When Kira arrived at Archangel's bridge, he found out that he was the last person to arrive. Mu, Murrue, Natarle and the rest of his friends were waiting. Even Flay, still in her flight suit, was already there.

"Okay, let's get this over with," Mu said.

"Is it okay for them to hear about this?" Murrue asked, referring to the aforementioned teenagers.

"Yeah. They're volunteering so they should know what they're signing up for,"

"I trust your judgement. Let's hear it."

Mu thumbed him, "Scout shot first. Then the kid destroyed it in retaliation,"

"That's a Han, isn't it?" Natarle interrupted.

"Han?" Murrue asked.

"Han Solo, as in Star Wars,"

"Ah, forgot about that historical film. That's bad, isn't it?" Murrue said. "But I don't know why you're so hung up about the enemy who shot first. That's a given, right?"

The man who was known as the Hawk of Endymion opened his mouth wide and then closed it. A frown appeared on his face and he was about to reply when once again he stopped, this time smacking his head. "Darn it! Okay, this is on me since I guess I'm the most senior CO in charge of operations. From now on, besides briefing, we'll conduct debriefing as well so that we wouldn't miss anything,"

"What happens if Kira needs to scramble immediately?" Tolle asked.

"Still need debriefing, even if we skip the briefing unless of course, everyone gets blown to pieces," Mu stated darkly while nodding at Kira before turning towards Flay. "You too, Capsule, no exemption. I'll give time for you to pop and let them do all the magic but you will have to join."

"I don't know why I must listen to you?" she answered. "I'm not part of the command."

"You know you will since I'm going to write the report exonerating you as well all those other stuff," Mu said as he dismissed her complaint.

"Fine," came the dry response.

"So, anyway, that GINN wasn't there to do recon,"

"What do you mean?" Kira asked.

"Think about it, Kid. You claimed that it's probably searching for Silverwind. There are two types of missions typically assigned to a scout, recon, and sniping. If it was doing recon, what do you think it would have done when he saw you?"

"He would attack me, just like he did?"

"Idiot!" Natarle said. "Why would he take that risk when it's more important to survive?"

"He didn't know, Natarle. And we've already established that it's my lapse of judgement," Mu cut her off. He turned toward Kira. "Here's the thing, for recon, what do you think is the most important objective?"

"Snipe the enemy?"

"The big clue is in its designation, kid,"

"Information?" Sai guessed.

"Bingo. A star and a cookie for you. That's right. The biggest reason why people died in a battle is a lack of information. Enemy size, our strength, environmental situation and even method of escape. Think about it. Don't you think that for someone who was searching for Silverwind, intending to rescue it, wouldn't it be important to return with the information that the ship wasn't found in the sector?"

"But it saw us," Kuzzey said.

"And that can go into the report as well, during debriefing. Then they can send lots and lots of cheaper GINNs to kill us."

"There was no reason to engage you, Kira," Natarle added her thoughts. "If it encountered you attacking Silverwind, that's a different matter but why would it take the risk? Any info that can help assist Lacus Clyne is more important than an Earth Alliance mobile suit," the ensign considered her words, "in the mission parameter, I mean. I don't think details about Strike and others are known by the rest of ZAFT forces,"

Kira, as well as his friends, nodded in understanding.

"Of course, there's that possibility," Natarle muttered.

"Permission to speak freely given, Natarle," Murrue said. "I'm sure Mu arrived at the same conclusion earlier."

"Yes, ma'am. I believe that the GINN was there to search and then destroy Silverwind," she said to the astonishment of people at the bridge; Mu and Murrue being the exceptions. "That's the only reason I can think of why it would pick a fight with Strike. It wanted to cover its presence. After going through all the situations that I can think of, at the very end, I arrive at the unwanted conclusion that I truly dreaded,"

"Someone in PLANTs or ZAFT wants the pop idol gone," Mu interjected. Upon seeing the annoyed look on Natarle, he shrugged. "Too much dramatic build-up. Just say it,"

"PLANTs want Lacus dead?" Kira asked.

"Probably a pro-war faction," Murrue asked before her expression became awkward, "If Earth Alliance is behind the attack, it makes more sense targeting Zala."

"But why?" Kira asked.

