Phase Eleven: Fangs of the Enemy

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: I will probably have that occur yes. :3 And I will have the fight scenes get better. Thanks for the input! :3 Heero came to the Cosmic Era to escape his old universe for a reason. What it is will be revealed slowly as time goes on, and it has to do with when the SEED and Wing universes clash. ;3

AXL999: Yes, I did delete the old story. I could not recover the story in time so it was lost. Sorry. :(

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.

Anyway, 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…


Outside Tassil…

"Is it over with? Were there any casualties?" Waltfeld asked his returning subordinate.

"Why would there be? It's not like we were actually fighting anyone." Martian DeCosta asked.

"I meant on both sides."

"There may have been the odd person who took a tumble or were singed by the heat." Martian explained.

"Then let's get out of here. The men will be returning soon."

"Wasn't the whole point of this to ambush them as they return?"

"Come on. That's not exactly fair, now is it?" a genuinely surprised Andrew said. "We didn't burn down their homes just to ambush them."

"But still-"

"Our objective has achieved. We'll be returning now."


Tassil…

When the Desert Dawn, the Raven, the Talos, Wing Zero, and a group from the Archangel's crew arrived, they found Tassil a blaze. But miraculously, not a single life was lost. However, the ruins of Tassil weren't the only fire raging. Chris was relieved. It would have been too easy for the ZAFT forces to simply burn this whole town to the ground, people and all. But it seems that their commander was a decent person.

"That dirty, mongrel dog! What's going through the maniac's mind?"

"He's trying to stop you attacking his men without killing your people." Victor said. "True, Tassil is gone. But its people are alive and that's ultimately all that matters."

Chris immediately decided not to get involved. This Cagalli girl was just too stubborn and difficult.

Next to him, Heero's eyes narrowed, the fire reflecting off his irises.

Victor turned to the blazing ruins of Tassil. "This was probably payback defeating the 'Lightning Goddess' and for helping out the Archangel last night. All things considering, the Tiger was being generous. Doing something as minor as this."

"Minor? How can you call a town being burned to the ground minor?" Cagalli shouted at the mercenary.

"What you fail to understand, is that these guys are professional soldiers. If they wanted to, they could have killed everyone in the town as well. And most of the land based commanders on both sides of this war would not have given any warning at all."

"The Tiger's nothing but a lousy, stinking coward. He attacks our homes when we're not around and calls it a victory!" Cagalli ranted. "Every time we go out there, we fight with courage and honor! We even managed to take out their BuCUEs in the last battle! That's why that jerk commander can only strike back at us like a coward!"

"No. You're mistaken. He doesn't call this a victory. He calls this a merciful punishment." Victor said. "And what do you truly know of war and honor? Did you really expect him to sit back while his men are killed? No. Honor demands that he avenge them. And he did honorably and mercifully. Tell me Cagalli, what would you do if you were him?"

"I..."

"A group of rebels just ambushed and killed several soldiers under your command. You now have to write to their families that their loved ones are dead. And you don't know where the central base of these rebels is located. Meaning you can't attack them directly. So what would you do?"

"What Waltfeld did was the most honorable thing he could have done. He attacked a town supporting the rebels but warned the population beforehand, so they could escape. He could have easily wiped out this town and any other town that he believed was aiding us with ease."

Heero looked back at the mercenary, a subtly surprised look on his face. How was it that he knew war so well? Figuring that he had been a soldier for far longer than he himself had been, Heero figured that it was the most logical conclusion he could come to.

"The Tiger's still a coward!" Cagalli shouted, glaring at him.

Desert Dawn fighters and many of the people of Tassil shouted their own agreements and glaring at the mercenary. Victor shook his head. "Whatever. I'm being paid to fight, not prove how wrong you people are."

Beside him, Wing Zero's pilot grunted. "They'll get killed for sure. Such ideals will only lead to more deaths, no matter how good they are…"

Victor just glanced at the young man before cocking an eyebrow. What did this boy mean?

"Sahib." an approaching Desert Dawn member said.

"What is it?" the rebel leader asked.

"Come here for a sec."

The two men approached the gathering group of Desert Dawn fighters and jeeps.

"Well?" Sahib asked.

"It's only been a short time. Tiger couldn't have gotten far from the village. If we follow them now, we can catch up." one man said.

"Since they burned down the whole town, they should be out of ammo." another added.

"We can't just sit back after this attack! We're gonna take the Tiger down."

"Don't be foolish! Tend to the wounded. Take care of your families. That is more important." Sahib said to his men.

"What good does that do us? Our homes have been burned to the ground! And you want us to go cry with our wives and children!" shouted one rebel.

"Please. Listen to reason." Victor said, approaching the group. "No one has been lost today. But if you go after the Tiger with just these weapons and no planning, then your wives and children will be burying you."

"Coward!" one man shouted.

"It is not cowardice to avoid blindly chasing after an enemy." Victor said.

"What do you know? You're just a Zaftie!" another Desert Dawn fighter shouted.

