-Archangel, Gulf of Alaska, April 2, C.E. 71.
Murrue Ramius could barely hold back her tears. She had just watched her friend and comrade Mwu la Flaga walk out of the ship and possibly out of her life forever. She had said it was good for the cause that he go to California, but deep down, she did not want to see him go. Mwu had been the one true friend she had had on this entire voyage from Heliopolis and she thought that their relationship may have meant something more to the both of them. Now however, it was likely she would never know.
"Captain..." Murrue blinked back the tears as she turned to the woman standing next to her.
"Let's go Natarle. We can't do anything about it now..." She slowly began her walk back up to her post on the bridge with her first mate right behind her. Murrue could tell by the sad expression on the other woman's face that Natarle was equally as dejected as she was at Mwu's departure. Although she hid the expression very well, Murrue could see right through to the pain that her comrade now felt.
Along the way to the bridge, they passed places that filled Murrue's mind with memories of her now departed friend. The place where he had slapped her playfully on the back when she had questioned if they would reach Alaska, the dent he had placed in the wall with his fist after Kira and Tolle's deaths, and the place he had offered her consolation after her former lover Admiral Halberton's death in battle. All those memories clouded her mind as she stepped into the elevator and ascended toward the bridge.
Once there, she settled into her captain's seat and shut her eyes trying to relax. However, she was quickly interrupted by a voice. "Captain," Chief Petty Officer Neumann said, "Admiral Sutherland on line 1. He says it's urgent."
Murrue moaned silently to herself as she opened her eyes. "Alright. Put him through Mr. Neumann." She watched silently as the view screen went from grey static to the firm, almost scary features of Admiral William Sutherland's face. His short beard and mustache stuck out on his sharp face, with eyes that felt like they could stare into your very soul perpetuated above it.
"Captain Ramius. We have urgent news. ZAFT has launched their forces for their major attack. Kaoshiung and Carpentaria just sent out everything they have."
Oh no...Murrue thought. "Is it Panama like we anticipated sir?"
"Worse," Sutherland continued. "Their trajectory is taking them to the north instead of the east." His eyebrows dipped down to show an expression of anger. "They're headed here."
Murrue heard gasps rise up from every member of the bridge crew including herself and Natarle. Well...almost everyone. The Helmsman Joseph Crew never really said anything and he really didn't seem all that shocked. He just continued to man his post making sure the Archangel stayed on course. "Here? To Alaska?" Murrue said, still trying to overcome the shock.
"I know it's shocking. Our forces are completely dispersed. Most of our heavy ships are in position to defend Panama. Your ship is the only one of its type that is on station here." Sutherland looked straight at the Captain. "I'm ordering you to launch immediately Captain Ramius. Defend the base at all costs."
"But, Admiral...I-."
"That's an order Captain!" Sutherland snapped. "We don't have much time. We must get the valuable intelligence sources out before ZAFT arrives. We're counting on you. Don't disappoint us." And with that, Sutherland was gone.
The bridge sat in utter silence for a few moments as everyone took in what had just happened. Not a word was said among the ten people there for at least a full minute. Finally, Murrue gave out the orders. "Neumann, launch the ship! We'll have to do the best we can with the situation."
"Captain," Natarle commented, "how are we supposed to fight? We have no mobile pilots and our number four igelstellung is down!"
"Like I said, Lieutenant, we'll make the best out of what we can." Murrue activated the control panels in her chair's arm-rest and she heard the whine as the ship's engines fired. "Mr. Chandra. What's the status of Earth Forces vessels in the area?"
"Uh..." Chandra said from his post to her right, "The Archangel's the only battleship here but there are two other assault cruisers within range. The Gallant and the Starscream. Both are within ten miles of here."
"Comm, send a message to both of them. Tell them we'll rendezvous together at point six nine in ten standard minutes." Murrue commanded.
"Yes, ma'am." Neumann replied.
Within ten minutes, the Archangel was joined by the two Eurasian assault cruisers, the Gallant to port and Starscream to starboard. At that precise moment, the radar in front of Petty Officer Tonomura lit up. "Heat contacts," he reported, "Lot's of them!"
"I.D.'s?" Natarle demanded.
