Author's Note: Updated: After a few nights of sleep, and a looksie at this chapter, I realized I could've done better. Hope you like the little improvements.

Phase 12

ガンダム

Yamato - Class Battleship (Black Pearl)

"So the pilots of the Blue and Red Astrays managed to capture the Blitz and it's pilot," Marika frowned as she spoke with Yuri over the communications link. She sat back in the captain's seat, sighing worriedly, "It's a better Gundam than the Astrays are, but I worry about the pilot being stuck in the Artemis Base."

"Should we attack?" Yuri asked, "My squad and the Murasames all have about half our energy left, so we could launch an assault to test out that shield you mentioned."

Marika shook her head, "No, you'd be dead in the water if you did that," she said, "Come back to the ship. I'll deal with the Artemis personnel." She said, "Eugene, how long until we reach Artemis?"

"Ten minutes at best." Eugene said, looking back over his shoulder at her, "Do we have a plan?"

Marika nodded, "Heero."

Dante frowned, "If Artemis is as bad as you said they are, then wouldn't he be spotted right away?" He asked, "I mean, I figure he's good, but with all those soldiers around, wouldn't he - "

Marika giggled, surprising them, "Oh, you don't know Heero Yuy like I do." She said, "While we're all from different Universes, Heero Yuy was, by far, the most ruthless, cunning, and selfless of all the Gundam pilots that ever came to be."

"Has he met Mikazuki?" Chad chuckled slightly, "That reminds me...what the hell are we gonna do with that creepy Knight Gundam?" The dark-skinned boy asked, "I swear that thing was staring at me while I was checking out the specs on the Musha !"

Marika laughed again, "I'll sell it," she said, "That machine has a sentient A.I. that makes it almost like a living being."

"Sheesh, no wonder I thought it was glaring at me!"

{Question!}

"Dah!"Eugene yelped as the hologram System popped up next to the gunner, "Would you stop doing that?!"

{Apologies, but up until now, Ms. Hoshino has complained about the prices of the Mobile Suits she has purchased through the Store System.}

Eugene and the other members of the bridge crew gave the female hologram a look, "Well, of course she would," Dante said, "With how much trouble we've had to go through to get the points we have, those things are way overpriced!"

{If she is displeased with the assembled Mobile Suits that we have on offer, then why does she not purchase the unassembled kits?} The hologram asked.

When the hologram had popped up and started talking, Marika had already gotten a headache. Now?

"Uh, Eugene?" Dante said uneasily as he cast a worried glance back at the captain, "She's losing her shit back there."

Eugene looked back and saw the woman's face going purple with rage, "I know."

Steam started coming out of her ears.

"She's losing her shit!" Dante repeated in a high-pitched voice.

"I know!" Eugene started panicking when the woman's face started getting annoyed veins all over it.

"She losing her - "

"I know, so duck!" Eugene yelled and ducked under his seat just as the furious woman howled.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY I COULD GET THE UNASSEMBLED KITS!"

{Because you did not make the inquire.}

"Now how was I supposed to know that I needed to ask about what I could and couldn't purchase off of this busted-ass system?!" Marika raged as the three boys inched away from their station and toward the door, "And weren't you supposed to explain all of this to me when I got into that crazy Universe, and dragged all of these kids into my personal war?!"

{...I am not busted...} The hologram practically teared up at the insult.

"That's what stuck with you out of this conversation?!"

{Being busted would mean that I am not functioning, and I am clearly functioning properly!} The hologram argued back.

"Properly? Hah!" Marika shouted, "If you were working properly, as you put it, then why do I have Yuri Kellerne on my crew instead of Orga Itsuka?"

{I said that I was functioning, not that my systems did not have bugs!} The hologram shouted back, completely livid, {All systems have bugs!}

"Well then go get debugged!"

{I cannot do that until both players have logged out!}

Marika fell back into her seat, "Typical! I get what must be the mother of all cheat codes, and she not only has a mind of her own, but she's buggy as hell, and she's driving me buggy!"

{If you need a debugging program, I -}

"Finish that sentence and I swear to whatever god there is that I will find a way to strangle you!"

