Mendel, October 3, C.E. 71, 1400.
The hatch opened. Swinging upwards to admit the newcomers, the starboard leg of the Archangel rose into the altitude of the docking berth inside the colony. Crews on the ground hauled equipment up the open hatch while M1's carried crates and boxes of heavy machinery into the bowls of the ship.
"Are you sure that's enough electronic dampers to satisfy the mobile suits?" one crewman asked.
"We can't afford to bring it all with us," Murdoch responded. "The other ships here are going to need it while we're away. How goes the repairs on the Valient's intertial compensator?"
"It's almost finished, sir. Another two hours until we have the output level up to maximum capacity. Then we should be able to fire her again at full strength."
"Strike and Buster are all secure, sir," another crewman reported. "Another twenty minutes until Lieutenant Barrington gets back with his plane and then we'll be all set down here."
"I'll tell the Captain, and thanks," Murdoch finished.
Above the Archangel's hangar, Mwu, Andy, and Frank stood on the observation platform and watched the equipment and supplies being loaded for the ship's journey. "So tell me again why we're leaving Andy?" Frank asked, leaning over the railing and folding his arms.
"One of the Junk Guild's people called in to Admiral Cantarii yesterday, saying that they wanted to rendezvous with us to provide us with a new shipment of supplies, including fuel and water," Andy said. "Given our situation, the Admiral couldn't pass this opportunity up, so he contacted the informant and spoke to him further."
A truck carrying spare parts and ammunition for the mobile weaponry made its way up the open access hatch and into the hangar. "The guy said that his superiors were afraid that the Earth Forces had detected their alliance with us, so he had to make a quick exit from his hideout. He's somewhere out in space and when the Admiral took it up with Lord Uzumi, they decided they couldn't leave the guy hanging out there for very long, considering he is trying to help us."
"Who could blame 'em?" Mwu commented, watching the deck crew unload the parts and ammunition from the truck. "We need all the help we can get right now, and with someone else on the run from the Earth Forces, we can't look stuck up now."
"I had the same thought," Andy continued. "But what got me was that the guy requested that you guys be the one's to go out and meet him." He paused as he watched Donnie float across the hangar and up to the cockpit of his plane, climbing in through the window. "Apparently the guy doesn't think he's entirely safe at the moment and he doesn't seem to trust any of the smaller ships like the Peleuia and the Vasconi coming out to get him. So he asked that one of the larger ships, most likely you guys, come out and meet him. If it was up to me I'd say the guy's paranoid, but he eventually got Lord Uzumi to agree to send the Archangel out to pick him up. Guess he figures you guys are indestructable like everyone else does."
"It's tough being heralded as an unbeatable ship," Mwu said dryly, leaning back against the railing. "We've won so much, people think that we're invincible."
"Nobody said fame and victory came cheap, buddy," Frank remarked. He stretched his arms over his head and groaned. "Ahh...what's the guy's relation to the Junk Guild anyway Andy, did he say?"
"All I heard was that he's a top courier for them," Andy responded. "He's got a ship under himself right now, and that's about all he told us. I got the feeling that Admiral Cantarii's suspicious of the guy, but again, we can't afford to be stubborn now." He propped his chin on his enclosed fist and added, "That's probably why the Admiral's sending us out as well."
"What's he got you guys doing?" Mwu asked. "Patrol?"
"I don't know. He's got us heading out towards L3, around the same area Gyndana was," Andy said, shrugging. "I guess they think there's something out there worth looking into. Probably something that broke off of the colony when it collapsed that Lord Uzumi wants us to retrieve. Either way, that ensures that if anything happens to either of us, we'll only be a short distance apart."
"You expecting we'll see any conflicts out there, Mwu?" Frank asked.
"I doubt it, but right now, I'm not taking any chances," Mwu said, catapulting himself over the railing and into the hangar. "If you need me, I'll be the Strike."
"Arrogant, son of a bitch, isn't he," Andy commented.
