Novis Noah, bridge

"There hasn't been much Reclaimer activity in the last week," Anoa McCormick said. "Our escort captain did mention a ZAFT submarine, but it seems to have left as well."

The woman on the comm screen nodded. "However, the Archangel is running low on supplies, and we're still carrying refugees from the Heliopolis incident. We'll need to find some kind of port, and soon."

"The Orb Union is probably our best bet," Winston Geybridge put in. "They have so far kept out of things, Heliopolis aside, and as you say, you are carrying a number of Orb nationals."

"That's true, but there's no guarantee they'll let us in," Murrue said.

And there was the catch. Though far from isolationist, the Orb Union was determinedly neutral in the present war. From what the Novis crew had heard, they were willing enough to assist against alien threats, and rumor had it they were working with the mysterious Mithril organization behind the scenes, but they wanted nothing to do with the war between Earth and the PLANTs.

"Agreed, but at this point we've no choice but to try, I think," Geybridge said.

Archangel, bridge

For once Toya barely noticed how cramped the UEFA ship's bridge was. He was too focused on the comm screen, and the mid-level Orb officer arguing with Captain Ramius. The man must have said "I can't let you in" five different ways and ten different times.

"Major, can you at least let us offload the civilians we're carrying?" Murrue pressed. "They're refugees from the Heliopolis incident."

"I'm sorry, Captain, but my orders are clear." To his credit, he sounded genuinely apologetic. "No vessels from either the UEFA or ZAFT are to be allowed entry into our territory."

"To hell with that!"

More than one head turned at the angry growl. Cagalli had arrived on the bridge in time to hear the last exchange, and her face was as red as the t-shirt she usually wore. She stormed over to Kuzzey's station, glaring furiously at the Orb button-pusher.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" she demanded. "There are Orb citizens on this ship, people you're supposed to be protecting!"

Toya frowned. She's not acting like some desert resistence fighter. Well, yeah, we knew that already, since Kira met her at Heliopolis, but that doesn't account for something like this.

"I'm sorry, but without knowing who you are–"

Cagalli hissed through clenched teeth. "Fine. My name is Cagalli Yula Athha, daughter of Chief Representative Uzumi Nara Athha. Is that good enough for you?" She didn't actually say "you idiot" at the end, but Toya was pretty sure they all heard it anyway.

"Um, did she say what I think she said?" Melua asked carefully.

"Sure sounds like it," Tenia said. "We've had a bona fide princess on this tub the whole time. It's just like when we picked up Miss Lacus, remember?"

Apparently the Orb officer got the message, because he stammered an apology, barked an order to let the Archangel through, and signed off, leaving the UEFA people somewhat dumbfounded.

"You're . . . the princess of Orb?" Kira said carefully.

She glared at him, without much heat. "Don't start getting stuffy with me, okay? I hate being a princess, but there wasn't really much choice here."

It was Murrue's turn to glare. "Then what were you doing out there in the middle of the desert? Stop hiding from us!"

"I couldn't exactly broadcast my identity," Cagalli shot back. "Besides, it got us into Orb, didn't it?"

Toya wasn't going anywhere near that one. He already knew Cagalli had a short fuse; if she hated being called a princess, he sure as hell wasn't going to press the issue. Besides, Tenia probably would never forgive him for it.

"Does anyone else know what you've been up to?" Simone asked.

Cagalli shrugged. "Quatre and the CBF knew from the start. And I'm pretty sure Zechs figured it out pretty quick."

The masked man smiled. "We met shortly after I graduated from the Academy, and you made quite an impression. I realized who you were right away, but decided you must have your reasons."

Toya decided it was time to retreat before things got even more awkward. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on Eiji."

"We'll come, too," Katia said, with murmurs of agreement from Tenia and Melua. Evidently they had no more desire than he to be caught in a storm.

And he really was worried about Eiji. The Gradosian half-breed had spent the bulk of his time since the last battle in Layzner's cockpit, not speaking to anyone, barely even eating. Simone and Anna were almost frantic with worry. So were most of the others, for that matter.

Archangel, hangar

Before I met the Nadesico on Mars, and again when we fought Gale over the ocean. What's going on? He stared sightlessly at Layzner's instrument panel. Rei would probably say it has no memory of the event this time, either. Julia, forgive me.

His comm unit buzzed. "Sorry to bother you, Eiji," Anna said, "but we're about to dock at an Orb military base. I thought you should know."

He'd spent enough time brooding anyway. Wincing at the pain of disused muscles, Eiji popped his canopy and slid down to the deck, to the obvious relief of his comrades. In addition to Anna and Simone, he saw David and Roanne close by, and Toya and the girls just entering the hangar.

"You finally decided to come out," Murdoch observed. "How ya doin'?"

"A little better," Eiji admitted. "I'm sorry to have worried you all."

Simone gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it. We're just glad you came out."

"Ain't that the truth." Mu La Flaga had appeared just behind Toya. "Eiji, we're going to be meeting with Chief Representative Athha in a few minutes and the Captain would like you to come along so you can brief him on the Gradosian threat."

Gale's fate still ate away at him, but it was a relief that someone on Earth was willing to listen. "Understood. I'll go with you."

Orb Union, Chief Representative's Office

Uzumi Nara Athha was a powerfully-built man in his early forties. He wore his dark brown hair a bit on the long side, and his square face sported a mustache and goatee. He was dressed in a maroon suit and white shirt, and his dark eyes were piercing. The man had a presence, no doubt about it.

