Few comprehend the scale of the devastation brought by the Falson Coalition's desire for the retribution of Ewan Falson. Born from a desire to see a fair economy be achieved was this one man moved to speak his voice for the many who were oppressed. By the hand of one however was this man's mighty protest silenced. The years that came to follow created an animosity from the colonies before it came to form the broken promise the Earth had feared. Eleven years have passed since the formation of this Coalition and its desire for vengeance. Even today it has not been sated.

Episode 28: Defy the Entrapment

On the ship bound for Calais, several sailors were able to call for a time of calm when they had some time to themselves. The news that was occupying that of the world at large however was still unavoidable even out in the middle of the sea of Earth. "What the hell is that on the TV? It's on all networks."

Sailors were gathered at the TV in their mess hall and one of them asked, "Turn it up will you?"

The voice of President Franz Kecker caught the attention of both Till and the Instructor as they turned their attention away from the windows. Till ordered, "Bring me over there. I have to hear what is happening."

Instructor W knew that denying the order would only result in a heavy outburst that would cause a scene. He wheeled him over to the gathering of the sailors as they looked for what was so controversial that it would draw such a gathering. The news being broadcast changed the emotion of the Lord dramatically. His body was shaking in rage from what was being broadcasted. "That damned bloody Falson!" He roared. "For too long he and his ilk have tried to undermine everything I try to do, and now the seek to stake their claim over the world! I will fight him with my bare hands if need be!"

The rage was powerful enough for him to stand up briefly. He walked to the TV, still visibly shaking. One of the sailors caught wind of what he was trying to do, pushing him away from the TV set. "Hey! Stop that old man! He's going to wreck our only TV!"

Instructor W made his way over to him as he moved the wheelchair right behind Till and lightly pulled him back into the seat. Till groaned when he was forced back into his most reliable means of moving around but cursed the instructor, "Do you believe that you are right to deny me of even venting my anger in the least?"

Instructor W wheeled him away when he told him, "Lord Lindemann, please ask yourself if you would want any of your children to see you like this. Would you want them to look at the face of defeat and act the same way?"

Till clenched the arms of his wheelchair when he told the instructor, "Perhaps not. But I would not have any intention to let myself be seen as an argument for simply laying down and accepting what has come to pass either."

Instructor W told him, "But you would not want them to see someone who has taken so much damage be willing to demonstrate a display like this. They would prefer to think that the man they are fighting for is more honorable than this."

Till paused before letting out a heavy sigh before he agreed, "Perhaps I cannot achieve anything by damaging property…" He lingered further with his words when he heard the instructor mention his children who wouldn't hope to see him in this state. He allowed himself to be wheeled over to the windows where he was able to view the passing ocean tides before lamenting, "I still have ones I value out there. I can only hope to hear that they are stronger than I am right now."

Two hours had passed by the time the Solaris had made its connection with L4-18777. Admiral Demetrios Kontoyannis saw the colony approaching and his fleet made its way towards the two sides of the colony prepared to block off their passage. He heard the main navigator announce their arrival, "We are approaching the L4 colony Admiral."

The Admiral gave his own analysis, "And the Solaris is still in the process of rotation. We may be able to capture the crew if we are quick to intercept." He sent out the first order to entrap the citizens of the colony ordering, "Send all battleships to block the projected path of the shuttle!"

The fleet was divided in two and the path of the Solaris would have to literally shoot itself through the hulls of the ships in order to make it. He ordered his own crew, "All troops prepare to infiltrate the colony! Pilots man your mobile suits in case of an encounter!" Seeing the military shuttles making their way towards the colony he knew that the challenge to see the colony had only begun. "It is time to see if this colony is still capable of defending itself."

Alberto told Rashid, "We are grateful that you were willing to accept us into your colony. However we must be on our way. It would seem that some of the pilots may have difficulty accepting the current situation. We will have to be in our best shape when we face the Coalition a second time."

Rashid nodded in sympathy. "If you are to continue to Luna base, the Maganac Corps will help defend the Solaris from Coalition attacks until the end of the rotation."

The alarms were heard across the barracks. "It's another Coalition attack!" one of the Maganac pilots shouted.

Rashid made his way over to a nearby man when he asked, "How many are out there?"

"There's a whole fleet of them! We're surrounded!"

This news that was given to him was added insult to the injury of defeat he recently had to learn of. The Coalition tracked down where the Solaris was and they won't stop until it is captured or destroyed. "Battlestations!" Rashid ordered. "I want all the Maganac IIs out!" He turned to Alberto when he told him, "Major, we'll take you back to the Solaris. It will be appreciated if your Mobile Suits can join with the defense until the rotation is fully complete."

Arch was fascinated by the answers he learned form the Gundam pilot who identified himself as "Uriel". Again, among many times, Mercurio was the beacon of morale for everyone who hoped to motivate everyone to do their best. It was very easy for him to see that this sort of optimism being necessary though. "If we're going to continue with the war, we'll need someone like you man. It's a shame you couldn't have been there with us on Mars."

Mercurio humbly accepted, "I would like to imagine that I would apply myself the way I do now. The only way we can all make a difference now is if we achieve results that are worth fighting for."

Arch followed him when he agreed, "There's no good in wishing for alternative outcomes I suppose."

When Rashid had a glance of the Sandesgeist pilot making her way to the gathering of pilots, he remembered that he had to give something. He approached her slowly. "I was going to give this to you at the end of the dinner." He said. He got out a pair of goggles, worn from age. "If you meet Master Quatre, pass them to them for us."

Donna accepted the goggles. These must have been of great importance to the Maganac Corps and the Instructor. She thought as she accepted the goggles. She finally accepted, "I will."

Alberto began to leave but answered to Rashid's request, "Not only our honor to assist you Mr. Kurama but our mutual ambition as well." Once Gawel showed him the determined entry point in the colony, he ordered, "Everyone make your way to the entry point!"

Dana listened to the request for assistance on taking out the Coalition invaders, "I'd say it's our duty we agree to that Major."

Trenton followed her when he agreed, "Well fair's fair, I guess. Let's just make sure we don't disappoint these people."

Dana turned to Gawel asking, "Can you tell us where the next entry point for the rotation tool will be?"

