I don't own anything except Ken DiFalco, his team, and Sophia DiFalco
Orbit, Near Ame-no-Mihashira, June 16th, C.E. 71
In the aftermath of the disastrous end to the Battle of Orb, in which the island nation had vanished in the fires of a nuclear holocaust, two ships rendezvoused in orbit. One was the former Earth Alliance Forces Mobile Assault Ship Archangel; the other was the Orb Union Izumo-class Kusanagi, which first needed to rendezvous with its own constituent parts.
Hanging out in space with them were the ZGMF-X09A Justice and X10A Freedom, formerly ZAFT machines, now operated by pilots aligned with Ken DiFalco's breakaway faction of ZAFT. And between them, they towed the shattered hulk of the Grimaldi Falcon's X00A Preybird, which had been horribly damaged in the nuclear exchange.
Kira could only imagine what it must be like in Preybird's cockpit. Given that the machine's main hatch had been torn away, the only reason Ken could even still be alive was his own unique cockpit system, which had a pair of airtight crew modules. And even then... He might not make it, Kira realized grimly. That close to a nuke, with his main hatch gone... the radiation might be too much for him...
Neither he nor Athrun could say what Ken's status was; they'd been unable to contact him since reaching orbit. That meant he was unconscious... or worse.
"What do you think, Kira?" Athrun called. "Do we take him to the Archangel?"
"Yeah," Kira answered. "He needs a doctor, I'm sure; and Kusanagi doesn't have the facilities for Preybird's damage." He slowly shook his head. "Actually, I don't think the Archangel does, either. A few parts are interchangeable with other ZGMF-X models, like Freedom and Justice, but so much of it is Ken's own, unique design..."
Athrun muttered something colorful under his breath. "That idiot," he added a moment later. "I don't know as much about what's going on as you do, but I've heard enough to know that the Commander's machine is our best -maybe only- hope of stopping GENESIS. He knows it, too. But he risked it all -and nearly lost it all- because someone launched a nuke, and he went out for vengeance... which is exactly what he told me a soldier has no business doing."
"I don't think it's that simple," Kira said slowly. "His Berserker state is more... capable, I guess, than ours, but it also makes him take insane risks. It's something Metzinger engineered into him, I think; and seeing a nuclear weapon go off for the first time since his 'failure' at Junius Seven must've hit him hard. But..." He paused. "You've got a point. He should've known better, especially with that positron attack. He and I need to talk."
"Well," Athrun murmured, "that presupposes he's in any shape to talk in the first place."
"I know. Let's get him aboard."
Archangel, Bridge
Murrue Ramius sighed, rubbing her temples, as she contemplated the situation her ship and crew had just escaped. And to think, when we first reached Orb we naively thought we'd have a chance to rest before getting on with the rest of the mission. Instead, we get handed a disaster like this...
The entire crew was subdued. The nuclear attack on Orb had gone far beyond what they might've expected even the Earth Forces to do; though they had intellectually accepted the near-certainty of the Alliance taking revenge for the destruction of Morgenroete and the Kaguya mass driver, the sheer totality of it had been nothing short of horrifying.
And nearly losing the man who'd gotten them there in the first place...
She raised her head. "Any word on Ken?" she asked tiredly. "The last I'd heard, he was conscious..."
"Freedom and Justice just landed, Captain," Mir answered, after a brief check of her displays. "They brought Preybird with them." She winced. "Or, at least... what's left of Preybird. It was... pretty bad, Ma'am. According to Kira, they haven't gotten any response from Ken since shortly after the nuclear detonations."
Murrue closed her eyes. He's not dead, she told herself. He can't be. The man's an idiot sometimes, but he knows as well as anyone how important he is to the success of the whole operation...
Natarle broke the ensuing silence. "Captain," she said tentatively, "I can handle things here on the Bridge, if you'd like to confirm his status personally. Even I don't think we're likely to be in danger for the next few hours..."
The Captain shook her head. "No, Natarle; I couldn't possibly justify-"
"We're not in the military anymore, Murrue," the black-haired woman reminded her, using her first name for the first time. "We can afford to be a little more informal now, when not in a military situation; and there's no one aboard this ship who'd fault you for giving personal attention to Commander DiFalco. He's the one who was crazy enough to get us all involved in this in the first place, remember."
Murrue hesitated. "I..."
Sophia, at the rear of the Bridge, chuckled softly. "Go, Murrue. Leaving aside anything... personal... between the two of you, it really wouldn't be a bad idea for you to see what kind of shape he's in. That way, we can get an accurate report, without any hyperbole from the mechanics. So go on; we'll hold the fort."
"Well..." Murrue closed her eyes for a moment, then glared at her old friend. "You know, Sophia, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to play matchmaker."
The Kestrel raised her eyebrows. "Me? Heaven forbid, Murrue. I'm just concerned about my little brother, is all, and I happen to think you're less likely to get your facts mixed up than Murdoch's whacked-out mechanics."
"That better be all it is..." Shaking her head in unwilling amusement, the Captain began to move toward the Bridge elevator. "You have the Bridge, Natarle," she called, and then paused. "By the way... how is Miss Cagalli?"
Natarle shook her head sadly. "I don't know. Miss Eldridge got her to her quarters, but deemed it better for her to be alone for now; at least until Kira's free."
"Yes, that makes sense... Well, I'll be in the hangar, if I'm needed."
Archangel, Hangar
By the time Murrue arrived in the hangar, Kira and Athrun were floating next to Preybird's battered fuselage, where the hatch used to be, apparently discussing how to open the inner pilot module.
The sight of the machine itself was enough to make her stomach clench. She'd heard it had been damaged, but this... The only weapon that had not been reduced to slag, as far as she could tell, was the Gerbera Straight, which was a testament to the blade's durability. Both rail cannons had been first shot, then ripped apart by the nuclear detonation; sizable chunks of both arms were gone, including the shoulders -and, with them, the beam boomerangs. The head was completely missing, as were seven of the ten wings; and of the wings that survived, only one had an even semi-intact DRAGOON unit.
And almost all of the machine's Phase-shift had been destroyed by the explosion.
"Oh, no..." Murrue swallowed, and propelled herself closer to the horribly mutilated mobile suit. "I knew that he'd suffered damage from the second nuclear missile, but I didn't realize..."
Kira nodded. "I know. Chief Murdoch doesn't think it can be fixed, either; at least not by the Archangel. So much of the technology is beyond anything we're familiar with... Leanne says even Ken wouldn't be up to the job; he was never much of a mechanical engineer. He designed them, others built them. She says we need Tom Delaney."