"We're under attack by the aliens this 'D-Boy' calls 'Radam.' The Gradosians have scoured Mars clean of life, and now turn their sights on Earth. The Federation battles ZAFT for control of space, and the Reclaimers in Orphan pursue their own mysterious goals." He shook his head. "On top of that, we have rogue elements such as Doctor Hell, the Tekkoryu, and this 'Devil Gundam.' Truly, the Earth Sphere is in chaos."

Mu smiled politely. "We're just grateful you were willing to allow us in. Guess that girl had an extra trick up her sleeve."

Uzumi's expression was stern. "Please, Lieutenant, as Chief Representative of Orb, I cannot base my decisions on my foolish daughter's actions."

"Of course. My apologies, sir," Mu said hurriedly.

Uzumi waved it away. "No matter. You have nonetheless given us valuable incite into the threats our world faces. Make no mistake, while the Orb Union intends to stand neutral in the UEFA's war with the PLANTs, we will not remain idle with regard to the enemies of humanity." He folded his hands. "In the meantime, we will carry out repair and resupply of the Archangel. The refugees you brought will of course be allowed to return home."

Murrue felt a weight lift from her shoulders. "Thank you, sir. And the payment?"

"We want combat data from your attached units," Uzumi said. "Further, the temporary transfer of the Strike, Layzner, and Bellzelute to Morgenroete for examination, and the aid of their pilots for the duration of your stay here."

Natarle stiffened at that, opening her mouth to object. Murrue raised a hand, forestalling her. "We will provide the combat data," she said. "As to the Bellzelute, Toya Shiun and his machine are on loan from Nergal. You'll have to see to that one yourself."

"Just be careful how you ask him," Mu said dryly. "Toya's real protective of that machine, and not exactly trusting."

That actually got a slight smile from the Orb leader. "I will bear that in mind."

"I'll do what I can to help," Eiji said, "but please, analyze Layzner only in my presence. As for Grados and the SPTs, I'll tell you whatever you want to know, to the best of my knowledge."

"And in return we will do whatever is in our power to aid you," Uzumi said, inclining his head respectfully. "To do otherwise would dishonor the hardship and sacrifice you have endured to make it this far."

Winston Geybridge leaned forward. "And what of Orphan, sir?"

Uzumi grimaced. "Orphan is as much a mystery to us as it is to you, though we have reason to believe at least one Reclaimer is a former Orb national. Regardless, we will keep a close watch, of that you can be certain."

"And that is all we ask," Geybridge said. "Thank you."

"It is the least we can do," Uzumi said. "Is there anything else?"

Murrue looked at her officers, saw nothing. "I don't believe so, sir. If you'll excuse us, we'll begin coordinating data transfer and work schedules."

Uzumi nodded. "That will do nicely." His gaze slid to one side. "Lieutenant Merquise, could I speak with you for a moment?"

Murrue suppressed a frown. The Specials man was inscrutable as usual behind that mask of his, but she thought she saw a slight tightening around his jaw line. Admittedly, she couldn't for the life of her figure out what the Chief Representative of Orb would want with one of Treize Khushrenada's mobile suit pilots, but she supposed it didn't really matter.

As the door closed behind them, Murrue braced herself for a tirade. Her XO, she knew, was less than happy with the decision to dock in Orb in the first place, save that it meant they could finally offload the Orb civilians. The younger woman had restrained herself –barely– while they spoke with Lord Uzumi, but it was only a matter of time.

Natarle didn't disappoint. "Captain, you can't be serious!" she burst out. "We can't just allow them access to the Strike and its combat data! This country is far too dangerous."

"You have a better idea?" Mu countered mildly. "We've taken quite a beating over the past month and a half; even with the stuff we got from the Nadesico, we're pretty much on the edge."

"We did return those refugees safely," Natarle pointed out. "Surely that merits some consideration."

"Evidently not enough," Murrue said. "We have little choice at this point, Natarle. Giving that data is a small price to pay for reaching Alaska safely." She refrained from pointing out that Natarle had been against taking on the refugees to begin with.

Murrue herself had no real issue. Morgenroete had built the G-weapons in the first place, after all, and in a way Lord Uzumi reminded her of Marshall Noventa.

The XO wasn't finished. "That does bring up another issue," she said. "What of Kira Yamato? Do you intend to just let him leave?"

Murrue frowned. "What choice is there? Kira is not a member of our forces to begin with, and only agreed to pilot the Strike in order to protect his friends and the civilians we were carrying." Her expression hardened. "And I should remind you that in doing so he had to face his oldest friend in combat. We have no right to ask him to do that again."

"Be that as it may, Captain, I see little alternative," Natarle said, not budging a millimeter. "With all due respect to Lieutenant La Flaga, a single fighter and a Leo are of little use against the threats we face. If Kira Yamato leaves, the Strike becomes a mere paper tiger. We need him, Captain."

Murrue shook her head. "It is not our decision to make, Ensign. If Kira decides to leave the ship here, that is his choice, and I honestly won't blame him."

Natarle looked mulish. "Very well, Captain. However, I will be reporting this to Headquarters. If you'll excuse me."

Another complication. Murrue was well aware that her command style clashed with the by-the-book XO. On the other hand, considering the number of civilian volunteers they had, Natarle's methods simply weren't practical, admirable though they may have been otherwise.

"Man, another report." Mu shook his head. "Not that she has a leg to stand on; we can't exactly be drafting foreign civvies to fight for us."

"Even so, it could still cause problems," Murrue said, sighing.

"It's been a long time, Milliardo."

Zechs just stared. Uzumi was unperturbed; he knew exactly who was standing in his office right then. He'd never expected to see him in any kind of UEFA uniform, even the ornate Specials variety, but he also knew much could change in a decade.

Then Zechs gave a soft, rueful chuckle. "I'm surprised you made the connection," he said, removing his mask. Beneath, his eyes were a crystal blue. "Only two others know, and only after I told them."

