Phase Nine: Stars Falling in Space
I do not own Chris, Liz, or Johanna Dante, Saul, Ian, or Diana Kessel, John Alaric, the 11th Fleet, the Raven, or the Surge Gundams. They all belong to Akatsuki_Leader13. Nor do I own Gundam. I only own Akira, Tao, Nisha, NASA/NAZAFT, the 7th Fleet, the Wing, Z.A.M., and Diver Gundams.
CT7567Rules: You would be correct about the suit being from the Wing 'verse. :3
Note to all readers: I am going to ask those who have an account to sign in to leave a review in order to know who is leaving it, or at least to put their account name on the review so I know who is sending it. If you want to sign in to leave a review, then feel free to do so. But if not, then at least put your account name at the top so I can see who you are.
Anyways, please read and review!
C.E. 71 – War has been raging for 11 months between the Earth Alliance and the PLANTs. With their superior numbers, it seemed inevitable the Earth Forces would win. But the PLANTs unveiled new technology and began to gain the upper hand. Now, 10 months after the initial conflict began, the war is at a stalemate…
Chris opened up his eyes just as the door to the brig opened up. Flay stood there, her eyes red and puffy from crying all night.
"Hello Flay…" Chris muttered as he looked down.
Flay walked up and stood near the brig itself. "How do you make it go away?" she asked quietly.
This got Chris off guard. "What?"
"The pain! This pain is eating away at me and it won't stop!" Flay cried as she grabbed at the bars of the cell Chris was in. "I just want it to stop making me like this!"
Chris looked down again. "The pain never really goes away. I had to learn that the hard way. All you can do is use it for something else."
He then looked at Flay. "Ignoring the pain is not the way to handle it. The pain will just destroy you from the inside out. As it nearly did to me and my sister…'Dealing' with the feelings is not much better. They just bottle up slower than when ignoring the pain. The only way that you can deal with the anger, the sorrow, the rage, is to harness those feelings and use them for something else that is not vengeance. That is what I was taught after I went through Junius Seven."
Flay stared at Chris, a newfound respect in her eyes. "Akira also did the same thing, yet he was also driven by a goal, and that is to get revenge for his sister." Chris added.
"Then, isn't he using his pain for vengeance?!" Flay asked in alarm.
"Well…yes and no. He is committing his pain to something else, yet he is also still affected by what he had seen. It is sort of…hard to explain right now…" Chris explained.
"How do I channel the pain?" Flay asked.
"That is up to you. I put mine into martial arts and my guitar lessons and now I use it to protect the ship as well. That is just me though. You decide on what to dedicate yourself to." Chris said.
"Could you…help me?" Flay inquired.
"What?" Chris was confused.
"Teach me to play the guitar, teach me martial arts, anything to help me feel something else other than this pain!" Flay cried.
Chris sighed. "As soon as I get out of here, I will teach you. How does that sound?" he asked. Flay nodded her head. "You just have to follow my instructions to the letter, you got that?"
"Yes."
Next morning
Archangel Bridge…
"The defendant fails to understand how much his actions have endangered this ship's safety." Ensign Badgiruel declared.
"Your Honor, the statement is a gross and untrue exaggeration. I request it be removed from the record." Lieutenant La Flaga requested.
"I allow its removal." Lieutenant Ramius replied.
"Let's see now…" Mu murmured as he scanned the military law book in his hands. "First off, I believe that using a civilian as a hostage goes against Article 4 of the Corscia Treaty. NASA signed that one as well."
"The actions happen to come under the Exception Section C of the same article…" Badgiruel mused with a smirk.
"Section C…AH!" Mu yelped when he reached the specified page. "Well…the ZAFT forces withdrew after the release of the hostage and did not immediately pursue us"
"But the situation could have ended differently instead of the way it did. And the Raven was damaged as a result of the little…incursion!" Badgiruel reminded him.
'Damn it all! She makes it seem like I was out on nothing but a joyride!'
"I did not agree with your way of handling things." Chris replied. "And according to the rules of OMNI, which you made us all read, there is nothing that says using a civilian guest as a hostage is legal. So, if anyone should be on trial, it is you, not me, 'ma'am'."
Natarle just gaped. How dare this…boy…talk to her like that! She was about to interrupt, but the captain stopped her cold. "He is right, Ensign Badgiruel. And frankly, although what he did was wrong, I am even more disappointed in you. And don't think that this will be reported to NASA." Natarle gulped at the threat.
Murrue then looked up at the defendant. "Christopher Dante, is there anything you would like to say in your defense here?"
