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

Powell, Bridge, June 16th, C.E. 71

Muruta Azrael lightly drummed his fingers on the armrest of his chair. "How long until we're ready to resume the attack, Admiral?" he asked, sounding bored.

Admiral Hamilton glanced briefly at a status readout. "The Strike Daggers are getting ready now," he said after a moment. "The TLAM-Fives have been loaded onto the bomber; and the fighters are prepping as we speak. I believe the only delay is with your people, Director."

Blue Cosmos' leader nodded slightly. Yes, I thought so; they always cause delays... "Well, Admiral," he said aloud, "it shouldn't be too much longer; I believe the pilots have been sufficiently... chastened. Calamity, Forbidden, and Raider will be ready in a few minutes... and I doubt they'll fail us again." He smiled thinly. "They know better than that."

"I hope you're right," the admiral grumbled. "We could've won this yesterday, if that blasted drug hadn't worn off at such a bad time... Not to mention how undisciplined those three are. I've seen better in a Boy Scout troop, let alone a proper military academy..."

Azrael chuckled. "Now, now, Admiral; I know it can be a pain, but that drug is exactly what gives us our best chance of defeating those machines. According to the source that gave us the N-jammer canceller data, at least two of them are equipped with the device... and probably DiFalco's machine, as well. Our regular troops are no match for it; even Cateau was defeated, despite her unit's formidable speed. And as for being undisciplined... well, what do you expect from convicted murderers?"

Hamilton snorted. "I suppose; but they're all one big disgrace... not even worth the lead it would take to shoot them. Their only use lies in their combat capabilities."

The Director nodded amiably. "I won't deny that, Admiral; and once we've blown away the PLANTs, I'll probably have them quietly shot and stuffed in unmarked graves. But for the time being, we need them... especially with DiFalco on the loose."

Hamilton smiled thinly. "After today, Director, DiFalco shouldn't be a problem. That machine of his can't possibly survive a nuke; even that light-wave barrier only covers a small area. His only defense is speed... and the blast front travels even faster than he does."

"Indeed..."

"Report from the hangars, Admiral," the flight-control officer called. "Calamity, Forbidden, and Raider are ready for launch."

The admiral nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant." He turned to the Director. "Director, it appears all is ready. Shall I...?"

Azrael smiled. "Yes indeed, Admiral. Launch the attack at once... and do try to finish it this time, will you? I admit the Orb coastline is lovely, but I'd really rather observe it from Morgenroete's offices... instead of a ship that's about to be shot at."

Onogoro, Hangar

"Warning! Enemy attack detected; multiple mobile suit and aircraft signatures inbound! All pilots, launch immediately! Archangel, Kusanagi, begin launch checks!"

Ken's head snapped up at the announcement. "It's begun," he whispered. "The beginning of the end... the alpha of the omega..." He gripped the hilt of his sheathed sword, every muscle in his body suddenly tense. "A day of reckoning..."

A hand suddenly gripped his shoulder. "Come on, Ken," Kira urged. "There's no time for this now. We've got a job to do, remember? You can feel sorry for yourself later."

"Kira's right," Athrun agreed, appearing the ace's other side (Ken's blind side, as far as Athrun knew). "The three of us are the only ones who can get this job done; our machines are the only ones with the speed to fight them off, and still reach the Kusanagi before the point of no return."

Ken took a deep, steadying breath. "Yeah," he said finally, as his mental discipline began to take hold. "Yeah, you're right. Murrue and Colonel Kisaka are counting on us." He smiled slightly then. "And besides, Cagalli would shoot me herself if I let anything happen to you now, Kira."

Kira glared at him. "And just what does that mean, Ken?"

"Oh, nothing..." Chuckling softly to himself, the ace grabbed hold of Preybird's zip line, and ascended to the cockpit. This is it; probably the last time I'll see Orb as anything but a nuclear-blasted wasteland... and I'll never see Lord Uzumi again.

He dropped into his seat, strapped in, and swiftly began an abbreviated preflight checklist. Kira, a corner of his mind thought, be careful... and take care of Cagalli. She's my partner, but you're the next best thing to her boyfriend... and I may not always be around to protect her. When the time comes to face GENESIS... He touched the photograph stuck on his controls. I may be joining you before long, Laura; so I hope they can carry on without me. They don't realize how dangerous my mission really is...

Down below, Kira glanced at Athrun quizzically. "Just what was he talking about?" he demanded. "That didn't sound like 'nothing' to me."

Athrun chuckled. "Oh, come on, Kira; you should know yourself better than that. For that matter, you should know Cagalli better than that. Do you really think there's anyone in your immediate vicinity that hasn't realized what's going on between you two?"

Kira reddened. "Wh-what are you talking about, Athrun?"

"Never mind; we can talk about it later, when we're not in danger of being blown up." With a slight smile, Athrun took off for his machine at a dead run, leaving Kira to stare after him, dumbfounded.

Archangel, Bridge

"We've received confirmation from Lord Uzumi, Captain," Flay reported. "As soon as we exit the harbor, we're to launch for space." She paused. "He wishes us the best of luck, Ma'am."

"Tell him we acknowledge," Murrue replied with a nod. "And... tell him I'm sorry it has to be this way." She frowned. "Wait; what about Miss Cagalli? Isn't she supposed to be leaving with us?"

There was a quick flurry of typing and muttered exchanges from the communications station, before Flay spoke again. "She's on her way, Captain; she should be aboard in a couple of minutes, if all goes according to schedule."

The captain shook her head. "According to schedule..." she said softly. "In other words, as soon as she can be pried away from her father." She shook her head again, sadly. "She must've realized... realized what Lord Uzumi intends to do..."

"Probably," Mu agreed, standing near her chair. "She's a smart one, that's for sure," he added with a sigh. "I hope Kira -and Falcon- will be able to help her through this..."

Murrue glanced at him. "I can understand Kira," she said with some surprise, "but Ken? I didn't realize they were that close."

