Yokosuka Base, meeting room

Murrue had never met General Colbert before, but she'd heard about him from her mentor, Admiral Halberton. The Admiral had described Colbert as a martinet with a messiah complex, who cared little for his own subordinates. Thus far, Halberton's words were proving all too accurate.

Colonel Treize Khushrenada was another matter. Younger even than Murrue despite his rank, he was an enigmatic figure, albeit a more congenial one than Colbert. Though as commander of the Specials his status was outside the normal chain of command, he remained silent while his superior debriefed the Archangel officers.

"Hmm, I must admit you have done surprisingly well under the circumstances," Colbert said. He cast a distasteful look at Kira. "Placing the Strike in the hands of a civilian Coordinator was ill-advised, but given the situation you faced at the time I suppose it was the least bad choice you could have made. Have you anything to add?"

"Only that without the Nadesico it is highly unlikely we would have made it this far," Murrue said. "However . . . strange they may be, we owe them a great deal."

Colbert's face twitched. "Of course," he said. "That is in fact something we must discuss further, once Captain Misumaru and her people arrive." His tone made clear what he thought of them.

Even Natarle is more kindly disposed toward the Nadesico crew, Murrue thought. Then again, Nergal only recently agreed to cooperate with the Federation, so I suppose it isn't a surprise.

The hatch opened then, admitting Yurika Misumaru and a number of her people. "Sorry about the wait!" she said. "We, ah, we kinda got lost on the way here!"

The moment he entered the room behind Calvina Coulange, Toya decided he would rather be fighting the Radam and the Gradosians simultaneously, by himself. It would have been much less painful than coming face to face with General Colbert, especially after he'd tried to hijack the Nadesico.

"Geez, Yurika," Akito was saying, "just how many places did you mistake for the meeting room, anyway?"

The look Colbert turned on them was one of inexpressible disgust and disdain. "Speaking so casually to a superior officer," he said, his voice dripping contempt. "Your lack of discipline never ceases to amaze me."

Oh, yeah? I seem to remember we managed to beat you despite our "lack of discipline," jackass.

"That geezer again?" Ryoko hissed under her breath, looking like she wanted to hit something. To be sure, she usually looked like she wanted to hit something, but it was unusually pronounced this time.

"Just what the hell is Permanent Hair Loss doing here!?" Tenia grumbled.

Still glaring at them, Colbert shook his head. "Very well. Now that you're all here, we can get down to business." He brought up a map on the wall screen. "This is our current theater of operations. As you know, ZAFT maintains a strong presence south of here, and the Gradosians and Radam appear more or less at random. Your two ships will be assigned as roving troubleshooters, crushing threats as needed."

Murrue raised a hand. "General, what about our request for additional personnel? Even with Kira Yamato and his friends, the Archangel remains badly shorthanded."

Colbert raised an eyebrow. "Come now, Captain, you've performed quite well as it is. In any case, while Colonel Khushrenada," he shot the Specials commander a brief glare, "will be providing you with two more pilots, aside from them we have no one to spare."

Toya glanced at his companions, saw the same annoyance and puzzlement he felt. The UEFA has most of the damn planet plus some orbital assets, and they can't spare anyone for their best ship? Something ain't right here.

Noal had his own issue, judging by the look he gave his Freeman. "Hey, Chief, what's up with this? I don't remember reenlisting; hell, this kind of thing is why I took your offer in the first place!"

Freeman's face was unreadable. "It is exactly as I told you before, Noal. However," his red eyes narrowed at he looked at Colbert, "the General seems to have misunderstood the situation. General Colbert, D-Boy and Eiji are not simply your weapons. You will pay dearly for misunderstanding that fact; they are people, and I have made clear both to you and to the high command that they are under my protection as members of the OSDG."

"Don't be impertinent, Freeman," Colbert said with a snort. "Your trick wasn't as effective as you thought; from now on, as members of the Independent Special Operations Task Force, you will be powerful weapons for the benefit of the UEFA."

In your dreams, bastard, Toya thought. Sure, I'll go along for now, but if you even look like you're going to hurt my friends, especially the girls, and I'll damn well send you to hell myself.

"Don't get a big head, General," D-Boy said.

"Is there a problem, D-Boy?" Freeman asked mildly.

The Tekkaman shook his head. "As long as I'm directed to fight the Radam, it's fine. I just wanted to say the Federation is run by idiots. Especially you, Colbert; you've started a selfish war that blew up in your face, and I'm not going to clean up your mess. Just had to get that out."

Toya had to fight an urge to laugh at Colbert's expression. The balding General's face twisted, in the process turning an interesting shade of purple. For a brief moment he thought the older man was going to have a stroke, not that he really expected to be so lucky.

"Please, General, calm yourself," Treize said, speaking for the first time. "There is nothing to be gained by infighting at this time."

Colbert glared at him again. "You're too smooth for your own good, Colonel. Very well. Captain Ramius, Captain Misumaru, I'm afraid I have other business to attend to. Colonel Khushrenada will introduce you to your new pilots." With an air of mixed disdain and profound relief, he made his exit.

Once Colbert was gone, Toya instantly relaxed. He didn't mind working with the Archangel people, even if Ensign Badgiruel got on his nerves, but having to take orders from the kind of person he'd signed on with Nergal to avoid was like getting teeth pulled without anesthetic.

"Tenia, if we ever have to fight the UEFA again, remind me to make that bastard's flagship a priority target," he whispered. The redhead nodded vigorously.

"Well," Murrue said. "Now that that's out of the way, I must say it's a pleasure to see you again, Captain Misumaru. How did things go in Southeast Asia?"

Yurika shuddered theatrically. "Crazy! First Doctor Hell snatched Mazinger Z, and smashed up Aphrodite A pretty bad. Then Koji came back with his new Mazinkaiser, 'cept he didn't really have control of it, so it went on a rampage!"

"I was unconscious," Koji said. "Luckily the others were able to immobilize Kaiser, or it would've been a hell of a lot worse."

"Oh, and we fought a Hakkeshu robot, but we were able to take it out," Yurika went on.

Sara Yuki snorted. "Wasn't as bad as Kaohsiung Spaceport," she said. "We ran into Domon's old master there, Master Asia. He pretended to be our friend, but then the old bastard turned on us."

Which explained why Domon appeared even more morose than he'd been when he and Rain joined the crew back in Africa. His face tightened at the mention of Master Asia, but he made no comment.

"Making matters even worse, on another mission Omoikane malfunctioned," Yurika said, grimacing at the memory.

Murrue tilted her head. "Malfunctioned? How so?"

"There was a memory glitch, causing it to identify all units save for the Aestivalis as the enemy," Ruri explained. "On top of that, it seized control of the Aestivalis' targeting systems and forced them to attack friendly units."

"That was a serious pain," Akatsuki said. "I like having control over my machine, thank you very much."

