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 36: Desperation on Luna Below

The Coalition forces were brought into a panic when they tried to find the brigade's entry point only to find the current situation as a mixed blessing. The Leo IIIs had broken their formation and sent them scattering for cover while the Aquarius managed to end their offense and offer some stability to the field. For the members of the French brigade, there was nothing to celebrate seeing the Aquarius making its way towards them. "It's the Aquarius… forward!"

Alphonse and his men ran forward to the nearest building to take a form of cover against the devastation the Aquarius brought. Alphonse looked behind to see his men rushing to his position as they made their way to the city with the alley as their only means of cover. He asked one of his colonels, "Can we confirm that they are still able to act to some safety?"

His colonel answered, "Only if the Aquarius sent under orders to destroy us at any cost. We're not going to reach the building without any casualties."

Alphonse nodded, "I can see that. Unfortunately, it would seem that Rayen's men were not stationed out here. This is going to be more of a struggle, but it will not be an impossible one."

One of the soldiers nearby added, "Sir, that thing is going to crush our asses to a pulp if we try to stop it now. Shouldn't we try and get out of this situation in one piece?"

Alphonse told him, "Right now our only path is forward. Either we take the capital and the president now or we fail in our attempt."

The colonel waved to the men behind him, "Keep going! We must get to the target destination!"

The stream of Earth Sphere soldiers into the city continued with each man looking for safety from the growing desperation of the charge. Alphonse looked to the Aquarius still making its charge and progress to his location when he told himself, "This is our defeat. Against the might that desires to crush us, we are pressed only to succeed." He saw the rush of soldiers begin to slow as he saw them reach for safety in every avenue of the city.

He heard his colonel report, "That looks like everyone sir. Do we continue with the planned target?"

Alphonse nodded, "Keep going. We have nowhere else now."

As he turned and prepared to join his men in the charge to the Parliamentary Building, he heard one of his men warn, "Sir! We have two more out there!"

Alphonse turned as he looked into the field and saw two Earth Sphere soldiers making their way towards him. He drew out his pistol when he told the men next to him, "Support the others! We do not have everyone yet!"

Before there was any further debate about the decision, Alphonse rushed into the field and towards the two men struggling to make their way to safety. Among the wasted bodies that had been spread across the field, multiple on both sides were laid to impede his progress to the location of the two visible signs of life he was concerned about.

The soldier supporting the injured one picked up his speed as he made his way to Alphonse and ask, "Sir? Is that you?"

Campbell, the injured soldier, added, "Sorry we didn't come back in a more chivalrous state sir."

Alphonse kept himself prepared for an ambush when he told him, "You've done more than needed already. Right now, worry about getting away from the Aquarius."

Campbell turned, "We couldn't even get a scratch on that thing. We only have running as an option don't we?"

Alphonse pressed on when he encouraged, "Running towards our saving this planet. That is the opportunity we are pressing ourselves."

The sound of the Aquarius became louder as Alphonse helped the two men reach the edge of Brussels before making a sharp turn down one of the alleys. Alphonse stopped as he caught his breath and heard the sound of the Gundam stepping away and towards another target location. Campbell forced himself to stand as he bore the pain in his foot and observed, "We're clear from the worst. I swear to God this better be the last of it."

Alphonse reminded him, "The conflict only ends once we have secured our victory over the Coalition. Come, we must resume the push to save the parliament."

The man who supported Campbell all the way agreed, "We're closer than ever. We can't screw this up now."

Nathaniel ran a hand over his head as he paced and waited for the progression of the siege to come to a decisive end. He looked down the balcony where he saw Rayen observing the representatives while they in turn looked for some amount of chaos that would set them free. Zelma stood next to him when she offered, "You could have requested me to support Mr. President."

Nathaniel gripped the rail of the balcony when he told her, "We have one Gundam out there ending the situation. We do not have any need for collateral damage."

Zelma told him, "Even so it would seem that we are still facing destruction at the mere entry of the Earth Sphere forces. This strategy they have for themselves is one that has been rather presumptuous for their situation it would seem."

Nathaniel continued to gaze over the representatives of the Earth Sphere when he agreed, "It is evident that they had hope they would have some form of support. No one prepares a strategy like this unless they anticipate reinforcements to offer a decisive blow to their enemies. There's clearly a traitor among our ranks. There is someone here who wishes to overturn our current hold over the capital. Should they proceed as such, this city will become the focal point of absolute anarchy. We will have an occupational disaster unlike any that has ever been seen. As it stands, these conspirators must be weeded out if this war is to end now."

Zelma agreed, "Your personal army should sill be loyal, but the number of possible traitors in that scenario is rather narrow."

Nathaniel agreed, "I believed Edward to be my strongest supporter. His actions alone are that we were able to reunite the Coalition in its darkest hour. But now I am at a crossroads where I must choose to believe the work of my fallen friend Bertram or the word of him being the traitor. Even if Rayen is innocent to all of this, he is no less suspicious. I must account for everyone in their attempt to end the mission my father began. I must even offer that accusation to you agent."

Zelma accepted, "We are in a critical time where you wish to secure victory Mr. President. For now, understand that you do have my support and it is something that will prove with my actions."

Nathaniel left the promise while he saw Rayen make his way up to the steps to warn, "Mr. President. We have received word of the Earth Sphere soldiers making their way into the capital. We believe they are now heading for this building as we speak."

Nathaniel looked to Rayen when he told him, "Assemble your men general. Prevent them from taking another step towards our location. They are to be offered unconditional retribution for their act."

