I don't own anything except Kevin Walker, his clones, and Max

In the two months since capturing the Dominion, and four weeks since gaining the assistance of Yzak Joule and his Duel Gundam, Kevin Walker had watched the news reports coming in from Earth with increasing unease. The Earth Forces Ayers Rock Landing Operation and Operation 8.8, which had taken the Gibraltar Base and assaulted other bastions of ZAFT influence on the Earth, had concerned him greatly... particularly once ZAFT was forced even out of Carpentaria Base, leaving them with no presence on Earth at all.

That meant that the Earth Forces could now concentrate on the PLANTs themselves. Once, before the advent of Neutron-jammer cancellers, Kevin would have believed it just short of impossible for the Earth Alliance to force its way past Boaz, let alone Jachin Due; but Rau Le Creuset had gotten the technical schematics of the Freedom and Justice Gundams to Muruta Azrael, thus also giving him the N-jammer canceler data. And since Azrael had escaped the assault on the Dominion, nuclear weapons would doubtless soon become a threat once again.

Sitting on his Bridge (and Kevin still felt weird being the captain of a warship), the one some called the Snake pondered the war. He'd been drawn into the conflict between Earth and the PLANTs long before the actual shooting started, with the madman Oracle's Project ABADDON, and he had a somewhat different view of things from his friend -in fact, surrogate brother- Kira Yamato, or, for that matter, his own sister, Lacus Clyne. To be sure, he was in complete agreement with their desire to bring the war to a swift, peaceful conclusion, but Kevin found himself in fundamental disagreement with their methods. He certainly had nothing against keeping enemy casualties to a minimum, of course... but only when doing so did not jeopardize his own people. It was all well and good to show mercy, but Kevin Walker was a firm believer in the Law of the Jungle: kill or be killed. To his way of thinking, the enemy was the enemy; if they did not surrender, you did what you had to do.

Luckily for him, despite their disagreement, neither Kira nor Lacus tried to change Kevin's mind any longer. It would be pointless... and Kira, at least, understood that there was at least one person the super-soldier had to... deal with, if he was to ever put the specter of ABADDON behind him: Patrick Zala. Interestingly, from Kevin's point of view, Athrun raised no objection to the idea, and had even wished him "good hunting". He believed his father had died long before, with his mother, in the Bloody Valentine. Killing Zala now would merely be putting to rest an automaton, no longer fully human.

And, of course, the Dominion's wing commander had no problems at all with her captain's point of view. Cagalli Yula Athha had, after all, known him all his (and her) life... and he just happened to be her boyfriend these days. If it was something that he needed to do, she accepted that; and, if she could, would help him achieve it.

Kevin smiled at the thought, then looked up quickly as Flay Allster, former Archangel crewman and current Dominion communications officer, cleared her throat behind him. "Message coming in, Captain, from one of Reverend Malchio's Junk Guild contacts. It looks like an intelligence report."

"Solkin syn. More bad news, I'm sure." He shrugged. "Put it on my monitor, Flay; might as well see what else can go wrong."

"Yes, sir." Flay tapped a few commands into her station, and the report appeared on the captain's chair's right armrest screen.

Cagalli, sitting in Muruta Azrael's former seat, glanced curiously at Kevin as he scrolled through the data. When he quietly cursed, in English, she raised an eyebrow. "Bad, Kevin?"

He turned. "Yeah, tovarisch. Bad. According to some of the Reverend's sources, the Earth Alliance's Sixth and Seventh Fleets have departed from Ptolemaeus, after receiving a number of supplies from Earth. Which means..."

"Nukes," she finished grimly. "You think they've built enough, in the last two months?"

"Bet on it," Kevin said bleakly. "I'm sure they still had a number of nuclear warheads left over from before the N-jammers were deployed, which means all they likely needed to build was a lot of N-jammer cancellers; and remember, it takes a lot more time to get enough weapons-grade fissionables than it does to build those."

"So I guess it's about time," Cagalli murmured.

He nodded, and touched an intercom button. "Yzak, please come to the Bridge. We have a little situation here." Without waiting for a response, Snake looked over his shoulder at Flay. "Flay, patch me through to the other ships, please."

"Right."

The Dominion's main display was quickly portioned off into three screens, with Kisaka, Waltfeld, and Murrue looking out of them. "You've got the word, I presume?" Kevin said without preamble.

"Yes," Murrue answered. "It looks like you were right, Kevin. Azrael is going to use nuclear weapons on the PLANTs."

"Which means, of course," Waltfeld said, "that ZAFT will probably be bringing GENESIS online soon."

"But are you certain of the intel?" Kisaka questioned. "It has been three years since your data was compiled, after all..."

Kevin shrugged. "Sure as I can be, Captain Kisaka. I know for a fact that GENESIS' design had been finalized, and if they ran according to schedule, construction would have begun shortly before the April Fool Crisis last year. And if GENESIS is complete, I am morally certain Patrick Zala will not hesitate to use it. First on the fleet, then probably Ptolemaeus, and then..."

"Earth," Natarle finished from CIC.

"But only as a last resort," Lacus broke in from the Eternal. "Even Chairman Zala must realize the consequences of destroying Earth. There is a chance the PLANTs could remain self-sufficient enough to continue to sustain the human race, perhaps even for centuries, but eventually they would have to seek out new worlds or die. He can't want that."

"I agree with your conclusions, but not your reasoning," her brother told her. "Even Zala isn't crazy enough to want to destroy Earth; but he won't hesitate if Azrael is crazy enough to continue fighting after losing Lunar Headquarters. And as for seeking out new worlds, I remind you what GENESIS was intended for."

"True enough," Murrue agreed. "In any case, one way or the other, this war will be over soon."

"Let's just hope it doesn't cost us Earth or the PLANTs," Waltfeld said quietly. "Captain Walker" Kevin supposed he used the title just to irritate him "you're more familiar with the specs for that thing; if worse comes to worst, how do we destroy it?"

Kevin thought hard. "Assuming the worst case -that they've installed Phase-Shift armor...A concerted attack from the Archangel and Dominion should do it, given an hour or two. Failing that... a three-kiloton nuclear warhead would probably be enough to fatally damage it."

