Phase-22: Conflicting Views

"I'm told that the materials will immediately be sent to us from Diocuia... but it happened moments before the 'Tannhauser' was fired... Damage to the bow was significant." Chief Mechanic Madd Aves informed Captain Gladys, refering to the Freedom shooting their positron cannon. His timing truly could not have been better if he wanted to cause the most destruction. After the retreat of the Archangel and Earth Forces, the Minerva pulled back into the Sea of Marmara and docked at the Turkios port for repairs and resupply. Mobile suits were carrying shipping containers and placing them on a huge conveyor belt that brought them inside the ship. Talia sighed. The damage had not only been material. She looked back at the black body bags on the deck. A dozen crew members had died in that battle. And many more had been injured. "Honestly, it's going to take some time." The technician followed her line of sight. He too sadly gazed at the comrades they had lost.

"You're right." The woman sighed again. "In any case, I'd appreciate if you could hurry as much as possible. I'm sorry to always have to say the same sort of things."

"No, I understand, Captain." He reassured her. She nodded and walked away.

The Red Coats, however, were lined up on the dock. Downcast, they watched a green uniform put a box in a black car. He closed the trunk and turned to them.

"Well then, I'll be taking Heine Westenfluss' personal effects." He saluted. The five teenagers mirrored him. They stayed and kept watching until the car disappeared out of sight. Then, they slowly returned, their heads still down.

"It's all their fault." Shinn suddenly broke the heavy silence as they were walking up the gangway. Everyone stopped and looked at him. "This wouldn't have happened to Heine if they hadn't jumped into the battle like that!" He clenched his trembling fists. Lunamaria spoke his name. "What's with them anyway?! Demanding that the battle be stopped... are they truly the Archangel and Freedom?!" The boy turned around and blamed Athrun and Seren with his sad and yet fiercely glaring eyes.

The FAITH agents sightly averted their gaze. Normally, Seren would have defended her family. She would have reminded him that the Freedom and Archangel had always demanded that battles be stopped. They had intervened in the same way in the last war between the PLANTs and Earth Alliance. That was how they had stopped both GENESIS and the nuclear missiles at the battle of Jachin Due and thus managed to stop the war. Back then, Athrun and Seren had also fought alongside them as the pilots of the Justice and Independence respectively. Back then, despite wavering, they had believed in the need to stop the war from escalating and destroying everything, and the best way, the only way they had found was to create a third faction to repress the two others and maintain balance. From being on the side that interrupted others, they were now being the ones being interrupted. That was truly immensely frustrating, losing your comrades so one-sidedly like this. Right now, they could not agree with with Kira, Cagalli, and Rayner's methods. And they could not deny Shinn's words as they felt the same. Seriously, what were a Chief Representative and a Representative doing, acting like rogue raiders instead of leading their country from the top?

"What in the world is Orb doing?! They've gotta be idiots!" Shinn power walked back to the ship, followed by Luna who called after him. Rey saluted the two members of the elite Special Forces and left too.

The former Orb envoys were left alone. Athrun frowned and gritted his teeth. Seren lowered her gaze and hugged her arms. Chacha left her shoulder and started flying around. They were remembering their time with Kira, Lacus, Cagalli, Rayner... everyone from Orb... and then Heine's words... "Then who wouldn't you mind fighting?" ... "That's how it is, isn't it? Stop worrying about it. We're in war, and we're soldiers. Otherwise, you'll die." But Heine was the one who died. Kira had cut the GOUF's arm. And because of that, because Heine's attention had been focused on him, the interferer, instead of that Earth Forces pilot, he was killed.

"Damn!" Zala slammed his fist on the railing. For him, it was not only about Heine. The GOUF being bisected and exploding... it was far too similar to the Strike slashing the Blitz. Kira had killed Nicol too. Consequently, Kira and Athrun had fought to the death. He knew that he had to endure, that past mistakes must not be repeated... but experiencing that pain and frustration again could truly break your heart, your will.