"I accept that my actions were wrong and full responsibility for them." Chris replied. "I only ask that Kira, Nisha, Sai, Liz, and Miri are spared from any punishment you have prepared. It was my idea, so I will accept the full punishment."
"Chris Dante, your actions were in violation of Article 3, Section B; in violation of Article 10, Section F; and in violation of Article 13, Section 3 of the military law. In following the military law, I have no choice but to sentence you to death for your actions…" Murrue murmured.
Chris paled. Death?! But wasn't that reserved only for the military?! He had expected something like cleaning out toilets with a toothbrush, not death!
"However, since the military law has no application towards civilians, that is only under court martial." Murrue added when she saw Chris's expression. "I can call upon Chris Dante to think his action through next time, though. Court adjourned."
Chris sighed with relief. "Whew…I was scared for a few minutes there…" he sighed. "Oh, Lieutenant La Flaga, remind me to never call on you to defend me again…"
"Then don't go and disobey orders next time!" Mu said with a grin. He tossed the law book away. "I won't come to defend you next time, anyway."
Chris chuckled as he left the room. Kira, Nisha, Sai, Liz, and Miri were all waiting for him. "What did they say?" Miri asked.
"They let me off with a warning." Chris replied.
"WHAT?! They gave us all latrine duty!" Liz shouted.
"That sucks then…" Chris replied nonchalantly.
Liz just looked at him, dumbstruck.
"What?" Chris asked. "I expected you to say 'Sorry guys, allow me to do if for you.'" She replied.
"I am not like Kira in that respect. I am not as selfless. You guys can clean them. I'm not touching them." Chris replied as Nisha smirked.
Liz just punched him.
"What was that for?!"
"You know what for, and next time, expect a food tray!"
Two hours later
Hanger…
Chris entered the hanger, where the repairs were taking place. He approached his aunt, who was overseeing the repairs of the Raven's damaged head.
"How are the repairs coming?" Chris asked.
"We have managed to repair the internal damage and replace the armor on the side of the head itself. Unfortunately, we don't have a spare faceplate to replace the damaged one right now." Johanna explained. "We are going to try and ding out the scratches on it before putting a metal plate underneath to protect the internal components. However, that will weaken the head armor's strength as a whole."
"Got it." Chris replied.
"What happened out there anyway?" Johanna inquired.
"It is something that I have to deal with alone."
"Well, are you staying then?" the woman asked.
"Yes."
"Well, you are not the only one. I too will be staying. I need to see the combat data of the Strike, the Raven, and the Z.A.M. Gundam before I leave for ORB and Morgenroete with the data." His aunt replied.
Gamow…
"While it is possible for us to catch up with them, by the time we reach the legged ship, we'll only have ten minutes until we are within the range of the Lunar Fleet." Nicol explained as he looked over the data.
"You mean that we have a full ten minutes, Nicol." Dearka smirked at the younger Coordinator.
"I suggest that all of you cowards keep your traps shut…" Yzak growled.
"Shut up, Yzak!" Saul snapped. He did not like this already. "If all four of us were to take on that ship and the Lunar Fleet, we would not stand a chancel!"
"Is there only ten minutes or are there a full ten minutes? It is all in how one looks at it." Yzak smirked. "If we have a window of opportunity, I say we take it!"
"I agree with Yzak. Time does not measure the actual success rate of the sneak attack." Dearka agreed.
"I know, but-" Nicol was cut off.
"I have heard that the Vesalius, the 'Maverick Fleet', and the 11th Fleet will be heading back as soon as Miss Clyne is transferred over to the Laconi team." Yzak explained. "We take out the legged ship before then."
"Yeah."
"Very well…"
"Fine, let's just get this thing over with."
Archangel…
"Okay Flay. I'm gonna teach how to fight." Chris said. "Now, this is to be used only for defense, of either yourself or someone else. Not to beat people up or try to get vengeance on someone. If I've found out that you've been doing that, I won't teach anymore."
Chris grabbed a bag sitting on his bed. "Put this on." he said, handing her the bag.
"But this is a boy's uniform."
"Yeah." he replied as he headed out of the room, to allow her to change. "All the women's uniforms have skirts. And those aren't practical for what we're going to do."
A few minutes later, Flay had changed and they began. Chris started off by teaching her some basic exercises. She was okay at it. He had seen people better at it. And he had seen people worse at it. But she was determined. He'd give her that.
Suddenly, alarms went off. "All hands! Report to level one battle stations! Repeat..."
"That's it for today." Chris said. "You can practice the exercises on your own or you can wait until the next time we can do this."