Gawel punched in a few commands on his pad to calculate, "Let's see if we left about two hours ago and we head there as fast as possible... We should be able to reach the third entry point."

Dana rushed towards the direction of the entry point Gawel had calculated ordering, "Let's head there and get ready for combat. This is another serious one people!"

Nasir knew the situation beforehand and could only ask, "Is it ever not?" Many of the pilots from the Solaris began rushing with Dana in hopes of meeting up with her in time. If the colony was capable of defending itself then at least the effort would not be as grueling as some were fearing it would be.

The rotation was 90 minutes away from being completed and the crew made its way to the Solaris holding bay without problem. Dana greeted to the leading officer of the mission, "Colonel we arrived as soon as we could."

Elias offered a salute to Dana, "You arrived sooner than we could have hoped for Captain. This is going to be a dangerous defense however. We'll have to make our way through the fleet if we are to continue to Luna."

Mercurio reminded them, "Me and the other Gundams made our way to Mars through a fleet sir. We'll do our best to clear a path."

Elias agreed to the commitment, "Exactly what I had to count on Private." He brought up a holographic map of the space outside the colony when he elaborated on the situation, "The Gundams should be powerful enough to break through the initial forces. The power of the Artemis' buster rifle will be our best chance at destroying the battleships in front. We can't let any damage come to the colony as well. The Coalition will likely try to damage it as well. Seeing that the Maganacs are assisting in our defense we may have to expect casualties."

Mercurio agreed this would be the outcome, "I'm certain they recognize the responsibility sir. We won't let their sacrifice be for nothing."

Elias continued to observe the battle map when he added, "Neither can we let the men and women on Earth allow theirs." He gave the final order to prepare for combat when he announced into the shuttle intercom, "All pilots prepare to deploy."

The preparations were fairly short as the pilots got into their space suits necessary for space combat. The need to rush out and fight was not on anyone's mind when they hoped to push back the Coalition from making its way to the colony. The call signs couldn't be given seeing there wasn't any launching process or even a catapult system built within the shuttle. The Solaris was not built to be a vehicle that would enter a gravitational atmosphere. The Gundams were released from the hangar bay and fell into the grace of space with only the thrusters to take them anywhere.

The Uriel and the other Gundams made their way into space with Mercurio announcing, "We're moving out! All units cover Artemis and let her do her part!"

"Roger that Uriel."

"Easiest mission I had all day."

"Roger." Donna responded to the order to cover Artemis. She saw the Maganac IIs similar to her brothers but modified for space-combat moving out. They were going to sacrifice themselves against the fleet for the sake of Rising Himalayas. She tried not to think too much to focus on fighting. Only to focus on the other two different voices assured of their duty being made clear.

As soon as the Gundams were launched, 32 Maganac II Kais were launched from other entry points. It wasn't one their usual skirmishes today, being surrounded by a Coalition fleet as opposed to a few squads. Rashid was piloting his custom Maganac II with the rest following. "Maganac Corps! Our primary objective is to defend the Solaris until it leaves this space." He announced straightforwardly.

"Roger!"

"One more thing." He added. "We will have another feast when the war is over! This time we'll get Master Quatre and his student to celebrate!"

"Roger!" The defense force scattered as they prepared to engage the Coalition mobile suits.

Tano was prepared to join the battle again. He still had issues with the admiral thanks to letting the ESUN escape. "Today if I destroy even one of them, my actions will be justified. Defeating the Gundams here will earn me at least some redemption. Perhaps this war will even end more in the Coalition's favor." He sat himself inside the cockpit of the Sagittarius, ready to launch with his team.

He heard one of the operators announce, "All units prepare for launching. All units prepare for launching. All teams, proceed to the catapult deck."

With the order ringing through the halls, the Coalition mobile suits were aligned to be prepared on the catapult for launching. To Tano's appreciation, the Sagittarius was the first in line and knew he would be the first to join the battle.

He heard Devon congratulate, "Looks like you're getting your wish to jump in first. Don't assume you have any power getting to your head."

Tano answered to his superior, "It is nice of you to remind me of your duty sir. But I have enough trouble with the admiral as it is."

Devon chuckled when he told his lieutenant, "Shame that you're still a little young to be able to understand a little dick pulling kid. If it works any better for you, try and think about how much higher your kill ratio is potentially going to get." Before he could say anything else, he saw the shutter bay opening. He prepared his Leo III unit for launching when he announced, "Here we go. Get ready for launch! All units prepare for all range attack zone!"

As Tano heard the order he prepared himself when he announced, "Lieutenant Tano Kiprotich, Sagittarius, launching!"

The Sagittarius was launched into the battlefield and so was the rest of the squad as they prepared for their new encounter. They proceeded to go to the direction of the battlefield. "The Gundams are our priority." He ordered his squad. "They need to be destroyed first!"

Dana found a bit of relief from the idea of fighting in space as she commented, "Finally. A free-range combat zone." The lack of a life line made it possible to maneuver wherever she wanted would be able to take out what battleships needed to be destroyed. It was very quick when she noticed that a few squads of Leo IIIs were making their way towards their location. "Looks like these guys have the same idea we did. All units dish out the pain and keep the enemy from reaching the colony!"

Trenton warned, "Will do Captain! Try not to get yourself killed out there!"

"Heh. Assuming that something out there will be a match for us." Dana commented.

"It's your judgment Captain." It was a few moments later when the other two Gundams and the Ursa units began to make their attack on the squads of space mobile suits. The Maganac II units were going to be a huge help when it came to making the defense possible as they attack from every direction they could enter.

Dana brought her buster rifle into focus and found the battleship closes to the Solaris warning, "First target acquired! All units clear the blasting range!"

Gawel warned to all of the units who were currently engaging, "You heard the lady! Don't let her get you shot down!"

The Uriel was deployed out of the Solaris and quickly made its way to Artemis' position. Its buster sword was prepared for combat when Mercurio reported, "Moving to position Captain!"

With the first shot, the buster rifle of the Artemis fired into the main reactor of the first battleship blocking their path. The explosion was mighty and took what victims it could with it. The debris made its way into the battlefield and some of it also into the colony hopefully not doing severe damage.

Gawel congratulated, "Good shot Artemis! Only a few more to go!"

