A/N

Here is Phase 36, the start of the Battle of the Republic. Hope all of you readers are doing okay with the world as it is. Enjoy the phase!

Phase 36: Freedom's Fight

June 14th 71 CE

Earth, around JOSH-A

Athrun had taken the Justice and wanted to see what had happened with Operation Spitbreak around JOSH-A. So, he descended to Earth's surface around Alaska using the Fatum-00 for atmospheric flight. The sight that met his eyes was horrific, there was a ten-kilometer crater which was now a lake where JOSH-A had been located. And as Athrun got closer, he saw the remains of many ZAFT machines, blackened and in pieces. Athrun hadn't wanted to believe that Operation Spitbreak had been compromised. If it had, there was more than likely a traitor in ZAFT's midst, which would only worsen the war. Yet, the sight in front of him said the operation had gone wrong, and it had also cost ZAFT dearly.

Seeing the scene below didn't help Athrun's already bad mood. "Hunting" one of his best friends was bad enough, though it would allow him to speak with Tyler. Athrun would beg him for forgiveness for what had happened back around Orb. Tyler had always been there for him when he'd needed a friend's help, and Athrun didn't want to lose that if he could do anything about it. It made Athrun realize just how unfriendly he'd been with Tyler and Kira lately, which hurt him. It also helped Athrun see what the war was doing, not just to him but to many. It was ripping friends and family apart, killing innocent people, and doing no good for the human race. And there was not a single sign the war was any closer to an end than it was after the first year. If anything, it was getting worse with each passing month, with the estimated death toll rising as it was.

After a few minutes of gazing at the destruction left of JOSH-A, Athrun moved on. He set his course to arrive at Carpentaria in the late evening. He was welcomed at the base by the night watch before landing on the ground. Athrun had come to Carpentaria to get the latest news and figure out where to go next. His mission was still to hunt down the Freedom and "handle" those its pilot had come in contact with. Athrun would decide what to do after speaking with Tyler, he wanted his friend's side of things before making judgments. Tyler tended to make more sense with his explanations than others. And Athrun was desperate for any reason that things were so confusing these days.

However, after landing and reporting to the night shift's commanding officer, Athrun learned a lot had happened in the last month. Of course, Operation Spitbreak had officially been stated to be a failure by its conclusion. The losses suffered from Spitbreak had been hard, but ZAFT was regrouping and recovering from that. There was anger and desire for retribution after the end of Spitbreak from many. That had lessened after the attack on Panama, which Athrun had mixed feelings on hearing about it. The operation against Panama made sense logically, the dispatching of the mass driver there would cripple the Alliance. The Alliance had no other way into space they could use with the other five mass drivers under the control of the other two factions. However, that brought something that Nicol said about there being "fallout" with Operation Spitbreak. Athrun thanked the commander on duty for the information and replied that he was on a mission that wasn't up for discussion. The commander accepted that, and Athrun milled about while the Justice was being resupplied.

While he was wandering around, Athrun came across none other than Nicol, "What the," he exclaimed, "wasn't expecting to see you while I was here."

Nicol blinked to make sure he saw Athrun before him as he thought he was. As Athrun didn't disappear, he took that as Athrun was indeed there in front of him. The last Nicol knew Athrun had been heading back to the homeland, yet he was here now. The month of so that Athrun had been gone, a lot had happened. There had been Operation Spitbreak and then the attack on Panama, and that was only the major event that had occurred. Rumor was also making the rounds, and some of the rumors were very concerning to Nicol. "I could say the same of you," he replied, "What has you back from the homeland so soon?"

Athrun sighed, "On a mission at the moment, but it is one I can't talk about," he said.

Nicol nodded slowly but still wondered what kind of mission his friend could be on, which would be kept on a need-to-know basis. The last major secret that the National Defense Committee had kept had come extremely close to getting many killed. Some here at Carpentaria whispered that Operation Spitbreak had been leaked to the Alliance. Nicol could believe that was possible, it would explain how OMNI put a cyclops system in place before the operation. If not for McGregor's warning and evidence, ZAFT's losses in Spitbreak would have been likely double what they had been. There had never been a single thank you for that effort, and in Nicol's heart, that was wrong. McGregor had spared many from the Alliance's trap and he hadn't needed to do that. McGregor had been defending the legged ship, he had every right to let ZAFT soldiers die in the war, yet he didn't.

Then there had been the attack on Panama which was another matter. Overall, the goal may have been to take out the Alliance's mass driver and destroy the base surrounding it. However, many of the ZAFT pilots had wanted revenge for the fallen from OMNI's cyclops system, it was their motivation. That had blinded many into committing horrible acts around Panama. The force that had assaulted was smaller than what had gone against JOSH-A. But it had been stated by a message from the National Defense Committee, Panama's mass driver had to be taken out. Nicol suspected it had been to cut off the Alliance's way to space and hurt the boost they got from what happened at JOSH-A. The attack started at dawn, and ZAFT took OMNI by surprise, so their response had been sluggish.

Nicol had used the Blitz to attack the ships in the harbor and the military complex. He avoided shooting around the civilian city area even if few others did so. Most civilians were not involved with OMNI, they were just victims of circumstances with being in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, Nicol had seen others purposely attack the surrounding city with apparent relish. The battle made ZAFT feel far more like being some sort of bully if Nicol was to give his opinion. ZAFT was supposed to be defenders of the PLANTs and Coordinators, better than those that shouted for their deaths. And yet, there had been so much death for so little reason, but the war was becoming more that with each encounter. It made Nicol start to question the reasons used to justify the need to continue fighting. The original purpose and drive ZAFT had at the beginning of the war seemed to have morphed into something entirely different.

Then Nicol agreed with using the Gungnir EMP weapons, which had been employed against Panama. However, to see the Alliance touting they had mobile suits of their own had been a bit of a surprise. The machines had been based on the X105 Strike but seemed a less effective version. It lacked phase shift armor and a flight system, making it more limited in combat. True, they had beam rifles and sabers, but they didn't use them as they could. Nicol had taken a few of them down and found the OMNI pilots lacking experience, which had them throwing away their lives needlessly. In the end, the Gungnirs had made the Alliance's suits useless as the EMP disabled them. They had effectively disabled OMNI forces without needing to exterminate them all. Plus, it had ripped the mass driver track apart simultaneously, which was the mission objective.

ZAFT's mission would've been a brilliant success should they had pulled back after the Gungnirs activated, Nicol was sure of that. Not only would the Alliance be without a mass driver to use for their supply line, but their recent moral boost would be crushed and buried. It would've proved what the Alliance was saying about ZAFT and Coordinators was wrong. But that wasn't how things ended, no, Nicol's allies had proceeded to massacre all remaining OMNI personnel. And what was worse to Nicol, the civilians in the surrounding city weren't spared any more than OMNI personnel were. The scene had sickened Nicol as he had been returning to the sub he was assigned to. It only added to the growing number of questions within his heart about the direction ZAFT was heading. Thus, he sighed, "I don't know if I should say you were lucky to be away or feel sorry you've been assigned something you can't talk about," he remarked.

Athrun blinked at the comment as it suggested things with Panama were worse than rumors were saying. The rumors already painted a rather grim picture, Athrun didn't want to imagine how it could be worse. "Were things really that bad, Nicol," he questioned.

Nicol put a hand to his forehead, "No doubt you heard Spitbreak went bad from some," he stated. "And if not for your friend Tyler McGregor, it would have been far worse. He saved many lives, warning us about the cyclops system OMNI had set up. We would've had double the losses or more if we hadn't pulled back when we did." Athrun hadn't heard about a warning or pulling back, only things had "gone bad" with Spitbreak. Tyler saving lives sounded right, he had always been that way regardless of what faction he saved belonged to. It was a quality that Athrun admired, it seemed rare in the war, unfortunately. Yet Nicol continued, "And he was never thanked for his efforts. If I could, I would thank him for those he saved and shake his hand, even now."

Athrun smiled, "He would appreciate the thought, even if you never thank him," he paused. "He has always been the kind that helped others, even those he doesn't know, and saves any he can." Athrun stopped, "Maybe that's why I curse what happened around Orb."

Nicol shrugged, "I can't blame you for that," he replied. "Spitbreak aside, the operation to attack Panama went worse than JOSH-A if you ask me."

Athrun stared at Nicole, "How so?"

Nicole exhaled heavily, "While we achieved the mission objective in the end," he hesitated, "I really felt like a bully more than a soldier. We attacked them before they knew what was happening, killed many while they slept." Nicol stopped for a moment, "While I may have avoided attacking the civilian areas, I was among the minority of those that did. Those who lived around Porta Panama hadn't done anything wrong, yet they were cut down because they were there." Nicol sighed, "What ZAFT did at Panama will be judged far more than what we went to achieve, Athrun. We proved what the Alliance has been saying about Coordinators is right, that we are monsters that will kill Naturals just because we can."

What Nicol was saying was worse than Athrun feared it could be. Athrun could see the signs ZAFT was leaning more towards vengeance and revenge being the motivation for fighting as of late. But he didn't think the soldiers of ZAFT had lowered themselves so much they fitted the horrible descriptions of the Alliance already. Nicol was right, ZAFT was being bullies, and he was sickened that such was being done. No, worse, it was being encouraged by enough in ZAFT and those they listened to for it to be expected. It fed the doubts that Athrun was having about ZAFT and what direction it was going. "That sounds horrible, Nicol," Athrun said sadly, "and," but Athrun stopped himself.

Nicol heard the pause and hesitation in Athrun's voice, "And what Athrun?"

Athrun glanced around, making sure they were alone in the corridor, and finding they were, he continued. "Don't say this to anyone else," Athrun began, "But I'm having doubts about ZAFT's direction. And it isn't just discomfort about it, I'm wondering if the fight we are in is really worth it and if it will give us what others say it will. There are just so many promises being made and yet, nothing in the delivery of what is stated."

Nicol's head fell, "Well, you're not alone in that," he replied, "I'm asking myself much the same lately. ZAFT used to stand for something, for freedom from oppression, the right to feel safe from attacks on the homeland. Now, if seems more to stand for the death of Naturals and unrighteous dominion." Nicol paused, "Athrun, what rumors have you heard recently?"

Athrun blinked at the question, wondering what Nicol was getting at. "Other than Spitbreak being compromised, not much, why?"

Nicol hesitated as the most worrisome rumor he'd heard was OMNI planning to attack Federation member nations. That would provoke the Federation's military to enter the war, shifting the war's tide for both ZAFT and the Alliance. "The most worrisome rumor I have heard is that OMNI is moving to attack the Federation member nations," he said.

