I don't own anything except Kevin Walker and Invictus

One simply did not properly appreciate a nice, civilized shipboard environment until one had spent a night on a deserted island with naught but one close friend, an enemy pilot, and nightmares for company, Kevin reflected.

It had been more than a week since his mission to rescue Cagalli from the island that had also contained Athrun Zala, the mission that had been fruitless until Kira's arrival; he'd failed to factor in fuel consumption, an unusual oversight for him. During that time, Snake had had to accept the fact that the entire crew now knew him to be a cyborg, even if they still did not know his true identity. His encounter with La Flaga in the hanger, and his hacking of the ship's computers, had been proof of that.

Surprisingly, it hadn't really bothered any of them. Or perhaps it wasn't so surprising. After all, Snake had proven himself time and again; any new revelations merely explained how he did what he did. Beyond that, it mattered little, except perhaps to Kuzzey, who didn't trust him anyway.

Of course, from the way things were going now, trust would soon be irrelevant. Another Vosgulov, identified as the Cousteau, had attacked them a few days earlier; now they were back, with the captured G-weapons with them. Soon, the ship might well be at the bottom of the ocean.

Kevin rushed into the hanger as fast as his legs would carry him. The battle was already raging; he'd been late after oversleeping; one wouldn't expect a Destroyer to have such a problem, but after getting even less sleep than he needed, for several nights in a row, he'd just hit his limits and not even been awakened by the call to battlestations for several minutes. Now he was cursing himself for it.

"There you are, kid," Murdoch greeted him. "Not sure what good you're gonna do, though; your Skygrasper's down for repairs 'cause of some kind of short. The engines won't even fire."

"Then I'll take the Punisher." Snake ran over to his hybrid mobile suit.

The mechanic grabbed his shoulder. "Snake, you're crazy! Last time, flying it was stupid; if you do it now, you're not coming back, you understand? That thing'll break apart at any excuse!"

Kevin shook him off. "Then I'm not coming back. Chief, if I don't do this, none of us are coming back." He looked back. "If it's my time to die, then so be it." He leapt aboard.

Murdoch sighed, watching the unstable weapon make its way to the catapult. "Godspeed, kid."

X401 Punisher leapt into the sky, and Kevin realized instantly that Murdoch was right: judging from how shaky the whole machine felt, it probably wouldn't even survive landing, even if he somehow avoided being hit.

So be it.

Snake knew this battle called for the very best performance he could manage, so without hesitation he disengaged the primary flight controls and pressed his palm against the neural interface. In an instant, he was no longer flying Punisher. He was Punisher, and he would fight to the death and beyond, if that's what it took, to defend his ship and his friends.

"Archangel, Punisher is airborne," he said. "Sitrep?"

"About what it looks like, Snake," Sai told him. "Four enemy mobile suits, plus their Guuls. Lieutenant Badgiruel says to make them your primary targets."

"Affirmative. Engaging Buster." Snake angled into the fight, flying directly at his perennial irritant, Dearka Elsman. The ZAFT pilot had never been more than a nuisance to him, but he was a nuisance trying to blow him up. That made him a prime, and satisfying, target.

"You again, Walker?" Dearka laughed. "I'm surprised that thing can still fly. What's holding it together, chicken wire?"

"Elsman, you persist in using idioms you don't understand. I doubt you have any idea what chicken wire is." Kevin raised his beam rifle. "And what's holding it together is... vengeance."

"How about I just kill you now and be done with it?" Dearka snapped off a shot with his gun launcher, knowing that one good hit was all he needed.

"You can try," Snake grunted, sideslipping at the last instant, "but better men than you have tried, and here I am, still alive."

Meanwhile, Kira, too, had gotten the orders to change targets. Taking the Duel's fire on his shield, he waited patiently for the crosshairs to match up on the enemy's Guul... and fired, blowing a hole straight through it.

"Now you're gonna pay for this!" The Duel leapt clear, using its verniers to attempt to land on the Archangel. They weren't sufficient to keep him in the air, but he could direct his fall.