Outer Space…
The Moebius Zero, the Strike (equipped with the Aile Striker), and the Raven, all left the Archangel while the Z.A.M. Gundam stayed by the ship, ready for combat.
In response, the Buster, the Duel, the Blitz, and the Surge all left in a tight formation, heading towards the Archangel. The four then spilt up and a blast from the Gamow's cannons fired past them. One missed while the other barely grazed the white ship.
Mu activated his gun-barrels and began to fire on the Buster. The bullets had little effect on the Phase Shift armor of the machine however, and just in a sense, bounced off. Dearka fired back with its gun launcher and rifle, while the Surge headed for the the Raven. Saul fired his Hakenfaust claw at the Raven. Chris brought the Raven's shield up, blocking the claw. The Raven's left hand grabbed the claw's cable and pulled. Saul was caught off guard by this and the Surge was pulled to the Raven. When the Surge reached the Raven, Chris drove its knee into the Surge's chest.
"Nicol, we'll handle these Mobile Suits. You get to the ship and destroy it." Yzak shouted over the com-line.
"Roger."
The Blitz headed for the Archangel while the Duel took on the Strike. The two machines battled it out with their guns at first, but then switched over to beam sabers once their pilots realized that neither of them could get a shot in.
Meanwhile, the Blitz dodged the guns on the ship, avoiding and maneuvering around the shots while making its way towards the bridge area. Nicol then opened fire on the bridge tower, attempting to wipe out the reinforced armor around the area. But in response, a round of missiles sped past the Blitz, startling Nicol. He had been ambushed!
"Kira, Chris! Where are you?! We're under attack from the Blitz and in need of some serious help! Nisha can't defend us by himself!" Miriallia called over the com-line.
The Blitz missed the Z.A.M. Gundam, but Nisha could not hit the other machine either.
Kira faced the Archangel, hoping he could do something. They needed him. They were counting on him! He would not let them down again! In the back of his mind, a purple seed exploded at that point, just as he headed for the white ship.
"You coward! You are not getting away from me that easily!" Yzak shouted. He pulled out his beam rifle and fired.
The Strike flew around the beams with no effort, shocking Yzak. A moment later, Kira reached the Blitz and attacked. The beam saber missed Nicol, who had dodged with little time to spare. But it only led him to having the Strike knee the Blitz in response, knocking the ZAFT pilot back. Yzak attacked again, this time from behind. Kira was faster though, and stabbed the Duel in the left side of its waist using one of its combat knives. A power surge flooded the Duel's cockpit, making the main screen explode.
Yzak screamed in pain as shrapnel was embedded in his face.
"Yzak!" Nicol cried as he brought the Blitz beside the Duel. "Are you alright?! Say something!"
"It burns! It burns!" Yzak cried as he clutched at his face.
"Saul! Dearka! Yzak's hurt! We have to retreat now before the enemy can fire on us!" Nicol shouted in fear.
"Damn it! Withdrawing now…" Dearka replied as the Buster withdrew.
"Damn you… What is up with that ship and the Mobile Suits there? It is like they are unbeatable when compared to us!" Saul muttered as he flew the Surge away from the battle site.
"That was amazing, Kira!" Nisha called over the com-line.
"No, that was beyond amazing. It was incredible!" Mu replied.
A few hours later
Archangel…
"Well, we have joined up with the fleet now. So why are we in such a hurry to get this fixed?" Kira asked as he stuck his head out of the cockpit of the Moebius Zero.
"I don't feel secure with it damaged." Mu replied.
"And the pilots of the 8th Fleet are still newbies when it comes to combat." Murrue replied. "La Flaga may have to fly sortie and teach them."
"But what about the Strike, Raven, and the Z.A.M. Gundams?" Kira asked. "Should we leave them as they are?"
"Well…if we change the OS back, then the power of the machines will dramatically decrease, and so will the abilities." Murrue replied.
"Actually, there is no need to worry about the Raven." Chris replied as he floated up. "I'm staying."
"WHAT?!" Kira was shocked. "You're staying?!"
"Yeah. There is something that I still need to do. And I cannot do it unless I stay. But as I have said before, you don't have to do what I do. You make up your own mind, Kira." Chris replied.
"I am staying as well. I need to try and bring Akira back to his senses, and I feel that fighting him may be the only way to do so." Nisha said as he looked at the Z.A.M. Gundam. "I just hope I'll be able to…"
"Then I guess I won't have to try and convince you…" Murrue said with a smile on her face. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I feel that we should talk Kira."
Kira stared at the woman before she laughed. "Don't give me that look. I can't really blame you." Murrue laughed. "Come on; let's get out of here and talk."
The two left towards the Strike.
