Gundam Wing: Journey to a New Battlefield

by operation meteor

The war is won, yet he cannot find peace. When a mission gone wrong throws Heero into another world, how will he survive? And how will he react when he is confronted with his greatest challenge yet? For love can be trickier than any battlefield foe...

9. Chapter 9

Author's note: Back to long chapters again. Ten will be even longer, so please forgive the wait for the next installment. I promise another quality work!

Well, enjoy!

Episode Nine: Treacherous Seas

"Contacts!" said the radar operator, "We have contacts on the long range sensors! They're DINNs!"

Took them long enough, thought Murrue, we've been in the Indian Ocean nearly a full day now. I'm surprised ZAFT hasn't attacked sooner. "All hands to battle stations!" she ordered, "Run a sonar sweep, wide array. If they launched from a sub-carrier, then there could be underwater mobile suits nearby as well!"

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

"All pilots, scramble!" said Murrue. She turned to Heero, who nodded and made a break for the hangar.

"Load missile tubes!" shouted Natarle, "Arm Igelstellungs and prepare for anti-air barrage!"

As the bridge crew got ready for combat, Murrue checked the small screen on the arm of her chair as new data was sent to her. Eighteen DINNs, she noted, a Vosgulov-class submarine-carrier has a complement of six, so we're looking at a minimum of three vessels. That could also mean up to twelve underwater mobile suits as well.

Miriallia's voice rang out from the CIC. "Heero's on the line, Captain."

"Put him on screen," Murrue ordered.

Heero's face appeared on the main monitor. "I'll launch first and engage the DINNs. We should hold the Strike back until we confirm if there are underwater mobile suits as well."

"But how do we fight them?" asked Murrue, "We're ill equipped for anti-submarine warfare. Can Wing Zero fight underwater?"

Heero nodded. "Yeah, but it's cumbersome, and you need me in the air anyway to fight the DINNs. La Flaga and Cagalli won't be able to take them. I've got an idea though."

"What is it?" said Murrue.

"Have the Strike launch with the Sword pack," he said, "If Kira cuts the beam he can use the blade itself to fight the underwater units. If that fails, he can always ditch the pack and use the Strike's knives."

"Alright," she said, "I'll order the tech crews to give him that load-out. Heero, in this case I need a favor from you."

"What is it?" he replied.

"I need you to solo the DINNs," she said, "If you can do that, I can have La Flaga and Cagalli hunt for the enemy carriers."

Heero smiled. "I was going to suggest the same thing, actually. Nice to see we're thinking along the same lines."

"Yes," said Murrue, smiling as well, "same here. Thank you. Please, be careful."

"Roger that," he said, "Wing Zero, launching."

As the Gundam flew out of the hangar, Murrue shouted out additional orders. "Get La Flaga on Skygrasper One, Launcher load-out! Cagalli's on Two, normal configuration. Have Kira stand by on the Strike and equip the Sword pack. Launch the fighters as soon as they're ready!"

Seconds later the two blue and white fighters shot out of the hangar and scrambled for altitude. "Strike is on the catapult," said Miriallia, "waiting for instructions."

"Hold until we have confirmation of enemy submersible mobile suits," said Murrue. It didn't take long.

"Sonar contacts!" shouted the sensor operator, "We have incoming torpedoes, four of them!"

"Raise the ship!" ordered Murrue, "Get us out of the water!"

She could feel the ship tremble as the thrusters kicked in. "We're above the surface at two meters," said the helmsman a few seconds later.

"The torpedoes passed under us," said the sensor operator, "We now have confirmed underwater mobile suits. Confirming I.D.s… three GOOhNs and one ZnO. IFF signals show it's the Morassim Team."

Just our luck, thought Murrue, one of ZAFT's best underwater combat teams. "Launch the Strike," she ordered, "Kira will have to deal with them. Send La Flaga and Cagalli their approach vectors; that will give them a place to start for hunting down the carriers."

Something's not right, she thought, the amount of DINNs we're facing equals the complement of three Vosgulovs, but the submarine mobile suit count is the amount held by one. If they didn't hold any air units in reserve, why do so with the other machines?

A report from Miriallia brushed aside those concerns for the moment. "Wing Zero is engaging the enemy!"

"Get me a visual!" said Murrue.

An image on the main monitor appeared, showing Wing Zero raising its Twin Buster Rifle. It cut loose with a massive blast, ripping through the incoming swarm of DINNs and destroying four of them. As the remaining enemies scattered, Heero ignited his emerald beam saber and moved in for close-quarters combat.

Murrue sighed in relief as she saw that the DINNs were all sporting the normal purple, black, and grey paintjob associated with that machine. No Valkyrie Team today, she thought, Heero will make short work of them.

Indeed, Heero was already in the thick of the enemy formation. Gunning his thrusters, he sliced a DINN clean in half, then spun around and rushed another, impaling it through the chest. The remaining twelve machines all tried to gain some distance and bombard Wing Zero with their rifles and missiles, but the Gundam pilot was having none of it. Moving like an avenging angel, Heero struck down his foes with precision and lighting speed.

Good, Heero has things well in hand on his end, she thought, I hope La Flaga and Cagalli find the enemy carriers soon. And that Kira has what it takes to survive his first underwater sortie.

….

"Damn it," said Cagalli over the radio, "we should be helping Heero, not flying off like this!"

Mu La Flaga sighed. "Did you see him fighting back there? Remember what he pulled off in North Africa? Do you really think he needs our help?"

"No," the girl grumbled, "but still, I feel like a coward, flying away from the fight like this."

The two fighter jets had passed the air battle between Wing Zero and the DINNs moments ago, and were headed east along the vector supplied to them by the Archangel. "Remember our orders," said La Flaga, "Our objective is to find the enemy carriers and take them out. We're not running away; we're heading towards our own fight."

As he spoke, his left hand flew over a keyboard. A map of the area came up on the small screen in the center of the control panel. Several lines began to cris-cross it, forming a grid pattern. "Alright, let's split up," he said, "I'll search the southeastern sector, you take the northeast. Radio in immediately if you find anything."

"Got it," she said "good luck."

"You too," La Flaga replied as Cagalli's plane split off from their wing pair, leaving him solo.

All right, he thought, hitting his afterburners, let's go hunting!

….

The Strike shuddered as it hit the water, quickly sinking below the surface. Kira immediately began reprogramming the operating system, gearing up for underwater combat. His biggest concern would be his depth, and he would have to make constant adjustments with his thrusters in order to avoid sinking too deeply. Typing in several calculations, he saw a thin red line go across the display he'd set up to keep track of how deep he was. If I go below that, he thought, the pressure will crush the Strike.

"Kira," said Miriallia over the radio, "The enemy has three GOOhNs and one ZnO. I'm sending you data on them now. Watch out, they'll be within your sensor range in about thirty seconds!"

"Got it," replied Kira, and Miriallia signed off.

Schematics on the two units came up on his screen. The GOOhN looked vaguely like a cross between a crab and a shark, with an upraised fin-like structure on its back and two claw-like arms. The paintjob was a mixture of tan and brown, further reinforcing the crustacean impression he was getting from it. It was armed with two masers-energy weapons designed for underwater combat- along with two torpedo launchers and two missile launchers for surface attacks. The ZnO was larger, and its green and grey paintjob was much better suited to act as underwater camouflage than that of the GOOhN. Its frame also had a shell-fish feel to it, though its arms ended in more human looking hands, albeit ones with rather long fingers. They were perfect for grappling with its enemies. The mobile suit's ranged armaments included two masers and two variable warhead launchers, capable of firing either missiles or torpedoes.

An alarm went off. "They're here!" said Kira. Indeed, the four mobile suits had just shown up on his sensors. However, they were moving much faster than he had anticipated.

Kira tried to bring up the sword into a defensive position, but the enemy was already on him. A GOOhN smashed into the Strike, rocking the pilot in his seat. "What the hell?" cried Kira. Why had the pilot chosen to ram him instead of attacking from long-range?

The submersible's thick hull allowed it to survive the impact, and the streamlined frame had actually enabled the enemy craft to slide along the surface of the Strike until it was past him. As Kira tried to figure out what the hell was going on, another GOOhN rammed him from behind. The blow jarred him, and his head slammed against the side of the cockpit. He would have been knocked out if it hadn't been for his helmet.

As the first two GOOhNs began turning back towards him, the third was also rushing in for a physical assault. This time though, Kira was ready. He swung the sword like a hitter in the major leagues, and sliced into the side of the mobile suit. The anti-ship blade's weight alone was enough for it to cut through the armor of the GOOhN without the aid of the beam that normally ran along its length, and the amphibious mobile suit exploded.

