I don't own anything except Ken DiFalco and his team

Heliopolis, Colony Interior
The Archangel burst out into the open air of Heliopolis' interior, and in the Bridge's center seat Ensign Natarle Badgiruel's eyes were narrow. "Status report," she barked.

"Morgenroete's been destroyed," Petty Officer Jackie Tonomura reported. "The Strike has been activated -No, it's in combat!"

"Oh, great," she growled to herself.

In the Combat Information Center, below and behind Natarle's seat, sat another woman, with hair as black as Natarle's and emerald eyes. "Strike isn't the only machine I see," Lieutenant (Senior Grade) Sophia DiFalco murmured. "Raptor is also up and running; and whoever's piloting it knows what he's doing."

Technically, Sophia was senior to Natarle, and thus ought to have been giving the orders. But she was an engineer, not a line officer, and didn't really have the expertise to deal with a battle. So instead she was in a support role.

She was, at that moment, a little irritated. Who's flying my mobile suit? she thought irately. Nobody I know, I'm sure; whoever it is had better not hurt it! Sophia had designed the Raptor herself, and felt a certain proprietary air toward it, though she was not capable of flying it.

Oddly, she thought she recognized the Raptor's maneuvers. That looks like the way Falcon always flew in the simulators... But it can't be him; he and Mom and Dad should still be in the PLANTs somewhere... It hurt her, knowing that her family was living among the enemy, but she at least knew they hadn't died with Junius Seven; they'd sent her a message the day after the disaster. Now, if Falcon would just come to his senses and realize that the PLANTs do not deserve his loyalty...

"There's a CGUE out there, too, Ma'am," Tonomura called. "And a Moebius Zero."

"That'll be the Hawk of Endymion," Natarle mused. "Lieutenant DiFalco, do you have any idea who is flying the Raptor? That's even better than the fully-trained pilots."

"No clue, Ensign." Sophia tapped controls, altering displays. "But the beam cannons are tracking and the Death Blossom system is online, so it's either operating under a full crew, or the pilot is somebody we don't want to meet in a back alley."

"So somebody knows what they're doing..." Natarle frowned. "ZAFT commando-pilots?"

"Negative," the Lieutenant replied. "Not unless they're willing to sacrifice a CGUE, which really doesn't seem like their style." But I still think there's something strange... I could swear that was the Iron Eagle in there...

Iron Eagle was her nickname for her seemingly-emotionless younger brother, a play on his usual moniker, Falcon. He'd never seemed bothered by it; on the other hand, the guy who he always seemed to hang around with tended to be a little irritated. What was his name... Elsman, I think, Dearka Elsman; son of Tad Elsman, a member of the PLANT Supreme Council; wonder whatever happened to him

Natarle, meanwhile, had been thinking about the tactical situation, and now came to a decision. "Ignore the Raptor for now," she ordered. "Lock laser designator on the CGUE, and load Korinthos; and remember, you're not to hit the shaft or ground! That's an order!"

Shrugging, Petty Officer Dalida Lolaha Chandra entered the appropriate commands, and a salvo of three missiles shot out from the Archangel's aft tubes.

Falcon rolled his eye, seeing the Archangel's attack. "As if three missiles will be much good against a CGUE... with Rau Le Creuset in the cockpit."

"Are you gonna do anything about it?" Mu asked irritably. "Or are you just going to sit there?"

"Not just now," Falcon replied. "Rau's too good a pilot; if we tried anything now, we'd hit the shaft. Personally, I don't want to be responsible for the destruction of the colony. Do you?"

Mu nodded reluctant agreement, observing the CGUE's antics as he did so. The nimble mobile suit shot the first missile, led the next into the shaft itself, and blasted the third with its Gatling. "He's as good as ever."

"But some say I'm better. Now we engage." Falcon swept the Raptor around, angling toward the CGUE, which was now beginning a futile attack run on the Archangel. "Back to the darkness, Rau."

"Hey, Commander!" Mu broke in. "Look out!"

"What?" The one-eyed gaze dropped to the ground below, where the Strike was lifting a very large weapon into firing position, while Murrue shouted something up at it.

Falcon's sudden spin came just in time to take them out of the line of fire of an enormous, red-orange beam that shot past, catching the CGUE in the arm and blowing a gigantic hole in the side of the colony. "Idiot," he murmured. "Don't be hasty with things you don't understand."

Rau was actually a little shaken. "How can that be? A mobile suit with that much firepower?" Knowing he had lost this round, he spun around and beat a hasty retreat through the newly-blasted hole.

Earth Alliance Forces Mobile Assault Ship Archangel, Starboard Catapult
The Moebius Zero landed atop the massive ship's bow deck, while X105 Strike and X106 Raptor set down together on the deck of the Archangel's starboard catapult, the former MS carrying Murrue, Sai, Tolle, Kuzzey, and Mir in its hands; the small group stepped off as the mobile suit came to a rest.

"Lieutenant Ramius!" Natarle called, walking quickly toward them, trailed by most of the Archangel's surviving complement. "I'm glad you're safe, Ma'am."

"Likewise, Ensign Badgiruel." Murrue smiled. "I'm pleased your protected the Archangel; you've saved all our lives."

"Wondered where you'd gotten to, Murrue," Sophia commented, smiling broadly. "Got a little worried, when Morgenroete went up."

Murrue's own smile widened. "Same here, Sophia. But, with the help of a couple of young people, I managed to survive." She glanced up at the two machines. "These G-weapons really are something."

"Yeah..." Sophia frowned. "So tell me, Murrue: just who exactly is flying my mobile suit?"

"Well, believe it or not, it's-"

"Well, this is a surprise," another voice broke in. A pilot wearing pink, black, and white walked over to them, smiling. "My name is Mu La Flaga," he introduced himself, "a Lieutenant with the Seventh Orbital Fleet; at your service." He glanced between the three officers. "I'd like permission to come aboard; my ship engaged the enemy, and was downed. So who's in charge here?"

Natarle looked at the deck. "The senior officers of this ship have all perished in battle," she said softly. "Therefore, I believe Lieutenants Ramius and DiFalco are the senior survivors."

"Which puts you in charge, Murrue," Sophia said immediately. "I'm engineering, not line."

Murrue's eyes were wide. "The Captain's... But that can't be..."

Mu winced, rubbing his head. "Oh man, what a disaster." He shrugged. "In any case, please grant me permission, Lieutenant Ramius; I'm afraid I really don't have anywhere else to go at present."