For Seren it was a first though, coming to resent her brother so much. Back then in the last war, she had resented Athrun for having (supposedly) killed Kira... so she had wanted and tried to kill him. Now she resented Kira for having killed Heine. It was not to the point of wanting to kill him so she must have grown, become somewhat stronger over those two years. It seemed that loss was just a tiny little bit easier to endure. It was certainly the Gaia that destroyed the GOUF and killed Heine. But they could not say that Kira had no part at all in their friend's death. They understood that Cagalli had just wanted to protect the Orb soldiers... but there were better ways to accomplish that! Did they not even realize that?! That was why they could not help this bitterness, this rancor they were feeling. Really, what were those people doing? And Orb too. It was one thing if they had simply ignored Cagalli, but they had actually attacked her, even though they must have recognized her unit, her voice. Seren had been shocked by that too. But soldiers must obey orders. Yuna Roma must have felt pressured with the Atlantic Federation at his back, and thought they would turn against Orb if he didn't do something here. But to think he really tried to kill his fiancée... even though Orb could have just made a show of it like two years ago when the Archangel was pursued by ZAFT and made to enter Orb's territorial waters. At that time, Uzumi-sama was there, and her father too. No doubt, they would have never allowed things to become like this...

"This all... wasn't supposed to happen... not like this..." She leant her back against the railings and looked at the blue sky. Only the seagulls were crying cheerfully. Her voice had come out as a barely audible and exhausted mutter. Still, the young man heard it.

"Seren, you can contact them, right?" He gripped her arms and slightly pulled her towards him, gently but firmly.

"...I didn't want to do it myself... but I guess there's no choice." She determinedly looked back at him. What the hell are those people doing?! Athrun and Seren were the ones who wanted to ask the most. Right, they were going to ask. They needed, had to ask... They too returned inside.

Rey copied files onto a disk. Once it was done, he took it out and went to the computer room where he continued his work.

The two former Orb citizens and now FAITH members were in the Captain's office, requesting permission to momentarily leave the Minerva in order to investigate the whereabouts of that ship. However, she was obviously hesitating.

"...I'm sure you already know, Captain, but during the great war, at Jachin Due, we were aboard the Archangel fighting against ZAFT. It's likely that the pilot of the Freedom, the crew of the Archangel, and the one who called herself an Orb Representative are all people we know very well. And for that reason, we're having trouble understanding what they're doing, or rather, sympathizing with it." Athrun started.

"I certainly feel the same way, but..."

"Their objective was to get Orb, who was siding with the Earth Forces, to stop fighting and retreat. But there had to have been another way to achieve that goal, a way that wouldn't have ended with lives being sacrificed. There might be something that they're not aware of. They might be making a mistake. I'm sure that Headquarters and our nation will take action on this issue. If so, our job will be to talk things over with them, and find a solution." He added.

"Our nation"... Seren was not sure she could say that. Even though she was wearing the ZAFT uniform and should be considering the PLANTs her nation now, it was simply impossible for her as she still had feelings and loyalty for Orb and its ideals. That still held true even despite her anger at the Orb leadership for turning their back on their country's defining principles. She had enrolled in ZAFT for the sake of Orb. That too was still true even now. Although she had also taken a liking to that ship and wanted to do something, whatever she could, for the PLANTs. They might have been unable to prevent the drop of Junius Seven, but ZAFT had fought desperately at that time. And after that too, the PLANTs sent all the aid they could and did their best so war would not break out again.

Yet the Earth Alliance once more fired nuclear missiles at them, roused the people to war and oppressed the locals. Her only point of suspicion was Meer Campbell. By enlisting in ZAFT Seren had, of course, wanted to stay and support Athrun, but also aimed to make Durandal a future ally. At the start of the war, she really had no hand to play. The alliance was impossible. So she needed to make an "advance payment". By doing what he wanted, and paying a loss upfront, she hoped to secure an even greater profit. 'I'll help you now, so pay me back later and help me when I'll need it, okay?' was basically how it was. That was of course under the assumption that he wasn't just using her with the intention to betray her further down the line when she had ceased being useful to him. And that was also assuming that Orb was worth it. And right now, Seren had zero confidence that either assumption held true. She no longer knew what... who to believe in.

