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...

12. Chapter 12

Author's Notes: Happy Thanksgiving, for all you readers state side. And for those of you from around the world as well; I don't know if any of you international readers have a similar holiday today, but I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have read this tale up to this point, and ask only that you continue to stay with me as it continues onward.

Well, I've said enough. Enjoy!

Episode Twelve: Fatal Confrontation

"It's almost time," said Murrue, turning to Heero, "I have to admit, I actually wish we could stay a little longer."

The two of them were up on the bridge, monitoring the work crews as they made their last inspections of the Archangel. It was a little after six in the evening, and the ship would be leaving Orb the next morning.

The extraordinary young man she was looking at nodded. "I know what you mean," he said, "this past month has been… incredible."

You can say that again, Murrue thought with a smile, our first date, the outings afterwards, even the days we spent just talking and relaxing on the ship… I can't recall the last time I've been so happy. Do you feel the same way, Heero? She had a feeling he did.

"Yes," she said, "it certainly has been."

"I never thought I'd say this about any country," said Heero, "but I think I'm going to miss this place." He smiled at her. "Seeing it with you… well, it certainly made an impression."

"I'm glad we were able to see as much as we did," said Murrue, "considering our status, Orb had every reason to confine us to the dock."

"I suppose we owe Lord Uzumi our thanks," said Heero.

Murrue nodded. "You're right… given his reputation, I'm surprised he was willing to give as much as he did during the negotiations when we first arrived."

"Which is evidence of just how badly he wanted the data on the Strike," said Heero, "not to mention the mobile suit designs I provided Morgenroete."

"I won't argue with that," said Murrue, "although… doesn't it seem strange just how long the repairs to the Archangel took? With all the technicians they had working on it, not to mention the resources they have here…"

"It should've been done earlier," Heero finished for her, "Yeah, I agree… and I think I know the reason why they took so long, or at least have a theory."

"I'm sure it's a good one," said Murrue, smiling at him, "You're certainly observant enough to catch on to any subterfuge Orb may be trying to pull. What do you think they're up to?"

Heero shook his head. "I wouldn't worry about deception in this case. I imagine that they received orders from Lord Uzumi to take more time than usual in order to maximize the amount of time they have to make use of our expertise. My data on the OZ mobile suits, Kira's skill with the Strike and MS Operating Systems in general… they wanted to get as much as they could out of this deal of ours."

"That makes sense," replied Murrue, "but why would Miss Simmons have you stop coming to the test facility after only two weeks while having Kira go every day?"

"Differing skill sets and things to offer," said Heero, "Remember, my primary contribution was mobile suit schematics. Miss Simmons still wanted my expertise on the units since I've faced them before in battle, but in the end there's only so much I could offer her without Wing Zero's combat data, which I wasn't about to hand over. My role as a technical advisor was limited, and she knew that. Kira, on the other hand, had more to give to the program in a way. His programming skills are invaluable, especially since Morgenroete is attempting to produce units that can be controlled by Naturals. The OS I included with the OZ suits would've worked, but I think Kira's system will actually end up being more efficient and better suited to the M1's frame."

"Not to mention that his abilities as a Coordinator meant that they could do some mobility testing and other experiments while working to adapt his OS to the M1," said Murrue, nodding, "Yeah, since you put it that way, I guess it makes sense why they'd want Kira to stick around longer than you."

"Indeed," said Heero, "speaking of Kira, I was checking his friend's scores on the Skygrasper simulator earlier today, and they were much better than when he first started. I think Tolle's ready to start flying combat operations in Skygrasper Two."

"Good to know," said Murrue, "I'll talk to him before we leave tomorrow, let him know that he'll be on deck as a fighter pilot from now on. One of the other crew members can take his place in the CIC. Thanks for checking on that for me; to be honest, I almost forgot that I'd asked you to do that."

"No problem, Murrue," he replied.

They were quiet for a moment before Heero spoke again. "We'll need to be on guard when we leave tomorrow. I doubt ZAFT bought that statement Orb made about them forcing us out of their territorial waters. They've probably got their eyes on the border, waiting for us to cross it."

"I agree," said Murrue, "I'll have us brought up to standby alert once we leave Orb's territory." She sighed before giving him a sad smile. "Starting tomorrow we'll be back on the battlefield. It feels like our reprieve went by all too quickly."

Heero surprised Murrue by moving closer to her and putting his hand on her shoulder. Then he smiled, and Murrue saw the fire of strength and determination in his eyes.

"Don't worry," he said, "I'll protect you."

Murrue's eyes widened a bit before she smiled again, this time with confidence and reassurance at his words. She reached up and put her hand on the one he had on her shoulder, not caring if other members of the bridge crew were watching. "I know you will, Heero… and I'll protect you."

She couldn't help but laugh a bit as she saw his eyes widen at her remarks. "Hey," said Murrue, "this is a warship, remember? I've got plenty of firepower to back you up with."

Heero nodded. "Alright… but be careful, alright?"

"This coming from the guy that solos entire armies and air wings?" said Murrue.

"I'm serious," said Heero, "you're…"

Before he could continue Murrue reached up and put her finger to his lips. "I know, Heero. The Archangel is a much bigger target than Wing Zero, and is far more cumbersome. However, it's also bristling with weaponry and can take quite a beating. I know this ship's strengths and weaknesses, what it can and can't do."

She smiled as she pulled back her hand. "I'm going to back you up with everything this ship has to offer. You may be the best pilot we have, but that doesn't mean you have to shoulder the worst of the fighting yourself. This isn't Operation Meteor; you're not fighting alone."

Her words seemed to have an effect on him; his expression softened, and he gave her a small smile. "Ok. Thank you, Murrue."

"You're welcome, Heero," she said.

The two of them turned back towards the bridge, checking the monitors and to see if any of the crew was watching them. None of the bridge officers were looking at them, but Murrue knew that they had sharp ears and had no doubt caught bits of their exchange, depending on how much they were focused on eavesdropping rather than their own work.

I don't really care if they were listening in, thought Murrue, I certainly couldn't blame them if they were, and I'll take whatever heat comes my way if Natarle mentions it in her report to High Command when we reach Alaska. Heero's so used to fighting alone… I want to change that, let him know that I'll do whatever I can to help him. I won't let him continue to shoulder that burden alone… he's done so for far too long as it is.

She looked over at the Gundam pilot. Heero… you never fight for yourself, do you? It's always for someone else. The colonies, the few friends you made during the war, the people of the Earth Sphere who wanted peace… and that hasn't changed since you came to this world. The closest you came to that would've been when we first met, when you said you were trying to find your purpose in this world. Even then, I don't think I'd call that selfish, especially after all you've been through… and I think that started to change, if your behavior during the orbital battle was any indication. You've been fighting for this ship… and though this may be a bit egotistical, for me. That's the feeling I get from you.

Heero, I consider myself the luckiest woman in the world just to have met you, let alone to have someone like you fighting for me… but no one's ever fought for you, and it's time I changed that. I may be an Alliance officer, but I can't recall my superiors doing anything to truly earn my loyalty. They send us into battle without the slightest regard for our lives, and think nothing of ordering pointless attacks, strikes that do nothing but get our own people killed needlessly. You, on the other hand, have put your life on the line time after time since coming aboard this ship, without asking for anything in return… if anyone has earned my loyalty, it's you.

From this moment onward… I'm fighting for you. I'll continue to do my best to keep my crew alive, but you're the one I'm fighting for. You probably don't realize it, but you've captured my heart in a way no other man ever has, could ever hope to… so I'm going to give everything I've got to protect you, to make sure you come back to me alive.

….

"Hey," said La Flaga, "you doing ok, kid?"

Kira jumped slightly as the Lieutenant Commander sat down in front of him. He had been eating dinner by himself when the fighter pilot had come up to him.

He looked up from his meal. "Me? I'm fine, why do you ask?"

La Flaga smiled. "Man, you kids just think I'm blind and deaf, don't ya? I heard that your girlfriend moved and has is rooming with Miriallia now. You two had a falling out a few days ago, right?"

His eyes widened. "How did you know that?"

The blond pilot chuckled slightly. "I've been around the block a few times, kid. I know how these things work. Now, I don't need the details; that's your business… but I know it's been affecting you. You've been kinda down for awhile now."

Kira looked down. That was true, but Flay hadn't been the only reason why he had been in a slump lately. Ever since he'd seen Athrun outside the Morgenroete facility, he'd become increasingly apprehensive as the day of the Archangel's departure from Orb drew nearer. He knew that, once the ship left the nation's territorial waters, ZAFT would attack; while he wanted to believe in his old friend, he knew that, at the very least, Athrun would report back to his superiors that the Archangel was indeed in Orb.

Of course, Kira couldn't exactly tell Lieutenant Commander La Flaga all of that. The best he could do was just go along with his fellow pilot's conclusions and let him assume that it was only Flay that he was worried about.

Fortunately, he was actually saved from answering by La Flaga himself. The pilot stood up and put his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Look," he said, "I know you like her, but try not to worry about this whole thing too much, alright? You're a good kid, and I'm sure she knows that. Just give her some time and space, maybe a few more days apart, and then approach her. Talk to her and try to work things out, ok?"

Kira couldn't help but smile a bit at his advice. "Do you really think it'll be that simple?"

