Expectations of peace soar to their greatest heights with the formation of the Earth Sphere United Nations. The year is After Colony 225. The dissolution of mobile suits and militaries from the human race has allowed veterans and civilians alike to a progressive new era for humanity. Grudges however are far more powerful than what many realize. Former members of the Romefeller Foundation have taken to the stars to act against the ESUN's pacifism policies. The horrors of war have revisited the Earth for a new generation of humanity in the form of the vengeful Falson Coalition. 11 years have passed since the conflict began. The ESUN's hope lies in the form of its own mobile suit project. Operation Rising Himalayas. The revival of GUNDAM.

Episode 19: Destination to L4

The shuttle from Mars landed in the hangar bay with the surviving Coalition loyalists. One of the operators on the crew reported, "Admiral. We have confirmation on the arrival of the shuttle."

Demetrios remained in his seat when he ordered, "Prepare the fleet. The pursuit of the Solaris must begin."

His Vice Admiral stood next to him when he reported, "We have an estimation of the destination Admiral. We are prepared to begin the jump."

Demetrios gave the final order, "Begin the primary ignitions." Without any protest the Coalition battleships gave a collective flight following the path of the Solaris.

The crew remained tightly within their seats before the pressure subsided. The Vice Admiral inquired the crew, "We will know for sure that we have the destination?"

One of the operators looked over the nearest star maps before answering, "We have the most probable one. It is all we have to work with right now."

"Quite unfortunate. Orders from 3 Juno however have instructed us to follow the Solaris with what forces we currently have."

Demetrios wasn't shaken by the disadvantage when he simply answered, "We have currently endured minimal casualties from the Gundams making their entry to Mars. They will be forced to handle the full might of our forces. They will not have any opportunity to escape once we make contact with them."

A voice on the intercom announced, "Admiral, the survivors from Mars are secure. They are requesting an audience."

Demetrios accepted the request when he ordered, "Have them processed and have their mobile suits properly repaired. Have their reports made for my review."

"Right away sir."

Devon was looking over his crew when he watched the Sagittarius unit and remaining Leos unload to the hangar bay near the shuttle. Among the remaining pilots who made their way out of the destruction he saw Tano walking away from them. He stopped him from walking away before commenting, "Well this went about as well as it could have. Nice work Kiprotich. We might have a chance to take out those Gundams after all."

Tano remained stalwart when he heard the praise when he simply answered, "I did what I had to. We are only fortunate that it was able to work out so we could press on."

Devon shrugged when he commented, "Still not big on being complemented huh? You could at least point out how my idea was crazier than it should have been."

"Your job is only to give me orders and for me to obey them. If it was a failure the fault would have been on you. It's not like we had much of a choice in terms of trying to break out of there however."

"Well good to know you still have the attitude of being a good soldier at least. I wasn't even expecting that you would make it back or that you would chicken out on the mission. Small confession I have to make."

Tano took a few steps away from his superior when he agreed, "I don't blame you sir. It made me have to do things that I'm not proud of."

Devon recognized what Tano was referring to when he told him, "Hey it's not like we could have hit them anyway. Command would want that thing intact anyway."

Tano paused from walking before telling his superior, "It's not an excuse for me to let the enemy get away to wreak more havoc on our forces."

Before Devon could tell Tano anything else he saw the ship's officers walk up to him to request, "Captain Keaney. We are more than pleased to see you make it out of that previous situation unharmed. However the Admiral now requires that you prepare a report on the situation."

Devon stretched his right arm when he accepted, "I'll be sure to keep all of the details chalked up."

Tano entered the conversation when he added, "I have my side to present as well. I don't want any details to be diluted in the report."

Devon told the Officer, "Just let him come along. Nothing's gonna stop him. He's just too good for the rest of the guys who want to see their mobile suits get a patch up."

The Officer accepted the request when he told them, "We'll be sure to let your side have a fair representation. I hope you remember who your superiors are however Lieutenant."

Tano saluted as he walked alongside Devon to answer, "Of course sir." He kept up to pace with the two when he commented under his breath, "I will have to see for myself if this man is still loyal it seems."

Tano and Devon followed the Officer up to the bridge after taking the elevator to find that most of the crew was leaving a place clear for their Admiral. Demetrios stood up to salute the two pilots while they returned the gesture before he greeted, "Welcome Gentlemen. I am of the understanding that you have a significant development in regards to the events on Mars."

Tano was the first to speak when he answered, "We were forced to resort to drastic measures when the time came sir. General Fedorov made an attempt to defect to create his own Martian nation. We were caught off guard when it happened. It left Captain Keaney captured while it left me to lead an assault against him to bring justice. It will not be necessary to handle him however as he has been killed by the destruction of his base."

Demetrios nodded when he asked, "And you were unable to prevent the Earth Sphere from taking the Solaris due to your options limited at the time?"

Before Tano could answer, Devon explained, "That is the case sir. The Solaris escaped from our custody during the chaos. It will be under the responsibility of the main forces at 3 Juno if we are going to have a chance at taking hold of the planet again."

Tano added to the report when he offered, "Given our current situation we are willing to leave Mars behind for a chance to continue the pursuit of the Gundams. You are willing to accept this sir?"

Demetrios considered everything that Tano had to say about the events that just unfolded on the planet below finally evaluating, "Hm... This sounds like the sort of thing that could potentially be used by the enemy as a distraction. According to the few visual reports we have, the uprising is still underway. Worse yet there are signs of mobile suits being destroyed within the city dome. The exterior damage we can at least deduce being the work of the Gundams." He returned his attention to the two men when he told them, "If Fedorov is dead however then it will free us up a good deal of effort when we return here."