"I'm not saying we let him get away with this. I'm saying that we should pause for a moment to plan things out rather than rush into something that will get us all killed."

"What are you talking about? You got your GINN! You could take out all of those BuCUEs!" another rebel shouted.

"My GINN is primarily designed for space combat, not ground warfare. With proper planning, yes, I could take out five BuCUEs." Victor said. "But as it stands, we'd be lucky to escape with our lives."

"The two of you may have resigned yourselves to being the Tiger's lapdogs, but we won't be!"

The men got on their jeeps and took off as Cagalli approached. "Well, what are we gonna do boss?"

Sahib sighed. "Pedoru!" he shouted to one of men sitting in one of the few remaining jeeps.

"Are you going too Sahib?" Cagalli asked.

"I just can't let them get themselves killed." he said, climbing into the jeep.

"I'm coming too." Cagalli said as she tried climbing into the jeep as well.

Sahib pushed her out. "No! You stay here Cagalli."

"Then let me get my GINN and join you." Victor said.

"No. You stay as well. If I don't come back, take command of the Desert Dawn."

"What? I'm a mercenary, not a rebel leader."

"You're the only other person with the skill and cool head to lead the Desert Dawn if something happens to me."

Victor sighed. "Fine. Just do us both a favor and don't get killed. You still have to pay me."

Sahib's jeep took off for the others. Kisaka and Ahmed pulled up next to Cagalli and Victor. "Come on Cagalli." Ahmed said.

Cagalli quickly climbed aboard jeep and the three took off for the others. "Well, this is a land where the wind and the people get very heated." Mu said as he and Badgiruel approached the mercenary.

"They'll be wiped out with those outdated weapons." Badgiruel said.

"It's always the most passionate that are the most heroic. And the most foolish." Victor said. "The question is, what are you going to do?"

"Don't you mean us?" Mu asked.

"No. I know what I'm doing. I'm going to ensure that I get paid." Victor said, heading for his GINN. "I suggest that you guys do that same. The Archangel is safe where it is, but if Sahib dies, you may not be escaping the desert at all."


Archangel…

"They're what?" Murrue said.

"They want payback for Tassil. It doesn't matter to them that they're outgunned." Mu said. "Vic's heading out to make sure that they survive. But frankly, I doubt it'll make much difference."

"Then what do you recommend?"

"Send out the Strike and Z.A.M. Gundam to help them and we'll send out the Raven. Heero will no doubt follow in Wing Zero." Mu replied. "Who knows, we may get lucky and take out the Tiger as well."

"Very well. Send the Raven to help them. We'll send out the Strike and Z.A.M. Gundam."

"Tell Kira, I'll meet up with him." Chris said. "We can travel faster if I'm in mobile armor mode and Kira's riding atop the Raven."


Aprilius One…

Commander Le Creuset sat on the padded bench in the Supreme Council chamber, observing things with a bemused smirk. Beside Chairman Clyne stood, Patrick Zala and Hong Fa Wu, the chairman's political rival. The masked man chuckled to himself silently. Manipulating Wu was too easy…after all, the man did hate the Naturals for what they did, as did Zala…

Defense Chairman Zala, unbeknownst to Creuset, looked at him out of the corner of his eye. The masked man did not notice the look of malice that the other man had in his gaze, and it as just as well. 'Soon, you snake…soon…'


7th Fleet…

Josh flopped down onto one of the seats in the rec room, where Akira, Tao, and Heidi all sat, trying to make sense of the battle that had just occurred. The techs were going over their machines while Araiya and Commander White sent a battlefield report to both Field Commander Waltfeld and the ZAFT Defense Council, which was in Aprilius One.

"That guy was really good…and I mean really good. Not many pilots can best us like that. Heh…I wonder what the 11th Fleet would do if they encountered Omega One." Josh mused as he picked up the latest issue of Aces, the world over. The magazine had an image of Omega One as well as the ten Alliance prototypes along the sides. It covered not only ZAFT pilots, but also Alliance, ORB, and NASA pilots as well.

Next to him, Tao was observing a battle that had been aired previously, trying to figure out new tactics to overcome the enemy. She was taking notes in a notebook, writing down figures and drawing out new plans as she did so. Despite her reputation though, she was drawn to past conflicts, and spent as much time as she could reading up on them. She was also a history buff.

Across from Josh, Heidi was watching the television. On the screen was a recorded debate between Hong Fa Wu and Chairman Clyne. Since the N-Jammers made long-range communications impossible, there was no way to air a live debate on Earth, so they were often recorded and then played back for the soldiers on Earth to observe. She was taking notes on her laptop, intently paying attention. Heidi was a sweet person outside of battle, but only her closest teammates knew if for sure. She was also interested in the politics of the PLANTs, so she was the one to go to for political updates.

'That's Heidi for you…always wanting to learn what is new in the field of politics…' Josh thought as he flipped through the magazine he was reading.

Not too far from him was Akira. The other red coat was watching a show in a video website, not paying attention to what was going on around him. He had a frustrated look on his face, but Josh paid it no head.

