Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED or any of its characters. Dr. Elizabeth Sanford, Commander Alexander Stanton and his team, Squadron Commander Javier Sabato, Commander David Herikawa and Ensign Roger Doolittle are my creations.

Chapter 3: Allies and Enemies

High above the Earth, the vessel shed the last trailing wisps of atmosphere. On the bridge, Murrue watched as a few of the new crewmembers dealt with the effects of weightlessness. While the captain and most of the bridge crew had long since grown accustomed to the feeling, one or two of the greener trainees were currently holding fast to control panels and handrails, eyes squeezed shut as they willed their stomachs to settle. Murrue heard Neumann chuckle, and she smiled a little herself. The trainees would get their "space legs" soon enough. The captain turned her chair slightly as the bridge door slid open and Flay, now clad in the blue and silver of the Orb Military, entered the room, floating about somewhat awkwardly before grabbing the back of Murrue's chair and giving the older woman an apologetic smile. Pushing off, she settled down in front of the communications panel.

"Tonomura, do we still have the shuttle on radar?" Murrue asked. The officer nodded.

"It's approximately two hundred kilometers ahead of us, Captain," he replied as the bridge entrance opened again and Athrun and Cagalli floated in. An image of the fleeing craft appeared on the main view screen. Light green in color, the vehicle resembled a standard shuttle orbiter, with a sleek fuselage and swept-back wings, though the wings on this model curved upwards as well, and there was a set of small canards above the flight deck.

"Have you matched the profile to anything in the database?" Murrue asked, and down in the CIC, Petty Officer Dalida Chandra's eyes widened behind his spectacles.

"Yes, Captain," he said grimly. "It's a ZAFT model." Murrue looked back at Athrun, whose face bore an expression of deep worry. This was the second ZAFT design Kira's abductors had employed.

"Flay," Murrue said, turning to the com station. "Send a message back to Orb before we get too far out. They have more powerful transmitters, so they can get a message to the PLANTs. Tell them to get in contact with Chairwoman Canaver or her closest aid and make certain that the ZAFT military has not mobilized in any way."

"Uh, okay; give me second," Flay said. She hesitated briefly, concentrating, Murrue guessed, on remembering how the communications array worked. After a moment, the redhead seemed to recall enough details to satisfy her, and she hit a few toggles on her control panel and began speaking quickly into her headset. Murrue allowed her thoughts to drift back to ZAFT. She really hoped they weren't involved.

We don't need another Patrick Zala running the National Defense Committee like it's his own private army. The look on Athrun's face told Murrue that he was thinking the same thing. After a few minutes, Flay turned and looked up from her console.

"Orb Military Headquarters says they'll talk to the PLANTs," she said.

"Good," Murrue replied, and was about to speak to Neumann about the possibility of getting closer to the shuttle when Jackie Tonomura spoke up again.

"We have a ship on radar, Captain." Murrue paused for a moment, startled.

"Identify it," she said, and it was only a second before Chandra called up from the CIC.

"It's Alliance, Ma'am: a Cornelius-class supply ship." Before Murrue could say anything else, Flay spoke.

"Captain Ramius, they say they have a pilot and two mobile suits they'd like to send aboard." Murrue's brow furrowed and she looked back at Flay.

"Ask them why they're doing this," she instructed. After the war, Murrue had acquired a fair degree of distaste for the Earth Forces brass. Even though there had been public trials after the signing of the Junius Treaty, and many officials had been sentenced to prison (or, for some of the higher ups, executed for High Treason) for their involvement with Blue Cosmos, Murrue still found it hard to trust them.

"Official word is that they're interested in helping us however they can," Flay relayed after talking with the other ship for a few moments. "They think that whoever's doing this may want to provoke a war between the Earth Alliance and Orb."

"If that's true, why did they only send two mobile suits, and only one pilot to boot?" The question had come from Commander David Herikawa, a tall, reed-thin man with dark hair and hawk-like brown eyes who oversaw the CIC crew. He was a member of the Orb military who had transferred to the Archangel just two months ago. Despite his relative inexperience, he did his job well.

"Apparently the Alliance doesn't want to escalate this fight any further than necessary," Flay said, holding a hand over her headset as she listened to the Earth Forces ship. "They figured a small force would be best until they can ascertain the level of the threat." Murrue thought for a moment before speaking.

"If we slow down to let them hand over their man, will we lose the shuttle?" Neumann shook his head.

"It's fast, but we're faster," he said. "Besides, there's no place for it to hide out here. We won't lose it." Captain Ramius nodded.

"Alright," she said. "Flay, tell them we're letting their man on board." She turned to address the bridge in general. "I'm going down to the hangar to greet our guest. Commander Herikawa, you have the bridge."

