PHASE ELEVEN: The Battle of Orb
C.E 79 Location Unknown (Present Day) (Renegade Crew)
"The Archangel-class ship, Archangel, is a strong ship that has survived both wars since its first launch seven years ago. The launch of the Minerva-class ship, Minerva, during the second war, was actually due to the fact that it is a ship that has been designed purely to withstand and defeat strong ships like the Archangel-class ship. But that ship was defeated by the Archangel during the Battle of Messiah five years ago, hence the development and launch of this ship, the second-generation Minerva-class ship, Renegade. We have reason to believe that the Captain of the Archangel is the same as the one who had taken control of the ship seven years ago: Captain Murrue Ramius. She was joined by late Captain Natarle Badgiruel and an ace mobile armour pilot, Commander Mu La Flaga.
"Among those known to have joined the Archangel seven years ago were engineering students from Heliopolis, and an astounding pilot of the Strike Gundam named Kira Yamato who has been reported as KIA after being defeated by the Aegis Gundam during the first war, piloted by ZAFT elite pilot Athrun Zala who is now an Admiral in Orb and who also fought with the Archangel during the last war. The Archangel has also worked hand-in-hand twice with Lacus Clyne and her ship, the Eternal. The Freedom Gundam is also closely associated with the Archangel, but the identity of the pilot is yet unknown to us.
"We have obtained highly-classified information from ZAFT that two Nazca-class ships joined the Archangel in the rescue of Lacus Clyne during her attempted assassination, named the Voltaire and the Aurora. Known pilots for both ships are General Yzak Joule, Captain Dearka Elsman, Lieutenant Shiho Hahnenfuss, Commander Kira Yamato, elite pilot of the Impulse Gundam and Destiny Gundam, Shinn Asuka, Impulse Gundam pilot, Lunamaria Hawke, and an elite pilot named Sierra Chaes. We have high reason to believe that Commander Kira Yamato and the Kira Yamato reported to be KIA during the first war is, in fact, the very same person, and most likely the pilot of the Freedom."
The screen in front of them changed, and an image of a brown-haired Coordinator with deep violet eyes was shown. "This is Kira Yamato. Among the Gundams we believe he had piloted were the Strike Gundam, the Freedom Gundam and the Strike Freedom Gundam. He is also in possession of ZAFT's Enigma unit. Twenty-three years old, male, brown hair and violet eyes…"
Hikari listened to Daisuke's report quietly, sitting straight with her blue eyes unwavering as she watched him. The old scientist was now wearing a half-mask, which she had to admit she did not like in the least, but under the situation they were in, it clearly could not be helped. She knew, of course, that it would be safer for her to keep on thinking of Daisuke as Commander Oern Aiten, but she found herself incapable of doing so without a change of expression on her face.
They were in the Renegade's pilot briefing room: Ken, Daisuke, Captain Tienn, Blue Cosmos leader Ryuu Apene, mobile armour pilot Takeru Irashi, and the three third-generation Extended pilots: Genei, Liesel and Tierra, as well as herself. They were all listening carefully as Daisuke made his report, outlining the many details that they knew of the Archangel, its companions, and its mobile suit pilots in particular. Hikari knew that Daisuke did not like Ryuu Apene to be present – it wasn't in their plan that he would be listening to all these classified information, but he had been on board the Renegade and had insisted that he, above all, would need to know of the details. So they had to allow him to join to avoid suspicion. Of course, the one information Daisuke did not give was of the Ultimate Freedom that they had given Kira a week ago. That was the one shred of faith that Daisuke was allowing himself to have for the young pilot. Whether Kira could truly save the world and end the ridiculous Coordinator and Natural hatred once and for all was a different matter entirely, and Hikari was unsure whether she wanted to place as much faith on the brown-haired Coordinator or not.
Hikari risked an eye to slide to Ken's direction, who was sitting two seats from her, but his face was unchanged. The carefree look she had always seen in her brother could no longer be seen, and Ken looked a lot older now as they began to highlight the battle plan of the attack on Orb. Representative Attha had made her announcement a few days before, declaring war against RENEGADE by refusing to step down from their neutral state, and they had finally reached the night before the battle. Forces from JOSH-A of the Atlantic Federation would be leading the attack, with support coming in from Panama and ZAFT's Carpentaria and Victoria base.
She turned her blue eyes back on the screen in front of them. An image of a young Coordinator with midnight-blue hair and piercing emerald eyes gazed at her. Hikari's eyebrows were raised only slightly at the sight. "Currently the pilot of the Infinite Justice Gundam as well as an Admiral of Orb, this is Athrun Zala. Son of the late Chairman Patrick Zala of PLANTs and ZAFT during the first war, ex-fiancée of Lacus Clyne, previous member of FAITH under Gilbert Durandal in the last war. Previously piloted the Aegis Gundam, the Justice Gundam, the Saviour Gundam, and currently the Infinite Justice Gundam. Twenty-three years old, blue hair and green eyes…"
It went on for a while. Hikari, of course, had already received the knowledge of the Archangel and its members for a long time now – she had been one of the people responsible for researching the information, after all. It was only due to RENEGADE being a 'friend' to both the Earth Alliance and ZAFT that she could obtain the information at all, especially regarding Kira who had been with both the EA and ZAFT. None of the stuff Daisuke was presenting came as a surprise to her, but she still listened, if only to refresh her memory.
When, at long last, Daisuke had finished with his report, covering everything up to the attempted assassination of Lacus Clyne and the mass-murders of the PLANTs Council Members, Ryuu Apene stood with a triumphant but cold smile on his lips.
"We attack Orb at 0900 hours."
C.E 79 Orb Union (Present Day) (Kira, Athrun & Cagalli)
They had been ready. Ever since Cagalli had issued her statement regarding Orb's position with RENEGADE, the Archangel crew had been ready for the attack that they knew would have come. They were offered three days of peace, and the day had finally arrived. It didn't even come as a surprise.
During the three days, Kira and Athrun had busied themselves with Orb's military. Kira, who had once been an Admiral of Orb during the second war and known to pilot the Freedom, was well received by Orb's military men. It was also a military secret shared by many of Orb's soldiers that Kira and Cagalli were fraternal twins. The day after the announcement was made, Athrun had taken Kira to Orb's Morganroete factory and showed him the latest mass-produced transformable mobile suits which was given the name MVF-M20A Yamakaze. The red and gold Yamakaze were expected to exceed Orb's Murasame units and Morganroete was delighted when Kira had helped in tweaking the mobile suits' operating systems for further efficiency. Athrun, without a doubt, was a highly capable Coordinator with skills in the creation of electronic devices, but even he had to admit that programming was Kira's talent that surpassed him by a high degree.
Cagalli and Lacus busied themselves with the citizens of Orb, warning them of the situation continuously and advising them to move to safer places. Apart from the small amount who agreed to move to Heliopolis and other neutral countries, none wanted to part from the small island and join nations that had agreed to RENEGADE's ideals.
When the ultimatum demanding them to join RENEGADE was sent to Orb following ZAFT and EA's forces that were located outside of Orb's shores, Kira and Athrun instantly found themselves in the Archangel's hangar, already clad in their pilot suits. It had already been decided that Athrun would launch in the Justice and send Cagalli to the military headquarters of Orb, and both he and Kira would then proceed to lead a group of Yamakazes into battle. Shinn, Lunamaria, Mu and Waltfeld would launch from the Archangel.
