New chapter is up is up! Note: I do not own Chris, Liz, or Johanna Dante, Ian, Saul, or Diana Kessel, John Alaric, the 11th Fleet, Treize Zabiarov, Gyunei Ridden, Reccoa Schnieder, or the machines listed for the remaining members of the Le Creuset team, as they are Akatsuki_Leader13's and are used with his permission as such. I also do not own Xander Alexis, as he belongs to Mordalfus Grae. Nor do I own Matrin Nightengale, as he is Meteorthunder3's OC. Jack Carson and the Defender Gundams are property of CT7567Rules and not mine. I only own Tao White, Akira, Nishikama, Nisha and Taikyu Itsuno, President Marie Hilson, Gai Tatsuni, NASA/NAZAFT, the Presidential Murasame, the Raptor, the Dax, Wing, Traverse, and Z.A.M. Gundams, and the colony of New Juneau.

reverse-read: Here you go~. :3

CT7567Rules: Next chapter is the debut of the Defender Gundam~ :3 And you will like how the investigation goes. :3

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KentLinuxStadfelt: Here is the next chapter. :3

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Cosmic Era 72. One and half years of grim war between Earth and PLANTs ended following the space battle at Jachin Due. The two sides forged a peace treaty amid the ruins of Junius Seven. A place of unprecedented tragedy during the war. The former enemies pledged themselves to work for mutual understanding and to make every effort possible to maintain peace. As a result, the world once more on the path of stability.


Phase Twelve: Blood in the Water

Undisclosed location

A large plane flew over the location of the old UN buildings. The main building was below. Vice-President Young sighed. He could see the old complex was overgrown with plants and other vegetation, but that wasn't why he was there. No, he was there to get an idea of where President Hilson and Prime Minister Warson could enter the building without getting shot and killed.

So far, he could see only one place, and that was the rooftop entrance. Either that, or the interior tunnels could be used as well.

He smirked to himself at the idea of infiltrating the complex. It would be amusing to say the least. If the UN leaders still inside could see they were not impenetrable, then things could turn against them. The world would see they were not so invulnerable anymore.

As Air Force One flew away from the complex, President Gonzalez entered the room where the VP was staying. "So, anything of use?" Vice-President Young asked as his partner in the plan nodded.

"Si. It appears the roof is unguarded for us to use. However, the tunnels are also another option, but I would refrain from using said tunnels unless the roof is guarded. That leaves us with just a few options to get in." Gonzalez replied as he sat down.

"I see. Anything that you can come up we can use to get in with using your intelligence background?" The NASA VP asked as the Mexican leader began to think.

"I believe it would be beneficial to go with the roof as an option to get in. However, that would expose them to getting shot down. Still, if either leader went down and managed to land alive, then they would be a threat to the neutrality phase." Gonzalez replied as Young nodded.

"Agreed. Anyway, it appears Operation Reclaimer may be a success, based on data we are seeing so far." The American leader noted as Gonzalez nodded.

"So I hear. Once it gets done, we can proceed as planned."

"Agreed."


The Minerva's Hanger

Heero ran with the other Minerva pilots to the hanger and got into the Mobile Suits. As Heero got into Wing Zero, the cockpit closed up right away as the machine powered up. "Meyrin, what are we dealing with?"

"At least six carriers, and two dozen other battleships and cruisers."

Needless to say, it wasn't good news. 'Damn… This is going to be tough. Very tough. But not tough enough to defeat me.' Heero thought.

"Alright everyone. Shinn and I will launch first and engage the enemy. Rey, Luna, you'll launch next and defend the ship." Heero said to the ZAFT pilots as he was lowered onto the catapult.

The Minerva's small central catapult opened. The Core Splendor fighter was loaded into the catapult. "Shinn Asuka. Core Splendor launching."

At the same time, the Minerva's port catapult opened. Wing Zero was loaded on as well.

The catapults activated, launching the fighter and the legendary machine into the air. The Chest, Leg and Force Silhouette Flyers were quickly launched after the Core Splendor. The fighter and its Flyers then assembled themselves into the Force Impulse while Wing Zero turned into its Mobile Suit form

The starboard catapult opened up and a white ZAKU Phantom emerged as a maroon ZAKU Warrior appeared in the port catapult. Rey and Luna took up positions on the upper decks of the ship, their ZAKUs equipped with Gunner Packs while the guns of the Minerva deployed.

The Alliance fleet began deploying their Windams and unleashed their opening salvo. Jets of water shot up around the Minerva while the ship's CIWSs and mobile suits shot down the missiles heading for them as the Windams advanced. Both Shinn and Heero were already heading towards the Earth Forces mobile suits as the Minerva fired its own salvo at the Alliance ships. A handful of missiles managed to hit their targets, striking several Arkansas-class and Des Moines-class cruisers, damaging while a lucky shot from the Isolde triple cannon tore through the front of Des Moines-class, sinking it.

The Windams fired on Heero and Shinn, forcing them take evasive actions as they fired back. The Berserker of JOSH-A easily shot down one Windam with the Buster rifle and severed the right arm of another while Shinn destroyed one and nicked the wing of the Jet Striker of another, sending it crashing into a nearby comrade. However, they were still outnumbered by dozens and dozens of Windams. More and more, they found themselves focusing more on evading the combined firepower of the Windams and less on shooting the Earth mobile suits down.

As they battled in skies overhead, other Windams and naval ships continued the assault on the Minerva. A wing of Alliance mobile suits swooped down on the warship, firing on the warship as its CIWS guns and mobile suits fired back. Two Windams were taken out before they could fire, but the other three managed to land successful hits on the Minerva, damaging its hull. A third was hit by Rey while a fourth was torn apart by a hail of bullets from two CIWS guns, a large chuck of its ruined body colliding with the Minerva. The final machine raced past the ZAFT warship, but was struck down from behind by Luna.