"I'll give you that one. No pilot, not even the 11th Fleet's pilots, could make us react the way we did. No one could ever go up against all of us at once. That pilot was downright amazing." Heidi agreed.

"Not one of us has gotten knocked out of a fight since the Academy simulations." Tao added as she looked up.

Josh then burst out laughing. "The enemy was even able to solo Commander Wolfe! When's that ever happened?"

"Never, except for the Black Hawk of course, and even then it was not a real challenge." Heidi replied as she went back to the debate. "But, you gotta admit, she seemed really happy about going up against someone of her skill level."

Josh went back to reading the feature article, which was on Omega One. "That pilot, whoever it is, is really good. I can't wait to fight again."

Everyone was silent again before both Commanders re-entered the room. "Well, the report was sent, and well…let's just say that Commander Creuset is not too happy with this." Araiya sighed. "And Wu…he was not too thrilled either, which is not surprising given his hatred of Naturals… Zala on the other hand, I'm not too sure…"

Akira glanced over at her remark. "What are you saying?" he asked, golden eyes narrowing.

"Both are against ending this war peacefully." Commander White replied. "Zala is the defense chairman, and he represents a peaceful future, one without fear and war, to the people of the PLANTs. Yet he is not running. Hence why Wu is. And Creuset? He seems to have his own agenda, one that relies on Wu winning the elections."

"Any worst-case scenarios that you are thinking of should he win?" Heidi asked.

The Commander sighed, not wanting to make them all nervous. "At best, Wu is advocate of Coordinator supremacy. At worst, an advocate of genocide. The worst case that I can figure would occur…are the results of the Second World War…"

Every one of the pilots went silent at the revelation. If Commander White was right, then the whole world, not just the PLANTs, was in danger…


"Shouldn't we hurry it up a bit more sir?" Martin asked.

"What's the rush?" Waltfeld lazily said.

"At this speed, the rebels will catch up with us."

"Then we're meant to meet. It's fate. Besides the GINN, none of their weapons are a match for our BuCUEs." Andrew said to his subordinate. "When people are put to the test, I often hear them boast that they'd rather die. Do you really think they mean it?"

"Commander!" the BuCUE squad leader said. "There's six-no...eight jeeps approaching. It's the rebels."

"Well...It seems that they'd rather die after all."

A barrage of rockets struck the lead BuCUE, doing little damage to the machine as the Desert Dawn attacked. Their jeeps headed for the Tiger's jeep, intending to take him out regardless of the cost. But the BuCUEs moved into protect their commander.

The Desert Dawn fought valiantly but were outgunned and outclassed by the BuCUEs. The BuCUE pilots didn't even feel the need to fire their weapons. Instead, they simply crushed the jeeps under their feet or ran over them.

Cagalli's jeep slid underneath one BuCUE and she and Kisaka fired their rockets at it. The BuCUE slowed and the instant the jeep pull in front of it, one of its legs swung at the jeep.

"Get off!" Kisaka shouted, grabbing Cagalli and jumping from the jeep.

But Ahmed was too slow. And both he and the jeep were sent flying into the air. "AHMED!" Cagalli screamed at the sight of her friend.

The BuCUE turned its head to the two. A pair of rockets struck the BuCUE's head. Sahib's jeep appeared, Sahib shouldering two rocket launchers. The BuCUE's attention turned to the jeep and chased after it. Sahib quickly started reloading one of the launchers. But the BuCUE was catching up on them. They weren't gonna make it.

A shot rang out. A round tore through the BuCUE's head.

"Come on, you punks! Why don't you try someone who can actually fight back!" Victor said as he fired more rounds from his sniper rifle on the ZAFT forces. Two rounds tore through the BuCUE's missile launcher, destroying it.

"Come on! If we get close enough, that rifle is useless!" a BuCUE pilot said.

The BuCUEs all regrouped and took off for the GINN.

"Never underestimate this GINN or me!" Victor shouted.

The GINN discarded his sniper rifle and its hands reached for its waist. Hidden compartments on its skirt opened, revealing beam sabers. Victor drew the sabers and activated the GINN's thrusters, sending it towards the BuCUEs. The Talos sidestepped the undamaged BuCUEs, heading for the damaged one in the rear. The sabers tore through the damaged BuCUE, slicing it into three pieces before it exploded. He spun around and kicked another BuCUE onto its back when a third tackled him from behind. "Time to end this!" the BuCUE squad leader said as he and his two undamaged teammates prepared to fire on him.

A beam struck the sand near the BuCUEs. Everyone looked up. It was the Strike riding atop the Raven, in its mobile armor mode. The Strike fired more beams at BuCUEs, all of which fell short. "I missed." Kira said to himself. "Right. I forgot to factor in the heat convection."

