Gundam Seed: The Federation ver 2

by Blackshadow999

Different telling of Gundam Seed. With the conflict between Naturals and Coordinators getting worse as time passes, some nations have banded together and formed the organization known as the Human Federation. Will the Federation be able to help bring peace or will the hatred between Naturals and Coordinators destroy everything and bring extinction of humanity? Cover by Saddle Patch

44. Phase 44: Hard Truths

A/N

Here is Phase 44, sorry it is a few days after the two week mark I've been trying to keep to. School and Work has been taking up time and I haven't been able to post till today. Enjoy the Phase!

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Phase 44: Hard Truth

June 22nd, 71 CE

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Ptolemaeus Lunar Base

When Natarle arrived at Ptolemaeus, she had been conflicted by recent events. The feeling that Natarle registered was one of worry and concern. The official report about JOSH-A painted things as the "defenders" had fought to the very end before they were wiped out. It mentioned that the "top brass" had ordered a "last resort" be used to defeat ZAFT and not give them the base. Natarle didn't agree with using the last resort, but those above her had decided, and she could do nothing about that. After what had happened at JOSH-A, there had been a mix of increased morale at the losses that ZAFT had incurred and, for some, pain from those who gave their lives there, which Natarle was among. She wished she hadn't left the Archangel, yet those were her orders from the top brass. She believed the loss of the Archangel was a serious one as Natarle believed the ship and its crew would have made a difference in the war.

The base was a buzz of activity after the "success" of JOSH-A delivering losses to ZAFT. The plan was to use the momentum to win battles in space with the new mass-production mobile suits. From what Natarle was told, the Strike Daggers were based on the X105 Strike data that had been acquired. The model was being produced at Ptolemaeus, but the units from Earth would make up much of the new fighting force OMNI would have. However, while waiting for her assignment and orders, news came that changed much for all at the base. That news was the attack and loss of the Panama base and the destruction of its mass driver. The loss of the only mass driver the Alliance controlled was a harsh blow to OMNI space forces. As a result, supplies were being rationed out to stretch them while their allies on Earth found a mass driver to use.

The rumors that Natarle heard implied little communication from OMNI's Earth-based forces came after the loss of Panama. The only thing that came was the message they were trying to get a mass driver to use and nothing else. As Natarle saw it, the issue was that two of the world's mass drivers were controlled by ZAFT, and the Federation held the other three. While Natarle may not know all the treaties between the Alliance and the Federation, she was aware of a few of them and what they did. There was one that denied OMNI from using any of the Federation's mass drivers regardless of the intended use. She would hope that the Federation may make an exception to help prevent thirst and starvation at Ptolemaeus. However, Natarle wasn't very confident that the Federation would be inclined to assist as they hadn't been before. There was the point that an operation to retake Victoria was planned and would likely be accelerated due to the loss of Panama.

Over the week since the loss of Panama, Natarle heard mixed messages coming from their allies on Earth. The ones she'd been told were confusing, and she knew she wasn't the only one that was questioning what was going on. One of the few things Natarle could glean from the messages was that their allies were trying to acquire a mass driver. The supply line needed to be restored both for the base to operate as required. While taking Victoria would definitely boost the Alliance as it would get a mass driver, the mixed messages concerned her. Most at Ptolemaeus weren't reading into them, and some things made Natarle think there were other implications besides Victoria. She was worried that some of the Earth-based General Staff might make a rash and reckless decision like attack the Federation.

The Alliance and OMNI feared that should they go against the Federation military, and they would take serious losses. It was the reason they had left them alone while they were battling ZAFT, which Natarle agreed with. However, things that Tyler had said came back to her mind about the Alliance wanting a "go" at the Federation. She had disagreed at the time with his sentiment, but now she wasn't as sure as back then. Natarle knew that several OMNI officers said the acquisition of Federation tech would bring the war to a conclusion. The last thing OMNI needed was to fight enemies on all sides, so Natarle hoped that Tyler was wrong. Over the passing days, the reports of Victoria being retaken came, and the news brought a sense of relief to those at the lunar base. With the supply line reestablished, rationing would fade, and work could progress forward. There were still plans to get mobile suits onto the field and start to push ZAFT from the offensive to the defensive. That was seen as the path leading to victory for the Alliance given time. Natarle just hoped that the war could end so those who sacrificed their lives wouldn't have done so in vain.

However, the relief that came with a mass driver back in use for the supply line drastically changed within less than twenty-four hours of the news of Victoria. That came as a report from an OMNI patrol finding a worrisome sight as they were doing their rounds. They had come across wreckage which had been identified as the remains of the Second Orbital Fleet after they had scanned it over. According to their last update, the Fleet had been in a skirmish with ZAFT and had won. They should have arrived at Lunar HQ within the day when the patrol reported what they found. From what the patrol said, evidence strongly suggested that the Federation Military was responsible for the destruction. However, that didn't make sense to Natarle any more than it did to the top brass from what she'd heard. The summary Natarle had glanced at was more than concerning as no message had been transmitted by the fleet, and they had been wiped out both mobile weapons and ships alike.

The destruction of the fleet was troublesome, however, what worried Natarle more was that evidence strongly said the Federation was the instigators. Were that true, then what reason did the Federation's military have to attack and wipe out an Orbital Fleet? The patrol also stated they couldn't find any of the flight recorders from the ships among the wreckage. Thus, OMNI couldn't say definitively how the fall of the Second Orbital went down. The evidence also said that OMNI's mobile suit had not made much difference when they were attacked. From what Natarle had heard, the top brass was requiring all the remaining six Orbital Fleets to report in more frequently. They were also to be on the lookout for anything strange and report it immediately to Ptolemaeus.

Natarle's worry was one she knew it shared with many at Lunar HQ that the Federation may be fighting against OMNI now. The real concern and fear were going against the Federation's military would be OMNI taking serious losses, more than against ZAFT. It was one major reason OMNI left them alone during the war against ZAFT and the PLANTs. There had been nothing that Natarle was aware of which OMNI had done recently that would prod or earn serious attention from the Federation. The only thing that she could even come up with was something had happened on Earth. Yet, that didn't make sense as no communication from the Earth-based OMNI forces would suggest that. And if those on Earth had done something to prod the Federation, why had nothing been said? Causing the Federation to attack OMNI was definitely something to pass along to one's allies.

When the call for Natarle to report to the commanding officer in charge here at Lunar HQ, she could still not conclude what had been going on. The head of the staff here was Admiral Maes, who she had been told about by her father since the two had worked together. With Maes in charge, he would have access to information that Natarle didn't and may be able to answer questions. Good men and women had their lives at risk if the Federation was targeting the Orbital Fleets. The sooner that could either be confirmed or dismissed, the sooner preparation could be made. Those were her thoughts as she headed to the Admiral's office. She wanted an answer and hoped in her heart that the fears in the back of her mind were wrong. Upon arriving, Natarle saluted her superior officer and waited to be addressed by the Admiral.

Maes had been going through reports while waiting for Badgiruel to arrive to receive her assignment. What he had been seeing in the last week had not been encouraging in any way. Some of the more concerning facts had been filtered out to base personnel so they wouldn't panic. With what happened to the Second Orbital, it was more likely the Federation was going against OMNI now. Questions were being asked to the Earth's General Staff, but no answers yet. Maes assumed that OMNI forces on Earth had done something to provoke the Federation. If that was true, attacking the Orbital Fleet was probably the response to OMNI's actions. Maes knew that OMNI's space forces weren't prepared to take on ZAFT and the Federation simultaneously. They were only starting to make some progress with ZAFT, so dealing with the Federation's military would ruin that. He looked out when Natarle came in and saluted him. "Lieutenant Badgiruel, thank you for coming so promptly," Admiral Maes greeted.

"Not at all, sir, what can I do for you," Natarle asked.

The woman was to the point, much like her father, who Maes had the good fortune to have known and worked with. Captain Badgiruel had been a fine officer, and OMNI had been grateful for his service to them. Maes had served as the Captain's second in command, and they had been friends during that time. He knew that Captain Badgiruel would be proud of his daughter and her service thus far, she was doing OMNI proud. And the assignment she would be getting would've had her father beaming with pride. "Lieutenant, I commend your service thus far, it has been exemplary," Maes remarked, picking up a folder from his desk. "You're next assignment is to the new Archangel-class Dominion for the position of its captain. With that assignment, you will be promoted to Lieutenant Commander." Natarle took the folder as Maes continued, "In the folder are the files of those who will make up the chosen for the ship's crew, they have been picked on the recommendations of creditable officers."

The assignment was unexpected to her, honor though being put on as a ship's captain was. Natarle was given the same position as her father before he was killed in action. She wanted to think her father would be proud of her for getting her own command of an OMNI vessel. If not for recent events, Natarle would be happy to be chosen to command not just a ship but an Archangel-class. Then for those that had been recommended for the crew, while she didn't doubt were good people, she would judge if they were a good fit. The Archangel had taught her that you could have people on the ship, but they would serve better elsewhere unless they could fit in with the crew. "I'm honored that I would be selected for the post, sir," Natarle replied. "However, while I don't doubt these people are said to be a good fit for the position by others, I will reserve judgment. I want to see them perform simulations to observe them under pressure before accepting them as crew for the ship. My experience has taught me that how they do under pressure is the best measure for how they will do on the battlefield, no offense intended, Admiral."

Maes smiled softly as the Lieutenant said the type of line her father would state when asked about the new crew. The man had never taken others' recommendations for crew members at face value. Captain Badgiruel had a reputation for testing any that were a part of his crew and earned their spots. Maes chuckled, "I see you've inherited those qualities from your Father, Commander Badgiruel. I would expect much the same kind of response from him for any trying to join his crew."

Natarle blinked, "I was aware you two worked together, but nothing more than that, sir," she returned.

"I had the good fortune of being not just on his crew but his friend and second-in-command," he replied. "Captain Badgiruel was an amazing man and was kind yet firm, earning him the loyalty of those under him. He also took the time to observe and test all of his crew members before accepting command over them, myself included. So, I completely understand getting to know the capabilities of those who are part of your crew. My only suggestion is one that your father gave me when I was under his command." Maes paused for a moment, "Earn the loyalty of your crew and make sure you value that. If you earn their loyalty, they will fight alongside you at their best, having faith in your orders."

Natarle was humbled being compared to her father since he was her hero growing up. Her father had been her inspiration to enlist with OMNI and serve the best she could, just as he had. However, her thoughts returned to her questions about recent events and what could be happening. Rumors were flying around the base as to possibly why the Federation would attack an Orbital Fleet. Some of what Natarle had heard sounded crazy, and she didn't believe them, however, other rumors sounded somewhat plausible. And then yesterday, it was said that the Fourth Orbital Fleet had sent a message of them being in trouble. But those sent to aid them had only found wreckage from which the distress call had come. The efficiency of the fleets being wiped out was embarrassing but more frightening.

Granted, Natarle had heard stories and read some reports of the instances that OMNI forces had gone against the Federation's military. None of the files she'd read or heard had gone well for the Alliance, which was putting it nicely. However, the Federation's neutrality stance and the treaties between them and the Alliance had kept things on at least non-violent terms. There were still times that the Federation would step in and break up a battle, but that was usually for protecting innocent bystanders. Natarle may not like all the Federation's policies, but she had to respect their efforts in protecting innocent lives. But they didn't do things without reason, even if they didn't announce the reason to others. So, attacking the Orbital Fleets didn't make sense as they had no reason she could think of to do such. Thus, the question, of course, was what had changed that standing to the point that the Federation would attack OMNI? And Natarle hadn't heard of any response having been received from the Federation yet when asked. She shook her head and replied, "Thank you, Admiral. That means a lot to be told that I'm like my father. He was why I joined the Earth Forces and wanted to serve the Alliance best I could." Natarle paused and then decided to ask the questions weighing on her, "Admiral, if I may ask a question, sir." Admiral Maes gestured for Natarle to go on, "Has there been any reason determined for the actions of the Federation's military against the orbital fleets?"

That was the question of the hour, and the top brass Maes included didn't have a definitive answer to it. The only response that had been received from the Federation had been "recent" acts of the Alliance forces had been the cause of the issue." It implied heavily that something had happened on Earth that had pushed OMNI into an extremely bad position with the Federation. So Maes's gaze fell slightly, "I wish I had an answer to that question, Lieutenant. I really do, as does the rest of the general staff here." Maes hesitated, "None of us here have been able to come up with anything other than something happening on Earth that we don't know about yet. Orders have been sent to all the remaining Orbital Fleets to be on guard and avoid encounters with Federation forces."

That answer didn't silence any of Natarle's concerns that had been haunting her lately. If anything, then it gave them volume as it gave potential validity to them. But as there was no exact answer to the question, asking further wouldn't do any good now. Thus, Natarle left the office with her confusion as to what was going on within the Alliance. She didn't doubt the reasons the Alliance had for fighting in this war, but some of the methods were becoming more extreme and could be done far better. Things had been so much simpler and easier to understand back when she had been with others working on the first Archangel. Instead, she headed to the docking area to see the ship she was now going to command.

In the dock lounge, she stared at the "Dominion," the second Archangel-class vessel the Alliance had constructed and put into service. The major difference between the Dominion and the Archangel was the Dominion was black overall, and the Archangel was white. Natarle then began the process of transferring her things to the captain's quarters of the Dominion. The quarters felt somewhat alien to her since she had occupied the vice captain's quarters while on the Archangel. Some of the final words that Murrue Ramius came to mind for Natarle: her former captain believed she would make an excellent captain someday, and here she was, a captain. After settling in, Natarle headed to the bridge and found that a small number of officers were there. When they saw her exit the elevator, they all saluted her, Natarle returned the gesture and floated towards the captain's chair. The crew being on the bridge was a good mark for them as they were finding work to do instead of waiting for it to be assigned. Natarle asked the ship's status and was told that the final adjustments were being made and that they should be done within an hour.