His Vice Admiral confirmed the strategy, "Seeing the remaining forces will probably be squabbling among themselves the inhabitants will welcome the next governor with open arms. That is what you are hoping for Admiral?"

Demetrios turned to his second in command when he confirmed, "Yes. We'll let Mars settle for now. Stay on standby. We'll take pursuit of the Solaris, it is our most urgent priority right now. Maintain current course."

His Vice Admiral agreed to the order with a salute before returning to the ship's crew, "Yes sir."

As Demetrios looked over the shuttle settled in the hangar bay of his flagship while he heard Devon report, "It probably goes without saying that we've taken a bit of a beating since making our way back here sir. We made the best with what we had but we'll need aid if we want to have a fair chance taking out those Gundams."

Demetrios accepted the request, "You will have them Captain. At half capacity it will be nothing too difficult to fulfill."

"Yes sir." Devon accepted. With that the flagship and the fleet that followed it began the pursuit. "Being able to catch up with the enemy will be a bit of a hassle if we don't have any idea where they are headed though sir."

Demetrios brushed off the concern when he answered, "We have the correct estimates. We will find the Solaris at their next stopping point."

As the assembly with the President and the House ended, Barra was left to wait outside for further orders in case of further developments. He wasn't able to learn of what the recent delivery actually was, but if his mission was proceeding the way he imagined it would he knew what to prepare for. Only a few seconds passed before heard his phone ring. He knew who it was on the other line as it was expected. He quickly moved into a nearby room and heard the voice ask, "Have you confirmed who is using the program?"

He began to report to his contact, "Yes. The President has shown clear interest in utilizing it."

"If that is the case then our most extreme case has been realized."

"It has. This situation now calls for the most desperate measure."

"Keep him from transmitting. I will enter as soon as I make it."

"Understood. I'll buy what time we do have."

"Be careful."

Barra quickly shut his phone off and began to make quick plans about how to stop the President from transmitting those programs. He knew that Franz would have both of them on hand and prepare to transmit them at the next possible moment. Devine rushed towards the Presidents office doors and waited to see if he was going to be exiting any time soon. He had to make his stay quick. This was the time he needed to stop Franz. Hopefully not with the worst outcome.

Once Franz left his office, he casually made a walk towards the main communications building to begin a key action. Barra followed him and several of the guards when he heard the voice in his earpiece ask, "Is the President leaving the building?"

He moved away from the President's presence and towards the nearest room with several arguing representatives. He stood outside their entrance door reporting, "I don't think there is anything that will stop him now. If you are planning to strike, now will be the best available time."

"Continue to follow him. I need to be updated on his location."

He told the voice on the other end, "Prepare the correct alteration codes and he will be delayed long enough."

Barra made his way back to behind Franz when he was asked, "There has been a development?"

Barra nodded when he answered, "We believed there was an intruder making their way on the grounds. It has been handled." Franz accepted the news as he made his way to the elevator to the ground level where only a short hallway and a service desk with a few Earth Sphere soldiers keeping guard.

Barra spoke for Franz, "We are here to make a critical transmission. It will not be long."

The leading soldier accepted the reason for the high-ranking politicians making their way through before ordering, "Allow them through. Keep him safe on his way to the tower."

The infiltration Barra had come to expect worked as the guards made their way towards the nearest exit door finding that they were denied an exit. "It appears the passwords have been reset early." One of them pointed out.

Franz out of curiosity asked, "What is happening? Is there something wrong happening with security?"

Another of his guards reminded him, "I wouldn't imagine so. The passwords shouldn't be updated for another hour."

"I'm right outside your location."

Barra signaled, "Well done. Prepare the attack."

As soon as he said this a piece was thrown into the hallway that noticeably shattered the window it left. One of the guards noticed this quickly warning, "GRENADE!" Out of desperation to save his President he threw his whole weight onto the object out of hopes in seeing the others would survive the blast. Once it was ignited the explosion was at least greatly reduced but everyone else who was present was thrown onto their backs from the force.

As the explosion passed the personnel inside found that the nearest guard had given his life to make sure that the President would not be harmed. "Mr. President! We need to get you to a safe zone!"

Franz thrust his case into the arms of a nearby guard ordering, "The broadcast must be made! Get these programs to the communications array!"

The guard agreed, "Yes sir!" He turned to the nearest guard to enlist his help ordering, "Take these to the array! Top priority! Double time!"

"Yes sir!"

Barra watched the guards leaving the premise with Franz heading towards the nearby desk area. He believed the President would have some level of safety, but he wasn't his primary concern right now. He contacted in his ear piece, "It didn't hit the President, but we now know where the programs are. The programs have been given to two soldiers and they are now a priority broadcast."

"Are they headed in my direction?"

"Yes. It shouldn't be too late."

On the other end, Agent Zelma cut off the communications and prepared her gun as she waited for the guards to make their way towards the array building. They had fallen into the trap as she fired at them and rushed towards their corpses. She found the case and quickly opened it in hopes of finding the cards but found herself taken aback when she reported to Devine, "I've taken out the guards! They don't have the programs with them!"

Barra heard Zelma on the other end and tried to contain his surprise when he asked, "What? How did this happen?" He stopped talking when he saw Franz leave the desk area he was in and took back his calm demeanor. "Mr. President. It is a relief to see that you are still alright."

"Thank you Mr. Devine. Fortunately, the programs have been broadcast. It may take longer but it will be worth the wait now."

"They have... Very good Mr. President..."

Franz thanked Barra for his assistance, "The situation has been taken care of. Now the transmission has been sent and we shall be able to see our trump card played quite soon."

One of his guards assured him, "We shall begin an investigation Mr. President. We will have to perform an investigation to determine the reasoning for this attack."