"We keep this up we might be able to take down the fleet!" Dana agreed to her luck.

"Don't think so Artemis! The rotation completes in the next 84 minutes! We need you and the others to report to the Solaris before then or you'll be left behind!"

Dana knew that this much would be true and the fleet would probably take more manpower than they had if they kept coming in this frequently. "Can't be too bad. How many more battleships do we have take down?"

"Four Captain. You should have enough ammunition for the buster rifle to take them down."

"Be thankful we do. Let's just hope it's all we'll need." Dana moved further out into the battlefield among the exploding masses of destroyed mobile suits until she found another battleship that blocked their way.

"Moving into the next target area! All units prepare for another burst!"

Once the two shots had been fired the battle near the colony had begun. Demetrios found the battle screen map up with only minimal activity at the moment. "Now the retaliation begins." He ordered to his fleet, "All ships deploy your mobile suit squadrons! Decimate the enemy before they have a chance to fire!"

It had been about ten minutes before both sides were throwing their full weight into facing one another and the fighting had truly begun. One of the observers noted, "Their numbers aren't significant Admiral. From what we've been able to determine we currently outnumber them five to one."

Demetrios wasn't fooled by such odds when he noted, "With the Gundams on the battlefield I say that this could be considered an even playing field. Don't give the enemy an inch of comfort in that idea."

It was not long after the first shot from Artemis that the Coalition had begun to make their advance towards the colony. "The squads are headed their way here!"

The Uriel launched forward with its buster sword in hand and prepared for a more powerful attack. The heat surged through the internal processors and allowed for an easy cut through the armor of the mobile suits. It was a few minutes later when the Uriel found itself swiping through the battlefield with many Leo IIIs falling in its wake.

It was when the Uriel probably took down two squads thanks to its arm cannon and buster sword that Roy congratulated, "Good going Uriel! That's the kind of attack we need!"

Mercurio thanked, "Not a problem!" He was brought back to reality when he saw the ships far from the colonies begin to fire into the fray as well. The Uriel changed its sword into a shield to protect against the fire when Mercurio warned, "The side ships are making their attack!"

He heard Alberto order, "Keep focused on the primary objective! We have to make sure the Artemis can take out the main ships!"

It was all a soldier could do in a situation like this. He had to make a serious risk if he was to continue seeing the battle continue this way. "Staying focused sir!" He only had to hope that the rest of their efforts would be enough to take down the portion of the fleet that needed to be destroyed.

After a passage of time the crew on board the Foundation of Fortitude were able to determine which battleship the Artemis had taken out. The least they were able to confirm was that the Gundams were in fact as powerful as they had been reported. His operators were in a panic when they saw the sudden destruction reporting, "We're taking losses Admiral! The Twilight Ulysses has been destroyed!"

The strategist warned, "Reporting four squadrons lost sir! The enemy mobile suits are pressing forward with a powerful attack!"

Demetrios kept a levelled head when he made his next move, "Focus your fire on the Gundams! Send the Vindicator Aquitaine and the Stormspike to the front of the Solaris' path!"

The strategist struggled to contain his protest at the idea when he agreed, "Nnnn... Yes sir!" With that order more mobile suits had been sent to attack the Gundams.

Demetrios waited for the results to continue as he watched the battle unfold when he commented, "Hopefully this will be enough to overwhelm the enemy. All we currently have are sheer numbers. Now how much of the fleet is going to be left?"

The Vindicator Aquitaine and Stormspike had come in place of the recently destroyed one but had to ensure they wouldn't take any damage from the propelling debris. Demetrios saw the perfect opportunity when he ordered, "Fire all cannons to the main rotation tool! We'll have the enemy pinned down now!" After the rotation's cease the enemy would have no choice but to surrender seeing Demetrios and his fleet take the Solaris for themselves. He could only hope that the destruction would continue to see this outcome come to pass.

Alberto found the Solaris dangerously close to the crossfire when he reported, "We're taking heavy fire now! The main battleships are firing towards the battlefront!"

Elias made a quick request, "The main rotation tool is being fired on! Assistance is required!"

The battle continued to intensify as the mobile suits continued to decimate one another with the might of the battleships only added to the casualties. Mercurio hoped to cut them down when he found one of the nearest ships in range. He told his superior, "Tell the squad to keep defending the colony! I'll move in and take one of them out!"

The Colonel didn't bother to hear out Alberto's protest when he answered, "Make it quick! We need to have our defenses as optimal as possible."

Alberto asked, "Do you think it's a good idea? The Maganacs are probably giving more of a defense than they can afford as it is."

Elias reluctantly agreed, "That is unfortunately true. However we have to hope that cutting down their fleet forces might do something to at least protect the rotation tool. Our top priority before anything else is to reach Luna."

The concession was regrettable but the bottom line was before them all and it needed to be followed. Alberto gave his agreement, "I suppose so. We must see that our forces can accomplish this defense."

With that decision, the Uriel made its way out of the mobile suit battlefield and towards the line of battleships that was firing at the L4 colony. The many battleships that made their way towards the front of the Solaris' rotation had been prepared to fire but were unable to hit the Uriel at its current speed or pierce the buster sword in shield mode. The Uriel made a mighty charge towards the main turrets and threw the shield forward. The sharp ends of the shield were able to slice through the metal and destroy the turrets before it found its way back to Uriel's arm. It paved a clear way for the Gundam to fly towards the ship bridge. With the shield back in sword form a mighty slice was the last necessary action to destroy the battleship on an operational level.

The Uriel made a backward retreat as it was unable to fire anymore. Elias ordered, "Good work Uriel! Return to the battlefront! Our main forces are getting overwhelmed!"

Mercurio positioned his Gundam to the Solaris when he accepted, "Roger that sir! Rallying back to the front!"

Dana found the attacks closing in on the rotation tool. She cursed her luck, "Shit. Those things aren't stopped, the Solaris is never going to make it to the Luna base." Mercurio was able to help a bit by taking out one of the battleships contributing to the crossfire but knew that he wouldn't be able to take on the rest without risking serious damage. She was the only one who had a decent chance now.

She could confirm this concern when Gawel reported, "The enemy is closing in! I don't think our squads are enough to hold back any further attacks!"

