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 38: Shooting Stars Torn Asunder

Zelma found Alphonse being led out of the building and towards the limo outside. "General. Follow me." There wasn't any issue with the General as he made his way down and Zelma checked on the guards performing their duties. "Escort him to the passenger seat. I must check the status of the Tallgeese." She gave the order as she took out her phone while finding a secure area.

"Yes Agent."

Once Zelma was alone and couldn't be heard she contacted Barra on the other line. The status of President Kecker would be crucial at this point and considering she was to be sent along with General Alphonse. "What is the status of the defenses?"

"They appear to only be increasing within the Parliamentary Building. If they continue to grow infiltration will be completely out of the question."

"At least Mr. Kecker has been contained within the hands of the Coalition. See that he continues to stay there. We must find a way for his trial to come soon."

"If the plans of President Falson work out however the trial may come to pass."

"It will be a regrettable loss. But a necessary one if it does indeed work." She hung up the phone and made her way back to the limo to prepare for the trip to Rome. She ordered one of the nearby officers, "See that the Tallgeese Authority is optimized for combat. We may be headed to a different climate sometime soon."

Once Rayen had made his way out of the office he made his way to greet Edward who eagerly awaited the President's evaluation. "What did the President have to say about me?"'

Rayen shook his head when he gave the unfortunate news, "He seems to be shaken by the chaos you've caused at the Testudo. Rightfully so. Strategist Stephens went out of his way to see that he would win favor with the President. It will be a while before we are able to find him in a secluded area."

Edward cursed, "Damn him. Both he and President Kecker are in this building and I won't be allowed near them at this point. If we cannot find the ammunition for the Testudo any time soon then this usurping will take fare longer than we hoped."

Rayen rubbed his chin when he observed, "You're right. It will be so unless we have a situation that is desperate enough to warrant utilizing the Testudo's potential again."

Edward realized the solution was right in that statement. "That's it... We need a new threat for the Coalition to stand against."

"And where will we obtain such a foe?"

"We have them in the building right now..."

There was a pause between the two as they looked over the crowd that was inside the Parliamentary Building and how many Earth Sphere soldiers would be under their captivity. Rayen smiled when he commented, "I see... We will have to be discreet if we are going to give them a chance to escape."

Edward saw the imprisoned personnel and found one of the soldiers next to the one who was supposed to be Heero Yuy. Perhaps it was his age, but Edward didn't expect the veteran to be thinking of his own plan at the moment to usurp the Coalition's hold. He was every bit a likely addition to the plan however. "Him. Over there. Bring him to me." He gestured towards Hyrum.

Rayen agreed, "Very well then. I will have to overlook the status of the Testudo for now." Rayen told one of the soldiers next to him, "That man down there. Bring him to General Blare." As Oleg gave his report on the events at the Testudo and everything with the battle in Brussels, he hoped for one final action of forgiveness. "Mr. President. Is it possible for you to forgive me for my actions at the Testudo?"

"You only acted on what information you had at the time soldier. As did we all. It seems that General Blare was making an honest attempt to usurp Strategist Stephens from taking over the Testudo. We will have to begin an investigation on this matter if we are to ever prevent this sort of chaos again."

Oleg found his luck cursed when he came out finding the President mostly ambivalent towards his actions with the Testudo battlefield. Rayen at least seemed willing to hear out his disappointment. "I could have done something to make up for this. The Gundams should be destroyed by one of their own."

"They are another target for us to be addressed at another time private. Agent Zelma has been charged with this mission and it is your time to be the defender of the Coalition's cause." Rayen found this pilot's conviction to be commendable but might be something working against him. If he would continue to play the loyal soldier however, there shouldn't be any issues with him staying in the Aquarius though.

"I will fulfil my duty sir. If I might ask for permission to inquire on the President's strategy with the Earth Sphere Generals however, does he anticipate them to actually have a chance in defeating them?"

It was a "If you are familiar with the strategy, the implications of this attack should become apparent once their decision has been broadcast."

"Perhaps so. I hope I will be able to test the Aquarius against something more powerful than the simple Ursa unit at some point however."

"It may happen. This war has taken several turns we did not anticipate although they may soon end. Get some rest. We shall await the further developments." This portion of the plan would be crucial. He had to see where Oleg would head to for his rest at the end of the day.

Instructor W continued to look after Lord Lindemann, who remained silent. His health was declining from not eating despite persuading to. They were located in Marsailles, where they had plans to leave Europe through a ferry that will take them to Tripoli. He only hoped that he would still be able to arrive with the intention of coming out alive rather than continue in his currently defeated behavior.

The Instructor received the news of an attempted attack by the French forces as he listened to a radio reporting everything that had been occurring within the last few hours. It shook him with the fact that desperation is abundant in the Earth Sphere. He knew there has to be some resistance, but his hands were tied with the protection of the man he pledged his support to.

With the knowledge that the man overheard what had just occurred, the instructor approached him, "My Lord. I think you heard about the French forces trying to take back Brussels."

Till was unmoved when he simply finished, "And they failed. There's no hope."

The instructor felt the aura of defeat emanating. "But the Gundams are still on their way here." He pointed out. "Your daughter will help us win the war."

The Lord's stance didn't change. He still saw the Coalition's victory. "I'm thinking of giving up." He announced. "I don't care about the war. I can live as a hermit in Africa."

Rather than feeling a need to offer sympathy for his plight, the uncharacteristic sense of loss instead angered Instructor W, "And let your daughter die, not knowing that you gave up?" He replied to the pessimism and grabbed the collar of the man's shirt. "If you let efforts to save the Earth Sphere go in vain, you're supporting the Falsons! I promised Donna to protect you and you may as well try to help her if you consider yourself the Patriarch of the Lindemann family! Will you let Griselda and your children mean that little to you?"

The sorrow that Till initially had in his eyes dissipated as soon as he heard the name of his wife mentioned. He looked up to the instructor and told him in a cold voice, "No one uses the memory of my wife in such a matter."