Franz straightened his suit and began to leave, "Agreed. I still have work to do myself however. Right now, the programs have been transmitted and we will have the course of the war changed soon."

Barra however was able to stop him for one final question hoping that there would be something to understand. "Will they alone be enough to stop this war Mr. President? There is still concern that the Testudo is still trying to make its way through Germany and towards our borders."

Deciding there was no longer any caution to be held on the severity of the situation Franz indulged Barra's curiosity with what value the programs had. "This technology we have sent is more than enough to ensure that we will have our power over the Coalition. They can threaten to see our continent entirely decimated and we shall be prepared to see that their way of life is given the same threshold. Please finish for the day Mr. Devine. It has been quite a long day for us both."

Barra left Franz, "Yes Mr. President." Barra left the main building out of the confusion and chaos among the many Representatives and their concern for what the war was bringing. As soon as he believed he was out of range from anyone affiliated with the Earth Sphere security he began his report to Zelma. "Abort Mission. The programs have been transmitted. The President is the highest in command authorizing their use."

"I see. I know what I must do now. The Coalition will see that my mission has at least provided them with a first step into the Earth Sphere Capital."

"And hopefully it will be enough."

As Gawel saw Mercurio make his exit from the elevator he congratulated, "Nice work Yuy. Looks like I can get started on telling Roy he shouldn't bother making conversation points on challenging the Captain's senses."

When he found Gawel waiting for him Mercurio could tell that Gawel was glad he wasn't being sent back down in a body bag for trying to get too close to the Captain. "Hey. Probably a good idea if he keeps doing that."

Out of the blue when they were both leaving the area he asked him, "So uh, you're not going to try and get back on me for last time are you?"

In response to his question he assured him, "Not even considering it Gawel. You were desperate, and you thought we weren't going to be alive after that. We just need to remember to prepare for future situations like those from now on." It was another good note to end the question as he went down to meet with the rest of the crew while also looking forward to whatever challenge they would have to face next.

Donna heard the conversation between the regular pilots on the state of the Captain with Mercurio forced to save the day yet again. She ultimately decided they were right that Mercurio was the one to go to when the situation is bleak. "I would certainly be hopeless at talking to a commanding officer under a mental breakdown without being thrown or slapped." She admitted to herself. She returned to her tube of coffee, glad that Mercurio was able to avoid anything severe. It was taking longer for her to finish as there was no sugar inside the drink.

Agent Arch took the seat next to her with a tube of coffee milk to replenish the energy he lost from running to the Solaris. "It's pretty nice to see that we won't have much of a conflict to handle for a while. I guess it's all going to change though."

Donna agreed with his comment when she said, "We only have to make sure we get to Earth before the Coalition can claim victory."

"Yeah. That's what I've been tasked with as well."

"Really? Your mission has been that precise?"

"Sure is. My big task is just to carry on my father's will in the Earth Sphere by joining the Gundams." Arch was quick to recall her as the girl who lost her ID with the distinctive keffiyeh. He wondered if she would recognize him and decided to just simply sit next to her until she notices, sipping his drink while he played the waiting game.

Donna didn't have any indication of recognizing him when she told him, "Right now our next stop is to the L4 Cluster."

Arch took another sip before he asked, "So do you know anyone from the cluster?"

"My Instructor was from the cluster. When I was younger he told me about his life before the war as the president of a large company. Unfortunately he was forced to relocate to Earth due to the fears of a Coalition invasion. Moreover he had to enter the Earth Sphere so he could safely work on the Second-generation Gundam project."

"That's pretty hard. He must have been living a pretty decent life at least. If he was really that important of a person though."

"He was. He was forced to leave behind the Maganacs behind to aid in the defense of the cluster with most of space under Coalition control and he couldn't even access most of his resources from space for the construction of the projects since his company is facing a massive decline. Fortunately, he was able to see the construction of the Gundams completed when he found the support he needed from the Lindemann family."

"So this is what's been happening in the Earth Sphere while my folks were fighting on their front. I guess I should just do everything to make sure that my contribution is worthy of what your group has been pushing to achieve." Donna nodded when she recognized how close she was to fully giving herself away. She didn't know who Agent Arch was at the moment, but she didn't feel entirely safe in revealing him based on such minimal information.

Mercurio made his way back to the mess hall hoping to get something to drink after meeting with his Captain. He was denied a calm return when several pilots gathered and one asked, "Hey Yuy. You made it back in one piece. The Captain only let you off with a scolding?"

Mercurio decided he would at least grant them the basic knowledge, "Not even that. She just seems to be in a slightly downer mood than she usually is."

Roy commented, "Not too bad. Probably could have ended worse for you."

He decided to try and end it there concluding, "Yeah. Probably could have." Out of the ones who still remained seated he recognized the man about his age with Donna. He overheard his name and wondered if it was something he was meant to continue addressing. He was among the first to greet him, "Hi. I take it you're Agent Arch from earlier?"

Donna turned to see Mercurio enter the room to welcome his new ally. As soon as she saw him give a profile of his face, she remembered a key detail about who he was. "Wait, aren't you supposed to be the Coalition soldier that just chose to let me go?" She asked him, Scratching her head in confusion.

Agent Arch responded to both of their questions. "Yeah, I'm Agent Arch." He replied to the first question. "I was the Resistance's spy for gathering intel on the Coalition base on the Dome you were in." He turned to Donna. "I also rescued her from being sent to a jail cell in the base. I knew you couldn't have been native because I grew up there and I know most of the people in the Dome. I don't remember a girl with a keffiyeh living here before."

Donna presented him with a new question. "And what were you doing before then?"

Arch answered the question. "My mission was complete with Federov being thrown out of power. Now I'm just here to see through the end of the war on Earth by helping you guys. So just to make this easier for me I'd like to know your names. What do I call you?" He asked them.

