Chapter 32: The Siege of the Dominion
Disclaimer: This part of the story is not mine or even the owners of Gundam it is all Solid's. But most of the characters belong to Gundam beside mine and Solid's OCs.
Irritated though he was by his clone's timing, Kevin was nonetheless intrigued as he and Cagalli took the launch she'd used to reach the Eternal over to the Archangel. What sort of mission, he wondered, would they need me for? Then he turned to see Aelan on the same shuttle as they were. Let alone me, but what of her? Kevin wondered.
Upon coming aboard, a crewman directed them to the Infirmary, where the three captains and Martin DaCosta had gathered at Mu's bedside. The man had no idea what was up, but he informed them something big was apparently in the works.
"I suppose," Kevin muttered to Cagalli, "that it requires either a very powerful mobile suit, or a pair of super-soldiers. Probably the latter, though I can't imagine why."
"If we're going to the Infirmary, the Commander's probably near the bottom of it," she replied. "Whatever it is."
The hatch slid open, and Murrue glanced up. "Ah, there you are, Snake. I trust we didn't interrupt anything?"
Snake rolled his eyes. "Never mind, Murrue. So, what's so important that you called me all the way here to the Archangel? I assume you've got more in mind than a chat."
"You could say that, Racher," Waltfeld concurred. "Fact is, we need an intrusion experts, and you, Aelan and Invictus are the only ones we've got; not to mention that you have a certain... knowledge of this class of ship."
The super-soldier tilted his head. "Okay, you've got my attention. What do you need an assassin for?"
"As I'm sure you noticed," Mu began, "Flay was captured by the Dominion. She's safe, even among them, but we're just a little concerned by her reference to 'the key that's supposed to end the war'. If she was aboard the Vesalius, that means she got this 'key' from Rau Le Creuset, and frankly, I don't trust that bastard as far as I could throw him. He's given the Earth Forces some crucial piece of information... and I'm betting it wasn't out of the goodness of his heart." Assuming he has one.
"And I am afraid of one possiblity it was, the very device the new ZAFT machines have." She said as Andy nodded in agreement. "The Neutron Jammer Canceler." Aelan said as Murrue and the others that were not with ZAFT looked in shock. "From his ranting I am nearly 100 sure it was, but I hope it wasn't." She told them.
Snake stroked his chin. "Okay. So you want me to infiltrate the Dominion, hack the computers to find the info, and extract Flay? Sounds simple."
"Actually..." Murrue said with a slow smile, "...we've got something a little more ambitious in mind." She nodded at the bulkhead, to which a copy of the Archangel's blueprints had been affixed. "You're obviously familiar with the ship's layout and specifications -you helped design the class, after all- so if anyone can pull it off, you can."
Kevin rolled his eyes again. "Okay, your flattery is appreciated. Now would you mind getting to the point?"
"We want to know if you can lead a team aboard the ship and capture it," Mu said bluntly. "Can you?"
His first reaction was a snort of derision, but then he paused, expression suddenly thoughtful. "You know..." Kevin said slowly. "That just might be possible; wouldn't be if I didn't have all those handy backdoor programs, but with them..." He glanced at DaCosta. "Let me guess: that's what you're doing here."
Waltfeld's protégé nodded. "Right. If you can pull it off, I'll be supplying the team who will follow you aboard, secure the vital areas, and provide a skeleton crew. That may not be necessary, though."
"How's that?"
Kisaka took that question. "You're well-acquainted with the Dominion's captain, and I believe she knows you well enough to know you were telling the truth, were you to inform her of the true circumstances surrounding the attack on Orb. And if you can convince her, she may be able to convince enough of her crew to join us to keep the ship in fighting trim. After all, an Archangel-class doesn't require a large crew."
"That's true," Kevin agreed. "Wemanaged it with a couple of dozen. Okay, let's see..." He traced a finger over the blueprints. "All right. Infiltration will be a relatively simple matter; with my codes, I can trick the radar, cause a temporary loss of communications, and open the flight decks. Once we're inside, we take the hanger right away, in order to secure the LZ, then split into small teams and take the armory, Bridge, and Engineering; those are the most critical areas. Without the armory, they're limited to the odd weapons locker, and without Bridge and Engineering they can't control the ship or scuttle her."
"So it can be done?" Murrue pressed.
Snake nodded decisively. "Yes, Murrue, it can be done. And will be, as soon as you give the word."
"Better get to it, then," she told him. "We don't know how much time we have, and the Dominion will soon be beyond our reach. Use whatever resources you need from any of the ships; this action may be vital."
"Roger that." He turned to leave, then glanced back. "Oh, and tell Kira... I'm gonna get Flay out of there, no matter what. Even if the main objective fails, I won't let the Earth Forces have her."
"I will go with you to make sure of it." Jason said from behind him. "Allow me to take care of that objective for my brothers sake." Jason told him as Snake nodded in agreement.
"Aelan." Kevin said as she looked at him. "I want you to take the Crew Quarters. With Jason, Flay has a high chance of their or the bridge with Natarle, even though I don't think you need his help." Kevin told her as she nodded. "And . . ." He continued on with the plan.
Within hours, the strike team had been launched. DaCosta and his men used Invictus' old shuttle, since upgraded with Mirage Colloid; escorting them were the Stormhawk, Red Queen and Tolle's Wraith, though Tolle would be returning to the Archangel once the operation was in progress.
Operating under cloak, his advanced computers keeping an eye on the shuttle's projected flight path, Kevin mentally ran through the access codes. Once they were used, the operation could not be aborted; the Dominion would surely detect the transmission. From then on, there would be no turning back.
Finally, he was satisfied everything was as ready as it would ever be. This would be his first true infiltration mission in years, and also the first time he worked with a team; ABADON had not lasted long enough. Snake's one regret was that Cagalli was not with him, but he knew there had not been a choice. She was a competent ground soldier, but she was not trained in boarding actions. She'd have to sit this one out... though he expected she'd probably fly over the instant the ship was under control.
"DaCosta to Snake," his radio said, breaking into his thoughts. "Coming up on Target Delta; about time for you to get to work, Boss."
"Why do people keep calling me that?" Snake muttered.
"Not everyone Kevin, I wouldn't call you that if you were really my boss." Aelan called to him as she kept her shield ready to activate just incase the worst case scenario.
Kevin keyed his radio. "Roger that." As the Earth Alliance Forces Mobile Assault Ship Dominion grew on his display, he tapped commands into his comm system. "Transmitting command codes... now."
"Showtime, Boss." The stealthed shuttle settled in behind the Stormhawk as the Red Queen went ahead, all three vehicles dropping cloak. "Ready when you are."
"Here's where I break off," Tolle called; his job had been escort, and a dull assignment it had been. "Good luck, Snake."
"Okay," Kevin whispered. "Here we go." The Dominion's starboard flight deck opened up ahead of them, and the strike team began its intrusion. One more unto the breach, dear friends...
Natarle looked up, startled, when the alarms went off. "Intruder alert!" the intercom blared. "Intruder alert! Unauthorized entry into hanger!"
She spun in her chair. "What's going on?" she snapped.
"I don't know!" her comm officer replied, confused. "We have reports of weapons' fire in the hanger bay; and Director Azrael's shuttle just launched!"
"Coward," Natarle muttered; it didn't surprise her that Muruta Azrael had jumped ship at the first sign of true danger. "What about his machines? Are the biological CPUs still aboard?"
"Negative, Ma'am; they appear to be escorting the shuttle."
"Figures." She hit an intercom button. "All hands, prepare to repel boarders! This is not a drill! Repeat, this is not a drill! We have hostiles in the hanger bay; don't let them into the rest of the ship!"
"We've lost contact with the hanger, Captain," the comm officer reported. "Weapons' fire reported in the corridors; Engineering reports it is under attack." He paused. "Ma'am, we have surveillance footage from the hanger bay prior to loss of communications."
