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

PLANTs, Martius Three, True ZAFT Base, May 27th, C.E. 71
"All right, people," Tom Delaney announced, dropping a file on the conference table, "it took us three weeks, but we finally got all the details about what happened at Alaska."

Siegel Clyne -who had been admitted to the select group who knew of True ZAFT's plans (and been considerably surprised to learn that the head of his own bodyguard had been conspiring against ZAFT) following the Freedom Theft Incident- raised an eyebrow. "Is this information from a ZAFT source?"

The gray-haired engineer shook his head. "Nope; if it was, I wouldn't trust it. No, this is from the Boss. The Archangel, along with the Hades, reached Orb twelve days ago, and he's finally managed to get a message to us; I gather it took so long because he wanted to be sure he got all the relevant data into the message."

Sparky Cooper folded his arms. "You gonna get to the point sometime, Tom, or will I have to beat it out of you?"

"No need to get rough," Tom said defensively. "Anyway, we've now got a complete after-action report; and it's at least as bad as I heard from our ZAFT moles. So," he added, "do you want to hear the good news first, or the bad news?"

Nicol Amalfi leaned back in his chair. "You mean there's good news? Then let's hear it."

"You got it." He flipped open the file. "First of all, as I said, the Archangel made it to Orb, after rendezvousing with the Hades; along the way, they were also joined by Shiho... and, at Alaska itself, by Kira and the Freedom."

Clyne nodded. "So he made it? I'm glad to hear it; Lacus seems to think of him as a brother now."

Tom smiled. "Well, it's a good thing she ain't 'interested' in him, if you know what I mean; 'cause according to the Boss -and an attached addendum from Leanne- there's not much doubt that he and the Chief Representative's daughter are an item these days... even if they still won't admit it." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, it seems Preybird performed even beyond our hopes; at any rate, nothing at Alaska stood a chance against it. Between it and the Freedom, Archangel escaped without much trouble... though it seems Victor is still on the loose."

Sparky scowled. "That man is becoming a real nuisance; I wish I didn't agree with the Boss's reasoning for keeping him alive. If we don't get him soon, he may become a real thorn in our side."

Clyne frowned. "I was quite disgusted to hear that that madman had been resurrected," he murmured. "Especially since Patrick made it quite clear that the only reason Huckebein the Raven was revived was to hunt down Commander DiFalco."

"Well," Tom informed him, "unless he gets a much better suit, he doesn't have a chance. He was flying a nuclear-powered GuAIZ Experimental Firearms Type at Alaska, and the Boss -and Preybird- still took him apart."

"No doubt you're glad your pet project worked out so well," Sparky said dryly.

The engineer glared at him. "Hey, it was the Commander's idea, okay? Sure, I'm proud that my construction was spot-on, but don't try to accuse me of gloating over 'my' design, because it ain't 'my' design."

"Are you people ever going to get to the point?" Clyne interjected pointedly.

Tom blinked, looking sheepish. "Oh, sorry. Anyway, the Archangel escaped from Alaska, joined up with Hades and Shiho, and made their way to Orb; now we have to hold our end up, by getting those two ships ready. Oh, and Nicol," he added, "it seems the Boss hacked a new mobile suit design out of the Morgenroete database -though from the tone of his remarks, I think Chief Simmons knew all about it- that he thinks you might like. Near as I can tell, it started out as the MBF-P01 Gold Frame Astray, one of the three prototypes Morgenroete was building from stolen data. Now, it's been extensively modified, with the right arm of your old Blitz added, along with the attached Trikeros, and Phase-shift and Mirage Colloid capabilities; not to mention a new head, wing-like claws designed to drain an enemy mobile suit's energy, and a couple of spears that seem to be coated with Phase-shift armor, in order to penetrate even that defense."

Nicol nodded appreciatively at the description. "Do we have the capability to construct it?"

"No sweat," the engineer assured him. "We've got all the data on it, as well as suggestions from the Boss on how to convert it to nuclear power."

"Great." The Blitz's former pilot smiled... and then frowned. "You said there was good news and bad news; so what's the bad news?"

Tom sighed. "The bad news? It's pretty clear that Spit Break was betrayed to the Earth Forces, since even our people didn't know Alaska was the true target until the last minute... and the Alliance must've known literally months in advance. You don't build a Cyclops system of that size on a moment's notice." He scowled. "Apparently, the Boss and the other Archangel bigwigs -apparently including Dearka and Yzak now, though I'm not sure what got Yzak to join them- have been talking it over... and they got to thinking just how many people knew the full Spit Break plan."

Sparky frowned. "As of the Boss's desertion, just himself, us, Patrick, and..." His head jerked up. "It can't be."

Tom nodded unhappily. "It's the only thing that makes sense, Sparky... especially when you factor in the fact that Le Creuset knew about the Cyclops, after infiltrating JOSHUA... and didn't tell anyone about it."

Clyne closed his eyes. "I have the feeling," he said, almost inaudibly, "that this is not good news."

"It isn't," Sparky said heavily. "Especially since I have a distinct feeling that Tom has even more bad news for us."

Tom nodded once again. "I'm afraid so, Sparky. First of all, one of our remaining ZAFT moles -I think it's him, but it was, as usual, delivered through a cutout- is pretty sure that Le Creuset has the plans for the Neutron-jammer canceller. And second... Well, you know that with the loss of Panama, the Alliance no longer has a mass driver under their control, which means they can't send large amounts of cargo into orbit right now. There are several ways they might try to remedy this; such as an attempt to retake Kaohsiung or Victoria, or even assault Carpentaria. Unfortunately, what the Boss thinks... is that the Alliance will choose to invade Orb, instead, and seize the Kaguya facilities."

Clyne clenched a fist. "This is what the madness of Patrick and the leaders of the Earth Alliance has led to," he whispered. "Where does it end?"

