Chapter 26: Some Enemies become friends

Is this still Round Two or are we into Round Three? Dearka mused, firing his Buster's weapons at a flight of aircraft. And is that me thinking, or has Snake rubbed off on me?

The surviving Astrays were holding their own; the pilots who were still alive were the ones who had learned the fastest how to translate training and theoretical tactics into reality. This included the three original test pilots, who were now blowing Strike Daggers apart like they didn't exist.

They were supported by Dearka's Buster and Mu La Flaga's Strike, And Garrets tricked out M1. "You're not getting past me!" Mu shouted, and took to the air as did Garret not far behind him.

"It'll take more than numbers," Dearka agreed, blasting away.

In the skies above, there was brief lull in the fighting as both sides tried to assimilate the appearance of another mobile suit. Forbidden, Raider, Freedom, and Stormhawk and The Red Queen stared at it; and of them all, only Kevin Walker and Aelan knew who the pilot was.

Just what in the world are you doing here, Athrun? What's ZAFT got to do with this?His old buddy was lucky to be alive, Snake mused. His first reaction to the completely unexpected event was to point his beam cannon at the Justice; only quick thinking prevented him from vaporizing it. He afterall did understand why Aelan was there, she worked for someone other than ZAFT. But once Kevin raised his rifle at the Justice Aelan got closer to the Justice as the Light Shield appeared around both units.

"What is that thing?" Clotho demanded.

"Hmm. It's another one of those... funny looking mobile suits," Shani murmured.

Inside the Justice's cockpit, Athrun keyed his radio. "This is ZAFT Special Forces Agent... Athrun Zala," he transmitted to the Freedom. "Do you read me, Freedom? Or should I say... Kira Yamato?"

Kira gasped. Athrun?

(I ran into him yesterday,) Snake told him. (Haven't the foggiest what he's doing here, though.)

The moment's rest was interrupted by the Raider's sudden movement. "I don't know who you are, but you're gonna be a fatality, too!"

Kira and Athrun were not impressed; the incoming Mjollnir was stopped by the shield produced by the Red Queen, and the Justice reached for a beam sabre as the Shield went down, then it snatched out the beam saber. Continuing the motion, he snapped the handle onto the second saber, and slashed out with the resulting double-bladed weapon.

The Freedom also pulled out a blade. "What are you doing here?" Kira demanded. "Has ZAFT decided to stick its nose in this battle?"

Athrun dodged another attack and fired his backpack-mounted energy weapons. "I haven't received any specific military orders regarding this situation," he admitted. "This intervention... is my decision alone! As Aelan had done the same, or haven't you figure out its the Red Queen piloting the other red Machine."

"Hope you know what you're doing, pal," Snake muttered, and flung himself back into the fray. His buster rifles, aimed in two different directions, gave both Clotho and Shani fits (particularly Clotho, since the Forbidden could at least deflect the weapons... with difficulty). That also reminded him of another mobile suit in the area. "Tolle," he called, "don't attack the Justice, understand? It's friendly along with the Red Queen... for now."

"Roger that," Tolle answered; Wraith headed for land, to support the Astrays and G-weapons.

Max was less sanguine about it. "You mean we can't shoot him? Aw, why not?"

"Because," Tolle explained patiently (unaware that his link with the Stormhawk was still active), "if we shoot at something Snake tells us not to, he'll shoot us. Besides, we might not have the firepower to kill it."

"But it's a ZAFT machine!" the computer protested. "I mean, weren't you nearly blown up by one?"

"Sure, but have you noticed we're currently fighting the Earth Forces? We're not with ZAFT, but we're not at war with them yet, either."

"If you insist," she grumbled. "Oh, well, there's always tomorrow."

Battle computers, Snake thought. Bloodthirsty.

"Nice to see you, Athrun," he called, sideslipping a plasma blast from the Forbidden. "At least, I think so."

"We'll see."

On the ground, Orga's Calamity noticed the aerial battle. "Take this!" he shouted, firing his back-mounted beam cannons.

He was, to say the least, a poor shot (the biased would call him pathetic), and Shani was forced to deploy his deflectors. "Watch it, Orga!"

Inside the Red Queen Aelan shook her head. "Pathetic, if they were Nicola and Chris we be in grave danger." She said to herself as she blocked an attack from the Raider with her wrist mounted Light Shield.

The insanity did not end there; the deflected beams nearly struck the Raider. "Shani! You idiot!" Clotho snarled.

Below, the Buster looked up. "Huh?"

Mu followed his gaze. "What's going on up there?" The Astray test pilots had similar thoughts.

"Mind if I play, too?" Orga mocked, and jumped into the air. He came down hard on an Aegis cruiser, blowing up its Bridge; the lunatic of a pilot hardly noticed. "Have some of this!"

"Cut it out, Orga!" Clotho immediately called, narrowly dodging the blast.

"Athrun!" Kira warned, flipping away from another Mjollnir attack.

"Kira, above!" Athrun had spotted the Forbidden, coming right down at them.

Both mobile suits scattered, allowing it to fly past; Kira and Snake proceeded to engage it simultaneously. "You, buddy," the super-soldier said through gritted teeth, "are really starting to bug me!" He fired his full armament of rifles, machine cannons, and plasma weaponry, only to see it blocked or deflected.

"Is that the best you got?" Shani mocked. He charged up the magnetic field between his railguns and fired the plasma cannon through it, curving the beam toward the Stormhawk...

"Oh No you don't!" Aelan called as she blocked the attack with her own defensive Shield and fired her Schalag Cannons at the Forbidden.

The resulting inferno blew the Forbidden backwards.

"Hmm. Nice," Athrun commented; he has seen that particular trick before from Aelan's Hyperion. The distraction nearly cost him, though; he had to move fast to avoid another Mjollnir strike.

Snake broke off, heading off to shore to assist against the Daggers, leaving Kira to deal with the Forbidden. The task proved quite frustrating, as it deflected everything that came at it. Until the Justice's Fatum-00, operating under remote-control, distracted Shani by flying mere centimeters above.

By the time he oriented on the real threat, the Freedom was already there; both Xiphias railguns fired at point-blank range, blasting him away.

Before the Forbidden could even fall very far, Wraith appeared out of nowhere (Tolle had noticed Shani's primary weapon and decided to come play, too). "Hey, buddy," he said cheerfully, "my scythe's better than yours!" With that, he sliced down, lopping off the blunt end of the Forbidden's scythe.

Meanwhile, Kira and Athrun fought the Raider, whose pilot was going completely berserk. "Finishing move!" Clotho shouted, firing his head-mounted hyper-impulse cannon again. As Aelan went after the Calamity.

Freedom caught the blast on its shield, and Justice, behind it, fell upside down until its beam cannons came into play. "Try this," Athrun muttered, and fired.

He missed, unfortunately... as did the next pair of beams, which came from below. "Orga! What are you doing?" Clotho demanded.

"You're bugging me!" Orga called back, and leapt into the air, still firing. This time, though, the Forbidden was the target. "The same goes for you, Shani!" Aelan stopped in mid air and went under Mirage Colloid to see what they were truly up to.

"These guys don't care about each other," Athrun commented to Kira, seeing them begin to blast each other.

Shani, of course, deflected the beams... straight at Clotho, who raced right at him. "I've had enough, Orga! You're bugging me- Aaaahhhh!"

The sentiment was shared -and repeated- by his theoretical comrades, at more or less the same time. To the bemusement of the defenders, the three new Gundams turned tail and headed back to their carrier, screaming in agony all the while.

"What the blazes was that?" Snake muttered, having heard the transmissions. "Not important," he decided, and turned his attention to what was important... the Justice, which simply hovered in the air, facing the Freedom. As the Red Queen materialized beside the Justice.

Four mobile suits hung in the air over the Orb coast, simply watching each other: Freedom, Justice, The Red Queen and The Sturm Falke. Things seemed tense... and, to a certain extant, they were. Aelan wasn't contempt at firing at anyone but if need be she will protect the Justice.

"Thanks for the backup," Kira radioed to the Justice. "But I'm still wondering... What exactly are your true intentions here?"

"And you'd better have a good answer," Snake said warily. "Or I'll blow you away, friend or not. Believe it."

"Then you will be as well, Walker." Aelan said raising her beam machine gun. "But until then I have no reason to shoot you for now." She told him.

Athrun took in the warning, and came to a decision. The top of his machine's chest plate slid forward, and his pilot's seat rose to the top. "I'm on a mission from the homeland," he told them. "My orders are to recapture or destroy the mobile suits you're flying right now, Freedom and Stormhawk. But, as I've already told Snake, I have no intention, at least for now, of fighting you or your allies."

"Athrun...?"

"I just wanna talk, okay?"

Kira watched his old friend cautiously. When last they'd met... But that was a different time, with different circumstances. "All right."

Below, on the ground, the various pilots were disembarking from their machines. The three Astray test pilots were sprawled at the foot of one mobile suit, resting; nearby, La Flaga lowered himself from the Strike and sat heavily on the ground, while Dearka opened his cockpit and watched the Archangel approach. Garret sat in his tricked out M1 resting in his seat as he had his own water inside.