"Oh, of course," she said quickly, recovering. "Permission granted, Lieutenant La Flaga." She brought herself to attention. "I'm Lieutenant Murrue Ramius; I'm in Sector 2, Fifth Special Division. I'm assigned to this ship."

"Ensign Natarle Badgiruel, same assignment," Natarle echoed.

"And I'm Lieutenant Sophia DiFalco," Sophia finished. "I'm an engineer; got assigned to this ship when I designed Raptor."

"Pleased to meet you. Now..." He looked up at the Raptor, then over to Sophia. "Lieutenant DiFalco, is it? You wouldn't happen to be related to Ken DiFalco, would you?"

She blinked, startled. "Uh, yeah, he's my little brother; but how do you know him, Lieutenant?"

"Who doesn't?" Mu replied cryptically.

Murrue cleared her throat. "Uh, that reminds me, Sophia. The current pilot of the Raptor is-"

Again she was interrupted, this time by the Raptor's hatch opening. Down came the one-eyed Falcon, who drew stares from the assembled crew.

Sophia was the first to find her voice. "Falcon? What are you doing here?"

The one-eyed pilot pulled off his helmet. "Didn't you hear, Sister?" he said icily. "We moved here last September, in case you missed the message."

"I was under communications blackout-" she began.

Sophia broke off so suddenly because of Mu's very surprising reaction. "Well, well," he said, smiling broadly and sticking out his hand to the younger pilot. "Commander DiFalco. Glad to finally meet you in the flesh, and off the battlefield, no less."

Falcon nodded, shaking the Hawk's hand. "Likewise, Lieutenant La Flaga." He gazed at his opposite number, taking in his appearance. "You know," he murmured, "I somehow expected you to be taller."

Mu burst out laughing; at 183 centimeters, he was hardly short. "And I expected you to be a three-meter-tall, fire-breathing monster. Yet here you are, not a millimeter above two meters."

Sophia couldn't contain herself any longer. "'Commander DiFalco'? Falcon, did you join Earth Forces Intelligence or something without telling me?"

Mu laughed even louder. "Earth Forces? Don't be naive, Lieutenant. Your brother here is one of ZAFT's top aces; maybe the top who's still a pilot, first and foremost. I'm surprised you never realized that your brother was the famed 'Grimaldi Falcon'."

Her eyes bugged in disbelief. "He's what?"

Under the disbelieving eyes of the Archangel's crew, Falcon tucked his helmet under his arm and drew himself to attention, saluting in the odd ZAFT style. "DiFalco, Commander Kenneth," he said calmly. "Identification number: Six-one-eight-five-zero-two. Last assignment: Commander, DiFalco team; TAD ZAFT Special Forces, Special Engineering Unit."

Mu completed the introduction. "The youngest recipient of the Order of the Nebula," he pronounced. "And somebody you really don't want to face in battle," he added, as Falcon drew his medal out of his flight suit and raised it into clear view. "A pleasure to meet you, Commander."

"Commander no longer," Falcon said softly; to Murrue's ear, there seemed to be a trace of sadness in the otherwise expressionless voice. "I made my choice four months ago, and by firing on Rau Le Creuset I irrevocably severed my ties to my comrades." He shrugged. "'Falcon' will do as well as any other name or title."

"Then call me Mu," his old adversary replied. "After all the times we've nearly killed each other, there's no reason to stand on ceremony."

"But, Lieutenant," Natarle protested. "The Grimaldi Falcon was responsible for the deaths of dozens of mobile armor pilots, including several of your own unit!"

Mu snorted. "Not just mobile armor pilots, Ensign; he shot up a number of capital ships, too. But I killed some of his friends, too; including at least one of the Gray Demons themselves. You don't see him holding it against me, do you?" He shook his head. "This is a war, Ensign, and if we seek revenge for every death, the cycle will be endless."

"I can't believe you joined ZAFT!" Sophia burst out. "You're a citizen of the Atlantic Federation, and-"

WHAP.

She never saw the fist coming for her face. The next thing she knew, she was lying on the deck, and Falcon was idly rubbing his bruised knuckles. "I am a child of the colonies, Sister," he said coldly. "You always knew where my loyalties lay; not with those bigoted racists on Earth, but with the people of the PLANTs. My question to you is: how could you join the enemy?"

Murrue stared at the young man in shock. She'd known him, years before, and she didn't remember him being at all like this. Certainly not cold and emotionless like this...

Mu cleared his throat, trying to fill the uncomfortable silence. "So, Falcon... Why did you leave the PLANTs? Nobody's heard from you since Nova..."

"It was two months following the battles at the resource satellite Nova that I deserted, Mu," Falcon said, now completely ignoring his astonished sister. "And, as with everything else I do, it was for the sake of my mission: the protection of the PLANTs."

"I don't understand," Sophia said, struggling to her feet and hoping her ears would stop ringing soon. "How can desertion be 'protecting the PLANTs'?"

When he replied, it was to Mu, not her; he didn't even look in her direction. "If you ever have to know the reason for my actions, this world is in very, very dire straits."

There was silence in the chamber for several moments following the grim pronouncement. Nobody knew whether to believe the pilot or not -after all, he was the enemy, or at least he had been- but they did know better than to press the issue.

Fortunately, there was shortly an opportunity to change the subject, as the Strike's cockpit opened at last, disgorging Kira Yamato... who was also clearly a mere teenager, and a civilian, no less.

"Would somebody explain this?" Petty Officer 1st Class Kojiro Murdoch demanded of the room in general. "He's just a kid; just learned how to shave, and he's the one piloting it?"

"This is Kira Yamato," Murrue explained. "For some reason, he was in the factory district during the attack; I brought him aboard the G-weapon, and he subsequently drove off a ZAFT GINN."

"Fought off a GINN?" Natarle was thoroughly impressed. "This kid actually did it?"

"It was Miguel Aiman," Falcon said softly. "In case the name means anything to you."

"The Magic Bullet of Dusk, eh? Not bad." Mu looked over as Kira moved to join his friends, and after a few moments of scrutiny walked over himself.

Made uneasy by the attention, Kira narrowed his eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"So..." Mu said slowly. "You're a Coordinator, aren't you?"

Only Tolle Koenig and Falcon seemed unsurprised by the question; the rest of those present waited with baited breath for the answer.

"Yes," Kira finally replied.

Instantly, guards brought their rifles up to firing position; but before they could do more than that, two things happened: Tolle stepped between them and Kira, and steel rasped against wood.

"Lower those guns, troops," Falcon said softly, dangerously. "I don't like guns, and if you attempt to use them on my friend there, you'll discover what cold steel does to the human body."