"Well, we don't have a three-kiloton nuke," Waltfeld murmured grimly, "so we'll just have to hope we either have enough time to blast it the old-fashioned way, or take out its control facility."

Snake forbore to mention the fact that they did, in fact, have a three-kiloton nuclear bomb. It was, at that moment, aboard the Dominion... sealed inside MBF-M1000 Sturm Falke's fuselage. If worse really did come to worst...

"Either way," Murrue was saying, "we should get underway for the PLANTs immediately."

"Agreed," Lacus concurred. "Let us hope we may still reach it in time."

"Yeah," Kevin said softly. "All right, then. Dominion, clear." With the link closed, he looked forward at his helmsman. "Lieutenant Steiglitz, set our course for least-time orbit to Lagrange point Five, maximum thrust."

"Aye aye," his former fencing rival replied. "Moving out, Captain."

"Here we go," Cagalli whispered.

Boaz, Lacus thought idly on the Eternal's Bridge. Will we get there in time? Or will the Earth Forces really use nuclear weapons again? And is Kevin right, about GENESIS? She shook her head. How can people do these things to each other?

Of course, such thoughts brought to mind Patrick Zala's first true atrocity, before the war even began. Unlike her late father, Lacus had not even been aware of the ABADDON project until Kevin arrived in Aprilius, following the Aegis Incident, in the Marshall Islands. When the horrific details had finally been explained to her, she'd been... well, "horrified" didn't begin to describe it. Bad enough that it had happened at all, but to her favored cousin...?

And then, months later, the full truth of Kevin Walker's origins had been revealed, and after taking command of the Dominion, he'd finally taken the time to tell his "cousin" the reality of their connection. Lacus had been astounded by the revelation, and appalled by the cold calculation with which he had been created, but in some way, she was actually pleased by it. One could have worse siblings, for sure.

Be careful out there, Kevin, Lacus thought. I know you won't be content to lead from the Bridge when the battles begin, so at least try not to get yourself killed, okay?

"Worried about your brother?" Kira broke into her thoughts. He had arrived on the Bridge sometime during her introspection, and stood beside her chair, a slight smile on his face.

Lacus smiled back. "A little," she admitted. "We're heading for another battle, and Kevin does have a habit of getting right into the line of fire."

He waved a hand. "Don't worry too much, Lacus. Sure, Kevin managed to get shot down a bunch when he was flying a GINN, but Stormhawk is one of the most sophisticated mobile suits out there. He'll be fine."

"I hope you're right." She tilted her head. "No doubt you're worried about your sister, too."

Kira shrugged. "It'll be dangerous," he conceded. "But the Strike Rouge is a lot better than that Skygrasper she flew back on Earth. Besides, Kevin wouldn't let anything happen to her, now would he?"

They exchanged grins. Both of them had seen the relationship between their respective siblings coming long before, as had most other members of the Three -except these days it was Four- Ships Alliance... though some of the mechanics -and not just on the Archangel- had been heard to complain that the betting had gone bust a dozen times before they finally got together.

On the Archangel, Dearka Elsman lounged near an intercom panel in the cafeteria, idly munching on his lunch. "I guess the waiting's just about over, huh?"

"Yeah," the battle computer known as Max agreed; in the months since Dearka had joined forces with them at Orb and Max had been activated, the two had become fast friends. "I really hope Captain Walker's wrong about GENESIS, though. That scares even me."

"Yeah, I know." Dearka looked down at the deck. "Unfortunately, Snake's not wrong very often; not with all the data Oracle stuffed in his head. If he says GENESIS exists, then he's probably right, and Chairman Zala, from what Athrun says, really is crazy enough to use it."

"And the thing of it is," she said thoughtfully, "I'm not even sure I can really blame him. Oh, I'm certainly not saying he'd be justified in using that infernal machine on Earth, or even the Moon, but if the Earth Forces are coming in such great numbers, what choice does he have? I think we're all agreed it would be just as bad for the PLANTs to be destroyed as for Earth to get crispy-fried."

He nodded (Max, while she had no face of her own, could use intercom cameras to "see" people). "I know. And I can't really disagree, either; my father is on the Supreme Council, and if the PLANTs get nuked..." He trailed off. "I just don't know what we're gonna do, Max. I remember when the war was nice and clear-cut; all we wanted was for the PLANTs to have the autonomy the sponsor nations denied us. If we could just get them to leave us alone, we'd leave them alone, too. There was no need for all this."

"Blame Muruta Azrael and Rau Le Creuset, though I don't think Azrael will be around much longer," Max said dryly. "Remind me not to tick off Captain Walker; Mir tells me he once took out an entire house just to kill one Blue Cosmos termite and his Destroyer-brother-clone-whatever flunky. And then there's what he did on the way out of Orb. He probably doubled the Earth Forces losses in that one blitzkrieg attack."

"I heard about the one in Banadiya." Dearka chuckled. "Then there's when I first met him. I tried out a phrase in Russian, and he instantly tossed me through a wall. I don't remember what I was trying to say, but it seems I insulted his recently-deceased mother. Ouch."

"And that's why you've been taking Russian lessons recently, right?"

"Right." He smiled, gazing about the compartment. "You know, I'm really glad we never managed to take out this ship. Now that I've gotten to know them, I actually like these misfits."

"You're not the only one," Max said, chuckling. "Cap'n Walker's old fencing buddy tells me your friend Yzak's been seeing a lot of Flay Allster, of all people; guess she got over her Blue Cosmos sympathies."

Dearka blinked. "Yzak Joule and Flay Allster?" He distinctly recalled Flay's... problems with Coordinators. Not long after the Aegis Incident, mere moments after Mir's assassination attempt, Flay had tried to shoot him; only Mir's abrupt change of heart had saved him that day. And Yzak's well-known dislike of Naturals... "The mind boggles," he murmured.

"You got that right," Max agreed fervently.

Back on the Dominion, the assassin called Invictus by some and John Tyler by others floated near a viewport looking out to the stern of the ship (had he but known it, it was a favored haunt of his "brother", as well, when he still resided aboard the Archangel).