The Hawk chuckled. "Few people do; but I happened to notice that she wears his Order of the Nebula these days. Besides, you can tell just by the way they fought together, before Raptor fell apart, that they were true partners. And believe me, Captain: partners -at least in that sense- are closer in some ways that siblings, or lovers. They have to trust each other completely; which, in a way, makes me surprised even she didn't find out about GENESIS until the rest of us did." He shook his head. "Yeah, those two are the only ones who can be there for her..."

Onogoro Island, Harbor

Cagalli was not, in actual fact, the only evacuee who was late. Leanne Eldridge, having set the self-destruct charge on the Hades, was only now arriving at the Archangel's dock at a dead run. Pick up the pace, Eldridge, she told herself. You miss this flight, and you'll be enjoying the hospitality of the Earth Alliance... which probably means you'll be dead before the day is over.

Reaching Archangel's hatch, Leanne skidded to a stop, and looked back... just in time to see her friend Cagalli being dragged toward the ship by her father. "Lord Uzumi?" she said in surprise. "Wha...?"

"Go, Miss Eldridge," Lord Uzumi told her, pushing his daughter forward. "Please, hurry; and take my foolish daughter with you. I'm counting on you and the Archangel to get her out of here. Please, safeguard the line of Orb... and the last of the Athha line."

"I will, My Lord," she promised, catching Cagalli's arm and holding the younger girl in place. "Between the Demons and Kira, we'll keep her safe. I promise."

Cagalli struggled to get free from Leanne's grip. "Father, no!"

Uzumi smiled gently. "Stop giving me that look," he admonished; but his heart wasn't in it. "It doesn't suit a child of the line of Orb." He sighed. "I'm sorry, my child... but this is the way it must be. I bear the responsibility for what has happened to Orb, but you must live on; you must return one day, to rebuild what you can from the ashes." The politician reached into his coat, and withdrew a computer disc, which he handed to Leanne. "Take this with you," he requested. "It contains many things I would rather explain to her myself, but we have not the time. Take it to Commander DiFalco; he should be able to hack the encryption... though I believe his sister already has the decryption keys in her possession."

Leanne gazed at it, distracted for an instant from the sobbing girl she kept from fleeing the Archangel. "Decryption keys...?"

"Just remember one thing," Uzumi went on, speaking more rapidly now, as the inexorable tick of entropy continued. "I hope that you never need to go there... but if you ever need the answers to the questions that disc may raise, go to Mendel. At GARM, you will find all the answers... probably more than you would prefer."

"Father... don't go..." Cagalli begged. "Don't leave me alone..."

He smiled sadly down at her. "You're leaving your father," he said quietly, "but you will not be alone. You have many, worthy friends now; those like Commander DiFalco will support you." He paused. "And Kira Yamato... I know what he means to you, Cagalli. Whatever happens between you, you have my blessing... not that you would've waited for it, of course."

"F-Father...?"

Uzumi nodded at Leanne. "Go, Miss Eldridge," he said again. "You carry the hope and future of Orb with you."

Leanne nodded, and hit the control to close the hatch. "I understand, Lord Uzumi. We won't fail."

Cagalli struggled even harder. "Father, no!"

Just as the hatch sealed itself, Uzumi smiled sadly, one last time. "I wish I could've been there for you longer, Cagalli... but at the least, I was very fortunate to have you as a daughter."

The hatch sealed, and the last Cagalli Yula Athha ever saw of her father was his sad smile... and the pride in his eyes, knowing that the daughter he had raised would be strong, even in the face of his death, and carry on with Orb's ideals.

Archangel, Bridge

"Crew reports Leanne and Cagalli have boarded the ship, Captain," Mir called. "We're cleared to launch at any time now."

Murrue nodded. "Very well. Arnold, get us out of the harbor, and prepare to lift at full emergency thrust at my command."

"Roger that," Neumann acknowledged. "Archangel is now exiting the harbor; estimated time to orbit launch is ten minutes."

"So it's almost over," Mu murmured to himself. "Man, oh man; I've been through a lot in my career, but I can't say I ever expected to launch into space in a three-hundred-forty-five meter spaceship without a mass driver, using only plasma boosters meant for another ship and a pair of positron cannons... all while fleeing nuclear weapons launched by my own former superiors. Yeah, this one takes the cake, all right..."

"It's worse than the Battle of Jachin Due," Sophia agreed, a little to his left. "I probably came closer to being killed there than we will here, but back then the greatest threat to my survival was my own little brother... not nukes. Man, I always hated those things... If it weren't for the energy crisis it caused, I'd probably have thanked the PLANTs for deploying the N-jammers."

"I think Ken already does," Murrue interjected. "Of course, he's never had much of an attachment to Earth; and he does have a point about how they've effectively eliminated fallout, and the remnants of old nuclear tests... and disasters." She frowned. "Which reminds me: we'd better inform Ken and Kira that we're about to lift off; I know they're going to use Kusanagi to reach orbit altitude, but just in case..." She looked down into CIC. "Miriallia, get me the Preybird, please."

"Yes, Ma'am," Mir replied, and opened a channel. "Ken, the captain wants a word with you... if you're not busy," she added, in a weak attempt at humor.

"Never too busy to talk to our lovely captain," Ken answered laconically; judging from his tone -and unusual phrasing- he was burying his unease -and horror- at the thought of nuclear weapons under a veneer of carefree, devil-may-care casualness. "So what is it?"

"We're about to launch, Ken," Murrue told him, a little startled by his choice of words, but too busy to think much of it. "Are you and Kira ready to cover us?"

"Ready as we can be, in the face of nukes," he replied. "So's Athrun; guess he's serious about sticking with us. Not sure he can give up on his father that easily, though..."

"I'd actually rather forgotten about him," she admitted. "I'll have to meet him, when we're safely in orbit, out of the Earth Forces' reach."

"I'm sure Kira will be delighted to introduce you two," Ken murmured, sounding amused. "I hope you can forgive him for shooting you, back at Heliopolis."

She chuckled. "I thought he looked familiar. Well, Ken, we'd both better get to work; Archangel leaves for orbit in less than ten minutes, and Kusanagi not long after that. Not only do I suspect you don't want to miss the boat, but I expect it'll be a little unhealthy around here after the mass driver and Morgenroete are destroyed."

