A/n

Here is Phase 17 and I hope to keep up the pace, but no promises on that, enjoy the chapter!

Phase 17: At the Edge of a Storm

February 14th, 71C.E

The Archangel

After Tyler had left the hangar, he went back to his quarters to prepare and also process that he owned a mobile suit now. Not that he would complain exactly as it meant that he had complete say over the Shadow and what happened to it. Now Natarle could snap at him for what he did with the machine, though he doubted it would shut her up about what he did. And during the next hour, Tyler came to the decision to stay on the Archangel, at least until it got to Earth's surface. True that meant that Tyler would have to put up with some things like Natarle's harping, but he could deal with it. Heck, even if the crew was against him staying, Tyler would remain on the Archangel until he chose to leave.

However, Tyler thought it would be at least nice of him to inform the top commanding officer of the ship of his choice. Hence, Tyler made his way to the captain's cabin, which he knew where it was from the "talks" he had been "required" to attend. Tyler was just grateful it wasn't Natarle's cabin, he knew that one too well from the lectures she spouted to him. Honestly, Tyler wondered if the woman had issue that she was just taking out on him for some reason, it wouldn't be all that surprising. He knocked smartly and waited for a response from within, he would check the bridge if he got nothing here.

Murrue was in her quarters going over the crew roster with her downtime. Natarle was on the bridge running things for the moment and Murrue trusted that she could handle that. There was still a lot of work to be done on her end before reaching OMNI HQ. Murrue wasn't looking forward to the reports she would have to write but avoiding them wouldn't help. However, a knock at her door brought her out of her thoughts, "Enter," she said. Murrue was surprised when the door opened and Tyler stepped into the room. The times the oldest teen had been in her quarters hadn't been the best, normally were tense overall. She couldn't think of any reason off the top of her head that would have Tyler coming to her. After all, it was expected that he would be leaving the ship soon enough, which Natarle was silently happy about.

This was one of the select few times Tyler had come to the captain's cabin by choice while with the ship. Most of the instances that Tyler found himself in this room, it was to answer questions or listen to a lecture, neither of which were pleasant. The acting captain would probably be appreciative of the reason that Tyler was here seeing her. He was confident that Natarle would be much less happy that he was going to stay on the Archangel for the time being, but that was her problem. So, Tyler floated to forward and faced Murrue, "Mr. McGregor, I hadn't expected to see you at this point," she greeted. "I would have thought you would be packing to leave the Archangel."

Tyler stared at Murrue for a long moment with how she'd greeted him, which got Murrue to frown slightly. Tyler thought he had made it clear to the crew of the Archangel that formalities were a waste with him and not to use them. However, where the majority seemed to understand that, some still seemed to have trouble with the idea. "Okay, first of all, don't call me Mr. again, I don't like being addressed like that, it feels odd, more so from those on this ship by this point. There's no need to address me so formally, just McGregor or Tyler will do fine. As for packing Miss Ramius," Tyler replied, pausing for a moment. "I'm here to inform you that you'll have the fortune, whether you consider it good or bad, of dealing with my company, views, and difficulties that come with me for a period of time longer. I'll be staying on the Archangel for the time being so, prepare accordingly in what ways you see fit."

Murrue blinked processing what Tyler had just said, for her ears told her that Tyler said he was staying. Tyler had more reasons that she could think of to leave the Archangel rather than stay on her. The teen had made it clear that he wasn't the fondest of OMNI, he had stated as much to Murrue and Natarle. Then he didn't like being ordered, Natarle was the only one that still tried to do that with him. Nevertheless, if Tyler did stay, that meant the Archangel had at least one mobile suit pilot to defend it. Not that Murrue doubted that Mu and Krystal would protect the ship to the best of their abilities, but the more defenders the better. So, Murrue ended out gaping at Tyler, "You're staying on the Archangel?!"

Tyler nodded slowly as he had said he thought clearly that he was going to be on the ship for "a time longer" in a way that wouldn't be misunderstood. "Indeed, as I believe I just said, that's my plan for now. I would hope it's not a problem for me and the Shadow to stay on the Archangel for a while longer, at least through the descent down to Earth. After that point, I can't say how long I would stay on this ship, too many factors to make a call on that right now." Tyler narrowed his gaze, "Heck, even if you did have an issue with me staying, you'll find getting rid of me is difficult, and I can make sure you understand why if that's needed."

Murrue shook her head vigorously at the "offer" Tyler was extending on showing how hard it would be to get him to go away. The clashes Natarle had with the oldest teen had shown Murrue that forcing Tyler into things would be an exercise in futility to put it simply. And dealing with Tyler's attitude would be an inconvenience but worth having a competent mobile suit pilot on hand. Murre knew that when Natarle found out Tyler was not leaving, she wouldn't be please, even if she wouldn't say it out loud.

Tyler left after that and headed to the hangar to occupy his time that remained before the battle coming. He was a firm believer in not leaving himself idle time as it tended to be unproductive and problematic. There was still fine-tuning to do on the Shadow and Tyler didn't doubt Murdoch could find some task to help with. At the same time, Murdoch was managing his mechanics to get the needed tasks done. The looming job of offloading the mobile suits was something he wasn't looking forward to doing, but it couldn't be avoided much longer. Murdoch would be among the first to say the kids that piloted the machine had done more than could've ever been expected of them. He hoped to thank the three teens before they left the ship, but he hadn't gotten a chance yet.

However, to Murdoch's surprise, Tyler appeared out of nowhere saying that he wanted to help. Not only that, the teen also stated he wouldn't be leaving the ship in the immediate future and so the Shadow would be staying too. It was a serious relief that at least one of the mobile suit pilots would be around for some time longer. If the Archangel was attacked, it would be a morale booster to have one of them out defending the ship. With the kid asking to help, Murdoch set Tyler to helping take stock of the supplies that had been received from the fleet since he wouldn't say no to an extra set of hands.

Tyler got down to inventorying the supplies that had come in from the Eighth Fleet and there was a decent list. There were some items of interest in Tyler's eyes, the main one being the two aircraft called the FX-550 Skygrasper. It was a new OMNI craft which Tyler hadn't seen before but he could see some potential for it. The other supplies were the basic things, food, water, and equipment that were needed. While Tyler worked, he did observe intermittently the Heliopolis refugees coming and boarding the shuttle that was here to take them to the Menelaos. Tyler had mixed feelings about them leaving, it was good as they had seen more than they should of the war but leaving wasn't necessarily better as there was a battle coming soon.

