PHASE 08: Flight to Tomorrow
The Alliance fleet having retreated, the badly-damaged Minerva continued on its course, making for ZAFT's main base on Earth at Carpentaria. Emergency repairs were being made to the hull where necessary, and the two ZAKUs had both been recovered. Other than the damage to the ship, they had lost one mobile suit, and quite a few crew members had been injured.
On the bridge, Yzak glanced at Arthur.
"A good thing we made complete repairs before setting out, or that fleet would have sunk us for sure." He said dryly. The XO accepted the rebuke without comment.
"The Impulse has landed, sir." Abby reported.
"Be nice if they let us off without trying to pick a fight again, but we can't count on it." Yzak commented. "Let the pilots get some rest, for now. And Arthur, get on those damage reports ASAP."
Yzak leaned back in his chair for a moment, contemplating what they'd seen. "I don't know what the hell happened out there, but if not for that kid we'd be finished." He said grudgingly. The truth was, he was impressed. But he would never openly admit it.
- "I know!" Arthur replied enthusiastically. "That was four ships, one of them a carrier, in under three minutes! Plus that mobile armor...Amazing! He'll get a medal for this, for certain."
"I always wondered why Durendal assigned the Impulse to that kid and not Rey..." Yzak mused.
It was odd - Though they'd been in the same class at the Academy Shinn was a little younger than Rey, and far from an ideal soldier; impulsive, emotional, short-tempered, and rebellious...in some ways, Yzak reflected, he saw a lot of himself in that kid. But he had skill, that much was certain.
Rey on the other hand was calm, level-headed, and had a keen eye for tactics - and he was easily as skilled a pilot as Shinn, judging from his results at the Academy. Yet Durendal had chosen Shinn. "Perhaps he was aware of his potential all along."
In the meantime, Shinn himself allowed himself a few moments' rest as he settled the Impulse, still equipped with the Sword Silhouette, into its spot in the hangar. As he opened the hatch, still not entirely sure what had happened in the past few minutes, hes saw Vino, Yolant, and numerous others waiting for him below, including Rey and Luna.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, he was surrounded, receiving accolades from numerous members of the crew before Aves came along and ordered them back to work.
Shinn made his way out of the hangar, and Luna followed.
"But really, what happened out there today? It's like you turned into some kind of super-ace or something!"
"I honestly don't know." Shinn replied. "I remember how mad I was that the Orb fleet was firing at us, and that mobile armor grabbed ahold of me...and I felt I couldn't just let it end like that. And then...I don't know. I guess it felt like my mind became clear."
"Do you mean, you lost it?" Luna asked, sounding a little concerned.
"No, not quite like that...it's more like, I knew exactly what I had to do, and I did it. I'm not sure how to explain it."
"Regardless," Rey interrupted, "You saved this ship. Thanks to you, we're all still alive." He put his hand on Shinn's shoulder, and continued. "Being alive is a gift - the most precious of all. Because it means there's a tomorrow."
Then he left, leaving the other two standing there somewhat confused at his words...
February 26th
Aprilius One
Several days had passed since Athrun's arrival in the PLANTs. He had taken the time to visit Nichol's and Rusty's graves, as well as that of his mother. His father...he still wasn't sure how he felt about him.
Meer had come to see him a couple of times, when her schedule permitted it. She was worried, but remained the same infectiously cheerful girl he'd first met. He'd learned a little about her as well, and regardless of Durendal's manipulations he could tell she genuinely, in her own way, wanted peace. She had a naïveté that reminded him of Lacus in the very earliest days, before Bloody Valentine.
And he had made his decision, which is why he now stood in Chairman Durendal's office in a newly-tailored and freshly-pressed black uniform.
As he adjusted the collar he looked over at Meer, standing behind Durendal, and she smiled happily. Then Durendal walked up to him.
"Unfortunately, you are required to re-enlist, but I have decided to make you a squadron leader. You will head for Carpentaria and rendezvous with the Minerva. Your orders are here, as are additional orders for Commander Joule. Once you are there, you will take command of the ship's mobile suit team."
- "Right." Athrun acknowledged. Then Durendal handed him a small, lacquered wood box. Inside it was a polished silver badge, shaped like a spread wing.
"FAITH members wear those..." Athrun commented.
FAITH was an élite Special Ops unit, reporting directly to the Supreme Council. They were sworn to loyalty - to the Council, and thus to the Chairman.
