides!" Shinn said as he tried to get the Sword Impulse to walk out of the hole in the port side catapult door that was created when the Takemikazuchi fired it's beam weapons.
"All stations, damage reports immediately!" Arthur's voice echoed throughout the Minerva's hanger bay via the intercom.
"What the..." Shinn finally managed to wrestle the Impulse out of the ship and flew up into the air. "I can't see... anything..." He said as he noticed that the entire area was now covered in a mist created by the positron beams hitting the sea.
"Malik, you have to keep the ship stable. Arthur, get me that damage report. Bart, what's the status of the ORB forces carrier? The ORB forces fleet? Our own forces? Meyrin, where's Shinn. Get him out there now! And somebody tell me where that blast came from!" Talia ordered her bridge crew.
"Captain, Shinn has already left the ship and is hovering nearby." Meyrin reported.
"For the most part we are okay Captain. A bump here or there but not additional damage." Arthur reported.
"Restabalizing the ship right now... we're good, ma'am!" Malik said as he pressed buttons on his control panel mythotically.
"I can't detect anything. Our visibility is nothing because of the water mist and the blast has screwed up our sensors. Attempted to find a solution." Bart informed as he did what he could to get a sensor reading.
"What the hell happened? The positron blast... was deflected?" Kendan Westenfluss had gotten out of his chair and was looking out the misty screen with his jaw dropped, Heine and Athrun looking the same.
"Captain, the mist is clearing. We'll be able to get a visual soon. There's an object between us and the ORB fleet." The radar man on the Takemikazuchi said.
"We're alive? WE'RE ALIVE! YAY!" Yuna cheered like a little girl.
"Identify the object, now! I want to know what it is!" Todaka ordered in a serious voice.
"We can't sir, not until the mist clears in it's entirety." The radar operator informed. Out in the middle of the water the mist did seem to be clearing, but very slowly. Everyone was either on the edge of their seat or had gotten out of their chair and was looking out to the screen as best that they could. The water settled some more, and you could see something out there in the water, but you couldn't make sense of what it was. The mist finally settled and everyone's jaw dropped as they all gasped. The camera cut from the Tregule's bridge to the Jones' bridge to the Takemikazuchi's bridge to the Minerva's bridge to the Impulse's cockpit. Everyone was amazed and shock.
Sitting out in the middle of the ocean between the forces belonging to the Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty and the ORB Union was something that nobody there thought they would ever see again. A vessel, approximately four hundred and twenty meters long, with a red and white paint job, with two massive fins on the back of it, each having the word 'ORB' in big bold letters and the insignia of the ORB Union on the fin was floating on the water.
Yuna Roma Seiran could not even speak. He was too busy choking on his own breath to say anything. Captain Todaka was completely quiet and was not giving any hints to his thoughts right now, and Lieutenant Amagi looked surprised. The rest of the bridge crew of the Takemikazuchi were looking at their Captain expecting him to dish out orders, but he did not, until one crew member asked him.
"Orders... Captain..."
"Cut the engines. That is all." Todaka ordered.
On board the Jones Neo had gotten on his two feet and so had Auel. Neo looked at the blue haired boy with a 'you know what this means, don't you.' Kind of look. Auel looked confused and surprised at the same time.
"Prepare to open fire on the Archangel with the..." The Captain of the Jones tried to say but was interrupted by the black haired man.
"No. Belay that order. We're going to wait." Neo responded. 'I know for a fact that Auel didn't sink that ship. This is no surprise to me at all. But I didn't expect them to show themselves... at least not here. When Auel came back a couple hours after that explosion in the Black Sea the doctors ran a check on him, and they told me that a block word had been used on him. Hmm... I guess that what they said about Stella is right. She is alive. That's good to here.' Neo smiled.
"Um... Captain..." Arthur turned to Talia and tried to ask her something, but she herself simply raised up her hand and made a 'stop' gesture.
"Would you settle down for a moment, Arthur. We're in a very critical situation right now. Our forces are heavily outnumbered and outgunned. I don't know what the Archangel's intentions are right now but I don't want to intimidate them right now. As it stands this situation has the potential to twist the entire battlefield... for better or for worse..." Talia said without even looking at her Executive Officer.
"Right then, Captain." Arthur replied, turning back to his station, and pressing a couple of buttons. The Minerva's Tannhauser retracted into the ships hull and the door shutter closed behind it.
'Let's just hope a certain someone doesn't do anything irrational... if, by some reason, they link up with the other ORB forces and come after us we're finished, and it's as simple as that... however I don't see that happening unless they are provoked...' Talia thought, an angry silent look on her face.
The camera cuts to the Tregule, and we see Kendan Westenfluss with a very angry expression on his face.
"Father?" Heine turned and looked at his dad, who was gritting his teeth.
"Sir? What is it? Is something the matter?" Athrun asked, looking confused. Heine looked at him and then looked away.
'Oh right... Athrun didn't know about how the West River was nearly destroyed in the last war and how my father nearly lost his life to the Archangel.' Heine thought.
'That ship... is still alive... how...' Kendan was thinking to himself, clearly pissed off.
Off in the distance, the Archangel opened it's port and starboard side catapult doors and the catapults extended to their full length and lit up. Inside the port side catapult a mobile suit was being prepared to launch. The name Strike Rouge I.W.S.P. could be seen. The three launch indicators turned from 'Abort' to 'Launch' and the mobile suit launched out of the ship, changing it's color from grey to red, pink, and white before flying over the grey piece in between the 'legs' of the Archangel, Cagalli's personal 'Lioness of ORB' symbol clearly seen on the mobile suits left shoulder. Inside the starboard side catapult another suit began to launch, it's name 'Strike Noir' on the launch panel. When it launched the phase shift activated and the suit turned mostly black with some grey as it flew over and hovered above the port side Gottfried and was not flying as high as the Rouge. Another machine prepared to launch from the starboard side launcher. When it launched the phase shift activated, changing it's color from grey to mostly black with some yellow/gold and some red. This machine flew over the starboard side Gottfried of the Archangel at the same height as the Strike Noir and caught the attention of Zaft.