"Uhh..." the ship's computer finally identified the crafts as enemies and they were underwater. "We've got at least ten GOOhN's and several unknown, probably ZnO's."
"Commence anti-mobile suit combat." Natarle snapped.
"Mr. Crew, take us up!" Murrue shouted. She then realized that she really didn't have to give the order for Crew had already taken she ship up out of the water. The GOOhN forces rose out of the water to glide on the surface approaching the three ships. A force of seven GOOhN's launched multiple torpedoes at the ships. Because the Archangel had risen up out of the water quickly enough, the torpedoes aimed at her skimmed under the ship. The Gallant however was not so lucky as a total of five torpedoes struck her starboard side causing massive explosions.
"Gallant's been hit!" Chandra shouted.
"Captain, more units approaching." Tonomura added. "Their drop planes!"
"Set helldarts to auto-launch!" Natarle shouted, "Fire Valient's at the GOOhN's, get them off of us!"
Missiles and matter beams screamed out of the Archangel's cannons. Two GOOhN's were wiped out by fire from the Valient's while a helldart got through and took out a drop plane. However, many of the drop planes were able to get past due to the mobile suits attack from below. Archangel doubled back from her present course to head to the east with Starscream turning to the west. The Gallant reacted more slowly due to the damage it received from the torpedoes and was a sitting duck.
Suddenly, Tonomura's counsel lit up with enemy blips. "Heat sources! DINN's approaching from stern!"
"Starboard maximum thrust!" Murrue shouted. The ship turned to the right and the unit of three DINN's flashed above her. It wasn't until then, that Murrue realized the mobile suits weren't after them, they were after the crippled Gallant.
"Tell the Gallant to get out of the way!" Murrue ordered.
"Their radio's out," Neumann said, "Can't get any messages to them!"
The DINN's opened up on the badly listing ship and with no defenses working at the moment, the giant assault cruiser was dead meat. Multiple shots breached her hull causing explosions to rip through the ship. The cruiser dipped down on her starboard side and crashed into the water, now nothing more than a flaming wreck.
Starscream had also fallen under attack from another force of DINN's, who were now being joined by a group of GINN mobile suits. Murrue knew the situation was getting worse by the second.
"Captain!" Crewman Sai Argyle shouted. "Alaska reports enemy troops have entered the base!"
Murrue gasped. The battle had begun just fifteen minutes earlier and ZAFT was already barking at the door. Radar showed Gallant sinking to her watery grave several meters behind the Archangel with Starscream falling under heavy fire. Right now, the Archangel was alone.
"Hit them with everything we've got CIC!" Murrue shouted. "We've got to delay them as much as we can."
"Laser designator!" Natarle ordered. "Fire Korinthos in tubes 15 through 21! Fire Valient's! Activate Igelstellungs!"
As the missiles fired, more enemy craft approached. "Another mobile suit Captain!" Chandra shouted. "It's X-102 Duel!"
Murrue snarled to herself. This guy doesn't give up does he...
"GOOhN's approaching from port!" Tonomura shouted.
"Lower Igelstellung's! Take them out one at a time!" Natarle ordered.
The small laser guns on the bottom of the ship opened fire upon the attacking GOOhN's which had been reduced from a force of twelve to nine. One GOOhN's succumbed to the Igelstellung fire, but three were able to evade and come within striking distance. They prepared to fire their torpedoes at the ship which now lay directly in their path. Then, one of them exploded. The others scattered, unsure of where the enemy fire had come from.
Murrue and the bridge crew weren't sure either. "That wasn't from us..." Natarle said.
"There's another craft in the water," Tonomura said. The blip was too small to be a full warship or mobile suit, but it still registered as an Earth Forces craft. "I-it's one of those old PT assault boats, Captain."
Puzzlement came over Murrue. The PT assault boat had been considered obsolete for years. It was mainly used now as a transport ship for soldiers, but this one apparently, wasn't ready for retirement just yet. "Can you get a comm signal on them?" she asked.
Neumann worked the counsel in front of him and finally found a faint signal. "Got it, Captain."
"Unknown PT boat, please state your business." Murrue commanded.
After some static, a voice finally broke through. "This is Lieutenant Seymour McKinley...third Alaskan...provide cover for transports...evacuating base...headed this way. Archangel we...your help...they need to escape..."
