Gundam SEED: Different Reality Chapter 20, a gundam seed fanfic

Gundam SEED: Different Reality

by DreamersLTD

If you can dream, then anything is possible. – DreamersLTD Motto

Disclaimer: Same as before…

(Onboard the Archangel)

A week passed without incident for the Archangel as they managed to avoid any ZAFT patrols before entering the Himalayas, where the crew believed that they'd be safe.

It was lightly snowing as the ship ventured into the mountains, and with permission from the Captain, the teens went onto the back deck to experience the snow for the first time (at least, for some of them). Of course, they were all told to dress warmly, as it would be very cold.

"Wow!! It's real snow!" exclaimed Flay.

"I-It-it's c-c-cold…" whined Kuzzey as he shivered.

"It is, but then again, we've never had snow on Heliopolis, just a mild cold climate to simulate the weather during winter," added Sai as he enjoyed Flay's giddiness.

Tolle was catching snowflakes on his tongue while madly running around. "Still, naturally falling ice is amazing!" he exclaimed.

Miriallia and Cagalli just smiled and relaxed near the doorway leading back to the ship. Both had experienced snow in the past, and were simply content letting the others get used to it.

Canard however, brooded over the snow from observation deck that was above the rear deck entrance. "She loved the snow…" he murmured as he stared at a small picture that he now held in his hands. "She would always drag me into playing outside with her." What he saw when he looked outside wasn't the Himalayas; it was the wintery land back in Europe where he was 'raised'. "Even after falling into the cold lake didn't deter her love of the ice…" He then leaned back and closed his eyes. "I wonder, how are you doing now that you're back among your kind… my first true friend, Snow Cat?"

As their time wound down, all the teens eventually returned to their posts, and allowing some other personnel to experience the snow as well. What the Archangel's sensor failed to spot soon after entering was two glowing red eyes that peeked out of the snowy whiteness.

"Ghost Bear to White Base, the legged-ship has entered our domain. I repeat, the legged-ship has entered our domain."

"Understood Ghost Bear. Return to base."

"Ghost Bear out." One of the red eyes turned to its counterpart. "We're to return to base."

"Understood." Once the Archangel was effectively maneuvering around a bend, two white BuCUE variants carefully came up from under the pile of snow they had hidden within. Taking one last glance at the legged-ship, they both then sprinted towards the mobile ZAFT base.

Extreme weather combat wasn't often, but ZAFT knew that it was possible, and therefore, had created a couple of teams that were capable of fighting in adverse conditions with minimal disadvantages. One of those teams was the cold climate team currently under the command of the young commander Kathryn Dubrinsky.

She wasn't originally part of ZAFT's military, but her research in cold climate combat techniques as well as the CAD redesign of her own custom variation based on the then –and still somewhat experimental– LaGOWE MS caught their attention. Given a fully paid scholarship should she join ZAFT as head of the cold climate test team, she accepted. Before she had realized it, she went from head advisor of the team to military commander of it. Her skills in cold-climate simulations were off the charts, and as part of her ranking upgrade; was given a fully completed LaGOWE Cold Climate Type based on her redesigns.

Kathryn did look like she was born of the ice; ice-blue eyes, long silvery-blue hair, and a pale beauty. She knew that some men liked her, but none dared to approach her. But then again, she was interested in only one man, and he was no longer here. "The report sent to us by Commander Yamato was accurate. As of 0900 hours, the legged-ship entered our territory. So far, their predicted course is to hide within these mountains until they get near Bhutan, where Yamato has predicted that they'd then make a run for the Pacific," she stated. "We're to either destroy that ship, or at least delay it long enough for Yamato and his team to get into position where they then can destroy it. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Then we'll begin our assault at 1200 hours. Dismissed." Kathryn then picked up a phone. "Please ensure that my unit is ready by 1130 hours."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Kathryn then went to her room, eased out of her jacket, and just collapsed into her office chair. "I never enjoyed fighting… But I needed the money to further my education…" she sighed. "But, if even just stopping this ship helps bring the war a bit closer to its end, then so be it." She then closed her eyes and drifted into a light nap. One word faintly escaped her lips as memories took her back in time. "…"

In another part of the base, two people were quietly discussing their mission.

"We were told to test her fighting skills, right?" questioned a feminine voice.

"Yes. As she is our sister, we need to see if she can still fight," responded a masculine voice.

"…If she's still able to use the power of that system, then obviously she can still fight."

The male laughed. "But orders are orders, and fighting her is one of them."

"I hate our orders… Our existence isn't fair!"

"Shh… there, there." The man then pulled the female into an embrace. "Once this war ends, then we'll be free."

The female then looked up and the man. "Are you really sure about that…?"

