Chapter 28

Peacemillion floated in a stationary position amongst the wreckage of a destroyed colony while mechanics flew inside and out repairing the damages done by Libra's cannon.

Duo stood at the foot of Deathscythe Hell, its cockpit system hooked up to a computer. His fingers skittered over the keyboard, checking his system readouts. The computer beeped back at him, and a satisfied smile spread across his face. "Okay, it's all done. You never know when we'll have to fight next, right?" He peered up at the silent, towering Gundam. "I'm counting on you, buddy."

His eyes veered to Sandrock, which stood next to Deathscythe Hell, and saw the cockpit shield door open. Curious, he sprang himself upwards in the low gravity, finding Quatre wriggling something out from under his control panel. "Quatre, what are you doing?"

Quatre smiled and turned to Duo as he stepped outside with the small black box in his hands. "Disengaging the Zero system. I don't need it anymore." He turned his head, finding Heero standing at the opening of his own cockpit staring at them. "Don't worry, Heero. I can still fight without it."

Heero said nothing, only giving him a single nod of affirmation.

"Hey, Heero, you've got to be careful yourself," Duo spoke up as Heero prepared to enter Wing Zero's cockpit. "You can control it now, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a dangerous system."

Heero nodded again. "You're right." He disappeared inside the cockpit without another word.

Duo's eyes widened and he turned to Quatre in shock. "I can't believe he agreed!" Quatre chuckled, looking down at the black box marked "ZERO" in gold letters. His fingers tightened over it, feeling a sense of accomplishment and victory.

"Hey, you guys! I thought I told you to leave the repairs to the mechanics!" Howard's voice shouted from down below. Duo and Quatre peered over the edge of Sandrock's cockpit platform at the older man. "Don't forget it's your duty as pilots to rest when you can!"

Duo waved his hand dismissively. "We know!" He slapped his hand on Quatre's shoulder with a smirk. "Hey, man, I'm famished. What do you say we find Lissy and grab something to eat?"

Quatre nodded in agreement. "That sounds good to me."


Sally, Noin, and Lista stood on the bridge of Peacemillion, skimming over split screens of schematics and radar readouts. "Natural resource satellite MO-II," Sally started. "They're done mining it, so it's been left circling Earth. It's perfect for a frontline base."

Noin and Lista nodded in agreement. "Look at all those mobile suits," Noin replied. "The World Nation's bringing all the weapons from Earth to this one location."

Lista folded her arms over her chest. "It sure looks that way. It's pretty crazy that they could assemble this many suits so quickly." She pressed a button on the control panel, bringing up another screen showing the readout count of mobile suit troops. Her eyes narrowed. "Does Treize Khushrenada honestly expect that he'll be able to settle this war in space?"

Noin shook her head. "I don't know. But they've never done anything like this before." Her shoulders tightened. "What in the world could those guys be thinking?"

Lista and Sally exchanged glances with one another before looking to Noin. The three women said nothing; they only continued to study the information coming in from the World Nation, from MO-II.

"This is going to get so much worse," Lista muttered under her breath. But as Sally and Noin turned to look at her, she knew they heard her. She sighed heavily, tapping her foot anxiously. "There's a lot of history between these two. Somehow I don't think it's going to be doing any favors for the coming war."

"Okay, that's enough dark and dreary for one day!" Duo announced from behind. The three women spun around, finding a jubilant Duo moving inside, a smiling Quatre following. "Why don't you ladies take a breather and come get something to eat with us? We have all the time in the world to talk about this stupid war."

Sally placed her hand on Lista's shoulder with a smile. "I'm fine, but you should go with them, Lista. Take some time to recover some energy and relax." She turned to Noin. "You going to go, Noin?"

Noin shook her head. "No, I'll stay here with you and analyze all this information. The more we know, the better." She offered a comforting smile to Lista and gave her a gentle nudge. "You should go, Lista. Sally and I can handle it."

Lista opened her mouth to interject, but Duo wrapped his arm around her shoulders, tugging her along. "Let's go, Lissy! Food is calling my name!" He practically dragged her out of the room, Quatre flashing a warm smile to the other two women before rushing out after them.

As they moved around the corner towards the food court, Duo finally slid his arm from around Lista's shoulders. "You know, Lissy, while we're at it, I hope you don't make it a habit of me having to save you out there. That shaves years off of my life, you know."

