PHASE 15: Diverging Views

March 30th
Çanakkale Seaport
LHM-BB01 Minerva

The badly-damaged Minerva put into the the coastal city of Çanakkale, at the southern end of the Dardanelles, in the small hours of the morning. After sleeping for only a few hours, Yzak went up to the bridge, where Abby updated him on their situation.

They could repair the ship and their remaining mobile suits with the assistance from Bandirma, but nothing could be done to replace the ones they had lost. Yzak asked her to contact Gibraltar to make them aware of the situation, and then headed outside, where maintenance crew were examining the twisted remains of the Tannhäuser. He found Aves supervising.

Not far away, body bags were laid out in two rows.

"The crew who were killed when the cannon exploded?" He asked. Aves nodded.

-"Twelve of them." The chief mechanic replied. "The attack hit just as the charge on the Tannhäuser reached 100%, only a few seconds before the cannon fired. As a result, we took significant damage to the bow - this is going to take at least a week to repair. Twenty additional crew were wounded in the attack as well"

-"Bandirma's gonna be providing us with the parts we'll need for repairs for the ship and the mobile suits we still have, but nothing can be done about replacing the ones we've lost." Yzak stated. "All the same, I'd appreciate you move as quickly as possible on this."

-"Of course, sir." Aves nodded in assent, and Yzak stepped away, seething.

A total of sixteen dead - the twelve crew, plus Rey and three of the ASSH pilots - and so far, twenty-seven wounded including Heine. Significant damage to the hull as a result of enemy attack, not including the total destruction of the Tannhäuser...they were in bad shape.

Meanwhile, a green-clad ZAFT soldier was loading several crates into a large Jeep. As he finished and closed the trunk, he turned to the group standing nearby: Shinn, Lunamaria, and Athrun. The crates contained Rey's personal effects.

The soldier saluted.

"Don't worry," he said, "I'll take care to deliver Rey Za Burrel's personal effects myself."

The others saluted, and the soldier got into the car and drove off.

The three of them turned back towards the ship. Suddenly Shinn stopped.

"This was their fault." He said. "If they hadn't jumped into the battle like that, Heine wouldn't have been so badly injured. And Rey..."

-"Shinn..." Lunamaria said hesitantly, but Shinn turned around, which brought him face-to-face with Athrun.

-"I mean, what the hell were they even doing there in the first place?" He asked, his voice rising. "What, did they think they could force us to stop fighting? What a bunch of idiots!" Then he stormed off. Lunamaria followed, leaving Athrun standing alone on the walkway.

He hadn't known Rey Za Burrel well. The younger man was too taciturn, too quiet. But since joining the Minerva he'd come to think of him as - not a friend, but a comrade.

In spite of the extreme brevity of their acquaintance, he felt similarly towards Heine, a man he actually looked up to.

And yet the anger he felt - not at Kira, nor anyone else, but at his own weakness, his failure to prevent what had happened to both of them...It was all too familiar.

He glanced out towards the dock, where he saw the rows of body bags.

'Thirteen dead,…No, more than that. It's just like with Nichol...all because I was weak.' he thought, and slammed his fist into the railing.

He had to find a way to talk to Kira, to find out just what was going through his old friend's head.

A few minutes later, he was in Yzak's quarters, where he made his request.

"You really think you can find that ship?" Yzak asked, looking skeptical.

-"Yeah. I don't think they'll be very far, especially with those Orb ships still so near. You know pretty well that in the War I fought alongside the Archangel at the Second Battle of Jachin Due."

-"Yeah, I know. And the guy piloting the Freedom is a friend of yours, right?" Yzak retorted, vaguely remembering something Dearka had mentioned once.

-"That's just it: I do know him well. We were best friends as kids growing up on the moon." Athrun revealed. "The others too, but I can't make any sense of what could make them act out like this - abducting the Representative, and now this…"

-"You have to admit, abducting the one person in Orb most likely to be able to prevent them from joining up with the Alliance takes a special brand of stupidity." Yzak commented. "And I certainly agree that I can't figure out what the hell they're doing."