A pair of Des Moines-class cruisers advanced towards the Minerva's portside, firing their cannons and missiles at the ship. Rey then turned and fired at their attackers. The first shot of his cannon pierced the forward magazine of the cruiser, causing it to explode, tearing the ship in two. Rey's second and third shots hit the other cruiser's forward cannon and bridge, disabling the vessel. But both ships had managed to launch a spread of missiles and fired off a few shells before Rey took them out. Though the combined fire of the CIWSs and the GuAIZ Rs destroyed a fair amount of the missiles, there was just too many. Small explosions blossomed across the Minerva's hull as the missiles and shells hit their targets. The two mobile suits on top of the Minerva braced themselves as the ship shook from the impacts.

Shinn swore as he fought off a pair of Windams. "They just don't stop coming!"

"I know. But we have no choice. We either break through these guys…or we don't make it at all." Heero grimly replied.


ORB Aegis-Class Battleship, Kobayashi

Captain Todaka and his officers watched the battle between the Minerva and the Earth Forces from the edge of ORB waters. All of them wished to help the Minerva, but their orders were clear. Unless any of them entered ORB territory, they couldn't take any action. "They want us to side with the army that invaded us and to leave the ship that fought heroically to save Earth in face of an overwhelming foe." the Captain bitterly said. "I believe the appropriate word here is 'ungrateful'."

Many of his fellow officers nodded their heads in agreement. Like it or not, there was nothing they could do for the Minerva.


The crew and pilots of the Minerva were fighting valiantly, but they badly outnumbered. The Minerva had taken a pounding. Its hull was breached in numerous places, five of its CIWS turrets had been destroyed or damaged and massive plume of smoke was rising from the damaged ship.

In the skies above, Shinn roared as he raced through a formation of Windams, running his beam saber through many of them. Heero flew in front of a formation of Windams and fired the Twin Buster Rifle, taking them out with ease. He suddenly spun around, using his beam saber and slashing through a Windam that had tried to sneak up on him. Like Shinn, he took off towards an approaching formation of Windams. Some he shot down with his rifle and others he sliced apart with his beam saber. Wreckage fell into the waters below.

Suddenly, a missile struck the upper deck of the Minerva, a few feet from Luna's ZAKU. Luna screamed as the fireball knocked her ZAKU to the ground. A Windam saw this and aimed at the fallen maroon-colored ZAKU. He fired, a beam raced towards Luna. But before it could hit her, a golden beam appeared in its path, taking the shot, sparing Luna. "Are you alright?" Heero asked as Luna got up.

"Yeah. Thanks." Luna answered.

"Hn."

Rey fired at more approaching Windams.

More Windams fell, but the Minerva took more hits as well. None of them said it, but they all knew that if things didn't dramatically change soon, they weren't going to make it.


Earth Alliance Spengler-Class Carrier, Powell

Captain Oswald smirked as the ZAFT warship took more hits. "It may be a powerful ship, but even it can't last against such numbers." he said.

"Sir, the Walker is reporting that they're being pushed back the ZAFT forces." the comm officer reported.

Oswald scowled. "Those incompetent idiots!" He turned to one of his subordinates. "Deploy the Zamza-Zah. We'll crush that ship with it, then head back and crush the ZAFT forces at Carpentaria."

"Aye sir." the officer replied, moving to carry out his order.

"People always go on about mobile suits and how great they are. But we proved them wrong at Carpentaria." Oswald commented. "It's the next-generation mobile armors like the Zamza-Zah that are the future of our forces."

A hatch on the forward deck of the Powell opened. A lift rose up, revealing a large crab-like mobile armor. The Zamza-Zah. It rose up, leaving the carrier and heading for the Minerva.


The Minerva

"Captain! Large unknown object approaching!" Burt called out.

"Do you have it on visual?" Talia asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Bringing it up now."

The large mobile armor appeared on the main screen. Talia gritted her teeth. A new unit, something undoubtedly powerful. They had to take it out before it reached them. "Prepare to fire the Tannhauser." she ordered.

"But Captain-" Arthur started.

But Talia cut him off. "I know. Carry out the order."

They all knew the environmental damage their main cannon would to the planet. But they had little choice. Fortunately, a single shot wouldn't cause too much damage. Just so long as they didn't make it a habit.

Arthur nodded. "Aye, aye, Captain."

As the Minerva's positron cannon emerged from the ship's bow and began charging, the Zamza-Zah shift its position, raising its backside up, giving the Minerva a larger target as the tips of its three fins started to glow. The Tannhauser fired as an energy shield form in front of the Zamza-Zah. The beam slammed into the mobile armor's shield, pushing it back. Several nearby Alliance ships were caught by the edge of the beam and either heavily damaged or destroyed, but not the Zamza-Zah. The mobile armor survived the attack head on and without a scratch, stunning the ZAFT pilots and crew as it continued to approach the ship.

"No way…" Shinn said in disbelief.

"So, they had a new model mobile armor…" Heero noted with anger. "We have to take that thing out now!"

"How?! That thing just survived a hit from the Tannhauser!" Luna shouted, panicking a little.

"We attack from behind. Shinn, you're with me."

Wing Zero and the Impulse raced towards the Zamza-Zah as it aimed its two forward Gamzatov cannons at the Minerva. "The shield only protects the top…" Heero noted as he saw the rear as exposed. "We attack from the rear! Left side is yours, right is mine!"

The machines split apart, Heero heading for the Zamza-Zah's right side while Shinn headed for its left. But the Zamza-Zah's rear legs pivoted, aiming its other two cannons and firing. Both ZAFT pilots pulled back, narrowly missing the beams. The Zamza-Zah then extended its Vasiliev crusher claws and turned towards Wing Zero and lunged at it. Heero moved Wing Zero underneath the claws, but just barely.

Shinn rushed towards the Zamza-Zah, seeking to help Heero. But the mobile armor spun around and swung its claws down as he reached it. Shinn dove to the left, evading the claws. Shinn and Heero started firing on the Zamza-Zah as it chased them, but the beams and bullets harmlessly bounced off the Zamza-Zah's positron reflector shield.


