A/n
And so, here is Phase 16, Other than my usual disclaimer of owning nothing by my characters and musings, I got nothing else to state or say. So then, on with the story!
Phase 16: Feelings of Unease
February 12th, 71 C.E.
The Archangel
Tyler had finished dinner and was heading to his quarters to get some much-needed shut-eye now there was some time. He'd even come to the point that Tyler swallowed his pride to be able to look forward to getting an amount of decent sleep. That had required him to go to the ship's current doctor stand-in and asked him for medication to help him sleep. He'd explained to said doctor that he was having nightmares that were keeping Tyler himself from getting quality sleep. Mark Hales who was the temporary ship doctor could see the signs that the young man was telling the truth. Having been a doctor at Heliopolis, Hales could sympathize with the extreme stress individuals could go through and the effects of that. And as Mr. McGregor was one of the pilots for the ship, the was no question that he would be under heavy stress.
Tyler was grateful to Dr. Hales for understanding and not for asking for more details about why he was asking for the meds he was. Tyler wasn't interested in going into detail about what was causing the nightmares recently. What had gone down around the ruins of Junius Seven kept coming back to him though he kept it to himself. And with what was coming soon enough, Tyler needed some sleep before the looming battle. Since he had no crew shifts for the next twelve hours, sleep was a good idea as Sakura and those with her would be arriving around twenty hours from now. Tyler believed that many of the Archangel crew would need decent sleep before the battle occurs, especially the pilots who protect the ship.
That in mind, Tyler looked forward to getting some peace and quiet for a time as he hadn't gotten much recently. He believed that he'd earned a bit of a break even if others may disagree such as Natarle. However, while Tyler was on his way to his quarters, he started to notice that there was a lack of crew in the corridors. The refugees were milling about here and there which was expected but not a single off-duty crew member. While that was odd to Tyler, he was too tired right now to look into the point, and so he refocused on getting to his bed. None of the refugees bothered him as he went, Tyler bet that his tired expression told them it would be best to let him go get some sleep and he appreciated being left alone. Yet, just as Tyler reached the door to his quarters, Mu of all people appeared at the end of the corridor. Tyler glanced at the man a moment before opening the door fully intend to enter his room and get together with his bed for a time.
Mu had been rushing around searching for Tyler as the teen had vanished after his last crew shift. The Eighth Fleet leaders were going to be coming onto the Archangel any moment, all the crew that wasn't needed at their stations were to be present to meet them. Granted, Natarle had grumbled something that had sounded very much like Tyler's presence not being needed as he would "embarrass" the crew. Nevertheless, Mu and Krystal had been firm that Tyler should be there with the crew as the kid had defended the ship just as well as any of the other pilots. And so, Mu had been the one tasked with finding the oldest teen and get him to the hangar. The task had seemed simple, yet Mu quickly found it was anything but. True, Mu had to say the teen had skill sets that were rare for those his age, but his ability to vanish was something else.
It was more a stroke of luck than effort that Mu managed to catch a glimpse of Tyler at the door of his quarters. But luck or whatever, Mu would take what he could get for the time being as time was short right now. So, Mu shot forward and grabbed Tyler's right arm, and dragged him down the hallway. They needed to get to the hangar as soon as possible, the leaders of the fleet were likely already here.
Tyler on the other hand wasn't the most please at being snatched and dragged along by another. Plus, that put him in a testy and grouchy mood as he was being denied sleep and Tyler didn't like being denied that when he was trying to get it. Tyler gave a weak glare to the blonde man, "Mu," Tyler began, "where are we going, then why are you dragging me there?" Tyler took a breath to calm down a bit and no snap at the man, "For your information, I was heading towards my bed thank you very much. I haven't done anything to warrant a reprimand by the acting vice-captain or anyone else," Tyler paused doing some quick thinking, but couldn't come up with anything that would even potentially get him into trouble. "At least, nothing comes to mind and I'm pretty good at figuring out things that can set people off that I do. Nor do I have a shift for a while, meaning I'm free to do what I wish within reason and sleep falls under that. So, care to fill me in on what the hell is going on that demands I forgo the sleep that I was starting to look forward to?"
Mu didn't blame Tyler for being irritable, the kid had taken flak for things that he really shouldn't have. Natarle was harder on Tyler than any other person on the ship, she may not admit it, but everyone knew it. The woman just seemed to have something against Tyler and all she would say is that his "attitude" needed work when asked. And if the leaders of the Eighth Fleet weren't coming onto the Archangel, Mu wouldn't be fetching Tyler, but it was what it was. "No time for sleeping Tyler, have people to see," Mu replied curtly.
Tyler stared at Mu trying to process what the man was talking about. He couldn't think about any on the Archangel that he hadn't met already. Nor did the one that had problems with his behavior have any reason to lecture him right now. And if she had some crackpot excuse, she could wait until Tyler was good and ready, he would say that straight to her face if need be. Tyler wanted to sleep and that required him and his bed to have some serious 'getting to know one another time'. So, whomever Mu had in mind that Tyler should be meeting could and should wait until Tyler decided he would go to them. It was a point some officers in the Federation didn't appreciate about Tyler, general orders were suggestions, not demands to follow without thinking. Yet, Tyler's opinion was not heard and so wasn't even given the chance to be ignored as Mu continued to drag him to the hangar.
It took a few minutes for the two to get to the hangar, but once they did, Tyler noted that all the crew of the ship was present. The senior officers were in their uniforms which were unusually neat at the front of the groups that looked to be waiting. The non-commissioned officers were in their OMNI uniforms including Tyler's friends, though the volunteers had expressions of confusion about the current situation. Even Vice Foreign Minister Allster and Flay were a short distance from the crew other than the mechanics. The mechanics were working to get a ship-to-ship shuttle that was floating towards the floor of the hangar. Tyler assumed that the ones that Mu mentioned were in the shuttle, but there was no other hint as to whom they were. And Tyler was still grouchy with being denied sleep, so he had little to no interest in whatever this was about. However, the quicker this finished the sooner that Tyler could get to bed, the thought process that was driving him for the moment.
Mu let Tyler go and moved forward to join the other ship officers that were waiting for Admiral Halberton to exit the shuttle. Yet, he did notice that Tyler looked towards the hangar entrance and grimaced since Mu had specifically put him far enough away that slipping out of the hangar would be noticed. Then Tyler glared at Mu before looking away and folding his arms which Mu took that he accepted he would be here for this right now even if he didn't want to be. Mu heard Krystal quietly snicker to which Mu rolled his eyes.
Honestly, Krystal was a tad impressed that Mu had found Tyler and brought him to the hangar. The teen had proven he was hard to find when he didn't want to be "available" for anything that others may want or need. It was quite the skill and Krystal assumed it had been developed over time, for reasons she couldn't say. Heck for all they knew, Tyler could have employed it for classified Federation military operations, it wouldn't be entirely surprising. However, by the expression that Tyler had, Mu had caught him doing something, probably sleep were Krystal to guess and the oldest teen wasn't happy about it. Mu had been smart enough to have Tyler be far enough away from the entrance of the hangar so that the teen couldn't run without being seen. Both Mu and Krystal had been figuring out how to at least partially deal with Tyler's behavior, but they seemed to be the only ones thus far in the crew to be able to.
Tyler unhappily accepted that he was stuck here for the time being as sneaking away would be difficult without being seen. It would be a hassle to be told off about trying to slip away, more than it was worth even when Tyler wouldn't listen to said telling off. That was why Tyler had just decided to get this over with as that would get him to his bed faster. That said, Tyler moved over to be behind his friends, making sure he was as out of the view of everyone as he could get for the moment. If this lasted all that long, Tyler would start looking for a way to get out of the room and get to his quarters. He would lock the door when there and it would be the end of the issue for a time. Tyler doubted that some of the ship officers would let that stand but he would deal with that after he got to sleep.
The big point was Sakura was coming with who knew how much ZAFT force behind her and that was a serious problem. Tyler wanted to be as prepared as he could be, not just for the woman that stalked him, but for what she would do as the elite ZAFT commander she was. Granted, Tyler hadn't said anything to the Archangel officer, he doubted any would even believe him were he to inform them. If any did take what he said as fact, they then would want to know how Tyler knew the point and that was not an answer Tyler would give. Tyler was brought out of his thoughts when the craft clunked to the floor and settled as Murdoch and his mechanics secured it to the floor itself.
It was a moment later that the shuttle hatch opened and a figure came out of the craft. The first out of the craft was a well-built blond man with a mustache stepped out wearing the white uniform of OMNI. The uniform rank insignia was of a rear admiral on the collar and shoulder pad in the form of a gold bar for Alliance ranking. His hair was short while his eyes were brown which was complimentary for him. The man's appearance was neat and professional, yet the air he gave off was a serious one, but also one you could depend on.
At seeing the man, Tyler's mood improved an amount since he knew him having crossed paths with him a few times. The man's name was Duane Halberton and he was the commander of OMNI's Eighth Fleet for years now. Tyler had found the man to be a decent guy and a good commanding officer from the encounters they had. It was, unfortunately, a rare thing with OMNI Tyler had found, but Halberton was one of those. The man was also one that Tyler had an amount of respect for and one of the very select few within not just OMNI, but in the Earth Alliance too. Tyler didn't miss the majority in the room immediately snapped to attention and saluted. He didn't do that as saluting was something Tyler only did for certain kinds of people. However, to show a bit of respect for Halberton, Tyler stopped considering sneaking out of the room and going to his quarters.
The volunteers watched the scene play out in front of them still trying to understand what was exactly going on. All any of them had been told was some high-ranking officers of the fleet would be coming on the ship to greet them. That had been passed onto Kira and Lacus as neither of them had been told anything by the ship officers. Tyler popping up with Mu was surprising, their friend had just said something about being tired and going to get some sleep earlier. But apparently, he didn't get to his quarters before Lieutenant La Flaga had snatched him. That in itself was pretty impressive since Tyler was notorious about getting out of things he didn't want to do. All of them had seen the point, Miriallia was the one among them that called Tyler out on that the most often. Tyler certainly didn't look happy about being in the hangar as was obvious with his glower and glancing to the door.
Tyler figured his friends didn't know who Halberton was, may have heard his name but little else. And as they were volunteers, the uniforms and the differences that denoted rank would mean nothing to them. Tyler knew the facts he did about Halberton and the Eighth Fleet from reports and his encounters with Halberton himself. To tell the truth, OMNI didn't have a real clue how lucky they were to have Halberton, at least that's what Tyler thought. Honestly, Tyler was kind of curious why Halberton hadn't been tapped and offered a position in the Federation's military. And if he had, then what reason did Halberton decline, not that it was any of Tyler's business of course. However, it didn't stop him from wondering about such things.
While Tyler knew that Halberton and whoever might be with him were coming to "greet" and "talk" to those on the Archangel, that didn't make a difference to him. Tyler would state to any that may ask that he was lending his skills and service to protect his friends and the refugees. Such just benefitted the Archangel and its crew, the captain and the vice-captain didn't give him orders that he would follow like a soldier. Natarle didn't like the fact but Tyler had told her that was her issue, not his.
Halberton was still trying to wrap his head around how the Archangel had made it as far as it had. The odds had been against the ship from the beginning and had never really gotten much better during the journey. What had occurred to Heliopolis was regrettable, it was neutral and got caught up in the ongoing war. OMNI brass denied involvement, but Halberton knew that due to the G-Project, the colony and its citizens had been put into danger. ZAFT had gotten four of the five prototypes, still, one had been saved from their hands. Then by reports, there had been two other mobile suits from Morgenroete that hadn't been accounted for. Indeed, the chain of events that the Archangel had been in was messy, but it was through no fault of her crew, even if others were trying to pin the blame on them.
Halberton glanced around the hangar as Captain Hoffman came out of the shuttle. He paused for brief moments on the Strike, the Asuka, the Shadow, more on the latter two than the first. The Asuka definitely looked to follow the framework of Orb's mobile suit models from what photos had been acquired. And then the Shadow looked to be similar to the G-Project's X207 Blitz from what Halberton saw. But after a moment, Halberton looked to the ship's crew lined up to greet him. "You know," Halberton began as he floated down to the desk, "When I first heard of the collapse of Heliopolis, I was convinced things had taken a terrible turn and ended this hope." Halberton grabbed Murrue's arms gently to stop his forward momentum and push them down slightly, indicating to Murrue that she should stand at ease. "What a joy it is to see you, people, here and okay."
Murrue didn't have the words to accurately say how happy she was to see the man that was a mentor to her. The journey the Archangel had gone through was the hardest that Murrue had ever seen or read reports about. The ship had performed better than any expectation there could have been of her and what remained for the crew was the same. But now the Archangel was with OMNI's Eighth Fleet, the worst was over. ZAFT forces had failed to sink the Archangel and she had allies helping her. "You do us a tremendous honor," Murrue replied as she saluted again, "It's a pleasure to see you again sir."