With the vessel's status answered, Natarle began skimming over the personnel files. Most of the personnel had good records, nothing that was bad marks against them that stood out. That was refreshing, especially after one like Tyler, who had been anything but a person with a good record with no bad marks. Her second-in-command had previous experience as vice-captain as it had been his last assignment. Natarle was grateful for that as she would ask him for opinions as she had seen how important that could be. Around half the crew had experience in the stations they would man, which was nice. On the other hand, the other half was fresh out of training at the lunar academy, so had no real battle experience that would not be helpful. She had to choose from it, and Natarle was a tad worried as fresh personnel could panic under pressure.

When the Dominion was readied, it launched out of Ptolemaeus's docks and came to the starting position that had been set for the practice exercise they had today. The scenario set for the Dominion was one of the more up-to-date simulations the Alliance development sections had come up with. The enemy side consisted of two Nazca-classes and two Laurasia-class, a medium ZAFT patrol group. No mobile suits were in this scenario, even if that wasn't realistic, but four against two would make this real-world enough. The Dominion had one Drake-class supporting them in the scenario, but that was all. It was the setup of a battle that could happen in space on any given day, and it was one of the better situations an OMNI ship could find itself in.

As the beginning signal came, Natarle ordered the offensive and defensive systems to be activated and prepare for combat. The bridge crew worked and scrambled to follow the orders, but Natarle noted the poor reaction time, which worried her. Inexperience in whatever they did was one thing; she would forgive that when possible. But while this was a simulation, the enemy was much less forgiving and understanding in combat circumstances. And the crew was "supposed" to have learned their stations and be ready for the performance test by what the files said. The ZAFT vessels let loose a barrage of their weapons, the beams disbursed by the anti-beam depth charges. However, the missile interception wasn't happening quickly enough, and Natarle could see that some of them would strike the Dominion if that didn't change immediately. "Counter-measure station, what are you doing," Natarle demanded. "Speed up the missile interception now!"

In response to the order, there was scrambling down in the CIC; yet, it wasn't enough, and Natarle knew it. However, an alarm signaled the end of the exercise a few seconds later as the crew couldn't keep up. The message of the Dominion's destruction flashed on the forward screen, meaning they had failed the simulation. Natarle wasn't happy at that result, but she knew that snapping at the crew here wouldn't help. As Natarle didn't want to admit Tyler had been right about her, angered reactions wouldn't improve the situation. That was one thing that she was loathed to say Tyler had taught her while on the Archangel. She sunk back into her chair, "Congratulations, everyone, if this had been an actual battle, all of us would be dead. Let this be a lesson on the need to know your station better and as soon as possible," stated Natarle disappointedly, then she sighed. "Helm, bring us back to dock. Once there, you are all dismissed. Please learn your jobs and practice them so that this kind of thing doesn't happen the next time." This crew had a long way to go before they were ready for any serious mission. That distance would need to be covered before they entered real combat, or they wouldn't make it through the first fight.

Meanwhile, at the Victoria base, it was a few days after the second battle against Orb that OMNI's Second Seaborne Fleet arrived at the retaken Victoria Base. The fleet had been battered a bit from the fights against the Federation's defending forces at Orb. Yet it was being serviced since it arrived so it could help with the continuing work on Earth against ZAFT and the Federation. It was frustrating to fail to make any progress with the Federation, not take any of their territory or tech from them. However, OMNI would need time to recover and regroup before attempting to deal with the Federation. Yet, there was doubt growing among OMNI's soldiers about fighting the Federation.

Using mobile suits against ZAFT was fine with most of OMNI, but battling the Federation was different. The taking of Victoria had proven that OMNI could win against ZAFT on a battlefield using mobile suits. OMNI had taken losses but nowhere near what the expectations had been before mass-production mobile suits. And so, the hope of victory against ZAFT grew for the first time in two years. Victoria had wasn't the morale boost JOSH-A was intended to have been. But it had helped swing back up from the plummeting morale taken after Panama that ZAFT had done. And with the efforts of Alliance media, it had been spun in a good way which had helped OMNI. The media had also downplayed the failures against the Federation and made it seem such had been more accidental. There was no mention of the Federation taking the attacks as a declaration of war against them.

When OMNI's Second Fleet arrived, Azrael left the ship without saying much to the captain. He was in a foul mood from recent events and their results. There had been no progress in getting the Federation into line with any Pacific-facing Federation territory. OMNI had been ousted by the Federation and had not even shown a notable effort in fighting against them. And the Federation having mobile suits of their own had not helped in the efforts to bring them into line. Mina's candidates had made some difference but not enough for what Azrael had wanted. He couldn't deny that Mina's work was worth pursuing. Victoria had proven it had merit. With Orb, Mina's suggestion to make a tactical retreat had been correct, looking back and considering things. Should Athha have destroyed, Orb's mass driver and the man had the balls to if pushed, then the effort put into getting where they were would have been wasted. Azrael knew those were the facts though he cursed them for being true. He still didn't appreciate the outcome of the efforts he and others put forth.

Mina mentioned that she would take care of the six mobile suits and her candidates. Azrael had no issue with Mina taking her candidates and the GAT series machines off to her lab. The suits could be adjusted quicker at Lodonia than here at Victoria with their state. Azrael had found if he gave Mina time to do things her way, the results were better than others trying to do the same. And Azrael knew space was where the war was moving towards. Until OMNI pilots got better, Mina's candidates would be needed to pick up some of the slack. Azrael didn't much like the point, but he was willing to accept Mina's work doing the job soldiers couldn't yet. It would get the business done as needed when without them, the war could be lost in the time it would take for OMNI to get the soldiers to get up to snuff. "Mina," Azrael called, getting the woman to turn, "Do please be efficient with your work."

Mina inclined her head, "I will once I get back to the lab and am not bothered by others. My candidates will be fixed up, and the suits will be adjusted to do better. Give me a day or two, and I should be able to finish with the three boys and have them back here to go into space with you. My girls and I will follow after things are settled, and I'm confident that my work is going the way it should. Lodonia may be my workspace, but it is one of three labs working on the project. I want to touch bases with the others and ensure things are proceeding as expected before going to space."

Azrael didn't see an issue with Mina doing her thing as long as her work was good to go when needed. Mina was dependable enough to be left to herself to get work done. So, Azrael shrugged, "I don't see that as a problem; just don't take too long," he returned. "I still expect to see you and those girls of yours up in space working, Mina." Mina bowed in understanding and left Azrael, wanting to get away from him for a time. Azrael observed Mina heading for transport while the six GAT series followed to head off to Lodonia. Azrael was approached after he watched Mina go and was quickly guided to the base's main working airfield.

Sutherland had been informed of the arrival of the Second Seaborne Fleet from their assignment with Orb. He's already seen the operation's summary and how it failed after two attempts. Sutherland would begrudgingly give the Federation some respect in their fight to protect their territory. That didn't mean that Sutherland liked or agreed with what the Federation stood for. He felt the Federation were foolish dreamers and sold a world that couldn't exist. However, as opponents, the Federation weren't pushovers and could give ZAFT a serious run for their money. The fight against them would be long and take effort from all in OMNI. Sutherland believed that OMNI could have victory against the Federation if they fought them long enough.

And with the Second Fleet's arrival, Director Azrael would be with them, and the man would want to see the results of Victoria. Sutherland was proud of the efforts of those that fought to retake Victoria and to keep the base in working order. Showing the results would likely help the director see that OMNI could win against ZAFT with their current mobile suits. So, Sutherland greeted Azrael when he arrived with his escort, "Welcome, Director Azrael," he said, "Forgive the mess Victoria is in. We are still cleaning up from ZAFT's occupation."

Azrael didn't blame Sutherland for the mess dug out of here at Victoria. If anything, the man had done OMNI proud by taking the base from ZAFT and minimizing losses against them. The mass driver was working, and the base was in decent working order, so Azrael would give compliments where credit was earned. "No need to worry about the mess, Captain," Azrael said with a wave of the hand. "War is a messy thing, to expect otherwise is stupid. I would actually like to commend you and the Fourth Fleet on your efforts. We have Victoria back, and the mass driver is working. Our forces in space will be grateful for that, and we have those like you to thank for such."

The two approached an aircraft that would fly over the base and surrounding area so Azrael could see the results of retaking the base. After climbing onboard, and the craft took off, Sutherland replied to Azrael's comment, "Not at all director," Sutherland said with a smile. "The Strike Daggers are a very well-made weapon and are matches against ZAFT's mobile suits. Our pilots are getting more skilled, which helps our cause even more and puts us on equal footing with ZAFT. However, I have to admit, the Sinister, the Bandit, and the Raptor did an amount of the work that helped speed the process up. Their pilots might be young, but they are good at getting results, as Dr. Moss claimed her work is. I was impressed and hope such work will help us end this war in victory sooner rather than later."

As they flew over and took in the view, Azrael's mood improved at seeing how efficiently the base had been taken back in. All he'd been told was Victoria had been taken back in "working order" and little else before arrival. It was nice to see OMNI could at least succeed at some of the operations they were assigned. While Azrael would have liked to see the Federation issue dealt with, at least things were a complete loss. One mass driver was now under the Alliance's control so that the space supply line could be re-established. And around seventy-five percent or a little more of the structures were in fair condition, which would shorten repair time for the base. "I admit I misspoke, Captain Sutherland, I still wish to commend you and those under your command, but I'm impressed with the results of the operation. You were definitely the man for the job to take Victoria from ZAFT, OMNI is lucky to have you. Congratulations for taking Victoria this much intact, very well done indeed. I will be telling OMNI brass that you need to be in line for a promotion that you have well-earned."

Sutherland inclined his head, "You are too kind, Director," he replied, "It was the combined efforts of many that fight for the cause OMNI stands for."

Cooperative efforts would have been nice to see going against the Federation. Azrael was still miffed about the failures against the Federation member nations. And Sutherland had seen Mina's work be more successful than he'd gotten to view. Such frustrated Azrael even after seeing Mina's "Star Girls," which had been more impressive than the boys. So, Azrael frowned at hearing the last line, "It would've been nice to see that on my end," he muttered.

Sutherland had read the reports about the operations against the Republic and Orb. The reports had iterated the failures of the operations to take Federation territory. However, Sutherland had been reading between the lines and talking points that could be learned from the reports. Sutherland had been one of those that had not been calling to attack the Federation when mobile suits became available to the Alliance. And it wasn't that he didn't think the Federation wasn't a problem that needed to be dealt with. The encounters with the Federation's military forces had proven they would take a different methodology than ZAFT. To treat them the same was reckless and now clearly would cost OMNI a heavy price. And yet, attacking the Federation had shown some of their fighting strength which could help in future battles. Thus, Sutherland grunted, "I can understand the sentiment, Director," he remarked. "I would be among those who would've been pleased if Federation territory had been acquired. However, they have proven they aren't the same as ZAFT, so the same tactics would not work. It's hard to admit, but the Federation has shown itself to be unpredictable and good at defying odds." Sutherland paused for a moment, "From what I read on reports, there were unexpected complications which caused the operations to fail. Some are the Federation having mobile suits and some custom models."

Azrael stared at Sutherland, considering the points the man had brought up about the operations against the Federation. Them having mobile suits had complicated things, Azrael would admit that even if it irritated him. But the mention of custom models caught his attention, especially since Mina had said something along the same lines. "I'll give them their mobile suits did complicate things, Captain," Azrael commented. "But why bring up custom models? Do you know what could set them apart from them to cause such an issue?"

Sutherland didn't answer for a moment, collecting his thoughts, "Their mass-production models have weapons we aren't familiar with, so a point of Federation tech being advanced beyond the rest. Their custom models, though, two thoughts nag at me that makes me wonder about a few things. First, they have systems and weapons that are clearly based on the developments made with the G-Project. It confirms they got the data somehow, which is unfortunate but can't be helped anymore." Sutherland hesitated for a moment, "The second thought concerns me more since with what they were doing, I don't see a known battery being able to keep up with powering them."

Azrael had wondered much the same about the two "odd-looking" machines that had helped Orb in its defense. They had phase shift armor, and the beam weaponry was what the G-Project had been developing. And yet, what Sutherland said had merit. Current battery technology wouldn't be able to keep such units going for long periods. In fact, as Azrael considered it, only one logical explanation could explain those machines having the operational time they did. It sounded crazy as he thought about it, and yet, it made the most sense with information as it was. The two custom units had to be nuclear-powered. No other type of power source would be able to do the job as effectively. But that would require a means round the cursed N-jammers. If that had been made possible, nuclear weapons could be possible to use again. Azrael hummed, "I would agree with you on batteries not cutting it for these custom models, it doesn't make sense. And the only idea that comes to me that could make such possible seems crazy when I think about it. So, you can see it as crazy to suggest it, but I seriously wonder if they are nuclear-powered. It is the only power source I can think of which can give the power needed for their actions."

Sutherland gained an expression of shock as the idea did sound crazy, as stated. N-Jammers made nuclear technology unusable, disrupting any attempt at a nuclear reaction. ZAFT had created them after the Bloody Valentine and then dropped them on Earth and plunged most of the world into a dark winter. Hundreds of thousands of people died because of that winter due to the lack of power to produce heat. The Alliance had been strained, and many of its citizens had fled to Federation territory. Nevertheless, if ZAFT or the Federation invented the means to counter N-Jammers, the whole war could change. So, Sutherland took a moment to consider the idea of nuclear technology being viable again. "Nuclear-powered," Sutherland questioned, "Well if they come from the PLANTs, that wouldn't be all that surprising. They created the N-Jammers, so they could also make a way around the devices. The Federation could also possibly have come up with those machines, and their technology has always been slightly ahead of the Alliance and ZAFT most of the time."