ORB Military Headquarters

"Amazing…" Yuna said as they watched the battle play out. "To think that it could deflect a shot from a positron cannon."

The ZAFT ship and its mobile suits were putting up heroic, but ultimately futile attempt against the Alliance. It would only be a matter of time before the numbers of the Earth Forces would overwhelm them and destroy them.

"What's going on here?" Cagalli asked as she entered the room.

Yuna nodded to her in greeting. "Cagalli."

Cagalli stared at the screens displaying the battle raging just outside ORB waters for a moment. "Yuna, what's the meaning of this? Is the Minerva battling the Earth Forces?"

"Yes. You are correct." Yuna answered. "They're right outside our border."

"They're facing such a huge fleet…"

"There's nothing to worry about Cagalli. We have a fleet sitting at our border just in case any of them try to cross into ORB territory. Though it's unlikely that will happen." Yuna nonchalantly replied. "But if it does, we'll be ready to stop them."

Cagalli couldn't stand it anymore. The Minerva and its crew had been instrumental in saving the whole planet from the fall of Junius Seven by helping to set up the Data Probes for NASA. "You're going to keep the Minerva out of our waters? They won't have anywhere to run at this rate!"

"But isn't that ORB's rule?" Yuna asked. "Although it hasn't been officially signed yet, we have decided to go ahead and forge the alliance with the AEU. Even you should be able to understand what sort of stance we should take now."

Cagalli was horrified. "But that ship-"

"That is a ZAFT warship, and ZAFT is an enemy of the AEU, whom we're about to become allies with."

"But you can't-"

"This country isn't your plaything!" Yuna angrily snapped, cutting Cagalli off. "Will you stop making decisions based on how you feel?!"

Cagalli then socked Yuna in the stomach. "YOU shut up! This nation is not YOUR plaything! Either you let them back in now, or I WILL have you removed from power, courtesy of my father!" she shouted back. "Oh, and just so you know, NASA was the one who took down Junius Seven! And they are an enemy of the AEU as well. So you have effectively tried to make us enemies of NASA, who I might add, can easily invade us without a second thought if they choose to. How would you like to face them down in battle? Besides, you can't overrule the Attha Family's Ruling once it is in effect!"

Yuna gulped. How could he have forgotten that damn ruling?!


"Shinn! Look out!" Luna shouted.

The Zamza-Zah grabbed the Impulse's ankle and squeezed. The Impulse's battery dropped to zero, its phase shift armor deactivated and its ankle shattered under the pressure. The Impulse fell towards the ocean.

Images flashed through Shinn's mind as he fell, the death of his mother, the battles at Armory One and the Debris Field, the events of Break the World and finally visiting the memorial at ORB. 'I won't…I won't let it end like this!'

A crimson seed exploded in Shinn's mind. The Zamza-Zah aimed all four of its leg cannons at the falling Impulse and fired. Shinn pushed the Impulse's thruster to max, pulling away from the beams. "Minerva, fire the Deuterion Beam and prepare to launch the Leg Flyer and Sword Silhouette." he said as he raced towards the Minerva.

"Roger." Meyrin replied as the Impulse neared the ship. "Deuterion Chamber, standby. Targeting and tracking systems have locked onto the Impulse. Deuterion Beam activate!"

The Minerva's Deuterion Beam Emitter fired as the Impulse stopped before the ship. The beam shot out, hitting the crest on the Impulse's forehead. The mobile suit's power level sharply rose until it was fully replenished. The Impulse's phase shift armor reactivated. Shinn drew one of his beam sabers and raced towards the Zamza-Zah. The mobile armor fired one of its leg cannons. Shinn blocked it with his shield, destroying it but sparing the rest of the mobile suit. Before the Zamza-Zah's pilot and gunners could react, Shinn drove his saber into the mobile armor's cockpit. Explosions tore through the front of the Zamza-Zah. The dying mobile armor fell into the sea and exploded.

"Launch the Silhouette!" Shinn ordered.

A moment later, a spare Leg Flyer and the Sword Silhouette were launched. Shinn detached the Impulse's Force Silhouette and damaged legs and then attached the second Leg Flyer and Sword Silhouette.

But Shinn didn't stop there. He headed for the Alliance fleet, destroying any Windams that crossed his path with ease. He landed on forward deck of a Des Moines-class and ran his swords through the ship's hull, main cannon and bridge before jumping to another ship, an Arkansas-class. He sliced into the ship's forward missile batteries, detonating the missiles inside the batteries. Explosions tore through the ship's forward hull. But again, Shinn didn't stick around. He leaped to another ship and started all over again.

In a matter of two minutes, Shinn had devastated much of the Alliance fleet's forward line. Almost a dozen ships were left burning and sinking in his path as Shinn continued on.

The Impulse landed on the Powell's deck, near the bridge tower. Shinn roared as he brought the combined Excalibur swords through the tower. The top of the bridge slid off the tower, crashing into the deck of the ship, erupting into flames.

Everyone watched on in disbelief. From the surviving Alliance soldiers to the crew of the Minerva to ORB personnel watching both from the fleet and ORB Military HQ, no one could believe what had happened. With the loss of the Zamza-Zah and the flagship, the surviving Alliance ships were full retreat. Shinn had single-handedly turned the tide of the whole battle.

Luna watched the Impulse with concern. "Shinn…"

"Unbelievable…" Heero said, just as stunned as everyone else.

"Shinn actually has some skill after all." Rey nonchalantly added.


ORB Military Headquarters

"Now look at what you have done!" Cagalli snarled as she pointed at the sinking ships on the monitor. "All those lives have been lost, because of YOUR actions, Yuna! How can you sleep at night?!"

Yuna stared at the now angered representative. "I… We… Well…"

"Forget it!" Cagalli snapped back as she turned to leave. "You're not worth my time."

She left, leaving a stunned Yuna behind. He was not worth her time? How could that be…?