I guess that's my new home, he thought wearily.After helping the "legged ship", whether they've left the Earth Forces or not, there's no way I can go home. What have I gotten myself into? But he somehow knew he'd done the right thing, and that he couldn't have lived with himself had he done anything else.

Cagalli soon approached, walking between the rows of powered-down mobile suits. "Good job, everyone," she called. "I'm not sure why they retreated, but..." Then she saw the last three machines coming in for a landing, and stopped.

Stormhawk set down first, and Snake, rather than going to ground, left the cockpit and climbed up to his vehicle's shoulder, from where he looked out across the former battlefield. As did the Red Queen but she jumped to the ground from the hight which startled many as they only seen Kevin do so.

Freedom and Justice landed more or less simultaneously, and as their pilots lowered themselves to the ground, Cagalli ran forward, followed by La Flaga, Dearka, Kisaka, the Astray pilots, and a number of soldiers.

"That's the pilot we rescued," Kisaka said in surprised recognition.

Athrun? Cagalli thought.

The three pilots on the ground began walking toward each other, and the soldiers raised their weapons; immediately, Snake jumped down from his high perch, apparently defying gravity, and landed in front of them with his Colt in his hand As Aelan had her own Colt aimed at the soldiers. "Anyone who fires is dead, understand?" he said in a dangerous voice. To emphasize his point, he pulled off his helmet and tossed it aside. Just as Aelan removed her own helmet letting her long silver hair fall to her back. Even with the mask Kira realized who she was as she was the girl at Waltfelds place.

The resulting silence was profound. Few had previously known the identity of the M1000's mysterious pilot, but no Orb citizen could mistake the distinctive sandy hair and unnaturally bright jade eyes, features that had been plastered across televisions in fencing matches and newspapers alongside the princess of Orb many a time, before his "death".

Snake turned away, observing his friends, but the soldiers did not forget that glimpse. "That's... that's the Fencing Prince, isn't it?" someone muttered.

"He's got the Onishi look," someone else agreed.

By this time, Ramius and most of the Archangel's crew had also arrived, and she signaled them to halt well away from... whatever it was that was going on.

Who are those other pilots? She wondered. Those are ZAFT flight suits, so why isn't Snake trying to kill them? He hates ZAFT...

Mu came running over to Murrue as he recognized the woman. "Murrue, that girl, its the Red Queen." He said as she looked on in shock remembering what she radioed to the Archangel.

"But why isn't she attacking?" Murrue asked. As Mu just shrugged to them.

"Snake," she began quietly, "why...? I thought you hated ZAFT."

"I do," Snake replied without turning. "But that particular pilot happens to be my brother."

"Your what?" Ramius was certain she hadn't heard correctly.

"Oh, not biologically," he conceded. "But for seven years, he, Kira, and I werelike brothers, attending the same lunar prep school. We parted three and a half years ago, and Kira and I didn't see Athrun again until Heliopolis. Since then, we've been trying to kill each other... the most recent time being when he blew Aegis into scrap and almost himself in the process."

"That's the guy-" Tolle began, softly but angrily.

"Da. Now shut up and don't try to attack him or I'll blow your head off." The super-soldier's voice remained level, but none doubted his words. He did not make idle threats... which was the only thing that kept La Flaga from teasing him more often about his old friend the princess.

"But what of the girl?" Mir asked as Kevin in a way smiled.

"She is in a way like my sister. She was also a part of Abaddon, and most people would know her as The Red Queen." Kevin said as Aelan looked at them through her mask.

"Geesh Kevin, this little Alliance isn't permanent." She told him. "Once this Earth Forces Threat is over, I will be returning to the Plants, and doing what my Employer tells me to do." She told him.

By this time, Kira and Athrun were a mere meter and a half apart, watching each other. Neither seemed very sure what to do, neither seemed to want to be the first to speak. But then something else came to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Birdy!"

Both pilots looked up as the mechanical bird winged its way down to them, alighting on Kira's shoulder. That broke the spell, and Kira looked back at his friend and smiled. "Hi, Athrun."

Athrun clenched his fists. "Kira," he said, in an almost normal voice.

Cagalli couldn't take it anymore. Eyes shining, a bright smile on her face, she raced to the two, followed at a more sedate pace by Snake. "Oh, you guys!"

She wrapped an arm around each neck, pulling them closer together. "Uh, Cagalli?" Kira stammered, startled.

"You... you're both idiots!" she said happily.

Kira looked across at Athrun and chuckled; his friend did the same. As the tension dispelled, Snake at last arrived, completing the little group. "It's good to have you back... tovarisch."

Aelan walked over and nodded. "Its about time you return to your friends, just hope Kevin don't kill them on you." Aelan said to herself.

The group soon adjourned to the Morgenroete hanger, in which had been stowed the Freedom, Justice, Strike, Buster, Stormhawk, Wraith, The Red Queen and the surviving Astrays even the tricked out one.

On the way, La Flaga quietly matched strides with Kevin. "By the way, Snake," he said quietly, "there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

The super-soldier paused. "What's that, Mu?"

The Hawk watched him closely. "Does the name 'Cain' mean anything to you?"

He knew he'd hit the mark when Snake froze; most people weren't around him long enough to notice -since he was rarely startled- but that was his distinctive mannerism when taken completely by surprise.

"I suppose," he said after a moment, "that you have a specific reason to be asking me that. Yes, I know exactly who Cain is." Jade eyes narrowed, Snake glanced sidelong at the older pilot. "You know, of course, that my ABADON codename was Hydra; what you don't know is that I sometimes used a different one." Once, he would never have revealed this information; today, so much was known of his past with ZAFT that is hardly mattered. "Some missions were meant to be discovered, Mu; but in those cases it wasn't supposed to be known that ZAFT had anything to do with it. Misdirection, agent provocateurmissions, intended to lay the blame on someone else's doorstep. On those ops, I used the name Cain." His eyes became narrower still. "So, how did you come across that name?"

La Flaga shrugged. "It was a couple nights after Artemis; I happened to be passing your quarters, and you were talking in your sleep."

Snake nodded. "Yeah, that's not unusual. I was on a total of six missions, and I gather I still sometimes relive them at night. So what did I say?"

"You were making some kind of mission report, I think." The pilot frowned, thinking back. "Something about 'Echo Victor one five', I think, and 'double-Sierra two niner'. Does that make any sense to you?"

Snake closed his eyes, thinking. "Echo Victor one five... That's EV15, an old ZAFT scrambler frequency used in covert operations. That much makes sense; it was only discontinued after my little fusion stunt, so it was commonly used by the Destroyers. But double-Sierra two niner... that doesn't make sense. I've never been anywhere near there."

"So what does it mean?"

"Double-Sierra two niner, or 'Space-Station 29'," he explained, "is Destroyer code-talk for the Mendel Colony. And while it was only abandoned a little before I left ZAFT, I know I haven't been there."

"Well, it sure meant something," La Flaga said quietly. "Does 'Mike Alpha' mean anything?"

"No... Wait a minute..."

Suddenly Snake was reliving the past, something that had happened long before. "Cain, this is Mike Alpha Actual, do you copy? Cain, do you read?"

"Affirm, Mika Alpha, Cain here."

"Radio security-?"

"Neg, neg, frequency not secure."

"Copy. Switch to EV15."

"Affirm; switching to Echo Victor one five. Still reading me, Mike Alpha?"

"Affirm. Mission status?"

"Mission complete, Mike Alpha. Repeat, mission successful. All Bravo-Charlies planted at double-Sierra two niner. Orders?"

"Head for the extraction point, Cain. We'll have your transport waiting for you. Well done, soldier."

"The first of many blows that will be struck for the independence of the PLANTs. Cain, over and out."

Snake shook his head, feeling a sudden pounding headache. "No... no, it can't be..."

La Flaga looked at him, concerned. "What's the matter?"

"What's the matter?" he repeated. The jade eyes opened, revealing the haunted look they had. "I'm still missing bits and pieces, Mu, and one seems to have come home to roost. Except... it doesn't make any sense." Snake too a deep, calming breath. "What you overheard that night was me reliving a radio conversation at the conclusion of a mission, one which, until now, I had no recollection of. It was an agent provocateur op, judging from the codewords used, but... It can't be, it just can't."

La Flaga had rarely seen his young friend that bothered by something from his checkered past. "Hey, whatever it was, it wasn't your fault. You were being controlled; there's nothing for you to feel guilty about."

"Maybe so... but I'm the one who has to live with it." Snake rubbed his head. "Mu... I was reporting on the emplacement of 'Bravo-Charlies' on the Mendel Colony."

"So?" The Hawk couldn't see any significance to it.

"So, it means I'mresponsible for one of the most heinous acts in the history of space colonization!" the super-soldier snarled. "'Bravo-Charlies', for your information, are 'biological contaminants'."

La Flaga's blood ran cold. "Bio contaminants... But that's what took out the colony... Wait a second, that was supposed to have been a Blue Cosmos job."

"Agent provocateur,"Snake reminded him. "And 'Mike Alpha' wasn't Oracle. In fact, combining the voice with the fact that 'Mike Alpha' stands for the initials 'M.A.', I'd say I'd been loaned to Muruta Azrael." Aelan heard this and clenched her fists.