Murrue was quick to defuse the situation. "Lower your weapons, men," she ordered.

Natarle looked at her in puzzlement. "Lieutenant, what's going on?"

She shrugged. "It makes sense, when you think about it. Heliopolis is neutral, so it stands to reason some Coordinators would take refuge here to stay out of the war." Murrue looked at Kira. "Am I wrong?"

He shook his head. "No, you're right. Especially since I'm a first-generation Coordinator."

"Which means, of course, that your parents are Naturals." Mu shrugged apologetically. "Sorry about that, didn't mean to cause a fuss; I was just curious, especially in light of who the Raptor's pilot turned out to be."

"So what do we do now?" Natarle asked, a tad plaintively.

"First," he began, "we settle one important detail." He met Falcon's one-eyed gaze. "You said your sister joined the enemy. So I have to ask: just how far are you willing to go? Will you continue to fight, even against your own comrades?"

The younger pilot nodded, sheathing his sword. "When I fired upon Rau Le Creuset, Mu, I knew there was no turning back. ZAFT would not accept me back; and I have little choice but to fight, if I am to continue to defend the PLANTs." He glanced up at Raptor. "Yes, I will continue to fly, in defense of myself and this ship. You, Mu La Flaga, I trust; and Murrue Ramius." His gaze flickered briefly to his sister. "You, I'm not so sure about. Soon, we will have to talk... about a great many things."

"Yeah... I can see that..." Sophia muttered darkly. "Like whatever happened to your buddy, Elsman-"

"Irrelevant," Falcon cut in. He turned back to Murrue. "Lieutenant, will you be requiring me at this time? If not, I'm going to get some rest."

She exchanged glances with Mu, and shook her head. "Not just now, Falcon. I assume you know how to find your way around?" she asked, with a sardonic smile.

He nodded. "Yes." Turning, he retrieved his backpack, pulled out his computer, and walked into the ship.

"I suggest we go to the Bridge," Murrue said after he was gone. "We need to plan our next move. Mr. Chandra," she added, "please show the students to quarters, then return to your post on the Bridge."

"Yes, Ma'am."

ZAFT Laurasia-class escort ship Gamow
The Le Creuset team's remaining GINNs were preparing for launch, with special equipment, while the Gamow's three top gun pilots looked on.

"D equipment, I hear," Yzak Joule, pilot of the Duel, murmured. "I gather Commander Le Creuset is planning to storm a fortress or something."

"But what'll happen to Heliopolis?" the team's youngest pilot, Nicol Amalfi, said worriedly. "I mean, with weapons that powerful..."

"Can't be helped, can it?" Dearka Elsman answered; only half his mind was on the conversation.

"Serves them right," Yzak opined. "How can they call themselves neutral when they've been caught in the act of building new weapons for the Earth Forces?"

"But that's the least of our worries," Dearka whispered.

After returning to the Vesalius, Le Creuset had spoken to his pilots. "I have bad news," he said. "One of the machines we ran into out there, the Raptor... its pilot is one of our own."

Yzak frowned. "Who, sir?"

The masked man looked directly at Dearka. "The Grimaldi Falcon," he said softly.

Dearka paled. "Falcon? But, sir- Falcon's a patriot! He's a hero of Jachin Due, and the Grimaldi Front! And he's-"

"I know," Le Creuset said gently. "He's your friend. I understand, Dearka, and believe me, I'm just as confused as you. Remember, we served together at Jachin, and Yggdrasil before that."

"You're sure that it's Commander DiFalco, sir?" Athrun asked; he, too, had met the ace pilot. "It could be a trick..."

Le Creuset shook his head. "No, it's not. I myself spoke with him, during the battle, as did the Hawk of Endymion. More telling is his trademark battle cry, which no Earth Forces pilot could possibly duplicate. It's him, all right."

"So, what do we do, sir?" Nicol was a little shaken. "Do we...?"

"Shoot him down?" The commander shrugged. "I think the ultimate decision will be made by the Supreme Council itself, if we fail to destroy the legged ship. However, I think I know what their instructions will be, and until I know otherwise we'll operate on the assumption." He looked at Dearka again. "There is a possibility that Commander DiFalco is, on his own initiative, running a deep-cover operation. Even if he has gone over to the Earth Forces, however, we may assume it is under false assumptions; one thing about him I have never doubted is his loyalty to the PLANTs. Therefore, he may think, for whatever peculiar reason, that what he is doing is in the best interests of the homeland; so these are my orders: you will make every effort to capture him. I repeat, capture; only if it becomes absolutely necessary will you shoot him down. I daresay we owe him, of all people, the benefit of the doubt."

Yzak noticed his comrade's continued silence. "Still thinking about your buddy, huh?" He was cold, maybe even a little arrogant, but not heartless; and besides, he was just as shocked.

"I just don't understand, Yzak," Dearka said quietly. "I've known him over ten years; we joined the academy together back in 68. I thought I knew him... but I guess not. Not if he can betray us like that."

"He may have just snapped," Nicol suggested. "If anyone has a right to, it's him; they say there hasn't been a major space battle in this war that he hasn't fought in."

The blond-haired pilot shook his head violently. "No way. Not Falcon. If he was going to snap, he'd have done it a year ago, after Junius Seven."

"Well, we'll find out, one way or another," Yzak predicted. "If he has gone over to the Earth Forces, he'll be waiting for our attack."

Archangel, Crew Quarters

"It's amazing how he can sleep at a time like this," Kuzzey commented, looking up at an upper bunk; Kira occupied it, dead to the world.

Mir shrugged. "It's been a rough day, for all of us. It must have been really tough on him, especially; he had to pilot that mobile suit in battle."

"Then there's Falcon," Sai put in. "I never suspected he was a ZAFT pilot. I mean, he fit in pretty well, even if he didn't say much."

"He's had some training in engineering, looks like," Tolle opined. "He must have had to rewrite that machine's OS, just like Kira; and I remember how he aced all those tests."

"I've suspected for awhile now that Kira was a Coordinator," Kuzzey said slowly. "Coordinators... byproducts of genetic engineering, with all these superhuman abilities... but remember how Kira was telling us how he rewrote that mobile suit's OS? Well, when he did have time to do that? He was being shot at, and I certainly can't seem him having any prior knowledge of that thing, so..."

"Does it matter how he did it?" Tolle demanded. "He just did, and saved us, too."

"Yeah, but... All those ZAFT guys are like that, too," Kuzzey pointed out, worried. "They're all Coordinators, and we've seen what they can do. Does the Archangel stand a chance against them?"

