Phase Twenty-Seven: Trembling World

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. Nor do I own Martin Nightengale, as he is Meteorthunder3's OC. I only own Akira, Tao, Nisha, NASA/NAZAFT, the 7th Fleet, the Wing, Z.A.M., and Diver Gundams.

CT7567Rules: You never know, I just may have Armada Starscream appear~! ;3

Titanic X: Glad you like it. :)

A0930: Trust me, Shinn will get some character development over the course of the next arc. It will be slow, but it will happen. No spoilers though, as I don't want to give anything away. Sorry. :( Anyway, as for Naturals having the SEED, yes, they can. And I have some twists you will like for sure. ;)

nki: PLEASE use a consistent guest name! Geez... But I am glad you still like it. But I want to know WHAT you love about it, not just that you like it, even though I like hearing that as well.

Note to all readers: I am going to ask those with an account to sign in to leave a review in order to know who is leaving it, or at least 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. If you are a guest without an account, PLEASE put a CONSISTENT guest name. Thanks!


Earth Orbit

The Freedom, the Justice, the Exia, the Wing, Wing Zero, the Farsight, and the Kusanagi's Astrays floated around the separated compartments of the Kusanagi, aiding in the vessel's assembly.

John couldn't help but smile as the Farsight flew around a section of the Kusanagi. "Ah... It feels so good to be in space again."

"When was the last time you were in space?" Kira asked.

"Far too long. I'm not a ground-pounder like Andy was. Space is where I belong." John replied as Wing Zero moved a part past his machine. "You should have seen us when we were your age. Individually, we were skilled pilots, but together we were truly formidable, filling out the other's weaknesses, leaving only our strengths. It's a shame that we will never fight side by side again. But I'm rambling and we have work to do. Come on let's get back to work."


The Archangel's Bridge

"We're done with the docking operations." Kisaka reported. "After a final systems check, we'll be set to disembark."

"That's good to hear." Murrue replied, but her expression was still somber. "How's Cagalli?"

Kisaka hesitated for moment. "She has calmed down somewhat, but it's been very hard on her."

"At the moment, none of us have heart to tell her not to cry." Samuel added.

Murrue nodded. "All right, with your permission, we'll come over and discuss our next move."

"Okay. We'll make preparations for you and await your arrival." Kisaka said. "Over and out."


Aboard the Kusanagi

A Short While Later

Inside the crew quarters section of the Kusanagi, Cagalli sat alone in her room's lavatory. Her eyes were red and puffed from her crying. It felt like the entire world had collapsed the instant the Kaguya Mass Driver exploded. She stepped over to the sink and turned on the water, filling a small basin. Once it was full, she plunged her head into the cool water. When she straightened up and her vision cleared, she looked at her reflection. Her hair was a wet, tangled mess while her face was tired and ragged. Then her intercom buzzed. "Cagalli?"

It was Kira. But she didn't answer.

"Is everything all right?" Kira asked.

She still didn't answer right away. She grabbed a towel and dried off her face. She came out and answered her door, finding both Kira and Athrun standing outside.

"Sorry." She said, turning away from them. "But could you please let me have a little more time to myself?"

Kira nodded. "Sure." he said, leaving with Athrun.

Cagalli returned to her bed and pulled the photo her father gave her from her pocket. She stared at the two infants, knowing that she was one of the infants. The other was apparently Kira. Her long lost sibling that she had no knowledge of. But how was it possible? And just who was this woman? Their birth mother? Then who was their father? And why had they been separated? She shook her head. There were too many unanswered questions about this whole situation.


A shuttle was launched from the Archangel, heading for the Kusanagi. Mu piloted the craft, with Murrue sitting next to him in the copilot chair.

"The real challenge is ahead of us." Mu commented.

"Yes, I know that." She answered. "ORB has left us with a heavy burden. I only hope that we are able to carry out the task."

Once they all arrived on board, Samuel, Kisaka and John met up with them and led them towards the bridge. "The Kusanagi was originally used as a communications ship with Heliopolis." Kisaka explained. "It is capable enough as a mobile suit carrier with adequate armaments, but it still doesn't compare to the Archangel."

"So, this ship is made up of five compartments." Mu said. "And everyone on board travels between the compartments through the center. Talk about efficient."

Kisaka nodded and they turned one last corner before reaching the bridge. They entered and Murrue and Mu were even more surprised.

"This is just like the Archangel's bridge." Murrue commented.

"This surprises you? After all, both ships were designed by Morgenroete." Kisaka replied, turning to a person at a console. "Can you bring up a map of this region of space?"