Athrun, dressed in his red pilot suit, led Cagalli to the Infinite Justice quickly, grasping the lever with his left hand while his right hand circled her waist protectively, pulling her close to him. He was silent, and so was she. They both knew how severe the battle would be, with forces coming in both from Earth Alliance and ZAFT wanting to annihilate the neutral nations, but they didn't acknowledge that fact aloud. Athrun knew full well that this might be their last battle, but he didn't dare say so to Cagalli even though he knew she would be thinking of the same thing. All he knew was that he would fight to his death for Orb, and for her. But he would live. He must live. It wasn't his time to die yet. Athrun allowed the lever to transport them to the Justice's cockpit and he climbed inside, leading Cagalli in to stoop beside him. His fingers found the switches easily as he activated his mobile suit.
GENERATION UNSUBDUED NUCLEAR DRIVE ASSAULT MODULE
G.U.N.D.A.M Complex
Athrun's eyes focused on the image of Kira and Lacus below, and he exhaled slowly.
"Athrun…" Cagalli trailed off, biting her lips slightly.
The blue-haired Coordinator shook his head. "Don't worry, Cagalli. For sure… we'll survive this one," he said quietly.
"Take care, Lacus," Kira said softly, embracing her tight. He was in his blue pilot suit and he gazed at her lovingly, hiding his concern towards the pink-haired songstress. Lacus, as usual, was stunning and beautiful in a white, pink and purple dress, even with her worried face. "I'll come back to you, I promise. So… please wait for me, okay?" he said, smiling at her.
"Kira…" Lacus said quietly, the worry clenching her chest. If she had it her way, she would have wanted to lock Kira up somewhere safe and send him to a place where she knew was peaceful, like she had done with her personal Haro army. But Lacus knew it was futile. She could only remain on the Archangel and watch him battle from afar, facing unknown enemies and emotions, and hope that he would not leave her. She wanted to cry. But she, too, knew that she needed to be strong. "It's alright, Kira…" Lacus found herself saying, surprising the brown-haired Coordinator. "I'm alright now. And I'll fight with you, too," she said quietly, wanting to convince him that the crying Lacus he had comforted a week ago was now strong again.
Kira gazed at her deeply. His violet eyes seemed to penetrate her and Lacus wondered if Kira could see how terrified she actually felt, even through her strength. But if he had seen it, he didn't say anything. The brown-haired Coordinator merely stepped forwards and planted a gentle kiss on her lips before hugging her. "I love you, Lacus. Thank you. I'll be back soon," he said, releasing her with a warm smile before turning to run to the new Ultimate Freedom. She watched, hopelessly rooted to the spot, as he grasped the lever to the Gundam and transported himself into the cockpit of the Freedom. Kira strapped himself into the seat of the mobile suit and activated the Gundam.
GENERATION UNSUBDUED NUCLEAR DRIVE ASSAULT MODULE
G.U.N.D.A.M Complex
Miriallia and Athrun's face appeared on two sides of the screen in front of him and he looked up at the girl with turquoise eyes. "Are you ready?" Miriallia asked.
Kira nodded. "Yes. Athrun?"
"Ah. Let's go, Kira."
"Take care, Kira. Athrun and Cagalli, too," Miriallia said, smiling at them. Kira nodded firmly and felt his mobile suit move towards the Archangel catapult system. After five years, it nearly felt as if he had never left the ship at all.
"Preparing mobile suits for launch. Connecting APU. Catapult, connected. Freedom, standby. Systems, all green. Freedom, please launch!"
"Kira Yamato. Freedom. Launching!"
"Justice, please launch!"
"Athrun Zala. Justice. Launching!"
The two mobile suits launched from the Archangel and out of Orb's hangar, one a shade of crimson and the other a white, blue and gold mobile suit, instantly travelling towards Orb's military headquarters. Kira remained silent, as Athrun and Cagalli did, all unable to voice anything after expecting the attack to happen for so long. A wave of emotions clouded Kira's mind as he flew in the Freedom, the images of the mobile suits he had fought against coming back to him. How many battles has it been since RENEGADE declared war on them? How many more would come? He knew that fighting wasn't futile, but at the same time, there was no denying the fact that he was truly tired of pulling the trigger and ending people's lives, no matter how many he had saved. But he must fight. He had promised himself before Chairman Durandal during the last war, and that was also why he had joined ZAFT. He must fight.
They were cleared to land as soon as they reached the military headquarters and Kira slowed down his mobile suit, landing first and opening the cockpit to transport himself down. The Justice followed, and Athrun touched down with Cagalli almost as soon as Kira's foot landed on the cemented ground in front of the headquarters. Kira took off his helmet and walked over to Cagalli, immediately pulling her into a reassuring hug.
"Take care, Cagalli," he managed, finding no other words of comfort that he could give to her. Cagalli nodded amidst her silent tears, which she swallowed back almost as soon as it escaped her eyelids. She would not appear weak before Orb's military men, and it was only in front of Athrun and Kira that she could have the luxury of showing how she really felt. Kira released her, giving her a firm nod before walking towards the side of the military headquarters that would lead him to the Yamakaze units he would be commanding. He left Athrun and Cagalli alone to say their goodbyes, for now, and only glanced once to his sister to see that Athrun had pulled her into a tight hug, kissing her gently as they waited for the inevitable.
C.E 79 Orb Union – Second Generation Minerva-class Ship, Renegade (Present Day)
"They have given the answer. Orb will fight," Daisuke said, turning towards Ryuu Apene who was seated on one of the four seats in the Renegade's bridge.
Ryuu Apene, leader of the Blue Cosmos, nodded with a satisfied smile on his lips. "Very good, Commander Aiten. I'd like for you to engage the Archangel. That Captain Murrue Ramius… I have a score to settle with her. Launch all the mobile suits from this ship! We will attack!"
C.E 79 Orb Union – Bridge, Archangel (Present Day) (Lacus & Archangel Crew)
Lacus seated herself in the seat of the co-pilot, her azure eyes burning with determination as soon as she watched the Freedom and Justice take off towards Orb's mainland. She listened as Murrue gave her orders to have the Archangel launch from Orb's hangar and helped with the controls where she could, but it was clear that the ship was able to pilot itself even without her – Arnold Neumann, the ship's pilot, was a very talented and experienced pilot, and he had steered the Archangel without the help of a co-pilot countless times. But Lacus knew she couldn't sit still and do nothing. She had been broken when Aprillius Four fell, but she knew that her battle was still not yet complete. She would fight where she could, and she knew it was her duty to do so. Everyone else was fighting the same battle, after all.
The evacuation order had already been given, as well as the answer to the ultimatum, telling the Earth Alliance and ZAFT that Orb will fight. It was an invasion, pure and simple, and Orb decided to stay strong to their ideals in the end. Lacus knew how hard the situation must be for Cagalli. She had witnessed, of course, how Cagalli had nearly been broken during the last war to keep Orb from fighting, even going as far as marrying Yuna Roma Seiran. But, now five years older than that time, the Princess of Orb was clearly stronger, and her strength led the many men of Orb willing to fight by her side. Perhaps it was a noble thing to do. Perhaps it was what people would consider as 'right'. But it would still cause death.
