PHASE 08

OUR PHANTOM PAIN

"Do you really think it's wise to give them an ultimatum like that? You're only giving them a chance to prepare for battle after all."

Lewis Halberton scowled slightly as Muruta Azrael glided to his side. Had it been up to the Admiral, the blond haired man would have stayed behind at Victoria. A civilian had no place on the Bridge of a warship in his humble opinion. His superiors had clearly thought otherwise.

Now the director of the Atlantic National Defence Conglomerate stood on Dominion's Bridge as though he had always been there; an air of superiority surrounding him as he smiled pleasantly down at the Admiral, clearly awaiting a response.

"We've put a great deal of effort into the construction of the Archangel and her prototypes," Halberton steeped his hands as he gazed out across the void to where their target lay, "I would prefer it if we retrieved them all in relatively good condition and with minimum bloodshed…"

"Good condition? Look around you Admiral," Azrael laughed mockingly, sweeping his hands across the Bridge, "We have the Dominion don't we? Three advancements of the original models are awaiting deployment from the Launch bays. Another three new models lie in wait on the Doolittle, and all six pilots will be more then a match for the five ZAFT has captured. If it were me, I'd have destroyed them by now…"

"Then let us be glad I am not, nor shall I ever be, you."

"Admiral Halberton," Lewis glanced at his First Officer, Captain Hoffman, as he looked up from the shoulder of the CIC officer, "Sir, we have an incoming communication from Orb carrier Tsukyomi. They say it's urgent."

"Ignore them," Halberton scowled darkly as Muruta smirked, "This is a matter of the Earth Forces. If Orb wishes to remain neutral, they'll know better then to interfere…"

"Let me hear him," Lewis smiled tightly as the blond glared indignantly at being interrupted, "Might I remind you Director Azrael that you are a civilian and an observer in this operation. I am…grateful…that you allowed us use of soldiers from the 81st Autonomous Mobile Group, but technically the Dominion and her mobile suits still fall under the jurisdiction of the G-Project. These are my machines, and my crew. I will not have you giving them orders on my Bridge, understand?"

Azrael scowled for a moment more, before allowing a tight smile of his own to grace his pale features.

"Alright. We'll play it your way."

Lewis frowned, but turned his attention to Dominion's main screen. Azrael had given in too easily. This was a man who clearly had had his own way throughout his life. The Admiral had expected at least a small argument before the director backed down. This new development only meant he would have to keep a closer eye on Muruta Azrael.

"Let's see them."

The main screen blinked and reformed into the head and shoulders of a man clad in the Orb uniform of blue and white, his lined face calm and set.

This is Captain Kazuya Todoka of the Orb Union warship Tsukyomi. As of current, ZAFT warship Archangel is carrying Orb survivors from Heliopolis, and is therefore under our protection as a refugee ship. If you attempt to attack those aboard, we will take it as an act of aggression against the Orb Union. In addition, any further advancement towards Archangel or our own vessels will also be viewed as an act of aggression. Turn your ships around immediately or face the consequences."

"Heliopolis…"

Lewis paled considerably. The destruction of Orb's colony had been hurriedly covered up by the Atlantic Federation. Orb herself had remained mute, at least to the outside world. Clearly those that ruled her were aware that any announcement to the other nations of the Earth Sphere could be seen as taking a side in this damned war. The PLANTs and ZAFT would surely swoop in to try and gain an ally in the tiny yet advanced nation, as the Earth Alliance and OMNI tried to stop them.

But the way Todoka spoke, his voice hard and harsh with eyes as cold as ice, Halberton knew Orb hurt from Heliopolis' destruction, and were fully aware of who had torn their colony apart.

Earth Alliance was no longer welcome in Orb's bed, and the Admiral cursed the 81st Autonomous Mobile Group for their suicidal stupidity.

"All hands: Condition Red. Pilots to your mobile suits, double time!"

I couldn't help but wince as alarm bells rang over Mira's calm voice, one hand clenched tightly around Miriallia's as I pulled her through the zero gravity.

Was another battle coming? Was Sara just being careful? The answers to such questions of course could only be answered if another was asked before them: Who had fired against the Archangel?

Behind me, Miriallia was casting wary gazes left and right as she let me drag her down the corridors that surrounded the Launch Bay, her eyes betraying her fear and unease as she kept her free hand close to her chest. Any greencoats that passed us by largely ignored us, the few that glanced curiously at the orange dress quickly sent on their way with a stern look or a sharp comment on my part. The threat of battle was more important then a redcoat and a civilian escort after all.