Kira might be many things, Athrun reflected, but stupid certainly was not one of them. Yet he didn't comment on the offhand insult, his expression turning pensive.

-"I think...I think that, with an Orb fleet siding with the Earth Forces, what they were trying to do was try to get the Orb ships to stop fighting and back off. Return to Orb."

-"Trying to stop the fighting by shooting everybody else. Now there's a dumbass idea." Yzak said flatly, looking irritated. Athrun could understand why.

Yzak's words echoed Shinn's earlier, and if he was honest with himself, Athrun had to admit that wasn't entirely wrong.

-"You might be right about that," Athrun replied, "but I can't help but think there had to have been a better way - somehow, a way to accomplish their goal without so many lives being sacrificed...I wonder if maybe there's something about this situation they're not aware of."

Yzak looked at Athrun and scoffed. Athrun had always been like this - in their younger days, Yzak had dismissed it as weakness or stupidity. But no, that wasn't it - Athrun was just idealistic.

"I'm sure Headquarters is going to want us to take action on this - in which case I think I have to try and talk to them, to work out some kind of solution." he continued.

-"And is that your judgement as a FAITH operative, Athrun?" Yzak asked.

-"It is." Athrun replied firmly.

-"Then I can't really stop you, can I?" Yzak replied rhetorically. Being both members of FAITH, both he and Athrun had, essentially, equal authority. Despite Yzak's superior rank, he did not have the authority to order Athrun to stop, if that was what he wanted to do. In this instance, this did not bother him as much as it normally would though.

"Truth is, I agree that the entire battle was unnecessary. And I'm kinda curious myself. You have 48 hours to see if you can find them. Obviously you can't take the Saviour, in the shape it's in - get a Jeep from the base and go with that."

-"Thanks." Athrun said, saluting as he left.

-"What an idiot." Yzak commented to the empty room once the door closed.

It was several hours later that Athrun finally found a solid lead. He'd been checking likely points to begin his search on a map on the Jeep's integrated monitor, and was driving down towards the next one when he spotted a pretty brunette he recognized from the old days of the Three Ship Alliance, at the end of the Bloody Valentine War. He stopped the car.

"Miriallia!" He hailed. The girl stopped and turned as he got out of the car, removing his sunglasses as he did so. "Miriallia Haww."

-"Athrun...Zala?" Miriallia asked as she recognized him. Formerly in charge of the Archangel's CIC, she had left the military after the end of the war, and now worked as a freelance photographer, mostly for various news outlets. She did not know Athrun Zala very well, though she had briefly dated his old friend, Dearka Elsman.

-"I need your help with something." Athrun said as Miriallia approached.

Hesitantly, she got in his car, which she recognized as a model of jeep commonly used by ZAFT on Earth, and they drove to a small café on the docks, where Athrun started to explain the situation.

"I see..." Miriallia said as he finished speaking. "So, when the war began you didn't stay in Orb - you went back to ZAFT."

-"That's...a slight oversimplification, but basically that's what happened." Athrun replied, which slightly puzzled Miriallia. "But right now, I want to talk about the Archangel."

'So, that's what he wanted...' Miriallia thought. She thought it made sense he would ask about them, given what had happened.

"I knew they had left Orb," Athrun continued, "but why in the world did it end up here?...When they interfered, things got a little…"

-"A little messy?" Mir completed.

-"You could say that. But how did you know?"

-"I know all about it - I saw the whole thing from beginning to end." She answered, withdrawing from her purse a small stack of photographs she had taken of the battle as it unfolded.

She slid them across the table to Athrun, who looked through them, a troubled expression on his face. He recognized photos of Yzak's GOUF, Rey's ZAKU, and Shinn's and his own Gundams, as well as the Alliance and Orb mobile suits and ships, including the Freedom.