"Sure." A familiar voice answered. Murrue and Mu looked to see a woman whom they were both familiar with.

"Chief Erica Simmons." Mu said with a grin. "It's good to see that you made it as well."

"And she's not the only one here." another familiar voice said from behind.

Murrue and Mu turned to the voice. Johanna Dante. "Since we'll be using M1s and the other new suits in the unfamiliar environment of space, we're here to make sure they function smoothly." Erica said as she typed on the keyboard in front of her, bringing up a map on a nearby screen.

"This is our present location." Samuel said, pointing to a flashing green dot. "As you know, all the PLANTs and New Juneau are located at L5 and Artemis is at L3. For the time being, we should make our way towards the L4 area."

As they talked, Kira, Athrun, Chris, Aki', Heero and Cagalli stepped onto the bridge.

"What's at L4?" Murrue asked.

"There are some abandoned colonies located there." Samuel explained. "The Kusanagi and Archangel won't need supplies for some time. But we still have limits, especially concerning water. The colonies at L4 were damaged and abandoned shortly after the fighting began. While they are uninhabited, they'll be useful as a means of a water supply."

"This sounds awfully familiar." Chris muttered, remembering a similar dilemma the Archangel faced months ago, concerning a low water supply.

"Don't worry." Mu said, trying to assure him. "This isn't like Junius Seven."

"There might actually be several fully functioning colonies at L4." Athrun spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "Quite a while back, ZAFT investigated reports of a suspicious group roaming the area, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Also, while nobody actually lives there, there should be some colonies operational facilities. They'd be prefect for an out of the way hideout for the time being."

"That sounds like a great plan." Kira said.

"Indeed. The Mendel Colony would be the most ideal." Samuel said, focused entirely the map.

"Mendel? Wasn't that place abandoned sixteen years because of some biohazard accident?" John asked. "Would it really be safe to go there?"

Samuel glanced at him. "Trust me. We want to go to Mendel."

Unnoticed by the others, Samuel pulled out a pocket hard drive. 'It's time for them to learn the dark past of Mendel. All of them.' he thought before putting the device back into his pocket.

The others wondered why he was so insistent on Mendel.

Mu turned to Athrun. "Hey, are you sure that you're okay with this?" he asked. "And not just you, this goes for those other guys from ZAFT."

"Commander?" Murrue asked, but Mu held up his hand.

"I saw what you all did at ORB and your actions spoke for themselves, but I can't help but notice the uniforms you're still wearing. And depending how things go out there, there's a very good chance that we'll end up fighting ZAFT forces. This won't be like ORB, so are you really ready for this? I know John is with us regardless. But you and the others are different. And you are Patrick Zala's son."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Cagalli demanded.

"For a soldier to defect is a more serious matter than you seem to think." Mu shot back. "On top of that, it's all the more serious when your own father's comrade is the leader of the nation as well. It's difficult to fight a war unless you believe in the cause you're fighting for, all the more so when that belief is turned on his head. I hate to press the issue, but I need to know that I can count on you if we fight together. So can I?"

A heavy silence filled the bridge. Not a word was uttered for a painfully long moment. Athrun finally took a deep breath.

"All I can say is this. Recently I've seen, heard, and thought many things about what's supposed to be right and wrong. I'll admit there are some things I do understand and a lot that I don't. The one thing that is clear to me is that the world I hope for is shared by you all. I'll do what I can to see that our shared goal is achieved."

Aki' looked at his own uniform, which Mu noticed right away. "That uniform…Are you with them?"

The Coordinator looked up, shocked but still in control of himself. "If you mean the No Attack-Zone, America Firma Terra division of the United States armed forces, then yes, I am."

"So you defected?" Kira asked.

"Yes. I did."

Chris was just as confused as the others. "But why? Given what happened to your sister, wouldn't you remain with ZAFT to get revenge for her?"

Aki' shook his head. "No. In fact, ZAFT hid the circumstances of her death from my family, and refused to get justice for her because the one who ordered her dead was Rau Le Creuset, that ZAFT white coat."

Everyone stared in shock, but they did not have time to dwell on it.

Mu hesitated to answer, but then smiled. "You both sound very determined, and that's a good answer." He then looked to Murrue and the others. "ORB has entrusted us with a heavy task, and we are only two ships. It may be impossible to do anything that won't be in vain."

"You know, there are people in the PLANTs who think the same way." Athrun said.

Kira turned around. "You mean Lacus?"

Athrun nodded.

"Oh, the pink princess, huh?" Mu commented.

"Yeah, she's Athrun's fiancée." Kira said.