ガンダム

Archangel - Class Battleship (Archangel)

"Nicol Amalfi, lieutenant junior grade, thirty-two, five, ninety." Nicol repeated as he sat in the cell before Lieutenant Ramius, Ensign Badgiruel, and Lieutenant La Flaga. "You won't get anything else out of me."

Murrue sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose while Natarle looked frustrated enough to smack the soft spoken pilot. Mu, however, had to admire his devotion. They'd spent half an hour grilling him, but he hadn't said a word outside his name, rank and number, customary for most if not all captured military officers. "May as well give up, Lieutenant," Mu sighed, "He may not look it, but he's the same type as me. If were the other way around, you could beat me for days and deprive me of the barest amounts of food and water, and you'd still have to blow me out of the airlock."

Murrue gave the blond man a look that told him to keep quiet. He chuckled as he held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry."

Natarle shook her head, "If we can't get anything out of him, maybe we should just cut our losses and do just that," the woman said, much to Murrue's horror, "We're not sure what the Artemis crew will do to him. It might be kinder - "

"ENSIGN BADGIRUEL!" Murrue roared in sudden fury. "The mere suggestion of blowing someone out into space is no kindness. At all! And as long as I am in command, you will never suggest it again," she snapped before rounding on the Mobile Armor pilot, "That goes for you, as well, Lieutenant, even in jest, I never want to hear it again!"

"Erm, yes, Ma'am?" Mu gave a shaky salute, unused to this side of the acting captain.

Nartarle was much the same, though she looked thoroughly outraged by the woman. Meanwhile, Murrue turned back to the pilot, "I'm sorry for them. Just know that while I can't speak for the Artemis forces, as long as you're under our care, you won't be harmed." She said before turning away, "A meal ad fresh clothing will be brought, and you'll receive a medical exam by the ship's acting medical officer. While your meal is delivered, and your exam proceeds, you will be under armed watch the entire time. So please don't make your stay with us difficult. I dislike the idea of killing children."

"You say that," Nicol said, "But the pilots of your Mobile Suits are all not much older than I am."

Murrue chuckled, confusing him, "They're also not part of my crew," she explained, "four out of the five Mobile Suit pilots we have are actually pirates, and another is...shall we say a minor - "

"Pain in the ass?" Mu supplied, thinking of the Orb noble they had on board, "I swear that man's nose was any higher, he'd punch a hole in the ship."

"Are we really discussing this in front of a ZAFT prisoner?" Natarle snapped. "What if he escapes, and leaks all this back to his teammates?"

Nicol's lip was twitching. The dynamics between the three officers was ridiculous. "Fair is fair," Nicol said, thinking of something that might disrupt the chain of command as the three turned to him, "My squad leader, Athrun Zala? He and the pilot of the Strike are, or rather were, close friends of each other. What's more, they both know whom they're fighting each time we've fought."

Murrue frowned. She'd suspected something when the pilot of the Aegis had stopped short of cutting her throat back at Heliopolis. This only confirmed it. Natarle, however, looked as though she'd just been punched in the gut. She had very little trust in the young Coordinator, which was now was completely shattered from what this ZAFT Coordinator had said.

"I'm sure," Mu said, sounding bored, "That if Kira was really going to betray us for his friend, he would've done so sooner. Plus, you did kind'a try to use his Natural girlfriend as a human meat shield."

"Lieutenant La Flaga!" Murrue hissed.

"Hear me out," Mu said and stepped up to the bars, "I'm a soldier, kid, and not a very good one." He started, "I've only gotten as far as I am out of luck, and gut feelings. I can follow orders, and shoot down whoever the military calls my enemy. Does that mean I hate and fear Coordinators? Hell no. Too many of them don't want any part of this stupid war that we caused. We blew up a farming Colony. ZAFT took away our nuclear power, and killed thousands in the fallout. It should've ended there. But we Naturals, the stubborn, stupid ones, didn't want to leave it at that. And here we are."