"Is he jumping onboard?" Kira asked himself, surprised. He knew what to do, however.

The Strike set its beam rifle on the deck and took off, the Aile Striker pack giving it the independent flight capabilities the other G-weapons lacked.

The Duel was hurtling towards him with a beam saber out, and the Strike drew its own just before they clashed. His aimed slightly lowered...

"What?" Yzak shouted in surprise. The Strike had sliced completely through his saber, ruining it. Then, to add insult to injury, it landed on his back, then used it as a springboard, aiming for the Blitz. "No!" He futilely fired his linear gun at it, shouting in anger and frustration as Kira effortlessly dodged every shot.

Nicol Amalfi watched the Strike come at him in horror. "Oh, no!"

The Earth Forces mobile suit slammed into him, knocking the Blitz off its Guul, and stabbed the machine, destroying it. The Blitz plummeted toward the water, like the Duel, out of the fight.

"Nicol!" Athrun brought his Aegis around, firing his rifle at the Strike. Kira intercepted the blasts on his shield, dropping back to the Archangel's deck.

Kira, he thought. Your skills have really improved. It occurred to Athrun to wonder which of his old friends was the deadlier opponent: Kira, with his state-of-the-art Strike, or Kevin, with his unstable hybrid. Without question, the Strike was doing better, but Snake was holding his own despite the problems with his mobile suit. With a more powerful machine, he might well be even better.

Kevin, at that moment, was worrying less about the ZAFT machines than about the oncoming Orb fleet he'd detected. He knew better than almost anyone else onboard what would happen if the Archangel strayed into Orb territory. Of course, he thought, if Cagalli chooses to reveal herself, we'll be just fine. Will she?

His radio picked up the transmission from the fleet. "Attention, Earth Forces vessel. You are approaching Orb Union territory. Turn back at once. We will not permit armed forces from ZAFT or the Earth Alliance to enter our waters; turn back or we will exercise our right to defend ourselves. This is your last warning: change course or we will open fire."

On the Bridge, Cagalli turned to Ramius. "It doesn't matter. Continue on course!" She ran aft to Kuzzey's station and snatched his headset. "Attention, Orb fleet! How can you say something like that after seeing the mess we're in? Defend us at once!"

The Orb commander frowned. "Who is speaking?"

"If you don't recognize me, then connect me to your superiors at once!" She glanced away, dreading what she was about to do. "Call my father. Call Uzumi Nara Athha!" As the crew looked at each other in collective surprise, she faced the screen again. "My name... My name is Cagalli Yula Athha!"

"But... Athha is..." Sai said to Mir, eyes wide.

"Chief Representative..." she finished.

Nice timing, tovarisch, Kevin thought.

"I'm in no mood for jokes!" the Orb commander finally said. "There's no way the princess could be on your ship. And even if you are who you say you are, I can't just do whatever you say without some kind of evidence to back up your claims!"

"You brainless-" The signal cut off.

"No need to get so flustered," Dearka said, raising his guns. "They're not going to reach your territory!"

"I don't think so!" The Punisher interposed itself between the Buster and the Archangel... and took a hit right to the hardwired Striker pack, blowing it off and causing numerous secondary explosions throughout the mobile suit.

A muffled expletive was clearly heard over the Bridge radio, and Cagalli turned in horror to the screen showing the battle. "Kevin?"

"I'm hit," he said, voice inhumanly calm even as he faced his own death. "Punisher is going down."

"Eject, Kevin!"

"Snake, get out of there!" Ramius called.

"Can't; ejection system got fried." Snake could be heard breathing heavily. "I think I've got a collapsed lung, too. I'm not getting out of this one." A splash came over the radio. "Just hit the water; I'm not gonna last much longer." There was a pause. "Bloody. Computer malfunction. The self-destruct system just activated."

"Kevin!"

"Sorry, tovarisch," Kevin said. "I guess this is it." He started to add something, then stopped himself with a sigh. It'll make me feel better, but I'm going to my grave anyway. I won't make this harder on her. "Good bye." He switched frequencies. "Kira, buddy..."