"Put it on the screen," Natarle ordered.
She was not in the least bit surprised to see the Stormhawk land or The Red Queen right behind it; only Kevin Walker and the Red Queen were audacious enough to attempt such an attack. He's probably after Azrael, she thought. Too bad the rat already fled. But if you think I'm going to let you have my ship that easily, Snake, you'd better think again.
Unfortunately, knowing the Snake, there was a very good chance he would pull it off.
Nonetheless, the cold voice that spoke from the aft section of the Bridge several minutes later came as quite a surprise. "Nobody move," Snake ordered. "Or I'll pull this trigger."
Natarle slowly stood and faced her former shipmate. He was standing in front of the elevator doors, still in his sealed flight suit, and he was aiming his plasma rifle directly at the Bridge's bow viewport. "You'll never get away with this," she said flatly, aware even as she spoke how cliché it sounded. "You're outnumbered."
"Actually, Natarle, I have gotten away with it." His eyes scanned the room. "Does anyone dispute that?"
She looked away, disgusted with herself for having lost control so easily. And I actually have the nerve to call myself a soldier? "All right, people," she said tiredly. "Do as he-"
"Die, space monster!"
Even Kevin looked surprised when the fire-control officer and CIC commander lunged for him simultaneously, sidearms out. But he was not so surprised that he allowed them any sort of chance. He released his grip on the rifle, drew his 10mm, and shot them both in a fraction of a second.
"Anyone else care to try anything?" he said dryly. "Next time I might not be so generous. Next time, I might flash-fry the lot of you. Now," he went on, glancing at the unoccupied chair to the left of the Captain's, "where is Muruta Azrael? I have a score to settle with him."
Natarle shook her head in genuine regret. "Sorry, Snake, you just missed him." She looked around the Bridge. "So what are you going to do now? Scuttle the ship?"
To her surprise, Kevin half-smiled. "No, Natarle, I have no intention of doing anything of the sort." He crossed over to the command chair and punched up the intercom. "This is Snake. The Bridge is secure. All teams report."
"Armory secure."
"Engineering secure," DaCosta reported.
"Crew quarters secure. Had a bit of trouble with some Blue Cosmos Scum but they wont be causeing any more trouble" Aelan reported.
"Brig secure."
"The ship's secure, Boss," DaCosta said. "All crew accounted for; except Azrael and his people."
"Don't worry about them," Snake said in disgust. "They're gone; but by no means safe. All right, then; standby for now, and report anything earth-shattering." He switched to an all-hands setting. "Attention, crew of the Mobile Assault Ship Dominion. This is Kevin Walker speaking. As of now, your ship is under the control of the Three Ships Alliance; I strongly urge that you do not resist. If you remain calm and cooperate with my people, you will not be harmed. In fact, those of you who wish to leave the ship will be permitted the use of unarmed shuttles, sufficient to take you to Earth Alliance territory."
He paused. "However, I'd like you to hear me out first. Your superiors have been lying to you, and I think you should know the truth." Considering his words carefully, Kevin abandoned the prepared speech he'd memorized. "I introduced myself as Kevin Walker," he began. "But some of you may know me by what passes for my real name. I was born Kevin Onishi, son" he saw no reason to give the full story here "of Baron John Tyler Onishi, of Orb. Now, you've been told by your superiors that Orb supported the PLANTs, and even aided them in the attacks on Alaska and Panama. Before I tell you the true story behind it, though, let me tell you why you should believe what I'm saying. See, there's a reason I disappeared over three years ago, after my parents were assassinated. I was kidnapped by ZAFT, tortured, and memory-wiped; then augmented into a super-soldier by a madman known as Oracle. That's right; I'm the guy they called Hydra, and even Cain. But I was brainwashed. I did not serve ZAFT willingly, though it took me six months to regain my senses. When I finally did, I destroyed the lab and everything in it, including my fellow Destroyers besides one." While the information was not well-known, Kevin assumed the crew would have been briefed, following Mendel; he was correct.
And from that last brief message, Aelan had a lot of disgust when he said he destroyed her friends.
Hepaused for breath. "So maybe you'll believe me when I say that if Orb had been supporting the PLANTs, I would neverhave stayed behind to defend it. There is nothing in this world I hate more than ZAFT, and only one thing that I hate as much." He glanced around at the Bridge crew (or what was left of it), then continued. "So maybe you'll believe me when I tell you the true story of Alaska, and how Headquarters knew we were being sent to the slaughterhouse... and it was not ZAFT that nearly incinerated the Archangeland us with it. No, the reason all were lost at Alaska was because Headquarters had deployed a Cyclops system there. And unlike Endymion Crater, this was not a weapon of last resort. Indeed, intelligence was leaked to ZAFT in order to get them to attack... and when they were too far in to escape, Headquarters activated the Cyclops, destroying eighty percent of ZAFT's fighting strength and a goodly number of their own people." Snake's gaze challenged all who were in range of its icy glare. "So tell me, soldiers. Would you truly wish to continue to serve people like that, who would sacrifice their own in such a cold-blooded manner, then blame it on a neutral nation as justification for going to war in order to seize their superior technology, and just as importantly, their mass driver? Do you want to serve those who fight Coordinators simply because of envy and bigotry? If that's your choice, then you're free to leave... but if you believe what I'm saying, I urge you to join us, to help us stop this war before it results in the destruction of both sides." He signed off.
Natarle was looking at him. "That's how it was?" she said softly. The question was perfunctory, though; she knew the Snake to be an honest man. "I... I had no idea. I knew about Alaska, but the rest..." Those bastards! How could they?
"Now you understand why we broke away from the Earth Forces," Kevin told her. "Why we fought as we did. Why we will continue to fight, even if the odds are against us."
With the Bridge crew watching her closely, the Dominion's -former?- captain carefully considered what she'd just heard. "All right, Snake," she said finally. "If you're accepting volunteers, you've got one. I just hope you people know what you're doing."
Most of the crew looked relieved, but the helmsman's face turned red with anger. "Traitor!" He lunged from his seat, raising a sidearm of his own... Kevin had a familiar sense of someone he knew come in.
And the point of a sword appeared through his chest, as the officer who had arrived on the Bridge during Snake's speech thrust her weapon into his back. "I won't allow it," the brown-haired woman said quietly. She withdrew the rapier, wiped it on the dead man's uniform, and put it away.
Natarle, startled, nodded at the newcomer. "Thank you, Lieutenant. That was well-timed." She turned to Kevin. "Snake, this is Lieutenant (Senior Grade)-"
"Meryl Steiglitz," he said in surprise. "Fancy meeting you here."
"Good to see you, too, Baron," Steiglitz said with a smile.
Her captain glanced from one fencer to the other. "Do you two know each other?"
"You could say that," Kevin replied. "During her Academy days, the Lieutenant here was an Olympic-class fencer; and she was also my last opponent prior to my parents' assassination."
"Not as good as you, Baron," Steiglitz said demurely. "As I recall, you took me out pretty fast."
"That's because of certain genetic advantages," he told her. "And don't call me Baron, okay? I'm Baron Onishi's legal heir, but quite frankly I'm not very fond of my uncle's memory these days."
Natarle blinked. "Your uncle?" Am I missing something here?
Snake looked thoroughly disgusted. "My biological parents were actually Siegel Clyne and his wife, Natarle; my uncle, it seems, was a believer in the teachings of Nietzsche. Apparently, using genetic samples obtained who-knows-how, he decided to create the Overman: me. It's a long story, but suffice it to say, I hope John Tyler Onishi rots for eternity."
Behind them, the Bridge elevator slid open again. "Say, Boss," Invictus said, floating out, "don't you think it's about time you called the Archangel and told them the mission was a success?"
Natarle and Steiglitz looked from one Kevin Walker to the other. "Uh... Are we missing something here?" Steiglitz questioned.
