Dominion, October 31, C.E. 71, 1400

With frantic cries for assistance, the distress signals from the damaged warships in the embattled Earth Alliance fleet rained in on the flagship. Virtually the entire composition of the 6th Orbital Fleet had been wiped out by the attack from the Coordinators' terrifying weapon, leaving barely half of the 7th Orbital Fleet left to fight on. Calls were coming into the bridge of the Dominion like orders in a packed restaurant. "Admiral we're receiving calls for assistance on almost all channels," Yeardley told Sutherland.

"Tell them to get ahold of themselves, Lieutenant!" Sutherland commanded harshly. "Order a ship count of the remaining forces. What's the status on the Regress, Captain Rutherford?"

"Nothing, sir," Rutherford answered. "The Regress' call sign has completely vanished. The same with the Washington as well."

"Damn," Sutherland growled. "Those space monsters have taken it too far this time!"

"Captain Omanney, get Bradford on the line," Azrael commanded, coming up out of his chair. "Find out where he is and what his status is."

"Are you sure about that, sir?" Hal asked inquisitively.

"Why wouldn't I be, stupid?" Azrael responded angrily. "Get him on the line now!"

"That's not a good idea, Director Azrael." Azrael hissed angrily as he turned to Rutherford who had uttered the statement. "I imagine General Bradford's not in a particularly good mood at this time."

"And why would that be Captain?" Azrael demanded.

"Because you lied to him," Hal put in. "Not for the first time either. You said you were going for Jachin Due, not the PLANTs. It's the same thing you did to him with Victoria last month."

Rutherford added, "Judging by the General's reaction to our movements, I'd say that Captain Omanney is probably correct in his assumption of Bradford's current mental state."

"Just do it, you idiots," Azrael ordered.

Hal sighed heavily in his chair. This had become a total disaster for them. Over half of their force had just been eliminated in one blow by the ZAFT forces new weapon. What would they do now? The answer was obvious to Hal. Sutherland would order another attack in order stop it, risking even more lives on their side, even after the devastation they'd all just seen. "Captain! The Churchill is requesting immediate assistance!" a crewman shouted to him.

"Roger, that," Hal answered. "Tell them we'll be right there."

"Shut up, stupid!" Azrael reprimanded, coming beside Flay's console behind Hal. "Who cares if they want help? Concentrate on resupplying and repairs for now!"

"But we have to help them-!"

"Do as you're told, Captain!" Sutherland rebuked angrily. "Have the others help them. We have other issues to worry about. Have you gotten Bradford yet?"

At that instant, Bradford's image appeared on the view screen at the front of the bridge. "Sutherland," Bradford's powerful voice echoed.

"Where are you Bradford?" Azrael demanded. "What's your status?"

"I asked for Sutherland, Azrael. I don't want to speak with you at this moment," Bradford answered.

"He's busy!" Azrael yelled. "I asked you what your status is-!"

"And I said for you to let me speak to Admiral Sutherland!" Bradford shouted back, his voice causing the bridge to almost shake by the power it contained. "I'm not in the mood to talk to a scum like you now, Azrael."

Azrael scowled loudly in response. Sutherland finally spoke. "What it is General? What's your current status?"

"We're in L5 now, Admiral, but I have a serious to ask you right now. Why did you lie to me?" Bradford asked, his voice taking on a more controlled manner.

"Lie to you?" Sutherland said questionably.

"You told those of us at the Lunar Base that the second target would be Jachin Due. Instead you went directly for the PLANTs. I wish to understand why. Why you deceived us yet again."

"It was necessary, General," Sutherland answered calmly. "You and the others at the Lunar Base would have taken forever deliberating something such as this, so I took it into my own hands to make sure that it became possible. You would have just filibustered over it for days if I'd told you what we were planning."

"But by disregarding our concerns you failed to recognize that ZAFT may have had something like that weapon waiting for you should you head straight at the PLANTs," Bradford pointed out. "By heading straight there you caused the destruction of most of our forces, plus we lost Niles. They're irreplaceable forces, you must know that!"

"Don't go throwing the blame at us, Bradford," Azrael interrupted, causing the bridge to stir. "This is all you guys fault at the Lunar Base for letting this war drag on. Because of your inability to defeat the Coordinators you allowed them the time to construct that monstrosity of theirs!"

"That's bull, Azrael," Bradford said quietly and evenly. "No matter how much intelligence we could have found we could never have even conceived the thought that ZAFT had developed something with that kind of destructive power. All you're doing is manipulating the truth to deflect the blame away from yourself!"

"Stop it both of you!" Sutherland ordered. They both stop speaking and it was suddenly quiet. "What's done is done. Right now our hand has been forced by the Coordinators and we have to decide our next move. General, how quickly can you rendezvous with the rest of our forces?"

"Forty-five minutes, Admiral," Bradford answered. "But would it make more sense for my forces to head straight for Jachin and attack the weapon?"

"No, we'll need all of our forces attacking at once in order to stop it," Sutherland said. "The remaining forces here won't be able to be fully resupplied with nuclear weapons until tomorrow, so we'll have to wait unfortunately."

"Another nuclear attack?" Bradford said incredulously. "That will just drive the Coordinators to just push even farther at us!"

"Then we'll destroy the PLANTs you imbecile!" Azrael shouted. "We'll destroy as much of the enemy as we can and then we'll end the war! That's how war is fought!"

"In your book, Azrael," Bradford pointed out. "But you're not a soldier like the rest of us. We've actually fought and not just sat around while everyone else does the fighting for us. Very well, Admiral. We'll link up our fleets and prepare for the assault. Target Jachin Due?"

"Yes. We have to destroy that weapon. Reinforcements from the Lunar Base will be on their way as well, I'm pulling together everything we have," Sutherland said, massaging his temple with his fingers. "Nuclear weapons will be the priority strike. Is that understand, General?"

"Completely, sir."

"Good. I'm also informing you that I'm transferring my flag back to the Valiant, General," Sutherland informed him.

"The Valiant?" Bradford said in a stunned voice. "But why?"

"Because I'd feel we had a better chance if I was aboard a more secure vessel," he said, glancing angrily in Hal's direction. "One with a crew that actually knows what the hell they're doing. I'll be there shortly."

Bradford paused. "Yes, sir..." he answered after a few moments. He saluted and his image disappeared.

Sutherland stood up from his chair and said, "Get the shuttle ready, Captain, I'm heading to the Valiant. Make sure that everyone else is ready to go."