"What is it, Kevin?" Kira replied instantly. You can't be dying... can you? No...

"Promise me..." He coughed. "Promise me you'll take care of her, okay?"

"Yeah, Kevin." Kira swallowed hard. "I promise."

"Thanks. Bloody h-"

The transmission ended with an ominous crack, and Mir stared at her console. "Signal lost, Captain," she said tonelessly, unable to believe what had just happened.

Cagalli collapsed on the deck, stunned. "Not again... He can't be gone..."

Kira stared at the spot where Punisher went down, unable to believe his eyes. No... He can't be gone. Not after everything he's survived!

He remembered the attack on Heliopolis, when Kevin first demonstrated his more than human combat skill. The breakout from Artemis, when his augmentation came fully online. The ambush in Banadiya...

Kevin couldn't be gone. But he was.

But Kira, much as he wanted to, couldn't allow himself to grieve yet; not if he wanted to live, and to protect the Archangel; so he blinked back his tears and went back to work. That's what Kevin would expect, anyway.

The battle still raged, but not for much longer. A precise beam shot from Kira knocked the Buster out of the sky, and Dearka cursed. "Take this!" He fired his shotgun-like weapon.

"Engines 4 and 5 are down!" came the report.

"We're going down, Captain!" Neumann said, struggling with his controls.

"We have no choice but to enter their territory now," Kisaka said, next to a grieving Cagalli. "Don't worry; Orb's Second Escort Fleet is famous for their accuracy. We'll be just fine."

Ramius nodded, though still completely bemused by the latest turns of events. "I understand."

The ship hit the water with a splash, entering Orb's waters in the process. "Since you have seen fit to ignore our warnings, we have no choice but to open fire."

The entire fleet opened up on the Archangel, and without a closer look than anyone could get, it appeared that they missed by accident.

The only witness, Athrun, had no choice but to retreat. This he did, wondering if his old friend truly did sleep beneath the waves this day.

As the ship approached Orb's main islands, Chief Murdoch sighed and stared at the debris covering the hanger deck. Ramius had ordered that the remains of the Punisher be recovered, and here they were, scattered everywhere. The only recognizable pieces were the phase-shift generator and the thoroughly mangled cockpit.

The crew's morale was low; Kevin Walker had been well-liked by his shipmates, and his death had come as a tremendous shock. It had seemed preposterous that he could die, but now he had, victim of the Buster and water pressure, or so it appeared.

Kira and Cagalli had taken it the hardest; they'd both known him for a decade or more, and he'd been very close to them both. Kira was still in the Strike's cockpit, and Cagalli hadn't said a word in hours.

Blast it, kid, why'd you do it? I told you it was suicide. Yet his sacrifice might well have saved the ship, Murdoch acknowledged. He'd taken a hit from the Buster that would have inflicted great damage; the fact that the Buster had subsequently shot them down anyway was irrelevant.

"So what's left, Chief?" La Flaga asked, coming up beside him.

"Not much, Commander. We haven't opened the cockpit yet, and we're kinda afraid to." The mechanic shrugged. "I'd say it was water pressure that killed him, all right. Why pieces came to the surface, we may never know."

"We'll have to look eventually," the pilot noted. "I'm not looking forward to it, either."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of muffled cursing coming toward them. And it wasn't in English. "Russian?" Murdoch noted, puzzled.

"Who do we have that speaks Russian?" La Flaga agreed.

They both stared in astonishment as a black-clad figure limped toward them, cursing vilely in Russian, and staggered to an intercom panel.

On the Bridge, Ramius sighed; she, too, was thinking of the loss they had suffered this day. But then one of the intercom panels on her chair lit up. "Bridge, this is Walker."

She sat bolt upright, eyes widening in shock, as behind her, Cagalli looked up in equal surprise. "What-"

"I ain't dead; I just feel like it." The battered figure on the screen smiled wearily. "Just thought I should let everybody know it's not quite time for the funeral."

"It's good to see you, Snake," Ramius said in relief. "I'll be most interested in hearing how you survived, but for now, could you come to the Bridge? We're nearing Orb, and we may need your... knowledge of the area. If you can make it."