- "I thought it best not to insert you into the regular chain of command. There might be problems. FAITH operatives are normally expected to swear an oath of loyalty. I will not require that of you; you need only pledge your loyalty to your own beliefs. And when necessary, I want you to use this extra power as you see fit."
Not long afterwards, his uniform and orders in a small briefcase, suited up and in the cockpit of the Saviour, Athrun was making preparations to launch. From the PLANTs, he could be at his destination in a little over 72 hours.
Then, he received a signal that told him he was cleared for launch.
"Athrun Zala. Saviour, taking off!"
Orb Union
Night had fallen over Orb. At the mansion that was now home to Kira, Lacus, as well as Reverend Malchio and his orphans, all seemed quiet. At the bottom of the cliff on which the mansion stood, a team of swimmers suddenly appeared, carrying heavy duffel bags and wearing full-body dive gear. They began to change, taking out body armor, night-vision equipment, and weapons from the bags, into which they stuffed their dive gear before concealing them.
"Okay. Let's go!" The leader ordered in a low voice. Except for one, each man carried a submachine gun. Suppressors were attached to every weapon, and they all had a pistol strapped to their waist. "And remember: We can't leave any traces on-site. And no witnesses." His order was acknowledged by silent nods. "Bravo Team is waiting at the extraction point. We get in, take out the targets, and get out. Prioritize #1. If we can nail both, all the better."
The six men made their way up towards the mansion. However, they were unaware that the building was equipped with a sophisticated security system, and when they forced the door they triggered a silent alarm in the room of ex-Commander Andrew Waltfeld.
"Damn. Looks like uninvited guests." He muttered as he saw the incoming assault team on a video monitor slaved to cameras that were concealed on the ground. "Six guys with NVG; those look like Alliance-issue submachine guns...and they've got pistols too. And...son of a bitch!" He tore out of the room, grabbing a pair of pistols from a locked drawer in his desk, and headed straight to the next room.
"Murrue. We've got uninvited guests - take Lacus and the kids to the shelter; I'll get the youngster and see if we can't deal with these guys."
Moments later she was out, fully dressed an carrying her old service pistol. They split up, and as Andrew headed towards Kira's room he was joined by their guest, a tall young man about Kira's own age who had arrived that morning looking for him.
Long-haired and darkly handsome, he had a hard look in his eyes and carried a large-caliber pistol, of Eurasian make.
"I saw them out the window as they arrived. Do you think they're here for her?"
"For both of them'd be my guess." Andrew replied. "Let's go."
The both of them soon arrived, just as Kira got out of his room.
"Canard...Mr. Waltfeld. What's going on out here?"
"Uninvited guests, brother." Replied the other. Kira looked at him, still uneasy. He had only met Canard Pars today, and he had heard his story - the Ultimate Coordinator project, then Eurasia. But the idea was still too alien to him. And yet, familiar in a way.
"Here," Andrew said as he handed Kira the second pistol. "Join Captain Ramius and look after Lacus."
"Okay." Kira said as he reluctantly took the weapon.
"Oh, and youngster? This time, don't throw it at 'em." Andrew said with a kind of amused expression on his face. Kira just shook his head, and Canard looked curiously at Waltfeld. "I'll explain later." The older man said.
Meanwhile, Murrue had reached the largest bedroom, where Lacus slept with the children, and was attempting to wake them and get them moving. Kira soon arrived, fully dressed. As they made their way out, they heard gunfire from the hall. Waltfeld had targeted one of the intruders and fired, dropping one of them with a shot to the head. The others retaliated with machinegun fire, and he saw two of them take the dead man's weapons. He did a quick head count and counted three guys shooting.
"There's only four here...where the hell are the others...?"
Canard slipped into a side corridor, which allowed him to go around the attackers, and fired from behind, dropping another one with a first shot to the back of the leg at knee-level.
-"That guy's not getting up." The remaining two were pinned, caught between Andrew and Canard.
Murrue, meanwhile, was continuing with the children and Lacus, Kira covering their rear, when one man suddenly appeared and opened fire. Ducking around the corner, she saw that he'd hit her shoulder. She told Kira to keep moving, and waited. Soon enough, the man rounded the corner, and she shot him in both kneecaps. He was wearing body armor, so she shot him in the head, then continued.
"Miss Murrue! BEHIND YOU!" Kira yelled, as he saw another man had rounded the corner. Murrue dropped the ground as they opened fire, the shots narrowly passing overhead.
