-La Grange Point 4, August 12, C.E. 71, 0500.
Admiral Cantarii stood on the forefront of the Kusanagi's bridge. The blackness of space encompassed the great ship as it trundled towards its destination. The bridge was quiet, he sensed no crewmember was in the mood for much talking at the moment. His eyes were focused on a bright object in the ship's path. From where he stood, the colony of Mendel wasn't much for the eye to see. Like any other of the Earth Alliance colonies of its design, its giant circular ends rotated on an axis slowly in a counterclockwise motion. The side panels on the circular end reflected lights from the support structure of the axis and caused the panels to appear light blue, when they were actually just a clear color when the lights were off. About three kilometers in length, weighing in at easily over 50,000 tons, Mendel was considered a good sized colony. That is, before it was abandoned five years earlier after a biological accident had caused poisonous gas to circumnavigate through its corridors and successfully suffocate nearly the entire staff of the colony's scientists.
Mendel had been designated as uninhabitable, and based on its location, it wasn't even considered a strategic point anymore, because it sat on the edge of the L4 Cluster, not near any of the other Earth Alliance colonies orbiting the planet in the sanctity of L4. When Lord Uzumi had been searching for somewhere to start expanding the Orb military in case of something like this happening, he'd seen Mendel as a perfect place to start. Working countless hours, using many of Orb's resources from not only the homeland, but Heliopolis and Gyndana as well, workers had managed to filter out almost all of the poisonous gas from the colony's interior, and allow safe passage into its holds. For the past few months, the colony had secretly been undergoing rennovations to make it more suitable for holding the ships in the vastly expanding Orb Orbital Fleet. Ships would be sitting inside the docking berths at the moment, being serviced or just relaxing. However, because of the intuition by the technicians of the Morgenrate Corporation, which included the chief technician Erica Simmons, and the Kusanagi's own Chief Machinest's Mate, Nathan Kellhorn, the Earth Alliance and ZAFT, could see none of it. A system was in place that would make Mendel seem as though it was just another colony, nothing going on near, or around it. It began with simple radar jamming. Like the N-Jammers which ZAFT had deployed at the beginning of the war, these machines blocked out all radio transmissions between ships and forces that were not connected to the Orb military. Only ships in the Orb fleet knew how to decypher the radar's complex jamming. On top of being blind from the inside, the enemy was also blind from the outside. Using technology they had used in the design of the Mirage Colloid system, Morgenrate had been able to manipulate the gas particles spread by the device, and make crude but effective illusions out of them. Unlike the Mirage Colloid, which masked its carrier completely and made it appear invisible, this device, codenamed Mirage Expander, only blocked out the ships and other machines orbiting Mendel. However, the device made the colony completely visible in its entirety. To the naked eye or ship, Mendel was just another colony, not even worthy of scouting. It was only if you treaded closer than 30 meters to the colony could you see the whole truth of the matter. So far, the technology had proven effective, and the Orb Fleet had successfully migrated from the homeland to their base in space.
The rear doors to the bridge slid aside and Captain Jackson entered. "Any change, Captain" Cantarii asked, puffing on his cigarette.
"Nothing to report, Admiral. Lord Uzumi beat us here it appears, so he's waiting for us." Jackson sat his tall form in his chair and activated the console in its arm-rest. "The Archangel and the Eternal haven't said a word to us since we left L3."
"That ensures radio silence, yes. Good work."
"Should I tell Mendel to drop the Expander, Admiral?" Lieutenant Manchisco asked from the CIC.
"Not yet. Wait until we're close enough so that anybody snooping around the local space will see us come past it." He clasped his hands behind his back and stretched as far as his old body would allow. "Send a message to them, though, to give the clearance codes to the Archangel and Eternal, Lieutenant. Also send word to Lieutenant Lapina that he's to prepare the rest of his unit for boarding immediately after we dock. We can't afford to just have the six M1's we got already if the big shooting starts. We've got to have a full hangar."
"Yes, sir" Manchisco answered.
"All hands to level 2 battle stations" Jackson commanded. "Tell 'em to get to their stations but don't get 'em too antsy. This is only precautionary in case we've got someone tailing us, so tell the others not to worry. Give Ensign Caldwell and Ensign Labatt the go to launch on escort duty."
"Yes, Captain Jackson" a crewman replied.
"I expect Lord Uzumi will be wanting to meet with us when we arrive, Captain" Cantarii said, moving towards his seat behind his large, intimidating Captain. He sat down and said, "Be sure and tell Colonel Namora and General Waltfeld that they'll be expected to attend as well, along with any other personnel they feel should be in attendance. I'm leaving you in charge of the ship until I return. Understand"
"Completely , Admiral." Mendel now loomed larger in the viewport of the Kusanagi, it's circular ends reflecting their blue light across the ship as it approached.
"We're within thirty meters, Bob" Manchisco said. "Should I send the signal"
"See to it, Josh" Jackson replied.
-Archangel, 0520.
"Captain Ramius, to the bridge please! Captain Ramius, to the bridge"
The intercom's blast woke Mwu up from his dreary slumber. His eyes blinked back the sleep he'd cherished so much. The weight in his arms reminded him where he was, and he smiled. Murrue still slept soundly in his strong arms, not moving except for the rise and fall of her chest when she breathed. Her autumn colored hair fell around her face, which was smiling. Her eyes were shut completely, resting in their current peace. Mwu really didn't want to wake her up, but he really had no choice. Based on the time the clock on Murrue's endtable said, they should be arriving at Mendel at this very moment. That meant they'd both have to go back to work, and resume their duties on board.
