Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed. The company Bandai is the legal owner. I also don't claim originality with this story; Solid Shark is the owner of the idea. If he does not approve of my use of his idea, he can let me know and I'll pull the story once I have gotten his message.
Claimer: However I do declare ownership of the Crimson Eagle, the Dark Side Bear, and the Lunar Cherry Blossom. I also declare ownership of the twist I'm putting in.
"The Endymion Ghosts"
Phase Eight: "Separate Ways"
Earth Orbit
Having thwarted a ZAFT attack, the mobile suits and mobile armor of the Archangel rallied all their remaining allies which added up to one mobile suit, seven mobile armor, thirteen lifeboats, two shuttles, and twelve life pods. Also recovered were various sailors and pilots that had been thrown from their ships and mobile armor as they sank or were shot down as well as some munitions and badly needed medical supplies. Still not much had been salvaged, but that had been secondary to the surviving crews.
Archangel, Sickbay
Captain (Acting) Murrue Ramius stood at the entry to the ship's sickbay and looked with sorrow over the number of wounded men and women. She saw Crim Eagleton, the Crimson Eagle, once ZAFT's greatest hero and ace walk among the many wounded giving words of encouragement and praise. Then he stopped at one man, his nearly all of his body burned, both legs broken, bleeding badly, and near death. He began to talk to the man. He cracked a few bad jokes, but the man laughed. He then reached into a pouch he had and gave the man something, putting whatever it was in his unburned left hand.
"You deserve this medal, more than any other for service to your nation, to the citizens of the Atlantic Federation," Crim said gently and then added loud enough to be heard over the moans of the wounded crisp and clear, like some boot camp instructor, "and you DO NOT have permission to die no matter what the docs may say, that's an order sailor."
The man seemed to nod, but Captain Ramius could not tell, but she didn't miss his reply, "Sir yes SIR!"
Crim smiled and continued talking to the men and women who had been wounded. Finally he came to one sailor that, young female huddled in one corner, hidden from all the others. Captain Ramius had spoken with the young girl, since she was barely old enough, only 16 years old like Mirillia Haw, the pilot of the GAT-X108 Woodland Strike. He began to engage her in conversation, pulling her in front of the others.
"Scared, don't blame you, we all get scared, it's as natural as breathing. Doesn't matter if you're a newbie or an ace, fear is always there," he said to her gently.
"How… how do… how can you not be scared sir… You're a battle veteran?" she began to cry, but Crim gave her a hug and murmured something into her ear and then loudly.
"I'm scared easily… Some would think otherwise, since I'm supposed to be one of those space monsters you're all here to kill. I'm the Crimson Eagle, the man who lost his first command and his family on February 14th, Cosmic Era 70."
Heads snapped to look at the man and indeed, a few had seen his picture, but none could believe that the legendary Master of Aces was among them. Yet, he had said something that got their attention. The date of the Bloody Valentine and the truth so few knew about. The lost of his first ranked ZAFT officer command and his home and family.
"Fear can be our enemy and our ally. Courage is not the absence of fear, but fear that we find the strength to trap and seal away. Before every battle I get a little jumpy, sometimes quiet other times too loud for my own good, but I get scared, its natural, I'm not ashamed to admit the truth that I'm only human. God knows I'm no god, just a fallible human soldier who grew so sick of the killing he tried to leave, but oh no, Mars demanded my return in the form of Rau Le Creuset, but now I'm back I'll defeat the ZAFT Zala and Le Creuset are creating and create a new one so that ZAFT will never make repeats of Heliopolis."
"So go ahead and cry, it's alright, nothing to be ashamed of. After my family and command was lost I cried for a full week straight before I was reassigned. Had to get back to fighting a war and preventing more Junius Sevens. Crying is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. It means you'll learn and adapt and that's what we are here to do, learn, adapt, and overcome even our greatest fears. We have a war to win and people to protect."
The young soldier seemed to calm and others looked to him as a leader. Even Murrue Ramius, the teacher, seemed to come alive once more and foster the hope she once told to her students. She watched as he took a medal out of the pouch and pined it right will it belonged.
"It is my honor to bestow this medal known as the Bronze Star with Golden Oak Leaves upon this soldier for bravery in the face of adversity. May you always bring pride and honor to yourself, to your family, to your fellow sailors, and to your fellow countrymen, I salute you!" and he did, a perfect Atlantic Federal Forces salute, others followed, the sailor was filled with pride.