Kira raised the gun. It felt uncomfortably heavy in his hand, but he aimed and fired, hitting the attacker in the chest. The man dropped, but after a few moments he was up again. They kept running. There was a shelter deep in the heart of the mansion. They had to get Lacus and the kids there.
Andrew and Canard still had the other two pinned. Suddenly, the slide on Andrew's gun racked back and locked. Empty. Before he could reload, the two attackers charged forward. Canard dropped one of them with a shot to the leg, then as the man turned to try to counterattack to buy his partner some time, shot him in the head.
The other, meanwhile, had discarded his weapon and drew a knife. He lunged, attempting to stab Andrew in the heart, but the older man blocked with his arm and reached for the pistol in his opponent's shoulder holster. The attacker managed to force Andrew's hand away and they struggled for a few moments.
It occurred to the attacker that Andrew was not bleeding, but before he had time to wonder why there was a faint whistle as his dead partner's knife, retrieved by Canard, flew across the room and lodged itself his back, severing the spine.
Then the bombardment started.
Grabbing the dead man's NVGs, Andrew slipped them on, and swore. There were two GOOHns, two ZnOs, and a new model mobile suit, all of them firing at the mansion. This puzzled him. He checked the dead man's weapons: Alliance standard-issue, both the pistol and submachinegun. However he recognized the goggles as being of ZAFT manufacture, as were the mobile suits, all five painted in low-visibility black color schemes. Deciding there wasn't enough time to wonder just now, he and Canard ran towards the shelter, where they hoped to meet up with Murrue, Kira, and the others.
Before they did so, he took the dead man's weapons, reloading the machine gun with a spare magazine he took off the corpse, and removed the knife from where it was embedded in his prosthetic arm. The limb was damaged and would not move, so he handed the machine gun to Canard and kept the pistol. They arrived at the shelter as Murrue was attempting to open it. Also with them was Caridad Yamato, Kira's mother.
Canard hung back, taking stock of the situation. The mansion wouldn't hold up for much longer. There had been six men on the infiltration team, but so far only five were accounted for. Then he realized that there was an enormous bay window not far away that would provide a near-perfect line of sight for any shooter outside.
"For God's sake, everybody get the hell away from that window!" He yelled.
Too late. As Kira looked at him, he caught a distant, slight movement, and there was a short, bright flash from the trees across the courtyard outside.
"LACUS!" Kira yelled as he lunged towards her, trying to get her down out of harm's way, but he was too slow. Fired from outside, a single 12.7x99mm bullet shattered the glass window and continued on its course until it entered Lacus's chest as she turned, surprised and frightened, towards Kira. The bullet tore through her heart and exited out her back, lodging itself in the wall across the hall.
She fell almost gracefully, but she was already dead before her body hit the ground.
Canard raised the machine gun and aimed through the scope, back-tracing the bullet's trajectory. He saw the sniper reloading a big bolt-action anti-personnel rifle, and fired. The rifle's effective range was normally far longer than the machine gun's, but in order to have a clear shot the sniper had had to move in to about 150m, which put him well within the weapon's 200-meter effective range. The sniper ducked for cover, and Canard stopped firing.
Meanwhile the shelter was open and the kids were running in, herded by Murrue and Reverend Malchio. Thinking that the coast was clear, the sniper reappeared. As he moved to aim his rifle, Canard put a bullet in his head.
"That's the last of them. Come on!"
Andrew went in first. Kira was on his knees, a shocked look on his face as he looked down at Lacus's corpse.
"There's nothing you can do, Kira. Let's go!" Canard said as he grabbed his younger brother by the collar of his shirt and dragged him into the shelter, which closed.
"Damn. Looks like those bastards got what they came for." Andrew fumed. Murrue sank to her knees, exhausted. Andrew saw the blood staining the sleeve of her jacket, and he helped her remove it. A bullet had entered the arm and exited cleanly on the other side. The wound was bad, but not fatal. He tore a strip off his shirt and bandaged it as tightly as he could one-handed.
"They're Coordinators." She commented wearily.
"Yeah. And they're no amateurs. Those guys are Special Ops, and they've definitely seen combat." He did not mention that although their weapons were Alliance-issued, the rest of their equipment was not. Obviously, neither were their mobile suits either.
"Great. Coordinator Special Forces, and they have mobile suits." Murrue commented, her tone indicating intense frustration.
