Celestial Being outpost,
Lagrange 3
"That's odd," Tieria thought aloud, scrutinizing the results of Seravee's armor diagnostic on the monitor, his Gundam was in perfect condition. "The missiles didn't even come close to getting through my GN field. The missiles that Mobile Suit was using were not even GN tech. Even our old Gundams would be able to take them out." A door opened and Allelujah walked in.
"Hey Tieria." Allelujah greeted stopping next to him to see Seravee being moved into another hanger where the other Gundams were going to be examined, "I heard that you had a weird experience out there."
"If by a weird experience you mean seeing an unknown ship as well as unknown mobile suits and being ordered to retreat then you would be correct." Tieria said seeing that 00 was now being moved into the hanger to be checked and worked on. "How is Setsuna doing?"
"The last I heard, he was asleep and Feldt was looking after him. Seriously though, what happened out there?" Tieria looked over his shoulder at him.
"One of the ships had a Gundam. I wasn't sure about the others, but one of them chased after me. It had weak ordinance, but it had a cloaking ability." Tieria answered thinking back to the shimmers of movement he had seen and those green beams. "They had beam weapons like us but their machines produced green beams, and they clearly didn't have any GN drives."
"You think that they could be more advanced or less advanced?" Allelujah asked, before glancing out a window. "What's with Ian?" He moved to the side of the room and activated the terminal that connects to the hanger. "Are you alright Ian?"
"Of course I'm not alright, the Twin-Drives won't activate!" Ian turned to a repair crew member floating passed him, "Get someone in there to test it again...Now!" Ian yelled over before he looked back, "Either 00's GN drives are in a state of shutdown due to some kind of overload or they are totally fried." Ian sighed backing away slightly from the monitor. "Can one of you two find Saji?"
"Why him?"
"Because he has an engineering license and he's an extra set of hands!"
"I'll look for him," Allelujah volunteered. Tieria nodded.
"I'll be on standby, who knows what weird thing will happen next-" The terminal beeped and Sumeragi appeared on screen.
"Allelujah, Lockon, I need you two to go out and patrol. Tieria, remain on standby." Damn it.
"Yes Sumeragi," Allelujah responded while Tieria sighed.
"I will find Saji Crossroad then." The two of them split up in the corridors and Allelujah met up with Lockon.
"What do you think of Miss Returner?" Allelujah asked moving down the hall with Lockon.
"Where did that come from?"
"She's the only one I know nothing about and you're the only one that kept her company."
"Well..." Lockon's face turned a light shade red, "I won't deny I find her cute. I'm not sure why." Allelujah had to smile at Lockon's candor.
"I wish you luck."
"Luck? You think she's out of my league?"
"Not necessarily."
"What about you and Marie?" Allelujah's cheeks began to get warm. He turned up his nose and hmpfed.
"That isn't luck."
"It isn't?"
"Meeting her as a kid, being apart from her for years, fighting her, and then finding her again... that is destiny."
Feldt stirred, slowly raising her head and blinking the sleep out of her eyes (without success). Out of habit, she stretched her arms up and yawned.
"You're awake." Huh? Feldt blinked again and looked to see Setsuna, still laying down, looking at her with a pleasant smile on his face.
What?
Feldt, her arms still stretched out, looked down and remembered with a shock that she must've fallen asleep while sitting beside him.
"OH!" She quickly brought her arms down to her sides and sat up straight, feeling her face turn red hot. "Ugh- um- morning? Hey Setsuna! Um... are you do- I mean- how are you doing?" God, what is wrong with her?
"I'm better now. Has anything else happened?" Are you just going to act like nothing happened!
"Um... sort of."
"Sort of?"
"Tieria went out and encountered mobile suits fighting not that far away. I read the report before I fell... fell a..."
"Before you fell asleep?" GAH! DON'T SAY IT!
"Yeah... sorry." The silence that followed was almost excruciating, enhanced further thanks to the feeling of fire in her face.
"Thank you."
"What?" Setsuna relaxed in bad and closed his eyes.
"Earlier, there was so much going on in my head that it hurt. But it's quiet now. So thank you."
"I... I didn't really do anything."
