Nadesico, cafeteria

Even with all the new pilots they kept picking up, there was plenty of empty space on the Nadesico. Not overly surprising when you thought about it, since the Nergal ship was even more heavily automated than the Archangel, but it continued to amaze him that they'd pulled it off.

Maybe the Phase Transition Engine distorts space on the inside somehow, Toya thought whimsically. It would explain how much room we've got in the hangar even with Zeorymer in there.

"Mornin', Toya," Duo greeted. "How come Tenia's not with you? This is like her favorite part of the ship."

Toya shrugged. "I asked Katia; she says Tenia's still asleep. Which means we'll probably hear a sonic boom when she gets up."

Duo laughed. "Yeah, that's Tenia for ya. Have a seat."

Dropping into the indicated chair, Toya absently placed his breakfast order. His mind wasn't on food, however; instead, he was watching for someone. The events of the last week had shaken him more than he'd let on, though he suspected the girls knew anyway.

There was, however, one person he thought could help, if the other was willing. No sign of him as of yet, though.

Duo noticed his scrutiny. "Lookin' for someone?"

"Sosuke," Toya said. "I was hoping to talk to him, but it doesn't look like he's up yet."

"He is," Duo assured him. "Mao told me he likes to get in some extra workout time before breakfast." He chuckled. "Good thing we've got Kaname and Sai Saici to help Akito out; Sosuke's gonna be hungry."

Toya nodded absently. Other crew were starting to drift in. D-Boy was early; no surprise, as he was the only person in their force whose appetite rivaled Tenia's. Kurz was chatting with Nagare Akatsuki, with whom he got along a little too well. Eiji wandered in a few minutes later, trailed by Anna Stephanie.

Where was Sosuke?

His head whipped around at the sound of toppling chairs. Chibodee Crockett and George de Sand stood facing each other, Chibodee with his fists up in a classic boxing stance, George with one hand on the rapier he seemed to carry around everywhere.

"You wanna say that again!?" Chibodee demanded.

"Surely your hearing is up to it," George replied in a calm, disdainful tone. "I merely said your behavior was uncouth. Is that so difficult to understand?"

"Why, I oughtta–!"

It wasn't a strike from George's rapier that cut Chibodee off, though Toya was starting to fear that was how it would end. Rather, a huge hand landed on each man's shoulder, the owner of those hands stepping between them. Knowing better than to push things, Chibodee righted his chair, looking sullen, while George did the same with a more dignified air.

"Damn, that was close," Duo said. "Lucky we've got him along."

"Hell, yeah," Toya agreed. "Nice job there, Argo."

The big Eurasian smiled slightly as he passed their table. "I used to deal with unruly pirates on a daily basis," he said. "Defusing those two was child's play by comparison."

Note to self: never, ever cross this guy. "By the way, have you seen Sosuke?"

"I saw him talking to Uribatake about some adjustments for the Arbalest," Argo said. "He should be here any minute now."

Speak of the devil. Sosuke wandered in almost as soon as Argo had finished speaking. Not the most social member of their crew, he was still courteous as he wound his way through the scattered tables, stopping at the counter.

Should've figured. He's here to guard Kaname, and she's working the kitchen right now. Toya casually wandered over, not wanting to startle the trigger-happy Mithril pilot. "Sosuke, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Sosuke tilted his had slightly. "Is this about Chidori?"

A natural enough question, since Sosuke knew of their friendship, but Toya shook his head. "No. I think you're a bit crazy, but Kaname trusts you, and you helped us out of a major jam. That's good enough for me." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "Actually . . . I wanted to ask for some shooting lessons."

Sosuke's eyebrows went up at that. "A surprising request, coming from you."

Toya shifted uncomfortably. "That kidnapping got me thinking. I'm a pretty hard target in my mech, but on the ground I'm damn near useless." He sighed. "I promised the girls I'd look out for them, but how can I do that if I'm only good for piloting a giant robot?"

It was, he was sure, the best argument to use with Sosuke. Sosuke's job, first and foremost, was to protect Kaname, so he could doubtless sympathize with Toya's own goals.

Sosuke looked at Toya for a moment, as though gauging his sincerity, then slowly nodded. "All right," he said. "Be at the Nadesico's practice range at 0900 tomorrow. We'll start then."

"Gotcha," Toya said. "And, Sosuke . . . thanks."

"Not a problem."

Toya jumped at a sudden thud behind him, but it was only, as predicted, Tenia, annoyed that she'd almost missed breakfast. He caught sight of Katia just behind her; on seeing him, she gave a somewhat exasperated smile. The same Tenia, her expression said.

Smiling back, Toya spent a few minutes chatting with Kaname. She was, it turned out, adapting well to life on the Nadesico, had in fact already befriended several of the crew. Including Ruri Hoshino, much to Toya's chagrin.

"She's really nice once you get to know her," Kaname said quietly. "I think she's lonely."

Toya grunted. "I'll take your word for it."

Yokosuka Base, conference room

Murrue scrubbed her hands over her face. The patrol pattern they'd been given was enough to drive almost anyone mad, she thought wearily. It was almost random in places, doubling back more than once, before going off in seemingly unrelated directions.

"It's most likely because the Gradosians and Radam can appear almost anywhere," Natarle commented. "We can't afford to be too predictable in our own patterns."

"To say nothing of the Devil Gundam," Zechs added, grimacing. "We still have too little information on its movements."

The monstrous Gundam controlled by Domon's brother was indeed a wild card, Murrue reflected. Despite its bulk, it tended to appear with its zombie mobile suits out of nowhere, and disappear just as quickly. She wished they had more information on it, but details on the Devil Gundam were classified, and Domon hadn't been involved in the original machine's development.

"We should also assume there are more Tekkamen out there," Calvina Coulange put in. "I realize D-Boy hasn't said anything, but he never does unless it's of immediate importance."

