Alkire waited impatiently at the base of the stairs of the jet. He tapped his foot in agitation as he watched Dearka and Miriallia slowly make their way back down the street toward him. Alkire glanced at his watch again. The kids still had a good thirty minutes until they had to be back by the agreed time, but matters had changed slightly. The authorities had been faster to respond than expected, and right now a military escorted relief convoy was rolling down this very highway towards the city. Their ETA was approximately ten minutes away. Alkire wanted to be long gone by then, having no interest in having a discussion with any military people. Plus, it'd be nearly impossible to take off with vehicles all over the road.

"Don't mean to be rude, kids…" Alkire muttered under his breath. "… but GET A FUCKING MOVE ON!" he shouted. Dearka and Miriallia jumped. "Bus is leaving in one minute. If you aren't on board before then, you can ride the goddamn wings. Or walk." Alkire informed them. Miriallia and Dearka sprinted the remaining distance, arriving in less than forty seconds.

"Geez, what's the deal? We have plenty of time before we have to be back…" Dearka commented under his breath, just loud enough for Alkire to hear.

"Correction. You HAD plenty of time, though you ARE the last group in. But that was before we received news that this place is going to be knee deep in soldiers in approximately five minutes. Unless you'd rather stay here while Cagalli, Athrun and us TEMPEST people undergo some very stressful negotiations with the authorities, get the heck on board, sit down, strap in, and don't make sarcastic comments." Alkire hissed. Dearka hurried on board, practically carrying Miriallia up the stairs after him. Alkire took the stairs three at a time behind them and hit the door switch while still climbing. As the stairs slowly retracted into the door, Alkire hustled his way up to the cockpit and sat down. Vladimir nodded at him from the copilot's chair, having just finished completing the pre flight checklist.

"We good to go?" Alkire asked, taking a few extra seconds to do a brief pre flight of his own.

"Of course. Kids are all strapped in and already in a heated debate. ETA on that convoy is any time in the near immediate to sooner, so we should get going, I think. I don't want to have to pull off a combat take off." Vladimir replied.

"Alright, alright, alright. We'll get going. But only cause you insist." Alkire flipped back, setting switchs, pushing buttons and strapping himself in with the other hand. He hit the intercom button as he settled on hand on the yoke. "This is your captain speaking… I'd like to welcome you once again to Majesty airlines. We'll be taking off shortly, but the ride might get a little bumpy, because of the military convoy bearing down upon us as I speak. Please hang on and pray for dear life. Thank you." Alkire hit the intercom off button.

"Are you ever serious?"

"That was serious." Alkire said, pointing at the near distance, where the first tanks and half tracks filled with relief workers had appeared. Vlad narrowed his eyes and calculated distances.

"I make the runway at 5500 feet long. And shortening at roughly eighty kph. How long is the minimum runway for this jet again?"

"Because of your modifications… roughly 1800 feet, give or take fifty feet."

"We should get moving then. Right now."

"Aye aye, commandant. Taking off." Alkire said, putting the jet into a taxi, gradually increasing the throttles until the jet was barreling along at nearly 180 kph. The jet needed to be going at least 250 kph before it could take off.

"Main battle tank… I mean, end of runway approx. five hundred feet from our current position. Any day now would be nice, sir."

"Shut up and let the pilot drive, damn it. This is going to be a near thing."

"Wonderful. I always have wondered, just what the other guys are thinking in a situation like this? What is going through the minds of the people in that tank?"

"I don't know. I know what's going through mine though."

"What's that?"

"Ohshitohshitohshitohshit!"

"That's not very reassuring." Vlad said as Alkire gritted his teeth and yanked the yoke backwards, seeming to pull the plane's nose up by sheer brute strength. The retracting landing gear barely grazed the top of the tank turret as they roared by, taking off the open hatch and radio antenna cleanly and imparting a slight wobble to the jet that Alkire quickly corrected.

"We made it?" Alkire said hesitantly.

"You mean you weren't sure we were going to?"