-"We...a lot of crewmembers on the Minerva died because of them." He said.

-"What do you want to accomplish by searching for the Archangel?" Miriallia asked him.

-"I need to meet with them - I have to talk to them." He answered.

-"Even though you're a member of ZAFT again?" She asked, her expression suspicious.

-"That's irrelevant." He said somewhat more sharply than he'd intended. More calmly, he continued. "I just want to talk. That's all."

Miriallia hesitated for a few moments before answering.

-"All right, it's possible to arrange it. I can put you in contact with them. As long as it's just you."

-"Thank you." Athrun said.

-"It's my country, but the truth is, I haven't been back to Orb in a long time so I don't know a lot about what's happening there. Still, I can't imagine anybody being too happy about this situation - especially Kira. I'll see what I can do. I'll call you tomorrow." She said as she stood, retrieving and putting away her photographs.

Athrun gave her a phone number where she could reach him. Then they parted ways, and he got back into his car and drove back to a hotel where he'd taken a room for the night.

And he waited, unaware of the fact that he was being watched.

In a smaller room in a building across the street, where there was an unimpeded view of Athrun's window, Lunamaria Hawke watched him carefully through a pair of binoculars. She wasn't sure what he was doing out here or why, but she intended to find out.

On the Archangel meanwhile, the situation remained uncertain. They had not gone very far, but were submerged just off the coast of the island of Samothrace, in underwater ruins where the ship was difficult to detect. The Buster and the Strike, along with the Freedom and a single Murasame, were in the hangar.

Inside the ship, the door to Kira's quarters slid noiselessly open, and Canard Pars entered. The pink Haro rolling forlornly along the floor beeped noisily as he walked in and greeted him. A little green mechanical bird also acknowledged his entrance, but did not otherwise budge from its perch on Kira's shoulder.

"Kira?" He asked, sounding concerned. His brother turned to him. He was pale and, Canard thought, looked ill. Not as ill as he had been two years earlier when he had found them in Orb, but still not entirely healthy.

But worse than that, his eyes were still red, and that told him that he'd been crying. And he knew why.

As the two looked at each other, Kira too found himself thinking of the day the Eurasian Federation test pilot turned mercenary had first come into their life.

They had been living in Orb, he and Lacus. It had been at the memorial when he had introduced himself as Canard Pars, and Lacus had invited him to the small wood cabin by the shore in which they lived together with Reverend Malchio. And he had told them his story: Like Kira, he was a test subject of Ulen Hibiki's so-called "Ultimate Coordinator" project.

Eventually, he had found himself in the Eurasian Federation, where his inherent abilities had led to him being trained as a soldier, then as a pilot for Eurasia's experimental Hyperion mobile suits. He had deserted, taking his mobile suit with him, and become a mercenary.

It had been Lacus who had first accepted him, and offered to let him remain with them. And eventually, so he had, as much for her as for his "brother". Whether they were in truth related by blood or not, he did not know. And it didn't really matter to her, nor to him. And after a while, Kira too had accepted that. That had been perhaps the most important thing for Canard, who had been alone all his life to that point.

"Oh, hey Canard." Kira said. "Something bothering you?"

-"Yeah - you are. You've been cooped up in here since yesterday." Canard started. "Listen, I can't even begin to imagine how you're feeling right now. For something like that to happen to you again..." Kira looked up at his brother, mildly surprised. "Murrue told me about what happened during the last war - at Jachin; that girl..."

-"Her name was Flay. Flay Allster." Kira said. "And she died because I…"

-"Stop. Right there. I know we haven't known each other very long, but I hate to see you like this. What happened wasn't your fault." Canard said, trying his best to ease Kira out of the guilt he felt over Lacus's murder, compounded by the similarity in circumstances to what he'd been told had happened to Flay Allster. "If anything, it was mine. I should've realized there was a risk much faster."