"I don't know," the engineer said frankly. "But I do know this: the Alliance will never get Kaguya."

Nicol sat up straight. "What do you mean, Tom?"

"I mean," Tom said quietly, "that the Boss and Lord Uzumi have been discussing the matter... and the Chief Representative has decided that, in the event that an Earth Forces victory becomes probable, he will destroy the Morgenroete facilities, and the Kaguya spaceport, before he lets those bastards have them."

Atlantic Federation, Washington, North America, Office, May 30th, C.E. 71
Muruta Azrael sat at his desk, smiling to himself as he went over the file that lay before him. Those idiots on the Council always were gutless bastards, he mused. It was so easy to convince them to see my way as the only way; now all we have to do is wait for Orb's response.

He grinned broadly. The Earth Alliance leadership had agreed without much fuss that Orb would be asked to abandon its ridiculous neutrality and join the Alliance... and if they refused, they'd be considered supporters of ZAFT. Azrael, of course, knew full well that they weren't; but neutrality was effectively the same as saying that they approved of the space monsters.

And besides... they had the only mass driver not controlled by ZAFT. And that was something the Alliance needed very badly.

Azrael rather hoped that Orb would refuse; it would give him the chance to put the Coordinator-lovers in their place... and test the capabilities of his new machines and their "pilots". Fortunately, he knew Uzumi Nara Athha's reputation. The man was so stubborn... and almost certain to reject any ultimatum. Which will be just perfect, he gloated to himself. And maybe then, I won't need to use that masked man as a tool anymore; maybe then I can just kill him, as he deserves...

There was a knock on his office's door. "Excuse me, Director," his secretary said politely. "But there's a message from your... priority source; one of your people retrieved it from a dead drop this morning."

He raised an eyebrow; there was only one person that could be. "Show me," he said, holding out a hand. "And then shut the door behind you; this is sensitive information."

"Yes, Director." The secretary handed over the data disc and withdrew, leaving the Director of the Defense Industries Association... and the leader of Blue Cosmos... to insert the disc into his desk terminal.

"What do we have here?" he murmured to himself. The data appeared to be specifications for some kind of new mobile suit... and it was powered by...

His breath caught in his throat. Nuclear power, Azrael thought in wonder, an elated thrill going through him. They've found a way around the Neutron jammers... and now I have the data... Yes! This is perfect! Our nuclear arsenal... is available to us again...

He spun toward his phone. "Get me Captain Sutherland," he ordered. "The situation has just changed; and we have our trump card back."

Onogoro Island Base, Gym, June 6th, C.E. 71
Some people liked to celebrate their birthdays in a sedentary manner; others, by doing insane things like skydiving at eighty years old.

One young man, however, preferred to commemorate his eighteenth birthday in a fashion those who didn't know him well would've thought very peculiar indeed. Most people, after all, preferred not to risk being beheaded when celebrating such a milestone.

Ken DiFalco, dressed in padded, crimson armor, matching scabbard thrust through his belt, naked katana in hand, was not most people.

His blade clashed with that of the equally-padded, brown-haired young woman who stood before him, and then was forced down by the opposing weapon. He slid his sword down hers, disengaging from the lock, and spun, bringing his weapon up in a high guard.

Shiho Hahnenfuss made the next move, a slash toward Ken's stomach; with a clash of metal on metal, though, she hastily raised it to deflect the blurring blade aimed at her throat... only to have Ken's sword suddenly disengage again, drop, and whip forward into her chest.

She exhaled in a whoosh, and a voice laconically said, "Point."

The two combatants -both of whom would've been killed many times over during the long bout, where it not for their armor- stepped back, bowing to each other... somewhat wearily. "You've... been practicing, Boss..." Shiho wheezed. "Thought I... had you there..."

Ken pulled off his helmet, breathing hard himself. "You nearly did," he admitted. "Either I'm slowing down, or you've been practicing, Housenka."

"A little of both, I suspect," Leanne Eldridge, who had acted as referee, said sardonically. "Though more the latter than the former; if you have been slowing down, then you've sped up since the last time I saw you do that." She cocked an eyebrow. "So, you two finished trying to kill each other, or are you going to keep going until one of you collapses."

"No," the ace told her, falling back on the training mat, "I think we're done for now."

Shiho shook her head as she, too, collapsed. "In all the time I've known you, Boss," she said tiredly, "I think that's the first time I've managed to tire you out."

"It wasn't you," he said deflatingly. "I had a hand-to-hand bout with Cagalli this morning; thought it was just going to be a warm-up, but she gave me a run for my money. Won three falls out of six, in fact." He panted for several moments, then looked up at Leanne. "Speaking of knowing people," he began, "just how do you know Mu? You acted like old friends or something."

"Or something," Mu La Flaga agreed, walking in on them. "In fact, we've known each other quite awhile; although it'd been, what... ten years?"

"Something like that," Leanne agreed. "Since around the time tension Earth and the PLANTs started escalating, and we got a little more cautious."

"Which is all very interesting," Ken informed her, "but it still doesn't answer my question. How do you know each other?"

Mu grinned. "Didn't you know? Leanne here is a cousin of mine, on my father's side."

Ken and Shiho looked at each other, and then spoke simultaneously. "What?"

Leanne laughed. "Yeah, that's right; I realize I didn't mention it before, but I deemed it unwise, in case ears less sympathetic to Naturals overheard."

The ace shook his head. "And that would make Nicol...?"

"A cousin," the Hawk confirmed. "Not by blood, though; my -our- dad's sister married Yuri Amalfi's wife's brother, so it's a fairly distant connection. Of course," he added thoughtfully, "that does make you blood-related to Leanne, doesn't it? Hadn't thought of that before..."