Mwu leaned his head in towards hers and whispered into her ear, "Murrue." She didn't respond. "Captain" Mwu said. Still, Murrue didn't respond. Mwu looked at her face and saw that her smile had increased and that her eyes were open just enough so he could see the whites inside her eyelids. He smiled. "I know you're awake Murrue. They need you on the bridge."
"I don't wanna" she murmured at last, snuggling closer to Mwu, nestling her head in the nape of his neck. Mwu inhaled. He knew what she was doing. She was using her own smell, which she knew he loved, to tease him into letting her stay in his arms a while longer.
He chuckled ever so slightly. "I know you don't" he whispered. "But, I think we've arrived. You'll have to go up to the bridge and take command of the ship."
Slowly, Murrue removed her head from his neck and stared into his eyes. "You're no fun" she commented.
Mwu smiled. "I know."
Reluctantly, Murrue slid out of Mwu's arms and stood gingerly up. Mwu stretched out on her bed while she put on her uniform jacket, zipping it all the way up to her neck. He fought back a yawn and stood up, stretching his arms behind his head. She sat down on the bed and slipped her shoes onto her feet, lacing them up carefully. Moving around the bed, Mwu extended his hand to the beautiful woman he'd just held through the entire night. "May I have the honor of escorting you to the bridge, Captain"
Murrue chuckled. "You may, Commander" she said, taking his hand and letting him drag her to her feet. Shutting the lights off, Murrue locked her door behind her and the two lovebirds floated towards the bridge, now as officers of the Archangel. What they'd done for each other would remain a secret between the two of them. It wouldn't be good for anyone else to know about it anyways. As of now, it would be their little secret. Where it took them next, only time would tell.
-Mendel, August 12, C.E. 71, 0600.
As the trio of ships approached, Mendel took on a new shape and form. As they passed the thirty meter barrier, and the radar jamming and Mirage Expander's effects were disabled, a transformation took place along the colony that no one outside of the Orb military could have anticipated. Two large warships, smaller in size than the three newcomers, the Peleuia and the Capricorn, were docked outside of the colony. Similar in shape to their mother ship, the Kusanagi, these two ships served as escorts for the Kusanagi on voyages across space. Inside the colony, a smaller ship, the Intelligence vessel Vasconi, rested inside the first docking berth. Capable of intercepting all forms of communication, both from the Earth Alliance and ZAFT, she was a critical combat asset, and the Orb Fleet's sole intelligence center. Other smaller craft, mining Mistrals and larger M1 Astrays orbitted the colony on patrol, seeking out any unknown craft. The full extent of Mendel had been revealed.
The large ships executed separate 180 degree turns and backed slowly towards the colony. The doors to the docking births slid open, like the jaws of a giant whale, and swallowed their prey as they disappeared inside. The docks were massive, almost 200 meters in length, easily able to hold the Archangel, Kusanagi, Eternal, and the Vasconi with plenty of room to spare. Machinery and other equipment lay strewn on the decks adjoining the docks, waiting to be set upon their new arrivals and service them in whatever ways possible. Large tubes extended from holes in the walls, fuel and water suppliers to restock the ships with their precious liquids. Crews floated through the hangars, many in space suits to protect them against the harshness of exposed space, performing their duties with startling efficiency.
All three warships hissed to a stop and their engines fell silent. From an observation platform above the massive dock, a thick, plastic window spread across it for protection, several individuals watched the three ships slide into the berths and become quiet at last. The former Chief Representative of Orb, Lord Uzumi Nara Athha, stood at the front of the platform, hands clasped behind his bac k, his body tall and rigid, his face stern and serious. This was the man who had kept Orb out of the fierce fighting the war had wrought upon the Earth from its breakout, and had constantly pressed the neutrality of his nation in the face of the Earth Alliance and ZAFT. But now, that was all over. Orb had been brought into the war viciously, many of its citizens killed. Uzumi knew they could not avoid a fight any longer. He longed to be back on the homeland though, protecting his citizens until his last breath, but for better or for worse, he was here now, and he would have to live with it.
Next to Uzumi stood Erica Simmons, the chief technician and designer for Morgenrate, the company that had built the Archangel, the Kusanagi, the X-numbers, and the M1 Astrays. A clipboard rested on the front portion of her arm and she was scribbling something in it. "I imagine Morgenrate will want to examine our new visitors soon, Mrs. Simmons" Uzumi said in his deep, commanding voice.
"If you will allow it, yes, Lord Uzumi" Erica replied.
"You have permission, but you are strongly advised not to touch anything that the soldiers on either the Archangel or the Eternal tell you not to" Uzumi advised. "We don't want to frighten them." Uzumi turned to several soldiers who were standing behind him and said"I would like to speak with Admiral Cantarii and the others before they leave their ships."
"Come this way, Lord Uzumi" one of the soldiers said. "We'll take you to the communications room and get you a video screen. You can see them, and they'll see you bright as day."
"I appreciate that" Uzumi said, inclining his head in a slight bow, which the soldiers returned.
Fifteen minutes later, Uzumi's image was being played to the bridges of the Archangel, Kusanagi, and Eternal, their crews watching and listening intently. "I'd like to welcome you all to Mendel. As you can imagine, based on the current situation we cannot make many of you too welcome here at this time. But we will treat you as guests nonetheless."
