SailorStar9: Chapter 34 is up, this is Chapter 35 and I'm skipping episode 41 since it's a fricking recap episode. Read and review.
Disclaimers: Don't own, don't sue or I'll sink a SEED mode Kira after you. And flames will be extinguished by a fire extinguisher or used to burn joss sticks.
Chapter 35: Freedom and Justice
In the battlefield...
ZAFT units were attacking the Murasame forces.
On the Archangel...
"Alright, we're ready, Neuman! Start her up!" Murdock declared.
"Roger!" Arnold replied, and started the Archangel's engine when Athrun entered the bridge, supported by Meyrin.
"Athrun!" Miriallia blinked.
"Hey!" the radar officer chided.
"I'm fine now." Athrun assured them. "I can at least sit at the CIC."
Outside, having the Sky Grasper taken to the launch pad Murrue sliced off Neo's rope restrains.
"What is this?" Neo asked. "What's this about?"
"Your injuries have healed already, right?" Murrue inquired. "You'll get hurt again if you stay here. The Sky Grasper... it's only a fighter jet, but we've prepared it for you."
With that, she turned away, tears brimming in her eyes as Neo peered over her shoulder.
"You're not Mu." Murrue replied. "You're not Mu, right?"
At that, she ran back to the ship.
"Meyrin, you should get off the ship and stay at the dock." Athrun advised. "Once the Archangel launches, it will be fighting against ZAFT. I can't get you involved in that."
"Athrun-san..." Meyrin muttered.
"I'm really sorry." Athrun remarked. " "And thank you. But you'll be alright if you stay at the dock, right?"
"But..." Meyrin started. "But... I....!"
"I'll be fine." she assured him, sobbing on his shoulder. "I'll be fine. So please, don't leave me behind..."
"Meyrin..." Athrun chided.
Murrue caught Athrun's and nodded, giving him her consent.
"Alright." Athrun noted.
"Open the main gate." Murrue instructed.
"Opening the main gate." Arnold repeated.
"Release the restrain arm." Murrue added. "Engines at 20 output. Advance slowly."
At her command, the Archangel departed from the underwater base before ascending into the air.
"Bearing 2-0. Archangel, full speed ahead!" Murrue ordered.
On the Minerva...
"Thank you for coming all this way, Captain Gladys." the ZAFT fleet commander remarked to the incoming Minerva.
"No problem." Talia replied. "But what about the target? Are we still unable to capture him?"
"Yes." the commander replied. "Although their lines were collapsing at first, they've regrouped quite a bit. As to be expected from their determination. The Minerva should position itself to our port and support the Brit Team."
"Roger." Talia noted.
"10 degrees to port. Decrease thrust and prepare for splashdown." she instructed. "Although we won't be on the frontline, don't let your guard down. Continuing monitoring the airspace."
"Yes madam!" the crew chorused.
In the battlefield...
"If that guy get in, Sanc will..!" Merci hissed as Shinn dodged her beam rifle and cannon attacks.
"Damnit, what's with this thing?" Shinn cursed, blocking Merci's attacks with his beam shield.
Shinn then fired his beam cannon at Merci, but the Akatsuki's armor reflected the shot back at him.
"It deflected the beam?" Shinn blinked, dodging the reflected beam.
"In that case...!" he spat, firing another attack at the Akatsuki's helmet, the armor diffusing the attack.
"Merci-sama!" one of the Murasame pilots shouted, as several of them came to back the Sanc Princess up when Shinn charged with his anti-ship sword.
Flying up, Shinn used his sword to destroy the incoming Murasames.
"Such a thing!" he barked, charging upwards when three Murasames changed into the mobile suit forms and fired their beam rifles at him. Brandishing his sword, he sliced through the Murasames.
Growling, Merci revealed her double-blade sword and charged.
"So you're the commanding unit?" Shinn barked, clashing with the Akatsuki in the air.
"And you're not even that skilled!" he added,, the two mobile suits clashing.
On the Archangel...
"Visual image of Onogoro Island coming up!" Miriallia reported.
"Heat signatures analyzed for the enemy line." the radar officer added. "Two Bozgorov Class, four Wellenberg Class, eight Isarco Class... and it's the Minerva!"
"The Minerva?" Athrun echoed.