Azrael was considering the possibility of using nuclear weapons again as it was extremely tempting. The nuke striking Junius Seven was supposed to be the kickoff for destroying the PLANTs. The Federation had stopped that before it could be pursued, but the interest had never disappeared. And Azrael wasn't alone in wanting to use nuclear weapons to wipe off the PLANTs. But with it being unlikely either ZAFT or the Federation handing over what device made nuclear tech possible, acquiring it differently would be needed. Capturing one of the custom models would be the quickest way to get nuclear weapons technology. "Is there any possibility that either or both could be captured," he asked. "Nuclear technology would help things along in this war."

Sutherland thought about the idea of capturing one of the custom models that reports referred to. Federation mass-production mobile suits had been troublesome enough to deal with during the attack on the Federation. However, the custom models were different and would more likely be more difficult to acquire. Overwhelming a powerful machine was always an argument of risk vs. reward. The custom units had outdone any that had fought against them, so it would take a squad or more to capture them. So, while it may be possible to acquire, it would take lots of work and effort. More information would also help chances of capturing, and that would take time to collect. "It may be possible, but it would take time and work to make the best chance of success," Sutherland returned.

The aircraft returned to the landing zone before the two headed for the control sector of the base. They entered a conference room and began discussing what was next in the plan to win the war with ZAFT. The goal was to force them off of Earth, both out of territory they controlled and their two bases, but that would be a campaign to work on. The real way to end the war would be to strike ZAFT, where it would hurt the most, which would be the PLANTs. However, ZAFT's Jachin Due base and Lunar Fleet made attacking the colonies much more difficult. The fleet could be distracted if planned right, but Jachin Due was an obstacle that couldn't be pulled away or skirted around without serious effort. If nuclear weapons could be made practical again, that would move things along better. But that was not realistic unless one of those custom machines could be captured.

In any event, Azrael would need to go to the Ptolemaeus base on the Moon to be involved in the planning. Any strike OMNI would make against ZAFT would be made from the lunar base and not from Earth. And Azrael would like nothing better than a front-row seat for the extermination of Coordinators. Sutherland said he would have a shuttle ready to go to the moon. But Azrael said he would wait until Mina's work was prepared, which would be a few days or less. Azrael could show patience when required to get a worthwhile goal he had been working for. He didn't like to wait for things, but the eradication of Coordinators was something he could be patient for. Progress was being made toward the goal, which was enough to give him hope that things were going in the direction he wanted.

Azrael was shown to some quarters while he waited to leave on the shuttle, a set of VIP quarters. He decided to take the time he would wait to unwind and relax as he could so that he could be at his best. Once he got to the lunar base, there would be things to do for the momentum earned on Earth to be continued. The Federation would have less reason to interfere in space so that things would go smoother. They would be dealt with after ZAFT was no longer a concern, and OMNI could focus on them. Azrael admitted he may have jumped the gun, but mistakes happened, and in the end, once the Federation was taken care of, it wouldn't matter.

However, his attention was shifted as he was watching the current news broadcast to the world. He'd been viewing an Alliance media channel when he came across something that made him pause. Irritation filled him as he saw the face of Ellen Blass, the "Dragon of the Republic" and one that caused issues with Azrael himself more than once. She was not just one of the Federation's political leaders; she was known to be the most stubborn. Blass was also a political giant as she'd been on that stage for longer than most ever had the chance to be. And her dogmatic attitude toward the Alliance, saying the Federation should help defend Earth, had only complicated things. Then Azrael had issues with the woman's policies as some of them made it impossible for members of Blue Cosmos to enter the Republic without being arrested and deported.

What reason Blass had to be doing a press conference, Azrael couldn't say, nor did he really care. The woman was irritating and could be dangerous with her way with words that could sway people. So, it would depend on what Blass said whether this "broadcast" would be just ridiculously irritating or seriously damaging. Thus, Azrael sat in a chair and glared at the news, wondering what the woman would say. "I make this address in the hope it will assist all of those who can make a difference, see reason, and save the lives that haven't been lost already," Blass said. "Every human being has either seen or experienced the chaos and violence around us in some way which comes from the conflict that rages today."

Azrael had figured out long ago that Blass was a foolish dreamer who didn't acknowledge reality. It was those like the Federation that refused to see reason with them not helping the war against ZAFT. The war had been going on for as long as it had because fools wouldn't accept the truth about the evil Coordinators. The Alliance was the only group with open eyes working to improve the world and the human race. "The war between the Earth Alliance and the Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty or ZAFT has been ongoing officially for five years as of February fourteenth of this year and longer than that unofficially," Blass continued. "And yet, neither faction has shown any intent or inkling to be open to a chance of peace or end this war soon in any way, shape, or form. The leaders of both factions have made all sorts of promises to both those they represent and those they don't. They had vowed not to harm innocent bystanders and end this conflict over the years it had gone on. However, none have provided anything of the sort, all they have brought is a continuation and worsening of the fighting."

The woman was speaking nonsense, even if it was dressed up to sound more important. The war was the way to remove the infection Coordinators were to the human species. They had made it clear Coordinators wouldn't know and accept their place as it was always supposed to be. There had been non-violent methods tried in the early years of the era, the Tornio Protocol was an example. It was to uphold what nature intended and not let fools decide what was right and what was not. The ongoing war would only end when the PLANTs were destroyed and all other Coordinators were hunted down and handled properly. That would be the only way this conflict would come to a close, and any who said otherwise were fooling themselves. Azrael shook his head in annoyance as Blass continued, "However, I'm not here to justify any of them, nor what they work for. Their vows ring hollow as none of them have shown they care about those who die in their war, whether soldiers or just those who happened to be around the fighting."

If the Dragon wanted to talk about vows, then she should discuss the Torino Protocol and how promises of that were "kept." If that protocol had been followed, this war wouldn't be happening, and the world would be far better. Innocent lives lost were on Coordinators' heads as the conflict was all their fault. The farce this woman's "broadcast" was becoming could be seen as the musings of a fool. Azrael would call it that, along with laughable and mostly just a waste of time for any to watch. Blass argued the war was one of hatred which was incorrect as it was to fix a mistake made. Her lines of peace being disrupted and "some" being declared an enemy by those in the war were irritating. The way that Ellen Blass had of speaking was "different" than many politicians, but it can get boring fairly fast. But Azrael's attention was brought back as the Alliance was mentioned, "Should any wish for an example of what I speak of, in my hand is a page of what the Republic received before the nation came under attack by the Alliance's OMNI forces. In the days that have gone by since then, other member nations of the Federation have received similar a form of communication before being assaulted by the military forces of the Alliance." Blass paused, putting the page she had down, "Make no mistake of this, each occurrence came because none of the nations agreed to the demands from the Alliance to join them in their battle against ZAFT and the PLANTs. They will claim otherwise, but they were the ones who pushed the war in this direction."

Azrael felt anger at hearing what Blass was saying and the implications that came with it. The blame of the attacks on the Federation was supposed to either succeed or, if they didn't, be waved off as a communication mistake. It wasn't supposed to be broadcasted as some sort of conspiracy the Alliance cooked up. Azrael hadn't forgotten that the Alliance's leading council was more than willing to direct the blame for things going wrong with him. Blass continued, "In the words of the senders, "The Federation's actions are unacceptable. As a result, the governing body of the Earth Alliance, by unanimous vote, has denounced the organization as an official faction," those are their own words." Ellen paused for a moment, "I state for the record that international law taken from the UN Charter makes it clear that no one faction or members thereof have the power to denounce, dissolve, or disband another group or faction. The Alliance also recognized the Federation as an independent faction in their Alaska Treaty, even if they forget or don't admit it, such is written in the document. Thus, the Alliance is claiming power they do not have and using it to do what they have no right to do."

The more Blass said, the worse things became to Azrael, and his frustration was morphing into anger. She was using the Alliance's own words, which had been drafted to make things clear against them. Pointing out the reasoning attempted to get the Federation's member nations to join the fight had its problems. Technically, Blass was right that the Alliance didn't have the power to change international law. But the laws were old enough that the public wasn't versed in what international law iterated and worked. It also implied that the Federation would ensure the Alliance was held accountable for its actions. Blass continued, "Then, the senders' demands were akin to the terms of surrender, and that is being kind with the wording. The given alternative was to be considered an enemy and treated as such." Azrael heard some of the reporters gasping while others were muttering. Blass ignored the reaction and continued, "That's what kind of actions have become commonplace because of this war. None of which has done anything of value or good for any part of the human race despite some claiming it is the means to end the war. It only has and will take away, destroy, and ruin the places we call home, and that one holds dear. And if no serious changes are attempted, more and more will be taken from humanity. This war has already stolen many people's lives before their time, and more will follow if humanity accepts this war as it is becoming."

Azrael wasn't happy at all that Blass was using words from the demands sent to the Federation's member nation. The public wasn't supposed to know and shouldn't be involved in what was going on with politics. It fed his anger with the Federation and their stubbornness they had displayed over the years. The Federation was made up of nations of Earth and should be under the control of the Alliance. Or at least, they should be helping the Alliance against ZAFT, who was invading Earth. And when they were pushed to do what was their duty, they refused to claim neutrality. Now, Blass was tearing down the work done and damaging the foundation laid to have the war end in victory. The woman continued, "Many of you viewing and listening right now understand what I speak of, the pain of knowing loved ones will not come home or back to you ever again. It is you who are glossed over by the ones who insist on keeping this war and the hatred that fuels it, I speak to now."

Azrael's fury grew as he listened to Blass give 'her message' to the masses. Annoyance and irritation were morphing into anger and heading toward fury. He could already see ways Blass's speech could be beyond dangerous to those like Azrael. It had taken time to "clean out" the Alliance of the majority of Coordinator sympathizers. Azrael didn't want to have all the work undone and ruined but the speech of a stubborn woman. "I stand here before you today to tell you all that there is still hope for peace and an end to this conflict. It requires all of us to rise, open our eyes to the truth that others hide, and stand together, refusing things as they stand right now. That's the first step to ending this conflict and stopping the daily loss of lives! These horrible events that take loved ones away can and must be stopped. All the lives lost at Victoria and Panama never had to happen." Ellen slashed the air, "Those who say otherwise are those who want this war to continue. None of those who are dying are necessary casualties of war, no matter what type of human one is. If the war between the Alliance and ZAFT is allowed to continue, then it will not just lead to even more destruction, but another Bloody Valentine Incident, and further, it will take the future from us all!"

Azrael's interest about what Blass was going to say or deliver had vanished by this point. The urge to do something to shut the woman up was coming to him with enthusiasm even when he knew there was nothing he could do right now. However, as Azrael thought it couldn't get much worse with Blass, he was proven wrong. "Today, all will know the truth of what happened at that PLANT type colony, Junius Seven, and I will ensure that. The Bloody Valentine Incident is an event that all know by now, but parts of the account of what happened there and the results are lies that have been spread since its occurrence. Both people within the Alliance and its military, along with the PLANTs and ZAFT, have tried to hide truths about the colony for a different reason, but all of that ends today!"

In the last line, the woman said, worried, frustrated, and enraged Azrael in many ways. She had brought up the one event that could influence many, even when it happened years ago, which irked him. The Bloody Valentine, the destruction of Junius Seven, had been the kick-off for Coordinator extermination, even if it wasn't officially recorded that way. History called it a "tragedy" caused by terrorists and was the event that started the ongoing war. The truth of it being a "black op" by the Alliance had been covered up and buried to even the majority in the Alliance. The only reason Azrael knew the truth was he had been involved in the planning of the operation. If the Federation knew about it being a black op and Blass announced it to the world, there would be hell to pay. Even if she revealed other hidden facts to the public, it would still be a serious issue. Yet, even as he cursed the woman and hissed revenge against her, Blass kept going. "It is a fact a missile bearing a nuclear warhead struck Junius Seven, bringing about the destruction of the colony. Close to a quarter of a million people followed the colony with their deaths, those facts are true. However, the public does not know that a third to half of that population were made up of natural human beings." The reporters' voices rose, questions about Blass's statement being the subject of inquiry. Blass waited for the crowd to quiet before she kept going, "The reason this fact is unknown or denied is that several individuals and groups don't wish this truth to be known. For some, the fact would have them facing criminal charges before now, while others don't want to admit what Natural type humans being on Junius Seven nor what it implies."

That Blass had iterated Naturals being on Junius Seven was bad enough by itself. The point undermined several talking points the Alliance used to justify the war as it was. The view that only Coordinators lived in the PLANTs had been pushed heavily and was believed overall by most within the Alliance. But for her to point out the falsity and the reason for the lie was troublesome. Azrael definitely wanted to strangle the woman to silence her and back at Blass for all the crap she caused the Alliance. However, as per her reputation, Blass didn't stop with just damaging the foundation the Alliance was founded upon, she kept going. "Junius Seven was not just an agricultural colony that was home to a large number of human beings. It was also a testing ground to see if Coordinator type and Natural type humans could live in peace and harmony together. The colony proved such a thing was easily possible, so much so that even Milliardo Peacecraft, the leader of the Earth Sphere before the Alliance was formed, was impressed, and he was even encouraged by what he saw there."

The mention of the man who had stood in the way for so long served to anger Azrael much more. Milliardo Peacecraft, a man that had the "love of the people," had earned recognition to his name as a promoter of peace. He had also been a dangerous man to those who wanted to use Earth's nations for other pursuits. And what had been worse, Peacecraft had been insistent on peace with Coordinators being worked for. Peacecraft had been such a fool, and a blind one at that, and that was being generous. Explaining to him why Coordinators needed to be wiped out completely had been pointless in the end. Azrael had tried to reason with the man about why Coordinators were such a problem, which had been an exercise in futility.