"Either way, thank you." Feldt watched Setsuna remain still for few moments, hearing the soft sound of his calm breathing. Her cheeks were finally beginning to cool down, but only just. She put a hand on her chest and felt the rapid beating of her heart. She forced herself to take a couple deep breaths before looking at Setsuna's face again. Seeing the shape of his face, the tone of his skin, recalling the sound of his voice- "Thank you." Oh boy, I'm really in love aren't I, Feldt thought. She remembered Neil Dylandy, standing beside her and keeping her company, confiding in her. Then she remembered Lyle Dylandy- ugh! She gave her head a quick shake. No, Setsuna is definitely better than... she frowned. Aside from his basic background and his time as a Gundam Meister, she knew very little about him. But then again, she didn't know anything about Neil either, until he told her.
Ah... he got her to open up, to break out of her shell. How she missed him, him and Christina.
Arios and Cherudim flew by several asteroids, Arios doing several flips and spins in between several of them.
"Damn show off." Lockon smarted as Arios drew up to Cherudim as their monitors began to flash.
"We have unknown targets moving." Allelujah said over his comm.
"I see them." Lockon pulled up Cherudim behind another asteroid. Through Cherudim's scope, he could see a pair of identical mobile suits being launched from one of the larger vessels.
"I really hope that Tieria didn't piss these guys off and that we're going to have to pay for it." They both had a single eye that reminded them of old HRL units, the units were silver in color and both carried a type of assault rifle that looked like it carried live ammo. The suits also had large single horns sprouted from their heads, their eyes trailed side to side. "Be careful Allelujah just take it nice and slow and try not to draw any attention to yourself."
"Hold up." Allelujah said stopping and had Arios point toward the three blue ships, "Check this out." Lockon stopped and looked over seeing a small shuttle exiting one of blue ships and toward a green carrier type ship. "I wonder what's going on over there." Allelujah asked himself watching the gray mobile suits making another pass around toward them.
"We should get moving." Lockon said to Allelujah as Cherudim took off, "Haro how many ships can you detect?" Lockon asked the small orange robot.
"Count three, count three!" Haro responded his eyes flashing.
"That's not too bad." Lockon smiled.
"Others further away, others further away!" Haro added opening and closing his eye flaps.
"How many more?" Lockon asked slightly worried, "Are they like those ones or others?"
Archangel in lower Earth orbit
Kira stood looking into the golden eyes of the Strike Gundam or Gundam as he liked to call it as an acronym for the G-weapon. Kira's thoughts were filled with memories of past battles from several days, from when he first defeated a GINN with the Strike all the way to a few hours prior, the thoughts made Kira feel sick deep down.
"You feeling nostalgic now that you're disembarking?" a voice called up to Kira who looked down as well as his small robot bird named 'Birdy'. "Kira Yamato I presume?" the older man asked, he wore a uniform of that of a high ranking EA officer. "I read about your actions in the report."
Kira stood wondering why Admiral Halberton was there, "Y-yeah." Kira stammered, not knowing what really to say to him.
"Once again I can't help but shake my head in amazement at the sheer abilities of you coordinators." He smiled while Kira remained silent, "These were only built to help give us an adequate counter to ZAFT's mobile suits but with you guys inside piloting them they become some kind of super weapon."
"I wouldn't go that far." Kira called down.
"I have also been told that your parents are naturals."
"Yes that is correct."
"Part of me wonders what they hope to achieve by making you a coordinator." Admiral Halberton said shrugging slightly, "In any case I'd like nothing more than an end to this war...a quick one at that."
"Sir!" an officer who seemed to appear out of thin air called standing next to the Admiral and saluted, "the ship needs you back onboard sir."
"Here we go again." He looked back over to Kira, "They just let have a chance to chat with any of you. What I really wanted was to thank you for protecting the Archangel and the Strike up till now. May you live to see the dawn of a better era." He added before he saluted to Kira quickly before turning to follow the officer.
"Sir!" Kira called to stop him, "So what happens now to the Archangel and to Lieutenant Ramius and the others?" Kira asked. Kira wanted to know just like anyone what was going to become of ship he was safeguarding for several days and the people onboard.
"The Archangel will be heading to Earth just the way it is so they will be returning to the battlefield."
"I...I thought that I-" Kira started but he had a hard time trying to say what he wanted.