He did catch a glimpse of Minister Allster boarding the shuttle along with the other people. The sight once again reminded Tyler how amazing his mother was at judging people's character. Allster had seemed like a nice reasonable man at first, but it hadn't taken long for that to morph into something else. The moment it was know that Tyler was a Coordinator, no thanks for saving his life, just the cold shoulder. And it wasn't that Tyler didn't know that there were those that hated Coordinators, he knew all too well the type. Tyler's experience with the Federation's military had him encountering members of organization like Blue Cosmos, so hatred of Coordinators was an idea he knew. Tyler didn't agree with such views as they didn't make logical sense to him in any way.

Tyler shook his head after watching Allster board and went back to the inventory job. Nevertheless, Tyler's attention was drawn away from his task when Kira and Lacus entered the hangar. He had pretty much expected his friends to leave the ship, including those that had been helping with bridge operation. None of them were soldiers even if Tyler was unbeknownst to them, so they shouldn't be in the dangerous positions they had been. Tyler didn't blame a single one of them, he would be considering the same thing if he didn't have a mission to do. Plus, if something bad did happen to Lacus while Tyler and Kira were around, they would have to answer to Sakura. Tyler didn't want to face that woman if it involved something potentially bad occurring to her baby sister, wouldn't be pretty. Also Tyler didn't want forced time around Sakura to begin with, the woman was far too clingy for his liking.

And yet, Tyler did want to help his friends even after parting ways as he had grown fond of them all over the last year. Whether that help was life-altering or something simple, Tyler didn't really care, but he wanted to do something for them. Tyler had the thought that maybe if he made sure the Asuka got to Kira safely once the ship got down to Earth. That still left his other friends including Lacus herself and Tyler didn't want to leave them out. For his Heliopolis friends, Tyler would keep an eye on where they ended out and do his darndest to make sure OMNI made no fuss on what they did during the time they volunteered. As for Lacus, Tyler had already called a favor in for her to make sure OMNI didn't make the connection with her to her father easily. Halberton figured the connection out, but he had firsthand experience with Sakura, so Tyler attributed it to that. And Halberton knowing who Lacus really is was little issue as Tyler saw it, others in OMNI however, that wouldn't be the case.

"Oh," a high girlish voice called out.

The childish voice ripped Tyler out of his own thoughts and he quickly found the voice belonged to the little brown-haired girl who had first thanked Tyler. She was of course among the refugees leaving the Archangel, but by the way she was facing, Tyler had to assume that she was calling out to Kira and Lacus. The girl pushed away from her mother towards Kira and Lacus, a smile on her face while the girl's mother attempted to stop the child, but the girl was already out of her reach. "C-come back, El," called the mother.

Tyler watched at the young girl laughed slightly as her forward momentum kept her going forward. She was stopped by Kira catching her and bringing her to land on the deck. Tyler felt a smile come to his face seeing Kira's kind nature show itself. Honestly, Kira was too nice to be caught up in the ongoing war. Tyler felt Athrun was also too good a person to be involved in the war, but it was his choice and Tyler respected that. The girl reached into her bag that was slung around her left shoulder and pulled out a pair of paper flowers. She then presented them to Kira, "Thank you for protecting the rest of us till now," she said, surprising both Kira and Lacus. "That nice lady with red hair told me all about how you and others were protecting everyone." The girl gave Kira and Lacus one paper flower each which they took before the girl's mother came over and directed the girl to the shuttle.

Tyler quickly finished the inventory list he had been doing for Murdoch before covertly moving over to the Shadow. Tyler slipped inside the machine and closed the cockpit for privacy and to be left alone for the time being. He rapidly got into the mindset he needed to do the fine-tuning his suit needed to be as ready as possible. Tyler didn't kid or joke about the seriousness of going against Sakura. The woman was ZAFT's best current champion and he knew she'd earned the reputation she had and was more skilled than stories said. And with the two times Tyler had "sparred" with two who were ZAFT champions, it proved they earned that title. So, Tyler was preparing as much as he did when going against those previous two.

Back with the ZAFT group, final preparations were being made for launching out to battle OMNI's Eighth Fleet. With the Zephyr's mission briefing, none were slacking off mostly due to the fear of her. "Mobile suits to launch in three minutes," the mobile suit controller announced over the PA. "All units, complete your check systems."

As the Gamow's hangar went through the final preparations for launching only the Buster and a GINN since the Duel had no one to pilot it. The Aegis and Blitz had been transferred over to the Vesalius, so they would be launching from there. The Buster had been supplied with a high-energy beam rifle to substitute the destroyed rifle the Buster lost in the last battle. Dearka didn't complain as he and the other stolen machine pilots were in hot water with the mechanics. He knew the more he followed orders, the better the chance he got for payback against the enemy mobile suits.

Yet, before either machine could launch, Yzak stormed into the hangar and went to the Duel. He had rushed out of the infirmary, ignoring the protests of the doctors about his injuries with one hand clenched on his bandaged face. He'd been humiliated in the last battle and it was burning within him, and it would until he rectified that. Yzak wouldn't hear any protest to the contrary, he would go out and teach the mistake those enemy pilots made crossing him. And with the extra armor, thrusters, missile pod and railgun of the Duel's newly added Assault Shroud, he'd tear one or more of those machines to pieces to prove the last battle was a fluke. He would make sure of it and would do so no matter the cost!

Dearka just stared for a moment at Yzak not quite believing he was down here with the injuries he had. But he shook his head a bit and went over to his comrade, "Yzak, you shouldn't be here with the injuries-"

Yzak glared at Dearka, "You dare have the balls to chide me after the humiliation I received," he snarled. "There is no way that I'll let that stand, I will make those three pay with their machines and lives for the suffering they've caused!"

Where Dearka could understand the anger and irritation from the results of the last fight with the legged ship, that wasn't helping right now. Yzak's current mood would put him in a really horrid position with the mission commander. After all, the Zephyr had stated no one was to go off on their own and Yzak looked like he was set to do just that. "Look Yzak, I get that you're mad about what happened, I am too. But with the Zephyr in-charge, you can't just go out on your own and expect things will be fine."