"Well," La Flaga replied, "it probably won't go down exactly like I laid out for you; relationships are like that. There's no structured formula for them, they're all different. What works for one might not work for another. Still, what I said is a good way to start. Feel free to put your own personal touches on it, whatever works for you. Overall, speak from your heart, ok? Like I said, you're a good kid. You're sincere, kind, smart, and pretty gutsy in a tight spot. Just be yourself, and things will work out. You got that?"

He nodded, though he still had his doubts. The time he had spent away from Flay had given him time to reflect on the nature of their relationship, and he had begun to suspect that there was something not quite right with it. While he was sure she cared about him on some level, and he knew he cared about her, she seemed to only be supportive when she was in some form of control or when he acted a certain way. There was something else hidden beneath her feelings, now that he had given the matter some thought, he realized that the way she had come onto him back in orbit was totally out of character, especially considering that he knew she still held feelings of resentment back then over the recent death of her father. In short, Kira felt that he and Flay had a lot they needed to talk about before he could really consider things to be 'worked out'.

Still, La Flaga's words did give him some renewed confidence, and he was grateful for it. "I'll keep that in mind," he said, "thanks, Lieutenant Commander."

"Don't mention it," the pilot replied as he made his way towards the exit, "get some rest, you got that? Tomorrow's our big departure, and you can bet ZAFT will be ready to pounce the moment we cross the border."

Kira nodded. "Don't worry, I'll be ready."

I'll have to be, he thought, it doesn't matter if it's Athrun I'll be facing… my friends are on this ship. I'll just have to fight carefully and try to force him to withdraw. At this point, it's my best option…

….

"So," said La Flaga as he left the mess, "how long were you standing there?"

Natarle, who had been leaning against the wall next to the doorway, jumped. She looked around frantically for a moment before sighing. "Since the start," she replied, "I was going to talk to you, but I didn't want to interrupt."

"I see," said the fighter pilot, leaning against the opposite wall. He folded his arms and smiled. "I didn't know you were in the habit of eavesdropping."

Natarle blushed as she looked at the floor. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to at first, but…"

The truth was, she had been fascinated by his conversation with Kira, or rather, how he had handled it. The fact that Flay was currently avoiding Kira was more or less an open secret, and Natarle had little interest in the teenage lovers' quarrel. However, the way the Lieutenant Commander had so intuitively grasped the situation and responded to the young man's concerns had been truly incredible to watch. It showed a sensitive side that she had only caught glimpses of in the past, even in the month they had spent in Orb.

Of course, it wasn't like she could just say all that to La Flaga. Luckily for her, the laid-back ace pilot saved her the trouble. "Ah, don't worry about it. No harm, no foul. Although… you're not going to report the kid, are ya? Technically, now that they're both part of the Earth Forces, Flay is a junior soldier to Ensign Yamato. That does qualify as a violation of the Articles on Fraternization Within the Ranks."

Natarle shook her head. What right did she have to do that, after all, in light of her growing feelings for the man in front of her, who was also her superior officer? "No… I know Captain Ramius has turned a blind eye to it, and I can see why; those kids never underwent proper training, and they joined this crew under unusual circumstances. Their relationship hasn't really affected Ensign Yamato's performance, and I know Tolle and Miriallia are in a relationship as well. Those romantic attachments are probably what are keeping them going through all this… and I'm sure Captain Ramius realizes that."

And, thought Natarle, I have a feeling she knows about us as well… or at least, what I want us to become. Captain Ramius is very good at reading people, after all… and she did give us leave together while we were in Orb, so maybe she was trying to encourage me in this…

La Flaga smiled, then walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm impressed, Natarle. A month or two ago I imagine you would've reported them for sure, if not to the Captain then in your formal report to High Command when we reach Alaska."

She blushed. "You're right… I'm not sure what's gotten into me, really."

"Don't worry about it," he replied, "I think it's good for you; you were too stiff when this whole mess started at Heliopolis. You've come a long way since then, and I think you'll be a better officer for it."

"You think so?" she asked him.

"Totally," said La Flaga, "although you're still probably a bit too stiff for your own good right now, but you can work on that."

She gritted her teeth at that comment, but inside she could feel warmth rushing through her. Does he really think that? I suppose an officer doesn't have to be as formal all the time as I am… Captain Ramius certainly isn't, and she's still managed to get us this far in one piece. Could I really aspire to that… should I?

Regardless of her feelings, she still wasn't about to let him off scot-free for his statement, and punched him in the shoulder. Technically, she was hitting a superior officer, but she was betting that he wouldn't mind.

Indeed, the pilot's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but as he rubbed his shoulder he smiled again. "Ok, I'll admit I had that one coming. Sorry, I suppose I shouldn't ride you too hard on that bit of your personality. Are we good?"

She nodded and smiled. "Yeah, we're good."

"Alright," said La Flaga, "Now, you said that there was something you wanted to talk to me about when I was having my chat with Kira. What's up?"

"Well," she said, "I was wondering if you wanted to go to the officer's lounge and grab a cup of coffee."

"Sure," he replied, "I know I told the kid to get some rest, but I'm not quite ready to hit the hay quite yet. A cup of coffee sounds nice right about now. Shall we?"

Natarle nodded. "Yes, let's go."

She smiled again as they headed towards the lounge. I can't believe I worked up the nerve to ask him that! I probably wouldn't have dreamed of doing that back when this all started… have I really changed that much?

….

"Hey," said Shemei into her cell phone, "it's me. Did everything go alright today?"

She was at her apartment, kicking back on the couch wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt, watching the news. It was early evening in the PLANTs, and she had just called Eric since he had told her that he would be getting out of his Defense Council meeting around that time. It had become a habit of hers ever since the election night; she knew that he would be under ever increasing pressure as Zala consolidated and expanded his power over the PLANTs as the new Supreme Council Chairman, and she wanted to help take some of the enormous stress he had to be feeling off his shoulders.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason she had called. Try as she might, she just couldn't get Eric out of her mind, especially after all he had done to try to comfort and reassure her on election night. She managed to keep herself busy during the days with flight simulations with her subordinates, along with trying to get more information from the research teams as to what they were working on, but when she was off in the afternoons her thoughts inevitably went to the man who had been one of her best friends for six years… and could possibly become more.

"As well as it could," Eric replied, "Zala's as confident as ever, if not more so. He's actually supposed to nominate someone to replace him as head of the Defense Council now that he's the Supreme Chairman of the PLANTs, but he hasn't gotten around to doing that yet."

"So he's attending both Defense Council and Supreme Council sessions?" said Shemei, "Where does he find the energy to do that?"

"It's really no different than before the election," said Eric, "except now he heads them both… which is illegal. However, apparently only Representatives Amalfi and Canaver on the Supreme Council have called him out on it. That's no surprise really, seeing as they're the last two moderates on the Council. Since the rest of the Representatives are now firmly in his camp, Zala's in no rush to fulfill that particular constitutional obligation."

"He's tearing apart our system of checks and balances," said Shemei softly.

She heard Eric sigh. "I know, and the bad news doesn't end there. This'll hit the public tomorrow, but I wanted to give you a heads up; heard it from Eileen Canaver herself."

"What is it?" asked Shemei, trepidation in her voice.

"Zala and his cronies are implementing a sweeping nationalization program," he said, "it's going across the board; even the Asimov Design Bureau isn't exempt from it. Two days from now, every private firm and entities with partial government ownership will become little more than puppets of the state… and it gets worse."

"Let me guess," said Shemei, "Zala's going to use this as an opportunity to seize all private employment records and start cataloging dossiers on all Naturals working for those companies."

"Exactly," said Eric, "the government already has records on who's a Natural and who's a Coordinator living in the PLANTs, but the information in the employment records combined with full governmental control of the private firms will give Zala a valuable tool to use in any discrimination measures regarding Naturals."

"Do you think he'll start implementing those soon?" she asked.

"According to Representative Canaver," he replied, "it's only a matter of time now. Shemei… I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do to…"

"It's alright," said Shemei, cutting him off before he got into a round of self-incrimination, "I know this isn't your fault, and you've put yourself through a lot of risk just to get me this information before its release tomorrow. Don't beat yourself up over this, ok? You're only in a position to get information on Zala's plans; you can't stop him all by yourself."

She heard him sigh. "You're right… thanks, Shemei."

"You're welcome, Eric," she said, "anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"Not over the phone," he replied, "listen, are you busy tonight?"

"No," said Shemei, "why?"

"Round up the girls and come by my place in about an hour," said Eric, "Waltfeld and Aisha will be there too. There's some things we all need to talk about, mainly how we're going to survive Zala's reign without drawing too much attention, and figure what his next move is once Spitbreak gets underway."

"Got it," she said, "I'll call them now. We'll be over in a little while."

….

"Wow," said Lan as she stepped out of the back seat of Commander Rehema's jeep, "Bristow lives in the Sun Villa condos? Nice…"

Adaline and Priscilla nodded in agreement as they exited the vehicle as well. They, along with Lan, were dressed in casual wear, mainly jeans and t-shirts; red for Lan, blue for Adaline, and green for Priscilla. Led by Shemei, the Valkyrie Team made their way out of the parking lot and towards one of the upper-class residences. Modeled after seaside dwellings in Italy, the Sun Villa Residential Court was situated on the opposite side of the lake from the Clyne residence.

The Commander smiled as the climbed a flight of stairs towards her friends place, which was on the third floor. "This is actually pretty low key; remember, with Eric's family connections, he could've gotten a penthouse in the main city or had a private home built along the shore of the lake."