Carpentaria

A Few Hours Later

It had been long and bloody, but ZAFT had won the battle. The Earth Alliance forces had been routed and forced to retreat, and Carpentaria was once again under ZAFT control. Many of the ZAFT forces were already starting repair operations on the base as well as repairing and resupplying their mobile suits in case of a retaliatory strike.

Nicol lifted a bottle of water to his lips and downed the contents in a single gulp. "Man… It's been a long since I've been to Earth. Not since the last war. Of course, it takes another war to get me down here again." Saul mused as he drank his own water bottle. "I should really try visit when things aren't so messy."

"Same here." Nicol replied, staring out at the ocean. "I've been meaning to visit ORB for months now, but then this all happened. So I guess I won't be seeing ORB any time soon."

"Let's hope that we don't see ORB any time soon." Dearka said, approaching the pair. "The last time we were there, it was burning."

Saul nodded. "Yeah. That's something I don't want to see again."

"Speaking of ORB how's Miriallia, Dearka?" Nicol asked.

"I don't know." Dearka admitted. "She was fine the last time we talked."

Nicol stared at Dearka for a moment, mulling things over. "You broke up with her, didn't you?" he finally said.

Dearka instantly blushed in embarrassment. "Er… Ah… I…"

"I told you, long distance relationships don't work. You should have just moved to ORB instead of staying in the PLANTs." Saul said.

Embarrassment quickly turned into annoyance. "Hey! I don't need dating advice from a guy who's never gone on a date."

"I have a girlfriend!" Saul shot back.

"Yeah right." Dearka sarcastically replied.

"No. It's true. A month ago, he took her to one of my concerts and we had coffee afterwards." Nicol said, confirming Saul's words.

"No way. You're pulling my leg."

"Naomi's real." Saul said. "She's an intern working at IDB with me. And we've been on several dates before this mess happened."

Nicol glanced out at sea. The Minerva was approaching the base. It looked like it had gone through one hell of a battle, but it had made it to Carpentaria.

"There's the Minerva. Our next assignment." Nicol said, changing the subject.

"It certainly looks impressive, but it's no Archangel." Dearka commented.

"That's for sure." Saul added.


Gibraltar

Like Carpentaria, ZAFT's attack had succeeded, driving the Earth Alliance forces from the base and now the cleanup and repair efforts were starting. Within a week, Gibraltar would be functional again. However, it would be longer until it was up to its original status.

Harr climbed down from his ZAKU and pulled off his helmet, letting the cool night air brush across his sweat soaked face, revealing his slicked back dirty blond hair and gray eyes. "Whew… Feel that nice evening breeze." Heine said as he approached Harr. "The artificial climates of the PLANTs just don't do it justice."

Harr grinned and nodded. "Yeah."

"You're first time on Earth?"

"Yeah." Harr admitted.

"Same here. While I fought in the later months of the last war, it was all in space." Heine commented. "Though the Commander did fight on Earth during the war."

Harr glanced down Gibraltar's main runway. Lying at the end of the runway was the burning remains of the Zamza-Zah. Standing before it was the green ZAKU Phantom of their commander with the flashing strobes revealing the location of the concealed NAZAFT ship. It amazed Harr that NAZAFT had managed to take that thing down. "What do you know about the Commander?"

"Not much. He doesn't like to talk about himself so it's next to impossible to learn anything about him." the Red Coat replied. "They say he was an ace in the last war and fought at Jachin Due. But I also heard that the war changed him, that he couldn't find peace after the war ended and for time, traveled across the PLANTs, the Moon and Earth."

"Why?"

Heine shrugged. "Don't know and he's never said why."

"My past is of no concern to you." the Commander said, startling the two.

Harr and Heine turned to their commanding officer, clad in his red and black flightsuit, the FAITH emblem standing out against the darker colors.

"Sorry sir, but you were amazing back there. I didn't think a single you could defeat that many enemy units." Harr said.

"Battles aren't won on the strength of a mobile suit alone. A weak pilot is a weak pilot even in the strongest of mobile suits and a strong pilot is still a strong pilot in a weak mobile suit." the Commander replied. "Those enemies were powerful but the pilots were unskilled, barely a challenge for a warrior like myself." He turned to Heine. "I assume the command center has been retaken."

Heine nodded.

"Good. I'll be there. See to it that our machines are resupplied. I don't want to take any chances." the Commander said, walking away from the pair.

Once the Commander was beyond hearing range, Harr asked, "Is he always like that?"

"Pretty much." Heine casually answered. "He takes all that warrior stuff very seriously."


Aprilius One

Athrun zipped up the red coat of his uniform and buttoned up the front of his coat. Meer smiled and clapped as Chairman Durandal approached him with a small case in his hands. "Here. Take this." the Chairman said.

Inside the case was a FAITH emblem. Athrun was stunned. "That's a…"

"Yes. I don't want to be placed within the normal chain of command and I'm sure that it would be troublesome for you as well." Durandal explained. "Making you a member of FAITH will make things more convenient for both of us. Although the members of FAITH are supposed to pledge their allegiance solely to the Chairman, you can just pledge your allegiance to your beliefs and convictions."

Athrun was at a loss for words. "Chairman Durandal, I…"

"You're a person who can follow what you believe, never wavering, and fight when necessary."

But Athrun wasn't quite so sure of that. "I'd like to believe that is true, Chairman…"

"You can. Please, use that power to do what you believe is right." the Chairman said, trying to reassure him. "Use it to bring about peace. Not just for the PLANTs and ZAFT, but for a world where humanity can live as one."

Athrun took the FAITH emblem and pinned to his chest. "Sir."

Durandal smiled briefly. "I'm sure that you're worried about ORB and the position they're taking, but right now I need you to join the Minerva. I have high hopes for that ship. I have the feeling that it could play the same role that Archangel did in the previous war." he said. "I want you to help them achieve greatness."