Yzak didn't care if the Black Zephyr was now in charge of this operation as Dearka said she was. Under most circumstances, the Zephyr being in-charge would deter him enough to stand down and bide his time. However, with his current mood, any fear of the most infamous female ZAFT commander was overridden by his thirst for vengeance. Yet, one of the mechanics had reported the situation to Captain Zelman and he gave the order to restrain and if necessary drag Yzak to a brig cell. So, the other pilots on the Gamow moved in and along with Dearka they started trying to drag Yzak out of the hangar. Yzak didn't go quietly, struggling and fighting the whole time, determined to go out and fight the enemy mobile suits.

Zelman did send a message to the Vesalius and told Creuset about Yzak causing issues currently. Creuset could foresee that Joule needed to be dealt with by either locking him up or directing his fury. The masked man felt it would be better to direct Yzak's anger rather than imprisoning him in the long run. Of course, if Yzak went out of control, then it would present a more problematic issue and Creuset knew it would then fall on his head. However, the decision of whether Joule went out or not was up to the mission commander and that wasn't Creuset's position at this point.

Sakura did listen to what Creuset had to say about "his" pilot and she didn't like what she was hearing. She'd read Joule's record and wasn't impressed and saw him as a potential issue as he had some bad habits. Joule was a loose cannon simply put and Sakura very much disliked dealing with those kinds of idiots. Sakura had assumed and counted on Joule to be stuck in sickbay, but from what Creuset said, the teenager let his hormones get the better of him. In the end, Sakura sighed, "So, you're telling me that your pilot Joule, as injured as he supposedly still is, insists that he should be allowed to launch out to the battlefield?"

"Yes," Rau replied with a nod, "And I believe it best that we allow him to launch."

Sakura's glare at the image of Creuset not liking the suggestion as it would add an extra difficulty. There were already enough issues and things that could go wrong without adding to the mix. "And what reason would there be for me to agree to let that loose cannon go out and muddle things up further Creuset? That fool has proven that he needs to review his actions and priorities before he's permitted on a battlefield again. He wasn't humbled and learn his mistake of letting his pride inflate his head in the last mess he was a part of. Joule is far more likely to get himself killed and I would rather not have to deal with paperwork. Nor would I explain to Councilwoman Joule how her son's pride and accompanying stupidity led to his death, I would make sure you had that job personally."

Rau wouldn't deny that Sakura had a valid point about Yzak nor that the nickname of loose cannon was apt. Yzak had always been a hothead and Creuset had attempted to play that down, but little had worked. Nonetheless, it came back to the question of whether to deal with the pent up emotions Yzak had now and perhaps be constructive with it, or lock him up and process that later and let it build. Rau would like to use the thirst for vengeance in a constructive manner if possible as such tended to be excellent motivation. So, Creuset nodded in acknowledgment, "I would agree with you and normally would make sure that he stayed out of this, but I fear that it will not be so easy to dissuade Yzak. I'd rather not forcefully detain him by throwing him in the brig, which is what I believe it would take to stop him. And, were he launch with your approval, then he'll more likely to keep his temper under control. He wants to settle the score and you should be well-aware of how motivating that can be for a pilot as well as how blinding."

Sakura didn't like to admit it, but Creuset was right on settling a score being a good motivation for most. "Very well, I leave this choice to you, Creuset. But be forewarned, don't expect me to defend this decision if he dies should Councilwoman Joule asks what happened. Like I just said, you'll be the one that explains what happened and why to the Councilwoman." She glanced over her shoulder at her own pilots silently saying there would be a change, to which they gave her slight nods. Sakura then looked forward again. "We'll adjust our assignments accordingly and tell your Alliance suit pilots of the changes. Now, Lori will fly on Nicol's wing while Mindy will instead fly on Joule's wing. Mindy WILL have authority over him and should that teen get out of line, she'll drag him back to our group. And it will be to the Black Jade and not the Gamow to await a court-marshal that will be done by me."

Rau didn't envy what Yzak faced if he let his temper get the better of him for it was more than harsh. A dressing-down by Sakura would have almost all of ZAFT sweating hard at best, a near emotional mess at worse. For it to be a court-marshal made it an amount worse which Creuset could only imagine as he'd only gotten close once to having that happen. But it would be on Yzak's head, not Creuset's, "That is very agreeable. Will you be launching yourself Zephyr?"

"Yes indeed," Sakura returned, "Meaning I'll see you out on the field Le Creuset?"

On the Archangel, Tyler had finished what tuning he could on the Shadow within thirty minutes of starting. After doing that Tyler slipped away from the hangar and managed to get a quick bite to eat and something to drink while being unnoticed by anyone that he could tell. Tyler headed for the locker room to find it empty which he expected as he was the only pilot aside from Mu and Krystal still onboard. And he was the only one that knew what was really coming their way in the very near future. Tyler had heard that the second shuttle was due to leave and transport the remaining non-combatants to the Menelaos.

The battle coming up was one that Tyler refused to stay out of regardless of what orders the Archangel had. With the Archangel at the back of the fleet likely for the purpose of keeping her out and safe, Tyler assumed she wasn't intended to be in the battle. Tyler might not make a great deal of difference in the battle by himself, but it will still be a difference and there would be Federation forces out there too. So, Tyler slipped into his Federation suit as it's the best for most situations due to the medical support system built into the suit itself. The system could intervene should he get seriously injured or if things go south and that was possible. Then Tyler wouldn't be caught dead wearing an OMNI pilot suit unless there's absolutely nothing else to work with. And with so much in the air, Tyler knew he could find himself in the position that he'd be forced to do atmospheric reentry in the Shadow. None of OMNI's prototypes had been tested for the environment themselves, even if they're supposed to be able to do it. Tyler disliked using systems that are tested and proven to work, especially not a process like atmospheric reentry.

Once in his suit was sealed up, Tyler grabbed his helmet and set out for the hangar to get to work. Upon reaching the hangar, Tyler saw the shuttle was still there, but it looked to be close to done loading. He shook his head, then put on his helmet and locked it to the suit as he floated towards the Shadow. None appeared to notice Tyler's presence as he sailed across the hangar, but most were busy with other things. There had been rumors of ZAFT forces in the area from the ship officers and those were being taken seriously. So the loading of the shuttle was being hurried along and supplies were being stored.