"What the hell, Oracle was lending us to the leader of Blue Cosmos! That Bastard, If Kevin didn't already Kill him, I would right now." Aelan told herself as she hated Blue Cosmos do to what they did to her home.

"Azrael...? Coordinators working with Coordinator-hunters?" The Hawk shook his head, puzzled. "That doesn't make sense. What does it mean?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Mu." Snake closed his eyes. "But I'm bloody well going to find out. I'm tired of missing pieces of my memory, and I have a right, a duty to know what I did for ZAFT." He took a deep breath. "Well, it doesn't really matter right now. What does matter is finding out exactly what's going on with my old friend there."

"Yeah, about that guy... Who is he?"

Kevin grinned. "He's the guy I tried to kill in orbit, the guy who shot Murrue on Heliopolis, and the guy who blew up the Strike and his Aegis. He also happens to be one of my closest friends... or he was." He starting walking again, adding over his shoulder, "I still don't quite trust him."

"And as if I don't quite trust you Kevin Walker." Aelan said appearing much like what Kevin does. "Its only because of the lady wishes me to be here, so I have to be." She told them.

"Ok what is with you?" Mwu asked as Aelan smiled walking up to him.

"Listen you may be cute, but just remember this, Kevin killed Nearly all of my friends, there are only five of my friends that are alive or at least I hope. And if Kevin trys to do that to any of them, well . . ." She said bringing out her own blades of the project. "These wont be" then they slid back in. "Wont be going inside of me." She said then vanished as silently as she came.

"Whoa, now that is a strange woman." Mwu said as Kevin nodded.

"Yeah Tell me about it."

By the time Snake caught up with them, Kira and Athrun were already sitting on an equipment crate, talking. "I know that this is the most difficult path we could've chosen," Kira was saying, "But-" He broke off for a moment as Cagalli arrived with coffee. "Thanks. Anyway, it's the right thing to do, you know?" He absently sipped at the mug (it was, as had become usual for the Archangel's crew and even Morgenroete, one of Andrew Waltfeld's brews, recipe provided courtesy of one Kevin Walker).

"But, why?" Athrun asked, glancing briefly at Snake as he arrived.

"I believe that Cagalli's father is right," Kira answered. "If Orb were to side with the Earth Forces, they'd have to fight the PLANTs, and the same would be true if they joined forces with ZAFT. The only difference would be in which country they were considered the enemy."

Athrun nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. But there's still..."

"I know." The brown-haired Coordinator remembered the battle Athrun was thinking of. "I tried to take your friend's life, and would have, if Snake hadn't done it first. But... it's not like I wanted to do it, and I'd never even met the guy."

The ZAFT pilot directed his gaze at Snake. "But you had, hadn't you?"

The super-soldier nodded. "Yeah. We moved in the same circles in the PLANTs, when I was still living under my own name." He glanced away. "I didn't want to do it, Athrun, and I didn't even know it was Nicol until just after the event, but..."

"Yeah," Athrun agreed, swallowing hard.

"And then," Kira went on, "you nearly did the same to my friend. But you hadn't met him either, and..."

"So that's the guy you tried to take on with a Skygrasper?" another voice broke in. "Are you that stupid?"

"Oh, shut up," Tolle grumbled from within Wraith's cockpit.

"Uh, what's that?" Athrun asked, perplexed.

"That," Snake said with a rare grin, "is Max; you should meet her sometime, I'm sure you'd get along. She's Tolle's battle computer, in the Wraith, a sentient AI with a smart aleck streak a light-year wide... and as you can see, they don't always get along."

"Uh, right..." Is everybody in Orb crazy? Athrun wondered.

"Tolle's the friend you attacked," Kira explained. He looked at his friend. "It wasn't intentional, right?"

"No," the ZAFT pilot admitted. "But... I was actually trying to finish you."

"Same here." When Athrun looked at him sharply, Kira smiled slightly and tilted his head back. "It would be nice if we lived in a world where we never had to fight," he explained slowly, obliquely. "I wish we could all live in that world... forever. But this war keeps escalating... and at this rate, we'll have no choice but to destroy each other."

"And hence the Spiral of Death." Aelan called from the Red Queens foot. "War has made that spiral move faster and faster, taking more lives than what people have wanted.

"And personally," Snake interjected, "I'd really rather not have the planet blown up under me."

The Freedom's pilot nodded agreement. "And that's why I've chosen to fight," he finished. "I only wanted to protect people, but now that I've pulled the trigger, there's no turning back." He looked at Athrun again. "Will we have to fight each other again?"

"Kira!" Athrun protested.

Kira merely looked at him, not speaking, and a flash of the past went through Athrun's mind. "If I am to be your enemy, then you might as well shoot me now," Lacus said in a determined voice. "Athrun Zala, soldier of ZAFT!"

The blue-clad pilot finally stood. "I should get back to my duties now," he said, walking away. "We never know when they'll attack us again."

Athrun also stood. "I have one question: The Freedom is equipped with a neutron-jammer canceler. What would happen... if that data...?"

Kira smiled reassuringly. "If anyone tried to get that data from me for their own purposes, I'd shoot them."

"Good, that tech should never get in the hands of someone who has the ability to use the Nukes." Aelan interjected. "I never want to see the events that happened to my home again, or what took the others lives." She told them walking over still wearing her mask.

"Don't you ever take that mask, oh friend of my brothers!" Came the voice of Garret as he walked up with a Laptop under his arm.

"Well well well, I never thought I see the pup of that family." Aelan said with a smile. "How long has it been, two or so years?" She asked as Garret nodded.

"It indeed has, and I never expected one of you would be here at ORB. It makes me disgusted what mom and dad did alongside your parents." Garret told her as the hangar of people looked at the two.

"Well its good to see you to my friend." She said turning around and heading to her Red Queen. "Remind me Garret to have a coffee with you later." She said finishing her own brew that Waltfeld taught her.

"Gladly." He said returning to his M1.

"Well back to our own conversation." Athrun began. "Kevin, my father told me yours was also retrofitted with that device..."

The super-soldier cocked his head. "I won't deny I made a copy of it, but the Wraith has both the data and the device; not even Morgenroete has a copy." He straightened and walked past, heading to his own machine. A few steps later, though, he paused and looked over his shoulder. "Athrun. You know your father's life is forfeit, right?"

Snake left without waiting for a reply. Yeah, Snake, Athrun thought, unconsciously using Kevin's nickname, I know. It was forfeit the day he issued orders to have you kidnapped. But... how do I really feel about it?

Behind him, Cagalli looked at his drawn features, concerned.

Snake, after leaving the hanger, took a little jaunt deeper into the Morgenroete facilities; Erica Simmons had sent for him, saying she had something to show him.

"Ah, there you are, Baron," she said, seeing him enter (he still hadn't convinced her not to call him Baron; he suspected she did it simply to get a rise out of him). "I thought this new gadget might come in handy. Oh, just a second." Ominously, from Snake's viewpoint, Simmons strapped on a pair of welding goggles, then pointed to a weapon that lay on a nearby cart. "I remembered how much trouble you had with Carter the other day, so I checked the Morgenroete files of canceled designs, figuring I might something of use. This was the result."

"Canceled design?" Snake eyed the weapon (which resembled a twentieth-century shotgun, but with a three-centimeter bore) dubiously. "If it was canceled, doesn't that tell you that just maybe there was a reason for it?"

"Sure there was," Erica agreed. "But that reason was weight; no normal human, Natural or Coordinator, could even liftthe thing. It would have to be used as a crew-served weapon, and with the advent of mobile suits those are kinda pointless. But since you can lift -what was it, ten times your body weight?- I thought it might be just the thing. Try it out, Baron."

Curiously suspicious (or is that suspiciously curious?he wondered), he hefted the weapon, noticing immediately the weight problems that had doomed it. The bloody thing weighed at least a hundred kilos, maybe more. "Big beastie," Snake murmured, and threw it to his shoulder, right hand gripping the pistol-style grip and left supporting the barrel. He turned to a nearby target and rested his finger lightly on the trigger.

Simmons looked nervous. "Uh, you might want to be careful with that, it's a-"

FWOOSH. The beam went as Kevin saw a shadowed figure move out of the way of the Blast.

"Plasma rifle," she finished, wincing at the backwash from the weapon.

The target had been terminated with extreme prejudice; "obliterated" was far too mild a word for what had been done by the red-white beam. It was a fusion blast in a rifle, a miniaturized version of the Balaena plasma cannons used by both Freedom and Stormhawk. The heat of a sun, in a -theoretically- man-portable form.

Snake blinked as his vision returned to normal (both his bionic eye and his augmented natural one had polarized at the last instant), and looked himself over. He was slightly singed, and he had the distinct feeling his eyebrows were slightly the worse for wear. But the results had been for worse for the target. "Whoa."

"Very whoa," Simmons agreed. "It's the most powerful small-arm in existence, but only augmented soldiers can even lift the thing, let alone fire it. Being an energy weapon, it obviously has no recoil; but that doesn't help if you need a machine to move it a centimeter." She pulled off her goggles and smiled. "So, Baron. Think this will make your next run-in with your sociopathic clone a little easier?"

"Oh that thing better." Came Aelan's voice as she wiped some charred coal off her shoulder. "The Bastard almost hit me with that minature sun, now this makes me want to make that shield from my Machine onto portable form." She said as Erica looked to see her. "Well, it seems we haven't met yet, Aelan le Creuset." She said extending a hand.