Rayen accepted, "Right away sir." He made his way down the steps he took towards Nathaniel when he saw one of his nearest guards make his way up to him. Rayen looked behind him to check Nathaniel was leaving his sight to offer him a window to speak his true intentions. He gave his guard the order, "We must see this division of men kept here. Do not let the representatives make another move."

Rayen's guard asked, "Will there even be enough men out there to handle them?"

Rayen checked to his side again to notice Nathaniel's absence when he told him, "Our men have hardly taken any casualties. Edward has been under orders to send Nathaniel's forces to meet with the brigade's advance, and we will still have the focus necessary to overturn the president once the moment is right. We are still only steps away from being able to claim a united planet as our stronghold."

The guard accepted, "The guard accepted, "I'll believe you sir. I don't know about everyone, but you'll still have our support."

Rayen nodded when he prepared to meet Alphonse's forces when he agreed, "The greater rewards await us as we continue to press through the greatest struggle."

He made his way outside where he saw both of his colonels waiting for him and ordered, "Prepare the men to meet with the brigade forces. Once they have arrived gather our parameter. We shall have them all taken by surprise and then have them placed right next to the Italian brigade as among the last remaining old members of the old Earth Sphere."

Colonel Charlton Clifton asked, "Will we situate our men into the buildings and have them await the progress of the brigade makes its way here sir?"

Rayen confirmed, "Every area of this city where we can surround Alphonse and his men once they feel they are within the grasp of reaching us."

Colonel Heath Ripley made his way to the nearest tent when he accepted, "Right away general."

Rayen and Charlton followed Heath inside as he activated a radio to order, "Attention all forces. The prisoners are a secondary priority. Take cover and await the opportunity to take the French brigade into custody. All who resist arrest are to be met with the force necessary to put down any further resistance."

Throughout the city of Brussels, soldiers of the Coalition under Rayen's command ran for cover as they found an area where they would be able to take the incoming Earth Sphere forces by surprise. The night was about to end as the desperate Earth Sphere and conflicted Coalition prepared to make its way through another blood-filled battle in the struggle for the planet.

The Parliamentary members were still in shock when they found the fighting had begun but it had ended just about as suddenly. Zlata was the first among those who voiced the question on the collective mind. "Is anything going on out there? Did the fighting stop?"

One of the Coalition guards stepped forward and instructed several soldiers. "The conflict has been resolved. Everyone return to your assigned area and await further instructions."

Another commanding officer stepped in with soldiers from the reinforcements from General Blare and Vasquez as they saw the representatives march back to the hallways. "Single file. Do not go against orders."

Among those observing the previous fire fight Relena pointed out to Heero, "The fighting hasn't ended."

"Probably not."

Hiram was among the concerned who wondered out loud, "How much longer can it possibly go?"

Heero could answer this question when he pointed out, "As long as there are those who believe there's a chance to overcome their enemy." The Earth Sphere still had some fight left in it. He knew that there would be a chance the Coalition wouldn't see their victory unfold completely.

Tano witnessed from afar the top officers of the two fleets meeting at the hangar. They were gathering around the Coalition's Gundam as if they were marveling at it.

When the main candidates for the Anaconda were selected Demetrios began to explain the decision for the high-ranking officials of the forces aboard his ship. As they observed the accomplishment for the Coalition his voice pervaded over their minds. "Understand that this will likely be the only operation in which we must attack the enemy here on Luna. The Anaconda mobile suit will provide vital in taking out the Gundams and ultimately winning this war. We require a volunteer."

The volunteer stepped forward for the declaration. "Captain Devon Keaney volunteering sir."

There was no further discussion on what would be done with the mobile suit. "Excellent. Launch all mobile suits and prepare to attack."

Demetrios looked over both his and Norma's forces gathering towards the battle point for invading the LDS section of Luna. "We're reading all squadrons deploying Admiral. The enemy is a sitting duck out there now." The battle map reminded them of their success and numbers while Demetrios continued to maintain some caution.

Demetrios warned, "The Gundams are most likely still there. Do not assume that this will be an easy victory."

"Yes sir."

He heard the voice of Devon announce, "This is the Anaconda leading the squadrons sir. We are moving out towards the enemy location."

With that the Admiral gave the final necessary order to begin the attack on Luna. "Descend and begin the assault."

In Stevens' office the secondary representative was appearing on his main monitor to offer one final warning. "Mr. Chairman. I offer you one final warning. Will you surrender the grounds of Lunar Development Sciences to the people of Luna?"

Steven was as stalwart with his position as he ever was when he denied it. "I am afraid that my answer still stands Representative."

Maja offered a final sign of regret when she saw the Chairman maintain his position. "I offered you a fair warning." The crew of the station would soon know what was coming.

It was moments after the warning was given that an announcement went through the base. "Alert! All personnel report to your stations! The enemy is advancing and prepared for an attack! This is not a drill!"
Mercurio cursed his luck, "I should have known."

On his pad Elias's voice announced, "Yuy! Take Lindemann and Houston to the Gundam shuttle and prepare to engage the enemy! We'll need as much space as we can to get through the enemy's crossfire!"

"Yes sir!" Mercurio recognized the order and quickly turned to Donna, "We need to move out! The enemy is moving in!" He rushed towards the shuttle he was assigned preparing to move out in his Gundam and into another battle.

William parted with Dana and made his way to the control tower. It was time to see if the Lunar defense system would be considered obsolete or a necessary addition. "Let's get ready to deliver the payload people! Those Sol Theros might need some kind of help!"

One of the operators who had observed the training exercises showed his concern when he pointed out, "Yeah sure hope they're ready. After having their asses handed so many times let's just hope the Gundam pilots are that good."

"Don't worry, they are. These guys will have to lower their standards if they want to lose to the Coalition at this point."

