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

Archangel, Bridge, March 23rd, C.E. 71

Alarms rang throughout the Archangel, summoning the crew to battlestations, as four mobile suits approached the so-called "legged ship".

Murrue gritted her teeth, tense. They were close to Orb Union territory now, so no one aboard, not even the ever-scheming Ken DiFalco, had thought that ZAFT would attack them. If they strayed across the border, Orb would hit them with overwhelming force, and the ZAFT commander had to know it. Phase-shift or no, even G-weapons could be swamped with enough firepower.

And it was G-weapons that they were facing. The Aegis, Blitz, Buster, and Duel were coming straight for the ship, riding Guul subflight units. That mean Archangel was in for a fight; but at least both of their mobile suits were fully operational now, along with the pair of Skygraspers. It didn't hurt that the Aile Striker had finally been repaired, so now their entire mobile weapon complement was flight-capable again.

"Raptor and Strike report ready for launch, Ma'am," Mir called from CIC. "Commanders La Flaga and DiFalco are prepared to follow them out."

"Understood. Tell them to launch immediately."

"Yes, Ma'am." She turned back to her console. "Kira, Falcon, launch your machines at once."

"Roger that," Kira replied, and hit the launch controls; his X105 Strike went flying out of the catapult at high speed, propelling him out onto the battlefield.

"Grimaldi Falcon here," the other pilot said, saluting; behind him, in her accustomed position, was Cagalli. "Raptor, heading out."

"Set Igelstellungs to point-defense mode," Natarle ordered. "Ready the Valiants and Gottfrieds, and load all missile tubes." She set her jaw. "This time, try to take them out."

Near Orb Union Border

"There is one good thing about this situation," Ken remarked almost idly. "This time, we're not dealing with submarines."

"Yeah," Cagalli agreed fervently. "If I never meet another underwater mobile suit again, it'll be too soon." She frowned abruptly. "By the way, did you ever figure out what blew up that last Vosgulov?"

"Not with any certainty," he replied evasively; actually, he had a pretty good idea of what had done it, but he wasn't about to admit that he had allies in the area. They might be able to help in this situation, but then again they might not, and he didn't want to engender false hope. "Anyway, I don't think we need mysterious deus ex machina types to bail us out today."

"You hope," she muttered. "Hey, Kira!" she called. "You ready for this?"

"As ready as I ever am," Kira replied. "We have to stop them, don't we?"

"Yeah; we're all that stands between Archangel and this ZAFT team." Cagalli bit her lip. "Kira... we might be able to get some assistance here, in a little bit."

On her screen, Kira nodded. "I know. But I wouldn't count on it; there's too much at stake to trust in something like that."

"Yeah..."

Ken shot her a suspicious glance. What on earth are they talking about? He might have been less confused were it not for the fact the he was used to being the one who dropped cryptic hints and plotted hidden schemes. Forget it; there are more important matters at hand. He keyed his radio, setting it for a ZAFT frequency.

In the Buster, Dearka winced, hearing the distinctive hunting call. "I figured you'd be out here, Falcon," he said quietly. "Are you willing to give up?"

"And let you and your friends take out Archangel?" Ken shook his head. "Never, amigo. This is far, far more important than you know."

Dearka swallowed; but it was a familiar pain by now. "Then let's go, Falcon; and hope that we're still good enough to fight each other to a stalemate."

"Indeed. One question, though: is Huckebein out here?"

He snorted a brief laugh. "Him? No way; you took out his last machine pretty thoroughly, Falcon. Right now, I hear he's still badgering Command about giving him another prototype. So no, all you have to worry about is us."

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not," Ken murmured to his partner. When a shot from the Buster struck his shield, he winced. "Correction: I know that's not a good thing." Raising his beam rifle, he returned fire; this wouldn't be a battle for melee combat.

Only three of the ZAFT machines were directly involved in the attack; serving as field commander for this battle, Athrun kept his Aegis circling, giving him a good view of the battle, while Nicol's Blitz attacked the Archangel, Dearka's Buster dueled with the Raptor... and Yzak's Duel went straight for the Strike.

That'll get him killed one of these days, Athrun thought tensely. Kira's already a better pilot; I can see that now. If Yzak doesn't stop his reckless attacks, it'll be all over for him...

He noticed that, unlike the Strike, the Grimaldi Falcon's machine was still going for disarming attacks, and he felt a twinge of relief. Whatever happened, Dearka would probably be safe enough; according to ELINT, DiFalco was the Archangel's wing commander, which meant he likely had standing orders to leave the Buster to him.

On the other hand, his contempt for one Yzak Joule was legendary; it was unlikely Kira was operating under any such restrictions against the Duel.