Mu turned toward Flay. "Okay, Capsule. Your turn to explain,"

Kira was surprised by the instruction, and so was Murrue. "Mu?" she asked.

"The three of us already thought that something was fishy with the situation, right? For all we know, they probably sent a body double or no Lacus at all. But then I recall our resident redhead's antics,"

"Antics?"

"Go on," Mu said, urging Flay. "Share with us what you know,"

From his conversation with her earlier, Kira knew that the redhead didn't really like Lacus for some reason. However, she did risk her life to defend Silverwind. It was as if she had known that the real Lacus was onboard.

The young girl took a deep breath, "I know that she'll be there because Aprilius branch is one of the sponsors for the pilgrimage."

"Aprilius branch?" Kuzzey asked.

"My father's company. It's operating almost autonomously but we still get the reports and a cut of its profits,"

"But you know about it even though we're out here, isolated. How?" Miriallia asked

"The trip was already planned two months ago to maximize publicity. Timings and locations are kept confidential, of course, but there were planned mini-concerts, speeches by her father and Zala and other activities that I didn't care to remember. All those will lead to the main event on the day of departure. There will be a special broadcast from the shuttle as it leaves toward Junius Seven. Lacus would be singing, while his fiance would be flying his mobile suit flying next to the shuttle as an escort, together with three ZAFT ships. At least that's the storyboard I saw,"

"Couldn't they use digital enhancement? Or stand-in?" Miriallia asked.

"Risky," came the short answer.

"I believe sending the real Lacus is riskier," Dalida added his opinion on the matter.

"Sorry," Flay said before clarifying, "I didn't mean her life but the event itself."

"You mean that the event is more important than her life?" Kira asked incredulously. "How could you say that, Flay? Even if you don't..."

Kira was silenced by a look Flay gave him; he thought he saw a flash of betrayal in her eyes. "The event was their decision. I, no, neither we make that call nor the Aprilius Branch. the organisers, knowing very well the risk, still decided to go through with it, all for the sake of propaganda values. In this kind of event, it would be a huge scandal if it is revealed that a stand-in or a digitised version was used. It has to be the real person herself and in a real event,"

"Even if she could die?" Mirriallia asked.

Flay turned toward the other girl. "She lives, it's good peace propaganda. She dies, too bad, but it would make for a good war propaganda material instead,"

"Wait. You mentioned a shuttle and three ZAFT ships just now," Sai asked. "Wouldn't that provoke the Earth Alliance?"

"It was going nowhere strategic," Flay answered, not looking at him at all. "Besides, it would make even less sense to have a shuttle with a VIP travelling alone in an unsafe environment,"

"But Athrun was in Heliopolis," Kira said, "together with the team that stole the Gundams!"

"Gundams?" Mu questioned.

"It's what he called the prototypes," Murrue clarified.

Mu rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That does sound powerful and badass, GUN... DAM." He nodded. "I probably want a Gundam of my own but I digress. Are you saying that Athrun was supposed to steal Aegis Gundam and then escort her to Junius Seven?"

Flay shook her head. "I don't think that's what they had in mind. What if he didn't manage to steal one, or the mission is a failure? Too many variables, too many risks."

"But it would have made for a very good material to have ZAFT showing to the people that they had enemy Gundams in their possession?"

"A customised GINN, probably with a different paint job would have been more than sufficient for the job,"

"So, you're saying that the decision to steal the Gundams was made very recently?" Natarle asked.

"I'm not saying that, but yes?" Flay tested. "I'm just guessing, though,"

"So how does this so-called publicized trip has to do with what the scout?" Arnold asked from his navigator's chair.

"Lacus Clyne and Athrun Zala each represent the moderate and the radical factions respectively. Their betrothal, and subsequently, marriage, would have been a mutual concession of sort for both sides," Murrue offered.

"But now, rumors about Athrun Zala M.I.A probably has spread all over PLANTs," Mu said, "leaving only Lacus Clyne, which is bad news to the radicals. How to counter it? Easy. Get her M.I.A too,"

"Wait, that doesn't make sense," Tolle said. "Due to N-Jammer, PLANTs have no way of knowing about him before the departure,"

"You have a point there. It's a setup from the beginning,"

"That's why there were no other ships, even though the plan called for three," Flay said, confirming the disturbing conclusion spreading throughout the bridge.