Another operator gave a warning on the lead of the forces when the Coalition mobile suits began to make their way to the edge of Luna. "Sir, there's something else out there leading the Coalition forces!"

William demanded an answer, "What is it?"

"It's something standing out from the rest of the forces! I can't tell what it is!"

It was a very curious move when the leading mobile suit only slowly came into view on the radar. "These guys have something up their sleeve?" The Major wondered.

Dana knew that it was time to see if the Coalition could offer a decent fight this time around. According to the reports there was supposed to be a different mobile suit leading them. If they were referring to the Sagittarius unit then it probably wouldn't be much of a problem, but it could have a chance of being something deadly. She observed the advance from her cockpit and warned the other pilots, "Looks like it's time to move out. The Coalition just wants to give us one final goodbye before we go back to Earth." Dana looked over her options and suggested to the Colonel, "Keep the Ursa units here. We'll need as many of them to survive if we have any hope of getting maximum reinforcements to Earth."

The 48 battleships making their way towards the area LDS had occupied while Demetrios prepared his flagship for a bombardment. There were now hundreds of mobile suits advancing the assault while he waited to see if it would be enough.

He was contacted by Norma on the other flagship, "Does the enemy have enough of a mobile suit force to warrant such a forward response Admiral?"

Demetrios stuck with his conviction that these numbers would make the bare minimum. "Unless they have a new super weapon, the Gundams alone are the only reason that we will require such numbers."

He knew now that it wasn't a question of if these numbers would be enough, but how many would have to die for the success of this mission.

"As you report. We can only hope that the losses will not be significant."

"This is an all or nothing mission Admiral. We can accept nothing less from the results and we must be ready to pay whatever we can for the destruction of the Gundams."

Devon ordered to the units following him, "All units prepare for the attack." With that final order the mobile suits had begun the attack on the Luna surface. The battle had now begun with the areas around LDS's city structure being threatened by the coming destruction.

The Uriel exited the shuttle it was assigned and made its way towards the launching catapult. Mercurio prepared for another launch when he announced to the control tower of his entry. "Gundam Uriel entering combat." With that the Uriel was soon to engage with the other Gundams in another defense of a critical Earth Sphere territory. Preparing its sword in shield formation it began to charge towards the ranks prepared for combat.

Steven and Architect I were both observing the battlefield from afar knowing that the day had come for their mobile dolls to leave their mark. "It's now time to see these units in action." The Architect pointed out.

Steven had some faith in the Architect's ability but wondered whether or not the numbers would be enough. "We only have seven squadrons of Sol Thero units prepared for combat. Will they be enough to push back the enemy?"

"If we are to assume anything then we should hope that it is enough. This project can't be brought into action only to see it fail." The conversation couldn't continue further beyond that, it was time for action.

Steven moved to his intercom authorizing the control tower, "Squadrons one through seven Sol Thero units. Move out and engage all enemy signatures." With the squads moving out the black mobile suits were simply launched from the Lunar catapult and into the battlefield that awaited them. The red eyes observed the fleet assembly and saw through all of the formations and engagement positions. Just seconds after they began their assault.

Dana said her final goodbyes to the people on Luna base and knew that it was time to be ready for another Gundam battle. There probably wasn't going to be any fellow Lunar pilots with the Sol Thero units doing the work though. At least it made the contact list shorter. She remembered everything that had come to pass in the trip and saw just how calm of a trip it was compared to her career on Earth. Well it's back to the salt mines after this. And it's time to go in sweating.

The loading for the shuttles was cancelled and the Artemis made its way towards the launch pad. After the other two Gundams launched she was the final one to announce, "Gundam Artemis prepared to engage."

When she began to lead the other two Gundams towards the front lines of the Coalition advance she began to change the Artemis into its bird mode. She gave a final order, "Be ready to engage. Keep defending the base for as long as the shuttles need." After that she sped forth towards the battleships with the buster rifle ammunition prepared to decimate to destroy the nearest opponents.

The Artemis activated the Zero System and began to search for the final situation that would be optimal for taking out a battleship. One of the fortunate situations was that training with Zero System had only made her mind better able to handle the system. Using it in the first place still had Dana wondering if it was right to use it though. The time for thinking about that passed when she received the next plan.

Sweeping through the Leo IIIs and other mobile suits the bird mode Gundam made its way through the fleet and found the bridge for the nearest battleship wide open. It moved through crossfire and through fired on the bridge with its main cannon weapon. The bridge exploded and stopped the turrets from functioning but didn't eliminate the threat of the crew. The final blow came when the Artemis swept down to the runway system and fired its cannons at the point where the main engine was located. The fire caused an even greater explosion that took several Coalition mobile suits with it. It was only the beginning of the battle and things could only get more devastating.

When Donna started engaging the Coalition Mobile Suits, the Zero System was activated. The heat shotels were drawn and formed like a bull's horns, passing through Leo IIIs with extreme prejudice. At a unit trying to catch up with her, Donna fired the vulcans that pierced the screen and the cockpit of the Leo III, burning as it fell in speed. She then grabbed a Leo III, using it to block machinegun fire and then throwing it at a Mobile Suit squad to give her time to swipe her heat shotel against all of them. Donna was able to catch up to the plans generated by the Zero System, better than previous times but still sweating from the intensely.

The Zero System warned the pilot of coming sniper shots from behind. Donna used her shield to block the shot and change her direction to where the shot came from. There was the Sagittarius that seemed to be always around. "I'll end this once and for all." Donna declared.