"I'm Sandesgeist." Donna replied sarcastically. Before Mercurio could answer, she took the opportunity to 'introduce' him as well. "And he's Uriel. If you go by your codename, we go by ours."

Mercurio was surprised at the choice that Donna made about introducing herself. He was able to catch onto the idea though when he agreed, "Yeah. Uriel here." Donna giggled when Mercurio did decide to join her game with the codenames.

Donna then realized the problem when it will come to the Ursa pilots and would be forced to use numbers after their Mobile Suits but that would make the confusion worse with not being able to remember who has which number. "Hopefully they're more capable than I would think." She told herself.

"Pretty even then." He remarked at the response. "All the spies in the Resistance have codenames."

Arch took note of the codenames. He became amused with the joke the Gundam pilot pulled. "Well, nice to meet you then Miss Sandesgeist and Mister Uriel."

Roy was curious about how Arch came to the conclusion based on Donna's keffiyeh asking, "Really? Just how diverse was the initial immigration to Mars?"

Nasir overheard the conversation when he pointed out, "It was founded by a British guy and it primarily consisted of people who were wealthy enough to afford a trip that long. Only people who could probably afford something like that are the people who claim heritage from old royal families. And even then, that might be enough to cover a one-way flight on less than economy class."

Arch added to the observation, "The first colonists were mostly from Europe. The families that were previously connected to Romefeller had the wealth to afford the first shuttles there. Actually, my dad's Nordic and mom's Italian, both previously part of Romefeller. People say the Italian blood is strong in me while the Nordic went to my sister."

"I guess that's how the keffiyeh made it obvious that I have some Arab heritage." Donna shrugged. The keffiyeh was mainly worn with the idea of remembering the Arab blood in the family as well. "Dad's a quarter Arab and three-quarters Prussian." Donna chose to let 'Uriel' speak this time. As far as she recalled, his heritage was Japanese and Nordic?

Mercurio approved of Fire's actions thanking, "We owe you a good deal Agent. If it wasn't for you Sandesgeist might not have made it to the rally point and we might have been compromised from our raiding of the prison."

Arch thought about introducing his name but managed to catch on to what Donna was thinking. He saw Dana walking in when he decided to offer a new question to 'Uriel', "Is your captain alright?"

Mercurio answered, "Yeah. Our Captain was having some emotional problems. She probably might need some time to herself, but she'll be able to handle herself. She was one of the survivors in the Retreat of Penza several years back. You can call her Artemis if you ever want to address her." Luckily everyone else in the hall seemed to catch on when he began to cooperate with the idea.

Dana showed her willingness to join in the fun when she crossed her arms amused to tell him, "I assume you have the codenames of everyone else in our ranks?"

"Nice to meet you Captain Artemis." Arch offered. He returned to Donna, starting to have enough with the game. "You win." He said. He finished the coffee milk tube by the time. The game gave him a headache, which was the one where you would get from losing a game too many times. Donna just couldn't hold her laughter from winning the game. She hasn't played those mind-games for a long time and it was a breather everyone needed after an intense mission on Mars. She still had a bit of coffee left inside the tube and went back to drinking. She noticed the Captain was also back, feeling better than minutes ago and laughing along.

Oleg found the Aquarius prepared and waiting for his arrival as he anticipated the forward motion of the fortress. "I take it this won't last much longer until we complete the advance?"

One of the technicians pointed out the upcoming battle, "That's about right. The Earth Sphere might pull off a very narrow victory now that we're sending the Scorpio Major units in. They'll be able to scramble their radar systems good enough they'll have a hard time telling who to shoot."

Oleg was slightly impressed by the idea asking, "So our guys on Mars managed to come up with the viral systems of the Aquarius at some point as well?"

"Just about. Don't think the A.I. has been discovered though. It's a pretty significant middle ground that the Lindemann Estate managed to strike."

"Yeah... It's too bad I can't join out there. I'd probably be able to handle anything from the enemy."

The Chief Strategist found his men hard at work and ready to move out but reminded Oleg, "What we're looking for is an end to this war. Once Testudo reaches range with Brussels this will be the final days of the conflict."

"And then I receive my compensation?"

"Of course. The President is more than ready to reward all who have serviced him." It was all Oleg needed to hear now. Soon his family would be well off again and they could live in peace. Kecker only needed to pay for it now.

The President left the office and found several military officials waiting for him. He asked the General, "Is the transmission prepared to broadcast?"

He was answered, "We shall await your authorization Mr. President."

"It must be done now. We have the programs required."

Barra entered his audience reporting, "Sir we've received word that there might be some enemy activity prepared to strike within our building."

The President knew that he couldn't back down now seeing that his password was needed in order to make the transmission possible, but the attack did put him at losing the potential to make the attack. He braved, "We can't afford to let this opportunity pass us up. The enemy will be attacking Berlin and if we don't act now we will certainly lose this war."

"Are you certain sir? We might lose if you are within the attacking range and your password is lost."

"You have the password Mr. Devine." He did know several of the President's personal passwords but the one that was needed for an extraterrestrial transmission wasn't one of them. Then again it was probably something to throw him off. He had to keep pursuing him and hope that his contact would make her way here soon.

As the top officials saw the attack on the holographic map of the Berlin battlefield created, one of the military advisors reminded his leader, "Requesting your final order sir."

Aboard the bridge of the Testudo, Edward waited for the first command on being sent to the offensive before hearing a signal on a nearby computer panel. He activated the screen to see Nathaniel's face in front of him. He greeted, "Mr. President. You wished to contact me?"