Shiho shook her head. "Remind me never to get into a genealogical discussion with any of you; it would take years... and I've already used up a lot of my life today, just trying not to get killed by the Boss..."

"Years?" Mu cocked his head... and then grinned. "Yeah. Potentially. Which reminds me," he went on, looking at Ken, "I understand today's pretty important for you. Happy Birthday, kid."

Ken rolled his eye. "You honestly think it matters much to me, Mu? I've been acting as an adult for a couple of years now; fought my first battle when I was sixteen, as a matter of fact. For that matter, the first time I killed was when I was fourteen... so don't expect me to think of today as being any kind of important milestone."

"Don't worry," Murrue Ramius said dryly, walking in. "We don't."

He looked up. "Hello, Murrue," the ace greeted, dragging himself to his feet. "What brings you here?" He began stripping off the armor, grateful to be rid of what had become an almost stifling weight during the sparring match.

"I just thought I'd drop by," she replied, and raised an eyebrow. "You... don't seem to have one of your power packs connected. Are you trying to have a heart attack?"

Ken smiled. "As a matter of fact, I didn't need one. Last week, you see, Erica made a few modifications to my chestplate... such as the addition of a rechargeable battery, good for a couple of hours on its own. In an actual combat situation, I'd still prefer to be properly hooked up... but this gives me some breathing space, in case something goes wrong with the connection."

"Like Alaska," Murrue said quietly.

He looked away. "Alaska... scared me," he admitted. "I came so close to losing everything I've fought for... and if I was scared, Erica was as close to terrified as she ever gets by the implications, especially after she learned about GENESIS. So, she decided to take some precautions, and this is the result."

"We're all glad of it," she assured him. "I thought we'd lost you, back there... and Dearka tells me that if he'd been another minute late, we would have lost you."

Cagalli Yula Athha, stepping into the room at that moment with Kira Yamato at her side, paused, and glanced between the ace and the Archangel's captain. Huh... maybe there is some truth to the rumors... "Ken's not that easy to get rid of," she said aloud. "He's too mean to die."

"Too arrogant, you mean," Kira said dryly, touching her shoulder. "Right?"

"I suppose there's a certain amount of truth to that," Ken conceded. "But I would actually say it's more that I'm too stubborn to die; as certain other people-" he shot a glance at Leanne "-might agree."

Mu chuckled. "You sure you're not just scared to die?"

The ace looked at him soberly. "Mu," he said quietly, tone very serious, "it takes more courage to live than to die. It would be far easier for me to simply let myself go... but I can't do that. It's not fear, it's not arrogance; it's responsibility. It's my job to finish what I started, and destroy my abominable creation... because I'm the only one who can."

Murrue sighed. "When will you understand that you can't do everything by yourself? You may be the only one who can stop GENESIS itself, but that doesn't mean we can't help you." Her gaze sharpened. "And you'd better not be thinking of sacrificing yourself, either. You're too important to us, Ken, for you to just throw your life away."

Ken smiled slightly. "Never said anything about sacrificing myself, Murrue. At least, not if I have any other option. Besides, there'll probably be a lot of work to do after the fighting's finished, too; by the end of it, there will very likely be a new government in power in the PLANTs -even if he isn't killed in the fighting, there's no way Patrick's hold on the Chairmanship will survive the use of GENESIS, whatever he thinks- and ZAFT itself will need to be restored." He looked directly at Kira. "I know you don't exactly approve of the Shiva Option, amigo," he said quietly, "but no matter what happens, ZAFT will be losing a great deal of its fighting strength in this war, if only from Earth Alliance attacks."

"It already has," Mu pointed out somberly. "After Alaska, and the casualties they took at Panama, before those Gungnirs were activated... Yeah, I guess ZAFT just might need you, at that."

"Though, of course," the ace murmured, "I doubt they'll ever completely trust me again. However justified I may have been, I did commit treason against ZAFT; even those who believe I did the right thing won't be human if they don't harbor some suspicion." He rubbed his eyepatch thoughtfully. "But... there's something I've come to realize, these past months."

"What's that?" Murrue asked; she had a feeling that her young friend was in his "Socratic mode", as Mu had taken to describing the Grimaldi Falcon's bursts of philosophical enthusiasm.

Ken absently stroked the hilt of his sword. "Honor is an important thing," he began quietly. "So is loyalty. But you must not allow yourself to be blinded by it; you must not allow yourself to be dragged down by your own code of honor, or by loyalty to your country. When that loyalty, and the honor that goes with it, has been perverted by a nation no longer worthy of it, the world needs someone willing to commit treason, to betray that for which he has stood all his life. Sometimes the right thing to do isn't the right thing to do... and to do what is right, you must do what others may see as wrong. Even if you go down in history as a traitor, you will know the truth... you'll know that you did something that had to be done, even if it meant treason." He closed his eye. "There must always be someone who can, and will, commit treason... for there will always be something which must be betrayed, if the right thing to do is to be done."

There was a short silence after that; some weren't sure exactly what he was saying, and others wondered if he actually meant what he said... or was simply rambling.

Mu finally broke the silence, scratching his head. "Is this guy drunk?"

The ace rolled his eye. "A simpler way to put it, perhaps," he said dryly, "would be that the world needs people who can make the really hard choices... even if those choices cost them the very thing they're fighting to protect." His expression turned serious again. "Sometimes, a man must give up that for which he fights, in order to save it for others."

Murrue nodded soberly. "So what will you do, when the war is over?"

"I have no idea," Ken said frankly. "I haven't thought that far ahead... primarily because I'm more worried about surviving right now, at least long enough to complete my mission."

Cagalli frowned. "Speaking of your 'mission', partner," she began, "I'm actually kind of surprised you haven't insisted on getting moving by now. You said your forces are mostly in space; so why wait around here, in Orb? I'd think you'd want to strike now, before the Earth Forces can recapture Victoria or Kaohsiung..."

