I don't own anything except Ken DiFalco, his team, and Sophia DiFalco
Archangel, Hangar, February 13th, C.E. 71
Ken DiFalco entered the hangar at high speed, using a bulkhead to rebound toward his mobile suit, silently cursing all the while.
Rau, you unmitigated bastard, he seethed. Don't you know when to give up? Sure, you may maul the Eighth Fleet -probably even destroy it- but do you honestly think you can take Archangel? You couldn't stop me before; I doubt you can stop me now.
Now, more than ever, he regretted the fact that Kira was leaving. He could really have used the younger man's aid in the battle he knew was coming; he knew better than anyone that he was not infallible.
Shaking his head in disgust, Falcon pulled himself into the Raptor Gundam's cockpit and began what had now become a routine. First straps, then main power... then power cable... Then we see just what the devil we're up against. There'll be enough hell to pay as is.
"Bridge," he called, keying his radio, "this is Falcon. Give me a sitrep, will you? I need to know what's going on out there."
"The ZAFT vessels are entering attack range now, Commander," Natarle told him. "They're deploying mobile suits; ten GINNs, Aegis, Buster, Blitz, Duel... and one CGUE. Catalogue match with database update from Menelaos... It's a DEEP Arms, Commander." She hesitated. "The same one you fought during the attack on the advance forces."
"Victor," Falcon whispered. "Understood, Ensign. What are the orders from the flagship?"
"We're to stay put," she replied; from her tone, Falcon suspected she wasn't entirely happy about it. "Apparently, Admiral Halberton doesn't want to risk the Archangel any more than he has to." Another slight hesitation. "I think he intends to sacrifice the Fleet, if that's what it takes."
"He does," he told her. "That's Lewis Halberton, through and through; his life is expendable, if victory is the result." But I think you're making a mistake, Lewis. Archangel is the only weapon that could possibly stop them, and you should know it... "Any instructions as regards our mobile weapons?"
"Nothing specific; apparently, it's being left to our discretion. The Captain, however, feels that we should avoid launching if it all possible. For one thing, mobile suit recovery might be difficult under reentry conditions."
Falcon raised an eyebrow. "She is aware that the Raptor is -theoretically- capable of independent atmospheric reentry?"
Natarle nodded. "She is. But she doesn't want to risk it."
He sighed. "Understood; let me know if there are any changes to our orders." Technically, of course, he was not quite in the same chain of command as Murrue; as wing commander, he could theoretically overrule her where the ship's mobile weapons were concerned. He was not, however, suicidal. "Falcon out."
The pilot was just about to close the Raptor's hatch when he heard a tapping sound on the outer fuselage. "Falcon?"
Falcon gazed out impassively for a moment, before finally unstrapping and moving to the cockpit's entrance. "What do you want, Sophia?" he said coolly. "I don't have time-"
"Just wait," his sister asked, raising a hand. "Give me a minute, and hear me out."
He thought about it, and finally shrugged. Not as if I'm likely to launch within the next few minutes anyway. "Okay. Fine. I suppose you're about to explain why you're wearing a flightsuit?" He examined it carefully... more carefully than he might have, for it was gold with blue trim. Images of another woman in those colors went through his mind...
Sophia saw the brief, almost imperceptible flicker in his eye, but chose to ignore it; even if she'd actually seen it, she doubted he'd explain. "I want to fly this mission with you, Falcon," she said simply.
Falcon's eye narrowed. "Don't be ridiculous, Sophia. We've been over this before: you're not trained-"
"You're right," she interrupted. "I'm not trained for space combat. But I've got two advantages. One: I designed this mobile suit. Two: I know how to aim a gun. In fact, I know quite a bit more than that." She took a deep breath. "Falcon, I lied to you, and to everyone else on this ship. I didn't flunk law school."
He looked at her strangely. "I already knew that; but what in the world does that have to do with this situation?"
"I didn't flunk law school because I wasn't there," Sophia said bluntly. "My records were falsified when I became involved in the G-weapon project, for various security reasons. I was actually in flight school, Falcon. And I didn't serve a tour with JAG; I was taking advanced air combat training."
Falcon's gaze turned skeptical. "You're telling me you're a pilot."
"I'm telling you I'm a combat pilot. Like you said, I'm not trained in space combat... but I know how to fly, and I know how to fight in atmosphere." She smiled. "Remember the Battle of Victoria, last year? I was there. Same for the Battle of Carpentaria... though I'm not quite so proud of that, seeing as we lost. I was sent to space briefly after that, for the Battle of Jachin Due; then I went back to Earth, where I participated in the First Casablanca Sea Battle, and the Battle of Suez."
Her brother snorted. "I notice only one of those battles was a success, though."
"Not my fault." Sophia's smile widened. "The alias 'Victorian Kestrel' mean anything to you, little brother? A certain ace..."
"...Who took down four GINNs all by herself," Falcon finished. "One of the Alliance's top fighter aces in the Earth-bound fighting." For the first time, there was genuine respect in his eyes when he looked at her. "So there is more to you than engineering, Sophia." He tilted his head. "Why'd you give up flying?"
"I didn't," she said simply. "This was supposed to be a temporary assignment, one I accepted because I knew I had the skills, and if my skills could help end the war..." She shrugged. "I was supposed to go back to fighters after finishing at Heliopolis; Archangel was going to drop me off. But it looks like I'll be staying awhile, now."
He nodded slowly. "Perhaps, Sister," he said, just as slowly, "we understand each other a little better than I thought." Falcon reached out and grasped her hand. "Welcome aboard, Kestrel."
Sophia grinned; she had a feeling this newfound camaraderie might extend only to the battlefield -and he still scared her out of her wits most times- but for the first time in awhile, she felt comfortable around him. "Thank you, Iron Eagle," she said, allowing him to haul her aboard.
As she settled herself into the gunner's seat, Falcon strapped back in and began cutting the bypass from the gunner's controls to his. "Cannons are yours, Kestrel; I don't recommend you even try the Death Blossom System." He shot a glance over his shoulder. "You still know how to work things back there?"
"I did design it, didn't I?" Sophia looked curiously at the power cable connecting her brother's flightsuit to the Raptor's power supply. "I suppose it's pointless of me to ask what that is for?"
"Mm-hm." He tapped commands into his main display, linking it with the Bridge's tactical data. "So, does Murrue know of your combat experience?"