Athrun was in shock at what Nicol had said and thought he hadn't heard right for a moment. It was crazy, OMNI attacking the Federation would only make things worse than they already were. The Federation would push the Alliance back, Athrun didn't doubt that, even if they suffered losses. Military leaders may not say it out loud, but the Federation's military was the strongest out of the three factions. "That's crazy, Nicol," Athrun uttered, "Even OMNI wouldn't be so foolish to prod the Federation and risk going to war with them."

Nicol frowned, "Before Panama, I would've agreed with you, but I'm much less sure now." Nicol paused, "And I can't see the Federation just staying silent after an assault on them, they will retaliate against OMNI. There is also the chance that ZAFT will be held partly responsible for the attack as we struck Panama, which led to the assault. ZAFT isn't much better prepared to fight the Federation at its full strength than OMNI is."

"Have we really come to the point we have to be concerned with the Federation seeing us as enemies," Athrun asked with minor frustration. Then he put a hand on Nicol's shoulder, "Thanks for telling me about what you have. I need to get back to my mission," he stated, "Next time we meet let's catch up properly and compare notes on events, what do you say?"

Nicol nodded, wondering what Athrun was getting at. It almost sounded like he was going to do something potentially crazy. And while he trusted Athrun would be careful and not do anything to endanger the homeland, he feared for his friend. It was clear whatever mission he'd been given didn't sit well with him. And if Nicol knew Athrun, he would be stubborn and now would do what he felt was right and not just follow orders.

Athrun took off in the Justice an hour later, leaving dawn hours away. Athrun's destination was the Republic of East Asia, he hoped to find Tyler there and talk with him. However, if what Nicol said was true, OMNI could be set to attack the Republic sometime soon. Athrun didn't want to see the Republic taken by the Alliance. And if the Alliance was the ones attacking, then Athrun could fight with the Federation and not technically be going against orders. Even if helping the Republic was in some way against orders, Athrun still would help them. His mind was made up, he would help Tyler and those with him and go on from there and see where things went.

Meanwhile, back in the Republic, time ticked closer to the deadline, the evacuation of the Republic's citizens was moving along efficiently. All government employees and officials were doing their best to keep the public from panicking and get them to safety as quickly as was possible. People filled the bunkers the Republic had for safety and calmed down once they reached them. The sight of families parting was still bringing pain to Ellen as she was overseeing the evacuation. She could only wish the children saying farewells to a parent would understand there was a reason for all of this. It also served as a reminder that her own son would be defending their home. Ellen had seen Tyler had been ordered to Teswa to pilot a mobile suit they had produced. And while she was proud of Tyler for being willing to stand up and defend the Republic, it also worried her. Tyler was likely still recovering from his brush with death around two months ago. Yet he was still going out to fight and protect their home from invaders.

At the same time, the Federation military forces were tightening down the defenses the Republic had and readying themselves for the battle that would come their way. It was clear by the actions and lack of answering any communications OMNI was coming to attack the Republic and wouldn't accept surrender anymore. The Information Network had been able to supply the size of the fleet that was heading for them. The ship compliment was average for an OMNI fleet, and it was accompanied by aircraft, both helis with weapons and mobile weapon carriers. If the mobile weapons carriers could be prevented from making landfall, things would be simpler. But that would be a difficult task with the normal swarm tactics that OMNI used on battlefields.

When there were hours left before dawn and the Alliance's deadline, final preparations were made. Ellen was in one of the bunkers watching events as they were unfolding. Her reply to the Alliance had been stated that the Republic wouldn't bow down to them in no uncertain terms. The Republic would remain a part of the Human Federation and stand against invaders that attacked them. Her reply had been more elegant and dignified than the Atlantic Federation had put theirs in. And as far as she could tell, the Atlantic Federation had received the reply to their ultimatum. However, there was no confirmation from the Atlantic Federation that their message had been replied to. The only clear sign with Atlantic Federation was the OMNI force coming towards the Republic.

The coming battle would be the first major offensive attempted since the few skirmishes before the current war had started. And though the Federation's Military had been preparing for either ZAFT or OMNI to do something and then attack the member nations, this was the first time it happened. Before this, the Federation had been in the position of an observer of the ongoing war. Yet, now, OMNI was demanding the Federation be pulled and involved in the war they started. With the time of the Alliance's demands set to be met drawing near, the tension being felt skyrocketed higher and higher. And with the battle looming on the horizon, the world, moon, and colonies watched how things would unfold.

The evacuations of the urban areas were finished just before sunrise as the Alliance's set time was 8 am local time for their demands. Ellen in the bunker she was in frowned as the alarm when off announcing the lockdown was initiated. Lund put a hand on Ellen's shoulder, "We have done what we can, Ellen. The citizens that live in the cities have been evacuated from danger," he assured. "Now, we need to leave the rest up to the military forces. They will defend our home the best they are able, have faith in them."

Ellen sighed, "I know, Mark," she replied, "The chance of talking the coming battle down is passed, and I'm frustrated the Alliance is forcing this upon us. The ongoing war is theirs as they insisted on it, the fighting shouldn't be forced onto the shoulders of others." She paused, thinking about the Republic's defenders, her son included. "And I do have faith in the brave men and women who will protect our nation, I just wish they didn't need to do so." She sighed, "I wish them the best of luck in their endeavors, the future of the Republic is in their hands."

Back in the military command center, the time the Alliance set was ticking down. The bunkers were locked down, and the deflection networks were readied for field deployment. Less than two hours left when more came in from the Information Network, details about the coming OMNI fleet. The fleet itself consisted of three Spengler-class and many smaller ship classes. There were also aircraft flying with the fleet, including mobile weapon carriers. Video records had been studied about OMNI's mass-production mobile suit model, mostly from the battle around Panama.

From the data, the suits were similar to one of OMNI's prototypes but didn't have features that would've made things more difficult. They lacked phase shift armor, instead, from what the Information Network said, they had laminated armor. The current Valkyrie fighter model had weapons that would work well against the laminated armor with its sonic vibrating blade. Plus, the Valkyrie model had flight drives that allowed them to fight in the air without another form of lift as OMNI needed. With OMNI's mobile suits not having a means to do aerial combat effectively, they would be at a disadvantage. And Federation High Command had already authorized the use of the Valkyrie's mobile suit mode for the coming battle.

As OMNI's fleet approached the Republic's outer defense perimeter, the automated guns rose from their stored positions along the shoreline. Maxwell ordered the defending vessels to head out from their docks to take up defensive positions. The three large "Grandous" beam cannons shifted to train their barrels on the approaching ships that barely came into view of the Republic's shores. Interception systems were also revealed and made active around Shira and further inland. Maxwell had a final message sent on all Alliance frequencies stating the Republic was a member nation of the Federation. That OMNI's actions could be seen as an aggressive act of war against the Federation itself. There was no reply to the message and no change in course and speed from the OMNI fleet, which only increased the already high tension levels.

Maxwell ordered all to be ready for imminent battle as the lead OMNI ship passed the outer defense perimeter. Sirens rang out over empty cities and the surrounding area. In the bunkers, an announcement was made that the threat level was raised to one level below its highest. That signaled to those in the bunker that the nation would come under attack. The air of gloom and fear was immense around the citizens of the Republic as they waited and prayed. While they had faith in the Republic's defenders, they could no longer deny that the ongoing war had come to the nation. The Republic and the other member nations had been refuges of safety from the war until now. Yet, the member nations were being drawn into the violent conflict, and their fear settled in.

In the command center, all the control operators were focused on their tasks. Some were tapping into the Alliance's communication channels in preparation for using them to help defending forces. It would allow the Republic's military command to know of OMNI's orders and movements as they happened. Combined with the data from the Information Network, it would assist with tactical movements for the defenders. And the taps wouldn't be noticed by OMNI as they would be too busy with their attack to be aware of them. It was a consistent shortcoming of the Alliance, overlooking small things that could have sizable consequences.

In the aircraft hangars close by the main command facilities built into the mountains west of Shira, final preparations were being made. Pilots were suited up and had been making their last-minute checks. They had been waiting for the alarm signaling launching out was imminent. Tensions had been high for hours, with OMNI coming closer for all pilots. It was the first time in this war that one of the other two factions had threatened any member nation. Federation's Military mobilizing hadn't seriously happened since the Bloody Valentine. The climbing tension was jerked as alarms sounded, telling the pilots to board their machines and get ready to launch out. Pilots got into their fighters, and technicians did their final roll call and sealed the cockpits.

Average squadrons were made up of fifteen fighters working in groups of five, which both ZAFT and the Alliance knew. They would be reminded of what it meant to take on the Federation's military tactics and soldiers. OMNI didn't know how many squadrons the member nations tended to keep around for their defense. The numbers weren't small, not with the expectation of the Earth Alliance to attack member nations looming for the last year heavily. So, all squad leaders knew what was expected of them on the battlefield.

Back within the command center, Maxwell was at the holo-table, projecting the immediate area of the Republic's shoreline and the ocean around it. OMNI vessels were starting to appear on the side of the table as they crossed the nation's outer defense perimeter. He ordered the deflection fields activated over the bunkers and other sites of value. There were calls that the barriers were forming over Shen Lóng, the Teswa complex, and the military command center itself. The fields would provide defense against beams and heavy projectiles used by OMNI forces. The Republic was as prepared against the oncoming invaders as it could possibly be now.

As more OMNI ships were coming onto the holographic display, Maxwell exhaled, knowing fighting couldn't be avoided. So, he opened a channel to all those working for the defense of the Republic, "Brave soldiers," he began, "today we face adversity. Our homeland is under threat of attack and falling under the rule of tyrants. Never before have we been under such trying times as we face today, be we will meet it. The Alliance demands that we help them in their war or they will force us to submit, but rest assured we will not submit to such tyranny." Those listening to Maxwell's speech were taking the words to heart. "They come to take our home and all that we hold dear declaring their cause is just, but we will prove they are in the wrong. We will repel the invaders that charge towards us and show them the resolve the Federation and its members possess."

As Maxwell continued, every soldier was standing straighter, rising up and feeling the strength to fight to defend their homes and freedoms. "OMNI will send their new weapon of tyranny, their tool of fear and terror, their mobile suits, yet we shall not shrink back and cower from them. Today we fight not only to protect our homes and our nation, but we also stand to defend our beliefs from oppressors who wish to trod down all opposition." Maxwell paused for a moment, "To all our brave pilots who are willing to risk your lives to defend your friends, family, and countrymen, take heart. You are authorized to use your fighter's suit mode to defend the Republic in this battle. Use it to oust these tyrannical invaders, the attackers of freedom that come. Do your utmost to prevent OMNI from landing on our soil and desecrating it." Maxwell clenched a fist, "Today we rise up and declare enough is enough, we will not stand for any more of this hatred and tyranny that fuels this war. This day, we stand as soldiers of the Federation to defend what is just and right! Let this day be known as the day the Federation rose up for not just its citizens but for humanity and its future!"

