Update: Tweaked/rewritten August 2020

Infiltration Nightmare

"All unauthorized personnel are restricted from access to areas designated for captured mobile suits. Security clearance is in effect for all maintenance crew until confirmation that mobile suits pose no immediate danger. Failure to comply will result in disciplinary action."

Eclipse listened vaguely to the crewman over the intercom. Since she was already in the hangar before the safety measures had taken effect, she really didn't need to pay attention to any of the warnings.

Lucky her.

The data extraction from the Aegis was moving relatively quick, but that was mainly because all the people working on it were Coordinators and were very good at their jobs. It was amazing how fast their minds worked as well as their fingers. Sometimes Eclipse even surprised herself.

Her mind on other things, mostly concerning FS and Stray, it took a little time for the redhead to realize that it wasn't her making the adjustments on the computer. Her hands may have been working, but for some reason the machine was taking orders from someone else. "H-Hey!" the mechanic next to her shouted, apparently noticing what was going on too. Eclipse and he exchanged looks before turning to the pilot in the cockpit. At first Athrun didn't respond, his mind seeming to be elsewhere like the weapon's had been earlier. Eclipse would have probably yelled at him for the intrusion if his eyes weren't still quivering with some kind of memory. What was it that had him so rattled?

Whatever it is he better stop thinking about it. Things are getting screwed up because he decided to daydream. Eclipse paused and shook her head, forcing out a sigh as her partner tried to get his attention again. Thankfully it worked.

Eclipse really didn't want to have to slap him back to reality.

"Sorry! I started working on yours too by mistake," the pilot stuttered, blinking his eyes a few times as if finally waking up. Eclipse almost made a sarcastic comment, but held her tongue. What good would it have done?

Well, it would've made her feel better.

"Oh, not to worry. We've now completed the external inspection and recharging. What about you?" the mechanic asked, double checking the screen just to make sure. Eclipse did the same.

"Yeah, I'm finished as well." Athrun let out a sigh and pushed the keyboard off to the side. He muttered something to himself, but it was loud enough for the two below to hear. "How did they even manage to use this OS?" Needless to say, they agreed with him. Even though neither Eclipse nor the other mechanic had direct access to the OS, what small parts they encountered were very undeveloped. There were Coordinators on Heliopolis, Eclipse knew, but why they had chosen to write the system the way they had was a bit of a mystery. To throw off the enemy? Maybe. More likely they were going to make adjustments to it later and never got the chance.

"Commander Le Creuset is returning! Damage sustained from a direct hit! Firefighting and rescue squads to B deck!" the soldier announced over the intercom.

Gasps and whispers sounded throughout the hangar and most of them concerning the commander's carelessness. Then again, was it carelessness or skill on the enemy's part?

Sirens alerted Eclipse to the opening hatch, and she braced herself. Le Creuset's elegant-looking CGUE flew in recklessly, but thank goodness the netting was there to slow his approach. The sounds from the netting seemed to scream throughout the quiet hangar, everyone's eyes on the commander's machine and the damage he had sustained. Given the reaction, Eclipse had the feeling his mobile suits didn't often come back damaged.

"His unit's lost an arm," said her mechanic partner, not disguising the shock in his voice. She couldn't blame him for his surprise, if she was being honest. One look at Heliopolis's defense force would have made anyone wonder how a top machine could receive such treatment.

Wait, the remaining prototype's still in the colony, isn't it? Eclipse thought, remembering Rusty had failed and died on that satellite. Perhaps that was the reason? But how— Eclipse turned towards Athrun again, trying to make out the look on his face. Was he making the same connections she had been? Based on the quality of the OS, and if it was the remaining prototype who had damaged the commander's machine, the pilot must have a similar skillset to her new teammates. Was that even possible?

Once the armor had finished cooling, the cockpit opened and Le Creuset glided out. "Athrun!" he shouted, motioning to the young pilot. The redcoat nodded and pushed out of his own machine to join the commander at the locker room door.

"Eclipse!"

Her partner glided back towards her and reached out a hand to give her a silver disk. "Take this to the bridge. We need to load it into the main computers in order to send it to the PLANTs. I'd do it myself, but I'm needed here," he vaguely motioned back to the commander's machine. "You know what you're doing right?" Eclipse nodded. "Good. Then off with you, but don't take too long. We need you here to help with the repairs. From what we can tell, there's a warship and the last new model roaming around that colony. Getting these GINNs up to par is the most important thing right now."

Eclipse saluted, pushed off towards the locker room, and heaved a sigh of relief as soon as the helmet and outer layer of clothing was off. At least she'll be able to stay out of the mechanic suit for a while.

