Red Angel of Cosmic Era

by Ronin2106

Millicas Lucifuge, once ZAFT's First Ace and legendary Seraph of Junius Seven, now finds himself in Heliopolis on the day of it's attack. Taking flight once again, he returns to the battlefield as the Red Angel, a symbol of hope and death, intent on ending the war, yet also on reaping his own toll. Both ZAFT and EA shudder, for Red Angel has taken flight again...

3. Chapter 3

January 27th. 71 C.E. Vesalius

The two ZAFT ships that had left in the supposed pursuit of the EA's new carrier battleship originally were supposed to have long since intercepted it, as Commander La Creuset had expected, and yet even with his own flagship on the parallel and intercept course and Gamow, they've failed to find it. Despite concerns and suggestions of Captain Ades that the enemy had withdrawn in a different area, Rau made an argument that this Legged Ship, as it was now designated, was able to outrun then, possibly possessing better engines and thrusters than anticipated, and so they've missed it. Hence Rau decided not to give up the chase, and had instead concluded that Lucifuge and the Legged Ship have already reached Artemis, and so it was of paramount importance to attack them, before any sufficient supplies or personnel could be loaded in.

Forcing the mechanics to work overtime without rest and sleep and prioritizing the prototypes, Aegis and Duel were able to be repaired in time for the attack, with Blitz and Nicol setting off to take out the Umbrella. Once Nicol had achieved his goal, Aegis and Duel rushed in, as Vesalius and Gamow waited outside of the entrances, with Rau looking quite intently at the entrance on the other side of Artemis. He wished to have the jump on Lucifuge this time, and expected him to come out of that hole akin to a fox, whose lair was set on fire, but so far, only smock, fire and destroyed parts of ships came out, but not Legged Ship. Growing frustrated with every minute passed, Rau was starting to realize, that he might have been had from the start…

Then, Aegis came into contact range, and Athrun spoke into the radio.

"Commander, we've taken out the Eurasian Fleet stationed here, but… Sir, there is no sign of the Legged Ship or its machines." Athrun reported, with Rau clenching his fist, while Ades simply let out a disappointed sigh. "I've issued the enemy an ultimatum to surrender and provide us the information on the Legged Ship. The highest ranking officer on station has accepted surrender, but has stated that they've not seen anything like what we are pursuing."

"And what makes you think that they are not lying?" Rau asked with a strained tone in his voice.

"They've provided us access to their data logs, and there is nothing in them on Commander Lucifuge and Legged Ship." Athrun reported, forwarding the same logs. "Commander, I think that they were never here to begin with." Athrun voiced what all were thinking, with Rau clenching his fist so hard, that if not for his gloves, all would see how his knuckles turned white.

"I see… And what of the performance of the machines?" Rau asked, clearly struggling to keep his tone in check.

"They… They performed as expected, sir." Athrun answered, already suspecting that his CO was not pleased. "Sir, what are your orders regarding POWs?"

"What POWs?" Rau asked, his control nearly slipping. "I believe the conditions of the mission were clear, Pilot Zala, and that there were to be no survivors. Same applies here." Rau stated with clear anger, with Athrun looking shocked, with Captain Ades turning with disbelief towards his Commander.

"But sir, these people, they have surrendered." Athrun tried to argue, but Rau didn't let him continue.

"Athrun Zala, as your commanding officer, I give you an order to…" At that moment, a communication officer interrupted Rau.

"Sir, we are receiving a message from the homeland… It is a Priority Alpha-1 order: "Vesalius is to abort its current assignment effective immediately and it's CO and a direct participant in the operation are to appear before the Supreme Council to report their recent actions. Gamow and your MS compliment with pilots, including trophies, have been reassigned, and transferring of them will occur in the coordinates relayed in this message." Officer reported, getting the attention of all. "Coordinates received and confirmed."

"Where were our pilots and machines assigned to?" Rau asked with a hint of annoyance, with the comms officer deciphering the message.

"To… To the 1st Mobile Suit Corps, sir." Once all heard that, everyone understood what this meant, with Rau knowing he no longer had any room for maneuver. "Sir, there is a Priority Alpha-1 call to you." All knew who it was at this point, including Rau, who rose up from his seat.

"I shall take in in my quarters. Relay the information to Gamow and make preparations for departure." Rau ordered. "And as for our trophy… Dispose of it." Rau practically spat it out, as he left the bridge, with Captain letting out a strained sigh.

"Captain, what should we…" Athrun asked, but Ades interrupted him.

"You have received your orders, Pilot Zala." Ades said with a tired tone. "Issue an evacuation order to the POWs, and then engage the self-destruct. Artemis should still possess evacuation craft." Even though this was in defiance of Rau's earlier intent and orders, this was something that Athrun could do.

"Yes, Captain. Understood." After that Athrun disconnected, with Ades letting out a small sigh of relief, glad not to have more unneeded blood on his hands.

---

"What?! We are to let those cowards flee, and then set this rock to destroy?! After all that we have done to capture this supposedly invincible fortress, we are to just waste it like that…" Yzak raved in anger, infuriated by the fact that they were all had, and that all their work amounted to nothing.

"Strategically speaking, there is no value to this fortress, and the command is unlikely to spend resources on it." Nicol spoke up. "Even if Artemis were to be moved and used as additional stronghold in the Defense Perimeter, retrofitting and repairing it would be costly, and would further strain our manpower resources…"

"I do not want to hear it, you coward! Admit it, you are both simply glad that Lucifuge is not here!" Yzak wasn't letting up, with Athrun having had enough.

"Yzak, you've received the orders. Return to the Gamow, now." Athrun stated, with Yzak grumbling, but obeying, with Zala letting out a tired sigh. "Nicol, you too should go. I'll handle the rest."

"Athrun, do you… Why do you think Commander Lucifuge did it?" Nicol asked of him suddenly. "I keep thinking about, and I just don't see any scenario in which Commander would just switch sides."

"Yeah, so am I." Athrun admitted. "I personally think that he either survived that ambush and decided to retire quietly… Or that there was no ambush to begin with."

"Athrun?" Nicol asked of him in a confused tone.

"Best I don't talk about it in the open. See you on the Vesalius, Nicol." And with this hint given, Nicol proceeded towards the flagship.

---

In his personal quarters on the Vesalius, Rau allowed himself a bit of freedom, and slammed his fist in frustration onto the table, venting out his anger a little. He had thought that this time he had Lucifuge for certain, yet for the second time now, the Seraph outplayed him, having clearly given him a slip at Heliopolis. Rau was furious at that, but he also knew that Patrick Zala, who wanted Lucifuge dead more than anything, would not take kindly to the fact that he has failed for the second time to deal with Lucifuge.

And with this reassignment of his assets, it was clear that the information of this operation has already reached Siegel Clyne and the Supreme Council, including the details about Lucifuge. He could only hope that Zala would be more inclined to covering for him, though the fact of his failures casted doubt on that, and if the 1st Mobile Suit Corps was involved, it meant that they were the ones who would continue the search for the Legged Ship. Despite his grievances, Rau sat in his chair and tapped the keyboard, opening the private channel, and soon the face of the commander of the 1st Mobile Suit Corps appeared on the screen.

"Commander La Creuset." A cold, yet strong and disciplined female voice spoke, as she looked directly into Creuset's mask. "I assume you have received your orders."

"I have, Commander Delys, although I would like to state, that I am not entirely in agreement with them." La Creuset stated, with the woman not even deigning to react to it visibly. "My team have the most experience in dealing with this enemy, and it would be tactically inept to redeploy us in such form."

"Your agreement and tactical analysis are of no relevance, Commander, and considering your recent actions, you may consider yourself fortune to only be receiving an inquiry and reassignment of your assets." She said with a hint of disdain towards him. "Thanks to you, the Supreme Council now has to explain themselves to Orb's government, as well as justify this breach of neutrality. That is not to mention the fact that you have destroyed their oldest colony, and have all but given them all the reason to join the EA." Delys reminded him, with Rau wincing from the coldness of her tone.

"I believe Orb was the first one to breach that neutrality, considering their cooperation with the Alliance... and the presence of Millicas Lucifuge in their ranks with his DRAKE." Rau decided to play that card, knowing the connection between Lucifuge and Delys better than anyone, getting her to glare at him, but not losing her cool. "I assume that the Supreme Council has informed you and your Corps about this particular detail."

"They did, hence why I am calling you." Delys responded. "Have you found this Legged Ship?" She asked him directly, with Rau internally wincing from this.

"We have tracked its supposed route to Artemis, but…" Rau was not given a chance to respond.

"I assume the answer is no, and that you have lost it at Heliopolis, while wasting your time and resources attacking a strategically and tactically meaningless target, in hopes of flushing Commander Lucifuge out." Delys surmised, with Rau narrowing his eyes in anger at her behind his mask. "After I received your reports, I already surmised that this would be the case. Now, I believe you have received your orders in full, and will comply with them."

"Of course, Commander. Although, in regards to my upcoming inquiry, I would like to request that one of the pilots of the G-Weapons accompany me, along with his machine." Rau spoke up. "I believe the IDB and ZAFT would benefit greatly from an examination of one of those prototypes."