"All hands, level one battle stations!" Murrue commanded as they launched from the hangar. "The Archangel will pursue the second-class Minerva ship, Renegade. Keep to the shores! We will try to keep from expanding the battlefield if at all possible!"
Lacus's eyes narrowed slightly as ships from both ZAFT and the Earth Alliance came into view, and she listened as Sai reported the unbelievably large number of the ships surrounding them. ZAFT's Vosgulov-class submarines. The Earth Alliance's Spengler-class carriers. Fraser-class escort ships. Arkansas-class cruisers. Des-Moines-class cruisers. The ZAKUs. GOUFs. Enigmas. Windams. She could easily identify the Minerva-class ship, no doubt the RENEGADE flagship, coming towards them along with the rest from the sea. Orb's forces were already stationed at their territorial waters, and as mobile suits launched from both sides, the flashes of beams and explosions met her eyes and she clenched her teeth slightly.
"Prepare the mobile suits! Have Shinn, Lunamaria and Commander Flaga launch at once! Commander Waltfeld will remain on stand-by. Miriallia, please ask Lunamaria and Commander Flaga to remain close to the Archangel!"
"Yes, Captain!" Miriallia answered, immediately turning to the screen in front of her. "Shinn, are you ready?"
"Yes!"
"Preparing mobile suits for launch. Connecting APU. Catapult, connected. Destiny Gaia, standby. Systems, all green. Destiny, please launch!"
"Shinn Asuka. Destiny. Launching!"
"Enigma, please launch!"
"Lunamaria Hawke. Enigma. Launching!"
"Akatsuki, please launch!"
"Mu La Flaga. Akatsuki. Let's go!"
Shinn's black and gold Gundam boosted its thrusters, immediately racing away from the Archangel and heading straight towards the other mobile suits, taking out its beam rifle and shooting them down, one by one. The white Enigma and gold Akatsuki followed, shooting from afar while still keeping close to the Archangel as they entered the battlefield. A blur of white and blue suddenly whizzed past the Archangel's right side and a crimson mobile suit followed, appearing from behind as it flew past the Archangel from the ship's left side. Both mobile suits were followed by a squadron of red and gold Yamakazes, Orb's newest mobile suits. Kira…
Lacus clenched her fists and turned towards Murrue and Miriallia. "Please open all the communication channels," she requested, her voice low but authoritative.
Murrue raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Lacus… Are you sure?"
She nodded once. "Yes… There may be ZAFT soldiers or even the Earth Alliance soldiers who do not wish to fight us. Everyone is fighting so hard, and I must not run away from what I need to do," Lacus said determinedly, her voice firm. She remembered how she had promised Kira earlier that she was truly fine now, that she, too, would fight. "So… please, Murrue-san…" Lacus said, her azure eyes gazing deeply into Murrue's.
The Captain nodded slowly. "I understand. Miriallia, please open all communication channels," Murrue commanded.
Lacus turned back to her station, putting on the small communications device to her ear. As soon as they entered the battlefield, Lacus spoke, her voice clear and unwavering; "Everyone. Soldiers of ZAFT and the Earth Alliance. This is Lacus Clyne of the Archangel," Lacus announced, watching as the fight paused momentarily at her interruption. "Under unfortunate circumstances, I have been taken against my will and am currently unable to return to PLANTs. But I still keep my responsibility in leading PLANTs where they might have gone astray, so please listen now. Please withdraw your forces from these territorial waters. ZAFT must not participate in this battle. The Earth Alliance should also stop. You are fighting for the wrong reasons against your own kind. Do you believe that is truly the way to obtain peace?" Lacus's brows pulled together, her eyes burning as she watched several mobile suits halt in surprise. "To ZAFT's soldiers, please. If you still have the pride you once had when you put on those uniforms, then please believe that this is not the fight for ZAFT or for PLANTs. I do not agree with RENEGADE's ideals. I do not agree with the actions of Yuri Amalfi. And I do not believe we should fight each other to obtain peace. To ZAFT and the Earth Alliance soldiers, please pull back your forces!"
Everyone on the ship seemed to hold their breath as they waited for the answer to Lacus's statement, but even they knew that her attempt in peace was a long shot. Cagalli had tried a similar approach during the last war in trying to get Orb to stop fighting against ZAFT, but military men listened to their superiors even against their will, and that was what was happening now. Much to Lacus's dismay, the fighting resumed as the familiar Minerva-class ship turned towards them.
"The Renegade has locked onto us!"
"Evade! Thirty degrees port! Valiants, take aim. Fire!" Murrue commanded.
Neumann steered and the Archangel fired, both high-energy beams meeting and exploding between them. The Archangel rose, moving away from the Orb fleet towards a much more remote area where their attacks wouldn't be led astray towards an unsuspecting ship.
"Captain! Five mobile suits has launched from the Renegade!" Sai reported, his hand moving towards the listening device on his right ear. "Heat signals detected. Advocate, Zantetsuken and Premium! And two unknown mobile suits!"
Lacus turned in surprise, her eyes immediately on Sai. Even Murrue seemed surprised. "Two mobile suits?"
"Visual image coming up," Miriallia said, the screen to their right immediately flickering to life as the image of the five mobile suits were shown. Lacus had already seen images of the dark green Advocate as well as the orange and teal Zantetsuken. She had also came face-to-face with the Premium; a white and blue Gundam with a blue flyer. This time, the Premium was equipped with a red flyer, and Lacus could easily see that its weapons had changed from what they had seen last time. It was clear that this unit was able to change its weapons and her eyebrows pulled slightly at the discovery. The other mobile suit was dark red, and the other was turquoise. They moved away from the Renegade and towards the mobile suit battle. Lacus watched, worried, as the Advocate and Zantetsuken immediately began to fire at the Freedom, while the Premium attacked the Destiny. The dark red mobile suit began attacking Athrun's crimson Justice and they fought a blur of red and crimson in the sky.
"Kuso. Those units are Gundams. To think they still have more of those units on board…" Mu cursed from his Akatsuki. A group of Earth Alliance Windams had followed the Renegade, and both Mu and Lunamaria were fighting against them.
Murrue clenched her fists. "Prepare the sledgehammers. Gottfrieds, aim for the cannons. Gottfrieds. Fire!"
The Renegade evaded, the Archangel's beam attack inflicting no damage whatsoever except for a very slight graze to the ship's side. Lacus's brows pulled together and she turned when Miriallia's voice reached her again. "Captain! There's a message from the Renegade! They request a dialogue."
"What?" Murrue asked, turning in surprise. "A dialogue at a time like this?" she repeated incredulously.
Lacus bit her lips slightly. "If they have something they need to tell us, we should listen," she said softly.
Murrue glanced at the pink-haired songstress and eventually nodded. "That is fine. Please connect to the channel they're on, Miriallia," she said, picking up the receiver of the ship and coming face-to-face with Ryuu Apene, the leader of Blue Cosmos. The Archangel's crew couldn't help but gasp in surprise, but Lacus clenched her teeth. That is… Blue Cosmos's leader, Ryuu Apene. Why he is on board the Renegade? What would he want with Murrue-san..?
"Murrue Ramius. I knew it. You are still the Captain of the Archangel?" Ryuu asked as he spoke from the Renegade, his eyes cold and calculating.