"Positive." Without further ado, both fell into a passionate kiss that lasted a full minute. Afterwards, they simply held on to each other.

Back onboard the Archangel, Miriallia rested on her bed, staring up at the ceiling while thinking over many things; her past included.

Flashback

"You were the lucky girl chosen to pilot this powerful unit. Its name is Zero Arms, and it will accept only you as its pilot," stated an older man's voice.

A young brown-haired girl looked up at the fearsome behemoth. Even though she was on a platform, the robot still seemed gigantic to her. Suddenly, the unit activated, and looked down upon her, causing her to scream and attempt to hide behind the man.

"Ah, I see that you've already recognized your pilot, Zero."

A door then opened on the chest area, revealing a single chair and armrests.

"You want to interface with your pilot now…?" questioned the man.

The unit's eyes merely flashed in acknowledgement.

"…Well, better now that later…" The young girl whimpered from behind the man, causing him to turn. "Time for you to meet your friend…!"

"N-no…!" the young girl struggled futilely as she was carried towards the gaping maw that was the cockpit entrance. "N-no!!"

"The initial synchronization will be painful. Might as well get used to it, ok?" stated the man as he placed the struggling girl onto the pilot chair.

The moment her rear hit the seat, seven devices slammed into her upper arms, upper legs, waist, and spine; sending hundreds of ultrafine wires into her body, linking her directly to the core of the unit. She screamed, more out of pain than fear, though fear could've overtaken it at any moment. As she and the unit synced, she lost control over her body, and found herself floating.

The man then stood back, and let the unit close its cockpit. The unit then seemed to power down.

The girl felt scared and lost. "W-where… am… I-I…?" she quietly whimpered.

"You… will become… me…" responded a voice. At that same moment, the young girl began to feel her emotions and personality slip away.

"S-stop!! W-what's happening…!?" cried the young girl.

"Surrender…"

"NO…!!"

"Surrender…"

"Nooo…"

"Become me…"

"…" The fearful young child was no more. In her place, was an emotionless being, ready to follow orders.

"Hellooo…?" waved the man outside. "Are you still alive?"

No longer a girl, nor just a machine, the combined being then slowly opened her eyes. It glanced down at the man, and spoke. "Are you my controller…?" questioned a voice made up of both the young girl's as well as a machine.

"Yes, I am your controller, and since it seems that your synchronization is complete, I think it's time to take you back to the center."

The unit's eyes seemed to dim a bit, as if scrutinizing him. "…"

The man sighed. "Wake up, Miriallia Haww."

A sharp, piercing scream emanated from the unit. The unit's eyes turned red, and it attempted to tear out of its restraints.

"Shit! That wasn't supposed to happen!" the man then radioed the research facility. "Hey, the separation command you gave me to snap the girl out of Zero State isn't working!"

"Really then? Farewell, Blue Cosmos spy."

"Damn you!!" roared the man. At the same moment, the unit's restraints on the arms came free, and it lifted them up and formed a bludgeon with both hands. "Damn you Coordinators!!" he roared as the balled hands came down upon him, taking his life and the platform down with it.

The unit then went back to struggling, but two young children entered and came as close to the unit as they could. "Miriallia, it's time to play!"

"Big sis, stop playing around by yourself and come play with us!"

The unit froze as the voices of her fellow Perfect Coordinators registered within the mind of the girl within. The frightened girl reemerged, forcing the Zero System to shut off to prevent losing its pilot. Several agents then came and extended a backup platform as close to the cockpit as they could, then ran towards the unit. The pilot within was unconscious.

End Flashback

"The first time I ever killed someone…" Miriallia murmured as she looked at the back of one hand, before turning on her side. "I never liked what I became when I linked with the Zero System…" She then pulled out a small picture that she had kept with her. "Dearka… I miss you…"

Cagalli was also in her room, contemplating her upcoming wedding. It was something that her father had decided on, and one thing that she wouldn't attempt to run away from, nor go against. She trusted her father, and hoped that this wasn't a mistake, and that Orb would benefit some from this.

"But… Will I ever fall in love with him for who he really is…? Sure, he's admittedly hot, but still… He seemed concerned, if a bit distant, with me back there in the desert… And the fact that his father doesn't seem to be the most trustworthy person…"

She sighed.

Flashback

This was one of your usual formal balls held to honor Orb's success, and just like any ball of this caliber, various dignitaries from the PLANTs and Earth Alliance were invited (remember; before Junius 7; the PLANTs were still in a stiff hold under the Earth Alliance).

A young blonde girl was holding on to the hand of a silvery-white haired man; her father. She was accustomed to these annual events, but still, being around so many people unnerved her. As per the occasion, she was wearing an innocent, pale blue dress that she personally found uncomfortable to move in. But as it was her father's declaration to wear it, she did (as well as attend). After all, he was the Lion, and one that she didn't ever want to get on the bad side of (ever again. Once was enough).