Was it different for Athrun? That he was upset about Kira and the others was not even up for debate, but did he have a change of heart about Orb after returning to ZAFT? Was he still the same as her, still thinking about Orb despite his Red Coat? Or did he fully return to ZAFT, body and soul? Did he completely trust the Chairman or not? She needed to know where everyone stood... including herself.

"Is that your decision as ZAFT FAITH members?" Talia questioned.

"Yes."

"Then I don't have the authority to stop you." The Captain stood up. "I agree that it was an unnecessary battle resulting in unnecessary sacrifices. Although who knows what would have happened if we had fought against the Earth Forces uninterrupted. Very well, I understand. I accept your leaving the ship. But will you be alright?"

"Yes, we'll be fine, thank you very much."

"Gladys-kanchou, I apologize for our selfishness. And thank you for going along with it. I also thank you for your continued trust." Seren's mouth was smiling. But her hazel eyes held a sharp, perceptive, and penetrating light.

"You two are valued members of our forces after all." The captain smiled too. The youths saluted and left.

"Seren, what was that in the end?" Athrun scolded his friend in a low voice as they neared their respective rooms in order to change into their civilian clothes. It had sounded as if she was testing the captain, or warning her. First with the Chairman and now with the captain... That defiant and rebellious attitude of hers was causing unnecessary problems.

"I also told you after our talk with the Chairman in Diocuia that I'd be testing them, and why. This is a good opportunity to see if they truly trust us, and thus whether I can trust them too. Or what, will they label me as an insurgeant because I stick to the beliefs I had as an Orb official, because I speak of my doubts? Will you too treat me as a rebel because I don't blindly believe in the Chairman? Are you going to report me, arrest me, or something, Athrun Zala of ZAFT?" She glared back at him, challenged him, speaking as if she wasn't part of ZAFT too, as if they could once more become enemies, like he would become her enemy because he could not accept her having a different opinion. And that caused him to freeze in disbelief and incomprehension as to why she would say such things. Seren went in her room. He chased her and entered her room too. Chacha flew in and curled up on her pillow.

"Seren!" He grabbed her arms and turned her towards him. "What in the world are you saying?! You know I'd never do that!"

"No? Unlike you, I can't rightfully consider the PLANTs my nation because of my feelings for Orb, its ideals, and my family. Yet I can't say I belong to Orb either, not just because of the uniform I'm wearing but because I can't agree with Orb's current way. I can't fully follow Durandal because of Meer but I don't think Cagalli's acting as a worthy leader either. I want to believe in them all, more than anything, but I can't. I feel grateful to the Chairman but he scares me too. I worry and care for my family but I can't forgive their recent actions. And there's Heine..." Her amber eyes rippled, wet with tears that would not fall. She was tired, lost, confused, with no idea where to stand or what – or whom – to cling to. So he hugged her, slowly, gently, yet so tightly. "A-Athrun..." Seren uttered his name, unsure. While yearning for his comfort, memories of Heine's confession, of Meer's, or 'Lacus''s possessiveness of her fiancé, and of her own breakup with him caused her to stiffen.

"...What's wrong with comforting a friend who's suffering after losing someone? I too lost a friend at the hands of another... And I really couldn't bear for the gap with my remaining friend to grow any wider... Just our separation is painful enough..." Zala said, sounding bitter and cynical at having to use such excuses just to hold the woman he loved. She clammed up. There was nothing she could retort. So she hugged him back, and buried her face in his chest, clinging to him. He squeezed her tighter.

Having been granted permission, the Fortuna and Savior took off. They turned into mobile armors and flew away at high speed. Luna, Shinn and Vino, who were also in the hangar, looked at each other, wondering what was going on. They had no idea as to why those two had left ship. And they had no idea that Rey was in deep conversation with Captain Gladys, much less the content of that discussion.

Miriallia Haw was treading down a narrow market street, filled with food stalls and people, with cloths spread above them to shield them from the glare of the sun. She stopped and asked for information, thanked the person and left again. Some shopkeepers had small TVs on that were playing Lacus Clyne's most recent concert with her lively singing and dancing and skin-tight sexy outfit.