"I know exactly what it is that you are worried about, you possess very special abilities that are attracted to the military... However it isn't assured a victory if we have you. War isn't that simple, don't flatter yourself."
"But if I have the power to make a difference, I should put it to good use!" Kira called back.
"Sir we should-" the young officer stopped when the Admiral held his arm up to signal him to be silent for a moment.
"Only if you have the will to do it, anyone who lacks the will never does see it through until the end." The Admiral exited the hanger, leaving those words with Kira. Kira stood quiet as before staring at where the Admiral had been, before looking back into the eyes of the Strike.
Arios and Cherudim
"There is some action going here." Lockon said to Allelujah who was a fair distance away watching their flanks, "The ships seem to be flying toward... wait, is that?" Lockon looked away from the scope for his sniper interface. "Is that Earth?"
"What?"
"That is Earth right?" Cherudim raised its arm to point directly ahead of the unknown ships which were launching their suits.
"What else could it be?"
"Well, look at it! Doesn't it seem sort of... different to you?" Allelujah brought up a magnified image on one of his monitors and scrutinized it. What the heck was Lockon going about- huh? On a second look, there was something off about this Earth, but Allelujah couldn't put his finger on it. "See what I mean?"
"Well... yes, sort of. But I can't figure out what's off though."
"Me neither- oh, wait a minute! Where's the elevators?"
"What?" Allelujah checked the image again. "You're right, I don't see any of the Orbital Elevators, or the Orbital Rings for that matter."
"What the hell?" was all Lockon could say as Allelujah attempted to contact Ptolemios. "This is Arios, do you read me Ptolemy?" he received only static. "I repeat, this is Arios can you hear me?"
"Hey Mr. Haptism!" Mileina responded with her always happy attitude, "What's up?"
"What have a view of the Earth, but there something's wrong. There doesn't seem to be any orbital elevators or solar collectors. Also the ships we have been monitoring have been launching mobile suits for a short while now. They may be targeting a different group up ahead. Mileina? Hello?"
"Oh, sorry about that. You cut out after saying something about: the ships you have been monitoring." Allelujah frowned at this; there shouldn't be any problems with their equipment.
"Okay, can you put Miss Sumeragi on the direct comm?"
"Righty'o!" Mileina responded before it cut out.
Celestial Being outpost
"Launching...team...Duel...Zala...formation...Kira..." Setsuna's eyes snapped open, Setsuna's pupils shrinking from the sudden light over him when he sat upright placing his hand on his forehead. "What was all that?" Setsuna asked himself. Setsuna looked up around the room to see Feldt was gone. "The unknowns," Setsuna said to himself, getting up and rubbing his head. "He had to get out there."
Meanwhile, Feldt was in the shower, washing her hair with hot water that filled the entire room with steam, her mind still pondering the sudden matter she found herself facing.
Neil reached out to her when she saw her at a moment of vulnerability, and she had responded in kind.
Lyle, inquisitive as to why she was watching him so closely probably would've acted the same way... except Haro blabbed and he realized she was merely redirecting her feelings for Neil on him.
"You know, I'm not my brother."
And he still took her first kiss! Damn it!
Now Setsuna is not like either of them. He's actually kind of like how I was originally... except he had no problem talking with people. And he isn't the type to seek out... no, don't think about that. I'm not the same girl I was back then; so I can't just wait for another Neil to show up. Maybe... maybe I should be more proactive. That shouldn't be too hard, right? But how would Setsuna...
Oh wait... that Nena girl up and kissed him and he did not like that at all. Was it because she was a stranger? Possibly, but he probably didn't like the blatant show of affection either. Ah... this is going to be harder than I thought. GAH! Nevermind that! Silly girl! Worry about that later! as she turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. She wrapped herself in a towel and opened the shower to see her reflection in the mirror. Her usual self with blue-green eyes and pink hair looked back at her. Maybe? She tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear. Turning her head left and right, she realized it didn't change her appearance all that much. maybe she was losing it. She shook her head and put the strand back in it's previous position. She grabbed a clean uniform, deciding to keep her gloves in her pocket until she dropped off her dirty laundry. When Feldt was doing so she noticed someone up ahead pass the hallway entrance toward the hanger and it only took a moment for Feldt to realize who it was. "Setsuna!" Feldt called out, running faster down the hall turning the corner almost slipping but recovered to continue after him. Feldt looked side to side trying to figure out which turn he may had taken seeing as he was no longer in sight, "Did he take a short cut or has his condition made him confused?" Feldt thought finally going around to the hanger where Ian was busy talking to several work crew members.