Spotting someone in the crowd, the girl's father led her towards a couple and their young son. The man had light brown hair; almost white, while his wife and son had dark blue hair.

"Greetings to you, Mr. Zala, Mrs. Zala, Athrun," stated the girl's father.

"Pleasure," stated the man with a bit of a stiff voice.

"Dear, be nice. We came here to enjoy the evening," soothed the wife before turning to the girl's father. "Sorry, he's still in a bad mood after a minor argument over trade negotiations with the Earth Alliance.

The girl's father just returned a smile. "I can understand. Their demands are getting even more ridiculous lately."

"Hmph. Those bastards want more and more things, from food to products. If we give in to their demands, we'll end up with no food for ourselves."

"Hopefully our becoming allies in the future will help?"

"I believe so. The current Chairman and those on the committee, myself included, will be in full support behind Orb once our children marry and solidify the unity between Orb and the PLANTs."

The young girl and the young boy stayed near their respective parents, and just quietly sized each other up.

The girl's father then gently tugged on her arm, bringing her out of her observations. "Cagalli, why don't you and Athrun go outside and talk to each other?"

"…Ok, daddy." The young girl then let go of her father's hand, and approached the blue-haired boy. "Want to go outside with me?"

Athrun looked up at his father and mother, who both nodded. He turned back to the young girl. "Sure."

"Well then, come on!" the girl grabbed the young boy's hand and began to lead him outside. Even at a young age, she was already showing some signs of authority.

"If your daughter continues to grow with that attitude, I think she'll make a great leader!" teased the wife.

The Lion of Orb laughed. "Well, she'd better, or she'll be the one to face my wrath!"

Back outside, on the balcony, both children were just quietly (and somewhat awkwardly) sitting on a bench near each other. Finally, the silence became unbearable to both.

"So… Do you have a dog?" questioned the girl, in an attempt to get a conversation going.

"Umm… yes…"

"What kind…?"

"Umm… A German Shepard… he's all black."

"Did you ever give him a name?"

"Zetsuei."

"Zet-su-ei?"

"Yes."

"Nice name…"

"Thank you."

Silence.

"You know that I'll be your husband in the future, right?" questioned the boy.

"…" the girl quietly nodded.

"You… don't have a problem with that…?"

"…It's my father's will. And I must obey it."

"…I see."

"…" both ended up just remaining quiet for the rest of the night, just enjoying (if a bit awkwardly) each others' presence.

End Flashback

Cagalli sighed. "I was only told that he lost his mother on Junius Seven… And that later, he joined the military… I just never expected that he'd still be as quiet as ever… I wonder if the Tragedy altered his views to become like his father…"

Unbeknownst to the Archangel, as noon neared, so did the ZAFT surprise attack. Above the frozen valley that the ship was traveling in were several BuCUEs and one LaGOWE, all painted white. Two more MS stood out; one painted blue, the other painted grey. Both were modified GuAIZ prototypes.

As the minute and second hand hit 12 o' clock sharp, the command was given. "Fire."

Several Stealth VLCMs (Vertically Launched Cruise Missiles) were fired from the ZAFT mobile base, and thanks to their Radar Absorbent Material (and white coloration), caught the ship completely unaware.

Alarms blared, alerting the crews and waking the pilots to an enemy attack.

"Moderate damage to the forward decks!" exclaimed Sai.

"Where did the attack come from!?" demanded Natarle. "What was our radar officers doing!?"

"Sorry, ma'am! But we didn't pick anything up!"

Another series of blasts rocked the ship. "Then find out what's hitting us!"

"Impressive… Their armor is stronger that what I expected," stated the LaGOWE's pilot. "Switch VLCM 1 and 3 from Standard to Cluster, VLCM 2 and 4 to High Explosive, and VLCM 3 and 6 to Armor Piercing warheads."

"Understood."

Miriallia, Mu, Cagalli, and Canard quickly launched in succession. Miri would provide additional AA/AM fire, while Canard and Cagalli, who was using the Hyperion Pack, would provide additional defense. Mu, using the Lightning Pack, would take up the Sniper/Spotter role.

"We've tracked 6 faint signals incoming!"

"Give us suppression fire! Shoot down whatever is headed this way!" commanded Murrue.

Unfortunately, the missiles were too close. Two of them detonated just above and in front of the Archangel, sending multiple bomblets in all directions. At the same time, the four other missiles slammed hard into the front of the Archangel.

"Those aren't–!" warned Cagalli, but it was too late. The cluster munitions detonated, forcing the Archangel to land while at the same time, causing an avalanche of rock and snow to descend on the ship.