"And, at last word, he's still in the PLANTs," Athrun said heavily. "For now, Preybird is no longer part of the equation."
"What about Falcon?" Dearka demanded, joining them. "He's still in there?"
"Yeah," Kira confirmed. "We're trying to figure out how to get him out of there; this is the first time I've gotten a good look at the cockpit, so..."
"We need Cagalli," Dearka murmured, almost to himself, "but she's... unavailable. Which means... the Commander, maybe?"
Murrue glanced at him. "You mean Mu?"
Buster's pilot shrugged. "Well, he was Preybird's gunner, at Alaska; if anybody knows how to get this thing open, he will."
"You know, you shouldn't talk about me like I'm not here," Mu grumbled, drifting toward them. "So what's the problem? Haven't you got the kid out yet?"
Kira shook his head ruefully. "We haven't figured out how to open the cockpit," he admitted. "Back on Earth, he wouldn't even let me near it; paranoid, I guess."
"Even paranoids have enemies," the Hawk reminded him, reaching into the cockpit. "And besides, the two of you haven't exactly been on the same page lately. He was probably afraid you'd find something in there that he didn't want you to see; maybe some new gadget he's got that's designed to kill people. Ah, here we go," he added, finding the appropriate control. "One cockpit module, opened up. Or should I say, 'Open Sesame'?"
Murrue spared the joke no attention, for the inner module obediently opened within seconds. To her relief, though Ken was clearly unconscious, he didn't appear to have suffered major injury; there wasn't even any sign of radiation burns on what little could be seen of his face.
Kira started to reach in and unstrap the unconscious pilot, but Athrun grabbed his shoulder, and shook his head minutely. "We can handle this, Kira," he said quietly. "You'd better go see Cagalli. I... think she needs you now, more than the Commander does."
Murrue nodded agreement. "Yes, Kira; we can take it from here."
The pilot hesitated a moment longer, but finally nodded. "I guess you're right... but I need to talk to him, when he's back on his feet." There was something in his eyes that Murrue wasn't sure she liked. "There's something we need to discuss."
Then he was gone, leaving the others to get Ken out of his seat.
"What was that about?" Murrue asked Athrun, while Dearka undid the ace's straps. "I thought those two got along just fine."
Athrun shrugged unhappily. "Apparently, they did; but they... haven't been on the best of terms, the last couple days."
"I think Kira's problem is Falcon's little kamikaze attack," Mu added. "You know they don't agree on tactics; that death ride of his at the end there, ending with a satellite cannon shot, couldn't have gone over very well. I expect their 'discussion' might get a little loud."
She sighed. "Then we'd better make sure they don't even meet until Ken's recovered some. I don't know that he could handle it right now... not after the use of nuclear weapons." She shuddered to think what would be going on in his mind when he finally regained consciousness.
"All right, that's got it," Dearka announced. "Now, could somebody help me get this guy out of here?"
"Of course." Murrue reached into the cockpit and took one arm, while Dearka took the other, and they carefully pulled Ken out of the wreckage of his machine. "You think he'll be all right?"
The pilot shrugged. "I'm no doctor, but probably; I think it's mostly going Berserker that did this to him. I know he was conscious briefly afterwards, but..." He shrugged again. "So, where to? His quarters?"
She thought about that, but finally shook her head. "No, I don't think so; being alone probably wouldn't be very good for him right now, and, knowing Ken, he'll want to know exactly what the current situation is as soon as he wakes up. We'll take him to my office, and get him into a chair." She paused. "Oh, and, Mu? Have Doctor Hibson meet us there, please. He might not be in very bad shape, but I expect the Doctor will want him to take some anti-radiation medication, just to be safe."
Mu tossed off a jaunty salute. "You got it, Captain."
Archangel, Cagalli's Quarters
By the time Kira reached a certain hatch, all thoughts of his ruthless fellow pilot had been driven from his mind by a more important -in his mind, at least- matter. Ken had just killed hundreds of people... whereas Cagalli had just lost her father, who happened to be the only family she had left.
Coming to a stop in front of the hatch, he hesitantly keyed the intercom. "Cagalli?" he called softly; as he'd unfortunately expected, there was no response.
Now what? Kira wondered. She shouldn't be alone right now; not after what just happened. But... how can I help her if I can't even get to her? The dilemma occupied him for several moments, considering the best way to approach the situation.
Finally, he shrugged. Lately, he'd disagreed more and more with his mentor's ideas, but in this case Ken's sort of solution was in order... and, fortunately, he had the means to pull it off. Months earlier, the ace had handed him a computer disc, filled with hacking programs and techniques, with the quiet observation that he "might find it useful someday".
If today isn't that day, that day isn't going to arrive, Kira decided, and raised a hand to the keypad next to the door. Frowning for a moment in concentration, he remembered something from the disc, and tapped in a long, complex code; Ken had told him it was a general override code he'd implanted in the Archangel's computers, for emergencies. This probably isn't exactly what he had in mind, but...
As he'd expected, Cagalli sat on her bunk, no longer sobbing, but still with tears on her face, and in the air around her. She didn't even look up when he entered; just stared off into space, as if unaware of his presence. It was enough to make his own heart ache.
"Cagalli?" Kira called again.
At the sound of his voice, she finally looked at him, eyes beginning to lose the blank, miserable look. "Kira...?" Her voice was cracked, as though from long disuse. "Kira..."
"I'm here," he said reassuringly. "Just like I promised." He reached out a hand toward her...
And the last surviving member of the royal family of Orb flung herself into his arms, sobbing.
Archangel, Captain's Office
One thing about freefall, Murrue thought to herself. It makes it a lot easier to park an unconscious body.
Ken's limp form hung in one corner of the office, tucked out of the way, while they waited for him to come to. "He'll be up and around soon enough," Sophia remarked. "It's not the radiation that knocked him out; just the Berserker within."
Murrue nodded. "That's a relief. After what happened today, we need his input on where we're going from here. It's not as if we can't make up our own minds, of course; it's just that he's the only one who knows exactly when and how those two ships of his are going to join us."
"Yeah," Mu agreed with a sage nod. "Now, if we could just break him of the habit of keeping everything to himself, maybe we'd get somewhere."
"Good luck," Leanne Eldridge opined. "The Russians may've invented institutional paranoia, but the Boss perfected it; he never tells anybody anything until they have the Need to Know. That's one reason the Earth Forces could never figure out exactly what it was that he did, back when he was still in ZAFT." She paused, and snapped her fingers abruptly. "Oh, yeah... not to change the subject or anything, but I've got something here for you, Sophia." She dug into a pocket of her red uniform, and extended a computer disc to the Kestrel. "Lord Uzumi gave this to me, just before we launched. He said to take it to 'Commander DiFalco'; and while he was referring to the Boss, he also said that you had the decryption keys."