"Unhealthy is putting it mildly," he said grimly. "You've never been near a nuke when it went off; I have. Believe me, it ain't a picnic." He paused; and she could almost see him staring at the photo in his cockpit. "Preybird, out," he said abruptly, and was gone.

"Every time we get into a stressful -or desperate- situation," Murrue murmured, "he gets a little more human. If only it didn't take a near-death experience to do it..."

Sophia chuckled. "That doesn't sound like you, Murrue."

The captain glanced at her old friend. "Just what are you saying, Sophia? You sound like you're about to reveal the secrets of the universe or something."

The Kestrel rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Murrue. Admit it, you like the guy."

Murrue frowned, puzzled. "Well, of course; now that he's not acting like he has all the feelings of a dead fish, he's a very likeable young man. What are you getting at?"

"That's not what I meant-"

"Enemy mobile suits incoming!" Pal announced. "Identified as Calamity, Forbidden, and Raider; they're closing on our position!"

"Understood," Murrue said tightly, nodding; Cateau's information on the new Alliance machines had been invaluable. "Arnold?"

"We've exited the harbor, Captain," Neumann responded. "Ready for launch sequence."

"Very well. Raise bow twenty degrees, and boost engines to maximum thrust. Charge the Lohengrin and stand by."

"Lohengrin charging, Captain," Natarle informed her a moment later. "Ready to fire on your command."

"Good." Murrue looked out the forward viewport, watching as the world seemed to drop away from beneath them. The Archangel now pointed at the sky, and her engines, normally incapable of raising her above even the average mountaintop, were about to receive aid in the form of positronic interference from the Lohengrin's antimatter stream.

So here ends our long rest in Orb, she thought, almost absently. We came here hoping for a rest, while we prepared for, as Ken always calls it, the "real war"... and now we have to leave, chased by nuclear fire... I begin to understand how Ken must've felt, losing Junius Seven in the Bloody Valentine, his team at Endymion... and his place in life, when he realized GENESIS' awful potential.

She watched a moment more, then nodded decisively. "Fire Lohengrin."

Sky Above Kaguya Island

Ken DiFalco watched the Archangel's powerful positron cannons fire, and nodded to himself as the "White Bird" became wreathed in actinic plasma and positronic fire on her way to space. Nothing can stop her now, he thought. She's safe; so now all we have to worry about is Kusanagi. Don't worry, Murrue; we'll be with you in a few minutes...

Drawing Preybird's huge Gerbera Straight, he dimly heard Kira signaling the mass driver facilities. "Kaguya, what's your status? We have enemies incoming."

"Keep them off us for just a few minutes," Uzumi requested. "Once Kusanagi has launched from the mass driver, you'll be in the clear; just hold them off until then."

"We will," Kira promised. "Athrun? Ken?"

Before Athrun could speak, Ken looked over at the Freedom. "You two leave this to me," he said quietly. "Once Kusanagi starts moving, grab hold; I can take things from here. No need to risk all three of us... when one can do the job."

"No way," Athrun said firmly. "You're the last person we can risk, Commander; you're the only one who knows how to destroy GENESIS... and if we weren't in the middle of a situation like this, I'd probably tell you how stupid it is that you're the only one. As it is..."

"Besides," Kira cut in, "if I let you do everything yourself, you'll leave nothing but scorched earth behind you. Or are you going to try and tell me you weren't planning to use the Nataraja on the Earth Forces fleet as soon as we were out of range?"

Ken's eye narrowed. "And the problem with that is...?"

"I won't let you massacre them out of revenge, Ken," the younger pilot said bluntly. "I can't do that."

The ace's hands clenched on his control sticks. "One day, Kira," he said quietly, "your unwillingness to take the final step will be your undoing. War isn't a game, and it is not a place for idealists. Kill or be killed; the law of the jungle reigns on the battlefield."

"There's something to be said for turning the other cheek," Kira shot back.

"Sure there is; but not when that means getting your cheek shot off." Ken shrugged. "Fine; if you want to help out, go ahead... even if I don't need any help."

"This from the man who built a machine whose only protection is a light-wave barrier?" Athrun snorted. "There's something to be said for defense, you know."

"My defense is in my maneuverability, Athrun," Ken told him. "The light-wave shield is for when I can't dodge... which, against these jokers, is an uncommon situation."

"Quiet, you two," Kira interjected. "Here they come!"

Ken's head snapped around. "I see them," he said, tone shifting to detached calm as the battle became imminent. "Calamity, Forbidden, Raider... and a bomber." His eye narrowed. "Let me handle the bomber, you two; I've got a bad feeling about this."

"You're going to shoot it down?" Kira said immediately, voice sharp.

"If you can tell me how to disable a fixed-wing aircraft, I'm open to suggestions," the ace said acidly. "But in my experience, mobile suit weapons tend to make very short work of conventional aircraft. Now get going; those three suits are the real threat to the Kusanagi."

"Roger that," Athrun acknowledged. "Come on, Kira; this time he's right."

Kira nodded reluctantly; his mentor did have a point about the fragility of conventional aircraft. And if he's thinking what I think he's thinking... then I guess there's no choice.

Not even Phase-shift would protect us from a nuke.

"Go," Ken told him, breaking into his thoughts. "And if I don't make it... Well, the Demons have complete schematics for GENESIS. Using those, you should be able to find a way to destroy it." Without another word, he hit his verniers, boosting off towards the bomber.

Athrun looked over at Freedom. "He thinks that bomber is carrying nuclear weapons, doesn't he?"

Kira nodded. "I think so... and I'm not about to say he's wrong."

Then they, too, turned to face their enemies.

Ken DiFalco, commander of the pitiful few to survive the Battle of Endymion Crater, survivor of the Bloody Valentine Tragedy, had a sixth sense where nuclear weapons were concerned. He had the distinct feeling that the single bomber being sent his way carried at least one TLAM-Five nuclear-tipped missile.

That meant it was absolutely imperative that it be shot down.

And he only had, by his watch, five minutes in which to do it.