Athrun and Seren had changed into their civilian clothes. The boy had his green pullover and black pants and jacket with white cuffs and collar (without forgetting his black sunglasses) while the girl was dressed in her beige pants and blazer jacket with her assymetrical black crossover top and low beige pumps. They had rented a convertible car. As always, the young man had taken the driver's seat. He pushed a button on the integrated computer that mostly functioned as a GPS. When the map was on the right scale, he slid his finger over it, studying the area. Once satisfied he started driving again, though not before having stolen a glance at the woman sitting next to him who was quietly staring in the distance.

"Ah! Athrun, stop!" Seren suddenly yelled as the car was reaching a curve. She had recognized the person standing on the road side. Her companion obeyed. The female Coordinator turned around, and stood up. "Milly! Miriallia!" She raised her hand and called the girl who had crossed the street and was about to go down a flight of stairs. Luckily, Milly seemed to have heard her as she stopped and turned to them.

"Seren?!" The photographer had also recognized her friend. Zala removed his sunglasses. "... and Athrun Zala?"

"I see... and so, when the war began, you ended up going over to ZAFT instead of returning to Orb." Miriallia Haw said. The three were sitting at the terrace of a café near the marina.

"Well, simply put, that's how it is. Oh, and we met Dearka up there." Athrun smiled faintly. However, given the noise she made, the way she raised one of her eyebrow and sighed aggravately, plus the fact that Seren stomped his foot, he understood that was not something he should have mentioned. The awkward man coughed slightly.

"We're with the Minerva now. Well, as Orb's part of the Earth Alliance, it's no longer very welcoming of Coordinators. Thanks to that we got scrambled when we returned to Earth. Then we learned that Orb had signed the treaty, that Rayner went missing in a car accident, that the Freedom and the Blast Wave kidnapped Cagalli during her wedding to that idio-... I mean to Yuna Roma and the Archangel left Orb... but what in the world were they doing here?" The female Coordinator explained, and questioned.

"Right! Thanks to their intrusion, the situation was very... hmm... well..." Her fellow ZAFT soldier concurred.

"Confusing? Messy? I know. I was watching it all." Milly took a pile of photos from her bag that she handed to them. The mobile suits pilots looked through them, but stopped once they saw the explosion of the orange GOUF Ignited. "But what do you plan to accomplish by searching for the Archangel?"

"We want to talk. We want to meet them and talk, with Kira and Cagalli."

"Even though you're with ZAFT?"

"That's...!" Athrun's head snapped up before he looked down again.

"What's wrong with wanting to see my siblings as an individual? Besides, whether I am an Orb ambassadress or a ZAFT FAITH member, my job will always be that of a pipeline and a bridge." Seren replied without missing a beat. She already had her answers prepared after all. Thanks to her time as a diplomat, she had grown used to anticipating questions and developments and preparing for them.

"Fine. It's not as if I can't reach them. If you're moving on your own, then I don't mind setting a meeting. I haven't been back to Orb in a while either so I don't know the details, but I can't imagine anyone being happy with this situation. Surely, Kira too." She picked her photos and took one showing the Freedom shooting. "But Seren, why aren't you contacting them yourself? Surely you have more knowledge and means of doing it than I do."

"As a precautionary measure, I want to avoid being the one to make contacts, be it with Terminal or the Ledfords' network, and I also told them to avoid contacting me before I left the PLANTs..." She said no more on the subject. However, the two others were smart and understood her intention. She wanted to protect her connections to the maximum and preserve their secrecy. But that wasn't all. Her having communications with the outside all willy nilly could arouse suspicion. And in case she was being monitored, the less she revealed about her ways of contacting others, the less bothersome it would be. Miriallia simply nodded after a time, but the implications behind Seren's words made Athrun frown.

The Archangel was resting on the ocean floor. Some people were working. Others, like Murrue and Andrew were eating ramen. When Ramius expressed her doubts about the situation, Waltfeld told her his opinion. At least, they had made their intentions clear in that battle the other day, but as a result, ZAFT will have their eyes on them again. Things were going to get difficult. And others, like Kira, Rayner, and Cagalli were bathing in the ship's onsens that looked exactly like a traditional Japanese hot spring. Lacus joined Cagalli in the women's bath. Suddenly, Lacus shaped her hands like a gun and shot water at her friend. She giggled when the Orb princess tried to shield herself and asked her to stop.