"Agreed," Natarle said. "Tekkaman Dagger was dangerous enough on his own; we can't afford to be blindsided if there are more of them."

An ugly thought, indeed. The fighting was growing ever more intense as it was; another Tekkaman appearing would make their jobs many times harder. Murrue was confident in her own crew, and had fought beside the Nadesico enough to respect their abilities, but that didn't mean she wanted yet more problems.

"I think we're done here," she said at last. "The patrol plan is as complete as it can be. Captain Misumaru?"

Yurika glanced at her PDA. "Well, Domon said something about the Shining Gundam needing a bit of a tune-up, but he promised it'll be ready by the time we have to deploy again. Everybody else is green."

"Good." Murrue nodded. "If there's nothing else, then let's get to work. Dismissed."

The assembled officers filed out, Zechs giving Natarle an unreadable glance. Yurika, however, stayed behind, as Murrue had half-expected. They'd come to understand each other very well over the past couple of months.

"I suppose you want to talk off the record," Murrue said, getting them both fresh cups of coffee.

Yurika leaned back in her chair. "Murrue, are you really okay with all this?" She waved a hand, encompassing the base as a whole. "People call me crazy, but I know we're a ragtag bunch."

Murrue sighed. "I'm an Earth forces officer. How I feel about it really doesn't matter."

"That's one reason I stayed out of the military," Yurika said. "But seriously, are you sure we can handle this? We're just two ships and a bunch of mobile weapons."

"We don't really have a choice," Murrue said. "If you tell anyone else, I'll call you a liar, but I've never really felt comfortable with General Colbert. Having said that, everyone in this task group is highly skilled, whatever our various idiosyncrasies may be. If anyone can pull it off, we certainly can. As you should be well aware."

Yurika laughed softly at the oblique reminder of her Mars trip. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry, I was just feeling a bit down in the dumps for a minute there."

"It happens to the best of us," Murrue said wryly.

Nadesico, hangar

Wandering in with the vague intent of tweaking Granteed's systems, Toya almost collided with Miku Himuro. Murmuring an apology, he slid between Kosuke and Quatre, noting absently that Masato Akitsu was nowhere to be seen. Granted he wasn't very social, but it was still odd.

"Say, Miku, how did you and Masato end up here?" That was Hikaru, eying Zeorymer's copilot curiously. "I didn't get a chance to hear the story when we picked Zeorymer up."

Miku shrugged. "I grew up at Last Guardian. Though I didn't know when or against who, I always knew the day would come when we would have to pilot Zeorymer."

"And Masato is okay with that?" Toya asked, frowning. "He sure hasn't looked happy since I've seen him."

Miku shifted uneasily at that. "Masato does have some issues to work through. You understand, don't you? I heard your story from Koji at Kaohsiung."

Toya shook his head. "That's why I'm uneasy about this. Don't get me wrong, I trust you, but. . . ." He waved a hand. "It really isn't that easy. I only signed up to get away from the military. Now, sure, I have a reason, but I had to do a lot of soul-searching first. Masato hasn't had the chance to."

"I must agree with Toya," George put in. "Whatever the situation, most of us are volunteers. Even Kira, who has to fight against someone dear to him, does so of his own free will. Masato was conscripted for reasons he still does not understand, and it must weigh heavily on him."

Guess there's more to him than the whole knights and chivalry thing after all, Toya mused.

"Just try not to pressure him too much, okay?" he said aloud. "That's just going to make him even more resentful." He smiled. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll come through in a pinch."

He almost jumped out of his skin at the loud crash behind him; apparently it was a day for loud noises. This time at least it didn't mean potential violence; apparently Uribatake had slipped while doing something or other on Boss Borot. The crash had apparently come from a piece of armor plating.

"Anybody seen Heero?" he asked, more to fill a lull than anything else.

"Up there," Quatre said, gesturing up at Wing Gundam's cockpit. "He's been up to his elbows in the control systems since he got up. Kaname had to deliver his breakfast."

Little wonder Heero got along so well with Sosuke. Both were major workaholics largely uninterested in socializing. Sosuke more than Heero, though; Heero was at least sometimes seen with Relena or Duo, and had a reasonable grasp of basic human interaction. Sosuke to all appearances did not outside purely military interactions, a fact that drove Kaname to distraction.

Toya occasionally wondered how the many and varied pilots in their force avoided killing each other. He counted himself fortunate that Nagare Akatsuki was the only one he didn't get along with. Even the chronically-irritable Domon was usually at least polite with him.

"That's fine," he said. "Long as he gets the job done, I guess. I'm going to work on Granteed for a bit, then maybe get in some simulator practice before lunch."

Hauling himself into the cockpit, Toya looked at Zeorymer in the corner of his eye. It was quite an evil-looking machine, and while that didn't necessarily mean anything (Duo "God of Death" Maxwell was a case in point), the huge gray mech seemed to ooze a subtle malevolence beyond even the Gundam Deathscythe. In some ways it reminded him uncomfortably of the Devil Gundam.

Masato, what are you?

Nadesico, bridge

Unscheduled meetings, in Duo's experience, tended to bode ill. He'd been going through a two-on-two simulator match, him and Toya versus Combattler and Layzner, when the alert sounded. It wasn't the general quarters alarm, so he figured they weren't under attack, but it still made him uneasy.

And where's the Captain? Murrue Ramius, Natarle Badgiruel, and Zechs Merquise were visible on the main screen, but Jun seemed to be presiding on the Nadesico side of things.

"Okay, so what's going on here?" Noal asked no one in particular.

Ruri's expression was, as usual, hard to read. "It seems Masato Akitsu has been abducted," she said. "He wandered away from the base approximately one hour ago, and disappeared."

Duo closed his eyes. Dammit. First Toya and the others, now Masato? What the hell is going on here?

"What was he thinking?" Sosuke demanded. "He must be aware that as a pilot in this force, he's a valid target for a number of very dangerous organizations. How could he be so irresponsible?"