"Erica Simmons." She said to her as Kevin was looking over his new weapon.

"Well I know from this experience with Aelan that a Destroyer can't survive the heat of a sun. I look forward to introducing him to it." He slung the weapon behind his back with its shoulder-sling. "Does it have a name?"

"Morgenroete Plasma Rifle Mark I," she replied. "We call it the Dragon."

"Very appropriate." Kevin suddenly shot her a sharp look. "Okay, Erica, drop the other shoe. There must be some kind of catch."

"There is," Simmons acknowledged. "Power. You have three options: replaceable power packs, which hold three shots each, a backpack power unit for up to fifty, or, for defending a set position, you could connect it to a full-blown generator for effectively unlimited shots. Personally, I'd say the power packs are your best bet, since you can carry several and you're not likely to run into much that will require more than one shot; that thing'll clear corridors like nothing else. But you're the soldier, not me, so you know best."

"Yeah... Thanks, Erica." Snake smiled slowly, idly stroking the powerful weapon. "How soon can you get the necessary supplies manufactured and loaded onto the Archangel?"

"It's already begun," Erica assured him. "Only one backpack generator, of course; there's just the one gun, after all. The first batch of power packs will be aboard by morning. They're rechargeable, so you should hang onto empties."

"Right. Thanks, mon ami; I daresay 'Mad Jack' Carter won't like our next meeting." He checked the weapon again. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I'd better get back to the hanger."

"By the way, Snake," she called after him, for once using his nickname instead of his title. "Has there been any word of Carter?"

Snake shook his head. "Not since I tossed him through a window. He'll be back, though; and when he is, I'll be ready for him." He said leaving as Aelan looked at Erica.

"Don't worry from what I heard of Carter, well he isn't on my nice list. and besides, if he has some agumentation of the Destroyers, I will be able to detect him in a second." Aelan told her as Aelan began to leave.

"Excuse me mind telling me more about yourself." She asked as Aelan nodded and began to do so.

In the Archangel's hanger, Athrun leaned against one of the storage scaffolds for his Justice, thinking; he soon realized Cagalli was still in the area, leaning against another side of the same structure. "Why are you sticking so close to me?"

"Don't mind me," she said, apparently offhand. "I'm just standing guard."

"So I see," he said with a smile, not quite buying it.

"You must be relieved that Kira's alive," Cagalli said after a time.

Athrun glanced at her. "Yeah," he agreed after a moment. "You know," he added, "I never thanked you properly before."

"Sure you did!" she said instantly. "Definitely! Well, maybe," she added after a moment's thought.

"Are you sure?"

Cagalli shrugged. "You weren't quite yourself; maybe you don't remember."

Athrun accepted that; "not quite himself" was something of an understatement. At the time, he'd believed he'd just blown up two of his closest friends... one of them for something the other did.

"Kira's changed, don't you think?" she said after a while.

Athrun thought about that. "No," he said finally.

"He hasn't?" The answer surprised her.

"He's the same as he always was." He glanced up as Kevin reentered the hanger, a strange rifle-like weapon on his back, and ascended to his mobile suit's chest with a few superhuman leaps. "Kevin has, though." Athrun glanced back at Cagalli. "But I guess you'd know that even better than I do, right?"

"Yeah," she agreed. "And you're right, he has." She looked pensive, thinking back. "I don't know if he acted the same at Copernicus as he did back home, but he always used to be a real cheerful guy; a little quiet, maybe, but rarely depressed or anything. Not much interested in fighting, either, except for fencing."

"Yeah, he was like that on the Moon, too." Athrun chuckled. "He ever tell you how Kira and I found out he was a zoanthrope?"

"No, he didn't." Cagalli raised an eyebrow. "But if I know him, it was spectacular, right?"

"You could say that." He chuckled. "He had a little bully trouble for awhile, when he was eight or nine, and a couple of the biggest got together and tried to corner all three of us one time; they were years older than us, so it looked like we were in for a pounding. But Kevin, even untrained and that young, wasn't somebody you wanted to mess with. He went tiger and then pounded both of them into paste; by the time he was done, they weren't dead, but they'd been damaged sufficiently that they literally had no idea what had happened." He smiled. "Bullies didn't bother us after that."

"I bet. That's how he was in Orb, too." She thought back several months. "But when I met him again on Heliopolis, I could hardly believe it. After all, he'd died in my arms years before. Now he was back, and with a completely different attitude. He looked ready to tear apart the building with his bare hands, and I've never seen anyone hate anything as much as he hates ZAFT. The Kevin I knew seemed to be gone, with some kind of bitter super-soldier in his place. Not too far from the truth," Cagalli conceded. "And, of course, he didn't remember me then, so it wasn't until we met in Africa that we were really reunited. He seemed normal enough then, after I helped him get his memory back, but all of a sudden he got weird, raving about needing to die for the sake of the world, or something like that. I finally had to shoot him."

Athrun chuckled again. "Yeah, that's Kevin, all right. Takes a bullet to get through to him, sometimes. But he's changed even since that night in the Indian Ocean."

"Yeah." She looked up at where Snake perched, high atop Stormhawk. "It was after he got back from wherever he was after you self-destructed the Aegis -he still won't tell even mewhere, by the way. When I saw him again here in Orb, it was... kinda eerie, you know? Like Kevin Onishi had combined with Snake Walker. The same skills and general outlook on life as Snake, but a lot more cheerful. I haven't seen him this relaxed in years. But... there's still something. Kevin talks even less than he used to, and he just disappears sometimes, wandering around alone. Even I don't know where he goes, or why."

"I... think ZAFT did it to him," Athrun said slowly, reluctantly. "My father apparently does believe that Kevin's participation was voluntary; but I don't. And whatever they did to him, whatever conditioning, indoctrination, whatever, that they used on him, it's still there, deep down. I think he'll be fighting some of it for the rest of his life. Aelan is the same, she hunts kevin, but she put the hunt off for a while to help ORB out. With her own thinking to do it, she volunteered for it because neither of us got orders to do this."

Not the nightmares, though, Cagalli thought. If he can manage to kill Chairman Zala... But he's your father, isn't he, Athrun? What must this be doing to you?

Athrun starting walking away, over to the stairs at the base of the scaffold. He paused when Cagalli called after him. "So now...? So, what are you going to do now? About this, I mean?"

"I don't know," he said honestly.

"Oh, not again," she moaned, thinking of the number of times she and her friends had faced Athrun over the barrel of a gun.

"But maybe... I already know the answer," Athrun mused. He moved on. "It's a tough choice."

Cagalli watched him go. "For us all," she said softly.

Their time of rest couldn't last, of course, and the next morning things heated up again, as the three new GAT-X series mobile suits led the Earth Alliances forces into battle again.

"Airborne mobile suit forces detected!"

The warning rang out throughout the Morgenroete hanger, and pilots moved quickly to respond. Already?Dearka stood on a walkway, watching the M1 Astrays move out. He was still having his own problems, but his decision had just about been made: he would fight to protect Orb. He thought this as the silver tricked out M1 launched to go protect its homeland.

Below, Kira raced for the Freedom; Athrun caught up with him just short. "Kira!" The red-suited pilot put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "From the looks of things, there's no way Orb can win this battle. You know that, don't you?"

Kira looked at first surprised, then smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I think we all realize that. But... just because the odds are against us, doesn't mean we should stop fighting and let them do whatever they want to us, now does it?" He climbed the stairs to the platform that would lift him to his machine's cockpit. "The importantthing is knowing what you're fighting for, and that's why I'm going out there. I'd rather not fight if I can help it, but there are some things you can't protect without fighting." As the platform rose, he looked back at Athrun. "Sorry, Athrun, and thank you. I'm glad we had this chance to talk."

"Kira..."

Snake came up behind him, once more appearing from nowhere. "Whatever you decide to do, Athrun, make sure it's the right choice for you." The keenly perceptive jade eyes looked into Athrun's. "It was good to see you again, tovarisch, and without us trying to kill each other."

A moment later, he too was gone, bounding up to his Stormhawk's cockpit. This left Athrun standing alone on the deck, wondering. What is it they're fighting for? What do they fight against. Just then Aelan appeared behind him with a smirk on her face. "Aelan!" Athrun said nearly jumping out of his skin.

"What do they fight for?" She said walking beside him. "They fight to protect their friends, as we fight to protect the PLANTs not ZAFT remember that. And we will do anything to protect the PLANTs. But I go one step higher, I fight to protect Life, but you have to choose what you want Athrun." She said jumping across the Platform to her Red Queen unit. "You have to choose your own path Athrun, follow your friends or your father." She said as the machine began to follow the Sturm and Freedom.

"Tough choice, isn't it?" Dearka commented, walking up.

"Dearka?"

"Your orders are to take that thing back, right?" the other pilot said with a smile. "This isn't gonna go over very well. We're ZAFT soldiers; if we keep intervening like this..."

Athrun frowned, fists clenching. "I don't want him to- I don't want any of them to get hurt!"

Dearka's smile widened, and he clapped the blue-haired pilot's shoulder. "Now that is amazing; for the first time, we agree on something."