In some ways, Invictus had perhaps the most depressing lot of all the Four Ships' people. Alone among them, he was a clone, a mere copy of another, Kevin Walker's shadow. For all the time he had worked for Rau Le Creuset as a special agent, he'd embraced the idea, remaining a shadow warrior, feared by those who knew his name.

But since leaving the masked man's employ, and especially since meeting the original Kevin Walker for the first time, Invictus had felt... unreal, as if he were merely a photograph, a picture of something else. It was an unsettling feeling, one which he was sure Cagalli would berate him for if she knew of it... but he had no intention of mentioning it. Among other things, whatever his memories might contain, he was not, in truth, her old friend. They might get along very well, but the fact remained that it was Kevin Walker, not John Tyler, whom she loved.

Invictus had been pleased when the two finally did get together, but it had nonetheless left a hollow feeling in him, as if one more piece of evidence that he was not truly real. Yet another demonstration that I am not who I am...

His self-pitying thoughts were interrupted by another's voice. "So you're Le Creuset's personal hatchetman, eh?"

He turned. "Commander Badgiruel. To what do I owe the honor?"

Natarle waved a hand. "Please; we're both off-duty. Call me Natarle." She looked wry. "The Captain does, so you might as well, too."

"Since I'm his copy?" Invictus said, sounding surprisingly bitter. "Just another clone of the Boss?"

She blinked, surprised by his reaction. "No, I didn't mean..."

He shook his head. "Sorry. I've just been indulging in a bad habit." When she raised an eyebrow, he explained, "Self-pity."

Natarle nodded in understanding. "Yeah, Captain Walker used to do that a lot, too; I hear it took being shot in the head by his future girlfriend and getting a talking-to from a blind monk to straighten him out." She drifted over to the viewport. "Anyway, to answer your original question, I happened to be passing by, and it occurred me I don't actually know that much about you." She shrugged. "Besides, I don't have anything better to do."

Invictus chuckled. "I sometimes wonder how much information gets distributed because people get bored. Well, Natarle, there really isn't much to tell about me; up until three and a half years ago, my past -such as it is- was identical to Snake's. I've only even existed since 68, so I haven't had much time to establish my own identity."

"Though you definitely have one," she mused. "The Captain -Snake- doesn't have an Australian accent, and for all his intellectual pursuits, he's not a philosopher."

"Neither am I," he retorted. "I'm an assassin, not a psychobabbler. Philosophy is for people who aren't always on the sharp end of the stick; I figure I can worry about that after this bloody war is over."

"That's not what Snake says." Natarle's eyebrows went up in an expression of polite disbelief. "Snake says you were one of the ones badgering him about Cagalli, and that the only one who was worse was that battle computer, Max."

"Maybe." John shrugged uneasily. "I just said what needed to be said, that's all. At least Snake's got something waiting for him, if he survives this war. Me, I'm not sure if it really matters whether I live or die; I'm betting my skills aren't going to be in high demand when the war is over. Even if they are, Snake will corner the market."

Natarle snorted. "Not likely. Captain Kisaka tells me Orb was about ready to drag him into public service as Director of Central Intelligence when the Earth Forces attacked; if Orb gets liberated when this is over, he might find himself shanghaied into the Chief Representative's office. And besides that, I doubt Cagalli will let him stay in the military. He's had way too many close calls in this war."

He laughed outright. "Kevin Walker, Chief Representative? He'd blow his own brains out before letting them do that to him. DCI, though, that I can see; and Cagalli, being an Athha, could well be the next Chief Representative herself. But can you imagine the outcry from the international community? I mean, anybody with two brain cells to rub together can see where he and Cagalli are going; think how people would react to the idea of the head of state marrying the country's chief spook!"

"Not to mention that they'd need a weapons check at the wedding," Natarle agreed with a laugh. "Snake's a super-soldier, and too many of his friends are steely-eyed killers themselves."

"That's the truth." Invictus glanced at her curiously. "You know, back before we took over the ship, Snake always described you being a real stickler for regs, practically allergic to informality; he used to call you 'Lieutenant Spit and Polish'."

"That doesn't surprise me; I don't think he saw much of me off-duty." She shrugged. "Even I can't stand at attention all the time, you know."

"Yeah, I bet." He gazed out the viewport. "Well, whatever else happens, the first thing I'm going to do after the war is take a vacation; I could really use one."

"That makes two of us," Natarle agreed quietly. "For sure." She stared out into space for a time. "By the way..." she said finally. "There are some things I've been wondering about; like why you're helping us, and why you don't have the aging problems Le Creuset does."

John shrugged. "The answer to your first question should be self-evident, Natarle: unlike all the others, I'm a direct clone of Kevin Walker. That means I have all his memories up the point when he was kidnapped... and I started out with his original ethical system. Though it's been altered over the years, it has, like Kevin's, retained the basics... and remember that I remember his friends. I remember everything... so I couldn't possibly fight against them. Like Kevin, I believe world peace is a fantasy, but, also like Kevin, I believe evil can, and must, be fought." He glanced at her. "So when you think about it, it's not so hard to understand after all."

"I guess you're right," Natarle acknowledged. "I should have realized that myself."

"Ahh, we Kevin Walkers -or is that Kevins Walker?- are always hard to figure out. As to your other question..." he went on, "well, I'll try to put it in layman's terms. Besides, I can't understand the exact science of it, either. Anyway, our best guess is that Le Creuset's genes were deliberately sabotaged by Doctor Hibiki, out of revulsion for what Al Da Flaga was having him do. Perhaps a little hypocritical, given what he later did to Kira, and helped do to Kevin, but every man has his peculiarities. As for me..." He scratched his head. "Carter and I were made differently, as were the other accelerated-growth clones. The other Serpent Heads aged at varying rates -for example, one that I took out in Venice was only alive because of his augmentation- but Carter and I were intended to be a little different. We were created from 'Hydra's' cells, rapidly grown to the original's biological age, and then augmented, all before we were truly 'awake'. Once we were at the appropriate age, our genes were carefully modified again, to cancel out the rapid-aging effect."