"Where…where are we going?"

"The storage rooms for the normal suits," I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, "I don't know what's going on, so it'll be better if you just stay there until everything smoothes out. Here we are."

The storage room was a simple non-descriptive block of grey near the Launch Bay, a rack of lockers mounted against one wall with several green sofas placed in neat lines so as the room could double as a lounge for the engineers and mobile suit technicians when in a gravity environment, a pair of screens on either side of the door showing the open space beyond the Archangel's hull. Without wasting any time I quickly pulled my friend inside and pushed off towards the lockers, Miriallia glancing nervously around as though she expected some perverted Coordinator to jump out of the walls.

"Here, put this on." I barely saw her look of surprise before she found a bulky normal suit wrapped around her head, "Whoops! Sorry."

She merely gave me an annoyed glare over the top of the suit's life support pack.

"Why do I need to wear this?"

"Insurance. I have no idea what's going on at the moment. We might be heading into battle for all I know, and if the ship gets hit…well…this will increase your chances of survival should that shot hit here right?"

The irony that I, a man who detested wearing constricting yet life saving pilot suits, was trying to convince someone to wear a bulkier version in the slim hope that it might save her life should things go awry was not lost on me. Nonetheless, Miriallia's face seemed to go several shades whiter as she digested my words, before nodding hesitantly in agreement.

"Wait for me here," I placed comforting hands on her shoulders, "Don't leave this room unless you absolutely have to. Don't open the door for anyone but me, understand? I'll get back as fast as I can, and you'll be back with the others before you know it."

"O…okay," she nodded hesitantly, her eyes firmly attached to her shoes, "You…be careful out there."

I smiled and squeezed her shoulder again, ignoring the tightness I was feeling in my chest. Events such as this were a comfort when you were about to head out into unfamiliar situations. For the briefest of moments we stood together in awkward silence, until Mira's voice echoed through the hallways.

"Marcus Westfield, please report to the Launch Bay ASAP!"

I sighed as I felt the tiredness from before creep back. I didn't want to go. I didn't want to fight. I wanted to go back, and relish that one moment of normality the two of us shared in the elevator car.

Then a memory flashed through my mind; a young teen of only sixteen with a mop of unruly brown hair, dark eyes watching my every step as I left the refugee area.

Tolle Koenig.

With his scowling face at the back of my mind, I slowly let my hands drop to my sides.

"I'll be right back," I smiled as she raised her eyes to mine, "Put on the normal suit, close the door, and I'll get you back to your boyfriend as fast as I can, alright?"

She nodded wordlessly, which I took to mean yes. Pushing off towards the doorway, I could feel her eyes watching the back of my head as I made my way into the corridor, our eyes briefly meeting as I turned to close the hatch and seal her in.

"And where have you been Westfield?"

"Bathroom," I didn't even bother to look at Yzak's image on the communication screen as I pushed into the Strike's cockpit, one hand pulling my helmet down with a click as the Gundam's hatch clanked closed, "Zipper got stuck. What's the situation?"

"Big, bad mojo," Sara's solemn face appeared between the three other pilots, "While you were fiddling with your pants, the Earth Forces sneaked up on us with the entire 8th Fleet and another Archangel at the head of it! Todoka is trying to use politics to stall them, but it's only a matter of time before things start blowing up again. Westfield, Zala, I want you both on the catapults immediately. When the shit hits the fan…and it will…you're to launch at once, understood?"

"Ma'am."

"Yes Ma'am."

"This matter does not concern the Orb Union," Lewis Halberton scowled as he stared Todoka down agitatedly, "Archangel is an Earth Alliance vessel. Stand down and move away immediately…"

Todoka's frown darkened, "Perhaps I have not made myself clear. As I have said before, Archangel is currently under the control of ZAFT, and is carrying Orb refugees. This makes it our concern Admiral. Commander Michaels has requested asylum as a refugee ship, which the council has granted. Move away now, or you will be destroyed."

"Am I really hearing this?" Azrael smiled tightly as he stepped up beside the command chair, "Captain, I suggest you be more reasonable. You only have two ships, we have many more. If you continue this foolishness, you're only going to end up dead. I suggest you back off now…while you're still able to…"

His voice died abruptly as a beam of green sliced through space, its light blinding all on Dominion's Bridge as it streaked by, narrowly missing several Drakes and Nelson on its way out.