"I knew your father very well," Uzumi pointed out. "His death is one of the reasons I have adopted a hands-off policy with regard to the UEFA. I had thought you and your sister dead, as well."

"For all practical purposes Milliardo Peacecraft is dead," Zechs said. "I am Zechs Merquise of the Special Mobile Suit Troops." He shook his head. "I have no right to be Milliardo on the path I have chosen."

"Because you have abandoned your father's ideals?"

Zechs shook his head again. "Father was wrong. Or rather, he was only partially right." He turned, looking out the window. "There is nothing greater than a man of peace, but it isn't enough. There will always be those who wish to take that peace away, and people like me will always be needed to stop them." He grunted softly. "We can negotiate with the PLANTs. Eiji is proof we can talk to the Gradosians. It is possible we can reason with the Reclaimers. But I am not such a fool as to think we can negotiate with the Radam."

Uzumi frowned. "Then why? Your path is hard, but certainly honorable. Why hide yourself?"

"You sound like Noin; she tells me that every time I see her." Zechs closed his eyes. "I joined to find a way to get revenge on General Colbert, who personally led the attack on the Sanc Kingdom ten years ago. It is because of him that I cannot be Milliardo Peacecraft, and because I left my own sister for dead."

"Your sister?" Uzumi repeated. "As I understand it, her fate is unknown."

Zechs smiled sadly. "She's still alive. Foreign Minister Darlian used to be a member of the Sanc Kingdom Parliament; he found Relena and took her in. I found out when I saw her at Heliopolis; she's onboard the Archangel as we speak."

That was enough to take even Uzumi Nara Athha off guard. He'd known the Foreign Minister's daughter was on the Archangel, of course, but it had never occurred to him to connect her to Zechs Merquise.

"She doesn't know?" he said at last.

"No." Zechs picked up his mask. "Telling her now would only cause pain. She's better off not knowing. I will do what I can to protect her from afar." He slipped the mask on and turned to leave.

"Milliardo." Uzumi's voice stopped him. "The time may come when your sister needs you not as a distant, aloof protector, but as a brother. Don't throw that away."

Zechs regarded him for a long moment, again unreadable behind that silver mask, and departed.

Morgenroete lounge

"Anyway, that about covers it; sorry I couldn't say more, but that's how these things work. Say hi to Kyoko and the others for me."

Having at last reached civilization, Toya was finally able to write the letter to Kaname he'd been planning for the past month. He'd thought about trying to get a message off to Nicol, too, but regretfully decided it would be a bad idea. Trying to send a personal message to a PLANT resident would likely have gotten him in a lot of trouble, even if he was a Nergal employee rather than military. The thought of Natarle Badgiruel's expression was amusing, though.

For that matter, he'd had to be very careful about what he said to Kaname. Admitting that he was a mech pilot in Nergal's employ seemed safe enough, though, especially since she'd almost certainly seen said mech nearly fall on his head.

"Writing home?" Miriallia said, coming up behind him.

Toya closed the program. "To a friend, yeah," he acknowledged, seeing the rest of the Heliopolis crew, sans Kira. Eiji and his friends were present as well. "What's up with you guys?"

"Just got a call from the comm center," Tolle explained. "Our families made it out okay, so we're making some arrangements here."

"They beat me to the punch!" Arthur complained.

Simone waved a hand airily. "He's always slow; ignore him."

Toya chuckled softly. Whatever else had happened over the past year, he certainly couldn't call it boring, and he'd made some new friends in the bargain.

The comm station beeped. "There's a call . . . it's Doctor Clabery," Sai said, visibly surprised.

"I'm glad to see you made it to Orb safely," Elizabeth said as the teens gathered around. "Eiji, we heard about what happened in the last battle. I'm very sorry; though Commander Gale was our enemy, I understand it must still have been very hard for you."

Eiji swallowed. "Thank you, Doctor. It still hurts, but I'm pulling through."

"Good. There's someone here who wishes to speak with you."

Elizabeth's image was replaced by an albino man. What could be seen of his clothes consisted of a beige, tabard-like vest and green shirt. Toya estimated him to be in his early thirties.

"I'm Heinrich von Freeman, head of the OSDG," he said. "You are Eiji Asuka, correct?"

Eiji nodded. "That's right."

Freeman smiled. "As I thought, you bear a very strong resemblance to Ken Asuka. There can be no doubt his blood flows through your veins."

The half-breed went rigid at that. "You knew my father?"

"I did," Freeman confirmed. "I worked with him when the OSDG was first proposed. He went missing during a deep-space mission almost twenty years ago. We thought he was dead; it is a profound relief to learn that he was rescued, even if it was by the Gradosians. And fitting, somehow, that the one who warns us of the invasion would be his son."

Eiji was visibly affected by the news. He'd thought his only tie to Earth was his father, and here he found there were people who knew him well.

Freeman's gaze shifted. "You would be Toya Shiun?"

"That's me," Toya said, jumping a little.

"I wanted to thank you for helping Noal and Aki," Freeman said. "They spoke very highly of you and your companions. If there is anything you need, the OSDG will do what it can to aid you."

Toya shrugged uncomfortably. "I just did what I had to," he said. "Um, Mister Freeman, how's D-Boy doing?"

"He's in reasonably good spirits at present, strange though that may sound," Freeman said. "Aki has been sticking close to him."

"Glad to hear it," Toya said, relaxing.

He did wonder about the source, since when he'd last seen D-Boy the amnesiac warrior had been deeply depressed over the loss of his ability to fight the Radam. Had they found some way to compensate? Freeman didn't seem inclined to elaborate.