"I'll need a little help, but yeah, I can make it. My augmentation reinflated the lung. I'll be right there."

In the hanger, a stunned Kira and La Flaga each took one of Kevin's shoulders, helping him up toward the Bridge.

Minutes later, Kevin limped onto the Bridge with his fellow pilots' assistance. "Reporting as ordered, Captain," he said, voice showing his fatigue.

Instantly, Cagalli knocked him off his feet. "You idiot!" she yelled, repeatedly beating his head against the deck. "How could you get yourself again?"

"Hey, hey, relax, will ya?" Kevin rubbed his head. "I'm still not exactly in top form, okay?"

She let him up. "Sorry. It's just... don't ever do that to me again, got it?"

"Yeah, sure..." He looked at the Captain again. "As I was saying, Ma'am, reporting as ordered."

"Ah, there you are... Baron," Ramius said, standing to greet him.

There was total silence on the Bridge as the form of address registered. "Uh, Captain..." Badgiruel said. "What did you just call him?"

Snake smiled tiredly. "I'm afraid I haven't been entirely candid with you."

Her eyes narrowed; behind her, Sai and Mir exchanged confused looks. "Your name, Ensign?"

He straightened to attention, despite the pain. "Baron Kevin Onishi," he said, his voice suddenly that of an Orb aristocrat.

La Flaga's eyes widened. "The Fencing Prince?"

"One and the same, Commander."

His classmates, having known him the longest, were perhaps the most shocked of all. "But... you're supposed to be dead," Tolle managed.

The Baron chuckled. "Yeah, and I was supposed to have died a few hours ago, too. These things happen."

Cagalli managed a knowing smirk. "Now you know how we know each other," she said.

"But what's an Orb noble doing out here?" Sai wondered. "Why were you on Heliopolis?"

"Yeah, and why didn't you tell us?" Mir chimed in.

"My reasons for being here and on Heliopolis are just as I've said before," Kevin said. "As for why I didn't tell you... Look, I had to die before I could get free from politics, from the special treatment a nobleman 'deserves'. I just wanted to be treated like everyone else." He turned to La Flaga and raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised, Commander, that you didn't recognize me instantly. You might recall we met, some years ago."

The pilot nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess we did. But when you know a guy's dead, it's harder to realize it when you've come face-to-face with him." He cocked his head. "So what really happened two years ago? How did you survive that assassination? Plenty of witnesses, including the princess, here, saw you die."

"The simple answer: I didn't survive the assassination." At the odd looks, he shrugged. "I have no idea why I'm alive; there's little doubt that I was in fact dead. But I'm here anyway. And before you ask the next obvious question, yes, that is one reason I've stayed away from Orb since then."

"So that's what you meant when you said you'd be in danger here," Tolle said, remembering his words a week earlier. "In danger from what?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Snake said, lying through his teeth; this wasn't something he cared to discuss. "What matters is this: I would appreciate it greatly if none of you use my true name outside of Morgenroete. They can be trusted, especially since my father was some kind of bigwig there, but I can't be certain of anyone else. And whatever you do, please, please don't call me Baron." He shook his head. "Some people I can tolerate that from, but you guys all know me. There's no need for that."

"I understand," Ramius said.

Kevin walked to the main screen. "So. We're going to Onogoro, eh? I know one of the senior engineers pretty well. Erica Simmons." He glanced back at the Captain. "I gather we're going to get repairs here?"

"We're going to discuss that with Chief Representative Athha," she replied. "I'm sure something can be worked out."

"Well, if there's any trouble, let me know." He smiled. "I gather my family's accounts are still active, so if nothing else I could pay for the repairs."

"I doubt that'll be necessary," Cagalli said. "You know my father."

"That's true." Snake sighed. "Just remember not to tell him who I am, okay? We... never got along," he explained to Ramius.

"We're docking," Neumann reported.

Kisaka turned to the Captain. "If you'll come with me, I believe Lord Uzumi is waiting for us now."