"No to mention the fines," Prospector added. "Exorbitant in the extreme! Not enough to dent Nergal's bottom line, to be sure, but still an extreme measure."

Toya fought back a snicker. In the chaos of war, it was easy to forget his employers were businessmen first and foremost, and thus financial matters were uppermost in their minds. He could just imagine Prospector's reaction on seeing the fines levied by the Federation.

"I see Cagalli's still tagging along," Sara observed. "You get your father's permission for this? You're not exactly traveling incognito this time."

"My father has nothing to do with this," Cagalli said. "He said I was being naive, but that he wouldn't stop me. I'm doing this on my own."

"You sure about this?" Ryo asked. "It's only going to get worse from here on out."

Cagalli glared at him. "Of course I'm sure. I'm a pilot now, and I'm not going to just sit back and leave everything to others. I'm doing my part."

She's gonna smack him if this keeps up. Toya covered a smile with his coffee cup. If there was one thing he'd learned about Cagalli Yula Athha over the last few weeks, it was that she had a tendency to bulldoze over anything that got in her way.

"Anyway, I'm seeing some new faces," Yurika said. "Who're these guys?"

Murrue nodded at the Novis group. "Nanga Silverly, Lasse Lundburg, and Hime Utsumiya. They're Antibody pilots off the Novis Noah, who've been cooperating with us since we left Africa." She raised an eyebrow. "I see you've picked up a few more yourself."

"Yup!" Yurika said. "First we've got a few more from the Photon Power Labs."

One of them, a muscular youth with hair similar to Koji's, gave Mu an appraising look. "I'm Tetsuya Tsurugi, pilot of Great Mazinger. It's an honor to fight alongside the Hawk of Endymion."

Mu shrugged. "Not that I'm flying mobile armors anymore, but whatever. Glad to have you along."

"Hey, don't forget us!"

Toya covered his face with one hand. I know that voice. Seriously, what's he doing here? Sure enough, the heavyset form of Boss was visible, with his slighter companions Nuke and Mucha flanking him. Recalling the appearance of Boss Borot, Toya honestly wondered what they had to contribute.

So did Ruri, evidently. "Their robot is made out of junk," she said. "I still don't understand how it moves at all. From my calculations, you could consider yourself lucky if it worked one out of every ten thousand times."

Melua giggled at Boss's wounded look. "C'mon, Ruri, you're breakin' my heart!"

"Moving on!" Yurika said, keen on avoiding a disaster. "These are the crew of the Super Electromagnetic robot, Voltes V."

"I'm Kenichi Go, leader of the Voltes Team," the oldest of them said. He wore garb similar to Hyoma's; his hair was significantly longer. "These are my brothers Daijiro and Hiyoshi." Daijiro was built similarly to Daisaku of the Combattler team, while Hiyoshi looked to be about the same age as Kosuke.

"Megumi Oka," their sole female member said.

Their final member, a young man with long brown hair, smiled ruefully. "Name's Ippei Mine, former pro rodeo star. I feel a bit in over my head, but I'll pull my weight."

"Our machine was built by my father, Kentaro Go, to oppose the Boazanian Empire," Kenichi said.

Eiji's head came up. "The Boazanians?"

"You know about them, Eiji?" Murrue said.

He nodded, grimacing. "Gale told me about them before I left Grados. They're humanoid, an empire in ruled by horned nobles; those without horns are considered second-class."

Mu rubbed his temples. "Just what we need, another alien invasion. As if the Gradosians and the Radam weren't bad enough."

"Last, but not least, the two pilots of the incredible robot Zeorymer," Yurika finished.

The last two were a study in contrasts. One was a girl, quite attractive, with waist-length light brown hair and gray eyes. Her male companion was dressed in black, with close-cropped black hair and dark eyes, and a lost look on his face. Both looked to be within a year or two of Toya's age.

"My name is Masato Akitsu," the boy said. "I don't really have anywhere else to be."

"And I am Miku Himuro," the girl added. "Pleased to meet you."

Masato reminded Toya of himself a year previous. On the surface, at least; there was something deep down that seemed a little off. He reminded himself not to prejudge anything; they were a ragtag bunch as it was. New members were bound to need time to adjust.

"This would be a good time to bring in your new pilots," Treize said. "Enter."

The door slid open, admitting two women in the dark green uniform of the Specials. Both had short black hair, and both appeared to be shy of twenty years old.

"Lieutenant Lucrezia Noin," the taller one said, saluting. "It's a pleasure."

Her companion followed suit. "Lieutenant Hilde Schbeiker," she said with a smile. "I look forward to serving with you all."

"They'll be piloting our newest mobile suit, the Taurus," Treize said. "It's primarily meant for operation in space, but its variable frame design allows it to function effectively on Earth as well."

Good news indeed. Thus far, outside the Archangel the UEFA had been relying on Leos, Aries, and Arm Slaves for their mech needs, all of which had difficulty at best against GINNs and SPTs.

Duo was eying Hilde curiously. "Now what's a nice girl like you doing with the Specials?"

A chorus of groans answered him. Natarle had one hand over her face, while her CO seemed torn between exasperation and hilarity. Aki just rolled her eyes, and punched Noal when he opened his mouth to comment.

"Nice pickup line, Duo," Ryoko muttered.

Nadesico, hangar

For all that he'd come to like and respect the Archangel crew, Toya was glad to be back aboard his home ship. After a quick shower and an infusion of Akito Tenkawa's superb cooking, he and the girls went down to the hangar, hopefully to get some answers.

"Okay, Mister Prospector, what gives?" Toya asked.

"This," the Nergal man replied, gesturing to a mech Toya hadn't seen before.

It was a much larger machine than Bellzelute, with a design superficially similar to the spiked gray form of Zeorymer visible on the other side of the hangar. Colored mostly a dark blue-gray with orange and green trim, it had a vertical ring at the top of the head and what looked almost like a green gemstone in the center of the torso.

Slightly behind and to Toya's right, Katia gasped. "That . . . that's his machine!"

"His?" Prospector said, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. "You mean the man who broke you out of that institution you spoke of?"

"That's right," Tenia said. "We never caught his name, but that's definitely his mech. I remember it had some extra seats, though he was able to pilot it by himself. I forget what it's called, though."

"Granteed," Melua supplied. "He called it Granteed."

Toya just stared at it. A new Cytron-based mech, one even more powerful than Bellzelute; he could somehow tell just by looking. He could practically feel its power, and something else, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Now you see why I wanted to talk to you," Prospector said. "Since you've proven able to interface with the Cytron with relative ease, we thought you might be able to put it to good use."

"Yeah, I see what you mean," Toya said. He frowned. "But what about the Bellzelute."

A nearby hatch slid open, and Calvina Coulange stepped through. "If you're willing, I'll take over as pilot," she said. "I know you're very protective of it, but we need all the operational machines we can get right now."