Murrue bit her lips. Whatever she had expected, coming face-to-face with Ryuu Apene wasn't it. "Yes. We are fighting to stop this nonsense of separating the Naturals and Coordinators. If at all possible, please pull back your forces from Orb," she answered coolly.
Ryuu laughed. "As expected from the Archangel Captain. But unfortunately, that will go against RENEGADE, and I cannot allow it. As long as we still have fear towards each other, even friends are sometimes forced to fight and kill one another, isn't that right?"
Murrue's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"I will make you my enemy even if we are fighting on the same side in this battle, Captain Ramius. You have killed one of my closest friends, my leader and mentor, during the first war. Muruta Azrael was a brilliant leader of Blue Cosmos, even more so than that blasted Djibril, who I am more than happy to learn about his death. But you sacrificed one of your own friends to kill him. As noble as you seem to be, Archangel, even you are not so noble after all, and I wonder what the world would think if they learn of the truth."
"Murrue-san…" Lacus trailed off softly, but Murrue wasn't listening.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Don't you now? Even if you are so innocent to not know of the truth, I've really had it with you and your ship, Captain Ramius. Along with that mobile suit… the Freedom," Ryuu's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the screen scornfully. "I've had it with the Archangel. They deserve to die, just as all those in this pathetic little country deserves to die to disallow the Naturals to rise where they should. You think I didn't know your plan? How you purposefully place that coward Badgiruel into the Earth Alliance, fake a fight between both of you, so you could kill Muruta Azrael?"
Murrue was surprised. Her eyes widened and her hand shook slightly at the mentioning of her old friend, Natarle Badgiruel. The last time she had spoken to Natarle had been before her death, perished at the hands of the Archangel. Natarle had, at the time, fired at the Archangel, and Mu, piloting the Strike Gundam, had taken the impact of the attack and had died before her eyes. Murrue had screamed and commanded the Archangel to fire then, its Lohengrin penetrating the Dominion's bridge, killing both Natarle and Muruta Azrael right there and then. But they had been forced to be enemies at the time… so why was Ryuu Apene saying all this now?
Ryuu arched an eyebrow, and for a moment, his face looked interested. "Is it possible you really didn't know? No, that is impossible. Once an Archangel member, always an Archangel member. Even that Justice pilot Athrun Zala turned traitor for you countless times. And that stupid girl… Lacus Clyne," he spat. "Maybe you don't know all the details, but I do. How 'noble' you view yourselves to be, isn't that right, Captain Ramius? How that blasted Badgiruel had commanded for the crew to abandon their stations and escape, how she had trapped Azrael in the Dominion, shot at him, fought with him, preventing him from attacking. I heard you lost a pilot when Azrael managed to fire the Dominion's Lohengrin, but you finished them off. You were willing to kill one of your own for this so-called noble battle of yours, and still refused to back down. But let me tell you this, Captain Ramius. I will personally put you and your crew, as well as this silly country, through hell for what you have done."
The screen flickered off and Murrue found herself frozen in her seat, her eyes wide as she stared at the black screen. She could barely hear Sai's warning as the Renegade locked onto them, could barely feel the impact as the beam attack grazed the ship as Neumann steered to safety. Lacus's anxious voice was barely registered and Murrue clenched her fists tightly, the tears now streaming down her face. "Prepare the Lohengrin! Target: Renegade. Fire!"
C.E 79 Orb Union – Ultimate Freedom (Present Day) (Kira Yamato)
After he had parted with Cagalli, Kira had encountered Fleet Admiral Kisaka and they had discussed matters briefly before Athrun joined them. With a promise that Cagalli would be cared for under him, Kisaka left them and Kira and Athrun had both rushed over to the twenty-four Yamakaze unit pilots that were waiting for them. The two young pilots would be commanding a group of twelve Yamakazes each and would split up in the battlefield. The attack would mainly come from the north and west of Orb, and that was where Athrun and Kira would head to. The Archangel, they knew, would be right in the middle of the battlefield, at the north-west of the small nation. As soon as they received news of the attack, they launched, and Athrun led his team west while Kira proceeded to move north.
"Yamakaze units! Direct your attacks to the ships. The Murasame units can handle the mobile suits. Follow me!" Kira commanded as they whizzed past the Archangel and towards the North, immediately locking all his armaments to the approaching Windams and firing instantly. Various weapons equipped on the blue and white mobile suits exploded and Kira slowed the Freedom, allowing the twelve Yamakazes to move past him towards the enemy battleships. Here, they would be facing more Earth Alliance enemies, and Kira could already identify the familiar Earth Alliance Spengler-class carriers, Fraser-class escort ships, Arkansas-class cruisers and Des-Moines-class cruisers lined at the shores of Orb, like tiny plastic boats that continuously fired their missiles. Kira did not know if the fleet had come from JOSH-A or if they had already received their back-up from Panama, but it did not change the fact that they were attacking the one nation he had been ready to die protecting.
Kira halted the Freedom, his eyes wide with surprise as Lacus's voice greeted him from the Archangel. He turned, his eyes focusing on the white and red ship, noticing how the other mobile suits had also stopped in surprise. Lacus… Kira thought, clenching his teeth together as he listened to her attempt in trying to stop the battle from where she stood. He remembered her pain, how she had cried in his arms and slept after ZAFT had turned their backs against her. He remembered how the Voltaire and Aprillius Four had fallen in their attempt to save her, and he had seen her sorrow… as well as Athrun's. But even so… she was courageous, taking the step of announcing her presence to those in the battlefield as she continued to try and approach the path of peace.
"I'm alright now. And I'll fight with you, too,"
Lacus… Kira turned his eyes towards the Renegade ship a distance away from him, his eyes widening in horror as it turned and fired, providing the offensive forces with the answer to Lacus's statement.
"Kuso! Lacus!" Activating the multi-lock weapons system, Kira locked onto the armaments of two cruisers. The Freedom moved back, its armaments ready to fire, but just before Kira could attack, a high-energy beam cannon fired and Kira thrust his mobile suit back, immediately turning towards the source of the attack. He had never seen the two mobile suits, of course, but the information he received from the Archangel had been enough for him to identify the two Gundams as the Advocate and the Zantetsuken.
"Freedom..!" The Advocate pilot shouted angrily, its two beam sabers already equipped as it moved towards him. Kira's eyes darted to the Zantetsuken and noticed the Hyper Impulse Cannon resting on its shoulder – it must've been that mobile suit that had fired earlier.
Boosting his thrusters, Kira dodged the Advocate and lashed out with his beam sabers, gritting his teeth as he avoided the long-range shots of the Zantetsuken as it began to fire its beam rifles. "Stop it! Why are you doing this?" Kira shouted angrily as he lashed out.
Genei laughed from the Advocate. "It's a good thing you didn't die when you did, Freedom pilot. The Advocate and Zantetsuken has been designed specifically to defeat you. It doesn't matter why we're fighting. You need to die!" he cried out angrily, moving back to deploy his missiles from the Advocate's flyer pack.
"Shimatta!" The Freedom plunged down, its distance a little too close for comfort as the Advocate fired its missiles. Kira clenched his teeth and took a swift turn, his Freedom moving up and taking another sharp turn to avoid the missiles. The Freedom's armaments locked onto the speeding oversized bullets and fired. The sky was filled with multiple red and orange explosions instantly and Kira moved back, clenching the controls tight. The alarms sounded in his cockpit deafeningly and Kira raised his head in alarm as multiple shots were issued around him. He barely registered boosting his thrusters, the Freedom ascending quickly as the Advocate's six DRAGOONs were deployed. Amidst the explosions and smoke, the Zantetsuken's Hyper Impulse Cannon fired again, sending another wave of alarms in the Freedom's cockpit. "Kuso!" Kira cursed.