While the officers went off to confer with Chief Representative Athha, the crew was treated to some surprises: after a retainer of some sort to the Athha family came aboard, Cagalli left her quarters, wearing a green dress similar to that Andrew Waltfeld had given her.

The crew, including Kira and Flay, watched her pass with a mixture of surprise and awe; but it was the next person to appear that caused the greatest confusion.

The sandy-haired young man who stepped into the corridor looked like the Snake, but the crew (most of whom had not yet heard his announcement on the Bridge) knew it wasn't the Snake, because the Snake was a super-soldier commando-type, utterly lacking in spit-and-polish. This fellow was clearly some kind of aristocrat, perhaps a relative of the Snake, but definitely not the Snake.

The nobleman was dressed in a black uniform that looked like something out of the Napoleonic Era, complete with a rapier clipped to the belt. He was immaculately groomed, except for his slightly ragged hair (for once the rumors were correct: he did cut it with his Bowie knife), and walked down the corridor to Cagalli with the confident stride of the high-born.

The stranger stopped in front of her and kissed her hand, before moving to her side and escorting her out, all without a word.

Flay, standing with Kira near the bulkhead, was for once lacking in her dislike of Cagalli. It was replaced with puzzlement, and after they had gone, she turned to Kira. "Who was he?"

"I guess you didn't hear, huh?" Kira chuckled. "That was Kevin."

"Kevin? But he's not-"

"He said that he 'hasn't been entirely candid' with us." He shook his head. "Turns out Kevin's really a nobleman. A Baron, in fact, of an old Orb family. I've known him for ten years, and I didn't know the truth until today."

Baron Kevin Onishi (he made a mental note to have his name legally changed to "Walker" when it came time to announce his survival) sat with his old friend the Princess Cagalli Yula Athha in her limousine en route to her home. He had no intention of actually entering, but Captain Ramius had granted him enough leave to see her off.

"So we're both revealed as who we really are," Kevin murmured. "Not exactly how I'd intended things, but I suppose the Captain was right. Now that we're in Orb, it's time the crew knew my real name." He glanced at his companion. "I haven't seen your father in years; just what do you think will be his price for the Archangel's repairs?"

"I think he wants technical support," she replied after a moment. "The M1 Astray program hit some kind of snag with the OS, so if I know my father, he'll ask for the Strike's combat data and Kira's help with the computers."

"Hmm." He leaned back, thinking about it. "Well, that's fair enough, I suppose; we'll certainly be in Orb long enough, given the kind of damage we took. Captain Ramius will probably agree, but I think Lieutenant Badgiruel won't be too happy." He smirked. "Not that she ever is."

"So she's always been like that?"

"As long as I've been with the ship; genetic defect, maybe." Kevin frowned. "Speaking of repairs, I'm going to have to see if Morgenroete can supply me with a new mobile suit, something less dangerous than Punisher was."

"I'm sure something can be worked out." With a slightly mischievous look, Cagalli changed the subject. "So what will you be doing while we're in here? Checking on your estate?"

"My estate?" He blinked, then chuckled. "That's right; with my father gone, I inherited the old place, didn't I? Chalk it up to my not being used to this 'Baron' business; the last time I was here for any length of time, my father was still alive." Kevin shrugged. "Should be easy enough to get in and out without being noticed; if memory serves, there's a tunnel leading from the Morgenroete facility directly to the manor."

He sat back, remembering the old mansion that he hadn't seen in nearly four years. He'd been on the Moon when he received the message telling him to meet his parents in the PLANTs, and had been on Earth only long enough to change shuttles. There was one room he knew would be undisturbed; only two people had ever had access to his study: himself and Cagalli. The door would not permit others entrance, something guaranteed by biometric locks.

Presently the limo arrived at the Athha residence, and Cagalli climbed out. "Sure you're not coming in?"

Kevin shook his head. "Not now. Your father doesn't like me very much, so my presence might be counterproductive as regards the negotiations. I'll see you later."

She paused. "He may ask who rescued me back on that island, you know."