Toya looked closely at her expression. "That's a switch. Are you sure you can use it? So far I'm the only one who's been able to fly the damn thing."

"According to our tests, I should be able to interface with the Cytron, albeit not as completely as you," Calvina said. "Unlike this 'Granteed,' the Bellzelute seems to have been built at least partly with Earth technology. Probably by Ash'ari-Kreuzter; some of its systems resemble a prototype we were working on when the facility was destroyed." Pain flashed through her blue eyes, but she suppressed it quickly.

She's got a point. Toya looked back up at the Granteed. With a machine of such power, he and his friends would be that much safer on the battlefield, and he'd be able to do more. Still, it wasn't his decision alone.

"What do you think, girls?" he asked.

"I'm certainly okay with piloting his machine," Katia said. "It seems to fit, somehow."

Festenia nodded agreement. "Yeah. I remember him smashing everything in sight with that thing. If we take it out there, the baddies are in for a world of hurt."

"I'll be happy to go along," Melua said, making it unanimous. "Um, Mister Prospector, about the pilot. Was he . . .?"

Prospector saw where she was going. "I'm sorry, Melua, but he was dead when we found it. Badly burned. Mister Freeman requested we send him the body for study, though he did promise to treat it with respect." He nodded at Masato's huge machine. "Granteed was badly damaged when we found it, but spare parts from Zeorymer proved to be workable substitutes. Interesting that the technology would be so similar."

Understatement of the millennium. "Okay, Calvina, the Bellzelute is all yours," Toya said. "Take good care of it, okay?"

The faintest trace of a smile crossed Calvina's face. "I will," she promised.

Toya smiled back, and hauled himself into the Granteed's cockpit. Most of the controls seemed to be similar to the Bellzelute; he figured the Cytron would explain the rest in due time. Seating for all three of the girls, probably a modification, but a welcome one.

It felt like too much of a coincidence. He, the first person the girls had encountered after their escape, was somehow able to interface with the Cytron system, and now an even more powerful mech had practically dropped into his lap. Something seemed off.

"Toya." Calvina poked her head into his cockpit. "Can I ask you something?"

That was unusual. Then again, the tactical advisor/pilot did seem to be loosening up, just a little. "Yeah?"

"You said your father worked for Ash'ari-Kreutzer." Calvina's expression was unreadable. "What was his name?"

Why is she asking that now? "Seldora Shiun," Toya said. "Kind of a weird name, I guess. Why?"

"I thought he might have been someone I knew after all, but I don't recognize the name." Calvina sighed. "I'd hoped that perhaps someone else might have survived after all."

"Sorry I can't help," Toya said.

Calvina shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

What was that about, anyway? Putting the matter aside, Toya returned to his inspection. Granteed's generator was, as he'd suspected, several times as powerful as Bellzelute's, with heavier weapons. The way the extra seating was set up, it looked like each of the girls would be supervising a different part of the machine's operation. Katia took weapons and sensors, Tenia managed the Cytron core, and Melua oversaw propulsion.

"Toya." Katia's voice interrupted his thoughts. "I've been comparing Granteed's specs to Zeorymer. Mister Prospector is right, there are a lot of similarities."

"It's weird," Tenia said. "The Cytron isn't exactly like that DCS thingy Zeorymer has, but it's pretty damn close."

"Maybe we should ask Masato about it," Melua suggested.

Katia shook her head. "I don't think he really knows anything except how to pilot it. He seems even more lost than Toya was when we first met." She looked up at Toya. "You weren't forced along at gunpoint, and I think Masato was. Or something similar at least."

Something that could have nasty repercussions down the line. Toya didn't exactly want to be there himself, but he kept on to protect the girls, and he'd actually made some new friends along the way. The same, he knew, held true for Kira.

The jury was still out on Masato Akitsu.

"I'm sure he'll find a reason," Toya said. "If he doesn't get himself killed first, anyway."

Archangel, hangar

Contrary to popular belief, Zechs Merquise was not the cold, aloof soldier many took him to be. His mask often gave that impression, but he actually did have friends. One of those friends, one of the few who knew the truth of his origins, was standing with him in the hangar.

"You've been through a lot since we last saw each other," Lucrezia Noin said. "Frankly, I'm amazed that you pulled through, taking a Leo against things like the stolen G-weapons."

Zechs smiled. "I had help. Still, you're right about one thing, the Leo is obsolete. They're already talking about mass-producing the Strike. In the meantime," he gestured at the mech before them, "I have this."

OZ-00MS Tallgeese. Possibly the first attempt at a military mobile suit, predating even the most basic GINN model. Larger than the Leo design, it was equipped with a dobergun and beam saber of the same type as the Leo. What set it apart was its Gundanium armor, similar to the Colony Gundams, and the super verniers, which allowed it to fly at great speed.

"You sure this museum piece will give you the edge you need?" Noin asked. "It's not exactly state of the art."

"Newer doesn't necessarily mean better, and judging by its specs Tallgeese was ahead of its time." Zechs put a hand on the white machine's leg. "This is the machine I've been waiting for ever since the GINN first appeared."

Unlike many in the military, especially the upper ranks, Zechs had nothing against either the PLANTs or Coordinators in general. He was merely frustrated facing machines that so consistently outperformed his, especially when the Colony Gundams appeared.

He looked back at Noin. "Has there been anything on Gundam 03 or 05?"

She shrugged. "Only what their comrades have already told you. 05 was last seen by a reconnaissance plane, fighting against some Mechabeasts in Sri Lanka of all places."

"Hopefully if we encounter him Heero and the others can at least stop him from attacking us." Zechs's smile turned slightly brittle. "Not that I would blame him if he did."

Noin touched his arm. "Is this about General Colbert?"

Zechs chuckled softly. "Don't worry, Noin. However galling I find it to be taking orders from him, I'm not so insane as to make an attempt now. The time will come; for now, we have more important things to worry about."

Though he hadn't mentioned it to even Noin or Treize, Lord Uzumi's words had left him feeling conflicted. For all that Heliopolis had shown him he had a purpose besides mere revenge, he was still reluctant to reveal himself. On the other hand, it was doubtful Relena's true heritage could be kept hidden from her forever.

What would he do, if and when the time came? He had no idea.

"Zechs?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing. Chief Murdoch informs me that Tallgeese should be fully operational within the hour, so I'll be taking it out for the next sortie."

"If you insist," Noin said, accepting the change of subject.

Yes, he would be out there. He would protect the Earth and what remained of his family, and with Tallgeese he had just the tool he needed.

Coastal town, near Hime's orphanage

Toya was really starting to wonder how he always got picked for the scouting missions. Sure, he was a good pilot and all, but it wasn't like he was the only possible scout. Mu and Cagalli had their Skygraspers, Shinobu had the Eagle, Layzner was made for long-range cruising, even the Blue Earth was well suited for it.

