Gilbert banged his table in anger, startling the officers in front of him. "How could this happen? Not only the orbital team has been wiped, and now you're telling me that our base in Carpenteria has been attacked as well?"

One of them tried to explain, "But we're doing everything that we can"

"That's not good enough!" he almost shouted. "What is our intelligence doing? Sleeping on the job?"

"Our apologies sir," another officer murmured.

Gilbert massaged his temple to control his composure. "There's no need. I'm the one who's supposed to be apologizing. It's my fault that the attack occurred. We should have been more vigilant, despite our peace negotiation with them"

"No, sir. It's not your fault. You have been cautious enough; the LOGOS is the one to be blamed for attacking us despite the temporary ceasefire accord"

The ZAFT chairman sighed. "Whatever it is, what's more important now is to think about what we should do"

"We can divert some of our forces here to Carpenteria," another suggested.

He thought about it for a moment. "No"

There were surprised looks on most of them.

"It will take few days for our fleet to move there and should Djibril attack here, we will be defenseless. Besides, diverting some of our fleet to Carpenteria would send unwanted messages to our Alliance allies.

"But we need to help the base"

"We will help Carpenteria but it would have to be done via a drop and reinforcement via friendly countries. Now, please leave me alone for a while. I need to think. Brief me about the situation every one hour until the situation there improves. Further more, ask Gondwana to send a few more ships to the drop area to guard the place"

All of them saluted and exited the room. Gilbert looked at the door as the final one left before pressing a button on his desk. His favorite chess board appeared from a trap door on the left side of the table. He examined it carefully. Although the White seemed to be in a more powerful position, the Black's bishop was putting the White king under 'check'.

"Now, Djibril my rival. You seemed to have put me in a' check'" He put his fingers together and relaxed against his seat. "I have to admit, it bothers me a lot"

He let a cunning smile creased his face as he moved one of the pieces, effectively ending the 'check' while setting up for the Black's bishop's removal from the board. The move also paved way for the Black king to be routed. Gilbert knew, because he was the one who enticed the Black king to be there.

"I thought that it would take a lot more than that to trick you to come out of your hole. I'm disappointed to see you taking my bait easily"

Gilbert knew that attacking Heaven's base dead on will be difficult as Djibril and his LOGOS lackeys would be well entrenched inside the fortification. In order to defeat them he need to lure them out. He remembered the old Chinese stratagem, 'Using a brick to lure a gem'. That was exactly why he ordered for orbital drop preparation to be carried out earlier. He knew that Djibril would try to disrupt it. And his planning was rewarded when the LOGOS madman ordered his newest mobile suits and battleships to attack the fleet. Now, ZAFT knew their capabilities to some extent.

He didn't really expect for Carpenteria to be attacked, but that was a good omen. Djibril will likely to mobilize his own fleet to attack Gibraltar in expectation of him send some of the ZAFT fleet at the base to Carpenteria. Gilbert looked at chessboard. There's still a possibility that LOGOS wouldn't move to attack Gibraltar, but that would work to his advantage even more. Gilbert smiled. LOGOS would certainly attack. But as rash as Djibril was, he wouldn't likely attack Gibraltar directly. Strategic consideration necessitates establishment of a base where the attack would originate from, preferably from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. But where? Gilbert opened his computer and conducted a search for the map of Atlantic Ocean. A cluster of islands caught his attention.

"Azores Islands" he uttered. It was a group of islands belonging to Portugal, an ex-member of the Eurasian Federation. He thought about the situation. If ZAFT could establish a base at the islands, it would be a perfect base to stage an attack on the LOGOS's base in Greenland. Of course, diplomatic and political matters needed to be taken care of. Diplomatic envoys could be sent to Lisbon, the country's capital to tell, no, to inform the nation's administration about ZAFT intention to mount their defense against LOGOS at those islands, especially at the Graciosa Island, the most northern. Of course, in return, ZAFT and its Earth Alliance allies would protect them from LOGOS's invasion. Gilbert thought about the plan and felt that it was a good one. Besides paving the way for the destruction of LOGOS, the request for the use of the islands would also allow him to gauge the nations on Earth's trust in ZAFT, crucial for his Destiny plan to succeed.