"Yes Edward. Mr. Stephens has informed me that you intend to offer a final word of encouragement to the men before we make our final advance on Berlin."

"Yes sir. It would benefit their morale to hear that they are offered the finest words by their highest-ranking officials. I trust that it will be so under your approval?"

"I only have on condition General. I ask that it should be me to offer that speech in your stead. Rather that it is an executive order that you offer me an established connection to our forces."

Edward's face gave a look of interest when he asked, "You believe that it is in the best interest of our men to hear you sir? You believe that they wish to hear your words as the final push for the enemy capital?"

"I must be there to serve the face of the aspiration our men should live up to. In this trying time where we are to determine what is to become of our forces when victory has been claimed. This is to be a series of final words intended especially for when the enemy is prepared for one final major offensive. I respect that you seek to offer a shoulder for which you wish to support me on. But as you may recognize the men must have a true leader to guide them towards the true tomorrow we shall soon see."

Edward gave a humbled gesture when he bowed his head and took out a hard drive from under his coat. "I respect your decision Mr. President. Please accept the speech I myself have prepared for this time. Moreover, I wish to see that you make it true that this is your work."

Nathaniel was affected by the gesture when he asked, "You wish for me to claim your words old friend?"

Edward remained humble, "With your intention to be what the men want you to be Mr. President you shall require the means necessary to see it done. I ask only that you see this offer as one that takes every ounce of acclaim away from me and only to the greater success of the works of a true leader."

"If I must do so then I shall grant only a later date where I see that you are offered only praise for being the one to charge first in this decisive time. Await the order to advance and remain on the defensive."

"Yes Mr. President." Nathaniel's face disappeared to leaf Edward to transmit the speech kept in his hard drive.

"Quite a charitable choice General." Edward turned to see Bertram observing his recent offer to his President.

He returned his gaze to the window nearby when he simply agreed, "So it is."

Bertram stood next to him when he pointed out, "I was under the impression that you did not intend to allow anyone to stake claim over anything you accomplished."

Edward gave a calculating answer, "When it is for the betterment of a final cause then such comparably trivial choices are not of any importance."

Bertram nodded when he gave a similar observation, "Perhaps you may be correct. It will be quite a sight to see the President speak his final words on the war."

"Be at the ready once we have been given the order. It shall be immediately after where we shall begin the march towards Brussels."

"I certainly look forward to such a development."

Within the bunker best the Testudo, Nathaniel saw a teleprompter set in front of him while several soldiers set up a walk to prepare for an emergency broadcast. "We'll be set to broadcast across all allied signals momentarily Mr. President."

Nathaniel remained seated when he ordered, "Ensure that the signals are not encrypted. If the enemy is given an opportunity to hear us then ensure that there is no conflict to erupt immediately."

"Yes sir."

Only a few seconds passed before one of the camera operators announced, "We're ready to air in five." Five seconds passed before the signal of Nathaniel Falson made its way to the wars of every Coalition soldier. Across the many signals of the invading military, the image of the Coalition President appeared before the multitude of soldiers who listened to the significant speech.

"Soldiers of the Coalition. Brave men and women who chose to stand today in the face of adversity. There are few things that are able to bring remorse to the leaders who feel a responsibility greater than what so many others have endured. This day marks the point of eleven years past since the conflict began, yet it has been far longer since one man dared to stand up to the Earth Sphere.

"It was that day that Ewan Falson dared to discover what the Earth Sphere was doing to allow our mothers and fathers to suffer an era without a guaranteed security of minimum living standards. For this the Earth Sphere declared him a dissident of the United Earth before calling for his death. Years were spent asking for the ones who executed him to be brought to justice, but the Executive branch of the Earth Sphere government continues to this day to see it as a matter dealt with.

"The Earth Sphere continued emphasis on contributing to its defenses that were not meant to be exceeded and yet were done so continuously. We did not strike with the intention to provoke the Earth Sphere, rather it was to prevent them from empowering their Preventers from being empowered by the command of President Xhosa. Every attempt to bring this to light was met only with the ignorance of the President before his collaborator became the new leader.

"These accumulated years of refusing to recognize our demands as a feared sign of weakness only served to make their claimed innocence as little more than pretense. Their immediate reaction to bring mobile suits back to see the battlefronts should be all the answer we need to reveal the Earth Sphere's treachery. But they alone are not at fault for the human race resorting to this period of conflict.

"Our front as united it may be now is only as strong as it is because of realizing how weak our convictions initially were. Years ago, when it seemed that victory was mere struggles away from being claimed, we chose to fight among ourselves with the sole intention of dividing the planet for our own claim. We chose to believe that there was no way for the combined efforts of the multitude of men and women who asked for a fair system to be honored rather than to destroy ourselves.

"The Division Period was a time of great sorrow indeed. It seemed that we would deny ourselves victory and that everything Ewan Falson advocated for would be denied. Such days did come to pass but they were all of them undone by not one simple man or woman. It was all brought by the resurgence of the Earth Sphere and its military to take advantage of that weakness that we allowed them to see.

"That will not be the case any longer. For the multitude of reasons that this war has continued to escalate, it is our time to march on without another obstacle. We move forward now with the intention to bring the Earth Sphere to justice for the long period of strife that has engulfed us all. I vow today that we will not permit another era to pass where integrity is sacrificed for the sake of unity. We shall demonstrate today on this monumental day that we will not accept anything less than those wronged for so long are permitted their chance to live fairly as we continue to maintain the true integrity of a united humanity.