Kevin guided his powerful mobile suit out of the hanger, a buster rifle in either hand and anger in his heart. I'll make you bastards regret what you've done. I'll make you wish you never even thought of attacking my homeland!

He jumped into the sky, verniers soon carrying the weight with ease. He was to use one of his advantages over the Strike Daggers once again: the ability to fly. You guys don't stand a chance against me. This is one of the most powerful machines ever built, and yesterday you learned why. Now learn that lesson again.

(You up, Snake?) Kira called across their link.

(Right here, tovarisch. Let's teach them not to mess with us.) Snake activated his targeting systems (he still was not using the Zero System, for fear of losing his mind) and started pumping azure beams into the advancing Daggers.

Nearby, the Wraith also emerged, beam scythe out and swinging. "C'mon! I'm ready for you!"

"We certainly are," Max agreed. "Let's get a piece of the action, Tolle!"

For once pilot and AI were in total agreement, and Tolle's machine joined Snake's in the desperate battle to defend Onogoro. As the tricked out M1 was helping out the originals with its mega amount of weaponry using its beam boomerang and several others of the weapons.

Meanwhile, Kira's Freedom was giving other Daggers fits; with his advanced targeting system working as efficiently as always, he did not hesitate to unleash his patented multi-beam attack, smashing multiple enemies at once.

To his friend's mild disgust, Kira was still disabling his enemies instead of destroying them, but even Kevin had to admit it got the job done. It just went against the grain to leave foes alive to fight another day.

Certainly the machines wouldn't be fighting again; after pouring out a torrent of firepower in all directions, Kira got in close and went at it with a Lacerta, slicing off heads and arms and leaving general consternation in his wake. Try this on for size!

Snake grinned, picking up a hint of the thought, then turned his attention to his radar displays. "X131 Calamity, 252 Forbidden, 370 Raider. Them again." He cursed in Russian, then hit his radio. "Kira, Aelan those three loons from yesterday are back. I'm going to go welcome them. You two with me?"

"You got it, Snake."

The Red Queen flew off towards the opponents that Kevin told them of as the Red Queen, Freedom, and Sturmfalke all sliced across the sky above the open water, racing to meet the oncoming enemies. "It's three of the machines from yesterday!" Orga shouted. "Let's take 'em!"

"Kira, I'll take Calamity," Snake said coldly, seeing the flightless mobile suit atop the Raider. "I've decided I don't like its pilot."

"Roger that. Be careful, Snake." Freedom arced off to tangle with the Raider.

"Kira, leave the Forbidden to me." She told him as she went for the Scythe weilding machine, as the two best defensive machines fight.

"That leaves me with the Raider." Kira said Arcing towards the Raider.

Snake switched frequencies then (he didn't really need a radio to talk to Kira anyway), to an Earth Forces channel that still resided within Stormhawk's memory. "Stormhawk calling Calamity. Are you ready to die?"

"You'll be the one to die, whoever you are!" was Orga's irritable response.

"Sorry, but hell has no vacancies," Kevin replied, recalling that he had said the same thing to Dearka Elsman, on the way out of Orb. "Now's the time for you to die, pal."

"I don't think so!" The Calamity fired its back-mounted beam cannons in an attempt to swat this blast from the past from the sky.

Snake had other ideas. He swooped to the side, his keenly analytical mind making up for the absence of the Zero System, and raised his buster rifles. With the advantage of his nuclear engine, he could pump out fire for as long as his buster rifles could take the abuse.

Which was, of course, far longer than the Calamity could remain powered, particularly given its rapid rate of (useless) fire.

Freedom, meanwhile, was busy trying to dodge attacks from Forbidden and Raider while simultaneously attacking. It was not the easiest task. But if it was easy, they wouldn't need us, now would they? Kira thought as Aelan was helping him fight them off.

"I am really begining to hate these guys, more than Kevin." Aelan said protecting Kira with her Lightwave shield.

Soon, the enemy machines attempted to double-team Kira... only to have a beam boomerang smack the Forbidden, followed by a beam blast and a gun launcher attack.

Kira turned to see the Justice approaching at high speed, skimming the water. "Athrun...? But why?"

"Its about time, these machines are very annoying." Aelan commented going after the Forbidden with her shoulder cannons to no effect as the bent and went somewhere else.

"Both of us completely understood what you meant," Athrun answered, speaking for himself and Dearka. "That when there are things in this world you want to protect, sometimes you have to fight for them!" Firing his own beam cannon, the red machine advanced. "Let's take 'em!"

Kira smiled. "You with us, Snake?"

"Right behind you, tovarisch." Stormhawk disengaged from his own battle and soared over to join his friends. He converted to mobile armor mode, deployed his plasma cannons, and opened fire with them, his buster rifles, and wing vulcans. "You bastards are gonna wish you were never born!"

Behind them, on the Archangel's Bridge, Ramius called out orders. "Thirty to port! Aim Gottfrieds and fire!" Neumann and Sai carried out the orders, and shortly the remains of an Earth Forces destroyer were on their way to the bottom, having been blasted almost into thirds.

Snake grinned, spun sideways, and switched back to mobile suit mode. After a quick flying somersault to dodge the Raider's Mjollnir, he pulled out a beam saber and boosted straight at the X300 frame mobile suit. "How about I cut you down to size?"

"What the?" Clotho yelped as the blade swept down, severing the barrels of his arm-mounted railgun. "Bastard! I'm gonna-"

"Die." Stormhawk slammed a foot into the Raider's head, plunging him under water. "I've got no use for your kind, psychopath." With Clotho temporarily all washed up, Snake turned, sheathed his saber, and blasted off towards the Calamity.

"Oh no you don't Kevin, I'm going with you, I will be the one to kill you someday." Aelan said as she left Kira and Athrun face the Forbidden.

The battle for Orb hung in seeming limbo at Onogoro, but the stalemate would not last.

Uzumi Nara Athha knew this well, and his own preparations were well underway when the tide began to turn. "We can't hold Onogoro much longer," a Cabinet member informed him. "Their forces are too strong."

He sighed. "Yes, I know. We must buy time, however."

"Lord Uzumi," another official said, entering. "Preparations are complete. If we only had two more hours..."

"That's far too long," Athha said sharply. "Time is a luxury we no longer have." He sighed again. "Very well. I'll be there as well." He turned. "Signal the remaining forces to gather at Kaguya. We're abandoning Onogoro!"

"Yes, sir!"

Before long, the message had reached the Archangel. "We're to fall back?" Ramius repeated incredulously.

"Yes," Sai confirmed. "Representative Athha wants the Archangel to retreat to Kaguya."

"Kaguya?" Neumann repeated.

"Kaguya is where Orb's mass driver facilities are located," Sai explained.

The Captain finally nodded. "Very well. Signal our mobile suits to withdraw as well. Tell them to follow us."

The mobile suits in question were, at that moment, quite busy; they had the Earth Alliance's three most advanced machines facing them, and if they weren't quite enough to defeat the Four Orb Gundam Defenders, they were enough to keep their battle a virtual stalemate.

"You're getting on my nerves," Snake muttered, flying at the Calamity. Both buster rifles were out, and he was doing his very best to blow it to its constituent atoms. As Aelan was firing wildly with her beam sub machine guns.

Kira, tangling with the Forbidden, was vaguely amused by his friend's antics; he gathered Kevin had a personal grudge against Orga Sabnak, though he was unsure why. But then, Snake has a grudge against everybody, doesn't he?

(I heard that,) Snake growled. (Think quieter next time, okay? And no, I don't have a grudge against everybody I meet; just most of them. At least you can't accuse me of prejudice against Naturals; at least half of the people on my hit list are Coordinators.) He paused, taking a plasma-sabot shot on his shield. (Kira, isn't there something strange about these guys? From the way they move...)

(They're not using Natural-adapted operating systems,) Kira realized. Snapping off a shot at Shani, he keyed his radio. "Athrun, Snake and I think there's something weird about these guys. Any ideas?"

Athrun dodged a shot from the Raider. "ZAFT intelligence heard rumors about them," he answered through gritted teeth. "Something about 'biological CPUs'."

Snake cursed. "Those crazy bastards actually went and did, did they?"

"What are you talking about, Kevin?"

"Long story; I'll explain later."

"You know Kevin, you have more knowledge then you let on." Aelan said blocking an attack from the Calamity for Kevin.

"Shut up Aelan." Kevin told her as he did a peekaboo attack fireing over Aelan as she shielded him.

Orga, at that moment, was happily blasting at everything in sight... until his guns fizzled and his console beeped at him. "What? You stupid mobile suit! You're out of power already?"

"It's because you're firing all over the place, you idiot!" Clotho snorted. "If you're going back, you'll have to do it yourself, loser!"

Raider was suddenly distracted when the Justice leapt out of the water. Before he could react, Athrun's paired sabers (effectively a beam staff) clove downward, slicing the Mjollnir spherical breaker in half.

"What the?" Clotho pulled back, shifting to mobile armor mode and racing away.

"You're the idiot!" Orga said mockingly.

"Shut up, you-" The flame-haired pilot broke off as Calamity's weight slammed onto his machine. "Hey! Who said you could get on, freeloader?"

