Chapter 14: To the Ocean!

It was morning in the desert. All seemed quiet; and so it was, for the great ship passing overhead flew nearly silently on its levitators.

"We're heading out, Captain," Ensign Arnold Neumann reported to his captain on the Archangel's Bridge. "Approaching the Red Sea."

The other occupants of the Bridge turned to watch as the water filled the screens. "We made it," Kevin "Snake" Walker murmured. It was technically somewhat unusual for a pilot, particularly one of such low rank, to be on the Bridge, but Kevin had proven himself to be far more than a mere pilot. The crew, one and all, had accepted him, and it was they that had given him the name Snake, in honor of his blinding reflexes and commando past.

Next to him is the former ZAFT soldier Jason Hibiki, who was looking out to the ocean, "No Celebrations yet, unless you forgot about ZAFTs underwater forces." He mentioned. Everyone agreed.

Everyone thought of him but thought of Kevin even more. It does not bother them that that was about all they knew about his past; he had proven himself many times over. Virtually everyone on the ship suspected that Snake was the one who had killed Gerard Garcia, thus aiding their escape from Artemis, and none could doubt his contributions during the various battles along the way, be they in zero-gravity or the Libyan desert.

Despite his reluctance to speak of his past, the officers, and a couple of others, had begun to suspect Snake's true origins; Captain Murrue Ramius and Lieutenant Commander La Flaga, for example, knew that he was cybernetically augmented, though they didn't yet know the full extant of it. His friend Kira Yamato had seen glimmerings, as well, when they met with the ZAFT Commander Andrew Waltfeld. The young warrior had there displayed a cultured facade, acting completely at ease with his elegant surroundings and formal clothing; more interestingly, his speech patterns had changed, including a subtle shift in his accent, which indicated an aristocratic past.

Though Snake's acting skills were clearly second-to-none, a legacy of his time as a fugitive, Kira had come to suspect that the Walker he'd known for ten years, the one most had called Blade, was himself but a false persona, that the true Kevin Walker was the cultured aristocrat. Yet it was impossible to be sure, for he'd never shown that side since.

Only the girl most of them knew as Cagalli Yula knew the truth, and she was no more willing to reveal it than he, for Kevin Walker, the original Kevin Walker, was officially dead and wanted to stay that way. Only two people had ever discovered the truth on their own, and they were now dead. Snake's secrets remained secure... for now. He knew, though, that if the ship ever came into port in Orb, he would be able to hide his past no longer, nor hide from it.

These mysteries meant little to his shipmates, of course. What mattered to them was his sheer ability, and this had proven invaluable. Once thought to be a simple college student, Snake had demonstrated superb accuracy with firearms of all kinds, blinding reflexes, a talent for knives some of the more superstitious mechanics claimed resulted from a pact with the devil, deadly unarmed combat skills, competent mobile suit piloting that sometimes ventured into the unbelievable, and phenomenal fighter-piloting.

He was more than a warrior, as well; he'd displayed a shrewd knowledge of tactics and great understanding of strategy. Snake was nearly the equal of his mentor, the Desert Tiger, who had also imparted to him the psychology of war, the human factor.

All these, as well as the fact that those same mechanics, under Chief Petty Officer Kojiro Murdoch's direction, were unconvinced that it was possible to kill him, made him a valuable and valued member of the crew. The fact that he and Ramius clearly had some kind of understanding cemented his standing amongst the crew, which led to his being present on the Bridge at this time.

The Snake himself was uneasy with such confidence being placed in him, but it didn't show as he stood by Captain Ramius' chair.

"For a short time, I will allow off-duty personnel to take turns about deck," Ramius announced. "Please relay the message to everyone on board," she told Crewman Kuzzey Buskirk, at Communications.

"That's great," Tolle Koenig, the copilot, said happily to Neumann.

Miriallia Haw and Sai Argyle exchanged happy looks, while Lieutenant (junior grade) Natarle Badgiruel activated the intercom. "Bridge to Chief Murdoch," she said; Sai's face fell, probably due to Kira's presence with Murdoch, or so Snake thought. "Are the sonar preparations on schedule?"

"We're doing it right now," Murdoch replied. "The kid's making the final adjustments now; it shouldn't be too much longer."