"What? The Gaia? How did they get it? Are you seriously telling me that the other blonde girl is the pilot of that machine?" Shinn said in a surprised voice as the Impulse flew over the Minerva.
"Captain... it's the Gaia!" Arthur said.
"I know. So that's why we didn't see it in the battle. They've had it all along! How the hell?" Talia said.
In the cockpit of the Strike Rouge you could see it's pilot pressing some buttons on the communications controls, opening the radio to broadcast on all channels.
"I am the Chief Representative of the ORB Union: Princess Cagalli Yula Attha. ORB forces, under my authority as the sole leader of our nation and under the 'Her Royal Guard Act' I am henceforth excersizing control over the Takemikazuchi and the rest of the ORB vessels in this area. You are to abandon your current objective of helping the Earth Alliance take over the Black Sea and follow the Archangel when it leaves. To the Zaft vessels: We mean you no harm nor hostile action. To the Atlantic Federation and Eurasian forces: Get out of here while you still can." Cagalli said over the radio, everyone hearing her. In the cockpit of the Strike Noir and the Gaia you saw the other two pilots open a com line between the three mobile suits and the Archangel itself.
"That's good, Cagalli. Now let's just hope they listen." Kira said.
"Miss Cagalli. What of the Zaft forces in the area? How do you think they will respond." Murrue asked.
"They've already been worn down severely, as have the Federation forces been, right? They won't attack them unless they have some sort of idiot in charge of their fleet." Cagalli said.
"And if they do, Stella with protect you all! These claws will make them feel pain!" Stella said in an excited yet angry voice.
"Calm down, Stella. You probably won't need to do that." Kira, looking at Stella. She then put on a calm face.
"Okay, Stella is fine." She smiled.
"Commander Roanoke, what is our next course of action?" The Captain of the Jones looked at Neo and asked him. The man with black hair and a scar on his face looked like he was thinking, with Auel looking confused and standing next to him.
"Uh, Neo? Auel to Neo? What's up?" He asked, waving his hand in front of Neo's face, to which Neo only put his own hand up and blocked it. "Sorry..." Auel said in a low tone.
'Damn. I wasn't expecting this. However, I guess I need to do this.' Neo thought as he picked up his phone and pressed some buttons. On the bridge of the Takemikazuchi Yuna Roma picked up his own line but it was on speaker.
"Yuna Roma Seiran what are you doing? Haven't you forgot about our objective? We need to take back the Black Sea and now they stand in our way, big deal. Deploy all your mobile suits and crush the Zaft forces and the Archangel, that's an order! If you don't thing's are going to get tough for your nation!" Neo said, everyone on the ORB carrier's bridge hearing him.
"Sir..." Amagi tried to say. Todaka was gritting his teeth at this, but not doing anything else. Yuna then looked red faced and gave off some sweat before he began to talk.
"That women's crazy! I don't know who she is! That's not Cagalli! She's been brainwashed! There's no way she would come out here and do that. We'll help you destroy the Zaft forces and the Archangel. Just give us a second to... ughh..." Yuna said as somebody's fist punched him in the side of the face and he fainted.
"Security take this man to a helicopter and have it take him to the Jones." Todaka looked at several men on the bridge, who walked over and picked up Yuna. Todaka himself picked up the phone and spoke directly to Neo. "I'm sorry, I don't know who you are besides that your name is Neo, and that is obviously a fake because what mother names their child Neo. It doesn't matter. This ship and the rest of the ORB fleet is now under orders from the highest authority in our nation and they differ from the one's you gave us greatly. I'm sorry if this inconveniences you but we shall not be aiding you in taking back the Black Sea. That is all. 'Supreme Commander' Yuna Roma Seiran is coming over to your ship right now, accommodate him however you please." Todaka slammed the phone down. Neo could bee seen surprised as he put his phone down as well.
'And that's... exactly what I wanted to hear. Thank you, Captain Todaka.' Neo thought, his bridge crew looking at him expectantly. "I guess... our only option is to turn away and head back to Suez. We have failed our mission due to unforeseen circumstances. If we stay here it's likely Zaft will come after us once the ORB forces withdraw to wherever they're headed. Turn us around and take us home. We're too weak to fight off Zaft right now." Neo commanded.
"Yes sir..." The Captain said, signalling his officers to carry out their orders for a retreat.
"Sir... why did you..." Amagi asked his Captain.
"Because Lady Cagalli's orders trump all others. Send a message to all our forces that we are now under her control and send a message to the Archangel that we now acknowledge Lady Cagalli's orders." Todaka ordered.
"Yes sir!" The crewmen said eagerly as they carried out their orders.
"What do you think will happen next, sir?" Amagi asked, looking at Todaka.
"I have no idea. However if Zaft attempts to destroy the Archangel or threaten us than everyone of their ships will either be sunk or suffer enormous damage, assuming Lady Cagalli permits it." Todaka replied.
"Yes sir." Amagi said.
"Captain, what do you think will happen next? The Earth forces seem to be moving away from us." Arthur asked. Once again, the bridge crew looked at Gladys expecting an answer, hoping for her guidance as Captain.
"Well... as much as I can't see ORB just withdrawing I can't see them ignoring their Princess' orders, given the current legislation in their nation." Talia spoke. 'That Princess... she prepared for a situation like this... bravo...'