An image of a violet-coloured jewel exploded from the back of his mind and Kira activated the antimatter catalyst system, the Freedom immediately blurring from sight as he avoided the multiple attacks just in time. Kira took out his beam saber, striking out and destroying three of the DRAGOON units before firing instantly at the two Gundams. These DRAGOON units…
"Hey… That Freedom of yours is more powerful than I thought it would be. But don't you dare get cocky with us!" Genei shouted angrily as he took out his railguns, immediately beginning to shoot from afar. Kuso… That speed… Commander Aiten didn't tell us about this…
C.E 79 Orb Union – Destiny Gaia (Present Day) (Shinn Asuka)
They were being forced back. The fight, which had originally started in Orb's territorial waters, was now being taken to the lands, and Shinn was not in the least happy about it. Forces from Panama had joined them, as well as from ZAFT's Victoria base. He had shot down as many mobile suits as he could, and had proceeded in doing his best in sinking as many ships as possible, but one darned mosquito wouldn't leave him alone and Shinn's patience was running thin. His red eyes glared at the blue and white Premium Gundam which had constantly interfered with his attacks. The pilot was amazingly skilful, and Shinn wondered if the pilot was a Coordinator. He knew, of course, that it was a female pilot, and his mind was momentarily reminded of a particular Stellar Louisser, but Shinn immediately shook that thought away. It's impossible… They couldn't possibly have made those again… he thought, the memory of the three Extended pilots from the last war threatening to cloud his mind.
Orb had no real chance of winning this battle, and they knew it. Even against ZAFT or the Earth Alliance, Orb had perished more than once after a full-on battle, but now that they were against both, it was a failed battle from the start. But it was by no means a futile battle: Shinn knew that much for sure. Orb just didn't have enough forces, and with both the EA and ZAFT adamant in annihilating the neutral nations, it couldn't be helped. Shinn did feel his respect towards Cagalli grow as he battled, however. Even with their small numbers, the defence lines hardly wavered as Cagalli strategically moved in more forces from the military headquarters.
A few beams struck his black and gold Destiny and Shinn raised his head in surprise, immediately boosting his thrusters, his mobile suit transforming into a fighter-plane mobile armour and taking a swift turn to face the Premium again. "Kuso! Don't get cocky with me!" Shinn shouted angrily, immediately firing his beam assault cannon which took a direct hit on one of the wings of her red flyer pack. It's these guys… It's these guys who started it… Shinn thought furiously, his hands gripping the Destiny's controls tight.
An image of a red-coloured jewel exploded in the back of his mind and the black and gold Gundam transformed into its mobile suit form again. Shinn turned towards the struck Premium, taking out both his beam boomerangs and throwing it at her before shooting with his beam rifle repeatedly. The Premium boosted its thrusters as it avoided the boomerangs and dodged the beam attacks. Shinn was barely aware of several mobile suits whizzing past behind him towards the mainland, followed closely by a few Murasame fighters. The two beam boomerangs turned, striking the Premium when it was occupied with Shinn's gunfire and it immediately ejected its red flyer which exploded between them.
Shinn smirked as the Gundam turned, but Miriallia's face suddenly appeared on the right screen of his Gundam. "Shinn! Those mobile suits! They're carrying missile launchers and they're heading towards the shelters!" she informed.
"What?" Shinn cried out exasperatedly, turning to see the mobile suits already well within Orb's mainland. From the corner of his eye, he could see a golden flyer exiting the Renegade and latching onto the Premium, reminding him of the special catapult system associated with his Impulse from the last war that enabled him to change his weapons. But he had no time to deal with that Gundam. "Kuso!" Shinn cursed, his mobile suit transforming again as he boosted his thrusters towards the enemy mobile suits. The Murasames, he noted, had been taken down in their pursuit. "KUSO! Stop!" Shinn shouted angrily.
There were seven shelters in total in Orb, and they were extremely close to the third shelter which was the one furthest away from the middle of the nation. Shinn's eyes widened in horror as he spotted the many vehicles lining up from the shelter. There was no way the shelters could provide protection for all the citizens, but would they really be cold-hearted to attack civilians who couldn't fight? The mobile suits halted and immediately launched their missiles towards the unsuspecting citizens below.
"NO! NO, STOP IT! Those are… Those are..!" Shinn boosted his thrusters, equipping both his beam rifles and shooting the missiles one by one. He could see the Orb civilians scampering from their vehicles and running away, some even running towards the shelters, as the missiles exploded in front of them before they could make impact.
"Stop interfering!" A familiar voice caught his ears and at the same time, warning alarms were issued in his cockpit. Instinctively, Shinn dodged as the Premium attacked, moving with nothing more than a blur that began to interfere with his detection signals. The Premium had changed its flyer, which was now gold instead of red, and Shinn realised that she was using the Voiture Lumiere propulsion system that had been equipped with his Destiny during the previous war.
"KUSO! STOP IT!" Shinn shouted angrily, taking out his beam sabers and lashing out again.
The Premium's speed was overwhelming, and as Shinn became occupied in trying to keep himself from being hit, the enemy mobile suits fired their missiles again. The black-haired Coordinator's eyes widened in horror and he moved back as, too late, the missiles struck the harmless vehicles below, sending a shockwave as a large blast exploded from the ground below, leaving nothing behind.
"No…" Shinn trailed off, his hands shaking as he gripped the Destiny Gaia's controls. It couldn't be…
The image of his sister appeared in his mind, running and smiling amidst the golden falling leaves of the chilly autumn weather. The image of his parents, smiling encouragingly and proudly at their family that had not spilled any blood by remaining neutral. The image of a pink handphone falling from the cliff, and he had chased after it. A scalding hot explosion from behind him, and being thrown off his feet and onto the hard ground. Turning, seeing the destruction… finding his sister… or rather, what was left of it… her arm, which she had always used to reach out to him and play with him, to help their mother and to rummage through his stuff to annoy him…
The mobile suits moved, heading towards the next shelter, and Shinn shouted angrily, crying out as angry tears threatened to roll down his cheeks. "STOP!" he boosted his thrusters, giving chase and taking no notice of the Premium Gundam, refusing to believe that they were being defeated in this way.
C.E 79 Orb Union – Infinite Justice (Present Day) (Athrun Zala)
Athrun breathed deeply, sweat rolling down his face as he clutched the controls of the Justice, his green eyes glaring at the two mobile suits in front of him, now identified as the Apocalypse and the Imperial. The two Gundams had engaged him in battle continuously as they fought against the ZAFT forces and Athrun clenched his teeth angrily. He had little doubt that the two pilots he was facing were both Coordinators like himself. He had experience fighting with Extendeds, of course, but he hardly believed that Extendeds had the ability to fight with such intensity like Coordinators. Already, he was aware that they were losing quickly. Their forces were running out, and the battlefield had already been well expanded into the mainland.