"Hurry it up. And Chief," she said, her voice turning uncharacteristically teasing, "I'd be careful about calling a superior officer 'kid' if I were you; that kind of mistake could wind up in your official record. Be careful."

The only reply was a moan.

Standing next to Ramius, the Snake sighed, a release of tension. "You know, Captain, I wasn't sure we'd ever make it this far."

She nodded. "I know what you mean." She glanced at him, head cocked. "By the way, are you on or off-duty? It's getting harder to tell."

He looked slightly surprised, then glanced at himself and noted the black flight jacket he wore over his uniform; it had been a gift from the crew, the night before they left the Desert Dawn camp. He sensed La Flaga's sense of humor in the patch that had been sewn into it where a squadron patch would normally be: a coiled King Cobra, fangs bared and hood flared.

He chuckled. "Good question, Captain. Lieutenant?"

Snake's informal manner and ease of speaking with superior officers was something even Badgiruel, normally a stickler for regulations, had become accustomed to; she put it down to his being a special-forces type. She'd heard they were all a little crazy. "You went off-duty about two minutes ago, Ensign," she said, checking the duty roster. "I suggest you try to keep a little better track of that."

He shrugged with a slight smile. "It hardly matters, Lieutenant; most of the time, my duties consist only of mobile suit maintenance and flying. Since the Punisher was damaged beyond my skills to repair, that's not an issue right now, and neither is flying."

"Point taken, Snake," Ramius noted. "I suppose you'll never be entirely comfortable with the military, will you?" She raised an eyebrow. "You know, I'm still not quite sure what you're still doing here. As I recall, you were quite determined to leave the ship once we reached Earth; then you turn up in the cockpit again, just when we need pilots most."

Snake was silent for a long moment. "Part of it, Captain," he said finally, "maybe even most of it, was a conversation I had with Admiral Halberton before he died."

She flinched slightly at the name; she greatly respected and admired the Admiral, and his death had hit her hard. "I wasn't aware you'd spoken with him at such lengths."

"I did. He told me... that there was more to life than vengeance. Even my life." He stared out at the sea. "Believe it or not, Captain, I hadn't really thought about that before; for a long time staying alive and avenging myself upon those who had hurt me was my only purpose. I fought to live and I lived to fight; an endless, pointless cycle, one which would eventually have led me to my death."

Ramius frowned. He sounds different; even his voice. I've not heard that accent anywhere but the Orb aristocracy. Is this another act, or does he revert to his true persona when he lets down his guard? And if so, who is he really?

Snake continued, oblivious to his Captain's thoughts. "Admiral Halburton's words resonated with something Kira told me, that life goes on, and I began to think about it for the first time in years. Perhaps life doesgo on, even for me." He seemed almost to be talking to himself now, the accent stronger than ever. "And when I realized that this ship was going into battle once more, and my friends were still aboard, I made the only choice: to keep fighting. I have no real love for the Earth Forces, and less for some of its member nations, but I like ZAFT even less, and I could not leave this ship to die." He finally looked at her again. "This crew accepted me, Captain, when no others had in a very long time. This is my home now. How could I not defend it?"

She nodded slowly. "I see," she said, though she thought there was more to it.

He took a few steps forward, coming to stand between Tolle and Neumann, staring out at the Sea. "Una salus victus nullam sperare salutem," he murmured, almost inaudibly.

Abruptly, Snake turned and left the Bridge, an odd look on his face. Ramius, too, had an odd look, but because she'd heard his final words and wondered what they meant.

A couple nights previously, there had been a victory celebration at the Desert Dawn camp; Ramius, La Flaga, and Badgiruel had joined Sahib Ashman in the war room, preparing a toast. Snake had mysteriously appeared as well, coalescing out of the darkness to join them. Though technically underage, exactly which country's rules they were operating under was unclear, and the young man seemed quite familiar with such rituals.

"To a new desert dawn," Ashman had said, raising his glass.

"To a victorious future," Ramius said, raising her own.

"Yeah," La Flaga said. "I'll drink to that."

"To the fallen," Snake intoned, lifting his glass. "May they rest in peace." He clinked it with the others and downed it, looking completely unaffected by the strong drink.

Badgiruel, on the other hand, starting choking; Ramius merely coughed and smiled. "You realize this is a temporary victory," La Flaga warned the resistance leader. "You may have taken down the Desert Tiger, but you've still got ZAFT to deal with. They'll come after you again."