Kevin shrugged. "Oh, sorry. Natarle Badgiruel, Meryl Steiglitz, this is John Tyler, also known as Invictus. As you can tell from his remarkable good looks, he and I have a genetic connection; in point of fact, he's one of many clones ZAFT made of me. But unlike a certain fellow who's out to kill me, John's on our side."
"Uh... right..." Natarle shook her head. "Anyway, he has a point; I'd appreciate it if you informed your comrades that they don't have to shoot at us anymore."
"Right you are, Natarle." He moved over to the command chair and fiddled with the radio settings. "By the way, John, how many left the ship?"
"Two," his clone informed him. "Aelan killed ten of them I had to guess, they were Azrael's people."
"Figures." Kevin pushed a final button. "Archangel, this is the Dominion, do you copy? This is Snake."
Murrue's face appeared on the main screen. "I was beginning to worry, Snake. The ship is secure?"
"Affirmative. Thirteen casualties, all of them Earth Forces; and Azrael and his people got away." He shrugged. "But the ship is under our control. Natarle has agreed to join us, and so have most of her crew. Clean sweep, mon Capitan."
She nodded. "And Flay? Is she all right?"
"Haven't had time to check," Kevin admitted.
"She's fine, Captain," Natarle said, stepping forward. "A little shaken up, but she's okay." She glanced at Snake. "By the way, Snake, was that really Kira Yamato out there? I thought..."
"Reports of his death were greatly exaggerated," Murrue said dryly."The pilot who tried to kill him is with us these days, too; so is Dearka Elsman, the Buster's pilot. I'm sure you remember him."
"If only because Flay tried to assassinate him," Natarle agreed. "I guess things have changed since we last met. So, is the Archangel going to rendezvous with us, or do we go to you?"
"You'd better come to us," Murrue said after a moment's reflection. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, but some of our people may not be so trusting."
"Understood," Kevin broke in. "We're on our way; we'll discuss final arrangements once we rendezvous. Dominion, clear." He cut the connection, and glanced around the Bridge. "Speaking of rendezvous, we seem to have a small problem; the helmsman is a corpse."
"I'll handle it, sir," Steiglitz said. "I'm second-shift helmsman; I was just coming on duty when you launched your attack."
"Right." Snake looked briefly at the command chair, then shook his head and settled into Azrael's former seat. "Okay, Lieutenant, let's get moving."
In the Crew Quarters Jason found Flay on a bed. "Well its been a while Red." Jason said as Flay looked up to see him.
"Ja. . Jason, but I thought you. . ." Flay began as she shook his head.
"No Flay, I didn't die that day, just went back to my original assignment." He told her taking a seat on the bed on the other side of her. "My mission right now, is to make sure you are ok, and for my brother." He said as Flay looked at him dumbfounded.
"Brother?" She asked not knowing he had one.
"Yeah I just found out recently Kira is my brother." He said as she looked at him in shock. "And besides he misses you, and that day I protected you from Kevin, well I think he has something to tell you the next time you see him." Jason said standing up. "I am going to report to the commander to tell him I found you." He said as she went with him, not to be alone again to hear the roar of gunfire earlier.
An hour later, the Dominion had settled into formation with the other three ships, and the Archangel's command shuttle was settling down on her hanger deck.
The hatch opened, and Murrue stepped out, followed by Andrew Waltfeld and a heavily-bandaged Mu. "Permission to come aboard?" she said formally.
"Permission granted, Captain Ramius," Natarle answered, equally formal. "It's good to see you again, Ma'am. And someplace other than the battlefield, no less."
"True, though I gather it was a battlefield not too long ago." Murrue looked around the hanger, twin to the Archangel's. It contained only a few of the ship's current crew: Natarle, Steiglitz, Invictus, DaCosta, Snake, Aelan... and Flay with Jason right behind her,Flay who had been very pleased to see the super-soldier, much to his surprise. It seemed she'd forgiven his apology for his threat since the last time they had spoken.
She now wore a proper Earth Forces uniform, rather than the volunteer outfit she had worn before or the ZAFT uniform she'd been wearing when she came aboard. "Captain Ramius," Flay said, managing a salute.
"I'm glad to see you're alright," Murrue said warmly. "We weren't sure if you'd gotten clear of the Alaska base before it was destroyed; we certainly didn't expect you to turn up all the way out here."
"Commander Le Creuset captured me, at JOSHUA," Flay explained. "And..." Aelan put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head no.
"You don't need to say anything of that child." Aelan told her as Flay trusted Aelan very much as Aelan treated her as a Equal, rather than someone underneath her.
"Things happened," Natarle finished. "It's a long story, Captain Ramius; an ugly one. Before we go into it, however, I suggest we go to my office and determine exactly what the Dominion's status is."
"Of course. We have much to discuss."
"... and that's how it is, Captain," Natarle finished some time later. "Director Azrael apparently examined the information on Flay's disc, and then, if the speed of his departure is any indication, got ready to leave even before Snake's assault."
"So that data was given to you by Le Creuset himself?" Mu asked, directing the question at Flay.
She nodded nervously. "He said it was the key that would end the war, if it reached Earth Forces hands; but he didn't say what it was."
"Azrael took the disc with him," Kevin put in, "but there should be a record of it in the ship's mainframe. I haven't had time to decrypt it yet, but it'll be there." He looked at the Hawk. "So what do you think, Mu?"
Mu's eyes narrowed, and a slight smile played at his lips. "I think this ship needs a captain."
That puzzled the Snake. "Um, excuse me, but doesn't it already have a captain?" He nodded at Natarle. "After all, she is on our side these days..."
Surprisingly, she shook her head. "No, Snake. Even if the rank-and-file of this 'Three Ships Alliance' were willing to trust me that far, I wouldn't resume command. After you took the ship so easily, I have no business retaining the captain's chair." Natarle held up a hand. "And yes, I know there wasn't really anything I could have done to stop you. But there should have been."
Kevin shrugged. "Well, if that's how you see it... But that still leaves the problem of who to replace you with. I'd say Martin DaCosta, but he's a ground-pounder. So who does that leave us with? Aelan?"
"Heck no, I wont be staying here, I rather stay on the ZAFT built ship Eternal, and that is where I am determined to stay. Besides I am a pilot, I have nothing in true command besides, mobile suit pilot squads." Aelan told them not wanting to be the captain of the Earth Forces ship.
"Well, there is one person..." Murrue said with a smile... and all eyes turned to Snake.
He stiffened. "Now, wait just a minute, Murrue! I'm a pilot and an assassin, not a ship-commander! I don't have any experience..."
"Sure you do," Waltfeld contradicted. "You led the Destroyers, way back when. I hear you were also a hot hand in the Archangel's CIC at Alaska. On top of that, you know more about this class of ship than anybody, and you're a famous fencer the crew respects. Put it together..."
"No way," Kevin protested. "CIC, sure. But the captain's chair? You've got to be crazy."
"They're right, Snake," Natarle said. "Next to me, you're the one the crew is most likely to trust, and you have the knowledge and experience for the job, whether you want to admit it or not."
"But..."
"Oh, take the job already," Mu said. "You know we're going to keep at it until we wear you down; why not save yourself some trouble and accept it?" Aelan smirked at Mu's rant to Kevin.
He just better not kill his crew like he did the others, I'll kill him for that. Aelan told herself with a smile.
Snake gritted his teeth and looked away. They're all out of their minds,he thought. But slowly he began to chuckle. "Okay," he said finally. "If you guys are crazy enough to insist, I guess I've got no choice. I'll do it."
Natarle immediately held out a hand. "Welcome to the hot seat, Captain Walker. And let me be the first to say that I do not envy you in the slightest."
"Just between the two of us," he said wearily, "I don't envy me, either." Noting the expectant looks he was getting, Kevin sighed and settled into the chair behind the office's desk. "But I'll do my best."
With that matter settled, the meeting settled into organizational issues. "So what's the Dominion's current status?" Murrue asked. "Or have you had time to find out?"