"Stay back," Todoka's voice was deadly calm, "Move any closer, and I am authorised to fire in the name of protecting our citizens. Don't think for a second I won't do it."

"I…I don't think you fully understand the situation here," Halberton's voice was dry, his face pale from his close brush with death as Azrael clenched the back of the command chair tightly, "If you would put me in contact with Chief Representative Athha, I'm sure we can…"

"I understand enough. Commander Michaels was kind enough to send over all data pertaining to the destruction of Heliopolis. I've seen your ships, that the destruction they brought there. You will back off now Admiral. Any further movement towards our space will be considered an act of aggression against the Union. This is your last warning. Tsukyomi out."

Silence met the Bridge as the screen winked out, the tension within the command centre thick as Lewis tightened his grip around the armrests of his chair.

"Sir," the CIC officer spoke up hesitantly from the pit, breaking the silence, "I've received word the Doolittle has arrived in Earth Orbit. Its rendezvous is seven minutes. She's requesting orders."

Halberton didn't reply, not for a moment, to the point the officer was afraid his superior hadn't heard him. Only when Azrael laughed quietly did the Admiral realised the implication of the Doolittle's appearance.

"You can't be serious."

"Why not?" Muruta smiled unnervingly, "We have a golden opportunity here. If we have Doolittle launch her mobile suits, we can say it was necessary; they were unaware of the situation, and tracking down the Archangel was their original assignment."

"It will cause an international incident!" Halberton spat angrily, "Our relationship with Orb is frayed right now and you want to pull at the stitches! If we attack them now they will turn against us!"

Azrael merely shrugged. "You worry too much. Orb is a tiny blot on the face of the Earth. I'll admit, they've made some impressive technological advances, but you have to see the big picture. They don't have the forces to adequately take us on, and anything they have to give ZAFT we already have."

"You shouldn't underestimate these people."

"And you shouldn't overestimate them. Regardless, this matter is out of your hands," before he could be stopped, Azrael pushed off towards the communication console behind the Admiral, "Doolittle is under my control, not yours, and her mobile suits aren't currently under your command either. If you want to sit here and die when the beams start flying, that's your choice."

The entire ship seemed to shudder around Shani as she released her first volley, the green haired man smiling slightly as Forbidden's cockpit hatch groaned close.

This was a chance, Sutherland had said. A chance at redemption for past mistakes. They would be working with the three new pilots; pure Naturals using an experimental OS for their G-weapons. If he failed here today, it could potentially mean the end of the Extended program. His brothers and sisters at Lodonia…their sacrifices for a blue and pure world would be for nothing.

"X252 Forbidden, you are cleared for launch."

With Gamma Glipheptin pumping through his body, he didn't reply as the darkness of space opened up before him. He just pressed down on the accelerator and flew out into the night, the forms of Calamity and Raider appearing behind him moments later.

Across the void, Sven Cal Payang sat patiently in the cockpit of the Strike Noir, his light blue eyes taking in the beginning of the battle on his overhead screen.

Beams were flying all directions as the Archangel tried to move away from the line of fire, a hail of missiles erupting from its aft as the three Extended's G-weapons launched out into space.

The Orb ships remained strangely silent, unmoving. No doubt the captain of the lead ship was currently arguing with Halberton…if Azrael had even let the Admiral reconnect to the neutral vessels. The blond haired man had a way of being…persuasive like that.

Archangel was launching mobile suits now: one, two, three of them, the third transforming into a mobile armour mere moments after it had left the catapult as their carrier turned once more to face the fleet. Clearly its Commander wanted to keep his or her ship's main armament facing the greater threat while letting the mobile suits deal with the Doolittle. A wise decision, considering what he knew of the mission plan…

A thought he continued to muse over until he noticed the Orb warships pivoting towards them as well. And when portions of each vessel opened up to reveal rather threatening looking cannons, he felt his hands grasp the controls sticks tightly before Halberton's voice roared across the ship.

"ALL HANDS, BRACE FOR IMPACT!"

Six beams of bright orange light sliced through the darkness, cutting down all in their paths with little resistance. Moebius armours careened out of the way as Nelsons and Drakes erupted into fantastic explosions of purplish light and debris that rattled and pinged of Dominion's armoured hull. Inside the hanger, engineers and technicians were thrown from their stations as Dominion's helmsman veered the ship away from the closest beam. Anything not bolted down was sent flying across the deck, Mudie's Blu Duel, still parked in its maintenance bay, leaning threateningly over the commotion before its pilot managed to self-right.