"It's because you've got that gloomy look on your face. Is something bothering you?"

"I was just wondering whether or not we did the right thing."

"First, decide. Then see it through. It's the only way to achieve anything. I'm sure. Right?" Lacus replied. Siegel Clyne and Uzumi Nara Athha both wished for coexistence, and lost their lives for it. Their daughters had inherited their wishes, their struggles, and suffered greatly as a result. Despite being stricken with grief after losing their family, friends, and allies, despite having their small shoulders laden with the weight of responsibility and the expectations of both the deceased and the living, they had still decided to carry that burden.

"Yeah. Thanks." The blonde girl smiled faintly. Kira and Rayner, who had been listening to them from the men's bath, smiled too.

"A reconnaissance mission?! ...sir." Asuka exclaimed famiarly before correcting himself.

"That's right! It's an official order from Headquarters!" Trine scolded the boy who settled down with a frustrated noise. At least Rey was there too. There were in the briefing room, with the Deputy Captain indicating places on the map with his pointer. "Based on the information provided by locals, there's apparently a mysterious research facility associated with the Earth Alliance in the backwoods of this district. Although it's quiet now, it was a massive facility where armored vehicles, aircrafts, and mobile suits were seen going in and out. I'd like for you two to leave early next morning to investigate the area."

"You're using us for such a lame job?! ...sir."

"Shinn. Cut it out." Rey chided. Shinn glared at him, pouting.

"Don't call it a lame job. What will we do if armed militants are hiding there? It's that kind of mission." Arthur explained. The child groaned like a scolded puppy, having finally listened to reason. "Do your best." He concluded the meeting.

"Roger." The blonde elite stood up and saluted. His immature friend mimicked him.

A heavy rain was falling from the ash gray sky. Athrun was waiting at his desk in the hotel room he shared with Seren. She was resting on one of the twin beds and playing with Chacha with an absent-minded expression. They had taken only one room for security and convenience. The boy had his laptop on, but he was merely gazing out the window at the rain... unaware that Lunamaria was observing him... them, through binoculars from a window of the opposite building. But then the mechanic squirrel jumped down to the floor and went to the window pane.

The young woman stood up and went to the window too, but at the other corner, farthest from the desk. She peaked through the gap with mini-monoculars that were also equipped with night vision, and a camera with an infrared setting. Since she always acted as a bodyguard aside from her normal work, it was one useful thing to have in order to better grasp her surroundings and thus better protect her sister and allow her to escape if need be. Seren herself was a target for assassination by Blue Cosmos terrorists. And now as a FAITH member, all sorts of missions could come her way, including reconnaissance and spying.

She was also aware that her position was a delicate one given her devotion to Orb and her family despite her current allegiance to the PLANTs... which subjected her to suspicion. FAITH agents were known to be hand-picked by the Chairman for their abilities and integrity, enjoying his trust. However, she had already realized that behind his kind saint-like exterior, Durandal was actually a highly cautious and crafty man, and that he could prove extremely ruthless. Winning was everything, and he would not shirk from any sacrifice. He would unhesitatingly cut off anyone who had outlived their usefulness, anyone who would bring him more demerit than profit. Because she didn't want to see that, she had turned a blind eye. She had chosen to try and believe. It had been fine until now. But she could no longer afford that. Now was no longer the time for complacency. Believe, hope, but stay on guard. She had to take measures protect herself, Athrun who still trusted Durandal, and her family... just in case.

Doubting someone who you wanted to believe in, who helped you, was painful. It was equally painful to have your hopes dashed. That was why Seren balled her fists as disappointment hardened her features. Lunamaria was there, at the window of the opposing building, observing Athrun through binoculars. She did not seem to have spotted Seren's movements. Was it Chairman Durandal who had given the order, or did Captain Gladys act on her own?

"What are you doing?" Zala asked as she pushed buttons on her monoculars.