"Pffftt. You want arrogant, Andy, just go watch any of the other pilots on board the Archangel," Frank chuckled. "You spend any decent amount of time with them, and they make Mwu look like a saint," he laughed.
Mwu approached the cockpit of the Strike and saw a mechanic leaning inside of it. "Mel!" he shouted. "Anything wrong with her?"
"Nah, I was just buffin' down the interior," the man called Mel replied. "Figured she could use a little bit of a cleanup after all that's happened to her lately."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Mwu said, climbing into the Strike's cockpit. Mwu had first met Mel after the destruction of Gyndana a few months earlier. Mel had been one of the Gyndana Guardsmen who had been aboard ship at the time of the battle, and had been allowed to remain aboard as part of the hangar crew. He and Mwu had grown to be close in recent months, and besides Chief Murdoch, Mel was the only one Mwu would let touch the interior of the Strike when he wasn't around. "Tell Chief Murdoch that if he wants to test out the Aile rifle's new components, we'd better get it done before we head out this afternoon."
"I'll be sure to tell him," Mel replied. "I'd watch the number two output valve on the ion pump, though," he warned. "It's been fluctuating like crazy if you put too much pressure on it."
"Yeah, I noticed that too, thanks," Mwu said. "You're a good bud, Mel."
"Yeah..." Mel replied, taking his leave. "Thanks..."
On the bridge, another prime discussion was taking place. "Under the present circumstances, the best course of action would likely be to have the Archangel leave first, and have the Eternal follow about a half an hour later. That will insure that you both will be relatively close to one another, and still won't be easily detected by any enemy ships that happen to be in the area," Kisaka said.
"Are you sure that's where the guy from the Junk Guild is gonna make rendezvous with us?" John asked, pointing to the map on the console in front of him. "That's awfully damn close to the debris belt, so we'll have to be careful when we get close enough to it."
"What exactly does this courier have under his control in terms of supplies?" Natarle wondered.
"Water, fuel, provisions," Kisaka answered calmly. "There were no specifics given to us, but considering the opportunity we couldn't afford to pass it up."
"It should take us about four or five days to make it to the rendezvous point," Josef brought up from his chair at the front of the bridge. "It's just outside of the L3 Cluster, so we'll be operating in the same vicinity as the Eternal for most of that time. Until that time though, the Kusanagi will be the only large ship we have here at Mendel, though Colonel Kisaka," he pointed out.
"Will you people be able to hold your own while we're away?" Murrue asked.
"We managed before you got here, so I believe we'll be able to survive a week or so without you," Kisaka responded lightly. "If the Earth Forces or ZAFT make any sudden moves while you're away, you have my assurance that we will contact you as soon as possible."
"Anything suspicious been happening on either end the past few days?" John pondered.
"A few ships have left Jachin Due in the past few days or so, but other than that we've seen no significant ZAFT movement from the PLANTs or on the planet," Josef responded. "Same goes for the Earth Forces. But I must say, they sure look like they're readying themselves for something at the Lunar Base. With the Victoria mass driver under their control, they've been continuously sending up troops for the past few weeks."
"You don't think they're actually going to attempt a direct assault on the PLANTs...do you?" Murrue asked.
"It's not very likely in my opinion considering that the recent troop reports indicate that many of their soldiers are green and inexperienced," Kisaka responded.
"Plus, there's also the fact that with our assault against Jachin Due, the security around the PLANTs and their surrounding space has been heightened considering over the past few days," Josef brought up. "The news reports from the PLANTs are clear evidence of that," he added, flicking a switch on his keyboard, bringing another image onto the console's screen.
"The Naturals have once again attacked us without warning and without any remorse whatsoever," Patrick Zala's voice boomed through the console's screen. His face was intense and serious as he spoke. "It's clear now what they intend to do to us, and now our resolve to defeat them must be more complete than ever. Thousands were lost in the gutless attack on Jachin Due, and the Naturals will only repeat this process over and over again until every last one of us is gone! We must not allow that to happen, and our superior intelligence will allow us to overcome these obstacles and achieve true freedom and justice! The Naturals have assaulted the Coordinators for the last time, and they will all pay dearly for their travesties!" Thunderous applause rang through the console as Patrick's speech ended.