"But let me tell you something that'll surprise you," the man leaned over, "I trust Kira Yamato more than most anyone I know. Wanna know why? Because he's not fighting to win, he's fighting to protect. His friends are on this ship. The girl he loves is on this ship, and so is her family. So he fights to protect this ship, and I say we're damned lucky to have him. 'Cause without him we'd be up shit creek without a paddle. So you can throw trying to turn us against him into the airlock and press release."

He turned to the two stunned women, "I'll excuse myself, for now, Captain." He smiled before shoving his hands into his pockets, and walking out of the brig.

ガンダム

Nazca - Class Battleship (Vesalius)

The return to the ship had been a somber one. That is until the pilots disembarked.

Yzak had been livid and had gone after Athrun the moment that they were in the locker room. The mistake was thinking that Athrun was any less furious than he had been the moment the Blitz and their friend had been taken. Athrun and Nicol were close friends, and balanced the dynamics of their team.

Now that he was gone, capture and perhaps executed, Athrun blamed himself for the entire thing. It was his plan to try to take the girl, and force Kira into surrendering. Whether he piloted the Strike again, or not afterward, Athrun wouldn't have cared, but the entire plan depended on the girl. And Athrun had once again underestimated her. The first shock had been the fact that another machine besides the Blitz had the Mirage Colloid.

And now the Vesalius wasn't fit for ship to ship combat anymore until the repairs were done, which would take days. The Gamow was worse from her battle with the legged ship. That ship was now in full retreat back to the PLANTs for repairs, perhaps even a replacement.

The second shock was how well she could operate her machine. He hadn't know that the head unit could rotate a full one-hundred and eighty degrees. Worse yet was the fact that the bullets had only spooked him, and not damaged the Aegis at all. Not even a single scratch.

[I had her,] he snarled to himself, [She was right there, and I let her get away!]

"ATHRUN!" Yzak roared as he stormed into the locker room. "This is your fault!" He reached the other pilot and grasped him by his normal suit, "If it hadn't been for you -!"

"SHUT UP!" Athrun roared right back and slammed the white-haired pilot into the lockers, "Do you really think that I don't know that?! Are you so stupid that you think I'm not out of my mind with worry?! That I don't blame myself?!" He made his point by hit him against the lockers. "Well you're wrong, Joule! So you just get the hell out of my face, and shut your damned - !"

"ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!" Commander Le Creuset suddenly barged his way between them. Luckily for Yzak that Dearka had come in a moment later and saw them fighting, and elected to in form the commander. "Athrun, beating your teammate senseless is not going to help us at the moment, so go cool your head." He shoved Athrun back and held Yzak by the collar, "And you, Joule, if you initiate one more conflict like this, I'll have you dishonorably discharged and sent to the Martian Colonies! Do I make myself clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir," Yzak grumbled.

"LOUDER!"

"SIR, YES, SIR!" Yzak shouted.

"Good," Rau sneered, and shoved him toward the door, "You're confined to quarters. Leave them at your own risk."

Rau sighed as he left the room a few minutes later. [Damn these boys, fighting like children over a stolen toy!] He frowned as he reached into his coat, and brought out a bottle of pills, [I'm running out of time, and these children who think they're men are doing little to aid me.] He popped out two of the little blue and white pills and swallowed them down. [Ah, Gilbert, how I wish you'd accompanied me on this venture. I could have used someone intelligent to confide in.]

Meanwhile, Athrun was stewing over the entire situation. The battle had well and truly been a fiasco from the beginning. Yzak had been pinned down by the Green unit, and needed help from Dearka to fend it off which left Nicol vulnerable to the Red and Blue units. And the Mobile Armors, little help as they had been, had been free to attack the Vesalius and the Gamow. He had had his hands full with the Strike alone because he hadn't wanted to hurt Kira, but the fool had made his intentions abundantly clear this time around.

He blamed Athrun for the destruction of his home, just like Athrun himself blamed all Naturals for his mother's death on Junius-7. He blamed him for putting his family and friends in danger. And he was outright furious with him for apparently harming the pilot of the Gold unit, and apparently now, the Violet unit. [What was I thinking?] Athrun sighed, [Was I really that desperate to get him on our side?]