"S…Strike Noir," the CIC officer's voice was shaky in his speakers as Dominion slowly ceased to quake, "Launch…immediately!"

"Roger," Sven's eyes narrowed as his mobile suit thrummed with energy and the catapult doors opened onto space. He would make them pay for every soul lost in that deceitful attack, "Sven Cal Payang. Strike Noir, heading out."

The Noir was forced forward, the stars beckoned to him, as they had always done…until another burst of light blocked his view.

For a moment, the fear of death gripped his heart before years of training took over, his G-weapon almost screaming in complaint as he pulled it off its intended course but not far enough. The orange and red beam sliced through the left-hand wing as though it was made of paper, the metal boiling away into nothingness, Phase Shift armour be damned, before narrowly clipping Dominion's hull, cracking the open hanger door apart.

It was then that the pilot saw it: the fourth stolen G-weapon standing defiantly on the edge of the Archangel's catapult deck, its hyper impulse cannon connected to the carrier via a large thick power cable.

His own Noir's older brother: GAT-X105 Strike.

Chaos had arrived on the battlefield, and I was taking full advantage of it.

As the remains of the 8th Fleet tried to reorganise themselves, I picked off Moebius and damaged Drake or Nelson from the relative safety of the Archangel, the key word being relative.

Above and behind me, Athrun, Dearka and Yzak fought off the enemy Gundams as they tried to sink the Archangel as quickly as possible. Smoke was already trailing from our carrier's port missile launchers, and I was forced to use the cannon at lower power levels in order to save most of the energy for the Gottfried and Valiants.

High above meanwhile, the two Orb warships fired on anything that came too close. A part of me was grateful; it was good to have allies, even if their only concern was the refugees held within Archangel's hull.

"Marcus, the Commander requests you cease fire and prepare for mobile suit combat," Mira appeared calmly on the screen, "We're sending out the Cosmograsper with the Aile Striker. Prepare for docking manoeuvres. The Grasper will pick up the Launcher once procedures are completed,"

"Roger that," I disengaged the plug from the cannon as I saw the dark grey plane soar out of the opposite hanger. I had been watching the three new mobile suits that had deployed out of the Dominion. They had been keeping close to the fleet up until now, but I knew it would only be a matter of time before they bore down on us to aid their comrades.

Raising up into the air, I took out one last Drake and three of it's Moebius escorts with two high powered shots before ejecting the Launcher as the Cosmograsper shot by, it's pilot giving me a thumbs up through the clear canopy as the Aile connected to the Strike's back. I returned the gesture (even though I knew he wouldn't be able to see it) as I caught the rifle and turned to face the fleet…just in time to see an all too familiar machine, clad in blue and grey with bulky shoulders, bear down on me with twin beam pistols blazing.

Were they winning? Or were they losing?

Sara couldn't tell. All she could see was chaos. The combined attacks of six Lohengrins had thinned out the numbers of the 8th fleet to be sure, and Marcus with the Launcher's cannon had only decreased the Naturals' advantage, but the fact of the matter was even with Orb's aid they were heavily outnumbered.

"We don't fight for you. We fight for those you protect."

That had been Todoka's last words to her before they had opened fire. Orb was only loyal to the Archangel as long as she carried refugees. As deceitful as it sounded, Sara planned to keep this advantage for as long as she possibly could.

With the remains of the fleet back in relative order, the Moebius units started to swarm the three ships. Many were cut down by anti-aircraft fire, but many more got through and pounded the hulls of the defending vessels. The only bright side to all of this was the fact they were only Moebius mobile armours. Off to port she could barely watch as Marcus and the Strike tried to fight off a heavily improved Duel Gundam. Had the Alliance gotten to the point of mass producing these monstrosities, the Commander shuddered to think of fast the battle would have reached its conclusion.