She shook her head. "No. She knows I was at Jachin, but during my assignments on Earth, she had other duties. She has no idea I'm the Kestrel... though after this battle I guess she will."
"I guess you're right." Falcon hit a couple more switches, and leaned back. "Well, that's all I can do, for now. Now we wait for the order to launch."
Sophia looked at him curiously. "You sure it'll come to that?"
"I'm always sure."
Archangel, Bridge
This is costing too much, Murrue thought bitterly, watching the ZAFT forces -led by the four G-weapons- begin to tear into the Eighth Fleet. One ship and two mobile suits simply cannot be worth the sacrifices we're making. First Heliopolis, then Artemis, then the advance force... now maybe the entire Eighth Fleet. It's too much.
"The enemy forces have engaged the fleet's outer perimeter," Natarle said unnecessarily. "Eighth Fleet is deploying mobile armors." She shook her head. "I don't think it'll be enough, Ma'am."
Murrue sighed. "You're probably right, Natarle." And we're so shorthanded, we may not make it ourselves...
Almost as if in reaction to her thoughts, the Bridge hatch slid aside, admitting Tolle, Mir, Sai, and Kuzzey, who quickly moved to take their accustomed positions. "Sorry we're late," Tolle apologized, on the way to the helm. "It won't happen again."
The Captain stared at them. "What are you people doing here? I thought..."
"They formally enlisted earlier today," Natarle informed her. "Captain Hoffman accepted them, and I personally approved it."
"But... why?"
"We still have a job to do, Captain," Mir responded. "We've done our part so far; we can't quit now."
Murrue started to protest, but held her tongue. These kids, she thought, with a mixture of respect, admiration, and shock. Braver than some soldiers twice their age...
That brought to mind something else, and she frowned. "Ensign, where's Sophia?"
"Lieutenant DiFalco left for the hangar at least ten minutes ago, Captain," Natarle replied. "I gather she's serving as Raptor's gunner at the moment."
Murrue turned to look down into CIC. "What? But Sophia isn't a combat soldier..."
The ensign shook her head. "Incorrect, Captain; I sent a query to the Menelaos just after she left, and they sent a copy of Lieutenant DiFalco's real service record. It seems she's a highly-trained atmospheric fighter pilot, who served with distinction at Victoria, Carpentaria, Casablanca, and El Alamein."
"What?"
Natarle looked just as bemused. "It seems, Captain, that we have the 'Victorian Kestrel' aboard."
Murrue's eyes were wide as dinner plates. Sophia is one of our top aces and she never said a word about it? No wonder she always stressed she knew nothing about space combat... she never said anything about atmospheric combat, did she? She smiled involuntarily. It's reassuring, I guess... but we're going to have a long talk once all this is over.
Archangel, Pilot's Locker Room
Kira opened the hatch to the locker room and entered swiftly. He was in a hurry, expecting the Archangel to launch its mobile weapons at any moment. He didn't want to be late.
He was just opening the locker containing his flightsuit when the hatch opened again behind him. Almost instantly, there was a gasp. "Kira!"
"Huh?" Kira turned just in time for a girl in a pink uniform to slam into him, knocking him into the bulkhead. "Flay? What are you doing here?"
"You... you'd left us," Flay burst out, clutching him. "At least, I thought you had; so there was no one to fly the Strike, so I thought I..."
He looked at her incredulously. She wanted to fly the Strike? But... "Flay, don't be silly," he told her. "Even if you'd had pilot training, a girl like you couldn't possibly pilot a mobile suit; even Lieutenant La Flaga can't keep up with everything that goes on in one."
She nodded, tears collecting in small globes in the air. "I know, but... I had to do something..."
Kira smiled at her. "Well, I didn't leave, so I'll go get back in the Strike's cockpit. I'll fight for both of us." It's the least I can do, after what happened to the advance force...
Flay blinked back tears; though inwardly, she was quite, quite pleased, just as pleased as she looked... but for a far different reason. "You will, Kira?"
He nodded, still smiling. "Of course I will. And, uh..." He paused, feeling uncomfortable (a feeling which, a distant corner of his mind noted, had become all too common of late). "I've taken what you said to heart," he said at last. "I can't just run away anymore; this war will continue unless someone does something about it... and like Lieutenant La Flaga said, I have the power to make a difference. It's just the way it is, so I'll do my best until we end this war."
Perfect... Flay thought. She hugged him tighter, then looked right into Kira's eyes. "Well, then, let me say this: I'll protect you..."
Before he could say another word, she kissed him, and suddenly Kira had something besides the battle to think about.
Archangel, Hangar
By now, several minutes into the battle, Falcon had done more than simply view it through Archangel's systems; now he was hacked into several ships of the Eighth Fleet itself, using them to get a wider perspective on the fierce engagement.
"No wonder you're so good," Sophia commented; she herself, not having quite her brother's mental advantages, couldn't make sense of the glut of data he was viewing. "You get as much information about the situation as you can, before you make a move."
"Pretty much," he murmured absently. "You should see me play chess."
"I'll pass, thanks." I don't doubt you could checkmate me in three moves or so. Hmm...
While Falcon had spent his time analyzing the battle, his sister had occupied herself by examining the Raptor's cockpit. Since becoming its official pilot, he'd made his own personal touches to it... most notably a photograph stuck on the instrument panel.
As soon as Sophia caught sight of it, she began to understand Falcon's strange reaction to seeing her flightsuit. The blonde in the picture, though her suit was ZAFT-style, also wore gold and blue; and from the way Falcon would occasionally glance it -apparently unconsciously- she got the idea that the girl was dead.
I wonder who she was, and what she could have meant to Falcon... Is it even possible to get close enough to him that he actually mourns you? She pondered that for a time. Maybe... maybe Metzinger didn't quite achieve what he wanted. Maybe there is a human being in there. Yeah, there has to be... if nothing else, because I don't believe he cracks jokes by accident.
Falcon's voice broke into her thoughts. "The flightsuit looks good on you, Sophia," he said softly, almost idly.
Sophia flushed, surprised by the compliment; it wasn't like the cold-blooded ace she'd seen since Heliopolis. "Thanks," she managed. "Custom-tailored, the same one I wore when flying fighters."