Natarle frowned. "That makes sense... but Le Creuset had access to Oracle's technology too, right? Why didn't he use the gene therapy on himself?"

"I'm not sure," John replied. "But I can make a few educated guesses. First, there's the secrecy factor: he wouldn't have wanted anyone else, even Oracle, to learn his secret, so he would have been reluctant to have the treatment used on him; and he could hardly have done it to himself, now could he? Then there's the fact that he's an older-generation clone. While Oracle didn't have the chance to advance the field very far -given the ban on cloning, which he didn't violate until 68- he did take it past the point Le Creuset is at. Carter and I are a later iteration of clones, and the gene therapy was tailored to us. And finally, I think his body was physically too old; unlike us, he was fully mature by the time the techniques were developed, and everything I've learned indicates a fully-mature body won't accept the treatments."

She winced. "No wonder the guy went crazy; knowing there was a way to reverse his condition, but being unable to make use of it..."

"Yeah." John nodded in agreement. "But you know, I just don't want to think about the war just now..."

No argument there, Natarle thought; and they both turned back to stargazing, enjoying the illusion of peace, if only for a little while.

The four ships, with their varied commanders, moved swiftly across space to Lagrange point 5, hoping to stop the holocaust that was surely coming. Nothing would stand in the way of four of the most powerful ships ever built... even if anything had been inclined to try.

Kevin wasn't terribly surprised by the lack of traffic. The war was clearly entering its final stage; any remaining fighting would doubtless be done around the PLANTs themselves. And he wasn't very happy about that.

He was even less happy when he received another report -from the news services, this time. "Solkin syn," he whispered, looking back at Flay. "You're sure?"

She nodded unhappily. "Yes, sir. It's all over the news."

"Solkin syn," he said again. "Patch me through to the Eternal."

Cagalli turned to him, concerned. "What is it, Kevin?"

"The worst," Snake said grimly, just as the Eternal's Bridge appeared on the main screen. "Hello, Sis. I assume you heard?"

"Heard what?" Kira asked from behind Lacus' chair. "Is Boaz already under attack? Are we too late?"

"'Too late' is putting it mildly, tovarisch." His eyes were jade ice as he spoke. "The Earth Forces hit Boaz approximately three hours ago... and destroyed it. They used nuclear weapons."

Kira looked sickened; and so did Athrun, hovering next to him. "So Azrael went and did it? That bastard!"

"Couldn't agree more." Kevin sighed. "If we don't get there fast, the war may be over before we can do anything to stop it."

"But stop what?" Waltfeld wondered bleakly. "The destruction of the PLANTs... or Earth?"

"Either way," Lacus said firmly, "we have to hurry. We haven't come all this way, fought this hard, lost this much, just to see the tragedy occur before our very eyes."

"Agreed." Snake looked over at Steiglitz. "Meryl, what's our ETA?"

She tapped a few keys. "About seventy-two hours, Captain. By my calculations, that's about when the Sixth Fleet will be ready for its next attack."

"That's what I thought. Captain Waltfeld, I suggest you begin preparations; we won't have much time once we're in range."

"I know. Don't worry, Captain Walker, we'll do our part." Waltfeld smiled fiercely. "And I think it's about time we tried out the METEOR Units, don't you?" Without waiting for a reply, he signed off.

"Well, he's a man of action," Kevin commented to no one. Then he hit an intercom button. "Yzak, this is the Captain. Boaz just got nuked."

"I heard," Yzak replied, fury in his voice. "Which means GENESIS, right? How long till we reach the PLANTs?"

"About seventy-two hours."

"I'll start getting my team ready, then." He hesitated. "Captain Walker, you should probably get ready, too; Stormhawk-"

"My place is on the Bridge," Kevin said firmly. "I don't have any business-"

"Your place is out there, fighting with your own machine," Yzak countered. "Stormhawk, the Zero System, and your augmented reflexes are too important to leave in the rear, Captain. I never thought I'd say this, but we'll have a greater chance of success with all our machines, including yours, participating. Besides, Commander Badgiruel is well able to command in your absence, right?"

"He's right, Captain," Natarle said. "You make a fine ship commander, but you're a pilot; and nobody else can fly that machine of yours, remember?"

Kevin took a deep breath, and looked over at Cagalli. "Are you okay with this?"

She rolled her eyes. "Kevin, since when have I ever tried to keep you out of a fight? Besides, maybe you'll even have time for a quick stop at Aprilius."

He knew precisely what she meant, and he smiled. "More likely Jachin Due, by the time things heat up again, but I take your point; it might be worth it to pay a visit to Chairman Zala while I'm in the area. Just to... pay my respects." Snake looked at his clone. "John, make sure our weapons are in top form; Dominion will probably have its own part to play. And..." His voice became a hungry whisper. "If you see Azrael's ship, take the shot."

Seventy-two hours to Jachin Due. Just three days... and they seemed even shorter, as the four lonely ships raced onward, trying to prevent disaster. They were more alone than even the Archangel had ever been, during her trek from Heliopolis to Earth, the Libyan desert to Alaska; for even at the worst of times they'd had the Earth Alliance out there somewhere, and later Orb. Now, they had naught but each other, and if they failed, there would be no others to try again. The fate of the entire world was riding on their shoulders.

Historians would say that only the most unlikely chain of events imaginable, a string of "lucky breaks" that could have failed them at any time, allowed them to succeed; if at any time, any of the surviving members of the small band had fallen, the entire course of history might have gone very differently, horribly differently.

Some would later try to pin the conclusion of the war on Captain Kevin Walker himself, for his actions in that final, fateful battle. But the Snake himself would always dispute this, saying that it was the courage of his comrades, and of fallen warriors such as Rear Admiral Lewis Halberton, that truly stopped the war. They were the true heroes, and he would always deny that he himself was a hero.

For once, it was not really for history to decide. It was those who were there at the Second Battle of Jachin Due, who truly knew who the heroes were. They knew what happened... and no one who was not there on September 26 and 27, C.E. 71, could ever truly understand the deeds done those two days.