"Natarle and I went over it en route to the rendezvous," Snake answered, "so yeah, I'm on the ball. Dominion is in good shape, integrity-wise; Archangeldidn't get in very many good hits." He shrugged. "Either our gunners need work or Natarle is as good as ever. Internally," he continued, "we need to patch up a few bullet holes from the assault, space the bodies from the idiots on the Bridge, and repair a couple of plasma-scored bulkheads; on the way up I kind of had to fry my way through some locked doors."
"Explains the stench," Waltfeld commented. "Which reminds me: will you being needing DaCosta's people anymore, or do you have enough crew to manage without them?"
"We operated Archangel with fewer," Kevin pointed out. "So go ahead and take them with you when you return to Eternal. I think I impressed the crew with my... sincerity -or at least my lethality- and my helmsman is an old fencing buddy, so we shouldn't have any mutiny problems. As near as we can tell, anyone inclined toward that left with Azrael and his three goons."
"Speaking of Azrael's machines," Mu cut in, "how's your mobile suit complement? I imagine the Kusanagi could spare a few M1s, if you need them."
Kevin shook his head. "No need, Mu. We've got my Stormhawk, and there's two third's of the ships squadron's worth of Strike Daggers still aboard." Kevin Walker had once flown conventional fighter craft, and still tended to use the terminology. "All we really need is a flight leader."
Murrue glanced at her watch. "Oh, I think we can solve that, Kevin. Miss Cagalli should be here any minute now, with her machine."
His eyebrows went up. "Cagalli's flying now? Things sure have changed in the few hours since I left. An M1?" He didn't wait for a reply, instead activating the desk terminal and calling up data from the CIC's mobile weapons' control station.
The sight that greeted him was somewhat startling. "That machine..." It had a solid-red torso, with a distinct red tint to the limbs and head... and it happened to look very much like another machine Kevin was familiar with. "That looks like the Strike."
"MBF-02 Strike Rouge," Murrue informed him. "Aside from the custom paint job, it's identical to Mu's machine. I gather Cagalli got tired of staying behind while everyone else went into battle, and Chief Simmons and Chief Nexus had this built for her from spare parts and backups from his own M1." She smiled. "Upon hearing of the success of your mission, she insisted on transferring over to the Dominion. Will the arrangement be acceptable?"
The look on Kevin's face was answer enough; so rather than verbalizing it, he punched the intercom. "Bridge, this is the Captain," he said (while they'd been speaking, Natarle had quietly informed the crew of the change in management). "When the Strike Rouge has landed, please inform the pilot that her presence is desired in the captain's office; and, if you would, don't tell her just who the captain is, okay?"
"You got it, Captain," Steiglitz replied, amused. "Anything else, sir?"
"Yeah, she's our new wing commander. Captain out." He shook his head in ironic amusement. "Everything is turning upside-down and inside-out. I get sent out here on a rescue mission/ ship-seizure, and end up in command of the target, with her previous captain as my exec; my best friend and now she's a pilot, and my wing commander. I don't think I really want to know what's next."
"Who knows." Aelan said as she still kept her mask on.
"Hey Aelan why do you still wear that mask?" Mu asked as she looked at him.
"Its just my thing, Like the new captain there always has a concealed weapon on him somewhere." Aelan told him as Mu nodded.
"Ok, makes sense I guess." He said. " Well it's been a rough day." He was clearly referring to more than just the disposition of the Dominion; though it was hard to remember, the events at the GARM facility had been mere hours earlier and two new members to join their cause not counting the Dominion.
Minutes later, the office's hatch slid open, and Cagalli pulled herself in. "So here's where you are," she said upon catching sight of Kevin; she immediately moved to his side. "Where have you been?"
"Busy," he said simply. With a sheepish smile, he added, "Busy getting appointed Captain of this ship, in fact. They insisted."
At her expression, Mu burst out laughing. "Yeah, Cagalli, your long time friend who hates to lead has gone and got himself stuck in charge of the second ship of the most powerful warship class mankind has ever made."
"And you're wing commander, if you don't mind," Snake added
"You think I'd turn down that down, when you're in charge? I'm not letting you out of my sight, Kevin. Especially with all the stupid things you have done trying to get yourselves killed."
"Ahem," Natarle said carefully. "I believe we have another pressing matter to attend to." She glanced significantly at Flay. "Don't you think it's time we found out just what this 'key' is?"
"Yeah..." Kevin said slowly. "That's a good idea. If it was enough to make Muruta Azrael abandon his attempts to obtain the Freedom and Justice, it can't be good..."
He pulled out his neural interface-adapter, connected it to the desk terminal, and jacked himself in, his eyes taking on the distinctive vacant look of mind-to-machine contact.
"Accessing," Snake murmured, "searching... data located. Beginning file decryption. Data should be appearing... now." He pulled out of the system, blinked, and took a look at the data that had appeared on the monitor. "That's strange. The Freedom and the Justice, and... Solkin syn!"
Kevin actually went pale, and launched into a long stream of invective in a number of languages, the likes of which Murrue had not heard since the super-soldier had learned of William Sutherland's presence at Alaska. This time, though, it wasn't as bad... it was worse.
"What's wrong?" Mu asked five minutes later, when Snake's vocabulary finally ran dry. "What's the 'key'?"
He looked shaken. "Commander Le Creuset was right in calling this the key that would end the war," Kevin explained obliquely, directing his words at Flay. "After all, the war will end when humanity is extinct!"
"What are you talking about, Racher?" Waltfeld demanded.
"That disc," Kevin said grimly, "contained the specifications for the Freedom and Justice. More to the point, it contained the specifications for the. . ."
"Damn him, he gave that bastard the Neutron Jammer Canceler!" Aelan yelled as Kevin nodded.
"Nukes," Natarle breathed. "That maniac wants to trigger a nuclear war!"
"And that idiot Azrael didn't think to question why Le Creuset would have given him that information," he concurred. He stood, moving over to the office's viewport. "But it may be worse than that," Dominion's new CO said very, very softly.
"How can it be worse?" Mu demanded. "What's worse than a nuclear holocaust to put the Bloody Valentine to shame?"
Kevin turned back to them, and he looked aged far beyond his years. "You remember how, when I was Hydra, Oracle stuffed a whole bunch of classified ZAFT weapons' designs in my head? Well, there was one more secret project, a genuine superweapon. I never really thought about it after the war began, because of the N-jammers. But with N-jammer canceler technology, they could pull it off, and might just be crazy enough to do it."
"Do what?" Waltfeld frowned. "I had a pretty high security clearance, and I don't have a clue what you're leading up to, Racher."
"Gamma Emission by Nuclear Explosion Stimulus Induction System," the one-time ZAFT soldier said flatly.
"No it can't be, that weapon is to powerful." Aelan called as Kevin nodded in agreement.
"The final weapon, GENESIS. The data I have on it is doubtless obsolete, but not all of it." He took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax. "GENESIS is an enormous gamma-ray weapon; it uses nuclear explosions to generate huge amounts of gamma rays, which are then reflected back into GENESIS, which then focuses the radiation as a coherent beam." Kevin clenched his fists. "If the Earth Forces use nukes and ZAFT goes through with GENESIS, it'll all be over. Judgment Day. The end of the world."
"The end of mankinds existence." Aelan said ashamed of what her step father had made. The ultimate Propaganda.
"But there'd still be the lunar colonies," Cagalli protested. "I mean, if it really came to that, Earth could be repopulated from there..."
"I guess I didn't make myself clear," Kevin said grimly. "There might be the lunar colonies... but there wouldn't be Earth. GENESIS has enough power to scorch the planet into a blasted wasteland with just a couple of shots. It was originally designed as an interstellar propulsion system, but it serves admirably as a weapon, too."
"This is bad..." Mu whispered. He turned to Murrue. "Murrue, I think we need to head for the PLANTs, right away. Before this gets any worse."