Mu cursed. "That's doesn't explain why you put your neck on the line?"

"Despite the good propaganda for pro-war faction, It would have been a PR nightmare for the sponsors,"

"So, it's all about money?" Mirriallia asked.

"One of the reasons, Mir, not going to deny that,"

"Great show, Capsule. The third time's the charm,"

"This time you're the one who called me!" Flay complained. "And I'm not the cause of all the bad news in the first place!"

Mu put a hand on his hip. "Maybe, but you and bad news are pretty chummy in my book. So, why don't you spare us the suspense and tell us the next thing?"

"Huh?" the redhead questioned back, surprised by the sudden change of conversation.

"Come on, there must be something else that you have yet to tell us, haven't you?"

"Mu?" Murrue questioned.

"You saw just now how much she knew about Clyne's movement but kept it hidden,"

"I didn't know that it mattered!" Flay protested. "To me, all that matters is that she lives!"

"Now, you put it that way, it did sound strange," Natarle said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"Right?" Mu said. "At first, I think that it's weird that why Murrue here is wary about NAGI, but now I'm beginning to wonder as well. It's very suspicious,"

"I admit, I've had some reservations about that corporation but I've never considered about Flay here,"

"Flay, you should tell us," Kira said.

Flay's eyes widened. "Kira?"

It wasn't that Kira suspected her of being a mole or a spy but rather she didn't seem to fit what he knew or thought he knew about her. At first, he chalked it up to his not knowing her. But considering what he saw about her discussion with the Eurasians, Athrun's strange interest with her, and now the deep explanation she gave about PLANTs' political planning, he came to the similar uncomfortable truth that Fllay knew more than she let on. "You know something,"

"Kira, not you too," she said in an almost pleading manner.

"Please, Flay, tell us the truth,"

Flay's eyebrows furrowed as her expression became twisted with grief and anger while she clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. "Kira, I'm disappointed in you," she said softly.

Kira lowered his face, unable to meet her gaze.

"You think that I'm behind all of this just because all of you don't understand what's going on? Or do you just want someone you can blame?" Flay said conversationally. "FINE!" she growled before turning toward Murrue. "What's your plan after sending Clyne?"

"We need to rendezvous with our forces to tell what happened in Heliopolis and deliver the two prototypes,"

"For what reason?"

"Just as I said before, to deliver the prototypes and their data…"

"There is no reason to do that,"

"But the research…"

"Proper research is always documented," the redhead interrupted, "Especially very important and expensive projects. My software team makes backups all the time! There's no reason why the prototype's research team couldn't do the same,"

What Flay said made sense to Kira. Even if the information cannot be transmitted via radio communication due to N-Jammer, the backup could be established through other means. For example, the data would be stored in storage media and then transported via spaceships.

"But the Gundams themselves cannot be backed up," Mu pointed out.

"So? Nothing that a well-equipped facility on Earth couldn't replicate as long as the engineers have the schematics. The only useful thing that this ship has is the Strike and Aegis' battle data and anything that Kira is working on that will help Naturals to control them. But it would be a matter of time before they managed to come up with the second part, and with that, the battle data needed,"

"But they were built in Orb's colony," Murrue said.

"And you buy that Orb's technological edge bullshit? Because it has magical rainbow dust sprinkled on the prototypes? No, of course not. It's advanced because they have Coordinators? Last time I checked, there are Coordinators in the Atlantic Federation and the Eurasian Federation. And PLANTs have a lot more Coordinators that it's a wonder the ZAFT have yet to field a perpetual motion machine!" Flay grinned sardonically at Sai, the first time she ever looked at him since she entered the bridge. "But we know where it gets its technological edge, don't we?"

"Flay, that was uncalled for," Mirriallia admonished. "Sai already regrets it!"

"Mir, you don't know how much it meant for me, but he knew! Yet, he told them! And when they moved to steal it, he knew but didn't tell me! Two years, Mir! Two years down the drain! And I can't do anything because it's a country, a neutral country no less! Even though historically, neutral and even allied nations were attacked during wars! It made even less sense to build them..." Flay suddenly stopped in the middle of her tirade and hung her head. "No… in Nevada or somewhere like it…," she muttered to herself. "But the government… that didn't matter… difficult to attack and escape… oh my god," Flay said as she put her hands to her head, eyes unfocussed.