Djibril's Bunker

To say that Djibril was angry after learning that both Gibraltar and Carpentaria had been recaptured would be an understatement. He was furious. Everything had been going so well. ZAFT had been on the ropes, only few more blows and they would have been finished. But somehow they had managed to turn things around. ZAFT's new warship, the Minerva according to his spies, and its mobile suits had managed to defeat the fleet he had sent to destroy them, and destroyed the Zamza-Zah while ZAFT forces had managed to retake Carpentaria. But what was truly gulling was what happened at Gibraltar. A single machine had destroyed the Zamza-Zah at Gibraltar! It was impossible! The Zamza-Zah was one of the most advanced weapons they had developed. A lone unit shouldn't have been able to destroy it!

Not to mention NASA had been involved in the battle as well. They had managed to take down most of the fleet that had been sent to the base at Gibraltar! That had been most unpleasant indeed…

Djibril slammed his fist on his console in frustration before calling one of his assistants. "Get me Captain Roanoke. Now!"


Carpentaria

Later That Night

Diana Kessel strolled through Carpentaria's command center, only a skeleton crew of trusted officers was with her, manning the command center. The Alliance had already shipped the base's surviving personnel to POW camps by the time of their attack, so at the moment, she, as the senior officer on the base, was in charge until ZAFT sent a new Commander for the base. Though her current responsibilities were little than making sure the base stayed in Alliance hands and to oversee the start of the clean-up and repair operations.

"Ma'am, we're receiving a coded transmission from the Terminal." the man operating the comm station said.

Diana turned to the man, motioning for him to leave the console. "Secure the room. I do not want any unwanted guests showing up." she ordered, taking the man's seat. "This is Diana."

"It's good to hear from you, my former student." came the reply.

Diana instantly stiffened upon hearing the voice. "Sir."

"At ease, Diana. I can hear you saluting all the way from ORB." John replied with a chuckle.

"We're going through with it. The Winter Contingency has been initiated. As we speak, both the Factory and the Enclave are being activated and prepped for production."

"Already? I would have thought Miss Clyne would have waited awhile longer to see how things play out first."

"She wanted to, but then she saw the fake Lacus that Chairman Durandal has. Needless to say, we wished to be prepared for whatever he or the Alliance is planning. Therefore, the Factory and the Enclave are being activated. Both facilities will be working on the GEL Project together while the Factory will be working on the DOM and Trinity Projects, and the Enclave will be working on the Four Horsemen and the Knights Projects."

"That's a lot of projects for them to be working on."

"Not really. Both the Four Horsemen and Knights are just refits on preexisting machines. It's the other projects that are the… Damn!"

"Sir?"

"Can't talk now. Intruders."


USS Bill Clinton

Ensign Lockheed made his way into his room on the carrier. It had been a tough fight, but in the end, ZAFT and NASA had won. The ensign smirked as he recalled seeing quite a few Windam pilots freak out at how fast he could transform his MS between the two forms. "Heh… Those EA pilots are such idiots." He said as his roommate came in. Seaman Bruce Larkins laughed.

"Yeah! The way you turned between MS and Raptor form was something else!" Seaman Larkins replied. Despite his young age of only 18, Derek Lockheed was already an Ensign, which was hard to achieve had he gone the enlisted route. By contrast, Bruce was 20 and he was an enlisted seaman. JROTC had worked in Derek's favor.

Looking back at Derek, Bruce laughed again. "I bet those EA fools thought they were fighting a Coordinator with how well you moved your MS."

Derek waved it off. "I just did what I had to do."

Seaman Larkins looked through the latest news on the SEED and Newtype Factor Study going on and whistled. "It seems the higher-ups have published a list of service personnel with the SEED Factor and Newtype abilities."

"Really?" Derek looked back, surprised. Ever since the President had gone SEED, the United States military had launched a study to see who had the SEED, and who could possibly have Newtype abilities. "That was fast."

"Keep in mind, the study just began a year ago, if not a year and a half ago, so it is not complete as of yet." Bruce said as Derek looked at the list. It showed the service personnel's name, as well as their branch of service, and the unit they were assigned to. Derek looked down the list, only to see his unit. There were a few names, one of which was his, and next to it, a small 's' and 'n'.

"I have both?!" Derek exclaimed, shocked. Seaman Larkins smirked at his crewmate.

"Well, congrats! You have the rarest genetic typing of the whole armed forces!" He joked as he slapped Derek on the back, sending him stumbling forwards slightly.

"Err… I wouldn't say it's the rarest typing." Derek stammered. "I'm just a normal soldier."

"Yes, but with both the SEED and Newtype abilities." Seaman Larkins said. "You lucky dog!"

Derek blushed slightly. He didn't see himself as special. So what if he had both genetic markers? He was just a soldier, not some superhuman. "Bruce…"

Seaman Larkins just laughed heartily. "Just joking!"

Derek sighed. Why was his friend such a lovable idiot?


White House

The president ran a hand through her hair as she closed down the com-line from the Pentagon. The battle had been a success, according to the ship's commander and Defense Secretary Keller. She looked back at the bed where her helmet sat. Frowning, she wondered why NASA was still using those older model flight suits when they had recently found an even more advanced model in storage back at one of the old space center command buildings.

The more advanced flight suits were older true, but they were much more protective than the current models in use. Despite being all white with only a bit of coloring on the whole body, the suits were much more form fitting than the current models. The helmet was more or less lacking padding and the built-in com-system, but that was remedied by the old 'snoopy hats' the old astronauts of the A.D. Era used to wear, even though the helmet had a HUD system that was no longer in use anywhere on Earth. Not to mention the older flight suits could generate power on their own from special hydraulic systems that were smaller than anything currently in use and the older flight suits could also repair themselves if there was ever a small breach in the suit's shell, which it basically was. There were even adhesive boots that could act like a gecko's feet, which was useful in any situation. And instead of using air and extra layering, what was used to keep the person inside the suit safe and alive was mechanical counter-pressure, the exact opposite of the current space suits in use.

The technology used in the older, but more advanced flight suits could easily be replicated, even if it was more expensive, but she knew that the flight suits would pay for themselves in no time. It would mean less flight suits produced after all.