-"We've no other choice now. We have to open the Door." Andrew said gravely as he reached for the pink Haro, rolling forlornly back and forth across the shelter.
The little robot opened as Andrew picked it up, revealing two slender, golden keys. He handed one of them to Kira, who looked up. There were tears flowing down his face, and he stood slowly, wiping his eyes on his sleeve before taking the key.
Andrew led him to the back wall of the shelter, which he now saw was no wall, but a gigantic blast door. Two key holes slid out of concealed compartments to either side of the door, and Kira and Andrew slipped the keys in.
"Three...Two...One." Andrew counted down. On "One" they turned the keys and the door opened to reveal a hangar, hollowed out of the underground caverns that were found in the island, and blocked shut on all sides but two: The door, and an exit hatch above. The hangar was just large enough to house a single mobile suit, which stood dormant as the lights came on.
The ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam.
"Alpha Team's been taken out. Remember our orders: No witnesses! Find them and take out every last one of them!" The leader of the team, who piloted the new-model UMF/S-6 ASSH mobile suit, ordered his three teammates.
Suddenly there was an explosion from above, and something shot out from the mountain behind the house. A mobile suit.
"What the hell is that?" He spat angrily as he turned to face the enemy. Then he recognized it. "I don't believe it. It's the Freedom!"
The five mobile suits turned and opened fire on the Freedom as it approached, drawing a beam saber with which it literally dismembered one of the ZnOs.
Blocking or dodging their attacks, it deployed its weapons - two beam cannons mounted in its wings and two railguns on its hips - and fired, blasting the two GOOHNs off their legs and disabling their main cameras.
The remaining ZnO turned to track and fired, but scored only a glancing hit before it too saw its arms sliced off by the Freedom, which then flipped and shot its legs out from under it. Only the ASSH remained.
"How is this even possible?" screamed its pilot as he emptied the launchers on its back of its remaining missiles. The Freedom dodged, avoiding all but a handful of the projectiles.
The few that did hit didn't even make so much as a scratch, as the Freedom charged in and aimed a slash with its beam saber that, had he not dodged it, would've sliced off both right arm and leg. He parried a second attack with the ASSH's beam claw, landing some distance from the Freedom, and charged in, aiming to slam the blade into its torso. The Freedom bent and thrust its shield forward under the ASSH, which it lifted off its legs and threw.
The mobile suit landed heavily some hundred meters away, and stood to counterattack, only for the Freedom to raise its beam rifle and systematically blast off first both arms, then the launchers on its back, then both legs.
The crippled ASSH fell to the ground.
"Damn." He swore. They had their orders, though. He flipped a switch, then pulled the lever that activated the ASSH's self-detonation mechanism. As his machine exploded, so did the other four, leaving no chance of any of them surviving to be interrogated.
A few hours later the sun rose, and Andrew, Murrue, and Canard surveyed the wreckage. There wasn't much left, but there was enough to confirm what he'd seen: Two ZnOs, two GOOHNs, and a new-model ASSH mobile suit.
"So that one's a new ZAFT machine, then?" Murrue asked him.
"Yeah. I'd seen some early development data, but that's about it. They're a new model that came off the assembly line last year. It should be impossible for anyone outside ZAFT's forces to obtain one." Andrew replied.
"We can't rule out rogue elements like the team that dropped Junius Seven or the ones that attacked Bandar-Abbas." Canard commented. "They had relatively new models too. But one thing's for sure: their targets were Kira and Lacus...But why, though?"
Of course, the reason why didn't really matter; nor did it change what had happened.
They buried Lacus that same day, on a cliff overlooking the sea that was located not so far away from the mansion.
A short distance away, the memorial to the victims of the previous war was visible, as was the beautiful park that had been built there. Only the six of them, plus the children, were present. Murrue had called Cagalli, who also came out.
"I'm sorry, Kira." Canard said, laying his hand on Kira's shoulder. On Kira's other side Cagalli stood, tears streaming down her face. Despite their differences, she and Lacus had become close friends in recent years, and the loss devastated her.
She silently wondered who could have murdered her and for what reason, a question that weighed on all their minds. Kira himself didn't move, but found at least some comfort in his siblings' presence.
Several days passed without another incident. Cagalli had quietly launched an investigation into exactly how five mobile suits had been able to get into Orb undetected and cause so much damage. So far, nothing had been discovered, and the more she thought about it, the more certain she was that they would find nothing.