Dana requested from him, "Give me a visual, is there any point in the fleet where I can take out multiple battleships?"

"There's one where the buster rifle should be able to take out two. But it's across a few dozen areas of enemy crossfire!"

"It's a better chance than we're going to have anywhere else!"

"Shit Captain you're not supposed to be suicidal enough to consider that!" Gawel turned to Alberto hoping for some kind of insurance of failure, "Sir, can you at least tell me we have a backup plan in case the Gundams are destroyed?"

It had taken some time before the Artemis had sped its way through the turrets of the Coalition battleships but was finally able to find the area where it could make a shot. With a fully charged shot the Artemis' buster rifle fired into two of the remaining battleships in the Soalris' way. "Perfect shot! The enemy fleet is going to have a lot more to deal with now!"

Gawel confessed on the other line, "I guess I have to be the forgetful one. We've still got another hour or so before the rotation is complete though, keep the defenses up and take out those remaining battleships in our way!"

"No need to remind me of my mission."

It was inevitable for the Maganac Corps to sustain casualties, Rashid only now began to recognize the true danger he was in. "Units 5, 13, 8 and 4 are down!" A pilot reported.

Rashid replied to the report after he sliced a Leo III in half. "Keep going! We will survive this!" He ordered with false optimism. He knows that a huge number of them will die and it's only fate that gets to see who will live.

Donna was doing her best in defending the Solaris. The Sandesgeist shot a Leo III approaching the Solaris after a few shots. She saw a number of Maganacs getting destroyed from the attacks, defending with their lives. She saw that how they fought was different thanks to the pilots being veterans of the Eve Wars but the number of enemies are overwhelming them.

"Avoid the shots!" Tano ordered when the round of the buster rifle hit one of the Coalition battleships. He saw the Gundam from the source of the shot. He readied his sniper rifle to ready his shot to destroy his enemy. He focused on the sightings to get an accurate point to shoot the cockpit from.

The battle had continued in a seemingly ineffective way for the Coalition forces as their fourth battleship had gone down. This coupled with the loss of Leo III mobile suits made for a concerning report. Demetrios found there were still another two battleships capable of keeping the Solaris from escaping but it would not be enough considering the Gundams still wreaking their havoc.

He was reported, "We're still taking heavy losses sir! We've lost another two battleships! That Gundam is causing us some serious problems!"

Demetrios considered his next strategy, "Their versatility is something to be commended. We can't let them escape! Status on the rotation tool?"

One of the pilots responded, "We are still firing sir! We are still able to make a few shots!"

Demetrios found the battle map still active while the small mobile suits tried to keep a separate playing field from both sides. With luck he managed to find there was one battleship making its way towards the best possible point to disrupt the rotation so vital for the Earth Sphere shuttle. He took the opportunity as quickly as he could when he ordered, "Attention Ravager! Direct all cannons towards the colony's rotation tool! Separate the Solaris from its position!"

The attack had begun and the shots made their way towards the hook that kept the rotation for the Solaris going. it had been a few minutes before a mighty explosion rocked the colony and forced the shuttle away from it. One of the operators announced, "Attack is successful! The tool is separated from the colony!"

Demetrios found himself pleased with the effort when he evaluated, "Perfect. Now the enemy will have no choice but to surrender."

"They are still attacking sir! Our fleet is still taking damage!"

"They will break before long! Press the attack and take out those Gundams!" With that order more of the Leo III units had separated from combat with the Maganac defenses and instead focused on the Gundams as part of their attempt to end the damage being done to their fleet.

Gawel found the enemy battleships were almost all out of their way and they would soon have a way to get clear of the colony and towards Luna. he reported to the squadron, "We're only getting a few more enemy signatures in the area! Keep firing and we'll be out of here split!"

Dana was the first to assure, "Got that Solaris! We'll have this done before the rotation is finished!" It came too soon when the fleet began to mount its attack and the Ravager began to fire on the rotation hook. With the mighty volley of blasts from the ship the shuttle separated from the colony and began to drift away into the battlefield.

The crew onboard had begun to be disorientated from the sudden spin their shuttle was undergoing. Gawel still managed to deliver a warning, "Aw shit! The fleet is mounting the attack!" He grabbed the nearest communication panel warning, "Mayday! Mayday! All units we have been separated! Requesting assistance!"

Dana saw the damage that had been done, "Damn it! They got the rotation hook!" It was up to her now with the fleet when she ordered, "All units cover the Solaris! I'll move in and clear the path!" After a few motions forward she saw bullet fire from above. "What the?!" She scanned the area finding the odd mobile suit that stood out from the rest of the Leo IIIs. It wasn't a sight for sore eyes but it was one that had to be addressed now. "Hm... Didn't think it'd be this soon. But I guess it was a matter of time wasn't it?" She shifted her buster rifle into local combat mode warning, "Didn't know you were this desperate sweetheart. But I've got a mission to carry out here."

As the rotation hook was dismembered from the colony both Elias and Alberto endured the blowback from the explosion. Elias tried to maintain his composure when he tried to find out what he could do next. He checked the remaining units that were operational and knew that they were the Solaris' only hope to directing towards the "All units! The rotation has ceased! We require your assistance!"

Mecurio heard the desperation when he made his advance away from the fleet. "We read you Colonel! I'll move in and help!"

Zachariah reminded him of his mission, "Keep attacking the enemy Uriel! We'll help realign the shuttle!"

Mercurio knew that leaving the shuttle to defend itself would be risky but it would probably result in the Solaris being captured anyway. He ultimately decided to follow the order, "Alright! I'll do my best!" He quickly contacted Dana, "Artemis! Keep attacking the battleships and I'll assist you!" It was when he gave the transmission that he saw the Artemis and the Sagittarius unit he encountered at the L5 colony. The two were probably going to be dueling for a while unless it was stopped somehow. He pressed forward with the Uriel's thrusters trying to meet with the mobile suit from a distance away.

Zachariah led the way with the Ursa units that made their way to the side of the Solaris in hopes of pushing it to the original propulsion point. Alberto ordered the units who were nearby, "All units direct the Solaris to the predetermined path!"