Smiling Crim lead her to the wounded man and once more took hold of his hand.
"I gave you the Purple Heart for wounds suffered in battle," pulling one more medal from the pouch, "So will also give you this Bronze Star with Golden Oaks Leaves for Courage and strength in serving your nation and its citizens. You two are two of the best of the Earth-Sphere. Now it is time for heroes like you to shine and guide the next generations down the path to freedom and justice, you have earned these medals with hard work and dogged determination befitting any and all soldiers of the Atlantic Federation. May you continue to have eternal honor and pride in the work of protecting the Atlantic Federation!"
The wounded began to cheer for their two comrades as Crim made a swift and stealthy retreat into the shadows and then back to the hanger. He knew they would need to prepare for battle once more. Crim shook his head to clear it as he walked into, and for the first time, a full ready room where all the pilots had gathered. Captain Ramius entered behind him and Crim called the room to attention.
"Captain on deck!"
Everyone stood at attention. Captain Ramius decided to humor Crim and reviewed the pilots. They were tired and haggard from the battle. Most had trouble just standing straight, even in the zero-gee. She checked all of them, spoke with a couple of them and then went to the front of the room.
"Be seated," she said and they did, even Kira Yamato and Mirillia.
"I want to tell you that I'm proud that you have survived. Now this ship still has a chance to get Lunar Command. With your aid we will make it and I want all of you here when that happens. Therefore I am issuing an order that no one is to quit, no one is to die or you'll be court marshaled for disobeying a direct order from a ship's captain. Now I'm certain that our resident planner and mobile commander has a couple ideas for operations, but I want him to start with the basics of planning and that is figuring out the strengths and weaknesses of each machine and each pilot. From there I want defensive and offensive plans to be delivered to my office as soon as is humanly possible, but I want them in two days. That is all and you're dismissed to locate your individual bunks."
"All rise!" Ensign Natarle Badgiruel called and all did.
Once the captain left, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Sara James began calling all names and bunk assignments. Then the soft voice of a singer began to be heard throughout the ship and many of the original crew knew it to be Lacus Clyne. Her songs seemed to give the many sailors and pilots hope and strength, something they needed, but at the same time seemed to give them rest and calm, which they also needed even more so. The ship seemed to get a certain mystique about it as the song floated through the air. The crew felt as safe as any could dream of inside the Archangel.
Space around the Junk Guild Ship, H.O.M.E
Having long finished the repairs on the GAT-X105 Strike and departed leaving the Archangel alone, the crew of the JGS H.O.M.E. was plowing through space looking for more junk to salvage and sell when they met up with a group of shuttles carrying more Coordinators to the PLANTS to avoid persecution back on Earth. Only the Orb Union and the Kingdom of Scandinavia allowed Coordinators with-in their borders, but the Scandinavian government was encouraging its Coordinator citizens to seek refuge at neutral colonies with little or no military value and in the territory of Orb.
Bridge of the JGS H.O.M.E.
Lowe Gear leaned back and yawned, he was bored not tired. Nothing much had happen since Junius Seven and he was getting bored. He looked around the bridge and cringed when he saw the Professor dressed in a clear shirt that showed that she wasn't wearing a bra and clung tightly to her body and a lab coat. The only saving grace of that view was the fact that she was wearing panties. Some days, it most definitely paid not to wake up.
He went to looking about the bridge and only his AI construct, Eight, was on the bridge with them. Boy how he hated being alone with the Professor, even though Eight was there, it still doesn't count for much. Though after being with the Professor for a long time, he had grown kind of used to her sudden change of clothes from respectable professor-type clothes to clothes of a slut. He thought then and there that the Professor probably didn't get enough, but with her habits, who'd blame every male and for that matter female in Earth-Space giving her a wide berth.
He continued to think on why the Professor was like what she was like. He kept drawing a blank though. Like it really mattered to him anyways. The Professor was not ugly in anyway. She was very attractive, maybe in her mid-thirties, with an hourglass frame and her assets had to be about a C-Cup at least. Her lips were neither too big nor too small, she had an average face, but one that was well made with Asian like eyes and a small, delicate, but prominent nose. She had to weigh in at least 130-140 pounds, though he was never that good with guessing about the female body's weight. Still, no matter how you put, she was damn, drop dead gorgeous, but her ways seemed to sink any of that. He finally figured maybe she had once had a love, but he was lost.