"Got them. White Base, cease Cluster VLCMs. Keep firing at the legged-ship. All units, attack!"

"Detecting new contacts; the system doesn't recognize them!"

"Bring them up on screen! Prepare the Gottfrieds! Get the Mobile Suits to intercept!" commanded Natarle.

To their surprise, the new units were white BuCUEs and what seemed to look like a three-headed LaGOWE.

"New models!?" questioned Natarle. "Classify them as enemies! Aim Gottfrieds, and fire!"

The new units were fast despite the terrain, and they effortlessly avoided the blasts.

"Damn! What's ZAFT doing here!?" muttered Neumann as he tried to get the Archangel out of the snow and rock.

As the BuCUEs and their leader got within firing range, railgun, missile, and beams rake the hull of the trapped ship. The group then spread out to force the four MS to spread out.

"Damn! Well, see if you can handle this!" Mu tracked a BuCUE, and fired. "What!?" The BuCUE had been hit squarely and froze, but it shook itself off, turned and locked on the Strike II, and fired off a barrage of missiles. "Impossible! It took a direct hit!" he muttered as he turned his attention to shooting down the missiles.

Miriallia was taking a heavy beating from two of the BuCUEs. "Did they improve their armor!?" she exclaimed when she found that her missiles only slowed them down. Thinking fast, she fired her beam gatlings into the snow ahead of the BuCUEs, melting it and causing one of them to trip. "Fall already!" she then fired everything she had into the BuCUE, successfully destroying it. But her victory was short lived, as the second BuCUE rammed her hard from the side. "Damn it!"

Cagalli had ditched the beam sub-machine guns for beam sabers, and to her utmost surprise, the BuCUE pilots could actually hold her off with their own double beam sabers. "Just who are these people!?" she cried out as a BuCUE rammed into her from behind. As one of them brought down their beam sabers, she parried it, rolled her unit to the side, and boosted up. She was using up more energy in keeping up the Armor Lumiere System and dodging than she was downing the enemy units.

Canard was having the most success, using his Grand Slam blade to fight hard. It was obvious that he was expending energy using his thrusters and shielding while using the brute force of the blade to penetrate the improved armor composites of the BuCUEs. "And… you… DIE!!" he manically roared as he tricked a BuCUE to impale itself on his sword. "And so… do you!!" using the momentum gained from pulling the sword out, he sideswiped another that had attempted to ram him.

Unfortunately, the Archangel was still in major trouble, as the cruise missile strikes kept coming.

"That Eurasian Mobile Suit's causing quite a bit of a problem," Kathryn stated to herself. "All units, back off the Eurasian Hyperion. I'll take care of him."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Turning from her previous assault on the Archangel, she then charged the Hyperion.

At the same time, the BuCUEs harassing Miri also backed away and turned their attention towards the Zeo and the Strike II.

"What's going on…?" she wondered as she turned to give chase.

"Not so fast, PC #XX01."

Miriallia froze. She knew that voice. "Mariana. If you're here… then Dion is…"

"Right here as well."

Miri turned to face the two new threats. A blue prototype GuAIZ equipped with multiple micromissile launchers all over and holding two gunblades stood before her, while to her left, a grey GuAIZ prototype equipped with six double gatling shields and what seemed to be a bladed lance stood as well.

"Did they send you here to check up on me as well…?" Miri questioned; her unit slightly crouching as she aimed her Gatling Railcannon and Double Beam Gatling Shield at both of them.

"This time, it's to check your battle prowess. We're here to see if you still have your feared bite," stated Maria as she too, crouched down.

"Why…!"

"Zero had activated several times. We're here to confirm that you were the one to activate it," replied Dion.

"…I didn't mean to activate it on purpose…!"

"But it only goes into full mode when you're near death. So we're here to push you to your limit," added Maria.

"Dion… Maria…"

"You have no say in the matter. Are you ready?" Maria locked on.

"Damn!" Miriallia fired first, her initial volleys barely avoided by both Proto GuAIZs, which then fired.

All three went all out, not sparing anything. The Heavyarms Leopard rapidly slid, jumped, parried, and fired as Miri did her best to avoid the missiles and hyper velocity armor piercing rounds that came her way, as well as the occasional blade or lance thrust.

"Impressive, Miriallia. You haven't lost your skill," commented Maria as she momentarily engaged up close with the Heavyarms Leopard. "But it isn't enough. We'll see if we can push you to your limit."

Miriallia broke off and kicked away from Maria just as Dion's lance pierced the air where she was just a moment ago. "Even with a heavy artillery unit, you're still fast," added Dion.

For Miri, she withheld her tongue as her vision narrowed to only focus on the battle.