"Hey, cut him some slack, Sosuke," Koji said. "He got caught up in this like Toya did, only worse. Only natural he'd want to be a lone for a bit. Okay, yeah, wandering off wasn't the brightest move."

Aki silenced him with a brief look. "Miku, did you put a transmitter on him? Do you know where he is?"

"Yes, to both," Miku said. "The Captain has already approved a rescue mission, but I can't go in alone."

Chibodee raised a hand. "A rescue op? Count me in. I've been getting bored lately; a nice scrap will do me good."

"I'm with you, too," Sai Saici said. "This kind of mission was made for us."

"I shall go as well," George put in. "It is my duty as a knight."

Duo considered volunteering himself, but discarded the idea when Argo put himself forward. Eh, it'll probably be a milk run. Those Shuffle Alliance guys can handle it. 'Sides, it's not like I won't get some action anyway.

Heero appeared to be thinking along similar lines. "We should put the rest of the unit on alert," he said. "Regardless of how this mission goes, we can expect further attacks before long."

"So ordered," Murrue said. "Um, where's your Captain?"

Duo glanced around the spacious bridge, saw equal puzzlement on most faces. Yurika's absence was odd even by Nadesico standards, especially for something this important. She okayed the mission, so why isn't she here now?

The sound of a throat being cleared drew his attention. "Um, I saw her in the bath just before the alert sounded," Hikaru offered. "Her face was pitch black, like she was covered in soot."

Is that was the banging noise earlier was about?

On the main screen, Natarle wearily covered her face with one hand.

Unknown location

Masato was having a very bad day. He'd been out of sorts ever since being effectively drafted to pilot Zeorymer, true, but even by his standards things had gotten a whole lot worse. Abducted for reasons he couldn't begin to fathom, tied to a chair, he could only wonder what would happen next.

"So, this is the one." The speaker was a young woman with long, light brown hair. She was dressed in heavy robes and a vaguely dragon-like headpiece, and her eyes were hard.

Masato shook his head, trying to clear it. "Who are you? Why did you bring me here?"

He felt a blow to his face. "Show some respect!" another woman hissed, one of the twins who had snatched him. "You are before the Empress of the Tekkoryu!"

That name he knew all too well. "Tekkoryu, Hau-Dragon? You're their leader?"

The woman, Yuratei, shook her head. "So you were unaware of even that much. How pitiable." Her gaze hardened further. "What matters is you are the pilot of Zeorymer of the Heavens, and one of those who killed Taiha!"

Who? "I don't even know who that is," Masato protested. "I still don't know how I got into this mess."

Yuratei compressed her lips. "Taiha was the pilot of Lanstar of the Winds, the Hakkeshu you destroyed."

"Oh, him." Masato knew such a flippant response could make things worse, but he pressed on. "I'd just been forced into Zeorymer. I still didn't. . . ."

"And that is not your only sin," Yuratei said harshly. "You, who were born to carry on Masaki Kihara's will."

Masato shook his head again. None of this made any sense. "I don't know what you're talking about!" he protested.

Yuratei gazed at him, unmoved. "You truly wish to know? Then your life will be forfeit."

"You're going to kill me anyway," Masato pointed out. "If I'm about to die, I want to at least know why."

"So be it." Yuratei lifted her chin. "We, the Tekkoryu, were poised to take over the world fifteen years ago. With our Hakkeshu, we would have been invincible; machines such as Arm Slaves and mobile suits were barely a glimmer in their designers' eyes."

Her expression turned bitter. "But then Masaki Kihara betrayed us. He took Zeorymer, and the zygote inside which he had registered as its pilot, and left, destroying the rest. Fifteen years we have spent underground, rebuilding, planning, yearning for revenge, while you lived a normal life, oblivious."

It was starting to come together. "So, that zygote was. . . ."

"Yes. You." Yuratei's mouth tightened. "You are Zeorymer of the Heavens' pilot, nothing more."

Masato hung his head. So it was true. Everything about him, everything he'd ever known was a lie. Even his own name. "Then what's the point?"

"There is none," Yuratei said. She gestured to one of the twins, who nodded and lifted a pistol.

She never had a chance to fire. With a resounding crash, roughly half of the east wall collapsed, and a yellow-clad blur knocked the gun out of the woman's hand. Sai Saici casually ducked beneath Shi-Aen's attempt at retaliation, smirking. "I've been waiting for a chance to cut loose!"

"You think to make a fool of me!?" Shi-Aen snapped, but her wrists were suddenly caught in an iron grip.

"That isn't going to work," Argo rumbled. "Just hold still."

Her twin Shi-Tau started forward. "Sister!" she gasped, only to find the tip of a rapier mere centimeters from her face.

"Please refrain from moving," George said. "While I am reluctant to fight a woman, I find I am in no position to choose."

Masato had no idea how he felt about it all. On the one hand, he'd resigned himself to death. On the other hand, he didn't really want to die, whatever his origins may have been. On the other other hand, after learning about his past he was very much of two minds at to the motive for the rescue.

Chibodee had just finished punching some guards out. Beside him was a familiar figure, the one bright spot in Masato's current existence. She'd always been kind to him, but at the moment was glaring at Yuratei.

Who was glaring right back. "Who are you!?"

"I am Miku Himuro, Zeorymer's pilot."

Chibodee blocked a clumsy strike from another guard. "What say we save the chitchat for later, eh?"

"Right." Argo gave Shi-Aen a hard shove, into her sister; both went down in a tangle of limbs.

Yuratei herself scooped up a fallen pistol. "You think to escape that easily!?"

Sai Saici actually thumbed his nose at her. "Hah! I'd like to see you trying and stop us! Ciao!" Laughing, he leaped on top of a guard who had just started to rise, then out the hole Argo had made. Masato followed, flanked by Miku and George, with Chibodee and Argo bringing up the rear.

He couldn't help thinking, Is this worth it?