Eyebrow cocked, Lista elbowed him in the side. "That evens us for the past several months of you not bothering to reach out to let me know you weren't dead." A smile curled onto her face. "But thank you. It's comforting to know that you have my back out there."

Duo gave her a goofy grin, winking playfully. "All the time." His face grew serious suddenly and he shoved a finger in her face. "But that doesn't mean you can go off gallivanting and do whatever you want and think I'm gonna bail you out! Don't be stupid!"

Lista muffled her chuckle and nodded. "I promise. Nothing crazy out there."

Duo sighed and rubbed his fingers over his temple. "God, I hope you keep that promise. I know how you operate."

She shook her head, somewhat amused, and they moved into the food court. A platter of sandwiches, vegetables, and bottled water were sitting out for them. Duo grabbed a plate and began filling it with handfuls of vegetables and two sandwiches.

"Man, you were pretty kick-ass out there, Quatre," Duo said as he moved out of the way for Lista and Quatre to gather their lunch. "At least the Zero system is good for something."

Lista halted in her tracks, shoving her face in front of Quatre's in alarm. "Wait a minute. The Zero system?"

Quatre smiled, the concern painting her features evident, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Lista. I've already disengaged it from Sandrock. I don't believe I'll need it again. Heero thought it would be helpful in the battle, and he was right."

Lista's brows furrowed into a point as they moved off to a table. "Heero? This was Heero's idea? That system is beyond dangerous! You never know what it can do to you!" She placed her plate and bottle of water on the table. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

Quatre's smile widened, and he moved her chair out for her, motioning for her to sit. She sighed exasperatingly and did so hard, waiting impatiently for him to sit down next to her and answer her question. "Surprisingly clear-headed. I suppose the situation enabled me to rise above its effects, and I was able to utilize it properly. I can rely on my own faculties from now on in leading the battle and implementing strategies."

Lista's shoulders slumped in another sigh as she studied him for sincerity, hoping he wasn't simply trying to sate her. After a moment of her eyes locked heavy with his, his smile unfaltering, she nodded in acceptance. "As long as there are no aftereffects. I hope you'd say something."

Quatre couldn't stifle his chuckle. "I don't believe I could hide anything from you if there were, so I'd be careful not to make that mistake." Lista flashed him a content smile and took a bite of her sandwich. "But rest assured, I'm doing all right. I appreciate your concern, though. It's warming."

Duo watched the exchange with a wide smirk. Making a quick decision, he pushed himself back to his feet and grabbed his plate. "I think I'm gonna eat my lunch in my room and try to get some shut-eye before Zechs decides to attack again. You two crazy kids should do the same here soon."

Lista burned a hole through him as his smile widened from behind Quatre. His attempt to give them time alone was blatantly obvious. She knew Quatre had to be aware of it, also. But Duo left the food court without another word, whistling a jubilant tune.

Quatre took a drink of his water, amused by the look of stone on Lista's face as her eyes followed Duo out of the food court. As she turned around with a grumble, he made no move to break eye contact. He simply sat there admiring her, appreciating her.

A cherry blush sprinkled her cheeks, and she swallowed the growing lump in her throat under his deep, penetrating gaze. "I must confess something, Lista," Quatre suddenly spoke up, causing her to snap backwards in alarm. His hands cupped the bottom of his water bottle, his eyes now fixated on the ripples inside. "I was petrified to use the Zero system. I was adamant with Heero that I had no business using it after what I did with it last time. But he insisted it was a good system for a tactical advantage."

Lista cocked her head to the side in curiosity. "Then why did you use it?"

His eyes met with hers again. "Because of you."

Lista's lips parted as she drew in a soft breath of air. "Me? I don't understand."

He leaned back against his chair, his hands now folded in his lap. "I was trying to figure out the best way to unite us into some kind of strategy. It was obvious fighting as separate units was getting us nowhere. We were being overpowered. I thought I wouldn't need to resort to the Zero system. I was hoping I wouldn't have to."

He paused for a moment, replaying it back in his head. "But then I saw that Virgo attack you. You could have died, and I wouldn't have been fast enough to stop it. Thank goodness Duo was close enough to intercede." He lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers again. Her face had fallen, softened, at the concern in his voice. "It was no longer a question of using it. And I'd do it again if it would save you from a fate that I promised would not happen to you. I don't want anyone I care about to die, not when there's something I can do to prevent it."