Kira had no time to celebrate though, as the ZnO, which had been hanging back, came rushing in, arms outstretched and ready to wrestle the sword away from the Strike. Hitting his thrusters, Kira managed to get above the machine and dodge the attack, along with passes from the remaining two GOOhNs.

Suddenly he realized why the enemy was behaving the way they were; they were attempting to knock him unconscious through the repeated impacts, enabling them to capture the Strike intact. No way am I gonna let that happen, he vowed.

The GOOhNs rushed him again, this time leading with a torpedo volley. Hitting his thrusters again, Kira managed to avoid the projectiles. As the enemy machines came at him, he thrust forward with the blade, impaling one of them from stem to stern. However, the explosion of the stricken machine hid the presence of its brother, who had moved around behind the Strike and proceeded to slam into it with a vengeance.

Kira grimaced as the Strike took the hit. I won't be able to take much more of this, he thought. He had to end things quickly. As the ZnO closed in, Kira attempted to impale it with the blade, but the machine quickly moved back and fired its masers. At point blank range, there was no way Kira could dodge. Fortunately, the pilot still seemed focus on capturing rather than destroying the Strike, and the beams impacted the left shoulder of the machine. Kira tried to move the suit's arm, but found it to be sluggish. He would now have to fight with only the right arm.

As the last GOOhN approached, Kira whirled the Strike around, using the spin to build up centrifugal force in order to compensate for the incapacitated left arm. Even underwater, the Strike still managed to gain a considerable amount of strength from the maneuver, and the blade smashed into the incoming enemy, destroying it.

However, the move left Kira vulnerable to the ZnO. As he tried to evade the enemy, the massive machine reached out and grabbed the Strike's left arm and the blade. Clearly his foe was going to attempt to grapple and force the Alliance mobile suit into submission, possibly even pry open the cockpit with one of its large claw-like hands.

Instead of panicking though, Kira felt the same surge of adrenaline he had during his fight with the Desert Tiger in North Africa. He could once again almost see a seed bursting in his mind, and he knew what he had to do.

Kira let go of the sword, and the ZnO suddenly found itself without resistance as its right hand pulled the blade away, throwing it off balance. The young Coordinator then grabbed the Strike's right combat knife, and plunged it into his foe's machine. Sparks flew from the chest of the mobile suit, and Kira quickly withdrew the knife and pulled back just in time to avoid the explosion.

Breathing heavily, Kira checked his sensors but found no additional enemy craft. Hopefully that's the last of them, he thought. In the meanwhile, he would just have to hang out below the Archangel, adjusting his thrusters as needed in order to maintain his position guarding the belly of the ship.

….

"Found one!" La Flaga shouted triumphantly. The enemy submarine-carrier was running on the surface, no doubt in order to be ready to pick up damaged DINNs withdrawing from battle. I doubt there will be many of them, the Lieutenant Commander thought grimly, not if I know Heero.

"Cagalli," he said over the radio, "I found an enemy carrier. Head for my position!"

"Hang on," she replied, "I've got something on my scopes. Looks like four ZAFT transport planes. I'm taking them out!"

"Hold on!" said La Flaga, "You're supposed to follow my orders!"

"When did we agree to that?" Cagalli replied tartly, "Don't worry, this won't take long. Cagalli out."

"Damn it!" said La Flaga as she signed off, "Kids these days…" However, he had more important things to do at the moment than argue with her. Sighting in on the enemy vessel, he took his fighter into a dive.

A swarm of anti-air missiles flew up, but the ace pilot evaded them easily. "Eat this!" he said, and fired the Agni slung beneath the Skygrasper. The red beam lanced through the center of the vessel, and the resulting explosion caused the ship to split in two.

"Scratch one carrier," he said with a smirk. However, he soon realized that he had a problem; the other two carriers were nowhere in sight. Subs in a ZAFT wolf-pack don't operate too far from each other, he thought, so where are the other vessels? One carrier only holds six DINNs, after all.

Suddenly his radar started beeping. He looked at it, then blinked and looked again. "No way…" he murmured. He brought his visual sensors up to maximum and oriented them in the direction of the new contact. "That can't be right…"

However, the image that appeared on his screen proved him to be quite wrong. His eyes widened in shock. "Oh, shit. We are in deep trouble…"

….

Cagalli's fighter soared high above the clouds. Her radar showed the four ZAFT transport planes beneath her. She took her fighter into a dive, aiming for the craft at the rear of the formation. I'll start with this one, she thought.

She fired the beam-cannon on the top of the jet, and managed to hit the plane's starboard engine. However, as she flew past the craft its rear turret opened fire, and several rounds hit her fighter.

"Damn it!" she said as smoke came from the rear of her craft. She started losing altitude, along with the enemy transport plane. As the Skygrasper went back below the clouds, Cagalli saw an island below. She struggled to aim her craft towards it as she descended. I hope this works, she thought.

….

"We're hit!" said the pilot of the transport plane. He turned to Athrun, who was sitting behind him. "Sir," he said, "I'm sorry, but we need to drop your machine or else we're gonna crash."

"I understand," said Athrun, "Let me board it first; I don't want the Alliance to recapture it. Drop me on that island down there and then send someone to pick me up later."

"Got it," said the pilot, and Athrun ran to the cargo bay. He quickly boarded the Aegis and radioed the plane's pilot.

"I'm all set," he said.

"Roger," replied the pilot, "we're opening the cargo door. The island's directly beneath us, so drop now!"

Athrun hit his thrusters, and the Aegis flew out of the plane. As he began his descent, he saw the transport plane manage to stabilize itself, and it flew off to the east.

Good luck, he thought. Then he looked at his screen as he fell towards the island.

"Well," he said dourly, "this is gonna be fun."

….

Murrue watched as Heero finished off the last of the DINNs, slicing through it with his beam saber. As the machine exploded, Wing Zero moved to take up position above the bridge of the Archangel, ready to respond in an instant to any new threats.

Great job, Heero, she thought with a smile, Kira's finished off the enemy sea units too, so we're all clear for the moment.

"Message incoming from Skygrasper One!" shouted Miriallia, "Priority one!"

Did the Lieutenant Commander find the carriers?, wondered Murrue. "Put him on screen," she ordered.

"Captain," said La Flaga as his image appeared on the main monitor. Murrue was surprised to see the normally relaxed pilot looking extremely tense, "we've got a situation. Take a look at this."

Murrue's eyes widened in shock at what appeared on the screen. What the hell is that? "Send this to Wing Zero!" she ordered.

A massive plane was on the monitor. No, she thought, 'Plane' is the wrong word for this. Flying fortress would be a better term. The craft was built on a flying wing design, similar to the B-2 stealth bomber developed by the Americans in the late twentieth century, but was far larger. There was a bulge protruding outward from the front-center of the craft that Murrue assumed to be the 'bridge'. The tail had two large fins for steering, and spread along the dorsal surface of the wings were six engines each, for a total of twelve. Murrue was blown away by the data that was flowing into her display. The new foe was four-hundred meters long and had a staggering wingspan of over seven-hundred meters. How did they get it down to the surface?, she wondered. Murrue realized that the craft must have been built in prefabricated sections up in space, which had then been shipped down to Earth separately and assembled on the ground. It was bristling with weaponry, including forty anti-aircraft batteries, twenty-four air-to-air missile launchers and twenty air-to-surface missile launchers, and eight dual heavy beam-cannons, four dorsal and four ventral. A magnified image of the bottom of the craft showed four rows of ten hatches each, and Murrue realized that they had found the source of the majority of the DINNs that had attacked them. Worse, she saw that they were opening, and soon a swarm of twenty-eight of the aerial mobile suits filled the sky in front of it. They'll be heading for us soon; I have no doubt of that.

"Do we have anything in the database on that thing?" she asked Natarle.

"No Captain," the lieutenant replied, "I think it's a new model!"

"Heero's hailing us!" said Miriallia.

"Get him on screen!" Murrue ordered.

The Gundam pilot's face appeared on the monitor. "Never seen anything like this," he said, "I'm guessing its primary role is that of a carrier. That explains why the amount of DINNs was far greater than the underwater mobile suits; I'm willing to bet there was only one Vosgulov."

"Zero now," said La Flaga, "I just took it out a couple minutes now. What do we do about that thing though?"

"Destroy it, of course," said Heero.

"Are you insane?" cried Natarle, eyes wide. "We can't take something like that!"

"Sure we can," said Heero, looking at Murrue. The young man smiled. "Yeah, it's big… but I've killed bigger."