Boazanian Underground Castle

General Zuhl of the Boazanian Imperial Army was in a good mood. Always ambitious, he'd at last found a way to attain the command he saw as rightfully his. His, not that upstart Heinel's. Granted it was beneath his pride as a Boazanian noble, but what did pride matter when the means to victory was at hand?

"With this control device, I finally have the means to deal with those Earthling pests," he murmured, practically rubbing his hands in glee. "Combined with our own Battle Beasts, these Gradosian machines will tip the balance in my favor."

"And just what do you think you are doing, General Zuhl?"

Zuhl started violently. Prince Heinel of Boazan stood just a few meters away, arms folded. Flanking him were delicate Katherine Rii and thickset, bearded, scarred Jangal Rui. All three were staring at Zuhl with varying degrees of suspicion.

"Well?" Heinel prompted. "What is it you are keeping from me, general?"

Zuhl fought a grimace. Damned greenhorn. No choice. "A means to finally subdue the Earthlings, Your Highness," he said as obsequiously as he could manage. "After great difficulty, I have obtained a Gradosian control device and a number of their unmanned weapons."

"Gradosian!?" Jangal's lip curled in a sneer of contempt. "Do you suggest we sink to their level!? As a proud noble of Boazan, I cannot find it in my heart to excuse this!"

Heinel, self-possessed as always, lifted a hand, silencing Jangal. "I must say, Jangal has a point," he said. His voice was quiet, but there was an unmistakable edge of menace. "What use are these toys to us?"

Painfully aware that he was on thin ice, Zuhl chose his next words very carefully. "Your Highness, I believe any slight loss of pride would be far outweighed by the benefit of finally crippling the Earth Federation's defenses," he said. "With them finally crushed, we can deal with the Gradosians and Radam at our leisure."

For a long moment, Heinel merely stared at him, his expression unreadable. "Are there no lies in what you just told me, General Zuhl?"

"Not a single one!" Zuhl said, his heart going into overdrive. "I am doing this for the good of Boazan, Your Highness."

Heinel folded his arms and nodded, very slowly. "Very well. If these machines can bring victory, so be it." He raised a hand again, cutting off Jangal's incipient protest. "But beware. If you fail, I will cut your horn myself. After all, it will be of no use to one who has lost his pride."

"Yes, of course, Your Highness," Zuhl said, carefully not breathing a sigh of relief. I still have a chance! Your end is near, "Your highness".

When Zuhl had left, Heinel snorted and shook his head. "Liar," he muttered. "Did he really think I would fail to see through his plan.

Jangal offered a thin smile. "I wonder. Will our dear General Zuhl fight to the bitter end? Or will he return in disgrace like the coward he is?"

Nadesico, bridge

Toya had been tense as hell when Miku and the others left to rescue Masato. The entire incident had given him flashbacks to his own previous misadventure, and it wasn't an experience he wanted to repeat. Hearing that the rescue had been carried out with relative ease had been a major load off.

Oddly, though, Masato wasn't acting like someone who'd just been rescued. He seemed angry; at what, Toya had not the slightest idea.

"Are you okay, Masato?" That was Melua, always concerned about others.

Before Masato could respond, Erina cut in. "How could you be so reckless!?" she demanded. "As a member of this task force, you need to be more responsible!"

That was apparently enough to set him off. "Why did you bother rescuing me?" he asked tightly.

Miku stared at him, uncomprehending. "We were worried about you," she said, clearly baffled by his attitude.

"Yeah, because if I'm not here, Zeorymer won't move," Masato said in an acidic tone. "That's all I am, right? Zeorymer's pilot, a weapon for the Federation."

Toya glanced at Duo, got a shrug in return. He'd known Masato was less than happy with the current situation, having been forced into things even more than Toya himself had been at the start. Still, such bitterness and belligerence was unlike him.

"Masato," Aki said. "You're an important member of the team, but you're also our friend." She looked over at D-Boy, who was leaning against the bulkhead with his arms folded. "That's all the reason we need."

"Yeah!" Sai Saici piped up. "We're all in this together, ya know."

"Sai Saici speaks for all of us, I think," George said. Almost all, Toya couldn't help adding mentally, looking at Nagare Akatsuki in the corner of his eye.

Noal laughed. "If we can put up with this grouch," he punched D-Boy's shoulder lightly, drawing a dirty look from the Tekkaman, "you're gonna be just fine."

Toya was sufficiently accustomed to operations that the general quarters alarm almost got a facepalm out of him when it went off. He saw Katia roll her eyes; she'd developed a bit of a cynical streak over the past few months.

"Numerous enemy machines detected," Ruri said. "Most of them Arm Slaves, with two larger units. Omoikane is still processing. Miss Haw?"

"According to our data, they're Hakkeshu robots," Mir said from the Archangel. "Identified as Bryst and Gallowin."

Trowa was already halfway to the bridge hatch. "It's not exactly a surprise," he said. "They were bound to strike back after we pulled Masato out."

Which means it's time to mount up again. Toya nodded to his companions, and they followed in Trowa's wake. Just another day at the office.

Yokosuka outskirts

It was Toya's first real taste of combat in an urban environment; neither the attack on his school nor the Heliopolis incident really counted, in his opinion. He'd known it was going to happen sooner or later, but that didn't mean he liked it.

Have to stay airborne as much as possible. Granteed is too big for city fighting.

"Okay, can someone tell me just where they dug up that many Arm Slaves?" Chibodee asked the world at large. "I know they're cheaper than mobile suits, but geez, there's a lot of 'em."

Arm Slaves, unless they were the rare freaky ones like Gauron's, didn't worry Toya any. He was more concerned with the pair of Hakkeshu waiting for them just outside the city. The red Bryst and blue Gallowin didn't have the same air of menace as Zeorymer, but they were big and they were powerful.

"Evacuations are currently in progress," Natarle said. "Whatever you do, don't let any enemy units enter the city.