"Yes, sir," Hal said as he watched Sutherland's form leave the bridge.

Azrael's face displayed a scowl that could seemingly burn through the toughest metals, he was so angry. The Coordinators had done it to him again and now Bradford was beginning to not trust him. That meant he couldn't destroy the Coordinators and he wasn't about to let that happen. As he threw the headset he had been yelling into back onto the console he turned and smashed into Flay, knocking her out of her chair and onto the deck. Azrael hissed angrily, "You stupid little bitch!" He rose his fist in an attempt to strike her, but suddenly a forearm intercepted it and held it back. Another strong hand gripped his other wrist, effectively restraining him. Azrael stared into Hal's eyes as the Captain held him back from Flay as she struggled to her feet behind him. The shocked crew watched in awe as their Captain held Azrael back. "What are you doing you imbecile?" Azrael hissed.

"My job," Hal answered almost as a whisper. "I am the Captain of this vessel, this is my crew, they are my responsibility. and I will not allow you to harm a member of my crew as long as I am the Captain of this ship, sir."

"You don't understand anything do you?" Azrael mocked. "You're only concerned about the people on board while you should be concerned about that!" he shouted, pointing out of the ship's front view port at the eyeball staring at them in the distance beside Jachin Due. "It can wipe out half the life on Earth if they attack with it and you're only concerned with what's happening here!" White lights cast their glow upon the bridge as one of the ship's in the besieged fleet exploded beside them in a ball of fire. "Get your priorities straight and get the job done! Or else are you siding with them now?"

The crew had drawn themselves closer to the confrontation and watched with keen interest. Hal and Azrael's eyes never left each others for the longest time. Finally, Hal released Azrael who quickly waltzed back to his chair. "I knew you were a weakling, Omanney. Letting me go proves it." Hal stared angrily at the bastard that was his commander with Sutherland off the ship. How he hated this man with all the power of his body now. He'd tried to harm one of his crew, a young girl nonetheless. Hal knew now he could never forgive this man. He turned back to see other crew helping Flay back to her feet, her eyes sparkling with water as she stared at him. Hal nodded at her and walked back to his chair. Flay didn't take her gaze off of the man for a second. The man who had been one of the few people to help her in the past month. One of the few people she knew she could trust.

ZAFT Space Fortress Jachin Due, 1500.

"Courageous soldiers of the ZAFT Forces!" Patrick's voice thundered into the hearts and minds of every Coordinator who was present on either the PLANTs, Jachin Due, or any other place in the vicinity. "We can no longer tolerate the aggression of the arrogant Naturals!" Soldiers below him in Jachin's command center watched their leader in awe with growing excitement and ecstasy. "Once again the PLANTs have come under nuclear attack! It proves once and for all that this is no longer a war! It is a campaign of extermination! We can no longer forgive the Naturals who inflict these terrible attacks upon us without remorse!" Cheers began to ring out among the forces in Jachin and across the PLANTs. "It's time we finished this! It's time we began the new future! A new future, for the light of creation is with us!"

"Say your prayers, Naturals!" a GINN pilot joked to his wingmate.

"You'll pay for using nukes against us!" he shouted back.

"This is a day of history!" Patrick continued. "Marking the advent of a bright new world of Coordinators, the new mankind!"

Wild screams of applause rang out all across the PLANTs, people hugging one another in celebration of this new frontier. "Vic-tory! Vic-tory! Vic-tory!" the soldiers at Jachin chanted, their cries echoing all across space. Jubilant cries of newly achieved freedom and justice were shouted by ecstatic civilians on the PLANTs. The PLANTs had united and were joined by a countless number of Coordinators who were basking in the glory of victory. But not all.

Yzak listened to the enthusiastic cries coming from his radio as he sat in the Duel's cockpit, looking at the giant eyeball staring back at him. He gave no jubilant cries nor joined in the chant of victory that he could hear plainly. It was all strange to him. How could people be cheering now after witnessing such terrible destruction. He'd seen this once before, though it had been the other side who had cheered. It was Alaska, where the Earth Alliance had devastated ZAFT with the destruction of the Alaska base. He had listened to and been enraged by the jubilant cries of the Naturals as they praised each other for virtually wiping out the ZAFT attack force. However, it was still unclear what exactly had happened at Alaska. The base had exploded in a gigantic ball of fire just behind Yzak as the DINN pilot pulled his crippled mobile suit to safety, but based on the reports of the few survivors who had been near the base at the time, there was no evidence to support that ZAFT had done anything to cause the disaster. It had started to dawn on Yzak then that it was possible that the Naturals themselves had destroyed the base on purpose in order to wipe out the attack force. There was no clear evidence to support this theory either, but based on the reaction of the Naturals immediately after Alaska, it became a prime thought in Yzak's mind.

Now this had happened. ZAFT had just virtually done the same thing. They had wiped out an Earth Forces fleet and now people were cheering like mad at the destruction. Yzak never believed it could come to this...his own people cheering at the complete destruction of the enemy. He had always believed that this war had been for protecting the PLANTs, as they had just done, but now people were cheering at the devastation. It made Yzak feel confused. A campaign of extermination? The phrase that Chairman Zala had just used sprang up in Yzak's mind. A campaign of extermination meant that it was now a war that's goal was to wipe out the Naturals. How could that be possible? How could they have come to this? He thought of his mother. What was she thinking now? "I must ask each and every one of you...to look inside your heart and soul...and truly discover...what you are really fighting for." Those words he had heard just a few weeks ago at Mendel. Just before the base had exploded. He hadn't given it much thought, but now...he couldn't stop thinking about it. What am I really fighting for...? Yzak asked himself as he turned back towards Jachin Due.

As the cheers of victory echoed behind him, Patrick took his leave of the giant command center and boarded an elevator that would take him to the smaller command center above him. When he arrived Yuri, Gilbert, and Ezalia were all waiting for him. "Congratulations Your Excellency," Ezalia told him as he approached. "The Naturals' attack force has retreated."

"Thank you Ezalia, but I'm afraid I don't share your optimism." Ezalia was shocked at first, but she hid it from her expression. Patrick looked to Gilbert and said, "Commodore, what were the readings on GENESIS when it fired?"

"Sixty percent possible output, Your Excellency," Gilbert answered roughly. "We're working on pushing the damaged mirror block into the scrap pile as we speak."

"How long until we'll be able to fire again?" Patrick asked, getting a wide eyed, confused glance in return from Gilbert.