As for Blitz... the Archangel had more than sufficient firepower to blow Nicol to dust if he wasn't careful, and whoever the ship's combat commander was, he or she was almost as devious as the Grimaldi Falcon himself.

"Careful, Yzak," Athrun warned, seeing the Duel swoop in on the Strike. "Don't be reckless!"

"Shut up, you coward!" Yzak snapped back, not bothering to hide his resentment. "I don't need someone like you to tell me how to fight!"

That's exactly what I'm afraid of, Yzak.

Archangel, Bridge/Near Orb Border

The ship rocked from another hit, and Natarle cursed. "Order our machines to concentrate their fire on the Guuls," she snapped. "Understood?"

Actually, Mir didn't. "Uh, Ma'am," she said hesitantly, "the 'Guuls'?"

"The subflight units the enemies are using to fly," Tonomura quickly informed her. "Take them out, and they'll drop from the sky."

"Uh, right." She activated her radio. "Falcon, Lieutenant Badgiruel says-"

"I heard," Ken said dryly. "And I know; I used to be with ZAFT myself, remember? Tell the good Lieutenant I don't need someone micro-managing my movements, will you?"

Natarle -fortunately for Mir- heard the remark; and, though she grimaced, she didn't reply. Rule One: Never irritate superior officers, especially when they really do know their jobs better than you do.

Outside, while Raptor and Buster exchanged shots, Kira decided it was time to take the fight to the Duel. Lifting off from his position on the Archangel's forward deck, he drew a beam saber and angled straight for the enemy machine.

Yzak smiled, drawing his own blade of frozen fire. "That's more like it, Strike," he whispered. "Come on; I can't wait to kill you, for what you did to me." He'd sworn vengeance for his scar, and extract vengeance from the Strike he would.

The two machines clashed sabers midair, before the Strike used its superior mobility to dash back and around behind the Duel. That's their weakness here, Kira thought, raising his blade. They can't maneuver very well on those Guuls...

Yzak cursed harshly. That last attack had cut off his railgun, and now the coward was running away! He switched back to his rifle, and fired impotently at the Strike, which was now landing back on the Archangel's deck. "You bastard!"

Lower down, Nicol swooped down on the Archangel, readying his lancer darts. "Now I've got you," he whispered, and aimed carefully.

"The Blitz is incoming!" Sai warned. "And Buster is-"

Explosions cut him off, and Natarle clenched her fists. That kinetic-penetrator attack had just blown away the starboard Valiant... and now the Buster had apparently decided it was better to ignore Raptor and take potshots at the ship's engines.

"Captain, we're nearing Orb territory," Neumann called. "Three minutes to the border."

Murrue scowled. "Adjust our course," she ordered grimly. "Skirt the edges, but do not allow Archangel to cross the border."

Tolle spun in his chair. "But, Captain! Why?"

"This is an Earth Forces vessel, Crewman Koenig," she replied, eyes on the battle. "Orb does not permit warships from either side to enter their territory; if we cross the border, they will open fire." She closed her eye for a moment. "They guard their neutrality well."

"But," Mir protested, "won't they understand our situation?"

"Don't count on it," Ken told her over the radio. "And frankly, after Heliopolis, I wouldn't blame them."

"Number Three engine's been hit," Sai reported. "We're down five Igelstellungs; levitators taking damage." We can't take much more of this...

Ken cursed, firing another shot at the Buster. "Come on, Dearka!" he shouted, self-control cracked by the situation. "If you don't stop shooting at my ship, I'll have no choice but to bring you down myself."

Dearka, who had decided the best way to capture his old friend was to shoot down Archangel (and thus force Raptor to run out of power) grunted. "If you were going to do that, Falcon, you'd have done it already. If this is the only way I can make you see reason, then so be it."

"I won't allow it!" Unexpectedly, the Strike leapt from the Archangel's deck, and came straight at the Buster, rifle spitting emerald death. "Just back off!"

Behind him, Yzak grinned. "Thank you, Strike," he whispered. "You just gave me a perfect shot..." He lined up on Strike's exposed back...

And suddenly, completely unexpectedly, something shot straight up out of the water, interposing itself between Duel and Strike, catching Yzak's shot on some kind of glowing shield on its left arm.

Firing stopped on both sides for a moment in sheer shock. "What is that?" Murrue demanded.

Sai shook his head, over and over. "Not in the catalogue, Ma'am." He was just as confused as any by the apparition that now hung to the ship's starboard.

Mu and Sophia swooped past it, and both got good looks at the strange machine. It seemed to have the main body of the Strike, but with a crimson torso and slate-gray limbs, folded weapons of some sort on the hips, and tapering shoulders that ended in gaping holes. On its back were ten wings, glossy black, spread wide; between them was a pair of spaces where another weapon was evidently supposed to go. There were beam sabers mounted on the hips, some kind of energy shield on its left arm, and a beam rifle in either hand.