Murrue smiled as well, remembering what he had told her about the final battle of the Eve Wars and the battleship Libra. "Alright, take it out. We'll recall the Strike and have it refit with the Aile pack. It won't be able to join you for the attack due to its altitude limitations, so Kira will stay here and reinforce our point-defenses if any DINNs get too close."

"I won't let them," said Heero, "I'll take them out while La Flaga and Cagalli make strafing runs on the carrier. They should be able to keep it busy until I can destroy it."

"There might be a problem with that plan," said La Flaga, "Skygrasper Two has dropped off the radar, and I'm getting nothing over the radio."

"Was Cagalli shot down?" asked Murrue.

"Hard to say," the lieutenant commander replied, "that aerial carrier is giving off a ton of N-jammer interference. She said something about going after a group of transport planes at our last contact, but I've heard nothing since."

"Alright," said Murrue, "La Flaga, come back towards us and form up with Wing Zero. You and Heero will have to deal with this new threat yourselves then. We'll search for Cagalli after the battle if she hasn't shown up on her own by then. Good luck, both of you."

"Got it," said La Flaga.

"Roger that," said Heero. Both of them signed off.

I'm counting on you, Heero, she thought, I know you'll triumph. You have too…

…so you can come back to me.

….

"We've got incoming," said La Flaga over the radio.

"I see them," said Heero. A swarm of DINNs was approaching them, intent on taking out both them and the Archangel below.

"How do you want to play this?" said the fighter pilot.

"I'll punch a hole in their formation," he replied, "Once I've got them focused on me, you head for the carrier. Try to take out the heavy beam cannons on the lower hull; they can bombard the Archangel with impunity one they get within range. Some of the DINNs might break away and come after you, so watch your back. I'll go for the knock-out blow on the carrier once I'm through with the enemy mobile suits."

"Ok," said La Flaga, "I'll hang back until you get the fireworks started. Mind if I throw a few missiles into the fray?"

"Be my guest," Heero replied, "just don't blame me if the DINNs take exception to that and come after you."

"Alright," said La Flaga, "let's do this!"

Agreed, thought Heero. He raised the Twin Buster Rifle and fired. A wave of yellow-gold energy tore through the enemy formation, and five DINNs exploded while the rest scattered. Heero ignited one of Wing Zero's green beam sabers. "I'm going in," he said, and gunned his engines. Soon he was in the heart of the swarm, and began his assault by impaling a DINN through the chest. As the machine exploded, he whirled around and sliced another clean in two.

He heard La Flaga's voice over the radio. "Time to dive into the fireworks! Fox One, Fox Two!" Two missiles flew from the Skygrasper and slammed into a DINN. The machine exploded.

"I'm moving in on the carrier," he said, "good luck!"

"Roger that," said Heero as he destroyed another DINN with a barrage from Wing Zero's shoulder gatlings. The remaining nineteen machines let loose a bombardment of rifle shots and missile volleys, but Heero was too quick and dodged all the incoming fire. He rushed another DINN and slashed it with his saber. As the mobile suit exploded, Heero whirled around and charged his next target.

"You're not getting the Archangel," said Heero as he destroyed the DINN. He sighted in on another unit. "You're not getting Murrue!"

….

The bridge of the flying behemoth was designed quite differently from the standard layout found on ZAFT warships. All the control stations were arrayed in a semi-circle just behind the massive forward viewport, with a large circular space in the middle with a single seat. If one were to look down from above, one would see the ZAFT insignia on the floor, with the Captain's chair at the center of where the two halves of the hourglass shaped colony that made up the symbol of the defense forces met.

It's so grandiose, mused the man sitting there now, it almost has an imperial air to it. Captain Vladimir Viroshilov was unsure how to feel about it. On the one hand, he could admire the display of pride in the armed forces represented by such a display. However, he also couldn't shake the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that it also served as a harbinger of sorts, a warning of what kind of turn ZAFT was taking.

A First Generation Coordinator, Captain Viroshilov had been born in Murmansk in the Russian area of the Eurasian Federation. The only son in a family with a long history of military service dating back to the Tsarist navy, he had immigrated to the PLANT's in C.E. 60 as tensions between Naturals and Coordinators continued to heat up on the surface. In his mid-thirties when the ZAFT academy had been opened five years later, the grizzled Ruskie, with his thick black hair and vaguely Stalin-like mustache, had enrolled in the first class and had chosen to pursue training in the fledgling Coordinator space navy. Upon graduation in 66 C.E. he had immediately been given a posting aboard one of the first Laurasia-class frigates to roll out of dry dock. By the time of the Bloody Valentine Tragedy he was a full captain, and had gone on to serve with distinction in the opening battles of the war.

Two weeks prior to the Creuset Team's raid on the Orb colony of Heliopolis, Viroshilov had been recalled to the homeland in order to receive orientation on the top secret 'Project Peak'. He had been stunned when he had found out about the construction of the new airborne carrier, designated as the XFF-01 Flying Fortress, he now found himself in command of, and even more so when he had been told that it was only the first of a new class of warships to be used in operations on Earth. He had overseen the shipping of the prefabricated sections to Carpentaria, where they had undergone final assembly and had been completed literally the day of Waltfeld's defeat in his battle with the legged ship and its fiendishly powerful mobile suits. Upon completion, the first vessel, designated Hull XFF-01 A1, was christened as Everest, and the new series was officially proclaimed the Everest-class Flying Fortress. A mere twelve hours later, before they had even had time to conduct proper trials, the Captain had been surprised to receive a direct call from Defense Chairman Zala. The head of ZAFT and fiery contender for the title of Supreme Chairman of the PLANTs had told him that the Everest was to be made fully operational immediately, and had been given the carrier's first mission; hunt down and destroy the Alliance's new warship and its mobile suits.

The Everest had launched soon afterwards, though Viroshilov had his reservations. The lack of air trials meant that the vessel was untested, and regardless of how it had performed in computer simulations Captain Viroshilov knew that a program could only account for so much. So far things had run smoothly, but now his ship and crew were going into battle against what was quite possibly the deadliest weapon in the Alliance's arsenal; Wing Zero.

We still know so little about it, the Captain thought. As soon as he had gotten wind of the new mobile suit, previously designated as Omega One until its true name had been discovered, he had pursued every scrap of information on it, including all known combat recordings. What he saw had troubled him greatly. The machine was clearly superior to anything in ZAFT's arsenal, and the pilot was obviously a top tier ace.

Our best weapon against it at this point, he thought grimly, is sheer numbers and overwhelming firepower. Unfortunately, the twelve DINNs he had sent out to support the six from the Vosgulov-class submarine carrier below had been wiped out far faster than he had anticipated. I ordered them to radio in when they had found the legged ship and call for support, but it seems the squadron commander was overconfident. Damn Hernandez, that glory hound. Now he is dead, along with eleven more of my pilots… and I'm losing even more right now.

Wing Zero was tearing into the Everest's remaining DINNs. The twenty-eight machines had been reduced to eighteen, with Wing Zero having destroyed nine and the blue and white fighter jet taking out one with missiles. The plane was now moving in on the Everest, while Wing Zero had killed yet another DINN, and Viroshilov knew that the others would not last much longer. It would be another mater, the Captain thought, if the Fuji and Kilimanjaro were operational and in on this hunt as well. Unfortunately for him, the second and third Flying Fortresses were still undergoing final assembly at the Kaoshiung spaceport in Taiwan, and according to Zala were not to make their debut until Operation Spitbreak. The Everest was on its own, and drastic measures would have to be taken.

"Aim the beam cannons at Wing Zero," he said, "Fire when ready."

"But sir," said the gunnery officer, "Wing Zero's too close to our mobile suits! We could hit them instead!"

"It doesn't matter!" the Captain roared, "If Wing Zero gets us in its sights with that rifle then we're dead. Initiate a full bombardment; take it down! Throw up an anti-air barrage when that fighter jet comes into range as well. Give it everything we've got!"

A veritable hail of anti-air shells, flak-bursts, and air-to-air missiles poured out of the Everest. At the same time, the four lower heavy beam cannons cut loose with an emerald energy rain. The fighter jet pulled back somewhat, but then returned fire with the large energy cannon slung beneath its fuselage. Meanwhile, Wing Zero managed to evade the opening bombardment, while two DINNs were destroyed by friendly fire.

The Everest shuddered as the crimson beam from the fighter jet impacted the lower hull. "Damage report!" shouted Viroshilov, "Continue bombardment. If we let up, we're finished!"

"Sir!" said an officer, "Ventral beam cannon two took a direct hit; it's inoperable! We have fires in sections F5 through 9! Damage control teams are taking action now; the flames should be suppressed shortly."