Down below, encased from head to toe in a bulky normal suit with the visor unsealed, Miriallia watched what little she could see of the battle unfurl on the static screens beside the door in horrified fascination. She could only stare as Moebius mobile armours tore through the night, trying get into an optimum position to deploy their missile payloads before Archangel's Anti-air guns ripped them to pieces, shiver quietly as A Nelson exploded from concentrated fire from the two Orb ships, its shrapnel slicing through a nearby Drake. As Archangel pivoted, she could make out the Duel in a three way battle with a mobile suit that kept changing between a humanoid and bird-like form and a domed machine with the ability to curve its enemy's beam attacks. The Buster was currently fending it's heavily armoured twin and another blue hued twin barrelled Gundam off Archangel's starboard, while the Aegis fought to keep the black Strike away from the Orb warships, each with limited success. And in the middle of these hellish scenes, she caught sight of the mistakable blue and white armoured form of the Strike.

In the midst of the chaotic battlefield, Marcus' Gundam battled vainly against another mobile suit; a bulky machine cast in armour of various shades of blue. Rifle and pistols had been discarded in favour of sabers, blades of bright white light clashing together with showers of sparks across the night as the Drake detonated behind them.

Something clutched in her chest as she watched this one duel among many fought out before her, her hands clenching clumsily inside the suit as the Strike began to take more blows then it delivered out.

"Come on Marcus," her voice was barely a murmur for fear of being heard, "You said you'd be right back. Don't die on us now."

"Fall damn you!"

Mudie glared angrily at the Strike as she landed blow after blow against its crimson shield and own beam saber. Nothing she did seemed to get through and it irritated her. She was better then this. The fact she was going toe to toe with a Coordinator proved she was more elite then even the most veteran of Moebius mobile armour pilots.

"So why won't you fall?"

As if to answer her question, the Strike let loose a barrage of machine gun fire from its head mounted vulcans as she came in for another blow, the sudden attack catching the Natural by surprise as several bullets smashed through the Blu Duel's left eye.

"Bastard!" she pulled back as the Strike sheathed its saber and retrieved its beam rifle, "I'll make you pay for that!"

The enemy suit had barely clasped its large hand around its weapon before it found three of her 'stiletto' anti-armour penetrators embedded it its shield. To her mild amusement, the pilot had the sense to throw its only defence from her away before the three second fuse detonated, spraying the mobile suit with shrapnel.

"Now, let's try this dance again shall we?" Mudie smiled as she fished a pistol from Blu Duel's side, "Who said you could leave anyway?"

The world was blurring before his eyes. The sting of withdrawal was starting to stab at his veins.

But Shani didn't care. He couldn't care. He had to down at least one of the damn G-weapons. Otherwise the Extended program was in jeopardy. His supposed comrades were also beginning to weaken. As he himself momentarily broke off his attack, he could already hear Orga and Clotho begin to grunt with pain as the effects of the Gamma Glipheptin began to wear off. They knew, as he did, that it had to be an Extended that finished off a G-weapon, and maybe even the Archangel herself. They couldn't let upstart Naturals ruin everything and make their sacrifices for naught.

Through the haze of pain that was clouding his mind, the green haired pilot heard the loud screech of a proximity alarm. The Earth…the fight had somehow drawn closer to the planet below, which meant Archangel and her escorts had also drawn closer to the homeworld. This meant any pilot had to be wary, less the pull of gravity bring a fiery death.

A sudden barrage of beam fire brought Shani out of his daze as he almost automatically deployed Forbidden's dome, the green streams of light bending effortlessly to Geschmeidig Panzer energy deflection armour as his attacker, the crimson Aegis, soared by to swoop round for another attack run.

A sudden feral grin crossed his face as a battle plan formed in his mind. Making sure the Scythe was securely held in Forbidden's hands, Shani pushed his mobile suit after the red G-weapon, determination pushing all pain to the back of his mind.

"A decent!" Sara stared at the Orb Captain incuriously as Archangel rocked from another shot too close for comfort, "In the middle of a battle? Are you insane!"

"We have no choice in the matter," Todoka scowled down from the screen above, "Commander, this is a fight we cannot win. Our ships are capable of a decent into the atmosphere, as is the Archangel."

"We can't fire and descend through the atmosphere at the same time!" Sara clenched the armrests of the command chair tightly, "We'll be sunk the minute we begin heading down…"

"And you'll eventually be sunk if you remain in orbit," As though to prove his point, a Moebius unit exploded outside the Bridge's window, "It is a risk you have to take. As a refugee ship, you are obligated to protect those you have taken in. We will protect you for as long as we can. You must descend now, before you are destroyed."

Sara grimaced tightly. She didn't like the feeling of guilt that was settling in her stomach.