"What is that thing?" Mu demanded, circling.

"I don't know," Sophia replied. "I've never seen anything like it; but I don't think it's complete..."

"Do you know what that is?" Cagalli demanded of her partner.

"I'm not sure," Ken replied, as startled as anyone by the machine's appearance; though for a different reason. "Whatever it is, though, it doesn't seem to be an enemy..."

"Is that one of ours?" Yzak demanded. "I don't know it!"

In the strange machine's peculiar cockpit, lying in the reclining pilot's couch, the pilot smiled to herself. Yzak Joule, is it? Well, time to show you the answer to your question...

The machine's beam rifles snapped up to firing position, and Yzak cried out in surprise and fury when they fired, blowing off both his arms. Then, before he could even react, the rifles dropped, snapped onto hard points on the outboard weapons, and the machine drew the pair of beam sabers... and moved.

Even incomplete, it was obviously more than a match for even a G-weapon. It flashed forward at speeds higher than the Strike could produce, slicing off the Duel's legs and destroying its Guul, before sweeping around at the Buster.

Dearka fired desperately at the mobile suit, even using his hyper-impulse rifle, but it shrugged off all attacks, either with Phase-shift armor or the small light-wave barrier on its arm. Before Buster could even hope to evade, the machine was on him, sabers flashing faster than a mobile suit should have been able to move. Arms, legs, head, and guns all fell toward the ocean, followed swiftly by the rest of the Buster. "No!"

Two down, the pilot thought to herself. Nicol... sorry, but you're next.

Nicol reacted on instinct, activating his Mirage Colloid in an attempt to hide himself from this new adversary, but his Guul gave away his position. The deadly apparition came at him, separated his legs from the rest of him, and let the Blitz drop into the ocean after its comrades.

Athrun stared in mingled shock and horror. If the Earth Forces have machines like that, he thought numbly, we might as well just surrender. What is it?

Now it was coming after him, and not with sabers. The beam rifles spat emerald darts, and Athrun's best efforts were useless against this demonic machine. His own rifle was blown away, followed swiftly by both arms and his head.

The resulting damage took down his Phase-shift, and the ZAFT pilot fully expected to be killed in the next moment; but instead, the mysterious enemy chose to back away and blast his legs off with the railguns.

What in the world just happened? Athrun thought in utter confusion, falling toward the ocean. That thing took us all down in thirty seconds...

The machine's pilot smiled. "The Zala team won't be a threat for awhile," she whispered. "Now... I have a message to deliver."

The crimson and gray unit swivelled around, hovering in the air, to face the Raptor; and its emerald optics began to blink on and off.

Ken frowned, confused, until he realized it was Morse code. Then he began to smile, reading the message; a message no one else seemed to recognize as such. That's good news, he thought to himself. That's very good news. The plan is getting closer to completion...

Message delivered, the interloper turned to the Archangel's Bridge, saluted with a beam saber, and dove back into the water from whence it had come.

Archangel, Bridge

"Does anyone know what just happened?"

Besides Murrue's plaintive comment, the Bridge was silent; no one had the slightest idea what had just occurred. Only a minute before, they'd been facing overwhelming odds; now, with the intervention of just a single, unknown mobile suit, they were in the clear.

"Levitators damaged!" Neumann suddenly called out. "Progressive failure from one of those hits is taking us down!"

Murrue's eyes snapped back to the forward viewport. "What's our course?" she demanded.

"Still toward the Orb border, Ma'am," Tolle replied, beginning to sweat from the tension. "We didn't have time to turn away..."

"There's no need," Cagalli snapped from Raptor's cockpit. "Continue on course!"

"Miss Cagalli," Murrue said tensely, "this is not the time-"

"Quiet," the girl insisted. "Just let me talk to the Orb fleet."

"What Orb fleet?" Sai started to ask, then blinked; there was a force of Orb Aegis ships directly ahead of the Archangel, aiming weapons.

"This is the Orb Second Escort Fleet," a harsh voice said. "You are hereby ordered to change course at once; we will not permit armed forced from either side to enter our territory. If you do not follow our instructions, we will have no choice but to open fire."

"This is infuriating," Cagalli fumed. "Attention, Orb fleet," she snapped. "I am hereby countermanding your orders; you will permit Archangel and all attached forces to cross the border."

Murrue's eyes snapped to her com display upon hearing those words; she noted absently that for once Ken seemed as startled as anyone else. "Miss Cagalli, just what are you-?"

"Who is speaking?" the Orb fleet commander demanded; oddly, he wasn't dismissing the peculiar demand out of hand.