Tyler wondered what relationship there was between Murrue Ramius and Halberton. The man was kept busy by OMNI so he wouldn't have a lot of time to get to know too many Tyler would think. The other thing that Tyler noticed was Halberton frowned ever so slightly at being called "Sir". It told him that Halberton still didn't like formalities, a point Tyler could easily understand and agree with. Tyler himself had never liked formalities and having the rank of Commander in the Federation's military, he got addressed formally from time to time. Still, Tyler saw Halberton resigned himself and returned the salute since the officers of the Archangel would be insistent. Murrue stood at ease once Admiral Halberton had returned the salute. "I was a bit worried when informed that you were engaged against ZAFT in battle right before the rendezvous with the fleet," Halberton said glancing around. "But given the reports, I'm quite delighted to hear that everyone is alright."
"Yes," Murrue returned. Murrue herself had at times wondered if the ship and crew would make it to allies alive. ZAFT's pursuit had been relentless off and on putting the Archangel's crew and especially its pilots under harsh stress. Murrue continued, "Although our crew is inexperienced, they have managed to pull us through a great deal, far more than expected of them."
"So, it would seem," Halberton remarked before scanning over the crew members that remained. What was left to the Archangel's original crew was less than what made up a normal skeleton crew, and those that had been lost were regrettable. The man that was to have been the captain of the Archangel had been a good man, Halberton had worked with him enough to know that. It brought home again that this war was taking good people and the speed of the losses was growing.
Natarle had heard of Admiral Halberton, most within OMNI had with the record he had from this war. However, this was the first time she had seen him in person. Much of what Natarle knew of Halberton, came from records and what her late father had said of him. Natarle's father didn't speak highly of most men but he had of Duane Halberton, saying the man earned the loyalty of those under his command. Such a quality was becoming a rare thing these days and it was sad in Natarle's view. Nonetheless, she stepped forward and saluted, "Ensign Natarle Badgiruel, acting vice-captain sir," she introduced wanting to make a good impression.
"I'm Lieutenant Mu La Flaga, Seventh Orbital Fleet," Mu spoke up introducing himself and saluting.
"Major Krystal McAlester, also Seventh Orbital Fleet" Krystal introduce herself and snapping to.
Halberton had noticed the two pilots with the Archangel's crew as the reports had mentioned. The ship was lucky to have had the help of the two armor pilots, there weren't many that were better than them, certainly not many that were active. And Halberton assumed that the two had advised the mobile suit pilots. "Ah," Halberton remarked moving over to stand before Mu and Krystal as the two ship officers both stood at ease again. "We were fortunate indeed to have you two with us."
Halberton held out his hand and Mu shook it, Halberton did the same for Krystal as a sign of respect between them. Mu wouldn't deny that he and Krystal deserved some praise but they weren't the only ones that should get it. "Well, we wish we could've been of more service," Mu commented glancing briefly at the volunteers. "Those kids did a lot more than could have ever been expected of them, that's for sure, and I don't just mean the ones who were piloting mobile suits."
Krystal nodded in agreement with Mu, the Heliopolis teens had been as a godsend to the ship in the circumstances it had gone through. Kira and Lacus piloting of course had done wonders for the ship, but the other teens working the bridge stations had done more than was normally said by the crew. "Agreed, the volunteers have been a great help getting through what we have," Krystal added.
Halberton had read the reports on the Archangel which OMNI had been compiling. It had taken time and skill to sort out the truth and the falsities and rumors that were nothing. The crew's performance was in truth exemplary even if the results had been souring and festering for the Alliance. Halberton was among the few that didn't condemn what the Archangel had been involved in, unfortunately. He knew that had he been in their positions that he would have done much the same as them to survive. "Yes, as I said, I've read the reports that have been coming in," Halberton replied before looking over at the volunteers. "So, who do we have over here?"
Tyler wouldn't doubt that Halberton knew perfectly well who the volunteers were. Halberton had just mentioned that he had read reports about the ship. Tyler was more curious about what said reports actually iterated as he didn't believe they were completely factual. With what happened with Heliopolis and Artemis, Tyler doubted that OMNI or those in the Alliance were the most pleased with the ship. Plus, Federation High Command would be pushing firmly for accountability Tyler knew. With that idea in mind, Tyler assumed that OMNI top brass and Atlantic Federation big shots were denying the existence of their G-Project. It was the "normal" response that they used and Tyler had seen and received the idea enough to know.
Even as Tyler's thoughts kept running as they were, he didn't lose sight of what was happening in the hangar. Halberton still hadn't noticed Tyler being there, but Tyler had made himself less noticeable so it was partly due to his efforts. Yet, Tyler was also working not to nod off as he was no less tired than when he had been heading for his quarters. Tyler planned to give Mu a hard time later for dragging him to the hangar for this, no too bad, but enough to get the point across that Tyler hadn't appreciated the action. So, Tyler was attempting to keep attention off him and that had him keeping his mouth shut for the time being.
Murrue wanted to make sure that the teens that had been volunteering be known for that. With the rules between the factions about "using civilians" being a very bad thing, she didn't want them to get into trouble. They had asked to help the Archangel and their friends such was a commendable quality. The kids had been an unexpected gift and Murrue would state that for the record if need be. The Archangel was shorthanded, and they had needed any help they could get and those teens had been just that. "Admiral, these teens are students from Heliopolis," said Murrue. "They've been helping with the operation of the ship and we are grateful."
The instant Murrue finished, Halberton began moving forward right past Natarle, Mu, and Krystal, heading over to the volunteers. He landed in front of them and smiled as he looked the group of teens over. With the collapse of the colony, the young people deserved to know that their families were okay. "We've done some checking on the families of each one of you," he said kindly, "and everyone seems to be safe."
The news of their families was okay, there were sighs of relief from the volunteers minus Tyler himself. Tyler just took Halberton telling his friends about their loved ones as a sign of his character. The man was a decent individual that thought about the welfare of others and Tyler applauded that. He was one of the few in OMNI currently that Tyler knew or had seen that did such a great deal of the time. Tyler himself figured that his friends' family members were okay, the report from the Information Network had said that all inhabitance of the colony were safe and accounted for. Tyler had been thinking of how he could tell them that without having to say where he got his info.
Halberton scanned the teenagers and came to a stop on one of them, a girl specifically with pink colored hair. The hair color was odd as it was rare, but it more reminded Halberton of another he had encountered during the war. It was almost the same shade of pink as ZAFT's Black Zephyr Sakura Clyne. Halberton however, hadn't seen or encountered the woman for a while and he didn't know if this girl was related. It was possible, the chairman of the PLANTs Supreme Council was supposed to have two daughters but what intelligence said. By what the information from the Archangel said, the girl's given name was Lacus Christopher. Halberton couldn't say at the moment if this girl was the PLANTs idol or not, and it didn't matter right now. Yet, he did frown a bit as his mind still was left to wonder about the pink-haired girl a bit.
Nevertheless, Halberton after a moment smiled a bit, "We'd like to extend our gratitude for your assistance during this crisis," Halberton stated as the volunteers shared murmurs and looks of relief, "and I'd like to add my personal thanks as well." It was as he was saying his thanks when Halberton spotted a face that had been hidden before. And less than a second later, Halberton recognized the face of an individual that he had met and encountered from time to time. The young man Tyler McGregor had left a real impression on Halberton when their paths first crossed. The young Federation soldier never hesitated to speak his mind and Halberton had personal experience with that. He assumed that the officers of the Archangel had likely been seeing that quality McGregor possessed. "Well, this is indeed a surprise, it has been awhile Mr. McGregor."
All in the hangar were looking between Halberton and Tyler, all wondering what kind of circumstances could occur for the two to know each other. Tyler shook off the tiredness he felt and moved forward taking the hand offered by Halberton. "Yes, it has been some time since our paths last intersected Admiral Halberton," Tyler returned. Tyler's friends were staring confused with how Tyler was addressing this OMNI high-ranking officer. And it wasn't the familiar tone or the lack of respect he had, that was how Tyler was regularly. The Archangel officers were having mixed reactions to Tyler somehow knowing the admiral of OMNI's Eighth Orbital Fleet. That he was a Federation soldier was something, but for him to know higher-ups in OMNI was hard to swallow.
A second man came out of the shuttle, the man had a bit more girth than Halberton, was bald on top, but had dark grey hair on the sides. He was clearly an officer and a high ranking one at that, by the insignia, a captain. "Uh, sir," said the man, "We are short on time."
Halberton sighed knowing what captain Hoffman was talking about. There had been "echos and rumors" that ZAFT was sending forces their way. He had figured that ZAFT would send a group, after all, they had been trying to sink the Archangel, they were unlikely to stop now. Especially with Creuset having started this, the man wasn't known for giving up on things. "Right, I know Hoffman," Halberton replied, turning his eyes back to the students. "I'd be delighted if later we have an opportunity to sit down together and have a talk," he said to them. He then turned away and left the hangar with Hoffman, Murrue, Natarle, Mu, and Allster. Flay wandered over to her friends, staring at her father's back uncertainly.
At the same time, onboard the Nazca-class Black Jade, Sakura Clyne was waiting for the last commander to arrive for the meeting she called. Sakura's pink hair was floating around the bottom of her cheeks in the zero-g environment. Her green eyes were sweeping the bridge and gave off an air of seriousness. Sakura was wearing the customary white ZAFT commander uniform along with the FAITH crest on the left side of her collar. There was an ornamental sword on her left hip, connected to her uniform's belt. Lastly, the feeling that Sakura was putting off was one of coldness and lack of emotion, which is a sharp contrast to her father and sister, who are both considerably warmer people in terms of personality and presence. Sakura didn't like to wait on anyone really, least of all those that she wasn't fond of and Creuset fell into that category. All on the bridge were feeling the air she was putting off, and it kept deepening the longer that Creuset was absent.
Dearka had come with captain Zelman and the air in the room was getting harder to handle. He was looking at the deck, no wanting to draw attention from the Zephyr as she was still scary to be around no matter how many times he was around her. Yzak was still in the Gamow's sickbay recovering from the results of the last battle so wouldn't be attending the meeting. Dearka's teammate would have a scar on his face by what the doctor said. He didn't know whether to say Yzak was unfortunate to be in sickbay or lucky not to be at this meeting. A few tense minutes later, Creuset finally came in, followed by both Athrun and Nicol. Sakura glared at the three, "You're late Creuset, not helping your case with that," Sakura coldly greeted.
"My apologies Zephyr," replied Creuset, before taking his place.
With all the needed participants for this planning meeting present, the business could proceed and there was an amount to cover. So, Sakura focused her attention on the digital field displayed, "Now that everyone is present, let's get into the briefing of this upcoming operation," she said.
Sakura began with the known facts put out, the first of which was the prototype OMNI warship. Videos were shown to see the capabilities of the ship which then transitioned to the mobile suits that the enemy had. And that ended with the enemy ship meeting up with the rest of OMNI's Eighth Orbital fleet. With that being the case, meant that in terms of numbers, ZAFT would be at a disadvantage in the fight.
Sakura knew it was likely, even probable that Duane Halberton was involved in the construction of OMNI's prototype mobile suits. He was a man who would support such a thing as he would see the potential of them far more than others. Even as an enemy, Sakura did respect Halberton somewhat as he had proven to be a worthy foe in the times she had faced him. She wouldn't underestimate the man or OMNI's Eighth Fleet when others did just because they used outdated equipment. "The leader of OMNI's Eighth Orbital Fleet, Duane Halberton is an excellent strategist and leader. I've personal experience going against the man and can tell all of you that underestimating him just because he's a Natural is a mistake. And in this instance, it is a mistake that you might not live to regret, so don't be lax or not take this seriously. Halberton doesn't have the favor of those morons in OMNI's leadership with the actions he tends to take. However, under his leadership, the Eighth Fleet is still quite formidable, making an attack on them difficult if done hastily."
She paused for a moment, all those there waited nervously, knowing that if one of them interrupted the woman, there would be very unpleasant consequences. So, all on the bridge stayed silent and waited, "From what information has been acquired, the 'Legged ship' as Creuset calls it, with the fleet will go to its intended destination. But with things as they are currently, I disagree with most in believing that its destination is the Earth Alliance's Ptolemaeus Lunar base as it likely was originally," Sakura concluded.
Creuset was curious as to where the Zephyr thought the ship would go if not OMNI's lunar HQ. It was the more logical and obvious choice for the legged ship to take more so with an orbital fleet escort. "Are you sure about that Zephyr? Not that I would question your wisdom in this, but where else would the legged ship head to," Creuset inquired.
Sakura knew Creuset had a narrow field of view when it came to his hunts or what she saw as obsessions. It wasn't the first time he had chased an OMNI ship down to sink it leaving a mess in his wake. That Creuset believed the enemy would only go to the Moon was proof that the man was too focused on his view and not the facts. Sakura was betting that Halberton wouldn't head for the Moon, he knew the risks and the chances he would have to get there. With that logic, being closer to Earth, having the legged ship descend to OMNI's JOSH-A base made far more sense. So, Sakura glared at Creuset, "If you take into account their position Creuset, it strongly suggests that ship will descend to Earth, most likely to the Alliance's JOSH-A base in Alaska as that's their Earth Sphere Headquarters," she returned. "Were that ship even with the Eighth Fleet to set a course to the Moon, our forces would do a great deal to stop them."