He slowly shook his head. "If it were that simple, I probably would be advocating immediate movement," he said quietly. "Unfortunately, it's my belief that neither Victoria nor Kaohsiung is the Earth Forces' next target. Both of them are held by sizable ZAFT forces, the largest concentrations left on Earth outside of Carpentaria and Gibraltar; even with most of ZAFT's mobile forces destroyed, and the Alliance's new mass-produced mobile suits, I don't think they'd want to tangle with those base if they could possibly avoid it... and it just so happens that they can." He met her gaze. "Cagalli... it's my belief that the Alliance will instead choose to attack right here."

She inhaled sharply. "You think they'd actually do that?"

"It's not as farfetched as you might think," Shiho interjected grimly. "Remember, it was just five days ago that the Equatorial Union and the Kingdom of Scandinavia were forced to renounce their neutrality and join the Alliance; and they urged Orb to do the same. I think the Boss is right: it won't be long before the Atlantic Federation begins issuing demands to that effect."

"And when they do," Leanne murmured, "Lord Uzumi will reject them... which is probably just what the Alliance wants..."

Ken nodded. "Exactly. And that is why the Archangel is still here; we need to protect Orb as best we can, when the time arrives... and we need to buy as much time as we can for the Arkbird and Asmodeus to be completed, along with a couple of new mobile suits they're constructing up there."

"And the new base," Shiho interjected.

Even Ken looked at her in puzzlement, following that remark. "Base?" he said blankly.

She cleared her throat. "Sorry about that, Boss; I was supposed to mention that when I first arrived after Alaska, but with everything that was going on, it kind of slipped my mind... Anyway," she said hastily, "Sparky said that they're exploring the idea of using the Mendel colony as a base, at least until we find something better. If nothing else, it would make a good rendezvous point, when the Archangel launches again for space."

Mu frowned. "But the Mendel colony was evaced back in Sixty-Eight; some kind of biohazard, if I remember right. Is it even safe to enter that place anymore?"

Leanne tapped her chin. "I ran a preliminary survey I conducted while I was deploying the Nataraja powersats," she began, "and from what I saw, there's no trace left of contaminants; if I remember right, they subjected the entire colony to a barrage of X-rays years ago, theoretically destroying any nasty bioweapons left around."

Cagalli looked at her sharply. "Did you say bioweapons?"

The ex-ZAFT pilot shrugged. "Cagalli, it's no secret -at least in ZAFT- that Blue Cosmos was almost certainly behind the Mendel Incident; those lunatics may talk about a 'blue and pure world', but they're not above using engineered bugs or radioactive nasties. They proved that when they nuked Junius Seven."

"You have a point," the princess admitted unhappily.

There was a long silence, ripe for brooding, until Mu decided to do something about it. "Hey, is this any kind of talk for a birthday? C'mon, cheer up, have a party or something."

Ken fixed him with a deadly, one-eyed glare. "I'll have you know, Mu, that I hate parties," he said icily. "And if you throw a surprise party, my blade will taste your flesh." He smiled coldly. "And no, I'm not bluffing."

PLANTs, Martius Three, True ZAFT Base, June 13th, C.E. 71
"Well, that tears it," Tom Delaney said grimly, storming into the conference room, a thunderous expression on his face that took even Sparky aback. "This is some of the worst news we've gotten in the last several months, even if it's hardly unexpected."

"What is it?" Siegel Clyne questioned. "A message form Commander DiFalco?"

The engineer shook his head. "No, this time we didn't need the Boss's intelligence; this was broadcast in the clear, and one of our power/recon satellites caught it." he took a deep, calming breath. "As of 0800 this morning, the Atlantic Federation's Fourth Naval Fleet took up station just outside Orb's waters, and transmitted several demands to the Orb government."

Sparky felt his gut tighten. "What sort of demands, Tom?"

"That Orb dismiss Representative Athha, dissolve its government, and join the Earth Alliance," Tom said flatly. "If Orb refuses, they will be judged a supporter of ZAFT, and the Fourth Fleet will attack; Orb has forty-eight hours to comply, or else."

Nicol cursed. "This isn't good timing, is it?"

"No," Clyne agreed. "We're not ready to intervene... and even if we were, I'm not sure if we really could."

Sparky shook his head. "No, we couldn't. Even if Arkbird and Asmodeus were complete, I doubt the Boss would approve our launching a strike against the Alliance at this point. Though," he added, "it may not be as bad as we think; the Boss does have Preybird, the Freedom, and Archangel for backup, among other things."

Tom winced. "No, Sparky, it's not as bad as we think... it's worse."

Clyne looked at him sharply. "Why do I have the feeling that there's even more bad news in the offing, Tom?"

"Probably because there is." The engineer's expression turned thunderous again. "One of our satellites -the same one, actually- confirmed the underground detonation, within Atlantic Federation territory, of a nuclear fusion bomb."

Silence reigned.

Onogoro Island, Conference Room
"So it's official," Ken said, almost to himself, with a sigh. "Can't say I'm surprised, but I hoped we'd have more time."

"There's not a great deal more we could do to prepare in any case, Commander," Uzumi Nara Athha pointed out quietly. "What forces we have are already assembled, and even if your own people were ready, you know as well as I their presence in space is too vital to bring them down for this."

Murrue titled her head. "So, you're going to refuse to comply with the Alliance's demands, then?"

He nodded. "Yes. We have little choice, Captain; the actions the Earth Forces would take, backed by our technology, simply do not bear thinking on... and I do not know how long we'd last under occupation, either. For certain, our own population of Coordinators would not fare well... not with Muruta Azrael exerting so much influence over the Alliance."