"Fire again?" Gilbert answered. "Why? We've already-."

"We've already used it once Dullindal," Patrick interrupted. "We have to use it again if we want to end the war. The Naturals are still out there and we must defeat them. GENESIS can do that. So I ask you again, when can we fire it?"

"Your Excellency," Yuri cut in, stopping Gilbert from answering. "At the moment we're still not sure what we're going to do in this situation. The Naturals have retreated as Ezalia has already informed you, but it's likely that this isn't over yet. We've got our defensive lines arrayed in ways that will protect the PLANTs, but right now we just don't have the forces to stop an attack. We managed to repair most of the ships we lost at Jachin, but we're still running low at this time."

"Well, then what do you suggest we do, General?" Patrick asked. "Would you object to firing at the Earth?"

"The Earth?" Gilbert gasped almost.

"In my book that's not a feasible option, Patrick," Yuri put in. "It's too soon for that kind of attack."

"I'm afraid I must agree with the General, Your Excellency," Ezalia added, turning to glance at Yuri. "We must keep in mind that we do have our own soldiers on the Earth as we speak. And given the information the Commodore has supplied us with, if we fire directly at the Earth it will wipe out the entire population, including our own. So I must advise against it." Ezalia knew that the Naturals would try to attack again, but it was too extreme for her tastes to fire directly at the Earth. She still had soldiers down there and she didn't want to see anymore sacrificed for no apparent reason. She knew the soldiers were all someone's children, and as a mother herself she knew what they would go through should that happen. She hated the Naturals for what they had done to her and her people, but not in a way that would put her people's own lives in danger.

Patrick thinned his lips and leaned down towards the map display below him. "Your points are valid, I must admit," he said reluctantly. His eyes fixated on the space below him, the locations of the Earth, the Moon, and the PLANTs, winking in bright lights at him. "What about the Moon?"

"The Lunar Base?" Yuri asked.

"Yes," Patrick answered. "What would you say to an attack on the Lunar Base, Yuri?"

Yuri hesitated and didn't speak for a few seconds. Ezalia interceded. "That's possible. The Lunar Base is a secluded target at the moment because the Earth Forces have moved many of their forces here to L5. If we destroyed the Lunar Base that would mean that the Earth Forces' influence in space would be completely gone. That is the only real base they have left here, so it makes sense when you think about it."

"Yes, it also minimizes losses on our side as well," Yuri added finally after a pause. "I...I really can't see anything wrong with it."

"But it may be entirely unnecessary to fire a second shot, you understand," Gilbert put in. "I mean, if the Earth Forces have retreated as Miss Ezalia has already stated, they may be just leaving us alone. GENESIS was only meant to be a defensive weapon as it is, so-."

"But sometimes defensive weapons must be turned into offensive ones," Patrick interrupted again, receiving a hard stare from Gilbert in response. "Besides, the Naturals haven't retreated at all. Not after they've tried to use nuclear weapons against us again. They're more than likely waiting for reinforcements and supplies to arrive and they're just waiting. Even the thought of the Naturals giving up now is garbage. With our use of GENESIS we've already set the bar too high for them to ignore it."

"They'll no doubt be launching another offensive soon in order to destroy GENESIS and more than likely they'll try to attack the PLANTs again," Ezalia added. "I've spoken to le Creuset and he confirmed that scouts that we sent out reported that the Earth Forces are only waiting for supplies and possible reinforcements from the Lunar Base. But if we destroy the Lunar Base along with their reinforcements, this will cripple them."

"I'm curious to know why you think it would be unnecessary to use it again, Dullindal," Patrick said to Jachin's commanding officer. "It's almost as if you don't want to use it again." He narrowed his eyes and looked into Dullindal's. "Is that true?"

Gilbert paused, staring back into the eyes of his Chairman, the man who was his boss and superior in this conflict. "No, sir," Gilbert said flatly.

"That's more like it. We'll commence the attack as soon as GENESIS is ready. How long until you can get it up to one hundred percent output, Dullindal?"

"One hundred percent?" Gilbert grimaced. "That could be a problem. You see, it only takes us a few hours to realign the new mirror block for another attack, but because we had to use it on such short notice, it will take quite a while until it can reach its full potential, I'm afraid."

"How long?" Ezalia asked.

"We'll have to reroute all the power converters and set the flow to maximum, the former's going to take the longest...I'd say at the earliest we'll have it ready by mid-morning tomorrow, and I say that's the earliest for one hundred percent firing power," Gilbert finished.

"Get on it then," Patrick ordered. "Yuri! Have the fleet reset itself around Jachin. That's more than likely going to be their target this time. But leave some extra forces back to guard the PLANTs while you're at it. It's more than likely that the scumbag Naturals will be attacking with nuclear weapons again, so be ready."

"Yes, sir," Yuri saluted.

Eternal, L5 Colony Group, 1530.

The six ships of the Orb Forces hid behind several large asteroids just beyond the reach of the PLANTs and that weapon. Archangel, Kusanagi, Eternal, Peleuia, Capricorn, Vasconi, they were all bunched tightly behind the rocks as they spiraled beside them. Mobile suit pilots emerged from their machines with pale faces after the destruction they'd just witnessed before their eyes. Frank clambered out of the Zero's cockpit and met up with Mwu and Dearka as they emerged from their machines. Their emotions were the same as his; complete and utter shock.

On the bridge of the pink warship, Admiral Cantarii had just arrived via shuttle along with Cagalli from his ship and Murrue from the Kusanagi. The Eternal's bridge crew was there, as were Lacus and Andy. They listened intently as Erica Simmons presented her analysis of the situation from the Kusanagi.

"They fired a gamma ray beam," Erica said, her voice neutral as she spoke. "The rays were generated by a nuclear explosion and immediately focused to produce a coherent beam of energy." On the ship's view screen, a simulated model of GENESIS fired a ray of light that expanded outwards in a bright red flash. "Think of it as a giant gamma ray laser." Then she added darkly, "If that thing were shot at Earth, the extreme radiation would sear the entire surface to a crisp, wiping out all forms of life." The red beam struck the simulated image of the Earth and the surface was completely charred red and yellow, signifying a direct hit.

"Well, that's just beautiful," Cantarii added quietly. "Now we've got that worry about. Never ending cycle if you ask me."