There were cheers in the command center at the last three lines since it summed up the purpose of their fight. Every soldier felt an upwelling of courage at General Maxwell's words, for they rang true. This fight wasn't only for the defense of the Republic and all that lived within it. The battle they were about to be in was the first to fight for the principles of the Federation, for the future of the human race. It was a rallying cry for the just and those who had hope in the good humanity had within it. Focus returned to OMNI's actions as most of their fleet had come within the Republic's defensive perimeter. "Let OMNI be the ones to fire the first shot," Maxwell ordered, "History will remember them as not just the aggressors but also the ones who started the conflict." All the automated defenses aimed at the OMNI ships as they came closer but didn't fire at them.

The captain of the Lawdon ordered the forward ships to let fly their weapons. The battle was expected to be long and grueling, so the captain felt it best to get it over. The lead Arkansas-classes and Des Moines-classes, once in range, opened their missile tubes and began shooting them off. The Republic's military command saw the action, "OMNI has fired their first salvos, General," called an operator. Maxwell nodded as it was the signal of the battle's commencement, "Commence interception procedures."

After the missiles were in the air, the Republic's shoreline guns opened up and shot at the OMNI vessels. The commands were inputted for the Grandous cannons so that the high-energy beam cannons moved a bit to home in their targets, then they began firing at OMNI ships. The other shoreline guns and missile turret followed suit and began throwing out a barrage at the Alliance vessels. Alliance ships' response was to use their multi-barreled CIWS guns to intercept what they could of what was coming at them.

Maxwell observed the opposing ships slow a margin, and that was progressing, the man knew the momentum needed to be kept up. Images that represented the first wave of defending vessels made up of twelve Federation sea vessels sailing towards the Alliance ships appeared on the holographic display. All the ships were keeping out of the way of the shoreline defenses' volley as they went. "Order Yue Fei squadron and Chao squadron to launch out," Maxwell ordered, "Yue Fei is to head towards the ships and keep them from progressing forward. Chao is to head up and take down the mobile weapon carriers who are charging forward now." Shortly after the orders were given, the sight of Valkyrie fighters zooming past the few front viewing windows of the command center boosted morale a small bit.

Half of those fighters climbed upward, the other half kept at a small distance from the ground, high enough to not be in the line of fire of the defensive guns. The Valkyrie squad, which had climbed up higher, quickly spotted the Alliance aerial transports carrying their new mass-production mobile suits, flying towards the Republic's shores. The squadron broke into three groups of five heading for the lead transports. The transport pilots tried to veer out of the attacks but were unable to be hit in their attempts. It didn't take long for the transport pilots to realize they were being targeted before they could get over their drop zones. That was reported back to the flagship before the transport pilots ordered their mobile suits to jump out before they got shot down.

The OMNI pilots did as instructed, once the back of the transports was opened, they began jumping out of them. They saw they were a distance from the Republic's shoreline, but they could make it close enough to land with their parachutes. And the Strike Daggers were letting out their parachutes and were shooting back at the Valkyrie fighters who were attacking them. Some of the Daggers had beam rifles, and others had machine guns to work with, but they weren't having a great deal of success. However, some shots find their marks and hit some of the fighters.

For the Valkyries that were hit by the rounds of the OMNI machines, they were forced to work against their craft's wild flight. They shortly began having their machines transforming to their suit modes. The fighters shifted to have their main thrusters swing below the main fuselage. Next, the cockpit swung down to connect with the aircraft's main body while the drive and wing section moved to be against the back of the main structure. The Valkyries' drive systems switched over for hovering as was needed in the suit mode. The "head" of the Valkyries popped up, its single visor section which housed the cameras used. The Valkyries stopped falling towards the water and surged upward at the OMNI units. The Daggers were dependent on their parachutes attached as their thrusters wouldn't be enough to get them to the shore. And it quickly became clear that Federation mobile suits had the advantage of flight in combat.

The Valkyries had shown a rumor than had been going around the Alliance and ZAFT, the Federation had mobile suits to use. It had been a subject of discussion, and researched it off and on for both ZAFT and the Alliance. Such a fact was assumed to be likely true, but there had never been proof the Federation possessed mobile suits. As with much of the information about the Federation, the confirmable fact was hard to come by. And that their aircraft was what was their mobile suits suggested the Federation had the technology for a while. The Federation's mobile suits outperformed the Strike Daggers in more ways than one. The battle got well underway just after both sides met and fought each other.

Meanwhile, at Teswa R&D, final adjustments were being finished on the mobile suits which would be deployed. There had been the alert of OMNI passing the Republic's outer defense perimeter a short period ago. Lisa had woken Tyler less than an hour before since he needed the sleep for his health. Tyler may deny that he needed the extra time to sleep and take it easy to improve his health, but it was clear to her. The start of the fight was frustrating as those at Teswa couldn't go out and help their comrades straight away. The licensed pilots had been keeping busy while waiting in different ways. The alert of fighting breaking out gave Tyler a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. And the time it took for the mobile suits to be adjusted seemed much longer than it actually was.

Nonetheless, once the mobile suits were ready, the pilots were told to board their assigned machines. Tyler sat down in the Aurora's pilot seat, and a moment after he did, the backpack section of his pilot suit was pulled to the back of the seat, and a clung of something locking into place. He was a tad surprised with the new form of restraint system, but as Tyler considered it, such would be better than straps. Using the Federation's pilot suit backpack to lock in the pilot to the seat would then depend on the suit's exoskeletal frame for restraint. Tyler knew the pilot suit framework would be more than up to the task of holding one from flying around the cockpit.

Tyler lowered the seat into the cockpit and had the bulkhead above slide into place to seal the cockpit. The stress he'd been dealing with had lessened a margin now that the wait to get to work was over. Tyler didn't like that OMNI was attacking the Republic, and he didn't blame their soldiers in general, they were just following orders, more likely than agreeing with the fools that led the Alliance. It was a fact of the ongoing war that was so often glossed over, those fighting may not be doing what they were for the reasons their faction claimed. Thus, Tyler focused on the present and activated the Aurora's operating system.

MOBILE SUIT NEX OPERATION SYSTEM
Generation
Unsubdued
Nuclear
Drive
Assault
Module

G.U.N.D.A.M. Intrigue
_Series GN125-O6 NR 02-13756_
Federation Military

It was interesting to see the same type of start-up message as OMNI's prototypes had, along with the Shadow. The acronym had stuck and even created a separate mobile suit type of its own. Tyler wondered if the other new units that Teswa had made had the same type of operating system as the Aurora did. Carlos had mentioned that the other two of the series the Aurora was a part of were originally meant to have nuclear reactors as the Aurora did. Tyler assumed that the other two series machines were likely planned to have nuclear reactors. Nuclear energy provided more power and longer operation time for a mobile suit, Tyler wouldn't deny that. That didn't mean that Tyler liked nuclear technology returning, but he knew it could be helpful when used with good intentions. After the operating system booted up, Tyler glanced over the systems, ensuring they responded as they should. He was satisfied with the system's response and felt it would be what he needed for the battle.

Tyler had much the normal feelings he got when he was about to go out to a fight. While Tyler didn't like or want to kill another, the determination and values he held stood above that. It was one of the familiar feelings that he dealt with while working on a battlefield. And Tyler felt it was time the Alliance be forced to realize they couldn't do whatever they pleased just because they obtained a new technology. It was high time to stand up to the Alliance's selfishness and tell them no and be forcefully accept it. Tyler knew he wasn't the only one beyond irritated that the Alliance had been pushing the line and going against what they had agreed to in the past.

Tyler's attention was brought back to the present as the Aurora was moved towards the central open area of Teswa. The sound of an alarm sounding had Tyler glance up and see the upper door of the complex opening. The Aurora had been turned to face the open central area so it could have a clear way to leave. Once over the deep canyon-like space in the center of the Teswa complex, airtight shutters closed behind all the mobile suits. Tyler looked up and saw the soft daylight of the early morning above. Tyler gripped the throttle with his left hand and pushed the button to activate the phase shift before taking the control stick with his right hand. The Aurora's eyes flashed before the grey appeared fuzzy and red color began spreading from the torso outward to the rest of the suit. The edges of the wings were white as on the ankle vents, while the shoulder vents were gold. Tyler pushed the throttle forward, having the suit's thrusters prime for use. Tyler saw the upper door was fully open and felt it was time to get to work and send OMNI away. He took a breath in and let it out, "Tyler McGregor, Aurora, let's do this," he announced.

The Aurora leaped off the launching platform and surged upward toward daylight, those watching cheered. The mobile suits produced here had been made the best possible, and now they would be used for the purpose they had been built for, to protect and defend the Federation and its ideals. Those who worked at Teswa normally only saw reports of what their work did outside the lab. This was one of those rare times that they would get to see the fruits of their labors themselves. Carlos wasn't the only one watching, praying for the pilots entrusted with their work to protect the Republic.

Lisa saw Tyler launch first, and she could sympathize with the feeling of the need for haste he was showing. The Republic's defenders were already fighting OMNI's seaborne fleet, attacking them. The war had been escalating over the last few months of the current year than before. While Tyler's health had slowed him down for a time, he hadn't let it stop him from working to make a difference in the war, small as it could be. Tyler's health had improved, though it wasn't at one hundred percent yet. But with the battle happening, Tyler wouldn't be kept out of it. There would be the need to chain him down to something to stop him potentially, and even that, Lisa didn't know if it would work. She had also had the Athena's phase shift armor activate, which turned the backpack and upper part of the torso blue. The cockpit cover changed to red while the rest of the machine became white.

At the same time, Graham had just finished going over the systems on the mobile suit he was in. He was impressed with what the Federation's R&D had come up with in mobile suit technology. The unit could easily take on a full team of GINNs even if they were led by a CGUE and win easily. One of the few ways that Graham could think of this unit losing would be a rookie pilot making simple mistakes, or they were going against an expert pilot. These new "Gundam-type" mobile suits would change the balance of power more in the war than most things would. The Thanatos would be more than adequate for Graham to force OMNI back from the Republic. He pushed the button for the phase shift armor system, fascinated by the concept as he had read over it while waiting.