"Well, I suppose I should tell Sai and the others that I am staying…" Chris sighed.
Flay, Sai, Kuzzey, Tolle, Liz, and Miri all were shocked.
"WHAT?!" Liz shouted. "You're staying?!"
"Yes, could you tone it down?" Chris asked.
"Well, I guess that is that…" Sai murmured.
Flay was in deep though as she watched Chris. She needed him to help her deal with her pain. She did not believe that she could handle it on her own at the moment. She was going to stay…no…she needed to stay.
Vesalius…
"The legged ship is now with Admiral Halberton's 8th Fleet. That could be troublesome to us…" Rau mused. "And based on their position, we can assume that they will send the legged ship down to Earth. We can only try one more time before they leave our domain."
"We can be assured that they will defend the ship with everything they have got. Even their very lives…" Commander White agreed.
"That is one thing we are certain of." Diana Kessel added.
"But remember, the 8th Fleet is not our target this time." Rau reminded the other commander. "It is the legged ship and those troublesome Mobile Suits."
"I will have all of the GINNs that we have equipped with the ballutes." Diana replied.
"But that will slow us down, slow me down!" Zane protested.
"This is an orbital battle, kid!" the other commander snarled. "Anyone who is piloting a GINN that gets caught in Earth's gravity will not survive re-entry! It is normal safety procedure for ZAFT."
"I agree. While those new machines may be able to survive the re-entry, the GINNs cannot." Rau said. "All GINNs are to be equipped with ballutes for this fight."
(Note: I am using the ballute idea from Akatsuki_Leader13's fic. ZAFT would no doubt have something like that, so I decided to use it as well. The idea does not belong to me however.)
Archangel…
"Discharge papers?" Sai asked, looking at the paper in his hand.
"Yes. In order to avoid legal problems, we have declared you all to be Earth Alliance soldiers." Captain Hoffman explained. "Signing these papers will allow you to leave the ship with the civilians."
Flay raised her hand. "Excuse me…"
"You were never involved in combat. Therefore you will not need the papers."
"That's not it…I want to join the Earth Alliance Military!" Flay blurted.
Sai was shocked. "WHAT?!"
"You do realize what you are saying, don't you?" Ensign Badgiruel asked.
"Look, I know it is not for the fun of it. I have been thinking about it since the day my father was killed." Flay explained. "After all that has happened, all that I could think about was how I could not handle it. And I realized that killing has been happening since the war started."
A fresh set of tears threatened to spill over, yet Flay held her resolve. "If I join the fight, then I can at least try to help end the war. Even if my abilities are of no use to the military, I will find a way to help end this war!"
"Very well, then." Badgiruel smirked. "Come with me."
The two left. Sai looked down at the paper in his hands, and tore it in two. "Flay said exactly what I was thinking. Besides, if I left here, what kind of person would I be to leave her here alone?"
"Well, they did say that the Archangel was short-staffed. And I would feel bad if the ship was shot down somewhere down the road as well." Tolle explained as he too tore up his paper.
Miri then followed his own example. "If you are staying, then I am too." She explained.
Kuzzey just looked at his papers, then left, not even bothering to tear them in two.
Vesalius…
Yzak now wore bandages on his face, covering the area where he had gotten hurt.
"Damn, Yzak. Never expected you to get such a nasty wound…" Dearka mused. He was somewhat shocked, yet also impressed.
"Shut it, Dearka!" Yzak snarled.
"We have been called to help out with the 8th Fleet!" Nicol shouted. Yzak's frown then turned into a sneer. "Well, let us do so then!" he snarled as he yanked off the bandages.
"Stop, Yzak! The wound still needs to heal!" Dearka shouted, but was stopped by Yzak's hand.
"I plan to get even with that bastard for this!" the silver-haired boy snarled.
Elsewhere…
"Well, Kira, this is where we part ways." Chris said as he looked at the other boy. They reached the shuttle lineup. "Take care of yourself down there…"
"Yeah…you too." Kira replied.
A small girl then floated up to the two Coordinators. She reached into a small bag she had with her and took out a paper flower.
"Thank you for protecting us…" the girl said as she handed each boy a flower.
"Thanks." Chris said, a smile on his face. He patted the little girl on her head.
"Hey, Kira!" Tolle shouted as he, Liz, Nisha, Sai, and Miri all approached the two.
"Hey. I have been looking all over for you guys! Why are-" Tolle shoved a paper in front of his face.
"Can't leave without those discharge papers." Tolle said, a smirk on his face. "You're going alone. The rest of us decided to stay."
Chris sighed. "I see you didn't listen to me again, Liz."