Instructor W pressed further, "Then what do you plan to do with it? Will you allow any other man to take credit for the effort that you put forth into this conflict?"

Till removed the instructor's hands from his collar when he told him, "I funded the construction of Gundam Sandesgeist. There is no other man alive who deserves to profit from my actions but me. If I must demonstrate that I seek true justice to be given more than that of another man, then I will be sure to emphasize it with my dedication to furthering this era of carnage until the entire Coalition is forced to view their grave mistake all the way from that rock they base themselves on in space."

The returning morale numbed the pain he had in his shot leg. He turned to the Instructor. "We will make sure the Gundams will win!" He said in confidence. He took his walking stick out and ran out of the hotel room they were staying in.

The Instructor was taken aback by Tills new vow, but knew that the decision he had brought the mad lord back to the sort of fervor that he was known for. "We need only wait for the Gundams now. If we are fortunate, it will only be a matter of time before we determine if our dedication will be enough to prove that we are more than just simple words. As long as you have that sort of dedication, Till Lindemann, I can offer you all the support you can ask for."

Maja Wright was glad to be unaffected by the battle when she saw the debris clearing from afar and the Sol Thero units landing on the Lunar surface from her observation camera. One of the Lunar Chairmans entered her room with a report on what had been done in the last few moments. "The battle has ended Representative. The Sol Thero units appear to be awaiting further orders and the Coalition has retreated."

The Coalition had been bested here but Maja still tried to find out just what they would do now that two fleets had been destroyed by far inferior numbers. She knew that it was possible to claim neutrality from this battle, it was only a question of seeing Zlata never setting foot in her area again. For now, she only had to ensure her financial plan would come into effect. "And what of President Belmonte?"

"Killed in the debris Representative. The main portion of LDS has been destroyed. We did manage to recover an amount of the research and figures however."

She was handed a folder with documents detailing some basic concepts and achievements LDS had been successful with. Initially she thought about seeing President Belmonte as a key ally, but this situation gave her something far better from a business perspective. "Hm…. On the bright side I just made two million shares of stock." One of the final documents showed that the long line of officials intended to take over the company were most likely dead. "By default, I will now have to personally oversee operations at Lunar Development Sciences. It is time to see if there is anything that can be recovered from this destruction."

As Tano continued to recover from his injuries several pilots saw the doctor leaving him and checking down what was recognized for his condition. One of them was the first to ask, "So how's his recovery going?"

The doctor looked over the observations and concluded, "Fairly well. Most of the lacerations have been taken care of but the arm will still need some work by the time he wakes up. Thankfully the worst that can happen now is that he will have significant pain course through his arm for a long duration of time."

Cao was in near disbelief when she heard this and quickly asked before anyone else, "It could have been worse than that?"

"Considering the condition of his suit at the time and how he was found, significantly." The effects of space were great, and it showed with Tano's condition. Humanity still had to fight within this eternal vacuum as the mobile suits made their way into space, but the effects were more harrowing than many would want to believe. Even with these in mind the crew still didn't understand the pain that Tano was going through within his own mind at that moment.

Tano was in the medical bay of the ship. He was dreaming for the years that were gone, the day when the war arrived in his home. He was still unconscious from the injury, but he was reliving the past in his mind.

Once Tano was fully brought under the sedatives he was now ready for the operation on his arm. Hopefully the hard part would be over and the lacerations could heal on their own. "There you go. Private Kiprotich is going to be a while before he's combat ready again." He told Cao when she left. He began to position parts of Tano's arm for the casting when he spoke to himself, "Just hope it's enough to handle where this has to go..."

Sirens were heard across an L5 Colony, warning of a Coalition attack. People were looking for the shelters long-neglected for they thought war was only going to be a fairytale. There was a boy that was ignorant of what was going to happen until a pair of adults, his parents found him in a playground. The boy approached them unaware of what was going to happen. "What's going to happen?" He asked his father. "Why are people in a hurry?"

His father was hesitant to talk about the situation. "We'll be going to the shelter." He explained carefully. "Everyone, your friends and teachers are going to be there."

The mother grabbed her son. "That's why we need to go now." She added.

The boy nodded, not sensing that something is wrong. "Let's go then!" He said.

"We'll make it in time Tano." His father assured.

Tano was able to tell something was wrong while he was moving to evacuate with his parents. Leos, from the lack of training fought in the populated areas of the colony, causing more damage to what they're supposed to defend when they are destroyed by superior Leo IIs. The screams and chaos were from the destruction around. He was briefly able to find a dead body, but he was dragged on by his parents. They came to a stop when the official of the Colony and a few armed guards were in front of them.

"What's the meaning of this?" Asked a civilian close by.

"Calm down people, I have a plan that will stop the Coalition from attacking." The official announced. "Bring the women and children in front of us so they will be used as shields! The Coalition will know not to fire on them."

The Colony official held a speaker to address the coalition. Behind him were his guards making sure nobody would try to resist. "To the invaders of the Colony! Stop your attacks or my guards will kill the women and children of the Colony!"

Outroar immediately followed with the corrupt Colony official's plan. The guards tried to grab Tano and his mother for the human shield but his father tried to push them away. "Get your hands off them!" He roared. The resistance didn't last long when he was shot in the guts, visible for Tano. He thought his eyes were deceiving him when he saw his father die. He and his mother were taken away and his father was left on the ground to bleed to death in pain.

The Leo unit that stood in front of the gunned down official opened its cockpit when the pilot leapt down to announce, "Get to safety! Damage to the colony is not going to progress any longer!" The civilians made their way towards the nearest building while Tano felt his mothers hand slip from his grip as she was grabbed by another man and dragged to their destination. Tano didn't' let himself be dragged away from the feet of the older Chinese pilot. He ran up to him when the pilot asked, "What are you doing? Get to safety!"

Tano grabbed the man's leg when he asked, "Why didn't you get here sooner? Everyone needed you!"