"Wasn't it at Gibraltar?" the radar officer inquired. "Did it come here chasing after Djibril?"
On the Minerva...
"Archangel!" Arthur gasped when the camera focused on the incoming battleship.
"So it hadn't been suck afterall." Talia noted.
On the Archangel...
"The Akatsuki is currently battling the enemy mobile suit at two o'clock!" Miriallia reported.
"Destiny!" Athrun's eyes widened. "Shinn!"
In the battlefield...
In the air, Shinn had used one of his beam boomerangs to cut off the Akatsuki's left forearm.
On the Archangel...
"Merci!" Athrun almost screamed when Shinn's other beam boomerang closed in on her.
On the Minerva...
"Incoming object from the airspace above us!" the radar officer of the Minerva reported. "A mobile suit...? No, it's fast! "
"What is it?" Talia asked.
In the battlefield...
Kira had descended into the atmosphere just in time with the Infinite Justice in tow.
Using his onboard weapons, Kira destroyed the Destiny's beam boomerang.
"What?" Shinn exclaimed at the intrusion.
On the Minerva...
"What?" Lunamaria
In the battlefield...
"Freedom?" Shinn was stunned. "What? No way..."
"Why?" he hissed.
"Kira...?" even Merci was stunned. "Is that you, Kira?"
"Murrue-san, please take care of Lacus!" Kira requested. "I'll take care of this. Merci, head to the National Defense Headquarters."
"Okay." Merci replied.
"And Merci," Kira started before his sister took off.
"What?" Merci asked.
"I'm sorry about the Epyon." Kira replied.
"You trashed it, didn't you?" Merci raised an eyebrow.
"Figures. I'll deal with you later, bro." she sighed and took off.
"Damnit!" Shinn cursed, powering up his Wings of Light as he took on the Freedom, the two attacking each other with their swords and beam sabers.
On the Archangel...
The hatch opened as the Infinite Justice docked.
Meyrin quickly got up to support Athrun to the hanger.
On the Minerva...
"We're moving forward. Is that alright?" Talia informed the fleet commander.
"Yes..." the commander replied.
"Hurry and lift out of the water." Talia instructed. "Turn 10 degrees to starboard! We will now destory the Archangel!"
"Yes madam!" the crew chorused.
On the Archangel...
"The Minerva is coming. Be prepared!" Murrue ordered.
"Yes madam!'' the crew chorused.
On the battlefield...
The two ships had begun deploying their weapons.
"Load Launchers One and Ten with Dispar." Arthur instructed. "Target the Archangel wit the Tristan and the Isolde!"
"Load all rear missile tubes with the Wombat." Amagi ordered. "Target the Minerva with the Gottfried and the Valiant!"
"Fire!" Arthur and Amagi caroused, the ships' missiles firing at each other.
In the air, Kira fired his combined beam rifles and Shinn fired his cannon, but the shots hit each other, dispelling the energy.
ZAFT's mobile suits continued to attack ORB's mobile suit and ground defenses. Merci moved in to destroy a GOUF Ignited.
"Merci!" Kisaka remarked, as he and several Murasames joined her on her way to the National Defense Headquarters.
"Merci-sama!" one of the pilots exclaimed.
"I'm landing at the National Defense Headquarters." Merci informed them. "Cover me!"
Meanwhile, a ZAFT descent pod entered the battlefield, and three DOM Troopers piloted by Hilda Harken, Mars Simeon and Herbert Von Reinhardt landed.
"What is it?" one of the ZAFT mobile suit pilots inquired, noticing the newcomers. "A ZAFT drop squadron?"
"Man, the Earth's gravity sure is annoying." Herbert remarked.
"What are you talking about?" Hilda barked. "Alright, let's go, men!"
"Yeah." Mars replied.
"For Lacus-sama!" Hilda declared and the three begun their attack.
On the Archangel...
"What are those?" Miriallia gasped.
"Murrue-san, Merci-san." Lacus began. "The mobile suits that came in the reentry pods aren't enemies."
On the battlefield...
"We'll start with that." Hilda noted. "Let's go!"
"Alright." Mars remarked.
"We're doing that?" Herbert asked.