Tyler grabbed the edge of the cockpit hatch to adjust his momentum and direction so that he moved into the cockpit space itself. He settled himself into the seat and strapped in and tightened the restraint belts since he felt this would be an extremely wild ride. However, Murdoch had caught sight of Tyler stopping at the Shadow's cockpit before going inside. It wasn't that Tyler was sneaking into the mobile suit's cockpit that caught Murdoch's attention, it was he did it while in a pilot suit. There were no orders to launch out from the bridge, but McGregor didn't always listen to them. And where McGregor was a hell of a pilot but he wasn't a one-person army. So, Murdoch moved over to the Shadow's cockpit hatch to ask what Tyler was thinking he was doing. Tyler looked up and saw Murdoch and gave the man a small smile, "Is there something I can do for you Chief," Tyler asked activated the Shadow's OS, "If so, then please make it quick."

Murdock had gotten used to Tyler's attitude some time ago, unlike some of the crew of the Archangel. The kid did a lot to help out besides defending the ship, even if the ship officers didn't see all of it. But McGregor didn't often do something completely off the wall that Murdoch had seen. That he was in a pilot suit in his machine implied that the kid intended to launch out and with the current situation that was nuts. "What do you think you're doing at a time like this McGregor," Murdoch demanded.

Tyler kept smiling at Murdoch, though his smile wasn't meant to be nice, it was more one of tolerance. Tyler had respect for the Archangel's chief mechanic, the man was a hard worker and did a lot for the ship. So, he gave an honest answer, "Well Chief, if you haven't heard, ZAFT forces are about to engage the Eighth Fleet and the Archangel is at the rear of the said fleet. I see that as being unacceptable and see no reason to stand around and do nothing." Tyler shrugged before he continued, "Where the Archangel may be under orders to stay behind the rest, that doesn't mean I have to sit on my butt like the rest."

Murdoch gaped at Tyler after the answer he gave as it pretty much stated he was planning to go out to the battlefield. "Wha," Murdoch uttered, "are you crazy kid?! Yeah, you're one hell of a pilot McGregor, there's no denying that."

Tyler cut over Murdoch, "I'm not one who watches decent people die because they're being stupid in their decision making even if they deserve it sometimes." Tyler regained his smile, "It's one of the perks of being on this ship, yet not being under the direct command of its officers. That's the most wonderful and biggest advantage of having a pilot license as I do, it royally rocks I can tell you."

Murdoch could believe that Tyler may have a special "pilot license" that he claimed, with his skills it wouldn't be a huge surprise. And were he to go out, he could help make a difference Murdoch didn't doubt, but the current situation wasn't normal. "Even if you having a license, you'd be going against a ZAFT force," Murdoch paused recalling the nasty part of the rumor of ZAFT being under the command of their most feared champion, "rumored to be led by-"

Tyler finished the Shadow's system checks which were all green as he expected before he focused completely on Murdoch. "The Black Zephyr herself," Tyler stated simply to which Murdoch paled a bit. "The force that will soon attack the fleet is indeed be led by her, I can one-hundred percent guarantee you chief. The reason I know is I'm the one who told Halberton about that fact. Now, Chief Murdoch, I would highly recommend that you pull back since I'm going to close and seal the cockpit. Then please move the Shadow to the catapult in preparation to launch out and ready to attach the flight system." Tyler took a breath, "Should you not do so, then I'll do it myself and there will be a mess made if I move to the catapult without anyone assisting me. So, I hope you help me as I really don't want to make more work for you and your boys."

Murdoch grimaced at what Tyler was implying with him moving to the catapult himself. And it wasn't that Murdoch doubted Tyler wouldn't follow through, he was sure he would. It was that the kid saw the need to do that which said just how serious Tyler was in this. That point gave major credibility to the Black Zephyr leading the ZAFT force that was about to attack being true. So, Murdoch moved away and watched as the Shadow's cockpit sealed shut still staring for a moment before he shook his head. "Move the Shadow to the right catapult and ready to attach the flight system," he shouted.

Once the hatch closed, the two halves of the forward display slid forward and into position connecting as they did and the panoramic display of the outside came up. Tyler had decided the Shadow's optional flight system which had a secondary battery would be the best choice for the battle. He felt that power supply will be the biggest determining factor in this battle and so he wanted to be safe and plan for that. Plus, the flight system would also give me a boost in the area of mobility and that would help if Tyler ended out going against Sakura directly. Tyler didn't kid himself, Sakura was more skilled than him and had more experience piloting, he wouldn't argue that. And past experience against those like Sakura told Tyler that outmaneuvering them and reflex would be his best means to survive.

There was a jerk with buzzing alarms going off as the Shadow moving towards the catapult airlock. Tyler did spot Murdoch going over to one of the com-stations in the hangar, likely to contact the bridge. It wouldn't make any real difference in his actions of going out to the battlefield, but Tyler wouldn't stop the man even if he felt inclined to. The Shadow shortly came to a halt in the catapult and the air-tight shutters closed. Tyler then waited for one of the mechanics to equip the flight system for the Shadow. The flight system had a central part that the rest of the equipment is built on or around. That central 'hub' was kind of a teardrop shape, which sits and is attached to the upper back of the mobile suit and settled between the two topmost thrusters the Shadow has. On the bottom of the hub, parts that were positioned to go over the four back central thrusters allowing their performance to be improved. This set is similar to the Strike's Aile pack and gives the same idea as the thruster backpack system.

At the same time, on the bridge of the Archangel, Natarle was at the mobile suit control station and was blinking at the readouts. According to the console, the Shadow was moving to the right catapult which didn't make sense at all to her. Then a moment later Murdoch called to the bridge saying that Tyler was "insistent" about going out in the Shadow. Murdoch told Natarle that Tyler had essentially stated that he would go out no matter what anyone said. And Natarle was of course irritated as she always seemed to get with Tyler's behavior, but the stress of the current circumstances made the irritation worse. Oh, Tyler's attitude had a way to get under Natarle's skin, as much as she didn't want to admit that. But the teen had gone too far this time and Natarle would give him a piece of her mind and shove it down his throat if necessary.