Ken closed his eye. "You realize how unlikely it is that Orb will win this fight, don't you?"

Uzumi raised an eyebrow. "You knew that long before you decided to throw your lot in with us, Commander; naturally, we did as well. But, as you have demonstrated yourself, more than once, sometimes principles are more important than winning. And no matter what happens, they will not achieve their objective. They will not have Kaguya." His gaze sharpened. "But if that happens, you and your crew must retreat to space; your mission is too important to abandon now, no matter what it costs Orb."

Murrue nodded. "Understood, sir. If you'll excuse me, I have some things I need to discuss with my crew; now that we know war is coming, the least I can do is give them a choice as to whether or not they want to remain on the frontlines." She sighed. "I'm no longer their captain... merely a fellow traveler."

Ken looked at her. "I've heard it said," he began, "that the truest definition of 'friend' is a companion traveling on the same road." He fixed her with a piercing gaze. "You may no longer hold rank in an official military, Murrue... but to the crew of the Archangel, you'll always be our captain."

"Thank you, Ken," she said, throat suddenly tight. "But I still must give them that choice."

"Of course; but I doubt many will choose to leave the ship. We've come this far together... we'll see it through to the end, no matter what that end is."

As Murrue withdrew, Uzumi gazed curiously at the young ace. When he speaks of the Archangel's crew, he thought to himself, he always includes himself... despite the fact that his responsibilities began far from here, and that he would be continuing on this path even without assistance. A most unique individual...

He cleared his throat. "Since you haven't already left, Commander, I take it there's something else you'd like to speak to me about?"

Ken nodded. "Yes, My Lord." Though I'm not at all sure how you'll take it. "It seems," he began, "that, in the process of rebuilding the Strike, Morgenroete found itself with enough replacement parts on hand to build another whole mobile suit. It seems to me that such a machine would prove helpful, when the fighting begins; particularly with the Integrated Weapons-system Striker Pack that's become available."

Uzumi nodded. "Yes, I expect it would. I take it you have a pilot in mind for this machine?"

"I do." The ace met his gaze levelly. "Specifically, Cagalli Yula Athha."

Orb's Chief Representative shook his head. "Out of the question," he said immediately. "Cagalli is not herself a soldier-"

"She did a pretty good imitation of one in Africa," Ken shot back, "and she's an excellent mobile armor pilot and mobile suit gunner. I also happen to know that she's been running simulations for the past month, so she at least has a better idea of what she's doing than Tolle Koenig did."

"Simulations are not the same as battle experience," Uzumi pointed out frostily.

"No, they're not," the ace agreed. "But everybody has a first battle; nobody starts out with hundreds of combat hours under their belt. The only way to get experience is through actual combat, whether you like it or not."

Uzumi's eyes narrowed. "There is also the matter of her being the heir of Orb," he reminded the pilot. "She has responsibilities-"

"If we don't have every machine, and every decent pilot we've got up and flying," Ken said forcefully, "there won't be an Orb left to be the heir of! As it is, our chances are less than even; we cannot afford to keep a pilot with her natural ability grounded."

Uzumi did not like this idea in the slightest. Cagalli was his only daughter, with her mother long dead; and the likely alternative as Chief Representative, should they both perish, would be one of the Sahaku twins. "Commander, I do not believe this idea is wise-"

"Blast it, My Lord," the ace exploded, temper fraying its tight leash, "you recruited a master tactician; listen to him, why don't you?" His fist clenched. "Ask yourself this: in the short run -which is the only time frame we can afford to think about right now- which is more important? An heir who currently has nothing to do? Or an exceptional pilot whose presence will have a measurable effect on the outcome of the coming battles?"

The politician closed his eyes. The man has no right bringing logic into the matter, he thought, almost in amusement. I do not want her at risk... but the Commander has a point. And if she's out there, she has a greater chance of surviving the Alliance's retaliation for the coming destruction of Kaguya... though it would be best not to mention that fact to him. He had, in fact, done his utmost to keep the young commander from learning that the Alliance had somehow regained nuclear capability; he didn't know what the revelation might do to Ken's fragile mind...

"All right, Commander," Uzumi said at last, with manifest unwillingness. "You've made your point... though I would submit you had best tell her yourself. Coming from me, it might seem..." He trailed off, uncertain of how to put it.

Ken nodded in understanding. "I know, My Lord; I had parents once, too." The words sent hardly a pang through him now; though he unconsciously fingered the hilt of his sword, whose name had come, in a way, from his troubled past. "Well," he said, suddenly brisk, "Murrue isn't the only one with business to attend to. If you'll excuse me, I need to see to the Hades; if everything does go as wrong as we suspect, she'll have to be scuttled before the Alliance can get hold of her."

Marshal Islands, Near Reverend Malchio's Orphanage
Athrun Zala, pilot of ZGMF-X09A Justice, brought his machine in for a landing on the island's beach, and descended to the ground. He wasn't sure exactly why he'd come to this place, where he and Kira had last fought, but... it seemed like something he needed to do.

There's something here... something that will help me make that final decision, whether to fight Kira... or join him. No, not fight, he corrected himself. Whether to talk, or join completely in this crazy scheme. He swallowed. I have to decide... if I can commit treason.

Stepping slowly away from the Justice, Athrun could see that little about the island had changed since Orb recovered him. The Strike was gone, as were the remnants of the Raptor, but the surviving pieces of the Aegis yet remained. The head was partially sunken, bits of scrap littered the beach, and one hand, almost completely intact, lay spread on the ground not far away.

It's almost as if time has stopped for this place, he mused. The place where Kira and I tried to kill each other, the place where I killed Kira's friend... the place where we lost Dearka...