Lista leaned forward, her hands sliding atop his. "Quatre, that's so sweet. And selfless." She paused, a smirk playing about her lips. "And stupid. I don't want you putting yourself on the line for me. And if you do it again, I'll hurt you."

Quatre chuckled and nodded. "I'll try to keep that promise. I'm just glad that everything worked out well for us and that everyone is safe."

She patted his hands before retreating back into her chair, pointing an incriminating finger in his direction. "It can stay that way as long as you don't decide to do that for me again. You'll have a better chance taking on all of White Fang alone and winning than dealing with me."

A hearty laugh filled the room, and Quatre reached for his uneaten sandwich. "Crossing you would be the unwise thing to do. And I'd prefer not to test those waters." She nodded in finality, and they both ate in silence, exchanging knowing, playful smiles with one another.


Relena begrudgingly followed Dorothy through the mobile doll bays, rolling her eyes as the mechanics saluted her as she led her through the loud clanking of metal. It wasn't her idea of a pleasant stroll, but it was better than being locked up in her room.

"What do you think, Relena? Don't you find it invigorating?" Dorothy continued to walk, but spun around, her smile spirited and eager. "There's a tension in the air as people prepare for war, after all."

Relena said nothing, only tightening her hands together in front of her stomach, brows scrunching in an unhappy frown. Dorothy stopped and propped her hands on her hips. "Are you worried about Milliardo? You must be. After all, his next opponent is Treize."

Relena didn't attempt to hide her scoff. "Why would my brother start a war with a former friend rather than talking things over like civilized adults?"

Dorothy giggled, amused by her. "Because that's what they both want to do. You can't understand how the two of them feel. But that doesn't really matter." She turned and signaled towards two suits, red and blue, away from the normal Virgos. "Look at those, Relena."

Relena followed her finger, brow cocked in curiosity. "What are they?"

"They're called Mercurius and Vayeate," Dorothy replied. "They're mobile suits built by the same engineers who made the Gundams." Her smile curled wide. "Their test pilots were Heero Yuy and Trowa Barton."

Relena flinched at the sound of Heero's name. Her head snapped up towards the suits once more. "What?"

Dorothy nodded excitedly. "They've been reconstructed into mobile dolls with the combat data of the Gundam pilots installed in the systems."

Relena sucked in her bottom lip worriedly. "Even Heero's?"

Dorothy pressed her palms to her cheeks giddily. "A Gundam versus a programmed doll. I wonder which of them will end up winning."

"Heero won't lose," Relena spat quickly, her eyes hard.

Dorothy studied the convinced look on Relena's face, and she nodded concededly. "You're right. He's very strong." She pressed her hand on Relena's shoulder. "If you'll excuse me, I have work to take care of. But feel free to look around, Miss Relena."

Relena watched her go, her throat burning with bile, before turning to look up at the two colorful, towering suits. She pressed a hand against her abdomen. The worry was quickly burning into sickness in the pit of her stomach, her face softening at the thought of Heero.

"So, you know one of the Gundam pilots, too?"

Relena blinked and perked her head to the side, finding a dark-, short-haired woman hiding behind the leg of one of the Virgos. Curious, Relena made sure no one was watching and retreated into the shadow of the Virgo. "Who are you?"

"My name's Hilde Schbeiker. I spent a lot of time with a Gundam pilot myself," she replied. "I'm not nearly as strong as they are. And I can't fight with them. But I can do something."

Relena offered her a smile. "You seem strong enough to me." Just as quickly, her smile faded, and she lowered her head to her feet. "I doubt if I can do anything to help them out." After a moment of silence, Hilde unsure of what to say to comfort her, Relena locked eyes with her again and forced on a small smile. "Anyway, it's too dangerous to stay here. You'd better make your escape."

Hilde smiled in gratitude and fished a flash drive from her pocket. "I will. I have to deliver this data I got on Libra. I know it will help them." She peeked out from behind the Virgo's leg, checking for any signs of mechanics or soldiers. Seeing that she was still clear, she tucked the flash drive back into her pocket and turned back to Relena. "Why not come with me? You wanna see that Gundam pilot you know, right?"

Relena's face fell. She'd be lying if she said she didn't want to see Heero again. She shook her head with a quiet sigh. "I can't. I have to stay. I still have things to do here."

Hilde nodded in understanding. "Then I'd better go." She took a step from behind the Virgo's leg and stopped, turning back towards her. "What was your name?"