"Permission denied. The Council only wants to hear you, and ordered me to utilize all of your assets for the mission. As for the examination of the prototypes, the IDB already received your data and are working it" Delys responded without missing a beat, with Rau clenching his fist at it. "You have your orders, Commander, and I recommend you follow them. Sogdiana out." And with this, Commander Delys disconnected.

"Like mentor, like a mentee…" Rau scoffed at the former XO of Seraph of Junius Seven.

---

Sogdiana. At the same time.

"It would seem that your prediction was the correct one, Commander." Captain Gladys concurred, as she, Commander Delys and her XO were in the Captain's room, with the map of the region on. "However, that does mean that our task has become all the harder. According to the timestamps, they have had two days' worth time, and since we have not received any reports from other teams and squadrons, they haven't proceeded to Moon."

"Even with his skill and knowledge of our deployment strategy, Commander wouldn't have taken the risk of going to Moon straight ahead, not with only three Mobile Suits and one Mobile Armor, as advance as they are." Delys stated, as she looked at the map. "No, the most likely scenario is that the Legged Ship adjusted their course once Vesalius and Gamow were out of range and proceeded to a different location, taking a longer, but safer route." Delys said, with a hint of approval clear in her voice.

"Classical Commander Lucifuge for you- do not take unnecessary risks, if you do not have to." Alex Grayson, Delys's XO and one of the original Angels of Death, remarked with a smile. "Still, even if he did take such a route, their ship would need to resupply, since it's highly unlikely they've stocked up fully on the supplies before the attack. I can imagine they would manage to scrounge some in the brief window between attacks, but it wouldn't be enough to last them the whole route without stops."

"And in between Heliopolis and Moon, there are no supply bases of the Atlantic Federation or any of the Earth Alliance for that matter." Captain Gladys stated, as she looked at the map. "It is possible that they could try a neutral station or another Orb colony, but I doubt Commander would dare to put more lives at risk like that."

"No, he wouldn't." Delys agreed, before she tapped the keyboard and the fields of ZAFT operations in space appeared, shown clearly on the screen. "He would not go to the Moon directly, nor in an oblique path, since it would either bring him close to our ships, or to our sensor range, and he needs a place to resupply… I see. Clever bastard." She said, getting the attention of the two, as she then constructed a possible route and showed it to them, with Gladys speaking up first.

"He ran parallel to the La Creuset's course, maneuvering around him and Artemis, and then proceeding to the Debris Belt." Gladys surmised, as she analyzed it. "That route would certainly throw La Creuset off of him, making him waste time and effort on Artemis, and would leave him free of any pursuers. I wouldn't even be surprised if he had bet on the Council to throw a wrench, so to speak, in Creuset's plans."

"Yeah, and he could also resupply in the Debris Belt, scavenge ammo and supplies of all kind from the destroyed ships in there." Grayson stated. "A good play on his part. So, how do we respond, Commander?"

"Captain, what's the status of Sogdiana and how soon can we reach the rendezvous point?" She asked of Talia.

"Eight hours, ma'am, at the current speed. Vesalius and Gamow will arrive in ten, roughly." Talia responded, with Delys nodding to her. "At that point and with the speed of the Gamow, we will reach the Debris Belt in five days, and with the window that Commander Lucifuge has, it can be safely assumed that we will not be able to reach him in time, if we head straight to the Debris Belt. Not to mention that with such a large area, amount of debris and so on, we will not be able to find them in time."

"Yes, which is why we will not be prowling that place mindlessly." Delys responded, before opening up comm. "Bridge, I need fresh reports on the current position of the 8th Space Fleet."

"Sending them to you right away, Commander." The data arrived immediately, showing it to the three.

"The 8th Fleet? What does that have to do with the Legged Ship?" Alex asked.

"According to the information, provided to La Creuset, the one responsible for the starting of that whole project is Rear Admiral Duane Halberton, commander of the 8th Fleet." Delys stated to them. "If he is the one in charge of the project, then both the MSs and the Legged Ship belong to his formation, and it is in his best interests to see them safe and sound." Alex and Talia agreed with her.

"Knowing Halberton, it's likely he'll send an advance force to support and resupply them, and we can trail them." Alex said, with Delys nodding to him. "It's not much, but that is better than nothing. Shame we can't send any more ships to this area, maybe intercept or stall them."

"I've already requested it, but Chairman Zala refused my request." Delys stated with disdain. "According to him, involving any more of our teams and captains in this matter would damage our blockade of Moon, and risk jeopardizing the morale of our troops. He wasn't all too willing to go along Supreme Chairman's demand to reassign La Creuset and give this task to us, siting our personal history with the Commander, which could make us unable to make the right call."

"More like he wanted his personal hound Le Creuset to handle it and make sure there is nothing to be either salvaged or found." Alex stated with disdain. "So, do we proceed with this plan? We have 10 MSs fully operation and ready, including 4 normal GINNs, 3 High Maneuverability Types and our with Shiho personal units."

"We proceed. Captain, I leave the course plotting to you." Delys said, with Talia saluting and leaving, allowing Delys to drop her façade a little. "What do you think, Alex? About all of this?"

"I don't like it any more than you, if that's what you are asking." Alex said to her. "But if you are asking as to why Commander did it… I can only guess that he… He didn't have it him anymore. You remember how the Endymion affected him." He reminded Delys of the final mission Millicas lead as Commander of their unit.

"It destroyed him, along with our Corps…" Delys said with sadness. "15 pilots went in to that bloodbath… 4 came back, the only ones who had been with him since day one. I can now understand why he requested to be reassigned to the Academy, to at least teach the new ones how to better survive. But to leave the PLANTs and ZAFT, and to side with the EA…"

"Pardon my French, Faye, but that's bullshit. Millicas may not be like others, but he hates the leaders of the EA, especially those of Atlantic Federation, more than anything, and I don't believe for a second what Zala and his lapdog are saying." Alex told her, with Faye Delys agreeing with him. "Besides, you know him better than anyone, so what does your gut tell you?"

"It tells me that he wouldn't have left PLANTs and ZAFT if he didn't have a good enough reason." Faye told him. "And if he didn't say a word to us about it, or to even my father and sister… Then this was something that so dangerous, that even knowing about put us at risk."

"You are thinking about Junius?" Alex asked of her. "He always said that there was no way that the N-Jammers and sensors were turned off in the Shroud, and we've long since established, that if anything, Millicas is thorough in his work, especially in the reliability department."

"Either he found out something about, or it was something else…" Faye breathed it out. "Either way, let's hope that we'll have a chance to ask him soon about it."

"Then our orders are to capture him alive?" Alex asked, with Faye nodding to him. "Good, I was hoping you would say that. Although I imagine that the Creuset's pilots might disagree with it, especially Joule and Elsman, given the can of whoopass Millicas opened on them."

"If they do, then they'll find out that this is a different kind of a unit." Faye smirked a little, with Alex supporting her smirk.

"Oh, I'll be looking forward to that." Alex said, before he saluted. "Commander." And after that, he left her room, with Faye turning to a lone picture on her table.

On it were displayed her family from the time before the Aprilius Intervention, with her younger sister Lacus Clyne smiling holding proudly in her hands the platinum disk in a plaque, with their father Siegel Clyne holding the disk with Lacus. The pinkette was flanked by Millicas on the right and Faye on the left, who shared her younger sister's pink flowing hair, though of a more purple tone, and had bluish violet eyes of their mother. This was the day when her little sister won her first platinum album, the proudest day of her life, and one of the last good memories Faye had of the times before all went to hell.

She never had their mother's talent for singing, or father's desire for peace, but Faye lacked neither for resolve, will or determination, and she chose to enlist not because of the misguided prejudice or false superiority complex, but because she wanted to protect her little sister and the home they had. Despite being the daughter of the Supreme Chairman of PLANTs, Faye was far more comfortable using her mother's maiden name, and enlisted using it. She had passed the necessary tests and examinations with flying colors and was even allowed to join then still secret Mobile Suit Pilot program, and from there, she joined the 1st Mobile Suit Corps, led by Millicas, a man she considered family in all but blood and name.

They've flown from Junius Seven to Endymion together as Angel One and Angel Two, she always had his back, and he hers, and she was there when he received the new recruits and delivered eulogies to the fallen. With her combat experience and abilities as a pilot and commanding officer, she could've long since gotten her own team or even a Corps, but she remained loyal to the 1st, to the point that after it was decimated after Endymion and was to be reformed, Millicas appointed her as its Commander. She asked him as to why he would do it, and he didn't tell her, but show her- pointing towards the fresh cadets and greenhorn pilots, and Faye understood him.

Before he was Seraph of Junius Seven and Red Comet of Jachin Due, Millicas was the first instructor of Mobile Suit Pilots, the man to whom ZAFT owed its pilots, before they've wasted so many of them. She could see it in his eyes, that he was tired seeing so many die so soon, and that he could at least help them get better, give them a better chance to survive the battles and wars.

She remembered how many of other commanders thought that Seraph had lost his wings, but Faye knew better. And the thought of going up against him was more than enough to weigh the heaviest on her mind.