That may not matter, he thought grimly. The remaining fifteen DINNs had scattered in order to avoid the Everest's bombardment, and Wing Zero was taking full advantage of that. Dodging the beams with inhuman speed and an uncanny ability to anticipate just where the next volley would go, the mobile suit was now picking off the isolated units one at a time, and two more machines had already fallen to its blade.

The fighter jet let loose with another crimson blast, and the Flying Fortress took another hit in the belly. "Anti-air batteries thirty through thirty-two are down!" cried the damage control officer, "We're leaking hydraulic fluid on lines seven and eight. Line nine has completely ruptured! I'm closing them off and rerouting the fluid along lines ten through thirteen. Air-to-air missile launchers twenty and twenty-one are also out of commission!"

Damn you, Hawk of Endymion! Captain Viroshilov had no doubt that the fighter was piloted by none other than Alliance ace Mu La Flaga, who had earned the title in a battle at the Endymion crater on the moon where he had destroyed five GINNs in the engagement.

The Captain grimaced as he saw Wing Zero take down another DINN, leaving just twelve left. Another volley of beams from the flying fortress tore through the sky, but the machine dodged them with ease. "They're demons! Both of them!" he said, "To think that two machines could cause so much damage…"

And they weren't done yet.

….

Watching from below, the crew of the Archangel was amazed at the sheer dominance of the two pilots, and Murrue was no exception. It seems that it was pointless in refitting the Strike, she thought, I don't think Kira will be needed for the rest of this fight.

Her heart skipped a beat as the voice of a certain young pilot came over the radio. "Time to end this," said Heero, "Lieutenant Commander La Flaga, finish your attack run and withdraw, unless you want to get caught in the blast."

"You got it," replied the fighter pilot as he fired the Agni at the flying fortress, whose IFF beacon had revealed it to be called the Everest. The red beam hit another one of the lower beam cannons, knocking it out of commission. As the blue and white fighter jet pulled away, Murrue saw Wing Zero put away its beam saber and put both hands on its rifle. The massive weapon then split down the middle, and the Gundam was suddenly holding a pair of heavy beam cannons.

"Die," said Heero, his voice cold as ice. Wing Zero fired the two rifles, spinning as it did so. The remaining dozen DINNs were wiped out as two wide yellow energy blasts swept across the sky. As the ZAFT mobile suits exploded around him, Heero then rejoined the weapons, reforming the Twin Buster Rifle, and aimed it at the Everest.

"Locked onto the target," she heard him say, "firing."

A titanic blast ripped forth from Wing Zero's rifle. The golden-yellow wave of destruction slammed into the center of the Everest and tore right through the vessel. As the beam shredded through armor and bulkheads and came out the topside of the flying fortress, the central section exploded. The entire ship was annihilated save for the last few dozen meters or so of each of the wings, which fell towards the ocean, trailing fire and smoke.

Heero's face then appeared on the bridge's main screen. "Mission complete. All enemy forces have been destroyed."

Murrue nodded. "Thank you, Heero. Please, return to the ship. We need to figure out what to do about Cagalli. I'm afraid she still hasn't radioed in, so there's a high likelihood that she went down somewhere and can't communicate."

"I see," said Heero, "can you send me her last known trajectory and the area she was operating in?"

"La Flaga has that data," Murrue replied, "I'll have him send it over."

A few minutes later Heero contacted her again. "It's a wide area, and there are quite a few islands out that way too. There's a chance she could have made it to one of them."

"Captain!" said Natarle, "We can't afford to stay in this area too long. ZAFT could attack again at any time!"

"So do you suggest we abandon her, Lieutenant Badgiruel?" said La Flaga over the radio.

"Well…" said Natarle, looking towards the floor, unsure of how to continue.

Kira butted in. "We have to search for her! Captain, send me out!"

"The Strike has a limited operating range," said Heero, "it's ill suited for search-and-rescue missions."

"But…" said Kira.

"Sorry, kid," said La Flaga, "but Heero's right; you're benched this round. What are your orders, Captain?"

"We can stay for a limited amount of time," said Murrue, "The sun will be setting in a few hours. We'll search until dawn tomorrow, and then we need to move on."

"May I make a suggestion?" said Heero.

"Of course," said Murrue.

"Have La Flaga conduct search operations until sundown," he said, "I'll take over when he comes back and look until dawn."

"Are you sure?" said Murrue.

Heero nodded. "We can't afford to send both of our long-range flying units out at once. I'll nap until La Flaga gets back, then I'll take over search operations. It'll probably be an all night job for me, so I'd like to get a little shut eye before I get started."

"Alright," said Murrue, "come back to the ship then. Lieutenant Commander La Flaga, head off towards the area Cagalli last reported in from and begin a sweep of it. Hopefully you'll find her before dark."

"Copy that," said the fighter pilot, "La Flaga out."

"I'm coming in for landing," said Heero, "mind opening up?"

Murrue nodded. "Open the bay doors, Lieutenant Badgiruel."

"Yes, Captain," she said.

Murrue stood up. "Lieutenant, you have the bridge."

"Understood, ma'am," Natarle replied.

Murrue left the bridge and made her way to the hangar. She arrived just as Heero was exiting the cockpit of Wing Zero. Increasing her pace slightly, she went up to him.

As Heero closed the Gundam's hatch he saw her approaching. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes. I just wanted to see you before you went to sleep."

His eyes widened slightly. "Oh… alright. Well, in that case, care to walk with me? If you're not busy, anyway."

Murrue smiled. "I was going to do that anyway."

They made their way out of the hangar and towards the officers' quarters. "Thank you for earlier," she said, "I had no idea ZAFT had something like that carrier in their arsenal."

Heero shook his head. "Don't mention it. I didn't know either. Didn't see anything like it in the files I've read. It must've been developed pretty recently."

Murrue sighed. "I'm glad you and La Flaga were able to handle it, but I'm worried about Cagalli. Even if she managed to make it to an island, ZAFT has a stronger presence in this area than I'd anticipated. Hopefully we'll find her before they do."

"Yeah," he said quietly. He looked over at her. "I'm sure Natarle will raise hell over letting her pilot the Skygrasper and loosing it, if she hasn't already. Will you be alright?"

Murrue nodded. "She's been quiet about it so far, but I have no doubt she'll write it up in her report to High Command when we reach Alaska." She looked over at Heero and smiled. "I'll be fine, though. Thank you for your concern."

"It's the least I can do," said Heero.

The least?, thought Murrue, He's fought entire armies on our behalf, and he thinks this is the least he can do? She couldn't help but marvel over how truly selfless he was, how he wanted to help her in any way possible.

Before she knew it, they had reached the door to his room. Heero sighed. "Better turn in for a few hours. I doubt La Flaga will find Cagalli before the sun sets. I'll probably have an all-nighter ahead of me."

"I'm sorry," said Murrue, "You do so much for us, and all we ever seem to do is ask for more."

"It's alright," he said. He gave her a small smile. "I want to help you in any way I can. A search and rescue mission isn't too bad. I'll just rest when I get back. Besides, it's not your fault that Cagalli went missing. Blame that on her or ZAFT, whichever works."

"You're right," she said, "but still… I can't help but feel responsible. I did allow her to fly the Skygrasper, after all."

"On my suggestion, if I recall correctly," said Heero, "I know that as Captain what happens on this ship ultimately falls under your jurisdiction, but the situation is not normal. You're desperate, and you need all the help you can get. Cagalli turned out to be a good pilot, so it was natural to let her fly the Skygrasper."

Murrue was surprised to feel Heero grab her hand. "You're the one who's been telling me to forgive myself. You need to do the same. This isn't your fault; you're doing the best you can in a horrible situation."

"Heero…" she said, looking down at her hand. He had it in a firm grip, but it wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, as he let her go, she found herself wishing that he had held on for a little longer…

"I should get some rest," he said, "In all likelihood La Flaga will return empty handed, and I'll have to get airborne. Wake me when he gets back, alright?"

"Of course," said Murrue. The two of them looked at each other for a moment, then Heero opened the door.

"I'll see you in a few hours, then," he said.

Murrue nodded. Then, remembering the nightmare that had tormented him before, she put her hand on his shoulder. "Heero?"

"What is it?" he asked, turning to her.

"If… if you need anything, please call me. Alright?" she said.

He looked at her for a moment, and Murrue once again felt herself drawn to his eyes. So much pain lies behind them, she thought, yet they're so calm…

He finally nodded. "I will. Thank you."

Murrue smiled. "You're welcome, Heero. Sleep well."

….

"Well, this sucks," said Cagalli.

She'd managed to beach her fighter in shallow water, but just by looking at her craft she knew there was no way it would be flying again without some serious repairs. She'd tried to use her radio, but there was too much interference, and she couldn't establish contact with the Archangel. Wading through the water onto the shore, she looked around.