It didn't help that he was having difficulty getting used to the Granteed. The jump in power was even greater than he'd anticipated; even basic maneuvering could be dicey. If he hadn't had the girls helping him, he wasn't at all sure he could master it.

At least this wasn't a solo flight. The Brain Powerd squadron was along, Hime to his right, Nanga to the left, and Lasse bringing up the rear.

"You grew up here, didn't you, Hime?" Melua asked.

"That's right," Hime confirmed. "Me, Yukio, Kumazo, and Akari together. The orphanage is just a few kilometers away."

Toya had already spotted it on his nav map. A largish, out of the way building on a hill, convenient to both town and the ocean. He imagined growing up there must have been fairly peaceful, at least until the Gradosians and Radam appeared.

"You want to stop by and say hello?" Nanga asked.

"Maybe later," Hime said. "I've got an Antibody reaction, just the one."

Nanga's eyebrows rose over his sunglasses. "Just one? The Reclaimers don't normally operate solo, so that must mean. . . ."

"It's him," Hime agreed.

I really wish I had an Organic Radar in this thing. Sure enough, a blue Brain Powerd was visible in a clearing up ahead. Increasing the magnification on his camera, Toya saw a blue-haired human figure at its feet, the rogue Reclaimer Yu Isami.

Yu heard them coming, of course. The Brains didn't make much noise, but Granteed was anything but quiet. Even so, he made no move to run; either he was in the mood to talk for once, or he didn't see any point in escaping.

"There you are!" Hime said when they'd disembarked. "Just what are you doing here!?"

The ex-Reclaimer glared at her. "I don't see that it's any of your business," he said acidly.

Hime let out a huffing noise. "Your grandmother Naoko is on the Novis Noah these days," she said. "Don't you want to see her?"

Yu seemed to ponder that. "So, Grandma's on the Novis. . . ."

"Let's get to the point," Nanga said. "Right now you're just out by yourself. You have to know you won't accomplish much alone. Why not come with us?" He nodded at Yu's Brain. "You don't even have a remodeled cockpit."

Yu snorted derisively. "That's because I don't need one. I piloted Grand Chers out of Orphan for six years. This is nothing."

Toya felt his jaw drop. "Six years?" he repeated. "You're about the same age as me."

"You must really be something," Lasse said, letting out a low whistle.

Hell, yeah. I can only handle these Cytron mechs 'cause they drop the operating instructions into my head, and he's been an Antibody pilot since he was eleven?

"Needing remodeled cockpits is just proof of your own incompetence," Yu continued. "Now look, we don't have time for this, or didn't you notice the Grand Cher force heading this way?"

Toya didn't wait for Nanga's command. By the time Yu had finished speaking he was already scrambling into Granteed's cockpit and bringing systems out of standby. First this jerk, now Grand Chers. What else can go wrong today?

"When we get back, I'm asking the Novis people to install an Organic Radar," Katia muttered, echoing Toya's earlier thoughts. "Scanners and weapons online, Toya," she said.

"Cytron Core and Orgone Extractor up," Tenia said.

"Propulsion systems are go," Melua finished.

At least something was going right. Toya gripped the controls and focused his mind; one of the major differences between it and Bellzelute, and the biggest reason he was having so much difficulty mastering it, was the man-machine interface was much deeper. It made sense, he supposed, since the Bellzelute was aside from the Cytron core built with Earth technology.

Yu's Brain had lifted off with the rest; after a brief, biting exchange with Hime, he agreed to help out.

Okay, time for Granteed's first combat trial. "Take this, Reclaimers! Orgone Blaster!" A beam of green light, more solid than that emitted by the G-weapons' beam rifles, lanced out from the ring on Granteed's head and struck the nearest Grand Cher. The Antibody's Chakra Shield blunted the impact, but it was still visibly injured.

Nanga's Brain came up alongside, firing beams of Chakra into another Grand Cher. "Not bad, Toya," he said. "Guess the Nadesico people hit the jackpot when they restored that thing."

A bit to the south, Yu and Hime were working in tandem, bickering the whole time (much to Toya's amusement). Despite the bickering, their teamwork was excellent, almost instinctive, to the point that Toya wondered if their Brains were outright telepathic.

Granteed jolted from a Chakra blast. Toya and Tenia swore in unison, prompting a laugh from Melua. The armor seemed to be holding; a hit like that would have done severe damage to the Bellzelute. With the offending Grand Cher too close for anything else, he simply brought the machine's hands up and repeatedly punched it.

"More Grand Chers on the way," Katia said. "The Archangel and Nadesico should be here soon, too."

One of the Grand Chers was one Toya recognized as belonging to Yu's former comrade Jonathan Glenn. It was ignoring the other Antibodies and Granteed, staring fixedly at Yu's Brain.

"Found you, Yu!" Glenn said exultantly. "This time you're going down!"

"Just go away, Jonathan!" Yu snapped, sounding more exasperated than anything else. "You're wasting your time and mine!"

Whatever Glenn would have said in response was drowned out by a sudden roar of many engines. The Archangel and Nadesico had arrived, already deploying their various mechs. In the lead were Mu La Flaga's Skygrasper, Calvina in the Bellzelute, and Zechs Merquise in his new Tallgeese.

"Sorry we took so long," Mu said, already beginning an attack run. "Nadesico people, watch out. Those Grand Chers can be a real pain."

"Roger that," Akatsuki said, his back-mounted missile pods opening.

Toya powered up the Orgone Blaster again, but had to hurriedly break off when something large and white cut across. Barely even slowing down, Tallgeese drew a beam saber from its buckler-style shield and impaled a Grand Cher, and was gone before anyone could react.

"Damn, that thing's fast!" Tenia said. "How can he control it?"

A soft, feminine chuckle answered her. "He's the Lightning Count, Miss Muse," Lucrezia Noin said, her Taurus coming to an overwatch position above them. "They call him that for a reason."

Toya could easily see why. The only ones who seemed to be keeping up with Zechs were Heero and Calvina, the latter showing she hadn't lost any of the skill that had led her to be dubbed the White Lynx. Even the Skygraspers were left in the dust.

"JONATHAAAAAAN!" Yu's Brain was launching some kind of banzai charge, knocking two Grand Cher's aside and bearing down on the squad leader. "I'll end it right here!" He brought some kind of sword down hard; the Grand Cher was able to partly dodge, but its right arm was severed just below the elbow.

Jonathan cried out; apparently the symbiosis included some degree of pain sensation. "Damn you, Yu! My hand . . .!"

And that appeared to be that for their latest run-in with the Reclaimers. The few surviving Grand Chers (Toya only saw three besides Jonathan Glenn's) vanished into the Vital Net. The members of the UEFA force, by contrast, had only sustained minor damage.