"Then we will fight them again," Ashman said, lifting an assault rifle. "We will fight until our last man."

"Not too unlikely," Snake said softly. "I know Martin DaCosta, Andy's right-hand man. He's not the Tiger's equal, but he's not bad by any means. Andy didn't pick idiots for protégés."

"Yeah, I have met Martin Personally, he aint no pushover when it comes to certain Tatics." Jason told them as he was drinking some beer that was apart of the celebration. Jason never truly liked Wine, he'd rather Beer. Canadian Beer was his favourite though.

A young boy ran in then. "Father!" he said. "The Chief wants us to honor our fallen warriors."

They adjourned outside, where the leader of the people from Banadiya said aloud the name of every fighter killed during the struggle. Snake stood among the ranks, with Cagalli, and squeezed her shoulder when Ahmed's name was spoken.

I'm sorry, tovarisch, he thought. But he is avenged; I don't know if it was Kira's rifle or my blade, but the pilot who killed him is dead. He was only doing his duty, and vengeance doesn't bring back the dead, but this is war, and vengeance can let our memories of them rest easier.

The next morning, he happened to wander by just as Cagalli was finishing speaking with the officers. "I'm going," she said. "I've already decided."

She and Ashman walked away, and La Flaga turned to her bodyguard, Kisaka. "So..." he said wryly. "Who is that girl with the attitude problem?"

Kisaka was silent, but Snake was not. "She's always been like that, Commander."

The Hawk raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So why doesn't she talk to you like that?"

Snake smirked. "Maybe when you've known her a decade or so, sir, you'll avoid her sharp tongue, too."

The Snake stepped out onto the forward port observation deck, atop one of the Gottfrieds, with a certain sense of relief. The starboard was occupied, but the distance was great enough he would be barely seen and not heard at all. It was, just then, the most peaceful place on the ship, or so he judged from Tolle's enthusiastic reaction to the sea air.

He stripped off his gloves and dropped them to the deck, then tossed his jacket down. Beneath he wore a simple t-shirt, and sighed as he ditched the long sleeves and gloves for the first time in weeks. "At last," he breathed. "Peace and quiet." To a young man as accustomed to battle as Snake, quiet was a highly-sought but seldom-found commodity, and he took it where he found it.

Behind him however he didn't notice was already out there was, Jason. "Yeah, peace for how long." Jason said from behind him.

"Jason, what are you doing out here?" Kevin asked as Jason shrugged.

"Not much, just trying to figure out how the Red Queen is going to act, she is the only commander I cannot Read." He told Kevin. "You see Kevin, Kira did something that will make her want to destroy this ship even more."

"What do you mean by that?" Kevin asked.

"I know who The Red Queen considers her friends, because I was posted with Andy, when she was a year ago." Jason told him. "Kira has killed two very good friends of hers. Infact, Aisha was her best friend, and she just died in that LaGOWE."

"I hope I'm not intruding, on your conversations Ensigns," Ramius said conscientiously.

Kevin looked over to the door "Not at all, Captain. It's just too noisy on the other deck; it's the noise I mind, not necessarily the company." He took a deep breath of the refreshing sea air. "And please, I'm off-duty. I don't need to hear my rank all the time; I'll settle for Snake."

"I will leave you two be, and Kevin take into consideration of what I have said." Jason said leaving the area with his jacket over his shoulder.

"Okay, Jason See you when we go on duty again," she acknowledged, moving to stand beside Kevin at the railing. "I was wondering, by the way, what it was you said on the Bridge earlier. Latin?"

"Hmm?" He was momentarily confused. "Oh, that. Una salus victus nullam sperare salutem." The accent was back. "It means 'The one hope of the doomed is not to hope for safety'; something of a family motto. My grandfather told it to me, years ago."

"Grim," Ramius noted.

"It fits, especially my generation." He gazed out at the water moving below, pensive. "The Grim Reaper has chased me for a long time now, Captain. I have managed through skill and no small amount of luck to stay one step ahead, but Death is always at my heels, and if he cannot catch me, he will catch those to whom I am close. My parents, three years ago; a couple of Russians named Sergei Ivanovich Gregorov and Nikolai Arkadeyevich Tupolev, quite a few others... To be honest, Captain, were it not for the fact that my friends were already in danger, I would not have risked staying here. My friends die, while I remain alive." He unconsciously rubbed a spot on his chest, over his heart. "Though actually, the Grim Reaper has taken a piece or two out of me already."