Exactly what had happened to Dearka Elsman was uncertain. His Buster had been retrieved by the Archangel, but the status of the pilot himself was unknown. Under other circumstances, given Dearka's friendship with the man who'd shot him down, Athrun would've been certain that his comrade was still alive; that the Grimaldi Falcon had spared him, for old times' sake. But that day... everyone had been out for blood, and DiFalco and Dearka had been no exceptions. Raptor might've been destroyed in the process, but the Grimaldi Falcon was tenacious enough to have continued the battle on foot... with his well-known sword skills.

If he is alive, Athrun thought to himself, then he's a prisoner. Not even for the sake of friendship would DiFalco let him loose to interfere with his "mission"...

It was about then that he noticed he was being watched, by several young children; they hid, with some success, behind the Aegis' severed hand, and observed him warily. Eyes wide with a mixture of curiosity and anxiousness, they seemed to be waiting for something... or someone.

The "someone" in question soon appeared: a pale-faced man with a walking stick, whose eyes were closed; Athrun surmised that the man was blind. "What is it?" he asked the children; then he seemed to somehow notice Athrun. "Hello there," he greeted.

Acting on an obscure impulse, Athrun stood at attention, and bowed. "My name is Athrun Zala," he said, introducing himself. "I... I came here looking for a friend," he went on, understanding now why he'd come. "This was where I last saw him, and I thought I might pick up the trail here."

The blind man nodded. "Welcome," he said. "I am Reverend Malchio; I have an orphanage on this island. If you are Athrun Zala, then you must be seeking Kira Yamato... and you were the ones who fought in the sky here, several weeks ago."

"Yes," Athrun acknowledged. "So, is Kira really...?"

Malchio smiled. "Yes," he replied. "Your friend was in bad shape when an acquaintance of mine brought him here, after saving his life, but the wounds weren't fatal. As you probably know by now, I took him to Kaguya, and from there to the Clyne Residence."

"Yes, I gathered that." Justice's pilot looked about uncertainly. "Do you... know where I might find him now?"

"I have some idea of it, yes," the Reverend answered. "Come; there is news you may find interesting... and very relevant to your quest."

Marshall Islands, Reverend Malchio's Orphanage
Athrun watched the news report expressionlessly... but inwardly, he had become very, very tense. The idea that Orb would be supporting ZAFT, and was even involved in the Alaska attack... that's preposterous! Don't these idiots remember that it's only because of Orb that they were able to build mobile suits in the first place?

"It's inevitable now," Malchio said sadly. "Orb is going to fight the Earth Forces; Representative Athha would never give in to such demands... and even if he did, I somehow doubt the Atlantic Federation is actually very interested in negotiation." He shook his head. "And the truly unfortunate thing is that, in a sense, Orb is supporting ZAFT... or at least one faction of them."

Athrun looked at him through narrowed eyes. "So Commander DiFalco's group has joined forces with Orb?"

Malchio nodded. "They have. The Archangel has also officially joined DiFalco's organization... and between them and Orb, the Alliance is doubtless in for a fight. I fear the consequences, however; the rumors of what the Earth Forces have managed to do..."

The pilot inhaled sharply. "What rumors?"

The reverend titled his head. "According to the Junk Guild, there are some indications that the Alliance may have regained nuclear capability."

Athrun felt like he'd been punched in the gut. "What...? How?"

"That I don't know. I suspect Commander DiFalco's people in space do, but if so, they haven't passed that information along to the Junk Guild." Malchio shrugged. "Reasonable of them, under the circumstances."

The analysis of the tactical situation that Athrun had heretofore held was shattered in an instant by this new information. Previously, he had believed Orb just short of impregnable, especially if the Archangel had joined them; with the so-called "legged ship", the Freedom, and the Preybird on their side, Orb would've been able to withstand almost anything. Preybird alone would be capable of wiping out many times its number... but now...

If the Earth Forces have nuclear weapons, this isn't just Orb's problem anymore, he thought, remembering the Bloody Valentine. Now it's everyone's problem... but I doubt that ZAFT would be willing to intervene. And even if they were, Orb wouldn't accept that aid; not with DiFalco and his people involved.

There must be something I can do...

Athrun's head came up, a hard light in his eyes. "I guess I don't have a choice anymore," he said quietly. "It's come down to a choice between my country and my friend... and it's because of my country's insanity that the Earth Alliance has regained nuclear capability." He looked at Malchio. "Excuse me, sir... but I have to go."

The blind man nodded. "I understand, Athrun Zala. Do what you must; follow your own conscience."

Without another word, Athrun Zala, pilot of ZGMF-X09A Justice, soldier of the PLANTs, strode from the orphanage, hurrying to his machine.

Archangel, Hangar
The ship's hangar was even more crowded than usual on this particular afternoon. In addition to the six mobile suits -Freedom, Strike, Buster, Preybird, Duel (now with a pair of folding wings attached to its assault shroud), and a nuclear-powered Astray- literally the entire crew had been gathered together.

Before the assembled ranks stood Murrue, Mu, Natarle, Ledonir Kisaka, Cagalli, and Ken; an assembly that underscored to the crew the significance of this meeting.

"By now, you're all familiar with the situation," Murrue began. "The Earth Forces -specifically, the Atlantic Federation- have issued an ultimatum to Orb. If Orb does not dismiss Representative Athha, dissolve its current government, disarm its military, and join the Earth Alliance, the nation will be deemed a supporter of ZAFT... and the Atlantic Federation's Fourth Naval Fleet will commence offensive operations."

An almost inaudible sigh ran through the massive compartment. The news was no surprise, but anticipation had not robbed the confirmation of its power. They had expected, long since, that they would become embroiled in combat once again; now they knew for certain.