"We're withing firing range now, sir." A man aboard the Tregule said
"Good. Surface the ship and prepare to unleash a barrage of missiles. Target: The Archangel." Kendan Westenfluss ordered, a grin on his face.
'Now I'll be able to personally take my revenge...' Kendan thought.
"Father, but the Federation fleet is moving back. They're withdrawing..." Heine said.
"Sensei... why are you attacking the Archangel?" Athrun asked, as confused as Heine.
"Heine, my biological son, and Athrun, my 'son' in a sense from the academy, the Archangel has interfered with our battle and has caused chaos to come to the battlefield. They must be punished for this, understood."
"Umm... uhh... I understand." Athrun said, getting his look off of his face. "Kira should not have done this. It was our battle and now it's been interrupted. Is that... is that what you're trying to say?"
"Exactly. We could have inflicted a painful blow on our enemy's by destroying that carrier and they stopped us. Regardless of feelings for the matter, ORB is our enemy. The Archangel is an ORB ship, and this 'Kira' is an ORB soldier, therefore he is an enemy. I am sorry if he is a friend of yours but you have chosen to enlist in the Zaft military and as such you are henceforth obligated to fight the enemy's of the PLANTs, regardless of who they are. Understood?" Kendan asked and Athrun nodded.
"I understand, father." Heine said. Athrun looked a little frustrated.
'This... is just like the first war. However if I was able to fight Kira then I will fight him now. He's right. ORB one way or another is an enemy nation to the PLANTs... they've assisted the Alliance and look what's happened because of it!' Athrun thought.
"Now Heine standby in the GOUF and Athrun standby in the Saviour. Your repairs are complete." Kendan said, the two boys saluting him and then running off.
"The Minerva is damaged, we've lost over half of our forces, and they have that carrier and the Archangel. Either way we're outnumbered and outgunned. If we engage them now we'll be forced to retreat or raise the white flag." Talia explained, her expression slightly anxious, as if she was waiting for something to happen, or hoping that it would not.
"I see. So should we bring the ship out of condition red?" Arthur asked as Talia looked at him in a funny matter.
"No. That's foolish. I doubt we'll be fighting them but at the same we need to be on our feet." Talia responded.
"Oh, sorry. Right Captain." Arthur replied. Shinn opened up a video line and was now looking at the Captain.
"Orders?" He asked.
"Stay on the deck of the ship." She turned to Meyrin. "What's the status of the ZAKU and DOM?" Meyrin pressed some buttons and said some words over her headset to the engineering section and then responded back.
"Lunamaria can launch when ready. Rey's DOM is out though until we can get back to port and commit to repairing it. The chief doesn't want our heavy equipment in use considering what happened last time in battle..." Meyrin said. A short little flashback image shows the Hawke sister's room after the barrel role.
"I see." Talia turned to Shinn. "Just stay on deck for now. Nothing is likely to happen..."
"FIRE!" Kendan Westenfluss ordered. Suddenly, all the Zaft ships minus the Minerva began to fire missiles directed at the Archangel. The camera shows the inside of the Minerva, Impulse, Takemikazuchi, and Archangel to show everyone gasping at this development. The missiles head towards the Archangel as they did you could see Kira, Cagalli, and Stella looking at their controls and targeting the missiles. The three gundams turn to face the missiles, and the Gaia ascends and switches to mobile armor mode. The Strike Noir fires it's two beam cannons, it's beam rifle, and one of it's beam pistols into at the missiles, the Rouge doing the same with it's two beam cannons, and beam Gatling gun. The Gaia followed by firing it's two beam cannons and beam rifle. As a result of all this fire, all the Zaft missiles exploded in a cloud getting somewhat close but still some distance away from the Archangel.
"What they all missed? What the hell happened?" Kendan asked. 'I knew the pilots on board the Archangel are supposed to be skilled, but that skilled?'
"Sir... they all got... shot down..." A man on the bridge said.
"Damn them! We can't just back down now! Launch the mobile suits! Get Athrun and Heine out there now! Prepare another barrage of missiles!" Kendan ordered. Suddenly one of the screens on the Tregule turned on and Captain Talia Gladys appeared sitting on the edge of her seat and looking up at the screen with a very angry look on her face.
"Kendan Westenfluss your actions are out of line! The battlefield was just reset and it looked as if we would survive what would otherwise be a losing battle!" Talia said. He looked a little surprised but then got up out of his chair.
"Out of line? OUT OF LINE? Learn your place, Gladys! This is the battlefield, and I am the one who makes the rules here! Not you! Now, deploy your mobile suits and prepare to fire upon the ORB forces!" Kendan nearly screamed. 'How dare she question me of all people. The usurper! I didn't have the Minerva fire any missiles because I knew she would have had a fit... and then she has the nerve to insult me?'
'What the hell is he thinking? We'll be crushed in this state!' Talia thought as she cut the link and then re-opened it, this time with Shinn on the line.
"What the hell just happened?" Shinn asked.
"Admiral Westenfluss decided it was a good time to open fire on them. The Minerva's moving back into a defensive position, guard the ship. That is your first priority. If anything comes at us, attack it, regardless of who it is. Understood?" Talia ordered to the Impulse's pilot. Shinn looked a little down as he heard that, thinking of what would happen should he have to face Kira and Cagalli in combat.
"I understand." Shinn said as he turned off the line. Talia turned to Meyrin.
"Send Luna out there." She turned to Malik. "Malik, pull us back to the middle of our remaining forces. Arthur, prepare to fire anti-beam depth charges." She gave out her orders.
"Yes ma'am." The crew of the Minerva replied.
"How many of our ships are left?" Talia asked, Bart searching for an answer.
"Four submarines and around six light cruisers. We have some mobile suits but not a whole lot right now. Less than the ORB fleet but they seem to not be launching any Murasumes or Astrays. Only the Gaia and the two Strike variants are out right now for them." The radar man replied. Talia groaned at this.