"Are you kidding? I thought we were all about to die. We were at the 2300 foot mark and our airspeed is still only 232 kph. The instruments are telling me we should be dead now." Alkire said, wiping his brow clean of sweat. Vladimir audibly gulped.

"I think I need to visit the restroom."

"Yeah… don't take too long. I need a bathroom break too." Alkire said, still shaky. Vladimir half stumbled his way out of the cockpit into the passenger cabin. He made his way quickly to the restroom and splashed some cold water on his face after relieving his nervous bladder. There came a knock on the door and Vlad jumped slightly, before opening the door and getting out.

"My, Vlad, is something wrong? You look even paler than usual." James commented. Vlad steadied himself against the wall. "Stomach not agree with you?" James asked innocently. "The takeoff wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. Alkire usually only does his little airline captain act when things are going to get really rough, but that was smooth as silk, except for that tiny bit of turbulence at the end there."

Vlad stared at his friend intently. "Next time, you can help copilot then. My nerves are shot."

"What? Why?"

"That little bit of turbulence, there at the end… you know what that was?"

"No… do I want to?"

"It was the landing gear taking the cupola and radio antenna off the turret of a main battle tank." Vlad said, his voice cracking slightly. James looked at him like he was crazy.

"You mean the stuff that's right on top of the turret? I mean, like right on top of the turret."

"Yeah." Vlad said, nodding his head as well.

"As in, if the tank commander had been sticking his head out for a look around, he'd be headless now."

"Yes."

"Holy shit. Mind if I grab a piece of that wall?" James said, sagging against it next to Vlad. Both men leaned there for a long moment before Vlad managed a sickly grin.

"Even Alkire thought we were doomed. I need to get back to relieve him so he can take a break of his own."

"Right… the plane's okay though, right? I mean, a wing isn't going to break off suddenly or something? Just to be sure."

"The jet's fine. Might've blown a tire on the landing gear, but that's the worst of it." Vladimir assured the larger man before heading back to the cockpit. Alkire gladly handed the controls over to him and headed out for his own restroom break. After finishing up, Alkire called Vlad on the intercom and asked if the Russian could take the controls for a while, while Alkire had a talk with the passengers. Vlad agreed, having calmed down back to his usual self now that they were safely in the air. "What course should I set?" Vlad asked.

"Hmm… good question. We've got tons of fuel, so just put us in a wide holding pattern for now. I'll go ask the kids and see if they've made up their minds on what they want to do next. If they haven't got anything in mind, just take us back to the airstrip near the bunker." Alkire replied.

"Roger that. I'll put us in a holding pattern for the next fifteen minutes, and then head for home if no further instructions are given."

Alkire made his way to the passenger cabin and plopped down into a chair next to Raine. Cagalli, Athrun, Kira, Lacus, Ysak, Dearka, Miriallia, Chanel and Katie were embroiled in a debate, just like Vlad had said. It sounded to Alkire like it wasn't so much an argument as it was all the various people coming up with slightly different variations on the same idea and were now rehashing them out into a form that everyone understood. "So what's the score so far?" Alkire asked Raine, nodding his head at the kids.

"Orb's ahead by quite a few points. I think they're looking forward to a home game."

"And the strategy?"

"Break Kisaka out of jail, find out where he stashed the mobile suits, recover the same, and kick Blue Cosmos's ass back into the stone age."

"Simple… I like it. So what are they discussing now?"

"Logistics. Like how Cagalli and Athrun are going to get into the country without joining Kisaka in jail. Or how to find out which jail he's in. And what to do with their machines once they get them." Raine told him.

"Perfect. I can answer every one of those questions." Alkire said. He stood up again and moved over to the knot of kids. "Hey… so you guys want to go to Orb next, right?" he asked.

Lacus nodded and Cagalli stood up. "Yes, as soon as possible, please. I hate to ask you to ferry us around like this, but theres no one else we can ask."