---

January 31st. Archangel

After their escape from the Heliopolis and setting out their course, the situation on the Archangel had managed to stabilize and normalize, at least as much as it could for the people on board, and Commander Millicas was one of the reasons for that. Not only did he manage to calm the civilians on board down and explain them the situation, but he had even managed to persuade a number of them to join in his so-called Volunteer Corps, basically to supplement the crew of the Archangel in maintenance and other duties. Given the fact that Heliopolis was a mining and refining colony, most of the families that lived there had at least one member involved in the technical sphere, and so Millicas was able to scout out those willing to lend a helping hand within a day, with most of Kira's friends joining in on the bridge.

Since then, Archangel has been proceeding to their destination, and during their flight, they were fortunate enough not to run into any of the enemy forces, though there were a few close calls in the first two days, but Murrue Ramies and the crew were able to avoid being noticed by the patrols. After then, it was quiet and peaceful, but even though a certain sense of calmness did set in, the crew remained vigilant, knowing the price of carelessness, with all doing their duties. As for Millicas, whatever time he had when he wasn't busy working on the Raijin in the hangar, he spent tutoring Kira and Cagalli in the art of Mobile Suit operation, tactics and combat.

Given the fact that he was one of the best Mobile Suit pilots, as well as one of the very first in existence, having trained much of ZAFTs MS pilots, Lucifuge was basically a walking encyclopedia on the subject, with even Mu La Flaga saying as much and also visiting his impromptu lessons with the two younger pilots. Taking into the account their situation, Millicas' lessons were less centered on the theory and more on practice, though he did try at least give basics of theoretical material to them. And the fruits of his tutoring were showing, as he stood on the bridge of Archangel, observing the current exercise between Lancer and Strike. Ensign Natarle walked closer to him, taking a look at the monitor, where the two MS were currently engaging in the melee, with Lancer parrying an attack from Strike's training saber, before trying to strike back at it, only for Kira to move away right before the strike.

"That was a close one. I thought that Lancer was supposed to be a faster of the two machines. Would've expected it to land a hit on the Strike." Natarle remarked, as Millicas watched the two maneuver around each other in hopes of an opening.

"In pure mobility and maneuver, Lancer is better, but in terms of joint movement and system's response time, the two machines are identical." Millicas stated, as Strike went for an overhead attack, and Lancer accelerating and parrying it, before kicking it back with her legs, forcing Kira to lose his balance, with Millicas nodding to it. "Pilot's own abilities in such matters play a crucial role. Kira has better reaction and hand-to-eye coordination, so Cagalli compensates by unorthodox thinking."

"Yeah, the kid's faster in reflexes, but Cagalli's got him beat in the pure instinct." Mu commented, while Strike recovered and launched a frontal assault at Lancer, with it evading and managing to get to Strike's back. "Oh now he is done for." Then at that moment, Strike's Aile Pack moved right before Lancer's main camera, and with a flash of its drives, momentarily blinded Lancer and Cagalli, giving him a chance to put some distance between them, with the observing officers impressed by it.

"Good move, Kira." Millicas told on the radio to the pilot. "Remember what I told you about using other's tactics?"

"Always be ready to copy, and don't let others use them on you." Cagalli said with a bit of an annoyed tone. "He took it from me, from what I showed it on him two days ago." She reminded.

"That's one of the purposes of this exercise, for you to develop and hone your skills, and in the MS combat, relying on textbook tactics and maneuvers isn't always going to save your skin. It may work for the new pilots, but experienced ones and aces do not think in the same way as the greenhorns." Millicas informed them. "In combat and battle especially, your best weapon is your own ingenuity and creativity, ability to measure the situation and act in accordance. Lateral thinking is a useful thing to have, as there will be times when you can't win through pure specs of your suit alone. Remember, the MS's full potential is only ever achieved when its pilot is able to use it like its own body."

"Yes, sir!" Kira called back. "Shall we continue?"

"No, that will be enough for today. Get back to the hangar and get yourself cleaned up, you did good today. I'll take the watch in 30." Millicas responded, as he saw the two MSs return to their mothership.

"How would you rate them, compared to the ZAFT's pilots, Commander?" Natarle asked of Millicas, who took a few moments to think about it.

"In terms of pure talent, these two are among the best I've had to train so far, and the fact that they are catching on what I teach is the sign of that. In pure theory practice they may not pass any written exam, but in piloting they should be able to hold their own against even some of the red coats." Millicas said, as he analyzed their exercise. "Still, average ZAFT pilot, even a green uniform one, has much more training time on their hand, but given our situation, I'd say that they should do well against most of the enemies we should face, even against the G-Weapons."

"And what about more seasoned and veteran teams and squadrons of ZAFT pilots?" Natarle asked of Millicas.

"This is where they would have to rely on both skill and machines." Mu said. "That being said, with all the serious and bloody fighting done in the war, more often than naught I heard about a lot of ace units being completely wiped out. Probably only a third of ZAFT's current MS compliment of pilots have served since its start."

"It is closer to one forth, actually, and you are not wrong in the fact that a great many of aces fall in battle, and that is one of the problems for ZAFT that they do not wish to see." Millicas stated. "ZAFT prefers most of their aces to remain on the fronts, instead of sending them back to the academies to pass down experience and train new pilots. Because of the lack of truly experienced and battle-hardened instructors, a lot of the new pilots didn't receive as much of the practical knowledge as they need, and have to learn the rest in the field, and that leads to further casualties. Without going into too much elaboration, with the onset of the protracted war, ZAFT has been losing momentum, quality pilots, technological edge and worst of all, time to win."

"And all of that was bought by the blood of hundreds of MA pilots." Mu remarked morbidly, with Millicas agreeing with him.

"You've mentioned that you have been an instructor in the Academy before the war, and that you returned there after Endymion." Natarle recalled, with Millicas nodding to her. "Did you return there after… After what happened with your Corps?" She tentatively asked, with Mu keeping quiet, knowing what really happened there.

"What do you know of that battle, Ensign?" Millicas asked of Natarle.

"Only what I've heard through the official channels." Natarle replied, with Millicas and Mu sharing a knowing look. "I suspect that there is more to it all than what is officially known."

"There usually is, and Endymion was no different." Millicas said with a sigh. "The EA set up a supply point in Endymion Crater to expand their ops and strike at our flank, so the top brass decided to respond. At the time, it was believed that the base was still under construction and so it's defenses would be incomplete, hence why there only 2 incomplete MS Squadrons assembled, along with my 1st MS Corps. 31 MS, the command thought it would do short work of the 3rd Fleet, and so did I. We deployed from our ships and all seemed fine, even when we have gotten to the engagement line, and then… Then it all went to hell for us."

"The Endymion Base was operational." Natarle said, with Millicas nodding.

"Yeah, we learned of that when their flak and missiles started to pick us off, while the 3rd was bearing down on us with their forces, and then I realized that it was a trap." Millicas continued, when he turned to Mu. "Lured away our compliments, and then deployed their M Zero Corps to first pick off our ships. That was General Villard's plan, wasn't it?"

"Yes, he purposefully leaked the info and convinced Vice-Admiral Jackson to act on it." Mu confirmed. "He was counting on you being overconfident and eager to pick take out an easy target."

"He was right. After we've secured its satellites and given your 10th a black eye, NDC thought we could take Endymion without a problem." Millicas said. "They didn't want to hear about the casualties and the fatigue of our forces, and how Villard made us pay dearly for every satellite. Great man, Philippe Villard, mastermind of Victoria's defenses and Grimaldy stalemate. Had it not been for him, we would've taken Daedalus in a matter of two weeks, in not sooner." Millicas remarked with clear admiration for the man, with Natarle surprised to hear such praise from former ZAFT's top ace.

"Forgive me, Commander, but I believe this is the first time I hear you speak so well of an EA's commander." Natarle remarked. "I was under the impression you held little in regard of respect towards its commanders and officers of the rank."

"That is probably because whenever asked, I've only talked about your top brass, Ensign." Millicas told her. "I may not like EA, but there are those whom I respect. Eurasia's generals and soldiers I respect quite a lot, who despite the odds being stacked against them are ready to fight and die, even when their allies prefer to abandon them to be slaughtered like sheep, being more interested annexing their allies" Millicas hinted at Atlantic Federations annexation of South America and infamous usage of Eurasia, with Natarle stiffening at hearing it.

"I am certain that the JOSH-A had their reasons for acting like that." Natarle said in a neutral tone. "Soldiers do not get to choose their battlefield, but they must follow orders and see them through no matter what." Natarle recalled one of the lessons instilled in her from childhood.

"A sentiment once I might've respected and shared, but no more." Millicas remarked with a humorless chuckle.

"Does this have something to do with your defection?" Natarle asked of him directly.

"It does." Millicas answered curtly. "Now, if you would permit me asking you a question, Ensign." That caught Natarle off-guard.

"What did you wish to know, Commander?" She was surprised that he was interested in her.

"Just wanted to confirm something. I've observed you for quite some time now, Ensign, and I'm starting to think that you've been in the military for all your life." Millicas shared his thoughts. "That or you were born in a military family."

"The latter, Commander." Natarle confirmed. "My family had served in the military since before the days of the Reconstruction Wars, and it was natural for me to enlist and serve. I grew up with military code and discipline, so I don't expect you to be used to dealing with someone like me."