"And look how well it's turned out," Athrun spoke aloud to himself, "I lost us the Blitz, and could've gotten Nicol killed if he hasn't already been killed!"

He laced his fingers together and leaned his head down onto them, "No more," the young man sighed, "We're at war. I can't pull my punches anymore just because he's..."

"Athrun?" Rau spoke from the other side of his door, "You and I have been called back to attend the Supreme Council."

Athrun's head shot up and jumped to the door, "You're kidding?!" He demanded as the door opened, "Now of all times?!"

"Would you believe that's the exact same thing I said when I read the message?" Rau asked with irritation evident in his voice. "I suspect that there is turmoil within the council after I sent in my report about the attack on Heliopolis." He sighed, "I know you won't want to attend, given the circumstances, but your father has personally asked that you attend this meeting. Otherwise I would leave you with the others to make any attempts on Artemis and the legged ship that you can to retrieve Nicol and the Blitz, but I have no say in the matter."

Athrun grasped his head in annoyance, "No, I understand, Sir, but with this latest fiasco, won't you run the risk of being demoted?"

"A risk that I am willing to take," Rau said, "Your plan was a decent one, and would have worked if that pilot you had a hold of wasn't so unpredictable." He said, "I dare say that she may give me a challenge if we faced each other if she's anything like the pilot of the Blue."

Athrun shook his head, "I sparred against the best to prepare myself for this mission, but I can honestly say that she's..." he frowned, "If she were to pilot the Strike, then I think we'd be in deeper trouble."

The masked commander nodded, "Be sure to put that in your report."

ガンダム

Earth Forces Eurasian Satellite Base (Artemis)

Heero had hidden himself right away when they docked with Artemis. From what both Marika and Fumina had told him, the forces here would be greedy, and none too kind to the crew, civilian and enlisted alike. And they were right. As soon as they had docked, the Archangel had been surrounded by Moebius units, as well as dozens of armed men.

The captain, Lieutenant La Flaga, and Ensign Badgiruel had all been taken off the ship.

And Heero had seen his opportunity. He tailed one of the guards before jumping him, and stealing his uniform. He then followed another group of them off of the ship, and mixed in with the large numbers outside of the Archangel. [These guys may be greedy,] he thought as he took note of all the hardware, [But they are serious.]

As he followed the guards into the base, he ducked into a corridor and broke off from them. [Okay, now I just need to find somewhere I can access a terminal.] He thought while floating along. [Priority is the umbrella shield, and shutting it down long enough to let the captain and the Black Pearl get in their shots.] He frowned as he searched, [Priority two is that young Coordinator here that the captain wants on board of the Archangel.] He smirked as he ducked into a room where he found a large computer console. [There you are.] He floated in, and wasted no time in barring the door, and typing away. "Alright. Let's see if my Universe's hacking skills are up to scratch." He said as his fingers began flying over the keys, "I just hope Fumina and her group don't do anything stupid."

ガンダム

Archangel - Class Battleship (Archangel)

Fumina sat next to Kira, sandwiched between him, and Kou, who was sitting across from Allenby. Next to her and Kira on either side of the table were the Heliopolis group huddled up next to the pilots for protection and comradery. Flay was the one that Fumina was really worried about. Though her mind was becoming fuzzier, she knew that Flay was going to cause a commotion, and she had to do something to stop it.

Then there was Rondo Gina Sahaku. The man was seated by himself, of course, and looking smugly at the small group of pilots and volunteers. [Strange,] the girl thought as she tried to remember the events to come, [When I try to think of what's coming, my memory becomes fuzzy, but I can still figure it out, but when I think of my home Universe...] She was understandably worried, but the moment the doors to the mess hall swished open her guard doubled. [Ah, now I remember.] She frowned as Admiral Garcia stepped in.