He waved a hand. "Just tell him a soldier from the Archangel happened to locate you; it's the truth, after all. If he asks for a name..." Kevin thought for a moment. "Tell him it was Victor Tremaine; that's another of my aliases." He smiled. "See you."

The door closed, and the driver headed back to the Onogoro dock.

Kevin returned to the Archangel just as Ramius, La Flaga, and Badgiruel arrived. "Hello, Captain," he said as he joined them. "How did things go?"

Even Badgiruel, had she been so inclined, could not complain about his informality, for he was in the persona of a Baron, not a soldier, which gave him social precedence over all of them.

"We reached an agreement," Ramius told him.

"Oh?" He noticed the Lieutenant's look of annoyance as she brushed past. "I take it the Lieutenant doesn't approve?"

"You could say that," La Flaga said dryly.

"Lord Uzumi requested the Strike's current combat data, as well as Kira's cooperation for technical support." Ramius hesitated. "He also requested the aid of the Punisher's pilot."

Kevin tensed slightly. "You didn't give him my name, did you?"

She shook her head. "No, I didn't. I recall your feelings on the matter, so you remained nameless. Do you have any objections to the assignment?"

He relaxed. "No, not at all, Captain. I know the engineer we're likely to be working with, Erica Simmons, quite well, so that should help; if outside contact becomes necessary, it wouldn't be too hard for me to be incognito. The scar and the sunglasses even fooled Cagalli, back in the desert. Given how little Lord Uzumi and I got along, and thus how little we saw each other, I should be able to dupe even him."

"Then it's settled." As the three began making their way toward the Bridge, Ramius turned to less important matters. "So, Snake, what are you going to be doing while we're here? Repair estimates are around three weeks, and I imagine you won't be working with the Morgenroete engineers all the time."

Kevin thought about that for awhile. "Well, for one, I'm going to get back into practice with fencing; since everybody knows who I am now anyway, there's no reason now to deny myself my old hobby. I'm also going to see if Morgenroete can provide me with a new mobile suit, something a little more advanced -and safer- than my old hybrid." He failed to notice the look Ramius and La Flaga exchanged. "And, with your permission, Captain, I'm going to be spending some time at my estate, looking things over, making sure it's in good shape."

"Of course, Ensign." Ramius smiled. "After all, we couldn't very well deny a Baron access to his own home, now could we?"

He groaned. "I suppose I should get used to it. But please, Captain, I'm still the Snake, too. That's how I'd prefer to remain aboard the Archangel."

"Of course."

"I suggest you go with Kira," La Flaga said. "He's taking the Strike to the Morgenroete factory tomorrow night, after dark; you should be able to hitch a ride with him."

"I'll do that, Commander." Snake stopped, saluted, and left, heading for his own quarters.

Now why were they looking so amused? he wondered. Is there a surprise coming? If so, I might have to kill someone...

The next evening, Snake turned up in the hanger, carrying a bag over his shoulder as he strode over to the Strike. Kira, who was waiting for him, didn't bother to ask what was in it. If he knew Kevin Walker, it contained guns and other things that went bang.

"Everything ready?" Snake called up to the cockpit.

"All set," Kira replied. "Commander La Flaga said you'd be coming with; need me to open the hatch?"

"Nope, I'm fine." Moving with the grace of an acrobat and the climbing abilities of a spider, the super-soldier swarmed up the Strike, ending up perched on the right shoulder. Once there, he switched to nanocommunication, via his implant radio. "Radio check," he subvocalized.

"Loud and clear, Kevin." Kira shook his head, thinking that it must be handy to have all that technology built into his own body. Radio, computers, even limited weaponry in the form of his claws.

On the other hand, though Snake had never said so, Kira suspected that the augmentation process itself was horrific, to say the least.

"Ready, Kevin?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." With a special harness, Kevin was tied to the Strike's frame, at one of the Striker pack hard points. "Let's move."

The Strike came to life and made its way out of the Archangel's hanger, then up to the surface. A ground car was already waiting to guide them to the hidden elevator leading into Morgenroete's special-projects' factory.