The Raven, which did not possess ranged beam weapons, fired its railgun and machine-guns at the BuCUEs, while Kira adjusted his rifle. The BuCUEs scattered, avoiding the rounds. The Strike jumped off the Raven, firing at BuCUEs while the Raven transformed back. The two mobile suits landed next to the Talos, which had gotten back onto its feet. The GINN had switch from its sabers to its assault rifle. "Are you okay Mr. Cain?" Kira asked.

"I'm fine. Glad to see you boys join the party." Victor said. "And call me Victor. Mr. Cain makes me sound like an old man."

Nearby, Wing Zero flew in, the Z.A.M. Gundam in its grasp. The heavy-weapons machine landed in the sand, with Wing Zero landing beside it. Nisha opened fire with the shoulder cannons, the beams landing not too far from the BuCUEs. Next to him, Wing Zero fired the Buster Rifle, the low-powered beam hitting a BuCUE in the rear, vaporizing the back legs.

"Sorry we're late. Wing Zero's pilot had to pick me up." Nisha said as he faced the other three.

Suddenly, a barrage of missiles flew at the five. They scattered, avoiding the missiles, and fired at the five attacking BuCUEs. Two managed to avoid the attacks. But one of the Raven's railgun rounds tore the hind right leg of the third BuCUE. The mobile suit collapsed. "What? No way!" the pilot said as he tried to get his machine back up. "Dammit! I'm not done yet!"

Wing Zero took out the fourth with its beam saber in three quick movements, disabling the machine. Nisha fired on the last one, missiles hitting the left front leg. The BuCUE collapsed, unable to get back up.

The limping BuCUE turned and fired remaining missiles at them. "You idiot!" Chris cursed as he fired at the BuCUE.

Two rounds tore through the BuCUE and it exploded. "If you had just stayed down, you would have lived." Chris said.

"Ahmed!" Cagalli shouted, holding her friend. "Ahmed! Look at me!"

Caga...lli..." Ahmed weakly said. "To me...you are the Goddess...of..."

Ahmed's eyes closed and his head fell to its side. He was dead. Cagalli desperately shook his body. "Come on Ahmed! Open your eyes! Ahmed!"

Elsewhere, the fallen BuCUE managed to get back to its feet. "Kirkwood, let me get in and pilot that BuCUE." Waltfeld said.

"Commander?"

"There are some things you just can't be sure of until you're exchanging fire."

The Strike dodged more missiles from the BuCUEs. Both the Talos and the Raven fired back, but the BuCUEs were too fast and avoided their shots. "Damn. These BuCUEs are just too fast." Victor said.

Suddenly, a barrage of missiles hit the Raven's back, sending it forward. "What? What was that?" Chris said.

"That third machine. It's back up." Victor said, turning the BuCUE.

He fired at the BuCUE, but Andrew effortless dodged the shots and tackled the GINN. "This one's much better than before." Victor commented as the BuCUE headed for the Strike and the Raven. "Could it be? Is the Tiger at the controls?"

A BuCUE tackled the Strike but Kira blocked with the Strike's shield. Kira pushed the BuCUE back and aimed at the BuCUE. He was about to fire when missiles hit the Strike, throwing its aim off. "Formation Delta, now!" Waltfeld ordered.

The four remaining BuCUEs formed alongside their commander while the Raven and the Talos reached the Strike's side. "Five against one? I don't think so." Chris said.

The five raced towards the five mobile suits. The left one slammed into the Raven, the right one hit the Talos, and Waltfeld's BuCUE tackled into the Strike. The last two took on Wing Zero and the Z.A.M. Gundam. The BuCUEs spun around and fired a barrage of missiles at the Strike and the Raven before they could turn to face them. The missiles hit their targets.

"Dammit." Chris cursed as he struggled to keep the Raven upright. "Kira, we have to get up into the air or we're toast."

"Right." Kira said as both mobile suits jumped into the air.

But the Tiger expected this. And as soon as they were in the air, his BuCUE jumped up at the Strike and fired several missiles at it at point blank range. While the two other BuCUEs jumped up and unloaded their remaining missiles at the Raven. Both Gundams fell back to Earth. The Strike landed on its feet and quickly moved, dodging more of Waltfeld's missiles while the Raven fell on its back, its phase-shift armor deactivating. "Damn! I'm out of power!" Chris said.

"Don't worry. I got your back." Victor said, heading for the powerless machine.

Wing Zero and the Z.A.M. Gundam were too busy to help, as both were engaged in their own fights.

"I knew it. That phase-shift armor is strong. But it's not unstoppable. Enough hits and it runs out of power." Waltfeld said. "Keep the other machines busy while I finish it off!"

One of the two BuCUEs headed for the GINN while the other headed for the Strike and tackled it, keeping Victor from helping. Waltfeld's BuCUE turned to the Raven, it fired off more missiles at it. Kira's eyes widened in horror as the missiles streaked towards the Raven. He had to stop them. He had failed to protect others too many times already. This time was going to be different. A purple object shattered in the back of his mind. He fired his beam rifle and Igelstellungs at the missiles. They all exploded before they could reach the Raven.

"Whoa..." Chris said, in utter amazement at his friend's abilities.