"Time to make bricks without straw," he muttered to himself. "And hope not to get blown out of the sky while I'm at it."

That was when he noticed something interesting: the bomber seemed to be circling not far from the Fourth Fleet itself, as though in a badly-concealed attempt to lure him into range of the entire fleet's weaponry. Even more interestingly, he was pretty sure that was exactly what it was doing.

And, unluckily for him, he had little choice but to take the bait. That was one target that had to be engaged, no matter the risk to himself.

"Fine," Ken murmured. "You may hurt me some, but it won't be enough to stop me. Nothing can be allowed to get in my way..."

He slashed across the sky toward the fleet... totally unaware of the real trap that awaited him.

Powell, Bridge

"There he is, Director," Admiral Hamilton noted. "He's taking the bait, just as you suggested. I wasn't sure he'd actually do it."

Azrael chuckled. "What you have to understand, Admiral, is that some things are the same in both the business world and the battlefield. One of those things is that you should know yourself and know your enemy... and I know Commander DiFalco. Not as much about him as I'd like, but I know he's a survivor of the Bloody Valentine; so it was a reasonable assumption that he'd have a certain psychological problem where nuclear weapons were concerned. My belief -which seems to have been proven- was that he'd instantly attack any unit he believed was carrying nukes."

Hamilton nodded. "All right, I can see that; but why risk coming this close? He could easily hit it from that distance with one of his ranged weapons. For that matter, he could use that infernal positron cannon of his and just blow us all away."

"No, I don't think he'd do that," the Director disagreed. "I've studied his tactics; and while he does have an irritating habit of being unpredictable, I've noticed that he also has a habit of using melee attacks. According to what little Intelligence ever learned about him, he was a trained swordsman before he ever became a pilot. From what I can tell, that makes him instinctively resort to close combat first; which usually works quite well. But it leaves him vulnerable at times... like now." He smiled. "And I don't think he'll use the positron cannon, either."

The admiral raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Two reasons: first, he's not a fan of friendly fire; probably in reaction to the losses his unit suffered at Endymion. Second... I have the feeling that the pilot of the white machine wouldn't let him."

Now Hamilton was getting curious. "What makes you say that?"

Azrael shrugged. "It's just a feeling I have... but I've noticed how those machines behave. Judging from the occasional hesitation on the part of DiFalco's machine when the white one is around, they've been arguing about something... and the very fact that he hasn't used the positron cannon tells me that it's been about tactics. Judging from the white machine's preference for disabling attacks, its pilot is probably unhappy with DiFalco's methods. That's something we can use to our advantage." He steepled his fingers. "Ah, here he is now. Order the bomber to launch the first TLAM; set it for a surface hit off... oh, say, the Izanagi coastline. That should make him nice and mad."

Sky Above Orb Union

Ken saw the lone bomber launch a solitary weapon, and he frowned in confusion. It wasn't even aimed at him, so why...? What are they up to? Trying to smoke out any remaining defenders? Even for someone like Azrael, this seems a waste... Oh, no!

Half a kilometer away, Kira was just beginning to engage the Raider -with the Calamity atop it- when he heard a cry of pure anguish, and he spun around just in time to see a flash of painfully bright light... and the mushroom cloud characteristic of a nuclear explosion.

He heard Athrun gasp over the radio, while Justice sideslipped a plasma beam from Forbidden. "Kira, that was-! How could they?"

"It's not like we didn't expect it," Kira replied numbly, "but that's not even what I'm worried about. Ken saw that, and if I know him and nukes, he'll-"

His words were prophetic. Less than a second after the nuclear warhead detonated, Preybird's massive katana went back in its sheath, and both beam rifles came out, while the rail cannons on its hips unfolded. "You bastards," Ken hissed in pure rage... and behind his eyes, a Prussian blue seed burst.

Curiously, he ignored the bomber completely, choosing instead to direct his fire against the Fourth Fleet itself. Beam after emerald beam spat from the twin rifles, as his rail cannons went to rapid, continuous fire. Ships became ablaze as armor literally melted under the onslaught, and sloughed off; gun turrets detonated under the pounding... while Muruta Azrael absorbed the losses with a smile.

For by now, the carriers had begun deploying Strike Daggers; the machines perched atop the launch hatches, pouring emerald fire back at the Preybird.

Ken flung himself around with the speed and agility only his machine was capable, but he was focused almost entirely on offense. Not even his light-wave barrier was active as he charged straight at the guns of the enemy... and soon, that hostile fire began to take its toll.

First one beam rifle went, in a blaze of glory, then the other; they were followed quickly into death by the rail cannons, smashed and melted by bullets and energy fire.

Kira was therefore stunned when Ken continued his insanely reckless attack with his DRAGOON system and -of all things- his CIWS. It was so completely out of character that he didn't even know what to do; all he could do was watch Preybird charge ahead, heedless of all reason, firing dozens of energy streams from his wing DRAGOONs and a constant barrage of gunfire.

A destroyer appeared at first to simply melt under the concentrated fire of forty beam emitters, and then simply exploded; one of the Tarawa-class carriers followed it into death a moment later, when the remote units turned their full fury upon it.

Then two things began to happen: Kusanagi appeared at the base of the mass driver... and a thin red streak from Preybird pierced the skis.

Powell, Bridge

Muruta Azrael saw that streak, and realized immediately that he'd miscalculated. "Oops," he said, almost calmly. "Apparently he's not very concerned about the other pilot's opinion right now." He looked at Hamilton. "One question, Admiral: are we in the line of fire?"

"About half the Fleet is," the admiral replied tautly, "but we shouldn't be, unless it has an even greater radius than our worst-case projections. But we are about to get hurt, Director."

"I thought so-"

The bright column engulfed Preybird, and it was only a moment before the twin satellite cannon barrels snapped up over the machine's shoulders. After an even briefer pause, twin columns of red-orange fire lanced out, met, and expanded, producing a torrent of antimatter fury... all of it reaching out to touch the Atlantic Federation's Fourth Naval Fleet.

Ships caught in the blast appeared to simply dissolve; those that didn't vanish instantly, at least. Nothing caught in that titanic energy release could live, and only the -relatively- tight focus of the beam saved surviving crews from severe gamma radiation burns.