He had seen Shinn give chase towards the enemy mobile suits earlier, and had witnessed the missile attack on the third shelter of Orb. He had seen Kira, heavily damaged, battling against the Advocate and Zantetsuken before finally inflicting enough damage on the two to enable himself to escape and pursue the enemy mobile suits with Shinn. The ZAFT mobile suits he was facing were closing in, and they were dangerously close to the military headquarters. Athrun gritted his teeth, furious with how the battle was turning out, even if they had known the result from the beginning. He could only feel the dull pride in his chest that Orb's military men had survived for so long, but they still needed to fight for the civilians. That was what a soldier was supposed to do.
The Apocalypse moved forwards, taking out its sword and activating its Voiture Lumiere propulsion system at the same time. Athrun moved back, his double-edged beam sabers already equipped in his hand and he dodged, boosting his thrusters and attacking furiously.
"Stop it! Orb has already lost their ability to fight, so stop!" Athrun shouted angrily, taking out his beam rifle with his left hand and beginning to shoot.
"Those weren't our orders," the Apocalypse pilot answered, his voice emotionless. Athrun clenched his teeth angrily and lashed out with his beam saber before finally swinging his leg, the beam blades installed finally coming into contact with the Apocalypse's leg, exploding between them.
Athrun cast his eyes around, noticing that the Orb forces were pulling back towards the shelters, the defence lines already broken. It had finally came down to just protecting the civilians who couldn't get into the shelters on time, and Athrun cried out angrily, equipping his rifles and shooting almost blindly at the approaching mobile suits. How many GOUFs, ZAKUs and Enigmas had he disabled? How many ships had he taken down? How many more were there that he needed to fight? Athrun boosted his thrusters, putting some distance away from the Apocalypse and the Imperial and attacking from afar, his emerald eyes cold with fury. Screams and shouts were deafening his ears, both from the opposition and from his own military. They have lost.
"Aya, we're done here. Let's go!" The Apocalypse pilot commanded, boosting his thrusters and moving away from the crimson Justice. Athrun's eyes widened with disbelief as the two Gundams retreated to the heavily damaged Renegade ship. It was the same thing that had happened in the battle with Scandinavia and the attack on Gibraltar. When it was clear that the attacked forces could no longer fight, the ship would retreat and disappear, only appearing again in the next battle. Athrun did not give chase. He halted his Justice, breathing deeply as he glared at the retreating mobile suits.
"Admiral Zala!"
A terrified shout from a group of Murasames reached Athrun's ears and he turned, his eyes widening as an Earth Alliance Spengler-class carrier came towards them. The ship had remained well behind the attacking lines earlier, and having more than enough to deal with, the Orb forces and the Archangel had left it alone. Now, it was advancing forward, and a cold hand gripped Athrun's heart as the carrier began to deploy its mobile suits: a group of ten Destroys, heading straight into the mainland.
"Shoot it down! Bring it down! Murasame units! Yamakaze units! Make sure they don't get to the civilians!" Athrun commanded, boosting his thrusters and taking out his beam sabers.
The GFAS-X1 Destroy had firstly been introduced during the second war. It was a mobile suit built for mass destruction, and it had definitely caused more than enough casualties for the Eurasian Federation before it was firstly taken down by Kira Yamato. Now, Athrun could see why they had waited for the last moment to deploy these mobile suits. He understood why that Spengler-class carrier had stayed behind, watching from afar. The retreating Renegade must've been the signal to deploy them.
Athrun engaged himself with one of the Destroys, his left hand equipped with a beam rifle while his right hand held a double-edged beam saber. He swung furiously, shooting and swinging again as he tried to penetrate the Destroy's shield. Several had already reached the mainland and he watched, horrified, as they shot the high-energy beam cannons at the buildings and cities below. A high-energy beam struck a Destroy from behind and it turned, transforming itself into its mobile suit form. Archangel! Athrun realised, spotting the white and red ship.
Crying out furiously, Athrun boosted his thrusters and turned sharply, disengaging his red flyer which then penetrated the Destroy's cockpit, then locking the cannons mounted on his shoulders and firing, causing a large explosion at the shores. Waves rose high, plummeting down like a furious hand, immediately throwing the mobile suits below off-balance. Athrun switched his beam saber for a beam rifle and began to shoot them down, one by one, his mind almost blinded by fury as he tried to control himself from aiming at their cockpits. Multiple beams were suddenly fired and various armaments from different mobile suits exploded, the sky turning a frightening shade of red and orange. Athrun's head shot up.
"Kira!"
"Athrun! Are you okay? Kuso! Those Destroy units!" Kira cursed from his Ultimate Freedom, backing away and locking onto the mobile suits again before firing instantly. Athrun could see Shinn fighting a Destroy from the other side of the battlefield, desperate to keep them away. "We lost three shelters…" Kira reported, his voice pained and angered at the same time as he boosted his thrusters and went straight into the heart of the Destroy units.
Athrun clenched his teeth angrily.
"Admiral Zala! The Headquarters!"
The shout came from a Murasame, and Athrun turned towards the general direction of Orb's military headquarters, noticing that several mobile suits equipped with missile launchers were speeding towards the large building, ready to deploy their missiles. With an angry cry, Athrun boosted his thrusters and gave chase, shooting the missiles as soon as they were deployed, creating another display of red and orange explosions.
"Headquarters! Kuso! Cagalli! Admiral Kisaka!" Athrun shouted, positioning himself between the mobile suits and the Headquarters.
"Admiral Zala… Protect Cagalli-sama…" The answer came from the Headquarters, cracked as the communication lines were jammed, and Athrun recognised it as the voice of one of Orb's senior Admirals.
The missiles were launched again, but it was too late. Athrun fired, his skills too trained to miss any, but he was severely outnumbered. A few missiles escaped and struck the headquarters, the force of the explosion throwing Athrun's crimson Justice back. "CAGALLI! CAGALLI!"
Athrun cried out angrily, cold fury racing through his veins as he chased after the retreating mobile suits, shooting them down, one by one, almost uncaring on whether he was disabling or killing. He had just a hair-thin amount of control in preventing himself from aiming at their cockpits, but even that was beginning to be a bother. Hot tears streamed down his face and he tried to tell himself that Cagalli would be safe, that Orb's soldiers would definitely have taken her away before the Headquarters was taken down. As he chased after the mobile suits, he realised that they were heading to yet another shelter.
"KUSO! STOP!" Athrun shouted, taking out both his beam sabers and attacking them, leaving each mobile suit with nothing but its cockpit as he lashed out furiously. Even if they no longer had the ability to fight, Athrun still attacked, destroying the mobile suits completely with nothing left but their imprudent lives inside a helpless piece of metal. Taking a sharp turn, Athrun boosted his thrusters and landed at the ruined Headquarters, immediately opening his cockpit and lowering himself. "Cagalli! CAGALLI!" he shouted, running towards the heap of rubble as he tried to find any survivors.
"Athrun..!" A weak voice reached his ears and Athrun turned, immediately spotting Kisaka who was trapped under a heap of rubble. His eyes widened in disbelief as he ran towards the Fleet Admiral, immediately pushing the wreckage off from him. Grasping his hand, Athrun heaved as he pulled Kisaka away, immediately checking for any severe wounds and sighing in relief when he found none.
"Kisaka-san… Where's Cagalli?" Athrun asked, unable to curb the panic from his voice.