"Impressive." Waltfeld said. "He's no Natural."

Before he could fire again, Omega One fired on him, forcing him back from the Raven. Waltfeld could only wonder who the pilot was, as the shot was right in his path to the Alliance machine. 'Omega One…how interesting you are… You're obviously no Natural either, pilot of Omega One…'

Forcing him back even more was the Z.A.M. Gundam, which was firing its beam cannons at his BuCUE. Waltfeld had to dodge to stay alive and in one piece. "Very clever of you…you are no Natural either…"

A BuCUE lunged at the Strike. The Strike ducked under the BuCUE and fired at its underbelly, destroying it. As he got back up, Kira drew a beam saber and slashed at the Tiger's lunging BuCUE. Its left forearm went flying off.

"Dammit." Waltfeld cursed. "We're withdrawing."

The remaining ZAFT forces quickly fled the area, leaving the Strike, the Raven, the Talos and the handful of surviving Desert Dawn fighters. Victor looked out at the survivors and shook his head. This is why he hated groups like the Desert Dawn. Few members of rebel groups truly ever understood the art of war. Most fought ruthlessly to kill their enemy regardless of the cost and most were passionate to the degree of blind fanaticism. And worse, they prescribed to the eye for an eye philosophy. Such people were simply fuel for the fires of war.

He watched Kira leave his machine and approach the survivors. He said something that obviously pissed Cagalli off. She grabbed his collar and shouted something back, gesturing towards the body of Ahmed. Kira slapped her. "Wow. He didn't strike me as the type to hit a girl." Victor said. "Well, someone needed to slap some sense into her anyway."


ZAFT Gibraltar Base

The Next Day

"I trust that there won't any further problems, Zane." Rau said.

"No sir. I apologize for my outbursts in space. It was a temporary madness. My emotions are back under control. It won't happen again sir." Zane said to the screen.

"Good. Ensure that it does not happen again." Rau said darkly. "How is Operation Spitfire proceeding on your end?"

"I have spoken with Azrael." Zane said, saying the Blue Cosmos Leader's name in disgust. "They have begun installing the Cyclops System under JOSH-A. But Azrael's supporters in the AEU want the complete planning and tactical data on the Operation before they'll fully commit to Azrael's proposal."

"As expected. With the loss of Victoria, they're worried about losing Panama. I'll ensure that they get the data. What of the legged ship?"

"We've just received word. They're in Andrew Waltfeld's backyard." Zane replied.

"Apparently, they managed to escape two attacks from the Desert Tiger. It seems that his skills aren't as great as they claim."

"I highly doubt that." Rau said. "The Tiger is one of our better commanders. It's more likely that he's testing the legged ship and its mobile suits. When he's ready, the legged ship will find itself in a much more trying battle. Not to mention the 7th Fleet is there as well."

"Yzak's been demanding that we be allowed to go there and destroy the legged ship. Shall we go there and dispose of them?"

"No. Waltfeld should be able to destroy them on his own. But if he asks for reinforcements from Gibraltar, then by all means go."

"Very well then sir."


Banadiya

A pair of jeeps stopped amid the crowded marketplace. Kira, Cagalli, Chris, Flay, Heero, and Victor stepped off. "Alright. Come back to pick us up in four hours." Victor said to Sahib.

"Dismissed Ensign...Er...Kira. Good luck. I'm...ah...counting on you." Badgiruel nervously said.

The two jeeps took off, leaving the six in the marketplace. Victor shook his head. "That woman needs to learn to loosen up." he said. "Okay. There're some things I need to pick up. I'll find you when I'm done."


Aboard the Archangel

Elizabeth Dante smiled as she aced the Sky Grasper simulator again. Out of all of those that had tried it, she was best…well, second best. Only Tolle and that girl Cagalli had come close to her scores. But then again, she was a Coordinator. Yet Heero Yuy had beaten her scores with little trouble, and he was a Natural. She shook her head and dismissed the thoughts about him.

"Wow. You're good enough to pilot one of the two other Sky Graspers with Lieutenant La Flaga." Johanna said, resting an arm on the simulator chair.

"So you got all the Sky Graspers up and running?" Liz said.

"Yeah. All three are up and running. The morons that built these things, royally screwed up. It took so much longer than we expected." Johanna replied. "I see that you've been ruling the simulator."

"Considering that the only ones to try it have been Sai, Miri, Tolle and that Cagalli girl, that's not saying a whole lot. And that is not counting Heero Yuy."

"True."

"Hey, what would I have to do to pilot one of these things in battle?" Liz asked.

"You'd have to talk with the Captain." Johanna replied. "Are you sure you want to do this? You'll be in danger every time you step in the cockpit."

"I know. But I want to do it. If Chris is fighting, then I want to help out too."

"Speaking of him, you'll know he'll freak out when he finds out."

"Of course. That's an added bonus." Liz said with a smirk.

"You know he's only trying to keep you safe."

"I know. But I hate it when he treats me like a child that can't protect herself."

"He just cares about you."

"I know."