"I think you're right," she agreed. "Captain Waltfeld, I think you and I should return to our respective ships and get underway. We haven't a moment to lose."
"No," Snake interrupted. "Not yet." When all eyes turned to him, he went on calmly, "There's some things we need to do first. Face it, after Mendel we're not ready for that kind of assault. We need support; supplies, repairs, that kind of thing. We have the time. Even if Azrael were to reach Earth Alliance territory today, the council will still bicker for at least a couple of days, and it'll take time for them to put the weapons into production. I say we take the time to make sure we're ready; getting there unprepared is worse than not getting there at all."
"You're probably right," Murrue agreed reluctantly. "Do you have any suggestions?"
"Yeah." With that one-word answer, Kevin turned to the hatch. "I need to get to the Bridge; there's a transmission I need to make. Look, you guys are in a better position to figure out who we might contact elsewhere; but I know of one person in the PLANTs who, while I may not exactly trust him, I believe will do the right thing if he learns about the nuclear threat."
Though intrigued, she accepted his lack of detailed explanation. "Very well then, Captain Walker" she used the title partly to needle him, but mostly because it somehow seemed right "we'll do our job, you do yours." She exchanged warm glances with Mu. "Mu and I will be returning to the Archangel; Captain Waltfeld, I assume you, Aelan, Jason, and DaCosta will be returning to the Eternal?" The one-eyed Tiger nodded. "And how about you, Flay? Will you be coming back to the Archangel, or do you want to stay with the Dominion or to Kira in the Eternal?"
Looking nervous (and with Cagalli in the room, Kevin couldn't blame her; the two had never gotten along), Flay cleared her throat. "I'll stay with the Dominion. I... I have a place here."
Snake nodded. "That you do, Flay. I recall you were good with Logistics back on the Archangel, and that's always important."
Cagalli frowned. "You're worrying about Logistics at a time like this?"
"They say, tovarisch," he said patiently, "that lieutenants think tactics, colonels think strategy, and generals think Logistics. You can't fight a war without supplies."
"Right," Flay agreed brightly; she wasn't sure she recognized the quote, but she couldn't remember a time when Kevin Walker had been truly wrong. "Um..." she added uncertainly, as she turned to Jason. "...could you tell Kira I'd... I'd like to talk to him? When he's feeling better? There's... something I should tell him."
Kevin, who had a good idea what she was talking about, looked thoughtful; Jason nodded in agreement. "As you wish m'lady, I will deliver the message to my brother. And Kevin, take care of my sister will you, I don't want to lose her again, like well you know." Jason said leaving the room. "Commander Waltfeld I will be waiting in the shuttle." With that the man left.
Waltfeld looked at his watch. "Speaking of getting back, I think we should be about our business."
Half an hour later, Kevin stepped onto the Bridge once again, Natarle, Cagalli, and his clone in tow, and even the former ZAFT pilot Shiho Hahenfuss. Natarle headed down into CIC, and Invictus took the vacant fire-control station, but Kevin and Cagalli moved to the front of the Bridge.
It was something he'd done uncounted times on the Archangel, but this time was different; for this time, Kevin Walker was taking the center seat, as the ship's commanding officer. It was... a sobering, and strange, experience, yet one that was somewhat pleasant. He realized that, however much he might have denied it, he'd actually missed being a leader. And this time, it was for a cause he believed in.
Cagalli smiled at him, sensing his thoughts, and settled into Azrael's former chair; at the same time, Steiglitz glanced back. "Where to, Captain?"
Kevin thought for a moment. "Put us on a rough orbital path toward the PLANTs," he ordered. "We'll probably be heading that way before too long, so proceed at half thrust."
"Roger that." She bent to the task, apparently well-pleased with her new captain.
"Communications," he began, "begin recording a video message."
"Yes, sir." The comm officer typed a few commands into his console. "You're on, Captain."
Kevin looked straight into the main screen, which was now recording his image. "This is the Captain of the Three Ships Alliance Mobile Assault Ship Dominion, and this message is for Yzak Joule..." And with that Shiho smiled the first time since she had joined the alliance thanks to Aelan.
Yzak Joule, recently returned to the PLANTs following the failed attempt to neutralize Lacus Clyne and her followers at Mendel, was working on his GAT-X102 Duel. Currently, it was housed on the asteroid fortress Jachin Due, pending the assembly of the Joule team; in the wake of that battle, he had been promoted and reassigned to command his own unit.
That still left the basic maintenance of hiss machine to Yzak, though; the only mechanics sufficiently familiar with the former Earth Forces mobile suit had died with the Vesalius... and Captain Fredrik Ades.
So that was exactly what he was doing when the Duel's computer suddenly noted an incoming transmission, addressed to the Duel itself. "What the...?"
Yzak noticed with a frown that the signal had somehow bypassed the entire Jachin communications net, apparently without even being noticed. Puzzled, he punched the message up on his screen, and a familiar face appeared.
The young man with sandy hair and unnaturally bright jade eyes wore black civilian clothing, not a uniform; though he oddly seemed to be wearing Earth Forces captain's insignia on his collar. "This is the Captain of the Three Ships Alliance Mobile Assault Ship Dominion," he began, "and this message is for Yzak Joule. We've never met face-to-face, but we've spoken numerous times during battle, and I think you saw me at the Mendel Colony, during one of my confrontations with the sociopathic clone Jack Carter. My name is Kevin Walker... or Kevin Onishi, if you want to be technical; frankly, I don't, since it turns out Onishi was my uncle and a thoroughly mad scientist besides, but that's off-topic. To be blunt, I'm not sending you this message because I have any real interest in your safety. Rather, my sympathies, such as they are, have always lain more with the PLANTs, whatever my problems with ZAFT may be, and to be perfectly -and grudgingly- honest, you're the only man in ZAFT I can remotely think of as honorable and trustworthy."
"Okay, Walker, so you hate my guts but respect my integrity," Yzak muttered. "So how about you get to the point?" then he saw the traitor Shiho appear behind him.
Walker did, as if hearing the pilot's response. "I trust you remember the conversation I had with Commander Le Creuset, the one I had Dearka relay to you. You saw how crazy the man is these days, so maybe you'll believe me when I tell you what he's gone and done now. Remember that lifepod he set adrift during the battle, the one with my old shipmate Flay Allster in it? She was carrying what Le Creuset described as 'the key that will end the war'. Upon my recent assault on and capture of the Dominion -never mind the details now; suffice it to say the ship is under my command these days- I hacked into the ship's mainframe and discovered exactly what kind of data he passed on to Director Muruta Azrael: the schematics for the Neutron-jammer canceler. This wouldn't have mattered, given my seizure of Azrael's ship, were it not for the fact that he escaped during the fighting. Since he's now at large, I somehow think I don't need to explain to you exactly what the Earth Alliance is likely to start building again soon."
Yzak swallowed; he knew exactly what Walker was talking about. "Nukes," he whispered harshly.
Once again, it was like the Dominion's Captain could see him, as he nodded. "Yeah. Nuclear weapons, the same sort that destroyed Junius Seven -frightful incident, by the way; I was nearly killed there myself- and the weapon Operation Uroboros and the April Fool Crisis were launched to stop. This is something that we, the Three Ships Alliance, don't want anymore than you do, which is part of the reason I'm telling you this. The other part, though, is the fact that you should be aware of how much of a danger Rau Le Creuset has become, to both sides, since he's the man who gave back the Earth Alliance's nuclear capability. I suggest you think about it, Yzak: do you really trust someone who's supposed to be on your side, but gave the enemy the most powerful weapons yet constructed by man? And take it one step further: if Earth uses nukes, what weapon do you think Chairman Zala will retaliate with?" He shrugged. "Think about it, Yzak, and don't let blind loyalty get in the way of your thinking. That's all I've got to say; Walker, clear."