After straightening out some of the wrinkles in her green uniform, she opened the far door and grabbed onto the moving railing. Athrun, the commander, and the other green-coated pilot, Miguel Aiman, were talking near one of the cabin doors.

She glided past them holding a salute. None of them even noticed her which gave the impression that the formalities weren't needed, but the weapon just shrugged. Better to be safe than sorry.

A lesson well learned.

"I have the information on the X-303 AEGIS," Eclipse announced once the door slid shut behind her. Captain Ades acknowledged and motioned to his right at the console. After she saluted, the redhead was over at one of the side computers. A crewmember slid into the chair next to her and helped her out.

"Ah, commander, I'm glad to see that you're all right. I was a little worried when I saw your mobile suit." The captain rotated his chair to face Le Creuset who had just joined them on the bridge. His lips dipped into a frown. Then again, perhaps his face always looked like that. Very few people, including the captain, were happy with the situation or the war for that matter.

"Yes, I was quite surprised myself. Apparently, I underestimated the last prototype. Miguel brought back some data from his battle with the unit and since we can't just leave it to the Earth Forces I think we should look at it and figure out our next course of action." The captain nodded slowly and motioned for soldier besides Eclipse to take the disk. The crewman glided over to another computer and loaded the disk over there.

Athrun, Miguel, and two other pilots came onto the bridge almost as soon as the commander had given up the data. One of the unknown pilots had darker skin with black hair while the other was pale and had short, brown hair. Watching them briefly, Eclipse couldn't help but feel a surge of longing.

She really didn't want to sit around a wait again.

The disk loaded quickly and the crewmember transferred the data to the main screen near the commander and the captain. All eyes turned to the screen, even Eclipse's, but what she saw startled her.

Is there a Natural piloting that?

"You really saved my hide by bringing this back, Miguel. If I didn't have this as proof, I would've been a laughingstock for allowing my unit to get damaged in a battle against a mobile suit of the Earth Forces. No one would've believed it was possible." Le Creuset paused and turned to his pilots, trying to see their reaction to what was shown. Everyone seemed as confused as he was. Well, all but Miguel and Athrun. The commander knew that Miguel wasn't surprised because he had lived through the attack, but why wasn't Athrun concerned?

Interesting.

"I believe all of you are aware of the incomplete status of the machines' original OS. With that in mind, I have no idea why this lone unit maneuvered so well, but I want to make one thing perfectly clear, we cannot afford to turn a blind eye and allow them to have possession of it. If we cannot capture it, we shall destroy it along with that new warship. Don't underestimate it."

"Sir!" the four of them saluted.

"Miguel, Olor! Prepare to launch at once. We've been authorized to use weapons configuration D. And this time, let's see you put an end to all this."

"Yes, sir!" Miguel and the brunette said, using the remaining pilots to push off for the exit. Matthew left soon after them, knowing that he was to go out as well; he just didn't get the honors of being ordered by the captain. One more salute to his commanding officers and he was gone.

"Captain Ades," Athrun began, bringing all attention to him. "Sir, please allow me to sortie as well."

"You have no mobile suit. Besides you've already accomplished an extremely crucial mission by capturing one of those units," said the commander.

"But, sir, I—"

"Let the others go this time, Zala. Miguel and Olor have more to prove given the humiliation they suffered," Ades countered, ending the conversation with a stern look. As much as Athrun's enthusiasm was appreciated in the military, such a young soldier shouldn't be so eager to go back into battle.

Boys his age shouldn't even have been in the war.

But again, Ades didn't have a say on that matter.

The redcoat left a moment later while the commander reclaimed his seat to the right of the captain. "How are they going to get inside? The harbor hatch is closed isn't it?" Eclipse wondered aloud.

"Huh? Oh, there's a hole in the side of Heliopolis."

She nearly jumped. The crewmember that was helping her before had returned, but the fact that he heard her mumbling was what had her so unnerved.

"Technically every colony has a support and defense system that covers any hole that should develop," he continued anyway despite Eclipse's obvious frown. "Depending on the system, it could take the colony hours to fill the hole, but because Heliopolis was already in a state of alert, it reacted quickly. Right now, the hole's covered enough that no air, or people for that matter, are going to be sucked out, but the layer's thin and can easily be shot through."

"Oh," was all Eclipse could respond since she didn't want him to answer in the first place.

Well, at least now she knew.

"I'll finish the transfer if you want to head back to the hangar. I'm sure you're needed to help with repairs and equipment loading."

The weapon nodded, saluted, and left the bridge. Let's not do that again, okay?