"That's right," said Adaline, "I keep forgetting that his father's on the board of directors for the Asimov Design Bureau. I'm impressed that Field Marshall Bristow has resisted the temptation to take greater advantage of the wealth that gives him access to."

"I agree," said Priscilla, "it says a lot about his character."

"That's true," said Shemei, "but there's more to it than that. Back when we first became friends, Eric told me that he was tired of people always seeing the family behind him rather than himself alone. Don't get me wrong, he likes to have fun, but he also works his ass off to prove himself to others, to stand on his own. It's the same now as it was back then; he climbed the ranks on his own merits, and the only times he's ever really made use of his family connections have almost always been to help the people he cares about… or to annoy his enemies here in the PLANTs."

She waved her arms around, indicating the whole of their surroundings. "The place he has in this complex, for example," she continued, "he pays for it out of his own salary; rank does have its privileges, after all. He used to live in the officer's apartments at Fort Jupiter before he was promoted; he had all his belongings shipped here while he was on the surface, so this is really the first time he's been able to live in it for an extended amount of time. The same goes for his car; back before he became a Field Marshal, he just drove a military issue jeep like we do. He actually ordered the car a little after he was promoted; the first time he was able to finally drive it was when he was elevated to his position on the Defense Council."

That determination to be independent, to break out from the shadow cast by his father, was one of the many things Shemei admired in her friend. It was something she could relate to in a way; in her homeland, family was very important, but in the case of a woman in could also be overbearing. Even in the Cosmic Era, the Middle East had a long way to go as far as the rights of women were concerned, and Shemei had long ago lost track of how many times members of her parents' extended families kept trying to interfere in her life, particularly with regards to her personal relationships. She considered herself very fortunate for having been born to independent and progressive minded parents, who had constantly stood up for and defended their daughter's right to chose her own path in life, along with who she loved. Had things been otherwise, she thought, I might never have met Eric, never had the chance to forge the friendship we have… nor discover if it could become something more.

She smiled as the four of them approached the door to Eric's residence. Reaching out to ring the doorbell, she felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Hey, easy Shemei. Don't get too worked up in front of the girls. Save that for the next time you're alone with Eric.

She pressed the button, heard the chime, and mere seconds later the door opened, revealing the man she couldn't get out of her mind. He was still dressed in his uniform, but Shemei didn't mind in the least; Eric had always cut a dashing figure, and his custom Field Marshal's ensemble didn't hurt that at all.

The black haired man smiled. "Hey, come on in." He stepped aside and held the door open as the Valkyrie Team filed into the condo. Lan, Adaline, and Priscilla all said hello as they took their shoes off and went into the nearby living room, while Shemei took her dear friend into a hug.

"It's good to see you," she said, smiling as she moved back slightly, though still keeping her arms looped over his shoulders, "Zala doesn't suspect you of leaking info to us yet, does he?"

Eric shook his head. "No, I've been covering my tracks well enough to keep him off the scent. However, his takeover of all industries in the PLANTs come tomorrow will make things more complicated. That's why I called you and the girls over here, along with Waltfeld and Aisha; there's some things we need to take care of if we're going to stay one step ahead of the wolves, so to speak."

"That shouldn't be a problem for you," said Shemei as she let go, "after all, you're the one who earned the title 'Wolf of the Far East'; even the radicals' pack will have a hard time tracking you."

"That could change if we're not careful," he replied, "come on, let's go to the living room, Waltfeld and Aisha are already here."

Leading the way, Eric showed her in, despite the fact that she had already been over to his new place a few times since getting back from the surface and knew the layout. Ever the gentleman, she mused, smiling slightly.

She saw Waltfeld and Aisha already in there, chatting with Lan, Adaline, and Priscilla. The two of them were looking much better than the last time Shemei had seen them, nearly three weeks ago. Waltfeld was wearing khaki pants and a red and yellow Hawaiian shirt, while Aisha's attire was a light blue blouse and a black skirt.

"Hey guys," she said, walking over and hugging both of them. As they parted she looked at Aisha. "How's the leg doing, Aisha?"

Waltfeld's lover smiled and patted her right leg. "Much better," she said, "the limp's almost gone, and the doc really scaled back the pain killers I needed to take. I'm almost fully recovered."

"Glad to hear that," said Shemei before turning to Waltfeld. "How about you?" she said, nodding at what was left of his left arm, "Any word on a prosthetic yet?"

The Desert Tiger shook his head. "I'll worry about that later. A procedure that expensive would draw unwanted attention to the fact that I'm still alive, and I want to keep a low profile for now." He looked over at his lover and smiled. "I got Aisha to help me when I need it, so I can get by with one arm for now."

"What about your eyesight?" asked Shemei, "Have you at least seen someone about that?"

"Yeah," he said, "looks like I got lucky; the right eye was spared any retina damage, so nothing to worry about on that end."

"Alright, ladies and gentleman," said Eric, "hate to break up the socializing, but we've got more important matters to discuss."

The three of them nodded and took seats along with everyone else. Waltfeld took a recliner chair, with Aisha settling down in his lap. Eric settled in next to Shemei on the couch, while Lan, Adaline, and Priscilla sat down in folding chairs he had gotten out for the meeting.

The black haired man reached for a small black bag sitting next to a laptop on the coffee table in front of the couch. "First things first," he said as he grabbed it, "the nationalization that Zala's implementing tomorrow will include telecommunications companies, and I have no doubt he'll use that to increase the amount of monitoring his cronies can do. By the end of the week there won't be a cell phone call in all the PLANTs that isn't being listened in on."

He reached inside the bag and pulled out seven dark blue cell phones. "These," he said as he laid them out on the table, "are a little gift from a buddy of mine in the Secret Service's Technology Department. They're extremely well encrypted, and the same goes for the network they operate on; no software we got can crack them. Of course, that encryption only holds if you're calling another phone on the network."

He looked up at everyone in the room. "I've got a list of numbers programmed into each of these babies that are all on the same network; from now on, if we're calling each other to discuss the latest political or military developments or our own little subversion plot we've got going, we do it on these."

Eric grabbed the phones and passed them out one by one. "Keep these with you at all times, and whatever you do, don't call a number that's not on the network with one of these; the encryption will become compromised and we'll be exposed. If you're talking on your regular cell phones, be careful what you say; Zala's going to take full advantage of his takeover of PLANT communications to track his rivals, and we can't afford to give ourselves away. I've already given Lacus and her father similar phones as well, so don't be surprised if you get calls from them."

"You mentioned a 'subversion plot'," said Shemei as she took a phone from Eric, "does this mean a cohesive opposition movement to Zala is beginning to form?"

"Not quite yet," said Eric, "right now we're still trying to figure out Zala's end game, and we can't really form an effective opposition movement if we don't have concrete proof of what his intentions are. I talked to Lacus though, and she wants to get the ball rolling on one in case Zala decides to implement our worst fear."

"Genocide of the Naturals," said Priscilla softly, and everyone else nodded.

"Remember," said Waltfeld, "like Eric said, we don't have proof yet, just conjecture and speculation based on Zala's ideological stance. Still, if that is his ultimate goal, we have to be prepared to act."

"But how?" asked Lan, "It's not like we can just walk in and remove him from power. Even if we don't trust him, you have to remember that he was elected by popular vote."

"If we initiate a coup," added Adaline, "we won't have the support of the people, and the radicals will take us down with little effort."

"Exactly," said Aisha, "however… we have to be ready to move. Once Zala actually begins implementing his plans, public opinion could shift in our favor."

"Wouldn't his actions regarding the nationalization of all private business go a long way towards helping us there?" asked Shemei, "It seems like he'd be playing right into our hands with a move like that."

Eric shook his head. "Not really. He'll be touting it as a measure of streamlining the war economy, and the people will buy it without reservations. Remember, this is the same populace that elected him because they thought he'd be able to bring a swift end to the war; they'll buy whatever line he throws at them in his first few months in office. I'm willing to be he'll make a promise stating to return all seized entities back over to private ownership once the war is over."

"One I'm sure he intends to keep," said Aisha, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Waltfeld nodded. "No joke there. A man like Zala will never be willing to let go of that kind of power once he has it within his grasp."

"Agreed," said Eric, "Now, changing subject here, I found some interesting blue-prints earlier today; hacked into the ZAFT shipyard databanks to get them."

He opened up the laptop on the coffee table and then stood up, moving to attach some cables from the computer to the flat screen TV on the wall. After sitting back down and typing for a few seconds, an image of a very unique warship appeared on the TV.

Frame wise, it bore some similarities to the Nazca-class destroyers, with a three pronged hull design and a gradual upward slope progressing towards the rear of the ship, along with what Shemei assumed to be the bridge situated at the meeting point of the three prongs. However, that was where the similarities ended. For starters, the vessel's paintjob was pink, a far cry from the blue color scheme favored by ZAFT's mainline destroyers. The vessel was longer as well, three hundred meters to the Nazca's two-hundred-fifty-five. There were six fin-like structures coming from the sides of the ship, three on the left and three on the right, while a seventh was coming out of the top of the vessel, just behind the bridge. It also differed greatly in weaponry. Forward of the bridge was a heavy beam turret, while towards the front of the vessel were two dual cannons, though Shemei had difficulty making out what type they were due to their unique appearance. There were twelve CIWs scattered along the hull, but what was really surprising to Shemei were the forty missile launchers the vessel had. Based on their size, the Valkyrie surmised that they were meant to supplement the CIWs and were for engaging both enemy mobile suits and larger anti-ship missiles. Something's not right, thought Shemei, its hull is similar to our destroyers, but the weapon layout would be better suited to a carrier.