An Hour and a Half Later

"What are these?" Kira asked as the waiter delivered their lunch.

"Donor kebabs." Cagalli said. "They're delicious. Especially with chili sauce."

Heero just looked at his kebab before poking it with a finger. "And no…it is not poisoned, Heero." Cagalli replied.

The other pilot just glared at her. "You never know…" he snarled back before picking up his kebab and eating it.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation." a man in a red and yellow shirt with sunglasses and a hat said, grabbing the yogurt bottle. "But this yogurt sauce is the proper sauce to add. Or rather, it's considered a form of sacrilege to Donor kebabs, to not add yogurt sauce."

Heero tensed as he realized someone had gotten the drop on them. The man seemed calm and nice enough, but the way he held himself instinctively gave away the fact that he was a soldier.

"Hey! Who do you think you are? Telling us how to eat our kebabs." Cagalli rudely said. The man just chuckled.

She poured chili sauce onto her kebab before taking a big bite out of it. "Mmm...Delicious!"

The man recoiled at sight of her actions. Cagalli then pushed the chili bottle in front of Kira's plate. "Here. Try it." she said.

"Oh no. Don't go forcing your bad habits on this guy." the man said, his bottle clashing with Cagalli's like a pair of duelists' swords.

The two both squeezed their bottles, pouring their two sauces onto Kira's kebab. Unbeknownst to the trio, a group of Blue Cosmos terrorists were preparing to attack the Desert Tiger.

Had Heero been paying attention, he would have found the sight of two sauces on Kira's plate amusing. But he was too busy looking around at the growing crowd. He noticed that several more people had come in, and while they were in civilian clothes, they carried the air of soldiers about them. However, Chris and Flay were snickering at the silliness of the two sauces on Kira's plate.

"Actually, they're pretty good together." Kira said, eating his kebab.

The man chuckled and took a seat at their table. "So, you five were shopping." the man said, taking note of their bags. "Throwing a party?"

"First off, who are you? What kinda guy just sits down at someone's table and starts asking them questions?" Cagalli said. Heero narrowed his eyes at the man, wondering what he was up to.

Suddenly, a rocket was fired from the roof of a building across the street.

"Hit the dirt!" the man shouted, kicking the table up and pushed the teens down.

The rocket flew past them and hit the restaurant window.

"For the preservation of our blue and pure world!" a Blue Cosmos terrorist shouted, firing on the people in front of the restaurant.

"Die Space Invaders!" another shouted.

Blue Cosmos terrorists emerged, firing on the people eating at the restaurant. The ZAFT soldiers clad in civilian clothes, returned fire from behind knocked over tables. "Eliminate them all!" the man ordered.

Heero whipped out his gun and fired on a terrorist running at him. The man fell to the ground, dead with a bullet between the eyes. Another one ran up behind him, but Heero stabbed him in the chest, killing him with a small four-inch knife that the pilot carried.

One by one, the terrorists were gunned down. One terrorist that was running at the four was shot and his gun slid across the ground, stopping near Kira and Cagalli.

Chris fought one terrorist off with some of his martial arts moves while Flay was with the man behind a table.

Kira suddenly spotted a terrorist sneaking up on the man from an alley. In a single fluid motion, Kira drove, grabbed the gun and threw it at the man. The gun struck the man's face and Kira ran and kicked the man, knocking him down.

"Okay it's over." the man said as one of the soldiers shot the man on the ground.

Kira cringed as the man was shot. "Hey! Don't you even know what a gun is supposed to be used for?" Cagalli said.

"Commander!" a red haired ZAFT officer said, approaching the man in the yellow shirt. "Commander, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Thanks to this young man." the man said, turning to Kira, Heero, Flay, Chris, and Cagalli.

He pulled off his hat and sunglasses. Cagalli's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean, we were talking to Andrew Waltfeld. The Desert Tiger...It's him..."

Heero's eyes became hard at the revelation of the Desert Tiger. Andrew Waltfeld noticed the change in the young man's eyes, but he either ignored it, or was not showing his wariness.

"Dammit. Those filthy Coordinators. I'll kill them all." the remaining Blue Cosmos member said from his hiding place on the roof, as he loaded another rocket into his launcher. "Just one rocket and the Tiger's-"

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around his neck, choking him. "You know, every time I see one of you thugs die, I feel that the world becomes just a little bit more blue and pure." Victor whispered into his ear. "It's people like you that destroy the honor and civility of war. So...how do you put it? For the preservation of our blue and pure world."

SNAP!

Victor dropped the body and glanced over at the scene on the streets below. Kira, Chris, Flay, Heero, and Cagalli were being put on jeep with the Tiger.

"Well now, things are getting interesting." he commented. "I better make sure those kids don't get into any trouble."


Andrew Waltfeld's Headquarters

Twenty Minutes Later

"Sit, relax." Waltfeld said, pouring four cups of coffee.