"Do you think they'll do it?" Murrue wondered out loud. "Fire on Earth?" Everyone went silent with that thought coming into their minds. At that moment, Kira and Athrun arrived on the bridge and stood beside Lacus, Cagalli moving to join them.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Andy said, breaking the silence. "But essentially the cause of building a weapon of long range mass destruction such as that is to act as a deterrent to the other side. But now both sides have used their most powerful weapons."

"And it won't be surprising if both sides use them again," Cantarii added quietly. "They're not remorseful about it anymore...am I wrong?" Lacus sighed uneasily above them. Kira and Athrun let their heads drop to glance at their feet below them. "Either way whatever happens next is going to be bloody and devastating. It's likely that many lives will be lost..." he voice trailed off as everyone else got the message. The next battle was going to be even worse than what they'd already seen and they all knew it.

Next to the Eternal on the Kusanagi, Nathan Kellhorn floated in the weightless state up towards the cockpit of his latest creation. The Strike Rouge, a red and pink mobile suit that was an exact replica of the original GAT-X105 Strike that Commander la Flaga now piloted. The parts to it had been aboard the Kusanagi ever since she was sent into space and now Kellhorn had been given the task of assembling it. It was almost finished. "How's everything look?" he asked one of his men.

"All weapons systems are good sir, but we're still having trouble with the coolant tubes to the starboard Vulcan," the man answered, pointing up towards the mobile suit's head. "Unless she doesn't use it that much the thing might blow up if it gets overheated and take the head out."

"Get to work on it then," Nathan ordered, shooing the man away from the cockpit. He peeked inside and made spot checks on all the systems in the cockpit. It certainly was a fine mobile suit. It saddened Nathan that it may be destroyed in the fight he knew was rapidly approaching.

On the other side of the hangar, Wayne and Orel spoke to Kisaka through a console. "We're down to almost two thirds of our original machines, Colonel," Wayne told him grimly. "Kusanagi's got eight left, the others each have four."

"What about the ones you have left?" Kisaka asked. "Are they all ready to go on a moment's notice?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Wayne answered.

"But Nate and his guys got the Strike Rouge put together finally so at least we'll have that at our disposal," Orel pointed out. "Who's the one piloting it anyway, Kisaka?"

"Miss Cagalli's been the one designated to pilot it," Kisaka answered. "She'll be able to help you significantly, I know."

"Yeah, I've seen her run simulations, the girl's good," Wayne commented.

"Admiral Cantarii." The old soldier turned his bluish-gray eyes to center on Kira who added, "What are you planning to do?"

Cantarii hesitated. He shut his eyes. "What we've got to do, Kira," he said quietly. He turned back towards the front view port and stared out at Jachin Due and the eyeball next to it. "We have to stop that weapon. We can't let it fire on Earth. How we're going to do it...I'm really not sure."

"Admiral, sir..." Captain Steele began to speak, but Cantarii held up a hand to stop her.

"I know Captain." He paused and shut his old eyes. "But sometimes I feel that even I don't have all the answers in these kinds of situations. Even an old soldier like me has never seen anything like this before in my thirty years in the military."

Andy leaned back in his chair and said, "The only chance we'll have to stop that thing is if we head straight at Jachin Due. But that also means that we'll be leaving the PLANTs wide open to a nuclear attack." He sighed. "No matter how you slice it our forces will be at a disadvantage. We're only six ships and a handful of mobile suits against the entire firepower of both sides. And both sides have already used their most powerful weapons against one another. And it's clear that neither side will hesitate to use them against the other again." His words made it seem even more impossible to the people on the bridge. The situation was so grave that it seem as if whatever they tried, they'd lose anyway. Either way one side would be annihilated. At least...that's what could happen. "The first time I had to shoot someone..." Andy continued, breaking everyone out of their trances, "...it turned my stomach. They said that after a while I'd get used to it...and that's exactly what happened." Kira sighed uneasily behind him, realizing where Andy was going with this.

"Are you saying it's the same with nukes...and that weapon...?" Murrue asked, her voice trembling with uneasiness.

"Isn't it?" Andy asked.

Cantarii sighed. "You're right, General Waltfeld. The way things have transpired neither side will hesitate to use their most devastating weapons again."

"We can't allow them to do it." Everyone turned to Kira who added confidently, "Use nuclear weapons or that thing. That's what we set out to do from the beginning. To make sure that neither side destroyed the other. That's what's happening now. This is the task we've been given." He raised his head and his eyes seemed to blaze with a passion unfounded in any other human being. "We have to stop them," he finished.

No one spoke for a short time. Then Cantarii shook his head and smiled. "It's amazing. The younger ones always figure it out before the older ones." He glanced at Kira and said, "You're right Kira. No matter how impossible it seems...we've got to keep both sides from destroying the other." Kira hummed in agreement. Andy nodded in his agreement and everyone else on the bridge agreed silently.

Meanwhile on the Archangel, Mwu, Dearka, and Frank watched the information regarding GENESIS play out on the Buster's monitor. "Damn," Frank sighed. "Another nightmare for us."

"Look at that thing, it's fully loaded," Dearka added. "Mirage Colloid, Phase Shift Armor, N-Jammer Canceller."

"That doesn't mean anything," Mwu cut in. "Just because it's got a lot of nice features, it doesn't mean that it's invincible." He folded his arms and added, "We've just got to figure out what we've got as an advantage."

"We've got two nuclear powered mobile suits of our, so that counts I guess," Frank said lightly. "Plus a lot of bitches who don't know the meaning of the word lose."

"Mm-hmm," Mwu hummed. "Or impossible. Plus we've got the advantage that both sides may be too concerned with the other to worry about us and maybe we can sneak past 'em and do our stuff."

"Not likely, after all the interference we've been doing lately," Frank added darkly. "I'd say we've made our fair share of enemies."

"Allies too," Mwu brought up. "Maybe there's some people on both sides who have the same thoughts we do."

"There is." Dearka clambered out of the cockpit and stood beside his comrades. "Yzak. The Duel's pilot."

"That guy?" Mwu said, raising his eyebrows questionably. "After all the hell he's been causing?"

"I don't know who he's siding with right now," Dearka said firmly, "but I know he's not stupid. Arrogant, but not stupid. If he smells a rat anywhere in this he'll jump at it. I haven't had the chance to talk to him, but I know he's seen and heard some things."

"Like you?" Mwu asked.

"Yeah..." Dearka said, thinking of the experiences he'd had in the past. Thinking of how he'd insulted Miriallia about her dead boyfriend and had her almost kill him in response. That still stung Dearka's heart. How he'd acted and how he'd handled himself. He knew he could never go back on it, but it still hurt him. "Like me."