Suddenly the proverbial light bulb went off in her head. "It's a support vessel, isn't it?" said Shemei, turning to Eric, "It's designed to operate in conjunction with whatever new mobile suits Zala has the research teams working on."

Eric nodded. "Exactly, and it's nearly complete. They're installing the final systems now, and will be starting sim runs soon after before taking her out for actual cruise trials."

"Do you know where it's being built?" asked Waltfeld, eyes narrowing.

"Yeah," he said, typing again on the computer. A new image popped up, and everyone else in the room gasped as the realized what it was; Aprilius One.

"Right under our noses," said Aisha softly.

"Man," said Lan, "how did Zala manage to keep this one hidden for so long?"

"He probably had one of the large-scale docks sealed off," said Priscilla, "he would've had the authority to do that back when he was head of the Defense Council."

"Correct," said Eric, "and I even managed to find out which one." A map of the colony appeared on the screen, with a flashing red dot near the center where the two halves of the hour-glass shaped structure met.

"What about Clyne?" asked Adaline, "Wouldn't Zala have been obligated to inform him?"

"Legally, yes," said Eric, sighing, "but Zala was stepping around regulations like that long before assuming high office. I sent this data to Siegel and his daughter earlier today, so at least now they're on the same page as the rest of us."

"Speaking of data," said Shemei, looking over at him, "have you managed to get any more information on the new MS being developed?"

"Some, yes," he replied, "I couldn't get any technical details, but I've found the names of two more mobile suites under development. They're part of the same line as the Freedom, so that means they have N-jammer cancellers."

"What are they called?" she asked.

"The ZGMF-X09A Justice and the ZGMF-X14A Judgment," he said, "I'll keep looking for other units, and I'll try to get some more specific information on the ones we already know about too."

"What about the warship?" asked Waltfeld, "Did you find out the name for that?"

Eric nodded. "Yeah, it's called the Eternal. I think it's the only one of its kind; the layout is pretty mission specific. As Shemei noted, it's designed to transport and support the new nuclear powered mobile suits ZAFT is developing."

He started typing again. "I don't know if Zala has any more new model warships in the works, but I did manage to lift this from the Asimov Design Bureau's mainframe. Check it out."

An image of a mobile suit appeared on the screen. It bore some similarities to the GINN, but the frame was larger, had bulkier armor, a large shield with what appeared to be two beam emitters at the end on its left arm and a large beam rifle in its right. The machine had larger engines as well, and the color scheme was a darker version of the GINN.

"This," said Eric, "is the ZGMF-600 GuAIZ, the fruits of the Asimov Design Bureau's efforts to study the four stolen Alliance mobile suits. We have prototypes undergoing testing now, and within the next few months it will begin a limited production run. Ultimately it's designed to replace the GINN entirely, but until the company can retool all its production lines it will be limited to use as an officer unit. It's also more expensive to manufacture than the GINN, which is another reason why the shift to mass-production will be a slow one. Nevertheless, I've seen the data on the trial runs, and I can assure you that it will be quite formidable once it makes its battlefield debut."

"Impressive," said Aisha as she studied the image, "I take it its primary operating area will be outer space?"

"Yes," said Eric, "its heavier frame means it will be pretty cumbersome on Earth without modifications. The surface forces will rely on the MS they're using for the time being."

He sighed and turned to everyone else in the room. "I'm sorry, but this, the data on the Eternal, and the names of two of the prototype nuclear MS are all I've been able to acquire in the past few days. Security is getting insanely tight, and even my clearance has limits. I haven't been able to find any mission plans regarding the new units or dossiers on potential pilots and crew. I'm also having a harder time getting information on upcoming forces operations in general; Zala's effectively sidelined me with a review of the Home Fleet and the Exclusion Grid, and that will take at least a week."

The PLANT Exclusion Grid consisted of all the defenses for the Coordinator homeland. Since space was three dimensional, if one were to view the entirety of the Grid on a holographic display, the image would be of a massive cube of warships, defense stations, mobile suits, and recon drones surrounding the one hundred twenty colonies. Each side of the 'cube' was officially designated a Defense Line, and each Line was subsequently broken down into smaller Engagement and Exclusion Zones. The strongest front was the one facing the Moon, where the Alliance had a major base and operations staging area located. It was called the Jachin Due Defense Line, named after the base that anchored it.

The Lines stretched for tens if not hundreds of thousands of kilometers, and maintaining them was no small task. Battle groups had to be rotated in and out, work crews had to routinely fly in and check the drones and ships, the bases that anchored each line had to be supplied… reviewing both the Lines and the Home Fleet was every senior Defense Council officer's nightmare, and they had passed the responsibility off to Field Marshal Bristow at the first possible opportunity.

"Ouch," said Waltfeld, wincing in sympathy for his friend, "that bites, buddy."

Shemei put her hand on Eric's shoulder. "Hey, it's alright. You don't need to apologize for something the entire Defense Council practically dropped on your shoulders."

"But I know it was on purpose," said Eric, "ever since I started trying to open an investigation into war crimes by Schwarze and the other Special Operations Squadrons, Zala's been shoving more and more assignments like this my way. If I'd kept my queries a little more low key, he wouldn't have caught on, and…"

"Hey!" she snapped, causing him to look at her with widening eyes, "Cut it out, Eric! You were trying to do the right thing, whether your superiors wanted you to or not. Don't beat yourself up over it. So what if the pressure they're putting on you as a result is making it harder for you to get information for us; I don't give a damn, and I know the others don't either!"

She softened her tone and smiled at him. "We all know you're doing your best you can to find out what Zala and the rest of the radicals are up to. You're also trying to rein in their battlefield excesses… no, their atrocities, and that's something that none of us can do, especially now with our current status. If the Defense Council decides to punish you for that, then so be it. We know you've done nothing wrong, and I for one am proud of you; no one else has had the guts to openly call out Special Operations, and that includes the former Chairman Clyne. So don't apologize, alright? You've done nothing wrong, and we all know that."

He was quiet for a moment before smiling at her. "Thank you, Shemei. That… really means a lot, coming from you."

"Anytime," she replied, winking at him. At the same time, she could not deny a bit of heat rushing to her face. He never used to have this affect on me, she mused, my, how things have changed.

….

Their meeting continued for about an hour, in which they discussed how best to deal with the new political climate. Lan, Priscilla, and Adaline all asked Eric to help them move their parents to September One, where the strong moderate influence combined with his contact with Eileen Canaver would give them some measure of protection. The cunning Field Marshal had already managed to establish a few safe houses within the September colonies, which would come in handy in the event of a crackdown by Zala. The girls themselves would stay on in the capital; they weren't about to abandon their Commander or their friends.

Waltfeld and Aisha, in the meanwhile, spoke of getting in touch with friendly personnel within the Home Guard, the organization in charge of security within the PLANT colonies. In particular, the Desert Tiger was keen to find out how many had been assigned to the dock in Aprilius One where the Eternal was kept, along with reestablishing contacts with some old friends who had been rotated into the Home Guard after extended tours of duty on Earth.

Another point of concern was the safety of the Clyne family. Now that he was out of office, Siegel Clyne was a much more vulnerable target for radicals inclined to make sure that he stayed out of the way. There was also the matter of Lacus; while the girl wasn't viewed as political per se by the general public, her most popular songs all had the same message of peace, harmony, and good will towards others, not exactly in line with the party who wished to punish the Naturals. In addition, the songstress's personal following in the PLANTs was not to be underestimated, and Shemei knew that Lacus was smart enough to use that should the situation arise, and it was something the radicals would definitely be worried about. Eric already had a few of his contacts in Secret Service keeping tabs on the family, or more specifically the agents of the more radically dominated Military Intelligence that had them under surveillance, but there wasn't much more he could do without drawing suspicion. In the end they decided that the best approach would be to continue as they were and try to keep both Siegel and his daughter informed of any new developments.

Eventually the meeting wound down to a close, and Eric's guests stood up to leave. They all bid farewell and began to file out the door, Shemei being the last. She paused at the door, looking at her friend.

"Hey, Eric?" she said as the others headed out.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I know I've already said this… but please, be careful, alright?" said Shemei, "Don't push yourself too hard; what you've accomplished so far has been nothing short of incredible as it is, but it's also put you at great risk. Please, don't feel that you have to increase that risk just to help us."

She moved closer to him, their eyes meeting. "It's bad enough when I think about what might happen to my parents," she said softly, edging ever nearer, "but when I think about the danger you're in…"

He smiled softly. "Don't worry," he said, "I'm playing things carefully… or as much as I can, considering the circumstances. Zala may not like my complaints about his private army, but it's little more than an annoyance to him; he still trusts me, or at least doesn't outright suspect me of acting against him."

"I hope you're right," she said. Shemei looked out the door real quick, and when she was sure no one was watching, leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek.

Feeling the heat surging to her face as her lips parted from his cheek, she gave him a bashful smile. "Remember, call me if you need anything… even if it's just to talk, alright?"

He returned the smile, and Shemei thought she saw a bit of red in his face. You're pretty cute when you blush, Eric, she thought, her smile becoming a bit more playful, I want to see you do that a little more often…

"I will," said Eric, "and the same goes for you, got that?"