There were some gasps and Athrun saw Cagalli give him a quick glance, but turned away just as fast.

Well, actually their engagement had been nullified by Athrun's father. It just hadn't been made public yet. And this really wasn't the time or the place to inform the others about it. "She and her father are being hunted as traitors." Athrun informed them. "By order of my father's comrade."

"Same as I was. Well, ZAFT would have if I didn't defect to stay alive." Aki' growled.

"But she's not our only ally." John said. "If I can get in touch with my comrades, I should be able to convince them to join us."

"You're referring to the 11th Fleet, aren't you?" Mu asked.

"Yes I am."

"What makes you think that they'll be willing to defect like that?"

"Trust me. They'll be likely to join us."

"If I can get in contact with the 7th Fleet as well, we might be able to turn the tide of the war." Aki' offered. "Most of them are from NASA or were born there before they moved to the PLANTs. If anything, their ideals should make them likely to join us."

Murrue cleared her throat. "It's settled then. We'll head for L4 and gather supplies there."

"One more thing Captain Ramius, I understand you have a vacancy in CIC since Ensign Badgiruel was reassigned. I'd like to fill that vacancy, if that's okay with you." Samuel said.

Everyone was caught off guard by this. "But I thought you'd be commanding the Kusanagi."

"Kisaka is more familiar with the Kusanagi than I am. So he'd be better off as its Captain. Besides, we're not really an official army, so our ranks are pretty much meaningless."

Murrue nodded. "Very well, then. I accept your offer General Dante."


Aboard the Powell

ORB

Azrael was furious. While the invasion of ORB had been a success, the whole reason for invading the nation had been lost. Those blasted Biological CPUs just weren't proving to be that combat effective. They needed to be properly motivated. He entered the medical room where they had been placed after returning to the Powell. The four Biological CPUs were crying out in agony from their withdrawal. Shani and Orga were sprawled out on beds in the room. Shani was half curled up into a ball while Orga was on his back; his hands had a death grip on the edges of the bed. Clotho was lying against a wall, clutching his sides. And Martin was lying on his stomach and writhing on the ground. "Now boys, we need to have a little discussion." Azrael said.

Martin looked up at him. "Please...stop...pain..."

Azrael responded by stomping on his hand, causing Martin to scream in pain. Then a foot hit his face, rolling him onto his side. Azrael gave him a few more kicks to the lower abdomen. "Not until our discussion is done." he said, turning to Clotho. "Now, the four of you have failed us at ORB. Failed me. And well...that can't happen again."

Azrael's foot slammed into Clotho's stomach. Clotho let out a gurgling groan as he clutched his stomach. A fist hit Clotho's face. This was followed by another, and another. And another before Azrael stopped. "Because of your failures here, we lost ORB's Mass Driver and any technology we could have gained from Morgenroete." he continued, grabbing Shani's hair and pulling his head up, causing Shani to whimper. "And this is your punishment for that colossal failure."

Azrael punched the green-haired Extended. Shani moaned as he grabbed his now bleeding nose. Azrael pulled something out of his pocket. It was a Taser. A second later, Shani was howling in pain as electricity flowed through his body. "But I'm a forgiving man. In fact, you should consider yourselves lucky that I'm the one calling the shots. There are those that would send you back to Lodonia for this failure, where all of you would never, ever see the light of day again. But I'm a forgiving man. So I'll give you one more chance."

Azrael pulled Orga up by his collar and punched him before shocking him as well with the Taser. He then pocketed the Taser, dusted his off his hands and headed for the door. "The doctors will be coming by soon to give you your medicine. And in a few hours, we'll be leaving to join the Victoria Operation. And I expect the four of you to win us the battle." He paused at the doorway and added, "But should anything happen to that Mass Driver... Well, you'll wish I sent you back to Lodonia. Do you understand?"

"Y...Yes..."

"Got...it..."

"Yeah..."

"We won't...fail again..."

"Make sure that you don't." Azrael casually replied as he left.

In a few hours, the cargo planes would be ready to transport the Calamity, the Forbidden, the Massacre and the Raider to the staging area of the upcoming Victoria Operation. And they would either succeed or be sent back to Lodonia.


Armory One

"What's the status on the mobile suits?" Commander Kessel asked as she watched the crews work on their new GuAIZs.

"Well sir, we've almost got them all done. All of them should be full upgrade within a few more days." Chief Hughes answered. "I have to say, these new machines are impressive. I bet even those new Earth Forces mobile suits won't stand a chance against these machines when ZAFT starts cranking them out on the field."