"ZGMF-1000 Gunner ZAKU, Lunamaria, you're cleared for launch." Meyrin announced as the purple ZAKU was being prepared to launch out of the Minerva's starboard side catapult.
"Lunamaria Hawke, ZAKU, I'm heading out!" Lunamaria said as she launched and then immediately jumped on top of the starboard side deck.
"Lady Cagalli, are you alright?" Todaka asked over a line that had been established between the three ORB gundams, the Takemikazuchi, and the Archangel.
"Yes, I'm completely fine. I want all of our forces to leave this area at once. Turn around and prepare and go. Have the Archangel give you the coordinates of rendevous location." Cagalli ordered in a frantic tone. Suddenly, someone decided she was going to have a little freak out.
"HOW DARE THOSE IDIOTS ATTACK US! STELLA IS GOING TO GO CRUSH THEM!" Stella yelled as the Gaia then flew towards the Zaft fleet.
"STELLA! NO! COME BACK!" Kira yelled, but it did nothing. "I'm going after her!" Kira stated as the Strike Noir then began to fly after the Gaia.
"I'm going after them. Get some distance between our forces and the Zaft fleet and then stop and prevent them from getting further. Do not launch any mobile suits unless it's for defensive purposes. Once me and Kira get Stella back we'll retreat. Too much blood has already been lost here today." Cagalli said. The ORB fleet in it's entirety began to turn around and head away from the Zaft forces. As the Archangel turned it fired it's Gottfrieds and Valiants into the sea in order to disrupt the water and stop some of the Zaft vessels.
"Athrun Zala, Saviour, launching!" Athrun announced as the Saviour gundam launched out of one of the Tregule's dorsal catapult.
"Heine Westenfluss, GOUF, launching!" Heine said as he followed Athrun, the GOUF having received a new flight pack and was re-equipped.
The Gaia was flying through the air hunting down the Zaft mobile suits. Stella had switched into mobile armor form, which while she could not fight normally in melee, she didn't need to in that form. The Gaia fired it's beam cannon at the enemy suits what were far away and dodged the incoming fire.
'It seems we may have made the Gaia a little too strong and manoeuvrable. She's dodging their fire without breaking a sweat! Dammit, I need to know how to disable it without hurting Stella!' Kira thought to himself as the Strike Noir made it's way through enemy mobile suits, firing one of his beam pistols and his beam rifle.
"Gah! You die!" Stella said as the Gaia dived down upon a ZAKU that was standing on the deck of a small cruiser below it that had raised it's shield up. "That's not going to stop me!" She yelled as the front paws of the Gaia glowed and the beam claws activated. Stella landed on the deck of the ship after doing some scratching motions in the air when she reached the ZAKU. The result was that the green mass production model had very clear and clean cut marks and exploded. "Now for you!" She said as she ran up to the bridge.
"Ah! AHHHHH!" The Captain yelled as the black gundam clawed right through the command tower and destroyed that ship before lifting off and heading elsewhere.
"Stella stop it!" Kira yelled as he tried to close in on the Gaia, a DINN blocking his path. "Get out of my way! I'm trying to stop her!" He took his right arm which was holding a beam rifle and whacked the DINN's right arm with the bottom of his right hand, hard, which caused the DINN's hand to be lowered before he raised his left hand which was holding a beam pistol and shot the DINN in the head twice, the first shot taking out the head and the second shot destroying it's left wing before he let it fall. He then looked at the Gaia and noticed that it had just jumped out of the water, a massive explosion following it. "Damn she's just sunk one of their submarines!"
"Kira, she's gone mad!" Cagalli said as she closed in on the Noir with the Rouge which had both of it's swords drawn.
"No, she's just angry. Remember she was part of the Earth Forces before. She's probably been trained to hate Zaft with a passion. To hate coordinators with a passion." Kira replied. Cagalli thought for a second about this.
'To hate coordinators with a passion... Well then we'll have to fix that... Shinn hated ORB with a passion... hated me with a passion, but...' Cagalli thought as the Strike Noir pulled the Strike Rouge out of the way of a beam shot.
"Snap out of it, sister. Were you daydreaming, Cagalli?" Kira asked, firing his beam cannons into the water hoping to hit some of their underwater suits which were the ones that took the shot at the Rouge.
"Sorry..." She replied.
"It's okay. Cover me while I try to grab the Gaia with my grapple hooks." Kira said as he headed off into the distance.
"Right!" Cagalli went after him.
Stella had just killed killed another cruiser, this time transformed into mobile suit mode and stabbing it in the deck. As she ascended she heard a beeping sound and turned to her left before blocking one beam and dodging three others. Her eyes then turned very angry when she saw where those beams were coming from. "You! That blasted ship!" She turned into mobile armor mode and seemed to leap in the air towards the Minerva, rolling out of the way to dodge another beam, this one red and white. "Where did that come from?" She turned to see the purple ZAKU which had fired the beam, and then dodged another beam from a different direction. Looking at where this new beam came from she could only see the Impulse sitting on the Minerva's deck with one anti-ship sword drawn in it's left hand and it's beam rifle in it's right. "STELLA HAS HAD ENOUGH OF THE PURPLE ZAKU AND COMBINING MOBILE SUIT!" She yelled and as she did her eyes changed. Inside her violet eyes a seed matching the same color as her iris came down and exploded. Outside her eyes kept their white sclera but her iris was one uniform shade of violet and her pupil was just a small dot. "STELLA IS GOING TO KILL YOU RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW!" She said as her beam claws activated again and she headed for Lunamaria.