-"It's just...I can't believe she's gone..." Kira said quietly.

-"I know, little brother. But I can't help but think that to see you like this... You're not alone, Kira. And I don't think she would have wanted you to bear this alone."

Kira's grief was, in a way, understandable - he had loved Lacus more than anything, and to lose her the way he had was…

Internally, Canard was darkly amused at this situation - him, trying to comfort a man who, once, he had wanted to kill with his own hands, simply because of the circumstances of their births. 'The world is a strange place…' he thought.

Later, Kira and Canard, along with Andy and Murrue, were all on the ship's bridge, discussing the situation. Also present was Juri Wu Nien, once one of the original test pilots of the first-generation M1 Astray, who now piloted the Buster.

"So, what should our course of action from now on?" Murrue asked.

-"Well," Andy started, "I'd say we were able to make our intentions clear in that battle yesterday."

-"Were we? I guess you're right..." Murrue answered.

-"The problem is though," Canard said, "that it's put us squarely in ZAFT's crosshairs; they know we're out here now."

-"That's true," Andy agreed, "And chances are they're gonna start focusing on us again - things could get rough for us."

-"And with only four mobile suits, a prolonged battle could be a problem." Canard added. "In particular if it's up against those new ZAFT machines - especially that Strike knockoff or the red variable type."

There was an uncomfortable pause. Kira pondered the two machines in question, but did not voice his opinion that there had been something strangely familiar about the movement and attack patterns of at least one of those mobile suits.

-"I'm not sure though..." Juri started hesitantly. "If we did the right thing - interfering in that battle."

-"I think we did." Kira said firmly. "In situations like this, we have to decide, and then act on that decision - it's the only way to really achieve anything worth it."

-"The youngster's got a point." Andy agreed, and Murrue nodded her assent as well.

Privately, they both thought that sounded like something Lacus would have said. And they were glad to see that while he visibly still grieved, he no longer seemed as consumed by it as he had been.

Still, Murrue knew better than anyone the pain such loss caused, and she doubted that it would ever really fade; For her at least, it hadn't.

Their discussion was interrupted by Chandra, who was seated at his place monitoring the ship's communications, when an encrypted signal came in, intercepted by the sensor buoy that was floating above the ship and transmitted down the line to his console.

-"Uh, Captain? Incoming transmission." He reported, then read the decoded transmission. "I saw an Angel at the Dardanelles. I'd like to see it again. The Red Knight is also looking for him. Please respond. Miriallia."

-"Miriallia?" Murrue asked, recognizing the name.

-"Who's the Red Knight?" Juri asked. The rest of the message was obvious - Miriallia had seen the battle, and was trying to contact them. Additionally, someone else was looking for them.

-"Athrun." Kira said, absolutely certain that it had to be.

-"Hmm...I think the youngster's right." Andy concurred. "Red does seem to be a color that Athrun is partial to."

-"I saw an Angel at the Dardanelles...Miriallia must have been there." Murrue stated, showing that she had apparently come to the same conclusion.

-"Well, she is working as a freelance news photographer." Neumann, the helmsman, commented. "Her being there isn't necessarily that unusual. And as for Athrun…"

-"If Miriallia saw him, then he's back from the PLANTs." Andy spoke again. "So, what'll we do?" As he spoke, he turned to Kira, watching him for a reaction.

-"Of course, this could be a trap, although the message is a little too clever for that, I think." Canard spoke next.

Naturally suspicious, he was wary of the transmission, although it had been relayed to them through a reliable source, and one they'd used before. Murrue shook her head.

-"I don't think so. I doubt Miriallia would betray us." she said.

-"Maybe not willingly. Although with a little investigating, it would not be hard to find her connection to the Archangel, and from there it's not unreasonable to assume she could contact us." Canard replied. Then he turned to his brother, "So what do we do?"

-"Let's meet them." Kira said firmly after a moment. "If Athrun really is back, then he can tell us what's happening in the PLANTs. But it's too dangerous for the Archangel to expose itself. I'll go alone."