Diana turned her gaze to the GuAIZ being painted in her colors. "Indeed. They are impressive. But we have yet to see if they are superior to the Earth Forces new machines." she commented.

But her mind was on other matters. Things had taken a drastic turn for the worst in the homeland during her brief time on Earth. One of the new nuclear prototypes had been stolen. The Clyne family declared traitors to ZAFT. Clyne's supporters on the Council arrested. Her own father was on the run. How had things fallen apart so fast? And how was this whole thing going to end?

"Commander!" a voice called out, disrupting her thoughts.

Diana turned to the voice. It was Lucius. "What is it?" she asked.

"We just received word. The battle for ORB and NASA has ended." he answered. "The Alliance won but ORB destroyed Morgenroete and its Mass Driver before they surrendered. NASA managed to drive back the Earth Alliance and preserve their Mass Driver at the same time."

"I see."

"But that's not all, sir. A private message has arrived for you sir."

"Who is the message from?"

"Him sir."

"Have it send to my quarters."

"Already done sir."

Diana nodded. "Good."


Aboard the Odin

A Short While Later

Diana entered her quarters and sat down at her desk. A disk was sitting on the desk. She inserted the disk into the computer. The Commander's face appeared on the screen.

"Things are heating up here on Earth. And I don't know when or even if you receive this message. As you may or may not already know, I am on board the new Earth Forces warship from Heliopolis, the Archangel. We just managed to escape from JOSH-A before the Cyclops System was activated. But if it wasn't for the Freedom, or even Wing Zero destroying the system, we probably wouldn't have made it. N-Jammer Cancelers... I had never hoped to see such a thing created. You know, when the first nuclear weapons were used, there were those that called them miracle weapons, capable of leveling enemy cities with a single bomb. Frankly, I fail to see the miraculousness of such weapons. They only make it easier for people to commit mass murder. There is no place for such weapons in true war. Even the Freedom and any other mobile suits like it don't belong in war."

"But I'm rambling now. Regardless, Pandora's Box has been opened again. And it's only a matter of time until the Earth Forces figure out a way to nullify the N-Jammers. Or worse, gain access to ZAFT's Canceler. And considering what they tried to do at JOSH-A, I don't think they'd hesitate to use nuclear weapons again. And if Wu's now running things in the PLANTs, then it's likely that if the Alliance starts to beat back ZAFT on Earth, he won't hesitate to either. You must talk with your father. He and Clyne's supporters need to be ready to prevent Wu from using such weapons against the Earth, no matter the cost."

"And now that Hong Fa Wu's running ZAFT, you can expect him to take some action against you and the Fleet. Especially if what I heard you did at Panama is true. He knows you won't blindly follow his orders. And that makes you a threat. I don't need to tell you to be careful. But I will anyway. Be careful.

"There is one other thing I wish to tell you, your little brother is alive and well. He was captured by us before we arrived at JOSH-A, and has been in the ship's brig ever since. Captain Ramius, Captain of the Archangel, will probably soon now that we're in ORB. After they're released, they'll probably find a way to get back to Carpentaria."

"Well... I'm running out of time here. So good bye Diana and make sure nothing happens to my Fleet."

The message ended and the screen went blank. Diana tapped a finger on the desk, thinking. Things were changing. ZAFT was changing. And she didn't like where Wu was trying to take them.


The Kusanagi's Hanger

Athrun stared out at the crews working in the hanger. But his mind was now on the fact of his father was now leading the PLANTs down a dark road and he feared what would happen. He also feared for Lacus, wondering about her safety.

"Athrun."

He looked to see Kira, Aki', Heero, and Chris enter the room. All of them were back in their flightsuits. "Captain Ramius and the others are returning to the Archangel, let's head back too." Kira said.

"Sure."

Just then, the door opened again. They all turned to the door and watched Cagalli enter. "Kira." She said. "There's something we need to talk about."

"We'll give you some privacy." Athrun said as he and Chris turned to leave, but Cagalli stopped them.

"No, please stay."

Both teens glanced at each other, shrugged and nodded. Cagalli passed them and went over to Kira.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

Cagalli gulped and reached into her pocket. "This." she replied, pulling out the photo.

Kira took it as Athrun and Chris came over for a look. Aki' and Heero also peered at the photo. "A woman and her babies? Who is this?"

"Look on the back." Cagalli said.

Kira looked and gasped when he saw the names scribbled on the back.

"My father gave me this just before I boarded the Kusanagi." She explained. "He told me that I wouldn't be alone, that my brother would be with me. But, now that he is on the ship that seems kind of moot."