Naturally, the universe decided to drop a giant shoe on their heads right when they were starting to relax. Without any warning, there was an explosion on the Archangel's outer hull.

"What the hell was that!?" Natarle demanded. "Damage report!"

"Igelstellungs One and Two destroyed," Sai said, confused. "No sign of incoming fire . . . wait, what?"

Katia increased camera magnification without being asked, and Toya felt his jaw fall open. Standing on the Archangel's hull was a man dressed in a purple and black martial arts gi. Middle forties to early fifties, if his graying hair and mustache were anything to go by, but his age evidently wasn't slowing him down.

What the hell!?

"A person?" Ruri said, her deadpan voice betraying just a hint of puzzlement.

"I'm over here!" the man taunted. "No, here!"

Toya watched in disbelief as the man took a flying leap over to the Nadesico, landing neatly on one of the port missile launchers. Seeming to sense Toya's gaze, he looked over his shoulder at the Granteed, smirking.

"Enough of this!" Domon's Shining Gundam took a vernier-assisted leap, coming to rest atop the Nadesico. "Master, stop this already!"

Master Asia? That explains a lot.

"Impudent pupil!" Master Asia said, sneering. "You still lack the most basic understanding. Do you really think you have what it takes to fight me?"

"Shut up!" Shining Gundam's foot lashed out, missing the so-called Undefeated of the East by a meter. "You're being controlled by the Devil Gundam! I swear as the King of Hearts that I will bring you back to your senses with my fists!"

Master Asia nimbly leapt back, allowing what was unmistakably a Death Army mobile suit to catch him. "Is that so? I'd like to see you try. Come forth, Death Army!"

The area north of the town, which had seemed to empty before, was suddenly swarming with mobile suits. Toya counted over thirty of the hideous Death Army machines before he lost track. Granted, they were no match for anything the UEFA task force had deployed, but there were so many of them. And backing them, one, two, three, four Gundams.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me!" Tenia said. "Where'd those Gundams come from!?"

They were just about the weirdest mobile suits Toya had ever even heard of. One looked like something out of The Three Musketeers, another was built more or less like a walking tank, a third looked like it was wearing a football helmet of all things, and the last bore a strong resemblance to East Asian depictions of dragons.

"No," Rain breathed. "Those are Chibodee and the others!"

"Uh, who?" Kira said, bringing the Strike around.

It was Ruri who answered. "Chibodee Crockett, pilot of Gundam Maxter," she said. "Argo Gulskii, pilot of Bolt Gundam. George de Sand, pilot of Gundam Rose. And Sai Saici, pilot of Dragon Gundam. They're all known to be close associates of Domon."

Chibodee laughed. "That's right, girlie. And now we're here for a little bout."

"You will feel the dance of my sword!" George said, flourishing Gundam Rose's rapier.

Dragon Gundam was almost bouncing up and down. "Heh, I've been really looking forward to this! Come on, bro!"

Just great, all we need is to have four more Gundams on our hands! As if the Le Creuset team weren't enough. Toya fed power to his thrusters, but he'd only moved a few meters when another mobile suit appeared, this one barely recognizable as such.

"Sir Domon Kasshu!" the pilot said. The voice was male, and elderly by the sound of it. "My name is Raymond, Sir George's butler! Please, you must help us!"

Toya and the girls looked at each other, marveling at the sheer strangeness of a butler in a mobile suit. Before they could give voice to their confusion, Raymond spoke again.

"Sir George and the others are not acting of their own free will," he said. "Master Asia deceived them, and now they are being controlled by the Devil Gundam."

That was guaranteed to make Domon's temper flare, not that Toya blamed him.

As was what George did next. "Raymond, I can't believe this. You're meddling in your master's private affairs." Gundam Rose fired off a burst from its head-mounted Vulcans; Raymond cried out as the solid rounds pitted what armor he had, but he didn't stop.

"Raymond, hurry!" Rain set. "Get to the Nadesico!"

Needing no orders, Toya moved to cover Raymond's crude mobile suit, slamming his machine's right hand through a Death Army unit when it attempted pursuit. Growling incoherently, he flung the crippled mech into one of its teammates, causing both to explode.

Kira swooped in, beam rifle spearing a Death Army machine in the top of the head, blowing it in half. He shifted the weapon to one side, but his second target was already down, melting under a double blast of red-orange fire. Behind it was another Gundam, colored similarly to the Wing and Strike. The right arm was extendable, terminating in an attachment shaped like a dragon's head.

"Gundam 05 confirmed," Ruri said.

"That's the Shenlong, all right," Duo said, hacking a Death Army machine in half. "Wufei, just what are you doing here?"

The Shenlong drew a polearm from its back. "That's my line," Chang Wufei said irritably. "What do you guys think you're doing, working with the Federation?"

"This isn't the time, Wufei," Heero said, his beam saber out. "Not with the Radam and Gradosians invading."

Wufei swept his weapon –a beam glaive, Granteed's computer called it– through a trio of Death Army mobile suits. "Hmph. Do whatever you want."

Okay, I officially don't like him. Putting the Shenlong and Wufei's unpleasant personality aside, Toya set his sights on one of the mobile fighters. Bolt Gundam was obviously the heaviest of the quartet, but as with most such machines it didn't have much in the way of ranged weapons.

Which didn't necessarily help much. Even leaving aside the DG Cell issue, anyone who could fight Domon Kasshu on even terms was by definition highly dangerous. Knowing that, Toya didn't close the distance too fast; getting up close to something like that would put him at a severe disadvantage.

"You scared, kiddo?" Argo sneered. "Guess I don't blame you. Fine, if you won't come to me, I'll go to you!" With speed belying its bulk, Bolt Gundam shot forward, part of its right shoulder splitting off to land on an energy chain, forming a flail.

How the hell can he move that fast!? Toya grunted as the sphere crashed into Granteed's left arm. The impact threw him about, but not enough to truly disorient him. Baring his teeth, he drove Granteed's right hand forward, the appendage covered in crystallized Orgone energy.

It was Argo's turn to grunt as the impact staggered his Gundam, but he didn't go down. "Better than I thought. This could be fun after all!" He lashed out with a huge fist, narrowly missing Granteed's head. Before Toya could counter, Bolt Gundam's knee came up, knocking him back.

"Dammit!" Toya fought to maintain control. Dammit, figures I'd have this in my first sortie! "I'm not playing games, freak! Orgone Blaster!"

"Gaaah!" Orgone Blaster wasn't the most powerful weapon in Granteed's arsenal, but at point-blank range it was enough to knock Bolt Gundam off its feet. "Why, you–!"

Toya wasn't going to let him recover. "Tenia, raise the output to maximum!" He barely heard the redheaded firebrand's acknowledgment; his mind was already concentrated on the Cytron. Servos whined as Granteed lifted Bolt Gundam bodily off the ground and hurled it away, to land with a resounding crash halfway in the ocean.