"We've got Kira on our side," Mir said. "And Falcon. Remember, he used be with ZAFT; if anybody knows how to fight them, it's Falcon."

"But can we trust him?" Sai frowned. "From what Lieutenant La Flaga said, he used to be some kind of big shot ace in ZAFT, with a lot of kills under his belt, and even the Order of the Nebula. Can he really have betrayed the PLANTs?"

"No way," she said firmly. "That's why I trust him, Sai. You heard him; he didn't betray the PLANTs at all. He just decided ZAFT was going too far, and chose to fight for his homeland in a different way." She snickered suddenly. "But you know, I don't want to be around when Falcon and that sister of his have their 'talk'; looks like he was just as surprised as we were to find her here."

"But what's going to happen to us?" Kuzzey said plaintively.

None of them had an answer to that.

Archangel, Officer's Quarters

Stepping into the solo quarters -on his way there, he'd been informed he'd been assigned officer's quarters; Mu had said something to the effect that commanders didn't share barracks space with the troops- Falcon glanced about with a sigh.

I preferred base accommodations, he thought, remembering the Grimaldi Front. But the Eyrie is long gone, and some good people with it.

The Eyrie was the hidden canyon base from which the Gray Demons had operated, after they began to gain notoriety. Seeing how effective they had become, and how their fame made them prime targets, ZAFT higher-ups had decided the unit needed a clandestine base, and so the Eyrie had been born, situated in a lunar canyon just on the ZAFT side of the Grimaldi Front. Manned exclusively by the thirteen Gray Demons and their support staff, it meant home to Falcon in a way no other place had in years.

But then came the disaster at Endymion, which brought ZAFT's victorious march across the Moon to a dead stop. Following the battle, Falcon had personally set the Eyrie's self-destruct system, before returning to the PLANTs for proper medical treatment.

Well, no help for it. Archangel was where he could expect to be for awhile, and the accommodations weren't that bad. So, he unlimbered his backpack, tossed it on the bunk, and stripped off his flight suit. He replaced it with a blue Earth Forces volunteer uniform from the cabin's closet. It was somewhat distasteful, for one of ZAFT's top aces, but it wouldn't exactly do to go about in ZAFT uniform, would it?

Falcon, after fastening the uniform tunic, strode back to the bunk and opened the backpack, whose contents he began removing.

First came a framed citation, which went with his Order of the Nebula; this he set on the cabin's desk, along with a leather-bound book. Its title was The Falcon's Lessons of War, a book which one such as Mu La Flaga would have recognized. It was the collected military wisdom -and wisecracks- of the Grimaldi Falcon.

Since joining ZAFT in C.E. 68, Falcon had become known for, in various situations, making a profound -or ironic- statement, and quoting a lesson number. Eventually, one of his teammates got the idea of writing down and gathering together the various "lessons", and the result was a book which had become an unofficial textbook for ZAFT pilots and an object of much interest among Earth Alliance pilots, after a copy was captured.

Some quotes were a little humorous, like Lesson Thirty-One: If it's stupid and it works, it ain't stupid. Others were more serious, like Lesson Twenty-One: If you cannot win by numbers, remember: even the smallest of creatures can nibble the largest to death.

Right now, it was more Lesson Twenty-Five that was on his mind: Once you have set yourself a task, do not abandon it. Even when continuing requires an action that makes your comrades call you traitor, persevere; for sometimes, the cost of failure can have consequences far beyond your worst nightmares.

That was the truth, Falcon knew, reaching once again into the pack. When he first said those words, he'd been generalizing; now he was deadly serious. But for now, it cannot come to pass.

Burying it deep in his mind, he set it aside, as he pulled out a carefully-folded red uniform. Some commanders switched to white when they reached that exalted rank, but others preferred to stay with their roots, and Falcon was one of them.

Still, he did not feel worthy to wear the uniform now; not while he fought for the Earth Forces. So instead he set it aside, to be stored in case -no, until- he might wear it again. Not for the Earth Forces, Falcon corrected himself. With, until the time comes that it is no longer necessary.

Then he came to one other item, and he withdrew the photograph very carefully. It showed him, as well as a blond-haired pilot and several others. It had been taken three years previously, and he had treasured it ever since.

How many of them still live? Falcon mused. Alicia Sharpe... KIA, Endymion Crater... Matt Russo... KIA, Endymion Crater... Victor... KIA, Eyrie... rot, you bloody bastard... He came to another face, with Prussian blue eyes and brown hair. Ken "Falcon" DiFalco... KIA, Endymion Crater...

Archangel, Bridge

The ship's officers were, at that moment, examining an identical photograph, or in this case a computer copy. "It's the only picture Intelligence ever got of him," Mu was saying. "They managed to snag a copy of his graduation photo somehow, and this is it." He glanced up at Sophia. "You're his sister, Lieutenant; what can this picture tell us?"

She examined it minutely. "Well, he doesn't have the eyepatch yet... And before you ask, no, I don't know how he lost an eye. I had no idea myself until he turned up today."

"Probably has something to do with whatever gave him that scar," Natarle opined.

Sophia shook her head. "Not necessarily, Ensign Badgiruel. One thing you have to understand about the Iron Eagle: he's very stubborn, and very proud. He may well have gotten that scar before I left home, and just covered it up till now. He does things like that. But I can tell you he still had both eyes when I knew him. I don't know how he lost one."

Mu frowned, staring at the image. "There were rumors he was badly wounded at Endymion," he said slowly. "And it's true, he was out of action for about twelve days. We were never able to figure out, though, if it was due to injury or just some bureaucratic thing."

They were discussing Falcon before planning their next move, because, as Sophia put it, they needed to know their friend before they could figure out how to move against their enemy.

Murrue frowned. "Who's the blond fellow, standing next to him? Looks like a close friend..."

Sophia peered at him. "That's Dearka Elsman," she announced after a moment. "Falcon's best friend, ever since we moved to Februarius City; his father Tad is on the PLANT Supreme Council, last I heard. I don't know the guy real well, but we didn't hit it off. Like Falcon, he's a PLANT loyalist to the core." And I still can't believe Falcon could have been so far gone as to join ZAFT! "I don't recognize the guy on Falcon's left, though." She indicated a black-haired pilot, who looked about a year younger than Falcon.

Mu whistled. "I do. That's Tempest."

Natarle looked at him, eyebrow lifted. "'Tempest'?"

"Victor Tempest," he explained. "Used to be with the Gray Demons, before Endymion. Indications at the time were that he and Falcon had a falling out, and he got himself killed shortly after."