Josef whistled softly as he switched off the console. "I may not like the guy, but I must admit, he knows how to motivate his troops."
"If things have gotten that bad in the PLANTs, then Zala's not going to even try to negotiate for peace anymore," John said. "Funny thing is, I think somehow he believes that the Earth Forces are secretly behind this. According to his logic, any Coordinator that doesn't agree with the policies he sets is a traitor. Which is exactly what happened to Miss Clyne and the others."
"It's the same with the Earth Forces," Natarle added. "Anyone who doesn't join the fight against the PLANTs is a traitor and must be dealt with."
"However, with both sides currently concentrating much of their energies on fighting each other, this may actually prove to be an opportunity for us," Kisaka said. "We've detected no ships from either side coming anywhere near the area where the Archangel and the Eternal are supposed to be operating, so this may actually go quite smoothly."
"We can only hope for a little luck along the way," Murrue added lightly.
"You're all brave soldiers," Kisaka complimented. "Hang in there." He saluted, and everyone returned it. "I'll see you all when you get back."
Two hours later, the Archangel fired its engines and headed out of Mendel's harbor and into the blackness of space beyond.
A half an hour after that, the Eternal also left the sanctity of Mendel, and headed for L3. "Once you get there, all you'll have to do is gather as much data as you can from the extraction points," Cantarii's voice sounded over the radio. "Then you can get your asses out of there and head home."
"Thank you, sir," Captain Steele responded. "We'll look forward to it."
In another part of the ship, Kira stared out through a window at the black space in front of him. He could see his image in the clear glass, the one of the young man who just a few months ago had just been an ordinary school student on Heliopolis. Then ZAFT attacked, and the events that followed kept spiraling downwards into an abyss that eventually had spit him out here. Two different mobile suits, and many confirmed kills later, Kira Yamato was once again doing his duty for the cause he fought for. Though this time, he believed firmly in the cause that he and his friends were fighting for.
He thought of his friends. Sai. Miriallia. Kuzzey. They had all come with him aboard the Archangel after Heliopolis and had joined the Earth Forces at the same time he did. What they could never have anticipated was what was to come. Kuzzey had managed to escape from the military before it all started, but Sai, Miri, and himself had found themselves trapped in this black hole ever since that fateful day in April, when he had almost lost his life at Athrun's hands.
Kira's heart sank thinking about that dark, gloomy day. Not only because it was the battle in which he and Athrun had come just within the smallest of margins of killing each other, but because of the one who had lost his life on that morning. His friend Tolle. His head sliced off by Athrun's shield, cutting into his Skygrasper's cockpit. Tolle...Kira thought sadly of his friend. Tolle had been one of the first friends Kira had made on Heliopolis when he and his parents had immagrated there. He also had joined the crew of the Archangel after the ZAFT attack, and he seemed to be the one who was the most eager to venture into battle. And that had led to his death.
Another thought reached Kira's mind. One of the other person who he had seen last on that day, when Athrun had nearly killed him. Flay... The red-haired girl who had befriended Kira after the collapse of Heliopolis and had consoled him after many a battle. The first girl I did it with... Thoughts of that night in his bed often brought on conflicting feelings from Kira. As he later learned, Flay had just been using him to get back at ZAFT who had killed her father earlier in the war. But still. Kira had to admit that he did have some feelings for the younger girl. Even after he'd broken off their relationship, he still felt strongly for her. More as a friend now, however. He'd never even given her the chance to say goodbye as he journeyed into battle that day...
"What are you looking at?" Kira's head slowly turned, small droplets of tears blinking in his eyes, to see Lacus standing in the doorway. The pink-haired girl walked slowly towards him, eventually taking up position directly beside him. "Kira?" He didn't respond. He just continued to stare off into space. "Oh, Kira..." Lacus said softly. "You've had another sad dream, haven't you?"