One down.

Something blue and white shot past, Cagalli in her Skygrasper, evading a swarm of mechanized roses. "You're doing well to avoid my Rose Bits," George said, his voice dripping with damning-by-faint-praise scorn. "But how long can you keep it up, little princess?"

Katia winced. "Cagalli isn't going to take that well," she said. "Either she'll do something reckless and get shot down, or cut Gundam Rose to pieces."

Fortunately, associating with so many more experienced pilots (including Toya himself, bizarre though it felt) seemed to have tamped down a little on Cagalli's impulsive nature. She made a sound like an enraged cat, but otherwise didn't rise to the bait, instead putting her Skygrasper into a long loop.

"Running away?" George asked smugly. "A wise decision; a mere fighter stands no chance against my–"

Two of his Rose Bits abruptly exploded; Cagalli had finished her turn, and now was blazing away with her machine guns. As she closed, she turned the Skygrasper knife-edge and extended the Schwert Gewehr. The beam edge took Gundam Rose right in the neck, slicing its head clean off.

That's two. Toya couldn't help chuckling at the decidedly un-knightly stream of profanity erupting from the infected Frenchman. The falling mobile fighter tripped up Gundam Maxter, which was already hard-pressed by Kira and Calvina.

"Hold still, dammit!" Chibodee complained. A shot from one of his beam pistols winged the Strike, but thus far that was all he'd managed.

Then Calvina appeared to tire of the game. Bellzelute's main rifle came up, the Shot Launchers connected, and a familiar crystalline green arrow flew, taking Maxter in the right shoulder and from the looks of it frying some internals in the process.

With Gundam Maxter effectively disabled, that left Dragon Gundam (and a horde of zombies), and it was proving to be a much tougher nut to crack. Despite his youth, Sai Saici was Domon's equal in a fight, or near enough, and Domon was hard pressed, especially since he obviously didn't want to kill the other pilot.

"Is this really what you wanted, Sai Saici?" Domon asked, parrying a spear thrust. "What about reviving the Shaolin Temple!?"

The younger pilot laughed. "I don't care about that anymore, Bro! This is way better!" Dragon Gundam's right arm came up, spewing fire. "I've finally got a chance to beat you!"

"Damn!" Domon crouched and sidestepped. "I've got no choice. Forgive me, Sai Saici!" His right hand came up, the Shining Gundam's face opening. "Here I go! SHINING FINGER!" He gripped Dragon Gundam's head; Granteed's viewer automatically dimmed to compensate for the bright glow.

"Gwaaah!" Dragon Gundam's head exploded, and it staggered blindly back, eventually tripping and falling atop Bolt Gundam.

Which of course still left the Death Army horde, but they were more than capable of handling such a threat. Toya nonetheless winced when Zeorymer put its fists together and did something that seemed to warp space, twisting some of the Death Army into unrecognizable piles of metal and outright vaporizing others.

Damn, am I glad he's on our side.

Melua gasped. "Toya, look!" She pointed off to the southwest.

The four Gundams they'd disabled were getting back to their feet, damaged areas seeming to flow together. Even the missing heads were reforming on Gundam Rose and Dragon Gundam. In less than a minute, all four were to all appearances undamaged.

Regeneration? Toya thought, his mind racing. Just like that Devil Gundam thing back in Africa!

"You're wasting your time," George said smugly.

Chibodee leered at them. "Those kinds of attacks. . . ."

"Won't work on us!" Sai Saici finished.

Toya punched his monitor in frustration, even as Yurika gave the order to resume the attack. At this point he wasn't even sure Zeorymer would be able to destroy them, but there had to be something.

That something made its appearance even as they watched. Four addition mobile suits dropped in from the sky, though it was hard to tell that they were mobile suits. They looked more like stylized playing cards than anything else, a Joker, a Spade, a Diamond, and a Club.

Wait, Toya thought suddenly. Domon calls himself the King of Hearts. Are they connected somehow?

"Warriors of Earth," Joker said; a woman, Toya noted. "Please, leave them to us."

"It's unfortunate, but they are beyond salvation," Diamond said, a sad note in his voice. "Our only choice now is to destroy them and their machines."

Club sighed. "There is no other salvation for them now."

A harsh laughed answered them. "So, you've finally come out in the open!"

The source was a hilly area to the northeast of their position. A single Gundam was standing with its arms folded above the trees. Black and red, with a broad head and what looked like a pair of wing binders on the back, it was obviously Master Asia's personal mobile fighter.

"Damn you, Master Asia!" Joker snapped. "How long have you been hiding there!?"

He snorted. "What does it matter? You're too late to stop me."

Seeming to take his words as a signal, the infected fighters attacked. Even Heero Yuy paused to watch; Toya, no expert at martial arts, could tell they were seeing something special. It was like some of the action movies Tenia had roped him into watching on the Nadesico, only with mobile suits.

Except that it wasn't working. The infected fighters were being bounced around, true, but they didn't appear to be suffering any damage.

"Hey, what gives?" Hilde said. "How come you guys were able to smash them up but these Shuffle Alliance types can't even scratch them?"

Zechs stepped back from a Death Army machine he'd just impaled. "The DG Cells must have done more than regenerate them," he said. "The repairs likely made them even stronger."

Translation: we're dead.

Spade took a hit on his arm. "No, it's more than that!" he said. "Can you see it, Joker? Within them is the same life force as our own!"

Toya had no idea what that was supposed to mean. Obviously it was of great significance, since it made Joker stop in her tracks, but it was completely opaque to him.

"Well, that certainly changes things," Joker mused.

"What now, Joker?" Diamond asked.

Joker gripped the Bolt Gundam by the arm. "What else? We have no other choice but to save them." The big Russian strained against her, but she held firm. "We'll stoke the flames of our lives to their limits!"

Katia gasped. "Are they really going to. . .?" She couldn't bring herself to finish.

Toya knew what she was trying to say. The Shuffle Alliance were about to give up their lives, all to save four people from the Devil Gundam. He still didn't know what "same life force" meant, but it clearly meant a lot to them. Enough for them to die to preserve it.

"Are you going to sacrifice your lives just to save those kids!?" Master Asia demanded incredulously.

"There was a time when you would have understood," Joker countered. "We may die, but our wills will live on with these young ones."

The area around the Shuffle Alliance was beginning to glow white. Toya kept his distance, not entirely sure what was going on and unwilling to get caught up in it.

"Please, Shuffle Alliance, wait!" Domon shouted.

"This entire situation is our fault for failing to prevent the Bloody Valentine," Spade said sadly. "Perhaps our mission ended that day."

"Young ones, warriors of Earth, we entrust the future to you!" Joker said. "Please, make these seeds of hope we have planted grow!"