John stood in the middle of the Archangel's bridge, his feet off the deck with the lack of gravity at the moment. Murrue sat in her chair with Mwu and Frank standing behind her. The others on the bridge were at their stations. Natarle sat in the center of the CIC, listening to Uzumi through a portable headset. Stevy and Niada floated in the weightlesness on either side of the bridge, their arms folded, listening intently. "Your actions at Gyndana are worthy of the utmost praise and gratitude. I can honestly say that I, along with everyone in the Orb Union, am truly grateful for what you've done."
On the Kusanagi, Admiral Cantarii puffed on another cigarette as he sat in his chair behind Captain Jackson. "I imagine you are all quite tired from your long journey, and I'd prefer that you all got some rest now that you've arrived. We will commence with the resupplying of your ships as was promised by myself when we last spoke" Uzumi's image said.
"I would hope that you would join me later, when you are rested, and we can discuss the matters at hand." Andy sighed quietly from inside the Eternal's bridge. His one eye provided him with enough sight so he could see the Lion of Orb clearly, but his vision was still blurred from the explosion. Lacus sat behind Andy, her hands folded in her lap, her long, pink hair flowing around her in the weightless state. "There are also other matters to which I would like to tell you about. Current events as to what's been happening with the war. Until then, my friends." Uzumi bowed his head and his image disappeared.
-Vesalius, L4 Cluster, 1000.
"The Relentless and the others have joined us" Ades reported. "Commander Slythr's going to be sending a transmission link to us from his ship. We were lucky he managed to catch up to us and still keep sight of the legged ship and the others."
"Yes" Rau agreed. "I imagine Tomas will have quite the inspirational thought as to what we should do now that we've managed to link up."
"Captain Ades" a crewman reported. "We've lost track of the legged ship and the Eternal"
"What" Ades said. "How can we have lost track of them? They were right in front of us"
"Well, there's no sign of them, sir. One minute they were there, plain as day, and the next, they were gone. Like they disappeared in thin air."
"Damn" Rau cursed. He floated up towards the map display in the rear of the bridge, where Yzak and the other pilots stood at attention. "What was their last known position"
"Mark, delta five-nine-eight, charlie course six-zero-two." The data was entered into the map's computer and the coordinates came up as a blinking red dot.
"Right next to the Mendel colony..." Rau commented. Mendel was an old scientific research colony that had been declared a biohazard after poisonous gas had been spread throughout the colony. "How could they have just disappeared"
"Perhaps the hazardous materials inside Mendel blocked our signals and they're just hiding there" Ades suggested.
"No, we can rule that out" Rau said. He pointed at the colony's position on the map and added"The gas inside Mendel may be poisonous, but all of our recon missions to investigate it never brought back any traces of radar interference or other disturbances inside or around the colony. There's something else we're not seeing."
"If the legged ship and the others manage to somehow get away from us Commander, what will we do then" Yzak asked. "We can't just wander around here aimlessly. The Earth Forces will have to spot us some time while we're here."
"That's if they find us here, Yzak" Rau reprimanded. "You all will have to be on first alert while we're here in L4" he said, referring to Yzak and the other pilots. "With the Earth Forces being the dominate presence in this sector, we can't afford to take too many chances with the risks of being spotted. Just be on alert in case something happens."
"Yes, sir" the pilots said in unison. They all saluted and left the bridge immediately, heading for their machines. Rau and Ades continued to study the map of the surrounding airspace, going over any possibility that could have allowed the enemy ships to escape detection.
A few minutes later, Commander Slythr's image appeaerd on the Vesalius' main viewscreen. Rau saluted and his fellow team leader returned it. "Le Creuset" Slythr said in his deep voice. His face barely even moved a muscle when he spoke or did anything else for that matter.
"Tomas. It's an honor to work with you again. I'm inclined to report that we've lost the trail of the legged ship and the others. Right now, our radar and thermal detectors are not functioning, so we've lost track of them."
"We're having the same trouble over here, le Creuset" Slythr agreed. "None of our laser detectors are working either so we can't detect anything within thirty meters of the Mendel colony."
"You suspect a trap, Tomas" Rau questioned, raising an eyebrow behind the mask that covered his eyes.
"Possibly. It would be an ideal place for the Earth Alliance to stage an ambush."
"But it would make no sense to do it" Rau added to Tomas' theory. "Why lure us all the way out here just to destroy our forces? I find it hard to imagine that four Nazca-class and one Laurasia-class are worth putting together this type of an ambush."
"Agreed. But we can't rule out the possibilty just yet. Our orders from Chairman Zala state that our top priority is to either recapture or destroy the Eternal, which was stolen by Lacus Clyne and Andrew Waltfeld, as you most likely know already."
"We were briefed the details of our mission, yes" Rau answered. "However, in our current state, we can't take the risk of revealing ourselves by searching for them. My guess is they're just hiding somewhere. They couldn't have left this area undetected without us knowing."
"Our most logical course of action would be to just sit and wait behind one of the cluster's asteroids" Slythr said. "Wait until something shows on the radar and them jump 'em."
"My thought's exactly. We'll both be on full alert until then. Thank you, Commander. Vesalius out." Rau saluted, Slythr returned it. "Ades. Message the Ziegler and have her drop anchor on one of the nearby asteroids. She along with the rest of our forces will have to just wait for now."
"Yes, sir" Ades responded. With that, Rau took his leave of the bridge.