"I figured." His eye narrowed, examining the data on his screen. "We've just lost Cassandros," he commented, seeing one source of telemetry turn to static. "Achilles and Telamon are gone; Xerxes and Paris aren't in much better shape." He shook his head. "We need to be out there, Sis."
"I know." Sophia wasn't the tactical genius her brother was, but she was a veteran, too, and knew a bad situation when she saw it. "Actually, I'm surprised you haven't ordered a launch yet, Commander DiFalco."
Falcon turned his head. "Do I look crazy? I may technically be in a separate chain of command, but only once have I dared to overrule a ship's captain in any matter; and then only because Kyle Kreitzman is a complete and total idiot."
"Who?"
"Nacht Jaeger's captain," he answered. "The only reason he even has a command is because he has ties to Ezalia Joule; one of the few political captains who didn't get killed in the early stages of the war."
"Oh." Okay, whatever. Sophia turned her attention back to Falcon's displays, and winced as another screen turned to static. "Looks like we've lost another one, Falcon."
"I know." Falcon scrutinized his radar display, noting which IFF beacons were still in play, and which had vanished. "Ptolemaeus just blew." He cursed quietly, and keyed his radio link with the Bridge. "Murrue, we've got to do something," he said without preamble. "The Eighth Fleet's getting slaughtered out there."
Murrue sighed. "I know, Falcon, but Admiral Halberton's orders were explicit: Archangel is not to engage in combat if it can possibly be avoided."
"Well, it can't be," he said bluntly. "I strongly suggest you call the flagship, and give 'em the facts of life. Archangel is Rau's target, and if he has to blow through the entire Fleet to get to us, he will."
She closed her eyes. "I suppose you're right." She looked over her shoulder at Kuzzey. "Crewman Buskirk, get me a line to the Menelaos. Falcon, you might want to stay on the line; the Admiral seems to respect your judgment."
"He does. I'll be waiting."
Sophia raised an eyebrow. "You sure you can convince him?"
"I'd better be able to," Falcon said grimly. "If the man's going to recruit an ace pilot, the least he can do is listen to what he has to say..."
On his screen, Murrue looked up at him. "We're connected with the Menelaos, Falcon. Stand by."
Instantly, Halberton's face appeared on Raptor's other monitor. "What do you want?" he demanded, clearly distracted.
"I'm hereby requesting permission for the Archangel to begin its descent sequence, Admiral," Murrue said bluntly. "We need to start now, if we're to at all."
"What?" Halberton's expression suggested he couldn't decide whether or not to glare. "What are you talking about?"
From off-screen came Hoffman's voice. "You can't be serious! Are you people trying to run away to save yourselves?"
"With all due respect, Captain Hoffman," Falcon said coldly, "be quiet." He met Halberton's eyes directly. "Lewis, this ship is Rau's target; he wouldn't be bothering with the Eighth Fleet otherwise. If we don't get out of here, he'll just destroy everything in his path until he does get to us. Our only option is to begin descent before it's too late."
The Admiral closed his eyes, considering; clearly, he was torn between the notion that the enemy was so vastly outnumbered that they couldn't win -and thus Archangel's departure could be seen as cowardice- and the fact that he trusted Falcon's judgment, particularly where ZAFT's capabilities were concerned.
"All right," he said finally. "I'll take your word for it, Falcon; can't afford not to, given how valuable Archangel and her cargo is." He looked over at Murrue. "Very well, Archangel, begin descent now." He smiled. "And you know, Lieutenant Ramius, you haven't changed a bit. Still reckless as ever."
She returned the smile. "As you know, sir, a subordinate learns from her superior. We'll begin descent at once." She saluted. "It was an honor to sail with the Eighth Fleet, however briefly, sir."
Both images disappeared from the monitors, and Falcon nodded to himself. "All right, Sophia. Finish whatever preparations you need to make, got it?"
Sophia looked up from her targeting systems. "Huh? But we're not going to be launching... are we?"
"We are if I can manage to convince Murrue that the ship needs covering fire on the way in." The thought of launching reminded him of something else, and he closed his eye, concentrating.
"Uh, Falcon?" his sister asked, when it had gone on several moments. "What are you doing?"
"Quiet," he responded. "I need to think." That feeling... how close are you, Rau? Are you out there...? At last, he opened his eye, and nodded. "All right. Rau is here, but not in a mobile suit; we won't be fighting him today."
Sophia looked at him, puzzled. "How can you tell if a man is nearby just by thinking about it, anyway?"
"It's a gift," Falcon said simply; she couldn't tell if he was joking or not.
She did decide to take his word for it. Falcon did not make unqualified statements if he wasn't absolutely sure, and if he was absolutely sure... "So what now?"
"We wait. We wait until the right moment to strike."
Outside the Raptor, Mu and Murdoch were discussing the situation. "Descending?" Mu said incredulously. "When we're still under attack?"
Murdoch shrugged. "Hey, ain't my fault, Lieutenant; but I guess griping's better than just sittin' there worrying and not doin' anything."
"Yeah," the pilot agreed. "It's just... No pilot likes being in a situation beyond his control."
"Hey, how do you think we feel?" the mechanic demanded, indicating himself and his fellow grease monkeys. "At least you guys go out there and shoot something; all we do is sit around or fix anything that breaks at a bad time."
"Got a point there- Hey, wha-?"
Mu broke off, seeing another pilot, already suited up, enter the hangar. "Hey," Kira called. "The Strike ready, Mr. Murdoch?"
"Uh, yeah," Murdoch managed, mouth gaping. "I, uh, I..."
"Even if we fight off the ZAFT ships and GINNs, there's still the four G-weapons," Kira explained obliquely. "Not to mention Tempest's CGUE. We may have to launch, so I thought I should be ready." To the astonishment of the two older men, he actually smiled. "We are still at Level One Battlestations, right?"
He disappeared into his cockpit, leaving the other two to stare at each other in shock. "I thought he left on the Menelaos' launch," Murdoch murmured. "What's he still doin' here?"
"I don't know," Mu replied, shaking his head. "Maybe Falcon got through to him; or maybe he just didn't know what he'd do with himself as a civilian again. Who knows." He smiled slowly. "But you know, I'm glad he stuck around."
"Yeah..."
Inside the Strike, Kira began strapping himself in, and keyed a radio link with the Raptor. "Hey, Commander," he called. "You ready?"
Falcon's face appeared on the screen. "Kira? Just what in blazes are you doing here? I thought you left."