Zachariah led the push when he agreed, "Got it sir! We'll try to get it in position!" The mobile suits had to deal with the Leo III mobile suits as they continued to attack. The adjustment would probably be a long way to achieve but it would be better than not putting in any effort.

As the shot failed, he found he was able to catch the Artemis' attention. "Just what I wanted." He said as he prepared to take advantage of the distraction the Artemis Gundam had to endure. "That's a good Gundam." He smirked. He thrusted upwards and his subordinated gave cover fire to further distract the Gundam. The Sagittarius prepared to make another shot, not knowing that Uriel is heading their way.

"Our forces are down to 50%! The Colony is sustaining damage! The Solaris is dismembered!"

The Maganacs were continuing to take heavy damage from the attacks. There was nobody that can lend their support in the rotation of the Solaris with attacks from all sides. Suddenly, the Leo IIIs that were attacking the Arab pilots started to ignore them and move elsewhere.

"Why did they leave us now?"

Rashid realized their target. "They're heading for the Gundams and the ship! All units assist the Gundams and the ship!" The Maganacs went after the Coalition units that moved on for the Gundams.

With the Ursas moving to push the Solaris, Donna's Gundam started to see some light to save the day. "I'll help in pushing the ship!" She said. "The Sandesgeist should be as 3 times stronger than the Ursa in pushing this!" The Gundam was pushing the ship to complete the rotation. Just as she was pushing, the Leo IIIs that were previously attacking the Maganacs attacked from the back with the machineguns. The rounds from the machine are too weak to damage the armor of the Gundam alone but the number of enemies made them more lethal, being able to damage the vernier attached to the Sandesgeist. She kept pushing the ship, enduring the attacks.

It wasn't until the Sandesgeist had begun to contribute its effort to the shuttle that the Solaris had begun to truly make a path towards being reverted. Thanks to zero g and the force of the earlier blast the shuttle was easy to move but still had enemy fire to handle against. One of the operational crew commented, "Looks like it's working. So do we really need the rotation hook for this sort of thing?"

As the adjustment began to be forced down on the shuttle another crew member commented on the sudden press, "I hope you take that as a yes."

Elias tried stuck to the main communication panel when he announced, "We're almost in position. If we keep this up we might be able to get past the fleet pretty soon."

Alberto reminded them of the problem with the fleet in position, "With those battleships still in position we're not going to make our way out of here."

Elias changed his communication to the Uriel asking, "Uriel! Can you confirm the Artemis can make its way towards the battleships?"

Mercurio on the other line responded, "There's a mobile suit in her way sir! She might not be able to break through!"

"Do everything to help her Uriel! We need to get those battleships out of the way!"

Mercurio agreed to the order when he locked onto the mobile suit Artemis was firing on. "Understood sir! I'll move in and assist!" His buster sword took the heat based form that had all of the power of a beam saber and charged with a mighty sweep prepared. He contacted Dana, "Artemis! Focus your attention on the battleships! I'll try and keep this thing from getting too close!" With that warning he moved in and made a powerful sweep towards the Sagittarius.

Gawel braced himself at the ceiling when the mobile suits did their best to rotate the shuttle to the point where it would meet with Luna's coordinates. He ended up on a small tirade, "This sort of thing is why we shouldn't even be asking for manual rotations from mobile suits! These guys cannot manage the rotation to make an optimal working environment especially in a battlefield!" Once the rotation had been finished he was able to take a small breath of air when he reported, "We're about in the right position now sirs! If we're going to make our way out of this hellhole then we need to escape sooner than now!"

Once the push had begun to be made on the Solaris it was now just a matter of time before the other mobile suits were able to make their escape from the fleet. It would be a problem though if Dana couldn't do anything to get away from the Sagittarius to focus on the mission she had at hand. Just in the nick of time however the Uriel had begun to charge with its buster sword in hand and about to deliver a possible killing blow.

Dana thanked Mercurio's intervention, "Thanks Uriel! I'll get back to the ships!" She began to make her way towards the nearest point where the battleships could be fired on again while hoping for Mercurio's safety, "Try not to get yourself shot out there. We all need to return to Earth in one piece."

The battle was able to continue when the two sides found that their own trump cards were dueling with one another. Both the Uriel and Artemis were trying to handle the fleet while also throwing off the Sagittarius unit following them. The Sandesgeist meanwhile was too busy trying to put the Solaris in the right position for its launch. Losses on bother sides were very heavy from the Leo IIIs and ship artillery taking out the Maganac units while the Gundams seemed to match every L4 casualty with at least three more.

He was certain he would be able to make it out at least with the prize in mind when he heard his operator announce, "We are still making progress towards taking out the colony's defenses Admiral! The enemy is being forced to manually rotate the Solaris!"

Demetrios found the opportunity prime for moving in the flagship when he thought, "Excellent. This saves us the trouble of aligning ourselves." He motioned to order to the remainder of his fleet as they tried to continue their attack, "All ships prepare to advance and show this colony no mercy! That shuttle must be ours!" Fully confident in his ship's abilities to take the Solaris he gave an order to his own crew, "Prepare the boarding party. We shall soon see the enemy is made to answer for their bold but ultimately futile last attempt."

One of the combat mappers agreed with the strategy as he evaluated, "Yes sir. We'll have the minimum personnel prepared to apprehend the crew. Should we continue the same attack with the Gundams sir?"

The Admiral continued with the need to attack when he offered, "If any of them can be taken in tact or in repairable pieces then I'll have a medal prepared for whoever can bring them. Otherwise make sure that those Earth Sphere imitations are nothing more than heaps of junk to be cast aside with the rest of this debris!"

When Dana saw the clearance from the Sagittarius unit she believed it was the best possible time to finish taking out the remaining battleships in their way. She prepared her buster rifle for the correct power setting and announced, "This is Artemis! Intercepting the last two battleships in our way! Just hold on for a little bit there guys!"

Trenton on the other line cheered, "Keep going Captain! The shuttle should be in position by the time you get back!"

Nasir was less enthusiastic when he offered dryly, "Yeah just take your time why don't you? We've got the perfect defenses to make sure that we get past the enemy!"