"I wonder if this island is inhabited," she said. The beach stretched out for a little ways before curving, implying that it wasn't a very large island. There were some tropical trees ahead, though the vegetation was not very think, and there were several large rocks mixed in as well. It was still light out, though she knew that the sun would set in a few hours.

Might as well look around, she thought, maybe I'll find someone who can help. So she began to make her way towards the island's interior. As she walked around, she discovered that there were more large rocks the further she went in, turning into almost a maze of crevices. Thankfully, it wasn't that difficult to navigate, and she even found a stream near what she assumed to be the center of the island. At least I know I have a fresh water source, she thought as she took a drink.

There were some scattered bushes and trees as well, and she saw berries on some of them. She wasn't sure if they were poisonous, so she decided that she'd return to her fighter and grab the survival kit under the pilot's seat when she wanted to eat. I probably should've grabbed it before I went exploring. Oh well. At least she had remembered to grab her pistol when she got out of the plane.

She'd only been walking for about twenty minutes when she began to notice the rocks and plants beginning to thin out. Have I already reached the other side of the island? As she came around a giant boulder, she was once again confronted with the sea, though this side of the island had no long sandy shore, but rather a series of rocky outcroppings. How strange.

She looked around, and her jaw dropped when she spotted a familiar object. "No way," she said, "I don't believe it!"

It was the Aegis. Its Phase Shift Armor was powered down, but there was no mistaking the frame of the stolen Alliance prototype.

Wait a minute, she realized, if it's here, then… She saw movement in the rocks, and realized it was a young man in a crimson flight suit. A ZAFT pilot!

She drew her gun. "Hold it right there!" she yelled. The pilot turned to face her, and Cagalli saw that he had blue-black hair, slightly longer than what might be found on other men, and that he appeared to be young, about her age.

"Don't move!" she said, but too late. In a blur, the Coordinator had already leapt behind a rock for cover. Cagalli fired out of reflex, but the bullet just pinged off the boulder.

She saw another blur, and fired again. However, she saw that what she had fired at was a small rock. A decoy? Then where…

Suddenly she saw a shadow, and looked up to see the young man leap down from atop a large boulder. He came down on her and knocked her to the ground, causing her to drop her gun.

As he pinned her, he raised a wicked looking curved knife. Staring death in the face, Cagalli froze. Unable to think, she simply closed her eyes and screamed.

….

The high-pitched shriek took Athrun completely by surprise. Wincing at how sharp it was, he lowered the knife and took a closer look at the person pinned beneath him.

"Huh? A girl?" he said.

The blonde teenager regained some of her composure and glared at him. "What the hell did you think I was? God, what is it with you boys lately?"

"Sorry," he said. He examined her attire, and realized she wasn't wearing an Alliance uniform, but rather a simple pair of khaki pants, a red shirt, and a green vest. He rolled her over, and reaching for a pouch on his suit, he took out some plastic cord and bound her hands. Satisfied that his captive was secure, he picked up the gun she had pulled on him earlier.

"You're not dressed like a soldier." he said, "What are you doing here pointing a gun at me?"

"My plane got shot down," she replied, "I crashed on the other side of the island. I thought it would be a good idea to look around and see if I could find help."

"I see," said Athrun, "so you were the one that attacked my transport."

Her eyes widened slightly. "You were on that plane?" She looked down. "Look, it was nothing personal…"

Athrun couldn't help but smile slightly. "Don't worry, I won't hold it against you… though I am a bit annoyed at being stuck on this island until my allies come pick me up. I have to ask though; what was a civilian like you doing piloting an Alliance fighter jet?"

"It's… a long story," she said, blushing slightly, "Look, I'm not part of the Earth Forces, alright? I'm just hitching a ride with them for now. I figured I'd pilot the fighter as a way of paying them back."

"And they just let a civilian use one of their weapons?" he replied, "I thought the Alliance military was more disciplined than that."

"Look," she said, "the crew was shorthanded on pilots, so they made an exception. Will you drop this already?"

"Fine," said Athrun. He turned and walked toward his mobile suit. "I need to try and make contact with my allies anyway. If I can't get through, then I'll have to get my survival gear and set up a temporary shelter. We'll talk more later."

Odd girl, he thought as he climbed into the cockpit of the Aegis. After a few minutes of adjusting the radio and failing to get a signal, he sighed. Gonna have to set up camp then. Luckily, he had seen an alcove nearby that would serve as a good place to shelter when night fell. As he grabbed the survival gear from behind the pilot's seat, he thought about his female captive.

At least I'll have some company to pass the time with, he mused. Granted, she had tried to shoot him down, but this was war; he couldn't really complain about that. In fact, as he checked his gear to make sure everything was there, he realized that he was actually looking forward to talking with her after he'd set up camp. I wonder where she's from. Should be an interesting tale or two there.

Suddenly he heard a splash, and rushed out of the cockpit. What he saw made him laugh. The girl had rolled down a small ledge in an attempt to undo her bindings, and was now struggling in the shallows, soaking wet.

She saw him and glared. "Would you stop laughing and help me out here?"

Athrun smiled. "Alright, hang on a second." He pulled her up by the arm, then moved behind her and cut her bindings.

The girl rubbed her wrists and then looked at him, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What's the big idea?"

"I have your gun," he said, "so as an unarmed Natural, you're no threat to me. By the way, you have a stowaway."

"Huh?" she said. She looked down and saw a crab clinging to her shirt. "Eek!" She shook frantically until the stubborn creature finally decided it had had enough and let go.

Athrun chuckled again, causing her to blush slightly. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," he said, "I'm gonna go get my survival gear. I saw an alcove that we can camp out in for the night nearby. Come on, I'll show you."

"Hold on," she said, "you said I'm no threat to you unarmed. What if I decide to take my gun back from you when you let your guard down?"

Athrun sighed. "In that case, I'll have no choice but to kill you." His voice sounded colder than he had intended, but it still had the desired effect of making her pause to consider what her chances of taking a Coordinator off guard were. To tell the truth, he would prefer not to kill her. Even if she had been a soldier instead of a civilian, he would be reluctant to take her life. Athrun fought only to protect his homeland; he hated the killing, but it was part of the job. Mechanized warfare made the taking of life somewhat impersonal, since all one saw were machines being destroyed, but Athrun would not hide from the fact that people were still within them. However, he admitted that the thought of killing in personal combat, whether it be with his handgun or a knife, made him feel uneasy in a way that fighting in the Aegis never could. I'd really rather avoid it.

He continued walking towards his mobile suit, the girl following in his wake, though at a respectful distance. A thought occurred to him as he remembered her fall into the water.

"By the way," he said offhandedly, "I'll need your clothes later."

"Huh?" she said, and when he turned around he saw her face was beat red, and her eyes had narrowed, "Just what are you planning?"

Athrun raised his hands, his own face also going red. "No-nothing like that… I just mean that they're all wet… it'll be dark soon, and you'll catch a chill later when the sun sets." He looked down, still feeling the heat in his face. "Look, I have a large blanket with my survival gear; you can have that until they're dried out."

"Oh," she said, calming down a bit, "alright."

Well, that was awkward, he thought. "I'll grab my things. Once I get everything set up I can get wood for a fire. We can lay your clothes to dry by it once it gets going."

"Ok," she said, "if you don't mind, I'll help you look for wood when you're ready."

When he raised an eyebrow at her, she smiled. Athrun couldn't help but notice that she was actually quite pretty when she did so. "Since we're both stuck here for now, I might as well help out. Besides, even if I'm untied, I'm still your prisoner, so you won't want to let me out of sight, right?"

Athrun nodded. "Ok. Thanks… for cooperating, I mean."

"Sure," she replied. She looked down for a moment. "Actually… thank you… you didn't have to worry about my health, you know. I appreciate it."

He nodded. "You're welcome. Now wait there, I'll be right back."

He looked over his shoulder one more time before climbing into the cockpit of the Aegis. Sure enough, she was just standing there, looking up at the mobile suit but otherwise doing nothing suspicious. She's an odd one, he mused.

Still, he couldn't help but smile as he grabbed the duffel bag that held his survival gear. I definitely could have worse company on this island, he thought, Lacus would probably like her. Too bad they'll probably never meet…

….

Standing outside Heero's quarters, Murrue pressed the buzzer by the door. A few seconds later the young pilot appeared, dressed in the usual green tank-top and black shorts.

He smiled slightly when he saw her. "You could've called, you know."

Murrue returned the smile. "I know, but I wanted to see you in person."

"No luck on the Lieutenant Commander's search?" he asked.