"Couldn't just leave you guys behind, could I?" Kira took a closer look, and noticed something behind his mentor. "Hey, isn't that...?"
"Yeah, it's me," Sophia confirmed, appearing on his other radio monitor. "Lieutenant DiFalco; but you can call me Sophia. No rank among combat pilots." She smiled. "Kestrel will do, too, if you prefer."
He blinked. "Kestrel? As in...?"
Falcon nodded. "That's right, amigo; my sister the ace. She apparently has hidden depths." Kira couldn't tell if the ace was being sarcastic; while it was sometimes possible to discern what emotion might be behind any given statement, Falcon was usually quite inscrutable.
"So," Sophia said, after an appropriate time of respectful silence, "you'll have a little more help out there, if -when- we launch."
Falcon nodded. "Yeah. What she said."
Kira shrugged. Okay... Thought they couldn't stand each other, but... "So what are we up against, exactly?" he said aloud.
"Two Laurasias -one of them the Gamow- and the Vesalius," Falcon answered. "Also, ten GINNs, Huckebein's DEEP Arms, and the four captured G-weapons. In other words, trouble. Fortunately, we have an entire fleet to keep them busy this time." Something in his eye flickered, concurrent with a flash on his display. "Correction: we had an entire fleet. We just lost another ship."
The younger pilot sighed. "We can't keep this up; the Fleet will be wiped out at this rate." He glanced at another monitor. "Lieutenant La Flaga?"
Mu nodded grimly. "Yeah, I know." He keyed his own link with the Bride. "Captain, the Eighth Fleet is getting slaughtered out there! We can't just sit by any longer, we have to do something."
Murrue shook her head. "I understand what you're saying, Lieutenant, but if we launch now, it will be very difficult to retrieve mobile weapons-"
"According to the manuals," Kira interrupted, "both the Strike and Raptor are capable of reentering the atmosphere on there own, so that's not a factor."
She stared at him. "Kira? Wha-? But... you left with the shuttle..."
"That's not important right now, Murrue," Sophia told her. "What matters is that they're right: we need to be out there, and these two machines can survive reentry if they have to. Come on, Murrue!"
Murrue hesitated, unable to decide what to do. "But..."
"Enough," Falcon cut in, losing patience. "As wing commander on this bucket of bolts, I hereby order launch of the Strike, Raptor, and Moebius Zero."
Her gaze snapped to him. "Commander DiFalco-!" she snapped, angered into formality.
"We can discuss it if we survive this battle," he said coldly. "Crewman Haw, get us set up for catapult launch."
"Uh, yes, Commander," Mir managed. "Strike to starboard catapult, Zero to port; Raptor, prepare to follow the Zero."
As the preparations got underway, Mu whistled to himself. "You know, Falcon," he said quietly, "you may have just bought yourself some trouble, you know."
"Tough," Falcon said succinctly. "If they're gonna recruit an ace pilot, the least they can do is listen to him; and technically, I do have the authority to issue that order."
"Besides," Sophia added, "I can maybe help cool down Murrue a bit; besides, she'll be spending some of her ire on me, too, since I didn't tell her about my... exploits."
Mu shrugged. "Your funeral."
Sorry, already had that, Falcon thought. Endymion was not pleasant.
Menelaos, Bridge
"Sir," a crewman called, "the Archangel is opening her flight decks!"
Halberton frowned. "Just what are they thinking?"
"Commander DiFalco's influence, perhaps?" Hoffman suggested. "If the Archangel's reentry is delayed, ZAFT might have a better chance-"
"I don't like what you're implying, Captain," the Admiral said coldly. "I may not approve of Falcon's actions here -and I agree this is probably his idea- but we'll have no more talk about him being a potential ZAFT agent. Falcon doesn't operate that way."
"Yes, sir," the captain acknowledged in a subdued tone. "Sorry, Admiral."
Halberton waved a hand. "Not your fault, Captain; it's a natural suspicion to have. But unlike you, I know Falcon, and he keeps his word." Though right now, I'm not sure if you've got your head on straight, old friend. The Eighth Fleet is doomed, you have to know that; why risk yourself trying to save us?
He knew the answer, of course. The shadows of Endymion always returned; those memories guaranteed Falcon would do everything in his power to try to prevent another massacre like that.
Archangel, Catapults
In the flight decks, three pilots and a gunner readied themselves for launch. "Here we go," Kira whispered to himself, gripping his controls a little tighter.
"Be careful," Mu advised. "Even I've never flown a sortie in a situation like this. What about you, Falcon?" he asked his brother.
Falcon shook his head. "Sorry, no. In fact, this might be a little tricky for me; I've never been in a battle where gravity is much of a factor."
"First time for everything."
"Strike," Mir called from the Bridge, "you're cleared to launch."
"Roger that." Kira took a deep breath. "Kira Yamato, launching!"
Even as Strike hurtled out into space, Mu hit the appropriate switches on his controls. "Stay cool, Falcon, and good luck," he called. "Hawk of Endymion, launching!"
Raptor quickly took the Zero's place. "Need any special gear this time out, Commander?" Murdoch asked.
To his surprise, it was Sophia who answered. "Affirm, Mr. Murdoch. I need a shoulder unit from the Launcher pack."
"Got it, Lieutenant."
While the unit was being fitted into place, Falcon glanced back at his sister. "Good idea," he commented. "This way you'll be able to target more than one enemy at a time."
"Actually, I was thinking more about being able to direct more firepower at a single target," she replied. "But that'll work, too."
"You're cleared to launch, Commander," Mir informed them. "Good luck."
"Roger that." Falcon slid his visor down. "Grimaldi Falcon and Victorian Kestrel; Raptor Gundam launching."
Earth Orbit
Commander Huckebein, the man once known as Victor Tempest, smiled to himself, eye cold behind his mask. "There you are, Falcon," he murmured. "You're coming out to play, huh? Well, it's time to settle our old score... once and for all."
He idly flexed his left hand, rubbing the last two fingers together. I remember our last duel, Commander; we hurt each other badly that day. This time... it'll be permanent.
Tempest wasn't the only one to notice the launch. Athrun and Dearka did, as well; Dearka being considerably more concerned. Athrun knew he could avoid Kira with fair ease in this battle... but if Dearka knew Falcon, they'd be coming into direct conflict, and soon.