"Eclipse, thank goodness. You help with the weaponry on Matthew's suit," Carter ordered, pointing a hand at one of the GINNs in the corner. Huge missiles and their sheaths were positioned near the left leg of the suit. The ammo themselves stood to the knee on the unit and the carriers hung down to past mid-thigh. They might slow them down, but the damage output is what they were looking for. Now that's fire power.

The three pilots were going to use the extra machines stored in the hangar. Blame time and damage on that one. Even though the mechanics were coordinators, no human being could fix a unit that fast. The three pilots had only been on the ship for probably a half hour.

Eclipse nodded and floated over to help a mechanic with one of the explosives. The missile was too big and far too "flashy" to be used on a peaceful colony. In fact, those huge things were typically used to take out bases on Earth.

Basically, craters looked like younger brothers to the holes that those explosives made.

Helping to attach the missile holsters was a little harder than anticipated, but once everything was ready and set on the right side, Eclipse went over to help out the left. Her training on Januarias 4 was really beginning to pay off, but whether or not that was a good thing was still in debate. Sometimes the weapon liked having the knowledge, but other times she wished she could forget it all.

"Operation commences at 0100. Matthew, proceed to stand-by position."

That intercom's getting pretty annoying, Eclipse complained, doing her best not to get her fingers smashed between the pieces of metal. Not like she would've even noticed because the mechanic uniform was so damned poofy.

Seeing the gear lock into place and hearing the loud sound that it made, caused Eclipse to say a quiet "Phew" and went to the cockpit to finish the internal adjustments. It was a tight fit for her mechanic suit, but she did her best, twisting in a way that would neither damage the interior nor cause her to make any accidental mistakes. After taking off the helmet and gloves, she sat down in the seat and pulled up the OS for the GINN. As much as she complained about being assigned to the hangar, Eclipse had to admit that she enjoyed doing this stuff.

Given, she would rather be out in a mobile suit any day.

"How's the inside look?" Matthew asked, gliding up towards her. He was in his green, pilot outfit with his helmet strung under his right arm. He grasped the top of the cockpit door to slow his ascent and leaned in to glance at the screen.

"Batteries reconnected. Boosters output increased. Triggers functioning. Balance stabilizers adjusted. Calibration altered. It'll work just fine."

"Good."

"You can make any personal adjustments if you want. I've kept everything fairly standard."

"Perfect, thanks."

Eclipse gave a nod and slipped out to put her mask back on. Matthew squeezed in once she was clear and saluted before shutting the hatch. Eclipse returned the salute and pushed herself down to a safer area. A redcoat passed her as she was going down and the curiosity was enough to make her turn to see what was going on. She knew that the pilot had to be Athrun because there was no one else of his rank on the Vesalius, but why he was heading to the Aegis, Eclipse had no idea. Perhaps the commander changed his mind and let him go out with the others. He climbed into the red mobile suit and closed the cockpit just as Matthew's GINN was launching.

"Close the hatch!" yelled one of the mechanics near the launching mechanism, but paused a second later. "Wait," he began, hearing the Aegis step up behind him. Not a very comforting sound when a person's only 6 feet tall and the machine's almost 70 feet. The weight only added to the fear, but his concern at the moment was why another suit was leaving the hangar. Work before health it seemed. "What's going on?"

"Is that one going out too?" asked someone else, getting out of the way as quickly as possible.

"No one told me," still another said, doing the same as his comrade.

Fool, Eclipse thought as she steadied herself with one of the crates on the floor. So, he hadn't been given any orders after all. Doing something like that will get him killed if not punished severely by his superiors. If he was at the facility, he would be doing himself a favor by dying. Turning, she paused and watched him leave. Her scowl disappeared quickly, however, finding that she was impressed by the behavior. He had enough guts to leave without permission and even took one of the new machines that he tried so hard to retrieve. Plenty of good men had been lost trying to get that machine, she knew, and while disobeying orders was ballsy enough, taking something so special seemed to add a layer of explosives to the cake. Is it courage that leads you to do as your heart desires? she wondered, bracing herself as the Aegis launched. Or is it stupidity and immaturity? At first, she had thought it was courage, but as she thought about it further, she started to doubt herself. Perhaps, I just want it to be immaturity and not courage, she decided. It's easier to tell myself that my naivety almost got me killed than my bravery. People can always learn from mistakes, she knew.

But there was a limit to bravery.

Eclipse couldn't take it anymore. She really just wanted to go inside the colony and help out, but that was obviously out of the question. The battle had only been going on for 35 minutes at the most and already one GINN was down. The bad thing was, it was Miguel's suit. Even though the blonde was only recognized as a typical ZAFT pilot and not an elite, he had been quite the fighter. Eclipse didn't know anything about him personally, but as soon as the announcement sounded over the intercom that his unit had been destroyed, most if not all the mechanics began some kind of reminiscence. The redhead just stayed out of it. The thing she hated most about being around death was how people talked about the victim. It was as if while they were alive, they didn't matter, but now that they were dead, they were a saint.