Eiji, meanwhile, was looking happier than Toya had ever seen him. Just knowing he wasn't as alone as he'd thought had evidently buoyed his spirits considerably.

"Say, Toya," Miriallia said, "where do you guys go from here?"

He shrugged. "We got a message from Mister Prospector telling us to cooperate with the Archangel for now," he said. "We'll be joining back up with the Nadesico later."

"We've already taken Bellzelute into the main testing ground," Katia put in. "The Strike and the SPTs are there, too."

Prospector's message had also mentioned picking up a new unit. It hadn't been specific, saying only that it was something he wanted Toya to look at. Toya wondered about that; Prospector was an oddball by any standard, but it wasn't like him to be quite that cryptic.

"What about you guys?" he asked.

Sai dropped onto a nearby chair. "We'll probably be staying here," he said absently. He'd been looking like that a lot lately; something to do with Flay, Toya suspected. "We're Orb nationals, after all, not real Federation soldiers."

"I'm worried about Kira, though," Mir said. "I'm sure he'll be leaving the ship, too, but he's been through a lot. More than we have, really. You understand, right, Toya?"

Toya grunted. "I haven't had to fight any friends, but aside from that, yeah," he said. "I don't have any easy out, either; if I leave, the military is likely to get their hands on the girls." He waved a hand. "But that's too depressing. I'm looking forward to seeing Akito and the others again."

And, he added silently, finding out just what Prospector's being so evasive about.

Archangel, residential block/passage

"Flay, just what's going on?" Sai asked, following her down the corridor. "Flay, wait up!"

She half-turned, giving him a scornful look. "I have no obligation to explain myself. This has nothing to do with you, Sai."

"I think it does," he countered. "You've been avoiding me lately, Flay. Why?'

Flay's blue eyes were hard. "I know what this is about. Listen, Sai, what we had was something our parents arranged. With Daddy gone, I don't see any reason to go along with it anymore."

Sai felt his eyes widen. "What are you–"

"Haven't you seen me and Kira?" she demanded. "He goes through all that, fights to protect all of us, but you all just take it for granted."

Sai clenched a fist. "That's not true," he hissed. "We've all done what we can to support him."

"Have you? Or have you just congratulated him for a job well done and then ignored him?" Flay shot back.

No, that isn't true. They'd all stuck by Kira through thick and thin. He'd even seen that fiery princess-turned-resistance fighter cozying up to the Coordinator, or at least that was what it looked like.

Something was very wrong.

"That's all I have to say to you." With that, Flay spun on her heel and stalked off.

Sai stared after her, uncomprehending. "Flay. . . ."

Archangel, residential block

After three days of almost nothing, Mir was starting to wonder what was going on. Sai and Flay, as nearly as she could tell, hadn't exchanged more than three words in that time. Flay appeared aloof; Sai, angry and perplexed.

And then Ensign Badgiruel dropped another bombshell.

"Discharge papers?" Kuzzey said, puzzled.

"Correct," the XO said. "While we are certainly grateful for the assistance you have provided thus far, it is technically illegal for civilians to participate in combat onboard a Federation vessel. Therefore, you are being designated retroactively as military personnel, and will be listed as honorably discharged."

That made sense. It didn't apply to Toya or Eiji, since their situation was very different, and of course the Colony Gundam pilots were something of a gray area.

"However, Miss Allster will not be joining you," Natarle said. "She has requested to remain, as a member of the Archangel's crew."

Mir's head snapped around, meeting Tolle's startled gaze. What, Flay is staying? In the corner of her eye, she saw Kuzzey and Sai appeared equally shocked. "Um, why would she stay on? She's never been what you'd call a soldier type."

Natarle shrugged fractionally. "She didn't say, but my personal suspicion is a desire to do something to avenge her father. Regardless, she does have some skills that can be of use, so we had no reason to deny her."

There was a tearing sound behind Mir. She half-turned, to see Sai with his discharge paper in two uneven pieces. When he saw her looking at him, he gave a sheepish grin, the first smile she'd seen from him in days.

"If Flay's staying on, then I should, too," he explained. "To look after her somehow. Besides," the smile turned rueful, "it would feel just wrong to let the Archangel go shorthanded."

Tolle followed suit. "Count me in."

"Tolle," Mir said. She did the same. "I'm not staying behind while you go into danger."

Even Kuzzey appeared to agree. "If you guys are staying, there's really nowhere else for me to go."

Natarle frowned, though there was no hostility in the expression. "You understand what it is you are getting into, correct?"

"We've already been in the thick of things," Sai pointed out. "Besides, the way things are going it's not at all certain we'll be safe if we stay in Orb, especially with the Gradosians and Radam out there."

"Very well. I'll talk to the Captain." Natarle's expression warmed, just noticeably. "Speaking for myself, I'm glad you've chosen to stay. As you know, we're badly shorthanded, and the four of you have proved invaluable." She handed a fifth set to Tolle. "See to it that Kira Yamato receives this."

Tolle nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Um, what about Relena?"

Under other circumstances, Natarle might have reprimanded him for speaking so casually of the daughter of an important official. In this case, she was well aware that Relena Darlian considered them friends. "She'll be coming with us, of course," she said. "It's the quickest way to get her back to Federation territory."

The XO left then, and the Heliopolis volunteers went in search of Kira. Mir was at least glad that they would be able to see Toya and the others more; she'd struck up a friendship with Katia in particular. Still, that did leave one burning question.

What would Kira do?

Kira was feeling listless. Repairs to the Archangel had been largely completed, and the refugees offloaded safely. Meanwhile, his new operating system had been met with approval by the M1 Astray test pilots (he'd had to force himself not to laugh at Cagalli's reaction to the initial tests). By rights he should have been happy, as it meant he would soon be free of the war. Yet he wasn't.