"Of course," she said.

She put her shoes on before stepping out the door. "Goodnight Eric. Take care of yourself, you got that?"

He nodded. "I will. Goodnight, Shemei."

….

"Well," said Murrue as she and Heero left the mess, "I guess we better turn in. We'll be getting an early start tomorrow."

The Gundam pilot nodded as they walked down the hall. "Are you ready?" he asked as he turned to her.

Murrue was touched to see the concern in his eyes. That compassion, she thought, oh, how I've come to treasure it…

She smiled at him. "Yes, Heero, I am. We've all had a good month to rest up, and the ship is fully operational. Come tomorrow, I'll be ready for anything that comes out way."

Heero nodded, smiling slightly as he did so. "Same here. We'll get to Alaska; I'll make sure of it."

"I know you will," said Murrue, "and I'll do the same. Remember; when the enemy comes, I'll do all I can to help you."

"Thanks," he said as they came to the officers' quarters, "just… don't overdo it, alright?"

Murrue laughed a bit. "Look who's talking, Gundam pilot."

Heero chuckled along with her. "You have a point there."

They came to a stop in front of their quarters, but before bidding each other goodnight, Murrue gave Heero a hug.

"Heero," she said as she held him, "thank you for staying with us. You're an incredible young man, and I'm forever grateful for all you've done since we've met."

She felt Heero put his arms around her. "You're welcome, Murrue," he said, "and thank you… for everything. You're… an amazing woman."

The slowly parted, smiling as they did so. "Goodnight, Heero," said Murrue, "and sleep well. Remember, if you need me, I'm right next door."

Heero nodded. "You too, Murrue," he said, "Get some rest. I have a feeling we're both going to need it."

"I will," she replied.

….

Early the next morning Murrue, Heero, and Kira were standing out on the dock next to the Archangel. In front of them were Cagalli, Erica Simmons, and Lord Uzumi.

"I can't thank you enough for all you've done," said Murrue, "The repairs, the chance for shore leave… your aid has been invaluable to us."

Uzumi smiled. "Well, considering what we asked of you, I would consider us to be even. Nevertheless, you are quite welcome. Be safe in your journey to Alaska."

The Lion of Orb then turned to Heero and Kira. "As for you young men, I would like to thank you, as well as wish you the best of luck. It is a shame that people your age are on the battlefield, but I believe that you have good reasons for fighting. Take care of yourselves."

"You're welcome," said Kira, bowing, "and thank you."

Heero merely gave the man a small nod. As Murrue watched, she thought she saw both the Gundam pilot and the nobleman smirk slightly, and felt as if they were still matching wills like they had done during the meeting a month ago. Those two, she thought, there's such a vast gap in age there, yet they both have nerves of steel and incredibly keen minds. I wonder what they think when they stare each other down like this.

After a moment Lord Uzumi chuckled. "I'll certainly miss these little standoffs of ours," he said, turning to leave, "perhaps we'll meet again someday. I appreciate the help you've given us, though I'll admit it wasn't entirely what I had anticipated. Farewell, Heero Yuy."

After he left, Erica smiled and held out her hand to Murrue. "It was nice meeting you, Captain Ramius."

Murrue smiled as she shook her hand. "Likewise. I hope we were able to help you make progress on your work."

"Oh, don't worry, you certainly did," she said as she let go. Morgenroete's Chief Engineer turned to the two pilots next to her. "Sending us these two young men was the best thing that we could've hoped for."

She moved in front of Kira and Heero, shaking each of their hands. "It was a pleasure to work with both of you."

Kira nodded, unsure how to respond. Murrue looked over at Heero and saw that he had a small smile on his face.

"Yeah," said the Gundam pilot, "it was certainly interesting."

"You can say that again," said Erica, "listen, if either of you two ever find yourselves in need of a job, come find me. You've got talents I know my team could use."

"Uhm, thanks," said Kira, "I'll keep that in mind."

"We'll see," said Heero, folding his arms.

The engineer laughed a bit at that. "You never make things easy, do you young man?"

"Nothing personal," he replied, "I'm just not sure what the future holds for me."

"Can't say I blame you there," said Erica, turning to leave. She gave the three of them one more smile as she waved. "Until next time, everyone. Have a safe trip."

That just left Cagalli standing in front of them. The blond girl smiled and looked at Murrue. "Captain Ramius," she said, "thank you… for helping us in North Africa, and for getting me home."

Murrue smiled. "You're welcome, Cagalli. Take care of yourself… and try to get along better with your father."

"No promises," the Orb princess replied. She then went over to Kira and gave him a hug. "You be careful, alright? The last thing I want to hear about is you getting yourself killed, you got that?"

Kira smiled as she let go. "You got it. Thanks for all the help."

"Hey," she said, "you guys helped me too, so let's call it even."

"Sure," said Kira, "that works."

The girl nodded, and then went over to Heero. She looked at him for a moment before smiling slightly. "Well," she said, "it was certainly… interesting, seeing you in action. Thanks for saving me back on that island. I never got to repay you for that."

"Don't mention it," he replied, "and don't worry about it. I don't do that sort of thing to collect favors."

"No," said Cagalli, "I suppose not; you're not that kind of guy." She held out her hand. "Take care, alright?"

Heero shook her hand. "You too. Try to rein in that temper a bit."

Cagalli's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?" she growled.

The Gundam pilot smirked slightly. "Case in point."

The girl realized what she was doing and took a breath to calm herself. "Right… I'll try to keep that in mind."

She turned to leave, waving as she did so. "So long, you guys. Be safe, you got that?"

They all nodded, and Murrue smiled. "We will. Farewell, Cagalli."

As she walked away, Kira headed up the gangway. After a moment Murrue turned to Heero, still smiling. "Shall we get under way?" she said.

The Gundam pilot gave her a small smile. "You're the Captain," he said, "that's your call. I'm just a pilot."

Not to me, she thought, looking into his beautiful Prussian blue eyes, you're so much more to me…

"Hey," said the young man, snapping her out of her thoughts, "are you alright?"

"Yeah," she said, "I'm fine. Let's get going."

The two of them headed for the gangway, but before they made their way up it Murrue put her hand on the pilot's shoulder. "Heero?"

He turned towards her, eyes widening a bit. "What is it, Murrue?"

She smiled again. "You're not just a pilot… not to me."

The Perfect Soldier nodded, giving her yet another small smile. "Thank you… and you're not just a captain to me, Murrue."

Her heart soared, heat rushed to her face, and Murrue could feel her smile growing bigger. "Thank you, Heero. Now, let's get this ship moving."

"Roger that," he replied.

She kept smiling as she followed the Gundam pilot up the ramp. I know I mean something to him, she thought, I know he hasn't thought of me as just the captain of this ship, at least not since our talk before the orbital battle… but still, I can't deny how good it feels every time he says that… or something similar… out loud.

Heero, I don't know for sure how deep your feelings for me go, but there are two things I'm certain of: that you do care for me, in a way that goes beyond mere friendship… and that I've definitely fallen in love with you.

….

"Captain on the bridge!" said Natarle.

Murrue nodded in acknowledgement as she entered the bridge, Heero by her side.

"At ease, everyone," she said as she took her seat, "Lieutenant Badgiruel, ship status."

"All systems have gone through pre-launch checks," the black haired woman replied, "everything checks out. I was waiting for your approval to fire up the engines."

"You have it," said Murrue, turning to the helmsman, "Ensign Neumann, bring the main power generators up to full capacity, and then cycle the engines. Wait for clearance from Orb's dock control before taking us out."

"Aye, Captain," he said, turning to his console.

"Miss Haw," said Murrue, "get Chief Murdoch on the line."

"Yes, ma'am," said the teenager, "hang on a sec… ok, patching you through to the hangar!"

The grizzled head mechanic appeared on the main monitor. "Captain, what do you need?" he said.

"Status report on the Strike and Skygraspers," she said, "Are they fully operational?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, "though I can't speak for Wing Zero. You'll have to ask Heero."

"Understood," said Murrue, "carry on."

Cutting the connection, she turned to the Gundam pilot standing next to her. "I'm sure you're ahead of me here, but it never hurts to check. Is Wing Zero at one hundred percent?"

Heero nodded. "I ran through a final maintenance check last night, and I made sure the shoulder gatlings were fully loaded too. Wing Zero is fully operational; I can sortie at any time."

"Good to know," said Murrue.

"Ma'am," said Miriallia, "I've got the dock traffic control on the line. They'll be opening the door in twenty seconds."

"Send them my thanks," she said.

"Yes, Captain," said Miriallia, "also, I have a message from the cruiser Kumano. They're just outside the dock, along with four destroyers and two fighter squadrons from the mainland. They'll be escorting us until we reach the border."

"Alright," said Murrue, "we'll form up on them once we exit. Ensign Neumann, be ready to coordinate with the Orb Navy once we clear the facility."

"Aye, Captain," the helmsman replied.

Satisfied that everything was in order, Murrue turned to the forward viewport. She could see the massive dock door slowly begin to open. The scale of this place, she thought, is truly impressive. I can't imagine the work that went into building it.

As soon as the door was completely open she gave her next order. "Helm, take us out. Keep an eye out for our escorts as we leave."

Murrue could feel the ship's engines roar to life, the ship thrumming with their awesome power. The vessel slowly began to make its way out of the dock, and soon its white hull was gleaming in the morning sunlight.