The pilot placed a hand on his head when he told Tano, "There's more people out there than we imagined. People are dying at a faster rate than we're able to manage. I'm sorry, but the Preventers were not equipped to handle a task like this."

Tano asked, "What's that supposed to mean? You guys are supposed to stop this sort of thing from happening!"

The pilot agreed, "There were those who believed in the power of human progression more than they should have. Now we're all about to pay for that lack of preparation. All I can say now is that this is what we are forced to accept for our ignorance."

Tano asked, "But you can do it right? You can still stop those bad people from destroying everything?"

The pilot looked up to see Leo II units heading towards his position when he told Tano, "I promised myself that I would fight alone until the day I died. I want to live up to that part today. You have to live boy. You and everyone who has ever believed in what we built needs to eb come a reality."

Tano pointed out, "But you said it was your fault! You didn't let everybody be ready for this!"

The pilot looked up to see Leo II units heading towards his position when he told Tano, "I promised myself that I would fight alone until the day I died. I want to live up to that part today. You have to live boy. You and everyone who has ever believed in what we built needs to eb come a reality."

Tano pointed out, "But you said it was your fault! You didn't let everybody be ready for this!"

The pilot confirmed, "There's people who have more power than me and I have to listen to them. That's what being a soldier requires sometimes. It's up to you and everyone to correct the mistakes that we made. So that we can one day realize that best in what we aspired for."

Tano watched the pilot make his way back up to the cockpit when he asked, "Who are you mister?"

The pilot answered, "My name is Wufei Chang. I've made my share of mistakes as well, but now it's time for me to change what I can."

Tano saw Wufei close the cockpit of his Leo unit as it made a dash towards the advancing Leo II units and fired his dober gun on each nearby enemy. Several explosions erupted as he saw the devastation continue but could see the effort on Wufei's part to destroy each on comer. He saw one Leo II after another make a dash towards his location but Wufei's Leo stood up as they paved through the narrow passage of crumbled colony buildings.

Before any more of the oncoming Leos were destroyed, Tano saw Wufei was in danger firing on his enemies. Tano was not able to comprehend the idea of a mobile suit running out of ammunition at the time and told him, "Keep shooting! Keep shooting!" Instead Wufei's Leo unit fired its Vulcan cannon in an effort to offer damage to one incoming unit that made its way towards him before drawing out his beam saber to prepare for an oncoming attack. The Leo IIs however fired their dober guns as Wufei was forced to back away in an effort to find some defense.

Wufei's Leo unit then surprised Tano and the Leo II pilots as he made a dash towards them and made a crescent slice across their guns to result in small explosions that forced them backwards. The battle for Wufei was going in his favor as he fired one round of his Vulcan guns after another towards the incoming attackers before he found his mobile suit run out of ammunition again. For Wufei there was only the sight of a handful of Leo units before he could claim victory, but Tano saw the chances for his triumph dwindle in an instant. What seemed to be an endless stream of Leo II units marched their way towards Wufei's location while some descended from the buildings above and fired on Wufei's location. Even against such odds, Wufei's Leo unit didn't back away and instead made one sweep with his beam sword after another. It was on Tano's voice that he tried to warn Wufei, "Leave! Get out of there!"

His pleas were in vain as he saw one Leo II unit fire is dober gun and shoot off the head of Wufei's Leo unit. Wufei's Leo began to wail its beam sword in every direction it could manage and only was able to slice one Leo II across the chest before another one fired towards his legs and forced Wufei to the ground.

Even in such a state, Wufei's unit raised its arms and brought its saber to a defensive stance on the ground. Tano was stricken in horror as he watched Wufei's unit offer its final attempt at a defense when he called, "Wufei! Don't do this! Get out of there!" The screams went unheard as the Leo unit took many shots to the cockpit area but erupted in an explosion from the contact. The sight of Wufei's demise was something that seared its way into Tanos mind as he watched the last Preventer fall at the hands of the Coalition.

The clouds of the explosion continued to remain as Tano fell on his back and felt himself lose consciousness from the ongoing devastation.

When Tano began to wake up, he found himself inside a tent with rhythmic electric beep of an EKG measuring his heart rate. He woke up to view the surroundings when he looked for whoever was next to him. There were colony citizens he recognized right next to him as he processed his area. Looking up he saw a younger Devon Keaney greet, "Nice to see you're all in one piece kid. Some of us were worried you wouldn't pull through."

Tano asked in response, "Where am I?"

Devon answered, "One of the civilian tents kid. We've made sure that everybody had the chance to get out safe. From what I heard you were right outside one of the big showdowns. I know this is a lot to process, especially for you kid, but were any of your relatives out there and were you looking for them?"

Tano fought back crying in front of Devon when he remembered his father gunned down. He struggled against the confines of his bed when he asked, "Where's my mom? Save her!"

Devon looked over the patients and over his shoulder when he made his way for Tanos restraints and asked, "Do you think you're able to walk kid?"

Tano nodded as he prepared to leap out of his bed and rush to his mother's side. Devon undid the restraint as he saw Tano leap up and search around for his mother. It took a short search but Tano saw his mother in the same position he was kept earlier. Worse however she would not look up or even move slightly. She wouldn't recognize any of Tanos noise or his calls. After every call for her that Tano could think of he begged, "Mom! Why won't you wake up?"

Devon kept hold of Tano while several conscious patients and field medics made their way into the tent when one of the medics asked, "What's the racket? Is this the kids mother?"

Devon nodded, "It seems to be the case. He was going to be this active if he was kept restrained anyway."

Tano turned to the medic with tears in his eyes when he asked, "Is she dead? Who killed her?"

The medic knelt in front of him when he answered, "Your mother isn't dead. But she's been hurt very bad. Right now she can't do anything to stand up or move. It will be a while before she can even talk again."

Tano remained under Devon's grip when Tano accused, "It was you! You all had to come in and hurt everybody!"

Devon kept Tanos wailing in his embrace when he told him, "Let it out kid. Listen to me when it's all done."