Taking the battle as an advantage, Devenear moved to take advantage of the situation. Armed guards appeared. The lunar defenses suddenly went offline with only essential systems running. Communications were cut to the Gundams fighting the Coalition forces. Guards stormed into the room where Chairman Lutes and Architect I were in, shooting down everyone else in the room. Belmonte entered the room with an ornate-looking pistol in hand, with him and the guards holding the two at gunpoint. "Gentlemen, your efforts to continue the war are over." He said.

Sudden power cut to the hangar got everyone surprised. "A cut at this time?" Asked an engineer? Soon his clothes were splattered with blood when gunshots came. Engineers ran in the dark like headless chickens, desperately looking for the exit.

Ermes, waiting in the shuttle heard the screams and shots. From a compartment, he drew an assault rifle and spare ammunition. "We always have a farewell party don't we?" He remarked to himself sarcastically. He left the shuttle to find the shuttle where the Ursa pilots were in.

As the Sandesgeist and the Artemis gave their contribution to the battle the Uriel prepared its buster sword out of shield mode from the shots and began to swing at the nearest units with a mighty speed. Units quickly fell and were destroyed by each one while Mercurio used Zero System determine the next possible spot to strike at the nearest battleship. After the calculations and paths went through his mind Mercurio prepared the Uriel to move towards the safest path.

The results paid off when the Uriel sped through the shots and sliced its way through the units that got in its way while firing vulcan cannons whenever necessary. With a final strike it prepared its blade to lunge forth into the bridge of a nearby battleship. The speed was greater than ever but Mercurio didn't even feel much adrenaline pulse through him at the results.

It was when he dove forward and prepared the sword at its point that the attack was complete. The bridge was pierced by the blade and the explosion signaled another defeat for the Coalition.

While the Gundams were doing everything possible to push back the fleet the Sol Thero units were the most dominant force stopping the enemy. The Zero System worked its way through the AI while destroying every vessel and mobile suit that came within distance. The casualties were not heavy in any way on their end while the Coalition continued to see their numbers be destroyed by the second with each effort from the mobile dolls.

The invasion was about 20 minutes in and the situation had only continued to get worse from here. The fleet was taking more losses than it had believed it would and the morale was quickly dropping.

Demetrios called to his strategist when he asked, "What is our damage report?"

The strategist gave a report of the overall situation when he answered, "Sir, we've lost one fifth of our forces! The Gundams are posing too much of a problem and those new mobile suits are straining on our pilots!"

Demetrios clenched hard on his seat arms when he cursed, "Damn it! How could we let this happen?"

One of the operators overlooking the battle warned, "Admiral! If we continue any longer, we may be in the case of suicide!"

Demetrios countered the warning when he reminded, "This mission is meant to be one that we either succeed or fail! We will not let the Gundams reach Earth! Order the Anaconda to rendezvous with our main forces!"

The operators agreed, "Yes sir!" A signal made its way through the field as t he Anaconda Gundam was established contact with.

Demetrios was given the chance to see the face of Devon when he ordered, "Anaconda, do you read? We need you at the nearest point for our forces to assist against those black mobile suits!"

"Copy that Admiral. I'm moving out." Devon made his way towards the nearest forces with the Leo IIIs on the defensive telling the surviving pilots, "Don't worry guys, we just need to hold our ground here and we might pull this off."

Dana had repeated the maneuver of taking out the battleships before her multiple times when she found the enemy regrouping in its attempts to find a new attack plan. "Looks like this is turning out to be a real breeze." She found out she spoke too soon when the Anaconda mobile suit was making its way towards the battlefield with its weapons in front. "What is that out there?" She didn't bother to wonder about the mobile suit again when she announced to the control tower and the other Gundams, "Keep your eyes on that mobile suit out there it looks like something the Coalition scrapped up to counter our own!"

Wiliam heard the warning when he confirmed, "We copy your signal Artemis." He pushed the turret fire further when he commanded their action. "Let's keep firing at the enemy! We need them out of the field yesterday!"

The efforts from the Luna base were worthy but managed to add nothing more when the power was cut right after the order was given. "What just happened?!" One of the operators instinctively asked.

Another one was calmer in the situation and managed to report their situation when she overlooked the nearby power grids of the base. "Sir! We've lost power! The turrets are no longer operational!"
William saw the issue they had and knew that their efforts wouldn't be counted at this point. "Damn it! How did the enemy pull this off?" He prepared his pistol and rallied his men to the only option they had left. "Follow the procedure! We need to get to the Chairman and get him to safety!"

The Anaconda mobile suit began its assault on the Sol Thero units allowing it to have some edge of surprise. The enemy hadn't expected a force with equal power but trumping Zero System unknowingly would be a problem. He contacted the nearest Leo III. "Get in between two of those things! And prepare for an immediate evasion!"

The pilot reluctantly agreed to the idea, "Uh... Yes sir!" As soon as two of the Sol Thero units could be seen primarily remaining in place he had some hope that they would only continue to fire on their relative targets. Unfortunately, they were both moving at such a high speed there was no way to tell what their next pattern would be. He only continued to curse their delay as the waiting seconds felt like an eternity.

"Damn it get over here!" He began to regret the curse when he saw they two targeted mobile dolls shifted their focus towards him and they both prepared for a long-range attack with their guns. "Ah!" Devon tried to warn the pilot about the need to dodge but even the quickest reflexes couldn't have seen the sudden adjustments towards the predetermined area.

"Got it now!" Devon moved in with the snake arm and managed to strike the other from a distance as the Anaconda mobile suit struck the other Sol Thero unit from behind. The loss was regrettable, but it was immediately avenged and was more worthwhile than most were so far. "Well that's two down at least. Shame the Earth Sphere didn't get these suits sooner or they would have won."