"Flay?" Kira questioned after seeing her being quiet while trembling for a full minute.

She turned her head toward him. The uncertainty in her look was gone, replaced by grim determination as she slowly lowered her hands. "Ah, it seemed that Fllaga is correct after all," she said while smiling bitterly. "I'm only good for delivering bad news." She swallowed and continued, "Admiral Halberton proposed for the mobile suits to be built… but the development was done on Heliopolis to lure ZAFT to attack it and convince Orb to join the war,"

"What?!" Murrue said in disbelief. "Admiral Halberton would never have done such a thing!"

"I didn't say that he did!" Flay railed at her sharply, startling the older female a bit. "And you…. you troika! You're not squaddies so stop depending on a civvy boffin to come up with the analysis and then keep questioning her words! Just come up with your own!"

It seemed that Flay had heard the term triumvirate being used to refer to Mu, Murrue and Natarle.

She calmed down a bit. "About the situation regarding ZAFT's attack, let me refresh everyone's mind a bit. If ZAFT came just a few hours earlier, they wouldn't be able to steal the prototypes and instead have to destroy them. A few hours later and Archangel and the five of them would have left Heliopolis. They came right on time, not later, not sooner. Do you know why?"

No one answered her.

"Yes, no one else wants to say it even though I can see it on some of your faces. Let this bad news messenger tells you," Flay spat, her eyes were bright with unshed tears. "An insider wants your precious Halberton's project to spectacularly fail,"

Once again, silence greeted her remark.

Flay let out a hollow laugh. "All of you are so busy wearing tinfoil hats and trying to pin ZAFT's conspiracy theory on me that I ended up coming with another conspiracy theory. If you want it, give me a minute or two to come up with another one. Maybe I'll cook up something about Orb to round things up nicely. Just say the word,"

She regarded the bridge, challenging anyone to speak. Her eyes lingered at Kira for a moment longer before moving away.

"No? I will excuse myself then," she finally said before leaving the bridge.

Flay departed, leaving behind her a bridge embroiled in quiet chaos. It was one thing to talk about enemy forces trying to kill the guests on one's ship but it's another matter altogether to consider the possibility that there's someone in the Atlantic Federation that wanted the G-Project to fail.

In the end, Mu had no choice but to have Murrue, Natarle and himself reconvene at the Captain's quarter.

"Before we start, Mu, I think you've messed up big time and owe her a big apology," Murrue said.

"Yeah. I agree that was an A-class ass move by me," the Hawk of Endymion admitted ruefully. "There's no excusing what I did but I was very frustrated. She was just a convenient scapegoat. But still, 'squaddies' and 'boffin'?"

Natarle who had her arms crossed while leaning on the wall answered, "Newly trained soldiers and a researcher. Just like 'boots' and 'egghead', but British,"

Murrue sighed. "Wow, never pegged her as one. At least we know where she's from or spent her time growing up. But that statement about two years… to think that she's already involved earlier on, it's as if she's..."

"Stop right there, or else there will be two people apologizing to her," Mu said, "According to Kira, she didn't like them very much,"

"Two people owe her an apology already, Commander," Natarle said drolly. "You and Kira Yamato,"

"Right, but I didn't tell him to do it. The stupid, it's all his,"

"Just tell him to apologize to her on his own time. You too," Murrue said. "So, back to the main topic,"

Natarle's hand adjusted the cap on her head. "Tinfoil hat on," she said.

What Natarle did was a rare display of cynicism that she didn't show to other people. To Mu, it was a sign that she was developing trust with the two of them that she was letting her guard down. "For me, I'm sticking with the dunce cap," he said, referring to a historical act of wearing a paper cone on the head to show that one was a slow learner or stupid. "After what I did with Lady Boffin, I deserve it,"

"You have yet to apologize and you've already come up with a new name," Murrue chided.

"Hey, it's better than Capsule Princess,"

"I was half-asleep, but you're the one who keeps calling her that," Natarle said defensively.