A lump caught in Kira's throat and he sighed. "I am sad...a little...I guess," he responded. "Just thinking about those friends of mine...who I wasn't able to protect...all this time..." he added quietly.
"You're worried about the Archangel, aren't you," Lacus said. "You're friends that are aboard her."
Kira nodded slowly. "For some reason...I think I should be with them...to protect them...in the event that..." He didn't finish the thought.
He felt a hand on his cheek, and his eyes slowly made their way to center on Lacus' face. "It's alright," she said softly. "They'll be fine, Kira. They're all brave people. I'm positive they'll make it back alright."
Kira nodded and silently agreed. "Something about this entire voyage just doesn't feel right...I guess...just the specifics of it."
"I am inclined to agree with you." Kira's head snapped to Lacus. "The specifics for this voyage are shady at best. But...we do have to concern ourselves with our new allies. Otherwise, we may lose their support. And that's something we can't afford to do right now. Your friends knew that...so did everyone else...and we did as well. That's why we're going out."
Kira slowly turned his head back towards the window. "I know. Thank you." Then, almost as a matter of fact, he added, "Let's just get this over with and hurry back...without starting a fight. I'd much rather...not have to fight...if it can be helped..."
Lacus sighed uneasily at his words. Thoughts of why she was here came into her mind. Her father...hearing about his death... Slowly, Lacus leaned her head towards Kira, until it came to rest on his shoulder. Kira turned his head in surprise, but when he saw the saddened look on her face, his surprise melted away. Carefully, he reached his arm around her back and took hold of her opposite shoulder, holding her close to him, as they watched the stars in the distance wink at them in the darkness.
Valiant, October 4, C.E. 71, 1600.
"This is the most recent surveillance footage taken by one of our satellites of the L4 colony group." The image of the gravitic stabilized portion of space came onto the map display at the rear of the bridge. Around it stood, Bradford, Seymour, Jessie, Keryuoko, and the ships four mobile armor pilots. "Nothing much in the way of activity around any of the colonies, at least from the satellite's point of view."
"Those colonies did take a hell of a beating at the start of the war," Seymour commented. "Hardly any of 'em still in one piece."
"But there are still some being held together...relatively anyway," Bradford added. "And those are the one's we're going to have to be careful about. The Orb forces could be hiding in any one of them." He glanced around the display at all of them and then said, "I'm open for suggestions."
"With what we have so far, we can't fully comprehend what Orb may have hiding out there," Jessie said at last. "Plus with all those damaged colonies floating around out there, it's going to be extremely difficult to get any clear readings."
"Should we just take our time and move from colony to colony, and search for them?" Keryuoko suggested.
"That's probably our best option right now, General," Seymour put in. "We're only two ships, ourselves and the Intrepid after all. And we know that Orb has at least six ships at their disposal."
"Plus all those kick-ass mobile suits," Keryuoko added.
"And based on what they did at Jachin Due, there's no doubt that they'd put up a hell of a fight if it came to that," Jessie said.
"We may be able to borrow one of their own tricks, if we surprise them," Bradford said. "Because of we catch them with their guard down, we'd have a good window to do some damage." He paused. "I think we'll just have to be careful and look for them. Seems to be the only option they've given us at this point."
"But if we do find them and manage to surprise them, we'd better be able to do some amount of damage to them, because if we lose the element of surprise..." Seymour trailed off.
"The entire thing goes up in smoke," Bradford finished. "That's the big risk in a surprise attack. It's just like in chess or poker, you've got to catch your foe off guard and then hit him hard before they can recover." His eyes trailed across the map, looking for something that he hadn't caught yet that would help them even further in their situation. "How many undamaged colonies are there out there?" he wondered out loud.
"Based on this recent intelligence, it states it at about a five to one difference in damaged to undamaged," Seymour responded.
"Which makes it easier for us," Jessie said. "Takes less time to find 'em."