"One of the battles on the Front?" Sophia tilted her head, puzzled. "But it wouldn't be like Falcon to get rid of somebody by sending him out to die."

"I didn't say he was killed in action," Mu said grimly. "Word is, he was just as much of a sword nut as his boss, and he got sufficiently ticked to challenge Falcon to a duel." He grimaced. "Tempest lost."

Murrue winced. "That... doesn't sound like a fun way to go."

"I imagine it wasn't much better for Falcon," he pointed out. "They say those two were academy buddies, but something went wrong; wrong enough to die for. Can't have been easy on the guy, though."

Sophia snorted derisively. "Don't be so sure, Lieutenant. Falcon's about as warm and fuzzy as a porcupine, with all the warm feelings of a dead fish."

Mu frowned at her. "Is that any way to talk about your own brother?"

"He wouldn't care; it's the truth, Lieutenant," she said simply. "He gets angry -I've seen it- but grief? Give me a break."

The incipient argument was interrupted by Tonomura. "Uh, Ma'am..." he said slowly, looking nervous.

Murrue glanced over at the communications station, where he sat. "What is it, Petty Officer?"

He swallowed. "I just queried the shelters, Ma'am. They say..." He hesitated, not wanting to say what he had to say. "They say no one answering to the name DiFalco entered any of them."

Sophia went white. "Query Heliopolis business records," she ordered hoarsely. "Find out where my parents worked, and then show me what's there."

"Yes, Ma'am." Tonomura, unnerved but not really surprised by the Lieutenant's reaction, hurriedly went to work, accessing what was left of Heliopolis' data network.

The results were... not promising.

Archangel, Falcon's Quarters

Falcon set aside the picture at last, sighing. How many of those people are dead, I wonder? Victor Tempest... You simply could not accept my decision, could you? That's something you never understood, old friend: the PLANTs come before all, including friendship... especially when your antics nearly get your teammates killed.

He sighed again. Victor Tempest had always been a little... peculiar, especially when it came to blades. Falcon had personally taught the younger pilot the art of the sword, but even then something didn't seem right, so he instinctively held back, ensuring that his friend's skill didn't match his own.

As well that I did, he thought, and remembered...

Falcon was standing in his office at the Eyrie, back to the door, going over battle plans for the Gray Demons' next sortie. "Be conservative," he murmured. "Don't be too bold when you're shorthanded."

The hatch suddenly slid open. "Are these orders for real?" the black-haired young man, wearing a gray flight suit with a katana at his side, demanded. "Please tell me you're kidding!"

"No, Victor, I'm not," Falcon replied, turning. "Those orders are correct. You're leaving with the next supply shuttle."

"You can't do this to me!" Victor Tempest shouted. "We went through the Academy together, remember? We fought together at Yggdrasil and Jachin Due. I was one of your first picks when you formed this team! I-"

"Enough, Victor," the Commander said firmly. "You know as well as I do what happened out there yesterday. Your foolhardy, glory hound antics very nearly got me killed, and almost took the rest of the team down with us when they had to charge in to rescue us. That, Tempest, means you're off the team. You do not needlessly endanger your comrades; you did, and that makes you a liability in combat. That's all that matters."

"But we're friends, Falcon!" Tempest said desperately.

"If I chose my men based on friendship, Tempest, Dearka Elsman would be in your slot," Falcon said coldly. "He, unlike you, knows how to follow orders, and he knows not to try to play the patronage game with me. And, also unlike you, he knows me from well before the Academy. No, Tempest, the fact that we're friends is irrelevant. What you seem to have forgotten is that our primary objective is the defense of the PLANTs, not the mindless killing of Naturals."

"They're the enemy," Tempest said stubbornly.

"But not forever," his commander countered. "The goal is to defeat the enemy without wiping him out, Tempest; the idea is to win freedom and independence for the homeland, not conquer Earth and subjugate the Naturals."

"That's not what Representative Zala says," Victor challenged.

"I don't care a wit what Patrick Zala thinks," Falcon said contemptuously. "The man may be the leader of ZAFT, but my ultimate allegiance is to the PLANTs themselves, not a pompous, genocidal loon like him." He turned away again. "You're off the team, Tempest. That's final."

"I don't think so, Boss," Tempest said menacingly. "I think you've lost the right to lead this team. I think someone with a more proper attitude should be in charge. I think..." Steel rasped against wood. "I think that someone should be me."

Falcon never saw the blade coming for his back, but his reflexes sensed it, and his own blade came out, even as he turned...

The one-eyed pilot brought himself back to the present, as a knock came at the hatch. "Falcon? You in there?"

He didn't turn. "Come in, Mu."

Mu La Flaga stepped in, feeling distinctly nervous... and more than a little depressed, for the sake of two of his new shipmates. "Listen, Falcon, I've got some bad news for you." He hesitated. "Your parents apparently never made it to the shelters," he said finally, voice leaden. "And according to our instruments, their workplace was destroyed, probably during the initial attack."

Whatever reaction he'd been expecting, he didn't get it. "I see," Falcon whispered, turning to face the Hawk. The only trace of emotion on his face or in his body language was a tightening around his eye and a subtle tension about his body. "So they're dead, then."

"Probably," Mu replied, startled into the less-than-tactful remark. "You... don't seem very broken up about it. Is there... something we should know?"

A twitch at the corner of the pilot's mouth. "Ask my sister, Mu; she'll tell you I'm as warm and fuzzy as a porcupine, with all the warm feelings of a dead fish."

"That's not what I remember from the Grimaldi Front," the Hawk countered.

"People change, Mu," Falcon said softly. "You'll learn that. Besides..." he added. "They weren't my parents at all... and Sophia's not my sister."

Silence for a beat. What? Mu thought. "What?" he blurted. "The Lieutenant didn't say anything about that-"

"She wouldn't have." The Grimaldi Falcon snorted, still expressionless. "After all, she never told me; why would she tell anyone else? But I knew. Somehow, I've always known... and therefore there was always that barrier between my parents and me."

Mu whistled. "No wonder you never got along with your sister, even before you found yourselves on opposite sides." He tilted his head. "Do you know who your real family is?"

Falcon shook his head. "No idea. I always intended to find out, but I never had the time to search. I do know Rau was looking into it, for some reason, but I gather he never found any clues, either." He closed his eye, thinking. "By the way, Mu," he said slowly, "there's something I've wondered about for a long time."

Mu raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Rau always seemed to know when you were in the area." The Prussian blue eye opened. "Can you sense Rau Le Creuset?"