The super-soldier's image vanished, and Yzak slumped back in his seat. "Nuclear weapons..." he whispered. "GENESIS... The Bloody Valentine all over again... What in the world am I supposed to do?"
The next month was dreadfully busy for all members of the Three Ships Alliance (a name no longer truly accurate, with the addition of the Dominion); especially for Kevin Walker and his people. Organizational details took endless amounts of paperwork, so it was with great relief that he received a visitor one afternoon, a week after coming aboard.
"Captain Ramius to see you, Boss," Meryl Steiglitz called from her post outside his office hatch (for some unfathomable reason, she had taken it upon herself to act as door sentry during some of her off-hours, thus vetting her captain's visitors; he was usually so wrapped up in his work that he didn't even notice).
Kevin looked up from his desk. "By all means, Lieutenant, let her in."
The hatch slid open, admitting Murrue. "As busy as always, I see," she said with a smile.
He groaned. "Tell me about it; and Cagalli is still busy working out her flight group. Still, they tell me it'll get easier once the ship's properly integrated into the group." He stood, and waved at a chair in the corner of the room (it, like the one he chose, was somewhat more comfortable than standard; he suspected that, since Azrael had used the office previously, the man had insisted on special privileges). "Please, sit," he said, smiling warmly. "So, what brings you here, Murrue? Not that I'm complaining, of course."
She settled into the chair. "Well," she replied, returning the smile, "I somehow thought you might like a little break from the paperwork; and besides, we haven't really had a chance to talk since the day we reached the Red Sea, months ago."
"That's true," Kevin acknowledged. "Things were a little hectic for awhile, weren't they?"
"They were." Murrue leaned back, examining the office's decor. "Well, it looks like Azrael has a taste for the finer things in life."
He glanced around, noting the various places on the bulkheads where objects had once hung. "Yeah, the guy likes to think of himself as a sophisticate; personally, I think he's just vermin, not even fit to be called human. But I digress. I had them pull out what decorations there were; I didn't want any trace of him lingering. That rapier, though," he added, nodding at a slender, ornate blade above the desk, "that stays; it's the blade I had with me in the PLANTs, over three years ago. After my disappearance, it somehow wound up on the auction circuit, where Lieutenant Steiglitz picked it up; she returned it to me yesterday." He looked back at Murrue. "So, how's Mu?"
"Still recovering," she answered. "He isa Natural, remember; unlike you, he can't just bounce back after a couple of hours." Her smile took any possible sting out of the words. "But how are you doing?" she said more seriously. "Mu told me what Le Creuset revealed to you, at Mendel. Are you... holding up?"
Kevin shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Can't say I feel goodabout it, but it could be worse; besides, I can't exactly take revenge for my genesis, now can I? Dad died years ago, and so did Hibiki."
"Must have been quite a shock, though, learning that your cousin is actually your sister," Murrue commented. "I don't know how I'd have taken it."
"It wassurprising," he admitted. "Which reminds me, I haven't had a chance to tell her yet." He paused as his right arm gave a spasmodic jerk. "Blast it; bloody thing hasn't been working right since Mendel. Either my plasma fire was a little to close for comfort, or I over-stressed it when I lost my temper."
"I can't imagine what it must be like to have to rely on a mechanical limb," Murrue mused. "Does it bother you much?"
"Not in the sense that it's difficult to use," Kevin answered after a moment. "But it's strong enough to scare me; ruined my favorite gun with it. But I guess I should get used to it; I was already about twenty-five percent mechanical. What's another five percent?"
"Are you really that blasé about it?" she said skeptically. "I seem to remember you hate being a cyborg."
He flinched at the word. "You're right, I do; but I don't see what I can do about it."
"Can't it be removed somehow?"
Kevin shook his head. "Unfortunately, the essential parts of it are fused with my atomic structure; I'd need a body transplant, which unfortunately I don't have available." He grimaced. "And I've no desire to live like George Glenn."
The thought made Murrue a tad queasy, too; their contact with the Junk Guild had brought about some surprising revelations, and the idea of George Glenn's preserved brain being alive and functional, but bodiless...
"I think I might prefer death," she said softly. "Though he doesn't seem too bothered by it."
"Always exploring new frontiers," the super-soldier opined. "Probably just thinks of it as a new experience to, well... experience."
Murrue tilted her head. "I remember Cagalli once mentioning you like to speak in riddles, but I hadn't seen much sign of it myself. A trace of your original identity?"
"Somewhat," Kevin admitted. "A link to happier times, before I truly became Kevin Walker."
"Too bad I didn't meet you back then," she mused. "I'm sure we'd have gotten along famously."
He twitched his shoulders. "You could ask Mu; he should know a thing or two about how I was then, as opposed to how I am now."
"I did," Murrue informed him. "But Mu only met Kevin Onishi once, remember," she pointed out; he noticed she spoke of his former name as if he was someone else.
Which he was, he told himself. That name no longer has any meaning."Well," Kevin said aloud, "I don't know that there's much to tell, really. Onishi ceased to exist at fourteen; not much time to establish an identity."
"For Naturals, maybe; but you yourself have said you matured faster than even normal Coordinators. Besides, if you could establish your new identity in less than three years, surely there was something to your old self," she pressed.
"Well... maybe a little," he granted. "But he wasn't much compared to me; though I imagine Cagalli would say otherwise."
"Perhaps," Murrue agreed. "On the other hand, she seems quite pleased with how you turned out; and you're dodging the question," she noted, smiling.
"I wasn't aware it was one," Kevin shot back. "Sounded more like a statement to me."
"Well, it wasn't," she said, and then stopped, realizing just how they sounded.
He apparently recognized the same thing. They stared at each other for a few moments, then burst out laughing.
"You know," Murrue commented a minute later, when she regained control of her vocal apparatus, "I sometimes think we're more like brother and sister than Kira and Cagalli are."
"Yeah, I can see that," Kevin agreed, bringing himself under control with his augmentation. "Who knows, we may even be related," he said jokingly. "Even with the revelations about my parentage, with the Clynes instead of the Onishi family, my genealogy is pretty complicated... Sis." He grinned.
She found herself smiling back. It's times like these when you can catch a glimpse of what he once must have been like... Makes me glad we didn't end up shooting each other, back on Heliopolis... how long ago now? Six months? Feels like years... It's who he is, I guess... "I'm sure it is... Brother," she said finally, feeling oddly cheerful. "Even if we're not though, it looks like we might as well be... I suppose Fate brought about our meeting?" she added, recalling his firm belief in Fate.
"Could be," he agreed. "I suppose the ancient Greeks would say Clotho -the Fate, that is, not the pilot- has spun our lives together, while Lachesis the Allotter has granted us time to understand, before Atropos the Inflexible cuts our threads."
Murrue raised an eyebrow. "And what would you say, Brother?"
"Me? I never say anything at all, of course." Kevin sobered then, considering the question in a more serious manner. "I suppose I would say," he said finally, "that I believe there are certain people who are meant to be together, be they as friends, or lovers... or family; and that nothing can keep them apart before their Fated meeting."
"Even Death?" she said softly.
"Even Death," he agreed, just as quietly. "There are some things stronger than Death, even..." Kevin closed his eyes, recalling something he'd heard long ago. "They say... that our bonds are the only things that hold us in this world. Maybe that's true."
"Then let's try not to break this one," Murrue suggested solemnly. "I'd really rather not lose a brother so soon after finding him in the first place."
Kevin considered that, then stood, lifted the rapier from its mounting, and drew the ornate blade. "A fitting blade for an oath," he murmured. He was quite serious. Cagalli always called me a knight in shining armor... So did Sai, now that I think about it... I don't agree; I like to see myself as a protector -sometimes- but my armor is tarnished.
But my honor, my word, is never doubted.