Minutes later, Rau arrived back in his office. On his way, his body had begun hurting badly once again. He needed another medication tablet. He stumbled into his office and fell to his knees next to his desk, holding his stomach with his hands. Soon, there was another presence beside him. The red-haired, Natural girl he'd taken prisoner at Alaska. Flay Allster. "You look tired" she said. "Are you alright"
"Yes..." Rau managed, getting to his feet. "I'm fine." He managed to get to his desk and shoved a pill into his mouth. "Hand me that water glass would you please" he asked. Flay did so, quietly, and unemotionally. The water was cool against Rau's throught as it washed down his medication. At once, his body stopped hurting and he relaxed into his chair. "I'm sorry to keep you pinned up like this aboard the ship."
"Why are we travelling so much" Flay wondered. "You're putting to much pressure on youself. It's too much for you."
Rau sighed. "I'm afraid we have no choice in the matter."
"Why" Flay asked. "What's so important about being out here in the middle of nowhere"
Rau looked at the young girl and then smiled. "Let's just say I've found a key to end the war. I just need to find out how to open the door."
-Mendel, 2000.
"The Cyclops System no doubt." Uzumi's voice was calm as he spoke with the others inside Mendel's only central meeting room. A hard-wood table with four chair on each side. Uzumi sat at the head, with Admiral Cantarii across from him. Behind the Admiral stood Kisaka and Josef, both in their Orb Union military uniforms. John sat to Uzumi's right with Mwu, Murrue, Kira, Athrun, and Cagalli behind him. Finally, Lacus sat to his left, with Andy and DaCosta behind her. It was as diverse a meeting if they ever saw one.
"Cyclops System" John asked.
"That's most likely the name of the device they used at Alaska to destroy the ZAFT forces" Cantarii said.
"Intelligence decoded a message from JOSH-A to New York saying that whatever the Cyclops System was was nearly completed. We didn't know what it was at the time" Josef said. "But based on what happened at JOSH-A, that leaves little doubt as to what the Cyclops System was."
"That also appears to be the technology they used to wipe out the ZAFT forces on the Grimaldi front a year ago" Cantarii added. "That was likely the prototype for the one used at JOSH-A."
"It once again demonstrates how low the Earth Forces are willing to sink in order to win this war" Uzumi said. "They kept it even from their own soldiers. That they knew where ZAFT would strike."
"The PLANTs didn't know Alaska was Spitbreak's target either" Lacus said. "Chairman Zala deceived us all into thinking it was Panama. My father received word just after the operation was launched."
"Patrick had been leaning towards Panama during the time when it had to be approved by the Council, just to get his opponents to shut up." Andy smirked. "At the last minute he changed the target to JOSH-A, so nobody would be able to stop the operation from starting. If he only knew what was waiting for him."
"But the effects of that victory haven't been as fruitful as the Earth Forces thought they would be. With Panama gone, the Earth Forces' lunar base is cut off from the rest of the world. They're top priority in the near future will undoubtedly be to secure a mass driver of their own."
"That's why they attacked Orb in retrospect, then" John commented. "They used the need for a mass driver as an excuse to attack you."
"Luckily we destroyed our driver at Kaguya before they could get their greedy hands on it." Uzumi activated a remote and the screen at the end of the room came online. The image showed a pile of smoking rubble and debris, steel and other metals all jumbled together. "This is what's left of Kaguya's facilities. Based on our efforts, it's obvious that no amount of Earth Alliance technology will be able to reassemble it." Uzumi brought up two more images, both of similar shape and form. "These are the facilities at Panama and Argentina. As you can see, they're in the same condition as the one at Kaguya. No one will be able to use them again."
"Three mass drivers gone in less than two weeks" Mwu commented. "This war isn't taking any prisoners."
"With the Earth Alliance still searching for a new mass driver, they're next target will most likely be Carpentaria, based on the fact that they now have the bases on the Australian mainland at their disposal" Cantarii said.
"Australia has officially declared itself an Earth Alliance supporter, as has the Kingdom of Scandanavia" Uzumi told John and the others, who had no news of these developments. "Based on the losses the ZAFT forces suffered at Alaska, this is what resulted on the Australian mainland." Uzumi activated the remote again and the iamge of a large, fat man took the place of the piles of rubble.
"The losses at Alaska are undeniable, and the PLANTs continue to refuse sending aid to our people! ZAFT has deserted us like the cowards they really are! The Coordinators will bring about the death of us all if we do not stand up for ourselves and take action! We must work for the preservation of our blue and pure world"
"The world is uniting in its hatred of Coordinators" Uzumi said. "Blue Cosmos ideals are spreading all over the Earth."
"And anti-Natural sentiments have already overtaken the PLANTs" Lacus added. "Both sides are bent on destroying one another. It's all very sad."
"With people like Patrick Zala and Murata Azrael leading both sides, there's almost no hope for a peaceful solution to be reached between the two forces" Uzumi said, standing up. "They won't stop until either side has been completely wiped out. I feel it is our duty, to stop them."
"Keep both sides, which hate the other with their very soul, from destroying each other" John remarked. "It's a nearly impossible task, Lord Uzumi. Do you think we can do it"
"The Earth Alliance betrayed you and your comrades, Colonel Namora" Uzumi said. "Now you are dedicated to keeping the equipment and people at your disposal out of their hands. In the same way, Miss Clyne has been labeled a traitor to the PLANTs, though she has done nothing to deserve that mark. Now she is determined to not let the hatred spread to all the PLANTs, and for the Earth to be preserved from any further destruction. You both are fighting for the same thing. Orb is as well. While separate, we cannot hope to achieve our respective goals. But together, there is no limit to what we can achieve." Uzumi now faced the screen, his back to the others in the room. "That is why I'm proposing an alliance. One uniting Naturals and Coordinators. One dedicated to preserving mankind itself. If this war continues, mankind will undoubtedly be destroyed and the remnants will linger over the once beautiful Earth and space. We cannot allow that to happen." Uzumi turned and stared at his daughter Cagalli and the two boys who were standing next to her. "Kira and Athrun are Coordinators, while Cagalli is a Natural. Yet, despite their differences, they have learned to trust and respect one another. They have learned to co-exist and tolerate each other's differences. That is what must happen if this war is to end." Uzumi turned his head again to face the screen. "The planet we all love must be brought back together once again. At it must happen soon."