"Jet Stream Attack!" the three chorused, the three DOMs attacking in rapid succession, with each pilot using a different weapon, and the lead pilot activating the Screaming Nimbus scattering beam gun. The Screaming Nimbus was then used to produce a 'cloud' of beam particles which have the same properties as a beam rifle attack, but spread out to form a barrier around the DOM Troopers and having the end effect of allowing the DOM Trooper to tear through groups of enemy units with ease, as well as adding a small degree of defense from enemy fire.
On the Archangel...
"They are on our side." Lacus added. "So please treat them accordingly.
"Understood." Murrue replied as the three DOMs tore down the ZAFT mobile suit fleet.
"Lacus!" Athrun called when he entered the hanger.
"Athrun." Lacus turned to him.
"Lacus-sama?" Meyrin blinked.
"To think you were riding that..." Athrun started. "Are you alright?"
"Yes. I was only riding in it." Lacus replied. "What about you, Athrun? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Athrun told her.
"I'm not just talking about your body." Lacus corrected.
On the Minerva...
"Tristan, fire!" Arthur ordered.
On the Archangel...
"Evasive maneuvers!" Murrue barked, the Archangel barely missing the shot.
"Wombat, fire!" Amagi instructed.
On the battlefield...
"Damnit! Why...!?" Shinn fumed, pressing his attack.
Going in to 'SEED' mode, Kira blocked Shinn's sword with both his hands, before blasting Shinn away with his rail cannons.
"'This would have ended already if that a beam...'" Shinn read Kira's thoughts.
"Is that what you want to say?" he barked, going into 'SEED' mode as well and attacked again.
On the Minerva...
"Launcher One, Launcher Two, fire!" Arthur ordered.
"Aim for their engines." Talia remarked. "Malik, I'll leave the evading to you."
"Yes, madam!" Malik replied as Rey appeared on screen.
"Captain, I'm having Shinn return." Rey noted.
"Huh?" Talia blinked.
"The situation has changed for the worse." Rey explained.
"Then you or Lunamaria should launch." Talia remarked.
"We'll launch, of course." Rey replied. "But please have Shinn return first. His suit needs to be serviced and resupplied. If we don't shoot down that mobile suit, we won't be able to win this battle."
"Alright." Talia commented. "I'll leave it to you. But hurry."
"Roger." Rey replied.
"Abby, what's the situation of the frontline?" Talia asked. "Are we still unable to secure the target?"
"No, we haven't had any reports of that yet." Abby replied, as Djibril fled through a building, escorted by several ORB soldiers.
At the defense headquarters...
A Geo GOOhN broke out from the ground and shot at the National Defense Headquarters building, but Merci destroyed it before landing. After she landed, she took off into the building.
On the battlefield..
"This guy... why won't he go down?" Shinn was getting frustrated over not being able to shoot down Kira. "Go down!"
"Shinn, come back" Rey advised.
"Why?" Shinn demanded. "I can still...!"
"This is an order." Rey reminded him. "If you want to defeat him, come back at once. Understand?"
Growling, Shinn returned to the Minerva.
At the defense headquarters...
"Jona!" Merci barked, storming into the room where Yuna was held captive.
"Merci-sama." the officers looked at the fuming Sanc Princess.
"Merci!" Yuna wailed. "This is terrible! How could you, Merci? I tried my best in your absence..."
His complaints were met by Merci's punch across the face.
On the Archangel...
"Is this the Justice?" Athrun asked, looking at the mobile suit.
"Yes." Lacus replied.
"For me?" Athrun inquired.
"You will be the one who makes that decision, no matter what." Lacus replied.
At the defense headquarters...
"Merci...!" Yuna wailed.
"I'm not going to place all the blame on you." Merci told him. "I'm also at fault for not being able to have a dialogue with you and Unato in order to fulfill my duties!"
"Merci, that's..." Yuna stammered.
"But what is this about?" Merci barked. "Even if our opinions differed, I thought we all shared the wish to defend our country!"
"No, I mean, that's...!" Yuna blabbered.
"Tell me." Merci gripped hold of the staggering Yuna. "Where is Djibril? Will you still cover him, even in a situation like this?"
"Like I said, I don't know!" Yuna stammered.
"Jona!" Merci pressed.
"I really, really, don't know!" Yuna insisted. "He was at my house at one point, but now..."
"Enough. Take him away." Merci tossed Yuna to two officers. "Place him under custody until his deportation to the 'Sweepers' on L2."