"This is what we have all come to accept since the declaration of war so many years ago. We stand now at the climax of this conflict, the accumulated effort we have struggled to make seem real. I recognize that I ask for more than I truly deserve when I ask you to continue making sacrifices for such a demanding time. That I ask you to continue such a great hardship as the worst-case scenario I can request of anyone. I ask everyone who prepared for the long march upon Earth that you give yourselves one final time before the Earth Sphere is forced to adhere to our demands. We will see those responsible for making us re-forge the sword be dealt with the crushing blow to their aggressive policies.

"I do not promise an end to conflict, I do not promise that everything will be set right with the resolution of this conflict. All I claim for now is for the equal rights of all humans. Unity need not be gained through oppression, justice need not be done for the sake of a goal we may be so new to. But we shall show today that we are not afraid to stand up to a united planet. We shall speak now unshaken and undeterred that we value justice for humanity above all. That this day we shall call for the rights of all humanity. It is now on this day that we call out for the name of victory. Victory in the name of justice and true unity!"

Oleg's squadron watched with a collective sense of solemn confidence. They were all able to recognize that no speech was worth giving a rousing approval in the current situation. "We save the celebration after we pull off What his speech wants." Aglaii said when she shut off the static signal. She turned to the remainder of her squad to hear her lieutenant ask, "What do you think? He hit all the notes you expect?"

Aglaii nodded when she confirmed, "He did. For a victory premature as this he went all out with his words."

Kieran was sitting next to Oleg when he asked, "You take a bit more from this Tsubarov?"

Oleg was still deep in thought when he took in the speech before he simply answered, "Hit pretty close to home for me I guess."

"Don't worry about it. It shows that you give a shit about this."

One of the pilots next to them pointed out, "We know that this whole thing is going to go over great guys. We're getting past the Gundams and we have one for ourselves to follow."

Aglaii agreed when she encouraged, "We keep pressing forward and we can win this thing. We just need you to stay strong for this one and a few months after. Together we will have the strength to shake the Earth and defeat the Gundams."

Oleg accepted the optimism she he stood up to remind, "In that case we better get assembled. I don't know about you guys, but this speech was one diplomatic way of telling us to get ready for slaughtering the enemy."

Aglaii stood up before ordering, "Let's not disappoint him then. We've got a war to win." At that order the Testudo squadron left the resting area in a hurry to prepare for their order to launch.

Nathaniel took the intercom that would provide a broadcast to all of the units outside ordering, "The hour is approaching. All units prepare to engage." It was a few moments before he could see the live feed for all of the units preparing to move forward. It was a long moment and possibly one of the longest Nathaniel had ever felt. When the moment finally passed however, he did not hesitate to announce, "Begin the attack!" At that order the forces of the Coalition had moved forward with the variety of mobile suits and weapons prepared to storm the enemy city. He watched the unfolding conflict intently when he told himself, "Now is a time for a conflict few will ever come to match in magnitude. It is now time for you to demonstrate your strength Franz."

Edward saw the moment pass when his President gave the order. He ordered the crew, "We now have the order! Aquarius launch and protect the Testudo! All movement hands forward at maximum speed!"

Bertram added to the order, "Maintain our planned course. Have all main gun batteries optimized to fire on command." With that order the Testudo fortress had begun its trek across the German country and prepared to attack anything that dared to get in its path.

At the order the General gave Oleg hurried into the Aquarius and announced, "Oleg Tsubarov! Go! Gundam Aquarius!" The blue mobile suit found its way towards the lead of the Testudo with several Leo III aerial units prepared to assist. The final attack was underway as the gun prepared to make the attack.

Edward watched the mobile suits making their way to the frontlines as he stood observant and unshaken at the possibility of defeat. "I now stand ready and without a moment's hesitation. This world will soon be in the hands proper to maintain it"

The primary hangars had prepared their units before an announcement from the intercoms warned, "Attention all pilots. The enemy is advancing. Man your battle stations." One of the leading Captains furthest from Berlin was able to report to the main command, "Confirmed! The Testudo is moving and we have confirmation of enemy squadrons moving in!"

Klaus was stationed in his command room when he watched the mobile suit signatures continue to build. He gave the final authorization to attack, "All squadrons prepare to move out! This is the one we must not falter on!"

At that moment well near two hundred mobile suits had begun to make their way out of the bases and begin their defense of Berlin. This battle was make or break for both sides now.

Hyrum was among the first to hear from his superior, Captain Denis Holloman, "You have a visual confirmation on the defenses Lieutenant?"

Hyrum checked the trenches around him when he answered, "The Ursa units fortified their defenses and we're ready to fire on the nearest target first chance they show their faces."

He heard Campbell on his open line ask, "Those British guys are ready to offer us some support right sir?"

Denis answered, "The griffon units will be able to provide some air defense. Just remember to stay out of their line of fire or drop zones. Once they take off and drop their aerial artillery attacks, we'll be in for serious fireworks."

He then heard Christoph on another signal announce, "We'll take point and keep the big ones from getting close."

Denis requested, "Confirm your mission Maganac units."

"This is Unit 1. We've been given authorization to move in and make the first offensive."

Hyrum offered him, "Don't try to make fools of yourselves by dying too soon. We'll need as much support as possible."

Christian was next when he said, "We need to make this count. We can't let the Testudo make any further advances."

Before there were any further questions of the upcoming conflict one of the leading units announced, "They're headed this way! We're about to make contact!" In the distance Hyrum was among several to see the looming threat that continued its way towards him. The giant Phalanx units walked alongside the Leo III units with their weapons prepared for contact.

Denis was the first to ask, "Maintain positions colonel?"

The Colonel ordered, "Maintain positions. Don't waste any ammo until we're in contact."

On the order the line of Ursa units remained ready to stand their ground in the trenches before a loud explosion rang across the field. One of the Phalanx units fired from its turrets outside the trench to give way to a mighty explosion of Ursa units. The Colonel recognized the call to conflict when he ordered, "Looks like they're making they chose the first shot! Everyone move in!"