"It's no trouble. We've all got the same goal in mind here. Besides, there's only so much lying low I can stand before I start doing crazy stuff. I'm a man of action." Alkire replied. He tapped the wall intercom. "Set in a course for Orb, Vlad. Circle around to enter the commercial flight lanes and then work on coming up with a plausible flight plan to tell Orb."

"Da, Major. It will be done." Vlad answered. Alkire turned back to Cagalli and the others.

"Now, as for some of your other problems, I believe I have the answers. I've a lot of experience doing things like this and my jet has some of the things we'll need in the cargo area. It won't be very comfortable, but I have a foolproof way of getting everyone into Orb without anyone being recognized. Once we're in Orb, Vlad and I have a few contacts we can look up to find out where Kisaka is. And I even know the perfect place to move your mobile suits to once you find them. Sound good?" Alkire said, pounding a fist into one hand in excitement as he got down to planning and preparing.

-------------------------------------------------------

"We've arrived, sir." The Lieutenant said politely, opening the door to the helicopter so Sai could leave. Sai staggered out of his seat and stood shakily on the helipad at his fiancée's island estate. During the flight back the true horror of what he had experienced had hit him and he'd been trembling and groggy ever since. He could have very easily have died, burned to a bloody skeleton in an instant if those missiles had landed in another place. He'd never have known what hit him. They might never have even found his remains, depending on how close to the blast he had been. He would have just left for work one day and never come back.

"T-thanks." Sai said. He gathered himself up again, fighting against the shock. "I mean it, thanks, Lieutenant. Thanks for bringing me home safely."

"No problem, sir. It's our duty. Your wife will be here shortly, so I will bid you good day." The Lieutenant said, waving a signal to the pilot of the helicopter, who promptly lifted off and buzzed away. The Lieutenant's men, who had disembarked while Sai was thanking the Lieutenant, picked up their bags and weapons and slipped off into the underbrush, disappearing within seconds. Sai idly wondered just where their oberservation posts were. He'd certainly never noticed anything approximating a blind in any of his explorations of the small island.

"You sure you don't want come in for a drink or something?" Sai said, turning back to the Lieutenant, who was no longer there. Somehow he'd managed to disappear while Sai was watching his men. Sai shivered, and not from the shock. That man was something else. He didn't seem entirely human. Sai recalled how the Lieutenant had calmly shot dead a civilian who had tried to stop the jeep that had carried him out of the city. The Lieutenant had issued no warnings and gave no threats; he simply brought his rifle up and blew a hole in the injured man's neck without batting an eye. Of course, that inhumanness did make Sai feel a little better about his and Vanai's safety. Sai didn't want to be the terrorist or burglar that had to deal with the Lieutenant and his unit.

"Or not." Sai mumbled, picking up his briefcase and straightening his suit as much as possible, since it had become rumpled in the helicopter backdraft. He started making his way off the helipad to the path that would lead back to the house. He was sure Vanai would be most upset and that he would need to spend considerable time calming her down and reassuring her that he was just fine. Sai smiled sourly. Hell, compared to some of the stuff that happened to me on the Archangel, today was nothing more than mildly exciting. I just hope this time the war goes right and we won't have to see another repeat of the entire Archangel fiasco. I guess I'll just trust in my future father in law. Mr. Zunnichi seems like an upright and serious man. I'm sure he will do everything in his power to bring the war to a quick and hopefully final end.

------------------------------------------

"Ah, Cervantes, it has been too long, my friend." The Atlantic Federation President said warmly as the distinguished head of Cosmos Weapon Manufacturers entered his private study in the White House.

"It always is, Mr. President." Cervantes allowed. Whenever I leave you to your own devices, you always manage to screw up, so I guess I'll be spending a lot more of my precious time with you, you insect. Cervantes took the proffered armchair but declined a drink and the offered cigar. The brandy and cigars he had at home were much better than the politicalized trash the President always offered. "I have of course heard about Pearl Harbor. You and the entire nation have my strongest condolences."