Relena's smile tweaked. "Relena Peacecraft. I hope you take care, Hilde. It was nice meeting you."

Hilde flashed her a thumbs up. "You, too, Relena."

And, with that, Hilde disappeared back into the shadows, Relena silently wishing her safe travels to the Gundam pilots. She stole one last look up at the pair of red and blue suits before moving off alone, not quite sure where she'd end up.


On the bridge of Libra, Quinze stood tall and stiff as he reveled in his control for the time that Zechs decided to take some rest. Dorothy sat comfortably in the commander's chair, watching with interest, when a red light filled the bridge and an alarm sounded loudly, snapping Quinze from his stupor. "What was that?!"

A soldier spun around from his station. "The number five hangar hatch has been destroyed! A Taurus cruiser's emerging!"

Quinze curled his hands into fists at his sides. If he let someone get away under his watch, he knew Zechs would never let him be in charge again.

Dorothy walked to his side, her hands folded behind her back. "It looks as though the Taurus carrier's making a beeline for Peacemillion."

Knowing Zechs would likely pass over him to Dorothy in his absence, Quinze shouted, "Send out the Virgos and go after it at once!"

Dorothy shook her head. "Virgos won't do it. Send out the Mercurius and the Vayeate. That'll attract the Gundams."

Aggravated, Quinze moved away from her. "I'll give the orders here! Keep your ideas to yourself! This isn't a game for children, you know!"

Dorothy's eyes slanted. "How true. It's a war. A beautiful war."

Unnerved by the calm in her voice, Quinze shouted to release the Mercurius and Vayeate, eager to prove Zechs that he could handle it as his second-in-command.


Inside the Taurus, Hilde's fingers flew over her keyboard, pulling up the radar. Mobile dolls were closing in quickly from behind. "They're after me. But I'm coming, Duo. I'll get you this information if I have to die doing it!"


Quatre walked into a conference room, where the other four pilots sat at a table. Duo and Trowa were in the middle of a chess game while Wufei and Heero merely observed. "I just heard from Lista on the bridge," Quatre spoke up happily. "The repairs to the engine are almost done."

Duo grinned. "Howard is quick about getting his work done." His eyes moved back to the chess board, studying it for a short moment. "I'll make my move quickly, too." He picked up a piece and moved it.

"I wonder if it'll make up for our delays," Trowa added, his chin propped against his fingers, as he, too, made his move.

Duo chewed the inside of his mouth in thought. "Now what move should I make?"

An arm moved in from behind him, and Wufei picked up one of Duo's white pieces, shifting it forward. Trowa straightened in his chair with a short smile. "Excellent play."

Wufei folded his arms across his chest and moved back against the wall. "Offense is the best defense. If you're only defensive, you limit your prospects."

Duo turned over his shoulder, flashing his staid comrade a thumbs up. "Thanks for the good tip, Wufei." He spun around, facing a quiet Heero, who sat with his head lowered, staring at the table. "Hey, Heero, wanna play?"

Heero said nothing, didn't blink, didn't move. Duo looked over his shoulder at Quatre, who exchanged an apprehensive glance before turning his attention to Heero. "What's the matter, Heero?" Quatre asked worriedly. "Is something bothering you?"

Before they could prod him further, there was a large beep in the room, and the overhead screen lit to life with Lista's face. "Hey, guys. I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have several Virgo units closing in on our position fast. You better get suited up and meet them."

Duo sighed and pushed himself to his feet. "There you have it. They've beaten us to the punch."


The five Gundams blasted from Peacemillion, hurriedly moving towards the sea of Virgos spreading out to close in on them. Inside Sandrock, Lista's face was on his video screen, her eyes worried. "Quatre, are you sure you don't want me to come out there?"

Quatre offered her a smile. "Don't worry, Lista. The five of us should be enough to take care of this. There's no need to put yourself in danger." His smile widened slightly to placate her. "But I would appreciate you being another set of eyes for me."

Lista sighed and nodded in defeat. "I can do that. I'll let you know if I notice anything. Just be careful."

Quatre nodded and shut off his video, pulling up his radar to study the mobile doll formations. "Everyone, the largest unit is coming in from the right. Wufei, Trowa, can you handle them?"

"Roger," Trowa responded. Heavyarms and Alto-Long broke off from Wing Zero, Deathscythe Hell, and Sandrock. And the five of them slammed into the fray, moving to push the mobile dolls back from getting too close to Peacemillion.