It didn't make any sense. If he left the ship, he wouldn't have to fight anymore. More to the point, he wouldn't have to fight Athrun anymore. So why was he having second thoughts?

Perhaps it was a sense of guilt at leaving comrades behind. For all that he'd resented being dragged into the war, he'd actually made friends among the two crews. Toya, Koji, Eiji, Akito, Ryoko, Duo, even Lieutenant La Flaga. He didn't want to fight, but at the same time he didn't like leaving them.

"Kira!"

He almost jumped out of his skin. Sai, Tolle, Kuzzey, and Mir had turned the corner ahead of him. "Guys? Why are you still in uniform?"

Tolle pushed a sheet of paper into his hand. "Your discharge papers, Kira. We're staying on."

"Huh?" Kira blinked. "All of you?"

"That's right," Mir confirmed. "We don't like the idea of leaving the Archangel shorthanded after everything we've been through. Flay's staying, too."

"Flay is?" That put a whole new spin on things. As far as he knew, Flay hadn't played any real role in their trip, except perhaps helping with some of the other refugees.

Mir smiled wryly. "Guess she thinks she doesn't have anywhere else to go. Well," she turned with the others, "we have to get to the bridge. Take care, Kira."

"Whatever happens, don't be tempted to join ZAFT!" Kuzzey added.

Not a chance in hell, Kira thought, watching them go, his earlier misgivings returning. Despite a perfect opportunity to leave the ship –and thus the war– behind, his friends had chosen to stay on, knowing the danger. What did that say about him?

Zechs's words at Heliopolis came back to him. "Find your own path and hold to it, no matter what."

My own path. Kira looked at the discharge form, and back down the corridor his friends had gone. I don't know where I'm going. But for now, my own path is with them. With a new resolve, he crumpled the form in his hand and went back the way he'd come. For good or ill, his war was not over yet.

Archangel, bridge

Murrue was actually feeling relaxed for a change. Repairs and resupply were complete, cooperation with Morgenroete had gone well despite Natarle's misgivings, and she was somewhat guiltily happy that four of the Heliopolis students had elected to remain. They did their jobs well and with good cheer.

"Crewman Allster reports the last of the supplies have been loaded, ma'am," Natarle said. "We're still more shorthanded than I would like, but aside from that we're fully operational."

"Excellent," Murrue said. "It's a shame about Kira, but we'll manage."

A beep from Kuzzey's board interrupted them. "Captain, we have a call from Chief Representative Athha," he said. "It sounds urgent."

Murrue lifted an eyebrow. "Put him on."

Uzumi did indeed look tense. "We have an emergency," he said without preamble. "A Tekkaman and some invaders –excuse me, Radam– have appeared. He is demanding that we hand over Tekkaman Blade at once; if we refuse, he has threatened to destroy the port."

Natarle's head shot up. "Blade– he wants D-Boy? He isn't here anymore!"

"That is what we said, but it seems there is no room for negotiation." Uzumi's lips pressed together in a grim line. "I am sorry, but I must ask for your assistance. Were it just the Radam beasts, our defense forces could handle it, but as it stands our military is no match for a Tekkaman."

"I understand," Murrue assured him. "We'll deploy at once. Natarle?"

The XO may have been distrustful of Orb, but she had no qualms about aiding them this time. The Radam were a threat to all. "With the exception of the Strike," she put the barest emphasis on the last word, but Murrue ignored it, "all units are ready to launch."

"Layzner and Bellzelute are leaving Morgenroete as we speak," Uzumi said. "They'll be joining you soon." He met Murrue's gaze. "Good luck, and thank you."

Murrue pressed her intercom switch. "All hands, Level One Battlestations!"

hangar

"Damn, why couldn't they have waited a little bit longer?" Mu complained rhetorically. "If we could just use the Strike. . . ."

Murdoch grunted. "Yeah, it's too bad. Well, you're still hot stuff in a fighter. Give the Radam hell for us, Lieutenant."

"That's the plan– huh?" Kira Yamato had dashed past in full flight gear. "Kira? I thought you'd left!"

"I changed my mind," Kira said shortly. "Mister Murdoch, please fit the Aile pack on the Strike. I need maximum mobility for fighting a Tekkaman."

Murdoch tossed him a salute. "Consider it done, kid." He looked at Mu, head cocked to one side. "You gonna want the Launcher pack, Lieutenant?"

Mu shook off his surprise. Figuring out Kira's change of heart could wait. "Yeah," he said. "The Agni's good for frying Radam."

"You got it, sir. Good luck out there."

Skies over Onogoro harbor

Launching directly from the Morgenroete facility with Layzner beside him, Toya could already see the Radam beasts over the ocean. He didn't have an exact count, but there were far more than he'd seen in one place before.

"Archangel, this is Toya," he said. "What are we dealing with?"

"Numerous Radam beasts, current count is fifty," Sai said promptly. "A single Tekkaman to the rear. Comparing data. . . . It's Tekkaman Dagger!"

The same one they'd fought twice before. On the one hand, it at least meant they knew what they were dealing with, even if D-Boy was absent. On the other, Toya was getting thoroughly sick of persistent adversaries.

Sure enough, there was a familiar stocky green form to the rear of the Radam formation. "Well, well, I remember you, warship!" the echoing voice sneered. "You brought Blade, I take it?"

What is with this guy's obsession? D-Boy doesn't even have his powers anymore, for crying out loud!

"Hmph, so you're not going to bother answering? Fine." Dagger snorted. "I'll just have some fun destroying the human residential areas! Go, Radam beasts!"