"You again? I'll beat you this time!" Lunamaria yelled as she fired her beam cannon at the Gaia, missing it by a lot. "What? How is it capable of moving from that far away?" Lunamaria yelled as the Gaia came down on the Minerva's deck in it's mobile armor mode and seemed to make a roaring gesture. "Oh yeah? Take this!" Luna pulled out a grenade with her free hand and threw it at the Gaia.
"You're finished. This time for good!" Stella sidestepped to the left of the grenade and knocked it off the deck with a little nudge from one of her claws which was deactivated, the grenade exploding a second after it was away from the Minerva. "Are you trying to hit your own ship? Do Stella's job for her!" Stella yelled before coming at the ZAKU. "Roarg!" Stella leapt at the ZAKU and knocked it onto the deck on it's back, trying to claw at it.
"No! Get away!" Luna said as she crossed the Orthos beam cannon across her body and used it to block the Gaia from getting to her.
"Luna!" Shinn yelled as the Sword Impulse landed next to the Gaia and ZAKU and tried to take a swing at the animal gundam, Stella leaping to the right and blocking it. "Are you alright?" Shinn asked. In Luna's cockpit you could see her breathing heavily after that.
"Thank... you... Shinn... I thought I was a goner." Luna replied, still panting. Across the purple ZAKU you could see that the Orthos cannon was pretty beat up and despite the fact that Luna's machine did not suffer fatal damage, it was damaged to the extent that she could not fight anymore. Heck, the Gaia came close enough that it almost caused the two grenades remaining on the Zaku's right side skirt to explode. That was luckily.
"Get inside the ship, now." Shinn ordered as he opened a com line to the Minerva, the bridge crew seeing that his SEED mode was indeed active as a response to his resolve to protect the ship. "Minerva, Luna's coming in. I'll handle the Gaia! You make sure no one gets hurt!" Shinn said as he pulled out the two large Anti-ship Swords and combined them together before holding them parallel to the gundam's body. "Come at me!" He yelled over the radio to the Gaia.
"Stella! You need to stop this! Please, it's Kira! Stop!" Kira yelled through the line at the Gaia, heading towards it and the Impulse. 'She's going to be fighting Shinn... dammit he's actually very good. She could get really messed up if I don't pull her away!' Kira thought as he continued to thrust towards the Gaia but had to stop when a machine blocked his path. "What the? Who are you?" Kira asked over the line. Flying in front of the Strike Noir was a red gundam that had two giant cannons on it's back, two beam sabers on it's shoulders, and an unmistakable giant horn on it's head.
"Kira, what are you doing? Why are you doing this? You've intervened in this battle for no good reason. I'm here to stop you." The pilot of the Saviour gundam, Athrun Zala, said to the pilot of the Strike Noir and his life long friend, Kira Yamato. "You should have never left ORB, Kira." Athrun said.
"Ath... Athrun... why?" Kira said in surprise as the red and black gundams stared at each other for a second before the Saviour used it's right hand to pull out the beam saber on it's left shoulder and came at the Noir with it's saber and shield.
"Kira! Who is tha-" The Strike Rouge thrusted towards the Strike Noir and Saviour gundams when Cagalli felt her suit stop and then felt a jolt of electricity surge through the gundam, causing her pain. "Ahh! That's... painful! AHHHHHH!" She screamed as she turned to see what had her. A familiar orange GOUF had launched it's heat whip in it's left arm at the Strike Rouge and had grappled onto the left leg of the suit.
"Now feel pain! Miss 'I'm going to be special and interrupt an important fight!" Heine yelled.
'Dammit! This hurts... if only I could...' The Strike Rouge aimed it's beam Gatling gun at the spot where the GOUF had wrapped it's heat whip and fired it. 'There.' She thought as the electrical pain stopped but it looked like some damage had been done to the Rouge's foot. "I don't know who you are, but I will tell you right now, as the leader of ORB I have an obligation to preserve the ideals of my nation, and those ideals do not include having my forces fight pointless battles!" Cagalli said as she pulled out her two swords and thrusted at the GOUF, Heine pulling out his own sword and board.
"Give me the position of the ORB forces! Where are they now? What are they doing?" Kendan Westenfluss demanded.
"All of their battleships are holding steady ahead of us. Distance to their closest ship: 7000. However three of their mobile suits are currently battling our forces. The Gaia is fighting the Impulse, the Strike Noir is fighting the Saviour and the Strike Rouge is fighting your son's GOUF." The radar operator said. Kendan Westenfluss gritted his teeth.
'So Heine is fighting the Princess of ORB's mobile suit right now? Hmm... perhaps we could gain more from this than we would normally desire if he succeeds...' Kendan thought. "Right then, bring our fleet ahead..."
"Sir we can't. It's suicide to do that!" A man on board the Tregule interrupted. This man looking as if he held the position of second in command.
"What do you mean we can't? I ordered it and therefore we do it!" Kendan yelled.
"Sir our forces have sustained far too much damage to progress. We need to get those three mobile suits away from our forces and then retreat. The ORB forces have no intention of..."
"I get it... call back all our suits but the Saviour, Impulse, and Heine's GOUF. All others are to defend their vessels. Once those three suits are away we'll retreat." He said. 'Dammit. I wanted to sink that blasted Archangel, but it's true... it would be suicide if we did go after it right now.' Kendan thought.
The Sword Impulse was engaged in melee combat with the upgraded Gaia, except Shinn had gotten Stella to fight him in the air and not on the Minerva's deck. The Impulse lunged at the Gaia with a sword in each of it's hands and did a double downward slash on the Gaia. Stella raised both of her beam sabers into the air and crossed them, blocking it. In the eyes of both pilots you could see that they both had activated their SEED modes. Shinn for he wanted to protect his ship and his fellow pilot, and Stella because she was very pissed off a Zaft for trying to kill her friends in addition to the fact that she hated this mobile suit with a passion. Stella tried to raise her arms and push the Impulse's anti-ship swords away but she could not.