"I can see that," the Captain said, seeing for the first time the scars covering the young man's arms. "What happened to you?" She felt the beginnings of horror.

Snake ran a hand over the old white marks. "These? It comes from being tortured, Captain, over a period of some weeks. I'm not entirely certain how long it lasted, but I have noticed that I was whipped, electrified, and beaten a good bit. My nose, for example, has been broken at least once, though I have no recollection of it." He sighed. "But that was not what I meant. I've been dead before, Captain, at least twice. First when standing not two meters from a fusion bomb when it detonated, and then from a sniper's bullet to the chest."

Ramius blinked, horrified by the first statement and utterly bemused by the second. "What did you say?"

He laughed humorlessly. "Strange, is it not? As it happens, I was trying to destroy myself with that bomb; I woke up hours later in an escape pod with no memory beyond the searing heat. It took me until just months ago to regain all my memories. The second time, I'd gotten over the self-destructive urge, and then died anyway." He waved a hand. "I don't know exactly what I am, but I'm not a ghost. Perhaps Fate brought me back for some purpose, even after that restaurant in Orb."

She frowned; the accent was definitely back, and she was somehow certain it was not an act. "Snake, I think you've been lying to me."

It was Snake's turn to be surprised. "Excuse me, Captain?"

"You've tried to pass yourself off as a simple student from Orb who ran into hard times," she said, eyes narrowing with growing suspicion, "but you're far more than that, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He did a very good job of looking innocent, Ramius noted, but now that she knew to look...

"You made a couple of mistakes, Snake," she said, growing more certain by the moment. "Most notably, that accent. You did a good job of hiding it most of the time, but you've slipped. And don't try to tell me it's an act, or that it's anything but the voice of an Orb aristocrat, because it won't work. I've heard that accent before, and only when listening to members of Orb's aristocracy."

Snake actually froze for a moment, not even breathing, as if his combat-computer-like mind couldn't make sense of the information it was receiving. Finally he straightened, and the student was gone, replaced by the cultured young man Kira had seen in Banadiya. "I see, Captain," he said, not even bothering to alter his voice. "You are only the third person to discover that, and the other two, both now dead, succeeded through research and memory; it is most impressive that you found it through simple observation."

Ramius nodded, satisfied. "So this is the true Kevin Walker. I've wondered about that since Heliopolis. So who are you really, and what is an Orb noble doing out here?"

He turned back to the sea. "My name was not always Kevin Walker," he admitted. "Suffice it to say that my birth name means little now; the one this crew has given me is far more important to me."

"Interesting," she said, eyebrow raised. "A nobleman who prefers anonymity to recognition and warfare to simply being rich."

"Don't call me a nobleman," Snake snapped angrily. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to escape that life? My parents were both devoted to politics; it consumed their lives, and might have consumed mine, too. That is the only silver lining to my cursed fate, Captain. I may yet be consumed by something, but it will be by my choice!"

Looking into his frozen jade eyes, Ramius saw that this young man had seen far more than anyone his age should have; inside, he was aged far beyond his years, first by his struggle for his own identity, then the hardships he had endured after his parents' deaths, and even his own brief encounter with insanity.

"I see," she said finally. "You've seen a lot, haven't you?" she went on in a softer voice. "Just how old are you really?"

He appeared surprised by the question, then slowly nodded. "It's the eyes, isn't it? I have indeed seen much in my life, Captain, most of it evil. But I truly am no older than I appear; it is simply that Coordinators mature faster, and experience, as I'm sure you know, can age far faster than time." He shrugged. "A few years from now, your question would have merit; I am told that the changes to my genetic structure, and the cybernetics, mean that my aging will start slowing down now. I'll still look sixteen several years from now, and my estimated life span is something on the order of two centuries."

Ramius' eyebrows went up. "So there are some compensations to being what you are."

Snake laughed humorlessly. "Honestly, Captain, I'd rather a shorter life if it meant never having received these dratted 'enhancements'. Do you have any idea what it's like, spending years on the run? Being unable to stay in one place for very long, for fear that Blue Cosmos, or worse, ZAFT will catch up with me? ZAFT did this to me, you know; their cursed 'super-soldier' program. It almost makes me wish I were still in Orb, even living the life of an aristocrat chained to politics. At least then, I'd be free to be close to people, free to tell people who I really am... I can't allow myself to love someone, because they would just be taken from me. People who get close to me get hurt."