He heard one of the leading units report on the battle status. "Captain! More of them are headed this way!"

The Captain was only further motivated by the challenge knowing it was the only way through now. "Keep going! We need to take out as many possible to catch up with those Gundams!"

Mercurio continued to find the easiest flight patterns while facing the enemy almost finding the situation to be equivalent to an easy simulation. The numbers were the only thing straining on him or anyone at this point. "The enemy is still going strong." He announced this when he found several mobile suits making their way towards the Luna surface. Among them was the enemy Gundam he knew was the greatest problem for his side. "Enemy mobile suit intercepting. I'll stop it."

The Uriel engaged the Anaconda mobile suit with its sword as it blocked the snake armament with the buster sword. Both weapons were powerful enough to block the others efforts while the Coalition Gundam moved in with the goal to defeat the Uriel. The two mobile suits engaged in a quickly sped duel while the Uriel attempted to fire its arm cannon. The decisive blow came when Uriel made a devastating kick while firing its vulcan cannons towards the Anaconda. The final one came when it engaged its buster sword in shield mode and was thrown with great force towards the Anaconda.

The Sol Thero units had taken losses but they were still rather insignificant at this point. The Coalition could see the numbers they were quickly losing with every moment they remained on the battle field. Zero System would once again prove its superiority to the human mobile suits with the continued unadulterated destruction.

The power of a Gundam and the skill of its pilot were two different things. Unfortunately for Devon Keaney the lesson had to be experienced firsthand. The Anaconda did everything to match the blows made by the Uriel as it tried to cut him down. "You'll never win Earth Sphere!" He was determined to win against the duel, but it proved not to work when he found himself kicked back by the Uriel further into the battle field. The vulcan fire was enough to distract him from recovering his ground but by then the shield had come spinning towards him. It instead hit one of the nearby Leo IIIs trying to save him but the shrapnel was propelled towards him and managed to pierce part of his cockpit. It was a few moments before the explosion subsided, but the damage had already been done when a piece of shrapnel managed to pierce Devon's eye. The internal damage had caused the Gundam to shake significantly and the lacerations stretched across his neck. Devon was dead before he could realize anything, but the Anaconda still remained in fighting condition.

Due to the power outage within the LDS base the shutter doors to the hangar bays had to be opened manually. The duration of the battle had resulted in the doors being opened for the shuttles to escape. "We are reporting the doors open Colonel. We should be able to take off at any time."

Elias gave a desperate order when he commanded, "We'll have to do it whenever possible. We can't let the power down stop us from getting out of here."

Rather than confirming the order he immediately reported to all of the personnel with a pad, "Attention. All personnel. Report to your assigned shuttle. We must begin our launch to Earth."

Demetrios overlooked the battle field and at least heard one piece of good news from the front. The base at Lunar Development Sciences had been shut down and would be a sitting duck. The Sol Thero units were still a problem though. He contacted the representative explaining the situation to her. "We have found the LDS forces disabled Representative. The mobile suits are now the only issue we have to deal with."

Maja gave the final authorization. "See that they are destroyed. Chairman Lutes must be stopped from any further activity."

The battle was still going but the Coalition forces were still pressing strong with their efforts to see the Earth Sphere be defeated here. The Artemis however was able to continue offering the return fire that the Coalition needed to hear. They were not going to go down without feeling the wrath of an entire army in the form of just three Gundams.

Alphonse saw how futile it was to continue with the advance. His forces couldn't even reach the Parliamentary Building without making their infiltration. The torpedoes didn't perform the damage necessary and he was forced to accept the terms they had been given from General Blare. "We cannot do anything more here. We have no choice now." He told his remaining officers as they found themselves surrounded by the enemy. He stepped forward and confirmed their situation. "This is General Alphonse de Lombard. I hereby accept the terms of surrender."

Edward saw Zelma and the other soldiers moving the representatives back to their rooms while the remnant of the brigade led by General Alphonse was left to await their fate. Edward knew that by now he had to have some favor from the President. It was part of why he was promoted to this position in the first place. He reported to the President's office greeting, "Mr. President. The brigade has surrendered and is now ready to be sent to the nearest imprisonment facility."

Edward's hopes of immediate gratitude were not shown when the President ordered him, "Send the General to my office. I shall meet with him personally."

The move was a strange one. But he was in the position he had been hoping to return to. he couldn't back out of it now. "... As you command Mr. President."

"Take the recent capture to meet with President Falson. Have a company of guards prepared to follow him."

When Edward was leaving the office he found General Vasquez ready to ask for an update. "Has the President shown any gratitude for the defense?"

"He at least seems to agree that I am willing to fight for him. It will be a necessary step towards isolating him without second thoughts."

"That is a step. We will have him removed soon enough."

"After which we must find out where the good Strategist hid the ammunition for the Testudo. That power is too much to let go unchecked."

The mission had failed, and the brigade was being sent into the room areas close to the representatives. There was a safe assumption that a sizable number of Coalition soldiers had been killed in the prior battle but the last hope of getting the representatives to safety was dashed. They would have to find a way to rebel against this order if they were going to show the Coalition would have a fight on its hands. These were the first thoughts General Alphonse had but knew he had to get someone to assist him on the ambition.

He found Hyrum Bernett nearby and decided he was his only chance of seeing the Earth Sphere unite under this prison. The General turned to Hyrum, "Search the complex and see if there are any high-ranking officials around here. They may be necessary to find."

Hyrum understood the order but clearly saw a sense of futility behind the decision. "Why's that sir? They might not even have a chance to help us by now."