Suddenly a dark thought occurred to him. He quickly picked up the phone. "I want all intelligence on the Azores Island immediately! Give me all geographical data, newest satellite photos; everything!" After putting the phone, he continued his muse about the whole situation, glancing at his favorite chessboard from time to time. Fifteen minutes later, the screen of his computer starts to change as information started to trickle in. Gilbert quickly browsed through them and found out that what he had suspected was true. Satellite photos indicated that LOGOS had indeed annexed the islands, probably with Portugal's knowledge. The fact that a base has been constructed showed that the islands have been captured for quite some time; probably a few months earlier. Invading Gibraltar was in Djibril's plan all along.

He continued to stare at the information for a few minutes before allowing a smile to appear on his lips. He had miscalculated Djibril's capability to plan ahead and as a result lost the advantage. Nevertheless, the LOGOS leader's strategy was working to his advantage in the end. Gilbert shifted his attention to the map of Azores Islands and thought about what could be done to manipulate the current situation to the maximum. He picked up the telephone once more. "Hello, please relay to Team Ezwan to continue with the preparation. They will receive the order anytime soon" He listened as the other party talked. "Yes, bring along the Specters and Valkyrie" After the conversation ended, he put down the phone and shifted his attention back to the chess board.

"Well, Djibril, you certainly have made this game more interesting…"

Lacus, flanked by Andrew Bartfeld, Da Costa and a few more people in ZAFT and Earth Alliance uniforms looked at the Pacific Ocean map being displayed on the table's screen. She looked at every one of them slowly before looking at the map once more. She then said, "This is what I believe the Chairman will do"

Da Costa couldn't believe what was being said. "That's impossible! For him to be doing that, it's…"

"Easy enough," Andrew said, hands folded. "Not to mention that Djibril will fall for the diversionary attack"

Lacus turned her attention to one of the Earth Alliance officers. "What's your opinion about this, Colonel Ryder?"

Colonel Ryder nodded. "I have to admit, that's a very bold and risky strategy, but one that would probably work. If he's going for this strategy, then that means that he has ample information on the fleet itself"

"A high ranking mole in the chain of command, perhaps?"

"Or one of the LOGOS members themselves"

"If that's the case, then it would make sense how ZAFT managed to get the blueprint to the energy shield generator" Lacus said as the schematics of ZAFT newest mobile suits were being displayed on the map.

Looking at her from his remaining eye, Andrew could only marvel at the intelligence being displayed by the Clyne heir. Ever since she got involved with the war, Lacus has been displaying leadership traits and capabilities that, in his opinion, surpassed her father's, the famous Siegel Clyne. Far from being a dumb bimbo her detractors had accused her of being, she had led, planned and coordinated the Terminal's operation, the neutral faction that's highly motivated to bringing the war to an end. An example of her brilliant thinking was her decision not to appear to the public and expose her imposter. Andrew himself wondered why she didn't do it despite numerous opportunities. When asked, Lacus replied that while it seemed like a good idea, it may be detrimental to Terminal in the long run as whatever move she made would be exploited by Gilbert. She continued that if she was in Gilbert's position, she would use the opportunity to tarnish her name by pointing out to the people that it was the imposter who was with the people when Alliance struck and not her. While it wasn't true as Lacus was doing her best to help PLANTs behind the scene, Andrew could see that such strategy would sow distrust in the public. And without its trust, it would be harder to persuade them. That was why the songstress maintained that it was better to leave things as they were at that moment.

Of course, he tried to persuade her by saying that Gilbert might try to tarnish her name by using the imposter, but Lacus merely smiled and said that he wouldn't do that as then she would take the advantage to make her appearance. Despite being a good commander, Andrew was more into battlefield than into politics; that was why his mind boggled at how far Lacus and even Gilbert could plan ahead their strategies. Watching them making their moves was like watching a very huge chess game where a very small move may cost the lives of thousands of people or even total defeat. Despite trying her best not to show it, he could see that she felt that great pressure. He sighed, mentally renewing his vow to support her to the end. "Hmm… but they could reengineer the shields from those captured prototypes," he said.