Captain Walker himself, however, had a different, simpler view. "A lot of people who should have lived, died; and a lot more people who had to die, did. That's all there is to understand."

"So," Kevin Walker said, more to himself than anyone else, three days after Boaz's destruction. "Here we are. And it looks like the Earth Forces haven't even had time to nuke Jachin; that's a pleasant surprise."

"Time to get moving, Captain Walker," Waltfeld said from the comm screen. "Their so-called 'Peacemaker Force' hasn't been deployed yet, but doubtless it will be soon."

Snake grimaced, but didn't disagree. The Earth Forces' Sixth and Seventh Fleets were already there, and they had begun deploying mobile suits. That meant the nukes weren't about to used quite yet, since the Peacemaker Force was made up of mobile armors, but the Strike Daggers were no doubt intended to clear the path for them.

"I guess it's time," he said quietly. "Murrue? Kisaka? Are you ready?"

"Mu, Dearka, and Tolle are already aboard their machines," Murrue replied. "Admittedly, Mir isn't very happy, but we don't have much choice. So we'll begin launching at once."

"We're ready, too," Kisaka reported."Kusanagi's M1s are ready for lift off."

"And the Freedom and Justice are preparing to head out," Waltfeld completed. "This time, they'll be using METEOR Units. Sorry we don't have one for Stormhawk, but they hadn't quite completed the modifications to the design when you took it back."

Kevin shrugged. "We'll make do, Andy." He touched an intercom button. "Hanger, this is the Captain. It's show time. Joule team, to the port catapult; Athha team to starboard, and wait for your commander." He looked over at Cagalli. "You sure you're ready for this, tovarisch?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Do you want me to knock your teeth down your throat?"

"That's what I thought." He sighed. "Okay then," he said quietly, looking down into CIC. "Commander Badgiruel, the Bridge is yours."

"I have the Conn," Natarle acknowledged. "Shoot straight, Captain."

"I always do." Kevin extended a hand to Cagalli. "Let's go, tovarisch; we don't want to be late to this party."

Soon enough, the Dominion's mobile suit teams, consisting of eight GAT-01 Strike Daggers, the MBF-M2 Strike Rouge, the MBF-M1000 Sturm Falke, and, of all things, the GAT-X102 Duel, were ready for launch.

First up was Yzak, at the port catapult. "This is Yzak Joule. Duel launching!"

While his team of six Daggers followed him, Cagalli's machine entered the starboard catapult. "Strike Rouge, heading out!"

As they launched, their captain sat in his own cockpit, wearing his distinctive black flight suit and idly flexing the metal fingers of his right hand. So this is it, he thought. The final battle. Will Fate spare me today, as well? Or will it finally be my turn to perish, swallowed by the darkness that consumed Rachel?

Another's thoughts broke into his. (Stop it, Kevin,) Kira told him firmly over their link. (You'll make it. We can't afford to lose, remember?)

(Doesn't mean we'll win,) Kevin pointed out. (And even if we do, that's no guarantee I'll survive. But you're right; this isn't the time for brooding. See you out there, Kira.)

Finally, it was Stormhawk's turn to launch. "This is Kevin Walker," he told the Bridge. "Stormhawk launching!"

While the other machines raced off into the thick of battle, the Freedom and Justice had one more element of preparation to take care of; and the Eternal's METEOR Units detached from the ship, moving under their own power, to rendezvous with the two powerful mobile suits.

Here goes nothing, Athrun thought as he maneuvered his machine into docking with the massive weapons platform. I hope this works as advertised, or we could be in trouble.

The METEOR Unit, normally used as a turret-mounted energy cannon by the Eternal, was also a huge, external weapons pack intended for use with ZAFT's prototype Gundams. Once docked with the mobile suits, they served to increase the speed of the machines, and their formidable weapons came into play: four beam cannons, of two sizes, two beam blades, and many 60 centimeter missile launchers. Combined with the Gundams' own weapons, they were the most powerful "mobile" weapons ever created by Man.

"You ready, Athrun?" Kira called, having completed his own linkup.

"Ready as I'll ever be," his friend responded. "We'd better hurry; or else Snake'll have blown up everything before we even get there."

"Can't have that." Kira was of the opinion that his adopted brother was a little too free with his fire; after all, you couldn't exactly negotiate with someone when you've annihilated everyone who has the authority to negotiate. Nor could an enemy surrender if his communications systems had all been blown to slag. This, of course, did not deter Kevin, who was a firm believer in, among other things, the saying that soldier's job was not to die for his country, but rather to make the other guy die for his.

"Of course, I won't exactly object if he reaches Jachin," Athrun went on. "If he gets the Chairman, maybe the GENESIS threat will be gone."

Kira snorted. "With Le Creuset out there? Not likely, Athrun. One way or another, he's going to do his best to end the world, and we're the only ones who can stop him."

"Yeah." The two boosted out toward the battlefield L5 had become.

"Hmm..." Muruta Azrael murmured, on the Bridge of his Agamemnon-class flagship Caligula. "They seem to be putting up quite the defense."

Indeed, Jachin Due had launched dozens, scores of GuAIZ's, hundreds of older machines, and numerous Nazca- and Laurasia-class warships. Had this been like the First Battle of Jachin Due, the Earth Forces would have been slaughtered.

Unfortunately for the PLANTs, things had changed. The Earth Forces now had mobile suits of their own, in the form of the GAT-01 Strike Daggers and Azrael's three new Gundams with their insane pilots. And, of course, the Peacemaker Force, the mobile armor squadrons armed with nuclear weapons; weapons which they had proven were capable of blowing away entire asteroids, if fired in sufficient numbers.

"In the end, it will do them no good," his flag captain, William Sutherland, opined. "We have nuclear weapons; they have nothing but mobile suits and warships."

"But the so-called 'Three Ships Alliance' now has the Dominion," Azrael reminded him. "If they choose to intervene, it could be ugly... especially if the rumors are true about who's in command these days." That was a source of considerable annoyance to him; three and a half years ago, he'd gone to some lengths to take out the fencing prodigy Kevin Onishi, only to discover later that the little space monster had taken a different flight from his parents. It had, to be sure, been a delicious irony when he used that same Coordinator to engineer the Mendel Incident, but Azrael had not counted on "Cain" surviving long enough to actually endanger his operations. If he was out there, he would be coming for Azrael's head. "Of course," he went on with an ugly smile, "if they do come calling, we call always nuke them too..."