"Just playing around." Seren lied, knowing that telling him the truth now would affect his actions, and make Lunamaria realize something was going on. She stopped playing and returned to the bed where she plopped down. She had taken photos of Luna spying on them for now. It appeared she had come alone, without Rey or Shinn, which was probably for the best. Using Athrun as a decoy was not the best feeling, but for now, it just couldn't be helped. Did he believe her? No, from his eyes he definitely suspected something. Yet he fortunately did not pry and merely kept observing her. He did trust her.

What seemed to be a navigation buoy was floating off the coast. It was actually a radio transponder linked to the Archangel resting under it, on the ocean floor. Chandra received a morse communication and alerted the Captain. Neumann and Waltfeld turned around too.

I saw an angel at the Dardanelles. I wish to meet him again. The missing princess is looking for her family, together with her red knight. Please respond. Miriallia.

They were all surprised to hear about Miriallia again after all this time. 'I saw an angel at Dardanelles'... She must have been there too, which was not surprising given the fact that she worked as a freelance news photographer. The 'missing princess' would be Seren since she and Cagalli are known as the two princesses of Orb, just like Lacus was a princess in the PLANTs. They knew she had met the Supreme Council Chairman several times before suddenly information stopped coming. In any case, the red knight accompanying her was doubtlessly Athrun who acted as her bodyguard and went with her to the PLANTs and whose Justice gundam was, or used to be red (as it was destroyed with GENESIS).

"Seren! Seren and Athrun have returned! Kira, Rayner!" Cagalli turned to her brother and her lover, screaming with joy. The two young men though had a much more guarded expression.

"Does that mean they've returned from the PLANTs? Now what'll we do, Kira? The message is a little too fancy for someone trying to set up a trap." Andrew voiced his doubts.

"But who else would know of Miriallia-san's existence...?" Murrue wondered, lowering her eyes. Neumann agreed she would know how to contact this ship. But why didn't Seren contact them herself? She knew more about Terminal and contact methods than Miriallia. Could something have happened after all? They all looked at Kira, waiting for his decision.

"Let's meet them. If Seren and Athrun have returned, they should be able to tell us more about the PLANTs. But the Archangel should stay here. I'll go alone." The operator of the Freedom told them. Lacus inhaled sharply at that. "It's alright. Don't worry." He smiled reassuringly at her.

"I'll go too!" Cagalli exclaimed. "Ah... hum, well... but..." She then stammered, having realized she had spoken a bit too impetuously. After all, there were safety measures to consider. But even so she still wanted to go.

"Sure. Then Cagalli and I will go." Kira smiled, making her smile too, relieved.

"Then I'll stay and protect the Archangel just in case." Rayner offered. With Kira and Cagalli gone, only himself and Andrew Waltfeld could pilot mobile suits. And given their lack of personel, Andrew was better served staffing the bridge of the Archangel.

"Please." Yamato entrusted him with Lacus' and everyone's safety.

As evening came, the clouds dispersed and the setting sun peaked out. Athrun received a call and dashed out of the room with Seren. They headed to the woods where they had left their gundams and took off. Lunamaria had of course prepared for it, and followed on a one-seat helicopter. Meanwhile, Shinn and Rey sortied in their respective mobile suits, though the white ZAKU Phantom was aided in its flight by a Guul sublifter.

The Freedom surfaced at sunset and swam to a cliff that was part of the Canakkale province of Turkey. Kira helped his sister climb the rest of the way. Both were dressed as civilians. The young man had his usual black clothes. The blonde girl wore matching tunic and pants with two shades of yellowish green. The shirt-like tunic had an orange-red placket and was held by a gray belt. They reached the top of the cliff where ancient Greek ruins were standing. From the few whole, broken or fallen pillars left, a temple had likely been erected here. They heard Miriallia calling them and saw her running in their direction, having abandoned the jeep she had come with. She was obviously very happy to see them again, and voiced her surprise when she had learned of the Freedom and Blast Wave kidnapping the bride during her wedding and flying out of Orb, and again, when she had seen them fighting at the Dardanelles. Cagalli looked down and away and stuttered uncomfortably as she was the cause of both incidents, agreeing to a marriage she shouldn't have, and making Kira and Rayner sortie like this to protect her Orb compatriots. So she quickly forsook the greetings and, eager to see her sister again, asked about Seren and Athrun.