Lagrange Point 5, Aprilius 1

"I know the chairman of the National Defense Committee personally, Lacus, and I can assure you that he would never stoop to kidnapping."

PLANT Provisional Supreme Council Chairwoman Eileen Canaver looked every bit the part of a majestic leader. The chairwoman was resplendent in her long, blue suit-jacket and matching skirt, and her face was framed by wavy, golden-brown hair that hung down just past her shoulders. At the moment, Canaver stood in the nearly empty Supreme Council chamber with Andrew Waltfeld, the one-eyed ace dressed in Orb's blue and white uniform, and Lacus Clyne, who wore an elegant white blouse with separated sleeves and a lavender skirt. Lacus' face would have appeared calm to an outside observer, but within her, a terrible weight pulled at her heart.

Kira was in danger, maybe hurt, and she was still no closer to finding him.

"Thank you, Madam Chairwoman," she said quietly. The older woman put a hand on her shoulder.

"You can call me Eileen, Lacus." The chairwoman smiled gently. "Your father and I were good friends, so you don't have to be formal with me, and I'm sorry I couldn't help you." Lacus shook her head, indicating that there was no need for an apology. Waltfeld saluted.

"Madam Chairwoman, thank you for your time," he said. Canaver's time was more valuable now than ever, as she was helping in the dissolution of the Provisional Supreme Council. She would soon step down, and Gilbert Durandal would accept the office. Chairwoman Canaver nodded gently at Waltfeld's statement, and he and Lacus left the chamber. The Desert Tiger watched Lacus as they walked down the long hallway. "You needed to be here, you know," he said.

"I know," Lacus replied. "Still, I just keep thinking that I should be able to do something to help." Lacus had been presiding over political negotiations when the kidnapping had occurred. The Earth Alliance and the PLANTs had been discussing reparations and aid for the United States of South America. The Atlantic Federation had removed most of its troops from the USSA, but the country was in bad shape, and it needed all the help available. Given the remaining tension between the PLANTs and the Alliance, Chairwoman Canaver had deemed it necessary to have a moderator for the proceedings, and Lacus' more moderate group fit the bill. Andrew put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Trust me," he said. "If there's one thing the kid can do, it's keep himself alive. Hell, I couldn't kill him." A wry smile accompanied that last remark. Lacus nodded, acknowledging the truth of the captain's words. Still, she couldn't sit and wait for news of Kira's fate to reach her. The pink princess's next words were spoken with the resolution that had made her such a capable diplomatic figure despite her age.

"We have never stood on the sidelines while others fought, Captain Waltfeld," Lacus said, her blue eyes focused on him. "Do you know of anything we can do now?" The Tiger paused for a moment, considering his options.

"Well, while Kira and Athrun do have some personal ties, direct or indirect, to people in ZAFT, that won't be enough to justify military action on their part. Orb, however, has a vested interest in recovering Kira, so that would be our best bet." Lacus nodded.

"When are we heading back?"

"Tonight. We'll see what we can do when we get there."

Archangel, Hangar

Cagalli had decided, along with Athrun, to follow Murrue down to the hangar, and by the time they arrived the deck crew had just finished loading the Earth Forces machines onto the Archangel. The first stood just over eighteen meters high, and its grey frame was covered with blocky grey and blue armor. Extra thrusters projected from the armor on its shoulders and legs. The mobile suit's left shoulder held a box that looked like a closed missile launcher, and an artillery piece of some sort was mounted on its right shoulder. Overall, the machine had the somewhat crude appearance of the Dagger series.

The second mobile suit, however, was no Dagger, and the sight of it caused unpleasant memories to surface in Cagalli's mind. Green and black with orange trim, the main body of the machine was identical to one of the three G-weapons the Alliance had sent to lead their invasion of Orb. Unlike the original, this machine seemed to be missing a few things. Its massive beam cannons were gone, as was its bazooka and gun-equipped shield. The mere presence of the sinister-looking MS was enough to remind Cagalli of why she didn't like the Alliance. The pilot the Earth Forces ship had sent over, on the other hand…

The man who descended from the cockpit of the armored Dagger stood about 173 centimeters tall, and his spiked-up, dyed-blonde hair added another centimeter or two. He didn't look that old, perhaps nineteen or so, although he managed to project a disciplined attitude as he approached the group of Orb officers. The soldier paused when he reached them.

"Captain Murrue Ramius?" he asked. When the woman in question stepped forward, the Alliance pilot saluted. "Ensign Roger Doolittle, of the Earth Alliance Forces' Seventh Orbital Fleet."