Cheer up, Dearka, he told himself. Commander Huckebein's here, too; he should keep Falcon distracted for awhile. Maybe Falcon will even manage to kill him this time...
Huckebein the Raven was not well-liked among ZAFT.
"I'm reading a DEEP Arms," Sophia informed her pilot. "As well as the Buster. Got a target preference?"
"Tempest," Falcon replied without hesitation. "I won't fight Dearka if I can find a legitimate excuse. Fortunately, Victor happens to be a psychopath who needs to be eliminated anyway." Glancing briefly at the tactical data she fed him from her own displays, he angled the Raptor toward the new-model CGUE.
"You two hurt each other, didn't you?" Sophia asked softly.
"Yes," he replied, almost in a whisper. "In fact, I thought I killed him... now it's time to finish the job..."
Memories filled his head. The blade cut across Falcon's left eye, and the commander dropped back a pace, hand instinctively going to cover the wound. Tempest pressed the attack, but Falcon forced his muscles to obey; his left hand returned to the katana's hilt, and he parried the stroke.
"Now you leave me no choice, Victor," he hissed, using all his mental discipline to block the pain from his wounded face. "You'll die for this."
"I don't think so, Falcon." Tempest spun, using the rotation of his body to add power to his next strike; it was, however, his undoing, and nearly his death. His commander ducked to the side, and before he could recover, Falcon swept his blade up, cutting across Tempest's right eye, and dropping down to cut off the last two fingers of his left hand...
"I'll leave him to you, then," Sophia murmured. "I'm sure you'll want-"
"No," Falcon interrupted. "I want him dead, but I learned my lesson about personal vendettas in our last encounter. He has to die, but it doesn't have to be my hand that does it. If you see a shot, take it; just make sure he goes down hard."
"Got it, Falcon." Her brother's response had reassured her in some ways; she wasn't sure the perfect soldier Metzinger had sough would have shown such a reaction. From what she could tell, his ideal would have been a man who could -and would insist on- doing everything himself. Maybe there's hope yet...
"Remember," Falcon murmured, "our objective is to protect the Archangel; even ridding ourselves of Tempest is a lower priority."
"Understood." Yep, he sounds a little more human now; sure, some might put that down to his keeping the big picture in mind, but I think it's just that he's taken a liking to the ship... assuming, of course, that he's capable of taking a liking to anything.
"Hmm..." The pilot glanced at his radar display. "It appears we have the Duel closing, as well; no doubt in search of Kira, if I knew Yzak Joule. He won't take kindly to what our young friend did to him last time." He keyed his radio. "Kira, watch out; I think the Duel is looking for you."
"I see him," Kira replied. "I'll try and keep him busy."
"Good. Stay frosty, kid." Falcon switched frequencies. "Hello, Yzak. Out for blood?"
"Don't get in my way, DiFalco!" Yzak snapped back. "If you do, I'll..."
"Empty threat," the ace said calmly. "You're letting your anger get the better of you again, just as you did in training." He snapped off a quick shot, not really expecting it to connect.
It didn't. Even burdened with new equipment -Falcon identified it as a development of the assault shroud, a set of optional armor originally developed for GINNs- Duel was able to dodge to one side... which just happened to take it past Raptor and toward Strike.
"Bastard!" Yzak hissed as he passed.
"In the technical sense, you're correct," Falcon replied coolly. "My father was a test tube, my mother a mechanical egg. But that is neither here nor there. I think you should remember your last encounter with the Strike, Yzak, and consider the fact that this time, you may not escape with your life."
"Shut up!"
Suddenly, another voice broke into the transmission. "Why are you wasting time on that impetuous kid, Falcon?" Huckebein demanded. "It's me you want, isn't it?"
"As a matter of fact, I'd like your head on a pole," Falcon said, eye narrowed. "Failing that, I'll settle for turning you to space dust. However, your comment puzzles me: why should you call Yzak Joule a kid, when he is in fact slightly older than you are?"
"He doesn't have my battle experience," Tempest said dismissively. "Which is another reason you should fight me: wouldn't he be too easy for you? Don't you want a challenge, like in the old days, facing Mu La Flaga's Moebius Zero corps?"
"I'm not looking for a challenge, Victor; as you continue to forget -or ignore- my mission is nothing more and nothing less than the defense of the PLANTs. I don't choose my targets on the basis of how good they are." Raptor's targeting scope extended and came out before Falcon's eye. "You'll be disappointed, I'm sure, to learn that I want to kill you not for revenge, but because you are a threat to what I'm trying to achieve. Nothing more, and nothing less."
"Falcon..." Sophia said softly.
"I know. Enough talk; fire at will."
It was the command she had been waiting for; her own targeting scope slid into place, and she twitched the angle on the -slightly- mobile cannons mounted on the Aile pack. Try this on for size, Raven!
Huckebein, of course, had been expecting the attack, and dropped below the attack; his newly-repaired DEEP Arms was more than up to the task. "That the best you can do?" he mocked, drawing his -replacement- laser sword. "I'm out for blood, Falcon, and if you aren't you're just going to die here."
"It's not my time, Victor." Falcon deployed his Death Blossoms, using his targeting scope and his own innate sense of spatial awareness to direct them toward their targets. "Not while GENESIS still poses a threat to the world; and if I have to go through you, Dearka, and every other man in ZAFT to stop it... I won't hesitate."
"Pretty words," Huckebein sneered. "Can you back them up?"
The beam rifle went down to the hardpoint on Raptor's right leg, and frozen fire ignited from its hand as it drew Falcon's preferred weapon: the beam saber. "Do you honestly believe that the apprentice can ever defeat the master?" he asked softly.
"I surpassed the master long ago, 'Commander'," his former pupil replied. "Care to tango?"
You're being very chatty, Mr. Raven, Sophia thought, frowning. Why...? Oh, sh- Looking up from her targeting systems, she called out a warning. "Falcon, two of the GINNs are-!"
The Death Blossoms spiraled out as though controlled by Falcon's very thoughts; swirling around to target two different machines from four different angles. "Rest in peace," he whispered, and fired.
Huckebein made a sound of disgust, watching the GINNs fall away, gun hands and heads gone. "I don't know what disgusts me more, Falcon," he said, shaking his head. "Their incompetent attempts at sneaking up on you, or your insistence on leaving your enemies alive."