"Actually, you remind me a bit of my Captain in the good way: reliable, professional and cool-headed under stress. It is comforting to have someone like you with us, Ensign." Millicas complimented her, with Natarle taken a little aback by his compliment. "Although, if I may offer a word of advice, from a personal experience?"

"I would welcome it wholeheartedly, sir." Natarle responded immediately.

"You are a good officer and XO to Captain Ramies, but… You seem rather distant from the people you command." Natarle blinked in surprise at his words. "I've had plenty of time to learn, that the ship is only as good as the captain and first officer who command it, and for it to properly run, both captain and first officer should be close to their crew. I know of the need to maintain a certain professional distance, but it would do you well to show people under your command that you have their best interests in mind."

"And… How would you propose I do this?" Natarle asked of him.

"Well, it would do well for you to get more sociable with the people you work with directly, like in mess hall, and at work offer an advise and be ready to forgive a small misstep, and offer support as a person." Millicas said to Natarle, who was listening to him. "I know it may seem like counter-productive and going against what you may have believe in, but caring and supporting your subordinates will go a long way in helping them grow, and for you. Just… Try to ease off on the constant discipline, military code and such, and give yourself and others some room for failure, so to speak."

"But given the situation, Commander, any small mistake could result in…" Natarle tried to reason, but Millicas softly interrupted her.

"I know, Ensign, and the people know it too. Constant reminding them of it will not do anything to make them work better, but a helpful advice and some encouragement can go a long way to it." Millicas said to her. "We are all humans, Natarle, and none are infallible and can make mistakes. The best we can do is learn from those mistakes and not let them become festering wounds… I've had to learn it the hard way, so I'm speaking from experience." Natarle could clearly see that he was sincere, and nodded.

"I… I will take your advice under consideration, Commander. Thank you." She said with a bit of a reservation.

"Always happy to be assistance. Oh, and my apologies for calling you on the first name basis, Ensign." Millicas apologized on the breach of the protocol.

"N-no, it is… It is alright, sir. You may call me by my name, wh-when the situation permits it." Natarle said with a bit of embarrassment.

"I see, then I guess it would only be fair for you to call me by my first name, when situation permits it." Millicas told her, with Natarle nodding with a bit of blush on her face.

"W-with your permission, S-Millicas." Natarle corrected herself, before hastily composing herself. "I… We should probably return to our duties."

"You are correct. I shall take the watch on the flight deck, if I am needed, Ensign." Millicas retorted, with Mu, who remained silent up until now, decided to speak up.

"I think I'll take that shift for you. Go and catch some shut eye or grub to eat." Mu told him, as he floated to the exit.

"Well… I guess I best get at least some work on Raijin done, while I can." Millicas sighed.

"If I may, M-Millicas." Natarle said, still not used to it. "This Mobile Suit you are working on, why does it take so much time, and why do you not ask Chief Murdoch and his crew for assistance?"

"There are two reasons for it. The first one is that Raijin features an experimental internal frame technology in it, one that is unique to it and makes it radically different from Lancer, Strike and other G-Weapons. Not to insult the good Chief and his crew, but Raijin is different from what they are used to working with and right now, they wouldn't be able to make heads or tails of its systems." Millicas explained. "The second reason comes from the first: because of the experimental movable frame, it requires a completely different installation of OS and all support systems into it. Simply put, I'm basically threading in the unknown territory with it and charting a course as go along, winging it more or less, if it makes sense."

"I think it does." Natarle said. "Then I shan't distract you anymore, but if you require anything, I'm prepared to offer assistance."

"I appreciate the offer, thank you." Millicas saluted her and left the bridge, heading to the lift and from it into the hangar, when suddenly an alarm sounded.

"Alert! Enemy ship detected straight ahead!" Millicas heard after he exited the lift. "All hands to Battle Stations!" Millicas was already in the changing room when he heard it, followed by the other pilots.

"Your DRAKE is all prepped and ready to go, Commander." Murdoch told Millicas, who floated to his DRAKE in the pilot suit, with the MS standing ready on the catapult. "Just the way you like it, beam rifle, shield and sniper, plus the beam sabers."

"Good work, Chief." Millicas said, putting on the helmet as he seated himself in the cockpit, activating DRAKE. "Okay, Miriallia, what's the sitrep?"

"One Nazca-class Destroyer straight ahead, on the edge of our sensors. They do not appear to have noticed us, but we've slowed to a silent run." Miriallia reported. "The Destroyer doesn't appear to be moving, though, but we have information that its MS compliment is near it. We are close to the designated boundaries of Debris Belt, so expect debris on your way to it."

"I see. Kira, equip Launcher Pack, you are on fire support this time. Cagalli and I will use the debris to close distance and scout it all out. Mu, you are back-up, stay with Archangel and protect it." Millicas gave out orders. "Lucifuge, DRAKE, launching!" Drake announced and catapulted out of the ship, soon joined by Cagalli, with the two moving quietly between the metal debris towards the intended target.

"Got it on my sensors. Yeah, it's a Nazca alright, but it doesn't appear to be damaged or to have been disabled." Cagalli reported, as Lancer stopped and took cover behind floating debris "Although it looks kinda weird."

"How so?" Millicas asked of her.

"It's got a weird paintjob, not like one that normal Nazca uses." Cagalli said, before transmitting the image to Millicas. "Ever seen anything like it?" She asked, while Millicas gripped his hands on the controllers a bit tighter than needed.

"Yeah, I have." Millicas said, as he looked at the stark golden and bright red ship, with a golden eagle for its symbol, with the five GINNS and one CGUE of similar color floating near it. "12th Independent Mobile Suit Squadron, also known as Aurum Eagles and their flagship, Basque."

"The Butchers are here?" Mu chimed in. "I thought those bastards were gone for good, after they've all but disappeared without any warning. What are they doing out here?"

"Um, some context?" Cagalli asked.

"They are one of ZAFT's MS ace squadrons, comprised basically of some of the morally worst people you can imagine, the guys without any sense of morality or principals, but with a drive for battle and bloodshed, despite the noble looks they adopted." Millicas explained. "They are also known as the Butchers of Carpentaria, the ones who spearheaded the attack on it and basically murdered everything in their path, be they military or civilians. Their commander, Justine Catalonia, is one of the few people I consider to be worse than Le Creuset. He quite delights in bringing pain and death to the Naturals and views them as little more than roaches, and his teammates the same, viewing themselves akin to nobility of the past ages. He is also someone that at times is sent by ZAFT to do their "dirty work," so to speak." Millicas said, before his sensors spied something else in the distance, while his inner instincts started to tell him that something was very wrong, and that he needed to attack.

"Cagalli, magnify to where I'm pointing." Millicas asked of her.

"Yeah, I see it. Looks like a Nelson-class destroyer, but why isn't Nazca firing on it, or there aren't any Mobile Suits out? Also, why the heck are did we not get its transponder signal, if it's so close?" Cagalli asked. "And… It looks like it's firing on something. Looks like a civilian ship." She sent the picture to Millicas, and he understood what was happening.

"Silverwind… "At that moment, he noticed a flash of the laser fire from Nelson, and a small explosion by his sensors, and his instincts went into overdrive. "DRAKE to Archangel, move to firing position at the Helheim at full speed! Kira, start opening fire on it now! Cagalli, get to that Nelson and sink it no matter what! I'll keep the Hounds busy!" And at that moment, without hearing anything else, DRAKE raced towards the Hounds at full speed, bringing out his beam rifle, opening fire immediately.

Five shots fired, one hit the primary thrusters of the Nazca, and two reached the GINNs, taking both of them out before the enemy could even understand what was going on, while Millicas rushed towards them, dodging and evading the debris with such precision, that the other pilots and Archangel were left in awe. Once flipping over a piece of debris, Millicas them used it as a springboard to accelerate, evading the incoming beam and gun fire, flying higher and then diving straight at the closest GINN, before again accelerating his thrusters. Producing his infamous red flash of light in form of the wings, DRAKE closed the distance and its sharpened shield was then next seen lodged deep into the GINN, oil and coolant spilling out, before Millicas shook it off.

"Fuck, where did this thing come from! ARH!" The last remaining Eagle safe for Justine breathed his last as Millicas' rifle sniped his cockpit, tacking him out for good, while Cagalli rushed towards the Nelson, leaving DRAKE and CGUE alone, with the latter opening fire from its rifle and minigun.

"Damn you… Whoever you are, you will pay for this, you Natural peon!" Justine Catalonia raved, as Millicas evaded his shots in reversed flight, before answering with his own fire, taking out Catalonia's minigun and shield. "You… You actually hit me?! How dare you!"

"I dare because I can, Catalonia." Millicas spoke up on the open channel, as he led Catalonia deeper into the Debris Belt and then started to really maneuver around the scattered hulks, ruins and trash.

"What?! Lucifuge, how the hell are you still alive?!" Justine raved aloud, as he followed DRAKE's trail, firing as he flew and only scratching the paintjob on Millicas' MS. "I saw that damn mobile suit of yours explode! I took that shot, I killed you!"

"Guess you are just as good of a shot as you are a good person." Millicas sarcastically remarked, before he reached for a floating container, and then kicked it straight at Catalonia.