Andy nodded, but Murrue still looked concerned.

"It's all right." Kira said reassuringly. "Don't worry about it - I'll be fine."

-"Sure you will." Canard assented. "But you're not going alone. I'm going too - if it is a trap, then at least I can watch your back." His tone brooked absolutely no denial, and after a moment's hesitation, Kira nodded.

It was nearing sunset on the following day that Athrun finally heard from Miriallia, when she called him at the number he'd given her. The message was brief - just a time and a place. As soon as he hung up the phone he checked his watch, and saw that he had just enough time to get there.

He left the room, paying his stay as he did so - he did not intend to return, but would head straight back to the ship once he had spoken to Kira.

He got into the Jeep and drove off. Behind him, far enough to not be noticed, Lunamaria followed him.

Their destination was a small, out-of-the-way ruin, on a cliff overlooking the sea. As Athrun was leaving, Kira and Canard were already at the site. Kira, who had come in the Freedom, left his mobile suit in a broad culvert formed by erosion at the base of the cliff, where it would be difficult to spot except from straight on, out to sea. Then he climbed up to the top of the cliff. He had dropped Canard off before concealing the Freedom, and the long-haired Coordinator was concealed in the ruins, armed with a high-powered rifle.

The irony of this was not lost on either man, but they ignored it. Canard would remain hidden, intervening only if things went south, allowing Kira enough time to get back to the Freedom.

Miriallia arrived soon afterwards.

"Kira!" She hailed as she ran towards him. "You know, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it was actually the Freedom flying around out there. Though I did hear about how you kidnapped the bride and then hightailed it out of Orb."

-"Well, Cagalli didn't stay onboard. She's probably back in Orb by now." Kira answered.

Miriallia nodded. She knew Cagalli had arrived back in Orb around a week earlier, but nothing else until now. Her expression turned serious.

"Listen, there's something I need to tell you about Athrun. I couldn't tell you in the message because I had to be careful about what I wrote."

-"What is it?" Kira asked, his expression worried. Secretly he was glad Canard had come along.

-"He's rejoined the ZAFT forces. He's onboard the Minerva now."

-"Rejoined ZAFT? Then that machine..." Kira suddenly thought of the red machine he had fought in the Dardanelles. The familiarity of its movements made sense now - Athrun had been the pilot.

They heard the deep-throated rumble of a car engine, and looked up. A ZAFT military jeep stopped on the road above, and a familiar figure stepped out, then walked slowly towards them. He stopped a few paces from them, and the two old friends looked at each other.

"Kira. It's been some time." Athrun said. Up close, Athrun thought Kira looked pale, drawn; he knew that his best friend was ill - he had been ill ever since the end of the war, when in the second battle of Jachin Due the Freedom had been caught in GENESIS's last, misfired beam. But he could tell there was something else as well. What it was he couldn't fathom.

-"Athrun." Kira acknowledged, his tone guarded. "So. You've rejoined ZAFT. Why?"

-"Because at the time, I thought it was the best thing to do. For me, and for the nation of Orb."

-"So, you fought in that battle the other day."

-"That's right, I was there. I saw you, I tried to contact you, but I couldn't get through." Athrun said. Then, his tone of voice rising, he continued. "I want to know why you did something so damn stupid. Do you have any idea how many deaths you caused?"

-"Stupid? Maybe...but the enemy ZAFT was about to fight was an Orb fleet. We wanted to stop that."

-"And did you really think the Orb fleet would stop on the say-so of a criminal who abducted their head of state? Speaking of which, did you even think, before you pulled that bonehead move, that you would be leaving Orb in the hands of slime like the Seirans?"

-"Cagalli said the same thing." Kira said slowly. "But at the time, I thought it was the best thing to do."

-"And you were wrong. Think about it - who do you think took advantage of Cagalli's absence to send an Orb fleet to reinforce the Alliance?"

