The first to leave was La Flaga. He had a gym bag with him, but in line with his easy-going attitude, he wore his cap in a slipshod manner. Despite a tinge of sadness, Murre couldn't resist a little teasing. After all, it may be the last time they see each other.
"Surely, you can wear a cap in a manner befitting an EAF officer, can't you?"
La Flaga grinned. If Ramius is doing the teasing instead of him, she should be fine.
"I was waiting for you to give it a little adjustment, Captain."
Murrue helped the Hawk to wear his cap properly. La Flaga shook her hand warmly.
"Good luck to you and the Archangel. Oh, and help me look after Skinny."
Ramius smiled weakly as the Hawk left the ship. As he walked towards the transport ship he was assigned to, La Flaga thought about his time with the Archangel. Though he tried to hide it beneath his wisecracks and teasing, he had grown fond of Kira and Murrue. The Archangel was an unexpected pit stop in his career, but he had enjoyed his time there, despite all the trouble the ship had gotten itself into...
Flay was approaching the exit together with Kira and Birdy. The girl resolved not to cry. After all, it wasn't as if they would never see each other again. She held on tighter to Kira's hand. She hoped that Kira would make it through the war in one piece.
Kira, on the other hand, was sad to see Flay go. Just as they normalised their relationship, she had to leave. But, he had promised to wait for her and he intend to keep that promise...
The captain was waiting by the exit. Despite the troubles she had caused, Murrue had been patient with her.
"Thank you, Captain, for everything."
"You take care as well." Murrue shook the lady's hand. Flay then gave Kira a hug before leaving. The teen then blinked back his tears as Flay walked away. Unknown to him, the girl was also sobbing silently...
As Natarle approached the group, Murrue realised that the lady wasn't carrying anything. Before Murrue could say anything, the first mate stood to attention and saluted her.
"I've requested to remain on board without prior permission from you, Captain."
This was an unexpected turn of events. Murrue quickly returned the salute.
"It's my pleasure to have you as my first mate again, Ensign."
"Actually, it's Lieutenant, Captain. But don't worry. It's not a double promotion," deadpanned Natarle.
Murrue shook her hand and congratulated her.
'Also, Ensign Newmann has been promoted as well. Colonel Sutherland was pleased by his performance in getting the Archangel here."
Arnold was surprised by this news. He quickly saluted Natarle as well.
"With 2 promotions and Lieutenant Badgiruel's return on board, I think we should have a celebration," declared Ramius.
Cheers of approval sounded from the group. La Flaga's (and to a lesser extent, Flay's) departure had dampened their spirits; they needed something to celebrate. Kira looked at Natarle. Although he didn't like the lady much, still, he's happy for her.
Natarle caught Kira looking at her. She smiled thinly. After all, the rest of the crew mustn't know the real reason why she remained on board the Archangel. That meant that she had to be friendly towards Kira and Murrue. Now to think about it, she was now regarding Kira more as a comrade and possibly, a friend, and less as a Coordinator whom had to be watched...
Athrun had already suited up for Spitbreak. As he will not be a part of any attacking squadron, his father had allowed him free rein in the upcoming mission, so long as "you get the job done".
The pilot thought of his father's words. He wanted to prove himself worthy of piloting the Justice, especially after his capture. He took a deep breath. Showtime, he thought to himself...
Dearka, Yzak and Nicol were on board a ZAFT transport ship. Unlike Athrun, they had no idea that Spitbreak's real target was JOSH-A. For now, the trio were getting ready for their attack on Panama. The Buster, Duel and the Blitz were getting their final checks. The 3 red coats knew that if ZAFT emerged victorous, not only would the EAF be severely weakened, their commander's confidence in them would increase as well.
The crew of the Archangel were at the mess hall having their celebration when the alarm went off. Everyone scrambled back to their posts. Murrue asked for an update of the situation.
"Captain, HQ said that ZAFT is sending an attack force here. Looks like a big one," replied Chandra.
Murrue was shocked. How did ZAFT managed to find enough troops to assault JOSH-A? Unless...
"Captain, HQ has ordered us to take up our positions!"