Christoph was among the leading units when his unit and the other two Maganac IIs made their way out of the trenches to rush towards the enemy line of fire. He contacted Richard and Christian, "Keep it moving guys! Break through and get to the Testudo!"

Richard heard the order, "Easy enough. Just line them up for me!"

Christian prepared his beam rifle when he announced, "Moving in!" The three Maganac II units rushed ahead of the Ursa unit squadron that continued its advance where the Colonel was leading the charge. Right ahead of them was one of the Phalanx while Christoph charged forward firing on the nearest Leo III units. The barrage of fire began while Christian and Richard made every evasive maneuver possible to avoid contact with fire. Richard drew both of his mobile suit's shotels and he slashed away at the nearest Leo III units before breaking away from the advance. Christian prepared his beam rifle as he fired on his line of Leo units. He saw several explosions erupt before announcing, "That Phalanx is clear!"

Christoph kept his mobile suit's shield raised before stowing its beam rifle and preparing a beam saber. "Stay clear! This is going to be messy!" With a dash forward Christoph's Maganac II unit weaved around the incoming fire before making a lunge to its underside. With a sweep to its left leg and a thrust upwards Christoph was greeted to a barrage of enemy fire when he saw the risk he took rear its ugly head. He made a leap backwards as he thrust his beam saber into the cockpit area of the Phalanx unit before making another leap towards safety above its head. He contacted Christian and Richard, "We've made it this far! Let's rendezvous with the others!"

Christian fired into the crowd of Leo III units as he used his shield to defend himself, "Damn it! We barely got anywhere!"

Richard kept himself defended when he fired on one of the nearby Leo III units telling him, "We've got enough defenses to protect ourselves at the trenches to wear them down! Let's just make sure we don't disappoint any of our guys!"

Just as soon as it was decided where the battle lines were drawn, the battle begun and both sides were quickly dealing heavy damage. The Ursa units prepared their long-range weaponry consisting of sniper rifles and rocket launchers as one after another gave a shot to the advancing enemy. Hyrum was quick to remind the other pilots, "Keep your targeting off the Maganac squadron! They'll need our support!"

The line of mobile suits continued to fire on the enemy lines. Only a few Leo units were destroyed before the Maganac units made their way back to the trenches. Hyrum braced himself when another shell fire from the distant Phalanx missed their target Maganacs just outside the trench. He heard Campbell ask, "They planning on just sitting here for the remainder? We could use another offensive like they pulled off!"

Hyrum was quick to contact Christoph when he asked, "How does the situation look out there Unit 1? Do we advance?"

Christoph fired into the advancing crowd of Coalition units when he answered, "Not for much longer. We'll need that air support now."

The leading Colonel contacted the headquarters, "Command, can we confirm the arrival of the support squads?"

He heard the voice of Klaus answer, "Maintain defenses. They will be arriving momentarily."

The Colonel told the units next to him, "Hold positions. We'll be receiving heavy damage until arrival."

Denis rose his mobile suit from the trench when he ordered, "You heard him! Push back the enemy!"

At that order and entire line of Ursa units rose to with their weapons. A barrage of laser fire and rockets concentrated on the advancing units. Large explosions erupted from the line of mobile suits, but the advance continued with many of them only slightly damaged or having difficulties.

With the Phalanx units closer than before, the Earth Sphere mobile suits endured another barrage of weapon fire as fire and force of the explosions rocked the Ursas back. "Damage report!" Denis commanded before another pilot answered, "Minimal casualties sir!"

The Colonel gave a grunt of disapproval when he ordered, "Hold out for reinforcements!"

Right after he gave the order, several squadrons of Griffon units in their plane flight made a sweep over the trenches when he heard a leading captain announce, "Hold on boys, we'll break the enemy real quick." Even with the greatest offense yet, the Coalition units still made their way through the blazes to fire on the airborne targets.

Denis was among the leading units to ask, "Griffon leader report! What is the damage?"

"The Griffon leader only answered, "We've got another line of suits to take down. There's still plenty more of them to be ready for."

A few Griffon units had reported back from the furthest point they were able to evaluate the enemy and the leading one reported, "General Ulbricht has sent out the strategy! Focus fire on the Phalanx units until the enemy makes contact!"

"Copy that sir! Focusing fire!" The Griffon units provided their air support while the Ursa units continued to fire into the ranks. Losses on both sides were even at this point but only a few things would be able to tip the scales in either favor. One of the key strategies managed to be the one to take out the Phalanx mobile armors.

As several squads of Ursa units fired their rifles at it a massive explosion took a few Coalition mobile suits that were within range. "That's one down!"

The Colonel warned the front-line ranks, "Focus fire on the upcoming squads! Those Leo IIIs aren't going to let us get a clear shot!"

At that warning the Scutum units were soon to get within range and fire at the buildings of the city only to mount on the growing desperation for the defenders. Hyrum reported the obvious problem, "Scutum fire building!"

At that moment the Captain ordered his men, "Prepare for an advance! We need to break those ranks!"

Campbell looked at the sea of Leo III mobile suits before them and asked out of order, "Into those numbers?! We'll be killed!"

The Captain knew that he was frightened at the idea but reminded them, "We won't lose if we manage to take out their heavy fire first! Then we'll retreat back to the city buildings!"

Another pilot agreed with the Captains' plan, "The Phalanx units will be easy! I don't think those Scutum units will be much of a cakewalk sir!"

The Captain gave a final assurance, "Just focus your efforts on them and they'll go down!" At that moment several squads of Ursa mobile suits were ordered into the front lines and begun to fire on the nearest enemy mobile suit.