"What's your opinion on this matter, Lord Uzumi" All eyes in the room turned to Kira, who had uttered the question. "What are Orb's plans now that the country's been involved in the war"
Uzumi turned his head to face Kira and responded"I believe it is time for Orb's sword to remove its veil of silence and speak out to the world." Kira smiled. "We must prevent the Earth Forces and ZAFT from annihilating each other, and destroying the Earth." Uzumi turned to face his visitors again and said"Since I have no military experience whatsoever, I'm entrusting you, Admiral Cantarii, with the Orb Fleet and any others who wish to join us. I will provide whatever support I can."
Cantarii stood up and saluted, which Uzumi returned. "Thank you, sir." Uzumi bowed to his guests and left the room. Cantarii laid his hands on the table and sighed. "All this action's getting tough on an old body. What we have to do now is find out where to start."
"We can't do much in our present situation" Andy reminded him. "Archangel and Eternal are both in need of resupplying and repair, so they won't be able to move for a while."
"Plus the Kusanagi needs to restock her mobile suit team, yes" Cantarii added. "We can't make many moves with only six ships at our disposal. But the bright side of that is, both sides don't know we're here, so they won't be paying much attention to us."
"What we need right now is time" John added. "Time for our forces to organize and strike. Time to figure out what to do with our resources."
"Time we may not have at this point." Everyone turned to Josef, who added"I received word from the Vasconi that they'd intercepted a transmission from the PLANTs to their forces stationed in the space around the planet." Josef produced a slip of paper from the pocket of his jacket and set it on the table in front of Cantarii. Both Andy and John leaned across the table to be able to read it as well.
"That's not good at all" Andy said. "Zala's recalling almost the entire space fleet to home space."
"He's bringing everybody back to the PLANTs. But why" John asked.
"There's nothing important scheduled in the next few weeks, so it couldn't be for ceremony" Lacus added.
"This many ships being recalled represents only one thing." Cantarii stared into the eyes of everyone in the room. "Invasion. He's recalling his entire fleet to set the invasion force up. He's going to try and end the war again in one move."
"But so many people were already lost at Alaska" Kisaka commented. "ZAFT must be getting desperate."
"Desperation was attacking Panama with only a token force" Mwu commented.
"This is most likely what my father's been planning the entire time" Athrun said. "He's just been waiting for the right opportunity to show his true face. He won't miss a chance to destroy the Earth Forces and wipe out the Naturals."
"Transmission doesn't say where they're being recalled to, though" Cantarii commented. "And that's what we've got to find out. Mr. Crue? Will the Vasconi be able to decypher any more of the message"
"It's possible, Admiral. But we won't know until tomorrow at the least."
"We'll reconvene then. Our forces will meet again at 1000 tomorrow morning, to decide our next moves. Get some rest, and we'll see you then." Cantarii saluted, and everyone returned it.
-Kusanagi, August 13, C.E. 71, 0500.
Murdoch stepped onto the ship's deck inside the hangar. Clothed in his usual orange and white coveralls, he was ready for work. Behind him, walked three more of the Archangel's deck crew. Hank Rodriguez, one of the Gyndana Guardsmen who had come aboard the ship, and two others who were also aboard at the time the ship left the colony. Captain Ramius had given the men jobs within the Archangel's deck crew, to keep their minds away from the tragedy that had happened to them all.
The group met up with Kellhorn, the Kusanagi's Chief Machinest's Mate. He was smoking another cigarette and giving orders to some of his own men on how to fix the drive mechanism on an M1, when Murdoch came up to him. "Welcome aboard, Chief Murdoch" Kellhorn said, shaking Murdoch's hand. "We really appreciate you guys coming aboard."
"What did you want us for, exactly" Murdoch asked. "I assumed that you had enough personnel on board here to see to any of your own needs."
"Yes, we do as a matter of fact, have enough personnel for this ship" Kellhorn answered.
"Then what do you need us for" Rodriguez asked, beneath the baseball hat on top of his head.
"Please come with me, gentlemen." Kellhorn led the group through the hangar complex. "The reason we wanted you to join us was that Director Simmons believes you can be of assistance with certain developments we've been working on."
"Such as..."
"Converting the two Skygraspers you had inside the Archangel into space-worthy craft, for example" Kellhorn said, climbing up a ladder towards a gangway on the far side of the hangar.
"Who gave that order" Murdoch asked. "Those are designed for use within the atmosphere of Earth."
"I know. But because our force is so small, we're going to need all the combat equipment we can get our hands on, so we decided to experiment with those two." Kellhorn turned to Murdoch and said"You got the documents we asked for, correct"
"Right here" Murdoch said, pulling a slip of paper out of his pocket. "The cockpit schematics for the Strike and the Buster. What do you need those for, if you're working on the Skygraspers"
"You'll find out eventually. My people will take care of it." Kellhorn folded the paper and slipped it into his own pocket. He wiped his thick glasses on the fabric of his coveralls and said"Everything seems to be in order, so I'll let you guys get to work."