"Captain!?" Natarle asked.
"Mr. Crew, thirty degrees to port! Mr. Pal, provide cover for the assault boat!" Murrue ordered.
"Yes, ma'am!" the weapons officer replied. Igelstellung fire ripped through another GOOhN that attempted to fire on the battleship. From the viewport, Murrue could see the tiny boat skimming the water below. A single man stood on the rear deck firing its thirty-caliber machine gun at the attacking mobile suits. She also saw two other men on board, one of which had to be Lieutenant McKinley.
Now, the Atlantic Federation transports were in plain sight. Six of them were flying at top speed attempting to escape from the mobile suits in the air. Two DINN's broke off their attack runs on the Starscream and pursued the fleeing ships.
"Don't let them touch those ships! Ready Valients! Fire!" Natarle screamed. The cannons on the ship's sides fired round after round into the air attempting to buy the escaping transports more time.
"They're too fast!" Seaman Buskirk shouted from his post.
"Captain!" Chandra yelled over the commotion. "We have more forces approaching from the south. They're headed for the base!"
Murrue knew she had to make a split second decision now. If she let the attacking DINN's go, they would pick the transports off one by one. But if she stayed here, the incoming forces would get around them, assault the main base and kill more Earth Forces soldiers. What do I do...? Murrue thought as she gripped the sides of her chair. Either way, she knew their forces would suffer heavy losses. Then, she had an idea.
"Mr. Crew. Change course! Head south, we'll draw as many of the incoming mobile suits away as we can!"
"Captain!? What about the transports?" Natarle shouted.
"Natarle, we don't have much of a choice! We have to make sure those mobile suits don't reach the main compound." Murrue snapped back.
"Yes, I know but-!" Natarle argued back, but she was interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.
"Kill two birds with one stone, Lieutenant..."
Virtually every person on the bridge went silent. Joseph Crew hadn't said a word since he had stepped on board the ship several weeks ago, but here he was, in the middle of a colossal battle, steering a ship this big, and now he talks?
"Uh...Mr. Crew...?" Murrue managed to blurt out through her shock.
Without turning his chair or taking his eyes of the viewport, Crew spoke again. "If we head south, we know the approaching mobile suits will head toward us, right? Well, that also will mean the DINN forces engaging us will follow us southward, away from the base and the transports."
"Makes sense..." Neumann added. "Right now it seems to be our only option."
"Then get to it!" Murrue ordered. "Mr. Crew, change course to due south! Message the Starscream to follow us! Also caution the assault boat to stay below us!"
"Very well, Captain" Natarle answered. "Fire main engines, change course!"
At that moment, a DINN made an attack on the huge battleship, firing its main guns as it strafed the ship from stern. The ship rocked from multiple hits that struck the ship's rear. The Archangel slowed just a little, but it was enough to make Murrue worry. She quickly pushed a button on her counsel and picked up the phone. "Mr. Murdoch! What happened!?"
"Number three engines been hit!" the Chief Machinests Mate responded, his voice raised so as to amplify it over the increasing noise. "It's down to forty percent output!"
"How long will it take to fix?" Murrue demanded.
"More time than we have right now!" Murdoch responded. "We'll just have to go with three good engines." With that he signed off and the phone went silent. The Archangel was now moving at a considerably slower speed, though it was still moving quicker than the damaged assault cruiser behind her.
"Crewman Argyle!" Murrue shouted. "What's the situation at the main compound?"
"I can't get a clear signal," Sai reported from his station. "But from what I've gotten so far, the ZAFT ground forces have entered the base's main buildings. It's only a matter of time before they overwhelm the base completely!"
A GINN made a pass against the Archangel but was driven off by a storm of machine gun and Igelstellung fire. By now, the Archangel had been heading away from the base for a good ten minutes. "What's our present location Mr. Neumann?"
"Just about ten kilometers away, Captain."
"It's safe to say that this would be a good place to stop now Captain." Natarle said.
Just then, the Duel appeared from out behind a fog bank and made a beeline for the Archangel. Murrue saw him too late and he was already in range, his cannon ready to fire. Murrue began to close her eyes to strain from the impact that was to come, but it never did. Suddenly, a bright flash lit up the Duel, destroying it's cannon and sending it into evasive maneuvers.