Thankfully, they had had time to change into Earth Forces uniforms, much as Fumina hated the idiotically short skirt, and wore a pair of jogging shorts underneath, so they wouldn't be pointed out as the pilots unless Flay opened her big mouth.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to get straight to the point," the admiral said, "Who among you are the pilots of the seen Mobile Suits on board this ship?" He said in an authoritative tone, "And I would also like to know who pilots that Mobile Armor you have tucked away next to the Moebius."

Arnold Neumann stepped up from where he was seated, "With respect, Admiral," he said with a stiff salute, "Why do you need to know about the pilots? We're under orders to keep them, and their machines under wraps."

Garcia nodded, "Yes, I'm well aware of that, Chief Petty Officer," he said, his voice tightening.

"Then what do you plan to do with those machines, Sir," Arnold asked, "If you intend to take them, or do the pilots harm - "

Garcia held up a hand to stop him, "Nothing will be done with the Mobile Suits, or the pilots," he assured him in what was supposed to be a calming tone, but it was laced with irritation, and a loosening temper, "We simply feel honored to have seen the completed product before it was officially announced and wanted to meet the pilots of such amazing machines."

Over in his little corner, Rondo scoffed quietly. Fumina noticed and tensed, [What are you planning?]

"The pilot of the Mobile Armor was Mu La Flaga," Arnold said, knowing that it would've been obvious considering how good a pilot the man was, "And the pilots of the Mobile Suits, Sir, I'm afraid must remain classified."

Garcia's face was further marred by a frown, "I see," the man said before his eyes darted over to the table where Fumina and the others sat. His eyes landed directly on the sandy-blonde. "I suppose that if the captain of this ship is a woman, then there's no reason at all why the pilot of one of the Mobile Suits wouldn't be a woman as well?" He reached across the table and made a grab for her.

Kou, however, beat him to the punch and grasped his wrist in an iron grip that made his bones audibly groan under the pressure. "And just what do you think you're doing to my little sister?"

Garcia winced, "Young man, you had better think about what you're doing!"

Kou stood, towering over the shorter admiral, "I know exactly what I'm doing," Kou sneered, "Do you?" He demanded, "You're so blinded by the thought of having your own personal Mobile Suits that you're willing to hurt your own people! We're on the same side you old fool!" He shoved him back as the man staggered into his guards.

"Insolent little brat!" Garcia snapped, gesturing for his guards to take him into custody.

Suddenly, a chuckle rose, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Admiral Garcia." Rondo said as he stood up from his seat. The admiral turned to the man, and recognized him almost right away.

"Oh, it seems like we have a rather...wealthy guest." The man said, "I'm glad to make your acquaintance, Lord Sahaku." He said with a small salute, "Tell me, what do you mean?"

Fumina glared at the man while Kira reached down and grasped her hand under the table, "Don't worry." He whispered to her.

"Well, my good man, that young fellow there happens to be one of the pilots," Rondo said, pointing to Kou, who balled up his fists, "He pilots the blue Mobile Suit, one of Orb's prototype Astrays." He said, "And the girl you reached for pilots the violet unit. The blue-haired girl pilots the red, and I don't see the one who usually takes the green one, but I'm sure that boy is around here somewhere. And as for the Strike, I believe it to be the young boy with the violet eyes who is the pilot."

Garcia's eyes landed on the pilots, and smiled cruelly, "Are they now? Well, that makes things much easier on us, doesn't it?" He said.

Fumina narrowed her eyes at the man, "Are you sure you want to take the word of a Coordinator?" She asked, surprising all present as Rondo narrowed his eyes at her, but showed not other visible signs of ire.

He simply smiled, "Yes, my dear, I am a Coordinator, but I'm also one of the many helping the Earth Forces against those fools out in space," he said rather dramatically, "But if we're going to get into something so sensitive," he sneered now, "Why don't you show everyone here what color your blood is, young lady?"

It was as if someone had placed a battleship on her chest as she seized up on the spot. Kou stepped in front of her as Kira put his arms around her protectively. It was Allenby that startled them. The normally gentle girl lept over the table at the Orb noble and spun around in a vicious spinning kick that smashed the man in the chin, knocking him out instantly.

"KOU!"

Kou moved next as he jump up at Garcia while the guards were focused on Allenby. He grabbed the man's left arm and twisted up behind his back...