"Follow us," the guide told Kira. "And don't take too long; if we're still out here by dawn, they might detect you."

"Roger that."

As the Strike walked along next to the roadway, Kevin stood (he'd discovered it was simpler to use the electromagnetic field generated by his implants, suitably modulated, to stay attached to the mobile suit), watching the area with interest. It had been a long time since he saw his native land, and he was enjoying it, despite the possible danger to himself. He wasn't too worried, though; if there was a more dangerous man than he, he'd never even heard of him.

"Ah, the Orb countryside," he told Kira over their private radio link. "It's good to be home, tovarisch."

"You grew up around here, Kevin?"

"Yes and no," he admitted after a moment. "This is the area I lived in, but from age six on I spent most of my time on the Moon, with a few trips to the PLANTs. This, though... This is truly where home is."

Kira made a noncommittal grunt in reply, and then they were at a blank rock face. Neither Coordinator was surprised when it slid aside, revealing an elevator, which Kira guided the Strike onto. "Here we go, I guess."

"Yeah; Morgenroete's secret projects' facility. I was only here once or twice, but I know the people pretty well."

What followed was a long descent, which told Kira the facility went very deep underground. They must be serious about keeping secrets.

At the bottom, a mobile suit rack was waiting to move the Strike, and two people stood waiting for the pilots. Kira unstrapped, opened the hatch, and lowered himself; Snake simply released his magnetic hold and jumped, landing as softly as a cat on the metal floor.

Cagalli and a woman in a Morgenroete engineer's uniform were waiting for them. "So you're the pilots I was told to expect?" the woman asked.

Kira nodded. "Right. I'm Ensign Kira Yamato, this is Ensign Victor Tremaine. We're both Earth Forces."

Kevin raised a hand. "The alias isn't necessary here, Kira." He pulled off his sunglasses. "Been a long time, Erica. Remember me?"

Erica Simmons cocked her head. "You seem familiar, but I'm afraid I can't place you."

He smiled. "Think back about three or four years, remove the scar, and add a rapier."

Simmons' eyes widened. "Lord Onishi? I heard you were dead. Excuse me, Baron Onishi You were supposed to have died two years ago, after being missing for a year."

"Long story, Erica. And please, don't call me Onishi." Kevin grimaced. "You don't have to call me Baron, either; these days, I settle for Snake Walker. That's a long story, too."

"Very long," Cagalli assured her. "Come on, Kevin."

Simmons nodded, with an odd smile. "Yes, follow me; I suspect you'll find this interesting."

The Coordinators followed the princess and the engineer through a large metal door, where they came face-to-face with several mobile suits, white with red trim, standing along the far wall. "What are these?" Kira asked softly.

"The M1 Astray," Erica told him. "Orb's new mobile suits, and the reason we need your help. The project was running well, until we ran into the same problem the Earth Forces did: the Operating System is just too complex for a Natural to handle. We need a Coordinator, particularly one who's flown a G-weapon and has a technical education, to help us design an OS suitable for Naturals."

"What is Orb going to do with them?"

"They're to be Orb's protectors," Cagalli answered. "You know this, don't you? Orb will not attack another nation, and will not allow another nation to attack them." She nodded at the motionless Astrays. "This gives us the power to guarantee that."

"Right," Simmons agreed. "That's why we need to make them better, more along the lines of your Strike's capabilities."

Throughout, Kevin had been silent, for his gaze had been drawn to another mobile suit in the hanger. It was conspicuous by its very lack of color, standing in the corner.

Simmons noted his interest, smiled, and hit a remote control. Instantly, color flowed over it in the distinctive effect of phase-shift armor, transforming it into a machine largely of white, with a mostly blue torso, and blue trim on its graceful wings and red and gold trim over the rest of it.

The brilliant machine carried a double-barreled rifle in one hand and a shield in the other, and some variety of machine cannons were concealed in the shoulders, along with vulcans on the wings; everything about it seemed predatory.

Kevin stared at the glorious weapon in awe. "What is that?"