"We may be able to use the remnants of the damaged ones to our advantage if we stay low and out of sight," Bradford said. "Maybe try and hook, line, and sinker, them.
"An ambush?" Keryuoko asked.
"Yes, that's what I said," Bradford responded sternly. "The only problem is, we don't know their exact numbers..." His head shook from side to side and his lips thinned into a thin line. "If you can, Captain McKinley, try and see if Intel has any new views of L4 in the past few weeks. I'd feel better if we had a bit more accurate information before we move."
"Yes, sir," Seymour said.
"Lieutenant Mitchell, Ensign Hajimusha. You two and the rest of the air squadron are going to have to be on full alert as soon as we enter L4," Bradford added. "I'll alert Captain Norris to have his Daggers ready at a moment's notice as well. We'll be counting on you, if we get into a tight spot."
"Sir!" all six individuals said in unison.
"I think that will be all for the time being, people. You may proceed back to your stations."
The meeting slowly broke up, eventually dissolving into just the regular bridge crew at their own stations. Bradford sat comfortably in his command chair and allowed the cushioned padding to envelop his tired body. He hated to admit it, but he was getting old. The gray hair invading his scalp was clear evidence of that.
He pushed a button on his chair's arm rest and brought up a reel of footage on the small monitor there. He could see several ships maneuveing to avoid gunfire and explosions dotting the area surrounding them. Those maneuvers looked oddly familiar, and had been nagging at his brain ever since he had first seen them.
"Something wrong, General?" Seymour asked.
"Hmm? No, nothing," Bradford responded quickly. "Just going over the footage from Jachin Due again. Probably helps to know what we're up against."
Seymour moved behind Bradford's chair and viewed the monitor himself. "Damn. Those Orb ships really know how to work."
"For some reason," Bradford said. "I think I've seen those maneuvers performed somewhere before." Think? Ha! Bradford thought to himself. He knew exactly where he'd seen those maneuvers executed to perfection before. In every war games that he had participated in back when he was part of the Eurasian military. The tri-ship weave, it was code named. It's inventor? His old superior from Eurasia and later the Earth Alliance, Admiral Cantarii. But how could the Orb forces have known about those moves? Much less execute them to near perfection. How it was they did it, Bradford had no idea.
Later that evening, Seymour had retreated from the bridge to his cozy little office on the deck below. His head was resting gently on his forearms while his eyes dozed.
A sharp ring shocked him out of his slumber, and he nearly fell backwards in his chair. "Yes?" he called.
"It's Lieutenant Mitchell, Captain," came the reply.
"Come on in," Seymour said, repositioning himself in his chair. He saw the door sigh open and Jessie show herself in, her long, dark blonde hair flowing behind her. "What's up?"
"Nothing much, just thought I'd drop by," she said, floating over to the side of the room and stopping herself against the wall. "Say hello."
"Hmm," Seymour hummed. "You want something to drink, or...?"
"Oh, sure," Jessie responded. "What do you have?"
"Coke," Seymour responded, reaching into a drawer in his desk and bringing out an object and setting it down heavily on his desktop.
"A mini-fridge, Captain?" Jessie said, raising her eyebrows and smiling slyly.
Seymour grinned. "Some things, you never leave home without, Jessie." He reached inside and pulled a bottle of the liquid out and held it out for her. After she had taken it, he got himself one before putting it back inside his desk drawer. The soda was delicious and refreshing as he drank it down and felt the carbonation sting his tongue. "Good?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you," Jessie responded, taking a drink herself.
"So, what'd you want?" Seymour asked. "Usually nobody comes down here to see me, unless something happened. Nothing happened, did it?"
"No, of course not, Seymour," Jessie replied. "Why would anything happen?" She heard him almost breath a sigh of relief at her answer. "Are you nervous?"
"About what?" Seymour responded.
"About the battle. The way things are going, we're likely to find ourselves in one."
"Oh...no, not nervous one bit," he replied quickly.