With Peacecraft being the head of the United Nations body, he had a lot of influence among the world leaders back in the times before the war. Attempts had been made to silence and killed the man before the Bloody Valentine in many different ways. Peacecraft hadn't been the only one that assassinations had been made against. Other members of the UN council and body had been targeted. Some had been successful, but Peacecraft had somehow evaded the attempts and remained a threat. Azrael knew he hadn't been the only one that wanted Peacecraft to vanish so things could move forward. But then the day Junius Seven had been destroyed had come, and that one event had solved many issues. Not only had it moved the creation of the Earth Alliance to be realized, but it had also gotten rid of obstacles. Most of all, Peacecraft had been killed along with the Coordinators in the colony. The timing of the Bloody Valentine hadn't been a coincidence, and it had been intended to have Peacecraft there to die. The UN council had followed at Copernicus, but Peacecraft had been the first major issue dealt with. And yet, the spirit of the man that had so blocked the work of those like Azrael haunted them.

Blass continued, "That man who advocated peace was also on Junius Seven when the nuclear strike occurred. Whether that was by chance or by some design, all I can say now is that the Federation military is investigating it. On a more personal note, to those who would say I couldn't possibly know what it feels like to have lost someone in the Bloody Valentine, I can assure you that I do. My husband was at the colony, doing research that could and would have benefited the colonies and Earth itself. My ten-year-old daughter was also there at the time, and so, because of the hatred of a few towards Coordinators, they are dead, and I can never see them again." The Federation military investigating the Bloody Valentine Incident was bad news for Azrael himself and others. ZAFT's research had been annoying but simple enough to pass off or deflect from the truth. The Federation's investigation could explain why a few individuals Azrael knew had disappeared over the last two years without a trace. Azrael had managed to avoid any capturing him, but that hadn't been easy.

To hear that Ellen Blass had lost loved ones in the nuclear strike, honestly, felt nice in a way. Knowing he had helped get a shot in on the "imperturbable politician" Ellen Blass had shown herself to be over the years was satisfying. This woman was whimsical, a painful annoyance one moment and then a sentimental fool the next. "All the tragedies from the Bloody Valentine to the battles that have happened in this war, none of it is the fault of the soldiers or pilots that fight in them. They follow orders, some willingly, others unwillingly, doing what they are told. Most of them are protecting their homes and what they hold dear to themselves, which should be praised. It is honorable to stand up and protect what they love and is a great service. Thus, we shouldn't hold soldiers responsible as they fight to defend such and don't in their heart don't want to kill." Blass paused for a moment, "The ones who are at fault for this war and what it has brought to us all can be identified, regardless of whether they take responsibility for their actions. There is a phrase that most will have heard at least once by now, but I will change it slightly to promote understanding. The ones who ushered in this war and kept it going are humankind's true enemy."

Hearing that line caught Azrael's attention since it coined the term Blue Cosmos had Coordinators "mankind's enemy." For Blass to use the reference that she did implied she was going to define a group to direct the blame for the war. The last thing that those like Azrael needed was blame directed at them with the war going the way it was. There were enough issues demanding attention to deal with without more shoved onto himself. Thus, Azrael glared with sheer hatred at the leader of the Republic as she continued her address. "First, I will define those who would be considered "humankind's true enemy." They are those who use their hatred of others as the sole reason for attacking and killing people, innocent or otherwise. They are those who insist that war is the only way to settle standing disagreements and more. Doing so while adamantly claiming there is no other solution no matter the evidence provided to the contrary. They are those who use war cries for blood to be spilled and see them as rallying calls for others to join them and justify their terrible and unforgivable acts. They are those who are more intent on pursuing their vendettas and fulfilling them than seeking peace for all people. Those who see nothing wrong with using and abusing people knowingly and unknowingly toss them away after they fail or don't provide use or purpose for those that control them. They are those who promote this war and say it will only end when a whole part of humanity, whether it be Coordinator, Natural, Hybrid, or any other form of human being, is completely exterminated! Any who do one or more of the points I mentioned are humankind's true enemy and are as demons dressed in human skin."

Azrael picked up one of the decorations in the room and chucked it at the opposite wall in anger at Blass. The woman had always been an irritating fool whose stubbornness was nothing but an infuriating obstacle. Her tirade was a perfect example of how she could cause issues that damage control would unlikely be able to help much with. Blass may not have said names with her descriptions, but that in itself was the real problem. Her just describing the group she referred to in the form of actions of people, organizations, or factions being the bar to judge by, making it harder to counter. Blass had ensured that "humankind's true enemy" was defined in a way that had no bias to use as a loophole or shove blame back on her. Her description could be applied to many. Blue Cosmos would be one that could fall into her definition easily. But the damage didn't end there, "They are the same as the most villainous individuals in our history, the same as Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, or Musade Muhlan, who used war to kill all they could." Blass banged a hand on her lectern, "And those who are humankind's true enemy will be remembered exactly as those horrible individuals! They are the same as them, not human beings, but creatures that are less than any type of human is."

Azrael picked up the chair in the room and threw it at the opposite wall as his fury grew. The comparison to historical "villains" to those that Blass had defined. The woman was playing to the masses rather than the world's political leaders. She was attempting to motivate people to rise up against those in control and take away their power. "It is individuals and groups that are humankind's enemy need to be stood up against now more than ever. Humankind's true enemy uses fear, intimidation, lies, and deception to force others to do the work for their intentions. They require others to fulfill their vendettas and ambitions, and only we can give them that power by listening and giving into them. Now is the time to stand together and stand against them, only doing that will be how this war will end." Blass put her hands together, "So, I pled and urge all of you hearing my voice, for all you hold dear and for the future generations yet to come, show the courage within you that all human beings have, no matter what type you are. Use that courage and rise against those who insist on destroying humanity in any way. They are the harbingers of death for the whole human race; Coordinator, Naturals, Hybrids, and any other form of human. Humanity isn't made up of just a single form of humanity, not only Coordinators, Naturals, or Hybrids. Humanity is stronger with diversity, not just of sex and skin color as was historical but also now genetic type. I pray that this horrible and terrible conflict ends so that at least there are still human beings living. Yet, it will take many of us to accomplish this task. No one is too small or beneath notice, everyone can make a difference, and it is now that such amazing potential that all human beings have, needs to be shown and used!"

Azrael knew that damage control would have extreme difficulty doing anything to downplay Blass's speech. While that infuriated him, it was more that Blass had the guts to call out those like him in the first place that had him so enraged. Her rhetoric of humans being inclusive of Coordinators and Hybrids, along with Naturals, went against everything that Blue Cosmos and many in the Alliance claimed! No, it went beyond that and ripped away and destroyed the foundation the Alliance had to justify the war. Azrael continued to watch as Blass began taking questions from reporters, "Minister Blass, Earth Sphere News Network," the report announced, "you defined those you say can be considered Humankind's true enemy. Can you give any examples of those who would fall under the idea?"

Azrael dared the Republic's Dragon to call out anyone or organization by name. Should she do so, Azrael and others would rip her apart and smear her entire speech from its beginning to end. Of course, Azrael didn't expect Blass actually to call any out by name, and the woman knew better than to do that. "As much as I wouldn't doubt some would like me to give specific examples," Blass remarked, "I do not feel it is necessary. Those who are humankind's true enemy know they fall under the definition I gave, whether they admit to it or not. I refer to them being on their own side and using others, but I'm afraid I should leave it at that, next question."

As Azrael expected and cursed, Blass didn't call any out, making it harder to snap back at her "Humankind's enemy" definition. The woman was just proving a meddler as she had done before and wouldn't be quiet about what wasn't her business. "Minister Blass, Lunar Associated Press," the next reporter called, "what is your view of the current leadership of the Earth Alliance and the PLANTs actions?"

Azrael had a small smirk come to his face at that question as it could be amusing to hear the answer. He didn't entertain any thoughts that Blass would have good things to say about the Alliance's leadership. Her message had made it plain that she didn't approve of the current actions. However, any shot taken at ZAFT made Azrael feel a tiny bit better, no matter how slight it was. "A complex question to answer with a degree of accuracy," Blass replied. "For the Earth Alliance, I've become increasingly disappointed in how they conduct themselves lately. Their military forces have been doing dishonorable things, seemingly forgetting what and who they pledged to protect. Whether that is due to something with the leadership of the Alliance or something else, I cannot say with what I know. The recent contact from the Alliance, including their attacks, seems more like Anti-Coordinator sentiment is dictating the Alliance's actions. I would hope those who lead the Earth Alliance would be less inclined to listen to those who carry such blinding and destructive hatred that such sediments carry." It was much what Azrael figured the woman would say about the Alliance, so he didn't care much about that. "Whereas the PLANTs have normally been more inclined to be reasonable and tolerant. However, these days that seems to become less normal, judging upon ZAFT's actions. Knowing some of those elected to the PLANT Supreme Council, I would hope that work is being done to help end the war with the least lives lost."

Azrael turned off the broadcast not finding any more interest in hearing Blass's drivel. The woman was an issue as much as she ever was with her gift of words. The damage control that would be required frustrated Azrael as it was just more work added to the pile. The failure to acquire any of the Federation's member nations was problematic in the short term. Federation technology would've helped in pushing ZAFT onto the defensive quicker. The overall goal was to strike at the PLANTs, but that would be delayed for a bit with the failure of getting multiple mass drivers. The other point that created the delay came to Azrael as a report that the Federation was attacking the Orbital Fleets and wiping them out. The goal would be lost if OMNI lost their Orbital Fleets before they could prepare a strike on the PLANTs. They were needed to keep ZAFT's defenders busy enough to strike the colonies directly. Complications were expected to be frustrating as they were, but they were piling up quicker than they were supposed to.

The aircraft Mina was on that took off from Victoria took a few hours to reach Lodonia Laboratories, located in Suez, Egypt. It was the main complex where the Enhanced Human Project was taking place, and the other two were in different places worldwide. Mina's project and work were divided into two basic parts and a third piece that worked with the other two. The project's goal was to take Natural types and get them on par with Coordinators without genetically altering them. The two parts were two different methods or variations to achieve the goal: "Boosted Men and Women" and the other was "Extendeds." The major difference between the two was Boosted Men and Women required drugs, specific surgeries, and mental conditioning. In comparison, the Extendeds were made through surgeries, conditioning, brainwashing, and other things. Really, Boosted Men required less work to create and maintain but tended to be not as reliable or stable over time. Extendeds proved more stable long term but required more work and a great deal more maintenance than boosted men and women.

The project parts were split between the three complexes dedicated to the Enhanced Human Project. Lodonia was in Suez, while the Tartarus complex was in what had been called Siberian waste before the Reconstruction War. The Lemuria complex was in the northeastern part of the Atlantic Federation's territory. The project was making strides between the three facilities, with Lodonia doing the project management. Tartarus was doing the work on the Extended side of the project, both the research and production. Lemuria was focusing on the Boosted Man portion and trying to forward that part of the project. Mina kept in contact with the heads of the other two facilities to get progress reports on the work from them.

Mina organized the project and a couple of others to make it what it was today. They came up with the idea and methodology that made the project possible and even successful to the extent it was. Lodonia Lab was the place Mina ran along with those she delegated the task to, and it was strictly done. Mina had made Lodonia what it was now and made sure it would work the best it could without fail. There were no arguments tolerated to run the Enhanced Human Project, and Mina had made sure that it was clearly understood. Her disciplinary methods had ensured that all who worked in the lab or were subjects there knew what disobedience got them. The disciplinary method had been so successful that the other two facilities had adopted it.

As the transport traveled, Mina's mood improved with her separation from Director Azrael. His personality and expectations had irked her far more than she had assumed they would be, and that influence wasn't healthy. Mina had expected Azrael would be difficult to deal with, Lori had implied as much to her. Lori Kall was the "lab's representative," so she dealt with the funders more than Mina ever did. Mina didn't envy her friend's job of being the face of the project and was more than willing to let her deal with Azrael from now on. It was one of the reasons she looked forward to coming 'home' to Lodonia, who wouldn't interfere and bother her. She had just used the excuse of being able to do adjustments quicker at the lab with Azrael to get time away from the blonde-haired idiot that knew so little about science. Mina also heard her girls in seats behind her, showing excitement at returning to the lab.

Due to the outing Mina had been on, and there would be work to be done upon arrival at the lab. The male trio would need serious maintenance because of their handlers' mistakes on dose regiments. Her girls would just need the normal look-over and touch-up since they had been seen per instructions. Then Mina would ensure the foolish handlers were properly punished before returning to work. The disciplinary system applied just as much to the staff as the candidates in Mina's mind. Most of the staff were aware that if they did their job correctly or poorly consistently, there would be unpleasant consequences waiting for them. So the failure of the handler team would be dealt with, and their justification of Azrael telling them what to do wouldn't fly. It had been established that Mina was the authority regarding the project. No one else overruled her. So, disobedience was rare, and those that had forgotten would be reminded of the point.

With the weeks that Mina went for, she still expected everything to go fine. She had left those she trusted to keep things running smoothly in charge, and all that worked at the lab knew the command structure. And if something did come up that was challenging it, Mina would get things back in order. She had those who were "enforcers" for her when such was needed, and they got any job she needed. The group was loyal to her and the other, the second-in-command at Lodonia, so they would follow only their orders. At the lab, all knew and were told what was expected, and repetition was often unnecessary. That's why Mina wasn't worried. There would be no foolish and idiotic OMNI soldiers to annoy her or that thought they knew better than she did. Plus, there were some candidates, both from the Boosted Men and the Extendeds, which Mina had invested interest in, and she wanted to check on their progress.