"Yet here you are, telling me who you really are," Ramius pointed out.

This time, there was genuine humor in his expression. "Well, Captain, I've spent three years systematically burying all traces of humanity within me, but it seems being with this crew has reawakened things like the idea that the captain of a ship has a right to know what's going on aboard her ship. Duty, honor, all of it."

She smiled. "And that's a bad thing?"

"Not exactly conducive to long-term survival." He chuckled. "That's one thing I learned in my old occupation. In fencing, and in the real world, it is not wise to reveal one's true self."

"Fencing?" Something clicked, and Ramius frowned in speculation. "Wait a minute. You're..."

Snake nodded. "That's right, Captain. That Orb aristocrat. I wasn't joking when I said I was dead; that is one reason I have not returned to Orb. Whoever it was that hired that sniper, he couldn't have done it without some help from within. That tells me that someone in Orb wants me dead, too." He glanced out at the sea, stretching all the way to the horizon. "But I admit I sometimes miss home, and my tournaments. They were... an interesting challenge, and it always fascinated me that something that came so easily to me would attract world-wide attention."

"There are a number of unused areas in this ship," she noted. "I'm sure Chief Murdoch could fashion you fencing equipment."

"Thank you for the offer, Captain, but it isn't wise." Snake smiled ruefully. "I'm afraid that Heliopolis was not the first place I saw the Hawk of Endymion. I never forget a face, Captain, unless, of course," he added with a grin, "I'm under the influence of chemicals. It was... I believe three years, two months, and seventeen days ago. One of my last matches. Commander La Flaga was there, in the audience; I doubt that he actually remembers, else he would have recognized me already, but we met that day, in person. As the only member of the Atlantic Federation's military present, he arranged to be introduced to me. I gather the Commander has some interest in the sport." He shook his head regretfully. "No, Captain, I'd very much enjoy that, but Commander La Flaga would recognize me in an instant if he saw me with a foil or saber in my hand; I had, among other things, a very distinctive style. I'm not quite ready for my past to see the light of day, Ma'am; it's enough that two people aboard this ship know who I am."

"Two?" Ramius queried. "Cagalli, as well? What connection do you two have?"

"We're old friends," he said neutrally. "Sorry, Captain, but that's as far as I'll go. That is her secret, not mine. I frankly doubt she'll be able to keep it forever, but I won't be the one to reveal it."

"I see." It didn't surprise her particularly; talkative though he might have been for the last few minutes, the Snake revealed information only as it became necessary. Clearly he believed it time for her to know who he was, but he didn't want the crew to, and whoever Cagalli really was, it was important to him that her identity remain secret.

Ramius thought for a moment of the rumors that had been floating around the ship about the pair, then all but dismissed them; La Flaga had told her that Kevin himself had said they were merely old friends, that nothing was going on between them. Impossible to be certain, of course, she thought, but he's probably telling the truth.

The one called Snake was a shrewd observer; he easily deduced her thoughts. "Yes, Captain, I know all about the rumors," he said with a resigned sigh. "Knowing my classmates as I do, I suspect that they originated with Tolle; whether he himself believes them or not, it's the sort of speculation he'd make. But I assure you they have no factual basis; as I said, I can't risk that. It's risky enough for me to be anywhere near her; anything more, and the Grim Reaper would be sure to notice. As I told Commander La Flaga, I believe in Fate; it appears that my fate is to be alone. I don't particularly like it, but I won't bother fighting it. I especially won't risk having anyone that close should I transform again."

Ramius frowned, puzzled; then she recalled that, though it had hardly been mentioned since he came aboard, Kevin Walker was a zoanthrope. "I have wondered, Snake," she began, "why it is you haven't used your latent powers, even under the most dire of circumstances."

"Why?" He snorted. "Why? Because it frightens me very badly. Besides a couple of times when I lost my temper when facing Blue Cosmos, I haven't dared use my powers in two and a half years. The last time I unleashed the beast within, it was... Well, horrific doesn't begin to describe it." Snake actually shuddered, which told Ramius she really, really didn't want to know the specifics. If it horrified this perfect specimen of a soldier, it would be the stuff of fainting, at the very least, for others. "I still have nightmares of it," he went on. "Most of us, most zoanthropes, retain their intellect when in their animal forms, as I once did. But ever since those horrible six months, I've lost control, my instincts taking over. It... gets messy. To say the least."