Kira looked around the room, searching for an escape route, when he spotted it. A small replica of Evidence 01. Beside him, Chris had already been gazing at the replica, despite his better judgement

Nearby, Heero was also looking around. He was trying to find an escape route, but unlike Kira, he did not get distracted by Evidence 01. Growling softly, he found there was no escape route visible. Only then did he notice Evidence 01.

"Evidence 01." Waltfeld said, bring Kira, Chris, and Heero a cup of coffee. "Have you ever seen the real McCoy?"

"No." The three pilots replied.

"I have no idea why they call this thing a Whale Stone. Does that look like a whale to you?" Waltfeld asked.

"I really can't say."

"I don't know."

"…"

"If you ask me, those look like wings. And whales don't normally come with wings, now do they?"

"Yeah. But they brought this back from space as proof of extraterrestrial life." Kira replied. Heero looked back at Kira out of the corner of his eye before glancing at Waltfeld.

"The point I'm trying to make is, why is this figure assumed to be that of a whale's?"

"Well then, what would you call it?" Heero asked, throwing the ZAFT officer for a loop.

"I have to admit, nothing comes to mind." Waltfeld said, sipping his coffee. "On to more pressing matters, what do you think of this coffee? Or have you not developed an appreciation for it yet?"

Kira took a sip of his coffee. It had an unusual taste to it. Not unpleasant, but unusual. It reminded him of the cup Victor gave him the other day. Heero did the same thing. It was bitter, but that had a good thing about it. And a strong flavor of mint was there as well. Chris sipped his coffee and was surprised to find he liked it.

"Not what I had expected from one of your status." Heero said as he looked at the ornamentation.

"Blame it on the Earth Alliance. They had some European aristocrat as the commanding General for the North Africa forces. Guy did not know what he was doing when it came to war. He decided to have this place constructed as a monument to himself, or at least, that is what I heard. Personally, I prefer something more low key." Waltfeld replied.

Heero just gave a small grunt in reply. "Hn."

Voices were then heard outside the room.

"So, the pilots are here huh? Why didn't you tell us, Commander?" a calm voice said.

"Because I just found out from Aisha." Another one replied.

"I believe that there was one other with them." A third voice exclaimed.

"I wonder who the last pilot is." A fourth voice said.

"I heard that the pilot of Omega One is here, so it may be interesting." A fifth voice replied.

The three occupants of the room turned to the door, only to see three red coats and two white coats there. Kira gaped at the black haired red coat.

"Aki'?"

The black haired boy just growled. "So, you're still working with the Earth Alliance, huh?"

Chris frowned. "What does it matter to you? You're the one who betrayed us."

Kira just looked down in response. Heero narrowed his eyes as the five studied him.

"So, who are you?" a black haired white coat asked. She was of Commander rank, Heero noted as she studied him.

"I'm the pilot of Omega One."

Another woman of Commander rank looked at Waltfeld. "You could have given us the heads up, Field Marshal."

"Slipped my mind. Sorry. It seems that Aisha gave you the heads up though, so it all works out, Commander Wolfe."

The female smiled again before looking to the two teens on the couch. Her green eyes met Heero's blue ones, and he knew right away that she was the one who he had fought. "You…so…you were my opponent."

"I see you figured out who I am…" he growled. The ZAFT Commander was taken back a bit, but she remained in control of her composure.

"Not very talkative, are you?" she remarked. Heero just grunted once before looking away. "Hn."

"Anyway, these are my teammates. Akira Nishikama, Tao White, Josh Ajaxy, and Heidi Matthews." Commander Wolfe said as she pointed at the black-haired red coat, the female white coat, a blonde-haired red coat, and a white-haired red coat.

Kira was nervous and Chris was uncertain while Heero was on edge. The five sat down at Waltfeld's instance. "Why don't you all take a seat? There are plenty to go around."

Heero noticed Kira was uneasy and realized that he had never seen this side of the war yet Nor had Chris for that matter. 'They may not be hostile right now, but the fact that they are the enemy remains. Kira and Chris have not seen war enough to be familiar with this situation: where one finds out that the enemy is not that different from us.'

He was trying to figure out a way out when the door slid open again.


Elsewhere, Victor quietly crept down the hallways of the Tiger's HQ. He had little difficulty evading the guards outside, but now that he was inside, things were a lot more difficult. If he wasn't careful, he'd bump into someone, it'd be all over.

But that aside, things were about to become much more interesting.


"Andy." Aisha said, knocking on the door.

"Come on in." Waltfeld replied.

The door opened and Aisha, along with a very nervous Cagalli, clad in a beautiful dress, entered. Aisha's was a strapless blue dress that clung to her body and showed off her curves very nicely. Cagalli's dress was green and strapless, making her appear to be royalty. Flay wore a pink dress that had white lines running down the skirt, and the dress itself was also strapless. Heero noted this right off the bat.

"You're...A girl..." was Kira's only response.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"No. I meant that this again reminds me that you're a girl."

"That's the same thing, jackass!"

The adults started laughing at the two teens, embarrassing them. Heero just remained silent. A few minutes later, when everyone had regained their composure, Waltfeld, Kira, Heero, Chris, Flay, and Cagalli sat down the couches in the room.