"If you don't recognize me," Cagalli replied, clearly disgusted, "then call my father; Uzumi Nara Athha will vouch for my identity." She glared into the screen. "My name... is Cagalli Yula Athha. Now either obey my orders, or get confirmation from your superiors!"

Sai's eyes went wide. "But... isn't Athha...?"

Mir nodded, eyes similarly wide. "The leader of Orb..."

While the Orb commander turned away from the screen, clearly shocked, to confer with his subordinates, Ken twisted in his seat to face his partner. "What did you say your name was?" he demanded.

She smiled apologetically. "I guess I should have told you, Ken," she said quietly -Murrue twitched at hearing Falcon addressed by his true name for the first time, and suspected Sophia was feeling much the same way- and shrugged. "But I don't think Kisaka would have been very happy with me."

"I already knew," Kira put in, with a slight smile. "I think you just saved us, Cagalli."

Cagalli shook her head. "I may have just gotten the Archangel to safe harbor, yes," she conceded. "But it was that stranger that saved the ship."

Abruptly, the Orb fleet commander came on again. "Earth Forces vessel," he said curtly, "continue on your present course; do not deviate, or you may be hit by a stray shot."

"As if we could change course," Tolle muttered, as the Archangel's levitators finally gave out, dropping the ship into the waves. "We can't even stay in the air." Beside him, Neumann nodded agreement.

"What's going on?" Murrue demanded; but it was Kisaka, newly-arrived on the Bridge, who answered.

"They're going to fire on us," he said calmly. "With an off-set sufficient to cause a miss, but still make it look like an accident." he smiled. "We'll be just fine, Captain."

"I... understand..." she murmured, watching the Orb ships open fire; and, true to Kisaka's word, they missed. "So, what happens now?"

The big bodyguard shrugged. "That's up to Lord Uzumi; but I think I can safely say you can relax for awhile now. ZAFT forces won't be able to follow you across the border... even if they weren't already indisposed."

Natarle snorted at his understatement. "Was that machine one of yours?" she asked bluntly. "I know it wasn't one of ours, so..."

"It wasn't an Orb unit," Cagalli assured her. "I'm not as up-to-date on it as Kisaka, but I'd remember something like that. Besides, that thing had Phase-shift, and we haven't found a way to duplicate it yet."

"Then who was it?" Murrue wondered. "If it wasn't Orb, and it wasn't ZAFT, then...?" Mercenaries, perhaps? Or maybe the Junk Guild?

She didn't know the answer. She just knew that her ship had been saved, and now they were heading for safety... for now.

Hades, Hangar

Leanne Eldridge climbed out of the cockpit of ZGMF-X00A Preybird, pulled off her helmet, and grinned at the young soldier waiting for her. "That machine you built is incredible, Tom!"

Tom Delaney shrugged, though nonetheless pleased. "The Commander designed it; I just did the grunt work. Still, I'm glad it works." He smiled. "But if you thought it was good today, just wait until we give it nuclear power."

"Fantastic work out there, Leanne," Sparky Cooper rumbled. "Even better than I'd hoped; I just wish I could have done it myself."

"Yeah, well," the green-haired woman pointed out, "you wouldn't fit in the cockpit; even I had a little trouble, and I'm smaller than the Boss!"

"It was also designed specifically around his dimensions," Tom reminded her. "You'd have been better off in the gunner's seat; that's more of a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. By the way," he added, "how was the cockpit? I admit I was a little skeptical when the Boss first came up with it..."

"The reclining 'pilot's couch' works great," Leanne assured him. "Reminds me of an old F-16, twentieth-century vintage, that I once flew; you can take more Gs, and it's a lot more comfortable, especially on long flights. The muscles don't get so stiff. The 'cockpit pod' works well, too; it's kind of like being in a cocoon, with the inner module sealed just a few centimeters above you, and the visual data projected on the inner surface. Much better visibility than a conventional cockpit; and I'd have to agree that the conventional control sticks work better than the control bars used in the Earth Forces' new machines."

Sparky nodded. "That's good to hear. So, did you have any problems in actual combat?"

She snorted. "The hard part was not killing anybody; Preybird isn't designed for nonlethal combat. But I managed, and I don't think the Zala team will be bothering the Boss anytime soon."

"Very good." The huge commander nodded to himself. "We tried to retrieve Buster and Blitz, by the way; since Dearka is the Boss's best friend, and Nicol's your cousin. Unfortunately, Cousteau got to them first. On the plus side, I don't think they know we're out here." He turned to the engineer. "By the way, Tom, how long to complete Preybird?"