The plane landed on the lab's runway, and all on board came off the craft with some waiting for them as they exited. Mina's girls were led off to get their checkups done while the boys were escorted to get the damage done fixed as quickly as possible. As they were guided, Mina was heading for the main complex where her office was so she could get to work. She'd calmed down a great deal and could almost be called reasonable and a tad pleased by some. Those at Lodonia preferred Mina in that kind of mood whenever possible, as things would go smoother when that was the case. And much like the candidates knew, keeping Mina in a good mood was far better than having her the opposite.

However, upon entering the laboratory, Mina was met with the sight of men in Alliance military uniforms. The scene was unwelcome to her and dampened her somewhat good mood as she didn't like Alliance personnel in her workspace. Mina had made it clear through her friend to their funders that outside interference was unwelcome and would be ousted. The sight was made worse as the 'soldiers' were attempting to order around those working here as if this was an OMNI base. But Mina observed that the workers were doing as they had been trained to do, which helped stop her from getting extremely ticked off. All the staff who worked in Lodonia knew an unhappy Mina Moss was something that could easily be akin to a living hell for everyone around her. That didn't mean Mina was pleased to see the Alliance personnel here, yet she would rectify that quite soon.

Mina had a cold expression on her face as she strode over to the one showing signs of being the leader of the soldiers. The soldiers didn't notice her approach but were forced to pay attention when Mina kicked the leader in the groin. The man let out a pained whine as he crumpled to the floor, groaning in pain with Mina standing over him. The other soldiers stared at Mina, some in shock and others afraid they would be next to receive the same. "Who in the hell do you think you are," Mina demanded, "coming around here and thinking you can run the place? Then, tell me, who gave you the authority to act like you can tell anyone here what to do? For I have choice words for them, listening while a method I employed puts them in serious pain for interfering with my workspace."

The man Mina nailed in the family jewels glared up at her, "Damn you, woman," he growled.

Mina simply gazed at him, lifted her right leg, and stomped down with her heel on the man's back. Mina kept stomping the man, and only after he was groaning with clear pain did she stop and speak. "This complex isn't an OMNI base or an Alliance-controlled facility," Mina stated flatly. "So, it isn't subject to OMNI's version of martial law as you were trying to exercise. Never forget the fact that you don't give orders here, OMNI has no authority in this lab. That power belongs to me, those I delegate to, and none other, period." The workers and scientists were going about their assigned tasks and ignored what was happening. It was the best thing for them to do when Dr. Moss was dishing out punishment, ignore the scene, so you didn't get involved and be punished. The sooner Mina disciplined the OMNI soldiers, the sooner she could be in a nicer mood, and they all could be relieved that the storm Mina was having would be over.

The noise didn't go unnoticed by those who were the complex's enforcers doing their normal patrols. The five in the group were all heavy-set men that were seen as brutes and little more than that. Their leader, Bruno, had picked up the noise from the front lobby and had gotten the rest to follow to see what was happening. While Dr. Moss was away, it was up to them to ensure the disciplinary system was upheld. Dr. Moss had found all of her enforcers and gave them a place and purpose that earned their loyalty. And one voice Bruno heard sounded like Dr. Moss herself, so the group hurried along to the lobby. Upon entering the area, Bruno saw Dr. Moss was dealing with Alliance soldiers. "Dr. Moss, good to see you back here," Bruno greeted in his deep voice, "Is there a problem here that needs to be dealt with, ma'am?"

Mina turned to the voice and was pleased to see a group of the 'enforcers' prompt at appearing when problems arose. Their build made dealing with outbursts much easier for candidates and staff alike. She had found each enforcer while normally traveling when searching for candidates. Mina had seen potential in the men and had given them a purpose they had taken to extremely well. "Ah, Bruno, the timing of you and your colleagues is as impeccable as ever, which is satisfying," Mina replied. "As to your question, yes, there is an issue that you can assist with." Mina pointed to the man on the ground, "This idiot seems to believe he can run things here with the help of his cronies. I certainly didn't delegate to such a fool like him, nor should he have been let inside the lab in the first place. I've made sure to give a proper lesson to him, and yet I want to be sure he doesn't forget it."

Bruno nodded in understanding and bowed his head, "Our apologies for them getting in," he returned. "We were dealing with a small issue with some candidates before hearing the noise up here."

Mina shook her head, "That's fine, Bruno," she said, "That is exactly what you should be doing when it occurs." Mina turned back to face the soldiers, "I was merely saying that a short session in one of the 'time out' rooms should help reinforce the folly of the idiot's assumptions. Bruno, I would like you to escort him and make sure he gets there." Bruno nodded, "Certainly, Dr. Moss," he answered without hesitation, "We will make sure he gets there and that the rest will see him come out to reinforce what happens when they interfere." Mina smiled a bit and gestured for Bruno to proceed. Bruno and those with him moved forward and picked up the Alliance soldier before dragging the man off further into the lab.

With that settled, Mina gestured to the staff that had been watching the scene, "Back to work for the rest of you. The issue has been resolved, so nothing more to see, so resume what you were doing." The staff did as they were told while Mina headed further into the lab to check in on projects before heading to her office. From what the staff told her, current projects were on track, which pleased her. As she finished checking on things, Mina assigned one of the staff to tell Lori Kall to come to her office when she could. She then headed for her office and reviewed reports from the other two labs. She saw things progressing with the Extended part of the project from the Tartarus facility and the section here at Lodonia. It was more a long-term part of the project as Extendeds took more work and time to create. However, thus far, Extendeds were proving initially more stable with their enhancements from what Mina was seeing. There was a minor issue with some of the psychological conditioning, which affected a percentage of the Extended candidates. Yet Mina was hopeful that those at Tartarus would be able to work such out of the majority. The Extendeds, like the Boosted Men, were kept in groups of three, all the tests and performance in simulations, mostly to instill skills of working with others. The idea has worked out so far and proved effective in the long run.

In the reports, there had been one trio of Extendeds that were consistently showing results that were above expectations. Mina had been keeping an eye on the trio, hopeful that the results could show Extendeds were worth pursuing. They weren't at the same level that Mina's girls from the Boosted Men side. However, the trio showed real potential, and Mina wanted to see how far it would go. The trio in question consisted of two males and one female, all three in their latter mid-teenage years in physical development. The trio was the oldest currently and the best performing group thus far. A couple of trios contained older candidates, but they were proving to be problematic in a growing number of ways. It suggested that the Extended treatment lost its effective application at a point in age. It was one of the major reasons that Mina was interested in the three, and the Extended half of the project was riding on how they would do a large amount from now on.

According to the most recent post-test report, there was some strain on the candidates' bodies in the trio. The picture of the female was average looking physically, from her figure to height. She had rather silky-looking locks of blonde hair, and her red eyes were uncommon. The two males were average physically, a tad more muscular than the female. One had dark green hair, and the other had a dirty brown. Nevertheless, their performance was still above where it was expected to be, which was a good sign. The strain was being seen to and reduced as could be for the time being. Mina moved on to other reports on the project as they were piling up since she had been away. If it hadn't been for Azrael asking her to show him the point personally, then Mina would've had another do the job instead and not be away. Dealing with Financial backers was always a pain to Mina, and it normally only took one meeting for any given representative to wish to deal with a different person than Mina herself. In fact, the colleague Mina had called for was the one who did the selling and impressing of the funders for the Lodonia Lab. A knock on the door brought Mina's attention out of looking at reports and her dislike of Muruta Azrael, "Enter." The door opened at the command Mina gave, and a woman came in.

The woman was shorter than Mina herself, at five foot four, though the woman's figure was a little more voluptuous than Mina's body was. Her hair was tan and appeared to have a silkier look, falling to her mid-back. The female's face looked kinder than Mina's, and the air about her emphasized the impression, including her light blue eyes. And though she was older than Mina by seven years, she gave off a different feel to others, which was seen as more mature than Mina's cold and ruthless feel. Yet, these two women were two of the three who had come up with the foundation and many of the theories that the Enhanced Human Project used. The woman that entered was named Lori Kall and was not only the 'second in charge' but was the face those outside the Lab saw most of the time. She was a Natural like Mina was Mina's best friend, or that was the best idea you could call their relationship. Today, Lori was wearing a red t-shirt, a black mini skirt, and a long white lab coat. "Lori, good of you to come so quickly when I asked, thanks," Mina greeted.

It hadn't been very hard for Lori to know that Mina had returned to the lab, not with the whispers going around. Mina's presence and reputation proceeded her a distance ahead of her arrival, whether she meant it to do so or not. Not that Lori didn't understand why many feared Mina as they did, the woman didn't take flak from anyone. Lori just had gotten to know Mina enough to respect her drive she had for the Enhanced Human Project. And Lori expected Mina to be in a non-nice mood from dealing with Muruta Azrael. The man was a pain to deal with on a good day as he only heard what he wanted to hear and little else. Lori had her own experience with the man and didn't like him or his personality, but she tolerated him. However, Lori knew that Mina had less tolerance for those like Azrael than Lori did. Mina was the type to curtail attitude before it reached where Azrael's was. And the Alliance soldiers that Lori had heard about likely didn't help Mina's mood. So, Lori shrugged, "It isn't difficult to know when you got back as an air of focus that comes when you're around spread through the lab like wildfire. I also heard that OMNI soldiers came around, forced their way in, and tried to take control. But as they aren't around, I assume you handled them in your own unique way and got the staff back to work?"

Mina scoffed and shook her head at being reminded of the group of fools when she returned. Bruno and his group had just shortened things as Mina had intended to get some to drag the fools to timeout rooms. Her only annoyance was that Bruno and his group had to be pulled from their normal rounds to do the job. Her enforcers did rounds every other hour to keep candidates in line as needed. Normally, seeing them was enough to make the candidates obedient and far less likely to act up. "Dealt with already," Mina commented, "I had Bruno and some of his helpers drag off the leader of the idiots for a timeout room."

Lori had been very tempted to do much the same when some lab staff had come to her telling her about the soldiers. The lab's enforcers would take orders from her as they would from Mina since she was in charge when Mina wasn't around. Lori had clarified to the project's funders that sending some to check up on or direct things wouldn't go well. That included those in the Alliance, but the message hadn't been taken to heart by all. Still, Lori smiled slightly, "I have been tempted to do that myself," she remarked, yet she paused, leaving the implication open, "but, well, you know how it is."

Mina knew Lori was the nice one of them, and it worked out for the better in the end. Mina got things done and ensured those working on things met their deadlines regardless of what it took. On the other hand, Lori was the "human resource" person as it used to be called. She was the one that worked with the people and got them to work together the best they could. Lori also was the face of the project for the funders to interact with, which had been preferred after the first few funders met with Mina. Mina sighed, "You're the nice one here, Lori. I'm not," she finished the unsaid sentence. "It's why I do the lab management, while you do the representing and presenting for us here, while Ryan and Chris maintain daily tasks. It is why the other two labs have similar setups, and it works out very well for all of us working on the project."

What Mina said was indeed the structure the labs used to great effect for the project. Lori knew that from talking with the heads of the two labs. Thus, Lori nodded, "Indeed, that's how it has worked for us since those of us that came up with the project started." Lori paused, "So, how did you attempt to impress the director of the Earth Alliance's National Defense Industry Association goes?"

Mina couldn't help the disgusted expression on her face at the question Lori asked. Azrael had been horrible in ways that brushed her the wrong way, touched on her nerves, that hit her pet peeves. Mina had been close to making Azrael miserable and taking the consequences because he was the Alliance's Defense Industry director. Mina waved a hand in a strong dismissive gesture, "Horrid, and you can have the job back! The outing reminded me why I dislike dealing with those who fund the lab so much," Mina snapped. "You're far better at it than I am, a better people person than I could be anytime in the foreseeable future."

Lori had known Mina wouldn't like Azrael any more than she did and would likely react badly to him. However, Lori hadn't imagined it would be this much of a bad reaction from Mina. She could only guess that something had happened with Azrael and had managed to irk her badly. The odd thing was that Mina was difficult to put off. It normally took a few specific things for Mina to be ticked like this. Lori couldn't help but wonder what Azrael could have done unknowingly to irk her friend. Instead, she chuckled, "That's quite the compliment from you to say I can have the job. I'm left to wonder what Muruta Azrael managed to do to get under your skin. That's no easy feat to do, not that any should try to get under your skin Mina, not with your temper, no offense intended."

Mina knew Lori's niceties would have her offending less than she would. It was one of the reasons she was a friend. She didn't want to discuss what Azrael had done to put her off as it would be a reminder of the point. Thus, Mina let out something between a shutter and a growl, "None taken, Lori. Yes, an apt way of you putting it, Azrael was a foolish idiot that doesn't live in reality if he isn't forced to. But then, that brings me to the subject I wanted to discuss, which I sent the message to you about."

Lori had read over the message Mina had sent and now understood why she had asked what she had. The message stated that Mina wanted Lori to "quietly" look for funders other than the current ones. It had surprised Lori as it had also said Mina was willing to compromise for the point of what the project would keep and what it would let go. It had made Lori extremely curious about what had changed for Mina to consider doing so seriously. Thus, Lori nodded and gestured for Mina to keep going with what she wanted to say. "As I said in the message, this subject is to be kept between us. Not even Ryan or Chris is to know about it until I say so. I was hoping you could start looking into whether the work we do here could be taken to the Human Federation or even ZAFT. The Federation would be the better of the two and the more likely to say yes, but still, even ZAFT would be nicer than those we deal with current from the Alliance."

Lori stared at Mina incredulously, wondering once again what Azrael could have done to get Mina to consider this. Before now, Mina hadn't cared what the funders said or threatened to do against the project. "Muruta Azrael rub you that bad a way, did he," she asked. "Granted, the man is a pain and hard to be around, one of the worst members of Blue Cosmos I've met. However, I would have thought with your famously armored skin, he wouldn't have gotten to you. Out of curiosity, what did he do to get you to dislike him this much?"