"Cut it out, idiot! We've gotta go back and recharge. Don't tell me you're not running on empty, too!"

With the retreat of the X100 and X300 frames, only the Forbidden was left. He triggered a plasma blast, guiding it with his magnetic field, at the Freedom. "Eat this."

Kira dodged easily, flipped upside-down, and fired his own plasma cannons, fully expecting them to be deflected by the X200 frame's infernal shields.

To his surprise, they weren't; the beams hit the Forbidden's subflight unit, startling the pilot, who glanced down at his displays. "What? No more...?" He glanced to his left, seeing his comrades fleeing.

The Freedom was not content with this. Kira rushed him, blocking a scythe attack in the process, and drew a beam saber. He slashed down, narrowly missing the rapidly retreating Shani.

Snake, watching them go, laughed and selected an open radio frequency. "And that'swhat happens when you wear a UFO on your head!" he said with a chuckle (that was what the Forbidden's subflight unit looked like to him: a UFO).

Shani's response was not fit for polite (or any other) conversation. Aelan smiled at Shani's response.

"I think you just made a new enemy Snake." She said with a chuckle as the Red Queen floated beside Kevin's.

"Yeah I have a knack for that sort of thing." Kevin told her as they sped off to Kaguya where their orders said for them to go.

Before long, Ramius, La Flaga, Neumann, Garret and Dearka had met Athha and Cagalli in the control room at Kaguya; shortly they were joined by Kira, Athrun, Aelan and Snake, and the hurried conference began.

"Leave Orb...?" Ramius said, eyes wide, after Athha had explained his plan. "Lord Uzumi, are you telling us to just run away?"

"Look around," the Representative advised. "We may be holding now, but Orb has already lost. It is only a matter of time now before it falls."

Cagalli looked at him sharply. "Wh-What are you saying, Father?"

"Our people have been evacuated; they will be taken care of elsewhere." He turned his head toward her. "From now on, we will bear the responsibility."

It was clear that she didn't understand, but Snake's eyes suddenly narrowed. Are you planning what I think you're planning?

"The world is in a crisis," Athha told the Archangel's captain. "The Atlantic Federation's actions are being guided by the head of Blue Cosmos, Muruta Azrael, now." At this Ramius nodded; Kevin's deductive instincts had been correct once again. "To make matters worse, the leader of ZAFT is someone who believes Coordinators to be a new species, for Patrick Zala rules them now."

Athrun's eyes dropped, and Kira and Dearka both looked at him in concern. Snake would have, but his attention was fixed on the Orb leader. "Yes," he said, knowing better than most (given his difficulties with both sides in the conflict) what Uzumi was leading up to.

Athha nodded. "Soon, the world will be caught between two sides that cannot tolerate each other's existence. Tell me, is this the future you wish to see? Take this small light of hope we have kindled, and use it to bring forth a better future, for us all. I realize this means a hard road for you again, but I'm sure you understand why it is necessary."

Ramius stood silently, absorbing it all, then looked at La Flaga. Her pilot boyfriend cocked his head, nodded, and smiled reassuringly.

She turned back to Uzumi. "That light may be small, but we believe in it as well. We will make it shine brightly."

Athha smiled. "I suggest you begin preparations immediately. We have little time."

"Yes, sir." The Archangel officers filed out, followed shortly by the pilots (after Kira noticed an odd looked directed at him by Athha), and Cagalli.

Uzumi looked at Snake, who had lingered. "A moment, if you please, Baron."

"Lord Uzumi before you talk to Walker, I have fullfilled my promise to my friend, I will be leaving once what you have planned takes place." Aelan said as Uzumi nodded and then she left.

Kevin straightened from where he had been leaning against a wall. "My Lord?"

After making sure no one else was in earshot, the representative's face took on a somber expression. "I'm sure you, at least, understand what is about to happen. You know what will happen."

Kevin nodded slowly. "You're not going to survive this, are you?"

"No." Athha sighed, searching for the words. "Baron, I once had my problems with you, first with your origins, then your influence on my daughter, and more recently your transformation into what you are today. But since you returned to Orb, I have seen how you've fought for your homeland, your friends, and my daughter. I realize you don't care a wit about the government, but I have seen that I... was wrong about you." The words were difficult, but they came; and once past them, he seemed to speak easier. "Therefore, I have a favor to ask of you, Kevin."

Uzumi's use of his given name -which had never happened before- combined with his statement, and Kevin nodded sharply. "Name it."

"Take care of my daughter. She will need you, Baron, to see her through this time and to keep her safe in the future." Athha managed a smile. "You have performed admirably as a bodyguard for her in the past, and I am sure you will be of great comfort to her when I am gone. I ask that you help her, Baron... and her brothers."

Snake became as a statue for an instant. "Lord Uzumi... excuse me, but I have known Cagalli for my entire life, and I do not recall a brother let alone brohters. Am I... incorrect? Or has my memory hidden something else from me?" As often happened when forced into his old role, his speech patterns reverted to those of his birth.

"Your memory is not lying, Baron," Uzumi said with a more natural smile. "For Cagalli herself does not know, though I will tell her before the end. They were separated at birth, you see. Twins, who have never known each other... until now. And one brother thought the twins were once dead and he still does."

"Twins separated at birth... and one who thinks the twins are dead" Kevin mused. "How cliché. Of course, I can hardly talk. Pot, kettle, black?" His eyes narrowed. "So who are they?"

"You should not find it difficult to discern, Baron, unless you have suddenly become blind without mentioning it." Athha looked significantly at Snake's right eye, the bionic one. "You should have little difficulty seeing the resemblance, and if I recall the records correctly, your eye is capable of genetic scans. Do you not understand?"

Kevin thought furiously, mind outpacing time itself, or so it seemed. Never met until now... I am supposed to have seen the resemblance... Of course.

He looked up. "Of course. Kira. But what of the older brother, you say he is still alive?"

"Yes Castile gave me the info on who the mans dead fiance was going to be, and it was the fiance of an old friend of yours, Tanya?" Uzumi asked.

"You mean Jason, Jason is the older brother of Cagalli and Kira!" Snake said in shock.

"Yes." Orb's leader (in fact if not in name) nodded. "I have not the time to explain everything, but in time you will doubtless discover it; I have learned to respect your instincts. This, however, is what I ask: that you be there for my daughter, and her brothers, during this trying time. Protect her, the best you can."

Baron Kevin Walker drew himself to attention. "I swear, Lord Uzumi, that I will do this, that I will defend your daughter with my last breath," he said, lapsing into the oddly poetic phrasing he sometimes used (Cagalli thought it a result of his use of strange and unusual personas, sometimes influenced by books). "As long as I still live, my blade, my body, shall protect her."

Uzumi would have been amused had the situation been less dire. As it was, he merely nodded. "Thank you, Baron. Now, you should go and begin preparations yourself."

"Of course."

As Kevin left, Athha called after him one last time. "And Baron... I know you have denied that this would occur, but should anything ever come to pass between you and Cagalli... you have my blessing if need be."

An odd look on his face, Snake nodded, and then he was gone.

Before long, preparations had begun for the Archangel and the Orb carrier Kusanagi to launch. The Archangel, of course, was not quite like anything else in the Orb fleet, which could have caused problems with the boosters, but the Kusanagi shared many design features with the rogue ship, and thus its spare plasma boosters could be used.

As this began, Kevin stood on the Archangel's Bridge with Ramius and La Flaga. "I can't believe we're actually abandoning Orb," he murmured.

Ramius looked at him sympathetically. "It can't be easy, knowing that your homeland is about to be conquered. But Lord Uzumi is right, we can't let Orb's ideals die with it."

"I know," he acknowledged. "And we're fortunate that this is the Archangel and not some other ship; I'd forgotten that there were some interchangeable parts between the Archangel and Izumo-class carriers."

"Yes..." La Flaga said slowly. "Which reminds me, Snake. Back at Alaska, you said something about having written the Archangel's software..."

Snake raised his eyebrows. "Oh, yeah. Yes, Mu, I did; you see, a few years back, a little before my parents died, I did some work for Morgenroete. From Copernicus I did some software writing, and sent the finished product down to Onogoro; some of that work happened to be for the proposed Archangel-class carriers. I saw the specs, analyzed them, and wrote the computer code."

Mir turned in her chair. "So that's how you were able to find your way around from the start. I always wondered about that."

He nodded. "Yes. Coordinators mature faster, and I faster than most, so despite my young age -which, in case you're wondering, is precisely how it appears- I've done a great deal."

"We're fortunate to have you on our side, Snake," Ramius commented. The she glanced at him sidelong. "You... you areleaving with us, right? You're not intending on sacrificing yourself or anything, no grand gesture of defiance?" Knowing her young comrade, she was genuinely concerned.

Kevin shook his head. "No, Murrue. I admit I wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice my life for my homeland, but I would serve it better by observing the old adage 'He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day'. Besides... I swore to Lord Uzumi that I would protect Cagalli. I intended to do that anyway, but I take my oaths very seriously, tovarisch. Before, it was entirely possible I might do such a thing. Not now, and certainly not with Lord Uzumi preparing himself for death."

"She'll need you, huh?" For once La Flaga's voice was free of its usual teasing, innuendo-filled tone.

"Something like that, yeah."