Back in the catapult, once the equipment had linked to the Shadow and the suit was then locked into the catapult rail, Tyler got himself into the mindset he needed. Nevertheless, before the outer door to the catapult opened for launch, one of the com screens lit up and the face of Natarle Badgiruel appeared for him to see. Her expression wasn't nice in fact, she looked really ticked right now which Tyler didn't doubt was directed at him. It was one of the expressions he'd become familiar with particularly with Natarle Badgiruel as he received it often enough. "Tyler McGregor," she snarled, "What in the hell do you think you're doing?! Power down that mobile suit and cease your actions this instant!"

Tyler didn't flinch nor even blink at Natarle's growling or the fit she was throwing, it didn't phase him. Heck, Tyler was more surprised that she hadn't lost her temper like this before now as he kind of expected she would. The relationship Natarle and Tyler would have was established some time ago, they wouldn't get along they would tolerate and grumble about what the other did until one of them lost it. Tyler had worked to make sure it wouldn't be him that lost it before the other. So, Tyler took a deep breath and began, "My reply to you Ensign is a big, fat, no. I will be going out to the field to do what I can to stop ZAFT forces from tearing OMNI's Orbital Fleet apart. If things go unchanged, the Eighth Fleet will be defeated and worse, the Black Zephyr will make sure of that as long as the Archangel is here."

Natarle was still glaring at Tyler, though the info about ZAFT did match what the Menelaos had mentioned. She wouldn't let this teen talk back to her like this and get away with this, not after the things he'd been doing. Natarle was about to dress down Tyler, but he spoke before she could, "There's nothing that you or anyone else can say or do, that will deter or stop me from this. Now," Tyler said pausing for a moment to make sure he had the woman's attention, continuing in a flat tone, "Open the catapult for me to launch. Should you not, then I'll open the catapult by a different means and then you can deal with the hole in one of the legs of the Archangel afterward and I doubt that will be helpful for reentry. It's your choice Ensign Badgiruel, take your pick on how things go."

Natarle was getting extremely frustrated at how Tyler was putting her in the position he was. The teen wasn't really giving her a choice, he was making her choose from unpleasant and horrid. Words were not coming to her that could express her frustration nor counter Tyler in an effective way. So, instead, she pounded a hand on the console edge, which drew the attention of the rest on the bridge. Murrue had come to know Natarle didn't lose her temper easily even during stressful situations. "Natarle, what's going on," Murrue questioned, slightly worried that her second in command was under too much stress and the woman was starting to crack a bit under it.

Natarle took a moment to rein in the fury she felt at Tyler's actions and attitude which he was displaying. She would not show that Tyler was getting her to lose her temper, that would encourage the teen and she wouldn't give him that satisfaction. "McGregor is insistent that he launch out with his mobile suit to the field ignoring standing orders. He said something about the ZAFT forces that are about to attack the fleet," Natarle paused having said Tyler's name in such a way that showed that she was very displeased with the said teen. But she didn't want to say what else Tyler had stated as it couldn't be true, "the rest is utter rubbish."

All on the bridge, especially the new member of the bridge crew were surprised that Tyler already knew of the ZAFT forces approaching like it was a known fact. Mu was the first to find his voice and answered the question on everyone's minds, "I'm guessing that he somehow got intelligence from the Federation's Military about ZAFT coming our way," Mu remarked. "What rubbish did he say Natarle? If he knew about the ZAFT force before we found out about it, then there's a good chance what else he said is true as well."

Natarle bit her lip before she replied, "That ZAFT's champion, the Black Zephyr would be in this battle and leading the ZAFT force," she returned hesitantly.

The temperature of the bridge fell literally felt as if it dropped ten degrees or more at Natarle mentioning the infamous ZAFT Champion known as the dreaded 'Black Zephyr'. All of them had heard stories of the enemy commanding officer minus the Heliopolis volunteers, and how could any of them not have?! The Black Zephyr was responsible for some of the greatest losses OMNI and the Alliance had suffered, two of them in the earth sphere itself, the Alliance's 'home turf'. "It can't be, why would ZAFT think of sending the Black Zephyr for this," Murrue whispered in horror.

The feeling was understandable, Krystal and Mu had seen reports about what the Zephyr could do. That woman was a morale crusher for the Alliance, the mention of her could take good feelings out of a room. Neither had gone against the ZAFT champion themselves, they had talked with some that have. "If that woman is here, it explains why Tyler was adamant about launching out," Krystal muttered, "with an opponent like the Black Zephyr, the losses will be beyond bad."

"If ZAFT sent the Black Zephyr here to take charge, they must really want this ship sunk," Sophia uttered. "The two battles that the Black Zephyr took part in on Earth, she led ZAFT to tear our forces apart and that's putting it nicely. When she joined in on the assault on the Victoria Base last year, after the Jachin Due Lion fell, which gave our allies hope for a bit. She turned the fight completely around to end it in victory for ZAFT and we lost the Habilis Mass Driver."

Murrue had been told by the Menelaos that ZAFT forces were approaching and that the Archangel would be at the back of the fleet, but there had been no mention of the Black Zephyr. How Tyler could know that if true, Murrue had to agree with Mu that the teen got intel from the Federation's Military. Things were already bad with ZAFT still pursuing the Archangel, to involve one of the best tacticians seemed like overkill. However, Tyler had proven that he had a knack for finding out things and he wasn't wrong often thus far. "Natarle, let the Shadow launch, but Tyler will be on his own, though I doubt he'll have a problem with that," Murrue ordered.

Natarle knew it was not the time to argue anymore, the stakes were established and they were incredibly high. So, she simply acknowledged the order before opening the catapult and getting back on the radio to tell Tyler he was free to launch. The voltage of the linear launcher increased with Tyler seeing the flashes and explosions ahead. He didn't hesitate after being told he "could" launch out, just zoomed down and out of the catapult. Tyler engaged the Shadow's mirage colloid along with the echo trace transmitter and vanished from prying eyes and sensors. The sight of the Shadow launching out was observed disappearing shortly thereafter. Murrue refocused on the matters at hand, "Cease loading and seal off the bay at once." She turned to Pal, "Is the Menelaos launch gone yet?"

Pal scanned his console and saw the shuttle was still in the hangar loading up refugees, "Not yet, captain," Pal replied.