Tano wailed until the night hours of the colony came around. Devon and Tano sat next to each other as they looked over the recent destruction that had ravaged the interior of the colony while the survivors were located to a nearby area where Tano's tent was located. Tano broke the silence when he spoke, "This all happened because of you."

Devon sighed when he accepted, "Escalating it right away huh kid? I can't sugar coat it, yeah, we pretty much caused this. If it wasn't going to be here, it would have been somewhere else. This was just unavoidable."

Tano hit Devon's arm when he told him, "If you didn't attack us, this wouldn't have happened! You're all killers and should be hit for what you did!"

Devon told him, "I wish things could be made easier than that kid. This whole thing wouldn't have happened if we had a where people were forced to pay for what they did."

Tano asked, "But you know what you did. Why do you want to punish yourself?"

Devon explained, "Not myself kid. I did what should be a bad thing, you're right. But we've all been called out here to find the guy who's getting away with being a bad guy."

Tano was confused when he pointed out, "Nobody is. Bad people were supposed to be gotten rid of a long time ago."

Devon nodded before he explained, "There are just some bad people out there who can be really sneaky kid. Years ago, someone on Earth killed someone and got away with it. That's how things have gotten on Earth now and nobody else wants to accept that. To put it blunt kid, there are liars out there. There are people who will tell the biggest lies they can tell if it means they can take advantage of others."

Tano was stricken with the answer as he considered the explanation that Devon left him with. He was being forced to accept the idea that someone had the intention to make his life a nightmare even without Devon's attack. He tried to rationalize the situation by asking, "Was Wufei being bad to? Is that why he had to die?"

Devon looked in the distance when he answered, "So he was among the Preventers after all. It could be like that at the end of the day kid. Or some people just don't want to see the truth. We just can't convince everybody that they're giving their lives for a bad guy. It's harder to explain than just this kid, but one day you'll be able to process everything that has happened and you'll need to ask yourself if you plan on letting liars be in power or making them pay for what they did."

Tano looked to the colony cityscape when he looked forlornly at the recent destruction and asked, "Stuff like this is still going to happen a lot more though isn't it?"

Devon agreed, "We're all just a bunch of inept people trying to make sense of where we are. A lot of people still can't agree with how we're supposed to do that. With someone like you out here, you could change things around. You might just be strong enough to make other people see their mistakes."

Tano nodded when he considered Devons explanation and told him, "If I have to then I'll be out there. I don't want to see a place like this again."

Devon accepted Tano's answer, "If we have it our way kid, you won't have to help us. It would be pretty kick ass to have you serve under me though. Maybe one day you will have to just reflect on what you had to view and how it can all be changed."

The word that Devon left on Tano gave such an impression that it became one of the last few things Tano was able to comprehend as he struggled to wake up. His weakened body however refused to budge even a little bit upwards when he found the most he could do was open his eyes in an attempt to recognize where he was located while his vision became a mess that he tried to comprehend. It was the most he was capable of before the weight of his eyelids weighed themselves over his eyeballs and back into a slumber.

Edward left the Parliamentary Building with a satisfied look on his face while Rayen walked next to him and informed, "I don't want to keep the President disappointed. He will require some "results" from me very soon."

Edward accepted, "I shall have to assist in the effort. I believe that there might have been some in the Earth Sphere who are hoping to assist in the death of the president."

The two men nodded as they separated and proceeded to follow their duties. Edward looked to his right when he saw Julian appear and ask, "Did everything go as planned sir?"

Edward smiled when he confirmed, "The situation is very much in our favor now. It is unfortunate we had to lose so much in our efforts to make the best of this scenario. Even then I still have more than a few variables to consider."

Jens appeared when he commented, "Pardon me for eavesdropping sir, but are we even going to be able to have a realistic chance at winning by now?"

Edward entered his tent while his guards followed before telling them, "We will have to consider a great deal how we can change things. As of now there is no scenario other than the arrival of the Gundams that will convince him to offer us the chance to reload the Testudo. We already are faced with an army that is less damaged than ours even after General de Lombard's attempt to invade. There are a few however who could offer us some assistance."

Susanne heard the observation when she asked, "Are you referring to General Celler or General Kung's men sir?"

Edward corrected, "They have a less convenient loyalty than even Bertram had. A loyalty to the colonies. If Nathaniel's removal somehow benefits their capture of the Earth, he will only be an obstacle removed from their intentions. We have to be more persuasive to another force more willing to cooperate. This way we will have less of a concern about who has the potential to bring about our downfall."

Celso entered the conversation when he asked, "So you're talking about possibly getting a few soldiers of the Earth Sphere to be the first casualties aren't you sir? I'd assume that there are at least a few who could be convinced."

Edward confirmed, "Once they have the opportunity to save their president, there are few who will claim to attempt to act alone. The crushing demise of their prior attempts will make them more desperate than cautious. We have as of now the strength of two brigades and the Aquarius. Regardless of how many are sent, we need concern ourselves with the chance of being worthwhile soldiers. I will require that at least ten men are taken down before any of our numbers is permitted death."

Julian commented, "It's always been easier said than accomplished sir, but I think we might be able to maintain more of the Earth Sphere forces without raising President Falson's suspicion."

Jens promised, "I'll make up for anyone who doesn't come through on their mission to do that sir."

Susanne accepted, "We have the dedication sir. Right now, we just need to convince some of the Earth Sphere ranks to be filed under the ranks of the city."

Edward agreed, "That is very accomplishable. Julian, you were capable of matching Bertram's handwriting and making the document authentic. I believe creating a legitimate order from Nathaniel to transfer the men o the Parliamentary Building should be within your capability."

Julian confirmed, "That's what I call a use of my skills sir. I'll just have to make sure no one suspects any growing number in the Earth Sphere captives."

Edward dismissed the concern when he told him, "The main forces of the Earth Sphere brigades will soon be sent to meet with the survivors of the recent shuttle landing. While thy have ben dealt with, we will simply have to concern ourselves with one final uprising in this fragile Coalition. The opportunity to at least see to the end what should have been achieved."