"Sir!" a crewman reported. "Our mobile suits have cleared a path. Shall we...?"

Sutherland nodded. "Yes, send out the Peacemaker Force. It's time to put an end to this, once and for all. Those abominations have plagued us for far too long."

Azrael watched gleefully as the nuclear-laden Moebius units began to launch...

"Solkin syn," Kevin muttered in Stormhawk's cockpit, seeing the mobile armors emerge. He knew that, with the advent of the Strike Daggers, there was only one thing the Earth Alliance kept mobile armors around for. And that meant they had arrived not a moment too soon. "Snake to group," he radioed. "Peacemaker Force is launching. Prepare to intercept." At long last, though he didn't notice it, he was slipping back into the habits of command drilled into him as commander of the Destroyers. The skills from those horrific days would serve him one again, on a battlefield he had never expected.

"Here they come, Kevin," Cagalli called, arming her weapons. "Let's get them!"

"Roger that. Break formation and open fire!"

The ZAFT defenders seemed bemused by the sudden appearance of the Three Ships Alliance craft, but they didn't look a gift snake in the mouth. As long as they were shooting at the missiles, the ZAFT pilots had better things to do than shoot them.

"Let's dance," Kevin whispered, and opened fire with both buster rifles, trusting the Zero System to show him the way.

Commanders on both sides were stunned as nuclear missiles began detonating well short of their targets, creating a blinding fireworks display across the entire region of space. "Bastards!" Azrael muttered through gritted teeth.

"Shoot down all those missiles!" Yzak shouted. "Don't let them hit the PLANTs!" Leading his half-squadron of Daggers, he plunged into the battle.

"Not a chance," Shani Andras whispered. "I wanna see all the pretty lights."

"Oh, shut up!" Kevin said in annoyance, and spared a moment of attention to kick the Forbidden in the back. "Leave us alone, or I will blow you to your constituent atoms!"

By this time, beams were going all over the place. Cagalli and Mu firing single shots at any missile in range, Dearka opening up with his anti-armor shotgun, Tolle's Wraith (nearly useless at long range) providing support by cutting apart any Dagger unlucky enough to enter range of his cloaked machine. "Slash, slash, slash!"

One of Yzak's team raced toward the terrible warheads, beam rifle blazing; he'd been highly impressed by his new Captain's speech the day he captured the Dominion, and he was determined to do his part... and so he did.

Yzak cursed as the overzealous, but heroic, pilot vanished in a nuclear explosion caused by his own fire. "Idiot! Don't get too close!"

Kevin quickly seconded the remark. "No heroics," he snapped. "We need dead nukes, not dead people." He swore then, viciously, as another of his men was wiped away by an opposing Dagger. "That does it," he hissed. "You're all mine!"

"Snake, no!" Dearka shouted. "Are you out of your mind?"

Snake paid him no heed, charging directly into the thick of the Alliance's mobile suit formation. "I will crush you into dust," he whispered savagely. The Stormhawk threw its shield into one Dagger, whipped out both beam sabers, and went to town.

On Dominion's Bridge, Natarle smiled to herself, seeing the carnage her captain was wreaking upon the Earth Forces. It was impossible to see details in that melee, but pieces of mobile suit were flying everywhere... and then he was through.

Eyes jade ice, Kevin snapped his buster rifles together. "I'll kill you." He fired directly into the waves of nuclear missiles, taking out over two dozen.

That was when Cagalli saw it; a flicker of motion diverting her attention from her own targets. "Kevin, look out! There's a-"

His head whipped around in time to see a nuclear missile heading directly for him. "Uh oh." There was no time to dodge, barely time to raise his weapons as the atomic weapon rushed for him-

-and exploded as the Freedom and Justice arrived, using their advanced targeting computers to fire on dozens of bogies, mobile weapon and nuke alike, within fractions of a second. "You still out there, Kevin?" Athrun called.

"I'm a little cooked, but I'm okay," the super-soldier responded. He glanced around, and grimaced. "But around half my Daggers are gone; curse those nukes!"

"Curse those machines," Azrael said savagely on the Caligula. "They're always turning up at the most inconvenient times." He looked over at Sutherland. "Captain, order a few of our mobile armors to re-prioritize their fire; nuke those three. I want those machines dead!"

"Oh, not good," Kevin muttered, seeing half a dozen Moebiuses alter course. "Kira, Athrun, we've got company. Watch out for nuclear weapons."

"Roger that." Freedom and Justice executed rapid vector changes of their own, leaving the mobile armors in the dust while they opened fire on the nukes again... leaving Stormhawk right in their path once again.

"You know, I could really get to hate this war," Kevin murmured dryly. "Oh, wait; I already do." He raised his buster rifles, preparatory to blowing his enemies into space dust.

Aboard, Dominion, Meryl Steiglitz watched anxiously as her captain stood alone against nuclear weapons. "Commander Badgiruel...?"

Natarle nodded. "Right. Mr. Tyler, provide fire support for the Stormhawk."

"You got it," the clone said easily. Tapping in the commands, he told the Gottfrieds to pulverize the threat.

They complied, and Kevin winced at the energy seething outside his cockpit. "Thanks for the assist, Dominion, but next time, try something a little smaller, will ya?"

"Sorry, Captain," Natarle replied, not sounding very apologetic, "but the Valiants couldn't get a shot and the Igelstellungs don't have the range."

"Yeah, yeah..." He switched frequencies. "Cagalli, you still okay?"

"As if I'd get hurt," his girlfriend said with a snort, blowing apart another missile. "I think we've about got them."

"Good. I-"

Things suddenly began to happen.

On Jachin Due, Supreme Council Chairman Patrick Zala watched the battle with increasing anger. "Enough!" he said finally. "It's time. Drop the Mirage Colloid, and signal our units to get out of the way. We're going to use it!"