"Don't worry. She's safe, she's with Armagi," Kisaka said reassuringly. Athrun's legs nearly gave way from the relief he felt.
"Are you alright? We should get somewhere safe," Athrun said, now worried for the soldier, but Kisaka waved him away.
"I'll be fine. Go and help the Freedom, Athrun. I'll check for survivors here," Kisaka said, his right hand immediately pushing Athrun's back towards the Justice. "Go, now!"
Athrun wanted to argue, but he knew he shouldn't. He gave a firm nod to the Fleet Admiral, praying that nobody would think of attacking the Headquarters again and ran back towards the Justice, strapping himself inside. The Justice activated and Athrun allowed the machine to rise, immediately launching himself amidst the battling mobile suits again. Kira and Shinn, he saw, had already defeated most of the gigantic black units, and only a few more remained. He noted with relief that no more forces were coming in, signalling the end of the battle that they had already lost. The grief, as well as the relief that Cagalli was still alive, nearly drew his mind blank as he launched himself at an attacking Destroy, skilfully equipping his weapons and attacking it as he tried his hardest to bring it down.
C.E 79 Location Unknown – Second Generation Minerva-class ship, Renegade (Present Day)
Ryuu Apene leaned back, satisfied, and rested the side of his chin against his knuckle as he watched the changing images of the screen in front of him, showing the destruction of that one troublesome country he had always hated. He hadn't liked the fact that they had retreated early, of course, but the Renegade was a flagship that needed to see the RENEGADE ideals until the end, and being taken down would definitely be a hassle. Besides, that Captain of the Archangel was a little too skilful for his tastes, and he knew it wouldn't be easy to bring it down. Just as how the Renegade had been improved from the previous Minerva, the Archangel had definitely upgraded itself since its last battle five years ago as well. Of course, it wouldn't do to battle against an eight-year-old ship without improvement to its armaments.
The battle status of the ship ended, and the bridge moved itself back into its original position. The door slid open and six pilots entered – one of them a mobile armour pilot, while the other five piloted the Gundams earlier. He watched as the silver-haired masked Commander stood and gazed at the six. Part of the reason why they had to retreat was due to the five Gundams running dangerously low on power, with just enough to keep its phase-shift armour on and nothing more.
"Very good job. That troublesome country will not be a bother to us any longer," the Commander said, his voice cool.
Genei stepped forward and crossed his arms. "That Freedom… It's different to the one before," he reported.
Commander Aiten cocked his head curiously. "Really?"
The Extended nodded. "It has an unusual propulsion system. It's very fast."
The Commander seemed to ponder over it momentarily and finally nodded. "That is to be expected. The original Strike Freedom was destroyed in the battle in the South Atlantic Ocean. It must have upgraded itself. In any case, I believe that the Advocate still has the power to defeat it, but perhaps without the Zantetsuken," he said, raising his hand for silence as Tierra stepped forward to argue. "Listen. The Advocate and the Zantetsuken are both artillery mobile suits. While that is beneficial, as the Freedom also generally engages in long-range battles, perhaps a mix would bring it down more easily. The Advocate should work with the Apocalypse after this in trying to bring it down. Tierra, you will pair with the Imperial and try to bring the Justice down. I am not particularly worried about the Destiny's pilot – it seems a little unskilled compared to the Freedom and the Justice."
C.E 79 Orb Union (Present Day)
Athrun landed his Justice amidst the rubble of what used to be the Orb's mainland, his eyes dull and almost unseeing. He opened the cockpit, grasping the lever and transporting himself down, his eyes cast around the destruction around them. Everywhere he turned was just another large heap of wreckage of what used to be buildings, playgrounds, homes, offices, schools, vehicles. Athrun clenched his hands tightly, bowing his head slightly as he grieved for his nation.
A black and gold mobile suit landed beside his Justice and he turned, watching as Shinn, clad in a red pilot suit as he was, transported himself down and took his helmet off. His red eyes were blazing with the same fire Athrun had seen in the first war, but he could also detect sorrow in the young pilot. "Shinn…" Athrun greeted softly, smiling slightly as Shinn walked over to him.
"I heard about the battle in Scandinavia… I saw the footages… But I didn't know it was going to be like this," Shinn said, his nails digging into his palms. He would have drawn blood if not for the pilot suit he was wearing. Athrun gazed at him, noting that there were tears in the black-haired Coordinator's eyes. "You fought in Scandinavia, right?" Shinn asked, turning his blood-red eyes to Athrun.
"Ah…" Athrun nodded slowly, remembering how that battle had been just as fierce and heartless as this one. He glanced at Shinn and smiled slightly. "This is probably the wrong thing for me to say, and definitely the wrong moment to say it, but… thank you. You fought well," he said, his voice almost emotionless, but he truly felt grateful towards the other Coordinator.
Shinn exhaled slowly. Their attention was taken as a familiar blue, white and gold mobile suit whizzed past them and landed, its right side towards them. The cockpit opened and Kira climbed out, grasping the lever and holding his hand out. Surprisingly, Athrun recognised Lacus in her white and purple dress climbing out from the Freedom's cockpit. Kira placed his arm around her and lowered them to the ground. They walked towards a group of ZAFT soldiers, and Athrun understood at once. "ZAFT supporters… They must've turned against Yuri Amalfi…" he whispered softly.
Shinn nodded and immediately shook his head. "I'm going to help with the others," he muttered, immediately turning and running away from the scene. Athrun could only gaze sadly at the black-haired Coordinator's retreating figure. Shinn's family had been killed in Onogoro, and Athrun knew that this battle must've been hard for him. Shaking his head, Athrun walked over to the group of ZAFT soldiers and watched as Lacus spoke to them in a low but authoritative voice. From the numbers, Athrun guessed that the group must have consisted of two squadrons at most.
"…We do not agree in acts like these, especially to countries that are unable to fight," a ZAFT Commander said, his eyes cast low. "So… Please, if at all possible, we wish to fight with you, Lacus-sama. We have always supported the late Chairman Clyne, and we believe that you will lead us to the path of peace." Lacus lowered her eyes, a small smile appearing on her lips. Perhaps all hope was not lost after all. Kira stepped forward, slowly taking off his helmet and smiled as gasps of surprise echoed around the group. The previous Commander's eyes widened in disbelief. "Commander Yamato! You… You're the pilot of the Freedom?" he sputtered.
Kira nodded slowly. "Yes… I'll be glad to fight together with you," he said, stepping forward to offer his hand. They shook, and Kira smiled warmly at them, but Athrun could easily see the sorrow in the depths of those violet eyes. Finally noticing his friend standing by the side, Kira turned, his face a mix of surprise and relief. "Athrun," he greeted, immediately walking over to the blue-haired Coordinator. Athrun stayed where he was, blocking out the surprised gasps of the ZAFT soldiers who recognised him as Athrun Zala, son of Patrick Zala.
"Kira," Athrun said quietly as his old friend reached him. "Are you alright?" he asked, his eyes flickering momentarily to Kira's side.
Kira followed his gaze and turned his eyes back towards him, nodding to signal that he understood. "Don't worry, Athrun. I'm fine. Is Cagalli safe?"
"I found Kisaka at the ruined Headquarters. He said she's safe with Armagi."
"I see. Thank goodness," Kira sighed, relieved. He turned away, his eyes scanning the destruction surrounding them. Even after fighting for so long, they could not rest. They would need to search for survivors and help where they could. "Let's go, Athrun."