Pathetic.

Her mind returned to other things and only snapped to again when Olor's machine was destroyed. One GINN was left inside the colony. Well, that and Athrun's suit, but given the announcements, Eclipse figured that the he was doing next to nothing out there. While the mechanics weren't partial to the scene inside Heliopolis, the announcements seemed to be enough play-by-play to piece some of the battle together. Eclipse didn't want to place all the blame on the redcoat, but he was an elite in possession of a very powerful mobile suit. How could he not do any damage or, for that matter, take some for his teammates? She also wondered how after all of that ammo and fire power even the EA warship that had joined the fight was still moving.

Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous, she thought with a scowl, leaving the hangar and leaning back on the locker room couch. She whipped off her helmet and threw it at one of the lockers. It hit solid, to say the least, even denting it slightly, and even Eclipse didn't care about the repercussions in that moment.

Either that warship has some thick armor and strong weaponry or our pilots are screwing around. What the hell are they doing in there? I don't give a damn how good that Natural pilot is! Hell, it probably isn't even a Natural! It was four against one warship and a mobile suit not to mention they had enough fire power to take out that entire colony!

Eclipse was about to let out more frustration by slamming a fist into the locker, but the sound outside caused her to forget everything else. She didn't even know how to describe it. A shuttle launch? Dynamite explosion? Both of them combined and then amplified by 50? Nothing seemed to give it justice and only when she raced back to the monitor did she see what was going on.

Heliopolis was ripping apart.

It reminded her of an angry little kid and a jigsaw puzzle. Square sections were being blown apart and thrown in every direction, remnants of vegetation, roadways, housing units, and even water features slipping out into the vast darkness of space. The video wasn't high quality enough to make out any small details, but given the intensity and the quick progression of the battle, there was a good chance humans and animals were being aggressively introduced to the wasteland that their home had been protecting them from.

A grim introduction to the pure, unforgiving nature of space.

Eclipse hadn't been paying attention to the alerts coming from the satellite itself so she wasn't sure how many people they were able to have evacuated, but seeing as she couldn't see anything other than the complete desolation of the colony meant that the people were either still stuck in the evacuation shelters or some shuttles were out of view.

"No way," Eclipse breathed. A few others had more colorful responses, but the reaction was the same; utter shock. Eclipse thought she saw the remnants of an apartment building and her heart skipped a beat or two. The chances of it being either her or Kirston's building was slim to none, but just remembering that not so long ago she was on that satellite made her stomach drop.

I'd hate to be the one not in a lifepod. Eclipse stopped. She had no idea why she even thought that. Given it was amusing in a dark sort of way, but the fact that she felt little to no remorse should have bothered her.

How heartless.

It occurred to her then, that Avalanche and Chronos could have survived the ordeal, but even she couldn't convince herself for long. They were fools and most likely dead. She was sure of it the longer she was churning the past events in her head. In the same way, Heliopolis was destroyed because some people inside were fools and broke neutrality. Not everyone gets a happy ending.

Apparently though, she began and watched the lone red machine return to the ship, not all fools die.

A/N: I guess the first thing that I'd really like to stress is that I don't own anything relating Gundam SEED or even Gundam SEED Destiny. I want to point that out because in some if not most parts the dialog is practically cut and paste. I need that because I'm going along precisely with the story, so there's your heads up. I'm trying my best not to do really long sections of "copied dialog" because then I'd just be rewriting the anime and I don't want to do that, but some areas I might need the complete conversation. If you understand, thank you. If you don't, I'm sorry.

This chapter's a tad shorter than the others have been lately. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad one, but what I like about this chapter is we get inside Eclipse's head a little more. If it's a little choppy I'm sorry. I really hate the beginning "phases" of the anime and I think that's showing through in my writing, but perhaps that's just me reading too much into it. Shrugs At any rate I typed it out pretty fast so that's exciting.

Thanks again to all my reviewers! (Man, I feel redundant when I always put that... I really mean it though!) I love the feeling when I check my e-mail and there's something about a review, fave, or alert so thank you for brightening up my day if even for that split moment.

CSS Stravag: Nice to hear from you again. I thought you fell off the earth or something and was about to go to the scholars to prove that it was flat and everything. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the immediate introduction. You have Death-Scimitar to thank for the words. I'll take the credit for the idea. Yeah, I'm humble. I hoped a lot of people liked it because, hey, it's true. Or is that just personal preference?

Strata