'Oh well,' he thought.
Then Kisato came on the bridge and floated over to Lowe. Just as she was about to say something to him the ship was rocked by a long-range attack. Kisato immediately began to cry and beg to know what was going on. The professor was already trying to figure out who was attacking. Liam, the only Coordinator of the five-person crew, was already maneuvering the ship and readying the defenses while Lowe ran off the bridge, carrying Eight, to get the Red Frame ready to do battle.
"What is happening?" Kisato was begging the Professor to tell her.
"We're under attack! Confirming a fleet of Alliance ships, center around the AFS Solomon. They're all Drake-Class, odd, not one larger ship and no mobile armor," the Professor was confused and that was an understatement.
"I'm no expert on the Alliance and I can tell that is odd," Lowe said from the pilot's seat of the Red Frame.
"CONFIRMING.ONLY.ONE.ALLIANCE.SIGNAL. ALL.OTHERS.LACK.ALLIANCE.SIGNAL." Eight reported after doing a quick check with the H.O.M.E.'s sensors.
"Only one Alliance signal, add in a convoy of Coordinators, and you get Blue Cosmos!" Lowe had the look of pure disgust on his face.
"Here's something else too. The reason the Solomon lacks mobile armor is because Lowe shot them down back at the Debris Belt when they attacked the Silverwind," Liam said.
"So they're after us?" Kisato had calmed a little.
"Not unless they are extremely poor marksmen and they are accidentally hitting the convoy. Which reminds me, where's ZAFT?" Liam asked.
"The nearest ZAFT ships are the ZMS Gamow and ZMS Inca. Both are Luarasia-Class Frigates," the Professor said.
"I'll signal them," Liam said and began to send out an SOS and got an unexpected response.
"JGS H.O.M.E. This is the AFS Archangel. What is your distress?" Volunteer Kuzzey Buskirk's face appear, though distorted and static filled from the N-Jammers in use.
"This the H.O.M.E! We are under attack by the AFS Solomon and a suspected Blue Cosmos fleet of Drake-Class Frigates! We are requesting immediate assistance! We are with a convoy of civilian ships bound for the PLANTS!" Liam reported.
"We are on our way, sounding General Quarters and alerting the Eighth Fleet! Be there soon!" Volunteer Buskirk's image winked out.
"Lowe launch now! Kisato alert the convoy that the Archangel is coming to help us!" the Professor ordered.
"Red Frame launching!"
"On it Professor! Convoy master, Convoy master…"
Bridge of the AFS Solomon
For nearly two hours, the Solomon fleet had been following a convoy bound for the PLANTS. Little did anyone know that the Archangel and the Gamow and Inca were only a 20 minute full out burn nearby. If the Blue Cosmos crews had any sense, they would have waited or called off the attack as only 35 minutes away was the entire 8th Lunar Fleet. But on the bridge of the Solomon, the crew thought the encounter was in the bag.
"Captain there is a Junk vessel in the convoy. What are your orders sir?" the XO asked.
"Bastards should be helping us kill those blasphemous monsters! Sink them too, they might even have a few aboard," Captain John Sanders ordered.
"Enemy mobile suit detected! It's the same one that got our mobile armor back when we ambushed the ZAFT spy ship Silverwind!" cried the radar tech.
"Dammit! None of the ships have mobile armor, but still it is only one mobile suit, so concentrate all fire on it!" Captain Sanders ordered.
"Three new contacts have arrived at different points! Two Luarasia-Class and one unknown-class!" the radar tech shouted again.
"Sir we're being hailed by Captain Ramius of the Eighth Fleet!" called the communications tech.
"Put him up on the main view screen. Now we're show those monsters!"
As the image appears of the captain of the newly arrived Alliance ship, the crew is surprised to see a young woman, most likely in her mid-late twenties glaring back at them from the unfamiliar bridge of a ship of the 8th Lunar Fleet. They also notice only lieutenant (Senior Grade) rank emblem on her uniform. That confused them, as the ship wasn't a Drake-Class and even then she might get command of a wet fleet patrol boat.
"Captain of the AFS Solomon! What is the meaning of this? You are in the company of Drake-Class ships that do NOT have Alliance IFF! Identify those vessels and who they belong to as well as explaining why you are assaulting a convoy of civilian ships!"