"Damn you! Why the hell is this thing so damn strong!" She said as she raised her right foot and kicked the Impulse in the stomach, causing it to be pushed away. She then charged at the Impulse with her right arm raised and swung it down on the Impulse, Shinn blocking with his shield as the Impulse was in a position where it's left arm was swung diagonally across it's body with it's right arm hanging down behind it. She then attempted to perform a horizontal slash with her left arm.
"Screw you!" Shinn pushed a little and sidestepped the Impulse to it's left and avoided the Gaia's swing before attempting to perform another vertical slash this time only with the Impulse's left arm.
"Huh? No!" Stella cut the thrusters on the Gaia and began to drop, avoiding the swing before she turned the Gaia into it's mobile armor mode and began to 'dash' in the air, descending and turning to her left before she came at the Impulse again with the beams on her wings activated.
'She's going to try to cut across my torso. In that case...' Shinn combined his two swords together and held them across his body as he prepared to try to block the attack whilst charging at the Gaia. Just before the two clashed Stella rolled the Gaia slightly to it's left and as such the 'wing blades' were now perpendicular to the Sword Impulse's swords. When the two beams clashed Shinn swung downwards with his combined sword and the Gaia was turned slightly to it's right.
"I'll just do this and kill you!" Stella said as she extended out her front right paw and tried to scratch across the Impulse's chest.
"I'm not dieing that easily!" Shinn said as he shifted the center of the Sword Impulse's torso to the left, which caused the Gaia's claws to miss the cockpit but take out his right side skirt. "Argggg!" He said as followed up by turning his gundam's entire body to the right and performing a quick swipe with his right handed sword, managing to cut the wing blade where there wasn't a beam and severing it from the body. Stella groaned as she gained some distance but then heard Shinn try to talk with her. "Why the hell are you doing this? What's the point?" He asked. She growled a little.
"You tried to kill my friends! Why did you try to do that?" She switched into mobile suit mode and drew out one of her beam sabers "ARRGG! Why do you need to always get in my way?" She tried to slice at Shinn, who blocked with one of his beam swords and then tried to counter attack with the other.
"Me get in your way? You stole our machines! You tried to KILL MY FRIENDS! You're here right now killing more people! I'm here to stop you from killing my friends..." Shinn said.
"I don't care what your reasoning is! You tried to kill Stella's friend and now Stella is going to beat you!" Stella said as she spread her arms out and tried to cut the Impulse horizontally.
"Then I don't care if I KILL YOU!" Shinn yelled as he pulled back, avoiding the beams before performing a stab attack with his left arm at cockpit. Stella put her arm across her body and bent it so that the Gaia's shield was facing the sky. When the sword Impulse's Sword got into range she raised that arm very quickly which caused the shield to hit the beam portion of Shinn's blade and force the blade upwards, deflecting it as she counter attacked with the saber on her right arm and swung it horizontally, but Shinn raised his left arm upwards which made the sword in it's hand try to point to the sky as he swung with his right hand and clashed blades with her.
"What the hell was that?" Cagalli said as the Strike Rouge made a vertical slash at the GOUF, Heine blocking with his shield before trying to take a stab at Cagalli with his own sword, the Princess of ORB strafing to her right and avoiding it before backing away. Heine then raised his sword hand at the Rouge and fired shots from his beam gun at the Rouge. "Huh? Beams in the arm?" Cagalli strafed to the right and dodged them, but barely. "Dammit!"
"This is no ZAKU! NO ZAKU!" Heine said as he raised his other arm and fired from it while thrusting at the Rouge. Cagalli tried to back away while firing her beam Gatling gun and two beam cannons at the GOUF. "You'll need to do better than that!" Heine said as the shots from both suits were either cancelled out when they hit each other or dodged by the GOUF as it closed in. When the FAITH pilot got close enough he swung his sword down on the Rouge in a way that Cagalli would not be able to raise her shield in time and not lose her beam Gatling gun.
"Damn you!" A yellowish golden SEED exploded in Cagalli's eyes as she instead attempted to stab the GOUF in the chest with her shield and use the force to push Heine away. Although it did work Heine managed to block the Rouge's shield from hitting his chest dead on with own shield before being pushed away. "Who the hell are you?" She asked.
"I am Heine Westenfluss! Zaft elite FAITH pilot, and soon to be slayer of Princesses!" He said as he once again closed in and clashed blades with the Princess.
"Slayer of Princesses? Over my dead body!" Cagalli tried to slash at the GOUF but only managed to clip off the top of it's horn. Heine then ascended a little and tried to slash the Rouge, Cagalli blocking with her shield.
"Ya, Slayer of Princesses! What the hell do you think you're doing interrupted a battle like this so arrogantly? Who the hell do you think you are!" Heine pushed down on his sword more and you could see the shield trying to fight against it. The Sword was pushed to the edge of the shield were it cut off the Gatling gun. "Take that!"
"Take this!" Cagalli then took this opportunity to slash at the GOUF with her own sword, cutting off it's right hand fingers and causing it's sword to fall to the water, although you could still see the heat whip stored in that part of the GOUF. She then pulled back a little and went on the defensive. "I am here to protect my nation. Many lives were lost in this pointless battle and I came here to stop more from being taken. And now you stand in my way, preventing me from achieving that goal?" She asked as Heine gritted his teeth and raised both of his hands and began to shoot at the Rouge with his beam barrels. 'I have to try to dodge those now that I can't use my beam Gatling gun. If I try to close in and take him out with my swords I should be fine. But to do that I need a distraction...' Cagalli thought.