Yet such fury could last only moments, and Azrael's mind had not completely locked up at the realization of his error, and its aftermath. "Have the bomber launch the second missile," he ordered harshly. "Take him down, now!"

Hamilton didn't hesitate to pass on the orders... and a second nuclear-tipped TLAM-Five missile jetted away from the bomber, straight at Preybird.

Sky Above Orb Union

Had he been an ordinary Berserker, Ken would probably have died that day. But the Hyper Berserker state Heinrich Metzinger had engineered into him, while triggered almost exclusively by the pure rage that gripped him now, also permitted him to register far more of what was going on than an ordinary man.

So he saw the missile coming toward him, and it shocked his mind back into sanity. "Oh, no..." he whispered. "What have I done...? I've killed us all..." Knowing he wouldn't make it out of the blast radius in time, he nonetheless pushed Preybird's abused frame to its limits, diverting all power into the thrusters.

He almost made it... and that was all that allowed him to survive.

Fortunately for him, the weapon was a tactical, not strategic, nuclear warhead, so the blast was far smaller than it might've been. Ken was at the extreme edge of it when it detonated... and even there, the results verged on cataclysmic. Seven of Preybird's ten wings were torn apart, its head vanished into oblivion, and the beam boomerangs -along with sizable chunks of both arms- were blown away.

The blast might still have consumed the machine... but then Freedom was there, grabbing hold of what remained and dragging Preybird clear. By this time, most of the Phase-shift had literally boiled away under the force of the explosion, and the main hatch was breached, but the inner pilot module was still sealed... which meant that Ken was still safe from the effects of vacuum.

The whole event had taken less than thirty seconds, which left Kira barely enough time to attempt to catch up with Kusanagi, even with the added drag of Preybird's limp hulk. "How are we doing, Athrun?" he demanded, hurrying to rejoin the Justice.

"Those three machines were forced away by the explosion," Athrun answered; his machine had already grabbed hold of Kusanagi's hull, and now stretched out its free hand to Freedom. "What about Commander DiFalco? Is he all right?"

"I don't know; I haven't contacted him yet, and we probably won't be able to until we reach orbit." Straining to catch up with the rapidly-accelerating ship, Kira gritted his teeth. Come on, come on... Just as Ken had done moments earlier, he threw all power into his thrusters, stretching Freedom's hand as far as it would go at the same time. "Athrun-!"

"Gotcha!" Justice's hand closed on Freedom's, and the white machine secured its own grip on the Kusanagi's hull. "You okay, Kira?"

"Yeah," Kira said heavily, carefully securing Preybird to the hull. "Barely. Hang on, Athrun."

"I know." Athrun paused. "But what do you mean, we can't contact him? Is his radio out?"

"Since he doesn't have a head right now, his primary radio is," Kira pointed out. "But that's not my point. If he went Berserker, he'll be unconscious right now. Something about the way his 'Hyper Berserker' state works knocks him out afterwards."

"No," Ken gasped over the radio, breaking in. "I'm... I'm here... sort of."

"You okay?" his protégé asked. "That didn't look good."

"It wasn't. But... I'll live..."

As Kusanagi accelerated to escape velocity and left the mass driver behind, Athrun stiffened. "Kira, Commander, look!"

Kira's eyes widened, and Ken tiredly raised his head, just in time to see two mammoth explosions erupt beneath them. One centered on the Morgenroete facility, where the Archangel had twice been repaired, while another engulfed the mass driver... and a third erupted beneath the waves, where Hades rested.

In that moment, Uzumi Nara Athha and his entire government died, by their own design. But that was not the worst.

The worst came only seconds later, when Muruta Azrael realized that everything he'd come here to acquire had just been destroyed, ruining his careful plans to capture a mass driver and thus regain the ability to send large cargoes to space.

And also destroying his last reason not to use full force against the islands of the Orb Union.

Missiles streaked out at Mach Six... and at that speed, it took a very, very short time to reach the first of their targets.

Kira and Athrun closed their eyes in horror; and they both heard a sound of anguish from Preybird, as the fires of nuclear devastation spread across Onogoro, Izanagi, Kaguya, and all the other islands of Orb.

Numb with horror, Kira knew Ken DiFalco's must be far, far worse. The survivor of three separate uses of weapons of mass destruction, and the creator of another, the agony he felt could be sensed even over the radio. If we let him, he might just... let himself go. I'd... better say something to him. Anything, as long as it isn't about what just happened. Just to make sure he doesn't... He couldn't finish the thought.

He cleared his throat. "By the way, Ken," he began quietly, "there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"What's that?" Ken responded dully; but he appreciated what his friend was trying to do.

"Does that sword of yours have a name?"

The ace nodded, tears beginning to leak from his eyes, even under his eyepatch. "Yes, it does."

"What is it?"

Down below, the earth burned in the fires of Muruta Azrael's vengeance, adding poignancy to Ken's whispered, one-word reply.

"Griever..."

PLANTs, Martius Three, True ZAFT Base, June 19th, C.E. 71

Lance "Sparky" Cooper took one last look at the battered conference table, and sighed. For a period of nine months -and two months following the Bloody Valentine before that- this base had been home; many plans had been made at that table, and it was in this very room that Ken DiFalco's Shiva Option Three had been born. Here Sparky himself had presided, after "the Boss" departed, over the operations of the incipient "True ZAFT" faction, along with Leanne Eldridge and Tom Delaney. Here they had begun construction of the Asmodeus and Preybird, and resumed construction of the Arkbird.

Later, Leanne had been detached for liaison duty with Orb, and her place had been taken by Nicol Amalfi; and shortly thereafter, Siegel Clyne had joined the privileged few at that battered table. A conspiracy to counter Patrick Zala's conspiracy had been born and reared here... and now it was time to leave.

"Commander Cooper?" Lacus Clyne called softly from the doorway, breaking into his thoughts. "Are you all right?"