President Hilson sighed, wondering when the flight suit upgrades would be commenced throughout the NASA armed forces. So far, the only people who had the more advanced flight suits were the Raptor pilots. She hoped that would change soon.


Constitution

Akira walked down the halls of the concealed ship, his hands behind his head. The NAZAFT lieutenant was in a world of his own, unaware of his surroundings. Everything he was doing on instinct. The blue coat somehow made his way to the lounge area of the ship, only then becoming aware of where he was.

There were other NAZAFT pilots in the lounge, one of whom was Josh Ajaxi. Like Akira, he was a blue coat, but he was of a lower rank. Other pilots were talking, Josh among them. "Hey guys." Aki' said as he made his way over to the group.

"Hey Aki'." A pilot replied. "Still trying to make sense of yesterday's battle?"

"Yeah." Akira replied as he rubbed his head a bit. "Last battle was tough. I mean, taking out that Mobile Armor was not easy. Especially since it had that shield…"

"Hey, you did it easily. How many can take out a new mobile armor without getting hit?" Josh asked.

Akira just looked down. He knew that Josh was right.

-Flashback-

Akira flew around in the Wing, trying to avoid getting hit. The Zamza-Zah fired wherever he seemed to be though, which was unbelievable. "Damn it!" Aki' snarled as he flew upwards to avoid a beam shot to where his cockpit would have been a few seconds prior to the maneuver.

He had been at it for a good ten minutes now, and the mobile armor had still not backed down from the base. ZAFT units had been falling to the EA unit like flies until he had come in and taken it on. The NAZAFT pilot flew around another beam shot barrage, before he was hit in the leg. The Wing flew back, smoke trailing from the damaged limb.

The Coordinator gritted his teeth before he felt that feeling he had not felt for two years. It was the feeling of survival, of rage, of determination. The Earth Forces were attacking a ZAFT base while the ZAFT officers were attempting to help out the Naturals on Earth! Why did the Earth Alliance not see that?! The small golden seed exploded in his mind as Akira's eyes dilated and became glazed over.

Flying around the front of the Mobile Armor, Aki' was able to see that the back was unguarded. As his fellow NAZAFT pilots engaged the thing from the front, he flew down from the rear, firing his machine's Hellfire mini-missiles. The small yet powerful warheads made contact with the armor, piercing it in a few places. The heat from the other warheads penetrated the inside, causing the circuits and other heat sensitive parts to explode from overheating. This in turn caused the rest of the machine to overheat, and started a chain reaction that claimed the once fearsome Zamza-Zah.

Fire raged as the machine fell to the ground, the pilots dead from the explosions in the cockpit.

-End Flashback-

His teammates might have been proud of him, but he did not feel proud. All he wanted was for the war over the rights of Coordinators to end.


White House

President Hilson lay in bed looking up at the ceiling, wondering if her family was proud of her. Her father, her mother, and her brother… But, unlike the rest of the family, she had been running from her past. Whereas most people would be proud of their heritage, she was not. In fact, she loathed it because of what had happened to her family.

They had been killed because of what they had done. And because of her own near death experience during that day, she was now afraid of dying. Dying the same way her family had, slowly burning to death while bleeding from wounds that did not kill her right away. Closing her eyes, the president turned over in her bed. Hopefully, she would be able to get some sleep without some form of a nightmare…

-Dream-

Mackenzie ran down the halls of her home, frantically searching for her father and her family. The doors were opened ajar, with rooms ransacked. Beds were overturned, drawers were on the floor with contents scattered about. Even tables were thrown against the walls.

"Dad? Mom? Andrew?" she called as she ran into the next room, which was her parents' own bedroom. There was no one there either. Just like the others, it was a real mess. Smelling smoke, Mackenzie felt fear. She ran downstairs, only to see the living room ablaze. And in the center was her family. Her father looked sad, as did her mother and brother.

"How could you?" her father asked, his voice ghostly.

"What? What do you mean?" Mackenzie asked. "You need to get out now!"

"You have shamed the Allen family name." her father said as he looked at her, revealing his transparency to her. Mackenzie gasped as she looked at her other two family members. They too were transparent.

"No! I haven't!" Mackenzie shouted. "I did not shame our family name! I just didn't want to get attacked again!"

"To think I called you my daughter." Her mother said, her voice the same as her husband's.

"I called you my sister and my hero. But you are nothing but a coward." Her brother said as he looked at her in shame.

"No! I am not a coward!" Mackenzie said as she shook her head.

But her family did not listen. "You are not a true Allen. You are nothing but a shame to our family name." the three said as one. The flamed roared forth as pain lanced across her body. Wounds she had received that night were opened up, and she lay on the ground, outside her home for some reason. Before her was a member of Blue Cosmos, aiming his gun at her.

"Time for the last Allen to die!" he sneered before the gun exploded.

Mackenzie screamed as she fell down onto the cold hard ground. Her wounds were gone as she sat up. Before her were the past leaders who had made history.

All of them were behind blurry glass, each looking saddened. Not one of them acknowledged her presence as she tried to get through the glass.

The glass then shattered to reveal Director Azrael. A sneer was on his face. "You really are worthless. No one like you could ever hope to make a difference in this world! All you are is just a worthless insect!" he crowed as he laughed.

Mackenzie shook with fear as she finally curled into a ball, hands over her ears. Tears ran down her cheeks as her eyes squinted shut. "I'm not worthless! I'm not a coward! I'm not a shame to my family! I'm not! I'm not, I'm not, I'm not! Stop it! Just stop! SSSTTTOOOOPPPP!" she cried as she sobbed.

"But you are…" her father's voice said before everything went black…

-End Dream-

President Hilson sat up in bed, sweat running down her face and body. She looked around, the sight of her room a comforting look to see.

Putting her head in her hands, she cried to herself. How could she be such a coward? And what did everyone else think of that?


The next day

Vice-President Young made his way down to the Press Room, plans already in motion. He was more than prepared for this.