"Oh good for you." He said in a sarcastic tone. "It just so happens that I'm here for the same reason! To try to prevent more bloodshed and prevent more people from dieing needlessly! However I am a soldier and therefore I am willing to give up my life, the same could be said for the ORB fleet. Made their choice and knew that they could die. Yet you come in... and try to save them. How admirable yet pathetic." Heine said as he continued to fire his arm cannons while blocking the Rouge's shoulder cannon shots with his shield.
"A battle they should have never been in at all!" Cagalli said as she continued to dodge. 'Dammit. He keeps blocking my shots with his shield or outright dodging them, and that shield seems like something that could withstand continuous beam fire. It would take a beam saber or something physical to break it. Too bad I'm not in melee range... wait... that's it!' She thought. Cagalli continued to dodge fire while sheathing her sword back and then taking her right arm and pulling out her beam boomerang, firing her beam cannons and then throwing it before unsheathing her sword again.
"You can't beat me! Not if you can't get in melee range! Eight beam shots coming at you at once, and with my accuracy... hah... you'll never get close, or manage to hit me!" Heine laughed but then his console started beeping. "Ya keep up with the continuous beam shots. My shield can take it!" He said as he positioned the GOUF's shield to block the next hit, but something came up. Heine felt the hit from the two beam cannons but then felt something else. "What?" The camera cuts to where the the GOUF's shield is attached to it's left arm. You can see the beam boomerang just barely making it's way through before the connector breaks, causing the entire arm to be destroyed as you see the Strike Rouge close in, this time with both of it's swords out and ready to destroy the GOUF.
"ARRRRGGG!" Cagalli brings her right arm up and prepares to perform a vertical slash that would go from the GOUF's upper left section to it's bottom right.
"I won't die to YOU!" Heine yells as he strafes to the left just enough to avoid the slash and when the sword clears the GOUF Heine launches his remaining heat whip and has it grab onto the Rouge's right arm and turns it on. "How's that feel?" He said with extreme arrogance.
"Gah... ugh... ah..." Cagalli screamed as she felt the effect of the heat whip in her cockpit and then opened her eyes, still affected by SEED mode and filled with anger and resolve. "Damn you for making me have to do this." She raised up the wrapped arm as best as she could and aimed one of her beam cannons at it and fired, cutting off the Rouge's right arm before firing with her other cannon and hitting the GOUF in the head and backpack, causing it to fall.
"Ahh!" Heine said as he tried to open up a channel to his father.
"Damn. I'm out. I've got to head back to the ship. Kira... get Stella back. Stella... stop this!" She said as she headed back to the Archangel.
"ATHRUN!" Kira said as the Strike Noir and Saviour gundams clashed blades.
"Kira! Why did you have to leave ORB? Why? What the hell are you doing out here anyway?" Athrun asked as the Saviour dodged a sword stab from the Noir before shield bashing Kira's suit and then attempted to perform a downward vertical slash.
"Why did I leave ORB?" Kira raised the anti-ship sword in the Noir's left hand up and blocked the Saviour's slash. "Because you left ORB. You decided to change sides." The Noir pushed the Saviour away and then backed off and fired it's beam cannons, the Saviour rolling through them and dodging, but barely.
"So I left and then you decided to do the same? I don't see you wearing a Zaft uniform, Kira." The Saviour attempted to charge at the Noir. Kira then sidestepped and fired on of the rocket anchors out of his left leg and got the Saviour in the back, slowing it down before preparing to fire his beam cannons. Athrun saw this and quickly thrusted downwards, causing the wire to go taut and pull down the Noir as it fired, causing the beam shot to miss the Saviour but cut the anchor wire.
"We left because I care about my sister, the women that you kissed and loved for a time. I didn't want to see her have to marry Yuna Roma Seiran. Nobody did. We had no choice but to leave." Kira mounted his two swords onto the Noir's wings and pulled out his two beam pistols. The Saviour had switched into mobile armor mode and was flying around. 'Damn that thing's fast, but looking at it I doubt it has any weapons that can be fired unless it's facing me in this mode.' Kira said as the Saviour then turned and fired it's two beam cannons at the Noir, Kira making his gundam 'fall on it's back' in midair to dodge the attack as the Saviour passed overhead and switched into mobile suit mode before and firing his beam rifle at the Noir.
"Yes it is true I loved Cagalli at the time, but at the same time I felt like I needed to do something. ORB is supposedly neutral Kira. I couldn't just sit back and allow innocent people do die in this pointless war." Athrun said as the Noir rolled and raised it's beam pistols past it's head (so that now the entire gundam is in a straight line horizontally) and began to open fire. Athrun began to dodge the barrage of attacks heading at him. 'Dammit that thing's powerful. I need to get closer and bring the battle to him. It doesn't have a shield.' Athrun said as he began to weave through the beam shots and pulled out both beam sabers.
"Do something? I guess I know what you mean. But now, why are you doing this? Why are you attacking us? We intervened to prevent more people from getting slaughtered, something you would agree would be a good idea." The Noir straightened itself out vertically and put it's pistols on it's side skirts and pulled out it's swords again. Athrun then attempted to perform a downward vertical slash with both beam sabers, although the attack was a little slow and Kira reacted by kicking the Saviour in the stomach with both of it's feet before spreading them out. As a result of this, the Saviour was pushed back as it lunged towards the Noir, it's sabers missing the black and grey mobile suit. 'He's rusty.' Kira then swung downward with his right handed sword but to his surprise the Saviour stuck up it's left hand and blocked the attack with it's beam saber. 'Well not too rusty. He still shouldn't have left his torso completely vulnerable.' Kira thrusted backwards and aimed his beam cannons at the Saviour's beam cannons.
"Your intervention... I thought ORB was supposed to be neutral!" Athrun switched to mobile armor mode and flew away, dodging the beam cannon fire and trying to face the Noir so he could fire back.