Mina frowned angrily at the thoughts of what Azrael did to tick her off so much. He had dared to mock her work, the project she put her life into. Azrael had called her to work questionable and said it wasn't worth the time. True, his tone had changed after the Victoria operation when her girls had proven her work was of value. She cursed those who disparaged her work as they were fools who knew nothing. "The blonde-haired imbecilic seems to think our project was incompetent," Mina paused, "and said something to the effect what has come from the lab is faulty. He apparently had the foolish notion that he was being sold undefeatable soldiers and blamed me for failure without giving me all the factors that played into the problem. His tune only changed when my girls showed they could whip ZAFT. The man twisted words to benefit him, which wasn't very pleasant! Types like him irk me, Lori, only demanding results and not caring about anything else and are quick to show displeasure and disappointment when things don't go as they want them to."

Lori wondered if Azrael would be foolish enough to tell Mina that her project was worthless or defective. It was one of the few things Mina couldn't stand, having her work discounted or even marginalized. So, Lori sighed, "Yes, people like that are definitely difficult to handle," she remarked, "I can attest to that from experience." Lori exhaled heavily, "Very well, I'll see what I can find out and keep it quiet. Is there anything you specifically don't want to give up in exchange?"

Mina was sure that should they take their project outside of the Alliance, it would unlikely be able to stay the way it was now. As much as Mina would prefer things with the project not to change, she had come to the point she was willing to compromise. Staying with the Alliance was becoming riskier by the day. It was becoming a serious hazard to the project, and it outweighed the funds it was getting from those who supported the Alliance. Mina felt that should the Enhanced Human Project remain with its current funders, the chances of it crashing and burning in the future were high. She didn't see the Alliance winning the war unless it got a miracle to happen. Their attack on the Federation had all but doomed them, making them a target of the strongest military force. And while Mina knew the project needed money to keep going, funding wasn't worth risking everything for. Thus, Mina nodded, "I'm aware we will likely have to pay that price to move forward. At this point, I'm willing to compromise even if I prefer that we didn't have to as long as it gets us out from under these idiots that are dragging the world into the deepening chaos. While I don't have issues with chaos in general, the kind of chaos the Alliance is producing is the more dangerous kind, and I think it best to avoid such when possible. That requires that we separate ourselves from them as soon as possible."

Lori didn't disagree with Mina, and she was right about the direction the Alliance was going in. And since their funders were connected to the Alliance, the money was essentially coming from the Alliance. With how the war was going lately, the Alliance had entered a destructive spiral that would only worsen. Any caught in that spiral would suffer serious issues even if they hadn't helped it. Thus, the sooner the Enhanced Human Project could separate itself from the Alliance, the better. The project wouldn't survive if it stayed with the Alliance. That much was clear to both Mina and her.

With the first exercise of the Archangel-class ship Dominion around Ptolemaeus done and sometimes going by, the crew was ready to try again. The ship was out above the Lunar base, waiting to start a different scenario than they had done the last time. The simulation assigned had one ZAFT warship, unknown class, but approaching in 'V' formation in an attack posture. The other difference in this scenario was mobile suits might and would likely be in this one where they hadn't in the previous one. "Sensors are detecting heat sources approaching, distance 500, Orange 14 Mark 233 Alpha," the sensor detection operator called and paused. "It looks like one enemy warship, Nazca-class, with two mobile suits."

Natarle focused on the task at hand, hoping there would be an improvement in the crew's performance from the first exercise. She had tried to encourage those she could, but there was only so much she could do to correct poor performance. "Stand by for anti-ship and anti-mobile suit combat. Starboard ten, lower bow, pitch angle fifteen. Activate Igelstellung, target enemy warships, load missile launchers one through four with Korinthos," Natarle ordered. She noted the sound of scrambling from different stations, which didn't instill confidence in the crew's improvement. "Valiants, fire!" The time between the orders being given and their executions lengthened, only punctured by alarms sounding incoming attacks towards the ship. The pilot managed to tilt the ship to dodge the first wave of beams and missiles, but as the Dominion righted itself, a 'shot' from one of the mobile suits came. The sound of the flat tone signals the Dominion's destruction and the exercise's failure.

Natarle felt the hope she'd had before this exercise fall at seeing that the crew had failed for a second time. She had to admit, it wasn't as bad or as quick as in the first exercise, and the slight improvement showed a bit of potential. But Natarle could honestly say that she couldn't recommend this crew was ready to be sent out to battlefields as they were. Their two performances showed that there was still work for them to do if they were to survive the coming battle. Her second-in-command came out of the CIC, also having a worried expression, "It still seems there is work to be done, captain," he remarked.

Natarle appreciated the honesty of the man that was the Dominion's vice-captain. Her experience with Murrue had taught Natarle, the captain and vice-captain discussing things was actually a good and healthy idea. It built the trust needed on a battlefield to survive and move forward. From the one conversation she'd had before this, Natarle had found man Mark Dole to be of sound reasoning, which she appreciated. The man also had more field experience than most on the ship crew. Thus, Natarle sighed, "Yes, I would agree, Mark." Natarle took a moment to think, "But with a show of improvement between this simulation and the last, then perhaps practice and experience will be all that is needed."

Dole nodded in response as he agreed with the captain that the crew needed time and practice. He had read the file on Natarle Badgiruel and had been somewhat impressed. He'd heard about her father, Captain Badgiruel, and the man had been a legend for his record was impressive for an officer. Natarle's performance with the Archangel was also something else, and Dole respected her for what had been accomplished. The "official" record on the Archangel was not the nicest, but for what it faced, it had done admirably. And while she was being strict on the crew, she was also fair, which not all OMNI officers were. To the crew's fortune, they didn't have standing orders to go to the field, so there was time for them to work on their performance. "Thankfully, we haven't received orders to go out to the field yet," Mark remarked, "so there still is time to get the crew up to a good standard, ma'am."

The Dominion returned to Ptolemaeus base dock after the simulation to assess things and go forward. Natarle was going to return to her quarters and leave, delegating the need for practice station operation to Dole. He was efficient, and the crew was apt to listen to him, which would give her the time to write her report. However, the elevator door slid open, and Admiral Maes and a blonde man in a light blue suit came onto the bridge of the Dominion. All the crew saluted and stood at attention when they saw Admiral Maes, "At ease, everyone," Maes said, then turned to Natarle. "Captain Badgiruel, I would like to introduce you to the director of the National Defense Industry Association of the Alliance, Muruta Azrael."

Natarle studied the man, who looked a couple of years older than herself and could be considered handsome to some. But there was something about this man that didn't seem right to Natarle, but she couldn't place what it could be. She'd never met the man before, only heard his name in passing as one in the leadership of the Alliance. However, she dismissed the feeling as nothing and paid attention to Admiral Maes as he continued speaking. "Along with him, three mobile suits will be coming on board, and he will be here to observe their performance."

She nodded in understanding, wondering about the "three mobile suits" the Admiral mentioned. From what had been said to her after the first simulation, the Dominion would be getting four mobile suits. By what Natarle had read, two out of the four would be the mass-production of the Strike daggers with striker sets. One would be the Dagger variation based on the X103 Buster with a more limited arsenal from the original. The last was to be the "new" variation for Daggers based on the Duel and ZAFT's equipment. Four machines were half the Dominion's capacity and would be reasonable to Natarle. For the General Staff to add three more and have another observing them made her curious and slightly worried.

Azrael, on the other hand, was a tad surprised at seeing the captain of this ship was a woman, and a young one at that. Azrael knew there were female officers in OMNI, but those were rarer. However, by what he'd been told, the captain had experience with the prey they would be hunting, which was important. Her beauty was nice, yet Azrael was more interested in what could come from the hunt of the Archangel. So, before Natarle could say anything, Azrael moved forward, "I never expected the captain of the ship we'd be traveling on to be this young and beautiful," he commented. It wouldn't be exactly shocking if some of the top brass here did things to try to be on his good side. "Should we call it a fringe benefit of some sort, Maes?"

Natarle was taken aback at the man's question as it wasn't the response she had expected. Of course, to be called beautiful was nice, but to think of it as some added benefit for this man was odd and uncomfortable in a few ways. The feeling of something being off returned stronger than before, and it was confusing. Natarle didn't know how to respond to this clear attempt to flatter her from this civilian. Admiral Maes cleared his throat, "Not to worry, Director Azrael, Captain Badgiruel is more than skilled enough for her position. Her family has a long history of military service, and she has shown herself to be of the very same high caliber as those that have come previously from her family."

Natarle was starting to be lost on what was going on as she couldn't connect the dots to explain this. Admiral Maes checking on the ship was one thing; though rear, it wasn't unheard of. But one of the civilian personnel from Alliance leadership coming to see things or travel on a vessel was odd. The mobile suits that came with them added to the unnatural feel of the circumstances. "That may be true, sir, but," Natarle started. "Also, before her posting to this ship, she served as the first officer of the Archangel." Maes went on cutting over her. Then he turned to Natarle, "Captain, I also have your first mission orders, which are to hunt down a rogue ship."

If the captain of this ship had been an officer of the Archangel, it would be helpful for the hunt. Azrael merely hoped the woman could put aside any feelings of loyalty or friendship of any who were on the Archangel. The ship was classified as rouge, so any on it were enemies regardless of whether they had been OMNI before. Even if the crew were captured, they would be court-martialed, dishonorably discharged, and executed at worst. And with the videos of the Archangel were correct from Orb, it had tech they shouldn't, yet another reason for it to be dealt with. "First officer of the Archangel, the predecessor of this vessel, were you," Azrael posed. Natarle nodded slowly in response as Azrael went on, "Well, that would mean that you're familiar with the Archangel ship class then, yes?"

His question was odd for her, especially since leaving JOSH-A since nothing about the Archangel had been mentioned. The top brass had the ship class specs, or they wouldn't have been able to build the Dominion. True, she had real-world experience with what the Archangel-class could do, but her reports were free to read on that subject. It felt more like implications were being made, and Natarle couldn't figure out what they were. "Yes, I suppose you could say that," Natarle replied. "Why do you bring that up, Director?"

"Excellent," Azrael stated, "Then your knowledge will be very helpful in the assignment the Admiral is handing you." While Maes hadn't said the Archangel was the target and the rouge ship they would be handling, it didn't matter. If anything, judging this captain by whether duty or potential friendship took priority would be a bar. Azrael turned and waved at Maes, "I'll give her the details of the mission, you can be on your way to get to other work you have." Maes hesitated for a moment before he left while Azrael faced Natarle again, "To answer your question, the rouge ship the Admiral mentioned happens to be the first Archangel-class which shares the name." Azrael smiled a bit as he continued, "And this ship has been chosen to hunt and sink her."

Natarle felt many things as to what the Director just said she and this ship were expected to do on its first assignment. No information would suggest the Archangel had gone rouge or that it even survived JOSH-A. She was shocked that she had been chosen as she had been on its crew, which normally disqualified an officer from an assignment like this. And with Admiral Maes leaving said she didn't have the choice but to refuse the orders she had been given. It left her to really think about what she was being told to do. To hunt down the Archangel and the crew, she considered perhaps one of the best she'd served with, didn't feel right. It caused a serious internal conflict for Natarle for her military training and upbringing said to follow orders she was given and not question them. Yet, something else told her that these orders weren't right, but she didn't argue the point.

Resupply was started for the Dominion, and Natarle headed to her quarters while that was being done. To take her mind off the conflict she was having with her assignment, and she began looking over the personnel files on the three pilots for the mobile that had been loaded on the ship right now. The three were in their late teens, maybe around Tyler's age or a tad younger or older between them. All three had come from somewhere that their files just listed as "L.L," which meant nothing to her about where it could be referring to. The files had many redacted portions, making Natarle suspicious and curious as to why. Natarle ended out reading the files out loud, "Clotho Buer, enhanced implants stage three, the biological CPU for the X-370. All personal data has been deleted, training data is classified as "absolutely need to know only." Orga Sabnak, enhanced implants stage two, biological CPU for the X-131. No personal data for him either, other data is classified and is unviewable like the first. Then Shani Andras, stage four enhanced implants, is the Biological CPU for X-252. Like the others, no personal data and other information are not viewable. So, why are these three seen and treated not as pilots but as equipment? They're seen as expendable objects rather than people, but why would they be?"

The mobile suits were GAT series generation two prototypes which was another odd thing. The G-Project but the data had been lost, and Natarle doubted the Federation had given their collection of it. So, how did OMNI get the data to use for these three machines? And why were the units being used by teenagers? They weren't Coordinators, so they would unlikely be able to match them? If the pilots of the Archangel hadn't changed, then the Kira would be a hard opponent to take on. It left Natarle again questioning what was going on with OMNI these days, and orders were making less sense than they had been. For pilots like these teens to be brought on the ship with Muruta Azrael didn't make sense. The man was more a politician than a soldier, and they didn't travel on warships often. With the rumors that Natarle had heard, she looked up more information on Azrael, which didn't help her opinion of the man. Not only was he the director of the National Defense Industry Association, but he was also the current leader of the anti-Coordinator organization, Blue Cosmos. Natarle had heard of some of the group's activities and disagreed with what they did. Some of the organizations were terrorists, even if they deny it. Muruta Azrael wasn't outspoken like some of the Blue Cosmos members were, yet he was not quiet.

When Dole reported the resupply and the suits were loaded, Natarle told him she would be on the bridge shortly and to have the ship head out from the dock. Natarle put the files away and began making her way to the Dominion's bridge. There was still the need to track down where the Archangel was as there had been nothing. Natarle had tried to find information on her former ship, but OMNI had little current info. There was a rumor it had appeared in Orb recently, but she couldn't confirm or dismiss if it were the truth. If they had been there, then the question of why the vessel had been there only made more questions. For OMNI to classify the ship as a rouge vessel, Natarle couldn't accept that without much more information. If there was the opportunity, then Natarle wanted to speak to Murrue and hear her side of things.