By what Graham had read, the Atlantic Federation had originally developed the idea. The armor was able to block projectiles and non-beam attacks, which was an achievement. Granted, it was limited by the power the unit equipped, but that was still better than the defense GINNs had. Also, beam weaponry became more common and could get through the armor system. And yet, once Federation R&D had gotten ahold of the idea, they had further developed and improved the concept. Graham could see some possibilities that ZAFT's own R&D could improve and employ phase shift armor.

Back in the present, Graham had watched Tyler launch out in the unit he was working with. The kid's determination was admirable, and Graham would applaud the point. Others could say Tyler had faults, but lack of conviction was certainly not something the young man could be faulted for lacking. Instead of Graham lifting off himself, he got on a comm-channel, "Do go ahead, Miss Malto," Graham said, "ladies first and all of that."

Lisa still didn't know what to think about Graham Aker. Tyler may have said the guy was ZAFT's star pilot, and it could and likely was true, but it was still hard to swallow. The man was nothing like the stories ZAFT would tell about their Comet. Graham was far more easy-going than any ZAFT pilot Lisa had encountered. He didn't fit the image of the hero ZAFT would boast about and talk about. But in this battle, the guy would get to show if those stories were more propaganda or true. Lisa had the Athena leap off the launching platform and follow the Aurora through the opening. As Graham followed, the other ground runner series machines also lifted off and headed through the opening. The two aquatic suits went down to the underground river at the lowest level of Teswa. They used the river's tunnel to leave the complex and head towards the battle.

Tyler kept climbing once outside Teswa, changing the Aurora to its flight mode. The suit's legs locked so that the upper leg joint was below the lower section. The feet folded down for streamlined flight and had the tail fins set at forty-five degrees, respectively, with the rest of the suit. The Aurora's wings swiveled out and locked into flying position, the thrusters connected to the wings pivoted to be parallel to the center line of the mobile suit. The unit's two plasma cannons shifted forward and set to be next to each other, between the wings and ahead of them. Both cannons had small fins that were three-fourths of the way, along with the cannons on the outsides, which came out to thirty-five-degree angles. The Aurora's beam rifle was still in the right hand though it was connected to the suit to be in line for flying like the plasma cannons were. Finally, the main flight sensor array that normally sat on the back of the suit between the 'jet sets' came forward, and the thin gold fin-like spars on the top of the array flicked up.

The transformation had been seamless, Tyler hadn't felt much at all as it happened. The transition was better than the Delta space fighters or even the Valkyrie's, which impressed Tyler. The forward display had changed to have an image of the Aurora's flight mode, including readouts on active systems used in the current mode. The missile launchers and the flight array's Vulcans were highlighted along with the rifle and cannons.

When Tyler glanced at his sensor display, he saw others behind him. He brought up details on the signals, and small images of the Athena shifting into its flight mode came up. In the Athena's flight mode, it had the backpack flat against the back of the suit. The flight array flipped forward over the head and was the main flight sensor array and the nose section of the machine. The shoulder thruster parts moved to be in line with the shoulders and acted as the wings for the Athena. The legs shifted to be like the Aurora's were in flight mode to act as the unit's thrusters.

Another image appeared on the Aurora's forward display of the Thanatos. It also shifted into its flight mode, which was kind of similar to the Delta space fighters. The major differences were that the attached gun was under the nose sections instead of above. Then the heavy cannon that the Thanatos had stretched over the main sensor array that was the nose. Other than that, the two railguns were on either side by the wing shields, and the feet morphed into the thrusters. The next thing Tyler saw, Athena and the Thanatos dove down and lifted the two ground runner units that had shifted into their quadruped modes. It was interesting to Tyler to see the use of the grapple carry systems that the two others of the Aurora's series had. Both units rose with their payloads and came close to the same level as the Aurora was flying. The group continued onward towards the growing battle ahead of them.

Meanwhile, OMNI's assault on the Republic had been going for a little more than fifteen minutes, and things weren't going as hoped. The plan had been to land teams of Daggers in the area of Shira and have them neutralize the shoreline defenses. But that plan and expectation had been turned into something entirely different. Instead, the Federation had kept the transports from getting close enough to shore by attacking them. And what was making the battle worse was the Federation had and was using mobile suits of their own. The majority of their "fighter jets" had morphed into mobile suits that could fly independently of other equipment when Daggers didn't. And no matter how many of the Federation units were disabled or taken down, more popped up in their place.

Then the OMNI ships had been brought to a halt by both mobile suits and the Federation vessels. And while OMNI knew the Federation's seaborne vessels were nothing to take lightly, they were irritatingly keeping any progress from being made. Even when more vessels were on OMNI's side, the Federation kept them at bay. Due to those difficulties, none in the OMNI fleet had been able to move much closer to the shoreline. With how things were "progressing," this would take hours at best, much longer at worst. And the longer this battle went on, the more likely the Federation could gain the upper hand and overwhelm OMNI.

On the Lawdon, the fleet commander was frustrated and somewhat surprised at the development. While fighting against the Federation's military was expected to be grueling, resisting every step of the way with reigning them in, it wasn't thought it would be this bad from the start. The mass-production of mobile suits that were being done in earnest was supposed to make a difference. ZAFT had the advantage of mobile suits before, but they had them no more. It had been assumed that since the Federation had not shown any use of mobile suits, they either didn't have them or didn't use them in general defense. Yet, the Daggers were being beaten back right now and not helping this progress forward.

While the "captain" was fuming at the lack of success OMNI had against the Federation, Mina was simply watching. OMNI may have been idiotic enough to believe they had a chance against the Federation's military, but they were fooling themselves. From all the records she'd seen, the Federation had likely been prepared for when OMNI or ZAFT would assault them. As the old idea went, it wasn't the loudest you should be concerned with, it was the quiet ones. And seeing this battle playing out reinforced her reasons she didn't get involved with politics and military operations when she could help it. Mina knew her work was used for such things, but it wasn't the reason she did what she did, her project had more purpose than that.

And yet, being the observer in this, Mina wondered several things about the Earth Alliance and its OMNI. They were trying to unite the world against the PLANTs, that was simple enough. However, the way there were going about it was a fool's errand, putting it nicely. The Human Federation had been consistent in their beliefs and principles, which Mina could respect even if she didn't see the point of their views. Nonetheless, the Federation had strength in numbers and technological development that neither of the other two factions could contest. A proof of the point was playing out right in front of him in the form of the Federation's mobile suits pushing OMNI's Daggers around. If someone with working brains had considered it, the point of the Federation having mobile suits of their own was obviously true, the signs were there. So the reaction of the fleet's commander was both amusing and a tad annoying, but Mina schooled her expression. "With how you have been grimacing, I must ask, Commander," Mina started calmly, "how much battle experience do you have?"

The fleet commander didn't want to hear from his guest upon matters of battlefield experience. He had gone against ZAFT forces many times before now and had survived and even won against them sometimes. This woman was no soldier, so what would she know about a real battlefield? Thus, he didn't look at Mina, "Is there a reason you ask such a question, ma'am," he posed.

Where normally, Mina had no issue whatsoever calling another out on potential faults, in this, she kept interaction with the military types to a minimum. But he did ask for an answer to why she inquired, and Mina wasn't one to deny another valuable information. "Well, while I'm not around battlefields often, it is my understanding that one prepares for trouble they may encounter." Mina shrugged, "Correct me should I be wrong in that assumption. And while frustration undoubtedly comes up when things don't go exactly the way one hopes, I'm left to wonder. You show far more frustration and irritation that the Federation has halted you than expected. Thus, my question about experience stands as you portray that you are pouting that things are not going as you want them to, which is rare on a battlefield."

Preparations had been made with this operation the fleet commander knew, which made what the woman was saying almost an insult. She almost sounded amused at the prospect that OMNI was being caught off-guard by the Federation. She was supposed to be a mere observer and have the mobile suits and the pilots that came with her help in this operation. The Alliance higher-ups insisted that the "new models" would make all the difference and decimate the Federation's defenses. However, it was still expected that the Strike Daggers would do much of the work of defeating the Federation's military. "We are being met with unexpected resistance," the commander said evenly. "If the Daggers could land on the Republic's mainland, things would progress more according to plan."

If Mina had been like most people, she might have pitied this naïve fool. Should he think that OMNI's mass-production mobile suits would be able to best the Federation on their own, he was more a fool than she'd previously thought. If mobile suits were all it would take to defeat the Federation's military, ZAFT or OMNI would have done the task already. Brute force tactics wouldn't work against the Federation, the war should have made that clear some time ago. But apparently, OMNI hadn't learned that lesson yet. Mina doubted they would learn the point here in this battle, which would cost them. The fleet commander should know that when defending, one didn't let their opponents get a foothold, that was basic logic. And the Federation wasn't known for giving handicaps to OMNI or ZAFT, the opposite normally. "You honestly believed that the Federation defenders would be foolish to let you get forces on the ground," Mina questioned. "OMNI wouldn't give ZAFT such a handicap as unimpeded advancement in a fight, why would the Federation do so for this fleet?"

Of course, the expectation wasn't that the Federation's military wouldn't just step aside and let OMNI march in. Yet, OMNI was being stopped at every turn thus far, making this operation heading in a bad direction. "While resistance was expected from the Federation, it still is not helpful for the operation," the commander stated.

Mina sighed at the reply, "Not admitting things tends only to show incompetence," she remarked. "Should you have expected this to be easy, you are a fool who doesn't understand what you are being ordered to do." Mina paused, "The Federation knew this fleet was coming, the Alliance told them it was and gave them time to be ready for you. OMNI showed off their precious mobile suits at Panama to not just ZAFT but the Federation as well." Mina shook her head, "The signs are there the Federation has been ready for when the Alliance would make their move to attempt to control them." She shrugged, "But who am I to argue facts with those that work with my project's funders." There was nothing said in reply to Mina's comments, though many who heard them were not pleased by the implications. Instead, Mina continued, "But enough of telling you of the foolish expectations that have been made for this. I'll assist you in this ridiculous endeavor by sending out my girls with their machines. That is one of the reasons I'm here on this ship when I certainly would rather be elsewhere."

Mina rose without further hesitation and left the bridge before any could say anything else to her. She headed down to the room where her girls were and told them to suit up and get ready to go out to the field. Mina then went down to the cargo hold where the three mobile suits were waiting for her girls. The three prototypes had been tuned to work with "Boosted Man" candidates from the Enhanced Human project rather than Naturals. The units required higher performance than Natural humans tended to be capable of, except for the rare individual that was more than ordinary. Mina hadn't a doubt her girls would do well out in battle, they were Lodonia's best trio, after all. However, this "field test" was one Mina felt was earlier than it should be. Yet, with the cost of the Enhanced Human Project, it wasn't wise to refuse a major funder. It was why Mina had considered humoring Azrael and gave him a glimpse of the project's potential.