"Oh, great," Cagalli said irritably. The new soldier's American accent meant he was from the Atlantic Federation, which was not only the heart of the Earth Alliance, but the most heavily infiltrated by Blue Cosmos as well. Ensign Doolittle shot her an annoyed glance, but let the comment pass.

"Anyway," he said. "I'm here to aid you in whatever capacity I can." Murrue spoke next.

"Welcome aboard, Ensign Doolittle. Given our positions during the war, you'll understand if some members of the crew are not exactly trusting." The Earth Forces soldier raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Hey," he said. "I didn't like having my government run by terrorists either." While it may have been meant to calm, this last remark set Cagalli's blood boiling. Doolittle had known about Blue Cosmos, and he had still fought for them?

"If you found out, why didn't you defect?" the princess asked, at which point Ensign Doolittle shot her another sharp glance, and his strange yellow eyes flashed.

"Well, some of us actually have a sense of loyalty to our country," Roger began, but Captain Ramius cut him off.

"Ensign Doolittle," she said sharply. "If you are going to serve aboard this ship, you are going to do so under my command, and I do not tolerate infighting among my pilots." She softened her tone. "We won't question your motives for serving your country," she glanced at Cagalli, "but rest assured that Commodore Athha knows plenty about loyalty." Cagalli nodded in acknowledgment. Murrue returned the gesture, and then turned back to Ensign Doolittle. "I was wondering if you could explain why you brought over two mobile suits when you are the only pilot here." The Earth Forces soldier, perhaps a bit absentminded, followed her gaze to the machines.

"Oh, right!" he said, and gestured to the malevolent-looking suit. "Say hello to the GAT-X133 Sword Calamity." He walked around the machine, pointing out its various features as he talked. "It's a close combat variation of the original 131 model. The Trans-Phase armor is the same, but R and D removed the Schlags and put in these two Schwert Gewehr anti-ship swords instead. The shoulder thrusters from the 131 were also removed and replaced with two Midas Messer beam boomerangs, and the shield was taken off to mount the Panzer Eisen rocket anchors you see on the wrists. Of course, the standard Armor Schneider knives are still stored in the hip armor, and the Scylla five hundred eighty millimeter multi-phase energy cannon is still in place, although they dropped it to thirty percent of the original power to provide more energy to the thrusters."

"Are you to pilot that?" Murrue asked, at which Doolittle chuckled slightly.

"Oh, you have no idea how much I'd love to, but I can't pilot this at the moment, since the OS is extremely high-performance, just like the original Calamity." He turned back to his audience. "It's only operable for Coordinators and special Alliance pilots, so it's yours for the moment, although I think that was a diplomatic butt-kissing gesture on the part of Command more than anything else." He smiled a little at his own joke. Murrue gave Athrun and Cagalli a questioning look. Cagalli shook her head.

"I'm a Natural, remember?" she said. "I also prefer the Rouge's versatility." Beside her, Athrun hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"This is definitely a lot more powerful than an Astray, but I know the M1's controls as well as its performance capability. I don't know this machine's limits." The Coordinator turned to Captain Ramius. "I don't want to risk going into battle with an unfamiliar mobile suit." Doolittle shrugged.

"Well, the downside of this is that we're now pulling eighty one and a half metric tons of dead weight." He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head, performing one of those bizarre shrugs done entirely with the face. "On the other hand, I won't have to enter the code to unlock the OS every time you guys want to use the damn thing."

"I take it then that you'll be flying that other suit," Murrue stated, pointing at the armor-plated machine.

"It looks a lot like the Duel," Athrun added thoughtfully, and Ensign Doolittle nodded in agreement.

"This is a GAT-01D1 Duel Dagger. As you guessed, it's based on the GAT-X102 Duel, and it basically serves as a high-performance version of the Strike Dagger. Standard armament is the same as the Duel: a fifty seven millimeter high-energy beam rifle with a hundred seventy five millimeter grenade launcher, as well as the two Igelstellung cannons on the head. If I want to go to close combat, I have the two beam sabers on the mobile suit's hips, but the extra thrusters on the armor mean that I don't usually have to do that. Finally, we replicated the assault shroud ZAFT put on the original Duel and created the Fortrestra armor you see here, albeit the launcher here holds eight missile tubes instead of just five and the shoulder-mounted weapon is a conventional cannon rather than a railgun." He turned away from his suit, frowning. "Unfortunately, it still suffers from the chronic ailment of the Dagger series: a severe case of Ugly." Athrun actually laughed at this last comment. Cagalli had to admit that in spite of his earlier remark, Ensign Doolittle didn't seem like too bad a guy.