"Yes, sir!"

Most of the Three Ships Alliance's personnel swore simultaneously as the huge object flowed into view beyond Jachin. "Solkin syn!" Kevin breathed. Switching to a general frequency, he shouted, "Everybody, get out, now! They're gonna fire GENESIS!"

Mobile suits began to scatter, and the Archangel, Kusanagi, Eternal, and Dominion hurriedly broke off, frantically trying to get out of the path of the gigantic weapon.

"Not good, not good, not good," Kevin said to himself, trying to withdraw himself (he'd known GENESIS was there, but he had not expected to find himself directly in its line of fire). "I'm not gonna make it..."

Then the Freedom's METEOR Unit swooped by, allowing Stormhawk to get a hand on it and a quick lift out of the danger zone. "I've gotcha," Kira said reassuringly.

"Thanks, tovarisch."

Zala watched in satisfaction and grim pleasure as the weapon coalesced. "Activate Phase-shift," he ordered. "Set output to 60 and prepare to detonate nuclear cartridge."

"Understood, sir."

"This is bad," Kevin whispered. Stormhawk could detect no change in the status of GENESIS, but his augmentation, boosted through the mobile suit, could; and he easily sensed the radiation surge of an armed nuclear warhead building up to detonation. He keyed his radio again. "Break, break, break!" he shouted. "Everybody out!"

"GENESIS confirmed ready, sir," Jachin's fire-control officer reported. "At your command, sir."

Zala nodded. "Fire!"

Across that area of space, horrified eyes were riveted to the sight of the enormous gamma-ray weapon firing. The gigantic beam reached out for the Earth Forces fleet...

Glossary

Hyper-jammer:

A refinement of the Neutron-jammer (which, in addition to preventing fission reactions, distorts radio and radar waves), the hyper-jammer, in addition to the aforementioned capabilities, also distorts, within a localized area, the form of radiation known as light, as well as thermal radiation. This makes the mobile suit nearly invisible, and unlike Mirage Colloid particles, the effect does not dissipate over time.

Theoretically, a Neutron-jammer canceler could disrupt the hyper-jammer's field, just as it would a standard N-jammer, but this would only occur if the mobile suit got very close to something it shouldn't, such as a nuclear bomb (potentially, a nuclear-powered mobile suit's own N-jammer canceler could disrupt the effect, but such units intended for powerplants cover only the area of the reactor, leaving the exterior of the machine unaffected).

Augmentation:

The technology known as cybernetic augmentation is what made the Destroyers what they were. Combined with chemical learning techniques, it made them virtually unstoppable.

The "basic" augmentation package consisted of artificial enhancements to the musculature, nervous system, and five natural senses; in addition, it toughens the subject's skin, reinforces the skeletal structure with mobile suit armor alloy, and vastly increasing the subject's psychomotor responses.

Those are the passive elements of the cybernetics, unpowered and thus always online. The active parts of the augmentation are as follows: a computer implant in the brain, allowing for a database function and rapid calculation abilities (frequently linked into the nervous system for weapon aiming); a built-in drug pharmacopoeia, including everything from coagulants and stimulants to adrenaline boosters and suicide nerve toxins; active strength enhancements, allowing the subject to lift up to ten times his own body weight; an implanted radio, located in the mastoid area (it operates using quantum mechanics, thus evading the problems of the N-jammers); and a neural-interface implant, allowing the subject to link his/her mind with a computer. This can be used for hacking, or, as demonstrated by Kevin Walker, direct, mental control of mobile suits and other machines.

That is the most basic augmentation package, variations of which were given to eleven of the twelve Destroyers, as well as to the members of the Serpent's Head Project and the assassin called Invictus. However, Kevin Walker also received an electromagnetic field, operating on a peculiar frequency that deflected high-velocity metallic objects; and specialized nanotechnology, manifesting itself in the form of quick-heal nanites and the metal claws that were his trademark. (See also: Nanotechnology.)

Author's note: Boaz has been destroyed, and GENESIS has been fired for the first time. Soon comes the grand finale, Gotterdammerung. Will the Grim Reaper catch up with Kevin Walker at last?

Well, quite the response I got for that last chapter; I'm guessing no one saw it coming. However, I'm surprised no one called me on the GENESIS acronym. According to the series, it stands for "Gamma Emission by Nuclear Explosion Stimulate Inducing System". I changed those two words because, frankly, they don't make any sense.

Incidentally, Chapter 33's title, "Who Dares, Wins", is the motto of the British Special Air Service; a misleading name, since the only things they have to do with airplanes is jumping out of them and blowing them up.

RVD, that last chapter was the reason I mentioned that if your story was post-series, you'd need a little more information. As I anticipated, no one expected that particular twist; but, as your story is not post-series, it was irrelevant (at least until your story reaches that point in the series).

Ominae, I thought you might like that scene. It actually was not part of the original draft; I added it when my plans for the sequel began to solidify, thus requiring something of the sort. Since there's a good two months between Mendel and Boaz, that chapter seemed the best place.

Katana, I'm glad you approve; I've gotten complements before, but I think this is the first time somehow has called this the best SEED story. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, just trying not to get a swelled head.

I, too, get the feeling that Kevin isn't an OC; sometimes it gets to the point where, when watching the anime, I wonder for a moment where he is. I set out to tie him into the story's history -a first for me, with OCs- and apparently I succeeded. Interestingly, he didn't start out that way; in the notes for the final chapter, I'll be going into Kevin Walker's genesis as a character (as opposed to a person within the story). You might find it interesting reading, as he started out as something very different from the final iteration seen in Chapter 1.

As I've mentioned before, I did my utmost not to make Kevin too overpowering, so as not to overshadow the other characters. That's why he had so much trouble with mobile suit flying at first, and part of why he has mental… issues, you might call them.

I checked out that website you mentioned, by the way; a few other reviewers had told me of it, and I decided I probably should take a look. I found it quite interesting, with information I notice the official website doesn't have; thanks to those who brought it to my attention.

