"I hope you know what you're doing," mused La Flaga to Ramius as the Archangel pulled up near Orb's territorial waters. The rest of the crew were also nervous; if the union did not allow them to enter, they would be in some serious trouble.
After the challenge had been issued, the troops on duty were a little unsure of what to do with the ship that had unexpectedly shown up at their waters. The captain's reply was unlike any they had ever heard before. The officer in charge decided to give Lord Homura a call.
"It seems we have a small problem," said Homura to his brother after he had received the message.
Lord Uzumi was a little surprised. Nothing good ever comes out of such disruptions to the daily routine. The Representative briefed his brother on the situation.
"You're saying that the Archangel is now a renegade ship and wishes to enter Orb?" Homura nodded.
Uzumi had kept track of the war between the EAF and ZAFT. The attack on JOSH-A had been devastating to both sides, and now, the Archangel wishes to seek asylum here. The lord sighed...
Upon reaching the command post, the lords were briefed by the officer again. Uzumi then spoke into the intercom.
"This is Lord Uzumi Nara Athha of the Orb Union. I understand that the Archangel wishes to seek asylum within the union. Is that correct, Captain Murrue Ramius?"
"That's correct, Sir. We'll explain further if you allow us entry into the country," answered Murrue in a firm voice.
"The other lords will not like this," reminded Homura.
"Oh, they will, Homura. What I have in mind for this ship is going to please them," said Uzumi with a smile on his bearded face. He turned to the officer.
"Allow the Archangel to dock at Onogoro. After they have settled down, tell them to meet Representative Homura."
"Well, that was easy enough," wisecracked La Flaga. But both Murrue and Natarle knew that things would not be so simple. The Lion of Orb would do almost anything to keep war out of his country. The fact that he had allowed the ship to enter could only mean that the favours he would ask for in return would almost certainly be big ones.
The officers were notified of their appointment with Representative Homura, and subsequently led to his office. Along the way, they were escorted by armed guards. Kira was unhappy with this arrangement, but he understood the fact that they were not exactly welcomed here in Orb...
The officers saluted the two lords. Uzumi began by asking Murrue for her reasons to take the Archangel here. In a calm voice, the captain recalled the events during the battle at JOSH-A. Uzumi was surprised by the decision of the EAF top brass to activate the self-destruct device.
"Sir, there's another fact which you might be interested in: Most of the troops at JOSH-A were from the Eurasian Federation." Natarle stared at her captain. Murrue had revealed military secrets to a third party. Even if they were to return to the EAF, their lives would be forfeit.
Uzumi analyzed this piece of information. The Eurasians were the reasonable ones in the Earth Alliance. If their numbers had been depleted, the Atlantic Federation would replace them as the voice of EA. That did not go down well with him. He knew that the Atlantic Federation was full of members of the Blue Cosmos. He thought of them as a bunch of mad men who would do anything to get their way.
"Homura, be sure to discuss an increase in our armed forces at the next meeting."
As his brother acknowledged the suggestion, Mu La Flaga couldn't help himself.
"So, the country of peace is preparing for war, eh?"
Everyone glared at the man, except Uzumi. He sighed.
"After hearing from your captain, it would seem that the EA will now take a harder stand against ZAFT. War will be upon us, whether we like it or not. It'll be in our interests to start preparing now." He thought for a while before continuing.
"Since many of you have families here, I would grant permission to leave the ship. As of now, all of you are part of the Orb military."
"Wait a minute," began Natarle. Murrue signalled her first mate not to interrupt. The questions would have to be asked (and answered) later.
"As for the uniforms, be sure to change out of them before leaving the ship. After all, you are no longer part of the EAF."
The crew acknowledged the orders. Uzumi turned towards Kira. The teen was a little overwhelmed by the man's stare.
"Kira Yamato, you will remain here after I've dismissed the rest."
"Yes, Sir."
"Captain Ramius, be sure to execute the orders which I have given to you," reminded Uzumi. Murrue saluted the Lion before leading the rest of the officers out of the room. The Lion turned his attention to Kira.
The teen had an idea of what Uzumi wanted from him. He would most likely have to help Erica Simmons with the development of MSes and suitable OSes for them. But the lord had something else in store for him.