"As you may expect," she continued, "Orb has no intention of complying with these demands. Negotiations are, of course, still in progress... but I must tell you that no one expects them to succeed." She swept her gaze over them all, in the process making brief eye contact with Kira, who smiled reassuringly; apparently, his mind was made up. "Now then, you all know what it was that brought us here, to Orb; you know how the Alliance betrayed us. Therefore, you must all make a personal decision yourselves: whether to remain with the Archangel and fight, or leave the ship, and sit out the war." She paused. "I want you all to know that, whatever your decision, I'm proud of you all; and you've all more than earned the right to leave this war behind."

The assembled crew looked at each other, and some -such as Kuzzey Buskirk- began to think on those words... yet most felt a new determination, instead.

"Those of you who wish to leave," Murrue went on, "will be evacuated, along with most of Orb's civilian population, to the space station Ame-no-Mihashira. There, you should be safe from the Alliance; the station's defenses are strong enough, and the station itself of little enough military significance, that the Earth Forces are unlikely to attack."

"About the only good thing Rondo Ghina Sahaku and his family have ever done," Cagalli muttered; to her left, Ken nodded fractionally.

"As for the rest of us," the Captain continued, "we have, as you know, thrown in our lot with Commander DiFalco's True ZAFT faction. We will stand and fight with Orb, but, as Lord Uzumi himself has insisted, we will have no choice but to flee into space, should the Earth Forces' victory look probable. I warn you now, this is only the beginning. Whatever happens here, we will be continuing the battle in space, to try and stop this war. If we can, however, we would rather have Orb's support... so here we make our stand, to let the Alliance know that we're not prepared to just lie down and die."

Murrue swept her gaze over the hangar once again. "I know I wasn't the best Captain you could've had," she said quietly, "but you are without doubt the best crew anyone could've hoped to have. It's been an honor to have led you."

At a nod from the Captain, Ken stepped forward, resplendent in his red uniform, sword at his side, hands behind his back. "I'm not really accustomed to speeches," he began (which resulted, to his bemusement, in general laughter; for all his philosophical tendencies, he himself wasn't aware of his oratory habits), "so I'll keep this short." He cleared this throat. "As you all know by now, a lot of what's going on has been a direct result of my mistake, nine months ago; but that's neither here nor there. What matters is this: whatever you choose, some will consider you traitors, much as I am regarded as one. But you know the truth: that it was treason by your own superiors that drove you to this. That you had no choice." His eye was bright with a light Cagalli might've called fanaticism; but even if it was, no one had any intention of questioning it. Not today. "After all that you've been through, after the betrayal that brought you to this pass, I realize it's a lot to ask to ask any of you to keep on fighting, even against those who tried to murder you. But," he said firmly, "the line must be drawn here! No more can we let this war continue as it has; and we have the power to make a difference. Make your own choices, let your own consciences dictate your actions, whether it be to leave, or to stay and fight... and don't let anyone tell you you've made the wrong decision!"

Archangel, Corridor, June 14th, C.E. 71
The Archangel's crew had now had a full day to consider the choice before them, of whether or not to stay and fight. Most had, in the end, chosen to complete the transition into the appropriate ZAFT-style uniforms, but eleven had chosen to leave... including Kuzzey Buskirk.

"So you're really leaving, huh?" Sai said quietly.

"Yeah..." Kuzzey said with a slow nod; for the first time in months, he wore civilian clothing, and carried a small case with the few personal belongings he'd had aboard the ship. "What about you? Aren't you leaving, too?"

Sai shook his head. "No, actually, I'm not; neither is Miriallia. It's... it's hard to explain, but... this ship is our home now. We've spent nearly six months here, fighting alongside Captain Ramius and the others... and Kira. We've been through a lot together, and in all this time, the rest of the Archangel's crew have been the only people to stick by us; them and Orb. The Earth Forces betrayed us, ZAFT destroyed Heliopolis... to us, I guess this crew is family."

Kuzzey swallowed. "Except for Tolle..."

The blonde-haired ECM specialist nodded. "I know; but Tolle died fighting for what he believed in. If I can fight for the same cause he did, if I can make a difference... I can't let him down. I want to see it through to the end, Kuzzey, no matter how dangerous it gets. This is... this is something I have to do."

The other student suddenly felt uncertain. "Well... maybe I should stick around, too..."

Sai gripped his shoulder. "No, Kuzzey; you'd only regret it later. Look, some of us are suited to this kind of work, some of us aren't. I've learned to accept the battles, to face the danger and do my job... but not everyone can do that. Your place is somewhere else, Kuzzey; find it for yourself."

"Find a reason to live," another voice put in. "Find something to believe in, and find it for yourself; and when you do, pass it on to the future."

Kuzzey looked up in surprise, to see Ken coming down the corridor. "Falcon...?"

"No one can tell you what you should do with your life, Kuzzey," the ace told him, crossing his arms. "No one can tell you what path you should take. Only you can decide where you should be going, and what you should be doing. In this world, everyone has choices; there might not always be very many, and sometimes you may find yourself locked into a single course... but those choices are always there, even if that choice is only to determine who you will be at the end of it. A choice that might seem meaningless to an observer, who can't see into your soul, but one that will mean everything to you."

The black-haired teen tilted his head. "So... you don't think I'm a coward or anything?"

Ken shook his head. "It's not cowardice to leave the battle to others, Kuzzey; not when battle is not a thing to which you're suited. We soldiers do things we wish no one had to do... and your personality just isn't suited to that kind of work. Find your own way, Kuzzey. That's all the advice I can give you."

Kuzzey nodded, almost hesitantly. "By the way, Falcon," he began, remembering something, "I want to apologize. I... I never trusted you, after Heliopolis; I knew you weren't responsible for what happened there, but you were ex-ZAFT, so I..."