"Although it has access to them, our tech department tells us that it would take ZAFT another few months to produce a compact version similar to the one being mounted on Strike Freedom" She pointed to Infinite Justice. "As you can see from here, this is not the case"

"Wait!" Da Costa uttered. "That's means their mobile suits are…"

"Probably at par with Freedom, especially Justice, Legend and Destiny," a ZAFT officer continued.

Everyone tensed at the statement except for Lacus who was looking at the schematics. "That reminds me. Eurasian Federation, through Cherubim, would probably join us. I'm scheduled to meet the ship's captain the day after tomorrow"

"Cherubim?" Andrew grinned at the memory of him having to save Cagalli's mobile suit when its flight pack was damaged by the ship's own. "That means Fallen would be there as well? I can't wait to see the pilot"

Lacus shook her head. "The mobile suit was heavily damaged in battle with Freedom so it's currently being rebuilt. And as for the pilot, if I'm not mistaken, she's onboard Archangel right now"

The Dessert Tiger's expression changed. What could be so important that the Cherubim's captain assigned her to go to Archangel?

"In the end, this ship was converted into a submarine" Mirrillia said, concluding her talk.

Fllay giggled. "You sound just like a tour guide"

"Well, excuse me"

"But I'm not saying that to offend you, but it's just interesting. It's as if you have been to many places"

"I was a freelance photographer before this"

"Oh, in that case, do you know the name of the photographer that took the picture of Himalaya? You know, the one published in the World Geographics' five months ago?"

"You mean the picture of the peak of the mountain during sunset?"

"Yes! That's the one"

"Oh. I do know that photographer" Mirrillia said slyly.

"You do?"

"Yeah. The photographer decided to do her bit to help end the war"

"I… I don't get it"

"I'm the one who took the photograph, silly," Mirriallia said while grinning.

"You can't be serious!" Fllay said disbelievingly.

"Well, I had to wait for two weeks to get the best shot, but in the end, it's all worth it"

Fllay put her hands on the other woman's shoulder. "You're amazing! I really like that picture very much"

"But I honestly think that you're the amazing one, Fllay,"

"Hmm?" Fllay asked with a confused expression. "What do you mean by that?"

"To tell you honestly, I've never thought that Fallen's pilot is you. It was nothing short of amazing"

Fllay looked at her hands and shook her head. "It's not that amazing. I'm just a soldier, that's all. Nothing more"

"But Fllay…"

She smiled softly and put a gloved finger on Mirrillia's mouth to quiet her, shaking her head once more. "Just a soldier," Fllay repeated as she withdrew her finger.

"Fllay…"

"Think about it, if I'm not a soldier, I wouldn't be here on this ship" Fllay said cryptically.

"In that case, I'm a soldier too"

"Yes, but we're totally different" Fllay held out her forefinger. "You, Attha, everyone on Archangel; all of you still that one little thing that makes you special"

"One thing still intact? What is it?"

Fllay smiled sweetly. "It's a secret"

"But I want to know"

"Very well, tell me how you feel about the attack on Carpentaria?"

Mirrillia's expression fell. "It's very awful. Even from the news you can see so much destruction and so many deaths"

"That's what I lost"

The ex-photographer didn't understand what the woman said until it dawned on her that Fllay's expression neutral as she said those words.

Fllay nodded when she saw the unasked questions in the other woman's eyes. "Personally, I feel that the attack is a good move from strategic point of view"

Feeling a bit disappointed as what she suspected has been confirmed, Mirriallia asked, "Why?"

"It's easier to fight if you stop caring. But that's my viewpoint. I believe the person behind us have a different belief on that matter"

Mirrillia turned around to see that someone was indeed behind them. "You, Cagalli?"

"What makes you think that I would follow you around as if I have nothing better to do?" Cagalli asked Fllay.

The Fallen's pilot was calm as she replied, "I didn't say that. I was just stating the fact that someone was behind the two of us for quite some time. And I didn't even know it's you"

"Oh," Cagalli said while blushing. She patted her uniform. "I'm just making sure that you're not leading her to anywhere restricted, Mirrillia"

"So, in that case, why don't you escort us, Ms. Attha?" Fllay interjected before the other woman could say anything.