"Don't pull rank LIEUTENANT!" Captain Sanders emphasized her rank, "Care to explain why a lowly LIEUTENANT is in command of something heavier than a wet patrol boat?"
"I speak for Admiral Halberton! He has given me authority to act in his stead until he arrives!"
"Oh and I should…"
"Mobile suits launching from the Alliance ship!" the radar tech shouted.
"WHAT?" Captain Sanders shouted.
"This is the AFSArchangel, mobile assault carrier of the Eighth Fleet and part of the G-Weapons Development Project! Captain of the Solomon, I order you and those rouge Drakes to surrender or we'll join the ZAFT in sinking your fleet!"
"That's treason!" then a new face appeared on the main monitor.
"Being a captain whose loyalties are to Blue Cosmos is treason. Requesting permission to engage."
"Denied, for now. Surrender Solomon, and you will at least have your life."
"Traitors! How can you protect those freaks of black science? They pollute are pure and blue world!"
"DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!"
"I do, unless you are…"
"My name is Crim Eagleton of Team Eagleton. I'm the Crimson Eagle and a former son of the Atlantic Federation! I will cleanse the old homeland of your filth!" with that Crim broke communications.
"I find the Solomon in opposition to the Atlantic Federation! Treason is only punishable by death!" and with that the Captain of the Archangel cut communications.
Then two emerald lights tore through space and sank one of the Drakes. As the five mobile suits and a dozen mobile armor were joined by the Red Frame and then the Duel, Buster, Blitz, Aegis, and some GINNS and CQUES. While Captain Ramius attempted to coordinate with the H.O.M.E. and the two ZAFT ships, Gamow and Inca.
Bridge of the Archangel
"Thank Captain Zelman for not attacking us, but we're sorry for this distasteful attack by the Solomon," Captain Ramius said to the picture of the ZMS Gamow's Captain Zelman.
"No problem Captain Ramius and your apology is not necessary. We know that many Alliance regular line officers disagree with the notion of a pure and blue world that those fools of Blue Cosmos keep saying. Though I must say that out of all the officers and crews that Eagleton and Ryosouke with Ms. Joule would run into, yours has differently been the better," Captain Zelman said.
"Thank you for understanding sir. If we can't sink them all soon, the Eighth Fleet would be here soon and then they will either have the choice of surrender or be sunk. Personally, I'm hoping for the latter. I hate Blue Cosmos for helping fan the flames of war," Captain Ramius had oblivious disgust on her face and didn't try to hide the fact she hated Blue Cosmos.
"With Commander Eagleton out there, this battle is all but won!" Captain Zelman allowed himself a slight laugh.
"But as he always tells us, 'don't slack off until your there,' and after the lost of the Advance Force… I won't relax until the Eighth Fleet is here," Captain Ramius said.
"Hmm… Quite correct, I know that he may be younger than most, but he has an almost military like background with previous training," Captain Zelman shook his head.
"We wonder about that ourselves, as we've been finding evidence that he was in the Atlantic Federal Army, but how is beyond us… Pitch angle ten degrees up soft starboard rudder target Drake 5 and Drake 16 and fire Gottfrieds!" she ordered.
The emerald light of death spat from the Gottfrieds and struck both ships. Then Sledgehammer missiles smashed into the two wounded ships and both were sunk. The Valiants got another Drake, hitting its micro-fusion reactor and the ship ceased to be. The Gamow fired at three other Drakes, sinking one and severely damaging the other two that the Inca finished off with its missiles.
The GAT-X303 Aegis had switched to its mobile armor mode and sent a 320mm Multi-phase Scylla blast right into the side of a Drake at an angle. The Drake was nearly cut in two from port side to starboard side, nearly a perfect horizontal cut from bow to stern. The ship did suffer severe internal damage and exploded.
The GAT-X207 Blitz and the GAT-X210 Shadow tricked two other Drakes into shooting at one another sinking both ships.
The GAT-X103 Buster and the GAT-X107 Field Strike with the 205mm Twin Howitzer Ramfire Striker Pack also equipped with 2x40 90mm missile pods on the shoulders and 2x10 45mm missile pods on the legs with a 76mm beam rifle with 185mm grenade launcher. The Ramfire is recommended for dealing with heavily entrenched fortresses and other ultra hard targets. For fleet engagement, only one word: Overkill.