"What was that?" Murrue asked.
"I don't know..." Natarle responded. But then, another mobile suit screamed across the front of the bridge. Firing its beam rifle at the attacking Duel and the GINN's. Then, a voice came over the comm. A voice none of them thought they would ever have heard again.
"Archangel! Archangel, come in! Are you alright!?"
Murrue gasped. Natarle's eyes widened. At her station, Miriallia Haw cried out in disbelief. "Kira!? Kira, is that really you!?"
By now, Kira and his new Gundam were speeding off to catch the Duel which was now making a return run, its beam saber drawn. "Miriallia! Do you still have weapons operational?"
Miriallia responded. "Yes, I think so."
Kira drew his own sword and charged after the Duel. "Try and get the GINN's with the big guns, I'll cover you!"
"You heard him Natarle!" Murrue shouted over her shoulder. "Get them with the Gottfrieds."
"Roger that." Natarle answered. "Laser designator online. Gottfried one and two armed."
The two remaining GINN's were now heading at the Archangel from the right, their rifles blazing, trying desperately to get the ship before their power ran out. "Mr. Crew, starboard roll twenty-five degrees!"
Without responding Crew performed the roll flawlessly. One GINN never even got to hit the ship as machine gun fire from the assault boat shredded into the cockpit killing the pilot. The other managed to get several shots in before turning up over the ship.
"Gottfrieds, fire!" Natarle shouted.
The port-side Gottfried fired identical green blasts of energy that cut through the GINN's mid-
section, severing the machine and sending it spiraling down toward the ocean. When the cannons prepared to hit the second GINN, they saw that the assault boat had already destroyed it moments ago.
Wow... Murrue thought, Whoever that guy is, he can really shoot... She turned to look at her monitors on Kira's progress. Right now he was engaged heavily with the Duel, chopping and parrying with his sword trying to keep the other mobile suit away from the ship. At the same time, three more DINN's appeared, ready to fight to the death. More of them? They don't know when to quit...
"Prepare to fire Valient's! Load Korinthos for launch!" Natarle ordered.
Missiles were loaded into the starboard and port tubes, seeking their prey which was now approaching. Igelstellung fire laced through the sky. Kira managed to send the Duel off-balance, slicing off it's legs in the process. Kira kicked away the Duel and headed back to the Archangel. The Starscream was approaching, finally able to move with just two engines working. The DINN's made their attack runs, concentrating on the Archangel's hangars. Murrue could hear the rest of the bridge crew, from herself, to Natarle, from Sai, to even Joseph, exhale intensely as they prepared to engage. It was a fight now.
"Valient's fire! Korinthos in tube sevent-!" Before Natarle finished, it was all over.
A great flash of light erupted from behind the ships, originating from where Alaska Base was located. It expanded to cover the entire skyline from one side of the ocean to the other. Inside, the great field of light, everything in its path was annihilated. Planes and tanks exploded in balls of fire. BuCUE's and GOOhN's caught in the way were shredded to pieces and then set afire. Soldiers were incinerated in an instant, unable to find cover anywhere. There was nowhere to run.
The great wall of light and fire, raged toward the Archangel and the forces around her. The Starscream, which was traveling behind the other battleship, was vaporized in an instant, everything destroyed. The explosion ripped apart two of the DINN's sending their parts crashing down into the ocean. The assault boat was caught in the water by a huge tidal surge, causing the entire boat to soar into the sky ejecting all three combatants. Kira managed to escape the blast's force and the final DINN dragged the Duel out of harm's way so all three somehow escaped.
The blast hit the Archangel in full force, sending the ship flying forwards. Murrue went flying forward from her chair, since she had no time to fasten her safety harness, and landed on the bulkhead next to Neumann's chair. Natarle, also ejected from her post by the shockwave, flew forward, crashing into Murrue in the process. The other members of the crew suffered much of the same fate. Miriallia was saved from crashing into a bulkhead head-first by a quick reaction from Sai who jumped in front and caught her with his own body, sending both of them sprawling to the floor. An explosion sounded from the rear of the ship as one engine came apart. Murdoch, down in the hangar was thrown from where he was standing clear across the bay, somehow remaining uninjured. The only reason the ship did not crash into the water was that Joseph somehow had remained upright and pulled up the ship before the nose smashed into the waves. Finally, the shipped stopped, and Joseph set her down gently onto the water, which was now covered with debris.