Sophia took the disc, frowning. "Decryption keys? Why would I...?"
"He also said," the Gray Demon said in a level voice, "that if we needed more answers, we should go to Mendel... and the GARM facility."
The Kestrel went white. "You don't mean...?"
Leanne nodded. "That's exactly what I mean," she said evenly. "Doctor Ulen Hibiki... and him."
Murrue and Mu were now both giving the pair strange looks. "And just who," Murrue asked suspiciously, "is Doctor Ulen Hibiki?"
"He was a colleague of Doctor Metzinger," Sophia said carefully. "A pioneer in the field of genetic engineering; he invented the artificial womb that produced Falcon. And I'm pretty sure he's dead."
The Captain tilted her head. "And why," she began dangerously, "is this the first we're hearing of this? If this 'Hibiki' was connected to Ken's creation, why didn't you mention him before?" Her eyes narrowed. "And what do Hibiki and Mendel have to do with that disc?"
"It has to do with that disc because the disc has to do with Cagalli Yula Athha," Leanne told her. "And, therefore, with Kira Yamato." Her expression was just as much a mask as Ken's old look. "And that is all that I'm going to say on the matter, Murrue."
Murrue's eyes were hard, gazing at the two pilots. "Just what is going on here? I think this is something we all need to know, you two."
"No," Sophia said firmly, shaking her head. "Not yet. I need time to analyze whatever's on that disc... and now is not the time to open that particular can of worms. Frankly, I think the whole affair should stay buried the way it has for the last seventeen years; but failing that, this still isn't a good time. We're in the middle of a war, with no time to spare of matters like this."
"I think maybe Falcon should be the judge of that," Mu suggested, his own voice a touch frosty. "What we're doing is his plan, so he's in the best position-"
"Whatever this data is, it relates to him, too," Leanne cut him off. "Not only is there a conflict of interest, but it would be actively dangerous to us all to bring up the matter now."
The pilot's eyes were defiant, and Murrue could sense they weren't going to get anything more out of either of them at this point. "All right," she said at last. "We'll let it rest for now... but one of these days, you will explain why you're conspiring to keep information from your own commander. Ken himself will insist on that, if nothing else... as you should well know."
"If the Boss gives me a direct order," the Demon said reluctantly, "I'll obey, and tell him everything. But I would prefer that situation not arise in the first place, so I would ask that you not tell him anything about this, at least until we've had time to analyze the data."
Before either Mu or Murrue could agree or disagree, a cough came from the corner, followed by a croaked, "Status report."
Murrue couldn't help but chuckle. Awake for two seconds, and he already wants to know everything about whatever has gone on since he was knocked out. Typical.
Leanne had reflexively drawn herself to attention for an instant, and now drew a deep breath. "We're alive, for starters," she told her boss. "Archangel and Kusanagi both made it to orbit intact, and we're currently on course for Ame-no-Mihashira."
Ken nodded, blearily planting his feet on the deck. "Good," he said quietly; judging from the haunted look in his eye, it wasn't just fatigue that made him so subdued. "And Preybird?"
Sophia winced. "Sorry, Bro; but it got hit pretty bad, in that explosion. It's still recognizable as a mobile suit, but that's about all I can say for it."
"And according to Murdoch, we don't have the capacity to repair it, either," Mu put in. "He can't even figure out what some of those gadgets do, let alone how to fix them."
The ace shrugged. "I'm not surprised; we'll just have to wait for Arkbird and Asmodeus to make rendezvous. Until then, we're going where we need to be."
"And... where do we go from there?" Murrue asked.
Ken glanced at her. "Until those ships arrive, nowhere. Before we can plan our next move, we need those ships, spares for the Preybird, and the most recent intel Sparky and Tom can give us. In the meantime, we rest... and make Rondo Ghina Sahaku understand that if he tries anything to interfere with us, I will cut off his head."
There was no doubt in her mind that the ace meant it literally. He'd only been awake for a couple of minutes, but she had already noticed a hardness about him... a barely-suppressed rage, perhaps. The Atlantic Federation's use of nuclear weapons had angered him to the core, and he clearly was not about to permit anyone to get in his way.
There was also something else, barely discernible in his voice and manner... as if he blamed himself for the nuclear attack?
But that doesn't make sense, Murrue told herself. He wasn't the one who gave Azrael the plans for the Neutron-jammer cancellers; and it certainly wasn't his fault that madman decided to exact a nuclear vengeance on Orb...
There was no time to contemplate whatever was going on beneath the surface, however. The Grimaldi Falcon was now pacing -or attempting to, at least, given that it was zero-g- and clearly deep in thought. Sophia and Mu were both watching him with interest, wondering what would pop out of that brilliant brain next. Whatever his emotional problems, they clearly weren't affecting his mind any.
Finally, Ken stopped, shaking his head slightly. "We need to reach Ame-no-Mihashira," he murmured, almost to himself. "With Preybird out of action, we're in grave danger..."
"You know," Mu said dryly, "we're not exactly helpless without it. We've still got the Strike, Strike Rouge, Freedom, Justice, Buster, and Duel; not to mention a bunch of Astrays, and Ms. Hahnenfuss' CGUE DEEP Arms. I think we can hold our own in an emergency."
The ace looked at him sidelong. "And if the Alliance decides to chase after us with, say, the entire Sixth and Seventh Orbital Fleets?"
Sophia laughed. "He's got you there, Mu. Although," she added thoughtfully, "I'm not sure if Kira would allow the kind of intervention you're implying, little brother."
"Quite frankly," Ken said coldly, "I don't much care what Kira thinks right now. The Earth Alliance just forfeited any right to moderation or mercy, by launching those nuclear missiles."
Murrue felt a chill go trough her at those words. "You can't mean-" Visions of exploding lifepods went through her head, but the ace smiled slightly.
"I said no mercy, Murrue," he said reassuringly. "Not no quarter. I won't shoot prisoners, or even lifepods... but I also won't go out of my way to give them the chance to abandon ship in the first place. When I shoot, I shoot to kill; in war, there's no such thing as a fair fight... and no such thing as overkill, if it means ensuring your own people stay alive."
"I don't know how Kira will react to that, Boss," Leanne warned. "I'm with you all the way; you know that. But Kira Yamato is an idealistic young fellow, and if he starts to think you're doing this out of vengeance, he might just take matters into his own hands."