He started violently. "How did you-?"

"Because I can, too." Falcon rubbed his eyepatch. "I don't know how, and I don't know why -and I never asked Rau; I've never liked him, and I never trusted him as far as I could throw him. But somehow I can feel his presence, which is how I knew to come to the colony shaft when I did; though I had no idea you were there."

"So that's how you turned up like that..." Mu shook his head. "Yeah, I can feel him; it's saved my life a couple times. But I don't know how it works, either." He raised an eyebrow. "So, do you have any idea why he of all people was looking that deep into your background?"

"No, unfortunately." Falcon frowned, staring unseeing at his graduation photo. "I wish he'd found something, though; if he had, I very probably would have been able to hack it out of his files... and maybe then I'd know who I really am." He shrugged it off. "But it doesn't really matter now."

"Yeah, I guess..." Mu glanced at the picture. "So, you still keep it around, huh?" He focused on the black-haired pilot. "What did happen to Victor Tempest, anyway?"

The one-eyed pilot was silent for a long moment. "He's dead," he said finally. "Because I took his life." He looked up. "It wasn't 'eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth', in case you're wondering. He nearly got the team killed, but my response -since we did survive- was to have him transferred, friend or no. Unfortunately, Victor was always... a little unstable. He couldn't handle being 'exiled' from the prestigious Gray Demons, led by his friend, so he... tried to do something about it." Falcon touched the twined handle at his side. "It was the first time I used a blade on a human, and I'll never forget it."

"I bet," the Hawk murmured.

The window into Ken DiFalco's soul suddenly closed. "It's no use dwelling on the past," he said curtly. "We need to plan how to get out of this alive. Want some help?"

Archangel, Lieutenant (Senior Grade) Sophia DiFalco's Quarters

Sophia, like Mu, had left the Bridge; but her for different reasons. She was absolutely stunned by the probable deaths of her parents; so stunned, in fact, that combined with the lack of any physical evidence she couldn't really believe it yet.

Instead, the event combined with several others to bring her almost to the point of nervous collapse. I don't believe it, she thought. My parents are gone, and now Falcon has turned up, acting just the way I always feared. The conditioning almost certainly worked... which means I have to be on my guard. Falcon might not be entirely trustworthy anymore. She snorted to herself. Might not? After what she'd just learned... He's an ace ZAFT pilot. Of course I need to watch my step. Especially with Dr. Metzinger's work still so little understood... But I wonder; does Falcon know that I'm not really his sister? And if so, does he know he does have a blood relative aboard? No... If he knew, he'd have already confronted me. I'm safe, for now.

Yet her brother was not Sophia's only worry. Though she had managed to hide her surprise, she was also quite familiar with the name Kira Yamato. In fact, she knew more about the young Coordinator than he knew about himself. Far more.

Curse you, Hibiki, Sophia thought. Did you have any thought as to the possible consequences of your actions? Of course not; you scientists are all the same, always trying to see if it can be done without stopping to think if it should be done. It's just a very good thing Kira got out of your clutches when he was so young; I shudder to think of what he might have become, knowing what he is and with your insane influence over him. I just wonder what happened to the poor kid's sister...

That was one thing Sophia's data searches had never managed to turn up. From her own visit to the long-abandoned Mendel colony, she knew the result of the experiment was a set of twins, but she was never able to determine where the girl had gone; even the boy's identity had been uncertain until she actually laid eyes on him, and heard of his incredible piloting skill.

Now she was very, very nervous. It was clear to her that before long, Falcon and Kira would become close comrades, and maybe even friends; they were much alike, and Falcon would doubtless easily assume the role of mentor to the younger Coordinator, in terms of flying.

If -when- that happened, it would be good for the ship itself, Sophia knew. The Hawk of Endymion, the Grimaldi Falcon, and the theoretical student could be a formidable team. On the downside, though, if she ever accidentally let something slip about Hibiki's project to Falcon, he'd be sure to let Kira know immediately.

Which would make just about everybody mad at her for concealing it.

But I have no choice! she protested to herself. Not now, certainly; if Kira found out now what he is, it could cripple him, and even with Falcon and Lieutenant La Flaga along, we can't afford that.

Even that paled in the face of what would happen if certain facts about Falcon got out, though. Even if she was wrong about how far along the process had been, the revelation would be... frightening. The "Iron Eagle" did not take well to having anything done to or about him "for his own good".

If he ever found out... Oh, I wish I could warn Murrue. Der Schreckick Eins is with us... and if his reputation isn't exaggerated, he lives up to the codename...

Archangel, Bridge

Falcon stepped onto the Archangel's Bridge with a confident stride, as cool and collected as ever. "Is there any sign of the Le Creuset team?" he asked without preamble.

Murrue blinked at his slightly commanding tone; but then she was still getting used to the idea of him being a ZAFT ace. "Not yet," she answered. "They seem to be biding their time, for now."

"It won't last," Mu and Falcon stated simultaneously. They looked at each other, and the Hawk waved a hand, bowing to the one-eyed pilot's superior knowledge of Le Creuset.

"Rau's objective was quite clearly the capture of the G-weapons and the destruction of this ship," Falcon began. "He has four of the machines now, but with the Strike and the Raptor out of his reach, and the Archangel still at large, he won't just give up and leave. Especially," he added grimly, "when you add me to the equation. As far as ZAFT is concerned, I'm a traitor, and they'll stop at nothing to execute me for it."

"I see." Natarle looked up from her displays. "Do you know what tactics they'll use?" She trusted Falcon's information for one reason: Murrue Ramius and Mu La Flaga trusted him, and the Hawk of Endymion in particular would not lightly trust such a man.

"Uncertain," the pilot with the cyclops-gaze replied. "If they just use their remaining GINNs... I would say they'll use D package weaponry."

Mu stared at him. "You're kidding. That's the sort they use on hardened fortresses, not ships in neutral colonies."

"No, Mu, I'm not kidding." Falcon met his gaze levelly. "Rau Le Creuset considers this ship a grave threat. He will stop at nothing to destroy it. However, if he uses GINNs, Kira and I should be able to handle it without too much trouble. Kira's piloting skills are still in their infancy, but I have no doubt he will become a very dangerous adversary in the future."

"And you, of course," Murrue commented, "are the one they used to call the 'Grimaldi Falcon'." She frowned. "You said if he uses GINNs. As opposed to what?"

"Come now, Murrue," he said softly. "Have you already forgotten that Vesalius and Gamow now have four G-weapons?"