Upon coming onto the bridge, Natarle found all the crew was at their stations as they should be, another good mark for them. She also saw that Azrael was specifically on the navigation station's bridge. Natarle floated over to where the man was, "Is there something we can do for you, Director," she asked. "It will take us time to track down the location of the Archangel, but we will inform you when we have something to go on."

Azrael saw no reason to hide the fact that he already had good information on where the Archangel was. There was no reason to reveal the source of the info if the question wasn't insisted upon. After all, ZAFT was hunting the ship for whatever reason they had, which Azrael believed had to do with the mobile suits it carried. if that assumption was true, there was all the more reason for the Dominion to get there and capture the machines before them. "Ah, Miss Captain, see you've come back to the bridge, nice to see that," Azrael said. "Just telling the pilots to set course for the L4 colony cluster so we can get down to the business we have."

Natarle blinked at being told Azrael wanted to have the Dominion go to Lagrange 4 as this was the first she'd heard of it. No one had mentioned any hint of the Archangel potentially being around the L4 colony cluster. She couldn't think of a reason for the Archangel being in that area, and there was nothing around the colony cluster anymore. Plus, the cluster was technically owned by the Federation. They didn't patrol the area as much as their other territory, but consequences would follow if the Dominion were found there. And with the rumors of the Federation attacking Orbital Fleets, going into the Federation's territory was extremely unwise. Natarle sighed, "And what makes you think the Archangel is around the L4 colony cluster, Director?"

The woman wasn't a "yes-person," which Azrael respected as it was getting rarer these days. And Azrael didn't see a problem with answering the question, "Your wish for evidence can be considered admirable, Captain Badgiruel." Azrael smiled a bit, "No need to worry. We're not going to the L4 colony cluster on a wild goose chase. I've good information from a trusted source that what we were after will be there."

Natarle paused at the reply, wondering who this source that Azrael could have the information that the Archangel was the L4 colony cluster. Current information about the colony cluster wasn't easy with the Federation owning the territory. And Natarle couldn't see Azrael having a source in the Federation's military. The Federation would want nothing to do with one like Azrael, not when they prosecuted members of Blue Cosmos when they had the chance. And then, it sounded like Director Azrael was after something other than the Natarle's former ship. Hunting the ship was one thing, but nothing had been said about "acquiring" something the Archangel was carrying. There was nothing she could think of that the Archangel had, which OMNI wanted, which they hadn't gotten somehow. Natarle looked back at Azrael, "And if I might ask, where did your source get the information, sir?"

"They come from within the PLANTs. That's all you need to know," Azrael answered.

Natarle gaped at the Director after he said his information was from the PLANTs. Info from one's enemy was just as likely to be false or bait for a trap as it was to be the truth. And for the Director to be in contact with someone in ZAFT, that was concerning and should be to others. If one worked with the enemy, their loyalty was in question, as were their intentions. "But you can't trust information from the PLANTs," Natarle exclaimed. "The odds of it being a trap are high than them not being one. So, how do you justify believing this source of yours? And what is so important in this mission? You make it sound like the Archangel isn't your real target," Natarle questioned.

This woman was certainly not ignorant or lacking intelligence and had earned the captain's position. For her to question sources was expected, but to also figure out the real target wasn't the Archangel was kind of impressive. Azrael clapped a bit, "The Admiral was right about you, Captain Badgiruel. You are quite good and figuring things out with limited information, which is a good quality in an officer. You're correct, seeing the Archangel destroyed isn't what I'm here to do as nice as dealing with a rouge ship is. With that ship are two machines of interest, and they are what I'm here for. The Freedom and the Justice, the codenames of the two machines, are extremely interesting to more than just me." Azrael put a hand to his chin, thinking, "And then, there's good intelligence that three Nazca-class vessels, which are fully loaded and are heading for L4 too." Azrael looked at Natarle, "You tell me, Miss Captain, if the information is true and those ships suggest that it is what is valuable. We can't afford to miss a chance at acquiring those machines. It's the whole reason for this mission. The Archangel is conveniently around that area, meaning it can be dealt with. So, let's get to the point straight, shall we? You may be the captain assigned to command this ship, but people in places higher up look at the overall picture. People like that think things through and give orders, and I'm one of those people. Try to comprehend such things," Azrael stated before he backed up and continued. "Besides, you've been told to do what I tell you or "suggest," right? Make sure you don't forget that, Miss Captain. Thus, back to my question, any idea as to the timeframe until we arrive around the colony cluster at L4?"

"Approximately twelve hours or so, Director Azrael," Natarle answered, "That is the average travel time for a ship from here to L4."

Around the same time, in the area of Lagrange 1, three ZAFT Nazca-class had headed out from the PLANT after the Eternal had been hijacked and fled. From the information that Jachin Due had sent, if the Eternal's course were to go unchanged, they would end up at the Lagrange 4 colony cluster. The lead Nazca was the Vesalius, with Le Creuset leading the group in tracking down the Eternal. Chairman Zala had assigned him to chase after the Eternal and deal with it. Creuset was looking over the tactical display of the area of L4 and was in a conference with the ship captains. "The colony cluster at Lagrange 4 is made up of abandoned O'Neill 3 and Bernal 1 type colonies, all in varying states of operational status by previous scouting mission reports. The colony cluster has been a nest of issues over the years as they can be a haven for trouble makers. And that the Federation has ownership over it makes activity being done around there risky," Creuset iterated to the three ship captains. "From what we know thus far, the FFMH-Y101 Eternal was put under the command of Commander Andrew Waltfeld. The man has a good record and helped an amount during the campaign in the African Community. It is suspected that he was still in command of the vessel when it launched."

There was silence at Creuset, saying Waltfeld was on the ship they were pursuing. The idea was ridiculous since Commander Waltfeld had a good record of service for ZAFT. He was one of those that took and secured the African Community from the Alliance. A man doing that would be one of the last people to betray ZAFT. "Andrew Waltfeld? As in the Desert Tiger, Creuset? I can't see him doing what you suggest with the service he has given ZAFT over the years. Are we sure this isn't just you talking about someone you aren't fond of badly, Creuset," one of the captains posed. "It wouldn't be the first time you have tried to smear another you didn't agree with Creuset."

The other captain nodded, "Yes, compared to you, Waltfeld's service record is cleaner than yours, Creuset. And we need efficient action rather than loose theories with OMNI pushing with mobile suits."

While Ades didn't like to disagree with Commander Creuset on things since that tended to be pointless, in this, he couldn't help but agree with his fellow captains. Ades had met Commander Waltfeld previously and had found the man quite likable. He may be a tad laidback with those under his command, but he got assignments done cleanly. Commander Creuset, on the other hand, had the record of getting things done but creating a mess. According to records, what had happened with Heliopolis was an example of how things tended to go with Creuset. "I've personally met Commander Waltfeld before," Ades added, "I would've never expected this from someone like him."

Creuset knew that Waltfeld had a better reputation than he did, but that wasn't the point. Their orders came from the National Defense Committee, and they ran things more than Admiral Treize did these days. "Whether you expect it of him or not, current evidence given to us from the National Defense Committee has him stealing the ship. And I've heard he's a smooth-talking, cheerful man, so I can understand it's hard to see him doing so. But our orders from the Committee are clear, he's very likely involved, and if he is, then he is to be seen as an enemy," Le Creuset said, bringing the discussion back to the main topic. "We are to capture the Eternal or destroy it if the seizure isn't possible."

Nicol and been listening as the others had to the commander's brief, but his mind was dwelling on other thoughts. Then there were the rumors that Athrun had escaped on the Eternal, which were unconfirmed. Nicol had serious doubts about what was being said about Athrun by others, including some from the Defense Committee. The claim was Athrun was potentially a traitor to the PLANTs as he'd helped enemy agents. Nicol didn't believe that for a second since he knew Athrun wouldn't harm the homeland. And nothing was being said about the questions he'd been asked, which were being used as evidence of him betraying ZAFT. It made Nicol wonder what the "mission" Athrun had been assigned. Things had gone south since then, and Nicol couldn't figure out why that was the case. Nicol wanted to talk with Athrun and hear his side of this story before considering him a potential traitor. More so, as no official charges were being put on Athrun, just implications and no solid evidence of wrongdoing. The tactics discussion continued as Nicol was thinking about their mission and the possibility of encountering Athrun.

After the discussion between the captains and Creuset ended upon the general plan, the masked man turned to the Vesalius's pilots. The pilots consisted of Yzak Joule, Nicol Amalfi, Miguel Aiman, and two other green uniformed young men. The former three were a tad concerning should Athrun be involved rather than the other two. "This mission will be difficult, especially for the three of you. Yzak, Nicol, and you, Miguel, understand that if Athrun is on the Eternal, he is now an enemy. Can you shoot him down?"

All three pilots in question hesitated at what was being asked to be asked if they could take down one who had been a comrade. Nicol, at this point, couldn't shoot Athrun, not after their last two conversations. Something was happening with ZAFT, and whatever was going on was warping the organization to reflect almost the same mentality as those they fought. Miguel was much of the same opinion as Nicol, and there were parts of this that didn't sound right at all. Athrun was not the type of person to betray those who put trust in him, not without seriously good reason. Then, the current Supreme Council Chairman had been accusing many people lately of really odd things if there was any question about his actions. At least, that was what Miguel had been seeing and hearing from others he had spoken to.

Even Yzak Joule, the picture of a dedicated soldier to ZAFT, had doubts about whether Athrun was capable of what was being suggested. Athrun wasn't the kind of person that would turn traitor, a bit of a coward in Yzak's opinion, perhaps with his caution. But Athrun had certainly not shown himself as someone that would turn against the PLANTs. His comrade had shown him that when he had been there after Dearka had gone down and had been a support. And after losing Dearka, the thought of Athrun being a traitor sounded even more ludicrous. Yzak took a deep breath, "I know that I can do what it takes to defend this ship and the PLANTs," Yzak paused, "no matter what it is."

Le Creuset turned to Miguel and Nicol since Creuset was the most concerned about them among the three. Miguel was like Yzak but had a bit of an honor side that Yzak mistakenly called pride. So, he would likely be like Yzak and shoot if the need came, and so, Creuset wasn't all that worried. "Commander, like Yzak, I will do what is needed, but if given the option, I would rather not be forced to shoot him down," Miguel said.

Nicol was the one who had been close to Athrun and on friendly terms, and that was a problem in this. Hesitation would either get one killed or possibly have them change sides which was an issue. With signs that the Federation was mobilizing, the less that switched sides, the better in Creuset's mind. "We all hope that it doesn't come to that, Miguel," Creuset remarked before he focused on Nicol, "and what about you, Nicol? Know that none will think less of you should you admit that you can't pull the trigger. One who can say that they are unable to do something that is a strength to be able to know your limitations."

If things came to the point where Nicol was facing Athrun in battle, then Nicol couldn't shoot him. They were friends, and Nicol still wanted to believe that there was just a misunderstanding. There were just holes in the stories being told that Nicol couldn't figure out what was true and what wasn't. Thus, Nicol exhaled and bowed, "Then commander, I'm sorry to say that I'll be sitting this mission out. I need to take time to come to terms with recent events, so I wish the rest of my comrades the best of luck," Nicol replied, to which Le Creuset nodded to him be dismissed before Nicol left the bridge.

Nicol entered the quarters he had been assigned and closed the door to escape the rest of the crew. Even with his answer to the commander being what he felt, Nicol felt bad about it and was conflicted internally. Athrun was his friend, and no matter what others said he had done until Nicol could talk to him directly, none of the rumors were believable or truthful. Athrun wasn't the type to go against everything he believed in for any reason. There were just too many missing facts to Nicol for treason to be a sensible thing to consider. Nicol turned his thoughts to other things to occupy himself and not think about the problem with Athrun. He called his mother because he hadn't had much time to talk to her around the PLANTs. However, as he was about to call her, a transmission came over every com channel, which baffled Nicol. It was rare for any transmission or broadcast to blare through many if not most com-frequencies. The factions kept to their own radio and broadcast frequencies and didn't interfere with one another other than tap to listen in on the others.

He connected to the transmission and looked at a scene he hadn't seen before. The room appeared to be used for press conferences by most and was filled with people already. As Nicol kept watching, a man took the raised platform and introduced the Prime Minister of the Republic of all people. Nicol had never met the woman who had been one of the longest-standing political leaders within the Human Federation, but he'd certainly heard about her. His father Yuri had met the woman once, and he'd said she was polite and had a very charismatic personality but could also be extremely stubborn sometimes. Public information about Ellen Blass said that she was one of the longest-lasting political leaders of the Federation. She had held her officer overall for seventeen years thus far by her being reelected over and over. Minister Blass had also earned the nickname of the "Dragon of the Republic" for her stubbornness.

Nicol was more curious why a politician that wasn't known for making a speech often would choose now of all time to make a speech if that's what this was. It didn't feel like this was a stunt, making Nicol wonder what was going on even more. "As my press secretary said, thank you for taking the time to come here, and I hope you are glad you tuned in to this," Minister Blass opened. "I invited you all here for an address I will make to the world and those in space, both on the moon and living in colonies. I ask you all to hold your questions until the end of this address, and then I will answer as I can."

Minister Blass kept going with her introduction, saying who she was and what she did. Then she moved on to what the war was doing to the world as a whole. Nicol found himself agreeing with what the woman was saying about the war. It had thrown the world into chaos and was taking lives at an alarming rate. The war had been going on for years when it was "supposed" to have lasted for a year or less, by original estimates. And the war had become far worse lately than it had been earlier. The casualties in the last six months alone had been higher than the previous year, by a frightening margin of more than three times. Minister Blass said rightly that leaders of both ZAFT and the Alliance had made promises to end the war, but none had kept them. "However, I'm not here to justify any of them, nor what they work for," Minister Blass continued, "Their vows ring hollow as none of them have shown they care about those who die in their war, whether soldiers or just those who happened to be around the fighting."