The map display on the bridge lit up with the images of the PLANTs and the forces of the Earth Alliance and ZAFT. "This is the current arrangement of each force respectively," Cantarii began. He pointed at a cluster of ships and said, "The Earth Forces withdrew to just at the edge of the stability line, so they're still relatively close. ZAFT is moving they're entire force over to Jachin Due, but given the position of the PLANTs and Jachin at this time, by tomorrow Jachin will be within five minutes distance of the PLANTs, so it means a smaller battlefield for them. With the 5th Orbital remaining undamaged it's likely that they'll rendezvous with the rest of the Earth Forces and launch another attack soon. That is if I know Sutherland like I think I do. Especially with Azrael backing him up." He moved his index finger across the display and said, "Unless I'm mistaken they'll head for Jachin in order to destroy the weapon, but if they get the opportunity they won't waste the chance to strike the PLANTs."

"The Earth Forces are going to coming all from one direction," Andy added. "It's more than likely that they'll strike Jachin from its broad side." He pointed to the front face of the asteroid fortress where the central dock was located. "You thinking we'll come from the opposite side?"

"Exactly. If we come from this direction, we'll place ourselves between the Earth Forces and the PLANTs in case of a nuclear attack and still have a straight bearing for Jachin and the weapon," Cantarii continued. "The ships'll have to stay together until we get close, then we'll probably have to split up to avoid becoming sitting ducks. Losses of the ships should be minimized if we split up as soon as we get relatively close...but that also means that the mobile suits will have to bear the brunt of the attacks." He looked up at Kira and Athrun and said, "You two okay with that? It's only because the warships are the most likely to be able to make a dent that weapon. Your METEOR units may also have a chance, but we'll probably need you to take care of the forces in the immediate area, as well as any nuclear weapons that get past us." He paused. "Are you two good with that?"

"Yes, sir," Kira said quickly.

"No objections, sir," Athrun added confidently.

"Thank you. I think that will conclude this meeting people." He raised his head to look at each and every one of them and said, "You're all brave souls...among the finest soldiers...and people...I've ever had the privilege of knowing...much less fighting side by side with. This battle's going to cost lives...but if we win...this war will come to an end at last...and we'll have achieved our main goal of preserving peace. I wish you all the best of luck." He saluted smartly and everyone returned it confidently. The meeting slowly broke up as people went back to their ships, determined to make this battle the last one.

Archangel, 1900.

Blow torch in hand, Murdoch scrambled onto the cockpit dome of the single operational Skygrasper that the Archangel had at that moment. Its sister was still being worked on by the people from Morgenrate, but it had been returned to the ship anyway along with its completed counterpart. Murdoch leaned over the rear of the plane and shouted, "Hank, how's it look?"

"Not good," Hank Rodriguez replied grimly. "Entire thing's been charred and the input valves all popped loose. We'll have to build another one."

"Already, geez. We just got it fixed," Murdoch complained. "Ah well, just get the parts you need and we'll work on it. We've got to get this thing ready to fly by tomorrow."

"That's when the fight's supposed to start?" Hank asked as his face disappeared underneath the plane again.

"Yeah, that's when it's supposed to start," Murdoch answered. "When it will start, nobody knows."

In another part of the ship, Murrue floated by herself in the corridor below the bridge, her hand moving against the wall in order to give her support. Her eyes were trained on the deck below her and her lips were sealed tight. Words could not describe the emotions that were flowing through her veins at this moment, there were just too many of them. Worry over the upcoming battle that would soon be upon her, anger over what the opposing sides had resorted to in order to achieve victory, happiness that she and the people she cared about had made it at least this far, and most of all uncertainty over the outcome of the conflict. What would happen to her, or more importantly, to the people she cared deeply for? What would happen to Frank? Her brother that had saved her when she was young, who had come to her rescue on the night she was raped, who had promised her he would protect her no matter what. And he had. She could never repay him for all he'd done for her. What of Kira? The young boy who she had watched grow up before her eyes and mature to levels beyond those she could ever have comprehended. She had no doubt that he could take care of himself, but what would happen to him after the battle was finished? What of Natarle? The woman who had been with her since the very beginning, the one who had become her best friend in later months during the times of hardship they both had endured together. Natarle was tough and could take care of herself, but what would happen to her? All these emotions caused Murrue's body to ache as she traveled slowly through the corridor alone with her thoughts. What would happen when this was over? What would happen to her friends? What would happen to her? What would happen to him?

"Murrue!" Her head snapped up to see his figure approaching her from the other end of the corridor. His blonde hair. His blue eyes. His strong build. His caring and decisive voice. Mwu watched her come closer as he stopped and waited for her.

"Mwu!" Murrue exclaimed just above a whisper. She kicked off the deck and surged towards him, jumping against him as he caught her body against his, knocking him backwards down the corridor. His arms held her shoulders and she pressed her face against his chest and held him. He managed to stop himself from moving and straightened himself so he could stand up straight. He looked down at her form as she held him close. He lowered his head and pressed it gently against the top of her head, trying to comfort her the best he could.

Slowly, she raised her head to take in his facial features. The ones she had fallen in love with. "What was that for?" Mwu asked lightly.

"I haven't seen you in a long time," she answered. "I was glad to see you."

"It's only been since this morning," he reminded her with a smile. "It's not that long."

"I know..." she said, her voice trailing off at the end. "Mwu...can we talk?"

"Sure," Mwu answered. "All you had to do was ask. You know I love it when we talk."

"Come in, then." She led him down the corridor to her quarters and opened the door. He stepped inside beside her and she shut the door behind them. "Thank you again," she said, as she turned back to face him.

"Anytime. I already told you, you could talk to me anytime you wanted," he answered as she stood before him. He noticed that she was avoiding eye contact with him and trying not to look at him directly. "What's wrong?" he asked thoughtfully. She didn't answer. With a bit of caution, he wrapped her up in his strong arms and held her close to him. She didn't resist and let him take her into his arms. "Murrue," he whispered. "What's wrong? You can tell me. I've said before I won't tell anyone else what we talk about alone."

"Yes...I just wanted...to be alone with you for a little while," she answered quietly as she gently pressed her head against his shoulder. Mwu rocked her slowly back and forth, trying to comfort her as best he could.