"If all goes as planned the remainder of this brigade may not have executed this mission in vain. We will need someone to ensure that We'll be able to instigate something among our ranks."

Hyrum knew he would have to follow the order in hopes that his nation would be able to continue seeing the Earth Sphere have an existence. "I'll see what I can do sir."

Before he was taken by the guards he offered, "Stay low and don't attract any attention."

Inside the personal room Nathaniel Falson had established for himself, he met with four holograms of his most key supporters. The four leading representatives who did everything to make his invasion of the Earth a possibility. Even against what initial promise he had in seeing an end to the conflict, Nathaniel was still at their mercy for the recent situation that happened in Brussels.

John Windham of L2 was the first to tell Nathaniel, "We supported this descent because you were meant to bring about an end to this conflict as swift as possible. What is it that has passed now Nathaniel? Did you allow yourself to be surrounded by traitors because your main divisions are already too thin? Was this support all to ensure that there would be an elongated conflict?"

Nathaniel told him, "We have been stalled for so long and up to now because we intended to have our ranks rid of traitors in my ranks. Right now, I have conflicting reports that it is either the work of my most trusted general or the strategist I sent to ensure he would remain loyal."

Felix Bryant of L3 asked, "Would you care to remind us that you have the best interest of ensuring this conflict is brought to a practical end?"

Nathaniel elaborated, "As it would seem, I have surrounded myself with men who had plans to wait the long-awaited opportunity to have me taken by surprise. This is the fault of no one but me and my willingness to trust anyone with the opportunity to lead my men. Even in such a dire time, I beg that I be given the last piece of support we will need. We still hold the capital; the Earth Sphere officials are all at our mercy. We cannot allow this opportunity to slip through our fingers after such a demanding number of years."

Ian Estes of L1 offered to Nathaniel's situation, "Your gravest mistake was in finding men who would be leaders as a commander in chief as you were meant to. The current situation on Mars is enough to remind us that even those anyone can select are no susceptible to being betrayed as any of us."

Felix agreed, "This may be an obstacle that we will now be forced to handle. However, we are still pressed for resources and man power even if all of this is true."

Norio Mashima of L5 added, "Right now our best interest would be to proceed with the initial victory plan. We must aid in the occupation and see that it passes through peacefully before we are able to claim any of the lands as our own."

John accepted, "I shall accept the decisions of the others, as of right now Vice President Lehrer requires our protection and we must not allow the bridge between Earth and the Coalition base to be compromised. Worse yet if this is indeed a ruse to trick us off guard, we will be facing a potential opening where the remainder of our forces will be compromised."

Felix agreed, "It will have to that the representatives of L2 and L3 are as of right now unable to participate in the occupation plan. As it is right now, we do not have the means necessary to follow on the request."

Ian offered, "We currently have a reserve force on L1 that will be capable of meeting this requirement. They shall be sent at the next available opportunity."

Norio added, "Our reserve force added to the occupation should be enough to fulfill the conditions for the occupation plan. We will follow on your request Mr. President. The trust we offer in this taking of Earth however must be met with the absolute dedication to ensure the Earth will be under our control."

Nathaniel accepted the terms, "There will be no further failures. This is all the support I will need to ensure the Coalition fulfills its mission of occupation."

John accepted, "This had best be the case Mr. President. Our investments have been made too critical to be all for nothing now."

Ian told Nathaniel, "We will be sending the brigade of General Donald Celler to Moselle Valley within the next available timeframe. Expect his arrival shortly."

Norio added, "General Hui Kung will be landed in the French countryside and offer the same support. Use his capabilities wisely Mr. President."

Felix told them, "I feel that al of this will be necessary once we pacify the people of Earth to accept our terms. We must however address what I feel is fueling the flames of this struggle to wear away the fighting spirit of the Earth Sphere."

John agreed, "Franz Kecker is still a prisoner of your occupation isn't he Mr. President?"

Nathaniel confirmed, "He is still under our custody. Do you infer that his life is causing the Earth Sphere to continue its resistance?"

Ian told him, "That is exactly what gives the remaining Earth Sphere forces hope for subverting our hold of the capital. His execution must be held along with the remaining Earth Sphere parliament found guilty of supporting his cause. By now their deaths will be far from martyrdom. Without leadership the remaining Earth Sphere soldiers will all be an underground movement for a lost cause if they do not choose to lay down their arms afterwards. Without a leader they will have no support from the Earth Sphere in their desire to resist the claiming of the Earth."

Nathaniel answered the call, "We will have Franz meet his end once the evidence has been compiled against him once his case has been processed with everyone else."

Norio told him, "Make it soon Mr. President. We can only afford so many scenarios like that of Alphonse de Lombard before we no longer have the means to solidify our hold of Earth."

Nathaniel offered, "It will be processed soon. Franz Kecker will not live to see his crimes go unpunished."

John accepted, "We expect this to be soon Mr. President." The hologram of Nathaniel Falson faded as John saw the representatives still in meeting when Felix observed, "We are fortunate to have convinced him of the resources we have left to spare."

Ian agreed, "Once these two reserves have been sent to Earth, the Coalition's remaining forces will all be concentrated at Brussels and L2. Everything else will be mobile dolls that we are easily capable of controlling."

Norio added, "We must keep our expectations level however. There is the full possibility that the president was tricked only by his strategist and the occupation will proceed as we agreed to."

John agreed, "We are only taking this as a very hopeful gamble. In fact, more of a contingency plan should the remainder of the Coalition not collapse upon itself if this powder keg we are planting does in fact explode. We will bear witness to a final act of war among the occupants of Earth, and they will be unable to fight back when they are too worn and tired by inflicting damage upon themselves. We will have the perfect army to respond to such chaos. One that does not have any concern for favor for who the rightful leader of the human race."