Dana didn't even bother taking it as an insult when she told him, "I'm not headed out to take on the whole fleet 004. Just do your job." As the mobile suits were left to continue the push the Artemis began to sweep into the fleet dodging the crossfire between mobile suits and turrets trying to hit her. She managed to dodge most of the shots until the Artemis was in the correct position to take out one of the remaining battleships blocking the Solaris. It was a quick motion of aiming and then firing the shot away from the colony and brought about another explosion. In the middle of her accomplishment she was hit by a sniper bullet from far away rendering her thrusters inoperable. The Artemis crashed onto the hull of one of the ships not targeted when she reported, "I've been hit! I can't get a decent shot at the final ship!" The last ship was right in front of the colony and probably would cause major damage with the buster rifle.

Gawel cursed out his luck when he asked, "You've got to be pulling me out of my own hole here... Is anybody out there to take out that last ship?!"

Mercurio connected his blade with the beam saber of the Sagittarius when the two mobile suits made their attempts to overpower one another. The attack was enough to prevent it from firing any other sniper bullets and hopefully but the Artemis enough time to accomplish its mission. In a moment of lacked defense though when the final battleship was almost destroyed, the Sagittarius fired its sniper rifle below for Mercurio to find that it hit Artemis' propulsion system. He found the situation very worrisome when he found the Artemis make its landing on one of the nearest battleships. He tried to prevent his snap judgment when he contacted the Solaris, "Requesting orders sir! The Artemis has been disabled in the middle of the fleet!"

Alberto knew that he had to make a tough decision when he reminded Mercurio, "She can defend herself! We just need one more battleship taken out before we're clear! Uriel, move out and prepare to attack the final ship!" Even if Dana was at risk, he couldn't the main objective be compromised if there was just one final step towards making their escape possible. The Artemis was a Gundam. It was capable of making its way out.

Mercurio didn't have this same sentiment though when he contacted the Solaris again. "Sir can the Artemis handle defending herself with the enemy out here?"

"Just worry about the objective Uriel! The Artemis has to follow the main objective as well!"

The decision was difficult to make but Mercurio couldn't question the order any further if he wanted to see the situation improve somehow. He had to be a soldier in a situation like this one, he had to go with the main objective. "… Yes sir! Moving out!" "I'm within enemy range! Beginning the run!"

"Better now than ever Uriel! Make sure your attack is ace worthy!"

"Sir!" The Uriel made a few swipes at the Sagittarius and found the correct opening to make its way past and dash at full speed towards the final ship. The Sagittarius attempted to move in and intercept the Uriel but Mercurio found the only way he was going to lose the enemy. He moved towards the debris and found several Leo IIIs making their way towards him. With a few more swipes the Uriel destroyed them with ease and allowed the debris to block the path of his pursuer.

Even when the Uriel managed to block the path of the Sagittarius he found that it wasn't enough to lose the fire. He began to find several shots from behind as well as the turret fire from the battleships in front. The turrets were originally his only concern but he found out too late when the Sagittarius had taken proper aim to fire on him from behind.

The Uriel began to spiral towards the target battleship but managed to at least avoid taking further damage from the turrets. Mercurio knew that he had to give a warning when he hailed, "Damage to primary shields! The enemy turrets are attacking with optimal precision!"

Alberto took command of the situation when he commanded to the other units. "Someone get in and assist Uriel! We need those turrets taken out!"

Keijo heard the hail and knew he wasn't needed for any further rotation. "Moving in sir! Don't let that shuttle take any more damage!" With a few shots several turrets to the battleship had been taken out. It was a minimal effort from his distance but it was at least one weight off of Mercurios dive towards the ships bridge.

"Thanks 005! This will make things easier!"

"My duty Uriel! Now move in and get some results done!"

Preparing his buster sword at optimal power he was ready to make the next necessary swipe to take out the last battleship to clear the bath. "Almost there…" He focused all of his precision into this final swipe. He could not even worry about the turret fire or any other mobile suit fire when he made this effort. In the next instant he was within range. "Take this!" It was a moment sooner when the bridge was swiped at with the blade and the Uriel had made its attack a success. The bridge exploded and the ship could only now wander about blind. Mercurio felt the adrenaline rush out of his system when he announced, "The ship has been rendered immobile sir! The main bridge is out!"

Alberto began to see the hope of escape at the same time he gave the final order to his pilot, "Return to the shuttle Uriel! Offer some assistance to Artemis and the two of you get out of there!"

Elias observed the hole near the L4 colony with some pride, "We've certainly put a dent in their fleet. Not something that most forces have been able to boast." It was hard not to feel somewhat pleased with defeating their enemy with such odds against them. The long war had made many believe such attacks were only suicide tickets.

Alberto knew that he could not afford to push such luck when he agreed, "And if we put any more effort like this sort we may find ourselves performing more than we should be capable." He gave an open order to all of the forces that remained standing, "Focus on getting our forces out of here! We can thank the Maganac squads in making sure our mission continues!"

Elias found himself somewhat in agreement when he noted, "That's certainly one way of putting it. We can only hope that we give enough of an effort to make their sacrifice worthwhile."

Mercurio heard the order relieved to not have to make another such attack, "Roger that Solaris. Moving to assistance." He made his way to the hull of the nearest battleship and found the Artemis nearby.

Mercurio contacted Dana, "Captain! We need to move out now! The Solaris is clear to launch and we need to get there now!" He swiped his buster sword at some of the turrets near him on the battleship while offering another hand from his Gundam if the Artemis needed the assistance.

"Won't let you obstruct me Gundam!" Tano roared at Mercurio's intervention. He was forced to used his beam saber against the Gundam's sword, making him unable to use his sniper rifle with accuracy. The manipular that carried the beam saber was on the left, giving him an idea. He aimed the sniper round at the propulsion system of the first Gundam. The shot managed to hit the propulsion system, sending it flying towards one of the wrecked battleships. The Gundam then fled from the struggle and the Sagittarius was too heavy to catch up. He instead fired a well-placed round at the Uriel's rear, making it lose control briefly.

His brief victory was tarnished when the last battleship was destroyed. He was in rage that he was defeated by the Earth Sphere again. "They dare defy the odds?!" He yelled with anger. His emotions took control and thrusted away.

Donna in the meantime provided cover fire for the pilots to return. Suchart was the first to return to the ship with the rest of the Ursas following after him. Only The Sandesgeist remained behind to guard the entrance until the other Gundams returned. The remaining Maganacs joined with providing the cover fire and Rashid opened communications with Donna.