Sparky took a deep breath. "I'm fine, Miss Lacus. Just... remembering old comrades, who should've been here, but aren't. Like Alicia Sharpe, the original Asmodeus... Even Victor Tempest, when you come right down to it. He was one of us, before he lost his mind; he would've been a welcome addition to our forces."

"But what we do have is still a substantial -and formidable- force, Commander," she pointed out. "We have a chance to stop Chairman Zala, thanks to your foresight."

"It wasn't our foresight," Tom Delaney said quietly. "We didn't see any of it ourselves. It was the Boss who figured out what was going on... and how to stop it. It was a longshot, but we've made it work... and it was all done from this very room. It's... kinda hard to leave, y'know? I mean, I know it's ridiculous to feel sentimental about a room, but..."

"Not ridiculous at all," Siegel Clyne demurred, appearing behind his daughter. "It's never easy to abandon a place where you've been through so much." He smiled. "But this isn't the end, is it, Captain Cooper? You have a ship waiting for you, and a mission. And a new base, if Leanne's survey was accurate."

Beside him, Tom froze. "It was," he said tightly. "And frankly, I'm not sure the Mendel Colony is where we want to be. It certainly isn't a place we want Kira Yamato or Cagalli Yula Athha anywhere near."

Lacus looked up at her father. "What are they talking about, Father?"

Siegel's eyes narrowed. "I think... it might be better if you wait outside, Lacus. I have a feeling this is something that should not be discussed casually."

She nodded, puzzled, but trusting her father's judgment. "I'll head for the Eternal, then," she announced. "Captain Waltfeld will be ready to move soon. Don't be late," she added, as she left.

Once the door was closed, Siegel gave his old bodyguard a very sharp look. "Just what is it that you two know?" he demanded. "What could possibly be at Mendel that you would want to keep Kira and Miss Cagalli away from? The place has been abandoned for years."

Sparky flicked his gaze over to the engineer. "You explain, Tom," he said tiredly. "You're the engineer, not me."

"Mechanical engineer," Tom pointed out. "But yeah, I know a little about genetics."

Clyne sighed. "Are either of you going to give me a straight answer, or are you just going to keep equivocating? And what does genetic engineering have to do with anything?"

Tom dropped into his old chair at the table. "We don't know all the details," he began, "though we have reason to believe the Boss's sister does. We do know, however, that a place called GARM -that's Genetic Advanced Reproductive Research and Development- exists in one of the least-used areas of the old Mendel Colony. About seventeen or eighteen years ago, there was a man named Doctor Ulen Hibiki working there, in Coordinator research... and he came up with something called the 'Ultimate Coordinator Project'. We don't know exactly what this entailed... but we do know that there were at least three 'successful' test subjects, though one was labeled a failure." He snorted. "Personally, I think anybody who survived to be born could be considered a success. Anyway, that first test subject was a fellow named Canard Pars; after he was 'disposed of', the Eurasian Federation somehow got hold of him, and he was put to work flying one of the prototypes of the Eurasian machine the Boss had us build. We've since lost track of him... but it just so happens that he's a full-blooded brother of Kira Yamato."

The former Chairman blinked in surprise. "How can that be? The Yamatos-"

"Caridad Yamato and her husband are not Kira's real parents," Sparky said quietly. "His real parents we've been unable to locate; they may even be dead. But their names? ...Via and Ulen Hibiki."

Clyne swallowed, comprehension beginning to dawn. "So Kira Yamato..."

"...Is one of the other two successes." Tom nodded. "We have no idea what capabilities he may posses, but this explains the extraordinary piloting ability he has, and even how he managed to pick up mobile suit piloting so fast in the first place. In any case, what we've seen indicates that he surpasses even the Boss... which, when you think about it, is a very scary thought."

"Though the Ultimate Coordinator project touched on him, too," Sparky rumbled. "Probably not directly; but it so happens that Doctor Heinrich Metzinger, creator of 'Der Schreckick Eins', was one of Hibiki's colleagues... and deeply involved in the Ultimate Coordinator project."

"This is monstrous..." Clyne whispered. "So, then... who was the third test subject?"

"Ah, that brings us to perhaps the most twisted part of the tale," Tom said slowly. "We have very little data on the subject -and we suspect the one person who did have complete data, outside of the project team, is dead, and the data with him- but, through much digging, we've learned that a member of a certain royal line was somehow involved in the Project."

When the engineer paused, Sparky sighed, and completed it for him. "Uzumi Nara Athha was indeed her real father... but somehow Cagalli Yula Athha was a part of the Ultimate Coordinator Project. How she became involved, we do not know... and her capabilities are just as much a mystery as those of Kira Yamato." He met his former charge's eyes. "She, like Kira, may well have the potential to surpass Der Schreckick Eins, if she is ever trained as a Coordinator, instead of the Natural she's been led to believe she is."

Arkbird, Bridge

An hour after the final, impromptu conference, Sparky stepped onto the Bridge of what was technically the prototype for the Eternal.

Technically.

In actual fact, though their exteriors were very similar, the Arkbird's weaponry internal arrangement were very different. Where the Eternal was intended as a transport for ZGMF-X09A Justice and X10A Freedom, Arkbird was designed as a command ship... one with the ability to defend itself most efficiently. Equipped with a pair of hardwired METEOR turrets, a double-barreled beam cannon above the launch deck, numerous laser point defense clusters, and two engine pod-mounted beam turrets, no enemy would attack it lightly.

On the inside, the differences were even greater. It had hangar space for four ZGMF-600 GuAIZ machines -as opposed to Eternal's two ZGMF-X spaces- more efficient engines, and a "war room" with duplicates of the Bridge displays, showing the compartment's occupants everything that was done on the Bridge.

The Bridge itself was a major departure from standard ZAFT design, in large part due to its use of some of Preybird's technology. It was positioned on a transparent length of deck that stretched out into a cylindrical compartment, whose curved bulkheads used Preybird's panoramic view technology, giving the Bridge crew a much wider view than that of a conventional command deck.

It was here that Sparky Cooper would spend the remainder of the war. No longer in top form for mobile suit combat, "the Boss" has detailed him to command the Arkbird, once construction was completed and the Martius Three base was abandoned.