John turned to view through his nearby window the resource he would have at his disposal. An entire army of Leo III mobile suits stood in front of him but with no pilots to occupy them. For the first time in many years the Coalition would have mobile dolls at its disposal to ensure it would have an army that never fell. He added to his dedication of the plan, "Once we have laid claim over the Earth, there will be no opposition to how we impose order. We will have no one to speak against the will of the colonies and their claim.

Because of the power outage Colonel Rumfoord couldn't tell what was happening with the fighting outside or hear any reports from the control tower. It was even more risky that the launch was going to have to be manual because of the lost power. He turned to one of his operators trying to get an assessment of the battle. "What is the progress against the enemy?"

"We can't say for sure sir. According to the report from Captain Houston the enemy forces have by now been reduced by 40%. And you probably got a glimpse of what numbers they were throwing at us earlier."

"Certainly something we achieved." The Colonel commented. "Can we confirm the flight path out of here is clear from enemy fire?"

"In a little bit sir. The enemy still has forces trying to enter Luna space and our crew isn't completely accounted for."

"We need them to arrive back. Find what crew hasn't been accounted for and we'll begin our launch out of here."

"Yes sir."

Steven wasn't entirely surprised to see the headquarters would be brought under siege at this point. Though it was unique to see another Chairman come out of his way to greet his supposed defeat. "Belmonte..." He greeted. "I'm afraid that it may not be so. The units outside are still functioning. They may be more of an effort to handle than you would wish."

The Architect reminded the Chairman, "We are likely past the point of giving warnings Mr. Chairman. It is only action that will deter the enemy from opposing us now."

Simone hid his frustration with a smile. "But I can still stop you from prolonging this war." He replied deadpan to the Chairman. He shot him point blank in the head with his ornate pistol with the bullet going through the head, putting an end to the Chairman.

As soon as Architect I saw Simon prepare to fire at the Architect's Chairman he knew this was the end of the line. "Not without my final contribution." He announced when he entered a command into his data pad. The information was sent to the Artemis as soon as he entered the command and made sure to press the pad to his heart. It didn't do anything to protect him from being shot of course, but it at least made sure the information couldn't be recovered. The two leading forces of LDS had been killed but for the good of the Lunar people. At least this was what Maja Wright would be able to state after their announced end.

After a second without break he fired a life-ending shot in the heart of Architect I, the man responsible for making the war longer. The empty casings were dropped to the floor as Devanear's Chairman unloaded them from his pistol, hot from the shots. He turned to his guards. "Dispose of the bodies." He ordered. "We'll put an end to the Architect's plans for good. Make sure the shuttles can't leave."

Tano's reloading was done when the Gundam got his attention. "That's a good boy." He commented. He then moved to the wreckage of a battleship for cover and the Gundam followed with superior speed, catching up. Before the Gundam can attack, Leo IIIs used their machineguns at it, allowing the Sagittarius to find cover while distracted. The distraction was cut short as when the Sagittarius was about to aim, there was no traces of his squad. The Gundam quickly found him and closed in with the shotels combined with the shield. The Sagittarius was too late to fire as it was grabbed by its cockpit and crushed. Once the Sandesgeist was sure it was defeated, it flew away to fight more Coalition Mobile Suits.

Tano was able to survive at the cost of the Mobile Suit. The screens were smashed and where the shotels pierced was visible, nearly slicing him. With his right arm injured, he broke open the emergency hatch and grabbed a flare gun from the storage compartment. He got out to see the damage done to the Sagittarius, beyond repair. The Mobile Suit served him well and he will remember how it was destroyed. He fired a flare to be picked up by an ally.

Elias looked over the crew entering their shuttles hoping that soon they would have their way out. "We're in the final stages, how much of our crew has made it?"

"They're almost all accounted for sir. We should be able to launch at any time."

"Damn it, those men need to get back here now!" In contrast to his usual observing manner, Elias contacted the three Gundams, "All Gundams return to the base location! We need to begin the launch ASAP!" Regardless of what damage had been done to the Coalition fleet they were no longer the first concern. Reaching Earth when it was so nearby was the only goal for the Earth Sphere's final hope.

"Almost got it there..." Dana prepared for what felt like just another flight maneuver but knew it was another opportunity to take out an enemy battleship. The Sol Thero units were probably taking casualties at some point but they would be laughable compared to what the Coalition was suffering. The Artemis swept down in its signature aileron roll and fired its buster cannon towards the engine of the ship. Once the explosion began it once again sped away from the damage. "It's almost becoming a slaughter out here... What the?" She found a message appear on her main monitor from Architect I. "Looks like that's something for later. Wonder where the next target is anyway?" She thought briefly before preparing for further attacks on the Coalition forces.

William turned around the corner to find that the growing number of Devanear soldiers confirmed his worst scenario. He rushed back to the other end of the hallway regrouping with his fellow operators with only a curse to offer. "Damn... Looks like we're too late."

"How? What just happened in there?"

William was regretful when he reported on what had just happened. "The Chairman is dead. Let's get out of here."

Another one of the operators kicked the wall in the same mindset. "Well shit this is what the power down was for. This happen because the Chairman went against the Secondary Representative too many times."

"That's the abridged version of it. This place is probably finished now." William knew that now was the time to make a retreat. Unfortunately there wasn't much room on Luna for escaping soldiers.
Probably the only option came up when one of the operators pointed out, "We can probably hitch a ride to Earth if we're quick though."