Natarle scrambled up, helping Murrue up in the process. They dusted themselves off and helped the remaining bridge crew up. The only injury that was suffered on the bridge was Murrue suffering a cut on her arm when she had hit the bulkhead. After extensive conversation from the bridge throughout the rest of the ship, only two crew members were critically injured. Murrue moved to stand before the viewport and stare out into the horizon.
Just then, the radio came alive again. "Archangel!" Kira called. "Archangel please respond! Archangel, are you alright!?"
Miriallia moved to the comm counsel and responded. "Kira? We're all fine here. The ship's been damaged pretty severely and we have injuries, but otherwise we're fine."
"Captain," Kira said, his face now appearing through the static of the bridge's view screen. "Is the hangar still open? I'll make a landing and assist you if you'll allow it."
"By all means, Kira." Murrue responded. They were going to need all the help they could get right now.
Just then, Chandra called out from his damaged counsel. "What's this!? Captain! There are survivors in the water!"
Murrue quickly moved over to the station where Natarle already stood behind Chandra. The counsel confirmed it, there were two people swimming, or more or less drifting in the water near the ship.
"Get Murdoch to bring those two aboard! Get a medical team down to the hangar at once Lieutenant!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Natarle said. She sprinted out of the bridge and toward the hangar.
"Captain," Sai said from behind her, "May I suggest you get that arm looked at. It appears you injured it when the explosion occurred."
Murrue finally looked down at her arm that she knew was injured. Indeed, blood was spreading across the sleeve of her uniform jacket. It was the same area of her arm that had taken the bullet at Heliopolis. Now it was injured again.
"I'll head down in a moment. Right now Crewman Argyle, see if you can find the status of the base and the origin of that shockwave." Murrue ordered.
"Yes, Captain" Sai responded and headed to his station. Murrue sat back down in her chair, holding her arm in the place where it was bleeding. Miriallia brought over a cool wash-rag and pressed it to her arm, trying to soak up the blood. "Thank you, Miriallia..." Murrue said. The brunette smiled and turned away, heading to where Sai was sitting."
"Good God..." Sai said, which caused everyone on the bridge to look over at him. Murrue stood up and wandered over to his station. Alaska Base was completely gone, as was the Eurasian Force that was patrolling the waters just minutes before. "It's gone...it's all gone..." Sai murmured. "They must have pierced the main reactor and caused it to meltdown. That must have been what the blast was. There's nothing left...no buildings, no vehicles...no nothing..."
Murrue looked over and saw tears forming in Miriallia's eyes. Murrue knew how hard these past few weeks had been on the young woman, losing her boyfriend Tolle a few weeks ago and now this. No person should have to go through all that... Murrue thought, and yet, there are thousands more people like her...
"Captain," Neumann reported behind her. "Kira Yamato has just landed. Mr. Murdoch and his team have pulled the survivors out of the water."
Murrue looked at her counsel and saw Murdoch kneeling beside one man who was down on the ground holding his shoulder. The other was...well, leaning over the railing, probably losing whatever he had had for breakfast that morning. "Mr. Murdoch," she called, "have you identified them?"
Murdoch's voice finally came through as he stood up. "They're both from the assault boat. The one over there is Lieutenant McKinley. He's alright, but the other one's got a dislocated shoulder and he swallowed a lot of salt water."
"Do you know who he is?" Murrue asked.
Murdoch paused for a moment, then finally said, "Private First Class, Cooper Bradford...General Bradford's kid..."
Murrue gasped. General Woodrow Bradford was the head of the 5th fleet which guarded the Ptolemus Base on the Moon. He was a well respected man in the Earth Forces military, having won several key victories without taking heavy losses in his own right. If this was his son... "Thank you Murdoch, make sure they get the appropriate medical attention." she ordered.
"Yes, ma'am." Murdoch answered as he signed off. Just then, Natarle arrived with the medical team to treat the two men. At least these two would be alright.