Kellhorn began to walk away, but Murdoch said"Hey wait! If you're taking care of that, then what did you need us for"
"See those tools on the bench over there" Kellhorn said, with a grin. Murdoch nodded, and Kellhorn said"We're gonna be busy with this stuff, so you're taking our jobs for today. That M1 beside you needs its thrusters replaced and the drive unit cleared. That should keep you busy for a while, no"
Kellhorn walked away, leaving the stunned men in his wake. Murdoch scratched his head, and finally sighed. "Alright guys! Get to work! We've been given our orders, and let's get it over with."
Hank grabbed a wrench out of the tool box and took his baseball cap off. He heard the two men behind him complaining in their own conversation and he said"Guys. Nobody said this was going to be easy." The two men looked at each other as if to say, Don't we know it...
-Archangel, 0800.
The water rained down on Athrun. It cleansed his body of the grime and other particles that were unseen to the human eye. It dampened his hair and face, made him feel refreshed. "We've got hot water" he shouted, which was followed by a chorus of cheers from the others in the shower room.
"Now if only we could get some decent soap, we'd be on easy street" Neumann commented, standing over the sink and washing his hands.
Beside him, Frank covered his chin with white lather, preparing for a shave. "You're complaining about soap Arnie? Next thing you know, you'll be bitchin' about the lack of air-fresheners on board"
"Shut it" Neumann responded. "What are you even doing here, Commander? You and the other officers have your own private bathrooms."
"Water hasn't been reconnected to 'em yet, so I'm stuck using the same one as you guys. You objecting to my being here" Neumann didn't respond.
Next to him, Frank could see Coop pushed a few strands of hair away from his forehead. The thirty stitches in his head were like a black snake sitting idle. Coop's face was pained when he saw them sticking out of his head, standing out against the backdrop of his skin. "I'm gonna get those bastards for this" he commented to Frank.
"Don't worry about 'em, they'll learn their lesson soon enough. They got stuck cleaning this place for as long as Lieutenant Badgiruel tells 'em to." Frank moved the razor in his hand across his chin, picking up lather in its wake.
Neumann sniffed the air, and made a scrunched face. "Man, what kind of shaving cream you usin' Commander"
"Now you're complaining about that! What the hell is wrong with you." He picked up the can that he had used and said"It's Edge Pro-Gel, what do you..." Frank suddenly squeezed his fist and crushed the can with his steel hand. "Damn it" he shouted, throwing the crushed can across the room, splattering it on the wall.
Coop watched the can clatter to the ground and commented"Whipped in place of shaving cream? That's Donnie, Jake, and Mike for you."
"Consider them officially dead" Frank said, wiping off his face with a rag and leaving the room in a huff.
"They're just making enemies left and right" Neumann commented.
"They better hope I get to them first before he does" Coop added.
In another part of the ship, Murrue floated against the wall of one of the corridors. She had gotten a full night of rest for once, without thinking about the bad things that had happened to her. Whether it was the horrors of the war, to her being raped as a child, her life had been one terror after another. But being close to Mwu last night, she had felt safe and protected for the first time in years. He was the best thing that had happened to her since, well, ever.
As she passed one of the crew quarters, she thought she heard the strings of a guitar being played. She listened in and heard Stevy Barrington talking with someone inside his own quarters. "Yeah, I've got to work on that spot right there to get the lyrics to fit. Otherwise it's going to sound like shit."
"You wrote it youself" the voice belonged to Jay Haas.
"Yeah. I call it White Wedding. I've been working on it for years, and I'm almost done with it, finally. I just need to work on the drum part and we'll have us a song. You think you can take a look at it, Jay"
"Sure, if I got the time" Jay answered.
"How long do you think we're going to be stuck aboard here" Niada Barrington asked. "Think we'll be here for a while"
"Who knows, bro" Stevy answered. "All I know is I'm glad to be somewhere safe."
Murrue passed the quarters and continued to her destination. She reslung the small hand-bag she had with her over her shoulder as she moved further down the corridor. She passed crewmen talking happily along her route, which made her smile, knowing her crew at least had a high morale in this situation. She stopped when she reached a door and pressed the button to admit her access.
The door slid open and Murrue stepped inside. As soon as she entered, she saw an individual standing to her right inside the room, staring at a mirror, a towel wrapped securely around her. Natarle's head snapped back towards her when Murrue entered the women's showers, her face both scared and angered. Murrue stepped back when Natarle saw her and said"Oh, sorry Natarle. I didn't know anyone else was in here."
Natarle relaxed when she saw her Captain and said"That's my fault. I thought it might have been someone peeping again." She turned back towards the mirror and added"It's vacant right now, Captain. You can go ahead if you want."
"Thanks" Murrue said. "Are you wearing make-up" she asked.
"No" Natarle responded firmly. "It's skin protector. I always wear it."
"Right." Murrue set her hand-bag down on one of the lockers inside the room. "Did you get called to the meeting this morning" she asked, taking off her uniform.
"No. The only ones who did were Colonel Namora and Commander la Flaga. I think Admiral Cantarii just wants the senior officers to attend this time." Natarle rubbed lotion into her cheeks and added"The only other ones I can think of would be General Waltfeld and Miss Clyne, and that's only a guess on my part."
"This is a strange place isn't it" Murrue commented. "We finally find someplace we can breath easily, but we find ourselves right back in the middle of the war."