"There's no need to apologize, Kuzzey," the ace assured him. "I know exactly what you mean. Besides, you're not the only one to have harbored doubts about me; my own partner, Cagalli, thought I was still a ZAFT agent. In fact, we fought over it... and I lost." He smiled ruefully, and rubbed his eyepatch. "Let's just say that this area is still a little sensitive."

"Huh?"

"Never mind; it's not important. What matters is that if I were to take offense at your suspicions, I'd have had to take offense with a close friend of mine, too." Ken clapped him on the shoulder. "So go on, Kuzzey Buskirk, and find the peace denied to those of us who yet must fight."

Archangel, Maintenance Passage
"Do you ever get the feeling that Ken might've made a good politician?" Cagalli wondered aloud to Kira (they were in a maintenance passage because Kira had gotten into the habit of using them to navigate the ship months before, and she was content for the moment to follow where he led). "I mean, he does seem to like making speeches."

Kira considered that. "Nah," he finally decided. "He's long-winded enough, but he speaks his mind too much. From what I've seen, politicians always use qualifiers and vague phrasing. Ken just... tells it like it is."

"And more eloquently than any politician," she agreed. "But you know... I can't help feeling a little worried. I know he's confident, but... I'm not so sure. Orb is going to be in real danger, you know; the path we've chosen to follow..."

He smiled reassuringly. "I know it'll be dangerous, Cagalli; and I also know that Ken isn't anywhere near as confident as he looks. But the important thing isn't winning or losing. The important thing is to make a stand for what we believe in. I know this is the most difficult path Orb could've chosen, but... I think it's the right thing to do. This is something we have to do."

Cagalli nodded slowly. "I... I guess you're right. But still... I'm scared." It was something she would have admitted to very few people -Ken was probably the only other- but it was nonetheless true. "You know, I always thought Orb's neutrality was unrealistic, maybe even wrong, but... now that we're actually getting ready to fight, I don't know what I think. What if everything goes wrong, and we lose? Orb will be devastated; and I know the Archangel will be leaving then, and I'll be left behind, while you..."

Kira laid a hand on her shoulder. "We're not going down without a fight, Cagalli," he assured her. "And as for being left behind... Ken told me he and Lord Uzumi talked about that. For one thing, you're going to be flying the second Strike -the Strike Rouge, I think they called it- which makes you a valuable pilot. And you're also the heir of Orb, so the entire government wouldn't like the idea of you being left here under Earth Forces occupation. So apparently, when we pull out, whether it's after victory or defeat... you'll be coming with us."

She blinked, eyes beginning to fill. "I am...?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Lord Uzumi would want you to be safe... and you're one of us, y'know? We wouldn't leave you behind." He smiled again. "No way we'd leave you behind."

To Kira's surprise, Cagalli suddenly threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Kira," she said into his shoulder. "I just... don't want to lose you again."

He blinked, feeling off-balance. "Uh, well," he managed, "you're not going to lose me. I promise I won't let something like that happen again, okay?"

"You'd better not," she told him fiercely. "I thought you were dead last time; this time, I don't want to be stuck on Earth while you're risking your life up there. You know how dangerous Ken's plans tend to be. They work, sure... but I want to be there to keep you out of trouble."

"I thought it was me keeping you out of trouble," Kira protested. "Like at Heliopolis... or when I had to go find you and Ken after you crashed in the Indian Ocean..."

"Kira," Cagalli told him, tone affectionate yet somehow... dangerous, "shut up."

Archangel, Bridge, June 15th, C.E. 71
The hardest part of war, Natarle Badgiruel thought, sitting in CIC, really is the waiting. So some clichés have basis in reality after all...

Not that they'd be waiting much longer now. They knew exactly when the Atlantic Federation's deadline was going to be up, which meant they knew exactly when battle would begin in... exactly when the enemy forces would pour across the Orb border.

Exactly when the dying would begin again.

Natarle, quite frankly, couldn't understand Ken DiFalco's unnerving calm. She'd passed him on her way to the Bridge, and he'd looked as if he hadn't a care in the world; his old mask-like expression was in evidence, but he certainly hadn't looked worried.

On the other hand, she mused, it's hardly his first major fleet engagement. He was at the Bloody Valentine, Jachin, the L4 battles... he even commanded a fleet engagement at Nova, during his "Operation Aquila". Besides, if all this goes badly, his Preybird will still probably get out more or less intact.

None of which makes the waiting any easier.

Then, at last, the waiting was over. At 0900 hours, Flay Allster, who had taken Kuzzey's place at communications, lifted her head. In a voice whose calm was born of nearly being shot to death at Alaska, she announced, "We have radar contacts, Captain. Receiving Earth Alliance IFF data."

"Confirmed," Sai reported. "Readings consistent with Tarawa-class carriers; their design appears to have been modified, probably as mobile suit carriers."

"Understood," Murrue acknowledged, far more calmly than she felt. "All hands to Level One Battlestations. Arnold," she told the helmsman (like the mainline ZAFT, Ken's forces used few ranks), "prepare to move out."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Natarle keyed her intercom. "All hands to Level One Battlestations. Repeat, all hands to Level One Battlestations. Commander DiFalco, Case Red is now in effect." She paused. "Sir... we're at war."

Author's note: Kuzzey Buskirk has left the Archangel... and the attack on Orb has begun. Meanwhile, it seems the Earth Forces have new weapons waiting in the wings...

Yes, yes, I know; another late update, and one that doesn't quite get to the battle after all. Well, in this case, I managed to get consumed by an RPG -the Xenosaga series tends to do that- and I also wasn't sure where I was going with a couple of scenes. Next chapter should be ready much faster, since it's a battle; I'm never quite satisfied with them -which is why I'm always a little puzzled by how popular they tend to be- but at least I tend not to have trouble writing them. Till then, feast on this... and on some of my blatant plot twists. -Solid Shark