"Escort ships sighted," said the helmsman, "moving into formation now."

The five Orb vessels encircled the Archangel, with the cruiser Kumano at the head of the formation. Twelve grey fighter jets flew overhead, shadowing the ships.

"Archangel," came a voice over the radio, "this is the Kumano. Maintain your heading and stay with us until we reach the border. After that, you're on your own."

"Understood," said Murrue, "we appreciate the escort."

"No problem," the officer replied, "by the way, is there a Heero Yuy on the bridge with you? I got a message for him from Kisaka."

"Yes, he's here," said Murrue, nodding to Heero.

The Perfect Soldier stepped forward so he could speak into Murrue's receiver. "What is it?" he asked.

"He says 'Thanks again for getting the princess back in one piece'," said the officer, "and there's one more bit; 'It was fun seeing you fight. Wouldn't mind a hand-to-hand sparring match sometime'. That's all."

"I see," said Heero, "tell him we'll see what happens the next time we run into each other."

"Will do," said the officer, "Kumano out."

As the Archangel and her escorts began cruising towards open water, Murrue turned to Heero. "I didn't know Kisaka wanted to fight you. Is there something you're hiding from me?"

Heero shook his head. "No, or at least not intentionally. During the ride to Banadiya, I had a feeling that the guy was sizing me up, and vice versa. Based on the way he carried himself, I could tell he had extensive military training, but I didn't think he'd be part of Orb's armed forces. Anyway, he never said anything, but when you spend a long time on the battlefield it becomes pretty easy to tell when someone's evaluating you, trying to see what you're capable of. I guess he thought it'd be interesting to fight me."

His eyes met Murrue's. "I didn't mean to hide it from you; I just didn't think it was important. Besides, you had enough to worry about back then in any case, and I didn't want to add to it."

Murrue smiled. "It's alright, I'm not upset that you didn't tell me. I would've liked to know what was going on, but I respect your reasons for keeping it to yourself."

"Nevertheless," said Heero, "I'll try to be a little more open with you about that sort of thing in the future… at least, if it's something you want to hear about."

"Of course," she replied, "I'm always ready to listen to you, regardless of the topic. I appreciate you not wanting to worry me, but I still want to know what's going on with you. After all, that's what friends are for, right?"

The Gundam pilot smiled slightly. "Yeah, you're right."

"Now," said Murrue, "enough worrying about that. We'll be hitting the open ocean soon enough and we need to stay sharp."

"Roger that," said Heero.

….

Meanwhile, down in the pilots' ready room, Kira was putting on his flight suit. Recalling his meeting with Athrun at the Morgenroete facility, the young Coordinator knew that his old friend would be with the ZAFT forces that would no doubt attack the ship soon after it crossed the territorial boundary. He felt somewhat guilty over not warning the others, but he was afraid of how they would react if they found out an old friend of his was among the pilots of the stolen prototypes.

Kira was especially worried over how Heero might react to such news. So far the enigmatic pilot had been calm and collected, but Kira had noticed him become more tense and aggressive whenever the Archangel was under serious threat, like at the battle at Orb's border. How would he react if he found out I was withholding this kind of information? The possibilities were not particularly pleasant.

As he zipped up his flight suit he heard a familiar voice. "Oh, hey Kira! What's up?"

Kira whirled around, his eyes widening as he saw Tolled dressed in a pilot's jumpsuit. "Tolle? What are you doing here… and why are you wearing that?"

His friend smiled. "Remember how I've been practicing on the Skygrasper simulator? Well, Heero and Captain Ramius said I was good enough to start flying for real. Now I'm backing up you and Lieutenant Commander La Flaga the next time we go into battle on Skygrasper Two!"

What? The Captain and Heero said he could fly a fighter? When did that happen?

"Tolle," he said, "are you sure about this?"

"Yeah," said his friend, "I want to help you guys, not to mention Miriallia's on this ship too, so this way I can protect her! By the way, why are you down here already? The Captain didn't put you on standby too, did she?"

Kira shook his head. "No, it's just… look, as soon as we leave Orb's territory, ZAFT will attack. Either that, or not too long after. I want to be ready."

Tolle didn't question how Kira knew when the enemy would strike. He just nodded. "I guess that makes sense. Well, at least we'll be ready, right?"

"Yeah," said Kira. I hope…

….

Heero looked out the viewport as the Archangel's escorts broke away and headed for home. This is it, he thought, we're back on the battlefield.

He looked over at Murrue, who wasted no time in issuing orders to the bridge crew. "Sensors," she said, "keep your eyes on the sky and the sea. I want passive sonar running continuously, wide array. Follow up with a ping on active sonar every ten minutes. The enemy can hit us from above and below; we need to be ready for anything."

"Aye Captain," said the man at the sensor station.

"Lieutenant Badgiruel," said Murrue, "Make sure all our guns and missiles are primed and ready for action. I want all my options available when the enemy decides to engage."

"Understood, Captain," said Natarle, who began relaying the orders to the weapons specialists.

Watching her make preparations for a possible attack, Heero was aware of his own senses sharpening, picking up every minute detail on the bridge. Intellectually, he knew it did him little good since he was a mobile suit pilot, not a bridge officer, but it was instinctive, as natural to him as breathing.

However, there was something more to it, something that he had become increasingly aware of since the Archangel had departed North Africa over a month and a half ago. His combat instincts were increasingly being combined with his protectiveness of the woman sitting next to him. Every time he had gone into battle since the campaign in the Sahara, and even before, his desire to keep Murrue from harm was influencing his actions and his state of mind. He knew that he was becoming more intense in combat; the battle at Orb's border over a month ago was the latest example, and definitely the most pronounced. While it hadn't interfered with his control over the Zero system, Heero was still struck by just how strong his feelings had become towards Murrue, both with his desire to protect her and more… much more.

Murrue hadn't been the first woman that Heero wanted to protect. During the Eve Wars, he had wanted to protect Relena whenever he found her near the battlefield, starting when OZ had attacked her school during the ball. That protectiveness had been almost unconscious at first, but over time he had come to recognize it as he and the girl gradually got to know each other, forming his first true friendship.

The protectiveness he felt towards Murrue had some similarities, but what really surprised Heero was just how much stronger it was… and it seemed to grow more with each passing day, the more he spent time with the brown haired, brown eyed beauty. He'd never felt this way about anyone before, Relena included.

My feelings, he thought, my desire to protect Murrue… at first it was because she was kind to me, and I wanted to repay that. Then it grew as we became friends, and it was similar to how I felt regarding Relena, especially after I told Murrue about my past. But it's continued to grow, increasing as I get closer to her… now it almost feels like a fire inside of me, one that I want to unleash on all who threaten her.

He saw Murrue turn and smile at him. Is this… part of falling in love with someone? The desire to protect them from anything, to go to any means necessary to protect them… is it really part of my growing feelings for her? If it is, I have to be careful; I can't let them influence the Zero system. It's alright to have those feelings, but I have to maintain control over them… or I could lose myself to the Zero system and go on a rampage. If I did that… I could endanger Murrue. I know I gave her the override command and that radio frequency, but the possibility still exists.

"Hey," said Murrue, "are you alright, Heero?"

Her voice brought the Gundam pilot back to his immediate surroundings. The woman at the heart of his thoughts was still smiling, though Heero could also detect some concern in her eyes.

He forced a small smile for her. "I'm fine. Just got lost in thought for a bit there. Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you."

"It's ok," she said, "is it something you want to talk about?"

I'm pretty sure this is something I don't know how to talk about, he thought, even with you, Murrue…

Heero shook his head. "It's fine. Thanks, though."

"You're welcome, Heero," she replied.

I have to focus, he thought, if I want to protect Murrue… if I want to discover just what our friendship is becoming, I have to control myself. There's nothing wrong with acting on my emotions; Lowe taught me that. However, I have to remember to restrain them when necessary, especially during combat.

He looked once again at the woman who had come to mean so much to him. It's the only way I'll be able to keep Murrue safe… no matter what happens.

….

"What?" yelled Yzak, "What do you mean we aren't attacking today?"

Athrun sighed. The two of them, along with the rest of his team, were down in the pilots locker room of the Cousteau. Yzak and Dearka had gone to change into their flight suits the instant they'd received word from a recon drone that the legged ship had left Orb's territory.

"It's not my call," he replied, "we just received a message from the head of the Grabacr Squadron. According to the recon drone, the legged ship's course will take it through the Marshall Islands; both Grabacr and Ofnir Squadrons are close to there, so that's where they want to engage. They'll attack head on, while we hit the legged ship from behind."

"Why wait?" said Dearka, "Why don't Ofnir and Grabacr advance from their positions and strike today?"

"Because they're using today to run combat exercises," said Athrun, "both Special Operations Squad Commanders wanted to do so before engaging the enemy. Look, either way, I can't do anything about it. We received a message from the Defense Council yesterday; Special Operations has command authority over us, and the Grabacr Commander is the ranking officer of our strike force. What he says goes, whether we like it or not."

"Grrr, fine!" said Yzak, "They better not slow us down when we fight tomorrow."

"They're Special Operations pilots, Yzak," said Nicole, "I doubt that'll be a problem."

"Yeah, you're right," said Yzak, a little calmer now, "guess I'll head to the mess and grab a bite to eat then. Dearka, you coming?"

"Right behind you," the blond haired young man replied, and the two of them left the locker room.

As soon as they were gone, Athrun leaned against the wall and sighed. "That went well," he grumbled.