"Go to battle stations!" Natarle was determined to make up for Murrue's shortcomings. She was better than her captain when it comes to handling the stress of giving commands in battle. Also, this was her first battle after her promotion; she didn't want to screw it up.
Kira got into the Strike. Though Colonel Sutherland had shook his faith in the EAF, he remembered why he had entered the war in the first place: to ensure the survival of his friends. Now, he added a new reason: the Archangel and its crew. Murrue had earned his respect, and with La Flaga gone, he would become the one the crew looked to for help. He swore that he would not disappoint them.
As with everyone else, the Le Creuset team was surprised when Patrick Zala announced that the target of Spitbreak had been changed to Alaska. But the trio quickly got over it. Suddenly, Dearka remembered something.
"Hey, wasn't the Archangel heading there after escaping from us at Orb?"
Yzak bristled. Fate had scheduled his rematch with the Strike. The pilot clenched his fists.
Almost immediatly, Dearka regretted his remainder. Yzak had barely gotten the Strike's pilot out of his mind. Now, his big mouth had to remind his friend of the feud.
"Yzak, our mission is to take down JOSH-A, not the Archangel."
"I know!" Although Yzak acknowledged that fact, he knew that he would lose control if he ever saw the Strike in the battlefield.
Nicol didn't want to fight the Strike or the Archangel. Besides Dearka's words, he's also not in a hurry to challenge Athrun's friend. After seeing what the enemy MS could do, the teen thought that it would be best to stay out of the Strike's way.
After Le Creuset's activation of the Cyclops system...
La Flaga couldn't believe the mess he was in. Not only was the whole place in chaos, Le Creuset had set off the Cyclops system underneath JOSH-A. If the combatants were not warned, all of them would be toasted to a crisp when the system activates.
He quickly ran to the hangar where the Aegis was kept. Along the way, he had to yell at a dazed soldier to get him back on his feet and call for help. Fortunately, the Aegis was in its mobile armour form. The hangar door had already been busted by ZAFT troops. La Flaga took off at once, but not before shooting a GINN which had appeared in front of the Aegis. He shouted into the intercom.
"Archangel! Archangel! Do you copy?"
"Lt. Commander La Flaga, is that you," replied Dalida.
"Chandra! Relay what I have to say to everyone on the Archangel's bridge! The Cyclops system has been activated. I repeat: the Cyclops system has been activated!"
Everyone on the bridge gasped when they heard La Flaga's words. Natarle was especially affected. How could the senior command of JOSH-A do this?
Murrue acted quickly. Kira and Tolle had to be warned about this.
"Archangel to Strike and Skygrasper-1! The Cyclops system has been activated! The Archangel will now move beyond the 10km radius of the blast zone! Meet us there!"
Kira and Tolle couldn't believe their ears. Here they are, fighting ZAFT troops and the base has to set off its self- destruct device? To add to the troubles, Kira had noticed a new MS on ZAFT's side. It tore through the EAF's ships and mobile armours like a hot knife through butter. Instinctively, he knew that it was Athrun. Besides his unwillingness to fight his best friend, Kira knew that the Strike would be outmatched by the new MS.
Tolle, on the other hand, had a hard time simply evading the attacks on him. He was then grateful for all the long hours he had spent on the simulator. Still, the absence of La Flaga meant that he shouldered a heavier responsibility in supplying the Strike and helping out the Archangel. The news of the Cyclops system's activation didn't help either. He prayed that he would survive this battle.
The Le Crueset team had been amazed when the Justice began its attack. As they observed the MS, the trio had little doubt that it was their former team mate piloting it. Nicol was excited.
"Athrun! Is that you," he shouted into the intercom.
"It's nice hearing your voice again, Nicol. So, when can I hear your recitals on the piano again," teased Athrun.
"After this battle, I promise!" With that, the Blitz resumed its attacks on the EAF forces.
Athrun had already spotted the Archangel and the Strike. But he didn't want a fight with them. His mission was to take down JOSH-A. Despite his personality, he was getting a little high. The Justice was a MS pilot's dream come true...