As soon as he entered, a smirk was on his face. Time to get to work…

"We are now live with the Vice-President in the Press Room. Mr. Vice-President, would you be willing to explain what you have hinted at for the last few weeks?" A reporter asked as Vice-President Young smiled.

"I'd be more than happy to. You see, in recent light of the Junius Seven drop, the world is in need of aid to help recover. Now, I am aware of what the Earth Forces are doing, but what I would like to announce is the new formation of a treaty similar to the Earth Alliance's, but without the forced entry. Called the International Aid Treaty, or IAT, two of NASA's leaders, President Marie Hilson and Prime Minister Travis Warson, will be going to the AEU to try and gain support for it. Under the IAT, aid will be offered to those nations that are affected the most by the drop of the colony's remains. No one will be required to come to the defense of humanity in this war against the Coordinators, as they were not the ones who dropped the colony remains of Junius Seven. As the President mentioned, the ones behind the drop were just a few Coordinators. The PLANTs tried to break up the drop, not back it up." The Vice-President replied.

"So, the IAT is just an aid treaty?"

"Correct." Vice-President Young replied. "It in no way requires a military presence or military actions against the PLANTs. Military operations are allowed, but they can only be humanitarian in nature. That is the one condition of the IAT. This is just a peaceful aid treaty. Military actions are not under this treaty unless humanitarian efforts are threatened by hostile forces, and even then it is only against the hostile forces, whether they be ZAFT or Earth Alliance forces."

"Do you think the Earth Forces will act out against this IAT in retaliation for attacks on their forces if they try to stop the aid from coming through?" Another reporter asked as the NASA VP sighed.

"It's entirely possible, and we have in fact taken that into consideration. If the Earth Alliance doesn't like that we are allowing military operations against their forces trying to stop aid from coming through, then it's their fault for bringing it on themselves." Vice-President Young said.

Many were watching the Press Conference, a bit surprised by what was being said.

"What do you think the PLANTs will think of this?"

"What the PLANTs think of this is not of our concern. The main priority is getting those nations hit the hardest by the drop aid. That is what the IAT will allow, and what the treaty focuses on." The NASA VP replied. "In light of this, we ask the world to consider accepting aid from us, even if it means swallowing their pride."

"What about the investigation into the Junius Seven Drop?" Another reporter asked.

"The investigation had recently begun to make breakthroughs, and if this continues, we should have it completed in a matter of months." Vice-President Young replied.


Ottawa

Prime Minister Warson looked out his window, the sunlight reflecting off the buildings that were now covered in ice. It was a winter wonderland, but he was not in awe at its beauty.

Rather, his mind was on what had been going on in Africa. The ZAFT forces had been successful in reinforcing their bases, albeit with NASA's help of course, but still, that had to have left the Earth Forces reeling in anger. Therefore, it was a near certainty that NASA would be attacked by the Earth Alliance in the future if they were not careful. Of course, the EA would not do something so stupid after what NASA had done with Junius Seven. They owed their lives to the rival alliance.

It was ironic really. The ones that they hated actually were the ones the AEU owed their lives to, which was something they would refuse to accept. And all because of the Coordinator rights issue between the two groups. NASA's actions would no doubt be filled with controversy, but the effects of what they did would also be remembered for years to come.

The older man sighed. Why was it so hard for the AEU to just accept that NASA had done something that even they had to be thankful for? The AEU was just so stuck up and sure of their way of thinking that even accepting NASA's actions was hard.

Just what was the driving force that made the AEU so sure of their way of life, etc.? He did not know…

His mind wandered to the president, and as such, her plan to bring back the UN. So far, the meetings had been in secret and over the phone, but soon, they would head out to the AEU to begin the treaty talks.

A smirk crossed his face. If the EA wanted to take on NASA, well, they would get the alliance, and then some as well…


Pentagon

John Keller sat in his office with a stack of files before him. An aide who had delivered the files had been insistent that he read the files right away. The Natural grabbed the first file on top and began to read it. It seemed to be a normal file, but then, he began to sweat. His eyes widened as he read down the words before him. It did not seem possible! 'The Extended Project is still in full force?! But I thought we took it apart from the inside out!'

This was going to the president, whether she was ready for her trip or not.


New Juneau

Many techs ran around as the next ship of the refitted Nazca class, the newly named Ontario. The new ship was not stealth-based, but it had thicker armor than most other ships. This gave it well above average endurance.

But one thing that had gone wrong in the refit was the catapult was calibrated at too high a setting for the ship. This made the ship move backwards if it was not moving when mobile suit launches went on. But there was nothing that could be done to correct the new glitch now that the ship's catapult was configured permanently.

The ship commander, Araiya Wolfe, sighed as she looked away from her new command. Her crew was working on trying to get the settings down on the catapult, but it was not going so well. Maybe they could at least lower the catapult's power output a bit to reduce the slide backwards.

She drifted in the observation area, where she could see her ship in the berth. The NAZAFT techs were working hard to get it up and running. Her commander, Tao, was now on Earth while she was in space still. Soon, she would be with her comrades though, and her ship would be unveiled as well.

The refitted Nazca-class ships were now called the Liberty-class, which was fitting given what NASA stood for. If all went well, the alliance would soon have three flagships, one for each nation in the alliance. Her ship was now the property of Canada, whereas the Constitution was the property of America, given its name.

The third and final ship in the class, the Aztec, was still undergoing its refit, given how Mexico wanted it to represent the old Aztec ruins from the long past empire. So it was taking the longest due to all the weapons being built into the ship itself.

But out of all three ships, the Constitution had had the most resources put into it, as well as the most time and money too. And given its armor, that was no surprise. Of course, while the stealth concept was barely being used, it was still out there in the form of the Mirage Colloid. But NASA had discovered a way around the flaw of running out of Colloid particles. Using a special stealth armor made at New Juneau, the alliance had been able to bring a new stealth concept to the field of battle, and now that would change the way the wars would be fought.