Deathscythe Hell sliced through another two Virgos, and Duo groaned in aggravation. "There's just no end to them!"

His cockpit suddenly filled up with static, and a familiar female voice echoed through. "Peacemillion! Peacemillion! Do you read?!"

Duo's face paled, his heart dropping to the pit of his stomach. "No. That sounds like..."

"Please come in! Duo!" There was another round of static, followed by Hilde's scream, before the transmission suddenly cut out.

Duo gripped his controls tighter, his face furrowed into a scowl. "No! Hilde!"

Sandrock came up next to him. "Duo! Go find her!" Quatre shouted.

Duo shook his head, swallowing the burning sickness climbing his throat. "And leave you?!"

"Just go!" Quatre demanded. "We'll handle things here!"

Duo shook his head again, conflicted, as he watched Sandrock move off to fight off another batch of Virgos. Lista's face appeared in his cockpit. "Duo, I've locked on to her location. I'm sending you the coordinates now. She's not far away, but you need to hurry. She's under heavy fire from two mobile dolls. Be careful."

Duo nodded numbly, feeding the coordinates into his navigation. "All right. Thanks."


Hilde's head slammed against the control panel under another round of beam blasts against the back of her Taurus. Her head was pounding, blood trickling down between her eyes. She could see the light glistening off of Peacemillion in the distance. "I'll make it. It's not over yet," Hilde croaked weakly. She clutched the flash drive in one of her palms. "I'll get this data to Duo and the others. I won't let you take me down now!"

Smoke began to fill up her cockpit. She coughed, wheezing for air, and turned around just in time to see the Vayeate aim its beam cannon at her for one final blast. She gasped and closed her eyes, sure that this was her swan song, but her Taurus jerked as it was pulled from the line of fire.

When Hilde opened her eyes, she relaxed and sighed in relief as the dark, towering form of Deathscythe Hell held her Taurus from sinking into the deep, endless abyss of space.

"Hilde, you still alive?" Duo's hard voice echoed in her cockpit.

She managed a weak smile. She knew how angry he was. "Yeah, I'm okay, Duo."

Duo fought against his climbing rage and urged her Taurus behind him, facing down the two unfamiliar suits. "Stay back! I'll take care of these guys!"

"Duo, be careful!" Hilde shouted. "Those mobile dolls are programmed with data on two Gundam pilots, Heero Yuy and Trowa Barton."

Duo flinched as the two suits got into a formation in front of him. "You've gotta be kidding! So this is like fighting the two of them at once!"

Deathscythe Hell flipped its scythe and swung at the Vayeate, but it flew out of the way. Mercurius activated its shields just before he could try to slice through it. His scythe bounced right off. Gritting his teeth, his cockpit alarm went off. Vayeate had come up behind him and fired its beam into Deathscythe Hell's back.

Duo grunted as his suit quaked with the impact. "Even so, they're pretty good copies!" He swung his scythe backwards, slicing right through the head of the Vayeate. "But they're still just dolls to me." He yanked his scythe away from the Vayeate, and it exploded in a blast of gold.

He turned and faced the Mercurius, which closed in on him quickly. "You don't really expect a Gundam pilot to lose to a bunch of dolls, do you?!"

Mercurius moved to assemble its shield again, but Deathscythe Hell swatted away the discs as they crackled with energy. Duo's knuckles ached as he charged his scythe to full power and swung at the defenseless Mercurius. "You've met your match!"

And in one swift swing, the scythe sliced through the center of the Mercurius, and it exploded in a ball of light. Duo released a heavy exhale through his nose. "Next time try programming in my data." He disengaged his scythe and put it away, quickly turning his attention to Hilde's unmoving Taurus. He picked it up in Deathscythe Hell's arms, his heart clattering nervously against his ribcage.

He activated his video, and Hilde was slumped over in her seat, the belts the only things keeping her upright. He could see spattered blood on her control panel. "Hilde! Hey, Hilde! Come in! Answer me, damn it!" he shouted.

A soft moan echoed in his cockpit, and Hilde struggled to lift her head to look at Duo's stern face flashing on her screen. "D-Duo, I'm glad you're safe."

Duo gave her an indignant scoff. "Yeah, but you're in terrible shape! What the hell did you come all the way here for?!"