-"Well, Cagalli returned to Orb." Kira answered, a hostile edge creeping into his voice.

-"I know - too late to stop the Seirans, obviously." Athrun replied. "But at least one of you is thinking clearly."

-"You've told us that you've gone and joined ZAFT again." Kira started. "So what's the next step? You were looking for us…why?"

-"Because I was trying to stop you from doing something like that again!" Athrun replied. "Any way you look at it, even in light of the Junius Seven incident, the Alliance are the ones that are to blame for this fiasco. And the PLANTs are still making every effort to bring this foolishness to an end! All that you're doing like this is adding to the confusion."

-"Really? Are you sure about that?" Kira asked, his tone hostile. "Do the PLANTs...does Chairman Durendal really want to end this war and bring peace to the world?"

-"I'm sure you've heard him speak. You've seen how hard he's working at ending this war."

-"And what about that false Lacus Clyne he's been using up in the PLANTs?" Kira asked coldly. "What's the story with that?"

-"That's..." Athrun started to say, but Kira interrupted, his tone openly hostile.

-"Or maybe you can tell me how murdering the real Lacus fits into Durendal's plans for peace?"

-"What?" Athrun retorted, shocked at the question. "What are you talking about?"

-"Just that. Not long before we left Orb, a group of Coordinators infiltrated Orb using ZAFT mobile suits - one of them practically a brand-new model. They destroyed the mansion, and they shot Lacus."

The news of his ex-fiancée's death hit Athrun like a hammer blow.

Certainly, their engagement had been no more than a matter of political convenience, an agreement between their respective fathers. But she had been a kind and gentle person, and he had loved her in a way, as one might a very dear friend or a sibling.

Now, to learn like this that she had been killed was horrifying. And now he understood what he had only guessed at before. It was grief that was eating away at Kira, grief over the loss. Grief, and anger.

"They murdered Lacus. And that's why I decided to pilot the Freedom again." Kira continued. "Who could possibly want to have her killed? And why? Until I have a clear answer to those questions, I'm not trusting the PLANTs."

A few moments' tense silence followed.

Athrun had no answer for Kira, and his words suddenly caused him to look back on his interactions with the Chairman in a different light. Could Chairman Durendal really have ordered Lacus's murder? It didn't seem possible. But still…

-"Of course, you're right. That someone could murder Lacus is absolutely outrageous." Athrun began slowly. "However, to say that you don't trust the PLANTs because of it...wouldn't you say you're jumping to conclusions, Kira? Even in the PLANTs, there are people with wildly different viewpoints. Like the ones who dropped Junius Seven, remember?"

-"Athrun..."

-"Remember what I told you when we were in Orb. Now think about it - doesn't it make more sense that a handful of people acting on their own and known to follow the ideals of a genocidal monster would assassinate the one person who is most responsible for that man's death? I would have thought that would have been obvious to you, Kira! Or are you going to suggest that it was the PLANTs who dropped Junius Seven and attacked the refugee camp at Bandar-Abbas too?"

-"No." Kira said. "What you're saying is possible…"

-"The Chairman is fully aware of how much influence Lacus has even now in the PLANTs. If he knew where she was, do you really think he would have resorted to recruiting a fake?" Athrun asked. Kira did not reply, and after a while Athrun continued. "In any case, I'll look into this when I get back to the ship. You guys should head back to Orb. Cagalli is going to need your help."

-"So, you're not coming back with us."

-"I know Cagalli. If she has her way, if Orb remains the same kind of country it was in the past, then your path and mine are the same."

-"So what you're saying is you're going to be with ZAFT from now on, and you're going to keep fighting the Alliance." Kira said flatly.

-"I'd rather not have to fight. You know that better than almost anyone." Athrun replied "But I am a soldier now. And until this war is over, it can't be helped."

-"So if it comes to it, you'll fight Orb again, like you did the other day?" Kira asked.