There was the risk of custom model mobile suits out on the Federation's side, Mina knew. And in her experience, custom models equaled out of the ordinary pilots in them, which was problematic. Her girls were trained against ZAFT soldiers, so going against Federation forces was a stretch, but one she believed they were up to. But extraordinary pilots were a different matter, and they were dangerous to any that went against them. Mina had put too much effort and work to wish to see her girls get taken down by such a pilot. And Mina didn't doubt the Federation would have custom models of their own by this point, likely used by their "licensed pilots." However, Azrael had said he wanted a show of the project's fruits, so she had to do something or funding could be pulled.

Once in the cargo area, Mina saw that some that had come with her were looking the mobile suits over one more time as they should be. Mina had trained those who worked under her to do the small things such as looking over their work when they got the chance. And for the most part, the scientists that worked at Lodonia did just that. Yet, those annoying few thought they didn't need to do what they were told. Thankfully, none on this ship fell into that category, so Mina wasn't concerned with them. In fact, one of her workers proved they were doing as they should when they brought Mina a container. "Dr. Moss," the woman greeted, "Here are the candidates' doses for their outing as per your instructions."

Mina nodded, "Very good, carry on with the work," she replied.

Moments later, Deborah and her sisters entered the cargo hold, all suited up and ready. Lafter moved to be ahead of her sisters, "We're all ready to go, mama," she announced happily.

Mina turned to face her girls, "Excellent," she replied, looking up from the datapad she had picked up. "Deborah, you will be in the X333 Bandit," Mina said, gesturing at the mobile suit. Deborah nodded at what Mina said, having studied all three of specs of the units that had come with them. As the trio leader, it was her responsibility to give orders on the field when needed, such required her knowing what her sisters were working with. Their mother had said they should study the specs as their assignments weren't set yet, and they were to prepare themselves for any of them. The Bandit was the unit that could transform into a mobile armor that had better speed than the suit form. It also had flight capability on its own, unlike the mass-production models, so all in all, the machine would suit Deborah fine.

Mina shifted her gaze to Lafter, "You will be working with the X251 Sinister, Lafter," she continued. Out of the three suits, Lafter had liked the look of the Sinister more than the other two. Lafter had studied the other machines as her mama had instructed since she was a good girl and did what her mother said, even when it wasn't "fun." The Sinister's equipment had Lafter liked more than the other two had. The big sword could slice others in two or chop them up, which Lafter was good at with the ZAFT simulations. Then there were the guns on the suit if any nasty enemies approached that Lafter could use. If the need to defend herself came up, the Sinister had a shield that could deflect beams according to the specs.

Mina finally twisted to look at Rossweisse, who had the unit for her chosen more by default, unlike her sisters. The X131 Raptor would work for her as Rossweisse was competent with most weapons, including artillery. Rossweisse was not a specialist in a specific type of combat where her sisters had their strengths. She was more a "jack of all trades" and had their place and value, so Rossweisse had her place with her sisters. "Rossweisse, you will be using the X131 Raptor," Mina said. Rossweisse nodded in understanding to the instructions given to her. She had looked over the three sets of mobile suit specs as her sisters had done by their mother's instructions. None of the units had stood out to Rossweisse as interesting to her apart from the other two. So, Rossweisse hadn't cared much which machine she would get to work with, unlike Lafter, who had been going on about the one she'd gotten.

"I assume there is no issue with the unit assignments," Mina asked, "If so, now is the time to state them." All three girls shook their heads as they rarely disagreed and argued what Mina told them. It was one of the qualities that Mina did appreciate from her girls, they were very obedient and did so cheerfully the majority of the time. They were among the select few that could ask for "clarification" with instructions given. It was a privilege they had those other candidates didn't, which they had earned with consistent high performance and obedience. "Very well," Mina continued, "Moving on to your task today and its expectations. The general expectation is for you to get viable data for the mobile suits so they can be improved and adjusted. It would be even better if you three help breach the Republic's defenses so those we are working with can move forward. The best case would have you make sure that the mass driver and the scientific complex are in working order should the Alliance overtake the Federation Forces." Mina paused, "However, I can't see the best-case scenario being a realistic possibility. And should the Federation send out custom model mobile suits as I expect them to, the better option will also be unlikely." Mina gazed hard at her girls, "If any of you see mobile suits that appear different from those around them, be careful of them. Remember, custom models, tend to be dangerous and more powerful than others. So then, do you girls understand the expectations of you today?"

All three girls nodded, "Yes, mother/mama/mom, we'll do our best to make you proud." After saying that, the three girls took their doses and entered their assigned units. A short period passed before the outside doors on the ship opened, which had light falling on the three Gundams.

Mina watched as the three mobile suits launched and smiled, knowing that her three girls wouldn't return until they got good results. It was one of the reasons the three were seen as the best performers Lodonia had. They were determined that most would call them dogmatically stubborn when it came to completing tasks given to them. Even if they had been trained to go against ZAFT, Mina was confident they would do notably against the Federation. Thus, Mina made her way back up to the bridge to have a good seat to watch the performance. The Enhanced Human Project had been what she'd put her life into for over a decade, she wanted the field performance to have jaws dropping. Perhaps then, the funders would shut up and leave those working on it alone to do the work rather than badger them about the results.

Back with Tyler, his group had flown down the valley that Teswa was in towards the end of in the direction of the Ocean. He was listening to the radio chatter that was going on with the defending forces fighting OMNI, and he wasn't pleased. OMNI had been brought essentially to a good halt, but a price was being paid to keep it that way. The loss of life was frustrating Tyler as the men and women had volunteered to defend their nation, and OMNI's stubborn selfishness was causing the current situation. And while he hadn't liked what the Alliance did in their war efforts, this was a new low for them. Tyler intended to do whatever he could to send OMNI packing and running from the Republic as quickly as possible. He knew he couldn't do that task alone, but he could certainly assist in the process alongside the defending forces. Plus, he could put the Aurora through its paces and see what the mobile suit was capable of at the same time.

Tyler came around a long curve in the valley and spotted the battle ahead of his group. And the sight of explosions and lines of weapons flying around didn't comfort Tyler at all, it more irked him. The radio chatter did imply the defending side was holding their lines, OMNI was still clearly pushing. While Tyler listened to the chatter, he could pick out the underlying tone of resolve and the pain coming from soldiers dying in this battle. The anger that flowed in Tyler heated up at knowing the Alliance justified all of this with their claim of "defending Earth from those who would threaten it." And what was worse in this, those that had ordered this be done weren't here themselves. The fools that demanded OMNI attack the Federation were sitting in a chair somewhere, letting others pay the price for their insanity. And Tyler didn't doubt those said individuals did have a single care over the lives being sacrificed for their vendetta.

Tyler threw the Aurora's throttles forward and sped ahead toward the fighting, leaving his group behind. He did activate the Phantom system to have the Aurora vanish from sight and all but Federation sensors as he went. As Tyler zoomed ahead, both Lisa and Graham turned to head for the shoreline. Lisa headed for the docking area of Shira to drop off her payload and let the other pilot get to work. Graham went for a clearing that was in the other direction to release the mobile suit the Thanatos had.

Once over the docking area, the Athena let go of the Longinus Gundam it was carrying, which had been in its quadruped form. The Longinus fell toward the ground shifting into its suit mode as it went, using its thrusters to land without a crash. Right after the Longinus touched down, it activated its phase shift armor which turned the suit orange all over except for the sides of the lower torso, the knee areas, and the outer parts of the thruster shrouds. Graham got to the clearing he aimed for and released the X133 Atlas Gundam. The Atlas transformed as it dropped to the ground and, like the Longinus, used its thrusters to land "gently" on the ground. The suit then deployed its phase shift and became light blue all over except for its weapons.

Meanwhile, Mina had gotten back to the Lawdon's bridge and watched as her girls launched out. However, she quickly noticed odd machines appearing on the battlefield, the two on the shoreline and two "aircraft" differed from the other Federation machines. Mina took that to mean the four were custom Federation mobile suits, which would only complicate things. She was glad she had reminded her girls to be on-guard with "different-looking" units. Thus, Mina gazed at the Bandit carrying the Raptor and the Sinister following as they headed towards the shoreline.

While all fighting didn't instantly notice the three new machines, some did take note of them. Tyler spotted the "odd" objects coming from the OMNI side of the field, and he had to zoom optics in to see what they were. What Tyler saw wasn't encouraging as one of the objects was a mobile suit. Its frame was based as far as Tyler could tell on the Duel though it had been modified with weapons and armor. The phase shift made the unit a little lighter blue than what the Duel would be. The shield it had was taller than the Duel possessed, which was one and a half times the arm's length, including the shoulder. The shield appeared to have an emitter of some sort in its center as well. There was what looked to be a beam emitter like the Aegis had built-in for its Silica cannon. The last thing that Tyler noticed what concerning was the nearly sixteen-meter length anti-ship sword. It looked quite similar to the Strike's "Schwert Gewehr" optional anti-ship sword, which was currently stored on the suit's back. As for other armaments, there were guns similar to Igelstellungs built into the upper torso. A heavy rifle mounted behind the right shoulder and what looked like missile launchers along the outsides of the forearms. The machine was flying alongside the other object coming from the OMNI side of the field.

Tyler moved his attention over to the other object and found it was an "aircraft" with a mobile suit riding it. Upon a second look, Tyler identifies the aircraft as a mobile armor with a face on the front and wings attached above the majority of the craft. The machine was blue overall with black along the center of the wings. A set of claws or talons looked to carry things on the lower side of the mobile armor. A large thruster was on top of the armor itself and served as the nose, by what Tyler could tell. And Tyler suspected the armor could more than likely change over to a mobile suit. Tyler spotted machine guns on either side of the "face," and a beam rifle was connected to the right wing. He could see no other weapons on the unit, but that didn't mean it had no others.

On top of the mobile armor, Tyler saw a mobile suit hitching a ride on it, which could mean the suit couldn't fly on its own. The suit's phase shift armor made the machine white overall, and the joints a slate blue, with the mid-torso was red. From what Tyler could tell, the unit had more layers of armor which suggested a few possibilities. The suit's frame was most similar to the X103 Buster, but it was more like someone took the framework of the Buster and replaced it with a cross of the Blitz's frame and the Aegis's frame. Had the same frame that the Blitz did with the arms, legs, and shoulders, yet the torso and head were like the Aegis. Yet, the one Tyler looked at had the most armaments out of the three machines. There were cannons on pivot points over the shoulders and two on the backpack section. There was a bazooka in its right hand while there was a shield with gun barrels on the left arm. The number of rifles and/or cannons made Tyler think that the mobile suit he was looking at was built for artillery, and a bombardment spread.