"They fear Admiral Treize," remarked Laconi looking up at her. "They know he won't be nearly as effective on Earth, but if they remain in space, then they'll be dealing with all the remaining Champions of ZAFT with the Admiral leading them."
The reminder of the loss of some of the best warriors and pilots that ZAFT had didn't feel nice for any there. Out of the eight original champions led by Lanus Treize, four were gone during the five years of war. The "Jachin Due Lion" had been killed during the second assault on Victoria, though his sacrifice had laid the path to victory. Two of the remaining three fallen, vanished at the battle of Endymion, those being the "Grey Roc" and the "Mocking Jay". The loss of those three champions had struck hard, but not as much as the last of the four 'fallen champions' the "Comet". The sudden disappearance of the comet had dealt a serious blow to ZAFT and the PLANTs. For ZAFT, to lose their best ace pilot had shaken many while the PLANTs felt fear and saddened at the loss of their 'defender of the people'. There had been some that had been happy that the comet had vanished, of course, but they didn't say anything out loud. Sakura had kept a watch on those individuals as a way to honor her friend the "comet".
And while what had been said by Laconi was true, it wasn't the point for this operation. Whether OMNI was timid because they feared Treize was a moot point and not really a topic of discussion. So, Sakura cleared her throat, "While that may be true Laconi, not the point of this meeting. Back to the business, what's the total mobile suit complement between the vessels on-site?"
Replies from the captains came and the total of force with mobile suits came out to be, seventeen GINNs, five CGUEs, and three out of the four stolen Alliance suits. Whereas on the opposing side, the Eighth Fleet was made up of five Agamemnon-classes, twenty-five Drake-classes, and twenty-one Nelson-class vessels. From those ships, there would be likely thirty-five to forty-five mobile armors to have to deal with. That was before one took into account the target ship's machines and those would be a different problem. "We are outnumbered, but as it tends to take on average five mobile armors to take down one GINN, then we outmatch them by a margin," Sakura stated. "However, don't underestimate the enemy just because they're in mobile armors and not mobile suits. A well-placed shot can still kill any pilot, so don't get cocky and think you're undefeatable. Being overconfident is likely to get one killed out on the battlefield, I've seen that enough to know the truth of the statement."
With the general point stated, Sakura figured it was as usual best to give an example. And since Creuset had done such an "exemplary" job recently, she had prime material. Plus, it allowed dressing down his pilots as at least two of them should have known better. That in mind, the pink-haired woman gazed directly at Le Creuset and his pilots. "And as it happens, we have a recent example of the danger of overconfidence. It is what resulted from Creuset and his pilots' attempts to sink the prototype OMNI ship," Sakura started.
Rau kept silent, knowing that commenting at this point wouldn't help him since he figured the Zephyr would call him out for his efforts. The three OMNI suit pilots simply looked down and didn't meet the woman's gaze with the lecture coming. Rau knew it would be best for him to steel himself and let the woman chastise as she would. It was one of the qualities that Creuset wasn't fond of but tolerated as he would face worse if he didn't. Sakura continued, "Let's start with the last battle against your target, the odds were in your favor, but the results speak clearly." Sakura pinned Athrun with her stare, "Athrun Zala, as the 'leader' of the team and with the promise you've shown, I've come expect a better performance from you. And yet, you not only allow the enemy to take you by complete surprise, but you didn't make one effective counter and through your underestimation incurred serious damage to the suit you were piloting. The machines you and your fellow pilots were using suits that are comparable to the enemy's suits."
Athrun didn't counter or defend himself with what was said, Commander Clyne was right in her observations and he knew it. Each time he had viewed the records had only drilled in the idea that they had seriously underestimated their opponents. However, he wouldn't be the only one that would be reprimanded and that would be a fact. And though proof wasn't needed, it came in the form of Sakura turning to face Nicol. "Nicol Amalfi, like Zala, I would have and have come to expect better of you. You're one of a few I see with a talent for tactics, and it served you well before now. Yet, you in the last battle made a mistake that I would accept seeing from green pilots. And view it only once from them before assuming the important lesson of the dangers of underestimating sunk in."
Sakura didn't stop there, she continued dressing down those who should have done this job already. She brought up an image of the black enemy mobile suit at least what images there were as they were the least of it out of the enemy machines. "This opposing unit may have the most undefined specs out of the three OMNI suits, yet you didn't use your brains and see the potential threat it presents. You should have known this machine would be difficult to go against and planned for that in mind. However, the lot of you could not land a hard hit at all," Sakura paused, "clearly there's a need for you to make improvements."
Nicol frowned and bowed his head in humility and shame knowing the woman he had come to respect was right and he couldn't deny it. The defeat that they had suffered had been so complete, it had hurt far more than the damage to their mobile suits. Going over the records after the skirmish had hammered the point home, even if Nicol couldn't explain how it had happened. The one battle had reminded Nicol that any opponent could outdo and kill him if he didn't keep working.
Dearka knew he was up next for this lecture, but this wasn't right in his view nor the context it was being done in. Those three mobile suits and their pilots had done things that were out of the ordinary and went crazy. The more Dearka had thought about what Nicol had said, the more he had agreed with him. Those pilots had improved much more than any could have predicted and those facts had to be taken into account. Even if it wasn't much of a defense and would unlikely help against the Zephyr, he would state it for the record. "Now hold on just a minute ma'am," Dearka began, but Sakura shot him a glare that immediately snapped his jaw shut and gulps wishing he hadn't said anything.
"If you are about to say that your opponents surprised you in their improvement, then save it," Sakura snapped. One should expect an opponent to change and potentially improve after a fight that both sides walked away from. "All three of you along with your fellow pilot who is still recovering became far too focused on the wrong target," she insisted. "With one of you going after the enemy ship while the rest keep the enemy defense forces busy, that shows an issue with target priority." Sakura glancing Creuset's way knowing that such a habit was one that he possessed, "A bad habit you no doubt learned from your commander. As Creuset unlikely mentions, he can see where the danger lies, but then goes for something close to it and not what he should."
Rau took the insult as it wasn't the first time that others said something along the lines the Zephyr did and not even the first time she had. He knew he had more in ZAFT that tolerated his actions than liked what he did, it was no secret. The Zephyr was one of those that tolerated and disliked Creuset, he just avoided her when possible. However, Sakura turned back to the pilots she had been dressing down, "The four of you should've focused on the enemy mobile suits first before moving on and deal with the enemy warship. If you had used teamwork properly, I'm confident that even the four of you should've been able to take down one or more of the enemy mobile suits."
Sakura paused for a moment remembering the things she had read about the pilots specifically Yzak Joule. The young man was hot-headed and driven by pride, rarely if ever a good or helpful combination especially on a battlefield. Sakura had seen many a pilot get themselves killed going on and being stupid enough to follow their pride blindly. "Pilot Joule is the prime of what happens when one lets personal things get priority and a repetitive example the point. And the last battle he let his pride get the better of him landed him in sickbay with injuries. Let that be a lesson to the three of you, don't make such a mistake, you'll live longer." Sakura let out a tired sigh while shifting back to face the rest in the room, "If it weren't for Creuset, you'd all be flailing around like children lost in the dark even if he needs to think through what he does. Were it up to me to decide how this mission was handled, Creuset would be off it and others that get needed results and know-how to do so without much mess would be working on this. Nevertheless, seeing as such is up to the National Defense Committee, that isn't my choice. And Chairman Zala has left the stolen prototypes in the hands of Creuset and you're his only pilots, so I am forced to allow this to continue."
Nicol kept quiet about the fact that the strategy of the previous battle was his idea as that would only make things worse for him. He had already disappointed her and he respected commander Clyne a great deal. Even if she was feared by most, she was also idolized with the success she'd had against the Alliance and OMNI. Only Admiral Treize had better success against OMNI, it was why Commander Clyne was the second-best tactician ZAFT had.
Now even though Sakura called Creuset and his pilots out on their mistakes and made it sound like they were at fault, she knew that wasn't entirely so. The blame didn't fall fully and squarely on them though that wasn't to say they didn't bear an amount. There were mistakes made and Sakura would leave no doubt about that, it was the best way to allow correction. Sakura didn't expect much if any change from Creuset, the man-made it clear he would unlikely change his behavior. But Zala, Amalfi, Elsman, and even perhaps Joule could improve for the better given the chance.
In the mission, they had been a part of thus far, their quarry had proven formidable and tenacious to varying degrees. That had contributed to the recent streak of losses among other things. The OMNI ship and its crew were to be commended on their performance even as an enemy ship. The odds they had face would stop and discourage an amount yet they had persevered despite that and there weren't all that many of those in OMNI that did that these days. Nonetheless, it was the enemy mobile suits and their pilots that stood out the most in the mission.
Sakura had studied what was available on them and she had been curious as well as pensive about what she had seen. The remaining OMNI suit, the X105-Strike had the most information on it and had shown many of the same basic features as the stolen units, yet it was more versatile than the others. If it were only the "potential" performance of the machine, then Sakura wouldn't be nearly as interested. The pilot of the unit had bothered her, the style was familiar far too similar to her own. But as far as she knew, the girl had been "looking into something" though Sakura didn't know any more detail than that. If for some reason she'd been visiting Heliopolis at the time the operation that Creuset had pulled occurred, then she didn't know what to think. Were Lacus hurt by Creuset's antics, Sakura would personally punish the man to her satisfaction regardless of what anyone else would say. If the pilot of the Strike was indeed her little sister, there would definitely be a reason for Sakura to be out on the battlefield.
There was the winged mobile suit which the enemy used was interesting in a few ways. Upon some research, Sakura concluded that it was based on the Orb's Union's "Astray" mobile suit unit design. Sakura didn't know very much about the former neutral nation that was now confirmed to be a member of the Human Federation, so she couldn't say that much about the machine itself. Yet from what records there were, the unit was not one to underestimate as it was capable and versatile. Then the pilot in the beginning had been inexperienced, yet with each passing battle had made large improvements that were in leaps and bounds. Individuals such as that tended to be rare and more so within OMNI. If OMNI had someone like that, they either didn't know about their potential, had been hiding them, or else the pilot wasn't with OMNI. Sakura was inclined to lean towards the last option as the logical and most likely explanation.
And finally, there was the last mobile suit of the three enemy machines, the black mobile suit which had mystified Sakura the most. It'd been involved in only two of the attempts of ZAFT forces to sink the ship, less than the other two. Why it had only been in two bouts, Sakura figured that somehow, it had been separated at some point from the OMNI ship, likely around Heliopolis. And while those two instances were very informative, it also left many questions without much of an answer. The mobile suit appeared to be similar to the machine that Amalfi piloted, the X207 Blitz, yet it could do things none of the other OMNI units were capable of. That made Sakura wonder if OMNI had much if anything to do with the enemy suit or if the similarities were just a fluke of some kind.
Then, the black suit's pilot was another matter entirely from the other two enemy pilots. There was much less information, really a precious little but their performance was indeed frightening to a degree. They had displayed immense skill that wasn't seen in most pilots, regardless of the amount of experience one possessed. If they were naturally talented, Sakura would applaud it as such raw skill was beyond rare. However, should it be acquired and polished, and that was likely from what Sakura saw, then Creuset's pilots had been going against a pilot a league or more above themselves. The facts just left Sakura wondering what chain of events had to have played out to have an individual like that end out on an OMNI ship.
Sakura came back to the present and swept her ice-cold eyes over the entire gathering, causing everyone to shiver slightly. She wouldn't let things go as they had with Creuset in charge, that was the reason she had been called out after all. "So, in this next battle, the three of you," Sakura began pointing at Athrun, Nicol, and Dearka. "Will each be paired with a wingman of my choosing, no debate or argument." They nodded quickly to that statement as disagreeing with Commander Clyne was never wise to do. "For everyone in this operation, none fly solo, that point is to be understood and followed. Should any feel inclined to do so, then they are on their own to get out of whatever they find themselves in. You'll have no assistance or support, even if that means you are about to be overwhelmed."
A moment after Sakura threw down the rule, the door from the bridge to the rest of the vessel opened and four people entered. The one in their lead was the only one of the four that was in a green ZAFT pilot suit. The young man appeared to be in his early twenties and his height was five and a half feet with an average build overall. His hair was black and fell straight to the top of his neck. The man's face showed little to no expression, so was as good as blank as he came to a stop before the table and saluted Sakura. His name was Juno Mars and was one of the soldiers that Sakura had taken under her command. He was one she had found that could get a given task done as per orders and didn't need supervision to make sure of that.
The other male of the group was younger than Juno being a teenager in his late teens standing at five feet five inches. He had short blonde hair that framed his blue eyes which brought attention to his fair facial features. The young man's name was Ryan Peters, and unlike Juno, he had a slight smile on his face, which would make you think that he hadn't a care in the world. Ryan was in a ZAFT red pilot suit and was behind Juno and a bit to the left. He was one of the younger soldiers Sakura had charge over and though he appeared to have a care-free attitude, he tended to be serious when on-duty.