Murrue shook her head. "I'm afraid not. He'll be landing in five minutes. I wanted to walk with you to the hangar. It's the least I can do, considering you'll likely be out all night."

"It's alright," Heero replied. He stepped back. "Come on in; just let me clean up a bit real quick."

She followed him into his quarters and sat down at the table while he went to the washroom. Murrue heard him turn on the sink. Peering through the doorway she saw him put his hands in the water, then splash some of it on his face and in his hair. He then grabbed a towel, dried up, and then came back into the room. Grabbing his gun from beneath his pillow and holstering it, he turned to her.

"Alright," he said, "let's go."

As they exited his quarters and made their way towards the hangar, he turned to her. "Did La Flaga notice any enemy activity while he was out?"

"Not really," said Murrue, "he said there were a few ZAFT reconnaissance planes around, but that's to be expected since they're increasing their presence in this region. Nothing we need to worry about; none of their vectors were anywhere near close to the Archangel."

"I see," said Heero, "Some good news, at least."

Murrue nodded. "By the way, we received a burst transmission from Alliance forces while you were asleep. Wasn't much, just a couple of files; it was all they could get through the N-jammer interference."

"Anything interesting in there?" asked Heero.

"Nothing too out of the ordinary," she replied, "Remember up in orbit, when Admiral Halberton mentioned ZAFT's preparations for their upcoming Operation Spitbreak?"

Heero nodded. "Yeah, just after the debriefing. He said it was their next major offensive. What about it?"

"ZAFT is continuing to amass forces for it," she said, "Of course, that's no surprise. The Alliance is fairly certain the target is the Panama spaceport facility."

"Makes sense," said Heero, "capture that and the Alliance's only remaining mass driver and means of accessing space will be at their headquarters in Alaska. Then ZAFT can concentrate all their forces on a knockout blow."

"Yes," she said, "although… now that I think about it, something in those files seemed off."

"What do you mean?" asked Heero.

"According to Intelligence reports," said Murrue, "The majority of ZAFT's buildup on the surface is concentrated at the Kaoshiung spaceport in Taiwan."

"That makes no sense," said Heero, "If the target is supposed to be Panama, then wouldn't it make more sense to stage from the Carpentaria base? Their supply lines would be far less vulnerable in the South Pacific than over in Taiwan; East Asia is still an active warzone. Not to mention the most direct route would be going right past the Alliance's Pacific Fleet headquarters at Hawaii if they staged from Kaoshiung. They could bypass it with ease if they launched from Carpentaria."

"Exactly," said Murrue as they entered the hangar, "staging from Kaoshiung would be a logistical nightmare."

"I don't like it," said Heero as they climbed the stairs to the catwalk that led to Wing Zero's hatch, "something's not right. ZAFT's top brass can't be that incompetent."

"I know," Murrue replied, "Still, Alliance High Command seems convinced that the target is Panama. Not much we can do about that from where we're standing at the moment, though."

"You got that right," he said as he opened the hatch.

"Heero?" said Murrue.

He looked at her. "Yeah?"

"Take care of yourself, alright? I know it's just a search-and-rescue operation, but still…" She just couldn't help worrying about him.

He smiled. "I'll be fine. You should rest, ok? Go get some sleep; I'll be back in the morning. Who knows, maybe sooner if I'm lucky."

"I will. Be safe, Heero," she said.

"Roger that," he replied before entering the Gundam and closing the hatch.

Murrue made her way off the catwalk, which then retracted to allow the Wing Zero to make its way towards the launch area. She watched as the bay doors opened, revealing a dark purple-blue sky, the last glimmers of sunlight giving way to night. The moon was already in the sky, growing brighter as Sol waned.

Wing Zero's engines fired up, and the Gundam blasted out of the hangar. She saw it transform into its fighter mode as it scrambled for altitude before she lost sight of it altogether.

Good luck, Heero, she thought.

Please, come back safe.

….

Night had fallen on Aprilius One. Well, as close to night as one could get in the heart of the PLANT colonies. Lights had been dimmed, and several steel panels had retracted along the outside of the enormous thirty kilometer long habitat, allowing for a clear view of the stars through massive, heavily reinforced windows.

Sitting on a bench in one of several parks, looking up at the fantastic display of stars, was a man. He was tall, wore boots, jeans, and a black sweater. His hair was jet black, and he was clean shaven, had brown eyes and light skin. A black duffel bag was sitting at his feet.

He didn't even turn around as two figures approached him from behind. The man just smiled. "You know, for two people who are supposed to be dead, you're quite punctual. Only one minute early, old friend."

He stood up as Andrew Waltfeld and his lover Aisha came around the bench. Apart from missing his left arm and eye, the now former Field Marshal looked no worse for the wear. The same went for Aisha, who's only sign of injury was a bandage wrapped around her forehead and a slight limp in her right leg. The Desert Tiger was wearing khakis and a long brown jacket, while Aisha was dressed in a simple black jumpsuit.

The man grinned and drew them both into an embrace. "Jesus, you two had me scared. I'm glad you both made it out alive!"

Waltfeld smiled as they parted. "How've you been, Bristow?"

Eric 'Wolf' Bristow smirked. Now in his early thirties, he had attended the ZAFT academy with Waltfeld, and like his old friend had gone on to command ground operations. Promoted to full Field Marshal around the same time as Waltfeld in 70 C.E., Bristow had led the initial invasion of the Republic of East Asia, the third largest nation in the Earth Alliance. However, Bristow was also from a powerful family in the PLANTs. His father sat on the board of directors for the Asimov Design Bureau, the group responsible for developing ZAFT's first combat mobile suit, the GINN. As a result, the family was closely tied to Defense Chairman Patrick Zala. It had often been joked that if Eric had had a younger sister, it would've been her who would be arranged to be Athrun Zala's future bride rather than Lacus Clyne. It had been due to this family connection that Eric had been promoted to be the Defense Chairman's deputy chief of staff following the conquest of the Kaoshiung spaceport.

Bristow actually would've preferred to pass on the promotion though. Like Waltfeld, he was happy with field assignments, and was a fearsome BuCue pilot, though not quite at the Tiger's level of skill. However, he had accepted in order to give Andrew a friend in the circles of power that dominated life in Aprilius One. Having grown up the only son of a very rich and powerful family, Bristow was no stranger to political intrigue, and though he repeatedly told his friends how he despised it, his talents for navigating the mires of shifting alliances that made up the upper echelons of PLANT society and government were not to be underestimated.

"Busy as hell," he said as he sat back down. Waltfeld sat next to him, with Aisha holding his remaining arm. "You wouldn't believe the amount of paperwork I have to go through just to make sure the new divisions are properly outfitted. The prep work for Operation Spitbreak has not helped matters."

"Is Keitel still the same?" asked Waltfeld. He was referring to Freidrich Keitel, Zala's chief of staff and Eric's immediate superior.

"If you mean pompous, worshipping Zala's coattails, and dumping all his troop movements on me to sort out, then yeah, that fat-ass prick hasn't changed a bit," Bristow grumbled, "If he wasn't one of the largest shareholders in the Asimov Design Bureau, I'd knock him down quite a few pegs."

"I still don't get how he became the Chief of Staff for ZAFT Supreme HQ," said Aisha.

"A sick combination of politicking, ass-kissing, and doing the bare minimum of field assignments necessary to climb the ranks," said Waltfeld. He grimaced. "It's assholes like him that give officers a bad name. I'd accuse him of outright bribery as well, but I never found any solid evidence to pin on him."

"Tell me something I don't know," said Bristow, "The man's a careerist pig. Not to mention a rubber stamp for Zala's latest campaigns. A 'yes man' if there ever was one."

"Enough about him," said Aisha, "you said you had some things to discuss with us?"

Bristow nodded. "I wanted to give you guys some time to get settled in first. That's why I waited until a day after the two of you snuck back into the capital."

"Thanks for the help on that, by the way," said Waltfeld, "those Intel guys you brought in worked wonders with the travel papers."

Bristow smiled. "Yeah, it pays having friends in the PLANT Secret Service… especially when Zala's playing Military Intelligence off against them."

"Sounds like we may have walked into a hornets' nest," said Aisha.

Bristow sighed. "That isn't the half of it. Things have changed up here, and quickly at that. I feel like it's been years since I took Kaoshiung and got that damned promotion, not a few weeks. I'm sure you two noticed a few oddities when you arrived."

Waltfeld nodded. "Yeah, it seemed like there were security officers on every street corner, not to mention all the plain-clothes personnel backing them up. What the hell's going on, Eric?"

"The radical faction is expanding its power," he replied, "They are ascendant, and Clyne is waning. I'm sure the two of you have seen the latest poll numbers."