Cagalli had had enough, and the strengthened BuCUEs really pissed her off. "That's it!! ACTIVATE!!" And once again, her unit entered Destroy Mode. The armor split along the seams, revealing a golden glow, and soon surrounded the Zeo Astray in a gold aura.

"This…!" almost disappearing, she used her unit's hands as weapons, and just impaled a BuCUE's torso.

"Is…!" using the power boost, she then lifted the disabled BuCUE and swung it into another that had planned to take her from behind.

"Ridiculous!!" Both BuCUEs exploded. The others then fell back to reassess the situation.

"Oh no you don't!" Cagalli charged them, and simply sparred with them, kicking and punching them until their systems froze or until they exploded.

Canard though, had been busy holding off two BuCUEs when he was rammed hard by the LaGOWE. "Shit!!" He then noticed that the BuCUEs fell back to assist the ones that Cagalli was torturing. "Come back here, you bastards!" he roared as he futilely fired his shoulder beam cannons at them.

The LaGOWE then simply charged him.

"You'll pay!" Canard then attempted to swipe the unit, but was caught off-guard by one of the heads parrying the blow and the other 'punching' him. "Damn! You can use those heads as weapons!?"

Both he and the LaGOWE began their fight in earnest. Unfortunately for Canard, his unit was low on battery power, used up from his reckless assault earlier. As he used momentum from dodging to swing the Grand Slam, the LaGOWE's pilot predicted the move, and using an opening, shattered the arm holding the sword.

"Oh shit!" Canard the reached for his beam machete, but it was too late. The LaGOWE slammed into him, causing the Hyperion to drop the weapon. Inside, Canard was violently thrown into the console, causing him to bleed.

Mu was finally left alone, but he was then occupied with attempting to shoot down any cruise missiles that he could detect… which was only 1 or 2 per volley. "Damn stealth cruise missiles!" he muttered, just as he shot another one manually.

As for the Archangel, it was smoking in several places from continuous bombardment from the assault. Bits of cable and steel peeked out from underneath.

"Why is it taking so long!?" demanded Natarle.

"I can't get the ship up! There's just too much snow and rock piled on the deck and bow of the ship!"

Murrue and everyone else on the bridge felt true fear, as for once, it really did seem like they'd lose, for good.

Several warning lights flashed within the Heavyarms Leopard's cockpit. Sparing a quick glance, Miriallia realized that she was very low on energy and that the Archangel was not in good shape as well. 'I… can't… die… here…!' she thought. The Heavyarms then fell to one knee.

Both Proto GuAIZ units stopped the assault as well. "Still not enough…" sighed Maria as she brought up both Gunblades.

"Miri, you're stronger than this. Prove it." Dion then raised up his lance.

On cue, both Proto GuAIZs charged the downed Heavyarms.

Miri was tired and sweaty. She hadn't been pushed that far since the battle before atmospheric reentry. A new warning alarm blared, forcing her to look up to see both units charging her. Time seemed to slow for her as the ZERO system activated, taking partial control of her. She dropped both the Gatling Railcannon and the double Gatling Shields, pulled out both beam scimitars, and just barely blocked the would-be fatal strikes.

"Reading confirmed, she has entered ZERO state."

"Rrraaahhh!!" Miri then went full out, forcing both Proto GuAIZs back. She then ejected all her other weapons to lighten up the mech, and used the increased speed to go full hand-to-hand with Dion and Maria.

"She's really powerful…! Ugh!" Maria was kicked hard, sending her falling to the snow. "Oh crap…!" She looked up, wide eyed as the Heavyarms prepared to bring down both scimitars.

"MARIA!!" Dion then froze, his lance mere inches away from the torso of the Heavyarms.

"…Fall… back…" panted Miriallia. "…Otherwise… I'll end up… killing… for sure…" Miriallia fainted amidst the warning alarms within her cockpit. Her unit then powered down as well, it's generator redlining and the reserves fully depleted. It then collapsed and fell to the side of Maria's Proto GuAIZ.

"…She resisted the ZERO system?"

"Just long enough to spare us. Come on; let's follow big sister's orders." Dion helped Maria up.

"Understood." Maria and Dion both took a last look at their older sister, then began their retreat.

As for Cagalli, the time limit on her Destroy mode had been reached, resulting in the Zeo Astray reverting back to its normal mode, and with almost no battery. Cagalli knelt before three BuCUEs that had been sent as reinforcements. "I guess… this is it…?" She weakly smiled. "Guess you won't have to marry me, Athrun Zala…"

The Archangel and the Strike II were at their own limit.

"Miriallia's vitals are erratic! She's not responding!" Flay was crying as she gave the report. "Cagalli's been surrounded! Our Gottfrieds can't aim low enough! And something seems to be wrong with Canard! He isn't responding!"