The Buster and two ZGMF-1017 GINNS with 120mm bazookas started to blast open a couple of Drakes, but the Ramfire Striker Pack equipped Field Strike sank and damaged a dozen enemy ships with a single terrifying barrage that defined Shock and Awe. The pilot, Sakura Ryosouke, was laughing like a madman the whole time at the chance to use such heavy weaponry, that her three impromptu wingmen gave her a wide berth.
The GAT-X105 Strike was using the Sword Striker Pack and Kira was putting the 15.78meter "Schwert Gewehr" anti-ship sword to work and putting it to good use and already sank three ships. Bringing it about once more, Kira and the Strike bisected a Drake clean in two from the bow to the stern. The two halves floated apart for a few moments and then exploded violently. Kira, like all others, went searching for the next target.
The GINNS not with the Buster and the CQUES joined with the Archangel's mobile armor and quickly tore into the Drakes from one end sinking several with-in the first few shots. They continued to look for targets and rage about the battlefield sinking and damaging more while the three ships they had come from filled the space where the Drakes were full of streaking death.
The GAT-X106 Highland Strike with the GAT-X108 Woodland Strike had met up with the GAT-X102 Duel and began to rip into the enemy fleet. Mirillia Haw and Crim Eagleton both had chosen the Sword Striker Pack. The Duel was equipped as it normally was. During the fighting they had met up with the Strike and Kira and really began to lay waste to the ships all round them when several emerald streaks nearly hit them. Several Nelson-Class Cruisers with escorts had arrived and Blue Cosmos controlled them. They also had mobile armor.
The fighting became extremely fierce as both sides fought back and forth. Then it happened. A mobile suit, a GINN specifically, was damaged. The Strike moved to cover, but was caught in a firing pattern from a couple of Nelson-Class Cruisers. Just as the fatal blow was about to strike the Strike, the Highland knocked the Strike away and took the shot full on. Crim Eagleton didn't stand a chance. The Highland ceased to be right in front of the Duel, right in front of Yzak Joule.
Kira Yamato was also paralyzed with fear and guilt and a shot ripped right into the side of the Strike, showering the nearby Duel with super heated and jagged pieces of the Strike. Some of the pieces broke through the Duel's Phase-Shift armor and damaged the suit itself. The main monitor of the Duel exploded in Yzak's face showering him with debris and glass, one piece of debris broke through his helmet's visor and tore into the right half of his face. He screamed in pain as the wounded Strike retrieved the wounded Duel. Both went back to the Archangel.
Then the 8th Fleet arrived, later than expected, but made up for it as all ships fired as one. The remaining Blue Cosmos ships were sunk and the Solomon was adrift wounded and immobile. Then several GINNS captured the ship as the Archangel leveled its guns at the damaged Drake. Yet, several convoy ships were badly damaged and confirming losses, but the biggest loss had been the GAT-X106 Highland Strike and its pilot, Crim Eagleton.
Later that day, Yzak and the Duel were transferred back to the Gamow as per agreement from before the battle. Also transferred was Lacus Clyne. Athrun Zala had personally come to get her. He asked Kira to come with them and for Lina Joule and Sakura to return as well, but they had said no. Athrun told them what that meant. They knew and they accepted the unfortunate part of they had to play.
"Very well then, Kira, Ryosouke. The next time we meet, I'll have to kill you," Athrun said as Lacus looked at him with deep sorrow.
"You call yourself a soldier, but forget that not everyone one sides with one or the other. They choose their own path and stay where they feel most comfortable," a new voice rang out in the hanger.
All looked to see Rear Admiral (Upper Half) Lewis Halberton land next to Kira and put a hand on his shoulder.
"But now that the Eighth Fleet is here, the civilians will be going back to Orb territory. After all, this is not their war," Admiral Halberton said.
"Fine then," Athrun said feeling hurt and he and Lacus disappeared inside the shuttle from the Gamow.
Well, now we lost Crim and we will be having Mirillia's training flashback here shortly. The biggest thing though will be Crim's past. His real identity before the war and how Blue Cosmos destroyed his life. We will also find out what will happen to the Solomon's crew and the Solomon herself.
We're also see what has happened to Flay and what will Kira do now that Crim is gone and cannot teach or give advice to the crew. What effect will his death have?
Next Phase: "Endless Sea of Stars"
Will You rise again on a New Battlefield Gundam!