"Bah, no matter. I'll finish you off this time for good, and then I'll deal with that annoying pink brat!" Catalonia stated with fury, as his CGUE evaded the incoming debris. "Hah, that's the best you got?" He mocked, before his eyes widened and then a moment later, his CGUE's head was destroyed, followed by his right arm, and then DRAKE flew straight to him and then used a beam sabre to slice it in half.

And then a powerful explosion was seen, as the destroyed machine went critical, ensuring that unlike Catalonia, Millicas made certain to check if his enemy was dead for good. Once he was able to get a good enough look at the destroyed remains, he was satisfied to find that nothing could survived it, and so he rushed towards the Silverwind, while Kira was taking Nazca-class apart from afar. After a bit of maneuvering and flight, Millicas reached his destination, but saw that the ship was all but gone, and that there seemed to be no survivors, which made his blood run cold for a moment, until he noticed a single life pod floating near the wreckage, some distance away from the ship.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Millicas instincts ran faster than even his own mind, as he moved his DRAKE in between the Nelson and the life pod, his shield raised and ready, and then a beam from a cannon reached it. The powerful energy attack would've been more than enough to take out any other ZAFT mobile suit, but DRAKE and Lucifuge's own custom one were a different kind of a beast, and so all he got away with was having two layers of his shield melt, prompting him to discard it for good. Preparing to move and take out the Nelson, he then saw the ship go down for good, thanks to two powerful beam blasts from Lancer, before it was forced to maneuver away, as five more GINNs were set upon it, with Millicas forcing his machine forward at full acceleration, bringing forward it's rifle and firing it.

Taking one down with a precise shot to the mid-section, DRAKE drew out its beam saber and charged the next closest GINN, slicing it into two before it could even react, with its left arm, part of its torso and head floating away and exploding. Lancer wasn't sitting idly, as it drew out its carbine and cannons, firing at the remaining three, forcing them to scatter and hitting one, destroying it, with the remaining two trying to get a lock on the Lancer. Unfortunately for them, Cagalli had learned her lessons well, and flew faster than the two could fire at her, and as they were distracted, they fell prey to Millicas, who took out one more with a shot from his rifle into the battery, destroying the unit in the process.

The final GINN seemed to start panic and thought of retreating, but two beam shots from Cagalli quickly ended his plans for good, as well as its life, going out in a blaze of an explosion. Taking a look towards the Nazca, the two could see it crumbling into several pieces and then explosions happening in a chain reaction, taking out the remains of that vessel and expanding the Debris Belt. Letting out a sigh of relief and registering no more enemies, Millicas finally calmed down, just in time for Cagalli to call him in.

"Okay, that… That was weird." She said with a bit of tired breath. "How did you know that Nelson belonged to ZAFT?"

"Because it was the same one that nearly took me down back in September, when I made my escape." Millicas told her. "La Creuset, Catalonia and their Squadrons were sent after me, and with them was that very same Nelson. The moment you told me about its transponder, I knew it was the same one."

"Alright, but what were they doing out here, and why were they attacking that civilian transport?" Cagalli asked aloud. "It all looked too damn strange… Like it all seemed like ZAFT was staging an EA attack for some reason."

"It was exactly that. Now, keep an eye out, while I retrieve the life pod." Millicas ordered, as he rushed to the life pod. "Please be alright, little Angel…" He said to himself, as he pushed his DRAKE forward.

---

Sometime later. Archangel's hanger.

Soon, after all of the MS and Moebius Zero landed back on their mothership, there was a small gathering at the life pod that was brought in by Millicas, who himself was already back in his now usual an icon garb. As the mechanics tinkered with the jammed door, Murrue and Natarle turned to him, noting an unusual look of worry on his face, something that they were not used to seeing, as normally the Red Comet of Jachin Due kept a rather cool head on his shoulders. Deciding to break the ice, as well as practice being more sociable, Natarle spoke up.

"That was some impressive maneuvering out there, Commander." She said with a bit of awkwardness, drawing attention to her from nearly all around her, including Millicas. "I mean that… maneuvering in the debris field and in combat situation like you did was very masterfully done."

"Yeah, it was. I doubt even seasoned ZAFT or EA pilot would even be able to do half of your maneuvers like you did out there." Tolle spoke up with admiration. "Man, you sure made those GINNs look like nothing, and when you accelerated with that red flash, I guess that's why I heard you being called the Seraph." Millicas chuckled to that, as he relaxed, before turning to the pod.

"You would be surprised, but that nickname came later. Before that, I had a different one, a more literal one, but one that I actually like more- the Red Angel." Millicas told them. "I got it due to when I accelerated DRAKE to max the release of the exhaust fumes creates those two wings like clouds, like I just opened my wings out and flew like an angel." The mechanics tinkered with the door some more, it seemed like it was starting to come loose.

"Was it ZAFT that gave you this nickname?" Murrue asked of him, with Millicas shaking his head at that.

"Oh no. That nickname was given to me by someone, whom I consider a little sister of mine in all but blood." Millicas told them.

"Plus it was also an homage to the first Red Angel, Lord Tatsuya Shiba of Orb." Cagalli added with a small smile, with Mu turning to her and Millicas with surprise. "I guess you've heard the name."

"Heard it? What self-respecting pilot hasn't heard the name of the Red Angel of Orb? Before the advent of Mobile Suits and Millicas here, Tatsuya Shiba and his Fujin L-71 were considered to be the best pilot and aerial fighter respectively in the world." Mu said with clear admiration in his voice. "The man took down 12 East Asian fighters and 8 bombers in the Battle of Kaguya alone, and it was said, that in flight, he appeared to look like a Red Angel of Death. Guess I know now where you got that particular nickname of yours."

"To Orb, he was more than just a hero. He was the symbol of hope, of possibility and what we can achieve, what we can become." Cagalli said with admiration and reverence. "Orb owes its power, prestige and wealth to him, and its people, Naturals, Coordinators and Hybrids, owe to him the country that they live in now. What happened to him and his wife… They didn't deserve it." Cagalli said with bitterness, before the hatch finally opened up, and out flew… two balls.

"HARO! HARO!" A pink and red mechanical spheres flapped their wings and near shouted in their mechanical voice, dumbfounding nearly everyone, until Millicas caught them in his hands.

"Should've known she would take you two rascals with her." Millicas said with a chuckle, as he and everyone else watched the owner of those two robots Lacus Clyne float out of the life pod, until she was caught by Kira, who, much like most, seemed transfixed at the appearance of the pinkette.

"Thank you. I appreciate your assistance." Lacus said with a smile, until she took a look at the uniforms, and made a surprised look, which brought out a smile from Millicas. "Oh my, this isn't ZAFT ship, is it?" She said in a naïve and cute way, like a natural actress, with Millicas not able to contain himself an laughed at it heartily, getting her attention, and in that moment, Lacus froze and her mask fallen, as she looked at the man she had long thought dead.

"No, little Angel, it isn't." Millicas told her, as he stepped closer. "But I promise- you are the safe here, Lacus." He could see tears begin to appear from her eyes, before she launched herself at him, hugging and crying her eyes out.

"M-Millicas… Y-you are alive!" She cried, shocking all at that outburst, while Millicas gently hugged her and held Lacus close to himself, as she let out her emotions, after seeing her named older brother, whom she had thought long gone, appear and save her like that.

---

Meanwhile. PLANTs. Docking area of Aprilius City

Rau's ship had finally reached his supposed homeland and docked in the dock for maintenance, while he stepped out, seeing a shuttle already awaiting him. Entering it, he saw one more passenger in it, the one that he had expected to see as soon as he was back, and one he personally knew was not all too happy or pleased with him. Despite Rau's personal thoughts and excuses he had prepared for the Council, he knew that nothing would work with this man, and so instead he simply resigned himself to hearing this man out and answering the questions he probably possessed.

"Chairman Zala." Rau Le Creuset addressed the Chairman of National Defense Committee, Patrick Zala, who didn't even turn to face him. "I've not expected you to greet me in person."

"Sit." Patrick commanded akin to a man commanding his dog, and Rau, despite a sting on his pride, obeyed, and sat next to the man, as their shuttle departed. "Explain." Patrick said with a cold tone, with Rau already knowing what he wished to know, but decided to play a bit of a fool.

"I believe my report on the mission was made available to all of the Council, and details…" Rau spoke up, until Patrick interrupted him, finally turning to him with a clear anger in his eyes.

"I did not ask about that backwater colony or those prototypes. I am talking about Millicas Lucifuge, La Creuset." Patrick reminded Rau with such a tone, that it would've been enough to scare anyone, safe for the strongest. "You and Catalonia reported to me, that you have dealt with him. I assumed that you meant that you have killed him."

"We did, Chairman." La Creuset confirmed his words.

"Then explain to me, how is it that he is back?" Patrick asked of him with a barely restrained tone. "As I recall, you said, that there was no way, he could've survived that explosion. That both he and our project were gone for good."

"We assumed that it was the case, when the station exploded." Rau said. "Lucifuge was inside of it when its reactor went critical."

"Your job was not to make assumptions. It was to kill Millicas Lucifuge." Patrick hissed out, as his hand balled into a fist. "You have failed at that, Rau, and do I need to explain to you, how dangerous that man is to us?"