"Something else is wrong Murrue. I can tell." He saw the far away look in her brown eyes and knew that something had to be troubling her at this moment. "Is it about the battle? Because if it is, I'll tell you what I've always told you-."

"Mwu, stop!" she whispered, finally looking up into his blue eyes. "Talk about anything...anything but that. Let's not worry about that right now...that can wait...I just want to be with you...only think about you right now."

"Murrue, are you okay?" he asked. He could feel her body begin to tremble against his own as he held her. "You can tell me," he soothed her. "It's okay. I'm here for you...I'll never leave you."

"Don't! Don't even think about leaving me. I don't want to think about you not being here," she said. "I wouldn't be able to survive without you, Mwu. It's only because of you that I've made it this far. I forbid you to talk about what might happen to you during the battle. I forbid you to talk about the battle, period. That's a Captain's order."

"Yes, ma'am," he whispered in her ear. "I won't speak of it anymore. Nothing concerning the outside world. But I have to know...what's wrong? Are you afraid that I won't be here at the end of this?"

Murrue felt her heart ache as he uttered those words. Life without him beside her? She couldn't imagine it. Not after all they'd been through together. The battles they'd fought side by side. The laughs they'd shared together during their time off duty. The nights alone when they'd laid close together in bed, whispering soothing thoughts to each other. He had become part of her life that she couldn't live without. She couldn't imagine him not there anymore at the end...

"I don't even want to think about that," she said quietly, but firmly. "Mwu...in all my life...I've never met anyone like you. You...you've been the best friend I've ever had...I can never forgive you for all you've done for me. Especially in these past few months...I've never felt better in my entire life than I have when I'm alone with you. You're that important to me. I cannot imagine life without you, Mwu la Flaga." She gazed into his deep blue eyes and saw in them an undying passion and love that she needed right at this moment. "Mwu...I love you..."

His mouth opened ever so slightly, but no words came out, not even a sound. She lowered her eyes so not to look into his face. Those words she had just uttered..."I love you..." he couldn't count the times he'd said those words in his mind ever since the day they'd first kissed. He had loved her...but he wasn't sure that she loved him. Sure it was implied that she did...but...he'd never anticipated she would actually say it. Now she had...his heart was melting inside of his chest. His blood heated up inside of his veins and his spirit was soaring into the heavens.

He slowly moved his hands up her back and behind her head, underneath her autumn colored locks. He raised her head to face him directly and kissed her lips passionately. Murrue was shocked at first, but that evaporated in an instant as the feeling of his lips upon hers consumed her. Her eyes closed as she deepened the kiss, melding her body against his own. Unconsciously, her hands reached for his jacket and unzipped it. As they broke the kiss, she lowered her head to his chest and placed it above his heart, felt its calm beating next to her. "What are you doing?" he asked quietly, thoughtfully.

"I want to be close to you," she whispered. "Feel your heart...the heart of the one I love."

He smiled and looked down at her beautiful face, pressed against his heart as it thumped inside of him. "The heart of the one who loves you," he said quietly. "And has loved you since the first day he got to know the person you are, Murrue Ramius."

"And I have loved you since the first day I had the privilege of speaking intimately with you, Mwu," Murrue answered, removing her head from his chest and instead wrapping arms around his middle and pulling him close to her. "And I want...to be with you...tonight...while we still have the time."

"My pleasure," he said quietly. "Just talk again?"

"No," she said quickly. "Mwu...I want you...alone. We're alone...let's be alone..."

He saw the twinkle in her eyes and the sincerity in her face. It dawned on him then. He smiled his usual cocky smile. "That's why you wanted to be alone."

"Yes," Murrue said. "Please...?"

"How can I refuse?" he responded in a whisper, their lips meeting in another kiss. They each managed to slip their tongues in each other's mouths, intensifying the kiss as it went on. They broke for air for just a split second before they kissed again. His strong hands massaged her back gently as they kissed, eventually making their way up to her neck and unfastening the collar on her jacket. A little scared at first, Murrue's tension melted away as his lips gently placed kisses on her cheek and made their way to her neck. They gently nibbled at her there and Murrue's breath left her, her body almost falling into Mwu's as he nibbled and gently bit at her neck. "You like this?" he whispered.

"Yes..." she answered in a whisper. His lips were warm as they kissed her neck, eventually moving to gently bite at her earlobe, causing her to tremble at his gentle touch. "Mwu..." she whispered, her eyes closing as she held herself against him while he worked his magic. She didn't know he could do this to her...what was she thinking? Of course she did. With his kiss, of course he could do things with his lips that she couldn't comprehend. As he continued to kiss her and gently caress her with his strong hands, the want and need to know more consumed her. "Mwu...I want you...to show me...what it's like...to be loved..."

"Loved?" he asked.

She nodded her head slowly. He got the message loud and clear and captured her lips in a kiss again, her scent enveloping him as he did so. He broke the kiss and stared into her beautiful brown eyes. "Are you sure...?" he asked carefully. He could feel them floating in mid-air. Slowly but surely Murrue was pulling him back towards her bed. "Are you sure you want to...to...you know...?"

"Yes, Mwu," she answered quickly, cupping his face with her soft hands. "Love me...please..." she ordered, kissing him deeply, passionately. He shut his eyes and was lost in her kiss. His last bit of resolve faded at that very second. He moved one of his hands down to her waist, bending her backwards and laying her gently down on the bed. As the passion took hold of them, Murrue managed to unconsciously reach behind her and shut off the lights.

Kusanagi, 1930.

"This is the most recent imagery, Admiral." Josef brought the image up onto the view screen at the front of the bridge. "The 5th Fleet's rendezvoused with the 7th and they're waiting for supplies right now. Our intelligence indicates that they'll be launching another attack sometime tomorrow."

"And ZAFT?" Cantarii asked.

"We've only gotten some intercepts, but from what we've deciphered...we can tell they're planning on firing another shot," Josef said darkly.

Cantarii exhaled painfully. "Any indicators to what the target may be...?"

"It's one of two options at this moment, sir," Josef answered. He turned and stared out the front view port. "The Moon...or the Earth. We have no way of telling what the target will be until they fire, I'm afraid. We've done all we can to figure it out, but they are changing their codes so rapidly it's becoming difficult for us to keep up."

"Have they set a time when they project the shot to be fired?" Cagalli asked.

"Sometime tomorrow as well," Josef told them. "That's all we know." He shrugged his shoulders. "All we can do now is wait and see what develops, I'm afraid. We've gotten all the information we're going to get for now."