Hilde groaned as she moved to lift her hand, opening her palm to show him the small black flash drive. "I brought you this data on Libra. I want you to use it. I'm sure it will help you."

Duo's shoulders slumped, his words coming out in a stammer. "But...why... Why'd you risk your life?!"

She offered him a weak, pained smile and lowered her hand into her lap. "Because...I just...I wanted to, Duo."

Duo stared at her in disbelief before lowering his head. "Christ," he swore. He slammed a finger at her face on the screen. "You're a stupid damn fool!"

Hilde chuckled, then groaned at the stab of pain, her smile remaining. "I figured you'd say something like that."

Duo shook his head hard, clenching his teeth, wanting so badly to rip her a new one, when there was a beep in his cockpit. "Duo, it's Lista. Do you copy?"

Hilde's head hung low as she pressed a hand against her side. Duo watched her with deep concern. "Yeah, I'm here, Lissy. I got Hilde. She's safe."

"Good. The others are on their way back to Peacemillion. The battle is over. Bring Hilde here right away. I have a medical team waiting for you in the docking bay to treat her," Lista replied.

Duo nodded, but said nothing else to her. He turned his attention back to Hilde, who appeared to be slipping into the darkness of unconsciousness. "Hilde, the first face you're gonna see when you wake up is mine, and you're gonna have an earful to listen to."


Back on Peacemillion, Duo quickly fished Hilde out of her cockpit, gently floating down below, where the medical team, his comrades, and Lista were waiting for him. The doctors instructed him to place her carefully on the stretcher.

Duo was reluctant to pull away from her, but the doctors moved quickly to begin patching her up, speaking quickly to one another on their initial diagnosis of her injuries. They wheeled her away, leaving Duo staring down at the flash drive in his palm.

Lista and Quatre were the first to come to his side. Lista pressed her hands against his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. "Are you okay?"

Duo nodded slowly against her hands. "Yeah. I'm okay."

Lista looked to Quatre for a moment, gauging his reaction, before she slid her hands away from Duo. "What was she doing out there? She had a Taurus that came from Libra."

Duo scoffed, shaking his head. "Yeah, that's because that fool went onto Libra, hijacked their systems, and got the schematics for it. She said there's blueprints and the whole nine on this little thing." He clenched his hand over the flash drive. "She risked her life for this."

"She's brave," Lista said. She closed her hand over his, hoping to comfort him. "There aren't many people who would be willing to do that. Being on Libra has to be dangerous. She's an invaluable ally."

"She's stupid," Duo groused. "If she dies –"

"She won't," Quatre assured him quickly. "She seems like a resilient woman. I have no doubt that Peacemillion's medical team will be able to nurse her back to health." His face hardened. "We can't let the data she brought us go to waste."

Duo nodded. "Right." He turned over his shoulder to Heero, who stood several feet behind them. He moved off to him, his face firm with worry. "Heero, Relena Peacecraft's on Libra."

Heero flinched, his eyes widening ever so slightly in surprise. "She is?"

Duo nodded. "Yeah. Hilde said she met her there before she passed out. I guess she said she has some work to do there. My guess is it has something to do with trying to get Zechs to see reason." He shrugged and moved off without another word, leaving Heero thoughtful.

Lista and Quatre watched as Duo left the docking bay, presumably to deliver the flash drive to Howard, Noin, and Sally to analyze. Lista's eyes faltered, and she folded her hands against her stomach. "I'm worried about him," she said softly, her eyes cemented on Duo until he disappeared from sight. "He's tense. And I'm sure he wouldn't admit it, but he's scared for her."

"He and Hilde will be all right," Quatre replied. "He just needs some time. Once the doctors have had time to give her an examination, they'll know more about what they can do for her. Once he knows, I'm sure he'll be back to his usual self."

Lista released a heavy sigh, turning to Quatre. "I sure hope so." She pressed a hand against her cheek and shook her head. "But anyway, while you battled, I had a chance to study and analyze their numbers. There seemed to be more units than any other time. It's unlike Zechs, unless they're starting to feel desperate. They have to be running low on suits with how many we've destroyed."

Quatre nodded in agreement. "I don't believe they can produce them fast enough. But I'm sure they still have enough in preparation for when Treize decides to come to space. After Zechs' attack on the Earth, there's no doubt that he will be here soon enough."

She tucked her arms together across her chest with a slow exhale, looking up at the row of Gundams. "And then the real war begins."