"Are they my enemies?" Falcon shook his own head. "I don't think they are, Victor. They're just dupes, buying Patrick's words hook, line, and sinker. You, on the other hand, are simply a psychopath... who happens to be in my way. That makes you my enemy."
"You know, you're as friendly as always, Falcon," Huckebein muttered. "Enough; now die!"
Two blades of pure energy clashed; Raven and Falcon went for each other's throats once again.
Kira, forewarned by Falcon, was not surprised to see the Duel coming straight at him. Its appearance, on the other hand, gave him pause. "It's been upgraded," he whispered, seeing the extra armor, railgun, and missile pod. "This could be bad..."
"There you are, you coward," Yzak said with a savage smile. "I've been waiting for you, Strike; it's about time you finally showed yourself. This time, you're going down!"
There was no further preamble; this time, both pilots were out for blood, and they instantly exchanged shots, darts of green death arcing across space toward each other, to be blocked or dodged by the dueling pilots.
Kira cursed, ducked a railgun shot, and boosted around to the far side of a wrecked Drake-class, using it for a moment's cover. This guy's nuts, he thought, catching his breath. Falcon's right; his temper is his weakness. Exactly how he was going to exploit that weakness, he wasn't sure.
Yzak smirked. "You think that'll help you, Strike? Think again!" He triggered a barrage of missiles, annihilating the wreckage and leaving the Strike exposed once again. "You're not getting away that easy!"
The rifle isn't going to do much good, Kira thought to himself. We both have shields, and we know how to use them. I'll have a better chance with the saber. Acting on that decision, he set aside his rifle, and drew one of his close-combat weapons. "I won't be defeated here!"
"Two can play at that game," Yzak muttered. He put away his own long-arm, and ignited a saber. "You're dead, Strike!"
I won't let you! Strike's saber swung down, to be parried by Duel's weapon. "Just get out of the way, Duel!" Kira shouted, lashing out again and again.
Kira's sheer skill was matched by Yzak's one advantage: experience. Having actually been trained mobile suit combat -in part by Falcon- he was -barely- able to keep up with the flurry of strikes. "A Natural can't hope to defeat me!"
Just a few more minutes... Kira thought, deflecting another of the Duel's powerful blows. Then Archangel will be out of their range, and we can relax...
He spared a moment's attention for another duel taking place in that crowded section of orbit, between a machine remarkably similar to his own, and a ZAFT machine that might actually stand a chance against a Gundam. Be careful, Falcon; you and I are the Archangel's best hope...
"You know, Falcon," Sophia said through gritted teeth, firing a shot from Raptor's shoulder-mounted Gatling, "I could really get to hate this guy. I can't get a clear shot!"
"Patience; Victor isn't infallible. Besides, the pupil cannot hope to outshine the master." Falcon's voice was completely calm, as if he did this every day; but his sister wasn't buying it.
He may be used to being outnumbered, she thought, what with Endymion and Jachin Due, but he can't be used to facing this many mobile suits at once!
Not that it appeared to matter. Every so often, another of the ZAFT GINNs would come to interfere with the clash between G-weapon and CGUE, but each time, Falcon used the Death Blossoms to disable or drive them off, without ever appearing to divert any attention at all from Tempest's CGUE.
Now, uttering his trademark hunting call, Falcon swept his blade of scarlet fire around in a figure eight pattern, which Huckebein was hard-pressed to counter.
Counter it he did, though. "You're more of a challenge than I thought, Commander," Huckebein grunted. "But it's only a matter of time."
"One difference between us, Victor," Falcon replied. "In that time, you need to win this fight; I just have to keep from losing it too soon."
"Is that a fact?" This time, the words came not from Tempest, but from another pilot, who attempted to bring his GINN's sword down on Raptor's head. "Die, traitor!"
Falcon didn't miss a beat. He reversed thrust, shoving Raptor backwards and thus forcing the GINN to overshoot; and, not content with letting him go free, he fired the Panzer Eisen, grabbing hold of the interloper. "Leave, before you perish," he told the unlucky pilot, and threw him at the CGUE... just as Huckebein was slashing down with his sword.
The resurrected pilot snarled as his blade, instead of cleaving his former commander in half as intended, cut through the GINN, just barely missing the cockpit. "You always were clever, Falcon," he granted. "I should have known you wouldn't risk yourself in a fair fight!"
"There's no such thing as a fair fight."
"Lesson Thirty-four, right?" Huckebein snorted. "The one who fights fair is the one who dies?"
"Exactly." I don't have time for this, Falcon thought, watching the numbers count down on his time display. "Sophia," he called over his shoulder, muting the radio, "when I give the signal, fire the cannons."
As targeting and maneuvering information scrolled onto her screen, Sophia smiled and nodded. "Got it, Falcon; ready when you are."
Huckebein, taking Raptor's momentary inaction for indecision, attacked, swinging his laser sword while simultaneously raising his shoulder-mounted cannons to firing position. "Game over, Falcon!" he shouted... just as Raptor finally moved.
Its left hand swept up to take hold of and ignite its other blade, while the machine's verniers kicked it sideways. Coming around in a circle behind the CGUE, Raptor's right-hand blade sliced down, through its legs, while the left arced up through the DEEP Arms' weapon hand.
Even as Falcon's blows dismembered Tempest's machine, Sophia acted, without waiting for the signal, triggered the energy cannons on Raptor's back. Their streams of concentrated energy tore through Huckebein's cannons, leaving the machine weaponless... and Falcon wasn't quite done yet.
The Death Blossoms spiraled in, their arcing blasts of green death impacting on the CGUE's left arm, right shoulder, head, and lower torso, blasting it into a hulk, while Huckebein shouted in fury. "Falcon!"
To make his rage complete, Raptor turned and boosted away, as though he were no longer of any consequence; no longer worthy of being shot at.
"You sure you don't want to finish him off?" Sophia asked quietly.
Falcon slowly shook his head. "In the long run, it might be better; but I don't want to take the time here. It's enough that's he's disabled, for now." He let out a slow, shuddering breath. "We may survive this yet. By the way, what's the status of the Menelaos?"
Sophia frowned, checking her displays. "It doesn't look good," she said after a moment. "They launched the shuttle with the refugees a few minutes ago; now- Holy! Falcon, the Gamow's-!"