...but now before a shot rang out through the mess hall as the room erupted into screaming and shouted as the bullet scraped across Kou's left cheek under his eye, and ricocheted before stopping.

Rondo was coming around and groggily looked up to see the admiral in the young man's grasp, but the smile on the Coordinator's face couldn't have been more triumphant. All the eyes in the room had gone wide as Kou's cheek bled blue blood down his face.

Flay outright screamed in horror at the sight. Humans weren't supposed to have blue blood.

"You alright?" Allenby asked as she came up behind him and relieved the admiral of his sidearm.

"It's just a scratch, no big deal," Kou said absently, "You?"

She shrugged, "Better than this idiot's going to be," she jerked her thumb at Rondo, who was getting back to his feet, and looked at the admiral, "Did it occur to you to ask who piloted that beat up golden unit?" She asked the man, who was openly staring at the blood dripping onto his uniform, "Well, it's him, and he's not someone I'd trust with a more advanced unit that all over ours put together."

"True," Rondo said whilst rubbing his jaw, "But then again, I did bargain with the young lady for stolen technology so that she could keep the other four." The man countered, "You see, my dear, there is no part in this little game where you win. You and your siblings are now known to the military, and you have admitted to stealing military secrets. And then there is the fact that two, if not three of you since you claim to be siblings, have a strange blood coloration that humans, Coordinator or Natural, do not have." He said, taking slow steps toward them. "So I would like to know...what are you, and where did you come from?"

"Does it matter?" Kira asked loudly, looking at his fellow Coordinator, "Whether she's human or not? Does it matter?"

"Well," Rondo chuckled at the boy's protectiveness, "I dare say that if she wasn't human, and the plumbing didn't match, that you would have a difficult time mating with her." He began to laugh, but was cut off as another shot rang out and a bullet buried itself into his leg courtesy of Allenby.

"That's better," she said as the man howled, "Kou, I think these gentlemen have worn out their welcome, don't you?"

Kou nodded, "Oh, yeah," the young man grinned, and looked over at Arnold and the rest of the bridge crew, "Who do you prefer, us and our blue blood, or these guys and their shitty base?"

Arnold chuckled as he shook his head, "That even a choice?" He asked as he stepped up to Allenby and took the gun from her, "I'd say they've earned a spell in the brig."

Garcia looked at them, "You think you're going to force four armed men into your brig with a single handgun?"

"We'll only really have trouble if you don't value your life, Admiral," Kou said, "Because to get to me or anyone, they've got to shoot through you, first."

The other members of the Archangel turned toward the Orb noble, but the man only smiled. "Come any closer," he said, reaching into his coat, "And I'll blow a hole in each and every Mobile Suit you have on this ship." He held what looked like a remote control switch.

Fumina finally snapped out of her daze, "When did you -?!"

"Soon after the last battle," Rondo said with a sneer in the girl's direction, "Did you really believe I would honor the deal we made when I knew that I could have so much more?" He held out his free hand, "I'll have that little device you seem to keep on you, my dear."

"Now see here, Sahaku!" Garcia shouted from Kou's grasp, "If you damage the Strike in any way, you'll be held accountable, mark my words!"

"Oh, shut up, you old fool," Rondo shook his head, "With what you Eurasians have been cooking up, the Strike will be obsolete in no time." He frowned, "And before you try to appeal to my better side, and plead for the lives of these civilians, you can forget it. I don't have a better side." He frowned, "Now hand it over."

Fumina reached for her Gp Base, and Kira took hold of her wrist, "What's on that thing that he wants it so badly?"

Fumina frowned and looked at the Eurasian forces, "Blue prints, schematics, and plans for Mobile Suits, Armors, and power sources." She sighed, looking at her boyfriend in slight shame, "Pirate, remember?"

"And quite a good one, I'd imagine," Rondo chuckled as the girl pulled out the device, "Good. Now bring it here."

"What guarantee do I have that you won't just blow them up as soon as you're cleared of the base?" She asked, clutching the little device to her chest.