Kira's eyes widened at the mention of the word 'brother'. Athrun and Chris both glanced back and forth at the photo and their friends. Athrun could suddenly see a resemblance, but he wasn't sure. He opened his mouth to say something. But he found that nothing came out. Chris on the other hand...

"Wait. Let me get this straight. Your father gave you this photo and told you that you'd be with your brother. And your brother is supposed to be Kira. Correct?"

Cagalli nodded.

Chris shook his head. "This is like some bad soap opera." he muttered.

Aki' just sighed in disbelief. Heero just grunted once like he normally did. "Hn."

"What does this all mean?" Cagalli asked, ignoring him. "I don't understand."

"Whatever it may be, this only doesn't tell us anything really." Kira replied.

"But what if this…?" she said. "What does that make me? Who am I really?"

"Dwelling on it won't do any good, Cagalli." Kira said, comforting her. "And it doesn't change the fact the Lord Uzumi was, and still is, your father."

"Kira." She whispered. "I'm just so confused."

"You are still you, Cagalli Yula Attha. It does not make you anyone else. Only you as a person can determine that." Aki' replied.

Heero nodded as well, a small comforting gesture that Cagalli took heart in.

A short time later, she watched as the Freedom, the Justice, the Exia, the Wing, Wing Zero, the Farsight and the Archangel's shuttle exited the hanger. Kira took a glance back at her as she stood in the waiting room.

"Shouldn't you stay with her for now?" Athrun asked.

"No, if I'm with her, she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it." Kira replied. "It'd best if we both had some time to let this sink in."

Of course, he had to admit that he too couldn't stop thinking about this situation. The more he thought about it, the more questions he had.

"It could have been worse." Chris said.

"How so?"

"The two of you could have been well...You know, 'close' when you found out." Chris said with a chuckle.

"Gah! Don't even joke about that!" an annoyed and slightly embarrassed Kira said, which only caused Chris to laugh more.

Aki' also laughed as he flew by in the Wing. "Oh sure. Like you two wouldn't have made babies by then."

That made Kira blush and Heero crack up with laughter, a first anyone had even heard from him.

"Kira, when we get back, do you think Captain Ramius will let me borrow a shuttle?" Athrun asked, changing the conversation.

"Athrun?"

"I need to make a visit to the PLANTs. I need to speak to father and Chairman Wu about a lot of things."

Kira nodded. "I understand."


Washington D.C.

Defense Secretary John Keller looked over the reports on the N-Jammer project. It seemed to be going well, but there were still problems that no one had expected. The fact that NASA now had an N-Jammer had not changed though. They now had an advantage that ZAFT had not counted on.

As the data flowed in from the Great Lakes Naval Base, the defense secretary knew that they were still running on borrowed time as it was. "We need to complete the project before ZAFT attacks again…"

He closed his eyes as he put the paper down on the desk before him. Defense Secretary Keller stood up, walking over to the windows of his office. "What ZAFT can't know is what we have planned. If the project succeeds as planned, then they will have lost their one defense against the missiles we have."

Opening his eyes, the older Natural then walked over to his desk. Opening up a small folder, he took out a sheet of data on N-Jammers that had already been obtained. The data matched that of the current N-Jammer under study. Keller smiled as he looked over the data he had obtained not too long ago.

It seemed to be imminent that NASA would overcome the N-Jammers, and soon would be the undisputed power in the world, both on Earth and in space.

"We need those missiles, and not just for the defense of the PLANTs either. We need them for our own defense as well, because if we have those missiles active once again, then the Earth Forces would be unwilling to pull an attack on us again." He murmured as he looked back out the windows at the sky above the Pentagon.


Lesseps Class, the Ares

ZAFT Victoria Base

A Few Days Later

"Admiral Thule! Incoming enemy contacts! They're mobile suits!"

"Scramble all mobile suits!" Admiral Thule ordered. "Intercept the enemy!"

They had come. Thule knew the Alliance would attack sooner or later. With the loss of Panama, it was inevitable, though their decision to attack ORB had certainly surprised him. He never would have thought that the Alliance would get that desperate. But their attack had allowed them to regroup and gather at the two Mass Drivers they held. Just in case.

The Earth Forces won't find an easy battle. He had made sure of that. And they were prepared if need be, to destroy the Mass Driver rather than have them get their hands on it.

But what had really surprised him was the decision to attack NASA as well. Of all the nations to attack, the Earth Forces had chosen the one that had happened to be the most powerful on the whole planet as well as in space! Of course, NASA had, as expected for ones of their strength and caliber, driven the attacking Alliance forces back, though not without losses. Still, only one Mass Driver remained in Natural hands, and thankfully it was not in Alliance territory.