"We all decided to. Even Flay." Miri explained.
"All hands, report to level one battle stations! Repeat…"
"They're playing my song, it looks like." Chris said with a grin. "Well, good luck, Kira!"
"Yeah, good luck, Kira." Tolle said, patting his back. "You had better not do something stupid without us there to watch your back."
"Good-bye, Kira." Miri said as she too left.
"Bye, Kira. I'll make sure my brother doesn't do anything stupid, so don't worry." Liz said.
"Take care of yourself, Kira." Nisha said at last.
"Good-bye Kira. Take care of yourself in ORB." Sai replied as he too left. Kuzzey, the last one to reach the shuttle, boarded without even looking back.
"Well, we had better head to our stations." Tolle said as he looked at the others. "And you have a shuttle to catch." He added looking at Kira.
Kira stared as the group left the hanger. He looked down at the discharge papers, then at the paper flower. He was torn on what to do. Images of his past battles flooded his mind. The destruction of Heliopolis, the battles against the stolen Gundams, Akira's betrayal, his failure to protect Flay's father, and the little girl that gave him the paper flower…
"Are you coming, kid?" the shuttle boarder asked.
"No. Go on without me. I am staying." Kira replied, throwing the paper on the ground.
Earth Orbit…
The stolen Gundams, the crimson GINN, the custom GINNs of the 'Maverick Fleet', and the GINNs of the 11th Fleet team launched, heading for the 8th Fleet of the Earth Alliance and the Archangel.
"Hey, Yzak…are you sure that you should be piloting the Duel after what had happened?" Akira asked.
"Just shut up and stay out of my way!" Yzak snarled from the Duel, which was now equipped with an armor shroud. "I'm going to take down the Strike once and for all!"
The Earth Forces deployed all of the Mobile Armors and opened fire from their warships, yet it was all in vain. The technologically superior ZAFT forces were far too strong, and the ships began to fall, one by one. The Mobile Armors were destroyed and their home warships were either crippled or destroyed. However, the Vesalius took care of any warships that were fleeing the area.
"That damn snake. Firing on retreating ships…is he trying to prevent the Earth Forces from rebuilding their strength?" Commander White wondered.
"It is possible, father." Tao said as she shot down a Mobile Armor.
"Firing on retreating forces." Diana said in disgust at Creuset's tactics. "What a cowardly and dishonorable man."
"What'd ya expected from the masked snake himself?" Ajay said, gunning down a mobile armor.
Nearby, the Le Creuset Team made its way in deeper into the 8th Fleet. They were searching out the Archangel and her Mobile Suits.
"Where is that damn Raven?!" Zane snarled as he shot down a Mobile Armor.
Archangel…
Chris and Nisha had finished zipping up their flight suits when Kira entered the room. "Kira, what happened to you leaving?" Chris asked.
"I decided to stay after all." Kira replied.
"Well, I am glad to hear that. Defending the ship by myself is not what I was looking forward too, anyway." Chris remarked. "Well, not without you anyway…"
Kira quickly put on his flight suit and the three headed towards the hanger. But upon reaching the hanger, they found Mu and the Captain in a heated argument over the com-line. "But, Captain, their target is this ship! If the kids and I deploy, we'll be able to draw some of the enemy Mobile Suits away from the Fleet!"
"Our ship has not been signaled to join the battle. Please remain on stand-by for now." Murrue replied.
Mu swore out loud and punched the wall hard. Kira, Chris, and Nisha looked at him before speaking.
"Why is the Captain not allowing us to launch? We are under attack, aren't we?" Kira asked.
"Yeah, but she is worried about getting a sudden order from Admiral Halberton and the two of us being too far away to help…" Mu replied as he turned around.
"Hey…wait a minute…why are you here kid?" he asked Kira upon seeing him there.
"I decided to stay and help." Kira said.
"Good to hear that, then." Mu replied. "Well, you heard our Captain. Let's get to our machines and launch!"
Earth Orbit…
The 8th Fleet was putting up a valiant fight against the 7th Fleet and 11th Fleet, but their pilots were no match for the elite pilots of the enemy. The pilots of the 8th Fleet were just too inexperienced and their Mobile Armors too outclassed for ZAFT's custom GINNs. The black and purple GINNs raced through the Earth Forces ships, wreaking havoc everywhere they went.
Tao opened up on a couple of Drake-class warships, destroying their guns with the heavy weapon she was using. The heavy plasma cannons fired, hitting a third ship in the process. A trio of Mobile Armors tried to sneak up on her, yet they were attacked by Heidi, who was out in her GINN as well.