"I believe I know exactly how dangerous he is." Rau responded.

"I suspect that you don't because otherwise, you would not have allowed him to outsmart you, twice." Patrick chided him. "That man single-handedly destroyed the GENESIS Zero, setting us back for more than a year, not to mention destroying every piece of information, in regards to N-Jammer Canceller that he developed, forcing us to research from the scratch. And that is not to mention what he knows about Junius Seven and our actions, so do you understand the danger this man possesses, Rau? Millicas Lucifuge is more dangerous to me than his thrice-damned mother ever was… Like mother, like son, both are banes of my existence." Patrick practically growled out loud.

"I understand it completely, Chairman, I shall do all in my power to eliminate him for good." Rau promised him. "Although considering that I was reassigned, it may prove to be difficult to accomplish. Especially given that it is the 1st Corps that pursues him now."

"Considering your actions and resent failures, the Council deemed Lucifuge's successor to be able to handle him, and seeing as she already knows where he will be, I am inclined to agree this time with them." Patrick said with steel.

"Faye may be as good as her former mentor, but given the reverence and respect that man has still, it is possible that they may not be able to finish him off." Rau noted.

"Which is why you will proceed to join them immediately after the hearing, but the command with remain with Clyne's daughter. Due to the sensitive nature of the task, all you will receive is a new CGUE for yourself, and no additional pilots. Too many already know of Lucifuge's existence as it is." Patrick stated to him. "You are to ensure that Lucifuge dies, no matter what. Should he survive, or worse, be taken captive and talk, you best shoot yourself, for else I shall do so to you myself. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, Chairman." Rau responded, and the shuttle proceeded to the docking area of the Aprilius One.

---

Meanwhile. Archangel.

"I was on my way to conduct preliminary examination for the upcoming ceremony of opening a memorial in memory of Junius Seven, and on our approach to it, we were beset by the EA military vessel." Lacus explained her situation to Murrue, Mu, Natarle and Millicas. "The captain tried to negotiate, but they refused to listen and instead opened fire, and that is… That is when the Red Angel appeared." Lacus said with a smile, as she looked at Millicas, who smiled back to her.

"I still do not understand, what exactly had happened out there." Murrue said. "That Nelson was not transmitting it's transponder signal, and then it was also carrying GINNs, yet had Alliance colors."

"Before the war and Aprilius intervention, Atlantic Federation and Eurasian Federation had utilized Martius' shipyards for repairs and construction of their ships, and a number of them ended up in ZAFT's hands after the hostilities broke out." Millicas informed them all. "Most were converted to serve as either training vessels, or cargo transports, but I've also heard of a few that were retrofitted to be Mobile Suit carriers. That Nelson was one such vessel."

"But that doesn't explain why ZAFT used it against one of their own." Mu reminded Millicas. "What would be the point even?"

"Creating a martyr." Lacus answered for them all, drawing attention to her, with Millicas agreeing. "If the PLANTs were to discover that I was killed in an EA's attack on a civilian vessel, it would fuel the people's hearts with hatred and make peace all the less possible."

"She is right." Millicas said, as he breathed out a sigh of relief that it never came to be. "ZAFT is full of warmongers, both in the ranks and those who command it, and I can think of more than a few who would want to burn all possible bridges. Killing Lacus would've whipped people into frenzy, and then you can forget about any peace negotiations in the future."

"Then, what are we to do now?" Murrue asked, before she turned to Lacus.

"Proceed with our plan as we intended from the start." Millicas answered. "And as for Lacus… Since we are proceeding to the Moon, we will be close to Atlas City, so we can transfer her there, and from there she can safely return to PLANTs."

"Commander, I understand that you have personal attachment to this girl, but she is…" Natarle wished to voice her opinion, but Millicas interrupted her, his tone changed to an ice cold one.

"Ensign, in case it was not made evident earlier, I shall say this: for me, Lacus' safety comes paramount before all, including this ship, its personnel and prototypes." Millicas gaze made Natarle shiver, along with Murrue and Mu. "Should I sense any form of threat towards her, Ensign, I will not hesitate to take every necessary action and measure to ensure her safety. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-yes, sir." Natarle responded.

"Good, and I hope that this topic is closed for good." Millicas calmed down, before turning to Lacus. "Now, let's go and grab you something to it. I hope that is all for now? Good." After confirming that there were no further questions, the two left captain's quarters and proceeded towards mess hall.

"You didn't need to scare them like that." Lacus spoke up, drawing Millicas' attention. "She was just voicing what they thought, and I can understand what and why they were thinking."

"That doesn't mean that it was right of her to say it, or to think like that." Millicas answered. "Never mind endangering a civilian, but to use one as bargaining chip should not be in any true soldier's mind. But I guess the Atlantic Federation, or rather Blue Cosmos has their own definition of morality and code of conduct, and it is sipping down like a poison into the officers and soldiers they command."

"I am glad." Lacus said suddenly, getting Millicas' attention. "I am glad that you haven't changed, Millicas, despite everything."

"Yeah, at this point the things I'm completely certain in this war are my own principals, and your beliefs in peace." Millicas smiled to her. "I… I imagine you have a lot of questions, regarding my disappearance."

"That is putting it mildly." Lacus commented. "I would like to think that you would've made it known to me and my family that you were alive, one way or the other after your… disappearance."

"I wish I could, Angel, but… If I did, I wouldn't just be putting a target on my back. I would be doing it to you, Faye and your father most of all." Millicas said with clear sadness. "What I did, what I found out… It was enough to destroy you all, so I chose to do what needed to be done alone." Lacus could clearly see, that whatever Millicas did, was serious enough to make him do it.

"What could threaten the life or PLANTs' Supreme Council Chairman and his family?" Lacus asked of Millicas. "Millicas, before your disappearance, I remember Patrick Zala paying visits to you in the Academy and at home, discussing something. Did these visits have something to do with it?"

"Yes, they did." Millicas nodded. "Zala… After Endymion, after seeing so much of my Corps die… I guess it broke me, and Zala played on it. He used my own desire for peace and asked me to help achieve it, and so I helped him in researching and developing what he called "the solution to this war." I… At first I was fooled enough to even believe it, but then, after initial successes, something in Zala's words, it clicked in my mind, like an instinct telling me that something was wrong. And so had done some sleuthing and found out what I really helped him make, and it terrified me."

"What was it?" Lacus asked of him. "What did Patrick need your expertise in designing?"

"He needed me to find a way to circumvent my earlier creation, the Neutron Jammer, so I created a Canceller, and as it turned out, Zala needed it to allow him use nuclear fission to power his supposed "magnum opus." Millicas almost spat it out. "He called GENESIS, a massive gamma emission system, concentrating and directing gamma energy in form of a ray. One shot from that weapon was enough to wipe out everything on its path, no matter the defenses… And Zala wanted to use it on Earth." Lacus' eyes widened from shock.

"What… What would happen if it hit Earth?" She asked of him with clear fear in her voice.

"If it hit surfaces of any of two hemispheres, it would render the first one uninhabitable in the matter of two hours, irradiating with one thousand times worth of Chernobyl's radiation levels at its core, killing every single living cell organism, along with rendering the world uninhabitable within a few days." Millicas stated with grim expression. "If it hit anywhere in the ocean, then the resulting steam and heat waves would wipe out humanity and turn Earth into irradiated wasteland. In the words of J. Robert Oppenheimer: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Millicas ended, with Lacus looking at him with shock.

"But if Patrick had completed it, and yet not fired…" Lacus then drew the conclusion. "This… This is why you left. You destroyed this weapon?"

"Destroyed it, along with every single bit of information on it, N-Jammer Cancellers, all prototypes, parts, and everything else I could get my hands on, but not before I found something else." Millicas clenched his right hand into a fist. "That bastard… I thought I had lost my family to Blue Cosmos, but turns out I was only two thirds correct in that belief."

"Millicas…" Lacus reached to his fist and gently squeezed it, forcing Millicas to calm down. "Whatever had happened, I am happy to see you."

"Same here, little Angel." Millicas smiled to her, as they've reached the mess hall, which was already occupied. "Well, here we are. Not exactly a restaurant, but we do have a balanced menu, more or less." At that moment, he noticed that it were the teens from Heliopolis from that were in mess hall right now, along with Cagalli, and they were clearly arguing about something.

"Oh, hey there, Pinky." Cagalli waved to Lacus with a smile, drawing the attention of all to them. "Glad to see you are safe and sound. So, how did it go?"

"We've reached an optimal agreement." Millicas responded, with Cagalli knowing what he meant by it. "Anyway, what's the topic of today's discourse?"

"We were just talking about this ZAFT girl." Flay said with clear prejudice, something that neither Millicas nor Cagalli liked. "I said she should be confined or something, since she is a Coordinator and from ZAFT." That statement clearly hurt Kira, which didn't go unnoticed by Millicas.