"So, we're going to talk about this or not?" Murrue insisted, annoyed. "And come up with a better one, if you must, Mu,"

"Fine. Let's do it," Mu ceded. If he was being honest with himself, he wasn't in the mood to deal with such a heavy topic, preferring to let others do the thinking. But with him being part of 'troika' of officers onboard, there was no relegating it to others. Not a pessimist, he nodded toward the two in front of him, feasting his eyes on their attractive forms, appreciating the differences.

"Eyes up,"

"Yes, Ma'am,"

The three of them discussed the bombshell that Flay dropped earlier. It was a rant, a rambling of a young girl trapped in a psychological assault by them and angered by the betrayal by someone she liked and trusted. Despite that, what Flay said made sense. Normally, a weapon development would be carried out in an isolated area. The logic behind such consideration was to keep it a secret and prevent the enemy from launching an attack.

An example of such places was Area 51 in Nevada, as mentioned by Flay in her musing, located at the Atlantic Federation. It was located far away from nearby cities, allowing better secrecy to be maintained. While ZAFT could launch an orbital drop to attack the facility, the attack would have been a suicidal one even if it succeeded. Area 51's distance from any nearby shore meant that any ZAFT aircraft wouldn't have enough time and power to escape. Because of that, ZAFT wouldn't launch an attack at the facility just because they suspect something was going on.

If the prototypes had to be developed in space, locations such as Ptolemaeus Lunar Base could be used instead. Murrue raised the possibility that the Gundams, as Mu started to refer to them as such, had to be developed in zero gravity. However, Natarle pointed out that they will be manufactured on Earth eventually so having such a novel requirement was a major disadvantage.

They examined the situation from many angles but in the end, they kept coming to the same conclusion that Flay came up earlier; the development in Heliopolis was a ruse to sabotage Admiral Halberton's efforts while simultaneously an effort to get Orb involved in the war.

Mu was certain that there was something else missing, but at that moment, the three of them already had a lot on their plates. He was being truthful in regretting pushing the young redhead to the brink as he was unprepared for her brutal analysis; boffin indeed. Even the issues they were trying to tackle were way above their ranks and paygrades.

In the end, the conclusion they came to didn't change the earlier plan of going to Copernicus to deliver the Silverwind's crew and the refugees from the Heliopolis. However, they had to rethink their next action. While it remained important that they get the information regarding the G-Project to the higherups as soon as possible, they couldn't agree whether they should go to Ptolemaeus Lunar Base or try to go to the headquarters in Alaska. In the end, Natarle suggested that if possible, they could get in touch with Admiral Halberton.

With that, the talk was supposed to end but Mu couldn't help voicing out what he was thinking, "Hey, just thinking… Dolfin…"

"Dolphin?" Murrue questioned

"Doll, or Dolce Boffin, which one do you think sounds better?"

"I give up," came the exasperated comment. "You probably call me something else behind my back,"

"In case you forgot, it's Captain Beautiful for you, and Ensign Gorgeous for Natarle," Mu said jokingly before he turned a bit serious. "About what she said… this is a stretch but stick with me here… maybe, and just maybe, those behind the conspiracy is hoping to get rid of Halberton as well,"

"Get rid of the admiral?"

Mu's thought strayed to his 'brother', wondering if the man was involved. "I mean, if those involved are in cohort with those in ZAFT, it could happen. The hijacking doesn't necessarily diminish the Gundams; Admiral Halberton can argue their importance. That's why the conspirator may want to get rid of him first,"

"Great. Just great. That Allster may be the one who came up with the theory but it's you who's obsessed over it," Natarle remarked.

1

A/N

1. Military briefing is important but debriefing is even more important as it provides the chance for team learning as well as one of the coping mechanisms

2. The scene where the Recon GINN attack the Mistrals and Strike in the original Gundam Seed caught my attention even earlier on, not because of the drama of Kira having to kill at the site of remembrance. At that time, I became puzzled when the GINN, which was searching for the survivors of Silverwind, attacked Strike. It's like a rescue helicopter on a Search And Rescue mission suddenly decided to fire Hellfire at a tank. But then it hit me that the GINN was not trying to rescue Lacus but to ensure her death.

3. Done for the year. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.