Julian began his work as he prepared his newly written orders for the men in the city when he agreed, "We sure do know how to create considerable chaos under the nose of our enemies."

The fallen base was being occupied by the renegade Earth Sphere soldiers who managed to take the Nornir Triumvirate as their new hope for defeating the Coalition. Daisuke looked around the crumbled remains as he searched one of the hangar bays still standing before looking inside to confirm, "We've at least got a few to claim. These Leo IIIs are still in top shape."

One of the other soldiers looked inside to confirm, "At least two. A resistance movement has to start somewhere doesn't it?"

Christian was behind them when he warned, "Keep an eye out for any soldiers who are still alive. Fix that if you find any."

Daisuke asked, "We aren't taking any prisoners?"

Christian confirmed, "Right now we don't have the luxury to do so."

He heard a blip from one of his walkie talkie before Christoph's voice announced, "Hey Christian, we have a reading."

Christian perked up at the announcement when he contacted back, "You're saying that Richard found something?"

Christoph confirmed, "We weren't being fooled. We've got a lot of dropships at the expected drop zones. Most of them unoccupied. These reinforcements are probably not moving out already."

Christian groaned at the news. He knew where the forces of General Darren Celler was headed. Daisuke pointed out, "If we don't move now, Brussels is going to be overpacked with Coalition guys who will hold the fort down."

Christian agreed, "You guys take the mobile suits you can grab. We have to move out now."

He turned away from the hangar as he rushed to the location of where he parked the Urth Gundam and contacted Christoph, "This will have to be fast. I don't see just one of us handling every reinforcement alone."

Christoph agreed from the cockpit of the Clotho Gundam, "I thought so. If anything we draw the Coalition away from Brussels."

Christian climbed into his Gundam as he made his way into his cockpit and activated the Urth Gundam with a destination set. "Let's show them what we got!" The two Gundams made a dash through the base as they headed for Morselle while their fellow Earth Sphere supporters watched on in interest for what was progressing. As the two Gundams made their dash across the countryside, there was only a brief amount of time before both brothers saw the Lachesis Gundam in the distance making a dash away from several squadrons of Leo III units. Christoph made a push forward as he prepared the central weapons of the Clotho and asked, "Richard! How many of them are there?"

The Lachesis continued to make its dash away from enemy fire while Richard answered, "About 12 less than an entire brigade! If anything, I think we have their attention!"

There were several explosions on the ground as the Clotho drew an assault rifle from its chest and fired on the units pursuing the Lachesis. Christoph told him, "Remember that we are trying to draw them away from Brussels! Now quit running!"

Christoph fired on the pursuing Leo IIIs before seeing the Urth dash forward with its fists first and slammed its way through the cockpit area of two nearby enemy mobile suits before lifting its arms up and endured the incoming fire from the distance. Richard made his way to Christian's side as he fired from the light machine guns the Lachesis drew from its legs. The two endured the incoming fire while Richard asked, "We got a lot of them going down, can't we make a break for it now?"

Christian the question when he responded, "Not enough of them to get their attention! Keep unloading!"

The Urth made its dash forward as its arms took every shot that came in its direction while weaving around the ground shots. Christian pulled the arms of the Urth back before making another mighty pair of punches against the incoming Leo IIIs. Christian brought himself back on the defensive as he raised the arms of the Urth to endure gun fire from both sides before seeing a distant shot making its way towards him. He raised one of the arms to endure the shot but felt more fly his way and deal damage to his Gundam's midriff area and was pushed back from advancing. Christian warned, "We've got Sagittarius units out there."

Richard agreed, "We are not headed in that direction with that covering fire."

Christoph brought the Clotho forward when he told his brothers, "We aren't heading any further without cooperation. You guys stay behind me. Deal what damage you can dish out."

Richard took aim at the Coalition mobile suits that were making their progress before accepting, "This better be worth it."

The three Gundams charged towards the Coalition army as each one sent out a volley of missiles and gunfire towards the Sagittarius units in the distance while the Clotho took the hits that flew towards him. The Clotho was able to take every shot that Christoph could maneuver in front of while the warning sound of damage rang through the cockpit. He took a look at his systems to find his armor taking damage that threatened to penetrate his cockpit. He heard Richard report, "Christoph, we are taking more damage than we are dishing out right now! This shit is not worth the trouble!"

Christoph grit his teeth when he recognized the might of the defending army and ordered, "Well make the retreat, but keep an eye on the enemy!"

The Clotho and Lachesis made their retreat while the Urth remained in front and prepared another round of missiles. Each one flew towards the Coalition army as they destroyed one Leo III after another when a series of explosions made another line across the field. Instead of following Christoph's order, Christian made a dash forward with the Urth and prepared his arms for physical contact. Richard contacted him, "You trying to get yourself killed you idiot? We need to head back to base!"

Christian told him, "The Sagittarius units are making a retreat already! We're here to deal more damage than we can expect ourselves to!" The Urth continued its charge as it made its way to the small craters it recently formed before enduring more Sagittarius shots and preparing for more shots from the Leo IIIs. One shot made contact with the Urth's arms after another before the Urth made a mighty punch into the cockpit area of a Leo III and made a sweep with its other arm across the body of each nearby enemy mobile suit. Right after the mighty sweep, more Leo III units fired in the Urth's direction which quickly brought Christian on the defensive.

Even with the arms offering defense he found his Gundam taking damage from the nearby combined efforts. The shots to his legs made the ability to step back a more difficult motion. Christian brought one arm forward as he fired another volley of missiles towards his enemies as he kept himself ready for one blow of damage after another to brace himself against.

The worst outcome came as one shot managed to make contact with one of missiles and gave way to a mighty explosion right in front of his Gundam. Christian felt himself forced back as he endured the attacks before hearing his cockpit systems warn about the massive damage done to his primary defense. He looked at the warning on his screens when he cursed, "Shit! These things should have been built harder!"