Corporal Carson watched as the new machine he was to pilot was being tested in the hanger. Things were going well, but as this machine was being developed apart from the Raptor and Dax Gundams, it had to be designed and built in space to keep it a secret. Currently the new machine was in its MS form, revealing it looked oddly like the Raptor Gundam, just with different wing parts and other changes. Jack couldn't wait to test out the new machine. The NAS-188-C Defender Gundam was to be deployed into combat soon.


In the data analysis lab, Jilia and Thomas were looking over the ping data from each ship, but while they had been looking for any ship that was not identified, there had been no luck on that end, so now they were looking for any ships that had their ID frequencies jammed or cloaked.

The duo finally made some progress when they found a lead on a ship that had sent out its ping, but that had not been sending out its ID frequency. Jilia was looking it over for any sign of the ping data that would ID the ship. To her delight, they finally found it. "We got it!"

Thomas looked over at her in surprise. "We do?!"

Jilia nodded. "Yes! And what's more, we have the name!"

Thomas felt a grin cross his face. "What is the name of the ship?"

Here, Jilia frowned. "That's where it gets odd. The ship name is Holdton, but official records show the Holdton was actually in Maius 5 for repairs."

Thomas looked down, putting a hand to his chin in thought. "That is odd..." He then looked back up at her. "Did you contact Maius 5's repair dock?"

"I did. They sent over the records right away, which show the Holdton in the dock getting repaired." Jilia replied.

Both investigators looked down in thought, pondering this new development before Thomas had a thought cross his mind. "Hold on. Do we have the ping pattern?"

Jilia raised an eyebrow at his question. "Yes, but why? It's not going to do us much good unless..." She trailed off. "Wait... the ping pattern! The ping pattern shows a ship's location with each ping! If we follow the ping pattern, we should be able to find the ship!"

"Exactly." Thomas replied. "And it could help us determine the name of the ship, and if it really was the Holdton."

Jilia nodded. The duo began to look over the ping pattern, only to find the pattern was leading to New Juneau. Jilia frowned at this development. "Odd... why would this mystery ship be headed here?"

"I don't know." Thomas frowned as well. "But we should alert the colony commander and have an intercept team sent out. It might be cloaked from ID frequency detection, but it can't cloak visibly."

"Which means we should be able to find it and send a team aboard!" Jilia realized.

Thomas nodded in agreement.


"Attention pilots, there is an unidentified ship entering New Juneau airspace. Prepare to launch to intercept. Pilot squadrons 1-3 are to launch at once." The male voice of the launch controller said as Corporal Carson got into his flight suit. "Pilots 77-9999-0D41 and 00-8853-9S38 are to launch in the NAS-188-C."

Jack's eyes went wide when he heard the first number mentioned, as that was his ID number in the military. At once, he drifted over to his machine and got into the cockpit. The lead technician looked at him seriously as she gave him his instructions on the new machine.

"Okay, as this is the first time the Defender has been deployed, we can't have you going all crazy on your first mission piloting it." She said as Jack buckled in. "If you must engage in combat, try to use the beam rifle so as to gently break in the combat systems to the stresses of space fighting. Also, as the fighter form has not yet been tested, try to refrain from using it unless you need to perform a quick getaway. Also, if you must use the gun-pod, try to not use it too much, because we have yet to fully stress test it."

"You worry too much." Jack said as he looked at the technician. "But I will take your words into account."

"Just be careful out there." The technician said before Jack nodded and closed up the cockpit.

Corporal Carson closed his visor on his helmet and grabbed the controls with one hand while he activated the OS with the other. The OS powered up, showing it was the NAS-G-NAT3 Operating System, developed by the OS maker Pyronix OpSys.

Now locked and loaded, Corporal Carson looked up as he maneuvered his machine into position on the catapult. The clamps closed onto his machine's feet and the engines powered up, just as the countdown began on the main screen in the hanger.

"Defender Gundam Alpha, you're clear to launch." The MS Coordinator reported as Corporal Carson nodded.

"Corporal Jack Carson, Defender Gundam Alpha, launching!" The Natural exclaimed before the catapult then activated, pushing his machine faster and faster before the hanger walls vanished, revealing the stars of space all around his machine.

Now free and floating in space, Corporal Carson looked back to see many older ZAFT GINNs that had been captured during the First BV War as well as the Raptor Gundams and old Alliance Strike Daggers entering space all around him as well. There were even a few old GMs that had been launched.

Corporal Carson perked up when he heard his squadron commander speaking. "Okay, pilots. Our mission is to intercept the unknown bogey. Caution is advised in case the ship deploys Mobile Suits, in the case of which we will have to engage in MS-to-MS combat. All pilots, make sure your machines are prepped and suited out for CQC should the need arise."

Already the corporal had done just that, and he knew he was prepared; it was the fact that his machine was still in the testing stages that made him uncertain. How would it hold up to space combat in MS-to-MS combat? How would it handle CQC and long-ranged battles? Those were the unknown questions. Testing in controlled situations was one thing, but a live battle was quite another, as no one could tell what could happen, not even the best tacticians.

'Okay... here we go...' Corporal Carson thought as he prepared himself for the battle mentally. It was now or never...


ORB Union

Lord Uzumi was working on reviewing some new laws that were put forth by the ORB council, his body tired from the long hours his job required.

He was so engrossed in his work though, that he was unaware of the danger he was now in, though no one else knew it either.

The assassin raised up what looked like a dart gun, and squeezed the trigger ever so gently. Then, a loud bang…


Chapter is complete. President Hilson tries to get past her family's deaths while Athrun joins ZAFT once more. The NASA leaders prepare for an aid treaty, and the Minerva barely escaped from ORB in one piece. At the same time, the investigation into the Junius Seven drop continues, but things begin to get darker and darker the further they get into the investigation.

Anyway, constructive criticism is appreciated as are reviews. Flames, AKA, hate-filled/spamming reviews as well as out-right hatred of the story, WILL be reported and/or deleted depending on if they are signed or not.

Anyway, read and review!