With this latest setback, and under pressure from public opinion, which was now fiercely against ZAFT, the EA sought an alliance with Orb. With their technically advanced and powerful military force, the union would be valuable to their war efforts. In, Orb, the majority faction of her governing body, led by Prime Minister Unato Ema Saran and his son, supported an alliance. Secretly, they were tired of Cagalli's way of managing things. If the EA would lend them support, they could have the chance of seizing the country in a coup. However, they hadn't count on the Representative being so fiercely opposed to the idea. She repeated her stand of not rushing into a decision, and the other lords had to settle for that at the moment. In her mind, Cagalli had already made up her mind...
Impatient over Orb's delay, the EA deployed a massive fleet near Orb territorial waters. Cagalli was incensed. She had rarely bowed to external pressure and wasn't about to start any time soon. She gave Chairman Durandal a call. On her word that the Minerva would not be harmed, Durandal accepted Cagalli's offer of a "partnership" and agreed to her request for reinforcements. As the battlion began the journey to their new (and unexpected) ally, Durandal was glad that PLANT would not be standing alone in this war.
"So you got into an alliance with PLANT," asked Uzumi. Over the phone, Cagalli couldn't tell whether her father was displeased over her decision.
"After what the EA had done to us, this is the only way out. Orb cannot stand alone against that fleet outside our shores, Father."
"Just remember: You'll have to bear the consequences of your actions, Cagalli." With that, the line went dead with a light 'click'. The young lady had just the slightest doubt about her decision; she quickly dismissed the thought. The Representative then got Kisaka to accompany her as she decided to pay her brother a visit.
On board the Minerva, her crew had monitored the situation closely. With an enemy fleet so close to them, Talia Gladys was very uncomfortable. However, she was curious when the Chairman informed her of "unexpected help", which would arrive shortly. When Cagalli and Kisaka entered her office, she decided to summon Kira and Athrun. As the Representative's friends, they had the right to listen to what she had to say.
Shinn was fuming when the guards at the door refused to let him in. The older boys convinced him to stay outside. "We can't do everything together, you know," wisecracked Athrun as he entered the office. After the customary salutes, Cagalli told the ZAFT officers that Orb was now on their side. Although they didn't show it, they were surprised by this turn of events. All three knew that Cagalli was sticking her neck out by proposing the alliance.
"Chairman Durandal had assured me that he would dispatch reinforcements." So, that was what the Chairman meant, thought the captain.
"Until they arrive, the Orb military shall escort the Minerva until she's safe."
"Thank you, Lady Cagalli." In her mind, the captain was already making plans. The closest ZAFT base would be Carpentaria; that's where the Minerva would head next. Cagalli then turned towards the redcoats.
"Don't worry. I'll ask the Kusanagi and the Archangel to help break the Minerva out of here." Both teens were grateful for Cagalli's offer of help. For Talia, the thought of fighting alongside Murrue Ramius was interesting, to say the least. She remembered what the captain of the Archangel had told her before. However, if the Orb military was to help the Minerva escape, she would be left weakened, with a full hostile fleet just outside her waters. Gladys contacted the Chairman right away. Durandal agreed to her request that the reinforcements be stationed in Orb to help with the country's defence. Cagalli agreed to the arrangement, although she wasn't happy with the thought of having so many ZAFT troops within Orb. That can't be helped; Orb was no longer neutral.
Upon receiving Cagalli's orders, Natarle Badgiruel couldn't help but notice the irony. In the last war, the Archangel had initially fought against ZAFT. Later, she worked alongside a former ZAFT vessel, and now, she was to help escort another ZAFT vessel to safety. War could certainly do strange things, thought the first mate. As for Murrue, she thought about her prediction; she certain didn't expect it to come true so quickly. The video intercom came alive.
"Before the battle starts, I'll like to thank the Archangel and her crew," greeted Talia Gladys.
"The Archangel will do whatever she can, Captain Gladys," replied Murrue. With a smile, Gladys nodded her agreement and signed off.