C.E 79 Orb Union – Archangel (Present Day)
As the Akatsuki docked safely at the Archangel hangar, Mu leaned back and rested his back against the seat of the cockpit, his eyes cast upwards as he tried to organise his thoughts. His hands were once again stained with the lives of those he had taken, for as much as he wanted to be, Mu wasn't as skilled as Kira or Athrun who could easily disable the mobile suits they fought against. He had tried his best, of course, but even he knew that countless lives had been lost by his hand. More troubling than that was what he had learned from Ryuu Apene, who had contacted the Archangel at the start of the battle with an astounding, almost unbelievable revelation.
Mu had known, of course, that Natarle Badgiruel had been the Captain of the Dominion, forced to fight against Murrue on board the Archangel during the first war. He remembered how the Dominion had fired, and he had taken the impact with the Strike's shield as he fought to protect the woman he loved, and he knew he would have died from the attack. Somehow, he had survived, and his memories modified, then identifying himself as Neo Roanorke. Even after he had regained his memories, he found it hard to believe that Natarle had actually issued the attack on them, but he bore her no ill will, knowing that she had her duties as a soldier. He did not know, of course, that Murrue had fired the Lohengrin which led to Natarle's death, along with the then leader of Blue Cosmos, Muruta Azrael. Yet, the words of Ryuu Apene echoed in his mind again…
"…How 'noble' you view yourselves to be, isn't that right, Captain Ramius? How that blasted Badgiruel had commanded for the crew to abandon their stations and escape, how she had trapped Azrael in the Dominion, shot at him, fought with him, preventing him from attacking. I heard you lost a pilot when Azrael managed to fire the Dominion's Lohengrin, but you finished them off. You were willing to kill one of your own for this so-called noble battle of yours, and still refused to back down."
Mu shook his head with a small sigh and opened the cockpit of the Akatsuki, lowering himself onto the ground. He was greeted immediately by Kojiro Murdoch, the Archangel's senior technician, and Mu gave a thumb's up. "How's the Archangel?" he asked.
Murdoch shook his head. "Bad. Thrusters hit, Gottfrieds damaged, as well as the Valiants. We're facing rough times here," he reported shortly, his thumb then moving to point at the Akatsuki. "How's that?"
"Nothing too damaging," Mu reassured. The Akatsuki was a strong mobile suit, and he knew that the repairs could easily put it back into shape soon. "Has the kid returned?"
"Nope," Murdoch shrugged. "Kira landed for a minute earlier and left with Lacus, but that's it. Athrun's still out there, so is that Shinn guy and his pal, Lunamaria," he said, running his hand through his hair in frustration. Shinn and Lunamaria had both returned to the Archangel once in mid-battle to resupply, but they hadn't returned since the end of the fight. Mudoch knew that the power would still hold for a while, but he sometimes wished that the young pilots wouldn't push themselves too hard.
Mu nodded slowly, understanding coming over him. "Thanks," he said, turning to leave.
"You should go and look for the Captain," the senior technician called. "It's a shock for all of us…" he muttered, turning away to work on the repairs again.
Without turning to look at Murdoch again, Mu continued to walk towards the Archangel elevator, his thoughts scattered once again as he ascended. He changed into his Orb uniform quickly and headed straight to Murrue's office where he suspected the Captain must be at. He doubted that she would still be in the Archangel bridge. The red and white ship had landed, and quite a number of the crew members were already in Orb's mainland, helping where possible. He had seen them when he had piloted his Akatsuki back to the Archangel earlier.
Mu moved towards the room and the door slid open, revealing the one woman he had been looking for: his companion, his comrade, his wife… Murrue was sitting by her desk, her right fingers playing with her fringe as she rested her forehead against her palm. She raised her head as Mu entered, her warm brown eyes gazing into his deeply as he approached her. "Murrue…" Mu called softly, placing his hand on her shoulder.
She was quivering, and she lowered her eyes, the tears immediately flowing down her cheeks. "I didn't know, Mu… When she fired, and when you… when you… I didn't know…" Murrue said softly, her shoulders shaking as she tried to contain her tears.
It hurt him to see her pained like this, and it was even more frustrating that he had been the reason for her fury that led to her action in firing the Lohengrin during the first war. Gently, Mu took her hand and pulled her towards him, hugging her tight. "You couldn't have known, Murrue…" he said, frustrated that he could not say anything that was more reassuring.
"I killed her…"
"No," Mu shook his head, pushing her away slightly so he could lock his eyes into hers. "You did what you had to. She would have understood. She had died the death she knew she wanted, if what Apene said was true," he said, clenching his jaw as Murrue continued to cry.
To Mu, what was most saddening about the whole incident was that throughout the seven years since the incident, they had lived with the fact that Natarle had fired and had placed the blame on her completely. She had been the commanding officer, and she was therefore responsible for what had happened. That was what Murrue had believed, and admittedly, what Mu himself had always thought when he remembered the dark-haired officer. But they hadn't understood Natarle Badgiruel at all. They had not seen what she had done, the sacrifice she had made, in order to help them bring peace to the world.
MVF-M20A Yamakaze
Unit type: Mass Production Transformable Mobile Suit
Model number: MVF-M20A
Code name: Yamakaze
Manufacturer: Morganroete Inc.
Operator: Orb Union
Launched: C.E 79
Accommodation: Pilot only, standard cockpit in torso
General Characteristics
- Overall Height: 18.30 metres
- Empty Weight: 74.69 metric tons
- Colour: Red and Gold
Powerplant: Ultracompact Energy Battery with power extender
Armaments
2 x M2M5D 12.5mm CIWS, mounted in head
4 x M2M5D 12.5mm CIWS mounted on chest
1 x Type 70J Kai beam saber (stored in right hip)
1 x Type 72 high-energy beam cannon (stored in back)
1 x Type 72 Kai "Ikazuchi" Beam Rifle (stored in left hip)
Anti-air missile launcher (mounted on shoulders)
- 6 x Type 66A air-to-air missile
Shield, mounted on left arm in mobile suit use
Optional Equipment
Author's Note: This was a difficult chapter to write, but I hope I pulled it off in one of the most epic battles planned for this fic. Now that we have just finished Chapter 11, it is safe to say that we are now (or should be) half-way through with this fic. I need to thank everyone here for the constant support with your reviews, favourites, alerts, PMs and of course, with just reading with me up until now. I have never written anything up to 100k, so getting past that mark is a personal accomplishment for me. XD Thanks so much!
I agree that not much can be said about last chapter, which was a transition-chapter. But my thanks go all the same to AngelicFox12 and Mathiasosx for dropping a review regardless for the last chapter. It is really appreciated. As usual, thanks for the alerts and favourites, and thank you for reading! Also, thanks to those who reviewed "Kira's Freedom" and "The World's Dream" as well. As promised, things will just get increasingly intense from this chapter onwards, and I hope you enjoyed this one. Please let me know! The next chapter is scheduled to be uploaded some time between the 9th and 15th September.
Mathiasosx: Thanks so much for dropping a review, and for such a heart-warming piece of feedback. :D I'm glad you're enjoying the fic so far, and I hope you'll stay until the end. Thanks for noticing that detail for PHASE SEVEN. I'll have a look at it again. ;D Sorry for the confusion.