She decided to visit the memorial that had been erected for her father and the others who had been lost in the battle for Orb, almost four years ago.
As she lay flowers on the white marble stone, she distantly heard a news broadcast begin announcing her success.
"The Council of Emirs has made the decision to sign a treaty of alliance with the Eurasian Federation, thereby joining the World Security Treaty Organization as a member state. Eurasian Federation representatives are expected to arrive in Orb later today, and the official signing is to take place at a reception held this evening at the Seiran estate." She heard, and allowed herself a small smile.
"This place hasn't changed a bit." She suddenly heard a snide voice behind her. Yuna Roma Seiran. "We should look into getting your father and the others a more suitable memorial, though. Something more...dignified." He said, looking around. Then he looked at her directly.
"You really shouldn't be walking around alone like this, without a bodyguard. Orb is a safe enough place, but still..."
"What do you want? You came here because you wanted to talk, so spit it out." Cagalli retorted. She really did not want to have to deal with Yuna right now.
"Oh my...first off, we're going to have to do something about that language of yours. Given your position..."
"I'm aware of my position, Yuna." She interrupted rudely. "Now just get on with it."
"I realize this is a little sudden, but I thought it would be perfect if the wedding took place the day after the reception. We can make the official announcement at the same time as we sign the treaty."
There it was again. At the time, marrying Yuna had seemed like the best way to strengthen a precarious political position and guarantee Orb's safety. But as she listened to him, she had doubts.
"The people have been unsettled by recent events. Doing this would reassure them that their leaders are as one when it comes to protecting the nation." Yuna continued.
Turning away, she began to leave without giving him an answer. Yuna made to follow, but as Cagalli began to climb the stairs to where she'd left her car the towering figure of Ledonir Kisaka became visible, a big pistol strapped in plain sight on his belt.
She turned back to Yuna.
"You assume a lot to think that I would be foolish enough to go out alone, particularly in light of recent events." She said irritably. And she walked away with Kisaka behind her, leaving Yuna standing alone.
It was later that same day that Myrna, Cagalli's old nursemaid, arrived at the ruins of the mansion, looking for Kira. She looked around, astounded at the devastation and wondering what happened. She had overheard a conversation between the Prime Minister and his son, and had tried to get to Cagalli, but had been unable to.
So, she had gone to her brother for help.
"Myrna?" Kira asked when he saw her. "What's going on?"
"It's Lady Cagalli. It's...I overheard them talking, and I couldn't...I had to do something. It's that Yuna Roma Seiran. I overheard them talking about the reception tonight."
"For the treaty? What about it?"
"They were saying, they're going to announce it...that man is going to marry Lady Cagalli tomorrow!"
"WHAT?" They all exclaimed. Myrna nodded.
"It's been a long-standing agreement that a political marriage between the two families would be in Orb's best interest, from when she was very young. Normally, I'd be delighted for her, as long as Lady Cagalli was fine with it of course. But the Seirans are rushing into this and doing everything their own way, and..."
"Well, you can bet the Seirans aren't in it for Orb's sake - they're trying to increase their leverage in the Government." Andrew interrupted, a distinctly unpleasant expression on his face. Kira nodded.
Meanwhile, Unato Ema Seiran and his son were overlooking the preparations for the evening's reception, which also served to prepare the wedding for the following day.
"Hmmm...she nearly did something irreparable with this damn treaty of hers." Unato commented. "However, we should be able to correct this mistake after tomorrow."
"Don't worry, Father." Yuna said, a smug smile on his face. "Cagalli may be the Chief Representative of Orb, but I'll make sure she understands her proper place in the big picture."
Unato Ema Seiran smirked.
At the Seirans' insistence, Cagalli had been brought to their estate earlier that day, despite her intention to visit Kira before going to the reception. She saw that a wedding dress had been prepared, presumably for her wedding to Yuna tomorrow, and scoffed. A second dress had been laid out next to it, which she eyed distastefully. She was certainly not going to wear that. She opted instead for her green dress - the one she'd been given, years ago, by that woman...she was a little sad and frustrated by the fact she couldn't remember her name.
There was a necklace, too, which she also put on. She knew that Vice-President Marshall would again be present, but this time so would President Baum. They had arrived that morning, and had briefly spoken to her over lunch. Mina Sahaku was also back, and she would be present as well.
"That's an extremely elegant outfit, my Lady." Cagalli suddenly heard behind her.