"That's good news, get 00 ready in case we- oh hey Feldt." Ian greeted looking passed the worker who turned and walked away, "Great news, we found out that it was a simple overheat with 00's GN drives. We managed to cool it down so 00 should be good to head out whenever Setsuna is ready." Ian explained, "Good to hear that he was feeling better too."
"What are you talking about? The doctor said that he needed to at least another day of rest before doing anything."
"Say what?!"
Gundam 00 activated and everything looked good when Ian's voice came over the comm.
"Setsuna! What the hell are you doing?"
"Launching!"
"Obviously- wait, hold on!" Gundam 00 launched and sped off.
Meanwhile
Several Ginn units began flying around the EA carriers firing damaging them little by little at a time. The Duel passed in front of the carriers, slashing its beam saber through the hull of one of the vessels.
"You all don't stand a chance against me!" Yzak shouted. He made the Duel back off before a shot from the Buster hit the engines, causing the entire carrier explode. "Where is he? Where could that Strike be hiding?" Yzak raged, looking all around. The Buster destroyed another EA vessel.
"This is just too easy." Dearka smiled dodging machine gun tracers from a turret on a carrier. The Aegis snatched onto this carrier and fired point blank, getting clear and transforming before the ship exploded.
Watching from afar was Lockon who was scoped onto the Buster with his rifle.
"Well, their weapons are not exactly weak..." he observed, "this is just madness." The Blitz flew by his sights, startling him for a moment. "Jeez scared me, I forgot I was scoped in." Lockon sighed, leaning back, "Wish I knew the background for all this-" Arios appeared by his Gundam, "hey, what's up?"
"Miss Sumeragi contacted me. Setsuna launched in 00 and we need stop him and bring him back to the ship."
"What the hell? Wasn't he still bedridden?"
"Apparently not."
Lockon nodded looking to Haro, "Anything on radar?"
"Negative, negative!" Haro responded his eyes flashing.
"How long ago did he launch then?" Lockon said before his radar flashed, "What!" he yelled as 00 took off past him in a matter of seconds. "Haro!" Lockon shouted as Cherudim reattached its sniper rifle to its back.
"Not my fault! Not my fault! Haro not radar! Haro not radar!" Haro responded, almost hysterically.
Arios took off behind Cherudim.
"Setsuna," Allelujah called out over the comms, "stop, don't engage them! We have no idea what's going on!"
[Revolve - UVERworld]
"Setsuna F. Seiei," Setsuna said out of habit as he switched the 00's GN blades to their rifle modes and then aimed toward the Duel. "00, dispatching targets."
Yzak fired off several more shots at the passing ships, "Where is-" the Duel's radar flashed red, "what? Did I miss one-shit!" He instinctively turned his Duel about, drawing a beam saber while a violet beam passed the cockpit. "New enemy from behind!" Yzak called in, seeing the new unit charging straight at him, beam rifle raised. Yzak readied his Duel's beam saber, ready to slice the new arrival in two- huh? The rifle twisted round, revealing blade which was swung toward him. The Duel's beam saber met the 00's sword in a shower of sparks. "What kind of mobile suit is this?" Yzak shouted as the energy saber failed to even cut into the solid metal blade. The 00's broke away and quickly slammed against the Duel, knocking it back as if it were nothing. "WHAT!" the Duel collided with an allied Ginn, "THE!" spiraled about a bit before, "HELL!" slamming into the carcass of a carrier.
"Yzak!" Athrun shouted as Aegis shifted into its mobile armor mode and took off after the 00. Drawing close, it shifted into its suit form and aimed at the unknown enemy when a beam was fired passed the Aegis' head. Athrun looked to see Arios flying straight toward him. "What in the world?" Athrun aimed his rifle at the mobile jet and fired. Arios dodged. Athrun fired again. Arios dodged. Athrun fired a closely grouped salvo. Arios easily swerved around all the shots. "No way!"
Arios transformed and punched the Aegis in its head, knocking it back.
