"That is correct, Chairman," replied Talia Gladys. As the Minerva's captain, she had the duty to report objectively on the battle that had just occured. As Durandal pondered over the implications of that fact, the captain continue her report.
"Also, Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala request a meeting with the Orb representative to discuss this matter."
"Tell them to go ahead. But, get someone to keep an eye on the meeting, in secret."
As Gladys acknowledged the order, she couldn't help but wonder about some things. As members of FAITH, shouldn't the Chairman have more trust in the two? But orders were orders. She thought about who to appoint for the task. As she decided on her choice, Talia sighed. If Kira and Athrun knew that their friend was spying on them on her behalf, she wouldn't know how to explain.
After telling Cagalli the location, both teens took off in their suits. But they were in civilian attire. The Minerva was in hostile territory and confrontations should be avoided. After landing the Freedom and the Saviour in the forest near a beach somewhere in Crete, they waited. Unknown to them, Lunamaria Hawke was also observing from her hiding place.
They soon heard the roar of a third MS. As the Strike Rouge landed, Athrun hoped that Cagalli had remembered to bring the other person along. As Cagalli walked up alone to the boys, Athrun looked behind her. The Representative could see his disappointment.
"Sorry. It was Lacus's idea not to come, since it's official business between Orb and ZAFT. She's fine, along with the chairmen."
Kira looked at his sister.
"Cagalli, how did the Murasame end up in the EAF?"
"I can't say for certain. The Seirans are at the top of my list, given their support for an alliance with the EA. Don't forget, I only know about this when Captain Gladys informed me."
"The EAF is already a handful for us; with the Murasames, they can do some serious damage," mused Athrun. Although he didn't get to see Lacus, he still had a job to do.
"If the Prime Minister and his son are behind this, they would have covered their tracks well." Kira gave his views on the matter.
"But, you guys have to convince the Chairman that I didn't authorise this handing over of military technology."
"Athrun and I will work on that."
"Athrun, who's that 'Lacus' performing on TV? Both Lacus and the former chairmen had expressed their concerns over this." Lunamaria sat up straight. This was an unexpected development.
Athrun thought for a while.
"Her name's Meer Campbell. Chairman Durandal is using her as a body double. She's a nice girl, really. I would hate to see anything happen to her."
"First, ZAFT undergoes a massive buildup in arms. Now, we have a near-perfect imposter impersonating the daughter of a former Chairman. What is Durandal up to," asked Cagalli.
"I have no idea. All we can do now, is wait and see," sighed Kira.
As the friends did some catching up, their spy was in a shock. The Lacus Clyne that she saw on TV all this while and at Diocuia was a fake? Lunamaria knew that this piece of information should be kept secret, even from her captain.
"We have to go now. Cagalli, help me look after my folks."
"You will have no worries in that department. Take care." Cagalli shook the boys' hands.
As the three friends boarded their units, Lunamaria held her breath. She couldn't understand why her comrades and the Orb Representative distrusted Durandal. Who was really the "bad guy" in all this? She thought about the question on her way back to the ship...
After hearing the boys' account of the meeting, Gladys dismissed them. Once she was sure that they were far away, she summoned Lunamaria. The lady handed over the photographs and audio recordings which she had taken. But, unknown to the captain, Luna had removed all references to Meer Campbell. After going through the data, Gladys looked at the redcoat sternly.
"I hope that you will not mention any of this to other people, including Kira and Athrun."
"Yes, Captain."
Later, the Minerva stumbled upon the Extended facility in Lodonia, where the Extendeds are created and trained. Rey let out a scream before losing consciousness. Although it was abandoned long ago, the rest of the crew managed to dig up the facility's unsavoury past. As Kira looked at the dead and the data which they had managed to recover, he was reminded of his own secret. Both Shinn and Athrun noticed that he was trembling slightly. Before they could ask him the reason, he recovered. During their time there, they were attacked by the Gaia. As Athrun and Shinn subdued the unit, Shinn realised that the enemy pilot was someone he knew...
When Kira saw the injured Stellar on a stretcher, he remembered where he had seen the girl.
"I saw her at Armoury One, before the attack began."
"Which means that she's one of the original thieves," concluded Athrun. Shinn couldn't believe that the girl he had once saved from drowning was one of those responsible for the incident. Nevertheless, he had given his word that he would protect the girl; he intended to make good that promise.
As the captive acted aggressively both towards the crew of the Minerva and herself, Talia had no choice but to give instructions that Stellar be tied to her bed. Seeing Shinn's distress over this, both FAITH pilots felt sorry for him. As for the boy himself, he couldn't understand why Stellar couldn't remember him. When she eventually did, he couldn't be more happy. However, the doctors on board had bad news for him. Due to their lack of experience with Extendeds, they couldn't find out why the captive's condition was worsening, other than the fact that her body needed special drugs to function, and they don't have such drugs at hand. Shinn knew that if Stellar continued to stay with the Minerva, she might die. He would just have to take the risk...
Kira heard noises coming from his roommate's side. He opened his eyes, and saw Shinn getting dressed up. Where was he going at such a late hour?
"Shinn, what are you doing?" Kira had sat up in his bed.
"I'm going to bust Stellar out of here." Kira could detect the tension in the younger teen's voice.
"Are you sure about that?"
"If she stays here, she will die. Don't try to stop me, unless you're spoiling for a fight."
Kira thought for a while.
"Wait for me. You're going to need some help."
"Why are you doing this? You'll get into trouble as well." Clearly, Shinn didn't expect this.
"We're buddies, remember?"
The duo made their way to the sick bay. With Kira keeping watch outside, Shinn knocked out the nurse in the bay and carried Stellar in his arms. Along the way to the Minerva's hangar, they met guard patrols. With help from Kira and Rey (who had recovered and was also in the area), the Impulse took off into the night sky. As the accomplices gave themselves up, they hoped that Shinn had made the right choice...
Captain Gladys was very displeased. Three of her elite pilots had helped an enemy to escape. As the trio stood before her, she decided their punishment. As for explanations, she didn't need them; what had been done could not be undone. But, she had some harsh words for Kira.
"Kira, as a FAITH pilot and a senior, it is unbecoming of you to encourage your juniors to do such a thing."
"Captain, the prisoner is dying. Also, did we not recover the Gaia?"
Talia sighed. Kira was right; still, the punishment must be meted out. The trio were to spend some time in the detention cell. Outside the captain's office, Athrun looked at his team mates as they were led away. Kira told his friend not to worry.
In the cell, the three pilots all kept their thoughts to themselves. Shinn was still worried about Stellar. He could only pray that Stellar's commander would keep his promise of withdrawing the girl from the battlefield. From the corner of his eyes, Kira looked at Rey. His looks and voice reminded him of his nemesis, Le Creuset. He couldn't believe that he was still haunted by the masked commander after so long. Anyway, he was sure that his team mate had nothing to do with the mad man...
Afterthoughts
-Please RnR!