"That dress looks quite good on you. From the looks of things, I'd say that you're accustomed to wearing such fine clothes." the Tiger said.

"Say whatever you want." Cagalli replied rudely.

"The perfect little lady until you speak." the man said.

"Sorry Andy. I could only find a dress for her and clean her up a bit. Her attitude is not going anywhere, despite what I told her." Aisha replied.

Heero could not help but smile a tiny bit, albeit wryly. 'No matter what you put her in, she will still be rough on the edges.'

"Well, it's just as hard for me to believe that you're the Desert Tiger. Why are you spending your time dressing people up? Is that how you get your kicks, Waltfeld?"

"Aisha was the one that picked out the dress. And what do you mean by getting my kicks?" he said, sipping his coffee.

"Running around the city in a disguise or having residents flee their towns before you burn them down."

"What lovely eyes. There's something sincere about them."

"Don't toy with me!" Cagalli shouted, slamming her fists onto the table.

"Are you one of those people who'd rather be dead?" Waltfeld asked.

"You." he said, staring at Heero, Chris, and Kira. "What do you think about all this? What do think needs to be done to end this war? I'm asking your opinions as mobile suit pilots?"

"Hey! How do you know that?"

Waltfeld laughed as Cagalli realized what she just did. "Being too sincere can also be a liability."

"But that aside, I want to know about the two pilots who are using the Earth Forces' three remaining machines.

"I work for no one." Heero replied, throwing the ZAFT pilots for a loop. "I only fight with the Archangel as a mercenary of sorts."

Araiya nodded. "I see. Somehow I doubt your story is a lie, judging by the way your eyes tell the story."

"I am protecting the ship for my own reasons, and Wing Zero is not an Alliance machine. It is my own machine, and the data for it cannot be found in any of their databases." Heero retorted

"You mean that you built it?!" Josh asked in shock.

Heero just glared at him. "It was built by a friend of mine and was made completely independent of every government out there." He snarled.

"I see. So you won't go into any more detail?" Tao inquired.

Heero just reached for his sidearm, which she took as her cue to shut up.

Waltfeld smirked. "Well, I guess that clears things up. But it is obvious that you and your machine are not from around here. I don't think you will be saying where you are from though, judging by the way you are looking at us."

"Hn."

"But…that aside…you two are interesting. Four Coordinators who fight against their own people. You are formidable foes for sure." The ZAFT officer purred.

Heero just frowned slightly before he realized that the people before him must be Coordinators. He smirked slightly before he spoke. "I am no Coordinator. But I can confirm the other three pilots are."

Waltfeld stood up and walked towards a desk. "Unlike sports, the game of war has no time limit or points awarded. So how do you determine the winners and the losers?" he said, rummaging through a drawer. "At what point do we put an end to it? When every single one of your enemies have been destroyed?"

He pulled out a gun, pointing it at the five teens. Heero pulled Kira and Cagalli behind him just as Chris did the same with Flay, his eyes scanning the room for a way to escape or something to use to protect them.

"I wouldn't try anything. Even if you have berserker capabilities, you still wouldn't be able to escape from here."

"Berserker?"

Heero looked at the young Coordinator, a confused look in his eyes.

"I thought so. You are quite skilled. Take your adjustments to surface pressure and heat perimeters in the heat of battle. I'd say amongst us Coordinators, you'd be a top specimen. But of course, you comrades in the Raven and Z.A.M. Gundams are quite skilled as well. And Heero is very curious as well. A Natural who can fight at the level of Coordinators. I'm curious to see which one of you is stronger."

The door suddenly flew open. Victor was standing there, a handgun aimed at the Tiger. "Andrew Waltfeld. It's been awhile." he said stepping into the room.

"Indeed it has." Waltfeld replied.

The two men approached each other, their guns pointed at the other. They stood there for a moment. Their guns practically pressing against each other's chests. Suddenly, to the surprise of the three teens, they both started laughing and lowered their weapons. "I should have known you'd be too stubborn to be killed by an assassin." Waltfeld said, embracing Victor in hug. "And I should have known that you were the only one that could be that good of a shot."

"Well it wouldn't be lying low unless virtually everyone thought I was dead." Victor replied.

"You two know each other?" Kira asked.

"Of course I know the Black Hawk." Andrew said. "We've known each other since we were kids."

"John Alaric..." Cagalli said in shock, staring at the man they had known as Victor Cain. "ZAFT's dreaded Black Hawk...You're John Alaric?"


Victor's real identity has been revealed. And the 7th Fleet is revealed as well. And Patrick Zala is hiding something that could change the war for good. Any flames will be reported and/or deleted depending on if they are signed or not. Constructive criticism is appreciated as well, as it can help me improve on the story. Please read and review! ^^ I will take the time to reply to any reviews if they are left as well, but if they are asking for spoilers, then there will be only hints, no actual revelations on the story's plot. Please click the button below! ^^