Spengler Class Carrier, the Enterprise

Waters near the Victoria Base

Clotho, Martin, Orga and Shani silently powered up their machines.

"Now remember boys, don't fail this time." Azrael said over the comm.

The four Extended pilots simply nodded. They weren't going to fail again. They couldn't afford to. Moments later, they took off, heading for Victoria.

A group of BuCUEs fired at a squad of advancing Strike Daggers. Some of the Daggers fell, but most remained standing. "Come on!" the ZAFT squad leader shouted. "Let's show these Naturals who is bet-"

A beam tore through the BuCUE. The Massacre landed in front of the rest of the BuCUEs. Martin roared as he fired off missiles and beams at the remaining BuCUEs, destroying them. The Dagger pilots let out a cheer. "See that men! That's how you deal with those damn Coordinators." an Earth Forces lieutenant said.

But Martin was already gone, searching for more opponents.

Elsewhere, a wing of DINNs fired on Raider. But their bullets did nothing to the Raider's Trans Phase Armor. "Pests! You're all going down!" Clotho shouted, firing his railgun and beam cannon.

The beams and slugs made quick work of the ZAFT mobile suits.

A group of ZuOOTs fired on a trio of Daggers, destroying them. But out of the smoke, a trio of beams flew out, hitting one of the mobile suits. The Calamity emerged from the smoke. "What the hell is that?" one ZAFT pilot shouted.

"Who cares? Destroy it!"

Suddenly, Orga fired his bazooka and shield cannon at the ZuOOTs as they tried to fire back. Those ZuOOTs that survived managed to inflict no damage to the Calamity. "Sorry. That's not good enough!" Orga shouted before finishing them off.

The Forbidden sliced through a GINN as other GINNs fruitless fired their rifles at it. A CGUE fired its beam rifle, hoping that he could destroy the Forbidden with it. But Shani lowered his shields, deflecting the beams into a GINN. The CGUE pilot was stunned by the sight of his beams hitting a comrade. Shani laughed as he fired his railguns at the CGUE.

The Alliance was winning. The remaining ZAFT Forces couldn't hold the base for much longer, especially against those four new machines. They were just too powerful. There was only one option left for them. "Activate the bombs!" Thule ordered. "Destroy the Mass Driver!"

An officer nodded, keying in the first half of the self-destruct code for the Mass Driver. Thule typed in the second half of the code. "You may take Victoria. But like ORB, it will be a hollow victory!" he said, hitting the execute button...

...But nothing happened. The bombs on the Mass Driver didn't go off. Thule slammed his fist into the console in frustration. A commando team must have infiltrated the base ahead of the main attack force and disabled the bombs. There was no other explanation why the bombs hadn't detonated.

"All remaining mobile suits are to fire on the Mass Driver! We can't let the Alliance have it!"

But as if on cue, those four powerful mobile suits descended on the Mass Driver.


"You heard the order!" a CGUE pilot said. "We can't let the Mass Driver fall in their-"

A beam tore through the CGUE, silencing the pilot. The remaining pilots looked up. The Calamity was descending on the group. "Come on! We can't let that thing be destroyed!" Orga shouted, firing on the GINNs.

A trio of BuCUEs fired off a barrage of missiles at the Mass Driver. But all of the missiles were shot out of the air by a barrage of beams and bullets. Martin turned to the mobile suits. "I'm not going back there! I hate it there! So die!" he roared, targeting the BuCUEs.

A pair of GINNs, armed with Barrus heavy particle cannons, fired their weapons at the Mass Driver. But before they could hit their target, the Forbidden appeared and deflected the beams away from the Mass Driver.

"Not happening." he said, firing his railguns at the GINNs.

A group of DINNs soared down towards the Mass Driver and fired off their missiles. Suddenly, the Raider appeared, swinging its heavy hammer in a circle in front of it. The missiles hit the Raider's makeshift shield and exploded. "Up! Down!" Clotho shouted, firing his Zorn cannon twice, destroying two of the DINNs.

"Left!" His hammer destroyed another.

"Right!" His railgun shot the fourth DINN from the sky.

"A! B!" The beam cannon and railgun finished the final two off.

But Clotho didn't gloat over his victory. Instead, before the remains of the final DINNs hit the ground, he was off, attacking other ZAFT mobile suits that dared to threaten the Mass Driver. The four Extendeds fought fiercely like they had no tomorrow, which, if they failed, was true.


Thule gritted his teeth. The Mass Driver was theirs now. There was nothing he could do to change that today. "Sound the retreat!" he ordered. "The Ares, the Michael Edwards and the Taurus will cover the retreat!"