She winced. "You think they'll use them on us already?"

"The possibility exists."

"Can you defeat them if they are deployed?" Natarle asked.

"Unlikely." The one-eyed pilot stroked his chin. "If it is just one, I can probably hold it off, at least long enough for the Archangel to escape. Depending on the skill of the pilot, I might actually defeat him. Against two G-machines... with Kira's help, I might fend them off for a time. Against all four? Even I cannot perform miracles, Ensign. The only possible chance I would have is the fact that I know most of the Le Creuset team's pilots... and they know me. They may be reluctant to fire on me."

"Even after you fired on Le Creuset?" Sophia said skeptically, entering the Bridge. "Seems to me that would make their reluctance evaporate pretty quick."

Mu cocked an eyebrow at Falcon. "You want to handle that, or shall I?" He received a nod in reply, and turned to Sophia. "Lieutenant, the Grimaldi Falcon's distaste for Rau Le Creuset is well-known; the way I heard it, your brother nearly killed him after Endymion, though I don't know why."

"Because he sent my team out to die," Falcon whispered, voice like a sharpened blade. "He was in overall command of the battle; he sent my men and me to our deaths..."

Murrue looked at him. "What was that?"

The one-eyed pilot quickly shook his head. "Nothing, Murrue. Anyway, before we can begin planning, we need to settle one thing: is Kira Yamato going to pilot the Strike again?"

"I'm not sure it would be a good idea," Natarle said immediately. "He's a civilian, a Coordinator, and a kid; I'm not sure we can justify putting him in charge of such sensitive military hardware."

Falcon lifted an eyebrow. "In case it slipped your notice, Ensign, I am a Coordinator, and technically a minor... by Natural standards. By our standards, Kira is nearly fully mature, at least in terms of mentality. And I... well, war ages one prematurely. As do other things." He unconsciously rubbed his chest, over his heart. "Another point: can you allow him to leave?"

"Not after what those students have seen," the Ensign replied without hesitation.

"I agree with the Ensign," Murrue said slowly, "but not for those reasons." She nodded at the colony interior, visible through the front viewport. "They've locked the shelters down tight; the only way out of this colony is now the Archangel. That effectively settles that question, doesn't it?"

"True." Falcon looked back at Natarle. "Final question, Ensign: do you have anyone else who can fly a G-weapon?"

She reluctantly shook her head. "No, we don't. The only trained mobile suit pilot aboard is you, Commander; the only other pilots are Lieutenant La Flaga and Chief Petty Officer Neumann, neither of whom have any mobile suit experience." She glanced at Mu. "At least, I assume you don't."

Mu shook his head. "Not even in the simulators, sorry."

Sophia raised her hand. "I helped design the Strike, I might be able-"

"No," Falcon cut her off. "You are an engineer, Sophia, not a pilot; you don't have the training for that. Besides which, I notice you have yet to develop a Natural-adapted operating system. Or so, at least, I judge from the state of Raptor's computers. I've seen better programming from a six-year-old Coordinator."

She wanted to snap at him, but decided it wasn't wise, and contented herself with muttering, "I was working on it."

"Then I suppose it's settled," Murrue said at last. "Kira will have to pilot the Strike again, if we're to make it out of this alive."

Falcon frowned suddenly. "Yes... but has anyone asked him about it?"

The resulting silence was quite eloquent.

The young pilot didn't even sigh. "That's what I thought. Fine. Murrue, I suggest you talk to him about it... carefully. I'll join you after I change into my flight suit."

"Agreed."

The two left the Bridge, and Natarle turned to the remaining pair of lieutenants. "Can we really trust this guy? I mean, he is a former ZAFT pilot..."

Mu shrugged. "Personally, I'd say so; the Grimaldi Falcon is known as a man of his word. On the other hand, this is the first time I've actually met him. Lieutenant?"

Sophia sighed. "I don't know, Lieutenant La Flaga, I really don't. A few years ago, I'd have said yes, we can trust him. But now? I had no idea he was a ZAFT pilot, let alone one that good."

"ZAFT's 'Ace of Aces'," the Hawk murmured. "That's another thing they used to call him. While there's always been some debate as to whether their best pilot was Ken DiFalco, Rau Le Creuset, or Andrew Waltfeld, there was never any doubt that the Grimaldi Falcon had the highest kill score of any of them."

"Any idea where he won his Order of the Nebula?" Natarle asked. "They don't award that for nothing."

"True." Mu scratched his head. "If I remember right, it was the Battle of Jachin Due; apparently, he kept destroying mobile armors just as they launched, and drove the crew of the mobile armor carrier Truman nuts."

Sophia jerked, jaw dropping nearly to the floor, face pale. "Did you say Truman?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because," she said with difficulty (difficulty imposed by sheer shock), "I was on the Truman at Jachin. I remember that gray GINN kept hovering right outside, destroying everything that got near him... it was like he was taunting us..."

"He probably was," Mu remarked. "And yeah, that gray GINN would have been him; I don't think he upgraded to a CGUE until the Grimaldi Front." He chuckled. "Yeah, he probably was taunting you, Lieutenant; the Grimaldi Falcon always did like to show off."

"I'm gonna kill him..." Sophia muttered. Then she winced, remembering the sword her brother carried at all times. She'd never seen him use it for real, but in years past she'd watched him practice, both with a sword and unarmed. His sheer speed had frightened her, the one time she got too close.

She figured he'd only gotten better since.

"Back to the original point," Natarle said pointedly, "can we trust him?"

Mu shrugged. "I don't see that we have a choice. Do you?" But yeah, I think we can. Besides, it'll be fun to fly with the Grimaldi Falcon, instead of against him... for once.

Archangel, Crew Quarters Corridor

"What do you want?" Kira asked of Murrue, eyes wary. Now that the immediate life-or-death situation had passed, he wasn't quite as willing to cooperate.

She sighed inwardly. I was afraid of this. He has a pretty good idea of what I'm going to say... and he's already made up his mind. Still, I have to try.

"Look, Kira," Murrue began. "I can't let anyone of you off the ship now; not only have you been exposed to military secrets, but now there's also nowhere to let you go to."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kuzzey demanded.

The lieutenant didn't have to answer; Sai did it for her. "They must have locked down the shelters," he said glumly. "Makes sense, after that last attack."

"So what do you want Kira for?" Tolle asked.

Murrue closed her eyes for a moment. "Kira, I hate to ask this of you, but I'm afraid you're the only person we have who can pilot the Strike-"

"You've got Lieutenant La Flaga," Kira interrupted. "And Falcon; and he's even a mobile suit pilot."