"I suppose that's a good reason to avoid it," she agreed after a moment.

"And that, Captain," Snake said, "brings us back to the very reason I came out here today. Out here, all there is is the sea. Just peaceful, quiet sea." He fell silent, leaning on the railing.

Yes, the Snake thought, even I can find peace. At least for a little while.

"There is something else about it as well, I can see it in you" Murrue told him as he nodded.

"The same thing that drives those Nightmares is the very reason, why the Red Queen is hunting me. And I have a feeling the Desert wont be the last time we see of her." Kevin told her. "And that is all I got to say about it."

At the same time, Kira was seeking the same thing, with less success. He stepped out onto the aft deck, uniform jacket over his shoulder. Shielding his eyes from the sun, he walked toward the railing and sat on the deck.

As had been happening far too often of late, his mind wandered to his recent battles, replaying the events. "I have no idea why they call this thing a Whalestone," Andrew Waltfeld had said. "Does it look like a whale to you?"

"There are no clear rules for ending a war like this. So how do you determine the winners and the losers? At what point do we put an end to it?" The Tiger had raised a gun. "When every single one of your enemies has been destroyed?"

"There's no other way; I'm not giving up... until one of us is destroyed!"

Kira jerked, glancing around to reaffirm where he was, then bowed his head, arms wrapped tightly around his knees. But still, he thought, unless I fight and destroy them, everyone will...

He remembered the day the lead ship of the Eighth Fleet advance force had been destroyed, with Flay's father aboard, and heard again her anguished scream. And worse, her words to him after regaining consciousness. "You didn't make any serious attempt to fight, did you? It's because you're a Coordinator too!"

Behind him, the hatch opened again, and Cagalli stepped out. "Hey, Kira!" she called. "I see you came out for a little fresh air, too." She was puzzled when he silently stood, and walked to his side. "Kira," she said softly, studying his face, "have you been crying?"

Kira turned away, moving to leave, and she caught his wrist. "Wait!" Her eyes widened at his expression, and he brushed past.

Cagalli caught up with him with a couple of quick steps, and it was his turn to be surprised as she hugged him. "Hey- Wha- What-?"

"It's all right," she said softly. "It's okay; don't worry, everything's going to be fine."

Kira just stood there for a moment, stiff with shock, then relaxed, some of the tension leaving him for the first time in far too long.

Cagalli held him several more moments, then stepped back, holding his wrists. "Are you feeling better?" she asked, smiling.

"I... uh..." he stammered, reddening slightly.

She realized what she was doing and instantly released him, briefly furious. "Hey, don't get me wrong. I'm not interested in you in that kind of way, all right? I just thought you upset, that's all. Some people!"

Kira watched her stalk toward the bulkhead, perplexed by the girl. She could go from friendly to furious and back again in moments; it occurred to him that if their mutual friendKevin had seen them then, he would probably have been laughing uproariously. At which point, of course, he'd have had to pitch the human reptile over the railing. Cagalli would probably help, too.

Some minutes later, sitting with her back against the bulkhead, Cagalli turned to look at him. "You know, you're a pretty strange guy."

Kira turned, puzzled. "Huh?"

"Just like the other day for example, when you totally freaked out and then slapped me?"

"What can you hope to protect when your feelings are the only weapons you've got?"

He winced, remembering it quite well. "Sorry."

"Well, it's not that I'm really mad," she said, tacitly forgiving him. "But I wonder sometimes why on earth you're a Coordinator in the first place!"

Kira blinked. "Wha?"

Cagalli felt slightly abashed. "Oh; that didn't come out right. I mean, why are you fighting for the Earth Forces if you're a Coordinator? Kevin I can understand, but… what holds you to the Earth Forces? Heck what holds Jason as well, he is the famous ZAFT Ironwall"

He walked over, settling a little ways away from her against the wall. "You probably think that's strange; I get that a lot."

Athrun Zala. "What are you doing with the Earth Forces? Why are you siding with the Naturals? Tell me!"

Rear Admiral Gerard Garcia. "But you're already a traitor to your fellow Coordinators, are you not?"