Ken met her gaze levelly. "Let him," he said evenly. "I won't deny this is partly vengeance; but it's also a part of the Shiva Option, as we planned long before nuclear weapons entered the equation. And if Kira tries to interfere..." There was a cold light in his Prussian blue eye. "He's become an amazing pilot, but with the tactics he chooses, he'll never overcome Preybird."
Murrue had the chilling feeling that all was not well between the pilots on her ship.
Archangel, Hold, June 17th, C.E. 71
For the interim, until they could reach Ame-no-Mihashira -and rendezvous with Arkbird and Asmodeus- Ken had taken over one of the Archangel's holds, intended for spare parts for the two Moebius units it had never received, as a makeshift war room. Though he did not deign to share any of his thoughts with anyone, even Murrue, it appeared that he simply couldn't stand being unable to think about his next move.
He can't help it, Murrue mused, watching the strategist pace the large compartment, occasionally rubbing his eyepatch. This war is absorbing him, little by little... If we can't end it soon, there'll be nothing left of him...
That seemed evident now; as did the fact that the young pilot was fully accustomed to zero gravity conditions... or so she judged from the fact that his pacing took him up one bulkhead, across the deckhead, and down the opposite bulkhead. Freed from the constraints of the gravity he hated, he moved with a blithe disregard for up or down.
As Murrue watched the endless pacing with something akin to fascination -in full gravity, Ken might tire easily, but in space his energy seemed limitless- the hold's hatch opened... and Kira Yamato, a quiet and somber but controlled Cagalli on his arm, entered; his expression was almost as difficult to read as his mentor's.
Leaving Cagalli at the hatch, with a brief, reassuring smile, Kira started moving toward the ace. "Hey, Ken," he said; his tone set off warning bells in Murrue's mind. "I see you're awake."
Ken nodded. "Been awake for hours; and thinking on the situation ever since." He tilted his head. "And you, Kira, look like a man with something to say. I don't expect I'll like it; but then, I didn't like hearing about Patrick's plan to destroy Earth, either, but I survived it. So: what's up?"
"It's about your little attack on the Fourth Fleet, just before we left Orb," Kira answered. "You know, when that nuke went off, and you went nuts."
The ace nodded thoughtfully. "Ah yes. That. I expected you might have something to say on that matter. So please, elucidate."
The younger pilot complied.
CRACK.
Murrue jerked in surprise, seeing Kira slap his mentor in the face; the sound it made was even louder than when Ken decked Sophia, the day he arrived on the Archangel. "Kira, what are you-"
"Just what were you thinking?" Kira demanded of the ace. "Your 'Shiva Option' is bad enough, but what you did down there was nothing but pure vengeance! How can you claim to hold the moral high ground when you pull a stunt like that, huh? You blew up hundreds of people-!"
As he spoke, his hand raised for another slap, but this time Ken saw it coming, and moved. Kira's speed was still faster than the ace expected, and so the blow didn't entirely miss... but rather than having the stinging effect he intended, it knocked aside the eyepatch.
And Kira found himself meeting the furious gaze of two eyes; one normal... the other laced with silver, in a decidedly unsettling effect.
"Let me tell you something, Kira," Ken said in a low, dangerous voice. "You are not merely an idealist, but a stupid one, as well. You have no idea of what I've seen in this war. No idea at all!" His hand shot out, and gripped Kira's collar. "You haven't watched your home blown up, vanished in nuclear fire, because you missed! You haven't seen the person who means the world to you, already wounded in battle, burned away like a moth in a candle flame! You haven't watched helplessly as eight of your best friends are picked off, one by one, and then incinerated by a Cyclops system!" There was real rage in Ken's eyes now, and his tirade slammed into Kira like a tsunami. "I went into Endymion Crater with twelve men, and five of us came out alive! I lived in peace in Heliopolis for four months, before the project the Earth Alliance started, in a neutral space colony, provoked Rau Le Creuset into blowing it all away! We were all at Alaska, too, remember? You were there when the Alliance tried to kill us with another Cyclops system!" His grip was now so tight it was almost tearing Kira's collar off, and he still wasn't finished. "And one more thing you don't have on your conscience: it wasn't your escalation of the war that got Orb nuked, so shut your mouth, Kira Yamato, or I will shut it for you!"
Kira recoiled as though struck, stunned by the litany. He'd known most of it, of course -though the fact that the ace had lost someone close to him in the Bloody Valentine was something he hadn't heard- but... But I never thought to put it all together, he realized. I never thought about the strain he must've been under even before he left ZAFT; and everything that's happened since...
He opened his mouth to say something -in apology or sympathy, he wasn't sure- but Cagalli beat him to it. One part of that diatribe had hit close to home for her... and she wanted to act before the wound festered even more. "Don't say that, Ken," she said, as firmly as her current state allowed. "What happened to Orb... wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known-"
"Don't tell me that," Ken said softly, turning away and absently removing his eyepatch entirely. "I was such an idiot... I built Preybird to dominate the battlefield, to cope with any threat I could conceive of, including GENESIS itself. But GENESIS can only fire in one direction at a time, and there's a noticeable energy buildup before discharge that would alert me in time to dodge." He clenched a fist. "I did my job too well, partner," he hissed. "Nothing the Alliance had could stop it... and they knew it. So Azrael, that bastard, decided to use nukes... in reaction to Preybird's power."
"And that makes you responsible how?" she demanded.
"It means I provoked them into it," he said tightly. "It means I killed your father. I might as well have pulled the trigger myself."
Cagalli felt a spasm of pain at the mention of her father's death, still an open wound for her, but she didn't let it stop her from stalking forward, grabbing the ace's shoulder, and spinning him around. "Now listen to me, Ken," she said harshly, meeting his agonized gaze, "what happened down there was not your fault. My father... my father knew the risks, even before you knew about the nukes. And what he told you then is still true now: this mission, this 'Shiva Option', has to succeed. Whatever happened to Orb, we have to continue on if we want to stop that from happening to the entire planet... and Preybird is essential to that. You designed GENESIS; if you say Preybird is the only way you've found to stop it... then it was worth it, no matter the escalation you say it caused."
Ken closed his eyes, shaking his head. "You don't understand," he whispered. "Preybird wasn't the only way I could think of to stop GENESIS."
That brought her up short. "What?"
Murrue felt her own eyes widen. "What are you talking about, Ken?"
The ace's fist clenched again. "Look, if there's one thing I know, it's weapon design; I originally trained as an engineer, and that was my specialty. That's how we all got into this mess in the first place. So I know that, in actual fact, building a weapon to destroy GENESIS would be the easiest thing in the world."
"How?" Kira asked; it might've been a demand, but his tone indicated that he was genuinely curious. "How could that be easy?"