"Thank you, Cervantes. You do your generous reputation credit." The President replied, taking a big swig of his own drink, which smelled a lot stronger than the brandy he had offered Cervantes. Cervantes observed the President's hand shake slightly. The man was a nervous wreck, though he was doing his best to hide it. Cervantes hid his displeasure behind a cheery smile. The man was a coward. He lacked the guts to do anything but what he was told to do by his much more intelligent and savvy advisors. Of course, that trait was also what made him so useful to Cervantes and Blue Cosmos.

"So what are you going to do, Mr. President? How will you respond to this unprovoked nuclear attack upon the Earth's pure soil?" Cervantes asked boldly. The president looked shocked and fumbled for an answer.

"Well… well, I can't… I mean… it's confidential. As respected a man as you are, Mr. Zunnichi, and despite all that you and the much lamented Azrael have done for me in the past, I can't just tell you military secrets." The president said, trying to sound firm. Cervantes twitched his mouth slightly in a smile like that a cat gives a mouse. So the president was trying to grow a spine, was he?

"Mr. President, you well know that the military has no secrets from me. I carry as high a security clearance as you do." Cervantes said. Higher, actually. "Given that my corporation is the primary manufacturer of mobile suits and advanced warfare technologies used by the Earth Alliance, my question was not merely out of personal interest. If my company is to provide for you the material you will need to fight a war, we will need to know what the projected plans are, so we can adjust manufacturing to keep up with the inevitable demand."

"I-I know. I was going to send you an edited copy of the situation report as soon as I was finished hashing it out with the Joint Chiefs."

"Edited? Why would you need to hide anything from your strongest financial backer and moral supporter?"

"I-I don't. But… you know the laws. You're a civilian. I can't just keep you in the loop like you were a General or Admiral. It's illegal."

"Mr. President, perhaps you don't understand the seriousness of the situation. The world is at war. And this time it's no back yard brawl. This is a full, strategic nuclear war we're poised at the brink of. Niceties like confidentiality clauses are only going to cause problems that could lead to tragedies." Cervantes said smoothly but harshly. The president blinked, unused to being spoken down to. "Look, Mr. President, I'll make this clear for you. In time of war, you have emergency powers automatically granted to you. You can just make an executive order to allow me access to the plans."

"But the Joint Chiefs…"

"The Joint Chiefs will go along with the order, especially if they want to see another mobile suit enter their inventories again."

"Are… are you trying to blackmail the Joint Chiefs with my help?"

"No, sir, you are overreacting. I'm merely saying that I can't commit my corporation's resources to a war I'm not sure will be fought properly. Sure, you could seize my holdings, but that would require an executive order as well… and if you were to write one of those, you might as well just keep me on your side."

"You're being very pushy, Cervantes. This isn't like you. You were always so polite before."

Only because it was required of me by Azrael, because he didn't want to bruise your precious ego so you would let him do what he wanted, you worm. "It's the attack on Pearl Harbor, sir. My soon to be son in law was in the city at the time of the attack. He's all right, but he could have easily have been killed. I'm a bit out of sorts." Cervantes said, telling a little bit of truth.

"You have my sympathies. And my congratulations. I didn't know Vanai was getting married. Isn't she a bit… young, though?"

"Not at all, Mr. President. Besides, who am I to stand in the way of true love?" Cervantes said with a wide grin. "I have your wedding invitation in my coat pocket. I was going to give it to you after we finished talking business, but I suppose now is as good a time as any." Cervantes said, fishing the finely crafted card out of his pocket and handing it over. The president glanced at it and nodded.

"My wife and I would be honored to attend."

"Of course, there might not even be a wedding, Mr. President."

"What?"

"Not if the PLANTS turn the Earth into a smoking, irradiated wasteland with their nuclear missiles. It'll be awfully hard to prevent them from doing so without new machines and technologies being researched by some companies I know of…"

"All right, all right, you've made your point, Cervantes. If the EA is to survive this war, we'll need your new weapons. I get it, I get it. I'll send you a full copy of the war plans as soon as they are decided upon. Though I will inform the Joint Chiefs of the action as well." The President said ill temperedly.