The other two of the group were females, one being a teenager like Ryan and the other being in her late twenties. The teenager had a height of five foot four, straight posture, and gave off a feeling of seriousness that only Juno could outdo. Her hair was raven black and went down to her hips and appeared to be silky. She had orchid-colored eyes that were cold-looking and didn't seem to fit her facial features all that well. The female teen's name was Lori Vance and she was in a ZAFT red pilot suit. Sakura had found Lori was adept at gathering information and insurgence operations. It reminded her of a friend she had who had died in this war already.
The last of the group of four as well as the oldest of them was a woman who stood five foot seven in height. She had red hair that was almost a crimson shade, which fell to the level of her waist. Her eyes were a light brown and fit well in her face which most would call beautiful. However, her looks didn't portray her personality that was not of a nice person, even if she would act like she is around people when ordered. Her name was Mindy Fairchild and she was in a red ZAFT pilot suit and was the second most mature of the group of four, just behind Juno who was the most mature. Sakura would often have Mindy keep others in line and left the methods of doing that up to her. Mindy got results and Sakura went by that for an expectation for those that were under her charge.
Sakura gave brief introductions for each one of her four subordinates to which they nodded in response and little else. After that Sakura got down to business and laid out the battle plan she had and that would be used. During which plan, Sakura assigned Nicol to be paired with Mindy, Athrun with Juno, and Dearka with Ryan Peters. Sakura's plan to go against Halberton and his fleet outlined made sure to point out that the overall target of this operation was the Alliance prototype warship and nothing else. To achieve that goal, three separated problems would need to be addressed in the end. The first of those was OMNI's Eighth Fleet's firepower compared to what they had to work with on-site. The second was the difference in the number of forces on either side of this upcoming battle as OMNI had the advantage in that. The third issue came somewhat from the second if the three enemy mobile suits from the legged ship if they appear on the battlefield.
The first problem was one that was solved by tactics for as long as that said firepower of the orbital fleet wasn't focused, then it wasn't as effective. The second issue was much like the first and would be solved by fighting smarter, not harder. That would require pilots to not be foolhardy and make dumb mistakes and for most of the pilots that would be on the field, it wouldn't be anything to worry about. Yet, Sakura wasn't anywhere near as confident with the young pilots that used the stolen Alliance machines. They'd proven to be problematic along with a varying degree of recklessness for each of them. However, the wingmen they were assigned would help in that point which was why Sakura assigned them. The third issue was a real problem that there needed to be a contingency for and Sakura was trying to figure out the best way to go about it.
Back to the first two issues, the battle plan was simple yet effective which was normally the style Sakura went with. By dividing the enemy fleet that would cast them into disarray, then there would be a clear shot at the true target. While that went on, Laconi and Porto would sneak around until they were behind OMNI's fleet and would flank them. As they made their way to that point, the stolen OMNI units would keep the mobile armors busy as their armor system would make the enemies' weaponry virtually useless. Once all the mobile armors in the front were occupied, the rest of the mobile suits would begin clearing remaining enemy forces. Laconi and Porto were not to engage Archangel for any reason, they were to focus on attacking the Alliance fleet itself.
When the Alliance fleet was in chaos and disarray, the stolen machines would then move forward to attack the prototype warship as they were the best equipped to take it on. Almost none had any issues with the plan, yet Creuset did comment, "Zephyr, do you think this plan will work against Halberton?"
Sakura gazed at Creuset since the man should know the answer and it sounded more like he was questioning her. Creuset should and really did know better than to do that with Sakura, so he was asking for trouble. "In the end no, it won't however, it will work for long enough for the goal to be within reach," she replied. "You would do well not to question me Creuset, you know better than to do that."
Rau shook his head, "As you said I know better than to question you Zephyr, just asking if there isn't a less costly way to go about this."
Sakura stared at the man with an expression of annoyance as he was the last one to talk about methods being less costly. Hence, he was trying to score points and make himself seem nobler than he was. The idea was one that Sakura had seen many times and disliked each and every time she witnessed. "You would do well to keep your mouth such Creuset, your drivel is annoying. All of you are dismissed to make the needed preparation for this operation," Sakura said to the room at large.
Meanwhile, back on the Archangel, the meeting with the senior officers of the Archangel and the Eighth Fleet's leaders, along with Vice Foreign Minister Allster present was being held in the captain's room. Halberton was sitting at the desk while Hoffman was drilling the ship officers for what they had been a part of. The trouble the Archangel had created was still being dealt with due to others not letting go of what happened to Heliopolis. And that was before getting into the volatile ripples the reveal of the G-Project had caused. "How could you resort to such extreme measures as destroying Heliopolis and Artemis," Hoffman demanded bitterly to the officers of the Archangel. "All for the sake of this lone ship and a single G-machine!"
"But sir," interjected Natarle as there had been circumstances that were out of their control that played into what had occurred. ZAFT had taken those on the G-Project by surprise and had killed the majority of them at Heliopolis. Then at Artemis, the behavior of the officers there had caused a lot of the problems that led to the base's destruction.
However, Hoffman cut her off not wanting to hear excuses for the crap the ship had been involved in. "No buts Ensign! Do you have any idea of the flak and accusations the Earth Alliance and OMNI have been getting since the collapse of Heliopolis? From the Federation's military alone, demands of calling to tasking those responsible for what happened have kept coming. Along with that, they also want full disclosure of the G-project as they say that Heliopolis belongs to one of their member nations, saying 'we had no right'. Those are the major points they are not letting go at all which have them breathing down our necks. So, what do you all have to say for yourselves? The usual consequences of your actions are harsh, but you're lucky to not have been court marshaled already and stripped of your rank already!"
Both Murrue and Natarle lowered their heads as the accusation was stated, though neither of them could have imagined that the actions at Heliopolis could've ended out as they did. It didn't mean that the two women didn't regret what had come about because of how they protect the Archangel and the Strike. But to hear that the Alliance and OMNI were being held accountable for the event wasn't nice. Yet, it did echo what Tyler had said to them somewhat when he returned to the ship. The teen had mentioned that Orb was a member of the Federation which had been news to all of them. Also, that they had played a part in the colony's collapse was coming back to mind at what Hoffman said.
Nonetheless, Halberton wasn't going to let Hoffman chastise the two women for what the Archangel had done. He had read reports about the events at Heliopolis and Artemis, after doing so he thought that under the circumstances the officers made the best choices they could. That they had saved even one of the G-Weapons was quite something with Creuset hounding them. The masked man was tenacious an individual as Halberton had ever met and was known for causing messes and trouble. Then with the unknown mobile suits, the Archangel had done better than expected of her. "Now Hoffman, calm down. Both Miss Ramius and Badgiruel did the best they could under the circumstances that were beyond their control. None of us knew until this instance that Orb had become a member of the Human Federation. And it's good luck that the other two mobile suits appeared," Halberton paused, "what were they called again?"
"The X209 Shadow and the SA01 Asuka sir," answered Murrue.
"Although the Shadow bears many similarities to the other mobile suits in the GAT series, it also has features that the G-weapons don't at all. Even with the time we've had, the full capabilities of that particular machine are still unknown." Natarle paused, not happy about a particular fact about the mobile suit. She suspected that Tyler had done something to prevent a full inspection of the mobile suit, but she couldn't prove it. The OS was locked and none of the mechanics had been able to unlock the system to even look at it. And what had been inspected hadn't made a great deal of sense. Murdoch had said he suspected that there had already been some modifications done while the machine had been absent as the shield seemed different.
Hoffman huffed in irritation at Natarle's reply as the two unknown suits could help in weapon development. If either machine had Federation tech, then it would be the first real look OMNI would have of it and that was important. The Federation's Military had always been ahead of both OMNI and ZAFT in scientific and weapon development. And they never gave any info or shared any of their knowledge with others. "You're telling us that not only have you botched things by the damage caused, but you have been wasting time as well," he posed. "Both those mobile suits are unknowns and studying them could be of help in the war effort."
It wasn't like the ship and its crew had been doing nothing along the journey, it was just the circumstances wouldn't allow some things. So, Murrue shook her head, "No sir, the Shadow got separated from the ship for a time and only recently came back on board the Archangel. With the time there's been between resupplying and the fights against ZAFT, there hasn't been a great deal of time. The inspections our mechanics have made of the X209 Shadow, little has been gleaned thus far. However, there's enough evidence to conclude that neither of the two mobile suits was accounted for at Morgenroete and are believed to not be made by OMNI directly, though data from the G-weapons seems to be the basis for them both."
The point Murrue mentioned was one that Natarle agreed with after reading what the mechanics found. The Asuka was supposedly a prototype for Orb's mobile suits and it was quite formidable from the battle data. It also by what the mechanics figured a "general purpose" machine like the Duel and the Strike were designed to be. Yet the flight system was one of the main differences and that was something that Murdoch and the rest were still trying to figure out.
The Shadow was a different story than the Asuka and it frustrated Natarle no real inspection could be made. In the two battles that it had participated in, the Shadow had shown that it had the Mirage Colloid system. However, the system the Shadow had wasn't the same that had been installed in the Blitz from what Natarle could tell. She had seen one of the tests the Blitz's Mirage Colloid had done and she'd overheard the issues it had as well. Yet, the Shadow's colloid seemed to have little if any of the issues the Blitz's did. That could mean either the Shadow had a different version of Mirage Colloid or it had the issues worked out. If the latter was true, then it was all the more important to get a look at it but again, the machine's pilot blocked attempts. "Whoever is responsible for the suits' design, is unknown," Natarle stated, "But I believe that the Asuka and the Shadow were designed by different groups than the G-Project was."
Hoffman seemed to be at a loss for words, which Halberton smiled a bit at as he spoke, "And if not for those two machines, the Archangel and the Strike would have been much more pressed to get this far. With ZAFT in possession of the other four G-weapons… at least one was kept from them, that's a victory in itself in this war. And victories even if small ones are hard to come by these days, so we should be grateful for those we can get."
Hoffman could agree with what Admiral Halberton was saying in principle, but OMNI higher-ups weren't saying anything like that lately. "Alaska's response says that military command doesn't share that view sir," Hoffman replied calmly finding the use of his voice again.
Hoffman's words came as a surprise to Mu, Krystal, and Natarle mostly as they hadn't heard anything about OMNI having problems out of the ordinary as of late. So then, why would Military HQ have an issue with the chain of events that the Archangel went through? Perhaps there was more to what was going on, that none of them knew?
"Bah," scoffed Halberton. "What do they know about the realities of space combat? Lieutenant Ramius has understood all along what I've been trying to achieve." Murrue looked up shocked at the praise, "Nothing in this matter warrants any concern."
"Yes admiral," Murrue replied.
Hoffman shook his head slightly and decided to just move on to the other point of this hearing. The mobile suits were a subject of discussion, but their pilots were more so. So, Hoffman pulled out two pieces of paper along with a stack of fifteen pages, looking them over. "Moving on to the topic of the young Coordinators who have been piloting those mobile suits," he said, "are we going to forget all about them?"
He put the papers on the desk, revealing the two single pages to be the reports on Kira and Lacus. But what surprised the Archangel's officers was that the fifteen-page stack was the report on Tyler himself. Mu spotted the words on the top page of the stack, those being 'Incomplete' and 'invalid information' stamped on it. That was odd as it inferred that there was far more to Tyler than any thought. Not that Mu would be all that surprised if Tyler had done things that weren't talked about being a Federation Soldier. Allster shifted, his eyes narrowing at all three of the reports of those he considered to be mistaken walking and breathing.
"Kira Yamato, Lacus Christopher, and Tyler McGregor only wanted to protect their friends," Murrue said. She wanted to get across that these teens had done nothing wrong and had been pressed into the situation they were in. "That's the only reason they boarded those mobile suits for us."
"Hmm," murmured Halberton, thoughts straying once again to the mystery presented by Lacus Christopher and her relationship with the other two Coordinators. He had his suspicions about the girl, her name didn't seem to fit and the resemblance she bore to the woman that came to his mind was extremely uncanny. It had come as a surprise that Tyler had ended out on the Archangel, which Halberton didn't doubt there was a story to. The young soldier was incredible beyond what OMNI knew about him, Halberton was one of those outside of the Federation to know that. Halberton also knew that some in OMNI had issues with Tyler and incidents that he could have been involved in.
"In all likelihood," continued Murrue, "we would not have made it this far if it weren't for the abilities of those kids. However, their decision was dictated by events beyond their control. They've suffered greatly from having to fight against other Coordinators. They are kind, sincere individuals, and I believe we should repay them for their selfless efforts with our complete trust."
Hoffman stared at Murrue as she clearly didn't have an idea what kind of people had been piloting for her. "Kind and sincere individuals you say lieutenant? Maybe that's true of the younger two Coordinators. There's not enough information to say the truth, but what do you really know of Tyler McGregor? Because he is known to the Earth Alliance and is suspected to be involved in previous incidences and none of them are good ones," he asked. The records of McGregor made it clear the teen was in trouble and should be locked up and interrogated.