Around then, Kira stood with Athrun and Dearka near their mobile suits, parked next to the Archangel. "There's no reason Carpentaria wouldn't allow us back," Dearka was saying to Athrun. "After all, we have been fighting against the Earth Forces."

"And you think that'll mean anything to them?" Snake said, walking up; he'd left the Bridge when the Morgenroete technicians had begun explaining the ship's launch procedure. Given his mobile suit's capabilities, it really wasn't relevant to him. "Think about it, mon ami: you've been protecting the 'legged ship', which, if I'm not mistaken, is still something ZAFT wants destroyed."

"Maybe so," the -former?- ZAFT pilot conceded. "On the other hand, you can't deny that you're biased. You're always ready to think the worst of ZAFT. Not without reason, to be sure." Dearka had been quite horrified when he learned just what had been done to his former enemy.

Athrun nodded absently, thinking of Lacus. "She called me a soldier of ZAFT," he murmured. "Huh. She knew all along what would happen."

Kira tilted his head. "Athrun...?"

"I always thought you were supposed to follow the orders of your nation and fight against the enemy with all your strength. I thought there was no other way of bringing the war to a quick end." Athrun met Kira's eyes. "But what is we should really be fighting against, and how exactly are we supposed to do that?"

"Exactly what your heart tells you Athrun." Aelan came up from behind.

Kira smiled. "You should come with us, Athrun. You to Aelan." He looked from Athrun to Dearka and back. "We'll look for the answer to your question... together."

"I can't do that, I am your eye on the inside remember, I don't trust my father very well now." Aelan told them.

"Understandable." Kevin told her as she nodded.

"Hence this is our last battle side by side till the time is right." Aelan told them as they all nodded.

"I agree," Tolle said, stepping up. Since taking command of the Wraith, he'd taken to wearing a black flight suit, similar to Kevin's but with a Grim Reaper shoulder patch instead of a king cobra. Beneath it were the words "God of Death". "I fought for the Earth Alliance, too, but I never used to think about what I was fighting against. I knew what I fought for, but I didn't think to wonder who the enemy was."

"Don't leave me out!" another voice chimed in from a small speaker on Tolle's collar. "I may be just a battle computer, but I want to know the answer, too!"

The six young pilots exchanged nods and smiles Garret wasn't with them as he was helping loading extra M1's onto the Kusunagi, and Dearka turned to Tolle. "So, this is the AI Snake's been talking about. I'm Dearka Elsman."

"Max," the computer returned. "Pleased to meet you, Dearka. And pleased I wasn't around when you were the enemy."

"You think you'reglad of it?" Dearka laughed. "I wouldn't have wanted to face a mobile suit that could think for itself, thanks. Which reminds me," and he turned to Snake. "You used to drive me nuts, you know. How on earth did you always arrange to be somewhere else when somebody shot at you?"

The super-soldier half-smiled. "My mobile suit is clairvoyant." When Athrun and Dearka both gave him strange looks, he chuckled. "It's called the Zero System, a bizarre OS my father came up with when he designed the M1000. It feeds tactical data directly into the pilot's mind, effectively giving him three-sixty degree vision. More interestingly, however, is that it analyzes battle data and predicts the next few moments of battle, with surprising accuracy. That's how I managed to see what would of happened to Tolle, for example; and I've only had it slip up once. Resulted in a blown-up buster rifle and a scorched hand, but I survived." He grimaced. "But I haven't dared use it since that last battle with you two. You see, Athrun, when you self-destructed Aegis, it sent a power surge through my seat, nearly electrocuting me... and doing bad things to the Zero System. It nearly fried my brain, so I haven't risked it since, even though ZAFT theoretically fixed it. I'm scared of that thing."

Aelan just smiled to herself as that is what her mind does sometimes when she flies. A result from the Nexus project. She thinks.

"That takes some doing," Athrun commented. "Hey, speaking of computers, didn't you say something about knowing what 'biological CPUs' are?"

"Guess I did, at that." Snake scowled. "A biological CPU is a concept I heard about during my ZAFT days. You take a Natural -or, I suppose, a Coordinator- and you augment him with built-in computer systems, mechanical enhancements to various portions of the body, then add treatments and conditioning to remove the subject's fear -allfear- and a few other things. This gives the subject abilities equal to or possibly greater than a Coordinator's; and they're called 'biological CPUs', by the way, because they're considered equipment, not people."

"That sounds unpleasantly familiar..." Dearka said darkly.

Kevin nodded. "With reason, Dearka. I'm not entirely certain, but I have reason to believe the biological CPU concept is an outgrowth of Atlantic Federation intelligence reports of the Destroyers."

"And the Nexus program, hence the reason of mobile suit combat." Aelan added in.

"There's more," Athrun put in. "They supposedly take something called 'gamma glipheptin', some sort of drug, apparently."

"Gamma glipheptin," the super-soldier repeated with a grimace. "Nasty stuff, that."

Kira raised an eyebrow. "You've heard of it?"

"I've hadit. It was one of the drugs used early in the Destroyer training cycle, but it was quickly abandoned." He shook his head. "Oracle was a madman, but not that crazy. Gamma glipheptin enhances the user's reaction time and, to a certain extent, the speed of his neuroprocesses. The problem is that it's highly addictive, and you begin to suffer withdrawal symptoms the moment -no, the instant- the drug wears off. Those withdrawal symptoms are extremelypainful; I gather the general idea is to use that as an 'incentive' to remain loyal: stay, or we'll cut off your supply. Oracle didn't see the need for that kind of thing, though, because -except for me- they were all volunteers to begin with." Snake grimaced. "It took two weeks before our augmentation fully cleansed the stuff."

"Oh it was much worst for me, it didn't react well with my Nexus parts. I was sealed in a certain room for days because of the reaction." Aelan said shaking her head. "The worst days of my life there, the nerves twitching every which way, and the pain man." Aelan told them as Kevin noticed the torture she went through her entire life. Kevin had a break for a few years before Abaddon.

"Sounds like the reason for their abrupt departure yesterday," Max said, putting in her two cents. "It would explain the screaming, anyway."

"Muruta Azrael..." Snake murmured. "One day soon, I will kill him."

"Your not alone in that, I will forget my honor for once because of him." Aelan told him as she still hated being friendly with Kevin.

All those remaining at Kaguya knew it would not be long before the Earth Forces resumed their attack; thus it came as no surprise when the enemy-detection specialist called out a warning. "Incoming heat sources, identified as mobile suits!"

"We knew it couldn't last," Athha whispered. "Ms. Ramius, please hurry up with the preparations!"

"Preparations complete," she answered from the Archangel. "We'll launch immediately. Kira?"

Strapping into the Freedom's cockpit, Kira keyed his radio. "I'll cover your launch, Archangel. Please, hurry up. What about the Kusanagi?"

"They're launching next," Athha informed him.

To his left, Athrun powered up his Justice and keyed his own radio. "This is gonna be an aerial fight; the Buster's not equipped for it. Board the Archangel, Dearka!"

Dearka clenched his teeth, but for the first time in living memory, it was not because of whowas giving him orders. It was just that the orders, however correct, weren't ones he wanted to hear just then. But he did it anyway. "Hey, Snake," he called as he put his machine into motion. "Where are you going?"

The sandy-haired pilot was heading into the mass driver facilities, plasma rifle slung on his back. "I've got something to take care of, mon ami. Don't worry, I won't be late."

"Better not be." Dearka shook his head. I never thought I'd be ordered to board the 'legged ship'. Has the world turned completely upside-down?

With the Buster aboard, Ramius looked over at Neumann. "Fire engines; once we're aloft, set them to maximum cruising speed and raise bow pitch angle twenty degrees. Charge the Lohengrin and prepare to fire."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Slowly, the Archangelbegan to lift from the ground, taking to the sky on its way back into space. As her majestic bow pointed skyward, her engines fired at full capacity, propelling ship ever higher, approaching the altitude at which she would begin the next phase of her launch.

Athrun was the first to notice the incoming threat. "Here they come, Kira! Aelan!"

"Show Time." Aelan said as she then thought of her own idea. "Listen I will protect the ship as its flying out of here, you two handle the three." Aelan told them as they nodded as she went towards the facility.

The Freedom, looking down at Kaguya, activated its radio. "Please, hurry up with the launch!"

Preparations redoubled on the ground, and Ramius gave the order on her Bridge. "Fire!"

The Archangel's mighty Lohengrin positron cannons fired for the first time since their frantic escape from the Le Creuset team near Artemis, some months before. And the two beams intersected hundreds of meters beyond the ship... and so created the positronic interference effect that would help the ship attain escape velocity, even as the plasma boosters ignited.

Archangel was now beyond the reach of the puny gnats that tried to halt her passage into the sky.

Behind, two pilots continued to stand between her and the enemy; below, the man known as Snake ran into the mass driver facilities, to see Lord Uzumi Nara Athha one last time, and see his friend Cagalli Yula Athha onto the Kusanagi.

Snake entered the chamber with the mass driver's starting point just behind Athha and his daughter. I guess I'm right on time.

Kisaka was waiting at the Kusanagi's airlock, and Athha shoved Cagalli toward him. "Go, Kisaka! And take my foolish daughter with you!"