Ken looked at him. "Kira, if there's one thing humanity has never had any trouble doing, it's building a bigger, better bomb. And with nuclear powerplants, be they fission or fusion, have the energy output sufficient to generate useful amounts of antimatter; the Archangel's pulsed-fusion plant proves that. Otherwise, the Lohengrin would be useless." He shook his head, as if realizing he was going more into the nuts and bolts of the matter than he needed to. "The point is, it would be child's play to build an antimatter bomb of sufficient size and power to wipe GENESIS from the universe." He started pacing again; and Murrue watched in fascination as he settled into lecture mode, his inner turmoil completely submerged beneath the engineer. "Another method, though it would take months, at the very least, would be to take one of the myriad resources asteroids -or even the old Artemis Base- accelerate it up to speed, and smash it into GENESIS; even if they've added Phase-shift, that much kinetic energy would overwhelm even that defense."
Kira and Cagalli both looked a little puzzled, but Murrue, having absorbed some engineering principles from her friend and Academy classmate Sophia, saw the flaw immediately. "But you'd be opening Pandora's Box," she murmured. "Either weapon would have as much potential -or perhaps even more- to destroy the entire planet, and the colonies with it."
"Yes," Ken whispered. "I considered it, though... yes, I thought about it. It would've been a quick solution to this madness; and the only casualties would've been the few ZAFT personnel actually manning GENESIS. People who should've known better, people who know the destructive power of that weapon. But... the risk of an antimatter bomb getting into the hands of the Earth Forces, or a misdirected asteroid crashing into the planet; or, for that matter, pieces of one used on GENESIS scattering all over the globe..." He shook his head. "That's why I had Sparky and the others retrieve the canceled, half-built hulk of the Arkbird, and resume construction at the Martius Three base. That's why I stole the blueprints for the Archangel, and five of the original six G-weapons. I hoped to build a force of my own, in space, and not involve anyone else. The plans I made with Lord Uzumi were a fallback, never intended to be used; I didn't want anyone else involved, because I feared the consequences." He raised his head, gazing for a moment at Cagalli. "Make no mistake: at the time, I regarded the world as one big strategic equation to be solved; using others as tools was part and parcel of the game. But that applied only to ZAFT and Earth Alliance forces; I didn't want neutrals involved at all."
"But then came Heliopolis," Kira said softly.
The ace nodded. "Exactly. Rau's attack that day shattered all my carefully-prepared models. By drawing the original Archangel into the conflict, he introduced a new variable... and by introducing you to the conflict, Kira, he changed the entire paradigm, and dealt a wild card into the deck."
"Oh, come on," the younger pilot protested. "I wasn't that important-"
"Yes, you were," Ken said firmly. "To call you a prodigy would be doing you an injustice, Kira; your capabilities did not match any theoretical model I've ever run. Your achievements on the battlefield were totally outside my experience, and didn't fit at all with what I'd seen, teaching ZAFT pilots." He paused in his pacing, and looked Kira right in the eye. "You considered yourself lucky, surviving the Endymion scenario I threw at you in the simulator. Back then, I kept my own opinion to myself; I wanted to see exactly what you could do, without influencing you at all. But I'll tell you now: I was astounded by your results."
Kira blinked. "Huh? But... why?"
"Kira," the ace said patiently, "by just surviving that scenario, you outdid over ninety percent of the pilots I've ever known. You even outperformed me, you know that? You'd been in exactly two live-fire battles, and survived; when the battle actually occurred, I was a hardened veteran, and I didn't survive. I was clinically dead until they put a new heart and lung in me. What you did... nothing I've seen, in two years of battle -during which I've gotten more combat experience than most pilots get in their entire careers- compares to what you're capable of."
Freedom's pilot stood frozen, trying to absorb what he'd just been told. I knew I was good, he admitted to himself, but I never thought of it that way before...
"But," Ken went on briskly, "we're getting off-topic. The point I'm trying to make is this: when you -and Archangel- were brought into the mix, all my carefully-laid plans had to be adjusted. With Archangel's firepower, and your skill, involved, I could no longer expect to use my personal forces to achieve the Shiva Option. If you and the Archangel remained with the Earth Forces, it was inevitable that we'd eventually come into conflict; and if that happened, my plans to end the war would be in ruins."
Murrue nodded in dawning comprehension. "All that time, before Alaska, you were working to get us on your side, so that we wouldn't blow you out of space." She chuckled. "You know, I probably out to be offended that you were manipulating us; but, since it was for a good cause, I'll let it pass."
"Thank you," he said dryly. "At any rate, as you may've gathered by now, I was forced to play it all by ear; and while I'm normally good at improvisation, this time it backfired. I took a gamble, and it didn't work... so now, instead of a nice, neat solution to the whole thing, w now have to worry about the additional threat of nuclear weapons."
The other three took several moments to consider what had just been said -and another moment to reflect that Ken going into "lecture mode" was a good sign- before Cagalli finally spoke. "Maybe it was a calculated risk gone bad," she said slowly, "and maybe -maybe- Preybird is why Azrael used nuclear weapons. But," she went on, capturing his gaze, "I don't see what choice you had. If the alternative to that machine was weapons even more devastating than GENESIS itself, I don't see what else you could've done. Even Kira-" she gave the pilot a fond glance then; and it became evident to both Murrue and Ken that neither was bothering to hide anything anymore "-will admit that, whatever problems there might be with your methods -and I'm not sure there are any- GENESIS has to be stopped. And it looks to me like Preybird is the least destructive way to do that."
"She's right," Kira agreed. "I still don't approve of how you intend to get there... but GENESIS, and what Zala wants to do with it, are even worse than anything in your Shiva Option."
"Thanks, you guys," Ken said wearily, a slight smile forming. "I-"
"Murrue, Falcon," an intercom speaker suddenly said, in Natarle's voice, "we're coming up on Ame-no-Mihashira. I think perhaps you should both get up here. If you're not busy, that is," she added, in a tone that sounded suspiciously teasing.
Murrue punched a button on the panel. "We'll be right up, Natarle; and despite what you might think, all we were doing was having a... philosophical discussion. So you can quit the... speculation; and if I hear Murdoch's mechanics spreading any more rumors, I'll have him spaced."
Ken looked at her sharply. "Rumors?" he said; his voice was dangerously devoid of emphasis.
"Nothing you need to worry about," she assured him. And besides; from what Dearka's said about how his last girlfriend died, I think Murdoch would be summarily beheaded if someone is stupid enough to tell Ken what those crazy mechanics are saying...