Andrew Waltfeld. "I have no idea what your reasons are for deciding to fight against your own people."

"Whether or not people think you're strange isn't the point," Cagalli said. "We're at war because both Coordinators and Naturals are determined to exterminate each other, no matter what the cost. I mean... don't you have strong feelings about that?"

Kira turned his head, meeting her eyes. "What about you?" he asked quietly; also rhetorically. The answer to that question was fairly obvious.

"My feelings toward someone have nothing to do with their being Coordinator or Natural," she told him; clearly true, given her close friendship with The Most Dangerous Man In History.

He smiled. "Same here."

"But I also think that when somebody attacks you in a war, you have no choice but to fight back."

Kira leaned back. "I know," he said softly.

Cagalli looked at him, concerned, but then his eyes turned to her and he chuckled quietly. "You know," he said after a moment, "there's no difference between Coordinators, and everyone else."

"But you guys can do so much more stuff than we can," she protested, recalling the seemingly superhuman feats she'd seen both Kira and Snake perform. "You're talented in all these different ways, from birth."

"Only if we sharpen our skills by practicing, studying, and training properly," Kira disagreed. "Like Naturals, we're born with potential; we're not gifted just because we're Coordinators."

She smiled. "Well then, I guess you are the same."

"It is true that... we don't catch deadly diseases, and that we had our genes altered before we were born, to enhance our physical and mental abilities," he conceded. "But I thought everyone aspired to that, even Naturals. And that's why we exist."

Cagalli nodded thoughtfully, both of them unaware that Flay had just reached the hatchway. "Yeah, you're right."

Kira looked at her again. "So, why the war?"

Before she could reply, Flay stepped into view; she, too, had doffed her uniform jacket. "There you are, Kira!" she said, voice sounding exaggeratedly cheerful. "I've been looking all over for you! Why didn't you tell me you'd come out here?"

Cagalli frowned as the younger girl nattered on, and the expression quickly turned to a glare. And who do you think you are?

She finally stood and walked to the hatch. "Excuse me," she muttered. "I wouldn't want to get in your way or anything."

"Cagalli, to answer another of your Quesions, Jason fights with us because he promised someone to do it." Kira called to her.

Stepping back into the ship's labyrinthine corridors, Cagalli thought she'd go find Snake; at least he was sure to be alone. Kevin Walker wasn't exactly known for his socializing.

The Snake had returned to his quarters by the time Cagalli caught up with him; he opened the hatch at the first knock. "Hi, Cagalli," he said, waving her in. "What's up?"

"I kind of needed someone to talk to," she admitted, dropping into the second bunk; this wasn't her first time visiting his quarters since coming aboard. "I was just talking to Kira, but..."

"Had a run-in with Flay, huh?" Kevin said with a knowing look.

She blinked. "How'd you know?"

He smiled, settling into his own bunk. "The Captain doesn't know -or at least I hopeshe doesn't know- but I've got access to the ship's surveillance systems, and I've made it a practice of late to keep an eye on Flay's movements to a certain extent. So what'd she do, turn up and monopolize Kira's attention?"

"Pretty much," Cagalli confirmed. "I guess she's jealous."

Snake didn't bother asking her if Flay had reasonto be jealous; if there was anything going on between his friends, it wasn't his business. Flay, on the other hand... "She's not jealous, Cagalli; in fact, I don't think she's really that interested in Kira at all." When she looked surprised, he went on, smile vanishing. "What? You didn't know? Tovarisch, I've known Flay Allster for about a year now, and I'll be the first to say she's usually a nice enough girl. Back in Heliopolis, in fact, I was quite fond of her. But after her father died in orbit, she... changed; she blamed Coordinators in general, and Kira and I in particular. Hit me pretty hard, being called unnatural, among other things." He stared pensively at nothing. "Then, a couple days before we reached orbit, Flay suddenly patched things up with us, acting as supportive, more supportive, even, than anyone else on the ship. After we hit dirt, it didn't take long to notice she was keeping company with Kira, and so I started checking around." Kevin shook his head. "No, Cagalli, she's manipulating him, using him to avenge her father. She wasn't jealous; she was worried you'd weaken her control over him. Frankly, I hope you can."

Her eyebrows rose; it hadn't occurred to her that this might be the case. "If you're so sure of what's going on, why haven't you told Kira?"