Not where I'd have chosen to spend this phase of my career, Sparky thought to himself, settling into the Captain's chair. But orders are orders; and the Boss is right. I'm getting a little large to pilot a mobile suit. He grinned to himself. Large enough that if this chair weren't custom-fitted, I'd probably break it... and not a bit of it fat. He wasn't overweight, just a very large man.

"Captain on deck," the helm officer called.

"If anybody stops working just because I'm here, I'll break him in two," Sparky rumbled; the remark resulted -unsurprisingly- in general chuckling. "Communications, get me a link with Asmodeus, will you?"

"Aye aye."

A moment later, a screen formed in the air in front of him (like standard viewscreens, Arkbird had abandoned normal communications displays). "I see you've made it aboard," Tom remarked from his own Bridge, nearly identical to that of the Archangel. "About time to split, eh?"

Sparky nodded. "Just about. How are things on your end?"

"Nicol's ready to launch at any time; we think Raiden won't explode on us or anything." The engineer-turned-ship captain grinned. "And the GuAIZ team is ready, too. Reactor is going strong, and our engines are ready for the breakaway."

"Good; stand by while I bring Eternal into the circuit." The big captain nodded at his comm officer, and another image appeared in the air. "Captain Waltfeld, what's your status?"

Andrew "Desert Tiger" Waltfeld, thought dead by most for months, now sat on the Bridge of the Eternal. His left sleeve was empty, and an inverted-Y scar ran over his closed left eyelid, but he was very much alive... as was the black-haired woman at his side. "We're good to go," he said, "as soon as Master Siegel arrives." He glanced over his shoulder, at the pink-haired girl sitting behind him. "The Songstress herself is already here, but her father seems to be running a mite late."

Sparky could hear the hatch that opened a moment later. "I'm here," Clyne announced. "I was just overseeing the departure of the last of Patrick's loyalists."

Waltfeld nodded. "Then I think we're ready, Captain Cooper. So, where exactly are we going?"

"We're to rendezvous with the Orb satellite Ame-no-Mihashira," Sparky answered. "According to the last report, Archangel and Kusanagi arrived there within hours of the nuclear attack on Orb. For now, the situation there is stable -though I'm told the Boss had an unpleasant encounter with Rondo Ghina Sahaku- so we're going there, for now."

"Understood." The Tiger smiled. "Shall we get moving, then?"

"Yes." The Arkbird's commander smiled himself. "And, of course, we can't forget our little message on the way out."

"Which message would that be?" Tom asked, with a lurking grin. "The one we send by blowing up the old base... or the transmission to Patrick, when you tell him 'nyah, nyah, nyah'?"

"I was thinking about the latter," Sparky informed him, "though I intend to be a little more dignified than that. Still, blowing up the base should get his attention, too... and so will Eternal's sudden departure."

PLANTs, Aprilius One, Patrick Zala's Office

The first notice anyone had that the Gray Demons were making their move was when a tremendous explosion rocked Martius Three; and it wasn't long before a ZAFT officer rushed into Zala's office, looking flustered. "Your Excellency!" he blurted. "There's been an incident at Martius Three's military facilities!"

"What kind of incident?" Zala demanded. What now? First Falcon betrays us, then Clyne -that bastard- leaks Spit Break, and now an "incident" at a ZAFT base?

The soldier swallowed. "We're not sure exactly what is going on, Sir, but an explosion just occurred at an abandoned base there; and two ships have been seen to exit the harbor. Neither one is in our database... but one of them resembles the Eternal, and the other appears to be a copy of the Earth Forces' Archangel-class."

The Chairman's eyes narrowed. "Show me," he ordered.

The officer nodded, and activated a wall screen. "This is a current view of the area, Sir; ZAFT forces have already been dispatched to intercept."

As they watched, old-model GINNs and CGUEs raced out after the two slate-gray ships, accompanied by a handful of newer GuAIZ units. Several warning shots were fired at the ships, but those warnings were ignored... and, curiously, both vessels appeared to be flying courses parallel to the PLANTs, instead of away... as if they were waiting for something...

Zala's eyes blazed, for he recognized one of those ships. "That's the Arkbird," he hissed. "The ship Commander DiFalco designed before going on to the GENESIS Project. The Gray Demons have been here all along, under our very noses!" He slammed his fist on his desk. "Order our machines to destroy both of those ships, immediately! Those are all traitors!"

"Uh, yes, Sir!" The soldier turned to pass the orders... and Zala's teeth gritted, seeing what happened next.

Arkbird and Asmodeus both opened their catapults, and armed their weapons; and within moments, slate-gray GuAIZ's began to launch, while sleets of emerald energy poured out into space. It was a wall of green fire, escorted by gray mobile suits... and that wasn't even the worst of it.

For another machine was already out in space, and shortly made itself known. Nicol Amalfi's Raiden, a near carbon-copy of Rondo Sahaku's Gold Frame AMATU, deactivated its Mirage Colloid and torn into the ZAFT forces. Two months out of the cockpit clearly had not dulled his skills, for wherever his beam rifle fired, something died.

The sheer surprise of the event had effectively ensured its success; ZAFT interceptors were too disorganized to mount an effective interception. Those bastards knew exactly what they were doing, Zala thought furiously. Taking us by surprise like that- Wait... that flying style seems familiar... He frowned, wondering what that meant. He didn't usually pay much attention to such things, unless they were elite units like the Gray Demons, or...

"Sir!" the soldier called, hearing another report over his headset. "The Eternal has just blown a hole in its harbor, and is heading out!"

"What? Get me Captain Waltfeld, immediately!" If the Desert Tiger had decided to go after the traitors himself, then he'd become a reckless glory hound, which was something ZAFT could not afford...

But it was not Andrew Waltfeld's face who appeared on Zala's desk screen. Instead, it was a large man with a pronounced facial tic... and a grin that looked like it should split his face in half. "Hello, Chairman," Sparky Cooper said amiably. "I guess right now you're wondering about the Eternal's abrupt departure. Well, I should probably inform you that Captain Waltfeld has no intention of firing on us; in fact, he's on his way to join us."