"I don't think so, creeps!" she cried as she gunned down two and sliced the third in half.
Tao faced Heidi and fired on a Mobile Armor that had tried a sneak attack on her as well.
Basque Gideon fired on a pair of Drake-class battleships with his shin mounted missiles and Barrus cannon. Missiles and beams struck the warships' sides, destroying part of the first and heavily damaging the second. A trio of Moebius mobile armors fired on the Tyr from behind.
"I don't think so, pals!" Ajay said, ambushing the trio.
He gunned down the first two and slicing the third in two with one of his combat knives.
Lucius turned to Ajay, aimed and fired. Two mobile armors exploded behind Ajay's GINN.
'Even without the Black Hawk, the 11th Fleet is still devastating… and that is not including the 7th Fleet as well…' Halberton thought as more casualties came in.
"Sir, we have an incoming communication from the Archangel!" an aide reported.
"Put them through at once." Halberton ordered.
"Admiral, I would like to begin the descent to Earth with your permission." Murrue explained as she came on the main screen. "The Archangel is their target, and if we descend now, we can save the 8th Fleet."
Admiral Halberton wondered if it was a good idea, but another explosion from space changed his mind.
"Go, we will give you cover. Good luck, Captain Ramius…" he said as the line was then cut.
"Sir! We have four Nazca-class as well as the Duel, the Wing, the Buster, and two GINNs pursuing them!" the aide then reported.
"Bring us between them and the Archangel." Halberton ordered. "And launch the pod with the data. We cannot allow it, or the Archangel, to be destroyed…no matter what the cost…"
The Archangel began her descent into the atmosphere of Earth. They were not alone, however as the Wing, the Duel, the Buster, the crimson GINN, and the Zeus flew past the Menelaos and the other nearby EA ships. Their target was the Archangel.
"Captain, please, you have to let us launch!" Mu cried from the cockpit of his Moebius Zero. "We can fight till the last second before we have to return."
"And according the specs, the Strike, Raven, and Z.A.M. Gundam can enter the atmosphere on their own." Kira added.
"Besides, if we launch now, we can draw some of them away from the 8th Fleet." Nisha finished.
"And that could lead to some of the fleet surviving." Chris remarked.
"Very well. Just be careful." Murrue replied.
The Z.A.M. Gundam launched first, followed by the Strike and Raven while the Moebius Zero was last.
"Damn it!" Chris swore as he felt the Raven being pulled towards Earth. "This was definitely a very stupid thing to do…"
"You won't hear any arguing from me, kid." Mu added as he and the other two pushed their thrusters to the max. "This is the first time I have done something like this."
"Tell me about it…" Nisha grunted.
Yzak smirked upon seeing the Strike. "There you are. Time for some payback!" he sneered as he flew towards the other machine, a beam saber drawn out.
The two Mobile Suits clashed as they tried to damage each other. Meanwhile, Dearka was firing on the Moebius Zero, which dodged his shots. In turn, Mu deployed his gun-barrels and fired on the Buster.
"This time, there is no pink-haired brat to save you!" Zane sneered as he opened fire on the Raven. Chris had to fight the red GINN while in orbital re-entry.
Chris gritted his teeth as he tried to avoid most of the shots. It was failing, big time…
"How did you become like this Zane?" Chris said, dodging the round. "You were never had an ounce of hatred in your body."
"As I told you. That was then, this is now." Zane said, firing again and again. "But the time for talk is over."
Chris continued to dodge. He couldn't bring himself to fire on his friend, even when he was in this state.
Elsewhere…
He observed the battle before him. One ship was trying to get away while under attack from the others. A desperate attempt to escape no doubt… He pushed the throttle forward, his machine's engines roaring as he headed towards the battle site. He had waited long enough…
The Gamow pulled ahead of the Vesalius and headed for the Archangel.
"They're making a suicide attack!" Captain Hoffman cried.
"Fire all of our weapons on the Laurasia-class ship! And launch the civilian shuttle!" Halberton ordered. "We have come too far to allow that ship to be destroyed by anyone…"
The Menelaos flew alongside the Gamow as the civilian shuttle was launched into space. The two warships fought their final battle furiously, but in the end, both exploded into fireballs of remains only. Captain Ramius, Ensign Badgiruel, Commander Kessel, and Commander White all saluted their comrades' heroic sacrifice.
Kira and Yzak were still locked in their heated duel, even as the Earth's gravity brought them down even further. Not too far away, a new battle had broken out. Nisha was now fighting Akira again. The Wing and Z.A.M. Gundams were now getting closer to Earth as well. Akira opened fire with the Wing's beam rifle, only to have Nisha block it. "You can't hit me!" Nisha snarled as he opened fire with missiles from the Z.A.M. Gundam's shoulders.