"Alright," Murrue said. "Now that this is all sorted out, I'm going to return to the bridge. Ensign Doolittle, I'm sure there is an unoccupied bunk in someone's quarters that you can use. I'll have POFC Chandra find you a room."

"What are our plans regarding the shuttle?" At Athrun's question, Murrue turned to face him.

"We'll continue our pursuit until the vessel either runs out of propellant attempting to pull away, at which point we will intercept it and see what we can learn from the pilot, or until it reaches its destination, at which point we make our move." Cagalli shook her head at this.

"The pilot has to know we're following," she said. "What if he just leads us into a trap?" Athrun nodded in agreement.

"Whoever these people are, they're operating using both ZAFT and EA equipment, so nothing they've left behind can be used to trace them," Murrue replied. "As dangerous as it may be, the shuttle is, for now, our only lead. As much as I don't like it, we have no other choice."

"Derelict" space station Radiance, rechristened Azathoth, Debris Belt

Kira was unpleasantly cold when he woke, and when he opened his eyes, a harsh light forced him to squeeze them shut again. His head hurt, although Kira suspected it had more to do with the abrupt exposure to bright light than anything else. He lifted his head somewhat, which prompted someone off to his right to speak.

"I suppose you were bound to wake up sooner or later." The voice was female, although unfamiliar. "You're suffering some residual side effects of the sedatives." Kira managed to force one eye open, and saw that he was in a nearly empty room perhaps four meters on a side. The walls were metal and had been painted white, reminding Kira of hospital rooms. As he awoke more fully, he realized that he was lying on a medical cot, dressed in a hospital gown, and that there was a dark-haired woman in a lab coat sitting on a chair next to the bed. The woman drew away from him, holding an empty hypodermic syringe, and Kira remembered that he had been awakened by a slight pain in his right arm. Worry coursing through him, Kira quickly moved to raise his arm to take a look at it, only to discover that restraint straps bound his arms to the bed, allowing him some movement, but not much.

"Relax," the woman said. "It's just a vaccination." She looked to be about thirty years old, and her black hair was pulled back behind her head and held in place with an elastic band. Her skin was very pale, almost white, and when she met Kira's gaze with her own, he discovered that her eyes were an intense ruby hue. Kira quickly looked away from her; the old saying about having a piercing gaze was particularly appropriate for this woman.

"Thanks, but I don't really need any vaccines," he said. He was still trying to remember what was going on. "I'm a—."

"You're a Coordinator," the woman finished. "So am I, but I work with some very dangerous organisms at this facility, and it never hurts to take precautions." Kira's brain registered the comment about precautions, but it stuck, for some reason, on the word "facility."

I'm at a facility. What facility? I was…

I was…

I was at the hospital picking up Flay. Kira looked over at the woman.

"Where's Flay?" The red-eyed scientist shrugged.

"I don't know who you're talking about, nor is that any of my concern," she said. "Right now, Kira, you are the important one." Kira was going to say something, but he stopped when the stranger used his name.

"How do you know me?" She looked at him and smiled slightly. From someone else, it might have been a comforting thing, but from this woman the gesture chilled Kira to the bone. There was something about her; it was as though she knew things, personal things. And she didn't seem like someone who could be trusted with that kind of knowledge. Kira's voice shook when he asked his next question. "Who are you?"

"My name is Elizabeth Sanford, and I know you because I worked closely with your father."

"My…my father?" Kira asked.

"Your real father: Doctor Ulen Hibiki." She gave Kira another of those unnerving smiles. "The last time I looked at you, you were too small to be seen without a microscope." A moment passed in utter silence. Whatever Elizabeth Sanford thought, Kira did not consider Ulen Hibiki to be his "real" father, not by a long shot.

"What did you bring me here for?" Sanford inserted another hypodermic needle into Kira's arm, ignoring the way he winced at the pain, and began drawing blood.

"That would take a while to explain," she said, still focused on the syringe. "Suffice it to say that we brought you here because we need to examine the things that make you so…unique." Kira didn't get a chance to ask her anything else, as a voice came over some sort of intercom system.

"Doctor Sanford, your presence is requested in the control room." The woman in question finished drawing Kira's blood and walked over to a control panel on the far wall. Pressing a button on the panel, she spoke into a small wall-mounted microphone.

"I'll be there momentarily," she said, and left the room. The silence gave Kira time to pull his thoughts together.

He was still lacking details as to exactly where he was, as well as why he was here, but after meeting Dr. Sanford he knew that he had to get out of this place, because the alternative could be nothing good.