"See to it that all ships are prepared for immediate launch on a moment's notice, Captain Jackson," Cantarii told his Captain.

"Yes, sir."

Next to the Kusanagi, on board the Archangel, the deck crew scrambled across the deck with blow torches and other tools in order to repair damaged equipment that they would dearly need for the conflict the next day. Murdoch directed a portion of the crew and Hank the other, each one barking out commands like a drill sergeant, waving their hands and pointing fingers in different directions to indicate what they wanted done. The crews reacted instinctively. They had been doing this ever since they had first boarded the great ship. Mobile units in the hangar, the Strike, the Buster, the Zero, both Skygraspers, and the three K-bombers, took up most of the space in the hangar, leaving little room for the crews to maneuver around, but they didn't care. As long as they got the job done, that was all that mattered.

Above the hangar, Frank leaned over a metal railing as he watched the bustling activity below him. He'd spent the last few hours aboard the ship, servicing the Zero where it needed to be and helping the crews wherever he could. Then he went back to his quarters, showered, and journeyed to the mess hall for a quick bite to eat. Now, with little to do than wait, he watched the crews below him move quickly to accomplish the tasks at hand.

In the doorway to his left, the corridor shrouded in shadows behind, Natarle cautiously crept into the open space and finally she found him. He stood leaning over the railing, watching the hangar below, his brown eyes focused intently below him, his mouth sealed tightly shut, his body relaxed. Silently she wondered how he could be so relaxed at this moment. Almost as if he was completely unaware of what was going on in the war. That was why Natarle had been looking for him. She wanted to see his emotions at this time, what he was thinking about. She didn't care that she had a shift to start in a few minutes. She wanted to see Frank. Just to make sure that he was okay.

"Commander?" she said quietly, just above a whisper.

Frank turned his head to his right and he saw her, her figure partially masked by the shadows behind her, but he could see her face plain as day, her violet eyes burning brightly. "Lieutenant," he acknowledged.

"Can I come in?" Natarle asked.

"Sure." She skipped off the deck and floated next to him. He took her by the shoulders and helped her get back onto the deck beside him. "What's up?" he asked.

"I wanted to make sure where you..." her voice trailed off before she could complete the sentence. She looked into his brown eyes and saw the seriousness behind them. She bit her lip. She couldn't lie to him. After all they'd been through. "I wanted to make sure you were okay, Frank," she said.

He smiled. "I'm fine, Natarle," he answered confidently. "What about you, you okay?"

"Yes," she responded.

"Good. Was that all you wanted to talk about?"

Natarle opened her mouth, but she stopped herself from speaking. She had received the orders from Admiral Cantarii moments before, concerning the battle that was sure to happen the next day. The orders that said the mobile units would likely suffer heavy losses during the conflict, but that it was necessary for them to keep the opposing sides from destroying one another. Those words had stung her heart. She had close friends who would be risking their lives out there. Most of all...him. Frank would be out there the next day...risking his life to save countless numbers of innocents. It was likely that he wouldn't make it...wouldn't make it back. That thought made Natarle's heart ache inside of her. Bravely, she began to speak.

"We received the orders...about the fight that's coming tomorrow," she said. "You know about that, right?"

"Yeah, I heard," Frank answered quickly. "What's the details?"

Natarle took a deep breath. "ZAFT's weapon is our top priority. We'll have to destroy it before it fires on Earth...if and when it does. We'll also have the prospect of the Earth Forces using nuclear weapons against the PLANTs again...so we'll also be given the responsibility of stopping them once again. Not to mention all the forces that will be shooting at us, we're expecting heavy casualties on all sides. The warships will have to deal with the larger forces because we'll be the only ones who can even make a dent in them...which will leave you guys to deal with everything else. Admiral Cantarii's...projecting heavy losses...for the mobile units. It's likely that...many of you...won't make it back..." She stopped then, her voice dropping to below a whisper. Natarle could feel small droplets of tears begin to form in the corners of her eyes and start to fall down her cheeks. She cursed herself, but she couldn't stop. Even thinking about losing all those fine pilots, fine people, it hurt her. Especially the thought of losing Frank...her friend. The man she cared deeply for...more than he even knew.

Frank's mouth opened slightly as he saw the droplets begin to form on her cheeks. That made him hurt. Why was she crying? He had to know. Slowly, he reached forward and tilted her chin up so that her watery eyes could meet his. "Hey...hey..." he whispered. "Come on...don't cry. It's not that bad...it won't be that bad, Natarle."

Her lip trembled and she sniffed once through her nose. "I'm sorry..." she apologized quietly, not even bothering to look into his eyes. She was making herself look like a fool, crying in front of a superior officer, one that took his job dead serious for that matter. "I know I should be stronger than this...I'm sorry...you probably think I'm weak right now...just a stupid little baby who can't stop crying..." More tears came, she couldn't stop them.

Frank felt like crying as he watched this strong woman break down in front of him. She was his friend. He didn't want to see her cry. "Where'd you get that crazy idea?" he asked her, gently taking her by the shoulders. She looked back into his face and he added, his voice cracking, "I don't think you're weak at all, Natarle. I just hate to see my friends cry...I've seen it way too many times in my life..." She looked deeply into his eyes and he continued. "You're one of the strongest people I've ever known, Natarle. Nothing can change that. Only if you let it happen will you lose your friends. And it doesn't matter to me if you cry or not. Cry if you want to...I don't care. We'll be here...through all of this...like we always have been. We'll be here."

Natarle didn't speak for a time. "I know, Frank," she finally said in a whisper. "I'm just afraid I'll lose a friend like you...I don't want that to happen...to any of us."

Frank smiled a bit. "Don't worry Natarle," he told her softly. "I know we'll all be okay. We'll make it through this."

"How do you know...?" she asked him quietly. He didn't answer. She was afraid she'd hurt him...making him answer a question like that. His response should have been enough for her. Why did she have to be so professional all the time? Why couldn't she-!

Her thoughts stopped abruptly when she found herself being pulled to him. Natarle barely had time to gasp before her lips were pressed tightly against Frank's. Her eyes shot wide open, the water in them disappeared. Her body was trembling as she felt his strong arms wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close to him. Her hands were placed on his shoulders, the only place she could find to put them in this situation. This was the last thing she expected. A quiet whimper escaped her throat as he lips relaxed into the kiss. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever suspect this...to have him...kiss her. She'd dreamed about it...wondered what it would be like. Now that it was happening...she didn't know what to do.