"Setsuna," Allelujah shouted over the comm, "stop right now and withdraw! Now, before things get worse!" No response. "Setsuna! Do you read me?" Allelujah adjusted the comm link. "Setsuna, this is Allelujah, we need to withdraw! Setsuna-" the rear-sensors went off.
"You'll pay for that!" Nicol shouted, launching his grappling claw from the left arm of the Blitz at Arios from behind, but a sudden beam severed the arm at the wrist, also severing the claw's line. "Huh?" Nicol gaped at the melted metal. He looked and saw the 00 with its beam rifles aimed at him, before turning away to go after an EA mobile armor. "Why did he stop?" Nicol thought, turning back, only to yelp as Arios' blue eyes filling up his entire combat screen. "Oh crap!" Nicol shouted before Arios kicked the Blitz back.
"Where did Setsuna go?" Allelujah asked himself looking up at the Ginn units. "Damn it, how do I get through to him?" Arios shifted to jet mode and took off toward the Ginn squads.
"What kind of mobile suit was that?" Athrun asked out loud until his radar flashed red. "Another one!" he shouted, looking up as 00 came down on him with its GN swords. Aegis swapped its shield and rifle for the beam sabers that expelled from the Aegis' wrists and crossed them to block the heavy metal blades as they came down. "The engine power of this machine is amazing." Athrun grunted as he tried to use Aegis' own thrust to hold back to the 00 but it was like trying to push a bull. Aegis finally got pushed back by 00 who was forcing him down toward where the Duel emerged from the carrier wreckage. "Yzak, heads up!" Yzak looked up to see Aegis and 00 heading right at him. Duel took off and dodged to the right and swung at 00 with his own beam saber. But 00 removed its left GN blade from the crossed blades of the Aegis to block it.
"Now Athrun!" Yzak shouted and both suits used their full thrust, pushing the 00 toward Dearka's Buster, who aimed his combined rifle at it. "Shoot now Dearka!" Yzak shouted as both he and Athrun kicked 00 into the Buster's sight.
"Game over pal!" Dearka smiled, finger wrapping around the trigger- until something slammed into the Buster from behind. Dearka fell forward as the Buster and 00 drifted past each other. "Come on!" Dearka shouted looking back and spying a green mobile suit. "Another one of those things?" Dearka growled raising his rifle, "I'm taking you down!"
"Haro, let's go!" Lockon shouted as Cherudim took off toward the Buster with his beam sub beam rifles drawn. Buster fired a shot while taking off ahead and then disconnected the two guns and began charged the beams of them. Cherudim dodged to the right to evade the heavy blast and fired his weapon which struck the Buster knocking it back slowly with each hit, "I'm taking you down!" Lockon shouted switching the beam pistols out for his sniper rifle. Cherudim aimed while Buster did the same and both fired at the same time. One of Buster's shots collided with Cherudim's shot while the other struck Cherudim in its shoulder causing it to spin around. The Buster looked to its right and then ducked to evade a blast of machinegun fire. Lockon looked and saw a new mobile armor going after it. The mobile armor looked like a large orange fighter jet with several large cylinders attached to its main body. "That's new." Lockon thought seeing both machines were fighting so he figured that it would be best to go.
Arios flew around a Ginn which tried to keep its eyes on him but couldn't seem to keep with the Arios' speed. "What kind of machine has this speed!" one of the Ginn units said to the others before he set off several shots to Arios who dodged and fired back blowing a hole through the entire mobile suit which exploded.
"We lost Jin!" one of the pilots shouted his bazooka shots having no effect on the Arios, "I say that we retreat!" he shouted turning away and he only got a few feet when a beam cut into his machine from below and destroyed it. 00 was flying toward the Ginn units with its GN swords now in rifle mode. Both Arios and 00 surrounded them and managed to take the last three of them out with ease.
"Setsuna!" Allelujah said as Arios transformed, "I repeat, WE NEED TO WITH-DRAW!" Setsuna didn't respond and sped off toward two units entering the planet's atmosphere. "Setsuna?" Cherudim came to hover next to Arios as they just floated watching the fleets, now significantly smaller than before. "This is insane!" Allelujah said, looking at all the destroyed ships floating about.
"You're telling me," said Lockon. "What's going on with Setsuna?"
"I don't know! He isn't responding!"