Murrue watched curiously as Kevin walked over to her, knelt, head bowed, and laid the slender sword at her feet. She'd heard of his differing personas, had even seen him switch between several of them in her presence, but she'd never encountered this one. This is the Kevin Walker who helped Kira spirit Lacus away from the Archangel, she realized. The Kevin Walker who swore on his very life to protect Cagalli...
This is the Fencing Prince.
Still kneeling, Kevin began to speak in a solemn voice. "I swear to you, Murrue, that I will not needlessly spend my life; that if there is any chance of victory and survival, I shall take it; and that from this day, you will be like my own blood, as much kin as my blood sister."
Murrue blinked, then understood he was expecting her to say something. "I accept your oath, Kevin."
With a nod, Kevin stood, and sheathed the weapon. "Thank you."
"You're very old-fashioned in some ways, you know that?" she told him.
"Oh yes, quite, I find Jason is as well with the way he spoke to Flay." he admitted cheerfully. "As for that little ritual, blame it on my upbringing; nobility will always retain some of the old trappings and ceremonies. That last part I've sworn to exactly two other people."
"Kira and Athrun?" Murrue guessed.
He nodded. "Yes." He turned, set the rapier back on its mountings, and sat again. "I meant it, you know," he said softly.
"I know you did." Murrue smiled. "And I can certainly think of worse people to have as a... what's the old term... oath-brother?"
"That's it," Kevin confirmed. "A long time ago, I considered traditions like that a waste of time; mere meaningless babble. I've since changed my mind."
"So I see," she said dryly. "Now, how about you actually answer my question now, Brother?"
"Question?" He looked blank for an instant. "Oh, that. Of course, dear Sister," he said with a smile. "I suppose the story of my life would really begin when I was six, just beginning to attend a prep school in Copernicus..."
Having been reminded of certain things, it took only another day for Kevin to fit another appointment into his schedule (which was, finally, beginning to ease up).
Once again, Meryl Steiglitz was at the door. "Miss Clyne's here and the Red Queen are here, Boss."
"Let them in, Lieutenant." Kevin felt more than a little awkward; this was not a situation he was accustomed to, and he had to do it himself. Cagalli had insisted that the two be alone for this, and was herself on the Bridge, studying tactics with Natarle. So it's up to me to tell Lacus the truth... but why is Aelan here?
The hatch slid open, admitting the "Pink Princess". "Hello, Kevin," she greeted cheerfully. As Aelan floated in here.
"Before you ask Kevin, I came to see how she would react. Don't worry I never told her a thing." Aelan told him. "Just act like I am not even here." Aelan told him.
"Hi, Lacus," Kevin replied. "I'm glad you could make it."
She smiled. "As if I had something more pressing? Besides, Kira said you had something important to tell me." Lacus studied his face. "You look troubled, Kevin. What's wrong?"
He took a deep breath. "Lacus, I... have a lot of things to tell you. Things I learned at Mendel. I should have told you then, but I haven't really had time before now." He visibly hesitated. "Lacus, I'm... not your cousin."
Lacus frowned, confused. "What? What are you talking about, Kevin?"
Kevin ran a hand through his sandy hair; his right eye had just confirmed Le Creuset's words. "It seems that, all my life, I was lied to," he said, buying himself a little time. "Michael Carnehan was my clone, not my brother... and Baron Onishi was my uncle, not my father."
She gasped. "What? But... how...? Are you sure?"
"Quite sure," he replied heavily. "Le Creuset told me on Mendel, and everything I've learned since has confirmed it." He proceeded to tell her what Le Creuset had told him, leaving out only his true parentage.
When he'd finished, Lacus looked at him with wide eyes. "But Kevin, that's... that's horrible! How could anyone do something like that...?"
"I don't know," Kevin said. "I may never know... and it doesn't really matter, does it?"
"Perhaps not," she said slowly. After all, the man is long gone... "But then whose genes were used to create you?" she asked abruptly. "Who were your real parents?"
"The same as yours," he said simply.
Silence.
"I... see..." Lacus said at last. Then she smiled. "Well, whoever your parents were, you are still you,Kevin," she said reassuringly. "Whether we are cousins or siblings, you still have an identity. Perhaps Kevin Onishi does not and never did exist... but Kevin Walker does. You are who you chose to be, Kevin."
"Not entirely," Kevin disagreed. "They say that people make their own choices to get where they are, but sometimes, you don't really havea choice. I did not choose to become a cybernetic organism, for example..." He paused. "But you're right. I am who I am, and nothing's going to change that."
"Exactly," she agreed, satisfied. Wow; I don't think anyone's ever been able to convince him of that so fast... "Now," she went on, "why don't you tell me about this new ship of yours...?" she asked as Aelan left to wait to escort miss Clyne back to the Eternal.
A month after receiving Walker's message, Yzak Joule paced Jachin Due's corridors, brooding. Over the past weeks, he'd reviewed Kevin Walker's message dozens, hundreds of times, and he was nearly at a decision. It wouldn't be easy, but he was beginning to think there was no other option.
At least I've got my own team these days, he thought moodily.Commander Le Creuset would notice something was wrong if I was still with him. Walker sure was right about how crazy he's gotten.
At last, Yzak stopped his aimless wandering and turned toward the hanger where the Duel now slept, unused for a longer period than ever before. What he was about to do would be at best difficult, at worst suicidal, and, at least in the eyes of his comrades, certainly treasonous. But Kevin Walker was right: he couldn't let loyalty blind him -or more precisely, he couldn't let loyalty to his superiors blind him to what loyalty to the PLANTs demanded of him.
He strode into the hanger a few minutes later, dressed in his flight suit and carrying a travel case; where he was going he could expect to be awhile.
"Commander Joule!" a mechanic greeted him. "Going somewhere?"
"I'm taking some leave time," Yzak lied smoothly. "Thought I should get some R&R while I still can; won't have much chance to rest once the fighting starts again."
"That's true," the tech agreed. "You're taking the Duel?"
"Right; we don't know when the next attack will come, so it's best if I can get to my machine fast, wherever I am. So, is it ready?"
"Been ready," the man replied. "Repairs were completed weeks ago."
"Good." Yzak nodded at the mechanic, pushed off for the Duel's cockpit, and took a deep breath. Here goes. I hope Walker's as honest as they say, or else I'm a goner. And let that woman be all right. He thought as he thought of Shiho.
He quickly sealed himself in, tucked his luggage out of the way, and powered up the machine's generator. As promised, it was in good shape, and within minutes Yzak was guiding his mobile suit out into the void where, miraculously, no one thought to question his departure... not even when he set course well away from the PLANTs. The Duel could make the journey he had in mind, if he accelerated for an hour or so and then cut power; it would take a few days, but this way, he'd at least have enough energy to slow down at the other end... not to mention have enough life support to get there.
I'm sorry, Mother, Yzak thought, sparing a moment's attention for Ezalia Joule, his Supreme Council-member parent. But I won't sit by while the Naturals wipe us out with nukes and we destroy Earth with GENESIS. I can't.
More alone than he had ever been, Yzak Joule began his journey across the black of space, to an uncertain welcome.
By this time, things on the Dominionhad settled into a comfortable, if bizarre, routine. The Bridge, once a solid compartment of Earth Forces uniforms, now had a teenage girl in Morgenroete uniform in the chair once occupied by Muruta Azrael, A ZAFT uniform young woman Shiho talking with Cagalli as they were the two top commanders of the small squad, a young man wearing battle armor adjusted to look like a ZAFT Top Gun uniform manning fire-control, and a nearly-identical youth in civilian clothing in the Captain's chair. And on this particular day, there were three visitors present, two in ZAFT red and the other in Earth Forces volunteer blue.
"I still say this is crazy," Kevin muttered in the center seat. "I'm a pilot, not a sailor."
"And how many times have we been over this, Captain?" Natarle said dryly, from CIC. "It couldn't be me, and you have the qualifications for the job. Besides, my helmsman likes you."