Before he could make a charge, he saw the Clotho and Lachesis make their way next to him while offering supporting fire. Richard contacted, "Got enough of an excuse to do some repair work? Let's haul ass out of here already!"

Christoph added, "They aren't going anywhere! We just need to keep this momentum going after we take them on again!"

Christian defended himself against several more shots when he accepted, "You guys better be ready to deal as much as I have just now! Don't hold back on any pursuers!"

With that final comment, the Urth made a few steps back before turning around and making a dash away from the battlefield. The Lachesis and Clotho gave their supporting fire. A few Leo IIIs erupted before Christoph told Richard, "Let's not give Christian the wrong idea!"

The Clotho made its escape from the field while the Lachesis withdrew its machine guns and Richard turned when he said, "Wait up!" The three Gundams made their retreat as gunfire continued to fly in their direction. Richard commented, "I think we got their attention! Now tell me that we have some kind of plan past pissing them off!"

Christoph answered, "We should be able to make a safe retreat. We've got what we can from the base already."

Christian added, "I think it would be better to return sooner than later. We can't let them make their way to Brussels."

Richard accepted, "We'll be sure to note your suicide runs in future plans. Now shut up with that honor bullshit."

The three Gundams made their way to the raided base when Christoph announced through his Gundam's intercom, "We need to get out of here! Everybody grab what you can and return to our primary base!"

The Earth Sphere soldiers on the ground scrambled at the warning while two Leo III units stood up from the hangars and took hold of every nearby weapon while several soldiers loaded the available trucks with their acquisitions. Chrisotph checked behind their location when he warned, "They're closing in! Move out and try to lose them!"

The two Leo III mobile suits made their way to the outer edge of the base while the three Gundams stood waiting for their allies to retreat. Behind them, Daisuke spoke on his intercom, "Everyone's making their retreat. Are we following on that?"

Christoph looked behind him to see the remainder of the trucks following their remaining Leo III head the way back to Till Lindemann's hidden base. Christoph confirmed, "Keep watch of our guys. We'll need all the support we managed to get today." The three Gundams turned as they made their way to the base while Christian commented, "Whatever we're trying to do out here, I hope we pulled it off."

Christoph told him, "We managed to pull attention of that army away from Brussels. Right now that's as good a victory as we could manage."

Richard agreed, "If we're even alive tomorrow then that's enough to give us some advantage."

Christian groaned, "Playing out the long game. And I was hoping we could have gotten this all over with… I hope dad doesn't have to wait too long."

Edward looked over the prisoners of the French Brigade when he spoke, "Will the serving pilots of the Leo III mobile suits step forward now."

Campbell felt himself pushed up front alongside his fellow pilot when he asked, "What the hell? Where is the standing up for each other here?"

One of the Earth Sphere soldiers told him, "Somebody's going to answer for us, we might as well be honest."

Hyrum ran up to him when he said, "Come on! We can't have an execution! Are you guys really this low in standards?"

Edward saw Hyrum making his way to the front while the trapped soldiers struggled to find their way out. Alphonse spoke up, "Are you men or dogs? Do we prove these men our superior now? Was our cause so meaningless?" He made his way through the crowd when he told Edward, "I recognize these men are worthy of your discretion general. But if it is to be paid with anyone's demise, I beg you to let me be the only one who accepts the consequences of my orders."

Edward met Alphonse's view when he responded, "I am certain you would enjoy the opportunity general. As of right now I am only under orders to have a select number of your men observed for trial. I ask you and your men to cooperate or face a less discerning choice I have been permitted to exercise."

Several of Edward's men watched the entrance as they guided Campbell and one soldier after another out of the fence recently erected. Hyrum felt himself motioned to the group of soldiers sent to the exit before being guided out and towards the Parliamentary Building at gunpoint. Edward watched them march out of their prison before hearing Alphonse curse, "Rayen was fortunate to chose you as an ally. Had I no other option, I would have assumed this much out of a Coalition general."

Edward smiled when he told him, "You had a choice in not falling into the web of deceit that has been spun. I honestly did not even anticipate all of this myself. The fact that we are even all here now as the works of an elaborate mess that we allowed to be piled into this one city on Earth."

Jens reported to Edward, "The president's men are headed this way sir. We'll have to make this quick."

Edward nodded when he ordered, "Seal the entrance. Return to the building right away."

The soldiers under Edward's command shut off the gate while Edward saw them stretching out their hands in hopes of being rescued. Edward and Jens made a brisk walk away from the imprisonment as they made their way into the Parliamentary Building with is men following behind him. Everyone was gathered into a hallway when Edward asked, "What is our number of extractions?"

One of his men answered, "46 have been taken out sir."

Edward nodded when he accepted, "That will have to be enough for right now. Assuming we have another chance."

Campbell raised his voice when he asked, "What the hell even makes this such a problem you old fart? You trying to pull something?"

One of the Coalition soldiers hit him in the back of the head with his rifle before looking down on his body and asked, "Not so high and mighty when you're on the ground are you?"

Susanne appeared and yanked the rifle out of his hands and told him, "When the general wants someone disciplined, he will give you the permission."

Edward confirmed the action when he told them, "You should all consider yourselves fortunate to have been among those we have extracted. I do apologize for the deviant behavior that some of my men may take but as of right now I am your only chance to seeing this war end in your favor."

Hyrum stood out from the crowd when he asked, "We're going to need more than just some promise old man. We've already trusted one general of your kind only to end up where we are now."

Edward accepted the criticism when he told him, "I do not expect that I will have everyone's trust. But now you must ask yourselves. Will you continue to fight in order to preserve the lives of your superiors, or will you achieve the mission they had set out to accomplish?"

Hyrum looked away from Edward as he allowed him to walk away and simply responded, "I have no intention of being forced to choose between the two."