-"I don't want to, and if I can I'll avoid it. But in that battle I had no choice!" Athrun retorted, his tone rising again. "And don't forget why Cagalli wasn't there to stop that fleet from being sent in the first place! That one is your fault, Kira. Not mine!"

The sudden anger in Athrun's tone surprised Kira, who hesitated for a moment.

-"I understand what you're saying. But even with the way things are now, I don't want you to fight Orb. And not just Orb, either. Because Athrun, what is lost in pointless battle...it's gone, and will never return."

-"Like the pilot you killed, Kira?" Athrun retorted harshly. "Like the men and women who lost their lives when you attacked the Minerva? You sanctimonious hypocrite, do you really think you've got all the answers? You have no right to lecture me about pointless battles after what you did!"

-"I know. And I am sick and tired of it." Kira answered. "I don't want to kill anymore. And I will not let others kill."

-"And you really think intervening the way you did in the Dardanelles is going to end it?" Athrun replied. "Sixteen people are dead, Kira, and almost thirty wounded on the Minerva alone - because of you! And you really think that indiscriminately attacking both sides like that will somehow end the fighting?"

Kira was taken aback for a moment, as Athrun had unwittingly reminded him of something he himself had once said. 'Just fighting won't end the war. I kind of doubt it.'

But things had changed since then.

"If you really mean what you're saying - that you're sick of fighting - then that's all the more reason for all of you to return to Orb." Athrun continued. "Do you understand? Because once you're on the battlefield, it's too late to change anything."

Athrun knew, deep down, that nothing else could be said. He turned around, and started walking back towards his car. As he got in and drove off, he caught a glimpse, in his rear-view mirror, of a tall silhouette, lanky and long-haired and carrying what he recognized as a high-powered rifle. He appeared from a hiding place in the ruins and moved towards Kira and Mir.

Athrun thought he recognized the silhouette as that of Canard Pars, whom he'd met a couple of times. And he knew that their entire meeting had been carefully observed. He had no doubt that, had things turned sour, he would have killed him without a second's hesitation.

But above, hidden in an outcropping of trees from which she had monitored the exchange, Lunamaria sat, shocked at what she had heard.

She had carried with her powerful eavesdropping equipment that had captured and recorded the whole conversation, and she had heard every word. She still could not believe it, but she packed up her equipment in her car and drove off.

When Athrun returned to the Minerva, he made his way to his quarters, where he immediately changed and went to bed.

But as sleep eluded him, he found himself thinking about the conversation he had had with Kira.

'Lacus dead...a new model. If they infiltrated Orb, that has to mean amphibious mobile suits. So that would be an ASSH. But where the hell would terrorists get their hands on one of those?'

He thought about the conversation he'd had with Durendal in Bandirma. If what Kira said was true, Lacus was already dead when Durendal asked him about her.

Did he know at the time? Had he been lying to him, trying to find out how much he knew?

Athrun wasn't sure...but regardless, there was something more to this war than he'd first suspected. He'd have to try to find out what.

His thoughts turned to Kira himself, and his actions since Lacus's death. None of it made any sense.

"Kira...why would you abduct Cagalli like that? Didn't you realize what would happen?"

He wondered. Any fool should have realized the repercussions of such an act. Then he remembered what Lunamaria had told him when he'd arrived on Earth, about the proposed wedding with Yuna Roma Seiran. He guessed that was probably what'd set Kira off.

"Still...you'd think he'd know his own twin sister better. No way she'd ever marry that buffoon." Athrun muttered.

The encounter had not ended well, and he had a feeling that before long, when they met again, it would be on the battlefield. And then...

He shook his head, preferring not to think about it, and hoping that before it happened Cagalli, somehow, could get a handle on the situation and get the Takemikazuchi home, where she belonged.

Meanwhile, Yzak was in his office reviewing the data they'd gathered during the previous battle as well as a report on the progress to the ship's repairs, when there was a knock on the door.