He snorted. "Think it'd do any good? Whatever Flay's feelings may be, Kira's are glaringly obvious: he's smitten. Not really a surprise; even on Heliopolis, he made no secret of his attraction to her. At the time, of course, she was Sai's girlfriend, and, most of us thought, his fiancé; it wasn't until after landing that I found out it was just something they'd talked about. So no, I haven't told him. Nothing short of blowing her away -and don't misunderstand me; I've considered doing exactly that- could affect him at this point, and I suspect it would be counterproductive. Basically, there's nothing I can do about it until the relationship self-destructs, which I think it eventually will; Kira's a bright guy, maybe even smarter than me."

"I don't know..." Cagalli said slowly. "He doesn't seem to be in good shape right now. Something's eating him."

"I know." Snake sighed. "He wasn't always like that, you know; when I knew him, up until we got caught up in this cursed war, he was a real cheerful guy. Maybe a little naive, but sharp as a tack. A cheerful extrovert. But... the battles changed him, especially with Andy. I'm not sure how much more he can take before he goes just as mad as I did, and you can't cure his madness the way you did mine; it'd just kill him." He looked across at her. "I'm doing what I can, but it's not enough. If you can catch him away from Flay again some time, it might not be a bad idea for you to talk to him some more; he seems to relax a little more with you."

She nodded. "Yeah, I noticed."

"Other than that... the best thing for him would be a break from the fighting." He shrugged. "But I don't see that happening till we reach Alaska, given how determined ZAFT seems to be to destroy us. Unless we hit Orb, of course, but they're neutral." Snake winced. "Besides, I'dhardly be able to leave the ship the whole time we were in port; it's not the time to reveal that I still live. It may never be the time."

"So what will you do?" Cagalli asked. "After the war, I mean."

"I don't know," he admitted. "Make no mistake, Cagalli; by training I'm an assassin. Fighting is literally the only marketable skill I have, and I will not become a mercenary. The only time I ever fought for a cause I was not committed to was when ZAFT had me in their clutches as a brainwashed servant."

She frowned, perplexed. "But I thought you said the unit never went active."

"It didn't," he acknowledged. "But I was sent on a couple of solo 'training exercises', in which I executed carefully planned assassinations. Low-profile, so they hardly made the news, but I did kill while under ZAFT's control. It's... not something I like to remember."

"I can see that." Cagalli raised an eyebrow. "By the way, did you ever find out exactly who authorized the project?"

"I did," Snake said grimly. "And if I can ever get anywhere near him, I'm going to assassinate him. You don't need to know just now, tovarisch; it would put your life in unnecessary danger." He snorted. "To be sure, my being here puts you in danger, but it's really best if you don't know more about it than you have to."

"If you say so." That made her even more curious, but if the Snake said it was too dangerous, she wasn't going to argue. "I hear you were talking with the Captain for awhile, earlier," she said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I was." He grimaced. "My secret's out, I'm afraid; Captain Ramius knows who I am."

Cagalli blinked. "How?"

"My own bloody fault," Kevin admitted ruefully. "Apparently, I still haven't quite trained the Orb aristocrat accent out, and I still slip into it when I let my guard down." He grunted. "I'm surprised Commander La Flaga hasn't figured it out; he saw at least one of my matches, and though he apparently doesn't remember it, we actually met once, years ago. If he saw me with a foil he'd know in a heartbeat. As it is-"

He broke off as the ship's PA system came to life. "All hands, Level One Battlestations!"

Before the echoes had died, both of them were racing out of the room.

A/N: Well the Archangel has made it to the sea and is about to have some fun with the Ocean's ZAFT Monsters, which I must say, would still stand no chance against the sea monsters in Fate.

Well the word to Solid because he is the only one who reviewed,

Solid:Aelan only took Cagalli hostage for a short while, she doesn't belive killing the innocent, she only took her to lead Kevin away from the body of Kraken. Which unlike Jack Carter, he had every intent to kill her.

Now, thanks to you, Aelan will fight for ORB, do to her feeling towards what the Earth Forces are doing to them. And I said I be re writing a New Saga, some day, don't know when though. And it will be interesting on how she makes an impact, especially when the bio CPU's make a appearance. But the hard thing will be is how Rau will treat her as he is in a submarine near by when the battle unfolds.