"Give me another three weeks, Sparky," Tom replied. "Just three weeks, and we can really see what this baby'll do. We're already constructing the N-jammer Canceler, and we've nearly got the weapons complete." He grinned. "The forging of the Gerbera Straight is going better than expected, too; it'll be finished around the time we finish installation of the twin satellite cannon."

"What's the progress on Freedom and Justice?" Leanne put in. "And do we have a pilot for either of them?"

"No, we don't; but construction is on schedule." The gray-haired Gray Demon smiled. "We may not have as much influence over Justice as we'd prefer right now -we're still involved in the design and construction, but we don't have the total penetration we'd like- but we can... appropriate Freedom at any time."

"Excellent, Tom." Sparky rubbed his chin; as always, his face was twitching, but after years of getting used to it, he ignored it easily. "I'm afraid I'll have to leave the operation in your hands for awhile," he said after a moment. "I need to get back to the PLANTs; remember, it's still my job to protect Miss Lacus. So for now, the two of you will have to keep an eye on things."

Tom tossed off a casual salute. "Got it, Sparky; I think we'll be okay. Archangel just reached Orb waters, so Patrick's people can't hurt them for now. We'll keep an eye out for trouble, though, and find some way to get Preybird to the Boss, once it's complete."

"Good."

Archangel, Aft Deck

Two mobile suits stood side by side in the open air, and at their feet stood two pilots and a gunner who had turned out to be a princess. All three were tired from the recent battle, but they were still more cheerful than they might have been.

"That battle should have been a disaster," Cagalli remarked. "With those four machines going after us all at once, we shouldn't have been able to make it; but when that stranger turned up..."

"We'd have made it," Kira disputed. "It would've been tough, but I think we could have done it ourselves. We just didn't have to."

"Yeah..." She turned to bestow a suspicious look on her partner. "You arranged that rescue, didn't you?" she accused. "That wasn't an Orb machine, and it wasn't Earth Forces or ZAFT, so..."

Ken wearily sank to a sitting position. "Actually," he said slowly, "I didn't." At her disbelieving snort, he went on, "I was just as surprised as you by its appearance. However..." He smiled slowly.

"'However' what, Falcon?" Kira demanded. "You do know something, don't you?"

"First of all, Kira," the ace said quietly, "you can call me Ken; I don't slice people up just for using my real name. But to answer your question..." He nodded slowly. "That was one of my people, flying a mobile suit I designed; and apparently, it's even better than I'd hoped." He looked up. "I'd appreciate it if neither of you mentions that to anyone, even on the Archangel; it's too easy for a slip of the tongue to betray confidences, and in this case it would cost people lives."

They both nodded; though Cagalli hesitated a moment. "What about my father?"

Ken considered that. "Him you can tell," he said at last. "Lord Uzumi already knows a certain amount of I'm planning, so this won't come as a surprise to him."

Maybe that knowledge wouldn't; but the statement did come as a surprise to her. "You know my father?"

"Kind of; we've never met in person, but we... discussed some things over secure radio, when I was on my way to Heliopolis."

Kira gave him a knowing look. "And let me guess: you're not going to tell us exactly what you two discussed."

"As a matter of fact... no."

The ace's companions snorted in unison; their Machiavellian friend could teach Russians a thing or two about paranoia, especially where his benighted plans were concerned. Doubtless Ken's people had a ship of some kind fairly close by; but if that were so, they knew he'd never admit it.

"We're nearing Onogoro," Cagalli said after a time, noting the distinctive island features around them. "Morgenroete has a to-secret facility there; I'm sure that's where Archangel will be docked for the duration of the repairs." She glanced at her partner. "You've heard the damage reports; how long do you think it'll take to fix?"

He considered that. "Well, without examining the damage myself, I can't be certain. But, from all reports, I'd estimate three weeks, give or take. Then we'll be back on our way to Alaska: a place of bright sunshine, long nights... and enough cold to make a polar bear want to move someplace warmer."

She shook her head. "So says the man who hates planets, and got us lost because of it." That earned her a pained look, but he didn't deny it.

Soon the Archangel was sliding through a massive, concealed hatch in the island's rocky cliffs, and Kira turned to Cagalli. "So," he asked quietly, "will you be leaving again with the Archangel?"

She suddenly appeared uncertain. "I... don't know," she said slowly. "I'd like to... but my father might have other ideas, this time. You are heading for JOSHUA Base, after all."

He nodded thoughtfully, but said no more; though Ken thought he detected a trace of... what? he wasn't sure... in his protégé's expression.

Archangel, Bridge

Later, Ken stepped onto the Bridge, much refreshed -plugging a power pack into his chestplate had worked wonders for his heart and lungs- and moved to his accustomed position at the bow. "So," he said calmly. "What happens now, Colonel Kisaka?"