Archangel, Bridge
"Coming up on Ame-no-Mihashira, Ma'am," Neumann reported, as Ken and Murrue entered the Bridge. "Right on schedule."
The Captain nodded. "Thank you, Arnold. ETA for zero/zero intercept?"
"At present deceleration, three minutes."
Ken nodded to himself. "Good; I don't want to spend any more time out here than necessary. I feel too exposed out here, especially after the nuclear attack."
"Agreed," Murrue murmured. "It was one thing one the way to Earth; but back then, we still had the Alliance out there to support us. Now they'd be just as happy as ZAFT to blast us out of space." She frowned, looking at the forward displays. "Wait; aren't those Earth Forces units out there...? That looks like some variation of the Calamity..."
"That's a GAT-X133 Sword Calamity, Captain Ramius," Alicia Cateau informed her, entering the Bridge. "Probably assigned to Edward Harrelson; I heard rumors about it while still with the Fourth Fleet. It's equipped with a scaled-down Scylla multiphase energy cannon in the chest, two Panzer Eisen rocket anchors, two Midas Messer beam boomerangs, and a pair of Schwerht Gewehr antiship swords. Essentially a combination of the Calamity and Sword Strike designs."
"Its presence is hardly unexpected," Ken murmured. "We knew Sahaku was doing deals with the Earth Alliance; that probably isn't the only Alliance machine they have here."
Murrue glanced at him. "I do hope you included this possibility in your planning? Because if you chose this plan to prove you're fallible, it really isn't a good time..."
The ace smiled slightly. "Don't worry, Murrue. I took this into account; Lord Uzumi and I were very thorough in our contingency planning."
"And what, exactly, is the plan to keep them from selling us out to the Earth Forces?" Natarle asked. "I hope it didn't involve Preybird... seeing as it's so much scrap metal right now."
He shook his head. "No, not Preybird; I prefer not to advertise its presence unless absolutely necessary. No, I simply intend to meet with Rondo Sahaku in person, and... convince him that treachery would be a less than sensible course of action."
Murrue raised an eyebrow. "Somehow, I'm not sure I want to know how you intend to 'convince' him, Ken. Is this something where I want plausible deniability?"
Ken chuckled. "Murrue, I'm not stupid; I know that causing Sahaku bodily harm would get the Alliance called in against us. Therefore, I'm going to take a... subtler approach." He frowned then himself. "Hm; I'd have expected them to make contact by now. We're expected, of course... but I wouldn't expect Sahaku to be this blasé about the whole affair."
As if on cue, Flay spoke up from Communications. "We're being hailed by the station, Captain; they wish to know our intentions."
Murrue glanced at the ace. "You want to take this one, Ken?"
He shook his head. "No, Murrue; that's your job. I agreed that you'd remain captain. I may be in overall command of this three-ring circus, but I have no intention of usurping your authority."
Interesting way of putting it. "Very well. Flay, please put them through."
A moment later, a man in Orb uniform appeared on the main monitor. "This is Lieutenant Archer, Ame-no-Mihashira control. Identify yourselves, and state your intentions."
Murrue cleared her throat. "I'm Captain Murrue Ramius, of the True ZAFT Forces Mobile Assault Ship Archangel. In convoy with us is the Orb Izumo-class transport Kusanagi, on loan to the True ZAFT Forces. Having escaped the attack on Orb, on Lord Uzumi Nara Athha's orders, we're here to seek safe harbor, until the other ships of our organization have rendezvoused with us."
The Orb lieutenant tilted his head. "I see. And may I ask who is in charge of your presumptive task force?"
At a nod from Murrue, Ken stepped forward. "That would be me, Lieutenant Archer. My name is Commander Kenneth DiFalco, commanding officer of the True ZAFT breakaway organization. I believe you'll find that our visit here is prearranged; therefore, in accordance with those arrangements, we request permission to dock in your harbor."
Archer glanced away from the screen, clearing checking information on another computer terminal, before finally looking up. "Your schedule has indeed been logged with us, Commander; I see you're a punctual sort."
"I try."
"Very well, then. Archangel, Kusanagi, you're cleared to dock. Also, Commander Sahaku requests that you pay a visit to his office, once you're docked."
"Tell him we'll be there," Ken responded.
"Thank you."
When the officer's image had vanished, Cagalli -who, along with Kira, had entered during the exchange- snorted. "Commander Sahaku? Rondo's been putting on airs since the last time I saw him."
Ken shook his head in mild disgust. "That's one reason I'm glad the PLANTs haven't gone in for a hereditary aristocracy: far too many noblemen start to believe that they really are superior to the 'commoner', simply because they happened to be born into the 'right' family."
She sighed. "I'd like to disagree with you... but there's no denying that that's exactly how the Sahakus feel. Same for the Seirans."
"That doesn't surprise me."
"So," Murrue said, breaking in, "who goes to this meeting? Sounds like it'll be fairly important, so perhaps we'd best present a strong front."
Ken nodded. "Agreed. I think we should keep it fairly small -no sense making Rondo feel outnumbered until he really is- so I'd say... you and I, Cagalli, Kira, and Colonel -excuse me, Captain Kisaka." He rubbed his eyepatch thoughtfully. "We should leave the other pilots here, in case something drastic should occur; and it's probably not a good idea to bring Lieutenant Cateau with us. Given the presence of Earth Forces units, that might not be the most diplomatic thing we could do."
"Agreed," Cateau said sourly. "Besides, I wouldn't trust myself not to shoot the first one I see; rotten bastards."
Cagalli suppressed a chuckle at the woman's acid tone; to her surprise, she actually kind of liked the ex-Alliance pilot... which might've had something to do with the fact that, despite having been with the Earth Forces only days earlier, she hated them with a passion.
Of course, "diplomatic exclusions" brought something else to mind, and Cagalli frowned. "I hate to say this," she said slowly, "but are you sure it would be a good idea to bring Kira along? I mean, it's, um, pretty obvious we're, uh... together now... and I don't think Rondo would-"
"I don't care what Sahaku thinks," Ken informed her coldly. "And if you're the same Cagalli Yula Athha who used to be my gunner, partner, neither do you. If he objects, that's his lookout; and if he tries anything untoward, I can and will shoot him dead."
Cagalli and Kira both blinked, while Murrue frowned thoughtfully; the words might've been light, but the tone was deadly serious. "Ken," she said slowly, "I'm sure you could do it... but are you sure it would be a good idea? We are outnumbered..."
"I wouldn't do it unless he provoked me sufficiently," the ace assured her. "But if he does, I will do it... and in just a few days, we'll have at least two more warships on our side, along with their attached mobile suits. Maybe more; I know Sparky was thinking of taking the Eternal, if he could find a way to pull off hijacking her."