The other operators seemed to agree with the idea hoping to see their Major would see reason in this. "It's better than nothing. We're not going to achieve much just waiting here." He gestured them to follow towards the nearest paths to the shuttle bays. Hopefully if they were lucky, they wouldn't run into any more Devanear soldiers prepared to hunt down the last members of LDS.

There were waves of soldiers coming to the shuttles. Ermes managed to check on the shuttle with the Ursas pilots, also taking up rifles to fend off the attackers. he had the advantage of cover and soldiers were forced into the open to seize the shuttle. He thought he saw some LDS crewmen stopped firing. He decided to try to offer shelter for them if things are worse than he thinks.

One of the Leo III mobile suits saw a flare out in the distance near the wreckage of one of the destroyed battleships. "Sir, one of ours is out there!"

The squad leader was against the protocol pointing out, "You plan on dying today? Those things have got us pinned down as it is!" The Sol Thero units were prepared to destroy everything that got in their path and moving out now meant risking the chance to go face to face with them for the first and most likely last time.

The pilot was against leaving someone to die though and simply pushed forward with her conviction. "I'll head out and see what I can do sir!"

The squad leader was powerless to stop it when he saw the Leo III move out and several Sol Thero units intercepting them. "Damn it... Form up! We need to keep those things from getting to the main flagships!"

While the final defense was going forward the pilot managed to find the destroyed Sagittarius mobile suit knowing who was the victim in this situation. "The Sagittarius... Damn, how did things get this desperate?" She found the pilot and stretched out her mobile suit hand praying, "Come on... Be alive..."

William and the remaining soldiers managed to find their way to the hangar bay with their hopes to find a way off Luna. The Denavear soldiers found them at various corners but most of the crew managed to find their way to safety. They were only a few rooms away from the shuttle bay when William saw the soldiers preparing to engage them again. "Come on! Let's get a move on!" He checked the other rooms and found out the hangar bay was nearby. "We're almost there, just got a little further to go!" William was now leading a dozen people in their attempt to escape the invading forces. He was thankful there would be enough spacesuits to fit but they would have to be used to mean anything.

William fired at several nearby soldiers as he saw the crew donning their spacesuits. "Major! We need to get on board!"

"We've still got the hangar door to worry about!"

"Move it! We can't take any more casualties!" Once everyone had made their way out of the halls William prepared his pistol for the entry panel and fired. If anything, it would probably buy enough time for the shuttle to take off.

One of the crew members saw what was done and pointed out their situation, "I think we've lost 'em for now sir. Looks like we'll have to open the hangar doors manually though. Might take more time than we have."

William knew that it was time for them to get out of there, but the crew had to be ready to help out with the entry. "We will still need somebody to open them. If there won't be any volunteers, I could use the help."

One of the crew members stepped forward. "I'm right behind you sir."

Another one assured, "I'm ready to assist sir."

He gave an order to one of the operators, "Well at least we still have some soldiers. Stay close and prepare to take off. Contact one of the nearby shuttles and Colonel Rumfoord should allow us to accompany them."

"Yes sir. We'll follow through." The crew managed to find its way towards the shuttle doors while the main operator made contact with Colonel Rumfoord's shuttle. "Shuttle LS-1101 this is LS-1138. We are requesting your authorization to follow in the descent to Earth."

"Now prepare the locking mechanism to disengage. The secondary one will require simultaneous disengagement so head to the center and left-hand ones once this one has been removed." William gave the instructions hoping that the locking mechanism would go safely.

"Yes sir. We're on it."

"Alright you guys ready?" The two crew members made their way towards the respective locking mechanisms preparing to follow the instruction. With the zero gravity the move was rather easy but it had to be done quickly or the crew would be compromised.

"Prepared to disengage sir."

William signaled to the other two, "3,2,1,. Turn!" "Good work. Now comes the real heavy lifting. Get to the center and separate these two from both sides."

"Easy enough sir."

When William and the other managed to begin making their separation the door slowly managed to open giving the shuttle a way out. "Rrrr… We should just be another few meters…"

Just when they seemed to have a way out an explosion could be seen from the balcony. "Sir! What was that?!"

William looked up to see the enemy soldiers making their way into the hangar. "Damn. Looks like they got through. Keep pushing and get the shuttle ready to launch!"

"Sir! What about you?!"

It was obvious the crew member was worried about his own wellbeing but needed to have some kind of way out. "Our goal is to minimize causalities to our forces. We can at least pull that off if we get the shuttle out of here."

"We'll do it sir! This shouldn't take long now!" The other crew member prepared. The doors were still being pushed open by the strength of the crew members and would soon be enough to just barely give enough space for the shuttle to launch.

He contacted the operator prepared to begin the launch without regards to the authorization the Colonel would give and ordered, "Attention 1138! Make the launch now!"

Demetrios saw the Coalition forces continue to be decimated by the black mobile suits and knew that it would be a matter of time before they were forced to make a retreat. One of the operators emphasized this when he reported their status. "Admiral! Our forces won't hold for much longer! The enemy is estimated to make a launch at any moment!"

Among the areas of the battlefield Demetrios saw one area where his ship might be able to find a way to the lunar base. It would be a very risky move but he enlisted in the military knowing that such an event would probably befall him one day. "Press past the enemy! We must see their main base eliminated! The Gundams cannot reach Earth!"

The fear of the outcome was confirmed among the crew when one operator observed their position on the hologram. "Sir! If we charge any further we'll still be in range of the enemy and expose ourselves to the Gundams!"

The Admiral smacked the operator hard when he reiterated, "Better we see them stranded here than permit them a chance to disrupt our victory on Earth! Carry out the command!"

The helmsman reluctantly agreed to the order when he "Moving out! Targeting the enemy hangar!"