By the time Dr. Sanford entered the station's control room, there was already a fair amount of activity. The room itself was circular, and perhaps nine meters in diameter. Since the room was seated on the station's axis of rotation, however, most of that space was taken up by the massive support shaft that ran through the center of the room, and in turn through the center of the station. About three meters of space separated the shaft from the walls, which were lined with video screens and computer consoles.

Squadron Commander Javier Sabato, along with Commander Alexander Stanton, stood before one of the video screens. Sabato was a tall man perhaps forty years of age, with a dark complexion and a neatly trimmed goatee. He was currently dressed in a white uniform with a black military cap covering his dark brown hair. Both he and Commander Stanton were speaking to someone on the screen, and as Dr. Sanford approached them, reaching out and grabbing a console to steady herself in the weightless conditions, she could see that the face on the screen was that of the young, blue-haired woman who had tranquilized the interfering civilian instead of killing her. When the two men noticed her, Sabato indicated the screen.

"She just called us. She says she's being followed." At this, Sanford focused on the voice coming over the radio.

"I repeat, I am being pursued by—." The transmission was interrupted by a burst of static, the price of working on a retrofitted old station in a field of debris, but the word "Archangel" was clearly audible, and the tension in the room thickened noticeably.

"Say again," Commander Stanton spoke into the microphone on the console. "You say you're being pursued by an Archangel-class ship?" The response was immediate, and there was enough fear in the young woman's voice that it was almost amusing…almost.

"No, I'm being pursued by THE Archangel! One third of the damn Three Ships Alliance is chasing me!" Sabato grimaced and looked over at Sanford.

"That ship has something of a reputation for indestructibility," the veteran said. "How long will it take you to get what you need from the boy?" Dr. Sanford shook her head.

"Too long; we have to stop them." Commander Stanton gave a sarcastic laugh, but Sanford failed to see what was so funny.

"Listen, Doctor. You weren't at Jachin Due; that ship plunged into the ZAFT versus Earth Forces melee, and yet somehow the only time it took any real damage was when it was confronted with another Archangel-class. We'd need ten ships with full mobile suit compliments before I'd feel comfortable taking that thing on." They were silent for a moment, before Sabato took the initiative.

"Commander Stanton, I would like you to board the Robespierre and retrieve that shuttle. Engage the Archangel only long enough to do that. Afterwards, break off combat and head back to the debris belt at full speed. Do not return to this station until you are certain that you have lost them. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir!" Commander Stanton saluted, pushed off from the console and launched himself over to the central shaft, where he pushed a button and boarded the station elevator. Sanford turned to Squadron Commander Sabato, cocking an eyebrow.

"What happens now?" she asked. Sabato sighed.

"Now, Doctor, the game begins in earnest."

Author's Note: I'd like to talk for a moment about the Earth Alliance. I've noticed a tendency in some fanfics (many in the mold of Solid Shark's Birds of a Feather) to make ZAFT composed of 99 percent good guys, with 1 percent bad apples, while the Alliance is portrayed as being composed of 99 percent Blue Cosmos psychos; 1 percent good guys, who desert once they find out the truth about their superiors. I bear no ill will toward the authors for this. In fact, one of my favorite fics, "Valkyrie's Run" (which I highly recommend, by the way), takes this view. Personally, however, I feel that the ratio isn't quite that bad. I mean, there are about 312 million people in the US alone today. Even assuming that number doesn't grow at all by the Cosmic Era, somebody in the country (much less the planet) must be sane. I'd imagine that there are good and evil people on both sides. There's plenty of prejudice among Naturals, a sort of envy of Coordinators, but there's probably a fair amount of Coordinators who are arrogant over their abilities and see themselves as superior to Naturals. Roger Doolittle was a character I came up with before I made this observation (he was originally going to be with Orb) but I decided to make him an Earth Alliance soldier because I just haven't seen enough good guys in the OMNI ranks (in fanfiction, anyway). This is the same reason I mentioned the Atlantic Federation actually taking part in rebuilding the USSA: I wanted to give the impression that, after the war, the Alliance member nations are cleaning up their act, although some Blue Cosmos adherents certainly still remain, waiting for the opportunity to seize power again (when Destiny rolls around).

The Sword Calamity is not a red herring, and even though no one is using it now, rest assured that it will see action later.

As always, I had a heart attack writing Lacus. Hopefully I didn't do anything wrong with her.

Finally, I apologize for the lack of action in this chapter. This was more about bringing characters (Lacus, Roger, etc.) into the story, as well as giving you a little taste of Dr. Sanford and her companions again.

Next Chapter: The veteran (Murrue), the aces (Athrun and Cagalli) and the wildcard (Roger) clash with the enemy in their first real battle.