Natarle raised an eyebrow. "The Eternal?"
"First ship of the class the Arkbird is -technically- the prototype for. She's specifically designed to support the Freedom and Justice, and is equipped with METEOR units intended to provide those two machines with additional firepower. They can also be used as turrets, while still attached to Eternal; so obtaining that ship would be quite a coup for us."
She nodded thoughtfully. "And it would bring us up to five ships, and... how many mobile suits?"
"Nine X units," Ken said after a moment of thought, "counting the pair aboard Asmodeus. Four GuAIZ units on Arkbird; six aboard Asmodeus. Shiho's CGUE DEEP Arms; Sophia's M1A, a dozen M1s on the Kusanagi, and the three from Hades we're carrying. A total of thirty-six machines; not bad, when you think about it."
Murrue blinked. "That would give us quite the force; especially considering that we're on our own out here." Then she frowned. "But what X models are on the Asmodeus? You haven't mentioned that before."
"You never asked," he said simply; earning him a brief glare from Cagalli. "Anyway, one of them is the Raiden; it's a copy of Sahaku's Gold Frame AMATU, as it happens, except equipped with full PSA, a Neutron-jammer canceler, and a nuclear reactor."
The princess looked at him curiously. "And where, exactly, did you get the data on the AMATU?"
"I hacked it, of course." Ken smiled briefly. "Amazing the information you can get out of computers, if you just know how to ask."
"So what's the other unit?" Kira prodded. "You mentioned two."
"Ah, yes. The other is based on plans I stole from the Eurasians, while we were at Artemis. CAT1-X4/4 Hyperion, the first Eurasian X model; I gather they wanted to prove that they didn't actually need the Atlantic Federation to hold their own in this war. Unfortunately, the Eurasians were unable to duplicate the Atlantic Federation's Phase-shift armor, so they instead went with three scaled-down light-wave barriers, one on each arm, and one mounted on the back. Unlike Preybird's -which is modeled after the arm units- Hyperion's back-mounted barrier is all-aspect, giving it formidable defensive capabilities... at the expense of ruinous drain on the machine's battery." The ace smiled; it was not a friendly expression. "I, on the other hand, took some... liberties with the design. In addition to Phase-shift, Hyperion Unit Four is equipped with an NJC, permitting extended use of the light-wave barrier; the only limitation, really, is the fact that the energy demands are great enough to cause a core meltdown, if used for too long at a time."
"Impressive," Murrue said faintly. "And who is the pilot?"
"As a matter of fact... I intended the machine for Sophia." Ken smiled slightly. "I thought she might approve of it."
"I'm sure she will," Cateau put in. "And if she has any trouble with it, I can probably give her some pointers; I was a test pilot for the design, once we got a proper Natural-adapted OS set up."
"Ahem," Natarle interjected. "This is all very fascinating, but I believe you have an appointment to keep, Murrue, Falcon?"
Murrue chuckled. "Yes, of course; besides, we wouldn't want to spoil Ken's reputation for punctuality, now would we?" She stood. "You have the Bridge, Natarle."
Ame-no-Mihashira, Corridor
A lieutenant by the name of Wellington escorted the five from the True ZAFT faction through Ame-no-Mihashira; and as they made the journey, Ken was given time to think.
Besides finding their guide's name amusing -not only did the man have no relation to the general whose name he shared, but he also, judging from his rumpled uniform, had not the slightest trace of disciplined military brilliance- he also found time to note the changed relationship between his protégé and former gunner.
Whatever it was, it was subtle; yet Cagalli's words on the Archangel indicated that neither was bothering to hide their feelings any longer, even from themselves. I wonder what's changed, Ken mused. There doesn't seem to have been anything spoken between them about it... but then, between those two words are rarely necessary. They're like two halves of a whole; one always seems to know what the other is thinking. He sighed mentally. I... I envy them, he admitted to himself. Once, I knew exactly how they felt...
But those days were long past, now. Laura Elsman had died in the Bloody Valentine, and he still hadn't recovered from her loss. Every day, it ate at him, a never-ending pain from a day over fourteen months in the past, yet still so fresh... There were some -some who didn't know his past- who wondered why he never allowed himself to enter into any kind of relationship beyond friendship; those who had such thoughts were unaware of both his loss, and how he'd grown up. How he'd spent his childhood knowing that his parents were not really his parents... and they never even told him.
Trust... It was something that he'd always found hard to come by. It had taken him over a week to truly begin to trust the Archangel's crew, and even then, he hadn't entrusted them with the reasons for his desertion from ZAFT. That was a secret known only to his own Gray Demons; he refused to entrust members of the Earth Forces with any more information than was absolutely necessary... until Alaska.
Only after the Battle of Alaska had the Grimaldi Falcon been truly able to open up to them. Part of it, as he'd admitted, had been operational security; the rest was the simple fact that he found it hard to trust anyone. Hard to feel anything more than friendship, when the family he'd known had never truly been his... and when the girl he'd loved had been so callously murdered by the Earth Alliance when they used nuclear weapons to destroy the colony where he'd been born.
And because of that loss, on February Fourteenth, C.E. 70, he knew he'd never again experience what Kira and Cagalli shared...
Ame-no-Mihashira, Rondo Ghina Sahaku's Office
Ken's first sight of Rondo Ghina Sahaku, standing behind his desk, did not impress him in the slightest. The man wore flowing robes... and an expression that said all too clearly that he had a high opinion of himself. And, for that matter, a low opinion of "commoners".
Being a commoner himself, by Sahaku's standards, the ace would've been just as happy to wipe the arrogant expression off the man's face.
"So," Sahaku began, "you're the people Athha informed us we should expect. My name is Rondo Ghina Sahaku; and you would be Commander Kenneth DiFalco, correct? The so-called 'Grimaldi Falcon'?"
"That's right," Ken said evenly. "And my companions are Murrue Ramius, Captain of the Archangel, Colonel Ledonir Kisaka -whom I presume you know- commanding the Kusanagi; Kira Yamato, our best pilot; and, of course, you should recognize Cagalli."
Sahaku nodded. "Yes; Athha's daughter. We've met." He tilted his head, noting the way Cagalli and Kira stood together, and his upper lip curled in a sneer. "It's fairly obvious what Mr. Yamato's relationship with the princess is; though how she could lower herself to being with a mere commoner, I don't..."
Cagalli's eyes blazed, and she stalked around the desk... and slapped Sahaku in the face. "Just what business is it of yours," she demanded hotly, "who I-!"
"Calmly, Cagalli, calmly," Ken murmured, as the noble recoiled from the blow, surprise in his eyes. "Hitting the man won't help our cause any..."