His gaze snapped up, and his went narrow as he saw the Laurasia-class force its way into the heart of the Eighth Fleet's formation. "Zelman, you idiot..." he whispered. "You know your ship will never make it..."
Vesalius, Bridge
"What's the Gamow doing, Ades?" Le Creuset demanded. "He's going well beyond what my orders stated."
"I see it, Commander." Frowning, Ades opened a channel to the Gamow. "Zelman, just what do you think you're doing? You're going too far into the enemy formation!"
"I don't care!" Zelman replied angrily. "I know we'll never make it; but Halberton was the one who started the G-weapon project. If we can rid the world of him, the PLANTs will be better off; so that's exactly what we're going to do!"
His image winked out, and Le Creuset sighed. "Zelman's a brave man... Pity it's getting him killed." He shook his head. "What's the status of the legged ship?"
"Undamaged, Commander," Ades told him. "I think it's going to get away, sir."
"Yes, I suspect you're right. And so, unfortunately, is Commander DiFalco..."
Yes, Le Creuset thought, even if he has to go through atmospheric reentry in that mobile suit, Falcon will survive. If Endymion couldn't get him, nothing will...
Earth Orbit
It was a day for heroes... and unexpected happenings.
The Gamow plunged in toward the Menelaos, guns blazing, taking even more damage than it was dishing out. Atmosphere bled into space through the numerous hull breaches, but still Zelman drove on, determined to destroy Lewis Halberton, even if he had to ram his ship in the Earth Forces vessel himself.
Mu, who had, heretofore, been engaged in a fruitless battle with the Buster, now turned to look at the engagement between the two capital ships. "No..." he whispered. "I won't let you!" The thought of allowing such a thing to happen now, when Halberton's fleet had given so much already, was just too much... and something happened.
A blue seed burst behind the Hawk of Endymion's eyes.
Dearka's eyes went wide when the Moebius Zero suddenly swung around in a maneuver he wouldn't have thought it capable of, while at the same time deploying its wired gunbarrels for one final attack on his Buster. They couldn't do any harm to the machine itself... but they could -and did- blow away both his guns and his open missile pods.
"What the...?" he whispered, watching the mobile armor soar away toward the Gamow. "How did he...?" He was so astonished it didn't occur to him to be irritated that, once again, he'd been completely disarmed.
"Not a chance!" Mu shouted, his gunbarrels spiraling out to engage the Laurasia, his linear gun spitting shot after shot at the ZAFT vessel.
Kilometers away, Sophia watched the Hawk's actions in awe. "Falcon," she whispered, "that's incredible... How is he doing that?"
"I think you know as well as I," Falcon replied quietly, though he was pretty impressed himself. He, like Kira, is a bearer of the SEED... "However," he went on, "even with those skills, a Zero cannot by itself defeat a Laurasia-class. Mu's attack is valiant... but in vain."
Even as he spoke, Mu cursed to himself, and broke off his attack. He'd have continued, but he was not unaware of the time constraints, and expected a recall order from the Archangel at any moment. "You'll pay for this," he whispered. "I won't let you get away with it..."
Archangel, Bridge
"No, Admiral," Murrue whispered, not even realizing she was speaking aloud. "No, not like this is, it can't end like this..."
On the screen, Menelaos' furious defense finally succeeded in tearing Gamow apart, but it was too late for the gallant ship. Where enemy fire had failed, the intense heat and stress of atmospheric reentry succeeded. The Agamemnon-class flagship of the Earth Alliance Forces Eighth Fleet came apart a mere twenty seconds after her killer, spewing debris everywhere.
Admiral... Murrue thought, saluting as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Natarle likewise saluted the departed Admiral Halberton. If only we'd launched our units sooner, she thought, berating herself. I should have thought of it even before Commander DiFalco did... but we were all too late.
"Two minutes to atmospheric reentry!" Neumann called out. "We're almost at Phase Three!"
Mir didn't wait for orders; she already knew what they would be. "All units, return to the ship at once! Repeat, Raptor, Strike, Zero, return to the Archangel immediately! We're beginning reentry in under two minutes!"
Earth Orbit
Mu cursed again. "Blast! That's as long as I can stay out here..." He spun his Zero on its axis and shot back toward the Archangel, feeling bitter at his failure... and puzzled by the strange change that his mental processes had undergone.
"Falcon...?" Sophia questioned, noticing her brother made no move to return to the ship. "Shouldn't we be...?"
Falcon shook his head. "No time. By the time we get back to Archangel, she'll already have released the ablative gel; there won't be time for us to get aboard. Same for Kira, I suspect."
"So now what?" She swallowed nervously, recalling the number of inventions that had worked so well in the lab, only to fail when it counted in the field. "Can Raptor really...?"
"One way to find out." He angled the mobile suit down toward Archangel's reentry vector, presenting the narrowest possible profile in order to reduce drag, and thus friction. "The bad news," he said calmly, "is that I've never attempted atmospheric reentry before, let alone in a mobile suit."
"Is there any good news?" Sophia demanded.
"Yes." Falcon glanced over his shoulder. "I'm pretty sure I can pull us out of this dive before we become a pile of squished debris and guts on the ground."
She swallowed again. "That's comforting."
Kira turned his head to see the Archangel's outer hull begin to gleam as the ablative gel discharged to cover it; his feelings on the matter were mixed.
At least they're safe, part of him thought, relieved.The other part, on the other hand, was much more cynical. Of course, now I'm gonna have to see if the specs are right about reentry... after I get the Duel to go away.
Despite the fact that he, too, was now committed to reentry, Yzak refused to break off his attack. If anything, the implacable grip of gravity made him even angry. "This is all your fault, Strike!" he shouted. "First you humiliate me, scar me, and now you force me to land on a planet full of Naturals!"
Their blades of frozen scarlet fire clashed once again, but this time Kira was in no mood to let the confrontation continue. "Just back off!" he shouted, and, after using his shield to repel Duel's weapon, body-slammed the ZAFT machine. "I don't have time for you!" He followed up with a kick to the head, and used the equal -and opposite- reaction to give himself added momentum away from the persistent nuisance.
Yzak snarled in rage in frustration as the Strike flew away from him; but he wasn't out of options yet. "You're finished!" he said through gritted teeth, and resorted to his beam rifle one more time. His targeting scanner extended before his eyes, and he waited patiently for the targeting circles to join together in a perfect lock.