"With such short notice, I can't guarantee we'll made landfall anywhere near Orb…"

"Then you will make for the Homeland at best speed," for the briefest of moments, Todoka smirked, "We have given a lot for your protection Commander Michaels, I pray you have the decency to repay our debt. Tsukyomi out."

Debt. A scowl etched itself into Sara's features. As far as she was concerned there was no debt. Todoka had made it quite clear they had opened fire on the Alliance to protect the citizens aboard the Archangel. The fact there were ZAFT officers and soldiers aboard made no difference to them.

That didn't stop a guilty pang from flitted through her heart though.

"Sanchez, recall our mobile suits. Kamna, begin making preparations for our decent to the Earth's surface."

"Are they insane!" I grimaced as I ducked behind the wreckage of a fallen Nelson, my vulcan cannons tearing through the fuselage of a Moebius that got to close as I continued to fend off the armoured Duel in a running fight across the battlefield, "We can't just leave now! We're in the middle of a battle here!"

"Those are the Commander's orders," Mira's image broke up for the barest moment as the Duel swung over the wreck, just in time for its face to connect with the Strike's fist, "The Buster has returned to give covering fire and the Duel has just entered the Hanger bay. We're heading back in five minutes. You've got to get back in that time!"

"Alright, I'm coming," I pulled back as a barrage of missiles erupted from the launchers on my opponent's shoulders, only for a warning light to go off in my head, "Wait a minute…Where's the Aegis?"

"Trying to escape again!" Mudie glared as the Strike holstered its beam rifle on its back and rocketed off towards the Archangel, "You get back here! I'm not done with you!"

As she brought her arm mounted Scorpion rail gun to bear and aimed down her sights for the Strike's Aile pack, she didn't notice the mobile suit pull something from a compartment on its thigh. It was only when the blue and white mech turned and threw the long sharp object her way did she realise it was a mobile suit sized combat knife.

The blade of the knife caught edge of the barrel from the inside as she pulled the trigger, wedging itself across the opening as the handle snapped forward from impact.

The results were…expected.

Shrapnel and debris exploded outward as the rail gun detonated, the Blu Duel blown back from the blast. Alarms shrieked in her ear as static dominated the cockpits screens, the main cameras having been taken out by the amount of shrapnel at such close range.

Bearing her teeth, Mudie could only slam a fist against the armrest in frustration.

Dammit! Lucky shot!"

Athrun was in trouble, and he knew it.

Battling the domed mobile suit on the fringes of the atmosphere, he could already feel the tug of gravity on the Aegis' armour, the curve of the Earth gradually dominating his cameras with every passing minute.

He had lost his beam rifle, and his rapidly depleting energy reserves meant the Scylla energy cannon was next to useless if he wanted to keep the Phase Shift Armour intact, leaving only a single beam saber to fend off the relentless attacks of his attacker.

The domed mobile suit was relentless and aggressive in its assault; smashing into the Aegis with its heavy scythe before pulling back to release a barrage from its rail cannons before Athrun could react. It had been this tactic that had slowly pushed him towards the Earth, which lead the blue haired coordinator to on conclusion:

His enemy was suicidal.

It was the only way to explain such brutal tactics. The opposing pilot was going to ensure the Aegis' destruction by burning it up in the atmosphere, even if that meant ending his or her own life.

"Athrun Zala, please return to the Archangel. We are beginning a decent to the Earth's surface. You must return immediately!"

Athrun smiled grimly. Gravity was now pulling him back into his seat, the edge of his cameras tinted red as Aegis began its re-entry.

"Negative Archangel," as he spoke, he pivoted his Gundam around and transformed into mobile armour mode, all the while aware of the constant hail of rail fire from the domed Gundam above, "I'm caught up in Earth's gravity well. I'm going to try and break through using the Aegis' mobile armour mode and diverting all power to the Phase Shift armour," he winced as a particular shot glanced off his machine, "Even then, I'm under heavy fire. I may not get through this…"

"Don't give up so easily!"

Athrun's eyes widened as new voice cried out on his speakers, his hands quickly switches his cameras to a rear-side view in time to see the Strike collide painfully with domed Gundam.

"Westfield?"

Pure agony wracked Shani's body. The effects of Gamma Glipheptin had now all but worn off and now only pure adrenaline and sadistic pride at his accomplishment was keeping the young pilot sane.