"But I am not from ZAFT. ZAFT is a military organization in service of PLANTs, while I am a civilian." Lacus responded calmly, with Flay clearly not taking it. "You are also a civilian, so we are the same in that regard, so why don't we start over as friends and…"

"We are not the same in any regard!" Flay near shouted, clearly repulsed by what Lacus said. "And like hell would I ever be friends with any Coordinator! You are all different, non-human and…"

"Cagalli, Kira." Millicas' powerful voice immediately put a stop to the incoming rant. "Please grab food for Lacus and escort her to my quarters. I will be with you momentarily." Millicas said, as the three did as he told them and left the mess hall, with Lucifuge with a steel gaze fixed on Flay, who clearly felt uncomfortable.

"Oh boy…" Miriallia was only able to say, as she, Sai, Kuzzey and Tolle were about observe what Millicas was about to do with her.

"Miss Allster, I had hoped that unlike your father, you would prove to be more… civil." Millicas' tone was a definition of controlled anger. "I can see now that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, both in matters of civility, and blinding prejudice."

"But that girl, she is a Coordinator, and those Coordinators are currently trying to destroy us all!" Flay defended herself. "And what can you know about my daddy? You are just…"

"I am just a former soldier of ZAFT, who fought because I wished to protect that very girl from the horrors that men like your father had unleashed." Millicas responded, shutting her up. "I, Miss Allster, am someone who had suffered greatly from the people like your father, who spouted the same words that come out of your mouth, without any regard to whom those words reach and may be heard. And in case you did not notice, you've not only insulted Lacus, but you've also insulted Kira, the Coordinator that had saved your life, and one of the gentlest souls I know."

"I… I didn't mean to… I just…" Flay realized what she had said, and now was starting to feel bad about it.

"Yes, you did, and you meant it." Millicas continued, not being done with her. "Do you wish to know something about Coordinators? These genetic modifications, supposed superior abilities and all that- all of that is just relative. A person's abilities are not simply determined by their genes, they are determined by their will, determination, patience and persistence, but this rhetoric, no matter how true it is, doesn't line well with the Blue Cosmos, which you seem to be rather predisposed to."

"I… I mean that it isn't right to have one's genes manipulated and…" Flay tried again to defend herself.

"If it is against one's will, yes it is, but if it is to save someone's life, or to give one's child better start at life? What parent wouldn't wish for it, and I'll tell you- no true parent would ever say, that they do not wish to make their child's life better." Millicas stated to her. "That is the primary reason why most Coordinators appeared, not out of malice, greed or evil intent, simply because people wished their children better lives. That doesn't win Blue Cosmos any supporters, and so they focus on supposed "evils" of the Coordinators, justifying all of their actions, and do you know what their actions, Miss Allster, are?"

"They… They are only saying what everyone is thinking." Flay said in an unsure way.

"Saying is the least that they do. They attack innocents and defenseless, destroy lives, burn houses and everything and everyone who stands in their way, regardless if they are Coordinator or not. Same as they did with my father, who was a Natural, and the only "crime" he committed was falling in love with my mother, a Coordinator." Millicas stated with clear anger, with Flay taking a step back in fear. "I could go on about it for hours, but I see that words will be useless on you, so instead I'll use a different method. We are approaching Junius Seven, Miss Allster, so you will get a unique opportunity to see what your supposed "monsters" and Blue Cosmos really are, I will ensure it." And with this, Millicas finally departed mess hall, leaving a shaken and shook Flay, reeling to her core from fear, as, despite all her beliefs, Lucifuge's words and intent had managed to reach her mind and soul.

---

February 5th. Sogdiana

On the bridge of the Sogdiana, an impromptu conference was being held, with the highest ranking officers, XO, Captains and pilots of the prototypes attending it. Once all were that were needed were accounted for, Faye took a moment to look at all present, hiding an internal scowl at the fact that Rau Le Creuset was also present, and that some of his pilots, safe for Athrun Zala and Nicol Amarfi, were again seemingly under his command. Like Lucifuge before her, Faye Delys held the masked Commander in contempt and considered him to be a lapdog of Patrick Zala and his radical supporters, and if she had her way, she would've had him and all of his pilots court martialed. Unfortunately for her, all of his red coat pilots, along with deceased Rusty Mackenzie, were sons of political figures, and that granted them a certain level of privelage, to which Joule and Elsman were clearly used to.

To say that Faye and her Corps were unimpressed with the four pilots was an understatement, for despite being top graduates of Academy, they were all greenhorns without any actual combat experience, and so Faye had set Grayson to rectify it. The two problematic pilots, Yzak and Dearka, were not happy to be treated like they were less than green uniforms, and when they tried to assert their status, they found out three things.

First, is that in 1st Corps, experience and skill spoke louder than color of uniform. Second, all pilots of the 1st were loyal to their Commander and were ready to fight and kill for her, and third, is that the pilots and Captain with her crew revered and respected Commander Millicas Lucifuge with the kind of reverence, that the two had not seen before. The two had been eager to say that they were going to take Millicas down and disparage on the man, but it quickly stopped when they found themselves facing an entire 1st Corps looking to quite literally beat them senseless. Even though this was no longer Millicas' unit, all that served here were Millicas' Angels, his students, comrades, friends and followers, and none were going to stand hearing him being disrespected.

Once discipline was established more or less, Faye had the pilots trained with their machines, familiarizing themselves with it, while her Corps and Sogdiana's technical crew worked to incorporate new tech that Integrated Design Bureau had derived from the prototypes. Priority was given to Faye, Ales and Shiho Hahnenfuss' units, the three original Angels of the 1st Corps that lived throughout the war, and were now among the finest pilots of ZAFT. And now they were planning to go against the man who had trained and led them through the worst of this war, and to say that they were not looking to it would be an understatement.

"All are here, so let us begin. Captain Gladys, what do you have to report?" Faye let her Captain speak, as she brought up the map and spoke up.

"Six hours ago, a formation consisting of two Nelson-class destroyers and five Drake-class frigates has detached from 8th Space Fleet and are currently heading in this direction." Captain Gladys pointed towards the projected course. "According to our preliminary analysis, they are headed in the direction of the Debris Belt, and two hours ago, we had detected a message being sent from their flagship in a wide-range on all waves. Due to range and interferences, we weren't able to decipher it, however, considering the available information, I believe that they were relaying orders and rendezvous coordinates to the Legged Ship."

"Which means that they are either still in the Debris Belt, or are leaving it." Alex spoke up, before he turned to his Commander. "It confirms that Catalonia's Squadron was destroyed by them, and that it either detected them, or, more likely, the Legged Ship struck first."

"You seriously do not suspected that three Mobile Suits and an antique Mobile Armor could take an entire Squadron out. 10 GINNs and 1 CGUE with two ships, I do not believe that even Lucifuge would be able to do it." Miguel Aiman stated with some arrogance. "Those were some of ZAFT's best, obviously they wouldn't have gone down so easily as you make it seem."

"Then you haven't dealt with Commander Lucifuge, when he is serious, Pilot Aiman." Shiho spoke up, with the man scoffing at her. "One would think that your first two engagements would enlighten you to his capabilities, but it seems you, like some others, prefer to hang on to your delusions."

"What did you just say?" Yzak was about to explode, but Faye spoke up.

"Exactly what I thought, Pilot Joule, and I, like the rest of the 1st Corps, expected you to have learned your lessons the first time." Faye told him, with the teen glaring at her. "And that you would learn the value of discipline, but I can see that respect and discipline were never in high regard in Le Creuset team."

"Please forgive my pilot. He, like all the others, is simply eager to prove themselves in the upcoming battle." Rau spoke up, deciding to defuse the situation. "Do you have a plan of action, Commander?"

"We will shadow the movements of this advance fleet, and have them find the Legged Ship for us. Once we confirm that they are on course to join up, we will strike." Faye stated, as she showed their projected vector of movement. "Our primary goal currently is to remain hidden from the advance fleet. Should we be discovered, they are likely to warn the Legged Ship, and we will have to search for it again. Can our ships manage to keep on them using silent running?"

"Sogdiana is fully capable of it, Commander." Talia assured her.

"Vesalius will have no problem with it." Ades answered.

"I fear that Gamow may not be able to accomplish this task. As you know, Laurasia-class' engines are not designed to operate at an optimal speed when in silent running." Zelman stated, with Faye considering what to do.

"Understood. You shall transfer the prototypes directly to Sogdiana, and shall instead take on our GINNs on board, and trail the advance fleet behind at a distance." Faye commanded, with some questioning her choice of action. "When the attack happens, you will not be able to join right away, so you will cover the escape routes for the fleet and Legged Ship. Pilot Westenfluss will assume command of your MS group."

"Forgive me, Commander, but with such a configuration, that would mean that only our prototypes, two HM types, your own three units, Miguel and our one CGUE will be able to fight." Rau pointed it out. "Is it wise to be dividing our forces like that?"

"We have little alternative, and as Catalonia's demise has proven, normal GINNs will not be able to keep up with Lucifuge and his team, and I will not risk them needlessly." Faye responded. "As for our battle plan, our primary targets are the prototypes, Legged Ship and Commander Lucifuge. Le Creuset team will engage the two enemy prototypes, Le Creuset, you and HMs will engage the fleet and Mu La Flaga, Aiman will join you on this in one of the HMs. As for commander, I, Grayson and Hahnenfuss will deal with him. Sogdiana and Vesalius are to focus your fire on the Legged Ship, once in range."