Precisely why Toya was so unhappy about urban combat. There was far too great a danger of innocents getting caught in the crossfire (the irony of his own start wasn't lost on him), and he was still getting the hang of Granteed. The addition of Uruz Squad, who had experience in urban combat, to their order of battle was his only real comfort.

"Hmph. So the boy has help," a female voice said from the red machine. "Bryst of the Fire and. . . ."

"Gallowin of the Water will be more than enough to defeat you," the other pilot finished.

Toya had no idea who they were, but he could almost see Zeorymer flinch. "Those two?" Masato stammered, drawing his machine back a step.

"Masato, what's wrong?" Miku asked, alarmed.

"Masato, what are you doing?" Yurika echoed. "We've got a whole bunch of enemies staring us in the face."

He shook his head. "I don't . . . I can't fight them!"

Huh? Toya looked at his crew, saw that the girls were just as puzzled as he was. Granted Masato was far from the most enthusiastic member of their group, indeed Kira and Eiji seemed to be the only ones who hated fighting as much, but even he wasn't usually that much of a reluctant warrior.

Miku evidently shared his puzzlement. "Masato?"

"Those two, I know them," Masato said shakily.

That was a complication they really didn't need. True, there was the matter of Kira and his ZAFT friend, along with Eiji and the late Ahmos Gale. For that matter, Toya hadn't liked having to fight Andrew Waltfeld. All of which were rather different situations; Toya didn't see how Masato could be friends with Hakkeshu pilots.

Mazinkaiser's fist lashed out, pulverizing an AS. "If you won't fight, then step back," Koji said. "You'll just be in the way."

"Better listen to him, kid," Mu agreed, juking around a missile attack. "As long as you're like this, you'll just make it harder for us. If you don't want to fight, fall back."

Toya watched Zeorymer expectantly, waiting for the withdrawal. What they got instead was a raucous laugh. "Don't want to fight? Why wouldn't I?" The huge gray machine's right arm came up, releasing a blast of energy that immolated two Arm Slaves, coming just a bit too close to a building.

"Masato, be careful!" Miku protested. "There are still people here!"

He snorted. "So? Let them worry about the civilians. It'll just trip them up"

What the hell!? "Masato, what's gotten into you!?" Toya demanded. "You were practically quaking in your boots just a minute ago, and now you're blasting everything in sight!"

"Masato Akitsu, stand down at once!" Natarle snapped.

Masato sneered at her. "Don't you dare order me around!"

Okay, what the hell is going on here!? Toya dropped to the ground, blocking an attack from Gallowin aimed at Mao's AS. We so do not need this in the middle of a battle! Baring his teeth, he sent a blast of Orgone energy into Gallowin; the damage was light, but enough to make the Hakkeshu back off a few steps.

"Don't even think it," Noal growled, bringing the Blue Earth around. Toya personally thought it was insane, but Noal wasn't exactly known for caution.

Combattler and Voltes landed to either side. "We won't let you go any farther," Kenichi said.

"Masato" let out an exaggerated sigh. "Tch, fine. It would be troublesome to have both sides after me."

"What the hell are you playing at!?" Natarle all but snarled.

"What's the matter?" "Masato" countered. "I just said I'll cooperate."

Natarle sounded like she was gearing up for a major tongue-lashing, but Murrue cut her off. "Natarle, leave it for now," she said. "Right now our priority is defending the city, and we can't afford any infighting."

Which was just as well, as Toya abruptly found himself surrounded by four Arm Slaves. The first made the fatal error of getting close enough for Toya to simply grab it; the size difference between Granteed and a mere Arm Slave was enough that the smaller unit was literally crushed in Granteed's hand.

The remaining three seemed to go into a panic, firing wildly. Granteed was such a huge target that most of the gunfire actually found its mark, but it meant little against the Cytron-powered machine's armor. On the flip side, they were agile enough to dodge Toya's attempt at retaliation.

Not, however, agile enough to evade Uruz Squad. With the enemy Arm Slaves distracted by Toya's huge mech, Sosuke and his teammates handled them with chilling efficiency.

Nonetheless, Toya couldn't help smiling. "Thanks, guys."

"Just returning the favor," Mao said, tossing him a salute.

Zeorymer had gone well beyond the city; "Masato' seemed to be keeping his word, at least. He'd gotten in close to the Hakkeshu pair, and seemed to be enjoying himself despite the numerical disadvantage. It gave Toya a sudden clear image of a cat playing with its prey.

Two Arm Slaves had made it to the city outskirts, but unfortunately for them, the King of Hearts was faster. "You're not getting past me," Domon growled. His beam saber came out, cutting both in half at the waist before they knew what was happening.

"Incoming fighters!" Mir snapped. "Northwest, closing fast!"

"On it," Mu said. "Let's go, little lady."

"Watch what you call me!" Cagalli shot back. Nonetheless, she obediently settled on the older pilot's wing, joined on the other side by Hilde and Noin.

Just where the hell are they all coming from!? Toya thought irately. He grunted as some kind of fireball attack from Bryst made Granteed stumble, drawing a yelp from Tenia. He moved to counter, but Zeorymer was already there, a single punch knocking the other Hakkeshu flying.

"Whatever's up with Masato, it hasn't slowed him down," Katia observed.

More like sped him up. Toya almost said as much, but had to flinch back from a painfully bright explosion. The strange thing was, it hadn't come from the Tekkoryu force. Now what!?

"Toya, over there!" Melua said, pointing to the south.

He followed her gesture, and felt his mouth tighten. The new arrivals clearly had nothing to do with the Tekkoryu; the shapes were too outlandish, some resembling horned demons, others looking more like giant crabs. He'd never faced them before, but he knew what they were.

"Boazanian Battle Beasts confirmed," Ruri said. "Along with. . . ." She paused, apparently puzzled. "Gradosian unmanned weapons."