Dearka and Yzak had their hands full too. After all, this IS the EAF's main headquarters. After cutting through several squadrons of EAF troops, the platinum-blond pilot saw the Archangel... and the STRIKE. The Duel headed towards the ship. Dearka cursed as he steered the Buster to support his friend.
Kira saw the Duel and the Buster coming towards him. The Strike was about to engage them when suddenly, a multi-phase beam cannon was fired at them. The two Suits avoided the beam, but all 3 pilots knew what the newcomer was.
"Yo, Skinny! Thought you might need a little help," said La Flaga over the intercom.
"Lt. Commander, we have to shake them! The place's about to blow," replied Kira.
La Flaga didn't have to be reminded that a large part of both sides' forces were still in the blast zone. Time is running out...
Kira decided to do something drastic. He switched his radio to an open frequency.
"This is the Strike's pilot, Kira Yamato! The Cyclops system underneath JOSH-A has been activated. I urge everyone to stop fighting and retreat to beyond a 10km radius of the base!" The teen then repeated his words in a firm voice.
Yzak dismissed Kira's words as rubbish. The Duel was about to attack when the Buster suddenly turned around.
"Dearka! What the heck are you doing," blasted Yzak.
"Sorry, my friend. I may not like the Strike but I'm not sticking around to see if the place really blows up."
Yzak was going to explode but without the Buster's help, the Duel would have a hard time with the Strike. Reluctantly, the Duel followed the Buster as it retreated.
Athrun heard Kira's words. He knew that Kira would never lie about such things. Still, for ZAFT to retreat, he'll have to confirm the threat and thus, help convince his side. Athrun hailed the Strike.
"This is the Justice's pilot, Athrun Zala. Kira Yamato, do you stand by your words that the base is going to self destruct?"
Kira realised what his best friend was up to. If Athrun could convince ZAFT to withdraw, more lives would be saved. He decided to play along.
"I do," he replied.
"Very well. All ZAFT forces, this is Athrun Zala, son of PLANT Supreme Council Chairman Zala. I advise all of you to heed the enemy pilot's warning and withdraw." After repeating himself, he added, "But, if this turns out to be a lie, Kira Yamato, I will personally sink the Archangel and destroy the Strike."
Kira believed him. This Justice was a lot better than the Aegis. Judging from its performance so far, the Strike wouldn't even last 5 minutes against it... Snapping out of his daze, he quickly locked on to the Archangel's coordinates and returned to the ship.
Upon Athrun's urging, ZAFT began its retreat. Although Rau Le Creuset was a little disappointed, he didn't worry too much. Besides, it's already too late for those who were already within JOSH-A. He returned his thoughts to the Natural girl he had captured. This little lady would be useful for sneaking ZAFT technology to the EAF, he mused...
When the countdown ended, the Cyclops array activated. Those who were too slow to escape were fried by the microwaves emitted. But, thanks to Kira's and Athrun's warnings, the casualties were reduced. The EAF troops (which had been mostly from the Eurasian Federation) wasted no time in pulling out of the blast zone...
The Le Creuset team and their ship retreated safely. Dearka heaved a sigh of relief. Yzak was still fuming at letting the Strike go but he also realised that the teen who had given him his scar had saved his life today. As for Nicol, he never doubted Kira's words. If Kira was Athrun's best friend, Nicol figured that he could trust him, despite the fact that they are on opposing sides.
On board the Archangel, Murrue was thinking very hard. After this incident, she had lost faith in the EAF. But being the captain of a ship also meant that she had to take her crew's feelings into consideration. If the Archangel deserts the EAF, she couldn't imagine what Natarle would say.
The first mate, on the other hand, rethought about her allegiance to the military. She had the sickening feeling that she had become a pawn of Sutherland, who could be casually discarded and replaced. She wondered what Murrue would do next...
As he headed back to the PLANTs, Athrun had only one question in mind: Which bastard could have ordered the invasion without letting the troops know about the Cyclops array? He ruled out his father immediatly. The next person in his mind made him break out in cold sweat. Perhaps beneath his mask, Le Creuset did have another side to his charming exterior... Afterthoughts
-Please RnR!
-Parts not mentioned follow the original series, i.e. Flay being captured by Le Creuset.