The Menelaos shuttle still being when the battle was just starting wasn't a good thing, even with the flagship at the back of the fleet. With the battle going, the sooner non-combatants were out of the line of fire, the better. "Tell them to hurry and launch that shuttle back to the Menelaos," Murrue ordered, "All hands, level one battle stations!"

At the same time, Kira and Lacus had packed their things and headed down to the hangar where the shuttle was for the Menelaos. They both had reservations about leaving the Archangel, the ship had become comfortable and almost homely to them. But the war between ZAFT and the Alliance wasn't theirs to fight. Kira knew that he had to get Lacus home to the PLANTs and get her out of dangerous situations. However, the feeling of leaving good people in a bad situation still didn't sit well with Kira.

When they reached the hangar itself, both looked around and were confused when neither of them saw any of their friends from Heliopolis. They had expected to meet up with them here and then their group would go to the Menelaos before descending to Earth. The shuttle operator once he saw them, called out that the shuttle would be leaving very soon and if they were coming to get on. Yet, Neither Kira nor Lacus boarded the shuttle when told to as they were even more conflicted whether to leave the Archangel now. The decision became more difficult when their friends from Heliopolis minus Tyler did finally appear and they were still in the OMNI uniforms. The meaning of the uniforms was clear even if it wasn't said, the four were going to stay on the Archangel. "You're staying," Kira questioned confused as to why his friends would stay on the ship instead of leaving, "Why would you all do that?"

"Well, you see, Flay decided to volunteer," began Tolle in answer hoping to explain why they were staying. "Then, if we were to leave, the Archangel would be shorthanded again."

Kira blinked processing what Tolle had said and it still didn't make sense as Flay should be leaving too. Tyler was the only one that Kira didn't expect to leave the same way as the other's, he would leave just on his own terms. But then, Tyler had always been able to watch out for himself and had proven it time and time again. So, Kira couldn't help but utter, "Huh," while Lacus was just as shocked even if she didn't vocalize it.

Sai continued where Tolle left off, "So, with all of that in mind, we thought we'd stay and keep helping in what ways we can."

Miriallia and Kuzzey were nodded in agreement to Tolle's and Sai's combined explanation. As Kira and Lacus were taking this in, Tolle glanced around looking for the missing one of their group. Tyler had been oddly missing ever since breakfast and there had been no sign of him anywhere. "By the way, does anyone know where Tye is or has anyone seen him lately," he asked.

Tolle's question acted as a trigger for the others and they all realized that none of them had seen their older friend for a period of time either. The six looked between each other, "You know, now that you mention it," Miriallia commented, "the last time I recall seeing him was this morning in the mess before he went off."

Sai agreed with Miriallia as that was the last time he recalled seeing Tyler today as well. It was a tad odd as Tyler didn't vanish often without a reason at the very least and there wasn't one that Sai could think of. "That's the last time I remember seeing him too. We were looking over our discharge papers, then that other officer came in with Miss Badgiruel. Tye told off that officer before leaving," Sai paused for a moment then continued, "I didn't think that Tye would cuss out another just after meeting them though."

"Yeah, that's the last time I remember seeing him too," Kuzzey remarked.

"Yeah, but since there's been no sight of Tye," Tolle said trying to think of where Tyler could be. Then he shrugged, "Maybe that means that he won't be leaving the Archangel, the same as us."

Kira was about to ask what they were all talking about as Tyler rarely used profanity and Kira didn't think his friend would stay on the Archangel. Tyler's polite manners were as far as Kira knew drilled into him by his mother and the woman was strict in such things. Kira thought Tyler had an amazing mother even if he couldn't say who she actually was much for the same reasons Lacus didn't mention her real name. The conversation would have likely continued a bit longer, but an interruption prevented that. "All hands, level one battle stations," Natarle announced over the internal ship speaker system, "I repeat, all hands, level one battle stations!"

With battle stations being called, the battle official had begun and time had ran out. The shuttle operator scanned the hangar and saw the two teens were the last there that qualified for being passengers. "You over there, we're leaving! Are you coming or not," he called.

"Uh, please wait one more moment, they're coming," Tolle called back surprising the former pilots before he turned back to them. "Think of this as destiny," he continued putting his hands on Kira's shoulders. "So, hope to see you two later, help us by making sure you get to Earth safely," with that, Tolle pushed off from Kira, Miriallia, and Kuzzey following him immediately.

"Make sure you stay safe," Miriallia said.

"Yeah, and don't go joining ZAFT either," Tolle added jokingly. Although unbeknownst to them for Lacus, the possibility was actually very real, especially with her sister a big figure in it.

"Hey, good luck you two," Sai said putting his hands on their shoulders, "Kira, make sure Lacus gets back home. Lacus, when all of this is over, I'd like it if I could hear you at a concert sometime," he smiled and pushed off. "Just remember, you two will always be heroes in my book, and don't worry, we'll tell Tye you said farewell for him as well."

"Listen, if you're getting on, now's the time," the shuttle operator said, seeing the other teens leave with Kira and Lacus hesitating further.

The mechanics were scrambling to get things ready for combat even if they had been making preparations already. The Shadow launching out already made most mechanics wonder if any of the other mobile weapons that the ship carried would go out too. "Will Lieutenant La Flaga and Major McAlester will be launching in their Zeroes," one of the mechanics in the hangar shouted in question.

"Who knows, but get them ready just in case," another mechanic replied, "Thankfully, we've finished the repairs on them both. Nevertheless, how we're supposed to get the Asuka moved in this situation though is beyond me."

"Worry about it later," another mechanic called, "If need be, then put it in the Shadow's dock for the time being."

At hearing that, both Kira and Lacus glanced over to where Tyler's mobile suit, the Shadow would normally stand when it was stored. Yet, they were met with the sight of an empty mobile suit dock, the Shadow was gone. Out of the three of them, Tyler was the only one that could fly that mobile suit effectively. While Kira himself has looked at the OS, he was hesitant of flying the suit as it was different than what he was used to. Sure, Kira could understand how the system worked, even if he wasn't familiar with the structure or design of the OS, but it was different enough that Kira would not wish to fly it without practice. So, Tyler piloted the machine pretty much exclusively and none of them seemed to have any problem with that arrangement.