Mu was irritated by this attack on the young pilot, Tyler hadn't done anything wrong and he shouldn't be accused of such. Whatever the Alliance knew about him, it could easily be incorrect as the 'file' on him stated at the top! Tyler had gone beyond what one would do to pull off an act, that much had been obvious to himself and Krystal. So, Mu stepped forward, "That kid has protected this ship and put his life on the line for all of us! A person doesn't do that for just random people unless they're extremely dedicated to a cause or is just plain crazy. Tyler hasn't shown himself to be inclined to go towards crazy regularly. He's earned the trust and respect of all on this ship!"
McGregor was quite the actor as the file said, Hoffman would admit that if he could have others defending him like this. But then, OMNI intelligence had stated that with their findings on the teen, and OMNI intelligence agents tended to be thorough on research. "You apparently don't know your fellow pilot very well, Lieutenant La Flaga," Hoffman commented, he then picked up the stack of pages and started reading, "Tyler McGregor, a first-generation Coordinator, meaning that his parents are Naturals. Intelligence agents have been unable to confirm the identities of either of his parents even after extensive research. Evidence suggests that either he or some in the Federation military have hidden the identities of his parents, reasons unknown. He's a soldier of and pilot for the Federation's Military."
The Archangel officers and both pilots didn't get where this was going. Tyler himself had said he was part of the Federation's military. This was being made out as Tyler has said to the four of them, 'a crime to be part of the Federation's military'. If this was the treatment that Tyler and others like him receive from the Earth Alliance, then his harsh views of the Alliance made more sense. Also, Mu and Krystal couldn't blame Tyler for making sure in some way that the identity of his parents was unknown. If this was the kind of treatment he got, then Tyler was minimizing possible blame, punishment, and retaliation that might come his way along with his family.
However, before any protests could be made, Hoffman kept going, "Holds the rank of Commander, which is unusual for one as young as him. And not only that, with the evidence acquired, he is also suspected to be a member of the Federation's SOLAS. The majority of the information on him is unconfirmed or is classified, a suspicious young man to be sure. Certainly, one that trust is risky to extend to, more so with him thought to be involved in sabotage prior to now."
The Archangel officers and the pilots were shocked to hear the fact of Tyler was suspected of being a part of the Federation's SOLAS. That group was the best of the best that the Federation's military had and not just anyone becomes a part of it. That didn't change the fact that Tyler still had done a lot to defend the ship even putting his life on the line. That in mind, Murrue glared back at the man for the implications that he was throwing out. Yes, Tyler had said nothing at first, but this was sounding like Tyler was being accused of doing wrong, it was wrong! He did nothing to deserve this suspicion of him or his motives, and for him to be thought to have done sabotage, it was ridiculous! "You're right, Tyler is a pilot of the Federation however, he had proved that he has been working towards the best interests of those on board this ship."
"You really think one of those space monsters can be trusted, a mistake waiting to happen," muttered Allster loud enough for everyone in the room. It was difficult, fighting against his disgust with the space monsters, but he knew he'd accomplish nothing as things stood. Mu wanted to tell him, if not for the 'monster' that he was referring to, then the Minister wouldn't be here.
"That's not what this is about," snapped Halberton to get the attention back.
Hoffman stared at Halberton since McGregor at least could get facts on the G-Project to the Federation. "Yet admiral, but if we allow them to go now," he said uncertainly.
"Then what Hoffman? They'll carry the secrets of the Strike to Orb and the Federation," Halberton challenged, snorting slightly. "ZAFT already has four of the G-weapons, in case you've forgotten. Orb already has the technology themselves, and through them the Federation no doubt has now. The Asuka and I would bet the Shadow was produced by them are proof of the fact. Besides, ever since I read the report on it, I've been looking into some things. The Asuka is going to be remaining with Kira Yamato until he says otherwise. The same can be said about Tyler McGregor and the Shadow." Everyone else shared a confused look at this, "So, as you can see, the G-weapons are hardly a secret anymore, there's no reason to hold or keep them here. Lieutenant Ramius," Halberton said ignoring Allster and Hoffman entirely. "The Archangel will be descending with the Strike to deliver the machine to Alaska. We lost those who were going to be added to your crew with the advance fleet and don't have many to spare ourselves. However, you'll have to go with your current crew compliment and the two or three we can give you."
"Understood sir," Murrue replied her thoughts grim. Reaching the fleet had given a bit of a morale boost and that was needed. However, that also meant there would be crew changes as the refugees would be leaving the Archangel, it would also include the volunteers too. The event made the ship crew understand just how much the teens had been doing to help. She hoped the new arrivals that Halberton mentioned would be able to handle bridge duties as they would be once again extremely short-handed. The future of the Archangel was even more uncertain than when it set out from the ruins of Heliopolis.
With what Halberton just said, Hoffman knew it was no longer worth trying to argue or point out things the Archangel was involved in. The Admiral had a point, the fruits of the G-Project were no longer secret, ZAFT had most of the prototypes and the Federation likely had enough information to piece it together. There were more pressing matters to focus on, so it was time to move on and leave what the ship did to others to decide what consequences it would face later. "I'll contact you later with the details for what personnel and supplies will be transferred over as well as the matter of the civilian volunteers," Hoffman remarked.
With that final remark, the meeting between the leaders of the Eighth Fleet and the Archangel's commanding officers ended. Murrue suspected that at least Admiral Halberton would return tomorrow since he had said he wanted to talk to the volunteers and that hadn't happened. He also would be escorting the additional crew members to the Archangel as that was the kind of man he was. As long as Murrue had known the admiral, he took the time to get to know a number of those that were under his command.
Murrue was left in her quarters after all had left and ended out looking over the list of supplies currently being loaded from the fleet supply ships into the Archangel's cargo hold. The supplies included missiles, ammo, fuel, water, and food of course. Although some things couldn't be obtained such as a lack of some parts for the mobile suits, so Chief Murdoch wouldn't need to improvise as he had for a time now. The Archangel also got a pair of FX-550 Skygrasper, support fighter craft for the Strike planet-side, though Mu and Krystal would be their only pilots unless more were trained. Yet those two crafts took up the last bit of space in the hangar putting the Archangel at full capacity. There was also a variety of new potential equipment for the Strike to use, like bazookas and unpowered physical swords sharper than the GINN and CGUE blades that are standard with them.
There were also the personnel files for the three new crew members that would be coming aboard the Archangel. One was a new doctor, Mark Graham, he had a record of experience that spanned a decade and had good recommendations attached to the file. The next was a mechanic, which Chief Murdoch would appreciate. The man was Petty Officer 2nd Class Arthur Nicks, his skills in general system repair, and that was sorely needed. The last of the additional officers was an engineer, Lieutenant Sophia Falco, an old friend of Murrue's from her days in OMNI's Training Academy.
Murrue looked forward to seeing her friend again, though Sophia would be put on the bridge crew as she was the only new crew member they were getting qualified for bridge duty. Murrue just hoped that she wouldn't mind that position as there were no others to fill it. Then there was the document that was captain Hoffman's idea for the best way to address the matter of their volunteer crew. The major issue with them was there being treaties in place that forbade civilian combatants and violating said treaties had harsh consequences attached to them for any of three factions. The teens would simply be retroactively commissioned as crewmen of the Archangel. Hoffman would be bringing discharge papers when he and Halberton returned tomorrow so that there wouldn't be legal or military problems.
Last but not least, there was the matter of the three Coordinator pilots, which came with its own set of difficulties. Murrue had no problem with Kira, Lacus, or Tyler for that matter, however, those above her didn't share the view. Hoffman seemed to imply keeping them with the Archangel would be the best choice. Although he didn't say it outright, Murrue believed in her position, he would force them to do so if he could. That didn't sit well with Murrue, not after what those three had gone through and done for all of those on the Archangel. Plus, she doubted any here on the ship would force them to stay, she certainly wouldn't do so.
Yet, she kind of wanted to see Hoffman force Tyler McGregor stay, just to see how the man reacted to Tyler's "manners". The oldest teen had proven to both Natarle and Murrue herself that he won't follow orders given him if he didn't want to. The older teen had clashed with Natarle more often than Murrue, but enough to see that Tyler didn't like being told what to do. It had gotten to the point that some of the crew were making bets on who would get the other to snap at the other first. And then, Natarle had told Murrue at least of her frustration she had with Tyler even if she hadn't told any other on the ship.
Interestingly, the exact fate of the Asuka and the Shadow was the odd news as it was neither good nor bad. And after some research, Murrue understood what Halberton had been saying about the machine staying with Kira until he said otherwise and the same for Tyler. Due to certain technicalities, namely, that neither machine officially existed thus were unowned by any nation or faction. The nature of salvage laws currently in effect, Kira had become the owner of the Asuka and Tyler the Shadow. Both could do whatever they wanted with their mobile suits; keep it for personal reasons, take it apart, or even sell it and live the rest of his life in luxury. Either one of those machines were probably worth at least a couple hundred, more likely a few thousand times what Murrue herself could ever hope to make in her entire lifetime alone. Murrue just hoped she could be there to see the look on the face of Kira and Tyler when the two found out.
After the 'greeting' Tyler had been forced to attend, he'd slipped away putting his well-developed stealth skills used to not be noticed. Tyler had been making his way back to his bed to try and get the sleep had been intending to before Mu had snatched him. However, Kira and Lacus caught up to Tyler before he had got back to his quarters. Both had been worried about Tyler, he had been irritable lately more than he tended to be. And after a short conversation, Tyler admitted he was having "some trouble" sleeping as of late. Kira figured the "nightmares" Tyler mentioned were populated by what he'd seen around the ruins of Junius Seven. Kira and Lacus agreed to not tell others about the difficulties that Tyler was having and let him go get some sleep.
Once in his quarters, it didn't take Tyler long to get together with his bed after taking the medication the doctor had given him. And Tyler would admit it was wonderful to not have nightmares plaguing him for a sleeping period. It allowed for Tyler's nerves to calm down and come down from their heightened alert state they had been in for the last week or so. He woke up the next morning much better than when he had gone to sleep and since Tyler wouldn't be on bridge duty for a time, he spent his time taking things slow and easy. The time that things would be peaceful would quickly be coming to a close in the near future and Tyler knew that. So, he got dressed and headed to the mess to get breakfast and start the day that would be a long one by the end.
Within minutes, Tyler came into the Mess Hall, and he instantly noticed that his friends from Heliopolis were there. A moment later, Tyler saw that each one was looking at a set of papers that didn't make sense to him. The Archangel crew didn't look through papers that Tyler had seen most of the time. Now it was possible that it could have something to do with the OMNI fleet, Tyler didn't know the nitty-gritty of OMNI's procedures nor did he want to know really. So, Tyler started scratching his head trying to figure out what was going on as he approached. "Discharge papers," Tolle questioned as Tyler was coming up.
The four volunteers were looking at the papers he and the others had been given from one of the ship officers. Sai had read enough to understand that the collection of documents was discharge papers simply put. That brought to mind how their help was being viewed by those the Archangel crew was reporting to. It made them wonder if their friends piloting was being seen in the same light. "So," Miriallia began. "we were soldiers all along?"
The somewhat incredulous tone of Miriallia's voice set the tone that the four felt. It was like the help they had been providing was being dismissed as little to nothing. "By what this says, we were assigned to the Archangel of the Eighth Fleet," Kuzzey read.
Tyler had closed the distance and was looking over Sai's shoulder somewhat and saw the documents did indeed look like standard discharge papers. It made a bit of sense even if Tyler didn't like the implications that were not said by those who gave the papers to his friends. OMNI was using discharge papers as an excuse so they could officially say they hadn't pressured civilians into helping. If they didn't do something like this, the Federation and ZAFT would nail OMNI for "treaty violation" the latter to have something against the Alliance. So, Tyler spoke up, "They gave you them to avoid the hassle of the official stuff of you helping if I'm not mistaken since you never technically enlisted when you volunteered to help out."
The four teens jumped a bit at hearing Tyler speaking to them. Sai twisted around to find Tyler right behind them which was a bit of a shock as there had been no sound of him approaching. It wasn't the first time that Tyler had "snuck up" on them and made them jump a bit, he had a knack for the idea. "Tye, when did you come in," Sai asked.
Miriallia glared at Tyler a bit, "Why do you come up and scare us like that Tye, I've told you not to do that!"
Tyler had to hold back the smirk at Miriallia's comment as teasing her was amusing at times, and he managed to keep it in. Tyler was about to answer but was prevented as a pair came into the mess hall. The one on the left and slightly in the lead Tyler noticed was Natarle Badgiruel and the other was that 'captain' that had been with Halberton. Natarle frowned at Tyler, which he had gotten used to, and even now took it as sort of a compliment from the woman with who he didn't get along. Tyler even gave a bit of a nod to Natarle which got a brief grimace that he judged as a victory for himself.