"No. But maybe it's better for the two of us to have a talk"

Fllay nodded at Mirriallia and the woman took it as a cue to leave.

"Follow me" Cagalli said.

The red head followed her until they entered an empty room. She looked around before turning back toward Cagalli, "So what do you want to talk…"

Her hand managed to stop Cagalli's slap from reaching her face. But there wasn't much strength in the slap to begin with.

"Why?" Cagalli asked as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Why are you here?"

Fllay released her hold on Cagalli's hand. "What do you mean?"

Cagalli held her hand. "Why are you here?"

"Because, if I'm not here, where would I be?"

"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD, DAMMIT!" Cagalli shouted. Then, realizing what she stammered an apology. "I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't mean that"

"Sure you do" Fllay said softly.

She looked away. "I'm not! It's just that… I blurted it out"

"I'm a woman as well, Ms. Attha, so I really know well when a woman is lying. The reason you blurted it out is because you're frustrated with the fact that there are some ORB soldiers were killed and I, their killer is waltzing around this ship, pretending as if nothing happened. Am I right?

Cagalli hesitated for a while before nodding.

Fllay eyed Cagalli for a long time before she finally continued. "Look, if you want to hate me, then I'm not going to do anything to change it. In fact, it would be easier if all of you just hate me. It makes my life easier"

She turned and was about to walk away when Cagalli caught hold of her hand.

"Why? Why it is easy for you to kill other people?" Cagalli's voice was pleading. "Why do you kill when it does is to perpetuate the circle of destruction? Can't you see that the people you killed all have aspirations, dreams? Don't you realize that every time you kill a person, you're causing grief to his family and friends?"

Fllay stopped, but didn't turn to face her. "I don't care. It is as simple as that. Unlike you, I'm a selfish person. I only care about my needs. I don't care about their dreams and aspirations. In war, everyone has a reason to fight. The sad thing is each side's reasons' are good and valid. Freedom and Archangel are fighting so that you can prevent people from dying, right?" The redheaded girl didn't have to look at Cagalli to know that she was nodding. "I don't fight to prevent soldiers from dying. I fight in hope that I can somehow help to bring the war to a faster end. If that means that I have to kill soldiers like myself, then so be it. While peace can only be started by leaders like you, wars can only be stopped by the soldiers themselves"

"Kira is a soldier, but he doesn't want to kill"

Cagalli never really knew what happen but she felt herself being slammed into cold steel wall, forcing air out of her lung. Before she could recover from the shock, a loud banging noise to her right side startled her. Her eyes darted toward the direction and saw a palm just next to her face. She looked in front to see that Fllay was hiding her eyes beneath her bangs.

"Don't you dare say that Kira is a soldier again" Fllay said quietly while raising her head to look at the blonde woman.

She was shocked by what was said. But it was trivial compared to the sight she was seeing. A pair of rabid yellow eyes bored into her soul. 'But that was impossible!' she thought to herself, not realizing that she was in danger. Although her eyes were golden as well, it was their natural color. She was sure that Fllay's eyes were supposed to be grey.

Fllay was trembling as she gritted her teeth, as sign that she was trying to control herself. "Don't you dare say that he's a soldier! He is not. He is too pure to be a soldier, too good to be compared to animals like me. I thought that you as his sister should know that by now. Don't you know that he used to cry every time he returns from piloting his mobile suit? Don't you know how it pains him having to go against other people, killing them?" Her hand which was on the wall curled into a tight fist. "I guess you don't know that kind of pain, do you? Maybe you also don't know the pain he felt when a person next to him used him as a tool to further her selfish ambition and to seek revenge" She smiled bitterly. "Unlike you, I know it about it very well"

Cagalli didn't know how to react. "How do you know…"

The Fallen's pilot lowered her head as a drop of water splashed on the metal floor below her. "What's wrong by being selfish and only care about one's desires? Why must I care about people who try to kill the people I love when they don't care? Must I protect them when I can barely protect the people that I really care about? Tell me!" Her voice was slightly broken by the time she said that. Her fist, which was still next to Cagalli's face tightened even more. "I can still clearly remember that you cried when the ORB military men died attacking Minerva. So, tell me, did you cry for those ZAFT soldiers who perished because of your fleet's attack? Do you?"