"Oh, no," Kira whispered; he was not overly concerned, given the distance, but he wished the Duel's pilot would just admit defeat and leave him alone. "Why do you keep fighting...?" He waited for the green darts of death to arc across the ever-thickening atmosphere toward him, preparing to block... and things got suddenly, immeasurably worse.
The shuttle from the Menelaos, the one with the refugees Kira had fought so hard and long to protect, got between Yzak Joule and his target.
Instantly, Kira boosted toward it, trying to get out from its shadow before the Duel fired. No! It can't happen! Not like this...
Yzak saw the shuttle, indeed; but he couldn't care less. Must be some Natural soldiers turning coward and running away, he thought contemptuously. Well, that shuttle isn't enough of an obstacle to stop the beam from reaching the Strike.
He pulled the trigger.
Kira's eyes went wide and horrified as the blast engulfed the ship of fleeing civilians, just before he could get clear. He got far enough to avoid being hit himself... but to the refugees, it was meaningless. "Nooooo!" he cried in anguish, and fell toward Earth...
Author's note: Halberton's Eighth Fleet is gone, and Archangel has begun her descent to Earth. Meanwhile, Sophia has revealed a startling secret; how will this affect her interaction with her brother?
So now it begins; I've already made on substantive change here, as you've doubtless noted. In the series, after all, Mu was not a bearer of the SEED. This will hardly be the last change that I make; I daresay this will diverge more than Brothers in Arms did.
Infinite Freedom, I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "the same thing Kevin did"; I can't think of any specific incident in Chapter 9 of Brothers in Arms that might pertain to this, unless you mean him keeping one of the enemy machines busy.
Falcon will get the Preybird a little before Kira arrives on the scene with the Freedom, though they'll be deployed at approximately the same time; beyond that, I can't give any specifics without spoiling a couple of scenes I'm looking forward to.
Thanks for the suggestion regarding the twin satellite cannon, by the way; by modifying the design slightly -to accommodate Preybird's wings- and swapping out the plasma cannons, I think it would work quite nicely. In fact, it's given me several other ideas for various battles… such as the Second Battle of Jachin Due. I leave it to you to draw your own conclusions from there.
Finally, as for your speculation about Falcon's pairing… do you really expect me to say one way or the other at this point? It would be very unlike me to give any details before the proper moment.
Ninofchaos, let's just say that Flay's manipulation of Kira won't be quite as effective this time around…
Ominae, glad you liked that twist; imagine the latest one -regarding Sophia- was just as much of a surprise.
Now, when it comes to Falcon's appearance -and his eye- the Archangel's crew will learn the truth at the proper time; I have, as usual, quite the elaborate sequence planned. More than one, in fact.
Warp Ligia Obscura, the reason for Kevin's scream in Chapter 21 is simple: can you imagine what the Zero System must have been doing to his mind when it malfunctioned? I know I wouldn't want to go through that.
Actually, you wouldn't be spoiling anything Mu; while I haven't seen any of Destiny yet, I have been keeping a close eye on it; mostly so that I know beforehand who dies, so I can watch the series without constantly wondering about that. So yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about… and, as usual, I have plans of my own involving it for A Call to Arms.
Don't rule out the notion of a Solidus just yet; I haven't gotten all the details down yet, but Kevin's past will be in the spotlight once again in A Call to Arms; in some ways even more than in his first story. His origins with the Ultimate Coordinator Project, his involvement in Project ABADDON (yes, that is the correct spelling; I only recently learned myself that I'd gotten it wrong originally) and even, to a certain extent, the Serpent Head Project that produced Jack Carter and most of the other clones.
Anyway, I hope the story continues to satisfy you; and, as I said, there are more twists to come…
NukeDawg, Falcon's a little subtler than Kevin; he generally doesn't resort to death threats. Besides, he's confident enough in his piloting skill that, while he'd appreciate Kira's assistance, he wouldn't be absolutely relying on it, the way Kevin might (given that at that point in Brothers in Arms, Kevin is still having problems with his piloting).
I will, as always, be looking forward to your next update; though I think I've guessed the identities of the pilot of this new machine, I haven't the slightest notion how "she" came to exist in the first place. No doubt the explanation will be… interesting.
ZGMF X-19A Infinite Justice, mow you know how the battle went; I hope you liked it. Obviously, from here on out Sophia will be playing a larger role in battles, so they'll be just a little different from what you might be used to…
Shinji Ikari, good to hear from you; the notes have been a bit boring of late, comparatively. Now, as to your remarks: it's a good point, but I think you should take it up with the series' writers, instead. Now, I honestly don't remember exactly what the contact reports said -I'll have to check; been meaning to since I got your review, but I haven't gotten around to it yet- but there are a couple of points I can make. First of all, given that Le Creuset's attack on the Eighth Fleet was a target of a opportunity, I don't really think he could bring in more forces in such a short time. More importantly, however, is this: if you look -and have access to the DVDs- you'll notice that all the shots of more than three ships are stock footage from the very first prologue, back in Phase 1; all the close-ups, on the other hand, show only those three ships. This kind of error actually isn't that uncommon in SEED; they use stock footage all the time, so I suppose they didn't realize they should have edited out the extra ships. Besides those reused shots, I've seen no indication that more than three ships are involved. Besides, you've seen what even GINNs are capable of; with fourteen mobile suits for support, four of them G-weapons, I can easily see them taking out the Fleet like that. That is, after all, why Halberton proposed the G-weapon project in the first place: the Earth Forces were getting slaughtered. In my mind, the Eighth Fleet battle is just one more example.
Anyway, I hope that clears things up; and if you see any other places where you think I've made errors let me know; even I'll admit that I'm not always right, after all. (Like a certain case of Lacus being out of character in Brothers in Arms, for example; oops.)
Rau Le Creuset 88, thanks for reviewing; I hope the story continues to please. (And if you like the Raptor and its Death Blossoms, I imagine you'll approve of the Preybird, when it finally makes its appearance.)
Centurious, glad to see you're still reading and enjoying; I'll try to have the next chapter up before too long. No choice, really, given that within just three or four months, I'll have to direct my energies back at Kevin Walker's saga.
Whew; another hour spent on author's notes. I forgot that the more popular a story gets, the more time I spend on these things… Oh, well, at least it tends to be interesting. -Solid Shark