"Yes, exactly. We intervened because ORB is not being neutral. It's not being ORB! Cagalli is trying to set things right, and protect what is most precious to her: The nation she rules. Clearly you didn't understand that, Athrun." Kira said as the Saviour faced the Noir and both gundams fired their beam cannons, the shots colliding, before they once again clashed blades. "Let me ask you this, Athrun." The Noir swung it's right arm down and hit the Saviour's shield. "Have you made your choice? Have you finally decided what side you will be on? Are you among those who share the same values as yourself? Are you finally fighting on the side which will grant you what you want to see happen to this world?" Kira asked. The Saviour attempted to perform an upward swing with it's right hand beam saber, the Noir backing off and narrowly avoiding the shot. Athrun thought for a second about Gilbert Durandal and his thought of ending war forever, as well as Heine Westenfluss and Rey Za Burrel, and also his fiance, Lacus Clyne. Then he remembered his parents, one who died at the start of the war, and one who died trying to end it in the most bloody way possibly. Athrun Zala hated war for taking away his parents, and so he fought to eliminate it.
"Yes. I have made my choice. I am with Zaft now, Kira." Athrun said as a green SEED exploded in his eyes and he changed into SEED mode before charging at the Strike Noir. "KIRRRAAAA!"
"Then I have no choice. I. WILL. DEFEAT. YOU!" A purple SEED exploded in Kira's eyes as he also entered SEED mode. The Noir quickly put away one of it's beam sabers and pulled out it's beam rifle from it's back. When the Saviour got close you could see Kira aim the rifle at the Saviour's shield as Athrun tried to perform a slash on the Noir.
"No. It is I, who shall defeat you!" Athrun yelled. "Ahh!" The Saviour was pushed back as the Noir fired the grenade out of the beam rifle, destroying the Noir's beam rifle and the Saviour's shield. Kira then pulled out his other sword and closed in on the Saviour. "Damn you!" Athrun came right back at the Noir and unleashed a series of extremely powerful attacks on the Noir with it's beam sabers, both suits clearly matched in an even stalemate.
'Fine then, Athrun. Clearly you've decided to pick a true side for once... that seems to be the case, old friend. Well then...' The Noir blocked an attack and then opened fire with it's head mounted CIWS on the Saviour. The bullets could be seen either being destroyed when they hit the beams or blitzing past, and some of them managed to hit the oversized forehead camera mounted on the Saviour's head, destroying the optics.
"What? WHAT IS..." Athrun yelled, his mouth and eyes wide open as his view screens went dead for a second. "Agghhh!" He yelled as Kira took advantage of a blind Athrun and proceeded to perform two very quick slicing attacks, cutting off both of the Saviour's arms and legs, causing high but not unrepairable damage to the suit. On one of the monitors of the Saviour a message saying 'main camera damaged. Switching to auxiliary cameras.' Could be seen as the view screen turned back on and all Athrun could see was the silhouette of the Strike Noir with it's two anti ships swords drawn after and in an attack motion, the pink beams present on the beams and the ever so glowing yellow eyes on the head of the dark suit. "Kira..." Athrun said as he fell to the ocean. 'If that's your attitude then fine then... we're enemies now...'
"Now... to find Stella." Kira said as he went looking for the transforming black mobile suit.
"Athrun!" Meyrin said aboard the Minerva.
"What?" Talia asked.
"The Saviour has been defeated in combat and is falling to the ocean." Meyrin informed as the Saviour hit the water, going under as several amphibious ASHs came by and grabbed it.
"What of the Impulse?" Talia asked.
"Still in combat with the Gaia. Though I think Shinn is on the upper hand." Meyrin said.
"Arghhh!" Shinn yelled as the Sword Impulse lunged at the Gaia. Stella raised her shield as Shinn ascended and came down with all the force the Impulse could muster with both swords on the shield. "Block this!" He said as the Swords hit the shield, but due to the force, the shield broke and the swords went through the Gaia's left arm, breaking it off.
"This guy! I can never beat him! NEVER!" Stella yelled as she attempted to go all out with the one remaining arm she had left. "Stella defeat you!" She yelled but then something happened. Off in the distance, three wires came out of nowhere and grappled onto the Gaia from behind in three different places. "What?" Stella turned around.
"Now's my chance! Finishing this now!" Shinn made a stabbing motion at the stopped Gaia but only cut clean air, for the Gaia had been pulled back. "What?" He looked up and saw the Strike Noir with three wires extending from it to the Gaia. "Kira?" He pulled back and avoided beam cannon fire aimed at him from the black mobile suit as it attempted to pull it away. He then heard something on the channel.
"Stella! Stop this! Now! Stop it! You too, Shinn!" Kira yelled over the line.
"Kira! This guy... I can't beat him! Please let me finish him off!" Stella screamed as she was pulled back some more.
"No! Now let's go back." Kira said. Shinn looked as if he was thinking of something while still looking at both of the mobile suits. He then looked as if he realized something.
"DIE! DEATH!" Shinn yelled over the radio, remembering how Stella reacted before when they were with Cagalli. Inside the cockpit of the Gaia you could see Stella take her hands off the controls and looking as if she was freaking out as the Noir pulled her away.
"Die... no... Stella not want to die! Stella not want to die!" She screamed as she was pulled away by the Noir.
'What did he do? I need to see her once I get her back on the Archangel. Something's wrong.' Kira thought as the Noir backed off with the Gaia wired to it. The Minerva then fired off three signals flares that indicated a retreat. In the distance the ORB fleet was retreating, and the Zaft fleet was also retreating.
"Come back Shinn. This battle is over. We're done the fighting for now." Talia's face appeared on the screen as she ordered the Impulse to return.