Still radiating rage, she stared at Sahaku a moment longer, then reluctantly returned to their side of the desk, muttering under her breath.
The ace had the feeling he didn't want to know what she was calling Sahaku.
Meanwhile, the man had managed to recover his poise. "I'll forgive you that," he said, carefully controlling his voice, "since, with the recent death of your father, you're undoubtedly distraught. However, I would appreciate it if you reign in your temper for the remainder of this meeting." He returned his attention the ex-ZAFT commander. "You know, Commander, I'm actually surprised to see your face here. It's not often one such as you shows his face in a location that obviously has close ties to the Earth Alliance."
"I didn't have much choice," Ken responded. "We need a safe haven... and besides, I know your reputation, Sahaku. You have no more loyalty to the Alliance than I did before Alaska. You'd only sell us out if it became expedient... which, I assure you, it won't."
"And what makes you think I'll permit you to stay here at all?" Sahaku asked. "I might not give you to the Earth Forces; but I can assure you that I have no interest in harboring Athha's daughter or ZAFT forces. Both, as I'm sure you understand, are hindrances to me."
"I'm sure," the ace said dryly. "Just as I'm sure you feel no obligation to honor the arrangements Lord Uzumi made before his death."
"Obviously. I consented to harbor the refugees of Orb, of course; there is little point in ruling even a rebuilt Orb, if all its people vanished in the same nuclear fire that has so crippled the nation. But dealing with your splinter faction is another matter entirely."
It was time for Murrue to speak up; she was captain of the Archangel, after all, so she couldn't simply let Ken handle everything. "Excuse me, Commander," she began, "but I fail to see what your problem is. We intend to stay only for a few days, until our own repairs have been completed, and we can move on to another location."
"I don't care what the duration is," Sahaku said dismissively. "Frankly, I wouldn't object if both of your ships were destroyed by an Earth Forces task force; as I'm sure you realize, it would cause me no problems at all."
"That's because you're a traitor to your own country," Kira said tightly. "How can you lower yourself to help those who used nukes on your own homeland?"
"Hmph. I wouldn't expect a mere commoner like you to understand. But I might point one thing out to you, boy: it was Commander DiFalco's presence, and Athha's policies, that provoked that attack. What Azrael did was regrettable, but... Well, we must all make deals with the devil from time to time, wouldn't you say?"
Kira glared; and Ken felt his own temper threatening to break free. This pompous bastard, he thought to himself. He's threatening everything we've worked for, all because he wants to take over the world... and he doesn't even realize how close I'm coming to cutting off his head!
Sahaku had fallen silent for a time, obviously considering his next move, and now he shook his head. "No, I'm afraid that your continued presence here would, at the least, constitute an unacceptable cause of friction with the Earth Forces. Therefore..."
Ken DiFalco was normally a patient man. A very patient man, in fact. But less than two days before, he'd watched an entire country be destroyed by nuclear weapons, and, despite Cagalli's words to the contrary, he still held himself responsible for it.
So when Sahaku so callously dismissed what had happened, and threatened the mission he'd dedicated his life to...
Before the next word came out of Sahaku's mouth, Ken's sword was out, and he was leaping over the desk, forgetting all about diplomacy. Before the stunned nobleman could even begin to react, Griever was at his throat, and the ace began to speak in a low, threatening voice. "Now listen to me, Sahaku," he hissed, "and listen good. We are going to remain at Ame-no-Mihashira for at least the next two days. We are going to take a brief time to relax... and you are not going to sell us out to the Earth Forces."
Despite the pressure of the blade against his throat, Sahaku managed a mocking smile. "And just how are you going to ensure that, DiFalco?"
"Simple. If you betray us, I'll cut off your head, and hang the consequences. And two..." Ken returned the smile... and his expression was far uglier. "In two or three days, at least two -possibly three- additional ships are going to arrive at this station. When they join with us, that will provide us with a force great enough to threaten even you and your Alliance allies. So I suggest you not try anything funny... got it?" Griever came away abruptly, sliding back into its sheath. "The only reason I'm not killing you now is because deflating your bloated ego isn't worth sullying my blade with your filthy blood."
Leaving a very surprised Sahaku behind him, he stalked back to the office's door, his companions falling in around him. "You know, Ken," Cagalli said softly, barely suppressing laughter, "I'm not sure you're the best guy to be talking about deflating egos."
"Oh, shut up..."
Archangel, Bridge, June 20th, C.E. 71
"Well," Murrue murmured, "this little truce has certainly lasted longer than I'd feared. I guess you put the fear of God -or maybe Griever- into, after all."
Ken nodded absently. It had been three days now, with no sign of Sahaku attempting treachery. The crews of both Archangel and Kusanagi still avoided going into Ame-no-Mihashira itself any more than they had to, but when they did, the Orb personnel there were cordial enough.
"Yes," the ace said at last. "It appears I did. Fortunate; we're in no condition to fight a major fleet engagement. Or even a minor one, when you think about; we've only the two ships, and the only mobile suit we have that's truly designed to take on entire fleets is still badly damaged."
Murrue nodded in understanding. "So Murdoch's people still haven't made any progress?"
"No; and it's not really surprising. Archangel was set up to service GAT-X machines. And while it can handle the basic needs for Freedom and Justice, Preybird is well outside the parameters Morgenroete anticipated when it designed this ship."
Almost as though the mention of ships had triggered it, Sai glanced up from his place in CIC. "Three ships detected, Captain," he reported. "One appears to be an... an Archangel-class; the other two are not in the catalogue at all."
Murrue glanced at the ace. "Would that be...?"
"Probably." Ken pulled himself up to Flay's console. "Hail them, Flay; if this is who I think it is, we'll be fine... and we'll finally be able to move on."
"Right."
A moment later, the face of a large, white-uniformed man with a constant, pronounced tic in his right cheek appeared. He wore a huge grin... which, Ken decided, was only fair. "Hello, Boss," Captain Lance "Sparky" Cooper greeted. "Long time no see."
Author's note: Archangel has arrived at Ame-no-Mihashira, for some much-needed rest... and the final elements of the True ZAFT faction have finally united with them. Soon, the end game will begin... and the war will reach a bloody new height...
This chapter, I do believe, is up a little faster than they have been lately; a nice change. It would've been even faster than this, but it ended up a little longer than I expected.
Next up is the Mendel sequence; which will, among other things, include another Astray cameo. Things are beginning to heat up, and the answers to several of the mysteries I've left strewn throughout are coming soon. In the meantime, though, let me know if this chapter was any good. -Solid Shark