"Are all the Mobile Suits in the ship?" He asked.

"The Ursas are entering." She reported.

"The Gundams?" He questioned.

"The Gundams are still in the enemy lines." She replied. "If the Maganacs can continue providing cover fire, I will head there to retrieve them."

"I will go retrieve them." Rashid responded. "You're needed to provide cover to the ship. Master Quatre will order this as well."

Donna was arguing back. "This Gundam will be able to endure most damages. I should go."

Rashid's decision was adamant. "Your vernier is damaged." He pointed out. "My vernier is still operational. I will have a better chance at bringing them back."

Rashid's Maganac moved to the direction of the wrecked ships to find the Gundams. He moved through the debris, shooting down the ones that he won't be able to maneuver through in time. He found the two Gundams on the wreckage of one of the ships. "Gundam pilots, I'm here to assist you back." He said to them.

The battleships that had been destroyed were a blow to the Coalition fleet but the flagship was still able to make its advance towards the Solaris after finding its way through the defending Maganacs. Demetrios was still finding the advance to be a challenge when he heard the Gundams were still successful with their attack. "Our ships in the third quadrant have been destroyed sir! We can't block off the Solaris from escape!"

Being so close to the Solaris he couldn't allow the opportunity to pass him by. It was only one quadrant among the rest of the fleet and he had to make sure that the rest would allow for this Coalition victory. "Send in any remaining ships we have to block them off! We will not allow them to escape now!"

"All ships report to the third quadrant! Do not allow the enemy a safe passage off the battlefield!"

Demetrios gave his own order to the battlefield announcing, "All mobile suits engage! Surround them and destroy all enemy mobile suits attempting to assist!" There was another explosion rocking the battleships nearby when he reminded, "Someone focus on taking out those Gundams! They must be neutralized if we are to make this successful!" It was a matter of time now. The Coalition flagship had the Solaris within its grasp and it would be boarded. Unfortunately the Gundams probably only had minimal damage done and even the Admiral had begun to wonder if his forces could handle destroying them. The Earth Sphere is truly giving a worthwhile battle. I certainly hope their military leaders are as respectable.

Dana found the Uriel's actions to be more than worth the wait as it managed to slice its way across the battleship and into the bridge. It was truly a high order feat that only a Gundam was able to offer. She found the Uriel make its way forward and offer its hand to her in assistance. She knew that the propulsion systems were going to be a problem and had to make sure that the Uriel was at least able to guide her back to the shuttle.

When Rashid came to guide them she thanked, "Thanks for the help. My last date didn't exactly go as planned."

When the two came to the battlefield Gawel warned, "Gundams help! We're being intercepted by the enemy flagship! We're a sitting duck out here!"

"How close are you to the flagship?"

"We're only about two hundred meters away now. They move in any closer and we're going to be giving up the ship!"

Dana knew the problem this was presenting and knew that she would have to move in to stop the boarding process. The buster rifle would destroy the ship but at that range would not only severely damage the Solaris but probably send it spinning into the colony. Destruction was not an option this time and had to prepare to move in with the beam saber.

Dana prepared to move in to the flagship's connection ports warning, "Activate the thrusters and get ready to move out! I'll keep them at bay!"

Gawel tried to understand the idea but consented, "Captain are you... Why do I even bother at this point?"

Both the Uriel and the Artemis managed to find their way through the debris thanks to Rashids help and it would hopefully be the point where they could hope that the Solaris could make its way out of the area. Mercurio added to Dana's thanks, "Your assistance is appreciated sir." Both the Uriel and Artemis gave what efforts they could to destroy the enemy units that were surrounding him while they made their way to the Solaris despite the damage they suffered.

The hopes of many units was confirmed when Elias announced to the units still out of the shuttle, "Attention all units, we are preparing to make the launch. Please return to the hangar bay and prepare for the escape. Launch begins in fives minutes."

Mercurio understood the order but knew that the danger of the upcoming battleship was another thing that needed to be addressed. "I read you Colonel. What do we do about the enemy flagship though?"
Alberto found himself slightly excited when he found the flagship nearing their position. "They're preparing to board us! If they reach us in time we'll be caught right in their hands!"

Elias could only mutter to himself on the issue when it was practically impossible to find a way away from the Coalition's grasp. "We don't have the option to destroy it though." The ship continued its advance when it extended its cables preparing to latch the shuttle to itself. The Colonel couldn't give any orders but was only able to warn, "We're almost in range!"

The Uriel found its way to the Solaris despite the growing number of Leo III units finding their way towards his position. He used his buster sword with mighty swipes taking out sizable numbers in exchange for his own survival. In the meantime the Artemis had found its way towards the cables and began to slice with what power it had left. The ship did not have enough cables to keep the Solaris pinned down at one point though and the Colonel ordered, "All units return to the hangar bay! We are about to begin launch!"

With the help of Rashid and the other Maganacs Mercurio and Dana were able to return to the hangar bay doors still open. He offered his thanks, "Thank you sir. It has been an honor."

Dana and the other Ursa units were finally guided into the hangar bay with hopes of finding their way to Luna. Dana announced to Gawel, "Just a bit longer! We're almost in the safe zone!"

Gawel heard the transmission and saw the video monitor where the Uriel and Artemis had made their way into the hangar bay to be sent off by Rashid's mobile suit. Once they managed to reach within closing distance he reported to Elias, "The Gundams are onboard sir!" When the order from the Colonel came to launch the shuttle out of the colony area he was very hopeful about the situation when he proclaimed, "Finally! Let's get out of here already!"

Elias gave the final announcement, "Launching now!" With that final word the Solaris fired its engines and snapped off what cables from the flagship remained. The speed was enough to break free and was now able to make its way to the debris field and away from the colony. For those who had survived the attack it was another battle but the Earth Sphere forces had now lived to fight for another day.

As the damage continued to mount against the defending L4 colonists, Demetrios was able to see the main objective well within his reach. One of the operators announced, "We almost have them Admiral! We'll have the Solaris prepared to be secured!"