Just then, the bridge doors opened and in stepped Kira Yamato. He was clad in a ZAFT pilot's uniform, but other than that, he looked exactly the same as he had the day he had left in the Strike, the day they all had believed he died. Miriallia sprinted towards him, giving him a hug as she said his name. Sai and Kuzzey also came up to Kira expressing their happiness that he was alive. This made Murrue feel better. At least they had something to feel good about.
"Captain," Kira said as he approached Murrue. "It's good to see you again...I apologize for the damage...I tried to stop them but..."
"That's alright Kira," Murrue responded, placing a hand on his shoulder, "as long as you're alive, that makes all the difference."
"Thank you ma'am." Kira said. At that moment, Murrue remembered something. Something she absolutely needed to confirm.
Mwu...
"Crewman Argyle." she said, "what was the status of the submarines at the base?"
"Uh...I really don't know..." Sai responded, "On the initial scan they weren't there, but there was no debris there that would say they would have been destroyed...so..." Sai's voice tapered off. Murrue knew why. Sai's "fiance" Flay Allster was also aboard one of those submarines and she knew he wanted to be sure she was O.K., even though she had hurt him greatly in the past.
Murrue frowned. "Thank you Sai." With that, she turned to the front of the bridge. "Mr. Neumann, I'll be returning to my quarters...if anything else develops, call me."
"Yes, ma'am," Neumann responded. Murrue then left the bridge and descended in the elevator toward her quarters. Along the way, she passed many crew members carrying medical supplies and spare parts needed on the ship right now. It made her feel a little better knowing that her crew was doing everything possible, even without her orders, to get everyone and everything working again.
She finally reached her quarters and stepped inside. She slipped off her jacket and then discovered that the wound was just a really big cut. She went into her bathroom and soaked a clean wash-rag in cold water, pressing it against her bare skin as she sat down on her bed. The cool water made her feel better, since she had been sweating for almost the entire battle. She bandaged the wound as best she could and laid down on her back. Tears formed in her eyes as she fell asleep. The last thing that ran through her mind before she drifted off was of her friend's unknown fate. Mwu...please be alright...please...
-Archangel, July 6, C.E. 71, 2150.
Mwu's eyes were narrow as Murrue's story ended. The stories he had heard had not been nearly as bad as the one she had told, but she was the only one there he had spoken to on the subject. His sub had been outside of the blast zone when the massive shockwave had detonated, so he and the other senior officers were unharmed. For him, the battle was all escape and relief that he was O.K. For someone like her, the battle was a living hell.
He looked up and saw Murrue staring down at her desk, her eyes showing a sadness that made him feel awful. "Captain..." Mwu said as he stood up, "I'm sorry...I didn't know it was that bad...I'm stupid for making you retell it..."
"No, Mwu," she said as she stood up to join him. "It's fine. I needed to tell it to someone. It may as well have been you. I feel a lot better now..." Mwu could tell that she was still upset over the fact that the Earth Forces had been so decimated and herself so humiliated.
"Hey," he said as he placed a finger under her chin, lifting her eyes to his. "You know what, this ship...and everyone on it...would have died there if you hadn't made the decision to draw away the mobile suits. You saved everyone. You're a hero Murrue."
Her smile didn't reflect her mood however, "Thank you, but it still doesn't feel right. We lost many good men and women that day. Now, we stand to lose more, you and the rest."
He smiled back down at her, "What...you don't think we can pull it off?"
She smiled cheerfully back, "Yes, I believe you can succeed...it's just...it's likely you all won't make it back..."
"That how war is," he responded. "If this will help end it, bring it on...anyways, I should be getting back. Gotta be rested up for tomorrow."
"Thank you Mwu," she said.
Puzzlement came over him, "For what?"
"For making me feel better," she responded. She walked up to him and embraced him. Mwu hadn't expected this, but he went with it anyway, encircling her with his own arms as she rested her head against his heart. "You're back...that's what makes me feel good."
They came out of their embrace and Mwu went out through the door. "Good night, Captain." He shut the door and heard her say "Good night," in response. Once he was down the hall, away from her quarters, he smiled. This mission just keeps getting better and better...