"Would you like to see Cagalli?" The girl had missed Kira and despite her reassurances, the father was a little worried. Perhaps a meeting would do the trick.
Kira nodded. He wondered what she would say if she knew of Athrun's little stay on board the Archangel...
"But first, the uniform," said Uzumi with a chuckle. Kira smiled at the reminder.
"Captain, aren't we supposed to be neutral? Isn't Orb a neutral side," questioned Natarle the moment they were on the bridge of the Archangel. Joining the Orb military was definitely not what she had in mind.
"We have no choice, Natarle. Also, you know what Lord Uzumi said just now is true. War will come here. When it does, what or whom will you fight for," asked Murrue in return. The first mate had no answer to that. Her mind was now in a whirl.
"You know what," said La Flaga as he entered the bridge. Unlike the ladies, he had went straight to the clothing stores to pick up his new uniform. The two looked at the pilot. Somehow, he looked better in his old uniform than in the new one, thought the captain.
"What," asked Murrue finally.
"I make this look good."
Uzumi took Kira to the underground factory where the teen had worked in the first time he arrived at Orb. The place had remained largely the same. Cagalli was there, observing the progress of the M1 Astray pilots. Uzumi called out to the girl. As she turned around, she was shocked to see Kira standing beside her father. She ran towards the pair.
"So, what are you doing here," asked Cagalli. She then noticed the Orb uniform on him.
"This is..."
"Kira, along with the Archangel, has defected to Orb. Apparently, the EAF left them to die during the attack on JOSH-A," said Uzumi. The girl stared at Kira.
Kira nodded. "They activated the base's self destruct system without warning us," he explained.
Cagalli was disgusted by the whole thing. But at the same time, she was glad that Kira was alright. She hugged the teen. Uzumi smiled.
"I'll leave you two to chat." With that, the lord took his leave.
Cagalli then pestered Kira to tell her everything that had happened after he had left Orb. She was interested when he told her that Athrun had been captured and held on board the Archangel for a while. When Kira mentioned the conversation they had during the battle, she knew that her judgement hadn't been off the mark.
"Athrun really is a good guy."
"Yes, he is. And after losing the Aegis to us, he has a new MS, the Justice."
"The name certainly suits him." Both teens laughed.
Later, on board the Eternal...
Lacus opened her eyes. She was lying on a bed in the quarters. Apart from a slight headache, she felt fine. The lady saw Athrun seated beside her. The boy had been by her side ever since the pursuers left. But there was only one thing she had in mind.
"Did we succeed?"
Athrun nodded. The Songstress smiled. She tried to get up.
"You should be resting," objected her fiance as he held on to her. The lady shook her head.
"I'm fine. Really." Athrun let go of the girl. The couple then headed for the bridge. Andrew was glad that Lacus had awakened. He was also pleased to inform them that they would be reaching Orb soon.
Siegel observed his friend as the two men discussed the crisis over cups of tea. After apologizing for Athrun, Patrick was still too stunned by the teen's actions to speak much of anything else. But Siegel knew that the older Zala would just have to bear with it. His purpose of the meeting was to pre-empt any attempts by Rau Le Creuset to badmouth Waltfeld and, by extension, himself. After all, it was him who had recommended Andrew to Patrick.
"I must warn you, Patrick. I wouldn't expect the Eternal to return any time soon."
"Why is that," asked the Chairman.
"Her captain, Andrew Waltfeld, is no fan of Commander Le Creuset. I fear that Athrun may have convinced him to join his cause."
This possibility was too much for Patrick to stomach. He thumped his fist on the table. After the anger had abated, he realised that Lacus might not be able to return safely. He needed to tell her father that in the course of subduing Athrun, Lacus might die. Siegel accepted the fact, but he had only one thing to say.
"If my daughter dies because of your son, Patrick, I'll have his head."
"You'll get it. Also, he's no longer my son," replied the Chairman.
In his mind, Siegel sighed. Patrick and his son have become enemies, and there is the chance that the truth may never be known to the father. But, the act must go on. He prayed that his friend would finally realise that Le Creuset was the cause of the troubles and remove him; given the masked commander's charm, it would be difficult for his prayer to be answered.