Natarle and Hoffman moved over to the teens in the Mess, though the ones they were looking for weren't here. The four volunteer teens had already got their discharge papers, but the two pilots hadn't yet. Tyler was a special case so didn't need the discharge papers like the other teens did. Although Natarle wouldn't be complaining should Tyler be discharged from the Archangel, for her own peace of mind if nothing else. But now wasn't the time to deal with the attitude issue with Tyler. "Where are Kira Yamato and Lacus Christopher," Natarle prompted. All but Tyler looked up at her, then at each other. Meanwhile, Tyler just stared at Natarle with an almost incredulous expression like the question she asked was so obvious that it was foolish to ask it. Natarle took a moment to glance around seeing that the two other pilots were not at any of the corners or tables before she shook her head. "Never mind," Natarle said handed two additional sets of discharge papers to Sai, "just give these to them later."
"It may have been an emergency that forced it," Hoffman stated deciding to explain things further. "But the fact is, it's illegal for civilians to take part in combat per a specific treaty between the factions. We would like to avoid any potential problems for yourselves and us as well, so this is the ideal solution. You will all be recognized as volunteer soldiers who entered the military when you came aboard. That said, please don't lose those discharge papers, or it could lead to a lot of trouble for yourselves in the future. Furthermore, any information you learned while onboard should be treated as confidential, even after you return to Orb."
It was true that according to an agreement know as Octavian Treaty that was made after the reconstruction war, civilians were not to take part in combat. Yet, Tyler knew that the treaty never had anything about putting innocent people in danger and possibly killed either. But again, if OMNI wasn't being watched and Halberton wasn't trying to help, Tyler would bet this would never even come up. That in mind, he decided to speak up, not just himself, but for his friends' defense as well, "If you genuinely mean what you say, sir, then maybe you should use this experience as a lesson," Tyler remarked emphasizing 'sir' in a disrespectful manner.
Hoffman turned to Tyler giving the older teen a dirty look for the comment and the way he had addressed him. Tyler didn't back down from the dirty look, just stood his ground and started right back with a determined expression. Points from the OMNI intelligence report were coming back to Hoffman's mind about this young man. He had fooled others before, but it was also stated that the teen was supposed to be downright stubborn as well. "I would recommend you watch your tone, Mr. McGregor," Hoffman returned in an even tone.
Tyler gave the man a deadpanned look, "You have a problem with my attitude, then deal with it," Tyler replied. "If you want examples of how I act around those who believe they can order me to do things, have a chat with Ensign Badgiruel next to you. She's had plenty of experience of trying to order me around and receiving what she considers 'insubordination' when I don't listen to her. I would say sometimes, it more me not giving a damn about what others think about me, take it as you like. So, let me make this clear in a way you'll understand." Tyler paused, took a deep breath, and then 'dropped the hammer', "I've been helping out the Archangel of my own free will, it's not in any way, me being under the command or control of any OMNI officer or member of the Alliance. And if you think your opinion makes a lick of freaking difference to me, then feel free to kiss my ass," Tyler said flatly, "So, pucker up or hush up sir."
After saying that Tyler turned and exited the Mess Hall leaving the rest in there staring at the door. To say that most, if not all in the mess hall were shocked at Tyler's words and actions, would be an understatement. The volunteers were surprised since Tyler was normally polite and didn't talk back to someone without reason. Oh granted, he would state his opinion bluntly whether that went over well or not, but he wasn't normally as rude as he just had been. None of them had thought their friend had such a standing problem with those from the Alliance.
Natarle on the other hand was flabbergasted at the things Tyler had said more than usual. She'd thought the teen couldn't surprise her to this extent anymore, not with how she'd gotten "used to" his attitude, but that was just proven wrong. Natarle had suspected that Tyler McGregor had an 'issue' with the Earth Alliance and those allied with it. That was confirmed by the descriptions of the events of Heliopolis, but this put the issue beyond her estimation. Tyler had been helping out and so, been even earning Natarle's own acknowledgment and minor trust by this point with his actions to protect the Archangel. What Tyler had said about not taking orders from her was true from time to time and it'd annoyed her. But when it counted, he worked towards the best interest of the Archangel, even if he used different methods that she would.
Hoffman wasn't surprised by the teen's actions, which matched what was implied in the intelligence report. So, his reaction was to huff, "As I believe I said earlier Ensign Badgiruel, Mr. McGregor is not to be trusted. He's a loose cannon that can go out of control and cause issues. He should be disciplined, but that's not my place to decide," he said.
As the conversation was going on, Flay entered the mess hall. She'd seen Tyler leave and head down the corridor looking a tad annoyed, but he had been out of sight before she could wonder much as what was going on. But her thoughts were more on current events which included the refugees being moved off the Archangel. Should those that had been volunteering also go, then the ship would be in a worse position than it already was. Flay felt that the Archangel could make a difference in the war if given the chance to do so. That in mind, Flay plucked up the courage that she was hoping others would follow. "Um, excuse me," Flay began drawing attention to herself, "I would like to volunteer to join the crew of the Archangel."
There was silence in the room as everyone faced Flay, though Sai was the first to find the use of his voice, "Flay, what did you just say?"
Flay really wanted to help, others had and made a world of difference to those on the Archangel. So, she gained a serious expression on her face, "I said I want to join the crew of the Archangel," she repeated more evenly.
Natarle wondered if this girl understood what she was asking for in joining the crew of the ship. That's not to say the Archangel didn't need help with ship operation, more so with the volunteers leaving soon. "You do realize what you're saying right," Natarle asked as thoroughly shocked by Flay's words as Hoffman and the volunteers were.
Flay didn't want what she was trying to do to be seen as her attempt to stand out or another silly reason. She really wanted to help by her own choice and not for selfish wishes or something for her dad. Heck, she hadn't told her father about this as he would be completely against her volunteering. So she decided to stand her ground, "Look, I'm not saying this just for the fun of it or for a silly reason like that. I've thought about this ever since my father came on board, when Kira, Lacus, and Tyler saved him from ZAFT."
What the girl had said fit what had been mentioned by Minister Allster when he had talked to Hoffman and Halberton. The loss of the advanced fleet was regrettable but couldn't be changed even if Hoffman had been against sending them. Still, if this girl in front of him was the Minister's daughter, she appeared to have gotten some of the man's stubbornness. "That means you must be the daughter of Vice Minister Allster," Hoffman remarked in the form of a question.
"That's right," said Flay. "My name is Flay Allster and I," Flay paused for a moment in hesitation. "Well, ever since I first talked to him when he came aboard, I've been thinking about everything that's been happening. It has taught me that everyone can make a difference. The ship is understaffed, and everyone is certain that it can help in this war. I want to help with that in whatever way I can, even if it's only cleaning the corridors or something to make things easier for the rest of the crew." Flay stopped and took a breath, "After everything that's happened, I can't just walk away."
Flay left unspoken her hopes that somehow if the Archangel made the difference it was supposed to, maybe, just maybe, both sides would be more willing to negotiate a ceasefire and peace treaty. She was becoming increasingly sympathetic to the PLANTs because of her Coordinator friends, and even why the Human Federation being so strict in being neutral and protecting its citizens. But she also realized that after the Bloody Valentine Incident, there would be those that would never accept a ceasefire unless the Earth Forces could manage to equal them. Even she knew that ZAFT was slowly but surely winning the war against the Earth Alliance even if it wasn't admitted publicly. The Human Federation had tried to stop the bloodshed, but very little had resulted from the attempts. "Throughout all of this, everyone on the Archangel has been doing their best for this ship, and most onboard has been involved… except people like me," continued Flay. "So, please, allow me to join the crew."
It was an odd request from one of the more unexpected places, but a volunteer was still a volunteer. Hoffman was a tad concerned with the child of an influential political figure in the Alliance. Such could produce ripples both good and bad depending on what could happen in the future should the girl be permitted to join the Archangel's crew. But for the moment, the Archangel needed help, so a volunteer wouldn't hurt, "Very well, if you are that committed to the idea," Hoffman began, "Come with us. We should probably discuss this with your father."
Flay didn't want her father involved with this as she already knew he would be dead set against this choice. She was having issues enough with her father without adding more to the plate and this would break the fragile peace that was between him. It would be better if she broke the news to her father instead of others. "I'd, uh, rather do that privately," Flay replied. She wasn't certain what Hoffman and Natarle would think of her present conflict with her father, though she figured Natarle might already know. Her father's mood had been fairly bad lately, mostly because of Flay's refusal to listen or heed his view about Coordinators.
"Very well then," Hoffman remarked not interested in having further detail about why the girl didn't want her father involved. He wanted the least amount of involvement with the politician with the trouble and difficulty he had caused. If not for him, there wouldn't have been an advanced fleet and that force would still be with the fleet. "Come with us," Hoffman continued, "We can discuss the details."
With that, the two officers left the mess hall with Flay in tow leaving the volunteers where they were. Sai turned back to the others trying to process what just happened in the last few moments right in front of them. Tyler's actions were unexpected as he wasn't one to be outright rude to others. But he had been stressed lately so Sai nor the others would hold the "snap" against Tyler. Yet, Flay volunteering to join the crew was out of the blue and Sai didn't know what had gotten into her. Although it was true that the ship's crew was hurting for help with the refugees planning to leave. It had been an unsaid subject between the Heliopolis volunteers, whether to leave or to stay and help. Finally Sai spoke, "Like she said, the ship is still understaffed, and a war's still being fought on Earth and in space."
Everyone looked at their discharge papers but said nothing out loud but the feeling in the room was heavy. Sai came to a decision and gained a determined look before he tore his discharge papers in two. He knew that the action would be one he would have to live with but with what they had been through, he was okay with that. "Sai," Tolle exclaimed.
Miriallia gasped in shock as she stood up with Tolle and Kuzzey at Sai's action. "Even if unexpected, what Flay expressed is pretty much exactly my sentiments as well," Sai explained. Then he gave a slight smile. "Besides, it wouldn't be right for me to leave her alone, now would it?"
"Hmm," Tolle murmured thinking about staying on the Archangel to help the crew. They were good people, even if there had been some doubts at first, all those from Heliopolis knew that now. To leave them and pretend that nothing happened didn't sit well with Tolle and he doubted he was the only one that felt that way. So, with that thought in mind, Tolle ripped his own discharge papers in two finalizing the choice to stay.
The ripping sound got Miriallia to twist and gape at Tolle and his ripped discharge papers. Sai had a bit of a reason to stay on the Archangel, he was engaged to Flay after all. However, Tolle had little more reason than Kuzzey or Miriallia herself had to stay on this ship. Choosing to stay on the Archangel would have long-lasting consequences, no way to get around that. "Tolle," Miriallia uttered in shock.
"Like Sai said, the Archangel is still short-handed," Tolle stated. They had all had the time to think about volunteering to help on the Archangel before, there was little reason to hesitate now. Plus, without their help the ship wouldn't have made it as far as it had, it would not get far without those that could crew this ship. So, Tolle sighed, "I'd feel partly responsible if sometime down the road, it got shot down."
Miriallia exhaled knowing that Sai and even Tolle had a point in staying with the ship. And honestly, she had been arguing with herself when it had been said the "refugees" would be leaving the ship. If the boys were going to stay, there was no way she wasn't going to be here too. She tended to be the voice of reason so, she didn't hesitate and tore her papers in two as well. Tolle blinked a moment, "You too Miriallia," he asked.
She shrugged, "If you're planning to stay Tolle, then so am I, you boys get into trouble without me around." Miriallia shook her head, "And there is no way I feel comfortable leaving you two with Tyler around and no supervised. I would have a serious headache if I turned my back on that sort of situation."
They then turned as they heard the sound of more paper ripping and saw Kuzzey holding his torn discharge papers. Kuzzey, as scared as he had been on the journey since Heliopolis, it had been his friends that had made it bearable. So, even though his brain said to leave, his heart said to stay right where he was with his friends. "If you're all staying, then you can't expect me to leave, I won't leave my friends at a time like this," he commented.
"You're a fool," Tolle remarked shaking his head. But he was glad none of them would be parting ways with others leaving the ship. "But then, we're in good company I'd say," Tolle finished. After that, things between the three boys effectively degenerated into some playful name-calling. Yet after a few minutes, Tolle looked back at the set of papers that had been brought for Kira and Lacus. "Hmm," Tolle muttered, "But they'll be leaving, won't they? "
Back with Tyler, after saying his piece and leaving no doubt what he thought about what OMNI was trying to excuse, he left the mess. Tyler wasn't happy to have left without breakfast, but he lost interest in food if it meant dealing with pompous OMNI officers. Instead, he headed to the hangar as it's one of the places on the Archangel other than his quarters that he could find peace and quiet regularly. Also, Tyler had been meaning to do some fine-tuning on the Shadow to help in the coming battle. Whoever had been doing the programming on the Shadow, Tyler had some choice words for them. Then there had been optional equipment for the mobile suit that had been transferred from the Donnen which would take some tuning.