"Wow… so is this was defeat really feels like…?" muttered Sai, earning him a glare from Officer Pal.

Mu had resorted to equipping the Aile Pack, grabbed a spare Shield, and acted as a mobile wall in an attempt to stop at least some cruise missiles. He only met with marginally better results. "The Strike's at its limit. I've only enough juice to block 2 maybe 3 more volleys…"

"That's enough. We'll surrender here."

"What!?" came the various surprised responses from the bridge crew.

Murrue sighed. "We'll surrender ourselves, but set the ship and the mobile suits to self-destruct."

"Captain, you're out of your mind!" exclaimed Natarle.

"I will not lose any lives in what is clearly a futile effort. Prepare to send a surrender signal flare. It's better to lose some honor and dignity than it is to lose our lives," stated Murrue.

Everyone on the bridge then bowed their heads. They all knew that it was true.

"Goodbye, Eurasian warrior. You were good." Kathryn then charged the Hyperion, slamming it hard into the wall of the mountain valley. Thanks to the reinforced armoring, the main head of her LaGOWE partially pierced the cockpit of the white unit. What she heard, via direct sound conduction, caused her to freeze.

"Canard! Canard! Please respond! Canard!! Just say something, anything!" crackled the radio.

Kathryn took a step back, and peered into the damaged cockpit. There, bloody and unconscious, was the dormant form of Canard Pars. "It… it can't be…! They never would… It can't be…!" She then pulled out a small picture taken four year ago. Two young children, one male, the other female, were holding hands and making stupid faces at the camera. "Canard… It's really you…!"

She was forced out of her reverie when a white signal flare appeared. "Commander, the legged ship is sending a surrender signal. What are your orders?" radioed one of her subordinates.

Kathryn then took a long look at the disabled Hyperion, and a longer look at the unconscious pilot. "…It's a trap. Fall back, they may attempt to self-destruct their ship if we get too close. Cease direct cruise missile strikes. Fire off two more cluster VLCMs and ensure that they'll be buried here."

"Understood!"

Kathryn then got out of her unit, a small emergency kit with her, and climbed onto the damaged Hyperion. She managed to get the cockpit door opened, and gently eased herself into it without stepping on Canard. As there wasn't much room, due to the damage she had done, she sat on Canard's lap, took off his helmet, and gently brushed several strands of hair out of the way. "So… this is what you've been doing the past four years…" As carefully as she could, she cleaned up the blood from his face, and then applied gauze to the still bleeding wound on his forehead. "…I'm sorry," was all she said as she then wrapped his head wound.

Taking off her own helmet, she pulled out a necklace that she had kept for a long time. "It's the necklace you gave me for my birthday, before I left." Taking it off, she carefully placed it around Canards neck. "…You probably don't remember me, but I do remember you. And…" she cried just a bit. "I wish that things could've been different…" On impulse, she gently kissed the unconscious man on the lips, before pulling away. Taking one last look, she redonned her helmet, placed Canard's back on for him, and wrapped him in an emergency blanket before turning and leaving.

"Commander? Commander?" radioed her second in command.

"Sorry, I was in the middle of a deep thought. What is it that you need?" she stated, once again assuming the role she never wanted.

"Thank goodness you're ok. We've recovered all our men that survived, and we were worried that you may have been attacked."

"Understood. I'm on my way back. Sorry for worrying you."

As the LaGOWE left the battlefield, multiple explosions could be heard as the cluster VLCMs brought more rock and snow down upon the fallen angels.

To Be Continued…

New Units and Personnel:

Name: Kathryn Dubrinsky

Call Sign: Artic Wolf

Age: 16

Characteristics: Long silvery-blue hair (sometimes braided, sometimes freely down), ice-blue eyes, quiet and reserved, and is naturally pale. Incredibly intelligent and talented.

Bio: Kathryn is a Coordinator who was born and raised in Britain, and loved the snow. She had met Canard by chance during one of his escapes from the Eurasia Base nearby, and eventually became his only trusted friend. She and Canard had been close friends, and had even dated for a time. She followed Canard into the military, only to find that she didn't enjoy killing; especially those of her own race; Coordinators. Eventually, she resigned and moved with her relatives up in the PLANTs; eventually losing contact with Canard.