The border patrol was again busy. Within the short span of a few days, another ship had wanted to seek asylum in Orb. The officer sighed as he called Lord Homura again. (He was the officer on duty when the Archangel defected.) True, Orb was a neutral country, but was the war really going so bad that people from both sides were getting tired of it, he wondered.
Homura didn't like what he was hearing. At the meeting to discuss the Archangel's defection, his brother had justified his actions by pointing to the intelligence Ramius had given to him. He wondered if the captain of this ship would do the same.
Upon preliminary questioning, it seemed that the crew had friends in Orb. Uzumi quickly got some men to gather these people and bring them to the office.
The last few days had been busy for every member of the Archangel's crew. Captain Ramius and her first mate had been quizzed by the other lords about everything they knew of the EAF. By now, Natarle was resigned to the fact that she was now a turncoat, and co-operated accordingly.
Besides answering his fair share of the questions, La Flaga too had his MS practices within the grounds of the base. He complained to Simmons about the Aegis's lack of flight capabilities in MS form. She promised to look into the matter.
As expected, Kira was assigned to Simmons, who had welcomed him back. The duo worked on problems with the OS, and Kira had managed to refine the original system which he had written. The lady was amazed by the teen's talent. So was Cagalli, who continued to hang around in the factory.
As for the rest of the crew, they were allowed time off to visit their families. But as they were now military personnel, they would have to return to the ship every night. Tolle didn't like the rule at all, but he accepted the fact that given their status, it was already a miracle that they were allowed such freedom of movement.
Kira was having a break. As usual, the Princess of Orb wanted to hear more from him. The lady remembered someone who was close to Kira.
"Hey, what happened to that red-haired girl?"
"Flay?" Suddenly, Kira felt a little sick. He didn't know what had happened to her, if she had survived the battle. He started to tremble.
"Are you all right?" Cagalli knew that she had struck a raw nerve.
"I'm fine. It's just that... I don't know how she is right now." Kira explained the situation. Cagalli was optimistic.
"Don't worry. I'm sure she'll be fine."
While the two were having their little chat, they didn't realise that an officer had been standing behind them. He coughed. As they turned around, he spoke.
"Lady Cagalli, Ensign Yamato, both of you are wanted in Lord Homura's office."
The duo had no idea why the Representative wanted to see them. They discussed the possibilities on their way there. But the moment Kira opened the door, his mouth fell open. Cagalli stared at the people who had gathered in front of the table.
Athrun Zala walked up to the pair.
"Aren't the two of you coming in? Or are both of you contented just by staring at us from the corridor?" He ushered the duo into the room.
Besides Athrun, Cagalli didn't know the pink-haired lady. But both Kira and her felt like they had seen a ghost. Andrew Waltfeld laughed out loud.
"Looks like you two wouldn't be rid of me that easily."
By now, Kira had saw Lacus. The Pink Princess smiled at him.
"We meet again, Kira," said the Songstress softly.
"Now, before you two start shooting questions, please pick your jaws off the floor and listen to what these three have to say," said Lord Uzumi. The meeting had proven to him that these ZAFT personnel weren't lying.
The trio then recollected the events which had led them to Orb. Athrun began by telling what had happened at Spitbreak, which was confirmed by Kira. He then moved on to his suspicion that Rau Le Creuset was the betrayer within ZAFT.
"He's also my former team leader, and the one who had pursued the Archangel, starting from Heliopolis."
"So..." Kira realised the implications of what his best friend had just said.
"He's the one who ordered the destruction of the colony," said Athrun, while looking at the teen. Kira clenched his fists.
Lacus then continued by explaining her role in the whole thing. As the former Chairman of PLANT's Supreme Council, her father had come up with the idea of stealing the Eternal and the Freedom to discredit Athrun's father, the current Chairman. Also, she raised the suspicion that Rau was manipulating Chairman Zala to increase his influence within ZAFT, and to continue with the war on the EAF.
Andrew started his part by recalling how he had survived his encounter with Kira in the desert, and his return to PLANT, where Siegel Clyne recommended to Chairman Zala that he be made the captain of the Eternal and the pilot of Freedom. He also made clear his disdain of "that masked creep", and thus showed his support by helping the couple.