"Huh?" Duo paused in the act of hacking an Arm Slave in two. "Battas, Katonbos, those are Gradosian, all right. What, did Grados and Boazan sign some kinda treaty?"

Layzner came to a stop not far away. "I don't think so," Eiji said. "It wouldn't really be like either nation; the leadership on Grados are too paranoid, and the Boazanians too proud. An alliance would never occur to them."

"Either way, it's a two-front battle," Natarle muttered. "Damn you, Boazan!"

"For what it's worth, the evac is finished," Yurika said. "Don't hold back, everyone; just fry the bad guys!"

That's more like it. Smiling tightly, Toya moved to face the Boazanian force, joined by Dancouga, Voltes, Combattler, and the Strike. He soon found himself engaged by one of the crab types, claws grappling with Granteed's fists. Grunting with effort, he tore the Battle Beast clean in half, then dropped the fragments into the harbor.

"Dancouken!" Shinobu brought Dancouga's sword down on one of the demon samurai, chopping its right arm off. Voltes was right behind, driving its own blade into the Battle Beast's chest and ripping it sideways.

"Boom," Tenia said dryly. "Hey, looks like Masato's goin' on a rampage."

Toya followed her gaze and winced. Zeorymer was giving no quarter; the few Arm Slaves that managed to close were tossed aside like toys, and even the Hakkeshu pair seemed to be on the defensive. Thus far "Masato" seemed to be keeping his word, but it remained to be seen how long it would last.

"What the hell?" Sara's voice drew his attention back to the Boazanian force. "What's that thing?"

"That" was a giant flying skull, with what appeared to be a medieval castle on top. Possibly the weirdest thing Toya had yet seen.

"It's called a Skullrook," Kenichi said grimly. "A Boazanian command ship. The control device for those Gradosian weapons is probably there, too."

Shining Gundam launched skyward. "Then we'll just have to take it down," Domon bit out, before almost colliding with a crab type. "Out of my way! SHINING FINGER!"

At some point in the melee, Bryst and Gallowin had retreated, leaving them free to concentrate on the Boazanians. Mu and Cagalli swept in from above, beam cannons blazing. They split at the last instant to evade a missile barrage, then reformed long enough to put down the offending Battle Beast.

"Um, something's weird with the Blue Earth," Melua said carefully.

Toya blinked, his mind at first refusing to process what he saw. Sosuke's Arbalest was actually riding on top of the Space Knights' support craft; despite the unwieldy nature of his position, Sosuke was able to put a shotgun blast through a Batta, blowing it apart.

A trio of Aestivalis shot through the battle zone. "Focus on that skull ship!" Ryoko barked, smoothly weaving through the hailstorm of enemy fire. "Just blast the ones in the way!"

Good advice. "Orgone Blaster!" A Katonbo, already weakened from the Aestivalis blitzkrieg, took the shot dead amidships and exploded.

"This will end it!" Blade's shoulder panels snapped open. "We'll never hand Earth over to you! VOLTEKKAAAAAAA!"

Toya slammed another crab type out of the way, a corner of his mind marveling at his growing ability. Even more than when he'd been piloting Bellzelute, he was almost melding with his machine. At least, that's what it felt like. By rights the sensation should have frightened him, but instead he felt almost at peace.

Think about it later.

"Airborne units, split up," Natarle said crisply. "Move to surround the Skullrook. Uruz Squad, Gundam Heavyarms, provide support fire from below."

Toya joined the chorus of acknowledgments; as one of the heaviest-armored fliers, he joined Combattler, Voltes, Dancouga, and Zeorymer in a direct frontal assault. Another Battle Beast fell to Granteed's fist.

Boss, he noted, was actually making himself useful, the rotund Boss Borot proving more than a match for the unmanned Battas. Clumsy though it was, the unmanned assault units appeared to be in some ways even clumsier.

The "Skullrook" was beginning to look rather the worse for wear. Toya was amazed the thing was even still flying; Trowa had managed to get directly below and pepper the thing with a hailstorm of gunfire. As it was, the Boazanian command ship was noticeably slowing, allowing Voltes into melee range.

"Ten Kuu Ken!" Kenichi shouted. "We won't lose to you, Boazanians!" He brought Voltes's massive sword down hard, cutting deeply into the Boazanian ship's "face." Kicking back, he fired a bazooka shell into the rent armor section, joined a bare instant later by Heero Yuy's buster rifle.

That thing can't take much more.

Apparently the Boazanian commander agreed. The remaining Battle Beasts and unmanned units rose into a screening formation, allowing the Skullrook to limp away. A few of their own force attempted a harrying action, notably Tallgeese and the SPT squad, until Murrue called them off.

Toya let out a long breath. Mission accomplished. Yokosuka had sustained minor damage, but both the Tekkoryu force and the Boazanians had been repulsed with no civilian casualties. Something to be proud of.

It did, of course, leave one rather pressing issue.

"So what do we do about Zeorymer?" Hilde wondered. "Why'd Masato go crazy all of a sudden?"

"Excellent question, Lieutenant Schbeiker," Natarle said grimly, briefly forgetting her antipathy for the Specials. "What say you, Masato Akitsu?"

No answer came from Zeorymer at first, though Miku could be heard in the background, apparently doing some kind of system check. Toya kept a wary eye on the huge mech; if "Masato" decided to suddenly balk, things would get ugly.

At last, they heard a querulous sound over the comm. "Huh? Is this Zeorymer''s cockpit?" Masato looked around. "Where'd the enemy go?"

"He sounds normal again," Katia said.

"I noticed," Toya said. "And he doesn't seem to remember the last hour. There's something real fishy here."

Zeorymer landed near the Nadesico. "What happened?" Masato asked, his voice beginning to sound strained. "Where are they?"

"Masato, the Tekkoryu and the Boazanians have already retreated," Miku said.

He shook his head, uncomprehending. "Retreated? Miku, did you say the Boazanians?"