Demetrios was prepared for an ultimate victory when he ordered, "Take them in! Prepare a launch for L3-28999!" He saw the Solaris reeled in from its position believing that his anticipation had been rightfully built but noticed at the last second how the Artemis was able to put up a fight. Demetrios found himself taken aback by the loss when he demanded an update, "How are the Gundams still operational?!" Just as Demetrios had feared at the start of the battle, despite his numbers, he was forced to see just what the power of the Gundams were truly capable of.

Things managed to get worse when he was reported, "We've lost the cables Admiral!"

"Don't let them escape! Fire!" It was too late to order when the Solaris fired its thrusters and towards the empty quadrant where the battleship could not reach them in time. The mission for his fleet had failed. The remaining forces were only left to pick off what enemy forces were trying to push them back.

One of the ship operators found the signal for the shuttle fading from the radar reporting, "The Solaris has been lost sir. We are losing their signature."

Demetrios rubbed his temples cursing, "Damn the Earth Sphere... It seems that it is a greater effort have we might have realized after all." He regained his resolve in a moments notice when he gave another order, "Order all units back to their ships! We must return to our nearest base and revitalize our forces for a pursuit!"

One of the strategists overseeing the battle map asked, "Should we do anything about the colony Admiral?"

"Damn the colony. We have a position in this war to maintain. If those Gundams manage to reach Earth in tact, then we will have a great failure to answer for."

The strategist accepted the order, "Understood sir. All units pull back and prepare for pursuit." It was a gradual retreat but after the time had passed the Coalition fleet made its way away from the L4 colony to meet with the nearest base they could reach. They failed today but the Coalitions cause still stood as did their victory on Earth.

When the shuttle began to make its way out of the battlefield Dana and the other pilots found their way down to the hangar bay entry room. She decided to contact Gawel asking, "So tell me, where does it look like we are now?"

Gawel was vocally visible with relief when he answered, "We're finally out of the L4 colony it looks like. Now we're on our way to Luna base."

Dana found herself pleased with the end result when she and the other Gundam pilots were recovering from the escape from the battle. She offered her own pep speech, "Damn fine job out there people. Thought this would have taken more losses than we did."

Trenton was the first to be thankful, "With your piloting out there Captain those battleships were pretty much no problem."

Nasir didn't feel like the situation was optimal when he pointed out, "The Maganac squads probably aren't happy about the idea of having to face against the Coalition. At least they were willing to do everything to get us out of there."

Dana reminded them of the collective effort, "The others had something to offer as well. We probably wouldn't have gotten out of here without you guys either."

Another one of the Ursa pilots pointed out, "At least now it's just another matter of time before the next battle. At least if the Coalition is going to follow us to Luna."

Dana knew that it was the right idea and planned out, "Wouldn't be a surprise. If our luck's been holding up so far then we might be able to reach Earth."

One of the Ursa pilots was at least a little ready for the plan asking, "Then the real fun is going to start up again isn't it?"

Dana agreed with the plan by announcing, "About right. Doesn't let down on your training schedule though. Everybody be back here stat on the usual schedule. We'll be hitting the training exercises and simulations."

Trenton summed up the feeling on the schedule Dana had for them telling one of the Ursa pilots, "Well that much sure isn't going to change."

"Yeah. That and our rations." The escape had been successful for today but not much of the war was going to change overnight. Thankfully the Earth Sphere would have at least one final card to play if they were going to change the course of the war now.

Agent Arch was close behind the gathered assortment of Earth Sphere pilots when he made his way up to Mercurio. He congratulated, "Not half bad out there Uriel. So you are able to be more than just a glorified hype man. Looks like you even earned your right as a Gundam pilot even. I take it this is one reason you've been selected?"

Mercurio turned to welcome Arch when he answered, "I apparently was the top candidate for the Gundam. I never thought it would be me, but I guess it had to be somebody."

Arch patted Mercurio's back when he offered, "Real humble of you. Sounds like it even could have been a factor. I sure hope you don't think that sort of attitude will win you anybody when you reach Earth."

Mercurio paused when he asked, "You met with people on Earth before?"

Arch shook his head when he answered, "It's just common sense. The Earth Sphere has officially lost so far. Doesn't matter how much you promise to change, they're going to want to see huge actions when we land. You've managed to be more than a handicap for us out here, but the way things are going, we'll have more than just the Coalition to worry about."

Mercurio was slightly shaken at the warning when he accepted, "I might face someone out there that I won't want to face. In the end of it all however, I've learned that trying to forget that there are people facing me is the closest thing I have to being able to handle how hard things can get."

"Something you might be forgetting. Even when you see more those on the field as having humanity, a lot more goes on behind the stage. If we're fortunate though, hopefully we'll be able to avoid anything that keeps us from taking back the capital."

Mercurio allowed Arch's warning to fill his thoughts while he simply nodded and made his way to an opposite corridor through the shuttle. "Whatever you're trying to warn, I just hope you plan on sticking on our side."

Rashid watched the Solaris continue its flight as it made another slip away from the mighty conflict the Coalition sought to continue. He believed that he would have to wait before he said another warning, but in his pause heard one of the Maganac units announce, "Sir, we've done it! The Solaris is now on its way out of here!"

Rashid took a breath when he confirmed, "So we still have one final hope to see us through to a war's end. What is the status of the enemy?"

There was a pause before he heard, "It is well within our favor sir. The remaining ships are leaving our quadrants. We won't have to worry about their assault."

Rashid gave another sigh of relief at the report when he said, "All we have to worry about now is the damages that have been done to our colony. I trust that we have not sustained anything that would cause casualties?"

"Yes. Only exterior damage that can be repaired. If we are fortunate, we'll not have to endure any more damage from the Coalition attacks."

Rashid watched the battleships gathering themselves into an area before making a route towards the flight of the Solaris. He told him, "We won't have to. They were after one target and it is now making an escape."

He received a pause on his end before hearing, "It is most regrettable that we have done everything within our ability to assist them then. All we may be able to do now is watch and pray that this was all for a great change."

Rashid turned to look at the damaged colony when he agreed, "What we can be grateful for is that Master Quatre has chosen a worthy successor. Now do they have the resolve to see a united Earth remain a reality? My part in this conflict is done, but I must now discover from afar what we have truly accomplished on this day."