The glow rose to a painful intensity, obscuring any sign of the Shuffle Alliance or the infected Gundams. With his optics blinded, Toya could only guess what was happening within that light.

When the brilliance at last faded, the mobile fighters were still there, immobilized but free of the DG Cells. Combattler and Voltes were already moving to retrieve them. When they touched the Shuffle Alliance machines, the peculiar mobile fighters crumbled to dust.

Just like that. Toya's fists clenched, a cold fury that he hadn't felt since facing the Gradosians on Mars growing in his heart. He heard Duo mutter a savage curse; Quatre said nothing, but the normally-gentle Gundam pilot seemed to radiate murderous intent. Even Kira and Eiji, the most reluctant of them all, appeared uninterested in taking prisoners just then.

Heero spoke just three words, directed at the Master Gundam. "I'll kill you."

"I think Heero speaks for all of us," Yurika said, a coldness in her voice not even Akito had ever heard before. "Captain Ramius? You're the senior Federation officer."

If Murrue Ramius thought it at all strange that the ditzy captain of the Nadesico was deferring to her, she didn't show it. "All units, resume the attack," she said in a voice of hammered iron. "Crush Master Asia and the Death Army."

Just the order Toya had been waiting for. With even Melua in full agreement, he charged forward, smashing a pair of Death Army machines before they could react. Close on either side were the Strike and Tekkaman Blade, beam saber and Tek Lance hacking the zombie units apart. The Aestivalis squad covered them from above; for once Akito and Akatsuki seemed to be getting along.

Through it all Master Asia just watched them come, arms folded. Either he was supremely confident, or he had something else up his sleeve. If he's going to spring something, it's gonna be within the next thirty seconds or so.

Whatever Master Asia had in mind, he never had a chance to deliver. "I'm not going to let you have your way, Undefeated of the East! C'mon c'mon c'mon!"

Yet another Gundam had appeared seemingly out of thin air, this one black with forearm-mounted blades. Moving almost too fast to see, it swept on past the Master Gundam and struck at a nearby rock face. The ground shook for perhaps thirty seconds, before a small landslide revealed the amazingly ugly form of the Devil Gundam.

"Dammit" Master Asia swore. "Someone revealed the Devil Gundam prematurely! Who are you!?"

A black-and-yellow masked face, only the dark eyes visible, appeared on Toya's screen. "My name is Schwartz Bruder."

"Another weirdo?" was Ruri's only comment.

Shining Gundam stopped short. "Are you another of the Devil Gundam's slaves?" he asked icily.

"No, Sir Domon, he is no enemy!" Raymond protested from the Nadesico. "He aided me in my escape when Master George was attacked."

The new Gundam casually sliced a Death Army unit in half. "He's right. Who I am doesn't matter; what matters is I am one of many who have decided to oppose Master Asia and the Devil Gundam."

Domon took a step forward. "Then get the hell out of my way! I'm going to defeat Kyoji and bring Master Asia to his senses with my own fist!"

Not gonna be that easy, Domon. Personally, Toya tended to think trying to "save" Master Asia was more trouble than it was worth. Not that he was crazy enough to say so to the King of Hearts.

It was hard to tell with that mask, but Schwartz looked resigned. "He's no longer you Master, Domon Kasshu. He's become the very spawn of evil." He shook his head. "Fine. In the end, you're just a novice. Let's see how you do."

Well, that was predictable. Toya hadn't known Domon long, but he'd already learned not to push him when he was in that mood. Deciding it would be better to not get in the way, he focused on the Death Army reinforcements. Their main strength, he found, was simple numbers; on an individual basis even a Leo could take one with ease.

Noin and Hilde swooped in, their relatively weak weapons clearing out more of the small fry. Heero was behind them, his buster rifle blasting a gaping hole in the Devil Gundam.

"Concentrate fire," he said. "Not even the DG Cells can last forever; if we damage it faster than it can regenerate, we can bring it down."

"Roger that." Mu settled in and fired, the red-orange Agni shot widening the hole.

Toya charged the Orgone Blaster, held his fire when three mobile suits crossed his line of sight. Domon, whether he liked it or not, had help; for reasons known only to himself, Zechs had joined the fight, beam saber clashing against some kind of energy cloth.

"You're good, Lightning Count," Master Asia acknowledged. "A worthy adversary indeed. Nevertheless, surely you of all people can understand what you are trying to accomplish."

"Silence," Zechs said coldly. "You have no idea what you're talking about, no idea what I fight for." Talgeese's super verniers flared. "You know nothing!"

It was enough to push him into Domon's Shining Finger, and just incidentally out of Toya's firing arc. Snarling, he loosed the Orgone Blaster, backed by an energy beam from Zeorymer and several blasts of Chakra from the assembled Antibodies.

"Your reign of terror over the Earth ends here! VOLTEKKAAAAAA!" D-Boy, reliably aggressive as ever.

The Devil Gundam was feeling it, that much was clear. Under constant assault from multiple directions, including a pair of highly advanced warships, even that monstrosity's regeneration had its limit. With an oddly animalistic groan, it tried to pull back.

Master Asia let out a grunt of exertion, pushing Tallgeese and Shining Gundam away. "Damn, the Devil Gundam is in danger. I'd better fall back for now." With a blur of motion, Master Gundam vanished.

"Master, wait!" Domon shouted.

Sandrock grabbed his arm. "Domon, don't! The Devil Gundam is. . . !"

He didn't need to finish. Putting on an astonishing burst of speed, Professor Kasshu's twisted creation had nearly reached the seaside town they'd fought so hard to defend.

Schwartz's Gundam Spiegel appeared from a section of woods. "No, not that way!"

Damn, even he's not fast enough! Toya powered up his weapons, hoping to at least distract the Devil Gundam. It was a shot in the dark, he knew, but he couldn't just sit and do nothing. If I can get in even one hit!

"Yu!?" Hime said, seemingly out of the blue.

Yu's Antibody had performed a quick Vital Net jump, and was now facing the Devil Gundam directly. What he had in mind Toya couldn't tell; from their vantage point, it looked like the former Reclaimer had lost it. He was just sitting there, not even attacking.

Then the familiar sight of a Chakra Shield flared out, on a much larger scale than normal. While it was likely very taxing on the Brain, it had the desired effect, knocking the Devil Gundam something like half a kilometer back, almost into the ocean.

"No way!" Tenia breathed.

"He actually repelled the Devil Gundam!?" Kira said incredulously.

Lasse whistled in admiration. "Guess that talk of piloting Antibodies for six years wasn't bragging," he said.

No kidding. After spending a lot of time with the Novis people, Toya knew Antibodies were powerful, but he'd never expected something like that. Of their own force, as far as he knew only Zeorymer and his own Granteed could produce such an effect.

"At least the town was spared," Schwartz said. "All right, ladies and gentlemen. I'm sure we'll meet again." Laughing, he disappeared in a blur.