"But Admiral-"

"Silence, Brunt! We need to preserve the lives of as many ZAFT soldiers as we can!"

Several squads of Strike Daggers had now joined the four Earth Forces prototypes at the Mass Driver. Azrael's voice came over the comm. "Good work boys. The Strike Daggers will protect the Mass Driver now. But we can't let all of those Coordinators escape. Destroy them."

The four of them grinned as they took off for the core of the retreating ZAFT forces. The work was over. Now it was time some fun.

"Admiral! Those four machines are approaching!"

"All mobile suits! All batteries! Open fire on them!" Thule shouted. "Shoot them down!"

The guns of the Lesseps class, its two Petrie class escorts and the nearby mobile suits opened fire on the four. But the Extended pilots effortless dodged or blocked the worst of the shots and fired back. DINNs in the air were blown out of the sky. GINNs, BuCUEs and ZuOOTs on the ground were bombarded by their various weapons. "These guys are no fun." Shani complained.

"Who cares?" Clotho said as they continued towards the three land battleships. "They die all the same."

Martin mowed down more GINNs when his beam Gatling guns ran out of power. He discarded them, drawing his beam sabers. The Massacre landed on the Taurus's main cannon, crushing it. The Taurus's bridge crew watched in horror as the Massacre turned towards the bridge. He swung his sabers down, slicing through the bridge tower. Martin laughed as he continued his assault, his sabers tearing into the ship's hull.

"Admiral! The Taurus is dead!"

"Admiral! We must fall back!" Brunt shouted.

"No. Not until the others have retreated safely." Thule said. "We may have lost Victoria, but I will not leave until every soldier that can escape, has escaped!"

Suddenly, the Calamity jumped off the Raider, landing on the hull of the Rook. Orga aimed his energy bazooka at the bridge of the Rook. Brunt let out a scream and tried to run. But it was pointless. Thule knew that. They were already dead. The Calamity fired. "LONG LIVE ZAFT!" Thule defiantly shouted as the light reached them.


A Few Hours Later

Though Thule's dying efforts saved many ZAFT soldiers, many more of the soldiers had been unable to escape. And the Alliance soldiers were more than willing to emulate the actions of many ZAFT soldiers during the Panama attack.

Alliance personal were already cleaning up the base and preparing for its first launch under the Earth Alliance's control. A jeep passed by the crew rushing to complete their work on time. Inside the jeep were Azrael and Captain Sutherland. Azrael was pleased, very pleased. The Biological CPUs had finally proven their worth. And not only that, the Alliance had finally broken ZAFT's mobile suit supremacy. Everything was finally starting to slide into place.

"Well, I have to say that was quite an impressive victory, Captain Sutherland." Azrael said, complementing the commander of the attack on Victoria.

"It was the Strike Daggers and those four new machines of yours that won us this victory." Sutherland replied.

"Yes. Though I was quite worried that they weren't up to par after what happened to ORB."

"Indeed. I think the only reasons we had any difficulties at ORB was because of those unexpected machines you told me about."

Azrael nodded. "Considering we attacked them with the Calamity, the Forbidden, the Massacre, and the Riader, I never expected to have that much difficulty. ORB is truly a wicked nation. I wonder what they could have been thinking."

"Although two of those machines, not counting that Heero Yuy's machine, were unlike anything we had ever seen. They seemed to emit jamming particles of some kind. That really messed up our sensors during the fight for ORB. Luckily we were able to fight by sight alone, so that helped to hide the fact we were disabled."

Azrael nodded again. That one fact was what disturbed him greatly. Even now, the Alliance had no idea what those particles were. If anyone, the PLANTs, or even, hell forbid, NASA, figured out how to harness those particles, then the Earth Forces would be defeated, and not just in words either…

"They probably thought that if they could played their cards right, they'd be sitting pretty. What a disgusting nation." Sutherland said. "I understand that a lot of their technology came from the PLANTs. Actually, now that I've had some time to think about it, it's possible that those two machines were made by ZAFT."

Azrael watched as the Raider, the Calamity, the Massacre and the Forbidden were loaded on the cargo ship that would soon take them to the Ptolemaeus Crater Base on the Moon. "In either case, we'll need to do something about them. Perhaps even acquire one of them." he said as the jeep came to a stop.

"So that's why you're going into space." Sutherland commented.

Azrael stepped out of the vehicle. "Yes. After seeing them in action, I can't help but wonder. Could those four machines be nuclear powered?"

"You can't be serious." a stunned Sutherland said.