"Yes," said Aisha softly, "Zala's lead is decisive. The final debate before election day may turn out to be little more than a formality."

"That isn't the half of it," said Bristow, "Zala's acting like he's already won. Several members of the moderate faction are under covert surveillance by Military Intelligence… including Chairman Clyne."

"What?" said Waltfeld, eyes widening, "I can't believe Zala would be so bold!"

"It wasn't easy to find out," said Bristow, "I managed to pull a few strings with the PLANT Secret Service. I've got tails on Zala's tails of the moderate faction, but it's a dangerous game. One slip up and I hit the top of his shit list, or damn close to it."

"Looks like we arrived just in time," said Waltfeld, "Civilian intelligence versus Military Intelligence… things are getting dicey."

His old friend nodded. "Yeah, you two may be the aces in the hole I need. I've been trying to set up a safe house network for members of the moderate faction in case things go south, but it's tricky. I think Moralez is still on the fence."

"Philippe Moralez?" said Aisha, "You mean the Secret Service Director?"

"The very same," said Bristow, "I know he doesn't like what Zala's got Military Intelligence doing these days, and he's turned a blind eye to my efforts to throw some counter weight into the moderates' corner, but I don't think he's made up his mind as to where his support ultimately lies. He's a man bound by a strong sense of duty; he follows the orders of the Council, regardless of who may hold the office of Supreme Chairman."

"Depending on how we play things, that could still work out in our favor," mused Waltfeld.

"I hope you're right, my friend," said Bristow. He sighed. "I hate to say this, but no matter what happens behind the scenes, Clyne is finished. Much as I like the guy, I have to face the political reality. Public opinion is quite clear, and only a fool would believe otherwise. Not only that, but when Clyne falls, a lot of his supporters will likely go down with him. In addition to the office of Supreme Chairman, the majority of the Council could well end up in the hands of the radical faction."

"All we can do is try to cushion the fall," said Aisha.

Bristow smiled. "Shemei said the same thing. She's in town, you know. The Valkyrie Team got in about four hours before you guys did."

"No doubt part of Zala's Spitbreak prep work," said Waltfeld, "He quietly removes her from the front under the guise of giving her unit some shore leave, allowing Creuset to take the spotlight once the offensive starts."

"She said as much when I met her," said Bristow, "That was earlier this afternoon."

"Ah, so that was your prior engagement," said Aisha, "What did you want with her?"

"She contacted me, actually," he replied, "Shemei wanted to know about Asimov Design Bureau's latest mobile suit work. I gave her as much technical data as I could scrounge from the family database, but I don't have full access; only my father does, and even then our file system is only a fraction of that at the disposal of the board of directors. Still, she seemed pleased with it. As she left, she said she was going to check in with some friends in ZAFTs Research and Development division. She mentioned something about finally finding someone who could push her, make her strive for something more, and that she needed a better machine." Eric smiled. "She seemed pretty happy, actually."

"I think I know why," said Waltfeld, who couldn't help but grin a little himself, "Tell me, what do you know about Wing Zero?"

Bristow laughed. "You mean other than the fact that it's got Zala and half the Defense Council practically shitting themselves? Not much. I saw the post action reports Commander Rehema sent from North Africa before she went to the Gibraltar spaceport though. The fact that a pilot and mobile suit exist that can not only keep up with, but actually beat the Valkyrie Team seems almost unbelievable! I damn near swore off scotch when I first read what she wrote. And that's not even mentioning the combat footage I was able to get my hands on. This Heero Yuy may well be the deadliest man alive."

"I won't argue with that," said Aisha, "He was stunning."

"Even more so, considering his age," said Waltfeld, "Did you know he's only sixteen?"

"What?" said Bristow, eyes widening, "You're kidding me!"

"Nope, afraid not," said Waltfeld, "Met him myself in Banadiya, just before the big showdown."

"Damn," Bristow said softly, "that kid flies like he was born for battle. I'm guessing he's the one Shemei was talking about."

"You got it," said Aisha.

"Man," he said, looking up at the sky, "what a pilot."

They were all quiet for a moment, and then Bristow reached down towards the duffel bag at his feet. "I got a file in here you two might find interesting." He dug around the bag for a few seconds, then pulled out a manila envelope and handed it to Waltfeld. Fumbling with it a bit with his only arm, he passed it to Aisha, who opened it up so both of them could read the contents.

Both of their eyes widened. "Bristow," said Waltfeld, "are you sure about these figures?"

He nodded. "Yup, triple checked them myself. Zala's increased the size of the Special Weapons Department's budget at least tenfold."

ZAFT's Special Weapons Department was an organization responsible for developing armaments beyond mobile suits, although it also did work on weapons and equipment for the machines as well. Among other things, it had been responsible for the heavy weapons in use aboard the fleet's capital ships, along with the infamous N-jammers seeded throughout Earth and space, preventing the use of nuclear power. When the Creuset Team had captured the four Alliance prototype machines, Special Weapons had sent teams of technicians to examine them, competing with engineers from both the Asimov Design Bureau and Kepler Heavy Industries, a civilian firm that enjoyed favored status with the government due to its role in large-scale engineering and construction in outer space.

"Zala has something big in the works," said Aisha, "or several large projects."

"No kidding," said Waltfeld, "you could build five full fleets with the money he's throwing at this!"

"And Clyne can do nothing about it," sighed Bristow, "hell, he didn't even know about it until I showed him the figures yesterday. Zala's been busy, and I got a bad feeling about these black projects of his."

"Probably well warranted," said Waltfeld, "Eric, I'm sorry to ask this of you, but…"

"You need more information, right?" he replied with a smile. "Don't worry; I've got your back. I'll dig up as much as I can, though no promises. Zala's playing this one close to the vest; I don't think even Keitel has all the details."

"What about Creuset?" asked Aisha, "Doesn't Zala confide in him?"

Bristow smacked his forehead. "Shit, you're right. Damn it, I've been so focused on the power games being played on the Defense Council and the wider political picture that I completely forgot about that connection, beyond the fact that Zala favors him anyway. I totally screwed up!"

"Don't beat yourself up, buddy," said Waltfeld, "I know you're not a fan of intrigue; you've done extraordinarily well as it is, all things considered."

Bristow sighed. "Yeah, I've gotten pretty good at these games, haven't I? What happened, Waltfeld? One minute things are simple; I'm out on the front line, taking the fight to the enemy, and trying to get as many of my men and women out alive as possible. Next thing I know I'm juggling half a dozen schemes while sitting behind a desk, walking the razor's edge between duty and high treason, and taking orders from a superior I despise who bends over backwards for another that I fear may be leading us down the path of mass-murder."

He looked up at the stars, suddenly feeling incredibly tired.

"How… how did it come to this?"

….

Murrue rolled over in her bed, looking up at the ceiling. It's no good, she thought, I just can't fall asleep.

And she had a feeling she knew why.

He wasn't on board. The young man who had flown into her life on the wings of war, who had saved not only her but her comrades more times than she could count, who had astounded her not only with his phenomenal skill in battle but with the incredible compassion that lay hidden beneath his cool and quiet demeanor… was not on the Archangel.

Her greatest pilot, her fiercest soldier, her guardian angel, her dearest friend…

Heero Yuy.

Off on another mission on my behalf, she thought, on that incredible Gundam of his, Wing Zero.

Murrue had already known that she found his presence comforting, but she hadn't realized it went to this extent. To be unable to even sleep when he's away…

Looking up at the ceiling, she felt a small smile creep onto her face as she came to a realization.

I really am falling for him….

….

It was dark out, and Cagalli and the ZAFT soldier who had captured her and then, strangely, untied her, were holed up in the alcove the Coordinator had found earlier. A small fire was going, with the girl's clothes laying on the ground next to it, slowly drying in the heat. Cagalli herself was only wearing her undergarments, covering herself in the large blanket the young man sitting across the fire from her had provided.

She looked at him as he stared into the flames, apparently lost in thought. His blue-black hair seemed to flicker slightly in the firelight. He seems like a pretty decent guy, she thought, in fact… he's kinda cute, too. She smiled slightly, blushing when she saw him look up at her.

"What? What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing," she muttered, looking away, "forget about it."

"Fine," he said. Cagalli watched curiously as he stood up. "I'm going to give the radio another try. I'll be right back."

How strange, she thought as he walked out of their rocky shelter, I tried to kill him earlier, and he not only unties me after he's captured me, he has no hesitation about letting me out of his sight now. Then she looked down at herself and sighed. Then again, I guess I wouldn't feel very threatened by me either. I don't even have proper clothes to wear right now, at least not until the ones by the fire dry.