The flagship began to make its way towards the entry point and Norma's plan was about to take effect. "All hands prepare for the breaks! We are about to hit the edge of the thermosphere!" The flagship with the handful of ships that made its way out of the battle were now safely out of reach from the events on Luna, but this was not the time to allow a period of rest for anyone.

Once the ship reached its destination the ship made the sudden break that the crew was told to prepare for. The sudden push of force was hard on everyone who felt it, but the crew was well prepared for such a sudden motion. What little time was spent recovering from the breaks was cut short when Admiral Miles began to look through the hard calculations she and her strategist had prepared for this moment.

One of the operators saw the holographic map simulating the flight paths reporting, "Sir. We are now nearing the estimated point of interception. By the forecast the shuttles should be appearing within the next eight minutes."

Norma was quick to answer the challenge when she prepared her crew to be ready for combat. "All turrets stay on standby! Prepare the main cannon for firing!"

"Yes sir. All systems are prepared to fire."

"Stay with the countdown and wait for the arrival." Now that the ship was ready to fire on the mere announcement, Norma knew she had to give the fair warning to President Falson before the enemy had a possibility of landing. "Please patch me through to the President."

"Yes sir. Matching communication output with Brussels." The communications were managed and a holographic image of President Falson appeared before the Admiral ready to hear the report.

Norma made sure she was the first to greet when she stood at attention before her superior. "Mr. President. Admiral Norma Miles reporting."

"Greetings Admiral. How did the battle on Luna fair?"

Norma was less enthusiastic on this report when she attempted to determine the casualties. "A disaster sir. The enemy has a new mobile suit unit that decimated an estimated 80% of our fleet at the bare minimum."

"Are you referring to the Gundams Admiral?"

"Not just that sir. We have taken combat photos to show what the enemy has." She prepared the images taken from the battle on Luna that showed the Sol Thero units effortlessly decimating the Coalition fleet.

"Hm… This is quite disconcerting…" The President showed it was safe to assume the most prevalent threat to the Coalition was near when he attempted to hold back his worries. "Prepare to engage the enemy. Don't let them reach Earth and we might be able to hold them back from reaching here."

Norma attempted to show her dedication when she saluted again, "Yes sir. The enemy will not take back another portion of the Earth."

"See that your actions match what your promise Admiral." The hologram faded and Norma was forced to sit and wait for the shuttles to arrive. The fate of the war now rested on her shoulders. She could not let the Gundams or any other creation of the Earth Sphere overthrow what elven years of fighting had accomplished. The trigger was on her fingertips now, she had to fire at that correct moment.

Mercurio looked over the message Architect I had sent the Artemis Gundam and found himself as confused as Dana was when she found it. The Architect had to remember who was assigned which Gundam and this would be an odd mix-up to let slip. "I don't know what it's about sir. Feel free to delete it. I don't know what the Architect was planning to ask about." He didn't want Dana to believe that he was trying anything suspicious. The deletion had to be enough to warrant him being distanced from the idea. He wasn't sure if it was anything to be worried about but it was not going to be disturbed by what the message was implying. He returned to Donna and Ermes explaining, "Some message got me confused with the Captain. No idea how that happened."

Six hours had passed and the shuttles were prepared to make their breach towards the thermosphere. Elias overlooked the operations and gave the order on their entry. "This is the Colonel. All shuttles prepare to engage their brakes. We will begin the descent within the next few minutes."

Alberto looked over the planet Earth slowly becoming larger as the shuttles made their way to the landing coordinates. He had every bit of confidence as he had when leaving in his hopes to see the Earth remind its enemies they were not to be so easily dismissed. "We finally made it back. Now we can take back Earth with our efforts."

"And hopefully everything we have sought to secure was worth it. The Earth Sphere Parliament will need us more than ever." The Colonel could only observe the flight as the surprise attack was executed with their arrival.

Before the flagship began to fire one of the operatives was able to point out, "Colonel! We're detecting an enemy signature!" The signature became larger with each passing moment and the ship's turrets and missiles began to fire on the escaping shuttles.

"What?! An enemy?!" Alberto found himself taken aback by the idea. This was not the sort of retreat he had been expecting from the Coalition but the moment had now hit him even harder than the g-force brakes. "Can we do anything to prepare for it?!" He had to hope that there would be some way of destroying the ship if they were to make it out alive.

"We're moving at shuttle speed! We can't do anything without abandoning our mobile suits!" Elias explained giving him a harsh reminder of their plight. The flagship was a sizable distance away from their location and the Earth Sphere shuttles were the ones making the rapid descent. "Trying to engage them would force the mobile suits that left to endure enemy fire and a building pressure from the atmosphere! They won't be able to reach the ground in one piece if we send them down in this state!" He contacted the other three shuttles warning of the potential danger, "Attention all shuttles! Steer clear of enemy fire! Don't let them hit us!"

Thankfully they seemed to get the idea when the order was received. The shuttles made their way away from the firing and began to find some safety among the blind spots the flagship couldn't fire. "The other three have moved out of the way Colonel!"

"Keep going! We'll make it out of here!" Elias wasn't any less alarmed from their situation knowing they were still in danger of being shot down. The main cannon at least wasn't able to shoot them down, but the turrets had become another issue when they seemed to fire with perfect precision at their projected flight path.

The previous order could no longer be followed when several hits were made to the shuttle Elias and Alberto were using. One of the operatives was alarmed to see the massive damage done to their transport knowing just what this sort of attack could do to them. "We've been hit! The enemy is picking us apart!"

Alberto was in a controlled panic when he tried to find a way out of the crossfire. "How?! We can't let this happen!" He looked out to the nearby shuttles finding that they were not in any better condition. If the flagship didn't carve them into oblivion the Earth's atmosphere would be enough to melt them in mid-air. "Continue to fight for our united Earth!" The Captain shouted towards the remaining shuttles. Alberto knew that speech could not project through space, but the prayer was all he had to offer when he came to believe that there was no surviving this one.