As she was one of the more gifted Coordinators, she quickly graduated from Aprilius University with an Associates Degree, and worked as an expert in cold climates. She drew ZAFT's attention when she was approached by a ZAFT Commander who suffered heavy losses in trying to destroy a well-defended Blue Cosmos base located in Greenland. Admittedly, ZAFT never really expected to fight under adverse conditions, such as slippery and icy terrain (after all, most of ZAFT's personnel were raised and trained within the PLANTs; not Earth, where weather conditions played a major role). The ideas and opinions she gave helped turn the tide of that battle in favor of ZAFT, resulting in them hiring her as one of their tactical advisors for arctic combat. Using her access to overview units, she ran across the BuCUE and LaGOWE units while coming up with ideas for an effective Cold Climate Assault Force. Though she wasn't privy to the blueprint specifics, she did have access to the general overview of the units, and using that, began to design her own idea of an effective Cold Climate unit.

Name: Maria (aka Mariana) Veed/Steel (married to Dion Steel)

Call Sign: Cerulean Viper, PC #XX02

Age: 16

Characteristics: Long blue hair w/ black streaks, blue eyes, and quiet and reserved, even in battle.

Bio: Maria is one of nine Perfect Coordinators born from the alternate 'Ultimate Coordinator' Project. She is younger than Miriallia and Dion, but older than the rest. She prefers ranged combat, and can use any weapon type in battle, thanks to her training. Her specialty is actually dual gunblade combat, and she usually carries two of them with her at all times.

Name: Dion Steel

Call Sign: Blue Streak, PC #XY03

Age: 16

Characteristics: Forward-spiked, dark blue hair w/ gray streaks, cool and composed, even in battle.

Bio: Dion is one of nine Perfect Coordinators born from the alternate 'Ultimate Coordinator' Project. He is younger than Miriallia, but older than the rest. He can use any weapon type in battle, thanks to his training, but his specialty is Lance/Polearm/Rod/Spear combat. He carries a collapsible metal rod that he can wield to deadly effect.

Mobile Suit Name: LaGOWE Custom Cold Climate Type

Model Number: TMF/A-803 P-Mod.K

Codename: Arctic Wolf

Unit Type: Custom Cold Climate Test-Type MS w/ Custom Weapons System

Manufacturer: ZAFT

Operator: Kathryn Dubrinsky

Accommodation: One Pilot Only, Standard Cockpit in Torso

Power Source: 3 Ultracompact Batteries (1 to power the MS, 1 to power the weapons, and 1 to function as a reserve)

Head Height: 11.49 meters

Maximum Gross Weight: 72.56 metric tons

Equipment / Design: The standard equipment of a regular LaGOWE has mostly been upgraded for cold climate use. The radar has been upgraded to a multifunction radar/sonar system to better detect incoming enemies, an advanced active/passive heating system to work efficiently in extended cold climate missions, freeze-resistant parts (such as motors and armor), snow sleeves to better prevent snow from entering the unit's internals as well as to provide additional insulation, and freeze-resistant fluids (such as hydraulic fluid or coolant), among other things.

Fixed Armament: 1x Double Beam Saber (in unit's 'mouth'), 4x Quad Claws (1 on each foot), 1x Custom Weapon System (prototype Kerberos Pack): 2x Compact Beam Cannons (1 in each 'head'), 2x Dual Beam Fangs (1 in each 'head'), 2x Dual Beam Horns (1 in each 'head'), and 2x Double Beam Sabers (1 in each 'head'); the heads are mounted on two arm booms that are able to rotate independently of each other (in other words; one head and arm assembly can turn to face the left while the other can turn to face the right).

Mobile Suit Description: This MS is the custom redesign of Kathryn Dubrinsky; designed for cold-climate combat. The fins on the head of the unit are all swept back and bladed to prevent damage should there be a need to kamikaze through hardened walls of ice (or enemy armor), and the unit equips a customized weapons system also designed by Kathryn. To further improve early warning and targeting and tracking (EW/TT), two additional heads (based off her unit's own head) on flexible arm booms were included. Additional EW/TT systems were installed in the heads and arm booms along with extra weapons. The benefits of having the extendable heads include: the ability to peer around the corners or tops of piles of snow or terrain w/o exposing the main unit to enemy fire, the ability to fire around said areas w/o exposing the main unit to fire, and the ability to better damage an enemy that attempts close combat. The beam cannons installed are not as powerful as the regular versions equipped on the default LaGOWE's, but it was a small price to pay for better detection abilities. And since the unit was meant to operate in cold climates, Kathryn could either overcharge the shots, or fire them at a faster rate due to the advantage of faster cooling. Another unique feature of her unit is that the heating systems channel the waste heat generated by the beam weaponry throughout the unit, reducing the necessary heat requirements to keep the unit functioning, thus reducing battery wasted on heating the unit. The most unusual aspect of this unit was that the armor, modified to prevent distortion and weakening in cold climates, is also stronger than the regular armor equipped on standard ZAFT MS. As a result of the upgrades and alterations throughout the unit (and her custom weapons pack), this unit's price was roughly 1.5 times the normal price of a standard LaGOWE. The unit has been painted to an all-white color.