The red G-weapon Aegis was falling down to Earth. An Extended had taken one of the enemy mobile suits down. The project would prevail…

And then the Strike had intervened.

He only had time to turn round at the sound of a proximity alarm before the white and blue machine slammed into Forbidden's chest, forcing both mobile suits down after the Aegis to the green Earth below.

The cockpit was starting to heat up from re-entry, ironically dulling the pain his body was swallowed up in somewhat. Maybe it was the thought that death would soon come for him. The Forbidden itself was pinned under the Strike, its arms held fast in an iron grasp, its legs held down awkwardly by its opponent's knees.

A grin spread across his delirious face. This was all too perfect. Now two G-weapons would be brought down by an Extended. But that's when he saw it: the Aegis, in mobile armour mode, slicing through the atmosphere a little below him, its arms brought together in a point.

Fear and anger suddenly engulfed him. The Aegis was going to pierce the atmosphere! New vigour took over him as he forced all of his might against the controls of the Forbidden, determined to free one his machine's arms and make sure at least one Coordinator died by his hand today.

"Buster and Duel have successfully landed. Aegis and Strike have still not returned,"

Sara grimaced at Mira's report, her knuckles going white as she gripped the armrests tightly. Zala's last report had indicated he was heading into the atmosphere, and she had lost track of Marcus and the Strike since it had got caught up in its battle with Blu Duel.

"Where is that idiot?"

"Receiving communication from the Tsukyomi. They're asking why we haven't begun our decent yet."

"Inform them two of our machines have yet to return." It was a lame excuse, but the Commander was unwilling to have come this far only to loose half their cargo, "We cannot head for Earth until…"

"Commander! The Susanoo!"

Sara only had the barest of moments to glance at the second Orb warship before the first beam sliced through the hull. From above, two Nelsons barraged the vessel as it shield Archangel, the onyx and emerald forms of the upgraded Strike and Buster darting around the sinking ship as it began to fall towards the Earth. On the opposite side, the Tsukyomi's anti-air guns tried valiantly to ward off two of the first new Gundams from its thruster arrays, lest it befell the fate of its sister.

Her heart heavy, an anguished sneer crossed the whitecoat's face as she slammed a fist against the armrest.

"Kamna…commence decent immediately."

"Ma'am?" the helmsman turned to look nervously at his Commander, "But Sanchez said the Aegis and the Strike haven't returned."

"Then let us hope they find a way down by themselves," a dark scowl had settled on Sara's face, "Commence decent now!"

"Yes…yes Ma'am." the greencoat frowned, but turned back to his console reluctantly, "Commencing decent. Engines at forty percent. Proceeding at cruising speed. Attitude control in four seconds."

As Archangel slowly fell towards the Earth, the Susanoo exploded above them, the Tsukyomi following them down. Only Miriallia, still locked up down in the storage room, saw the ship finally fall, everyone else aboard too preoccupied with procedures to watch the vessel detonate into an expansive purple cloud of spinning debris. Tears welled in her eyes as she cupped her hands to her mouth in horror.

A ship of the Susanoo's size had to have a crew of hundreds. To see so much life end in a single instant first hand truly opened the young girl's mind to the bloody horrors this war was responsible for.

Alarms screamed in my ears. The cockpit rattled and shook around me as sweat beaded down my face and was absorbed in my helmet's lining. But I held fast.

Beneath the strike, the domed Gundam struggled to free its trapped limbs from under the Strike's weight. This entire assault had been a pure spur of the moment; a desperate attack to try and fend off the enemy from Athrun's back as he headed for the surface. I didn't think at the time exactly how close we actually were to the atmosphere. Neither did I even take in Earth's gravity well. I just knew I had to help a comrade any way I could.

And now…I could very well pay for my stupidity with my life.

The Aegis was slightly below our tangled machines now; trying to pierce the atmosphere with a narrow enough form before deploying its arms to slow itself down. The only thing I was currently banking on right now was the large dome and its strange system that somehow deflected beam weaponry. I had no idea how that infernal system worked, but right now I could only hope that it, combined with the Gundam's Phase Shift armour, would keep our two suits in one piece. Of course how I would slow down was a completely different matter, but right now I was more worried about keeping my makeshift shield stable with no accessible thrusters.

"Westfield, what's your status?"

"First and second layers traversed…attempting to decelerate to mach four…the heat was becoming unbearable within the cockpit. Clearly the Strike's builders had never considered a pilot would be stupid enough to try and take the Gundam into the atmosphere, "Haven't really figured out…how I'm gonna do that yet. How about you?"