Mu and Murrue glanced at him. "You knew who he was, the whole time?" the Hawk demanded.

"I knew," the ace acknowledged. "I couldn't figure out what he was doing in the Libyan desert, but I knew who he was; and with the revelation of Cagalli's identity, I guess that explains the rest of it." He looked over at the big Orb officer. "So, Colonel. What does happen now?"

"I'll be taking you to Lord Uzumi Nara Athha," Kisaka replied. "I'm afraid Archangel's entry into our territory has caused quite the stir."

"Well, excuse us," Sophia said sarcastically. "It's not like we could even change course right then, you know; Buster made sure of that."

"I quite understand," he said, nodding. "No one blames you; and you needn't worry too much. Officially, Archangel was forced to leave our territory, and is no longer anywhere near here."

"They won't believe that," Ken said matter-of-factly. "Dearka won't, anyway; he knows me too well." He assumed a rueful expression (at least, as much of one as he ever assumed). "He'll think it's one of my brilliant plans; and even if he's wrong about that, it won't change the fact that he'll believe we're here."

Kisaka shrugged. "It doesn't really matter," he said easily. "Without some kind of proof, there's little ZAFT can do about the situation. They won't risk a major diplomatic incident -or worse, open hostilities- with Orb over just a single ship. Powerful though you might be, even the PLANTs would hesitate before taking us on just over you."

"Don't be so sure," the ace warned. "I know Patrick well; and I know that he's likely to be the next Chairman of the PLANT Supreme Council. If that is the case, I don't doubt he'll send an attack force if he has the slightest shred of evidence we're here, even if it's just a rumor." He scowled. "I know too much, you see; and he's determined to eliminate me from the equation."

"That still gives us plenty of time to work with; and if we're careful, there shouldn't even be rumors to worry about." Kisaka smiled. "Morgenroete personnel know how to keep secrets."

"Yes..." Murrue frowned. "That still leaves the matter of that machine that saved us earlier today," she said slowly. "Just what was it?"

"It wasn't one of ours," he assured her. "As Lady Cagalli said, we do not yet know how to construct Phase-shift armor. Besides, it had a light-wave barrier, which, as far as I know, only the Eurasian Federation currently uses. We don't know how to generate one of those, either."

"Eurasian?" Natarle frowned. "Possible... except that the G-weapon Project was Atlantic Federation; I have no doubt they'd be happy to see the Archangel sink to the bottom of the ocean."

Mu looked directly at Ken. "What about you, Falcon? Could that be some new ZAFT design, built from data from the units they captured?"

The pilot shrugged. "I don't know where it came from," he said (truthfully, despite his suspicions). "But it looked like it was based off the Strike."

"I think you're right," Sophia agreed, after a moment's thought. "Makes sense; it's a very versatile design. But that machine was obviously incomplete. Who would send an incomplete machine out to help us... and why couldn't they complete it first...?"

Ken knew the answers to both questions, but chose not to speak; he'd said too much already, to Kira and Cagalli. No, he thought. Now is not the time; but I had best discuss it with Lord Uzumi. The day may be coming sooner than we thought...

"Well," Kisaka put in, "I believe it's time I took you to see Lord Uzumi; I'm sure he's waiting for you all." He looked at the ace. "I assume you're coming, Commander?"

"He's an officer of this ship," Murrue replied before he could. "He comes along."

The colonel didn't need to see Ken's agreeing nod to know arguing about it would be a bad idea.

Onogoro Island, Conference Room

Hours later, the five officers from the Archangel filed into the conference room, where one man already awaited them.

"Welcome," Lord Uzumi Nara Athha greeted. "I assume you are the officers of the ship we so recently granted entrance to our territory?" His voice revealed nothing of his feelings on the matter, or his intent; which left Murrue somewhat tense.

"Yes," she said after a moment. "I'm Captain Murrue Ramius, and these are Lieutenant Commanders Mu La Flaga and Sophia DiFalco, Lieutenant Natarle Badgiruel, and..."

He nodded. "Yes, Commander Ken DiFalco. Even in Orb we've heard of the famous -or is it infamous?- Grimaldi Falcon."

The eyepatch-wearing ace -who had eschewed his trench coat for this meeting, and wore his katana openly- slipped into a chair, and nodded. "That would be me, yes," he said easily, maintaining the charade (for charade it was; Lord Uzumi knew perfectly well who he was).

"Well," Orb's Chief Representative went on, "now that we have all been introduced, there remains the matter which brought us here." He steepled his fingers thoughtfully. "Exactly what are we going to do with you, now that you're here?"

Murrue and Mu exchanged glances. "Well, Lord Uzumi," she began carefully, "we assumed that would be up to you."