After taking in that the Shadow was gone likely with Tyler onboard in its cockpit, Kira looked between the discharge papers and the flower in his hand. Thoughts and memories of what had occurred since Heliopolis played through his mind. Lacus looked at him in concern as she almost absentmindedly held her set of discharge papers. Kira closed his eyes, then opened them a moment later, a familiar resolve in his expression. Lacus knew what he was going to do as he crushed the discharge papers and looked back at the shuttle operator, "Please, go without me," he said before pushing off towards the exit.

Lacus smiled softly at Kira, absolutely sure that they were making the right decision at this time. Whatever should come their way going forward, they would meet it standing firm in their beliefs alongside their friends. She crushed her own discharge papers as Kira had, then following after him, but she turned back to the shocked shuttle operator. "We'll be staying with the Archangel," she said, "Go ahead and launch." As the two exited the hangar, they shared a look and, with small smiles, nodding to each other and tore up their sets of papers making their decision final. "I think Tye has the right idea, we can make a difference so let's do so," Kira remarked.

Meanwhile, the air aboard the dozens of OMNI warships orbiting above the Earth was tense as everyone prepared for battle. ZAFT force had been detected a short period ago and things had become a little tenser since. When the knowledge of who was leading the opposing force came to light that feel changed to serious dread. The Black Zephyr was the most feared of the ZAFT champions, probably second only to the true leader of the ZAFT military, Lanus Treize. The woman's combat history was nothing short of astounding and even the leaders of the Earth Forces couldn't dispute that as much as they wanted to. The losses against ZAFT were never easy or helpful, but losses against the Black Zephyr were in the top worst by a sizable margin than other defeats the Alliance had suffered. Even with one of the Alliance's top tacticians, the hopes of a good outcome were low to put it simply.

The sight of the ZAFT vessels opening their catapults heightened the apprehension felt, but no mobile suits were deployed right away. Halberton suspected he knew why that was the case or at least a hunch as to ZAFT's actions. If Tyler McGregor was correct in what he had said about the ZAFT fleet, and there was really no reason to doubt him, the Black Zephyr would be leading this force. Halberton and the Sakura had a history with one another, and there was an amount of respect between them. But there was the question as to why ZAFT's Treize would consider sending the Zephyr out for this job. "All vessels assume a tight formation and prepare to intercept," Halberton ordered on the com-phone mounted on his seat's arm. "Archangel, do not move from your current position, remain at the rear of the fleet. All other ships, deploy all mobile armors for combat and ready yourselves."

"Valkyrie One and Valkyrie Two, launch now," Hoffman commanded, "Activate N-jammers and prepare anti-beam depth charges."

As Hoffman gave out his orders, the Menelaos's Moebius mobile armors began to deploy, and more mobile armors launched from each of the other vessels of the Eighth Fleet. The only exception of this was the Archangel appearing to deploy nothing of its compliment. The launch of the Shadow had gone unnoticed by the fleet, so none in the fleet knew that the suit was already out on the field. Finally, orders were given for the supply ships to withdraw as the ship-to-ship shuttle launched from the Archangel docked with the Menelaos carrying the last group of the Heliopolis refugees and Vice Minister George Allster.

Back on the Archangel, the crew was at battle stations even though it was obvious that there was no intention for the ship to be involved. "Activate Igelstellungs," Murrue ordered, "Load missile launchers with korinthos, activate Gottfrieds and Valiants, prepare Lohengrins for use. We are to remain on standby."

Everyone was tense with the battle ahead, even Natarle, they were being drawn into a battle with an insufficient crew to even be considered a "skeleton crew". It was the same situation they had faced back at Heliopolis all over again only now they faced down a larger and more skilled enemy force. The one mobile suit that had a pilot which had stayed with the Archangel had already gone out, defying orders in the process. Granted, Tyler McGregor had shown that he didn't always follow orders as they were given, yet he protected the Archangel thus far once he returned. Still, that left the Archangel and its crew with only the two mobile armors as defenders should ZAFT breach the fleet's defensive line. Along with the perfectly clear awareness of the lack of normal necessary crew to properly run the ship.

"Lovely first day on the job," Sophia muttered dryly as she readied all of the electronic countermeasure control station. She was also running the onboard systems monitor programs, which would normally be done by at least two officers. Yes, Murrue had said that she would be working multiple stations, but doing the idea was different than just being told about it.

None said anything in reply as they were somber or just thinking of the difficulty ahead. The usual bridge crew during a combat situation had gone from the customary ten this ship was supposed to operate with, to six, not including the captain. Natarle and Sofia were in the CIC, on on either side trying to operate two stations at that same time each. Natarle was doing the catapult and mobile suit controller duties while operating on the sensor detection systems console. Arnold was as he normally was, at the helm of the Archangel. Where Pal Romero, at the weapons controls station, Jackie Tonomura sitting at the copilot controls, and Dalida Lolaha Chandra II at the communications station while he was also operating the radar system. Murrue Ramius was worried to say the least about their chances in this skirmish.

Nonetheless, a few seconds after Sofia had stated the obvious, the bridge door suddenly opened. Murrue glanced around and to her shock and astonishment, the four Heliopolis students came onto the bridge. "Sorry we're late," said Sai as he led the other civilian volunteers inside, then they all gave a salute. "It won't happen again."

"What are the four of you doing here," Murrue demanded.

Her answer was Tolle going to the copilot chair and waiting for Jackie to vacate the seat before Tolle took it himself. Miriallia and Kuzzey floated down into the CIC, waiting to take back their old stations to relieve the strain that both Sofia and Natarle had been under. Sai slipped into the open electronic warfare station after Dalida got out. All the crew were baffled by what they were witnessing, these teens should've been on the shuttle that left for the Menelaos. It was while Kuzzey stood next to a frozen Natarle waiting for her to recover from her obvious shock so he could retake the sensor detection system station and free her up for the vice captain's chair, that a vocal explanation came. "We decided to stick around," Tolle stated, "Couldn't exactly leave all of you behind in the current situation, could we?"

"You'll find that we have 'lost' our discharge papers," Sai remarked lightly, "So, I do believe we still have a job here."