Tyler would prefer and love to get the work done back in the Republic, specifically at the Teswa R&D complex. However, Tyler knew that wouldn't be available any time soon, so he had to do things himself to make sure the machine was performing at its best. Tyler was willing to do the work and it was relaxing surprisingly, and he needed the least stress he could get. Plus, it gave Tyler an excuse to not be harped at or told what to do by the Archangel officers. He wasn't interested in dealing with Natarle and "her attitude" towards him. Granted, Tyler seemed to bring out the worst in the woman, and he wouldn't deny it. But Natarle's issues with Tyler's behavior was her issue and he'd stopped trying to make suggestions of improvement. He was more a tad surprised she hadn't thrown him in the brig already, Tyler didn't doubt it had gotten close to that. of course, what Natarle didn't know was Tyler knew how to get out of the ship's brig cells without an issue in less than a minute.
Tyler came out of his thoughts just as he reached the hangar, getting into the mindset to work on the Shadow. Yet, he found that he wasn't alone in the hangar, which was odd as the mechanics were off at the moment. Truthfully, Murdoch had said that he didn't have an issue with Tyler coming to the hangar as he pleased. And Tyler had learned the schedule of the mechanics in general, so he knew what times they tended to be out and in. But right now Kira and Lacus were there on the catwalks, simply looking at the Strike and the Asuka. It wasn't only them there, Tyler spotted Halberton also in the hangar though his friends didn't seem to know that. Tyler was about to approach when Halberton spoke, "Suddenly getting nostalgic now that you're going to be disembarking?"
Halberton had come to the ship's hangar hoping to talk with one or both the volunteer pilots alone. The two teens really had been pushed into a bad situation and Halberton wanted to thank them for the help they had given. Tyler being here was a bonus and his skills were extremely valuable and he wouldn't doubt they had helped. Halberton would like a chance to talk to Tyler but knew the young man wasn't all that inclined to speak to OMNI officers. To his luck, Halberton found the two younger teen Coordinators were in the Archangel's hangar. There was no one else around so this conversation would be private as Halberton wanted. After greeting them, Halberton closed the distance between him and the teens. When he got to the catwalk, one hand grabbed the rail to keep from accidentally pushing off. He came to a stop next to them as they straightened up, "Kira and Lacus, right? I've read a great deal about your actions in the reports," Halberton asked.
"Uh, yes," Kira replied, "To tell the truth we were trying to do what we could."
"Hmm," Halberton grunted, "considering the circumstances, you both proved yourselves quite remarkable. The same can be said for your friend Tyler McGregor, but that is not for me to say I think." He swept his eyes over the entire hangar, focusing briefly on the Asuka and the Shadow before looking back at them. He focused on Lacus before continuing, "Although you have fought for OMNI and the Alliance, I imagine your sister will be quite proud of your accomplishments, Miss Clyne."
Both Kira and Lacus stiffened slightly at the mention of Lacus's real last name as neither had mentioned it to their friends. Tyler of course knew who Lacus was, but he had promised he wouldn't say anything to anyone. Kira had told Sai about Lacus, but like Tyler, Kira trusted that his other friend would keep the secret as well. So the question of how Halberton could know who Lacus really was running through their minds. However, Halberton merely chuckled, "Oh, don't you worry," he said calmly, "I can imagine and understand your circumstances Miss Clyne, to an extent at least. I might not have realized myself if it were not that I've met the Black Zephyr a few times on the battlefield. She isn't someone you can dismiss or forget easily with the impression she leaves not with the warpaths she carves."
Lacus didn't like hearing about how others portrayed her older sister Sakura. She knew that Sakura had done many things, helped in killing many within the Alliance during this war. Lacus had read a report or two about what Sakura had done and it saddened her. Sakura had been a good older sister before the war, had listened to Lacus when she wanted to talk. It was memories of Sakura when Lacus was younger that made the pain worse at seeing how much Sakura had changed during the war. Lacus looked toward the floor, "Please don't say that about her," Lacus said softly. "Sis," she hesitated, "she hates war," Lacus paused again, "it's taken away almost everything she cared about, it has changed her from how she used to be."
Tyler could see where Lacus was coming from, even if he wasn't the fondest of Sakura, but he had his own reasons for that. However, the fact of the matter was Lacus didn't want to admit that Sakura was good at fighting. Tyler may not have seen firsthand what Sakura could do, but that would change soon enough. "But that doesn't mean she does beyond a notable job at commanding forces, none can't deny that Lacus," Tyler stated. "Because damn, Sakura is downright amazing at what she does, and earned that part of her reputation." Everyone turned and looked at Tyler as he floated towards them from the entryway to the hangar. Tyler smiled a bit as he approached, "Sorry for not announcing myself before, thought it would be best for me to just listen for a little."
Halberton could see that his comments about Sakura Clyne had hurt the woman's younger sister. "I see, I apologize, Miss Clyne," Halberton apologized turning to look at the Asuka. "Still, it's a surprise that you would be here. Even more surprising is what the three of you have done with these machines." Halberton looked to Tyler, "You included Tyler, though I would guess you are no stranger to the battlefield being a Federation soldier." Halberton looked back to the mobile suits, "These machines were only meant to be an adequate counter to ZAFT's mobile suits, but with you three inside piloting them they suddenly become near super-weapons. I can't help but find myself once again amazed at the abilities of Coordinators."
Tyler knew that Halberton didn't mean any insult when he talked about the abilities of Coordinators, some would be. He had met a number of those that hated and looked down on Coordinators as sub-humans or less. Yet, while Tyler didn't take what Halberton said badly, Lacus didn't like that Coordinators were being portrayed as super-human. "That's not true," Lacus denied before Kira or Tyler could speak up. "Us being Coordinators," Lacus stopped for a moment then continued, "yes, that has some effect on how quickly we learn and adapt, but it's not everything."
The girl's statement about Coordinators was one that Halberton didn't hear often and before now only came from the Human Federation. The explanations he had gotten before now hadn't made a great deal of sense. All that he had received from others was that Coordinators were still at a base level Human. So, Halberton wondered what Miss Clyne could say, "Could you explain what you mean Miss Clyne," Halberton posed. "And I in no way mean to offend, I am merely fascinated by your abilities and how some Coordinators use and develop them. No Natural can pilot a mobile suit that I know of in any of the factions."
Tyler knew that there were things that those outside the Federation's Military didn't know about how the Federation operated. So, Halberton wouldn't know that pilots whether Natural, Coordinator, or Hybrid was trained to used mobile weapons of all kinds. That in mind, Tyler snickered, "Oh, you would be wrong about that Halberton. It would probably surprise you to know that out of the top ten pilots in the Federation's Military, four of them are Naturals and can work with most if not all mobile weapons when called upon." Tyler paused for a moment and the feeling of mirth disappearing, "Plus, I would have to quote a man that I respect the most, 'it doesn't matter how you were born, it is what you do with the gifts you have along with the effort you put forth matters the most.' A line I wish more would heed as it would make the world a very different place than it is now."
Lacus agreed with what Tyler said, though she was kind of curious who he was quoting with the line he said. Any human could achieve great things if they tried their hardest. That's why she couldn't agree or understand the hatred that a number had for other types of humans. So, Lacus nodded to Tyler's statement, "Indeed, one can if they try," she said. Kira and Halberton's eyes widened in shock at what both Lacus and Tyler said. "I only know of an example because he was a family friend, but," Lacus hesitated, "ZAFT's Ace of Aces, the number one of the Champions he was actually a Natural."
Tyler could help but smile as he had a very educated guess as to who she was referring to. He would love to tell Lacus the truth about the individual she'd mention, but he couldn't. The man, ZAFT's ace of aces wasn't dead as most thought he was and so few knew the truth. The reason was it had been asked by the man to be left to live his life in peace and that wish was being honored. "You're referring to the one known as the 'Comet' are you not Lacus," Tyler asked.
Lacus was a tad shocked that Tyler had guessed that the one she'd been talking about was the ZAFT champion "The Comet". Granted, stories about Mr. Aker were still told by ZAFT and even within the Alliance, so Tyler may have heard of him. So, Lacus nodded, "Yes, but how did you guess that Tye."
For Halberton, to hear and understand that ZAFT's best pilot and fighter was in fact, a Natural-type, it was had to believe. Yes, the Federation's military had shown that human type didn't make as much of a difference as others claimed. The Alliance wasn't willing to admit the point at all, though Halberton knew it was an unsaid and accepted fact by most. "But how can that be," Halberton questioned a tad incredulous.
"He was naturally talented and pushed himself to the limits constantly," Lacus explained. She remembered the things that Sakura would say about Mr. Aker both nice and not so nice. Sakura considered him a 'friend' but was annoyed about parts of his personality by what Lacus figured. "He only disappeared because of the risk of his superiors finding out he wasn't a Coordinator," Lacus continued. "That's what others have said about his disappearance, others say he died but I don't know what to think on that."
Tyler really wanted to tell Lacus the truth about the man, but he couldn't according to the agreement with the Federation. He'd met the comet whose name was Graham Aker a little over a year ago by chance. Tyler would never forget meeting the man, he left an impression that was unforgettable to put it mildly. As it happened Graham lived within the Republic of East Asia after asking for asylum. Graham was a good guy Tyler would admit even with him being as different as most would think he was, especially with the reputation he gained while in the ZAFT military.
Halberton was let to consider being told about ZAFT's foremost champion, "I see," he said. He smiled shaking his head. "Well, then perhaps we do stand a chance in this war, but it's our war, not yours." He looked up at the Asuka, "And it is not the war of this machine either. It will be remaining with you, Kira Yamato." Then Halberton turned to Tyler, "Nor of the Shadow as it is yours Tyler. Yet, I am curious who it is that you quoted, I know that earning respect from you is no small feat."
Tyler was somber at the question as it brought up a personal point for him since he didn't talk about his father all that often in public. Lance Blass, Tyler's father was the man Tyler himself respected the most. He had been a man of conviction, a dreamer, and a believer in humanity's potential. Talking about his father served as a reminder of the loss Tyler had suffered and it was one that he didn't show in public. So, Tyler's answer was quiet, "The man would be my dad, his ideals were some of the noblest I've ever known and still be completely truthful." Then the implication of what Halberton had just said about the mobile suits began to sink into Tyler's mind. The fact that the X209-Shadow was legally Tyler's now was a lot to take in, not that I would have a problem with the idea. However, for him to personally own a mobile suit, he'd never expected to have that happen. True, Tyler had grown fairly fond of the black mobile suit, so that said, it was kind of nice to know that he would be keeping the machine that had saved his butt along with others since Heliopolis.
While Tyler was processing the point that the mobile suits from Heliopolis were now owned by those that had boarded them, Kira's mind was racing. Kira was a student, had piloted when called upon, he wasn't interested in owning and maintaining a machine like a mobile suit. What was Kira going to do with the Asuka? He didn't have any idea what to do with such a machine, or even know where he could go with it. "Huh? Seriously," Kira questioned.
"Yes, due to a technicality," Halberton began, "these fascinating and valuable pieces of military hardware belongs to you both." All of the teens stared at him in shock at the confirmation, and Halberton nearly laughed. "Officially, neither of the two exists, so both these mobile suits don't belong to a nation and thus, they only object that you both salvaged. You can do what you wish with it, use it for some kind of work, join a military with it, just hold it for nostalgic reasons… you might even sell it as a sort of fundraiser for the Heliopolis refugees. It's worth quite a bit of money, so I advise you not to callously discard it." The man then turned to Tyler, "Then for you Tyler, you could take your machine to the Federation for R&D or do what you want with it."
Tyler was considering taking the Shadow to Federation R&D at some point, but that would be some time before that opportunity came up. Honestly, Tyler was more focused on the battle that would occur in less than twenty-four hours. So, he shrugged, "Maybe, I don't know yet what I will do with it."
Kira could agree with his friend's reply, he didn't know what he would do with the Asuka either. "Ah yes sir, like Tyler, I don't know what I would do with the mobile suit," Kira said uncertainly.
"Well, this has been an interesting discussion," Halberton started, "I won't pry into any personal matters that you three may have. Still, I would like to thank you regardless of how you ended out in the current situation, the assistance you have rendered to this ship is very much appreciated. It is my hope that with this, we may be able to bring a quick end to this war for all sides concerned."
Tyler decided that of all people within OMNI that may believe him with the info about Sakura coming, Halberton was the best chance. If the Eighth Fleet went into the looming battle blind as to whom they were facing, the losses would be much worse than if they knew. The losses would be bad regardless, but some not dying was better than mass slaughter in Tyler's mind. "Excuse me Halberton," Tyler said, and Halberton turned to face him, "You remember the last time our paths crossed, I asked you a serious question?"
Halberton was forced to pause for a moment at the question as what Tyler had asked him previously had been coming to mind in the past months. The young man had asked if there was a point to the war that the Alliance and ZAFT fought. A simple yet complicated question, and one that had so many different answers depending on who one asked. Halberton had met some of those that were completely convinced that the war the only way to solve standing differences. Some of those same individuals that were members of Blue Cosmos also stated that the war would only end with Coordinators suppressed and control, or complete extermination. Halberton had never agreed with such people, their hatred was toxic and corruptive. Nonetheless, that brought things back to the original question, was there a point to this war, or was it all for the hatred of some? Halberton nodded slowly after a moment, "Indeed, as I recall you asked me if I thought this war has a point to it."