"Will decelerate to mach zero point nine in thirty seconds," the Aegis slowly began to pull up level with me, "I'll try and grab you once I've slowed down. Get away from the enemy in fifteen seconds, copy?"

"R…roger…"

I blinked sweat out of my eyes as I tried to stay conscious, mentally counting down the seconds as the Gundam below me struggled in the Strike's grasp.

Five…four…three…two…one…

"Past layer of turbulence, decelerating now!"

With a bang that was lost in the Strike's endless rattling, the Aegis opened its arms and immediately swung up above me, the thick limbs and Phase Shift armour keeping the Gundam from breaking apart from the sudden change movement. I breathed a sigh of relief and let my head hang slightly. In another ten seconds or so I might actually get through this.

That thought comforted me…until a single burst of ammunition sliced through one of the Aegis' arms.

"NO!"

The domed Gundam…with my attention focused on escape and the Aegis flying above us its pilot had taken the advantage and pulled one of his mobile suit's arms free, the machine gun mounted to the limb managed another two bursts of fire against Athrun's weakened machine before I managed to capture the limb once more.

Aegis itself now began to spin uncontrollably, rotating faster and faster until it became a crimson blur.

"Zala! Compensate!" I could only watch helplessly as the Gundam's course began to sway from its rapid movement, "You're gonna burn up if you don't slow down!"

"Thrusters aren't…responding," Athrun's image began to break up in my Comm. Screen, his face screwed up in pain as he was forced back into his seat, "Phase Shift armour…almost depleted…" he chuckled darkly, "Damn…Lucky shot…I never thought…I'd go out this way…"

"Don't talk like that!" I was practically shouting over the sheer noise around me, "Just hold on, I'm coming to get you…"

But how could I do that? If I let go of the domed Gundam, my only shield would be lost. Even as I thought this, the Aegis was only getting further away, a red comet-like streak streaming out behind it.

"Marcus…" I stared helplessly at the comm. Screen as Athrun tried to smile, "You…you have to…tell her…Tell her…I'm sorry…I couldn't make…the wedding…"

"A…Athrun…I don't…"

As static slowly engulfed the screen, I could only watch as my comrade closed his eyes and turned his head upwards, perhaps towards the PLANTs. And as the final blow came, one last word echoed over my helmet's speakers, chilling my body down to my very soul.

"L…Lacus…"

The Phase Shift died. For the briefest of moments the Aegis turned grey before the armour itself began to melt and burn up. Entire chunks of armour and machinery broke away and burnt up in the atmosphere before the battery itself finally detonated in a blinding flash of white light, letting hellish crimson and orange clouds billow forth across the sky in its wake, trailing like a comet until not even ashes remained.

For a moment, my mouth was dry. Memories of Junius Seven seemed to blur with reality, Ellion and Athrun's faces flashing before my eyes…

No…not again.

"ATHRUN ZALA!"

I doubled over as the scream escaped my lips, my arms coming around my middle as the noises around me became almost silent.

Accept…for the laughter.

It was anything but joyous or sweet. It was cold and harsh, beginning low and dark yet gradually growing in volume and pitch. Soon maniacal laughter rang in my ears, high and deranged in the face of my comrades death.

And it came from the domed Gundam below me.

Something snapped within me. An anger I hadn't felt in almost a year was quickly swallowing me up. I felt my face contorted into a look of pure hatred as I stared into the face of the enemy Gundam below me.

My mind sharpened as I grasped the control sticks below me. Pure hatred pulsed through my veins. My mind was filled with one thought and one thought alone:

"YOU BASTARD! DIE!"

I really only have two things to say about this chapter.

The first is it's one of the hardest I had to write so far, mostly due it was the first time I tried to write a big battle. The hardest aspect was trying to get the different perspectives and in all honesty I don't think it worked out entirely well in some parts. Still, I think this is my favourite chapter thus far, but I'd still value any opinions you might have on it.

The second thing is concerns Athrun. There is only one reason the Aegis became a fireball in the Earth's skies: it is my hope that at least most people didn't see it coming. I have nothing against the character of Athrun or the Aegis. I just want to try and keep you, the reader, interested in this story and the route it will eventually take.

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Feedback and reviews are always valued and appreciated.

Thanks for reading,

Dearing