The Alliance attacking the Republic was bad enough to begin with as they had no valid reason that others would agree with. Yet, OMNI also decided to use this attack to test new mobile suit models for themselves. Tyler wondered if expectations of what the Alliance would commit would ever hit "rock bottom." Whenever Tyler thought the Alliance couldn't go lower and still call themselves human and get away with that, he was proven they could do worse. But then, Tyler had given up on trying to figure out the thinking of the insane individuals that were in the Alliance's leadership. But as the three machines that Tyler wouldn't doubt would be troublesome were here, they would need to be dealt with.

Tyler glanced down at his sensor display, he spotted the two aquatic suits below him heading toward the OMNI vessels. He saw the Athena and the Thanatos helping defending forces, as were the two ground suits. Tyler seemed to be the first of the Teswa units to notice the OMNI custom machines coming onto the field. He wasn't interested in taking on three unknown units simultaneously, so he decided to separate one from the other two and go on from there. So, Tyler flew forward, aiming for the Duel-like unit, settling on that one to start with. He shifted the Aurora back into its suit mode before reaching his target and then rammed the Sinister with his shield. It was a classic move for Tyler, and he saw no reason to not do such just because he was in a different mobile suit.

Lafter had been moving forward with her sisters toward the shore as they had been instructed to do. Their mother's instructions had been clear, the expectation was for them to do what they could to breach the defenses of the land they were going against. They were to try to keep the big catapult intact and working and a big place where people like their mother worked as undamaged as possible. The expectation was clear, and Lafter was more than willing to do what her mama said. Lafter always loved making her mama smile and praising her for doing a good job. Her mama would reward her with super tasty sweets and get any kind she wanted. While there were odd planes that could change into mobile suits here, Lafter didn't doubt that she and her sisters could handle them. It wasn't the same machines that the simulations at the lab possessed, but they were up to the challenge.

However, as she was flying with Deborah, who was carrying Rossweisse was, moving forward, something hit the Sinister. Lafter shook off the surprise of being hit and not seeing anything coming at her and working to stabilize her machine. She recalled others at the lab saying something about the "Federation" being able to be invisible and attack without being seen. It took a moment, but Lafter managed to get the Sinister back to hovering in the air. She then began looking around for who, or whatever had been mean enough to hit her and cause her to fall a bit. A moment later, Lafter saw something appearing a short distance in front of her. The mobile suit that was becoming visible looked more like the three units mama gave Lafter and her sisters to use. It has the same head with "eyes and a face," unlike the metal soldiers from the ships that looked dorky. The meanie was red and white like the Sinister changed to blue when the armor system thingy on. It made Lafter think this mean machine that had hit her probably had the same system that changed the suit's color.

Tyler faced the blue machine, having the Aurora move out to be at forty-five degrees. The cannons had shifted to their storage positions at the back of the Aurora to not interfere with the suit's thrusters. He waited for his opponent to make the next move since Tyler didn't know anything about the pilot. Tyler had found that letting one's opponent make the first move gave a view of what they could be like. And he didn't think that OMNI would give their custom mobile suits to just anyone, so he was expecting either a skilled individual or someone very unpredictable.

Lafter glared at the one who had attacked her, angry that another would impede her sisters and her from completing their task. So, Lafter rushed forward, taking out the Sinister's anti-ship sword igniting it as she went. Then Lafter swung her sword at the red machine, intending to cleave it in two. However, Lafter's target weaved out of the way of her sword nimbly, which frustrated her. None of the simulations had any enemies moving like the red machine was, even though there was one that had been around as frustrating. But Lafter didn't let the irritation get the better of her. Should she do that, she would be the same as the other candidates that her mama wasn't the most pleased with.

Tyler had dodged the first swing by reflex, but it was far closer than he liked or felt comfortable with. His opponent's next two attempts to slice him in half were similar though Tyler got a bit better evading margin. He still watched the cutting edge coming past where he'd been, and the clearance was thinner than he wanted it to be. The fourth swing was a horizontal one to which Tyler had the Aurora lean backward and then fall a distance downward. Tyler grabbed his beam rifle and pointed it at the blue Gundam who had been attacking him with the intent just to kill but murder with apparent glee and gusto. He fired a couple of bolts at his attacker, and even if he didn't hit them, the action got the blue machine to back off somewhat.

Lafter wasn't happy that she wasn't hitting her enemy, they kept dodging her swings. They were supposed to stay still and let her cleave them in two and die before moving on to the next enemy. Yet, this one had weaved out of the way of each of her swings, even the horizontal one that rarely failed to take down opponents. Not only that, but the red mobile suit also then shot back at her, forcing Lafter onto the defensive. Opponents didn't push her to be on the defensive, she killed them first before they had a chance to do so. Thus, Lafter was both mad and surprised at the turn in this fight. And so, she forgot that her comm-system was on as she vented her frustration. "What the wha," Lafter uttered before her face gained an angry grimace, "You big meanie!" Tyler was caused to pause at what he heard for several reasons. First, the voice was female, meaning a girl had been trying to kill him. Second, she sounded like she could be around his own age, and she was complaining as would be expected of a young child. The girl continued, "You're supposed to stay still and let me slice you in half, but you're playing unfair cheating by moving out of the way!"

Tyler didn't have words to properly say his current feelings about what was said between a snarl and a screech. The pouting itself was not entirely what irked Tyler though it certainly was annoying for girls to do. He tended to ignore such things when he was around them, which had been effective overall. The subject matter ticked Tyler off as the girl was griping about him moving out of the way of her attempting to kill him. Tyler couldn't think of anyone in their right minds that would stay still and let another kill them. It made no logical sense to expect the one you're fighting to let you do what you want to them, and they not fight back. Any that thought an opponent would "let" you kill them without a form of resistance was fooling themselves. The reference to "playing" and "cheating" suggested to Tyler that the girl viewed this battle as some sort of game or competition. Battle and fighting for the goal of taking what belonged to another was no game, it was a horrible thing to do. Tyler couldn't say whether the girl had been tricked or brainwashed to see this as a game, Tyler couldn't say. Instead of contemplating why the girl was doing what she was, Tyler just kept shooting at her to get her to back off. The hope was perhaps the girl would go away and leave the battlefield, so he didn't have to dispatch her.

Lafter evaded the first few shots directed at her, but she had to work at it. This was definitely not like the simulations that the lab had put the candidates in to train them. She was forced to shift her shield to be in front of her and utilize its Geschmeidig Panzer. It was a new "development," according to what Lafter's mama said. The equipment would make beams bend and deflect them away so they wouldn't hit the equipment carrier. And Lafter thought if she used the shield to make her opponent think their rifle wouldn't work, then maybe she could get them to come closer. If they got close enough, then she could go back to using her sword and cleave them in two like she had tried to do before.

Tyler quickly noticed the beams he was shooting off weren't working as they should. His opponent had dodged at first but used their shield to block shots. However, the beams weren't even hitting the shield if Tyler saw correctly, they were almost doing so but then seemed to change direction suddenly. The effect brought Carlos's explanation of equipment that was in the Aurora's shield back to mind. Carlos had referred to an idea developed by the Alliance called a Geschmeidig Panzer. The idea was supposed to have been developed from data of Mirage Colloid and use the particles the colloid manipulated to deflect beams. But from what Tyler observed, it was more bending the beams, which appeared to "redirect" the shots. In short, while that shield's equipment was used, a beam rifle wouldn't be that effective. Nonetheless, Tyler knew that his opponent had an advantage with its anti-ship sword in close-quarter combat. And though he didn't like the idea a great deal, Tyler saw no other alternative with the Sinister's shield in play but to get closer.

Thus, Tyler stored his beam rifle and began moving forward the Sinister. Lafter did use her high-energy beam cannon to shoot at her enemy as they were getting closer. Tyler used his shield to block the beams as they came, much to Lafter's frustration. However, she patiently waited for the red machine to get closer so she could chop it up when it got in range. Tyler drew the Aurora's two beam sabers, making it look like he was being cautious and trying to catch his opponent off-guard.

Lafter was about to grab her sword, but the red machine rushed forward, instantly closing the remaining distance. The Aurora ignited its beam sabers and brought them down at the Sinister, forcing Lafter to shift her shield to block. It made her unable to draw her sword for the moment and needing to back up to avoid being struck. As Tyler kept swinging his beam sabers, Lafter backed up, avoiding the strikes.

With the Sinister having backed off a distance, Tyler got time to breathe and take quick stock of the situation. Upon glancing around, Tyler found the other two custom mobile suits OMNI had sent out had moved to be other places on the battlefield. The one riding the other had gotten to the ground and was around Shira's southern airport. The unit was using its artillery to make a mess of the surrounding area and shoot at the Valkyries trying to stop it. The mobile armor stayed a distance away from the other, dispatching his allies. OMNI was pressing, but they were being kept at bay by the Republic's defenders thus far. The artillery wielder was quickly forced to go against the two Ground Runner series machines. They were in their quadruped modes as they circled the Raptor, pounding it with their weapons swiveling to continue aiming at the OMNI machine. The aquatic units were causing havoc among the OMNI fleet as they had blinded their sonar.

Tyler did spot the Athena and the Thanatos going about the field, helping defend forced whittle down OMNI attackers. Lisa was working with those that were going against the suits dropping and the closer OMNI vessels. The Athena's weapons were making short work of the aircraft that had come with OMNI. Tyler caught a glimpse of the Thanatos, and he was kind of annoyed at what he saw. While Tyler knew Graham was more than good or even skilled, showing it made it more pronounced. Tyler would begrudgingly admit that Graham's performance was more than impressive. The guy was sending OMNI packing with amazing efficiency while he employed his skills that had clearly earned him the title of ZAFT's ace of aces. It was almost annoying how easy Graham was making what he did look to Tyler. The one good thing Tyler considered as something "going well" was that he didn't have to listen to Graham. Whenever Tyler had been around the guy, Graham would go on about his "achievements," not boasting exactly but almost. And yet, while he talked about his exploits, he was somehow modest about the whole thing. Tyler couldn't say or explain how Graham could pull the idea off even after seeing the point himself.