Mobile Suit Name: BuCUE Cold Climate Type

Model Number: TMF/A-802-CC

Codename: Arctic Fox

Unit Type: Cold Climate Test-Type MS

Manufacturer: ZAFT

Operator: Black Ice Battalion

Accommodation: One Pilot Only, Standard Cockpit in Torso

Power Source: 2 Ultracompact Batteries (1 to power the MS and 1 to power the weapons)

Head Height: 11.29 meters

Maximum Gross Weight: 70.27 metric tons

Equipment / Design: Similar upgrades like Kathryn's LaGOWE; all upgraded for cold-climate use.

Fixed Armament: 1x Double Beam Saber (in unit's 'mouth') and 4x Twin Claws (1 on each foot).

Optional Back Armament: 2x 450mm Railguns, 1x 13-Tube 400mm Missile Launcher, or an EW/TT System.

Mobile Suit Description: This MS is a redesign of a standard BuCUE based off of Kathryn's custom unit, and is designed for cold-climate combat. Many of the modifications on Kathryn's unit were also incorporated into this redesign, making it stronger than your average BuCUE. The parts needed to construct the unit were reduced as structural revisions were made to allow the unit even more ruggedness. A feature unique to this unit was the inclusion of a turret on the back to allow more flexible firing of the optional back weapons. Other than that, this unit for all intents and purposes looks like a standard BuCUE.

Interestingly, the design style of this BuCUE variation will be used as a base for an improved Desert-type, Mountain-Type, and Swamp-type BuCUE; as the chassis is more rugged than the default version. The chassis will eventually be classified as Type II, while the older BuCUE unit chassis get classified as Type I. The cost of this unit is roughly 1.2 times more than the plain vanilla BuCUE, but many ZAFT officers working in harsh conditions insist that the BuCUE's built using the Type 2 Chassis are worth it. The flexibility of the Type II (such as the space available to equip improved EW/TT systems, and streamlined parts for easier maintenance) chassis will eventually result in the development of the "Millennium" BuCUE Hound units.

Mobile Suit Name: (Proto) GuAIZ

Model Number: ZGMF-X600 P-Mod.MV

Unit Type: Prototype Custom GuAIZ

Manufacturer: ZAFT

Operator: Maria Veed/Steel

Accommodation: One Pilot Only, Standard Cockpit in Torso

Power Source: 2 Ultracompact Batteries (1 primary, 1 reserve)

Head Height: 20.24 meters (Head antenna included)

Maximum Gross Weight: 81.80 metric tons

Equipment / Design: Standard GuAIZ equipment, but with a customized C3 Computer for team link. The thruster pack seen on the final version of the GuAIZ isn't present on this unit; instead replaced with an ammo pack.

Fixed Armament: Multiple Micro Missile Pods on the shoulders, waist, and legs.

Optional Hand Armament: 2x Gunblades (scaled version of the LionHeart from FFVIII).

Mobile Suit Description: This MS was developed based on data from CGUE and GINN series of mobile suits, and this base prototype version (along with its sisters) are first given to the PC Assassins. This version also tests out a future plan for a modular micro missile pod concept that will later (in two years) develop into the Blaze Wizard Pack. The missile pods are all ejectable, and the only reason Maria bothers to keep the missile pods is because the resulting display of missile explosions are 'pretty'. Her Gunblade skills however, are not to be trifled with. Her fighting style uses them in a way that it seems as if she's just dancing.

Mobile Suit Name: (Proto) GuAIZ

Model Number: ZGMF-X600 P-Mod.DS

Unit Type: Prototype Custom GuAIZ

Manufacturer: ZAFT

Operator: Dion Steel

Accommodation: One Pilot Only, Standard Cockpit in Torso

Power Source: 2 Ultracompact Batteries (1 primary, 1 reserve)

Head Height: 20.24 meters (Head antenna included)

Maximum Gross Weight: 81.80 metric tons

Fixed Armament: 2x Shoulder Double Gatling Shields, 2x Hip Double Gatling Shields, and 2 Forearm-mounted Double Gatling Shields.

Optional Hand Armament: A bladed lance.

Mobile Suit Description: This MS was developed based on data from CGUE and GINN series of mobile suits, and this base prototype version (along with its sisters) are first given to the PC Assassins. This version also tests out a future plan for a modular gatling gun concept that will later (in two years) develop into the Slash Wizard Pack. The Gatling shields are ejectable, but even with no ammo; they're still useful as shields. Dion makes good use of the lance though in another style of combat that resembles a dance.

Yes, something not expected, but maybe worth it (the Archangel never really had its "we did the best we could, and now is the best time to surrender", so I purposely wrote one). And for once, the angel has fallen...