A few minutes later the young soldier came back and sat down by the fire. "No luck," he said, "the radio waves are weak here… I'm afraid we really are stuck here until morning."

"That's only because you guys spread N-jammers all across the Earth," she quipped.

His eyes narrowed, and she saw an intensity that hadn't been there before. "Only after the Alliance attacked us with nuclear weapons!"

She knew his argument was valid, though she wouldn't admit it aloud.

Then his expression softened, and he looked down. To Cagalli, he seemed to become far off, almost… sad. His blue eyes seemed to radiate sorrow.

"My mother…" he said softly, "…was on Junius Seven."

Cagalli gasped. Oh my god…

The young Coordinator looked back up at her, eyes now burning with righteous fury. "It was an agricultural colony! The Earth forces attacked it without warning or provocation! What did you expect us to do, just sit back and wait to be slaughtered?"

"So you think that makes it all right to knock out the primary power source for the people on Earth?" she shot back, "How many do you think have died from sickness and exposure as a result? And don't forget that you guys also attacked and destroyed Heliopolis, a neutral colony!"

"Heliopolis…" the soldier said softly, "… we never meant to destroy it. Our only intention was to capture the Earth Forces new weapons that were being built there."

"What you intended and what actually happened were two different things!" said Cagalli.

The young man sighed. "It hardly matters now anyway. What's done is done, no sense in arguing about it." With that he laid down on his side and turned his back to her.

"Hey!" she said, "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Getting some sleep," he said over his shoulder, "What else would I be doing?"

"Well," said Cagalli, "what if I decide to take your gun during the night?"

"Then I'll have to stop you," he replied, "and probably kill you. So do yourself a favor and don't even think about trying it."

With that the young man went back to trying to fall asleep. Cagalli just sat and stared at him for a few minutes, during which she noticed his breathing becoming a bit lighter and softer, and indication that he was already falling asleep.

How can he fall asleep so quickly, she thought, especially in this situation?

After awhile, she stood up and walked to the entrance of the alcove. Standing in the rocky archway, she looked up at the mobile suit that towered over their shelter. He pilots this machine, she thought, one of four that pursued the Archangel before it came to Earth. Now it's here, and two of the others were in North Africa… I have no doubt the fourth is now on the surface as well. All of them will be coming for the ship soon…

I can't let him do that.

Walking back into the alcove, she slowly approached him. Her whole body tense, she reached for the gun on his hip. As she did so though, she froze as she heard him mumble something in his sleep.

"No…" he said softly, "… I don't want to fight you…"

Her eyes widened. He sounds just like Kira!

She hesitated, unsure now of what to do. No! I have no choice, this has to be done!

Cagalli continued to move her hand slowly towards the gun. As she lay her hand on it, she felt the young man stir. Quickly, she yanked the gun from the holster. She scrambled backwards just as the ZAFT pilot came up in a crouch, holding his curved knife.

Cagalli pointed the gun at him, her hands shaking. "I'm sorry," she said, "but… I can't let you take that machine and attack my friends! Just… turn around and let my tie you up, alright? I don't want to kill you!"

His eyes narrowed. "Do you plan to take the Aegis? You're a Natural; how do you expect to pilot a mobile suit?"

"I'll figure it out!" she shouted, "Please, just surrender!"

"No," he said softly, "I cannot let you take my machine."

They stared at each other across the fire, Cagalli's hands still trembling regardless of how she tried to bring the shaking under control. Suddenly she saw the young man's eyes widen, and he threw the knife. Panicking, Cagalli fired, the gun jumping in her hand, closing her eyes while she did so.

She slowly opened them when she realized that the knife had not hit her. Looking to her right, her eyes widened as she saw the blade buried into the head of a snake that had been approaching her. He was trying to help me!

"Ugh," she heard the pilot groan. Looking over at him, she saw him holding his left shoulder, blood trickling from between his fingers. Oh no!

Cagalli dropped the gun, and scrambled to the side of the alcove where the soldier had put his first aid kit when setting the camp. Grabbing it, she ran over to him. "I'm sorry!" she said, "Let me help you!"

The young man brushed her aside. "It's alright, it's not serious."

She grabbed him by his good shoulder. "I don't care, let me help. I want to make it up to you!"

Their eyes met for a moment, and after a few seconds she heard him chuckle. "You know," he said, "you really are a strange girl. Alright… and thanks."

She nodded, and taking a small pair of scissors from the kit, she began to cut a portion of his flight suit so that she could get a better view of the wound. After disinfecting it, she began to wrap it in bandages.

She sighed in relief as she saw that the wound was quite shallow. A graze, she thought, thank god…

….

When she opened her eyes, Cagalli discovered that the ZAFT pilot wasn't in the alcove. The first rays of sunlight were peaking inside, a new day dawning. Getting up, she put on her now dry clothes and walked outside.

She saw the young man on the open hatch of his mobile suit. He turned to her and smiled. "Just got through to my allies. There's a plane on the way to pick me up; it'll be here in about an hour. Also, I got something on the radar. I can't make out much with the interference in the area, but I don't think it's a ZAFT unit. It's probably a friend of yours. They're approaching the other side of the island."

Her eyes widened as he tossed her gun to her. She fumbled with it before finally getting a solid grip on it. "Hey, what's the big idea?"

"Relax," he said, "the safety's on, you're in no danger. I suggest you get a move on if you want your friend to find you."

She looked up at him and nodded. "Alright, take care."

"You too," he replied.

As she turned to go, she looked over her shoulder. "By the way, I'm Cagalli. What's your name?"

He hesitated a moment before answering. "It's Athrun."

Cagalli smiled. "Stay alive, Athrun. Alright?"

He nodded. "Yeah, you too."

She turned and ran towards the opposite side of the island where she had crashed the previous day. As she approached the shore line she saw a strange looking fighter in the distance. She squinted a bit before she saw it begin to transform, and she realized what it was.

"Wing Zero!" she cried out, smiling. She waved her arms, jumping up and down, and she was relieved to see the mobile suit slow down and approach her position.

The Gundam landed in front of her, and lowered its right hand. Still smiling, she climbed onto it, and it lifted her towards the cockpit section. The hatch opened and she climbed in, squeezing along the right side of the pilot's chair.

"Heero!" she said as the pilot closed the hatch, "Thank you! I knew one of you guys would find me."

He nodded. "Don't mention it. Although… it figures that you'd be on the very last island in my search area."

She put a hand behind her head. "Yeah, sorry about that. Were you up all night?"

He nodded. "You owe me one. I'll grab your fighter with Wing Zero, then we'll head back to the Archangel." Cagalli saw him smirk. "Chief Mechanic Murdoch will want to ream you a new one when he sees what you did to that plane. He's gonna have to rip out half the circuit boards due to the salt water."

She sighed. "I'm not looking forward to that. Thanks for the heads up, though."

"Roger that," said Heero.

….

Murrue was dead tired. She'd hardly slept at all the night before, and her eyes felt heavy as she took her seat on the bridge.

However, her weariness evaporated in an instant when Miriallia spoke up. "We have a message from Wing Zero: Cagalli and Skygrasper Two found, returning to Archangel immediately."

Murrue smiled. "Alright. We'll hold position here until they arrive."

After a few minutes she saw something approaching in the distance out the forward viewport. As the object was brought onto the main monitor, she saw that it was Wing Zero, carrying the damaged fighter jet."

"Open the bay doors immediately," she ordered.

"Yes, Captain," said Lieutenant Badgiruel.

Heero, she thought as the Gundam approached, I'm so glad…

… thank you for returning to me safe.

Preview for next time!

Damaged in battle against the Zala Team, the Archangel makes an emergency landing in the neutral nation of Orb. The country's leadership allows them to stay, on the condition that both Kira and Heero provide their expertise for the nation's top secret mobile suit program. Meanwhile, the crew of the Archangel are allowed shore leave, on the condition that they dress only in civillian clothes in order to avoid drawing attention. In the midst of all this, Heero must confront a new challenge; his first date with Murrue! Next time, on "Journey to a New Battlefield", Episode Ten: The Land of Peace.

Author's note: I've recently gotten into the Ace Combat game series, and I have to say, I am very impressed with it. Bought Zero: the Belkan War and Five: The Unsung War. For those of you who've played Zero, you may have recognized that my inspiration for the Everest class Flying Fortress was the XB-0 Hresvelgr. Couldn't help it, that thing's awesome, had to have a shout-out to it. Anyway, highly recommed the series to those who haven't played it before. Love the storyline, it's actually kind of like Gundam, but with fighter jets instead of mobile suits. Also, the soundtrack is FUCKING AMAZING!

You know the drill, folks. Please review!

Unitl next time!