"I…"

"Do I have to cry for those who I killed; the very same one who killed my friends? I let them go, and they killed my best friends! Isn't it enough that I ensure that the killers' deaths were as swift as possible?

Must I cry for them as well?"

"But…" Cagalli stuttered. "But… killings will only beget more killings"

"Of course. You're right. Then...," it sounded as if Fllay was gritting her teeth, "What would you do if you're in my position then? What happen if one day ZAFT or LOGOS attacks ORB? Would you tell your men to stand down, telling them that they shouldn't kill to protect themselves? "

"I… I… would," Cagalli stuttered, trying to answer the questions unsuccessfully.

Both of them remained in an uneasy silence until Fllay finally broke it with a whisper. "The crushing guilt of having to kill them will help alleviate the pain" Few more water droplets splashed on the floor.

Cagalli could only blink in silence as she didn't understand what the other woman was talking about.

Still hanging her head, Fllay slowly brought her two hands in front of her face and began slowly, "All I want in life was to be happy. Even back then, I didn't really care whether I'll be rich or become famous. What mattered to me was that I wanted to be with the people who care about me" A drop landed on her left hand. "That would be enough. I don't want these wars. I'm scared of them. Even now…" Both her hands were shaking. "At that time I was scared. Scared as the proofs of my existence began to disappear one by one, right in front of my very eyes. I was scared and confused. Scared enough to turn on the very people that wanted to help me"

Her legs began to give away and Fllay ended up in a kneeling position. "I twisted his soul and fate with these very hands. I used him… even… even… though I fell in love in him. I love him… I love him very much, but yet I used him," she sobbed as torrents of tears came out unrestrained. "What kind of person would do such a thing? Why do I feel guilty even now? Why is it that the first thing I remember, even before I know my name is his face? His smile? Couldn't I just forget him as well?" She buried her face on her hands. "Why am I feeling hollow and empty all the time? Why? Why my heart still aches for him? Yearn for him even in my dream?"

Cagalli looked away as she realized that the person in front of her was suffering all the time, despite the façade she presented a few days ago. "I'm sorry"

With great difficulty, Fllay performed a hand signal and her head jerked backward. She put her hands on her head as she let out a small moan of pain. Concerned, Cagalli dropped to her level to see that Fllay's eyes returned to their normal smoky hue and her expression neutral, surprising the woman in front of her again. The Fallen's pilot then wiped her damp cheeks with her gloved hand. "I'm sorry for losing control of myself. It wasn't supposed to happen"

"No… no harm's done" Cagalli stuttered again, still not believing the sudden change in the other person's behavior.

Fllay got up. "As far as I'm concerned, Miss Attha, this conversation never took place. I'm never one to threaten other people, but it's best for this matter to be forgotten" She walked a few steps before continuing, "You're right about the vicious circle being never ending. Like I told you earlier, only people like you and Kira can stop it as you have dreams and hopes. But next time please don't talk as if we soldiers don't know anything. It already hurt for us to know our sins without someone else constantly reminding us about it" The door opened and Fllay exited, leaving a confused and conflicted Cagalli behind.

1

Author's note (16 November 2006)

1. At last! Fllay and Cagalli's final argument scene. Both would grow from this conversation with Fllay letting out her pent up emotions and Cagalli learning the fact that in live, things aren't categorized into black and white. Cagalli in GS and GSD, in my opinion, isn't really a good leader. Yes, she's a good person and a kind leader, but not a good leader. The fact that she's there to stop ORB military from breaking their neutral stance is honorable (I really like that part), but she did it without understanding the fact that it did so under duress (A leader must always try to understand other people). When I watched the scene where Todoka died, I felt kinda sad. He died in order to protect ORB, the same goal Cagalli and Archangel was pursuing. The sad part is, he seemed to understand Cagalli's position, but not vice versa. So, do expect Cagalli to turn out a bit differently in this story as she finally understands what it is to be a good leader.