Not if we can help it. Toya already had the Shot Launchers up, just in time to blast a Radam in its twisted face. Beside him, Eiji's rifle flashed, grazing another; he followed through with a punch, tearing through its flesh. The next one in line hissed angrily, but before it could make a move, a green beam streaked in from below, blasting it apart.

"What the!?" Toya's eyes went wide. "That's the Strike! Wasn't Kira leaving?"

Captain Ramius shared his surprise. "Kira!? I thought you'd already gotten off the ship."

"I thought about it," Kira said, as Mu's Skygrasper came up beside him. "But I realized, I can't just hide anymore."

The comm crackled. "Kira Yamato, are you volunteering to continue piloting the Strike?" Natarle asked.

"Yes." Kira's voice was sad, but firm.

"Natarle," Murrue said. "He's still–"

"If he's doing this of his own free will, we would be foolish to refuse him," the XO pointed out.

For once, Toya had to agree with Natarle. It could only be to their benefit if Kira willingly stayed on. He's a good pilot, and we can help him with Athrun at least.

Then the Radam were on him again. Eiji on one side and Kira on the other, Toya was too close for anything but the Shot Launchers. As he'd been doing more and more of late, he cursed his lack of close-combat weapons.

Not to mention there doesn't seem to be much more I can do with this thing. Dammit, I can't be at my limit already! Maybe I'll talk to Uribatake when we get back.

And maybe woolgathering in the middle of a battle was a stupid thing to do. Only Melua's shouted warning allowed him to dodge a burst of Radam venom; cursing his own carelessness, Toya shot the monster twice point-blank, killing it.

"You're doing well, humans!" Dagger taunted. "But you can only last for so long."

Toya hissed through clenched teeth, wanting nothing more than to vaporize Dagger. Unfortunately, the enemy Tekkaman was out of even his range.

"Archangel, this is the Blue Earth, do you copy?"

He heard more than one yelp of surprise. Sure enough, the OSDG's armed transport was on its way in. "Miss Kisaragi?" Murrue said. "Why are you here?"

"We came to help out," Noal said. "Looks like we were right on the money."

Toya frowned. The Blue Earth was a decent unit, but he wasn't sure how much it could do against Tekkaman Dagger, and with D-Boy unable to transform they were in greater danger than usual.

And Dagger obviously knew it. "So, Blade is here after all. So glad you could join us. It's time for your trip to hell!"

Noal laughed. "Not gonna be that easy! Go ahead, D-Boy. Give that son of a bitch a nasty surprise!"

Gazing up at the robot known as Pegas, D-Boy felt almost happy again. Almost. "Right. And, Noal . . . thanks."

He felt a slight twinge of amusement at Noal's reaction. "Huh? He actually thanked me?"

No more time to waste. "Pegas, Tek Setter!"

"ROGER." The robot swivelled on its turntable, and its back opened, allowing D-Boy to jump inside.

It hadn't been all that long, but he'd almost forgotten the rush. Flesh and fabric gave way to metal armor stronger than anything made on Earth. His eyesight and hearing sharpened, the familiar weight of the Voltekka emitters settled on his shoulders, and a double-ended lance appeared in his hand.

He leapt onto Pegas's back, spinning the lance over his head. "Tekkaman Blade!"

While in the back of his mind Toya wondered how on Earth their amnesiac friend was able to transform again, Toya pumped a fist at the sight of Tekkaman Blade on the battlefield. Dagger, he suspected, was in for a world of hurt.

"What is that thing!?" Hime yelped. "It looks just like the enemy!"

"It's all right, he's our friend," Toya assured her. "Dunno how it is he can transform again, but he's definitely on our side. Come on, let's finish off these Radam freaks. Blade can handle Dagger just fine."

Hime appeared to take his word for it. "I'm with you, Toya."

Blade's reappearance had caused enough havoc that fighting the Radam didn't even require Toya's full attention. While he and the others slaughtered Radam beasts left and right, he watched Blade's duel with Dagger. The Radam Tekkaman was visibly at a disadvantage.

"Damn you, Blade!" Dagger snarled. "How the hell can you transform again!?"

Blade parried a slash. "Thanks to this new Pegas unit my friends built for me, I've been given a new lease on life, all to fight you Radam!" He hacked down; Dagger was barely able to block. "I won't die until I send every last one of you into oblivion!"

"Don't get cocky, Blade!" Dagger lunged backward and raised his bow. "Die!"

Blade swooped and ducked, dodging some shots and spinning his lance to deflect others. With growing desperation, Dagger increased his fire, to no avail.

"Damn you, Blade," he said again. He tried to weave, but a SEED-enhanced charge from Kira had him boxed in. "Next time, I'll–!"

Suddenly Blade was right in front of him, shoulder panels open. "There won't be a next time for you! You're history, Tekkaman Dagger! VOLTEKKAAAAAAA!"

With a loud, high-pitched scream, Dagger was enveloped in the coruscating wave of blue energy. Toya instinctively flinched, even though his cockpit screen automatically dimmed. The light soon faded, not a trace of Tekkaman Dagger left behind.

Mu whistled. "So much for that guy. Nice to have you back, D-Boy."

"It's . . . good to be back," the Tekkaman acknowledged.

Toya and Melua smiled at each other. With Kira staying on and D-Boy's unexpected return, things actually seemed to be looking up. Reuniting with the Nadesico suddenly looked much more attainable.

Naturally, they weren't allowed to savor their victory long. "ALARM MESSAGE," Rei said. "SPT DROP INCOMING; FIFTEEN SECONDS TO CONTACT."