"...Sorry. I didn't say in the message since I had to be careful about what I wrote, but... they've enrolled in ZAFT, both of them..."

"ZAFT?!"

"Seren and Athrun?!"

The siblings could hardly believe what they had heard. Just then, they heard the sounds of approaching aircrafts. They turned towards the sea and saw mobile armors coming their way. Kira immediately recognized the ZAFT machines as the two units passed over them, transformed back into mobile suits and landed near them. He had very recently seen them during the battle of the Dardanelles... and even fought them. A pilot came down and then the other, and walked to them. A robotic flying squirrel took off, circled above Kira and Cagalli, landed on them, and excitedly ran all over them. They recognized Chacha. The ZAFT pilots joined them. It was really Athrun and Seren, who wore grim expressions. Miriallia took a step back. After all she had only set the meeting up. The four stiffly said each other's names as means of a greeting. Chacha returned to its owner.

"What's the big idea, Seren?! I was always, always so worried about you! But I couldn't even contact you because of what happened! Why did you go over to ZAFT?!" Cagalli went up to her sibling and interrogated her, lightly hitting her chest with the sides of her fists. Then she glared at the man next to her. "Or was it you Athrun?! Did you return to ZAFT because you got sick of Orb and pressured Seren into staying with you? I didn't entrust my sister to you for that to happen!"

"Stop it Cagalli. I made my own decision." The Fortuna's pilot took a step forth and extended an arm to protect her fellow FAITH agent. "We both chose to enlist in ZAFT because at that time we believed it was the best thing to do, for our own sake, and for Orb."

They had no idea that their conversation was being overheard and recorded by Lunamaria. She had just arrived and set up audio equipment atop a nearby cliff.

"No way... how could that be for Orb?!" Right as the blonde girl was starting to let her anger out, her brother put a firm hand on her shoulder and spoke her name, effectively stopping her. She backed a little and Kira stepped forward. The three Coordinators stared at each other for a time.

"Are those your machines?" The operator of the Freedom looked beyond them at the Savior and the Fortuna. The ZAFT soldiers assented. "Then you fought in the battle the other day?"

"Yeah, we were there too... because we're currently with the Minerva." Athrun informed them. Kira and Cagalli gasped. Kira had shot the Minerva's positron cannon and significantly damaged the ship. "We saw you, and tried to talk to you. But we couldn't get through. Why did you do something like that? Something so foolish..." He glared at them. "Thanks to that, the battlefield became chaotic, and because of you, there were unnecessary casualities."

"'Something so foolish'...?" Cagalli repeated. "But that... the opponent that ZAFT was about to fight back was the Orb fleet! We wanted to stop it!"

"Wrong. ZAFT was fighting the Atlantic Federation and their dog." Seren sharply shot back, making her sister recoil and freeze. "Orb will not invade another nation, will not be invaded, and will not interfere in the conflicts of other nations. So tell me, what was the Orb fleet doing there, so far from its home waters, interfering between ZAFT and the Earth Forces? Why was it siding with the Earth Alliance despite the atrocities it was committing? Who signed the treaty and made it this way?"

"Seren... that..." Orb's head of state stammered.

"If Orb sides with ZAFT, it will have to fight against the Earth Alliance. If Orb sides with the Earth Alliance, it will have to fight against ZAFT. I thought that was the only thing you'd never allow. Or maybe you were naïve enough to believe that despite becoming part of the Earth Alliance, only Orb would somehow be exempt from military contribution? Were you naïve enough to believe that others would listen to you after you left your country? You can't have seriously thought that just making an appearance there would make Orb obediently retreat. The army listens to orders from the head of state. And the actual head of state now, is Yuna Roma Seiran... who repudiated you. Did it occur to you that if Orb were to turn tail at that time, its fleet would have been attacked by the Atlantic Federation? And then it would have been the country's turn that would have struggled to defend itself due to the absence of its leaders. Or did you just act on your emotions and jumped the gun without any thought?" The former ambassadress fired relentlessly, blocking every single protest before it could be uttered. Orb's Chief Representative... or in actuality nominal head, was left speechless. Her optimism – not to say 'hopeless naivety' – had truly crashed against the wall of reality that day. And Seren was ruthlessly pointing that out. "That's not what you were supposed to be doing, is it?! Before going out onto the battlefield and blurting such things, don't you think you should have stopped Orb from joining the Alliance?"