"Hm... yes, perhaps, in a small way." Uzumi's eyes narrowed. "But I must tell you, Captain Ramius, that your arrival has put Orb in a difficult position. If ZAFT were to learn of your presence, the diplomatic consequences could be... severe."

Mu frowned. "Then why let us in in the first place?" he asked curiously. "Was it just because your daughter was onboard?"

The Orb leader looked at him coolly. "Rest assured, Commander, that though I am grateful for my daughter's survival, I am well aware of my responsibilities to Orb." He leaned back, looking somehow more relaxed. "However, you also saved several Orb children from Heliopolis, which certainly justifies a certain amount of risk-taking in this regard."

Murrue relaxed at his words. "I'm glad to hear it," she said candidly. "But what happens now?"

"As Colonel Kisaka has already informed you," he answered, "the official position is that the Archangel is no longer within our borders. ZAFT may or may not believe this, but they have to respect it... as long as they have no proof to the contrary."

"It's appearances that truly matter in politics," Ken put in. "The facts matter little, if you have an efficient propaganda machine."

Sophia glanced at him. "Experience?"

It was Uzumi who answered that question. "If what I have heard of the origin of Operation Aquila is correct, Commander, then yes, I would say your brother knows what he's talking about."

Natarle decided it was time to bring the topic back to the original point. "So what are you going to do with us, Lord Uzumi? Are we to just go on our way, as soon as the coast is clear?"

He shook his head. "Actually, we are quite willing to repair the Archangel while she's here -you're in no shape to depart, after all- and give your crew a chance to recover from what has doubtless been a stressful journey. All we ask in return is..."

Murrue tensed. "Yes, My Lord?"

"We would like the Strike's current combat data," Uzumi said at last, "as well as the loan of its pilot, for technical support with Morgenroete."

Natarle nearly shot to her feet in protest, but the Captain touched her arm. "Not now, Natarle," she murmured. "That's your only price?" she asked carefully.

The man nodded. "Yes. A fair exchange, I would say."

Murrue looked at Mu, and frowned in thought. "Very well, Lord Uzumi," she said finally. "As you say, it's a fair price; and the G-weapon technology is hardly secret now, anyway, after ZAFT captured those four machines." She nodded slowly. "I'll have Ensign Yamato take the Strike to... wherever it is you'll want it. Besides, the machine itself could probably use some work, after all the battles we've been through."

Uzumi nodded. "Thank you, Captain. I'll have Morgenroete begin repairs as soon as possible; I suggest that the Strike be taken to the Morgenroete facilities sometime before dawn, when there is less chance of being seen."

"Agreed." The officers stood. "If there is nothing else..."

"Oh, of course; I'm sure you have much to discuss, back on your ship. But, Commander DiFalco," he said, raising a hand, "if you might stay a few moments?"

Ken nodded. "Of course." He looked over at Murrue. "I'll catch up."

She shot him a puzzled glance, but nodded and left, with the others in tow. I wonder what's going on? Oh, well; if it's anything serious, I'm sure he'll explain when he gets back...

"So, Commander," Uzumi said, when they were alone. "I see you've a hand in this yourself, after all. I should have known you wouldn't be content to sit out the war in peace."

"Actually," the ace said, standing and moving to the window, "that was exactly my intention; but Heliopolis changed things." He shot the older man a suspicious look. "Just what possessed Orb to get involved in this in the first place?"

Uzumi grimaced. "Certain important officials in Morgenroete... and the Sahaku family. They apparently intended to use the opportunity to obtain Earth Forces technology, and so improve Orb's position. I will grant," he said reluctantly, "that the destruction of Heliopolis wasn't part of their plan; no one expected ZAFT to actually attack a neutral space colony."

"I know I didn't," Ken agreed. "And it forced my hand."

"Yes..." The politician gave him a shrewd look. "That machine that rescued your ship... that was your work, wasn't it? I recognized the style."

"Yes," the ace admitted. "It was me. Though I was as surprised as anyone; I had no idea my people could get it online so fast. It was clearly incomplete... but even so, it was enough to defeat the ZAFT forces with absurd ease. Apparently Tom does good work."

"Hm. So your plan is still in effect?"

"Yes." Ken turned to face the other man. "Lord Uzumi, the time is coming faster than we expected. The plans we discussed will become relevant within the next two months, if things continue the way they are. You know what that means." His eye narrowed. "Are you willing to follow through?"

Uzumi leaned back. "I think the real question, Commander, is whether you are. You know what this may mean; you cannot continue to fight as you have, since joining the Archangel."

"I know." The pilot sighed. "And I'm prepared, as are my people. We'll do our job."

"Then we are still in accord." The older man tilted his head. "So, how are things proceeding?"