Erica Simmons smiled broadly. "That is the most powerful piece of machinery Morgenroete has ever produced."

Author's note: Punisher has been shot down, Kevin Walker has gotten himself killed again (briefly), and he has returned to Orb at last. With the secret of his identity out, how many other secrets remain to be revealed?

Sorry for the short chapter; and I'm afraid the next one is shorter yet. I will try to update quickly to compensate.

And yes, by the way, that is supposed to be Heero Yuy's Wing Zero (the original, not the Custom; that will have its place much later in Kevin Walker's saga). Some details have been changed, of course; some to fit the parameters of the story, others simply because I only saw a few episodes of Gundam Wing, and that was about five years ago. So don't be surprised if things are a little different from what you might expect.

Arekuruu-inabikari-no-She, as you can see from above, Kevin has his new mobile suit; I hope my choice does not disappoint. By the way, more of his… uneasy past with Lord Uzumi will be revealed in the next couple of chapters.

Darkdragon24, thanks for the info; that's about what I expected, and your reasoning is nearly identical to mine, as it happens. Fortunately, I already have a few thoughts about how to work around it in the sequel.

Rejected Angel, I am pleased you approve. Kevin Walker is certainly the most complicated OC I've ever written (possibly the most complicated I've ever run across).

RVD: is now soon enough for an update?

Shinji Ikari, I'm glad you liked Chapter 16. It's certainly not the longest -believe me, there may be a couple of short chapters here, but they're definitely exceptions- but I enjoyed writing it.

As for Kevin's "deepest secret", what I meant was it being revealed to the crew, not the readers; and it's only his greatest secret as far as he knows; there are even greater revelations about him waiting in the wings.

Regarding the capabilities of the Destroyers -how Kevin can survive much greater injury than his fellows- I thought I'd made that clear before, but perhaps it was another thing that got lost in the rewrite. Anyway, it's established at some point that the capabilities of the Destroyers' augmentation varied, with their leader naturally getting the top-of-the-line package. The limitations of the nanomachines is pretty much what one would expect: they can restore extensive damage… but not if it's suddenly, instantly catastrophic. It's also not intended to deal with truly heavy weapons, as is demonstrated in a later encounter with one of Kevin's copies. You'll see what I mean.

It's certainly true that without having his unique combination of abilities active at the same time -i.e. augmentation, zoanthrope abilities, and SEED Factor- he would probably have been the killed, instead of the killer, when he cut loose in the lab. Without certain of those advantages, even a single Destroyer can give him trouble, as seen in Chapter 14 and the later battle.

Glad you liked the fight between Kevin and Athrun. Originally, it was shorter; but it occurred to me that Athrun would probably last at least, oh, say… thirty seconds. But, of course, the Destroyer was a foe he couldn't truly match.

The "See you on the battlefield!" line, as you may have noticed, was a quote of his mentor, Andrew Waltfeld; given the earlier remarks by both Kevin and Cagalli, it seemed to fit; and his line about wanting to personally kill Athrun fits quite well with his prior history.

By the way, I didn't think you were criticizing about the vengeance thing; I apologize if I gave that impression. I was merely making my own comments on the matter, nothing more.

You should find, by the time you read this, that the error in Chapter 15 has been corrected; you're right that it wouldn't take very long… I hope.

About Phase 45: as I remember it, what Rau said was that Kira and his father were the highest priority targets for Blue Cosmos; I don't remember him saying anything about Blue Cosmos creating Coordinators; and everything the website says seems to invalidate the idea. I suppose it's possible that the dialogue is different in the DVD version, but if not, I see no evidence to support that notion (at least within the first series). And from what I gather, the company behind Mendel facility was known as Genetic Advanced Reproduction Medical Research and Development; and also, the website mentions Blue Cosmos involvement being rumored in the biohazard to begin with. If it were their facility, I would think they'd simply shut it down when they had a change of heart, not attack it.

Believe me, what you've heard about Hideo Kojima and complicated plots is all true; and my comparison is entirely apt.

I think that's everything. Let me know how this chapter was. -Solid Shark