The monumental effort of destroying the Phalanx mobile armors had begun to become more of an effort once Hyrum noticed something among the battles the other mobile suits were having. "Captain! Those red ones aren't appearing on radar! They might be able to pick us apart if we're not careful!"

"Maintain two sights! Don't let those things distract us!"

"This might not be enough!"

"Requesting confirmation. Do we maintain our position?"

"Form up on us! We'll keep the enemy split!" Christian offered to the nearby Earth Sphere units. Christoph's unit rushed alongside Christians when he said, "Watch the enemy fire! Everybody back there will need our support!"

Christian continued his charge when he answered, "And we have to prove our worth to our father! We'll be able to show him that a Gundam alone won't end this!"

Richard contacted Christoph, "I'll stick with him! We'll know when to fall back!"

Another volley of gunfire made its contact near the advancing mobile suits before Richard made a dash with his Maganac through the smoke. He saw the Leo units making a retreat backwards but didn't see any immediate threat. He contacted his fellow soldiers to warn, "They're getting ready for something! Brace for enemy fire!" As soon as he gave the warning, he saw a shell descending to his location. He forced his Maganac away from the area of contact but felt the force of the blast push him back.

He heard one of the commanding officers announce, "We can't hold back too much longer! The enemy is attacking from the south side!"

Christian saw Richard's Maganac unit rush back to the trenches when he asked, "How is the Coalition pulling this off?"

He heard one of the pilots answer, "They have more Scutum units than we anticipated. We'll probably be on the defensive more than we thought."

The battle had continued, and the casualties had only begun to mount. The Phalanx mobile armors being destroyed managed to take out a number of mobile suits but at the same time provided cover for the Scorpio Major units to stage their surprise attacks. The effort of taking out the Scutum units would be something else entirely though. Out of everyone, Hyrum felt he was the only one would be able to take on such a task probably because he ventured the Testudo before. The greatest concern he had was whether or not he had to do it alone.

The Earth Sphere military continued to be kept on the defensive when the Testudo made its march away from the battleground. Edward watched the horizon of the German country continue to progress. He turned before requesting, "Do we have an established link with General Vasquez?"

One of the operators confirmed, "Yes sir. Shall I patch him through?"

Edward returned to face his computer when he answered, "Acquire his signal."

Rayen's face appeared on Edward's computer when he greeted, "General Blare. Most fortunate that it would seem the advance is progressing as planned."

"There was not a doubt that this would be achieved General. We need confirmation that the enemy is not given any opportune moment to pursue us."

"There will be no such opening made. We have deployed every mobile doll remaining under our reserves. If they must all be sacrificed, then we may at least be able to face the Earth Sphere with some ease."

"We will require your assistance once we have arrived within firing range of the capital. Maintain your current strategy. I can affirm that this offense shall only last a short while longer. The justice of the Earth Sphere will be realized."

"I anticipate nothing less General." Edward ended the call with Rayen as he heard Bertram announce, "General. We have confirmed the presence of the enemy in the approaching city when he evaluated, "So the enemy did anticipate our crossing Berlin. We have come too far to be stopped now. Press onwards."

"General. We have the enemy divided. They are now defending both areas of the city."

"Our offense has only begun. Now is the time to allow the Testudo to make its advance. Establish contact with Scutum 046." A second passed before Rayen saw the face of the captain of the Scutum unit appear as he answered, "Your orders General?"

Rayen gave the order, "Prepare the Neutron Artillery Shells. Prevent the enemy from any outer communications."

The Captain of the Scutum accepted, "We are moving out sir." Rayen sat back when he ordered, "Prepare to provide ground support to our advancement." He reminded himself of what his plan was when he said, "Preventing the enemy from a chance to properly defend is the best offensive crippling move."

Scutum 046 moved ahead of the other Coalition mobile suits when its Captain ordered, "Get within range of the enemy base! We only need one shell to get through!"

One of the operators agreed to the strategy when he contacted the nearby units, "All surrounding forces! Form up on the advancing Scutum for defensive positions!"

As the order was given, two squads of Sixteen Leo III units formed around the advancing Scutum as it prepared to endure the oncoming enemy fire. The crew inside the Scutum hung onto the nearest grip they had as they endured oncoming fire from the Ursa shots. "Captain! Our hull integrity is down to 60%!"

The Captain only asked, "How much further do we have to go?"

Another one of the operators answered, "We're outside firing range sir! Our squadrons are taking a hard beating!"

The Captain remained vigilant when he ordered, "We knew what we were preparing for! Prepare the shells!"

The Ursa units continued to fire on the gathered squadrons of Leo III units before there were only four still standing. One of the operators announced, "We've reached within firing distance of the target!"

The Captain gave his order, "Fire!" The Scutum unit braced itself to the ground before firing a shell from its cannon. The shell soared towards the city but was met wit the fire of several Ursa unit rifles.

One of the operators announced, "Negative impact sir!"

Another one of the operators warned, "Two of our defensive units have retreated! Captain we're completely compromised!"

The Captain was unshaken when he ordered, "Keep firing! We have to get this shot through! We have to win this war!"

Another one of the operators warned, "Captain! Our hull integrity is too low! We'll blow up on the next shot!"

He stood up as he ordered, "Prepare to evacuate once we fire!"

One of the operators opened the upper hatch to the Scutum when he confirmed, "We're prepared to fire! This is our only shot!"

As the crew evacuated there was a final shot from the Scutum before its engine exploded to cause it to collapse. From its cannon however, a shell flew over the heads of the Ursa mobile suits before it was able to erupt in a scrambled explosion of electric discharge. The Captain of the fallen Scutum unit ran alongside the operators on the ravaged battleground as he observed, "We've done it. The enemy will not have a chance."