"It's still better than running around all over space, though" Natarle added.
Murrue peeled off her uniform and under clothes and set them in her locker. "Right" she said, stepping into the shower and closing the door behind her. She turned on the water and let it run through her hair and across her skin. It had been quite a while since she'd been able to take a long, relaxing shower and wash away her tensions. "Anything new regarding the ship's status" she asked Natarle.
Natarle brushed her short, black hair with a soft brush and answered"Repairs have already commenced, so we'll be able to go again when they're completed. According to the diagnosis the ship's repairs will take almost two weeks."
"What do you think our next move will be? When Admiral Cantarii and Lord Uzumi give the order" Murrue wondered.
"Who knows" Natarle said. "As far as I'm concerned, anything that will help bring the war to an end will be well worth it, though."
"Same here" Murrue said.
Natarle looked behind her carefully, searching for any men who tried to peep on her. If she caught anyone, she vowed they'd get a kick to the face no matter what. After she clarified that there was no one watching, she slipped off her towel and started to get dressed in her uniform, which was sitting in the locker she'd acquired for herself. She tucked her standard issue, t-shirt into the wasteband of her skirt and secured a belt around it. She was about to put her jacket on to complete the uniform, but stopped, when she saw it winking at her. The necklace that she had found resting in her hand after shaking hands with Commander Barkhesh. She hadn't told anyone about it, because she didn't want anyone thinking she was a softy who wore a necklace that a man had given her. She looked around once more, and slipped the chain over her head and it rested on her porcelain neck. She held the cross up towards her face with her right hand and stared at it. The diamond in the bottom slot winked at her in the room's lights. Natarle found herself smiling.
"This entire voyage just keeps bringing up all sorts of surprises, doesn't it" Murrue asked from inside the shower.
"Yes..." Natarle answered, slipping the cross beneath the fabric of her shirt. "Many surprises."
-Archangel, 0900.
"So, you were trying to get the PLANTs to stop fighting the war and move for peace" Kira stood in one of the observation rooms on the Archangel with Lacus beside him.
"Yes. I felt that it was what I was destined to do" Lacus said. "I promised you I'd be singing the song of peace from now on. And after what I learned happened at Alaska, my resolve to bring back peace just grew stronger."
She turned to Kira and added"It was like you said. By just doing nothing, I wasn't making the difference I needed to. So I decided to take action."
"And you stole the Eternal from ZAFT" Kira added. "Why'd you do it"
"Because the Eternal would've been used for death and destruction, if I'd let it stay in the ZAFT forces' hands. You know, it was originally designed to be the support carrier for the Freedom and the Justice, don't you"
"No, I didn't" Kira answered. "It just seems downright sad that you had to even steal it in the first place. I mean, someone at least should've listened to what you were saying, and believed it. The entire population of the PLANTs can't all be behind Athrun's father and his beliefs. There must still be some people who wish to drive for peace instead of total victory."
"Believe me, there are many who believe in that position. But because of what Chairman Zala has been saying will happen to anyone who speaks out against his authority and position on the war, nobody has had the courage to stand up against him." Lacus sighed. "The reality of all this makes this entire war much like a struggle for power between individuals instead of nations."
"Don't worry about it so much" Kira said. Lacus turned to face Kira and he added"You heard what Lord Uzumi said yesterday, about keeping both sides from destroying each other. I'm confident that the power behind those words carries much more strength than anything the Earth Alliance and ZAFT could hope to have. We'll do our duties out on the battlefield. We'll protect the planet and the people we love. And we'll end the war. In a way that will preserve Earth and the PLANTs both. That's the only way we can call ourselves victors, because if we don't do what we set out to...the casualties at the end of all this, will be insurmountable. And there will be no winners in the war. Just people left to pick up the pieces of the shattered world."
Lacus smiled and nodded. "That's what I've been preaching to the people on the PLANTs for the past few months. I just hope they will all hear them by the time this is over."
"When it's all over" Kira said, laying a hand on her shoulder"Nobody will be able to ignore your words."
-Mendel, 1000.
"It took all night, but this was all of the message the Vasconi was able to decypher." Josef was trying to sound as optomistic as possible, but he knew that wouldn't help one bit. "It gives us a time and a date, but nothing else really."
"No location or total number of ship's he's recalling" Cantarii observed. "If you ask me, he's tightening his security so no one else will be able to know about it."
"I'd say that no one beneath the ZAFT Supreme Council actually knows the full extent of Zala's plans. That's even if he's told the Council the entire story" Andy said.
"And that's a good possibility considering he held the true target of the JOSH-A operation away from them" Cantarii added. "What we need is more information. The message doesn't specifiy the number of ships or which ones are being recalled. It doesn't even set a single location for the rendezvous point."
"But if your hunch is correct sir" Mwu said"those forces are being recalled as a preparation for the invasion of Earth by ZAFT. By all accounts, this has the possibility of being another JOSH-A, only this time it could be much worse for either side."
"Mr. Crue" Cantarii asked. "Would you be able to find out anything else regarding the message and its source"
"Not likely, Admiral. The signal's tracking point was scrambled so it could have been one of over fifty separate locations around the world and space. And it seems that we don't have the resources to search every one." Josef sighed. "It's also likely that they've disabled the transmitter already and moved it someplace else so they can't be tracked."
"So we're blind in this form of intelligence" Cantarii said. "We need to know the specifics for the invasion in order to stop it."