"So, she's Talia Gladys, the Minerva's captain," mused Natarle. Murrue nodded.
"She's a nice person. You two should meet someday." Natarle smiled awkwardly at the suggestion. Although she had become friends with Kira and the crew of the Eternal before they left, she still disliked Coordinaters to a certain extent. Nevertheless, an order was an order; the Archangel would help protect the Minerva.
La Flaga was looking at his Murasame; the "new" Orb MS was better that the Aegis, which had to be scrapped after Jachin Due (no thanks to Rau Le Creuset). He thought about Murrue; after more than two and a half years, their relationship hadn't progressed all that much. Sure, he admitted to playing hard-to-get, but Ramius's busy schedule also meant that the couple only had time for meals together. A proper date? That would have to wait. Maybe, it would come after this war, thought the Hawk.
Unato couldn't believe his ears when Cagalli announced her decision. The other lords were discussing among themselves the implications of the whole thing. Cagalli was determined not to budge on the issue; too much was at stake here. Jona Roma Saran glanced at the lady. Am I really going to marry this spitfire, thought the man. His father warned the Representative of the dire consequences should the EAF succeed in occupying Orb. Cagalli merely smiled at her prime minister before leaving the room. As far as she was concerned, the meeting was over. Kisaka thought that it was time for him to prepare himself.
With the three ships ready, the Minerva set sail for Carpentaria. Only the Kusanagi could be seen accompanying her; the Archangel had used her new submarine abilities to remain hidden. The element of surprise would count for something, thought Murrue. As expected, they hadn't go very far before the enemy fleet noted the escape. The Minerva and Kusanagi launched her MSes; it was going to be a tough fight.
After the Minerva had fired her "Tannhäuser" positron cannon at the Zamza-Zah, her crew was shocked to see that the mobile armour had deflected the beam. Shinn and Kira immediatly focused on the giant "crab". The Freedom cut off the front left leg of the Zamza-Zah in one fluid motion. Shinn was amazed by his team mate's skill. Not to be outdone, the Impulse took on the mobile armour. It turned out that the "crab" was more diffcult to handle than what the young pilot had expected; Impulse's right leg was ripped off by one of the claws. In a fit of anger, Shinn went into SEED mode and stabbed the mobile armor through the cockpit with a beam saber. With the crab taken down, the Freedom engaged the rest of the EA units. Despite the damage to the Impulse, Shinn decided to continue with the battle. Murrue then decided to let the Archangel surface.
As Shinn observed the Freedom, he realised that Kira was only disabling the enemy suits instead of destroying them outright. He went ahead to pick them out. Kira shouted into the intercom.
"Leave them alone, Shinn! They are now useless to the enemy. There's no need to kill them!" The Impulse stopped its attacks. Its pilot decided to fight the other active units instead.
In the Murasame, La Flaga had a chilling sensation. He remembered that feeling; he had it everytime he fought Le Creuset in the last war. This time, it seemed that there was not one, but two of them. What the hell was going on, thought the pilot as he engaged the enemy. Kira and Rey also sensed the newcomer in the battlefield, but the two shrugged it off. They still had a battle to win.
Between the three ships, they managed to take down 85 of the enemy fleet. The staggering losses forced the EA commander to sound the retreat. Though victorous, the Minerva, the Archangel, the Kusanagi and a large portion of their MSes were damaged or destroyed. Talia expressed her thanks to the other captains.
"It's my honour to have fought alongside you, Captain Ramius."
"The honour's mine as well, Captain Gladys."
On board the Minerva, Shinn apologized to Kira for what he had done.
"It wasn't your fault. Everyone has their own way of doing things. In fact, I'm glad that you didn't object to my point of view," said Kira. Athrun looked at his friend; he had indeed matured a lot over the past two years. For Shinn, he realised that he could learn a lot from the two older teens, in terms of both piloting skills and their outlooks on life. He then wondered where the Minerva would go to next after Carpentaria...
Afterthoughts
-Please RnR!