Elias with the same energy made his way towards the communications panel with a single order. "All Gundams! Do everything to reach Ear-" The order was unfinished before his ultimate fate claimed him. With the shot made by the flagship the shuttle had been destroyed along with the mobile suits and crew onboard. The shots that continued to make their way past the newly made debris were used to hit the three remaining shuttles.

The hits on the shuttle made Donna spin in zero gravity. "Have we been attacked?!" She asked.

Ermes took the time to stop her from spinning further. "I think so." He answered calmly.

Suchart was rushing to them, making the need to find the captain unnecessary. "We need to abandon ship!" He announced to them. "Get to your Gundams!" After the Ursa pilot spoke, he ran to his mobile suit. Donna swore that Suchart was holding a pile of cash also while running away, likely betting on something like on Mars again. She couldn't be bothered to worry about the acquisition though as she rushed to prepare for a descent very similar what she had endured landing on Mars.

The fire was severe when the shuttles began to make their descent towards Earth's atmosphere and the shots began to alter the flight pattern of the shuttles off their intended course. Mercurio rushed towards the flashing lights trying to understand what was causing the emergency. "W-What's going on?!"

Zachariah took a look at the damage reports from the nearby panels and shouted through the alarm. "Looks like we've got some damage from the other ships!"

Keijo quickly got the idea when he announced, "We got to get to the captain up here!" He rushed to find Dana and try to get her to fix this shuttle's path. If she had to do it by hand then it was going to be another rough landing for the Earth Sphere shuttles.

As the shuttle began to make its way closer towards Earth Mercurio was able to come to one obvious conclusion from the descent. "I think the Mediterranean isn't going to be our destination at this point!"

Zachariah wasn't any more pleased with the idea when he voiced his opinion on it. "Well this is going to be a pain! An Earth landing is supposed to be bad enough but now we have a surface to deal with!"

The shots from the Coalition flagship were probably done very precisely if they were to shoot down the shuttles from a distance. The flight continued to thrust downwards as the surviving shuttles made their way past the enemy flagship.

Dana saw the activity outside and knew it was going to get more difficult when they tried to breach down to the surface. She quickly adjusted the communications panel trying to hail the Colonel before he gave his order. "Colonel! We're still avoiding the shots!" It was moments later when she heard the final order cut off from the Colonel. When she and likely the others heard the static take over his voice the worst had instantly come to her mind. "Captain! Colonel! Anybody there?!" She was quickly humbled when she heard nothing on the other end. Both the incoming atmosphere and the last bombardments from the flagship were enough for Dana to at least not think about her lost superior for this moment.

It was moments later when the shuttles began to take heavier enemy fire and were forced off their original course. They were too close now to try adjusting their course to make a difference. This wasn't going to be Dana's usual landing.

"Everyone head to your mobile suits! Were' going way too off course from our projected landing now! Majewski, you activate the Sol Theros this instant!" It was the final resort they had if there was any chance of survival, but the Earth Sphere forces had to find their way to the ground.

Gawel tried to get the final consent to the order when he asked among the pressure, "Authorization to utilize override codes captain?!"

"What do you think?!" Was all Dana had to ask when she sent him away. Quickly the pilots began to make their way towards the mobile suit hangar with the Ursa pilots finding safety near the Gundams and the Sol Thero units prepared to make their landing.

Trenton was the first to ask among the concerned, "Do we even have a chance without our mobile suits captain?!"

Dana wasn't going to be discouraged when she announced, "We don't have a choice now!"

Mercurio found the noise in the shuttle to be not as loud but the emergency was still present. "Everybody find one of the Gundams! We should be able to make the descent and hopefully without any casualties!"

"That's reassuring! Our odds are basically nothing at this rate!"

"It's better than burning up in the atmosphere and falling on our faces!"

"No arguments here!"

Mercurio contacted Keijo through his helmet with the first question on his mind. "How much longer is it before we reach the surface?"

"From what I've seen it's probably going to be another few seconds before the landing makes its way down! This thing is not going to survive the crash just a forewarning!"

"Kind of figured! Just hold on to the Uriel and we should be able to make our way down!" It was a matter of time now. The Gundams would have to await their time to arrive on the ground but hope they could survive the landing.

Donna rushed to the Sandesgeist and immediately entered the cockpit. Before she can fully close the cockpit, Ermes rushed in at the last second. His dynamic entry involved sliding in with his left leg accidentally smashing into Donna's face but she was fine because she had her helmet on.

"What are you doing here?!" She shouted, not pleased with the sudden entry as she adjusted her helmet back.

"Well, I don't have a Mobile Suit to hide in." He justified. "I have a better chance surviving here since it's made of Gundanium and stuff."

"Is that even an excuse?!" She argued back. "I won't guarantee that the airbag will save both of us!" She pushed Ermes out of the way so she can see the main monitor. She started the operating system of the Sandesgeist in a rush with the main camera of the Gundam flashing, indicating its activation.

Dana knew by now that it was time to get out of this shuttle before the burns would melt the interior away. "Open those hatches! Get ready for the descent!"

Gawel controlled the hatches from Dana's shoulder and announced at the final command, "The shuttle hatches are open Captain! Whoa! Looks like there's no closing it now!" He noted this when the hatch went flying under the shuttle to join the rest of the debris falling from the sky.

"At this rate we should be breaching the other end of the planetary boundary layer!" Dana gave her final order, "All units begin the descent!" It was a few seconds before the shuttle had made its way towards the layer but the mobile suits within Dana's shuttle had begun to make their escape from a dire explosion. The final steps were followed when the mobile suits began to make their way down to the surface.

Dana felt a surge of relief from her system as the shuttle made its crash landing into the desert surface below. The explosion managed to avoid hitting the city nearby but the inhabitants were quite likely to have seen it. Dana knew that it was only a first step but for right now she was able to feel a moment of accomplishment in having the crew of her shuttle and the others nearby. The loss of Captain Capon and Colonel Rumfoord though... That was another matter that would have to be addressed. The Sol Thero units, Gundams and Ursas made their way down while offering a light landing towards safety.