"You know," said Nicole, "you can write Yzak up for insubordination if he keeps this up; Creuset did put you in charge, after all."

Athrun shook his head. "It's tempting, but what's stopping me is the fact that his arguments are valid. Ofnir and Grabacr could move south and coordinate an attack with us today rather than wait for tomorrow. I can understand their desire to get in some exercises before fighting Wing Zero, but considering how long it and the legged ship were in Orb, I would think that they had plenty of time to do that already."

"So what do you thinks stopping them?" asked Nicole.

"Hard to say," Athrun replied, "maybe it's a way for the Grabacr Commander to assert his authority; from what I've heard, he's quite prideful. Maybe he can't resist rubbing our faces in the fact that our status as both Reds and the sons of members of the Supreme Council are meaningless out here."

"But your father's now the head of the Supreme Council," said Nicole, "along with being in charge of Special Operations. I would think that'd afford you a little more respect, at least from those guys."

Athrun shrugged. "It might not even matter. You've heard the same stories I have, Nicole; Special Operations soldiers tend to look down on the normal forces, even Reds and Commanders. They consider themselves to be the elite of the elite; a debatable claim, but one they make nonetheless."

"I know," said Nicole, "I mean, Commander Rehema's the only pilot we have that was able to go against Wing Zero one-on-one other than Commander Creuset, and the Valkyrie lasted much longer than our leader. Not to mention the rest of her team are extremely good pilots in their own right, and put up quite a good showing against Wing Zero as well until it forced them to withdraw. Despite that, none of them have been offered positions in Special Operations."

"Exactly," said Athrun, "while I'd prefer to think the best of my father, the fact is obvious in this case that Special Operations is as much a political entity as it is a military one; who he favors gets in, and it's hardly a secret that Commander Rehema's views are more in line with the moderates than the radicals."

Nicole sighed. "I remember back in our academy classes when the instructors were talking about the ideal army being apolitical… look how that turned out. We've got our own competing factions, just like the civilian government."

"Won't argue with you there," said Athrun.

After a moment the green haired boy turned to him and smiled. "Well, there's no point in hanging around here, especially since we won't be launching today. Might as well go grab a bite to eat. You coming?"

Athrun nodded, returning the smile. "Yeah, that sounds good right now."

The son of the new Supreme Council Chairman was glad his friend didn't notice just how forced that smile was. Truth be told, Athrun was glad that the engagement had been put off for a day, but he knew that it was only delaying the inevitable… and waiting for his next battle with Kira felt almost as bad as actually fighting his old friend.

We've gotten lucky the past few times, he thought as they headed towards the mess, but now that Special Operations pilots are involved, that could change. I doubt they'll be able to beat Wing Zero, regardless of what father thinks, but that's not what worries me; the guys from Ofnir and Grabacr will be able to tell if I'm holding back against the Strike, and I have no doubt they'll report any hesitation on my part to father.

What am I going to do?

….

"It's hard to believe," said Murrue as she left the mess hall with Heero, "I thought for sure ZAFT would attack us as soon as we crossed the border."

Much to her relief, along with that of the rest of the crew, the day had passed without incident. It was now evening, and Murrue had just finished having dinner with Heero. Now the two of them were heading back to their quarters to rest up for the next day.

She saw the Gundam pilot nod. "I agree. Considering just how aggressive they were a month ago, how desperate they were to get us before we crossed into Orb territory, it's odd that ZAFT didn't engage us."

The two of them were quiet for a moment, each contemplating their unexpected good fortune. Finally Murrue spoke. "I guess we shouldn't be complaining. After all, they'll probably make up for lost time come tomorrow."

"A strong possibility," said Heero, "considering the size of the last group we fought, I have to wonder how many mobile suits they'll send this time."

"Anything can happen," she replied, "we were within strike range of Carpentaria during the last battle, so it makes sense that the force they sent for that engagement was as big as it was. Now that we're heading North, ZAFT is limited to carrier based units, and the central Pacific is strongly contested at the moment. The Alliance has the Pearl Harbor base at Hawaii, giving it a good staging ground for its surface fleets. The amount of Vosgulov-class submarine-carriers in the region is anyone's guess, though I would imagine it would decrease the further we head North."

"If we can keep the enemy at bay until we enter range of Alliance air squadrons from Hawaii," said Heero, "then we should be in good shape. From there it's a straight shot to Alaska."

"You're right," said Murrue as they approached their quarters.

They both paused in front of their doors, and Murrue smiled. "Get some sleep, Heero. I doubt tomorrow will be as easy as today was."

Heero nodded and gave her a small smile of his own. "Roger that. Goodnight, Murrue."

….

"Goodnight, Flay," said Miriallia as she lay down.

The red-headed girl nodded as she went to her own bunk. "Goodnight, Miriallia."

It had been about a week since she had moved in with the brown-haired girl. Technically, this had always been her room assignment, but ever since the orbital battle she had been sharing Kira's room, while Tolle, Sai, and Kuzzey all shared another. The past few days had been the first time she'd spent any real time in it.

Laying down and looking at the ceiling, Flay Allster was at a loss. Two days after her fight with Kira, she had gone to Sai as per her plan, and had expected him to welcome her back without question. However, things had not gone according to plan, and she could tell that something had changed in him. The young man who had used to write her love letters back on Heliopolis had flat out turned her down. More shocking still was when Sai had then said that she needed to work her issues out with Kira rather than running away from them, and that her feelings for the Coordinator weren't something she could just cast aside.

It was then that she had realized something; while she had been focusing on her revenge, she had unknowingly been drifting away from her old friends. At first it hadn't really be noticeable, but now as she looked back on what had happened since North Africa she realized that she had lost touch with the old crowd as she had turned all her efforts towards manipulating Kira. Even Miriallia, who Flay had once considered to be a close friend, had seemed somewhat reluctant to let her bunk in her room, even if it had been her assigned one to begin with.

And there was more. As time went by, her desire for revenge against the Coordinator pilot had been increasingly at war with another set of feelings growing within her. She had tried to deny them, suppress them the best she could… but now, as she stared at the dark metal ceiling, she could not escape what she had realized some time ago.

She cared for Kira. Not a faked affection, but she had genuinely come to like the young man. His unconditional kindness, his bravery and desire to protect his friends… hell, even his sensitivity, which could sometimes cause him to cry when other boys wouldn't had increasingly drawn her to him.

As she lay in bed, she lost track of time as she asked herself, screamed in her head the question that would not leave her alone; how had this happened?

And each time she did, she kept coming back to the same answer; because Kira wasn't the freak she had made him out to be. He was a brave, intelligent, and incredibly kind young man; he was human, and she could no longer deny it.

Now she was overcome by a wave of guilt, the likes of which she had never felt before. How… how could I have done this to him, acted the way I did? Daddy's death was not his fault, Kira wasn't responsible for it… it was this damn war, not that boy. I've been twisting him, manipulating him into staying here and fighting, knowing how much he hates fighting, how much it hurts him to have to kill… he's not the monster; I am.

The girl buried her head into her pillow, using it to stifle a sob and soak up the tears that had begun flowing down her cheeks. I have to apologize, tell him everything… but how could he forgive me after all I've done to him?

After a minute of muffled sobbing, she realized that the answer to her question lay in one of the reasons that she had come to care for Kira in the first place. Kira… he's not the kind of person to hold a grudge. Unlike me, a foolish girl who let herself drown in her own hatred, Kira doesn't have a malice-filled bone in his body. He's always kind, always considerate… I don't think he knows how to hate.

Flay rolled over, staring up at the ceiling again. There were still tears flowing from her eyes, but she had stopped sobbing, and a small smile was on her face. Unlike other's she'd had in the past, this one was gentle, and genuine. Tomorrow, I'll tell him the truth, and apologize. It won't be easy, and I know he'll be hurt by what I tell him; there's no way to avoid that.

But… he'll forgive me. I know he will… because he's Kira.

….

After taking off from the submarine/carrier Challenger, the six DINN Mk. IIs of the Grabacr Special Operations Squadron formed up in a flying-v. The sun was just climbing over the horizon, though the gathering dark clouds threatened to cut off its gaze from the coming battle.

At the head of the formation of gray and black DINNs, the Commander frowned. Looks like a storm's brewing, thought the blond haired man, his steely gray eyes narrowing, I hope it doesn't interfere with our mission. Ashley Bernitz, the twenty-eight year old Commander of the Grabacr Team, didn't want Mother Nature to get in the way of his glory.

A Second Generation Coordinator born in the heart of PLANT power, Ashley had known from an early age that he was destined for greatness. His parents sat on the board of directors for Kepler Heavy Industries, one of the premier large-scale manufacturing firms in outer space. Building everything from shuttles to entire colonies, the company never lacked for customers, and his parents considerable fortune meant that Ashley had access to the best education one could get in the PLANTs. The Bernitz family had quickly risen to the ranks of the Coordinator homeland elite, and it was not uncommon for them to be seen with members of the Supreme Council or other prominent members of society. Ashley himself had taken to that social scene quite eagerly, and it was not long until he had begun rubbing shoulders with members of the budding radical faction. The young man had had a prideful streak a kilometer long, and that arrogance had played no small role in convincing Ashley that it was the Coordinators who were the future of mankind, destined to rule not just the Earth Sphere but eventually the entire solar system.