Tyler acknowledged that the man recalled correctly what he had asked him more than a year ago. Tyler even at the start of this war before he'd enlisted saw it as pointless killing. It was people crying for imaginary vengeance that they used to advance their own interests. And during his service, Tyler had further seen proof of that point within the Alliance. It was seeing such things that made it painful to watch genuinely good people go and get killed for ridiculous reasoning. "Correct, and your answer back then was yes," Tyler gazed at Halberton, "do you still believe that? Or do you admit that I have a valid point in saying that this war is nothing more than a few using the many to fulfill their views and desires?"
Halberton wouldn't deny that Tyler had a point as much as he wanted to believe his colleagues were above such things. He knew that sadly there were some in OMNI's top brass that not only went along with those like Blue Cosmos but were in total agreement with their views. So, Halberton hesitated at the question, "I do not deny that your view has merit, and often I wonder if the leadership of the Earth Alliance doesn't have a hidden agenda. But I do not think that it makes much of a difference anymore," he answered. "Perhaps when it does end, we can all meet again. Until that time, I wish you the best of luck, and hope that being Coordinators will be able to improve your futures, few others seem to be so fortunate." Halberton smiled at them, "And Kira? I don't want to sound critical of your parents, but I think you might want to ask them why it is they made you a Coordinator. If it was for some dream they had for your future, then I for one would want to try and make their dream come true. Wouldn't you agree?"
Kira hadn't doubted his parents, or at least those that he knew and called his parents. Kira had found out years ago that the Yamatos weren't his parents biologically, but that hadn't really mattered. The two that had raised him loved him and he loved them, that was what's important in the end. Kira thought himself fortunate to have parents, not all did, Tyler being an example with only having his mom now. "Indeed Admiral," Kira replied with a small smile, "I believe that they want me to live my life as I choose."
Halberton turned intending to go and head back to the Menelaos as there had been signs that ZAFT was heading this way. A ZAFT force was expected, Creuset wasn't known for giving up on a hunt he started. However, there was a nagging feeling in the back of Halberton's mind that wouldn't go away. "Halberton, one more thing before you depart," Tyler spoke up. Halberton twisted around to stare at Tyler wondering what the young man could wish to say. Tyler McGregor didn't mince words, Halberton knew that for a fact when he said something he had a reason. "There's a ZAFT force heading this way, and from what I understand, there are more than five ships but no other specifics on the force's size. However, what I can tell you, is that the one leading them is Sakura Clyne, the Black Zephyr."
The nagging feeling that Halberton had before came to the forefront of his mind at what Tyler had stated. He had been planning for a ZAFT force, even one around the size Tyler had suggested as the worst-case scenario. But if what Tyler had said about the Zephyr leading the force, that changed the battle quite a bit. And Halberton doubted that Tyler would joke about this, "Are you sure about that?"
Tyler wished he was joking about Sakura coming, but having come from the top admiral of the Federation's Military, no chance of that. However, Tyler was sure that Halberton would take the information seriously while most others wouldn't just because it was coming from him. "The information came from Federation High Command directly and they obtained it from the Information Network," Tyler returned with a nod. "And you are aware how accurate that intelligence network is."
The conversation would have likely continued, but an officer came into the hangar, "Sir," the Menelaos officer called who'd come aboard with Halberton earlier. The officer saluted, "The Menelaos would like you back on board at once. There are suspicions of ZAFT activity in the area."
Tyler didn't need further confirmation of ZAFT encroaching, but it did say that time was becoming short. The issue as Tyler saw it was there was still work to do before the battle started. "I see, I guess it was too much to hope they'd leave the Archangel alone once it linked up with the fleet," Halberton remarked with a resigned sigh following it before looking back to the three teenagers in the hangar. "Well, at least we were fortunate enough to have a decent chat, may the three of you live to see the dawn of a better era. Thank you Tyler for the information, I hope that it can make a difference." Halberton gave a quick salute as a show of thanks and began to walk away.
With a battle likely coming, Kira was left to wonder and worry what would happen to the Archangel and those onboard. He had come to care about those on the Archangel as he'd found they were good people overall. And if Tyler, Lacus and he left the ship, that left it with just Mu and Krystal to defend it. Not that Kira felt that the two would do any less than they could to protect the Archangel. However, Kira knew that if not for him and his friends, then the Archangel would have very likely been destroyed. "Uh sir," Kira called surprising Lacus, Halberton, and Tyler.
"Hmm," Halberton grunted turning back to face Kira.
"Uh, so what will happen now to the Archangel," Kira asked, "And to Lieutenant Ramius and the others?"
Halberton took a moment to think about how he could explain to the teen what was ahead of the Archangel. Its journey would not be an easy one, Halberton was sure of that, unfortunately. "The Archangel will be heading to Earth and descending," Halberton replied. "From there, they'll be meeting up with allies, but beyond that, I don't know."
Tyler could understand the question Kira asked, though Tyler had assumptions on what the Archangel would go through in the future. The ship didn't have the brightest future with the path it was on currently, Tyler just didn't say that out loud. From what came from the Information Network, OMNI's higher-ups, as well as a number in the Alliance, were very miffed to put it mildly. The chain of events the Archangel had been in was pretty bad by most standards any faction had. Although Tyler knew it wasn't the crew's fault, at least not entirely, they were victims to an extent. In short, the Archangel had few if any allies within the Alliance any longer even if its crew believed otherwise. Really, the only reason that Tyler could come up with for OMNI to not sink the ship was the mobile suit it carried as that's what they wanted the most. Kira had become attached to the crew of the ship, Tyler had found them to be good people as well.
Kira was in a mental conundrum with the crossroads that he found himself at, whether to stay or go. He needed to get Lacus home, there would be consequences if he didn't and he didn't want details on what those would be. Sakura wouldn't be the nicest, she would unlikely kill him, but Lacus's older sister didn't need to do that. But Kira didn't want to leave knowing he may have made a difference and saved the lives of the crew if he'd stayed. "Well, I thought I" Kira started before falling silent.
Tyler guessed that Kira felt the need to get Lacus home, and with what hung over his friend's head, Tyler didn't blame him in the slightest. If Sakura knew that her "baby sister" had been around Heliopolis when Creuset was doing what he did, the masked man would be in a world of trouble. In fact, the idea of what his stalker may do to the man tempted Tyler to the point that he seriously thought about telling Sakura. What kept Tyler from saying anything was he knew that Lacus would not like the results with her kind heart. It was yet another time that Tyler worried about Kira's relationship with Lacus, more for his friend's safety than anything else.
"I know exactly what you're concerned about," Halberton remarked turning more fully to face the three teens. Lacus was staring at Kira with a measure of surprise as Kira wasn't the most outgoing when it came to fighting. She knew that Kira had a heart of gold, it was one of the qualities she loved about him. But she was also aware that Kira wanted to help her get home and not face her sister's disdain. Halberton continued, "Yet, you possess certain abilities that are very attractive to military organizations. It's not as if we're assured of victory if we have all of you, war's not that simple, so don't flatter yourself."
"But," Kira began before trailing off once again, he continued after a moment's pause, somewhat more confidently. "If I have the power to make a difference, I should put it to good use, right?"
"Sir, please," the Menelaos officer spoke up again, but Halberton held up a hand for silence.
"Only if you have the will to do it," Halberton returned. He turned to leave but continued to look at the two younger Coordinators. "Anyone who lacks the will never do see it through to the end."
With that said Halberton left, and Tyler turned to his two friends, "Kira," Lacus whispered.
"I know," he said, "I know that we need to get you home and that sooner or later she'll be coming after us if we stay," Kira hesitated, "but at the same time…"
Tyler sighed knowing the two had heard him stated the very woman Kira mentioned was already coming. "As I do believe I said moments ago, Sakura is coming, I don't kid around when it comes to fighting her seriously," Tyler commented, "The battle that is to come is as close to serious as it will get."
The tone in Tyler's voice made it clear he was not joking and in one of those times with him was incredibly serious. But then, Sakura had unfortunately earned her reputation as an amazing commander and pilot during the ongoing war. So, Lacus smiled a bit, "I don't doubt what you say Tye. I was thinking," she paused, "my sister would lose respect for Kira if you left just because of trying to get me home. But," Lacus stopped wondering when Kira had cared what Sakura thought of him, "since when has Sakura's approval really mattered to you?"
Kira had to think since Lacus had a point, what her older sister had thought of him hadn't really mattered to him before. Yet, he really hadn't considered the relationship with Lacus as important as he had realized it over the last weeks. "I guess," Kira started, "her approval means more to me than I thought." Kira paused, "it means I don't have to worry about her coming after me for being close to you."
Lacus giggled as Kira was referring to how Sakura "protected" her from others that she said would "use and abuse" Lacus. No, Lacus hadn't missed the things that Sakura did to keep several people away from her. But Lacus didn't see it being as much as some said Sakura did, "She's not that overprotective of me. For example, Sakura just doesn't like Athrun because the engagement between us was forced. Really, I think she's foolish to dislike him for that, Athrun did nothing to deserve it. She really should be angry at daddy and Athrun's father, instead of Athrun himself."
Tyler barely held in the snort that tried hard to escape him at Lacus saying that Sakura wasn't "that" overprotective of her. Heck, Tyler would say the term "Overprotective" was more an understatement. Lacus either didn't know about the things her sister did or didn't understand the effects that came with them. Tyler would say what Sakura did was more her eliminating those who might do something to her little sister. He'd seen some of the aftermaths of Sakura's antics and none had been pretty to be honest. That was before the personal issues that Tyler had with the woman that was Lacus's older sister. Her stalking him was not and never would be appreciated, nor could Tyler explain how it ever started. "It would be nice if she left me alone, but that's me," Tyler mumbled.
Both Kira and Lacus twisted to look at Tyler, neither having heard exactly what he had muttered. "Uh Tye, what was that," Kira asked, "we didn't hear you."
Tyler stiffened a bit, "Oh nothing," he exclaimed, "just saying I agree with Lacus that Sakura is being unfair to Athrun."
While that was happening, Murrue was in the process of welcoming the three new crew members to the Archangel. She hadn't been able to do so when they had come over with Admiral Halberton earlier. And with the help they would bring, Murrue wanted to meet them and thank them even if they hadn't volunteered for this post. "Welcome to the Archangel," she said. "I apologize for not being able to greet you properly earlier."
The highest-ranked of the group, a woman about Murrue's age with black hair and emerald eyes, shifted forward slightly. She was the same height and bodily figure as Natarle, and her uniform had the gold half bar with two blue squares under the bar, one above the other, showing the rank of Lieutenant the same as Murrue had at the start. The woman was named Sophia Falco, "It's no trouble. You've been rather busy I hear," she said. Sophia smiled slightly. "It's been a while, Murrue."
"It has Sophia," Murrue replied, returning the smile. It was wonderful to see a friend especially with time as turbulent as they were from the outset of the journey. However, the other two new arrivals shifted uncomfortably feeling a tad out of place with the casual greeting. "How has your brother been?"
"You mean Ken? I don't know, I haven't heard from him in years," Sophia returned. Murrue glanced at the other two. "You all should get to your stations," she said. "I've been told that there are suspicions of a ZAFT presence in the area."
"Yes ma'am," Petty Officer Nicks and Doctor Graham said at the same time, giving her quick salutes. They were more than happy to escape the situation that they felt like strangers in.
"Sophia, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to man one of our electronic warfare stations," Murrue stated. She wished that she didn't have to shove so much onto her friend's shoulders, but there wasn't another option really. With the Heliopolis volunteers leaving, that was four station operators down and the ship didn't have any to spare. And Murrue didn't want to think about the loss of the mobile suit pilots, which could be considered worse in a way. "You'll be running the job solo I'm sorry to say. Ensign Badgiruel will be handling communications, mobile weapon control, and enemy search & detection."
Sophia was taken aback at what Murrue was asking of her as it was a lot. To run two stations at once happened, Sophia wouldn't deny that. Nonetheless, as bad as the reports had implied the Archangel's situation was, she hadn't thought it was to this extent. Supposedly there had been volunteers helping, but apparently, they had been doing more than was said. "That's a tall order," Sophia replied. "Were those civilian volunteers really contributing that much?"
"Yes," Murrue admitted with a small sigh. She believed that most of the crew hadn't really realized how much they had come to depend on the teens until now. "Without them, things are going to get a lot tougher, I'll admit that."
Phase End
A/n
That's where I'll leave off with this chapter. Sorry it took so long for this Phase, have had some upheavals in life, like many of us are having these days. For this Phase I will say there was more stuff as I had the opportunity to kind of give others points of view from characters. Notably, I wanted to show Sakura isn't just one to blame others for what happens, but she will dress down. Plus, I got to show that she very much dislikes Creuset and bits as to why. Please keep the reviews coming, they are valuable I assure you and I do read them. I hope the next Phase doesn't take so long to do, but I can't say, we'll see…