"Not to mention your wing commander," Cagalli interjected; by now, it was of course no secret that she and the Captain had a very... close relationship. "Besides, now all you have to do is give the orders. 'Go here, do this, blow up that'."
"I think," the battle-armored Invictus began, more seriously than the others, "that there is rather more to command than that, mate. More complexity, anyway."
"And don't think he's gonna give up flying," Kira put in, near the elevator. "Stormhawk's one of our best weapons, after all." I don't like to fight, but it's the only way to bring this war to quick end...
"And," Athrun said softly, standing beside him, "you're still after my father, right?"
Kevin looked back at him, expression grave. "Yes, Athrun, I'm afraid I am. You know what he ordered done to me... but for what it's worth, I'm sorry it came to this."
Athrun shook his head. "Don't be. My father died a long time ago, with my mother. Ever since then, he hasn't been himself." He paused. "Good hunting, Kevin."
Before the surprised Kevin could respond, Flay (who had ended up as communications officer, in the personnel shuffle) broke in. "Captain, there's an incoming heat source; one mobile suit. Identified as X102 Duel." She looked up. "Wasn't that...?"
Kevin nodded. "One of the machines that caused us a lot of grief. What's he doing here?" Before he got an answer the third ZAFT color soldier left. It was Aelan heading to her Red Queen mobile suit. She reached the Red Queen in a matter of seconds.
"Should we open fire, Captain?" Natarle immediately asked.
He shook his head. "No, Commander, not yet. He's alone, which tells me something is afoot. We'll give him a chance to communicate first."
"Incoming transmission," Flay reported. "Should I...?"
"Yes, put it on." Kevin leaned back as Yzak's face appeared on the monitor. "Well, well. Yzak Joule. What brings you out here? And without even a Nazca to back you up?"
"I got your message," Yzak said curtly, coming right to the point. "You're right; I can't just sit by and let things go on like this. So how about letting me come aboard so we can talk?"
Snake raised an eyebrow. "Of four ships to choose from, why mine?"
"Because you're a crazy bastard, but an honest one," Yzak said bluntly.
Kevin shrugged. "Very well, you have permission to come aboard. I won't bother sending guards; you know as well as I do I could crush you to dust or burn you to ashes. I'll just send someone to show you to the Bridge."
"No Need Captain." Aelan called from another screen inside her machines cockpit already. "I will escort Mr Joule for a friend." Aelan said looking over to Shiho. "Besides, I think the Duel has gone through quite the trip to get here." she told him as he nodded.
"Ok then, Yzak, Aelan will be bringing you aboard, then she will show you to the bridge." Kevin said as Yzak nodded on the screen as he saw the Red Queen coming.
"Roger that." The Duel's pilot vanished from the screen.
The super-soldier glanced down into CIC. "Was that a complement, you think?" he queried.
Natarle shrugged. "Beats me."
"Coming from Yzak, I'd say so," Athrun said. '"Bastard' is probably the nicest thing he could think of."
"I guess." Kevin turned to his clone. "John, head down to the hanger and help Aelan escort Mr. Joule here, please; and do try not to cut off his head or anything. I think he'll be more useful alive."
Invictus saluted. "You got it, Boss."
"Why," Kevin asked the air, "does everyone keep calling me Boss?"
Before long, Yzak Joule arrived on the Dominion's Bridge. He did not at first say a word, instead taking in the tableau within; the first thing his sharp gaze caught was the man in black, identical save for the scar on his face to the armored soldier who had escorted him here. Given Kevin's words regarding Jack Carter, it didn't take Yzak long to figure out Invictus was another clone.
His eyes quickly came to rest on the four pilots who stood near the elevator. Three he recognized instantly; the other he knew could only be the former Strike pilot.
"Hello, Yzak," Athrun said, as casually as he could. "It's... been awhile."
"That's for sure," Yzak acknowledged. "Since you left Carpentaria to join the Special Forces." His eyes narrowed. He turned to Shiho who gave a proud salute to the man she had feelings for but didn't mention it.
"Its good to see you commander Joule." She told him as he nodded.
"Same to you Shiho but renewing acquaintances isn't exactly why I'm here. Would the real Kevin Walker please step forward?"
Kevin blinked, surprised at hearing such humor from Yzak Joule, of all people. Especially as he saw Aelan give a small laugh at the Joke. "That's me," he said calmly. "I assume you've got something to say, something you don't want your superiors to know about?"
His surprise grew when Yzak straightened and saluted. "Captain Walker, I request permission to join your ship's company."
Silence.
Then, "What?" Kevin could not believe his ears. "Are you serious?"
"Dead serious," Yzak replied, lowering his hand. "If I thought I had a choice, I wouldn't be here; and as it is, I figure there's a good chance I'll get myself killed. But you were right, I can't just stand by and let things go on like this." His expression darkened. "After ABADON, I assume you know about GENESIS?"
"Yeah."
"Then you should know why I'm here. I don't really like Naturals, but," and he grimaced, as if only reluctantly agreeing with himself, "I don't like the idea of blowing up Earth. And I guess I have to admit not allNaturals are murdering scum." Yzak actually looked a little sheepish, sparing a glance at Flay; the only Natural he knew very well. "So I don't want any part of the upcoming operations. Captain Walker, I'm willing to help you, but remember one thing: my loyalty is still to the PLANTs, even if I have to fight ZAFT to protect them."
Kevin nodded soberly. "I understand, Yzak. Believe it or not, Athrun, Aelan and Dearka feel the exact same way. If that's your only reservation, welcome aboard." He paused, then smiled slightly. "Though to be perfectly honest, were it not for the fact that my ship can blast you to your constituent atoms if you betray us, I wouldn't be willing to trust you this far this soon."
Yzak actually smiled back. "Captain Walker, neither would I, if I were you." He extended a hand. "Let's see if we can end this without mutual annihilation, shall we?"
"Let's." Kevin glanced down into CIC. "Commander Badgiruel, please log Commander -that's your rank these days, right?- Joule as one of our pilots. Flay, contact the Archangel and tell Murrue -and Dearka- we have a new volunteer. And Cagalli?"
Cagalli's chair turned. "Yeah, Kevin?"
"If you have no objections, we'll reorganize the mobile suit team: put half under your command and the other under Yzak's. Is that acceptable?"
"You're in charge," she replied with a shrug. "But if he gets out of line, I'll kill him."
"What a wonderful, peaceful crew you have, Captain," Yzak said dryly. "So what's your complement of mobile weapons, anyway?"
"Eleven GAT-01 Strike Daggers, like you faced at Panama and Mendel, Shiho's CGUE Deep Arms, and from her request after I sent you the message she be put in your group." Kevin added in. "My MBF-M1000 Stormhawk, and Cagalli's Strike Rouge," Snake answered. "Enough to deal with most threats, especially with your Duel added to the mix." He paused. "By the way, the guy behind you is Kira Yamato, pilot of the Freedom... and former pilot of the Strike."
Yzak slowly turned. He'd already figured that, but the confirmation left him with a small quandary: the Strike's attack months earlier had left him with a nasty wound, now a nasty scar, and he'd once sworn vengeance for it. But now, they were on the same side, and the Freedom would probably be needed in the coming battle. So should he exact vengeance for the injury, or accept that they had more important things to worry about?
What finally decided him was the fact that Andrew Waltfeld had a far more serious grievance with the Strike pilot (he'd lost an arm, eye, and Aisha, in that final battle in the desert) and yet had forgiven him. Yzak couldn't quite forgive, or forget, but he could work with Kira, if he had to.
He finally, grudgingly, smiled. "I can't quite say it's a pleasure to meet you," he told Kira, "but it is a pleasure to have you shooting at someone else for a change!"
"Welcome aboard, Yzak," Kira managed; he had similar reservations, after the destruction of the refugee shuttle during the battle which had resulted in the loss of the Eighth Fleet, but he too recognized there was more at stake here.
Kevin raised an imaginary glass. "To a long, unholy alliance!"