The projectiles sped towards Akira, who dodged using the Wing's superior speed. One missile managed to slam into the Wing though, making Akira grunt as his machine shook with the impact.
'Damn it! How did I let that one get by?!' Akira thought as he tried to reclaim some of his thoughts. The boy then glanced back at the hovering form of the Z.A.M. Gundam, only to open fire with the Hellfire mini-missiles. Nisha then let loose a couple of beam-blasts from the shoulder cannons of the Z.A.M. Gundam.
Akira gasped as the missiles were counteracted by the powerful beams. The explosions were not visible in space, but the sensors on each machine registered an increase in the heat around them. Akira then snarled as he took out the twin beam sabers from the Wing's hips. He ignited the glowing golden blades and flew at the Z.A.M. Gundam as Nisha took out his beam sabers as well. Then, he too flew at his opponent, the Wing Gundam.
The two machines collided as the blades met one another, pink hitting gold. "You will NEVER understand me! NEVER!" Akira yelled as he pushed against the pink beam sabers of the Z.A.M. Gundam, making Nisha gasp. The Z.A.M. Gundam was stronger than the Wing, so how was Akira doing this?!
Nisha never figured it out. It was then that he was pushed with such force he went flying from his opponent towards the red GINN and his own opponent. The twin beam sabers of the Wing carried the force with which Nisha was sent flying, his own beam sabers shutting down and re-attaching themselves to the Z.A.M. Gundam's hips with magnets. How could he have not realized the true power of the Wing?!
Elsewhere, Zane and Chris were battling it out too. Neither could gain the upper hand. Suddenly, the civilian shuttle appeared between the two.
"What? Cowards fleeing the battlefield? Well then, DIE!" Zane said, taking aim at the shuttle.
"NO! Don't! There are innocent civilians on that shuttle!" Chris screamed. "Leave them alone, Zane!" Akira added.
Akira was shaking in the Wing's cockpit. What was Zane thinking?! And for that matter, why was he even caring about such a thing? Wasn't it a part of war, the death of civilians? Deep down, he knew the reason why, and it had to do with where he had been born, yet it seemed even his words went unheard.
Zane paid no heed to Akira's cry. "Innocent? No one is innocent among the human race! It is time that you learned about that!" he snarled back.
Zane fired his railgun at the small shuttle. The beam tore through the smaller craft, just as a knife would through butter. The screams of all those on board were heard on the com-lines of all the ships and Mobile Suit pilots. Chris stared as tears fell down his face, each one glistening in the light of the explosion that consumed the shuttle's remains.
Zane's insane laughter followed, just as a greyish green seed exploded in Chris's mind. "NOOOO!" he cried as he then attacked. The Raven flew at the GINN as it took out its beam saber, the weapon ready to impale the enemy pilot.
The GINN dodged, just as Chris let out a snarl of rage and primal strength. "BASTARD!"
Zane sneered to himself, knowing that his abilities would be his key to victory in the fight.
Chris attacked with the Raven's beam saber, only to find Zane blocking his attack. "You cannot beat me!" he sneered over the com-line. But in response, Chris brought the Raven's knee into his GINN's gut. The other machine floated back with the force, giving Chris some room to back off.
Chris then slashed at Zane's machine, making the other pilot growl with rage at the move. He dodged, but not without a glancing blow to the arm of his unit. How dare he attack him like that! But what Zane did not know was that Chris was reacting the way anyone normally would, Natural or Coordinator.
In a blind rage, Zane tried to attack Chris with his machine's railgun, only for him to move aside as he missed. He then caught sight of his opponent's railgun aiming at him. Zane snarled, rage coming to his mind. The ZAFT pilot grabbed the railgun, only to have it fire at him!
Nisha, seeing the shuttle blow up, also attacked, Akira backing off. His own rage was fueled by the screams of those lost. Akira, however, had felt the pain of his own loss reawaken, making his golden seed explode again as tears ran down the side of his face.
"Now do you see the helplessness I felt that day!?" he cried as the Wing attacked the Z.A.M. Gundam. Nisha dodged a single beam rifle shot, only to fire off a blast from the shoulder cannons. Akira dodged the blasts with no trouble at all. Nisha could not react fast enough to dodge a punch from the Wing.
Nisha then fired a slew of missiles from the Z.A.M. Gundam's chest. Akira countered by firing off a slew of Hellfire mini-missiles. The two batches of missiles countered each other, so the two machines were unharmed when the smoke faded. Nisha attacked, the Z.A.M. Gundam's hand punching the Wing right in the face.
