If I owned Seed, I would be filthy rich and not writing this story, instead spending my time touring the world. Instead, here I am.

New Earth Alliance Lunar Base

The devastation G.E.N.E.S.I.S inflicted upon the original lunar moon was still prevalent despite EA engineers' best attempts to mask the devastation with the newly rebuilt base. Many a new recruit could be found staring out at the man made scars on the surface of the moon and fragments of the original base still scattered throughout. Once in a while, even a human body shows up, but is usually quickly recovered before it causes too much of a problem. All this worked to demonize ZAFT and urge soldiers towards a more unbending loyalty to the EA.

"It was this almost fanatical loyalty that would work to EA's advantage," Daniel Waters thought with grim satisfaction as he bore witness to a slow build up of troops. A build up so gradual and masked by the construction efforts that ZAFT had completely overlooked it. This would come back to haunt them; Waters would make sure of that. Having received top secret orders from the EA head council just 2 days prior, authorizing the use of force against ZAFT facilities presenting any danger to EA interests, an invasion plan was already devised.

The force gathered within the vast expanses of the base numbered 34 Agamemnon capital class battleships including the flagship of the Arctic Fleet, Dauntless, with over 192 Bernard Class light destroyers and 107 Montgomery Class heavy destroyers adding even more firepower to the fleet. The armada gathered was supplemented by hundreds of Strike Dagger mobile suits and close to two thousand Moebius mobile armor units. All this would be on their way to launch a vast preemptive invasion of ZAFT before long.

Yakin Lowell: 3 Days Later

Unlike its neighbor base, Yakin Lue, Lowell was nowhere to being finished. It's internal structures were still under construction and the work on some of the hangars and barracks haven't even started yet. It seemed the only part of the base that still wasn't under constant construction was the command center located in the heart of the asteroid that served as the foundation for the base. As the operators carried on their duties for what they hoped would be yet another normal day, something was terribly wrong.

At 0700 hour, the newly arrived shift of operators were immediately confronted with a crisis. The early detection systems sensed a massive fleet of EA ships departing the Lunar base and heading straight towards ZAFT territory. To be more specific, the fleet was headed right towards them. The ZAFT council was alerted of this and soon after, a state of crisis was initiated within all ZAFT held territory and military reinforcements rushed to the frontier bases defending the ZAFT border. There was little Lowell could do other than to evacuate all non-military personnel with the few civilian shuttles left in the base from the construction companies; the military aid would not arrive on time. The half completed, undermanned base was nothing more than a fly to the Goliath heading in its direction, but the base's soldiers still readied themselves for a futile last stand.

At 2300 hour, the advance units of the EA fleet reached Yakin Lowell and began exchanging fire with the ZAFT ships stationed there. The base only had 12 Nazca destroyers and 27 Laurasia frigates protecting it. Under most circumstances, this would be more than enough ships, but in the face of such vast firepower opposing them, those said ships did not last long. One Nazca ship, right after destroying a Bernard destroyer with its main cannon, had its bridge destroyed by a missile that got past its Close In Weapons System, or CIWS. With this, it was effectively out of the battle. Another was destroyed as a critically damaged Montgomery destroyer decided to go out in a memorable fashion and intentionally collided with the larger ship, taking out both of them.

Though the ZAFT ships were superior to their EA counterparts, the sheer volume of ships the EA put onto the battlefield was too great to overcome. A Laurasia frigate would destroy an EA ship with a salvo only to be then struck by a barrage fired by the surviving ships. The vast advantages in performance the ZAFT ships and mobile suits held over the EA permitted their tiny fleet to fight a war of attrition that was destroying 3 enemy ships for every one they lost. Everywhere, mini battles were occurring. In one sector, a Guaiz unit would be ambushed by 4 Strike Daggers only to have those Strike Daggers be destroyed by a nearby squad of Ginn's. A Strike Dagger was dueling with a Guaiz-A when the ZAFT mobile suit lashed out with its beam saber and was blocked by the Dagger's shield only to have the Guaiz turn on its shield scythes and impale the surprised Dagger.

Everywhere mobile suits and armors fought one another with inhuman strength and ferocity. The ZAFT forces out of desperation and a sense of duty to protect their people. The EA forces out of a hatred of Coordinators that was carefully coaxed by the EA military. There was little mercy given in this battleground and none was asked, for it simply wasn't received. A crippled Ginn retreating back to Yakin Lowell's hangars for repairs was shot in the back by a Moebius unit and damaged EA ships departing the battle were open game for the ZAFT. One Guaiz unit that was separated from his platoon and ended up in the middle of the EA force, raised its arms in surrender only to be blown in half by a shot from an Agamemnon's main cannon.

Eventually, even the bravery of the ZAFT forces could not compete with the numerical superiority of the EA fleet and the base's defense forces began a slow pullback to the base itself. All this while, the uncompleted base's own defense systems, as limited as they were in numbers, were providing an endless supply of support fire and made them enticing targets for the EA as they slowly advanced on the base. Gradually, Lowell's forces were forced to retreat within the base itself and the EA fleet moved in to begin a siege while launching assault after assault to gain a foothold inside the base itself. It only took the EA, nine hours to drive ZAFT off the battlefield. As the ZAFT forces fought off assault after assault, its numbers became even more depleted and weak. Unless something was to change radically soon, they would be overwhelmed before long.

Ok Ok, I lied when I said Yzak and Dearka would attack the lunar base this chapter. I guess I had to go into the details of this battle a little too much. Next chapter, I promise.