He really sounds confused. Toya's eyes narrowed. That's the Masato we know, not the psycho who was controlling Zeorymer during that battle. What the hell is going on here?

"Please, tell me," Masato said. "What happened? Did . . . did another me appear?"

Tenia blinked. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

Before Toya could tell her his suspicions, Inez Fressange came on the line. "So, a case of split personality," she murmured. "This could complicate matters."

Talk about an understatement.

Underground Castle

There were few things more repulsive, Heinel reflected, than a disgraced subordinate begging for forgiveness. He himself was realist enough not to punish someone for losing through no fault of their own, so long as they comported themselves with the pride expected of a Boazanian noble. Such were the fortunes of war.

Soon-to-be-ex-General Zuhl was not such a case.

"You stoop to the same level as the cursed Gradosians, yet you still could not bring victory," Jangal said, not bothering to hide his contempt. "Apparently your pride is even more worthless than you are."

Zuhl ignored him, instead addressing Heinel directly. "My lord, please! I did all this for your sake!"

Fool. "Enough," Heinel said, cutting him off. "This is pathetic, Zuhl. You threw away your pride for nothing. If you decided to stop being a noble of Boazan, so be it. I'll cut your horn here and now."

Zuhl's expression changed, his face contorting in an ugly snarl. "Die, Heinel! Go to hell!" Producing a knife from his sleeve, he lunged for the Boazanian prince.

Heinel had been expecting something of that sort. Drawing a blade of his own, he parried the general's clumsy strike, then grabbed his wrist and flung him into the wall. Zuhl, he noted, was just as incompetent in personal combat as he was on the battlefield.

"Did you really think I would be so careless?" he said. "You are a fool and a traitor."

Jangal stepped forward, a look of grim anticipation on his face. "Zuhl, it is time for you to die."

Uninterested in the traitor's fate, Heinel turned away. Zuhl's treachery aside, the Earthling force had proved far more powerful than any of them had anticipated. In addition to Voltes, he found reports of a vaguely draconic mech disturbing. It didn't match any form of Earth technology, not even the rumored Black Technology, and while they did have some imported mechs in the form of the stolen SPTs, it was nothing like them, either.

"I've finished dealing with the traitor, sir," Jangal said.

Heinel nodded. "Good. Jangal, Katherine, Zuhl's filthy betrayal has tainted our pride. Destroy anything and everything that belonged to him, wipe out all record of him from the computers. I want no trace of that filth to remain in this castle." He took a deep, calming breath. "Now. It's true the Earthlings were more powerful than anticipated. We must deal not only with Voltes, but a number of other new threats."

"Unfortunately true," Jangal agreed. "There are visual records of a Tekkaman in their force."

Katherine's eyes went wide. "Are you suggesting the Earthlings have allied themselves with the Radam vermin!?"

"More likely this 'Tekkaman Blade' is a deserter," Heinel said before Jangal could respond. "Intelligence reports indicate he has killed many of the Radam's foul beasts and at least one other Tekkaman. Regardless, I agree it is a problem. What of the large machine seen fighting alongside Voltes?"

"We have no data on it at all," Jangal said, shaking his head. "It is undeniably powerful, but we have no idea as to its limits."

Heinel's jaw tightened. "We need to find out, and soon. Else the Earth invasion plan may falter."

He didn't need to add that it would put all of their lives in grave peril.

Nadesico, hangar

The situation was urgent enough that Toya at first forgot to remove his helmet when he left the cockpit. It didn't seem to matter, next to what was happening around Zeorymer.

Miku was already out, supporting a very haggard and confused Masato. He slumped against Zeorymer's left leg, rubbing his eyes. A handful of others had gathered around, notably Koji, Rain, and Professor Fressange. Toya noticed D-Boy and Aki at the fringe.

"Miku, please," Masato said. "What happened out there?"

She shook her head gently. "Masato, you should just get some rest."

He won't be able to unless he knows. Toya knew from experience that uncertainty could sometimes be worse than definite bad news. Keeping Masato in the dark would do him no favors.

"You suddenly sounded like a completely different person," Koji said. "Went from not wanting to fight to not caring if civilians got caught up in things. That ain't like you, Masato."

Masato scrubbed his hands over his face. "Let me be clear. I genuinely felt more up to fighting after listening to you all talk, but it would never even occur to me to involve civilians. In any case, that warning is the last thing I remember."

"Split personality," Professor Fressange murmured.

Masato sighed. "That . . . that could be it."

Not exactly welcome news, if true. Toya couldn't think of any other explanation, unfortunately; it fit a little too well with Masato's abrupt change in demeanor during the battle. Tenia, he could tell, was thinking, Just what we need, a bona fide head case, but she had enough tact not to say it aloud. Besides, she liked Masato.

"I suggest we put the matter on hold for the time being," Prospector said. "It's only happened once, and ultimately no real harm was done. Ms Coulange, what say you?"

The stoic advisor/pilot shrugged. "We don't really know enough to do anything more," she said. "That said, Masato, please report immediately if anything else comes up."

Visibly relieved, Masato nodded. "Of course."

Yokosuka Base, hangar

Two days after the fight with the Tekkoryu and Boazanians, Toya was just getting out of the shower when the alarm started. Grumbling under his breath, he took off down the hall at a run, soon joined by Uruz Squad and the girls.

He skidded to a stop, mouth dropping open. Layzner was busily tearing things up, though fortunately it hadn't shot anything. Seeing no one in the cockpit, he looked around for Eiji, eventually spotting the half-breed sprinting in with David and Roanne.

"Okay, what the hell is going on here!?" Mu La Flaga demanded, grabbing the nearest tech. "What's up with Layzner!?"

"Sir, I don't know!" the man protested. "We were starting to move it, when it suddenly activated on its own!"

Eiji had just gotten close enough to hear. "Why? I knew Layzner would attack if someone besides me tried to move it; that's why I insisted the Morgenroete people only analyze it in my presence."