"That... I..." The blonde girl stammered, at a loss for words as she had no room to protest.

"But then... if you're telling us that you're now with the ZAFT forces... what do you plan on doing next? Why were you looking for us?" Kira questioned, stopping Seren's relentless assault, protectively standing in front of his other sister, and returning the conversation on its tracks.

"Because we wanted to stop you from doing something like that again." Athrun also took over as Seren obviously lacked the necessary calm and level-headedness. Not like he didn't understand or share her sentiment but he was still better off. At least he was still able to properly advance the discussion instead of only blaming the others. "We understand about the Junius Seven incident... but no matter how you cut it, the chaos that followed is definitely the Earth Alliance's fault. Even then, the PLANTs are doing their utmost to stop this foolishness as soon as possible. Yet you guys are only making this situation even more chaotic!"

"Are you sure about that? Do the PLANTs really feel that way? That person, Chairman Durandal, does he really want to end this war and bring peace as soon as possible?"

"I'm sure you've seen what the Chairman is doing! You've heard what he's been saying! The Chairman is truly..."

"Then what's with that Lacus Clyne? What is it with that Lacus in the PLANTs? And why was the real one almost killed by Coordinators?" Yamato revealed. Athrun gasped in shock, and so did Hawke in her hiding place. Seren's eyes only widened slightly as she tightened her fists.

Shinn and Rey found the facility they had been looking for. They landed, climbed down, and walked through the yard, guns in their hands. The place seemed to be truly deserted and showed clear signs of dereliction. Heavily cracked buildings, dead trees, overgrown vegetation, broken or missing windows, the ground had also collapsed here and there... There was not a trace of life, of human presence. The two ZAFT soldiers went down a flight a stairs and entered a building.

"Almost killed? What are you talking about?!"

"In Orb, we were attacked by Coordinators from a special unit and their mobile suits. They were after Lacus." Kira replied without a shred of doubt. "That's why I decided to pilot the Freedom again."

"That can't be..."

"I don't want her, or anyone else, to end up getting killed. Who would make her a target, and why? Until I have a clear answer to that, I can't trust the PLANTs."

"Kira!" Zala yelled angrily.

Rey opened a door and entered a room, still holding his gun. Suddenly, he froze and started hypervenlating, his blue eyes wide in horror and overwhelming fear. Shinn turned on the emergency lights.

"What is this place?" He muttered. There were computers, operating tables and lights, sorts of large tubes alimented by cables and clearly meant to hold living things submerged in medicated baths. Then he saw his friend collapse on his knees and rushed to him, crying his name. Not just panic or hysteria, Rey was having a total mental and physical breakdown, hyperventilating to the point that he was literally unable to breathe. "Rey! What's the matter?! Rey! Rey!" Shinn kept screaming helplessly.

Amidst boundless frustration, why do we meet, wreathed in sadness, noticing our hearts as we pass by? Rather than dialogue, there are clashing doubts and conflict. Even though we met because we hoped, our feelings and words turn into blades. In what way must we fight to read each other's hearts? Even though we're close enough to see and touch, why does it feel like they are so far away? We are reaching out. Can we reach them? Can we reach an understanding? What is it that we wanted to protect again?

Author's note: lost, weakened, angry Seren... to the point she can no longer quietly endure or make do with some taunting and a sarcastic smile. Not even her love and sense of duty could stop her. She just could no longer take things and her feelings overflowed. At least, Athrun is still there for her, although she cannot see and accept it as easily as she used to since she's so full dealing with her own insecurity.

Next chapter: 'Phase-23 Place of Sin'