"Father, no!" she protested, tears in her eyes. She did not appear to notice Kevin's presence.

Athha laid a hand on his daughter's head. "Stop giving me that look," he said gently. "It doesn't suit a child of the line of Orb." He removed the hand, and reached into a pocket. "You may be leaving your father, but you will not be alone." He handed her the photograph he withdrew. "You will be with your brothers eventually."

Leaning on a hospital bed was a four year old boy with hair resembling Kira's. In the Bed however of her mother holding two babies, one brown haired, the other blond. What...?

Then she turned it over and saw the three names written on the back and a message: Kira, Cagalli, Jason my angels.

Cagalli stared at her father in utter shock. Before she could get out a word, though, he stepped back. "I consider it a great honor... to have been your father." The hatch sealed between them, and the walkway Athha stood upon began to retract. "Fly, Kisaka!" he shouted after them. "I'm counting on you!"

The Kusanagi began to slowly accelerate on the mass driver's rails, and Snake stepped forward. "So this is goodbye, Lord Uzumi."

Uzumi turned. "Yes, Baron. I wish it could be different, but we all have our parts to play." He shook Kevin's hand. "It was an honor to have known you."

"Likewise, sir." He inclined his head. "Till we meet again, in the next life."

Athha smiled slightly. "You are an optimist, Baron."

"No; I am one who speaks from experience." Snake smiled enigmatically. "I have been there, Lord Uzumi, and there is more than darkness... beyond the final veil of death."

"Perhaps so. Now, you had best get going yourself."

"Right." Without hesitation, Kevin snatched his rifle from his back, snapped it to his shoulder, and fired a blast at the wall. Since the facilities would soon be destroyed anyway, there was no reason for him not to blast a shortcut to his mobile suit.

Ice in his eyes, thunder in his mind, and the fires of vengeance burning hot in his heart, he leapt through the smoldering hole and toward his Fate.

Kira looked down in relief when the Stormhawk flashed into sight, rising fast. "Kevin! I was starting to think you wouldn't make it."

"Never doubt me, tovarisch." Eyes frozen jade, Snake glanced down at the Kusanagi. "Kira, Athrun..."

"Right," Athrun acknowledged. The Freedom and Justice abandoned the fight, turning their backs on Calamity, Forbidden, and Raider as they raced to catch up with the racing spaceship. It was their ticket into space, the only way for them to achieve escape velocity.Kira looked down in relief when the Stormhawk flashed into sight, rising fast. "Kevin! I was starting to think you wouldn't make it."

"Never doubt me, tovarisch." Eyes frozen jade, Snake glanced down at the Kusanagi. "Kira, Athrun..."

"Right," Athrun acknowledged. The Freedom and Justice abandoned the fight, turning their backs on Calamity, Forbidden, and Raider as they raced to catch up with the racing spaceship. It was their ticket into space, the only way for them to achieve escape velocity.Kira looked down in relief when the Stormhawk flashed into sight, rising fast. "Kevin! I was starting to think you wouldn't make it."

"Never doubt me, tovarisch." Eyes frozen jade, Snake glanced down at the Kusanagi. "Kira, Athrun..."

"Right," Athrun acknowledged. The Freedom and Justice abandoned the fight, turning their backs on Calamity, Forbidden, and Raider as they raced to catch up with the racing spaceship. It was their ticket into space, the only way for them to achieve escape velocity.

MBF-M1000 Sturm Falke covered them, its pilot intent on doing as much damage as he could before he left. Flying backwards, pacing his friends' desperate flight, he fired shot after shot into the attackers. "Hurry!" That was when the Red Queen joined him to stop the enemy machines to catch the fleeing ship.

Grunting, Kira threw the Freedom's hand forward, successfully grabbing hold of the Kusanagi's hull. After pulling himself aboard, he extended his hand to the Justice, still struggling to catch up with the still-accelerating ship.

Athrun began to fall back, and they both yelled wordlessly as he shunted all available power, even life support, into his verniers. Slowly, slowly, the Justice gained ground, and finally the two machines locked hands. Kira pulled his friend onto the ship, exchanged relieved looks with Athrun over the com, and looked back at the Stormhawk and Red Queen. "Snake...?"Athrun, too, looked back. "Kevin, hurry! There's no time!"

"Forget it!" Kevin, seeing his friends safely on their way up, had one more thing to take care of. "Where's Tolle?"

"Wraith is aboard Archangel; he's fine. Now, hurry!"

"Not until these bastards have paid myprice for the conquest of my homeland!" He charged right back into the melee, aiming directly at the fleet of Earth Alliance ships. "I'll kill you all!"

"Not alone you wont!" Aelan called with the two Destroyer mobile suits rushed towards the enemy fleet.

Kira gasped as a familiar sensation came to him across their link. For the first time in years, Kevin had just entered the Berserker state completely on his own, and the Freedom's pilot could sense that he had also activated the Zero System.

Also Aelan had entered the Berserker state and inside her state of mind she also had the same result of the Zero System the Falke was equipped with.

Baron Kevin Onishi meant business.

"Is he out of his mind?" Athrun demanded. "He'll never make it!"

Kira shook his head. "Stormhawk doesn't need a ship or a mass diver to get to space; in mobile armor mode he can enter and leave the atmosphere at will. I don't know what he's up to now, though. And from Aelan's words, she wont let him die that easily, unless its by her hand."

Muruta Azrael leaned forward on his bridge as the winged mobile suit flashed straight at his forces. "Well, well. Seems some people have a death wish. Let's oblige them, shall we?"

Back at Kaguya, Uzumi Nara Athha saw the Kusanagiheading safely into space. "The seeds have flown. We've succeeded!" he told his fellow Cabinet members. Then he reached down, turned a dial, and pressed a red button. "We can't leave Orb, or this world, in the hands of those monsters..."

Azrael's eyes snapped wide in horror and frustration as the mass driver and Morgenroete began to explode, taking with them everything he had come here to obtain. "No!"

And against the backdrop of fire, the Snake charged forward. The compartments on his machine's shoulders opened, and Stormhawk's hands gripped his beam sabers. "Muruta Azrael! You have defeated my home, and you have forced us into exile, but you will pay my price, and I swear that if it takes me a thousand years, every one of you is dead!"

That was when the Red Queen drew its own beam sabres from their compartments ready to help the Falke at any time.

Azrael winced at the sheer volume of the enraged cry, and then winced again as he saw for the first time an augmented Berserker in full cry.

Block, parry, destroy. Stormhawk and Red Queen flew straight through everything thrown at them, hacking apart the fighters and mobile suits sent to engage them. He sliced with one mighty hand, and a ship went to the bottom, cut in half. Aelan fired her shoulder Cannons blowing away two carriers. "You shall pay for destroying my HOME!" Aelan roared as her cannons and now drawn machine guns blew away even more ships. The beam sabers disappeared from the Sturmfalke , and the buster rifles opened up, blasting everything in sight.

"Order the new machines to engage htem!" Blue Cosmos' leader snapped. "Kill them!"

First came Raider, with Calamity atop; Stormhawk did not even pause. He rolled on his back, flying backwards, and fired both rifles point-blank into the Calamity. It was blown backwards, Scylla destroyed and beams cannons simply gone; an instant later, Raider took a similar hit from the Red Queen and plowed into the sea. Not destroyed, but definitely out of the fight.

Shani was next up, using his shields to deflect the azure beams and fire from the Cannons of Red. This merely resulted in a slight change of tactics, as the beam sabers reappeared from both machines. Stormhawk slipped beneath the Forbidden, As Aelan went right for the machine. The Sturmfalke was hidden from sight, and a moment later emerged, while Shani's machine dropped, both legs severed at the knees and verniers out of commission as the arms were severed from the elbows.

Azrael's eyes widened as the Stormhawk and Red Queen suddenly hovered directly in front of his bridge, wings spread. "Muruta Azrael," Snake transmitted, eyes normal again... aside from their frozen quality. "I could kill you right now," he said coldly, "but I have certain obligations that prevent me from taking that risk at this time. Know, though, that I will have my revenge; for my homeland, for my parents, and for Lord Uzumi. I swear this, on the graves of those who have fallen in Orb's defense. Know that one whose parents you killed years ago, one whom you hoped to destroy that day as well, and one whom you hunted for years under another name has returned, and he will not rest until those who have taken his homeland are dead."

"Nice Speech, but its not your homeland he will pay for, he will pay for my own homeland, for the destruction that resulted on the day of love, I swear, if we meet face to face, you wont have a face or anything else for that matter once I am done with you." Aelan said with anger in her face.

"Hmm... I wonder who they could be..." Azrael murmured. "There are not many people who meet those criteria; though I think most of them are dead..."

Stormhawk turned in the air, raised both buster rifles, and snapped them together. Just as the Red Queen charged her own cannons to full power. A moment later, the three beam cannons three-hundred-meter-diameter blast blazed across the Earth Forces fleet, blasting several more ships into oblivion. "That fate awaits you, Muruta," Snake said softly, and cut the transmission.

Sturm Falke, untouched by the largely stunned enemy forces, converted to mobile armor mode and shot straight up, climbing for space, and a rendezvous with the last handful of people who meant anything to him. As the Red Queen disappeared in a shimmer and vanished from sight.