"No way..." Yuna protested as he was led away. "Merci!"
"Has Kaguya been sealed off?" Merci asked.
"Yes madam." an officer replied.
"Either way, we must capture Djibril as soon as possible." Kisaka added.
"Don't give up." Merci encouraged. "If we can push them back, we can open up the possibility of a ceasefire. Just think about that for now."
On the battlefield..
Kira stayed behind on the battlefield and disabled ZAFT suits.
On the Archangel...
"So even you want to tell me that I'm nothing but a soldier?" Athrun concluded.
On the battlefield...
"Don't expand the battlefield anymore!" one of the Murasame squad leaders instructed, the battle having being taken to the city. "We must hold them off here, no matter what?"
On the Archangel...
"That is also for you to decide." Lacus replied. "What I'm afraid of is that you are closing yourself off. That it's too hard, this is is the end... that you would give up like that. Although this may be cruel to your injured self, Kira..."
Flashback
"Take me down in this?" Lacus blinked when Kira led her to the Justice on the Eternal.
"Yes." Kira replied. "We'll be able to deceive the enemy and kill two birds with one stone.
"But right now, Athrun is..." Lacus pointed out.
"Yeah, I think so too." Kira agreed. "But wouldn't it be harder for you not to be able to do anything when you want to do something?"
"Kira..." Athrun muttered.
"Power alone is just power." Lacus advised. "And you may be a soldier. But you're Athrun, aren't you? I'm sure that's what it is."
On the Minerva...
"20 degrees to port. Flank them!" Talia ordered the Minerva taking a hit.
"Parsifal, fire!" Arthur instructed.
On the Archangel...
"Eight missiles incoming from 11 o'clock!" Miriallia reported.
"Evasive maneuvers!" Murrue ordered just as the Minerva fired several missiles at the Archangel, only to have Neo intercept with the Sky Grasper.
"The Sky Grasper?" even the radar officer was stunned.
"Sorry for that intrusion." Neo chuckled.
"You...!" Murrue gasped.
"But I don't like that Minerva." Neo replied.
"Huh?" Murrue blinked.
"Don't worry, you can win." Neo assured her. "Afterall, I'm the man who can make the impossible possible."
"Mu...!" Murrue muttered after Neo cut off the connection.
At the defense headquarters...
"This is Sector 2. no sign of Djibril." a soldier reported.
"This is Sector 6. no sign of him!" another informed.
"This is Sector 3. everything is normal." one of the soldiers escorting Djibril noted, having killed off the soldiers guarding Sector 3.
On the Minerva...
"The resupply of the Destiny is complete. You may launch." the intercom declared.
"Shinn!" Lunamaria gasped as the Destiny's pilot took off.
"You stay behind, Lunamaria."Rey advised.
"Huh?" Lunamaria blinked.
"Damn him!" Shinn cursed. "I'll get him this time!"
"This is an order." Rey told the cherry-haired pilot. "If Shinn loses his cool, he'll lose."
"But..." Lunamaria protested.
"You're a hindrance to him right now." Rey told her and took off.
"Be calm, Shinn." Rey warned as the two boarded their respective mobile suits.. "If you fall for their provocations and lose your cool, you won't be able to win a battle that you should be able to."
"Destiny, Legend, starting the launching sequence." the intercom announced.
"That's exactly what they want." Rey added.
"I know." Shinn replied.
"That's good." Rey noted. "That thing is a ghost. We'll take it down this time."
"Yeah." Shinn agreed.
"Shinn Asuka, Destiny. Launching!" he declared.
"Rey Za Barrel, Legend. Launching!" Rey took off after Shinn.
On the battlefield...
"Those two are...!" Kira remarked, his sensors indicating the two incoming mobile suits.
On the Archangel...
Athrun thought back to what he had told Kira and Dearka during the previous war.
Flashback
"How and what were we supposed to be fighting against?" Athrun had asked.
"What you are capable of and what you wish for..." Chairman Durandal said. "You yourself should know that best."
"You will be the one who makes that..." Lacus remarked.
His decision made, Athrun boarded the Infinite Justice.
"I am..." the blue-haired Coordinator started. "Athrun Zala, Justice. Launching!"
SailorStar9: Wee, Athrun's back in the battlefield! Now that's done, read and review.