Sure enough, there was the other shoe, dropping right on their heads. A full formation of SPTs appeared in the Radam's wake, already moving to attack. Probably they'd been lying in wait.

The enemy squad leader's words seemed to confirm it. "They'll be exhausted from fighting those space beasts," she said. "I, Karla Egiel, will avenge Commander Gale's death!"

Her again? What was it Cagalli called her, an "alien Jezebel"? Fits. And she's right, dammit; most of us are tired after fighting the damn Radam.

"Toya, down there!" Melua said.

Two more SPTs had appeared from the direction of Morgenroete. Friendlies this time, the familiar red Baybull and blue-green Buldy. Not much, but any reinforcements were welcome.

"Archangel, we've come to help out," David said.

Eiji juked, blasting a Braver's arm off. "Buldy and Baybull? David, Roanne, what are you doing here?"

"Like I said, we're here to help," David said. "I know you didn't want us in danger anymore, Eiji, but this is something we have to do if we want to live with ourselves."

"We've have been here sooner, but it's a long trip from Morgenroete, and we're not as fast as Layzner or Bellzelute," Roanne added, his shoulder cannon opening up.

The next thing Toya heard was a feminine snort. "You should have done what I said to begin with."

That's Cagalli. Or Lady Athha, I guess.

"It was on really short notice," David protested. "We didn't expect you to be coming along!"

"Humph. Just get me to the Archangel, okay?"

There was a brief scuffling sound, followed by a grunt from David. "Calm down, willya? It's too cramped for you to be making a fuss, you dummy!"

"You're the dummy, dummy!"

Despite the fact that they were still fighting for their lives, Toya couldn't help laughing. Whatever else Cagalli Yula Athha was, she was certainly fun to be around. And if, as he suspected, she was going to be taking part in the battle directly, so much the better.

Sure enough, after a brief conversation with Natarle and Chief Murdoch, the second Skygrasper roared from the Archangel's port catapult and settled on Mu's wing.

"Glad to have you along, little lady," Mu said, and Toya could hear the grin in his voice. "Let's show those Gradosian bastards how Earthlings fight when we're cornered!"

"Roger that!"

Gundam Deathscythe took a flying leap from the Archangel's forward deck. Its beam scythe came down, hacking a Slomco clean in half. The Gradosian's wingmate tried to evade, but flew right into some kind of pincer attack from Gundam Sandrock's heat shotels.

I'm gonna sleep for a week after this one. Finally at a proper distance, Toya switched to B mode on his rifle, took careful aim, and blasted Karla's right-hand wingmate out of the sky. The other one also fell to his fire, but Karla herself was able to evade, her Dimage faster than most SPTs.

Two out of three, but Toya wasn't satisfied. By rights he should have been able to hit Karla as well; a Dimage was inferior to the Greimkaiser, and Karla Egiel was not her late commander's equal.

"Toya, incoming!"

Swearing viciously under his breath, Toya yanked his machine around, allowing a Slomco to streak past, followed by the much larger Blue Earth. Noal fired twice, leaving the smoldering SPT to fall into the harbor.

"Getting a little careless there," Noal said. "Something happen while we were gone?"

"More like my machine won't do what I want it to," Toya said, swearing again and blasting a Braver to scrap. A storm of energy fire from two more answered him, forcing him to dodge and weave. This is getting old real fast.

Mu and Cagalli dove in from above. Mu fired off the Agni and his beam turret before pulling back up in a classic dive-and-slash, vaporizing two Bravers. The third almost got a shot off, but Cagalli went knife-edge, extending the massive sword and slicing it in half.

"They weren't ready for a real fight," Heero commented after immolating a Slomco. "Egiel expected us to be in worse shape after battling the Radam, and now she's paying for it."

An understatement, Toya saw. Over half of the SPT force had been slaughtered; he looked just in time to see Kira blast two of them in rapid succession. Unprepared and thoroughly outmatched; Toya suspected Karla Egiel was going to have a hard time indeed explaining this debacle to whoever was in charge of the Gradosian invasion.

"There they go," Mu said, sounding amused at Egiel's frenzied cursing. "Time to head back to base."

Archangel, hangar

Damn, it's been a long day, Toya thought. At least D-Boy's back in action. There was in fact quite a crowd gathered around the "Pegas" robot already. Made sense; D-Boy was certainly the hero of the day.

"That was great, D-Boy!" Tenia gushed. "You come out of nowhere, and that bastard Dagger is toast! How'd ya do it, anyway?"

Toya laid a hand on her shoulder. "Easy, Tenia, give him a chance to breathe." He nodded to Aki, who was standing protectively at D-Boy's shoulder. "Nice to see you again. Whose idea was this contraption?"

"You can thank the Chief for this one," Noal said, scratching his head. "Pegas here used to be a worker robot of some sort, until Freeman got his hands on it. Mix in a little tech from shady sources, and presto! One Tekkaman support unit."

"So he's really a human?" Hime said, coming up next to Tenia. "How come he can transform?"

Noal let out a brief snort, looking at D-Boy in exasperation. "Something to do with Radam tech, but he won't say more than that. Claims he's lost his memory, but I still don't buy it. Anyway, for you guys who don't know us, D-Boy, Aki, and I are with the OSDG."

"I've heard some rumors about you," Nanga said. "Something about a trip to Mars with some Nergal people."

"Guess that sums it up," Noal said. "What about you guys?"

Nanga shrugged. "We're the Brain Powerd squad off the Novis Noah. Name's Nanga Silverly."

"Nice to meet you," Noal said. "Sorry to run, but we've gotta talk to the Captain. Chief wants us back in action ASAP."

"Good to see you, Toya," Aki said as they left.