"It's not that simple. Lieutenant La Flaga says he can't use the Strike; we still haven't managed to come up with an OS that allows Naturals to fly mobile suit pilots. And as for Falcon... he's already piloting the other machine."

"So why not let him handle things?" Mir questioned. "I mean, I don't want to drop everything on him, but like you said, he's already flying one of those new machines, and he's also a ZAFT ace, right? So don't you think he can take care of it himself?"

"No."

The single syllable came from Falcon himself, who came down the corridor toward them. He wore his gray flight suit, cable dangling, his helmet under his arm.

"Why not?" Kira turned his glare on the one-eyed pilot. "Why do I have to fight, huh? Tell me, Falcon!"

Falcon's good eye narrowed. "Because I'm not a superman, Kira," he answered calmly. "I am, as Miriallia said, an ace; but I am not infallible. Ask Mu about the Battle of Endymion Crater sometime. I lost people there even before the Cyclops was activated, and we were facing mobile armors. Today, we're dealing with GINNs... and possibly G-weapons."

"We don't want anything to do with your war-!" Kira began.

The older teen cut him off. "Too bad," he said coldly. "This isn't just 'our' war anymore, kid; ZAFT just made it yours, too. You want to leave once we reach safer territory, fine. But as of right now, you're in a warzone, and if you don't want to die, you fight." He lowered his voice. "If you don't want your friends to die, you fight. Understand something, kid: I don't want to fight either. But I don't have a choice, and if you want to get out of this alive, you may not, either."

The younger Coordinator seethed inwardly. How can you talk to me like that when it was your own people who did this? He shook his head, realizing how childish that sounded. It's not like he had anything to do with it; and... how is he feeling, fighting against his own comrades? Can I really shrink from protecting my friends, when Falcon's conscience is making him fight his friends?

Knowing that everyone present, especially his good friends Mir and Tolle, were watching him closely, waiting for his decision, Kira sighed. "All right," he said finally. "I'll do it. But only until we've escaped," he added quickly.

Murrue silently sighed in relief. "Thank you, Kira. I appreciate it."

Falcon favored him with what seemed to be an approving gaze; if one looked closely enough, one might even see the ghost of a smile on his face. "Good, Kira. And sorry for getting preachy." Interestingly, he delivered the apology without a trace of emotion, but Kira understood that he really did mean it. "Later, when we have the time," the ace went on, "I'll teach you some advanced flying; some tricks I've learned over the years."

Kira nodded. He didn't like it, in principle (since it meant he'd be flying in combat), but under the circumstances he appreciated anything that would help keep him alive. "Thanks."

A moment later, a nearby intercom panel beeped. "Bridge to Lieutenant Ramius!" Mu called over it.

Murrue quickly crossed to the panel. "What is it, Lieutenant La Flaga?"

"Incoming mobile suits, we think," he replied grimly. "Le Creuset isn't waiting for us to come out and play; he's sending his people in first. Get up and take command!"

She jerked. "What are you talking about?"

"I have seniority," Mu explained impatiently, "but I don't know anything about this ship; and, as she's pointed out at least a dozen times now, Lieutenant DiFalco doesn't know anything about fighting a space battle."

Murrue managed a brief chuckle, both at the Hawk's exasperated tone and the reference to Sophia's repetitious statements. She always insists she's an engineer, not a soldier... oh, well.

Her moment of levity faded, and she nodded soberly to herself. "Very well, Lieutenant. I'm on my way." She glanced at the two Coordinators. "And the Strike and Raptor will both be heading out shortly."

"Good," Mu said, relieved. "My Zero isn't ready, but with the kid in the Strike and the Grimaldi Falcon in the Raptor, we've got a good chance of getting out in one piece. I'll be waiting for you one the Bridge."

He signed off, and Murrue turned to the five students and ace pilot. "All right, you've heard it for yourselves. We're about to be under attack again. Kira, Falcon, please report to the hanger and board your machines. The rest of you, I suggest you just sit tight; there's a monitor in the cafeteria, if you want to see what's happening outside." She glanced at the one-eyed pilot. "Falcon...?"

"Right." He pulled out his pocket computer and tossed it to Mir. "That has a schematic of the ship; you should be able to find the cafeteria easily enough." He turned away. "Come on, Kira. Oh," he added, looking back at Mir, "don't lose that; it has some important data on it."

"I won't, Falcon," Mir promised. "Good luck, both of you."

"We won't need it," the Grimaldi Falcon said confidently. "But thanks."

Murrue Ramius headed for the Bridge, while Kira Yamato and Falcon DiFalco began moving quickly to the hanger. The Archangel was preparing for battle once again... and ZAFT's Ace of Aces was getting ready to open fire on his own comrades...

Author's notes: Falcon has run into his sister on the Archangel, with neither of them enjoying the experience; and it seems she knows something about both her brother and Kira…

Before long, Falcon will face his best friend once again… this time, on the field of battle…

White Shadow, thanks for being the first to review; I hope it will meet with your approval.

Arekuruu-inabikari-no-She, the connection between Falcon and Dearka is indeed modeled after Kira and Athrun; and they'll have an argumentative meeting of their come, come the events of Phase 5. Falcon, however, would be a little more willing to fire on his friend than Kira is.

Ominae, I wouldn't exactly call myself a SEED 'otaku' (though at least I know what it means) but I am a definite fan. Besides, I needed something to keep me busy while waiting to be able to begin the sequel to Brothers in Arms, and this idea seemed pretty good.

Daniel Lynx, next chapter you will get to see Raptor in action; let's just say that Olor and Matthew will meet a slightly different fate this time around.

You may be interested to know that Raptor will not be the only Gundam Falcon flies in this story; and this time, it'll a mobile suit of my own design.

Centurious, I will be keeping an eye out for it, and I'll let you know if there are any inconsistencies.

RVD, Falcon isn't working for Orb -at the moment- but he certainly does have his own agenda, which will be revealed bit by bit as the story progresses.

As for why he quit ZAFT, that's something that won't be properly revealed for quite some time yet…

Red Eyed Divine Dragoon77415, I'm glad to hear you like it. And before you crucify me for not updating the Second Story, let me reiterate that I'm working on it. This chapter may be a little shorter than most, but it's coming.

Deathzealot, glad you like it. Updates unfortunately will not be as frequent as with Brothers in Arms (which I had mostly complete by the time I started posting it), but they shouldn't take too long, either.

That should about wrap things up. Let me know how it is. -Solid Shark