"I don't have any proof at the moment, but that much power isn't possible with current battery technology."

The two walked through the Mass Driver control building, heading for their shuttle. "Well, the Coordinators did develop the N-Jammers in first place." Sutherland said, thinking over the idea. "So it is possible that they could have developed a way to cancel out their effects. But if that were true, there could be serious consequences for us."

"Do you doubt me, the Director of the Atlantic National Defense Conglomerate?" Azrael asked as they reached the shuttle boarding ramp.

"No. Of course not." Sutherland quickly replied.

"Remember, we are the weaker creature here." Azrael explained. "In order to ensure our safety, we must keep the beast with fangs caged or on a lease."

"Yes. We can't let them run wild in space, even if we were the ones who created them in the first place."

"I'll go and take care of them." Azrael said as they boarded the ship. "Permanently."


Archangel

Liz floated over to Nisha, who was resting in the pilot's lounge of the ship. "Hey."

"Hey."

She looked unsure of what to say, as her face was slightly hot. "So…um…your cousin returned?"

"Yeah, he did." Nisha replied. "And from what he told me, ZAFT was the reason he defected, well, one of the reasons anyway."

"Really?"

Nisha just looked at her, his hands still behind his head. "It's not that simple Liz. He did not defect just like that. Aki' actually had to think about it."

"I know it's not that easy. We defected from the Earth Alliance, remember?"

"Yeah, but that was different. Aki' had to choose between revenge for his sister, fighting for the Coordinator 'homeland', and getting justice for his family. It was not easy."

Liz just looked down again. "It's just that, well…he is a former ZAFT pilot. How can NAZAFT trust that he will not try to kill the inhabitants of the colony New Juneau?"

Nisha sat up. "Liz, NAZAFT is considered one of the best military groups to join, and not just anyone can join it. They have to either be U.S. citizens; genetic type does not matter; they have to go through an academy based in the colony, or they have to be chosen by the NAZAFT leader to be a member. The first two are the real reasons why many are able to join, and the last one, while it does occur, it is very rare, and it is considered an honor to join, mainly if the person is from ZAFT. American citizens will not attack the colony, and the cadets in the academy learn what it means to be a member of NAZAFT. ZAFT pilots, well, they need to be from the U.S. by birth, or be of excellent character, which rarely happens. Aki' is a U.S. citizen by birth. That is why he was allowed to join NAZAFT."

Liz nodded in understanding at the explanation. "I see now. So that's it."

"Yeah. That's it."


New Juneau

"So, you wish to defect from ZAFT?" the NAZAFT commander asked. The trio of ZAFT officers before her all nodded.

"Yes, we do." Tao replied, although she knew that the chances of her other two crew members getting in were slim. Heidi was too aggressive, and Commander Wolfe was not from NASA by birth.

The NAZAFT commander put her head on her hands, regarding the three with a calculating stare. "You three are of the 7th Fleet, am I right?"

"Yes ma'am." Commander Wolfe replied.

Calm eyes looked over the three before her. Two of them were citizens of NASA, one by birth, one by naturalization. Another was a citizen of the PLANTs, so that meant that she would have to renounce her PLANT citizenship and become a U.S. citizen within two years if she was to avoid being tried as a war criminal.

"Two of you are already American citizens right?" Tao and Heidi nodded at the question.

"Then you have nothing to fear in terms of being tried and convicted as war criminals." The NAZAFT commander then faced Commander Wolfe. "As for you, you will have to renounce your PLANT citizenship and become a U.S. citizen within two years in order for you to be protected from the same fate. Are you sure you want to do that?"

Commander Wolfe looked unsure, but she still nodded her head in response.

"Then it is settled. You all are now NAZAFT officers."

"Tao White, as of right now, you are given the rank of Commander. You will be in charge of the newly formed squadron as soon as it is put into operation."

"Heidi Matthews, you are now a Colonel in NAZAFT. You will be assigned to Tao's unit once it is activated."

"Araiya Wolfe, you are given the rank of Lieutenant, so you will be in charge of your own ship which will be a part of Tao's unit once it is activated."

"Is that understood?"

Every one of the former ZAFT pilots before the NAZAFT commander saluted, using the United States military salute.

"Welcome back."


Kira and Cagalli find out they are twins, just as ZAFT loses control of Panama's Mass Driver. At the same time, NASA gains new allies in the form of the 7th Fleet. But what awaits now? Read on to find out! :3 Flames, AKA, hate filled/spamming reviews, will be deleted AND/OR reported depending on if they are signed or not. Anyway, read and review! ^^