Zala's face began to turn purple with sheer rage. "Cooper, you traitor!" he barked. "Just what do you think you're doing? Joining your bastard of a commander?"

"That's the general idea," Sparky confirmed. "You see, the Boss told us about GENESIS back when the project first began... and we didn't like the implications. So, we decided to form a conspiracy to stop you from wiping out all Naturals; in fact, what I personally consider to be the ideal solution would be to walk into your office and blow your brains out. But, since it doesn't look like I'll have that opportunity any time soon, I thought our best course of action would be to rendezvous with the Boss, who happens to be in a place where not even you would be foolish enough to go after him. Then we'll marshal our resources, and get ready to come back in triumph some day. For now, however... I must bid you adieu." He reached for off-screen, obviously to cut the transmission, but paused abruptly. "Oh, yes; I believe there are a couple of people on the Eternal who want to have a word with you. I'll patch them in."

Sparky's face disappeared, and was replaced with an image of the Eternal's Bridge. Even before a word was spoken, Zala saw several things that were not calculated to make his mood any better. One of those things was Andrew Waltfeld, calmly gazing at him as if he wasn't in the midst of committing treason; and behind him sat Lacus Clyne, with her father standing beside her, both of whom Zala had been trying to catch for a solid month now.

They, however infuriating, were not as surprising as the final person he noticed on Eternal's Bridge. The presence of Lacus Clyne and her father was hardly unexpected, given their known treason... but seeing Yuri Amalfi there sent a spike of incredulous rage through him. "Yuri! Just what are you doing there?"

Amalfi smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Chairman, but I find my conscience requires me to leave your faction now. Commander DiFalco and his allies are following the path that leads to the future of the PLANTs... not you."

Zala stared at him in shock. "But... they killed your son. Doesn't that mean anything to you, Yuri? We've both lost things to the Naturals..."

"There's one problem with what you just said, Chairman," Amalfi informed him. "You see, my son isn't dead." He smiled again, more naturally. "In fact, he's out there right now, protecting our comrades. It's not easy for him to fire on ZAFT forces... but we've all made our decision. And frankly, Chairman, I suspect you wouldn't be too popular in the PLANTs themselves, if your true intentions were to get out. There might even be a call for new elections..."

Zala barked a harsh laugh. "And who would succeed me? You? Or perhaps Clyne?"

"No, I don't think so; neither of would feel comfortable returning to the Council in any capacity, I suspect. No, given a choice, I'd nominate Commander DiFalco for the post."

The Chairman's hands gripped his desk, knuckles swiftly turning white from the pressure. "Him? You can't be serious! Even if he weren't even more a traitor than you are, that man would never take the job."

"Agreed," Clyne put in. "Though that probably won't stop us from suggesting it, when the time comes. In any case, Patrick, there's nothing you can do to stop us right now."

"He's right," Waltfeld concurred. "By the time you get sufficient forces here, we'll be long gone." He raised his good hand in mocking salute. "Good bye, Your Excellency; Andrew Waltfeld, of the True ZAFT faction, out."

His image winked out, and Zala could then do nothing but stare in impotent rage as Eternal rendezvoused with Arkbird and Asmodeus, and flew majestically out of range of anything the PLANTs could throw at them.

Arkbird, Bridge

As the three ships sailed sedately away from the PLANTs, Sparky leaned back in his chair and smiled to himself. "Well, Captain Waltfeld," he rumbled, "I think that succeeded in raising Patrick's blood pressure a few dozen points. Identifying yourself as belonging to True ZAFT was a particularly delightful touch."

"I thought so," Waltfeld agreed. "I was actually just trying to make him mad; angry people tend not to think clearly. But I expect you were hoping he'd drop dead of apoplexy, weren't you?"

The big captain shrugged. "It would make my life easier," he admitted. "And I doubt the Boss would shed any tears; I gather he became as close to a friend to Patrick as you could get after the Bloody Valentine, but their 'falling out' burned away any lingering shred of that."

"I guess it's fortunate," Siegel Clyne said heavily. "Patrick and I were friends, you know, before the war. But he's drifted so far from the ideals he once held... I don't know if Commander DiFalco's realized it, but I doubt we can win this war as long as Patrick is still alive."

"Agreed," Amalfi put in. "And I was serious, you know, about nominating DiFalco for the Supreme Council Chairmanship. He may be overly ruthless in wartime, but there's no questioning his intelligence... or his integrity. I think he'd do a fine job."

Lacus laughed softly. "So do I, Mr. Amalfi; but you know as well as I that he'd never accept. He sees himself as a military man, nothing more; he truly believes that what he's doing is nothing more than would be expected of a soldier, serving his country. Although," she went on thoughtfully, "he would be suitable for leading ZAFT itself; and he might even take the post."

Sparky shook his head. "That's not the way he operates, Miss Lacus. The Boss has always preferred the shadows; which you can tell just from the fact that the Earth Alliance was never sure of his true role in ZAFT." He shrugged. "But in any case, that sort of discussion should wait at least until we've reached Ame-no-Mihashira."

When that happened, the Shiva Option would be another step closer to completion.

Author's note: Orb has been nuked into virtual oblivion, while the Archangel and Kusanagi have fled to space; and Preybird, key to Ken's plan to stop GENESIS, has been virtually annihilated...

Meanwhile, Arkbird, Asmodeus, and Eternal have broken away from the PLANTs, taking with them the remaining survivors of the original Gray Demons, as well as the Desert Tiger, and two members of the PLANT Supreme Council. With this group soon to be united in space, the war's end game is rapidly approaching...

I expect some of you will be rather puzzled by the time jump from the escape from Orb to the events in the PLANTs -and the events mentioned by Sparky; but never fear, those three days will be covered in the next chapter. I did things this way because I had a certain way I wanted to end the events dealing with the Archangel's group, and this was the only way to achieve the desired effect.

I won't try to predict when the next chapter will be up -I'm going to be consumed by another RPG in the near future- but I'll do the best I can. Believe me, I'm as eager to get into the next chapter as anyone reading it. Till then, though, let me know how this one was. -Solid Shark