"Excuse me, sir." He heard from outside.

It was Lunamaria, and he guessed what it was she was coming to talk to him about.

-"Come in." he said. Lunamaria entered. "This is about your last assignment?"

-"Yes, sir." Lunamaria responded, and she handed him a file folder, which contained the results of her assignment, including an audio recording, taken with a long-range parabolic microphone and portable recording equipment.

Yzak took the folder and flipped through it, recognizing Kira and that girl Dearka had briefly dated in 72. He couldn't remember her name.

Lunamaria, looking concerned, continued. "With your permission, I had a question I would like to ask you, sir."

-"Well, I did ask you to basically spy on him. I guess it's only natural." Yzak said, putting down the folder. "Okay, shoot."

-"It's no secret that Athrun Zala left ZAFT in the final stages of the previous War to join with the Archangel - which had likewise deserted the Alliance. And that together with them he fought against both sides to end the war."

-"Yeah, that's right. He's made no attempt to hide it either. What's your point?" Yzak replied.

-"However, judging from his reenlistment and the fact he was made a member of FAITH, it would seem that Chairman Durendal has forgiven his past actions. So was this assignment ordered because there are still some doubts about his loyalty to the PLANTs? All of us have followed his orders because he's a member of FAITH, but..."

At that point, Yzak interrupted.

-"Listen, I've known Athrun for years." he said. "You haven't, so I can see how you'd think that. But your objective in this mission wasn't Athrun - it was the Archangel."

Lunamaria looked taken aback by the comment - she hadn't considered it that way.

Yzak continued to explain. "Acquiring information on that ship, given its recent actions, is of paramount importance. And that is the reason for the order you received. I for one have no doubts as to Athrun's loyalty - the man is definitely no spy, he's not clever or devious enough to pull it off. That clear things up for you?"

-"Yes sir, thank you." Lunamaria said, visibly relieved.

-"This conversation is not to go beyond this room." Yzak ordered sharply. "And once you leave here, I want you to forget everything you heard on that mission. Understood?"

Lunamaria hesitated for a second as she thought of what she'd heard - especially about Lacus Clyne. If it was true that the girl they'd seen was a fake, and the real Lacus was dead...then what was the point of such duplicity?

"Something on your mind, Lunamaria?" Yzak asked, looking at her closely, his eyes narrowed.

-"No, sir. my orders are quite clear. Now, if you'll excuse me." She saluted, then turned and left.

Once Lunamaria was gone, Yzak himself opened the file and reviewed the data Lunamaria had gathered.

To say that he was shocked to learn of Lacus's death at the hands of Coordinators would be an understatement, and he found himself wondering whether the Chairman knew.

It seemed unlikely that he wouldn't, but then again it could also have been the work of rogue elements like the pro-Zala team that had dropped Junius Seven.

He contacted Headquarters and asked to speak to the Chairman personally.

"Commander Joule," said Durendal once he came on the line. The transmission was of poor quality, so Yzak briefly summarized what he had learned.

"I see." Durendal said. "I would like to see the full report. Encrypt the file and have it delivered to Bandirma. A courier will relay it directly to me from there. You should keep an encrypted copy yourself, and under lock and key."

-"Yes, sir."

-"Thank you. Is there anything else, Commander?" Durendal asked.

-"No, sir, that is all." Yzak replied. "But this was of such importance that I felt it needed to be communicated to you directly."

-"You did well. I will be in touch with you if there is anything else." Durendal said, and the transmission ended.

A matter of hours later, the heavily-encrypted report was on its way to the PLANTs, where it was delivered to National Defense Committee Chairwoman Ezalia Joule. Chairman Durendal himself arrived not long afterwards, and she gave the file to him - after making a copy for herself, which she kept under lock and key.

Returning to his enormous office, Durendal sat down and after decrypting the file, carefully reviewed the data it contained, pondering the repercussions of this unexpected development.