"What about Aisha," asked Cagalli after Waltfeld had finished. She still had the dress which the lady had given to her.
"She... didn't make it. In fact, I myself am not exactly in the best of shape." With that, the Desert Tiger revealed his mechanical limbs. Kira looked away. He had been the cause of all this. Andrew saw the teen and grinned.
"I don't blame you, Kira. You did warn me to give up, and I paid the price for not doing so."
"Thank you, for forgiving me," said Kira. He was close to tears. Cagalli had to comfort him although she herself was sad to hear of Aisha's death.
It took some time for all the information to sink in. This Le Creuset fellow was indeed a deep one, if he truly was a double agent, thought Uzumi. He could never understand such people who wanted the war to go on, regardless of the reasons they might have. With such people stoking the flames, it would only be a matter of time before Orb is targeted. The lord knew then that their step-up in defences would have to be more intensive.
As for Kira, Rau Le Creuset had now become his personal enemy. He would never forgive anyone who delights in killing. The death of Aisha weighed heavily on his mind, and the way Le Creuset had casually destroyed so much just to get the Archangel made his blood boil.
Athrun thought for a while. What he wanted to mention was one of ZAFT's greatest, and deadliest, secrets. He decided to risk it. If Orb decided to inspect the MSes on board the Eternal, they would discover it anyway.
"Lord Athha, ZAFT is also in possession of the Neutron Jammer Cancellers."
The lords, Kira and Cagalli gasped. This meant that ZAFT has the ability to effectively utilise nuclear energy. Both Andrew and Lacus held their breaths. They didn't think that Athrun needed to disclose this little fact.
"Also, on board the Eternal, there are two Mobile Suits which have the NJC installed in them. But if you wish to incorporate them into the Orb military, I have a request."
"what is it," asked Lord Homura.
"If they are used by the Orb military, I want them to be supervised, not just by the Representative here, but also by Captain Waltfeld and myself. We don't want another Bloody Valentine incident." "Nor do we. We would not want the NJC in the Orb military anyway. It is not safe to mass-produce this device here on Earth. In fact, I want all of you not to breathe a single word of this to anyone else," said Lord Uzumi firmly. Athrun knew then that he had made the right decision. Uzumi turned towards Waltfeld.
"Have your crew change out of their uniforms. Like the Archangel, the Eternal is now part of the Orb military. But, your men would not be allowed to leave the base, at least for now. If ZAFT was to know that we are harbouring a fugitive..."
"We get the idea, my lord. But what about Miss Clyne? A civilian like her shouldn't stay here."
"If you don't mind, I'll like Miss Clyne to stay with me. Perhaps she can teach that tomboy daughter of mine some manners. Of course, she can come to the base to visit the crew. But, I'm sorry to say that she cannot go anywhere unmonitored."
"Father," protested Cagalli.
"Lacus, I wished that Cagalli could be half as gentle as you. Her behaviour is unacceptable for her status," said Uzumi, ignoring the girl who was now red in the face. Lacus bowed courteously at the praise.
Kira and Athrun grinned at each other. The two ladies have completely opposite personalities. They wondered how the two would get along.
"All right. All of you are dismissed." With that, the five of them took their leave, leaving the representative with the task of thinking up reasons for letting the ZAFT ship remain in Orb. The other lords were sure to have a field day over the issue...
Once outside the office, Athrun wanted Kira to follow him. Cagalli decided to tag along. The group then went to the hangar of the Eternal. Kira and Cagalli stared in awe at the MSes. They were unlike any the two had ever seen before.
"This is the Justice. I'm sure you've seen it before. But what I want to show you... is this." Athrun pointed to the Freedom.
"The ZGMF-X10A Freedom, brother unit of the ZGMF-X09A Justice, and I want you to have it." Both Kira and Cagalli stared at their friend.
"Well, as its designated pilot, I'll sure be glad to hand it over to you. I was never much of a MS pilot anyway," joked Andrew.
"We're now on the same side, Kira. Let us fight together as well. For justice," said Athrun, thrusting out his hand.
"And freedom." The two pilots locked their hands together. The three onlookers smiled.
"Watch out, Le Creuset. These boys will put an end to your little games," warned Andrew.
Afterthoughts
-Please RnR!