"Wait, so you get to take all the glory, while we get only scraps. That's not fair, that man had defeated and humiliated us, and we should be the ones to take him down!" Yzak spoke out, with Nicol shaking his head at that. "Just because you are Supreme Chairman's daughter doesn't give you the right to hog all the glory and…"

"No, but the authority as the commanding officer of this operation and as your senior officer, pilot Joule, I have the right to throw you into the brig for insubordination and direct contradiction of your superior's orders." Faye stated to him with a cold tone, while Alex and Shiho were clearly prepared to support their Commander. "Another outburst like that, pilot, and I will see you disciplined in an appropriate way, regardless of who your mother is. And as for Commander Lucifuge, as one of his students, I would've expected you to have learned, that such things as pride, glory and honors have little place in actual battle, and that duty comes before all of those. A shame that he failed to teach you those principals or rather, that you've failed to head them."

"Better it's us who deals with him than you, kids. Like it or not, us three stand better chance against him than the two of you." Alex stated.

"Are there any further questions?" Faye asked, and once she received none. "Then dismissed. Return to your posts." She ordered, and the people began to leave the bridge, though some still remained.

"Commander Delys." Athrun drew Faye and other's attention, as he and Nicol remained on the bridge. "I… We wished to ask you something. A personal question, of sorts."

"If it is in regards to my sister, then my answer is no." Faye responded coldly.

"No, ma'am. We… We wanted to ask you about Commander Lucifuge." Nicol spoke up. "Athrun and I, we do not believe that he would willingly join the EA, and that he was forced to flee."

"Well, that is the first time I hear any of Le Creuset's men speak sense." Alex said with a bit of a joking manner. "Yeah, we've assumed as much. Knowing Commander, he was far more likely to have decided to lay low or retire, but was probably pressed to help with those prototypes by the Orb."

"Why Orb though?" Athrun asked.

"It's his birthplace. He was born in Orb, but left after UN Bombings with his mother, and he did study in Atlas City, which was basically founded by Orb." Shiho responded. "You probably don't know it, but Commander is one of the biggest minds in terms of engineering. He's basically responsible for the Nebula Shroud System, Neutron Jammers, and even GINNs and DRAKEs as we know them. No wonder why Uzumi Nara Attha would put him to work, or rather, the Mashima family, since they founded Heliopolis."

"Miyuki Mashima wouldn't have forced Millicas to do anything, Shiho. If anything, I would expect her to be the only one to shelter Millicas without any need for his skills." Faye responded, before turning to Athrun and Nicol. "And as for your interest, Commander Lucifuge would never serve EA, even if his life was on the line. More likely than naught, your attack on Heliopolis forced him to take up arms to defend his friends on that ship, and that makes him all the more dangerous."

"How, exactly?" Nicol asked.

"Millicas values his friends, more so than himself at times, and if they are threatened, then he'll do everything to protect them." Faye responded. "And I assure you, this also means becoming a demon on the battlefield."

---

February 7th. Archangel.

The Archangel was once again out in the open space, having left the Debris Belt and all that it held with their holds and supplies fully loaded, and it was clear that none wished to spend more time than needed in there. Especially at Junius Seven, or rather it's remains, and although the crew found the continental plate of the colony mostly deserted, all could feel the sheer pressure and unease coming from it, for all knew what had happened in here, with Millicas knowing better than anyone. And as he had promised to Flay, he did take her with him on his DRAKE, to show her something that he wished, and once they've returned, it was crystal clear to all that Flay was no longer the same as before. None knew what exactly did Flay see, nor did anyone dare to ask either Millicas or the girl, but the results of his "shock therapy" were clear to the naked eye, as Flay soon apologized for her behavior to Kira and Lacus, which was a start in the right direction.

Once the crew were able to collect all the supplies they needed, it was decided to hold an unofficial ceremony for the deceased, with Miriallia employing many of the civilians and crewmembers to create hundreds of the origami flowers, which were then scattered throughout the colony. Even though it was only symbolic, Millicas assured her and the rest that it was more than enough, with Lacus agreeing, and once all the ceremonies and services were done, the ship departed the field after a near week spent in there. Once they were out, it seemed like the luck was finally smiling to them, as they received message from 8th Fleet, directing them to meet with an advance force, towards which they were currently moving, with information that Vice-Minister George Allster was also on board of the flagship.

That piece of news alone was enough to seriously sour Millicas' mood, as they were now on the approach to communication contact with it, but what bothered him even more was the sense, that they were walking into a trap. As he stood on the bridge, the comms officers were busy establishing a contact, when Mu moved closer to Millicas and spoke up.

"You don't seem to be in particularly good mood today." Mu remarked. "We are finally catching a break, and yet here you are gloomier than a storm cloud. Care to share?"

"I am not looking forward to this communication that is all." Millicas responded. "I'd much rather finalize the OS on Raijin than be here."

"Considering your role in our survival, Commander, I believe you deserve the honor of being here when we make contact." Murrue responded, with Millicas suppressing a scoff. "I am sure Captain Coopman will be interested in meeting you, and I heard he is a good man without prejudices."

"It is not him I am worried, Captain. It's his passenger that I'm not so eager to see." Millicas responded.

"Is it because of what you said and showed to his little girl? Afraid he might do something to you?" Mu asked of him.

"The opposite, that I might do something to him." Millicas' tone indicated clearly that he was deadly serious. "Let's just say that George Allster and I have a… complicated and an antagonistic history, going far back, before… Before I lost my family." At that moment, the communications were established, just as the sensors picked the advance fleet.

"This Captain Coopman of the Montgomery. Archangel, we have you on our radars. Good to finally see you." Captain and commander of the advance force greeted them. "Admiral Halberton sends his regards and new orders. You are to join with us and proceed to the dislocation of 8th Fleet. How do you receive?"

"Loud and clear, Montgomery, and it is good to see you as well, sir." Murrue responded, with the Captain smiling to her.

"There is also someone who wishes to address the crew." And at that moment, the image of the captain changed to the one of George Allster.

"I am Vice-Minister George Allster of the Atlantic Federation, and I would like to pass my gratitude to you for rescuing the civilians from Heliopolis and on that not, I would also like to…" At that moment, George Allster stumbled and stopped, as his eyes widened from shock, staring straight into the cold ones of Millicas. "M-Millicas?! Wh-what are you d-doing in there?!" He asked with clearest shock and fear present in his tone.

"Haunting the wicked, as it would seem, Mr. Allster." Millicas responded with an unusually malevolent tone to him, as he flashed what could only be described a vicious smile to the frightened Vice-Minister. "I see you are now the Vice-Minister now. Looks like the seeds of your betrayal have reaped the rewards, though not all that you've wished for." Nearly all of the bridge looked at Millicas with confusion and concern.

"H-how are you still a-alive? I… I-I was told that you w-were dead, g-gone for good a-after…" George again stumbled, before continuing, looking towards Murrue. "C-captain, arrest this man! N-no, shoot him! Shoot him immediately! I order it!"

"Vice-Minister, I don't understand. Commander Millicas has saved our lives and protected this ship, with your daughter…" Murrue tried to reason with him.

"I don't give a damn what he did! I gave you a bloody order to shoot him! Do it!" George was clearly now hysterical to the point that Coopman had ended the call on their line, with Millicas merely crossing his arms on his chest.

"I'm surprised- he took it better than I expected." Millicas said.

"Commander, could you explain what was that about?" Murrue asked of him.

"Like I said, a long, complicated and antagonistic…" At that moment the alarms blared of an incoming attack, and then the bridge had to shield their eyes, as a massive green beam passed them by mere meters away.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Mu shouted.

"M-ma'am, detecting incoming forces. One Nazca-class… and one Bactria-class." At that moment all heads turned to the officer, as clear fear set in all present, knowing all too well what Bactria-Class was. "C-confirming launch of Mobile Suits from Bactria and Nazca… Identifying: 3 GINNs HM, 1 CGUE, all 4 prototypes, a-and 3 DRAKEs." Millicas' eyes widened when he heard that, and he immediately ran to the window.

"Three DRAKEs? Y-you've gotta be kidding me…" Mu said aloud. "W-who has that kind of firepower on them?"

"Only one formation in all of ZAFT- The 1st Mobile Suit Corps." Millicas answered that question, and the entire bridge froze for a moment at the realization. "That shot came from Sogdiana, the sister ship of the original Bactria, and my former flagship." Millicas stated, as he turned to face them, grim determination and realization clear on his face.

"All hands to battle, Captain. We are up against the very best ZAFT has to offer- my own Angels."

---

Phew, hope you like this one, 'cause it looks like Red Comet has been outplayed after all, and the Archangel crew is about to face off against the deadliest ZAFT has to offer. I keep this one brief, and won't be posting any technical info, since Sogdiana hasn't yet made it's full appearance. But I will say that Faye Delys, Commander of the 1st MS Corps, is just a year younger than Millicas, meaning she is 21 years old, while Alex Grayson is actually a guest from my second oldest story, Dark Crusader of Britannia.

Hope you liked this chapter and will support me by providing me with your opinion on the story, give suggestions about the future events and possible romance. Your feedback and support help me make this story better.

Next time: Angels' Clash…

See ya!

PS! Decided to re-post it, since it felt like no one had even noticed it.