Frank tensed from the impact that was sure to come once he kissed her, but it was the only response he could deem suitable for this situation. However, once he felt how sweet her lips were, he felt that he'd made the right decision. Sure, he'd thought about kissing Natarle in the past. He had strong feelings for her, but he could never have comprehended how sweet and tender her kiss would be, her dark red lips pressed against his. He could feel her body trembling against his, but that didn't matter to him. He'd done what he wanted to...he'd given her his answer to her question.

When the need for air caused them to break the kiss, her eyes were still wide in shock and her mouth was aghast. Her arms did not leave his shoulders as she looked into his face for some kind of explanation. It made Frank feel bad then. He suddenly thought as if he had done something she didn't approve of. He looked away from her. "I'm sorry..." he whispered. He started to pull away from her and added, "I'm sorry about that, Lieutenant-."

"No!" Frank stopped as he felt her hand reach out and grip his shoulder tightly, effectively halting his retreat. He watched the tiny hand slide up his shoulder to his cheek and turn his head back to face her now grinning face. "No..." she ordered in a whisper. She kissed him. His eyes closed slowly and he was lost in the sweetness of her lips. He held her form close to himself and started to gently caress her back. Natarle relaxed this time and throughly enjoyed the kiss. The first one had shocked her, but now that she knew what it felt like to kiss him, she wanted more. Their lips only parted for shallow breaths of air as the kiss intensified, Frank slipping his tongue out to lick her dark red lips and taste how sweet they were. Natarle was startled by this, but she quickly brought her own tongue to meet his own, starting to duel his in their own respective mouths.

When they broke for air a second time, Frank found Natarle's smiling brightly as her eyes sparkling. He smiled. "Wow..." he breathed. "That was a surprise."

"Same here," she responded lightly.

"Natarle...I have to know," he said casually. "How...in the hell...could you fall for a guy like me?"

She smiled. "Isn't it obvious? Because you're not an idiot, Commander. You take your job seriously and don't let your thoughts get the best of you like some of the others I've met. And if that was anything of an example...you take love seriously as well."

Frank narrowed his eyes and smiled. "You better believe I take it seriously." She giggled, never letting go of him in the process.

"I have to ask you the same thing though, Frank," Natarle said. "How come you fell for me?"

"Simply put, you're your own woman, Lieutenant," Frank responded, holding her close to him. "You don't let anything stand in your way and don't lower yourself to some of the levels other women do. You're strong, you're intelligent...and of course, you're gorgeous."

Natarle smiled brighter yet. "I should've seen that coming."

"Mm-hmm," Frank hummed, inhaling her spicy scent, the one that had captivated him since the first day he'd smelled it. "Well before I go and screw this up like I probably will-."

"Don't say that," Natarle interrupted.

"Okay I won't," Frank answered quickly. "As I was saying, before I miss the opportunity, can I spend some time with you Natarle? You know, just so we can be together for a little while...before we're forced to part company?"

Natarle sighed. "I'd love to...but I have a shift to start soon."

"Of course, duty comes before pleasure," Frank answered. "But...do you at least have another minute?"

Natarle looked to her right at the clock above them. Her shift was to start in about a minute, which meant she had to hurry if she wanted to make it on time. She opened her mouth to speak, but she saw the look on his face through the corner of her eye and she felt her heart melt inside of her chest again. She turned to him and smiled. "Two," she whispered.

"Perfect," he said, smiling. He kissed her again.

Jachin Due, 2100.

The hangar inside Jachin Due's main dock was completely dark, encompassed in a thick shade of black. The only lights that could be seen were two dim white circles at the top of the hangar, starting out into nothing mysteriously like a ghost. Ironically, the thing that the light were a part of resembled something of a ghastly setting.

Quietly, the doors to the hangar sighed open and the clicking of three sets of feet could be heard entering the facility. The lights of the hangar flickered on, illuminating the object that supported the ghostly eyes. It was a mobile suit. A large, gray mobile suit. ZAFT's newest model.

Below it stood, Yuri, Gilbert, and Rau, each staring up in awe at the thing, its dark color scheme and ghost-like manor. ZAFT's newest mobile suit, X-13A Providence, constructed in secret during the last month, at the same time as GENESIS. Now it would be put into action, utilizing the same technology that ZAFT had used to construct the X-10A Freedom and X-09A Justice, the predecessors of this weapon. It contained an N-Jammer Canceller which powered the machine with nuclear energy, Phase Shift Armor to protect it, and ZAFT's newest weapon's system, the DRAGOON, capable of utilizing the same technology as the Earth Forces Moebieus units used with their multiple gun-barrels in order to attack a target from multiple directions at once. All these weapons made the Providence one of the most powerful mobile suits ever constructed.

"Impressive," Rau commented as he stared in awe at the machine. "Most impressive indeed."

"Does this satisfy your expectations, le Creuset?" Gilbert asked him.

"Completely, sir," Rau answered politely. "I'm honored to have been given the chance to pilot it in the upcoming battle. Please give my thanks to Chairman Zala for allowing me to use it, General."

"It will be done, Commander," Yuri answered.

Rau nodded to both of them separately and slowly began to make his way towards the machine, the ghostly white eyes seeming to stare wantonly down at his form. Yuri and Gilbert watched the mysterious man approach the machine and said nothing to one another. The only sound that could be heard were the click of Rau's boots on the metal deck, the sounds echoing off the walls of the hangar.

After he was a safe distance away, Yuri glanced at Gilbert and asked, "Gilbert...do you honestly trust him? le Creuset that is?"

Gilbert turned his head to face his old friend, his face questionable as his eyes bore into him. Gilbert shut his eyes and shrugged. "Yuri, I've known him for almost twenty years..." he said, turning his head back to stare at Rau's retreating form. "...And I still don't have an answer to that. I've known him for as long as I've known you...and I still don't know if I trust him fully. Especially with what you informed me, earlier."

"If it was up to me, I wouldn't let him near the thing," Yuri admitted quietly. "But it's not my call...and Patrick's put all his trust into him. We've got no choice but to abide by the Chairman's orders."

"Yes. Let us just hope that Chairman Zala has made the correct decision," Gilbert answered softly.

Rau stopped at the feet of the Providence and craned his neck to take in the entire body of the ghastly mobile suit. He smiled. "It won't be long now..." he whispered devilishly. "The time is almost upon us my friend. Mankind's destiny...will finally be there's."