Tenia looked at the spot where Gundam Spiegel had stood, shaking her head. "What's up with that guy?"

Town streets, near Hime's orphanage

After any battle came the cleanup. Fortunately, aside from the Devil Gundam's retreat the battle had mostly stayed away from the town. Most of what remained were a few wrecked Death Army mobile suits, though the Brain Powered squadron had retrieved a dead Grand Cher for examination on the Novis.

"Damn, I'm beat," Duo said, flopping down on a bench. "Hell of a lot worse than anything we fought on Mars, eh, Toya?"

"And how," Toya agreed. "At least we got a few more Gundams out of the deal; Rain and Ms Fressange have already cleared them. George wanted to help clean things up, but Rain put her foot down; they still need to rest."

Duo pulled out a canteen. "'Sides, the locals would probably just freak if they saw Gundam Rose that soon, seeing as we haven't had a chance to explain what went down with them."

Toya nodded. Boss Borot was dragging the remains of a Death Army machine to the Nadesico, while Great Mazinger kept an eye out for any leftovers. Two Antibodies –Lasse and Nanga, he thought– were clearing rubble from an intersection.

They'd gotten off lightly, he knew. Between the Reclaimers and the Death Army, it was a miracle no civilians had been killed.

"Masato, just what do you think you're doing!?" Sara demanded.

Masato Akitsu flinched. "What, what is it? Sorry!"

Miku giggled. "She's not talking about you, Masato."

Sara glanced their way, her expression briefly softening. "Oh, you've got the same name? Don't worry, I was talking to this idiot." She thumped Masato Shikibu over the head for emphasis.

"Ow!" He gave her a wounded look. "Can't you lay off just a little, Sara?"

Toya couldn't help laughing. With the notably exceptions of Erina Won and Nagare Akatsuki, their Special Task Force was feeling more and more like an extended family instead of a military formation. Natarle Badgiruel was the only one who made more than a pretense of military formality, and even she was known to soften on occasion, usually when Kira Yamato was involved.

"Heeeeeey!" Tenia waved. "Yo, Toya, Duo! Soup's on!" She already had a large bowl.

"Does she ever get tired of eating?" Duo muttered, hauling himself upright. "I mean, seriously, she eats even more than D-Boy, and he's at least got the excuse of the strain the Tek System puts on his body."

"Don't ask," Toya muttered back. "Trust me, it's one of those questions best left unanswered. C'mon, I'm hungry, too."

The huge pot of soup was a thank-you from the workers at Hime's orphanage. It was pretty good, too; not up to Akito's standard, perhaps, but still a nice change. Toya put away two bowls himself while the others chattered away. Even Zechs had joined them, looking more relaxed than usual.

At least the latest additions to their team were fitting in well. Hilde was proving popular with the younger pilots on both ships; Duo especially had hit it off well with her. Noin was a bit more formal, but tended to act more like a big sister than an officer.

Noal and Nanga arrived just as they were finishing up. "That Wufei guy up and left," Noal grumbled. "Says we did good, but he still won't work with the Federation. Can't really blame him." He looked at the gathering in confusion. "Hey, what's up?"

"Sorry, you just missed lunch," Aki apologized. "Vegetable soup with pork."

"P-Pork?" Nanga repeated. "Why didn't you come get us? I was hoping for a bite to eat after all that work."

"Sorry," Hime said. "We didn't expect so many. Still, there wasn't any for the real hero. It was Yu who saved the town in the end."

Natarle stood. "He has a great deal of knowledge regarding Orphan and the Reclaimers. Captain, I believe we may have to hold him for questioning."

Toya closed his eyes. Seriously? Wasn't that stunt you pulled with Lacus Clyne enough? This place would've been flattened without him!

"Something tells me that isn't going to go off without a hitch," Mu said.

Natarle shot him an annoyed look. "We're the military. Some times we have to–"

"Excuse me," Melua interrupted, "but if you're talking about Yu, his Brain is taking off riiight . . . now."

Toya looked up just in time to see Yu Isami's Brain vanish into the Vital Net. Good call, Yu. We could use the help, but Ensign Badgiruel isn't in the best of moods.

"What!?" Natarle snapped. "Melua Melna Meia, why didn't you say something sooner!?"

"Don't bother," Nanga said. "He'd have gotten away no matter what you did. Kid's a real pro."

One with good reason to distrust the Federation, if Natarle's attitude was the rule. Something Toya thought highly likely, after their clash with General Colbert on the way out.

"We should have restrained him earlier," Natarle grumbled.

Mu shook his head. "After he saved a whole town? Be pretty ungrateful, not to mention really bad PR."

"He's nothing but trouble," was Hime's assessment.

Nadesico, bridge

One issue remained. While Domon's friends had been declared DG Cell free, there was some debate as to whether they should be allowed to join the task force. Domon and Rain naturally were in favor, as were Kira, Cagalli, and of all people D-Boy.

"Captain Ramius, I am against this." It was, of course, Natarle. "We dare not allow them to accompany us after they've already been used by the enemy. It's too great a risk."

"I don't see the problem," Yurika said. "We've gone over them with a fine-tooth comb, and they're clear, so I figure they're welcome on the Nadesico."

Natarle was about to argue the point further, but George raised a hand. "Madam, if I may." He looked at the two captains. "It is true that the destruction was not of my own will, but as a knight I must nonetheless take responsibility. I have been to hell and back, and will do whatever may be necessary to reclaim my honor."

"Damn straight," Chibodee said. He was staring at his hand, still bemused by the Shuffle Crest. "I could care less about this Shuffle Alliance thing, but Master Asia deserves a pounding for using us like toys."

"Agreed." Argo Gulskii was just about the biggest man Toya had ever seen, but seemed friendly enough. "I'll smash him into the ground, along with anyone else who threatens Earth."

"Count me in, too!" The youngest of the new Shuffle Alliance at fifteen, the diminutive Sai Saici was quite a bundle of energy. "Oh, and I'll help in the kitchen, too. Gotta eat a lot to keep in shape."

Toya shot a glance at Tenia. As expected, that last line had her wholehearted approval. Good thing she gets plenty of exercise. Duo's right, she eats more than D-Boy even.

"Then it's settled," Yurika said with a smile. "Welcome aboard, all of you."

Natarle was still looking mulish, but she clearly knew it was pointless to argue further. She and Erina (the only Nergal employee who got along with her) appeared to be the only holdouts. Everyone else looked happy to have more help.

It seemed that with every battle things got more interesting. Toya was seriously starting to wonder if that was a blessing or a curse.

Author's note: Okay, just barely beat the one-month mark. Brought in a few more Gundams in the process, always a good thing. Next one may prove a bit challenging for me; on the one hand, I've been looking forward to introducing the Full Metal Panic! cast, on the other, I truly hate the "Whispered" levels.

Until next time.