"According to the last message, quite well." Ken frowned, turning back to the window. "According to a Morse code-message from that machine, Asmodeus is still months from completion, of course; but since it was only last month that I was able to get the Archangel-class blueprints to them, that's hardly a surprise. Preybird -the machine from earlier today- should be completed on schedule, which is hardly a surprise, after this morning." He snorted. "The only thing that hasn't gone according to plan so far is me. I had no intention of returning to the battlefield."

Uzumi smiled slightly. "I know; but others thought differently. What was it Commander Cooper said, when you left for Heliopolis?"

Ken closed his eye. "'From the ashes a fire shall be woken,'" he quoted, "'a light from the shadows shall spring; renewed shall be blade that was broken: the crownless again shall be king.'" He snorted again. "He always did like to quote Tolkien at me, even if it's singularly inappropriate in this case." His face was grim. "All that follows is because of my mistake; no broken blade will be renewed. I can't hope to renew my honor, but I can at least hope to remedy my error, atone for my sin."

"Which was what?" the noble asked gently. "You've never said exactly what brought you to this path."

"And I won't now, either. This is my burden to bear, Lord Uzumi; I won't lay it on others." Ken drew the blade that hung at his hip, examining the bright blade, made from an alloy unknown to the ancient masters. "This was forged in brighter times," he murmured, "before I committed my sin; she alone knows the whole truth of what I have done." He shook his head. "No, Lord Uzumi, I won't burden others with what I know. No one else should labor under the obligations that have been placed upon me."

"As you wish, Commander."

Archangel, Murrue's Office

"I'm against it!" Natarle said, with surprising vehemence. "Giving the Strike's combat data to Orb... it would be bad enough if it were Eurasia, but Orb isn't even a member of the Earth Alliance!"

Mu rolled his eyes. "So, what are we supposed to do, swim to Alaska? I don't know if you noticed, Lieutenant, but the Archangel is hardly in any shape to go anywhere right now. Without repairs, it'll take us months... if we get there at all."

"I'm aware of that," she snapped back. "I didn't say we shouldn't obtain repairs here; but I am saying we should pay for them, not trade the Strike's data and the loan of one of our pilots."

"In case you didn't notice," Sophia interjected, "we don't exactly have the cash on hand to do that, Lieutenant. Repairing a ship like this won't be cheap, you know; I'd say Lord Uzumi's price is quite reasonable, under the circumstances."

"But, Commander-"

"Enough, Natarle," Murrue said wearily. "They're both right: we don't have much choice if we're going to get to Alaska. And, as I said during the meeting, the G-weapon technology is hardly a secret now. I don't see any harm in helping them out."

Natarle glowered. "Very well then, Captain," she said, most reluctantly. "But I'll be sure to mention this in my report when we reach Alaska." She saluted crisply, and stalked angrily from the room.

In her wake, Ken entered, looking a little bemused. "The Lieutenant didn't look happy," he remarked. "She being by the Book again?"

Mu sighed. "Yeah; sometimes I'm not sure how much she understands about reality, outside of battle. We really don't have much choice."

"She'll get over it," his brother opined. "Even Lieutenant Badgiruel can't stay angry for three entire weeks."

"Who knows," Sophia remarked, "maybe she'll even change her mind."

Murrue rubbed her temples. "Lieutenant Badgiruel? Not likely." She looked up. "So, Falcon how was your meeting with Lord Uzumi?"

"Productive," he said simply. And that's all I'm going to tell you; the time has not yet arrived for you to know more...

Sophia shook her head. "Something tells me we're not going to get any more out of you; so I'm going to go get some sleep." She stretched, yawned, and left the compartment.

"Yeah," Mu murmured. "Me, too."

Murrue watched him go, and shook her head. "And I thought you were the one who was supposed to get tired easily on planets," she told her one remaining companion.

Ken shrugged. "It's been a long day, Murrue, what do you expect?"

She looked at him, eyes narrow. "You sound oddly fresh; what did you do, plug yourself into a power outlet and recharge your batteries?"

To her surprise, he let out a quiet chuckle. "Something like that, Murrue." And you have no idea how close to the mark you are... "But, as it happens, I'm getting a little tired, too. If you'll excuse me..."

He left, leaving Murrue to shake her head in bemusement. "I don't think I will ever figure that man out..."

Author's note: Archangel has arrived in Orb, after a fierce battle… and Falcon's creation has made its debut. Perhaps when next the new bird flies the sky, it will be complete…

Not much to say this time. What with the new rule changes, I can no longer respond to reviews here. Therefore, those who use signed reviews should expect to get review replies from me from now on; and I should mention to those who review anonymously that, if they want a reply, it would be helpful to include an e-mail address.

That, I believe, is everything. So, let me know how the chapter was. -Solid Shark