Tyler's attention was drawn to the OMNI mobile armor as it shifted into a mobile suit. The coloration was blue overall, though black on the wings. It was a Gundam-type, as Tyler figured by what he'd seen with the other two that had been with it. Tyler could see what appeared to be a machine gun attached to a hip skirt for weapons. A beam rifle on the opposite hip skirt looked similar to what the Aegis had possessed. There were also CWIS or Vulcan-like guns on the shoulders as well. Those were the only weapons he could see, but there could easily be more that he didn't see.

Deborah had shifted the Bandit into its suit mode shortly after dropping off Rossweisse on the ground. She had noticed that Lafter had lagged behind, which was odd as she didn't do so often. Lafter was normally the one out in front to go into a task they were assigned, she was the enthusiastic one of their group. Thus, Deborah could only assume that Lafter had been caught up with some of those that they were going against. Lafter didn't have the best attention span or the best focus with it, it was a shortcoming of hers that both she and Rossweisse tried accounting for. And Deborah spotted the Sinister making its way toward a single mobile suit. The machine appeared to be similar to the units that Deborah and her sisters were using, at least, they had some of the same kind of qualities. The "face" was much the same, and the coloration suggested strongly it had some type of phase shift armor system. However, unlike the "plane" that were mobile suits, the one Deborah was seeing was different. It implied that it was one of the customer machines that their mother hand warned them to be careful around.

As Deborah watched Lafter swinging her sword at the red unit, it was clear to her their mother's warning had been a serious one. The enemy pilot was no average one, they were skilled and had seen battle and had experience. And Lafter was letting her anger get the better of her, and she was not performing the best she could because of that. So, Deborah moved forward to assist Lafter so their mother wouldn't chew her out for reckless performance, and they all listened to the lecture. She took out the Bandit's 76mm machine gun and pointed it at the red machine.

Tyler noticed the Sinister coming at him with its sword raised, which got Tyler to move his shield to block the weapon. But then an alarm in the cockpit went off and got Tyler to glance at the sensor display. The display showed Tyler an enemy approaching from behind, and the signal was of the mobile armor. And while Tyler had plenty of experience going against multiple opponents in battle, it wasn't like what he was facing. He was going against two Gundams, which was different than going against OMNI mobile armors or ZAFT mobile suits. The Bandit opened up with its machine gun, which the Aurora's phase shift blocked. Tyler twisted the Aurora, pointing his beam rifle at the Bandit, and fired. Deborah weaved out of the way of the beams sent her way from the red enemy. For a moment, Tyler believed that he could potentially handle the two for long enough to drive one away and deal with the other.

Deborah had the Bandit's talons swing forward to active position and began firing at the red machine. At the same time, Deborah got on the comm-channel to the Sinister, "Lafter," she began, "Calm down."

Lafter had been slicing at the meanie that wasn't dying like they should when Deborah's voice came over the comm-line. Lafter wasn't happy Deborah told her to "calm down" while she was working. Lafter did her best to make their mama pleased and did it her way, which mama hadn't said was an issue. Deborah had no reason to do so if their mama didn't chastise her about something she did. "Butt out Deborah," Lafter snapped back, "I'm going to cleave this meanie in two and then get back to the task mama gave us."

Deborah shook her head in a mix of frustration and annoyance with the reply from her youngest sister. The girl was emotional at times, and normally, she kept it enough in check to not affect her performance. But Lafter was not right now, "Lafter, get your anger in check right now," Deborah ordered, "our task takes priority over personal issues. You should know that just as well as Rossweisse and I do. Mother has told us enough times for you to remember that, and yet here you are forgetting the point."

Lafter felt that Deborah wasn't hearing her problem with this red meanie. "But Debbie," Lafter whined, "This red meanie is cheating and not letting me slice them in half!"

Deborah sighed, "You apparently forgot what mother said before sending us out, Lafter," she stated calmly.

Lafter was forced to pause and think back to what mama said before Lafter and her sisters came out. Their task was to get data on the mobile suits' performance, which was the bare minimum. They were supposed to do their best to ensure the land's catapult to space, and some other places were as undamaged as possible. The three were also supposed to help the dorky suits push forward too. Lafter remembered, mama said that she didn't believe they would be able to do the best expectation. Then she had mentioned something else which Lafter hadn't been paying the most attention to. "Mama gave us our task and said to do our best," Lafter iterated but hesitated for a moment. "I think she said something else, but I can't remember what it was as I was excited to go out and make mama proud."

Deborah figured that Lafter had missed the last bit their mother had told them. Lafter was going against one of the machines that they had been specifically told to be careful around and doing so recklessly. "Then let me refresh your memory, Lafter," Deborah continued, "She told us to keep an eye out for "different looking" machines and if we see them to be careful with them. We have been taught different-looking mobile suits usually have special pilots, you should know that. And yet, here you are going at a custom model that mother warned about and doing that recklessly just as mother says not to do."

Lafter's anger instantly lessened at Deborah's chiding, and the mention of their mama had warned them, and she hadn't listened. Lafter recalled her mama repeating that "unique looking" machines were to be taken seriously and carefully. There had been one simulation on that subject, and Lafter had failed it twice before beating it. "Okay, Deborah," Lafter replied evenly, "You caught me going off on a meanie. But they're frustrating with not acting as the simulation."

Deborah shook her head as she kept shooting the red machine, "Control your anger, Lafter," Deborah ordered. We need to work as a team to take this one down, swinging your sword isn't working as you should've realized already. Now, get behind them, and let's deal with this machine."

Tyler was fending both Gundams off when the Sinister backed off and put away its sword. The next thing Tyler knew, some OMNI mass-production models began attacking him, forcing him onto the defensive. He quickly realized if he didn't get out of his current position, he would be overwhelmed soon enough. While the Aurora was powerful, it wasn't invincible, and Tyler never assumed it to be. And it wasn't the OMNI mass-production models that would get the better of him, they were just a distraction. No, the custom models would finish the job should Tyler's position go unchanged. So, he tried to back away from those attacking him, but the two Gundams stopped before Tyler got far. Then when Tyler glanced to his right, he saw the blue Gundam lining up its torso emitter to be aimed at him.

Deborah saw that Lafter was lining up a shot with her multi-phase beam cannon on the red machine. The red Gundam-type attempted to move out of the way, but Deborah took out her beam rifle and shot at the enemy. She stopped the red machine from getting out from under the Sinister's aim. Through teamwork, Deborah and Lafter had pinned the enemy and put them right where they could deliver the final blow.

At the same time, Athrun had flown to the Republic's territory with the Justice standing on the Fatum-00. The sun had risen more than an hour ago as he traveled from Carpentaria, which almost seemed to portray a false image of peace. The rumor Nicol said about OMNI attacking the Republic had honestly been crazy to hear. He had heard similar rumors from others whispering around Carpentaria. And yet, with the explosions ahead, the rumors circulating Carpentaria were true. While Athrun couldn't see a lot of detail, he could spot machines that matched the images of OMNI's mass-production mobile suit models. The other thing that Athrun could see were mobile suits on the Federation's side, which resembled their earthbound aircraft.

There was always the suspicion that the Federation had mobile suits in some form. However, there had never been solid evidence to confirm or dismiss the suspicion as false or true. ZAFT had an ongoing argument about the subject as far as Athrun knew, at least the soldiers did. So, to see clear evidence that the Federation's Military had mobile suits settled the matter and brought up questions. Athrun could think of a couple of those questions, like what technological developments the Federation could have made with mobile suits. The transformation ability alone gave an advantage to the Federation. And that was before the Gundam-types that Athrun had spotted and the tech they likely had. The coloration Athrun saw strongly suggested the Gundams had phase shift armor. He wouldn't doubt the Federation had improved OMNI's phase shift armor system, and that thought was both impressive and concerning. The other point was that if the Federation hadn't used their mobile suits until now, they hadn't had to.

With OMNI attacking the Federation, the war, which was already horrible as it was, this event would make it much worse. The Federation being pulled into the war would cause both ZAFT and OMNI to see them as potential enemies. It may not be a solid fact, but it was expected that the Federation was the strongest of the three factions. Athrun didn't want to imagine what losses ZAFT could have if they went against the Federation. Admiral Treize would certainly help ZAFT last longer than the Alliance, but ZAFT would still be at a disadvantage. The more Athrun looked at the war, the worse he saw it as, and it pained his heart. So many lives had already been lost to this war, and it was no closer to an end than it was a year ago, if not more.

Then there were Athrun's standing orders from the chairman of the PLANTs Supreme Council. Searching for the Freedom was simple enough, and Athrun had no real issue with that part of his orders. The rest of the orders Athrun had been assigned that he was not just appalled with but was concerned it was saying what direction ZAFT was going in. Keeping the Freedom from falling into the Alliance's hands was clear, they couldn't be trusted with N-jammer cancellers. But eliminating all persons AND facilities, the Freedom could have gone was excessive. Finding the Freedom would be easiest by just asking Tyler as, according to Lacus, he had taken the mobile suit. However, the places Tyler could've taken were numerous, which made the issue more complicated. And it wasn't that Athrun thought Tyler would hand the Freedom over to OMNI or anything, for he knew his friend wouldn't.

With the Republic under assault by OMNI, Athrun was somewhat torn with what he should do. His orders were supposed to prioritize everything else, which had been made clear in the written version. The Freedom's capture was to be done as quickly as possible before it was seen or reached dangerous territory. Yet, Athrun didn't feel right just ignoring the Republic's plight or leaving them to it. Should OMNI somehow overcome the Federation, there would be far more problems for ZAFT to worry about than if the Alliance had N-jammer cancellers. The Federation's technology superiority had been something ZAFT hadn't liked, but at least the Alliance hadn't obtained such. Should the Alliance get Federation tech, they would use it to attack the PLANTs, the stealth technology would be used to strike without warning. So, the Republic could not be permitted to fall to OMNI for any reason, even if it meant ignoring orders.

Athrun also wanted to be there for Tyler when he needed a friend in times of hardship. Tyler had been there for Athrun when he really needed help. After what he'd done, Athrun knew he didn't deserve Tyler as a friend, not after nearly killing him. But Athrun still wanted to do what he could to help and then apologize to Tyler for what had happened between them. And Athrun could foresee helping the Federation would be skirting around his standing orders, though technically not disobey them entirely. Believing Tyler was gone had changed him and had Athrun assessing what he had been doing and what was important. However, with the time that Athrun had to consider things during the journey to Earth and at Carpentaria, he had concluded. Those currently giving orders to ZAFT and leading the PLANTs didn't have their citizens' interests in mind with their decisions. Those on the Supreme Council were not trying to end the war peacefully. They were doing the same as the Alliance, completely trying to wipe out the other side.