"Thank you, Mr. President." That wasn't so hard, was it, you big baby? "I'm sure that with the courage of the EA military combined with our new line of mobile armors and mobile suits, we will emerge victorious this time." Assuming you don't botch it again. Cervantes replied.

"Yes, quite. Before you go though, Cervantes, I've a favor to ask of you." The President said, looking forward to paying Cervantes back for his unpleasant tone earlier.

"Yes, Mr. President? I am at your service."

"I need you to go to Orb." The President said, leaning back in his chair and taking another drink.

"To speak at the political conference being held there? You want me to go to a conference with the representatives of Orb?" Cervantes said with feigned distaste. Here it comes. I'm glad I planted this little seed a while back, in case it was ever needed.

"Yes. They're struggling to elect a new leader, after that young girl was discredited. Too bad about her, she seemed like a nice enough person when I met her."

"She was sleeping with a Coordinator, Mr. President. And now the Coordinators have launched a sneak attack against us with Nuclear weapons. Doesn't that make you a little suspicious?"

"Of course it does. That's why I'm sending an occupation fleet after you."

"Oh?" You mean you finally received that plan from the Joint Chiefs? I planted it with them long enough ago.

"Yes, it's quite the devious plan. Something I would expect more from you or the late Azrael than the Joint Chiefs." The President said.

"What's the plan?" Cervantes asked, pretending to be interested. You'd think he'd figure it out. If a plan sounds like one of Azrael's or mine, it is probably Azrael's or mine, not the military's.

"The sent representative… you… will engage the people of Orb's trust. Then, when the fleet arrives, they will be welcomed with open arms as liberators, rather than opposed like that ill fated incident during the last war." The President said smugly.

"How am I supposed to engage their trust, sir?" Cervantes asked.

"I have a speech written."

It's a pretty good one too. Full of fiery rhetoric and peaceable mush that'd make even old Nara Attha believe I had the best of intentions for his country. It took me nearly four days closeted with my best speech writers and political advisors to write the damn thing. "So I give this speech and do the political thing. What do I get out of it?" Cervantes asked. It was so gratifying, following the script he had written out for this entire scenario, even though the President had no idea. The President stood up and went over to the window, facing away from Cervantes. Neither man said anything for several minutes. Cervantes refused to be baited by the waiting game.

"You're the head of Blue Cosmos…" the President said softly.

"And? Is Blue Cosmos not a legitimate environmental concern?" Cervantes replied.

"Come now, Cervantes. Even if we aren't and have never been friends, we don't need that level of play acting between us. Blue Cosmos is a terrorist organization."

"And? I don't recall Blue Cosmos doing anything to wrong your administration." Cervantes said. "Directly." He added as a caution. The President half turned.

"That's true. That's why I've never done anything to destroy or condemn its activities, despite immense political pressure." The President replied. That and the huge sums they gave to my campaign fund. Both men thought as one. They looked at each other and realized they were thinking along similar lines.

"The long and short of it is… if you do this for me, I won't harass Blue Cosmos in the future. No matter what, short of treason or the like." The President said quietly.

"You're giving Blue Cosmos free reign? You won't interfere in our agenda? Even indirectly, such as veteoing plans created by those members of the military that are part of my organization?"

"… Yes. I'll give you free reign to bring about your Blue and Pure world. Your world without Coordinators. I will not interfere in Blue Cosmos organization politics, and I will not harass your soldiers. Mind you, this is not total free reign. EA soldiers still owe their loyalty to the EA first and foremost. But now, if they so choose, their second highest loyalty may be Blue Cosmos." The President confirmed.

"I'll do it. But I want it in writing."

"Done. I have a flight booked for you…"

"My jet is already waiting for me."

"But… wait… how?"

"No buts, Mr. President. We have a deal. I'll pave the way for the annexation of Orb and you'll let me deal with the Coordinators as they should be dealt with. I'll talk to you again. Thank you and good day." Cervantes said, bowing slightly and walking out with a victorious grin on his face. He heard the President swear as the door shut and grinned even wider.