Akira grunted as he tried to move the Wing to the left, only for the Z.A.M. Gundam to punch his machine again. The boy let out a cry as he was thrown to the side, his helmet protecting him from hitting his head.
"No…Kira murmured as he observed the explosion as well.
"What a monster…firing on a civilian shuttle…" Yzak murmured in disgust.
The Strike and Duel began to shake at that point. The gravity of Earth was starting to become more pronounced at this point.
"Damn it! I can't stick around now!" Yzak swore as he flew off. The Duel tried to escape the planet's gravitational pull alongside the Buster while Kira headed for the Archangel.
"ZANE!" Chris snarled as he attacked.
Zane laughed as sidestepped and fired back. The Raven effortlessly dodged the rounds and its left hand drew a beam saber. The GINN's railgun ran out of ammo. "Damn it." Zane cursed as tried to reload.
Chris, seeing the opening, struck with his beam saber. Zane hit his thrusters, trying to dodge. But he wasn't fast enough. The saber sliced off the GINN's legs at the knees.
Zane swore. "I'm not done yet!"
Zane aimed his reloaded railgun at the Raven. At this range, Chris wouldn't be able to dodge in time.
Warning: Terminal velocity reached. Ballute system activating.
The GINN's ballute deployed, dramatically slowing down the machine and sending it upwards.
"Gah! Dammit! Stupid ballute! Not now!" Zane cursed.
He was vulnerable now. One shot and his ballute would be destroyed, leaving him to burn up in the atmosphere.
However, Chris wasn't in any position to attack. The g-forces and heat from reentry were growing too great for him. Chris quickly extended the Raven's wings, slowing down his descent. But it wasn't enough and he passed out.
"Chris! We have to get back to the ship!" Kira shouted. "Chris? Can you hear me?"
There was no response. Kira swore and headed towards the Raven. He reached out and grabbed the Raven. He put his shield in front of them, trying to slow down their descent even further. He tried to move back to the Archangel. But the Strike's thrusters weren't strong enough.
Nisha, however, was not in such a good position. His machine was re-entering the atmosphere at an unusually high speed and he needed to slow down soon. He engaged the thrusters on the back of the Z.A.M. Gundam, but it wasn't enough. The pull of Earth's gravity was just too great. Nisha put the shield in front of the Z.A.M. Gundam and tried to escape using the Z.A.M. Gundam's thrusters a second time, but the effort was far too great for him and he passed out.
Akira, on the other hand, had turned the Wing to its aircraft form and was now just a trail of fire in the atmosphere.
"Bring us to the same trajectory as the Strike, the Raven and Z.A.M. Gundam!" Murrue ordered.
"Captain?!"
"This will all be meaningless if we manage to reach the SAF Alaska base without the Strike, the Raven, or the Z.A.M. Gundam!"
The Archangel's thrusters headed the ship towards the two falling machines. Once the ship was underneath the Strike, Kira set the Raven down, and then passed out as well.
He looked at the falling machine and the ship's trajectory. From what he had heard on the radio, the ship was trying to raise the other machine's pilot but was not getting a response. 'It appears to be from the ship.'
His machine's optics flashed green, giving him the answer he needed. "Very well, Zero. Let's go."
The Z.A.M. Gundam was falling further and further away from the Archangel, the ship unable to reach it.
"We're losing the Z.A.M. Gundam!" Sai exclaimed as he watched the radar screen.
But before anyone could do anything, a new contact appeared on the radar. "New contact! It's heading for the Z.A.M. Gundam!" Sai shouted as the radar picked up the new movements.
"Are you sure?!" Murrue asked. "Positive!" Sai replied.
"What is it?" Ensign Badgiruel asked.
"It's…a mobile suit…" Sai replied as he brought up the camera images. The new machine had a shield like the Strike and some of the same color scheme, but it had two engines protruding from the back of it.
"Do not move…I am returning you to your ship." He murmured as he grabbed the back of the new machine.
"The new machine is returning the Z.A.M. Gundam to us!" Sai exclaimed as a 'clink' was heard, meaning contact had been made.
A new machine had saved the Z.A.M. Gundam from being lost…
Well, chapter nine is done, and the newcomer saved the Z.A.M. Gundam. Kuzzey died on the civilian shuttle, as he had no real purpose in the show. The 7th Fleet will be on Earth as well, as they are a vital part of the story and are connected to NASA as such. Any and all flames will be reported and/or deleted, depending on if the one leaving it is signed in or not. Constructive criticism is appreciated as well. Please read and review!