What followed that opening was the most shocking and awe-inspiring thing that Nicol had ever viewed in his life. Minister Blass summarized how the war was being sustained by hatred for the differences between human types. Of how people who wished for peace and to merely live their lives without fear of being killed and their home destroyed or being driven from their lands. The war had come to the point where neutral lands were being forced to pick a side in the conflict. The first effect Nicol could see happening even though it wasn't supposed to be, Panama was a good example of the point. The last point was more apparent as it was more open in recent months than previously. It wouldn't be surprising if the Alliance tried to get the Federation members to join their cause. According to ZAFT intelligence, the Alliance had been attempting to do such for years. It was just due to treaties, and they couldn't do such activities openly, from what Nicol understood. Yet, from what recon had stated, the Alliance had at least attacked Orb and likely other Federation member nations by this point. That, in turn, brought the Federation into an active role in the war, which shifted the balance of power against both ZAFT and the Alliance.

Nicol continued to watch as Minister Blass picked up a paper and showed it to the crowd and cameras. "Should any wish for an example of what I speak of, in my hand is a page of what the Republic received before the nation came under attack by the Alliance's OMNI forces. In the days that have gone by since then, other member nations of the Federation have received similar a form of communication before being assaulted by the military forces of the Alliance." Ellen paused, putting the page down, "Make no mistake of this, each occurrence came because none of the nations agreed to the demands from the Alliance to join them in their battle against ZAFT and the PLANTs. They will claim otherwise, but they were the ones who pushed the war in this direction. In the words of the senders, "The Federation's actions are unacceptable. As a result, the governing body of the Earth Alliance, by unanimous vote, has denounced the organization as an official faction," those are their own words." Ellen paused for a moment, "I state for the record that international law taken from the UN Charter makes it clear that no one faction or members thereof have the power to denounce, dissolve, or disband another group or faction. The Alliance also recognized the Federation as an independent faction in their Alaska Treaty, even if they forget or don't admit it, such is written in the document. Thus, the Alliance is claiming power they do not have and using it to do what they have no right to do."

Nicol knew the Alliance had a history of making "poor" or "foolish" choices/decisions on policy and other things. Such seemed to have worsened over the passing years of the war, which drowned out any "good" decisions they made. For them to attack the Federation was a boldly stupid move, and he didn't doubt they were facing the consequences for the point. The attacks only slightly overshadowed the Alliance attempting to "officially" dissolve the Federation as a faction. However, Minister Blass kept going, "Then, the senders' demands were akin to the terms of surrender, and that is being kind with the wording. The given alternative was to be considered an enemy of them and treated as such." Some reporters gasped, and others muttered at hearing what the Earth Alliance had done and some denials of the claim. "That's what kind of actions have become commonplace because of this war. None of which has done anything of value or good for any part of the human race despite some claiming it is the means to end the war. It only has and will take away, destroy, and ruin the places we call home, and that one holds dear. And if no serious changes are attempted, more and more will be taken from humanity. This war has already stolen many people's lives before their time, and more will follow if humanity accepts this war as it is becoming."

It was nigh impossible for Nicol to tear his attention away from this broadcast, so awing was the speech so far. The loss of Panama's mass driver was destroyed due to the deployment of the "Gungnirs" and the EMP they made. Nicol himself hadn't been fond of that battle, and it had felt almost like ZAFT forces were massacring people after the mass driver was destroyed. So, after losing the one mass driver they controlled, the Alliance needed to acquire the use of another mass driver or surrender. That much Nicol understood, and that had led to the attack on the Victoria base. The loss of good men and women with the fall of Victoria to the Alliance had been terrible. And yet, the greed of the Alliance had them try to take the Federation's nations for their mass drivers. If the Federation hadn't taken the actions as a declaration of war against them yet, Nicol didn't see it taking long for that to come to pass. And if the Federation's military had mobile suits as an amount suspected, the Alliance would be in more trouble.

Minister Blass continued speaking about the pain that the war had caused many directly involved and the bystanders. Her call to those who had lost someone or multiple people to the war struck at the heart. Nicol had to admit the Republic's leader had a real gift for speaking and captivating an audience. He was beginning to see some possible reasons why the Republic's citizens elected the woman over and over. She cared about the people she served and beyond. Nicol kind of wishes more of the PLANTs Supreme Council members would display such things. He knew his father cared about the PLANTs' citizens, so he worked hard for their protection. The wish made how the Council was conducting himself all the harder to watch. And Nicol was beyond surprised at hearing Minister Blass had lost loved ones because of the war. Understanding that the person his father and others considered immovable and stubborn had suffered loss as many people had was different. The woman kept going saying that there was a need to stand up and refuse to keep accepting things as they were. And hearing about the need to stand up and not accept things as they are, struck a chord in Nicol.

Minister Blass's insistence to rise against those who shouted the war was necessary to keep Nicol spellbound. He agreed that the first step to ending the war was to stand against those that used and pushed the war for their own interests. Nicol could only imagine the money weapon contractors made from this war, so they wouldn't want the conflict to end. However, should the war not end, the loss of life would catch up and end with extinction. And yet, before Nicol could sort out his thoughts, Minister dropped a provable bomb, "Today, all will know the truth of what happened at that PLANT type colony, Junius Seven, and I will ensure that. The Bloody Valentine Incident is an event that all know by now, but parts of the account of what happened there and the results are lies that have been spread since its occurrence. Both people within the Alliance and its military, along with the PLANTs and ZAFT, have tried to hide truths about the colony for a different reason, but all of that ends today!" Nicol's mouth hung open at hearing the last line as it caused more than just a pause.

Historical accounts were clear enough to say what happened in general but didn't give much detail. Part of Nicol screamed defiance to even thought history got it wrong. However, Nicol was questioning what he thought he knew of the Bloody Valentine now. The general facts were a "rogue group" shot a nuclear missile at the colony. It had given a clear view of how dangerous nuclear weapons could be with the innocent lives they took. The Bloody Valentine led to the development of the N-Jammer, which effectively ended the use of nuclear technology. As far as Nicol knew, Junius Seven had been an agricultural colony and had a college of some sort. Minister Blass said the colony population was composed of both Naturals and Coordinators, which wasn't in the public records. She then reasoned that such was the case because "some" didn't want the truth to be known by the public for various reasons.

What Minister Blass detailed made Nicol wonder about many things he thought he knew about Junius Seven and previous expectations. To hear the colony had been a testing ground for the coexistence of Naturals and Coordinators was surprising. Nicol had heard rumors such had been attempted, but little success had come from what had been tried. Nevertheless, should what Minister Blass said be true, the idea would have been a notable success. And the fact she provided of the Earth Sphere's last leader before the Alliance seeing the idea and been encouraged gave credence to the Minister. Nicol had read about Milliardo Peacecraft, history remembered him as an advocate of peace and a beloved leader. The fact that the Federation was investigating the Bloody Valentine was definitely notable news to Nicol. It implied there was more to the event than the public ever knew about. It could also explain some "odd" disappearances that had occurred over the years of the war.

"All the tragedies from the Bloody Valentine to the battles that have happened in this war, none of it is the fault of the soldiers or pilots that fight in them." As Minister Blass continued, Nicol's attention was drawn back at the mention of soldiers. "They follow orders, some willingly, others unwillingly doing what they are told. Most of them are protecting their homes and what they hold dear to themselves, which should be praised. It is honorable to stand up and protect what they love and is a great service. Thus, we shouldn't hold soldiers responsible as they fight to defend such and don't in their heart don't want to kill."

It was nice for someone to say the soldiers that fought in the war weren't to blame for the bloodshed. For whoever they were to be blamed instead of the soldiers was different than most who cursed the war that Nicol had heard about. Most cursed the soldiers and those who fought in the war, so the change was appreciated. Nicol had heard and had his fair share of blame sent his way for lives lost in this war even though he ignored the wrongful blame. Nicol knew that most soldiers in ZAFT didn't kill because they wanted to, but more to defend the homeland and themselves. That didn't mean ZAFT hadn't done things that were regrettable for the death and destruction it caused. Admiral Treize ever admitted that the actions of ZAFT forces, while seen as necessary, were messy and that for those lost in them, he apologized for the losses. Nicol hoped that maybe some would understand most of those fighting in the war didn't fight to hurt others but to defend what they held dear.

Minister Blass kept going, "The ones who are at fault for this war and what it has brought to us all can be identified, regardless of whether they take responsibility for their actions. There is a phrase that most will have heard at least once by now, but I will change it slightly to promote understanding. The ones who ushered in this war and kept it going are humankind's true enemy." The phrase "humankind's true enemy" caught and held Nicol's attention since it was clearly based on the phrase Blue Cosmos used as their rallying cry. The reference alone could apply to many depending on how one interpreted the label. Yet, before Nicol could consider further, Minister Blass continued, "First, I will define those who would be considered "humankind's true enemy." They are those who use their hatred of others as the sole reason for attacking and killing people, innocent or otherwise. They are those who insist that war is the only way to settle standing disagreements and more. Doing so while adamantly claiming there is no other solution no matter the evidence provided to the contrary. They are those who use war cries for blood to be spilled and see them as rallying calls for others to join them and justify their terrible and unforgivable acts. They are those who are more intent on pursuing their vendettas and fulfilling them than seeking peace for all people. Those who see nothing wrong with using and abusing people knowingly and unknowingly toss them away after they fail or don't provide use or purpose for those that control them. They are those who promote this war and say it will only end when a whole part of humanity, whether it be Coordinator, Natural, Hybrid, or any other form of human being, is completely exterminated! Any who do one or more of the points I mentioned are humankind's true enemy and are as demons dressed in human skin."

Nicol didn't have proper words even to come close to arguing with the definition laid out by Minister Blass. The definition of "Humankind's True Enemy" was so simple that any could understand it. And yet, with how it was put, names didn't matter, making snaking out of being labeled much harder, if not impossible. Each of the five points covered a different reason one could have for wanting the war to continue. And Nicol could think of a few that could fall under one or more of the points before now. The sad thing was there were more than Nicol could think of with recent events. Minister Blass had done something few, if any, could have before now labeled those hidden from the forefront. But the surprises weren't done, "They are the same as the most villainous individuals in our history, the same as Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, or Musade Muhlan, who used war to kill all they could." Minister Blass banged a hand on her podium, "And those who are humankind's true enemy will be remembered exactly as those horrible individuals! They are the same as them, not human beings, but creatures that are less than any type of human is."

Minister Blass began asking questions from the reporters there, but Nicol was lost in thought and didn't pay attention to the broadcast. For "Humankind's true enemy" to be compared to historical villains was a huge smear that few could outdo. Personally, Nicol applauded the speech as it was epic and had a lot of points that had a great deal of merit. However, what Nicol had heard in the speech also made his doubts which had been growing, become stronger. The war had changed from what it had started, as it was clear to him now.

A/n

And I'll leave off there until the next phase. Now, this phase is an expansion of two sections in the original phase 22 or 23 which some readers may have noticed. However, I felt the need of there being an upate on Natarle as she had been absent since JOSH-A. Remember, the women was separate from the Archangel just before Spitbreak started. And Natarle has only heard the rumors and gossip of what happened with Spitbreak, and those didn't have the truth within them. She is only hearing what the Alliance is telling OMNI about what is going on around Earth. And as you readers may guess, the Alliance wasn't saying anything about their fights with the Federation. In fact, all they were telling Ptolemaeus was Panama had been lost and their operation to take back Victoria was being accelerated. With that in mind, OMNI's unease with losing their Orbital Fleets is understandable as they didn't know their earthbound forces had gone and declared war on the Federation. Next we do get a small bit of background on Natarle and her father, may do more later, we'll see. I also wanted to show Halberton wasn't the only reasonable leading officer OMNI had, Maes is another one. Then I wanted to show that Natarle is learning being a captain isn't just about following military discipline. Tyler did teach her that to an extent, even when she doesn't want to admit that.

We then have the aftermath of the Alliance's taking Victoria and Azrael's trip to space. Azrael isn't happy with how the battle with Orb ended, which is different than canon. And seeing Ellen's speech doesn't help Azrael's mood. He hates those like Ellen as they have influence that he would love to abuse and yet they don't do what he says they should. I also put in his thoughts as they are different and are what those in power within the Alliance feel. Then we move to the scene at Lodonia with Mina Moss. For those that didn't read the original, I assue you, Mina is cold as she appears and cares only for her work at this time. The system that she established at Lodonia is a testament of her focus and unwillingness to accept pushback. Her use of fear to control the candidates is conditioned which is why they will listen to her over any other. I also added details of the other two "facilities" like Lodonia in this phase as they will come up later.

Finally, I want to move ont to the last section with Creuset and his group. For those that have watched the anime, you should know by now that Creuset is a rat that is enemy to all and friend to none. So his assignment to pursue the Eternal isn't what it seems, but more of an explanation on that will come later. The point I would like to focus on is Nicol's reactions to the mission and the expectations of it. Nicol is having doubts about ZAFT's direction if it isn't obvious by this point much as Athrun was. Seeing Ellen's speech only made those doubts stronger but also showed there could be another option to Nicol. He wants to hear Athrun's side of things and he would be open to new information. That will come later, as I don't doubt some will appreciate.

That's all for this Phase for the end wrap-up. As always, some of you take the time to write a review and tell me what you thing or ask a question. I read every review written and take the comments to heart. Hopefully school and work won't delay me again, but no promises on that. Then next Phase is titled: "Preparations" and should be would in less than two weeks. Peace out till then!