Recovering from her shock slightly, Natarle blinked and vacated the radar station letting Kuzzey take it back. While Miriallia took over the mobile suit and catapult console, Natarle pushed herself slightly into the main bridge to look at Murrue. She kind of figured where this idea started, she just didn't expect all the teens to volunteer. "Flay Allster enlisted after we gave them the discharge papers," Natarle said. "She requested permission to join as a member of the crew, Captain Hoffman accepted her, and I approved it personally. But I didn't realize these four would decide to stay as well…"

None the bridge crew would refuse the volunteers' help, but these kids were about to get into the war without a way out. They were good kids, and so, shouldn't be involved in this war, yet they had clearly made the choice to do so. It was Arnold that voiced the question on everyone's mind, "Are you guys really sure about this?"

All the Heliopolis volunteers had understood that there was really no turning back after they ripped up their discharge papers. But they had decided that they would help this ship the best they could, even if they meant they would have to enlist in OMNI for a time. So, Miriallia shrugged, "We don't have the discharge papers anymore," she said, "so, we're kind of committed either way."

"Well, I'm sure we're all grateful for the assistance," Pal replied, "but I hope for your sakes that this really was the right decision. We're in a bit of a bind at this point and that's putting it nicely."

Most of the other crewmen let out a sigh of agreement at that with the situation as it was currently. Sophia glanced around, rather confused by the surprisingly informal air with this crew, especially given what the records said about Natarle Badgiruel. Granted, this ship and her crew had been through hell, the reports didn't leave much doubt about that. Sophia had also heard about these teens that had been helping out during the journey since the crew would talk about them. Sophia looked back over her shoulder at Miriallia and Kuzzey wondering what was going through the teens' heads. "Well, this is an interesting turn," Sophia remarked. "Guess I'll have the chance to see what the hype about you kids is all about which has had me curious. The name's Sophia Falco, and it looks like we'll be working here in the CIC together."

Miriallia stared for a moment at the woman who she didn't know as she'd never been here before. She assumed this Sophia was one of those that the been transferred over to the Archangel from the Eighth Fleet. "Uh, Miriallia Haw," Miriallia greeted, followed by Kuzzey introducing himself to the newest crew member. With all the stations were being manned now, Natarle returned to the CIC and settled into the Vice-Captain seat and things then continued as they had been before meeting up with the Eighth Fleet.

At the same time aboard the Menelaos, tensions were building as the unavoidable battle drew ever nearer. "Admiral, the Black Jade is hailing us," the communications operator announced.

"Is that right," Halberton muttered thoughtfully. The Black Zephyr wasn't one to normally say something before a battle to most. Those she did extend such courtesy mean pretty much one of two things as far as he knew. The first possibility was to say some sort farewell, after all Halberton and Sakura had fought one another enough to have mutual respect of each other. The second possibility was for Sakura to wish to make an offer or deal and that had only happened once before. But there was only one real way to find out what the reason was, "Very well, let's see what the Black Zephyr of ZAFT has to say to us."

"Yes sir," the com-officer replied opening the channel to the enemy ship.

A few seconds later, Sakura Clyne appeared on the forward display screen, "Duane Halberton," Sakura greeted tonelessly, "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Halberton had crossed paths with Sakura before, but there was even less expression on her face now than the last time. And where the woman had a reputation that most feared, Halberton wondered if her emotions were a casualty of this war. "It has Sakura Clyne," Halberton returned firmly, "I seem to recall you having a tad more emotion in your voice the last time our paths crossed."

It was kind of funny in Sakura's mind that those that were considered one's enemies noticed small changes more often, or maybe it was that they mentioned it more. To be honest, this mission was more a chore that she'd gotten stuck with and it was beyond tedious to her. It was truly a waste of her skill, talent, and time to handle this OMNI issue. To go against Halberton again was one of the few reasons it made the assignment bearable. Halberton would at least provide a challenge that OMNI most of the time didn't. "War changes those involved, I believe you are a person that can understand how that works," Sakura replied. "Still, I didn't call to waste time on pleasantries. So let's be blunt about this, you can't win this battle, we both know that as fact Halberton. However, I'm not the heartless monster that the Alliance leadership claims I am. To show that, you, your fleet and that new warship you have at the rear of it can all walk away from this should you accept my offer."

For Sakura to offer anything was rare, and it made Halberton pause in thought. "Is that so," Halberton mused quirking an eyebrow. It made Halberton wonder what it was she was after, for there had to be reason for her to be even considering offering her opponents anything. If the Archangel wasn't what she was interested in, then what was she after? Halberton had a hunch, but he hoped he was wrong, "And what might be the price of this 'generous' offer of yours?"

It sounded like Halberton was open to talking, though Sakura didn't much expect the man to accept what she would suggest. However, with the performance of the enemy pilots, Sakura was too intrigued to resist meeting them. The means used to get that idea to happen didn't make a difference to Sakura, so she was willing to try talking even if it would unlikely work. "A meeting with the three extraordinary pilots from that new Alliance ship," Sakura stated, "and then you must hand over all those marvelous mobile suits to me. Agree to that, then your fleet will be free to go with zero losses for you."

Halberton's hunch that Sakura wanted the mobile suit was right on the money, but to have the pilots too was a tad odd. It was possible that the woman may have figured out that one of those pilots was her younger sister, but that was uncertain. Then Halberton didn't know if Tyler had ever met Sakura, but if he hadn't, Halberton wasn't interested in arranging it. "Well, how could I possibly refuse such a generous offer from the great Black Zephyr of ZAFT," Halberton returned sarcastically.

Halberton using sarcasm was rare from what Sakura knew, and she expected her offer would be declined. "I see you've learned how to lay the sarcasm on even thicker than you did previously," Sakura remarked, "I'll take that as a no, but then, I knew you'd refuse my offer. Still, it seemed the courteous thing to do for one that can be considered a worthy rival and sort of a friend. You might not think so Duane, but I'm nowhere near the monster people make me out to be, farewell to you then."

The screen blinked out and alarms began going off an instant later, "Registering mobile suit deployment from the ZAFT warships," the sensor operator called. The sight of ZAFT mobile suits appearing made it clear the battle was going in full now.

Phase End

A/n

Okay, I'll stop there for this chapter as the battle will be the next phase. This phase may seem like filler, but stories need that from time to time, that's my justification and I'm sticking to it. Some of you please take the time to write a review and tell me what you think, ask questions or whatever you like. I'll state this right now, any questions regarding whom the 'rat' is will not be answered for the time being, I'll reveal that later. Well, until next time, peace out everyone!