"Seymour..." Jessie berated.
"What? You'd rather have me say, I'm scared shitless," he chuckled. "Of course I'm nervous. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You shouldn't be nervous," Jessie said. "It's not good for you."
"Can't help it, really," he said, rubbing his hair at the back of his head. "It's my first real battle as a ship captain. Don't want to lose any of my crew or get myself killed. Then I'd look like a jack-ass."
"A dumb-ass maybe, but not a jack-ass," Jessie replied lightly.
"Hey!"
"I'm kidding, Seymour," Jessie laughed. "The truth is I'm a little nervous too. It's my first mission as an air commander. You're not in this alone, Seymour, you know that right?"
"Yeah," he said quietly. He moved his head back down onto his forearms and sighed.
"What's that?" His eyes followed her gaze to the pocket watch sitting on the end of his desk.
"Oh, this. It's a pocket watch," he responded, picking the object up in his palm. "Was my dad's. My mom gave it to me when I became captain back in June."
"It's beautiful," Jessie said.
"Thanks. My brother Stanley was supposed to get it, but..." he trailed off, thinking about his late brother.
"Go on," Jessie pressed on.
Seymour sighed. "First five months in the service...me and him were stuck at JOSH-A. Then ZAFT attacked in April. Me, him, and Coop, the General's son...we broke an assault boat out of the docks and went out onto the water. Stanley was the one driving it. When ZAFT destroyed the base, the boat got blown out of the water. Me and Coop managed to survive...but Stanley...I never saw him again..."
Jessie sighed sadly through her nose. She felt terrible for him. "I'm sorry, Seymour," she added quietly.
"It's not your fault," he responded. "Probably should've told you earlier. What about you, you got any siblings in the service?"
"Only child," she responded. "My parents never had any other kids besides me. Spent most of my early years by myself."
"Lucky you," Seymour said.
"No, not really," she responded. "Never really had a lot of friends. Just a few close ones and they all deserted me once I joined the military."
"But you've still got friends, Jessie," Seymour said. She turned to him and saw him smile.
She smiled back. "Yeah. You, Lester, Tomer, and Keryuoko. Best friends I've ever had."
"Me too. Especially you." Her smile disappeared and she appeared perplexed. "Not in that kind of way, I mean," Seymour stuttered, raising his hands in self-defense. "What I meant was, right now, you're the best friend I've ever had."
She smiled. "That's what I thought." She took one last drink from her Coke and placed it on his desk. "Think I'll go check on my mobile suit and then catch some sleep." He watched her go and just before she closed the door, she added, "You could use some shut eye too, Captain. You'll need your rest for the battle coming up."
"Thanks," was all he managed to get out before the door closed, separating them. Immediately afterwards, he buried his head in his folded arms. You are such an idiot! he scolded himself. You almost let her know you like her, stupid.
Dominion, 2300.
The message was loud and clear. Sutherland savored in every word of it.
Angel has taken flight. She is heading for you. We are ready. We only await your word.
SFJB.
Sutherland could not entirely contain his excitement and he allowed a small chuckle to escape from his throat. "I must say, Sergeant," he addressed the individual standing across the desk from him. "I wouldn't have anticipated that your people would have been able to lay low this long and have no one discover them. Please send my thanks to them if you receive the chance." Before Richards could respond, the door to Sutherland's office chimed. "Yes?" Sutherland said.
The door slid open and a man walked in. His hair was a combination of blonde and brown and his face had a dark complection to it. He was tall and well built, his Earth Alliance uniform spotless as he marched into the office. "The Lunar Base just forwarded this to you, sir," the man said, handing Sutherland a clipboard with a piece of paper taped to it.
Sutherland read the document and then hummed. "Thank you, Crewman Nicol, I've been waiting for this." He leaned forward in his chair and said, "Interesting. Bradford's force left this morning and they're on their way to L4."
"How many did he take?" Richards asked.