So, Athrun moved forward at a brisker pace, ready and intending to assist the Federation defending forces. He activated the Justice's phase shift armor then took in the field with more detail as he got closer. The Federation appeared to have OMNI halted and weren't allowed to progress to the Republic's inland. The Gundams were spread over the field, two were on the shore shooting at OMNI's mobile suits, both those that had managed to land and those trying. Two units seemed to be like GOOhNs with being aquatic machines that could attack ships effectively. Athrun was impressed that the Federation had developed powerful mass-production mobile suits and kept them secret. They had also taken OMNI's project from Heliopolis and further improved its tech and appeared to have added to the idea. And from what Athrun could see, the Federation could be able to whip any ZAFT suit if they were put to it.

Once Athrun got into range to be in the influence of the battle, he had the Justice jump off the Fatum-00. He had the Fatum-00 reconnect to the hardpoint it docked to before taking out the Justice's beam rifle. He began shooting at the Strike Daggers that he could target, taking them down as they were stuck with their parachutes. Athrun was searching for a mobile suit that was moving in the style that Tyler used when piloting. He, of course, studied the Gundams first as one of them was the most likely to have Tyler piloting it. With as skilled a pilot as Tyler had shown to be, a Gundam was an obvious choice for one. And it was less than a minute that Athrun came to a stop on the red Gundam going against two other Gundams. The way the red unit was moving and defending matched Tyler's fighting style. It was a moment later Athrun realized that the machine he suspected Tyler was in was forced into a dangerous position.

The Aurora was in the sites of the Sinister, and Tyler understood that he was stuck where he was. Tyler was using his shield to block the other Gundam shooting at him to keep the Aurora where he was. He could only twist around and watch the emitter charge up before firing a beam that looked very similar to the Aegis' Silica cannon. Athrun zoomed forward with the Justice's shield in front as he moved to be between the blue Gundam and the unit Tyler was likely in. Both the Bandit and the Sinister stopped for a moment as a new custom unit appeared and interfered with them. Deborah was getting worried as there had been multiple "different-looking" machines on the battlefield, and not yet another one had appeared. With teamwork, Deborah and Lafter proved they could be taken down individually, but now they were facing two of them.

A/N

Okay, I'll leave the Phase off there and pick up the battle in the next Phase. Now, there is an amount to cover in this from the Phase. The first part is the addition of Athrun's trip to the remains of JOSH-A and then to Carpentaria. So, in canon, Athrun does go to the remains of JOSH-A before he goes to Orb, and I think there is significant point to that. Not only does it give Athrun a view of what the war is doing, as well as the results of Operation Spitbreak. Athrun's time at Capentaria is the more important of the first part of this Phase. He hears the rumors about the Panama operation and gets the chance to talk to Nicol. The talk between Athrun and Nicol shows both Athrun's growing doubt but the next step he feels he should take. It also gives Nicol's view of both Operation Spitbreak and ZAFT's Panama operation. Through that you get a view of ZAFT's direction going down a slippery slope in becoming similar to the Alliance.

Next, the actual battle which is overall similar to the original story but there are changes from it. I like the "speech" General Maxwell gives to the Republic's defenders which is different than before. Then I would like to highlight the first interaction between Mina and the Lawdon's captain. Mina as I stated before comes off as cold and unfeeling and it shows in the way of her questioning the man's experience. It may be obvious to you readers, but OMNI is serious underestimating the Federation and Mina almost insults them to imply that. I also want to point out that in this battle we see the most Gundam-Types thus far with a grand total of eleven by the end with the Justice joining.

Now, the battle with continue in the next Phase from where I left off. I will leave the specs for the Bandit, the Sinister, and the Raptor below for you. As always, some of you leave reviews for me and tell me what you think of this Phase. I do read them and reply to questions asked the best I can, or give reasons why I decline to give an answer to the point. I hope that you readers enjoyed the Phase and I will see you in the next phase in two weeks. The phase will be titled "Choosing What's Right" and I will say that you will like the changes in how the fight goes. Peace out until the next Phase!

Model number: GAT-X130
Official name: Raptor Gundam Sorry, this one was based on a Robo-Cross image I can't find anymore)
Unit type: Prototype Artillery Assault Mobile Suit
Manufacturer: Earth Alliance
Operator: Earth Alliance
First deployment: June 1th 71 C.E.
Accommodation: pilot in panoramic monitor/linear seat cockpit in torso
Pilot: Rossweisse Galiena

Overall Height: 17.9 meters
Weight: max gross 70 tons
Powerplant: Ultracompact Energy Battery

Armor Material: Phase Shift Armor
Equipment and design features:

Trans Phase Armor

A new version of the PS armor, Trans Phase armored suits do not change color when the armor is activated. It is a two-layer armor system with the PS armor in the inner layer activating only when the outer armor is breached. This design thus helps to reduce energy consumption and allows the equipped suit to have a longer operational time as well as for more power to be reserved for the suits's weapon.

Fixed armaments:

2 × "Schlag" 125mm high-energy long-range beam cannon

A pair of back-mounted beam cannons which rise up over the shoulders. They have excellent rate of fire and destructive power, and are capable of easily destroying an enemy force from range.

2 x "Eckzahn" 100mm railguns

A pair is mounted along the outsides of the backpack structure, and like the cannons will flip forward when being used, but they flip forward around the hip level of the suit.

2 x "Volgan" plasma cannons

A pair are mounted, one on either side on the outside of the shoulder. The swing up and forward when used.

Optional hand armaments:

"Todesblock" 337mm Plasma-Sabot Bazooka

A hand carried shell-based weaponry, it has a high rate of fire and causes serious damage and shock around the impact area.

Anti-beam Shield

Attached to the left forearm and/or handheld, the shield is made out of materials derived from the outer armor of spaceships like the Laurasia-class. As a result, it is light yet superhard. In addition, its surface has been given anti-beam treatment and the sharp tip can be used as a weapon during close combat.

Duel-Barreled 90mm Machine Gun

The shield has a double barreled 90mm machine gun that is built into the Anit-Beam Shield, similar to the Calamity's Ram Cannon

Model number: GAT-X251

Official name: Sinister Gundam (based on GAT-X1022 Blu Duel Gundam)

Unit type: Prototype High-Speed Front-Line Assault Mobile Suit

Manufacturer: Earth Alliance

Operator: Earth Alliance

First deployment: June 1st 71 C.E.

Accommodation: Pilot only, in standard cockpit in torso

Pilot: Lafter Galiena

Overall Height: 17.47 m

Weight: 85.33 t

Power-plant: Ultracompact Energy Battery

Armor Material: Phase Shift Armor

Equipment and design features:

Geschmeidig Panzer

Mounted in the shield, it is a system that utilizes colloid particles to repel and redirect energy beams away from the mobile suit. The particles used are different from those in Mirage Colloid stealth system, but both systems are similar as powerful magnetic fields are needed to hold the particles in place above the armor. This deflection system however seems to be ineffective against close combat beam weapons, as ZGMF-X09A Justice beam boomerang is able to damage the shields' surface. This system is also used for moving through water and counteracting water pressure.

Trans Phase Armor

A new version of the PS armor, Trans Phase armored suits do not change color when the armor is activated. It is a two-layer armor system with the PS armor in the inner layer activating only when the outer armor is breached. This design thus helps to reduce energy consumption and allows the equipped suit to have a longer operational time as well as for more power to be reserved for the suits's weapon.

Armaments:

Fixed:

"Igelstellung" 80mm Multi-barrel CIWS

Two of these light projectile weapons are mounted in the Sinister's head and although designated as Anti-Air, they can be used for missile interception and to destroy lightly armored vehicles.

"Loaus" high-energy beam cannon

The cannon is mounted on the back, on the right side and flips upward over the shoulder when used

"Mazer" 300mm Multi-Phased beam cannon

Mounted in the torso in front of the cockpit

Missile Launchers

The launchers are built into the outside of both forearms

Handheld:

"Claymorn" Anti-ship sword

The Sinister Gundam, has a 15m sword with 13m cutting beam along its length and sharp end point for penetration. It is stored on the back on the left when the sword when it's not in use.

Model number: GAT-X333

Official name: Bandit Gundam (see Raider Full Spec)

Unit type: Prototype Transformable Long-Range Assault Aerial Mobile Suit

Manufacturer: Earth Alliance

Operator: Earth Alliance

First deployment: June 1st 71 C.E.

Accommodation: Pilot only, in standard cockpit in torso

Overall Height: 17.94 m

Weight: 84.9 t

Power-plant: Ultracompact energy battery

Armor Material: Phase Shift Armor

Equipment and design features:

Sub-wing

A support device featuring a flying wing design developed for use with the Raider Full Spec. It contains ramjet engines that are used after the MS enters the atmosphere with its atmospheric entry capsule. Hardpoints are located on the top surface so as to maintain the MS's aerial characteristics and to allow the weapons to be used by the MS's arms. These hardpoints can also be used to mount auxiliary engines, or propellant tanks. Interestingly, the sub-wing has been known to be used as a ramming weapon by creative pilots.

Trans Phase Armor

A new version of the PS armor, Trans Phase armored suits do not change color when the armor is activated. It is a two-layer armor system with the PS armor in the inner layer activating only when the outer armor is breached. This design thus helps to reduce energy consumption and allows the equipped suit to have a longer operational time as well as for more power to be reserved for the suits's weapon.

Armaments

Fixed:

2 × M2M3 76mm Machine Gun

The M2M3 76mm machine gun is one of the ballistic weapons used by the Raider Full Spec. They are mounted in the shoulders and are usable only in MA mode.

2 × M20 20mm Machine Gun

The suit has two such machine guns, one in each claw. They replace the Raider Gundam's "Ahura Mazda" short-range energy cannons.

Handheld:

2 × GAU-8M2 52mm Machine Gun

A handheld machine gun, it is stored on the sub-wing's hardpoints and can be fired in this manner or be detached and used by the suit's arms.

2 x beam sabers

Stored in compartments in the hips

Optional Armaments:

60mm High Energy Beam Rifle

Tends to be the main ranged weapon when in MS mode, it is hand-held when in used and can be stored on the side binders.

6 × AIM-957F "King Cobra" Missile

The AIM-957F is a highly maneuverable missile that features an advanced Target Detection Device and AI system, thus it is capable of tracking and predicting an enemy's movement. The suit can carry a total of 6 such missiles, 2 missiles can be mounted on top of the shoulder armor and the other 4 can be mounted on the sub-wing's hardpoints in place of other weaponry or equipment.