In answer, the Coordinator pressed his thumb down on the switch. Fumina gasped...but nothing happened. "This is a ranged dead man's switch," he told her, "If something happens to me before I'm clear of the base, to put in terms your feeble little minds will understand, boom. And if I reach a certain distance, the signal will deactivate. Believe me, girl, I want to be as far from you and your tainted blood as possible."

"You watch your mouth!" Kira snapped angrily as he stepped in front of the girl, "She didn't ask to have different blood anymore than I asked to be a born a Coordinator!"

Rondo chuckled, "My, my, my," the man smiled, "I had thought that there was something between the two of you from that little incident in the medical bay, but I hadn't realized that she had your wrapped so completely around her finger." He sneered then, "Regardless, boy, she will give me that device, or the bombs I've planted will not only destroy your machines, but they may even rupture the positron generators underneath the hangar."

"That would destroy the ship and a good part of the base!" One of Garcia's men shouted in fear.

"Precisely." Rondo said. "Now, Miss Pirate," he purred, "Do we have a deal?"

ガンダム

Earth Forces Eurasian Satellite Base (Artemis)

Meanwhile, Heero was breaking through Artemis' defenses like a beam through a battleship. "Idiots, these are the worst security measures I've ever seen," he grumbled to himself. In truth the only thing that was protected with high security was the cell blocks, and something down in the storage area. "Hmm, project CAT-Hyperion, huh," he said thoughtfully, "Wonder what you could be?" He opened the file containing the information and his eyes lit up, "Well, hello there." He smiled at the blue prints in front of him.

They were for a Gundam.

"The captain will probably want to see that," he said to himself, "Now, let's see about knocking down that shield." He began typing away again, and within moments, the shields were down. He wasted no time in opening a communications channel to the Black Pearl, "Captain, this is Heero," he said, hoping that she would hear him before the Artemis forces intercepted. "Mission accomplished. I repeat, mission accomplished. Artemis' shields are down for the count. Begin attack run immediately."

"Commander Kellerne to Yuy," that was a voice he didn't recognize, "Message confirmed. Cosmo squadron inbound for attack run."

"Be careful, this base is full of Mobile Armors, and a possible Gundam," Heero said, "Good luck, Kellerne." He frowned before cutting off the link, "Alright, now where's our mystery guest?" He typed in the name Canard Pars. "Okay, here we go." The name brought up a prisoner's file. "Canard Pars, being held in cell block C-17 under suspicions of thievery, brawling, and scheduled to be tested for Natural/Coordinator gene type." He frowned, "Prisoner to be executed on grounds of being a Coordinator." Heero growled, "Fucking racist bastards." He shut the terminal down and quickly left the room, finding no guards in the halls.

The cell block he was looking for wasn't far from where he was, and easily accessed through the halls. He met little resistance, and found the cell Canard was supposedly being held in.

"Canard Pars?" Looking in he saw someone hunched over with long dark hair falling across his face like a curtain.

"Who wants to know?" The young man snapped.

"Do you wanna meet your brother?" Heero asked, dangling the bait.

Canard looked up, showing his violet orbs, "Brother?" He growled out, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Kira Yamato."

ガンダム

"How could this have happened?" Natarle questioned herself as she paced back and forth in frustration. "Our own military turning against us just because we didn't have an identification code?"

Mu, who was lounging on a couch, scoffed, "It's not just because of the identification code, Ensign," he said which confused her, "They see the Archangel, and see something that can given them leverage over the Atlantic Federation. They see the Gundams and see something their forces can reproduce themselves and gain grounds in the Earth Forces." He shook his head and leaned back, "In the end, it's all about money, status, and power."

"Do you have to be so blunt?" Murrue sighed, though she silently agreed. "We're all shaken up from this. I just hope the crew is alright."

Outside the room, there were two distinct thuds before the door was kicked open. "Heero?!" Natarle yelped as the young man barged in, "What on Earth -?!"

"Talk later, now let's move it!" Heero shouted with a wide swing of his arm, "I just shut down the shields, and the Pearl's already sent in a squad to stir up trouble!"