The tech gulped, clearly aware that he'd gone too far. "O-Orders from General Colbert."

"Dammit, I knew it was him," Noal spat. "Bastard just can't leave well enough alone."

Sosuke shook his head. "This is too dangerous. You can't trust a weapon that moves on its own."

"It's just a defense mechanism," Eiji countered. "As long as the proper pilot is in control, this shouldn't happen."

"Save the tech demo for later," Mu said. "Right now we need to stop that thing." He looked around, spotted Masato and Miku. "Yo, Masato! You think Zeorymer can hold Layzner in place?"

It took some effort, but the rogue SPT was soon immobilized by the massive Hakkeshu robot. Which of course only solved half the problem; they needed to know just why Layzner had gone berserk. Not to mention they couldn't just hold it indefinitely.

"I'll check myself," Eiji said. "Sergeant Sagara, can you lend me a pistol?"

Sosuke tilted his head slightly. "For what purpose? Depending on chamber size and barrel length, you–"

"Just hand him a gun, Sosuke!" Mao said in exasperation.

Without a trace of chagrin, Sosuke drew his sidearm and extended the grip to Eiji. "Will this do?"

"It'll be fine, thanks," Eiji said, taking the weapon. "Everyone, stand back. I don't know what will happen."

This is the third time, Eiji thought. Before I met the Nadesico on Mars, and then the incident with Gale. What's going on? He set his jaw. Time to find out, once and for all. Hauling himself into the cockpit, he gave the displays a quick scan. Supposedly there was nothing out of the ordinary, but he knew better.

"All right, enough," he said. "What's going on here? Show yourself!"

"CANNOT ACCEPT REQUEST," Rei replied. "LAYZNER'S COMPUTER IS BUILT INTO THIS FRAME."

Eiji gritted his teeth. "That isn't what I'm asking you. I know there's someone else in there. Come out!"

"CANNOT ACCEPT REQUEST," Rei repeated. "LAYZNER'S COMPUTER IS BUILT INTO THIS FRAME."

He slowly raised his pistol, aiming at the instrument panel. "Enough!" he snapped. "I know you're in there somewhere. Stop controlling Rei from the shadows! That cockpit is my world, and you're nothing more than an extension of my will!"

"UNABLE TO COMPREHEND ACTION."

If that';s the way you want it. . . . "I'm pointing a gun. Come out, or I will shoot."

He had time to pull the trigger once, and then the displays changed radically. "Wait, Eiji," a new, deeper voice said. "Getting mad at me won't solve anything. I am Layzner's equipment and you are its pilot, as your father intended."

Eiji felt like he'd been slapped. "My father?"

"Yes. My name is Four On."

Eiji lowered the pistol, flicking the safety on. "What is all this about?"

"I was made to help the one who wishes for peace between Earth and Grados," Four On replied. "And to entrust to him, to you, a secret, one that only a few top-class Gradosians' know. The secret of the Gradosians' creation."

What!? "The Gradosians . . . creation?"

They heard one gunshot, followed by Eiji speaking. It was too muffled to make out what was said, but a few minutes later he descended from the now-quiescent SPT. Looking stunned and disturbed, he returned Sosuke's pistol and left the hangar without a word.

"Wonder what's up with that," Tenia said. "He went up there, and all of a sudden Layzner went rock-still. Now he's lookin' kinda depressed."

"He's got a lot on his mind as it is," Katia reminded her. "But you're right, I think there's something more this time." She shook her head. "Whatever it is, he'll tell us when he's ready."

Intent on a hot meal, Toya slid past Quatre. He had a sneaking suspicion that Eiji wouldn't be in the cafeteria for a couple of days; the young Gradosian's demeanor was rather like the way he'd been after Ahmos Gale's death, albeit not quite as severe.

"Hey, Toya," Kurz said, breaking into his thoughts. "Those three hang around with you all the time."

Toya eyed the Mithril pilot warily. He'd already gotten an earful about Kurz Weber's habits. "Almost, yeah," he said slowly.

Kurz grinned. "So, you ever gonna pick– oof!"

Toya's foot had snapped up, catching Kurz just above his belt buckle. "My love life is none of your business, capische?" Then he remembered who else was present. "Sorry, Mao," he said to Kurz's squad leader. "Guess I overreacted a little."

She responded with a friendly smile and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, kiddo. All you did was beat me to the punch." Mao rolled her eyes at the stricken Kurz. "Where'd you learn that move, anyway? Didn't think you'd studied martial arts."

Toya scratched the back of his neck. "Domon taught me. I mean, I'm barely even a beginner, but it's enough to catch this goofball off-guard."

Mao laughed. "That's the spirit, Toya! We'll make a soldier out of you yet."

Unknown location

The unit is in perfect condition. Why didn't it work? Al-Van shook his head. "Everything checks out. I'm afraid we'll have to test it in action. It's the only way to determine whether that incident was a fluke."

"Lord Al-Van." A squire came up to him and saluted. "We have reports that the Earthling force in Japan engaged and repulsed a Boazanian assault." He hesitated. "Milord, reconnaissance units report seeing his unit among the Earthlings."

Al-Van's blood ran cold. Impossible! Lord El-Selda is dead! "You are sure?" he asked, struggling to maintain his composure.

"Yes, milord. It was definitely Granteed," the squire said. "Could Lord El-Selda–"

"No," Al-Van interrupted. "Lord El-Selda is dead. The Earthlings must have somehow recovered Granteed; they already have a Cytron-powered unit, so it is conceivable that they could repair it." He clenched a fist. "Prepare for departure. Inform Lord Gu-Landon."

The squire saluted again. "Yes, milord!"

Al-Van closed his eyes. Lord El-Selda, why? What is it about the Earlings that attracted you so?

Author's note: Better late than never, I guess. I'm just glad to have it finished; those of you who've played the game know that a major milestone is coming very soon. I am looking forward to it. Until then.