She turned, and found Rondo Mina Sahaku standing in the doorway, looking appraisingly at the dress Cagalli wore.
"Th...Thank you." she stammered, blushing slightly.
"Well, the treaty is signed. I must say, you did very well."
"It was thanks to your efforts that this was possible. Thank you." Mina simply bowed, and left without another word.
That evening, the reception started off extremely well, Cagalli formalizing the alliance between Orb and the Eurasian Federation. She was congratulated by several parties, many from the Council, and numerous military officers. She spent a few minutes talking to them, then stepped out into the garden.
She saw that several Astray Flight Types and Murasames were on standby, which she guessed to have been at Mina's orders.
"You look good, Cagalli." Yuna said as he walked up. "Though I wish you'd worn the dress that Mother picked out for you."
"Why should I? I've already got a perfectly good dress of my own." Cagalli retorted.
Yuna chose not to reply to that. There was no denying that her dress was an elegant one. He chose instead to change the subject.
"If we're going to announce our wedding, shouldn't you be there too?"
Cagalli did not answer, but looked up at a distant speck that had just appeared and was getting closer fast. 'No...he didn't...that IDIOT!' she thought, suddenly panicking as she recognized the incoming object.
It was the Freedom.
The Astrays around the estate mobilized and targeted the Freedom, but their rifles were literally shot out of their hands. It was bedlam, everyone ran for it, and Yuna cowered behind Cagalli as the Freedom landed. As it reached towards them, he ran off, screaming, and the Freedom picked up Cagalli, then took off again, cradling her in its hands.
"What are you doing, you moron?" She yelled.
"DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" Yuna screamed, grabbing the nearest officer by the lapel of his jacket. "Fire you fools, hurry! That thing's got Cagalli!"
- "Sir, if we open fire now, we might hit her." Yuna released the soldier, hesitating for a moment before he replied.
"Then get after it! Scramble every mobile suit here, and contact Military HQ for reinforcements! GET AFTER IT!"
"Belay that order!" A clear voice rang out, the authority in it evident. Perfectly unflappable, Rondo Mina Sahaku stepped forward. "All units, stand down immediately."
"What do you think you're doing? Don't just stand there you fools!" Yuna screamed at the nearest soldiers before turning on Mina. "And you...What makes you think..."
"What makes me think I can issue that order? You overestimate your control over Orb's military, Seiran. Remember, that in the absence of the Chief Representative, the highest authority in military matters is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces or the Prime Minister. You are neither." She replied, superbly disdainful. "What's more, you underestimate Lady Cagalli."
Meanwhile, off the coast of Orb, the Archangel surfaced. For three long years the ship had lain dormant in its underground hangar since it was returned to Orb and repaired. And now, it was launching once again. When the ship appeared on their sensors, the Orb Military Command Center scrambled a team of Murasame from the Second Escort Fleet. Detecting the mobile suits as they closed in, Kira opened the cockpit. Raising his hand, he reached for Cagalli's hand and pulled her into the cockpit.
"Wow," he said, "this is a pretty amazing dress."
"Shut it!" Cagalli retorted. Then Kira realized that he recognized that dress. However, he had more pressing matters on his mind.
"Just hold that thought. And hang on tight." The two mobile suits closed in, ordering him to land immediately. "No can do." He said, and as he slipped by he drew his beam saber and sliced a wing off each mobile suit, sending them into a dive as they lost control.
Meanwhile, the ships of the Second Escort Fleet had taken off and had their cannons aimed at the Archangel when they detected the Freedom approaching from behind them. On the bridge of the flagship, the Aegis-class Tonbogiri, one officer suddenly reported a communication from Military HQ.
"The Freedom has abducted Lady Cagalli from the reception - exercise extreme caution!"
"What?" Colonel Fumihiko Todaka replied. "Lady Cagalli?...Cease firing! Surround them. Our priority has to be rescuing Lady Cagalli."
As the fleet began moving to surround the ship, it began to move forward...and to submerge.
"Sir! They're submerging...they're going to get away! We have to attack!"
"We can't. If we hit that ship underwater and it sinks, Lady Cagalli might be lost...we are "exercising extreme caution"." Todaka replied. If it got her out of the clutches of the Seirans, it was worth it.
'I'm counting on you, Archangel. Take good care of Lady Cagalli.' He thought as he ordered the fleet to turn back.
Now, it was up to her.