Deathzealot, I do not recall ever coming across anything that said the Archangel could only carry eight mobile suits. In fact, I never found anything at all that indicated how many it could carry, so I based my calculations largely on the Kusanagi. That particular ship can carry at least thirteen mobile suits (in Phase 40 you see a dozen Astrays being loaded, and there's also the Strike Rouge), and since the Archangel-class is a full 55 meters longer than an Izumo (Kusanagi is 290, while Archangel is 345), I thought two additional mobile suits wouldn't be a stretch. As for the destroyed Strike Daggers, I can only recall seeing a couple of them blown up anyway (a little tweaking may be necessary anyway, though; your point about the three G-machines is well taken).

Daniel Lynx, I'm glad you approve; though personally, I would have thought hijacking the Dominion would be a bigger twist, since Yzak does fight alongside them eventually in the series. I suppose I could be wrong, though…

Red Eyed Divine Dragoon77415, it's coming, okay? And thanks for the review.

Arekuruu-inabikari-no-She, I'm glad someone agrees with me that Natarle isn't such a bad character.

As Kevin and Cagalli's relationship, well… how could they keep it secret? They're both pretty famous in Orb, and given the rumors years before…

Relik, I'm not sure what humorous aspects you're referring to; except perhaps part of the Kevin/Murrue scene, and perhaps a few wisecracks. But… what do I know?

I'm pleased you approved of the twist with Yzak; I've noticed a lot of people don't seem to like him much. Admittedly, he's not my favorite character, but he's not exactly horrible either; and as for the incident with the Eighth Fleet, it's obvious he didn't realize that was a shuttle full of civilians.

Shinji Ikari, not sure if I'll use the acronym you suggested or not; seems to work okay as is, given what it means. It's a possibility, though.

Yes indeed, it's often not a good idea to read the author's notes before the entire chapter; sometimes they make reference to events earlier on, as you saw. Oops?

Personally, I don't see that I'll need to tweak much with the Mendel battle, but I agree the dialogue will have to be modified. I'll get to it soon enough (no choice, unless I want to do it after the entire story is posted; we're nearing the end here).

I'm afraid I disagree with you on Kira calling Kevin "Snake"; in my opinion, Kira's doubts from earlier on are long gone, and have nothing to do with why he's depressed at this point. By now, he's firmly committed to trying to end the war as quickly as possible, even if it means fighting.

As you can see, the Glossary entry for hyper-jammers has finally arrived; credit goes to Dragoon Swordsman for suggesting it. And no, I never even considered using the official explanation for them. "Mysterious particles" doesn't even really make sense. Besides which, the canonical hyper-jammers didn't actually make the machine invisible to the naked eye, just to cameras and radar; it was the Deathscythe H's active cloak that made it truly invisible.

I'll be tweaking the Dominion-capture sequences, never fear; but I should point out a couple things. First of all, with Steiglitz being armed on the Bridge: remember, she arrives after the intruder alert sounds; on her way up for duty or not, it would be very prudent to take a detour to grab a weapon on the way into a potentially-hostile situation, wouldn't you say?

Second: certainly ABADDON is not common knowledge among the Earth Forces. However, Natarle and Azrael find out while they're at Mendel, and it would be only prudent to brief the crew on the possible danger. In my opinion, it makes perfect sense for them to be at least slightly familiar with it.

Third: hate to spoil your fun, but I actually did read the entry about the Strike Rouge. However, you'll notice I didn't specify why it had a custom paint job, now did I? (Beware trying to catch me in a factual error based on information from the website, as I have read everything in the Gundam SEED section. So there.)

Fourth: I know GENESIS wouldn't crack the planet open. On the other hand, Kevin wasn't attempting to be scientifically precise. Cracked open or superheated, the end result is, from a practical standpoint, the same.

Point taken, on the other hand, about Flay; though with the scene where Kevin ends up in command, I'll have to check back. I don't seem to remember her being present for that… but I could wrong (hard to keep track of everything, after all this time and writing).

You needn't worry about postponing edits causing me problems -and more edits- later on; the whole time I've been working on this story, I haven't bothered to take notes, and don't really need them.

Yes, this is what I meant by Kevin getting heavier firepower than a METEOR; after all, an Archangel-class it the most powerful warship class in the SEED universe. And don't worry, Kevin is far from done flying; he'll have his encounter with Providence. In fact, it'll be crucial, as you'll see.

I'm guessing, by the way, that you meant other people convincing Kevin to become a Captain? Because convincing him to become a Kevin just doesn't make any sense.

With regards to Tolle, I do try to involve him, but with everything else going on, combined with the fact that he isn't as good a mobile suit pilot as the others, it can be a little difficult. Hence his is more of a support role usually, dealing with mass-produced suits.

The Kevin/Murrue scene seems to have been a big hit; as I mentioned earlier, it wasn't part of the original draft. I added it because it fills a need for the sequel, and because, as you saw, it was a very good way to expound upon Kevin's character a little more. (On a side note, I'm almost disappointed nobody tried to tell me the Fencing Prince aspect was out of character; I didn't get to use a couple of perfectly good counter arguments.) In any case, I'm glad you liked it; that scene is one of the ones I'm most proud of, though it required tweaking of later chapter (originally, the two weren't quite that close).

As for Kevin not claiming his real family name, I will say only that his identities -besides Kevin Onishi- are not to be well-publicized until much later.

I might have included the scene with Cagalli shouting at her father over assassinating Kevin… except that I hadn't the foggiest idea how to go about it. It wasn't essential, so I decided not to worry about it.

Athrun would certainly have told Kevin his father believed ABADDON to be entirely voluntary; but that wouldn't necessarily mean much to him. Patrick Zala was still responsible for the Project, and when you think about it, he should have known. You're supposed to maintain closer oversight than that, especially when dealing with a known mad scientist.

Another two thousands words of author's notes; I'm thinking of committing hara-kiri. Of course, if I do that, I'm sure you'll just figure out how Kevin Walker keeps coming back from the dead and use it on me, so I might as well save myself some pain. (Of course, if the notes weren't interesting to write, I might do it anyway.) Anyway, let me know how it was; and remember: the end is near. -Solid Shark