What was that about? Toya wondered, then shrugged mentally. He'd find out soon enough; probably something about rejoining the Nadesico. If Freeman was half as smart as Noal had implied, the Nadesico was the only ship he'd trust with his people.

Katia tugged on his arm. "We should probably get to the bridge, too. Lunch afterward, I promise," she added when Tenia looked rebellious.

Toya and Melua laughed.

Bridge

"Understood," Murrue said, closing the channel. "Well, this is an interesting development. Our destination has changed."

Mu lifted an eyebrow. "That so? Where are we headed now?"

"Yokosuka Base in Japan," Murrue said. "We'll be stationed there for the time being. Details will follow when we arrive."

It was a strange turn of events, to say the least. They'd struggled for over a month to get as far as they had, and all of a sudden they were diverted with no explanation. Yokosuka was an important base, true, but hardly in the same league as JOSH-A or Panama.

"I've heard Nergal has a facility in Yokosuka," Zechs said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "There may be a connection."

"If so, it's a strange one," Natarle said, her antipathy for the Specials man for once in abeyance. "Regardless, orders are orders."

The rear hatch slid open. "We're supposed to cooperate with you until we reach Yokosuka," Katia said. "I gather we're transferring back to the Nadesico afterward."

Natarle frowned. "Are you suggesting the goal was simply to reunite you with that Nergal ship?"

"Hey, don't look at us," Toya said, raising his hands. "Prospector's message was cryptic as hell; we really don't know any more than you do."

Natarle stared at him a moment longer, then subsided. Even she knew that while Toya piloted arguably the most powerful unit in their mismatched force, he wasn't exactly one of Nergal's movers and shakers. Even if he did appear to have made friends with the Nadesico's captain.

The hatch opened. "Hey, mind if we tag along?" Noal said. "We got orders to link up with the Nadesico at Yokosuka."

"That so?" Mu drummed his fingers on the side of Kuzzey's console. "Starting to sound just a bit fishy."

"Is there a problem, Lieutenant?" Aki asked.

Natarle waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. He's just thinking." She looked past the other woman. "And what's with them?"

Murrue blinked. David Rutherford and Roanne Demitrich she could understand, but the rest were puzzling to say the least. "They're coming with us, too?"

"That's right," Aki confirmed. "From now on, the CCC survivors are members of the OSDG's operating staff. Even Anna can be of help; she did well as a nurse when we were taking care of D-Boy on the Nadesico."

"And don't even think of trying to get us to stay behind, Eiji," David said. "We know it won't be easy, but after what we've seen on the way here, we can't just let it go."

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared, but I could never live with myself if I stayed behind," Roanne put in.

Cagalli, heretofore silent, laughed. "You'd better listen to them, Eiji. Hell, Simone's taken piloting lessons, and we've got a captured Slomco for that Uribatake guy to mess around with."

"Y'know, they've been through a lot already, Lady Athha," Toya said in a surprisingly mild tone.

She waved that away irritably. "Just call me Cagalli; I hate being formal, especially with friends. And I know, I was just teasing them."

Doing so remarkably well, judging by Eiji's expression. Murrue had to fight to keep a smile off her face; the young half-breed looked like he couldn't decide what to say.

"I'm glad, though," Mir said from CIC. "We've been through so much together, it would be a shame if we had to split up now."

Murrue had to agree, though Cagalli had a strange look on her face. There was safety in numbers, if nothing else, and they had made a good team up to that point. She was even looking forward to seeing Yurika Misumaru again, though she would never say it where Natarle could hear.

"Very well, then," she said. "Tomorrow morning the Archangel departs for Yokosuka Base."

They still had a lot to do.

Athha residence

Cagalli spent the rest of the afternoon packing. It was a huge decision, she knew, and she would be gone for months in all likelihood. Still, it was something she had to do; she couldn't sit still while Earth was under attack from a hundred different directions. And someone had to keep Kira from losing his mind; his evident girlfriend wasn't doing a very good job of it, in her opinion.

"So you're leaving."

She didn't look up. "You're going to stop me?"

"You would only sneak out anyway, and demanding the Archangel return you would only cause further complications." Uzumi took a step inside. "However, I must ask, do you know what it is you are doing?"

"Don't give me the neutrality speech, Father," Cagalli bit out, stuffing several sets of clothes into her bag. "I saw how much that was worth at Heliopolis."

"And you think simply fighting will end it?"

She finally turned, glaring at her father. "What are we supposed to do, just roll over? I'm a trained pilot, even if I'm not as good as Kira or Toya. This is something I can do." She shook her head. "If it was just about the PLANTs I'd do what you want and stay home. I wouldn't like it, but I'd do it. But it isn't just them, and you know even better than I do that the Gradosians and the Radam aren't going to give a damn about our 'neutral nation' claim."

Uzumi sighed, unable to dispute that point. "You sound much like him. Very well." He stood. "I won't stop you. I only hope that you come to realize how little you actually understand."

"Fine." Cagalli shouldered her bag. "Don't worry, I'll be back."

"Cagalli." Uzumi's voice softened. "Remember, no matter what happens, this is your home. You do have a place to return to."

She looked over her shoulder, and could have sworn she saw a hint of moisture in her father's eyes. "I will," she promised.

I'll fight alongside them, she told herself. Kira, Toya, D-Boy, and the others. We'll end this war, and I'll come back home, and tell Father what I've learned.

Author's note: So near, and yet so far. Almost had this finished in under a month. Ah, well, better luck next time, I guess. Word of warning, next chapter will start things going off the rails a bit from my original plan. You can thank the new SRW The Moon Dwellers for that. I shall do my best to get the next one up in a reasonable amount of time.