"That's what's interesting. He only took the Valiant and the Intrepid with him," Sutherland answered. "He's probably figuring on taking them by surprise when he finds them. So like Woodrow." Motioning to the young man, he added, "You may take your leave Crewman."
"Thank you, sir," he responded, managing a slight salute.
As he exited the office, the young man overhead Sutherland's next statement. "I'll tell Azrael that everything is set later on. He's probably asleep now as it is. I'm sure he'll be happy to know, however, that we'll finally be able to get rid of that indestructable Archangel and those traitors aboard her."
The door slid shut behind him and Hugh Nicol almost jumped. Had Sutherland just said what he thought he'd said. The Archangel? A smile spread across his face and he floated quickly down the corridor. The chance I've been waiting for may have just arrived!
In a small quarter in the middle of the ship, the only light that shone at this hour was the screen of a computer. Azrael stared at the screen for minutes on end, comprehending the message that had just been forwarded to him. He smiled an evil smile and for some odd reason began laughing. Maniacally. His laugh echoed through the entire hull of the Dominion, ricocheted off of the other seven ships surrounding her, and into the darkness of space beyond.
Vesalius, October 6, C.E. 71, 0900.
The doors to the rear of the bridge opened and Commander Slythr floated through them. "Developments, le Creuset?"
Rau turned around full circle to face Slythr and responded, "Something like that, Tomas." He referred to the map display below him and added, "Take a look."
The map lit up with red and blue streaks, lines and dots, stretching all across the vast space. "Maneuvers?" Slythr asked, turning to Rau.
"That's what I thought at first, but there was nothing scheduled for the Earth Forces in the past few weeks, much less for their new warship."
"The second Archangel-class you told me about?" Slythr said.
"Yes," Rau answered. "Our sources indicate that it, along with seven other of their warships, left the Lunar Base three days ago and are heading along this course." Rau traced the red line on the map with his index finger. "They're intended destination appears to be somewhere along the border of the L3 Cluster and the debris belt."
"There's nothing out there except junk," Slythr agreed. "What the hell are they planning?"
"I was thinking the same thing." Rau turned to Slythr and said, "Right now our orders are to pursue and destroy the Orb Forces. But since we already know where they are, and it seems that they don't know we know..."
"You're thinking of splitting our forces and have one of us check out those Earth Forces vessels," Slythr finsihed.
"It's just a suggestion, Tomas. But with the Earth Forces now having secured the mass driver at Victoria, we can't exactly be sure what they may be up to at this time. It would only be a reconnaissance mission to see what's really happening out there."
Slythr's expression did not revert from its emotionless state. "I must say I feel the same, le Creuset. It would be in our best interest if we knew what the Earth Forces were up to. Split up our units and head in separate directions then?"
"Precisely. I'd be more than happy to let you deal with the Orb forces if you wish Tomas. After all, it was they who damaged one of your ships at Jachin Due last month," Rau said.
"Suit yourself, le Creuset. But I will say this, however. Consider your decision here You've turned down the opportunity to exact revenge upon Orb for Jachin Due. And I swear, after I'm done with them, there won't even be any bones left for your forces to pick."
Rau smiled. He saluted and said, "Good luck, Tomas."
Slythr returned it. "You as well."
After Slythr had returned to the Relentless, it, along with the Hoisingert and the Hellderton separated from Rau's forces and headed off towards L4 and Mendel. Rau watched his counterpart disappear from sight and then relaxed into his command chair. "If the new warship of the Earth Forces is there," he said to himself, "Then it would also be likely that my esteemed adversary is also there."
Inside Rau's office, Flay clutched the disk that she had seen Rau view the data on just before Jachin Due. She had no idea what was on the disk, and she probably didn't want to know. All he had said about it was, that it was the key to end the war. What did he mean?
"And if my esteemed adversary is there," Rau continued talking to himself.
The key to end the war? Flay thought about that phrase for minutes upon minutes as she sat comfortably in Rau's office.
"That means the final door is also there," Rau finished. "The door that the key will unlock, and end the war."