"And the only places that would have that sort of data would be ZAFT controlled areas" John added. "You thinking about sending in an infiltration team to get it"
"Possibly. General Waltfeld" Cantarii said. "You were a high-ranking ZAFT officer during your time in the service. Do you know where their primary central intelligence forum would be"
"ZAFT doesn't really have one, outside of the PLANTs of course" Andy answered. He brought a map of the space around Earth and pointed to one location. "My best guess would be that they'd have something related to that on Boaz or Jachin Due."
"The military asteroids" Mwu asked.
"Yeah. They both are connected to the PLANTs resources, so I'd guess that they'd be sharing information. They very well would have the data you seek." Andy pointed to the two asteroids guarding the PLANTs on the map. "The only question is, how do we get the data out of either one of them."
"I think our best option would be to follow what Colonel Namora said, and send in an infiltration team to pull a computer dump on the systems. It's likely we'll find what we need in there." Cantarii added"Boaz would seem like the logical choice out of the two, because it allows civilian workers to enter, doesn't it General"
"Yes, it does. But the only ones allowed in have clearance codes and are high up on the name list."
"We may be able to falsify some entrance I.D.'s to get the team into Boaz, sir" Josef said.
"But who would lead the team. I need you here Josef, so who would be the next best option"
-Archangel, 1800.
"You want me to go to Boaz" Jay's voice was quiet, but intense. He floated beside Frank in one of the ship's corridors. Frank had been given command of the infiltration team who's mission was to gather as much intelligence on ZAFT's plans from Boaz as possible.
"Not just you, Jay. I mean I want you to be on the team that's going Boaz. I'll be there, as well as anybody else who I decide should go."
"But why me" Jay asked, coming to a stop. "I don't know shit about infiltration missions."
"Neither do I, but they gave me command of the mission anyway. Plus, you're the best shot on this ship besides me, so we'll need another shooter on the ground when we move in. Come on Jay, I'm not asking for much."
"Yeah, right. You're asking me to put my neck on the line for a damn reconnaisance mission." Then he sighed and said"But you've got me over a barrel, so I guess I'm in. Just give me the details and I'll go. Though why are you commanding the mission? I would've thought they'd give the mission to Lieutenant Badgiruel because she used to be with intelligence."
"Oh, believe me, she's going with us. I'm not setting a foot anyplace on Boaz without her. And that makes three of us."
"Commander" Athrun came from behind Frank and Jay and said"Put me on the team for the mission too."
"Why, Zala" Frank asked.
"Because you need me. I've been on Boaz before. It was only for a day, but I've been there before. Plus, I used to be with ZAFT, so I'll know how their systems and technology works."
"I don't know, Athrun" Frank said. "You're pretty famous in the PLANTs right now, though not for any type of glamorous reasons. If somebody recognizes you, the mission's dead and we'll be stuck on Boaz without any way of getting out."
"Don't worry about that, I'll stay as low as possible" Athrun said. "I'll just act as a guide for you guys and take you to where you need to go."
"O.K. then. You're in, Athrun. Just don't do anything stupid, alright" Frank turned away from Athrun and then added"I've already got enough on my mind as it is."
"Then you'll have to make room, because I'm going too."
All three of them turned their heads to see Cagalli behind Athrun. "Cagalli" Athrun said.
"Uh...no. You're not going, Ms. Athha" Frank said quickly.
"Why not? You let Athrun go and he's the son of the Chairman of ZAFT. My father's head of Orb, so why won't you let me go. Besides, for this mission, you'll need as many people as you can get."
"No" Frank said again, and turned to leave.
"Come on Frank, she's got a point" Jay said.
"Why are you taking her side" Frank asked.
"We probably will need an extra set of hands, Commander" Athrun added. "It couldn't hurt to have Cagalli tag along."
"You too, Zala" Frank shouted. "What the hell's going on around here."
"It's either you endure even more of this, or you let me go to Boaz with you guys" Cagalli said with a smirk.
After a pause, Frank sighed heavily. "I don't know why I'm doing this..." Cagalli smiled. "I don't know the specifics yet, but please promise me you won't do anything stupid while we're there. The last thing I need is two teenagers running around on a ZAFT military base." With that, Frank turned away from them and headed back down the corridor.
Jay managed to catch up to him and said"What the hell's gotten into you Frank? You're acting like John all of a sudden."
"Jay. This is the first infiltration mission I've ever done. I don't want to screw it up and look like a jackass to everyone else here, alright. That's why I've got you and the Lieutenant on the team, because I know you won't do anything that you don't have to." Frank exhaled painfully. "That's why I didn't want to bring those two. I'm worried that they'll get separated from the rest of us and before you know it, we'll have the whole base on top of us."
"They won't do anything stupid, Frank" Jay reassured him. "Athrun's a responsible kid, he's not going to do anything you don't tell him to. And Cagalli...well...I don't know about her, but..."
"Thanks, Jay" Frank responded sarcastically. "Makes me feel a whole lot better."
"Any time, Commander" Jay answered. "So we're going to have to wear make up when we get to Boaz right. To hide our identities."
"Yeah, probably" Frank said. "Means I'll also have to shave."
"Time to lose the mustache"
"Yeah..." Frank said dejectedly. "Hopefully it'll be back by the next week like it usually is."
"And if it isn't, we'll blame Admiral Cantarii and the others" Jay chuckled.
"Right..." Frank answered, and they disappeared into the depths of the corridor.
Author's Note: White Wedding is a song by Billy Idol. I do not own Billy Idol or the rights to White Wedding.