A young man stood behind him, frowning, "That's what you did?" He demanded, "If that's the case, there's something I need to get before we leave."

Heero shook his head as the alarms started blaring, "There's no time!"

"I'm not leaving without it," the man said, "It's why I came here in the first place."

Mu frowned, "Question; who's your friend, and what the hell's he talking about?"

"He's not my friend, he's Kira's older brother," Heero said, making the man growl, "And he's probably talking about the Gundam they've got stored here."

"Another one?" Murrue gasped, "How many aren't we aware of?"

Heero shook his head, "Look we can stand her arguing about it until the guards next rotation, or until my men attack the base, and get sucked out into space. Personally I'd choose option three. Get back to the Archangel, and get the hell out of here!"

"I like option three," Mu said as he brushed by them, "Coming ladies?"

Murrue shook her head, "Well, I certainly don't want to die here!"

Natarle silently followed, looking flummoxed while the young man that had accompanied Heero slunk off.

ガンダム

Yamato - Class Battleship (Black Pearl)

Moebius units were bing shot down left and right as Yuri's Cosmograsper squard and Kusuha's Murasames, in Mobile Armor form, torn through the lesser units like wet paper.

"Man, these guy's are wet behind the ears," Yuri commented as he shot down another Moebbius, "I'd almost feel sorry for the bastards if I didn't know what these pricks were doing here."

"Sir, Murasame squadron is asking permission to shift it to Mobile Suits," Danji said over the radio, "What should I say?"

Yuri rolled his eyes, "Tell Hush to keep it in his pants," he said, making the other's laugh, "We don't use the Mobile Suit forms until we have some actual combat." He frowned as Kusuha's pink Murasame whizzed down onto a Moebius, "Right now, that's just rubbing salt in the wound."

"Seriously," Ryune complained as she took up his left wing, "These guys are rookies compared to those ZAFT boys we chased off!"

Yuri shook his head, "Hey, Bridge, any sign of the Archangel, yet?"

"Nothing on our end," Dante said, "According to Mom, they should be blasting their way out any second."

Meanwhile Marika frowned as he forces began engaging the Artemis forces. The Murasame's and the Cosmograspers were flying circles around them. Eugene and the bridge crew barely had to do anything even with as few machines as they had. But the captain, calm as she looked on the outside, was a nervous wreck on the inside.

[Where are you?] She wondered silently, [You should've come out by now.]

ガンダム

When the first explosion of cannon fire had sounded, and shook the base, all of the animosity between Garcia and his men was momentarily forgotten. The senior officers and their guards rushed back to their stations, leaving the crew of the Archangel to deal with the unpleasantness that was Rondo Gina Sahaku.

Kira and Fumina had been forced to escort the man to the hangar while Fumina kept hold of her Gp Base. Upon reaching the hangar, however, the man demanded it once more, holding the detonator high, and threatening to take his thumb off of it. Fumina had been forced to relent, and gave him the little device.

"If its any consolation, my dear," the man said, "The technology on this device of yours will evolve our civilization by at least three hundred years."

Fumina shook her head, "Rondo, I'm warning you," she said, "Some of that tech should never see the light of day!"

Rondo chuckled as he ascended into the Gold unit, "Just the kind I love."

ガンダム

"Hey, Mom, I think we've got one of those Astrays on the screen," he said, bringing the image up, and showing a beaten and battered Gold Astray speeding away from the battle. "You think that's her?"

"No, she wouldn't be running away from this fight," she frowned, "It must be someone else inside it. Hale them."

"On it," Dante said, but frowned, "they're keeping the channel shut. Whoever it is doesn't want to be held up."

Marika frowned deeply, and sighed, "Don't worry about if for now," she sighed, "Focus on taking out the Eurasian forces, and keep an eye out for the Archangel. Whatever we do, we cannot risk it."

"Right," the trio said.

ガンダム

Author's Note: Stopping it here for now for a few reasons. One, I think it's good, and two, I'm sleepy, and nodding off. You all know what to do if you wanna see what happens next. Nightie-night, and adios amigos!