"Allelujah, Lockon!" Miss Sumeragi's voice suddenly crackled over the comms, he face appearing on-screen accompanied by static, "what are you doing? You just may have made our situation worse!"
"Setsuna started it," Lockon answered back, "we were just protecting him!"
"He isn't responding Sumeragi!" Allelujah reported.
"He's what? Repeat your last!"
"He isn't talking to us! I tried reaching him on different channels, but he hasn't responded!" Sumeragi groaned, messaging the bridge of her nose.
"Of all the *garbled* for everything to go wrong at one-*sshh*" She took a deep breath and sighed. "Get Setsuna and bring him back here, drag him by the 00's arms if you have to. Just don't get yourselves killed!"
Meanwhile both the Strike's and Duel's beam sabers clashed against one another while the atmospheric entry was heating their suits, the Buster was falling through toward the surface no matter how hard it used it propulsion.
"It's no use, we're stuck!" Dearka reported. "Athrun, Nicol get back to the ship. Yzak Dearka and I will be fine!" he assured his teammates before his link to them was lost.
Both the Duel and Strike clashed against each other with beam sabers against shields and moved their faces closer to one another.
"You're finished!" Yzak yelled to the Strike as the blades of the violet beam sabers began to show colors of red from the heat of the two suits.
"You won't defeat me!" Kira shouted himself as both Gundams broke away to fire at each other; Kira moved his shield in front of him as he charged toward the Duel yelling a battle cry before ramming his shield into the mobile suit and knocked it back before kicking in the face which made it fall more drastically due to the gravity.
"Why you!" Yzak growled as the Duel drew its beam rifle and aimed it at the Strike but both pilots noticed a shuttle nearing the two. Above the 00 was flying toward it as well.
"Gundams..." Setsuna uttered under his breath, "these machines are gundams." Setsuna glanced at the shuttle and spied people inside, eyes wide with... fear? Wait! Setsuna blinked and suddenly found himself in 00, in between two unknown Gundams beside a shuttle full of- "Those are civilians!" Setsuna's eyes widened in surprise before taking off after the ship feeling the gravity pulling him faster. "This won't be enough to slow me down." Setsuna thought hearing the power of his GN drives keeping him from plummeting to his death.
"Setsuna," Allelujah's voice crackled over the comm, "do you read me? We have to get back to the outpost! Sumeragi's orders!"
"Allelujah!" Setsuna responded, "I hear you, but I have to protect these civilians!" Setsuna looked around while the comm made some sounds that he never heard before; not on a Gundam communicator. "Allelujah?"
"Set-*zhu*-na, please repeat your la-*zzt-ssk*" Were they being jammed?
The white and blue Gundam began firing at the shuttle while the other one with a red shield took off toward it.
"Don't do it!" Kira shouted, "They're only civilians!" The Duel fired an angry shot which tore through space; time almost seemed to stop as the 00 was inches from the shuttle when the green beam from the Duel cut through the shuttle.
"No!" The 00 was knocked back fast by the blast while the Strike was blown toward the Archangel. The Strike glanced up to the 00 who's GN drives had deactivated and was falling at the same pace as the Strike.
"There's someone else out here!" Kira said trying to reach the Archangel but he only got static, "Hold on!" Kira called trying to increase the Strike's speed to try to reach the 00; both suits almost touched when the Strike grabbed the 00's hand and started pulling it along toward the Archangel. "Archangel!" Kira called trying to get a hold.
"Gundam..."
"What?" Kira could swear that was from the radio. He saw the 00's eyes flash blue for a moment. The Strike finally touched down onto the Archangel with the 00 tightly held in its hand.
"Are you alright in there?" Kira asked trying to get connected to 00. "What is this mobile suit? Its head design looks so much like the Strike's." Kira felt the heat in the cockpit starting to affect him, Kira tried to stay conscious but he felt his head dropping from shear exhaustion.
"Gundam..." was the last thing he heard before blacking out.
Arios remained suspended just above the atmosphere. "Setsuna no..." Allelujah felt his hands shaking, "No no no! Damn it! What do I do now?" Allelujah thought aloud, turning Arios around to head back toward the Lagrange-3 base. Allelujah looked back over his shoulder to the planet. "Stay alive Setsuna."