He could've gone into any company he'd wanted to, Kepler included, and have been successful, but Ashley's instincts had told him that the path to true power would be found within the military, and he had joined ZAFT at the earliest opportunity. Rising swiftly through the ranks due to his combination of piloting skills and political connections, it had not been long before he had been contacted by then-Defense Chairman Zala and offered a place amongst the new organization he was building; Special Operations.

I jumped at the chance, he mused, and the rest, as they say, is history. Scanning his radar, he quickly caught sight of the Ofnir Team. The group of six white and light gray DINN Mk. IIs had just launched from their own carrier, the Cook, and were moving to join their fellow Special Operations Squadron.

The cold, gravelly voice of Michael Heimeroth, the Ofnir Commander, came over the radio, and the raven haired, icy blue eyed officer appeared on Ashley's screen. "This is Ofnir One," he said, "we're ready for battle. Awaiting orders, Commander Bernitz."

Ashley nodded. "Form up on us and stay on course. Be ready to break the instant you catch sight of Wing Zero."

"And the legged ship?" said Michael.

"The Zala Team will handle it, along with their fighters and the Strike," he replied. Then he gave a cold smile. "Of course, if they take too long then we can always dive in and steal the glory once we dispose of Wing Zero."

"Looking forward to it," said Michael, "Ofnir One, out."

….

The early morning calm was shattered by the Archangel's second in command. "Enemy forces spotted on radar!" came Lieutenant Badgiruel's voice over the loudspeaker, "All hands, Level One Battle Stations!"

Heero flew out of bed. Quick as a flash the young man was on his feet and rushing towards the door. Still wearing the same green tank-top and black shorts from yesterday, the Gundam pilot paused only to holster his gun before leaving his quarters.

He nearly ran into Murrue in the hallway. Their eyes met briefly, and the two of them nodded before Heero made a mad dash to the hangar. ZAFT, he thought as he ran, I hope the soldiers you've sent today have their wills written, because none of them are coming home alive.

….

Flay bolted upright the instant she heard the announcement. The enemy's here! That means Kira will be going into battle again! It was foolish, but she had to find him before he got to the Strike. Changing into her uniform faster than she thought possible, she ran from her room, surprising Miriallia, who was already dashing down the hallway towards the bridge. Flay saw her friend raise an eyebrow at her before shrugging and continuing on her way. I can't blame her for being surprised. After all, it's not like I can actually do anything to help with the fighting.

That didn't matter to her, though. What was important was that she find Kira and apologize before he got to his mobile suit. Kira, it's all my fault you're piloting that thing today! Please, let me make it in time!

She practically barreled into the Coordinator as she made her way towards the pilot ready room. "Flay!" he said, clearly surprised, "What are you doing here?"

Looking at the boy, her blue/gray eyes meeting his violet ones, she felt herself freeze. No, she thought, focus, Flay! If you don't tell him now, who knows when you'll get another chance!

"Kira…" she said, "I…" Try as she might, though, she was too scared, and the words she wanted to say just wouldn't come out.

The young man smiled at her. "Look, I have to go… we'll talk later, alright?"

All she could do was nod as the door closed behind him. Shit! I screwed up… I'll just have to wait until he gets back, I guess.

Kira… please be careful.

….

"Status report!" yelled Murrue as she entered the bridge.

"Captain," said the sensor operator, "I have sixteen enemy mobile suits on radar: twelve in front of us and four coming from behind."

The Archangel had just entered the Marshall Islands that morning, and the ship was passing between the Ratak and Railik island chains. A rocky corridor, thought Murrue as she took her seat, and we're being confronted from both ends of it.

"Captain," said Sai from the CIC, "The four suits behind us are the prototypes, and the twelve machines out front… they're the same kind of DINNs that the Valkyrie Team pilots!"

"What?" she cried, shocked at what she heard, "Bring them up on screen!"

An image appeared of the dozen approaching mobile suits. They were arrayed in two delta formations with six machines each. The DINNs in the left triangle were dark grey with black trim, while the ones on the right were white with light grey. As the camera zoomed in, Murrue saw that each machine had a rifle in its left hand and a violet beam saber in its right.

Shit, she thought, not good! Murrue immediately began typing into the small keypad on the right arm of her chair.

Heero's face appeared on her personal monitor. "I'm ready to launch," he said, "What is it, Murrue?"

"Heero," she said, "there are sixteen enemy machines, and twelve of them are the same kind used by the Valkyrie Team!"

His Prussian blue eyes narrowed. "Alright," he said, completely calm, "I'll take care of those. What are the other four units?"

"The G-Weapons," said Murrue, "they're back for another round."

"Understood," said Heero, "listen, have the Strike and both Skygraspers focus on them; I don't want them getting in my way when I'm fighting the DINNs."

"But, Heero…" she said. She'd wanted to have at least one of the fighters back him up.

"Trust me, Murrue," the Gundam pilot replied, "it's better this way." He then smiled slightly. "Once I'm engaged, I'll send you targeting data for the Archangel's heavy weapons; be ready to act when you get it."

Murrue nodded. "Alright... be careful, ok?"

"Roger that," he said.

Murrue turned back to the bridge as the screen went black. "Get the hangar doors open!" she said, "Wing Zero launches first! Follow up with the Strike in Aile configuration, and tell Kira that he'll be engaging the G-weapons. The same goes for La Flaga and Tolle; Skygrasper One will have the Launcher pack, Two will fly in normal configuration!"

"Yes, ma'am," said Miriallia.

"Badgiruel," said Murrue, "Have the Wombat and Corintoss missiles readied! Arm Helldarts and Igelstellungs and be ready to put up an anti-air barrage the instant the enemy comes into range. Stand by on the Gottfrieds and Valiants; we'll be waiting for targeting solutions from Heero!"

"Aye, Captain!" said Natarle.

"Doors are open," said Miriallia, "Wing Zero is launching!"

Murrue watched as Heero flew out of the hangar, blue fire blazing from his machine's thrusters as he gunned the engines and moved to take the twelve newcomers head on.

Heero, I'll trust your judgment, and back you up whatever way you want me to. Now, win… and come back to me.

….

As Heero brought the Twin Buster Rifle to bear, he saw the two six suit formations dissolve as the enemy broke into wing pairs. They're spreading out earlier than the last group, he thought, looks like ZAFT's getting smarter.

He pulled the trigger, sending a large golden-yellow blast at the incoming swarm. However, only two machines, white and grey ones, were destroyed by the attack.

Look's like this'll be a precision job, he thought as he dialed back the power a bit and drew his green beam saber, brute force alone won't cut it. Just like the Valkyrie Team…

Soon the ten remaining DINNs enveloped him. Five of them moved in for close quarters combat, while the others launched volleys of rifle and missile fire. Gaining altitude, Heero dodged the initial barrage and blocked the saber strike of the lead grey and black machine. Pushing his foe back before whirling around to parry a blow from his next attacker, Heero quickly fell into a familiar rhythm of evasion, blocking, and counter-attacking.

The enemy suits swarmed around him, trying their best to overwhelm him, but thanks to the Zero system Heero was able to stay one step ahead of the mechanical ravens. Side slipping two DINNs moving in with their beam sabers, he then fired a barrage of gatling fire at an incoming missile volley, destroying the warheads. The Gundam pilot then dropped altitude, raising the Twin Buster Rifle as he did so. Cutting loose with another blast, he managed to destroy a grey and black DINN, but that still left nine machines remaining.

These guys aren't bad, he thought as began trading saber blows with two of his foes, all the while dodging a hail of cannon rounds from several other machines, they're not as good as the Valkyrie Team, but their skills are solid and there's more of them. This won't be easy…

….

"Kira Yamato, launching!"

The Coordinator was thrown back in his seat as the Strike was catapulted into the air. Rather than take up position on top of the ship like last time, Kira moved to engage the incoming prototypes head on.

While it was true that the Strike couldn't fly like the platforms used by the four suits in front of him could, Kira had found an alternative. Gunning his thrusters and going for altitude, Kira then allowed the Strike to drop towards his enemies. He fired a barrage with the beam rifle as he fell, and while he scored no hits he did manage to get his enemy to scatter. Then, before the mobile suit hit the water, Kira hit his engines again, once again gaining altitude. So long as he was able to repeat this series of actions, he'd be able to keep the Strike airborne.

This time he went for the Duel as he came back down. He led with the beam rifle, and when he once again failed to score any hits he drew the Strike's beam saber. The Duel returned fire, but Kira was able to block it with his shield as he moved in to attack. The blue and gray machine was forced to draw its own sword, and the two violet blades clashed in the sky. The enemy managed to parry his blow, causing Kira to continue his fall until he gunned his thrusters again.

However, the Strike wasn't the only threat the Duel had to worry about. As Kira fell away, Tolle dove in on Skygrasper Two, firing several energy beams. The enemy mobile suit managed to evade the barrage, but the attack kept it from moving in to engage the Archangel.

Meanwhile, Skygrasper One was bombarding the Aegis, Blitz, and Buster with crimson fire from the Agni slung beneath the fighter. Alone he wouldn't be able to take the three machines, but as he was firing the Archangel cut loose with a swarm of Helldart anti-air missiles, several of which hit the enemy mobile suits. The warheads did not damage them due to their Phase Shift Armor, but the impacts and detonations would drain valuable energy.

Still, Kira knew that eventually both the Lieutenant Commander and the Archangel would be overwhelmed if he didn't act quickly. Adjusting his descent angle, Kira dropped the Strike between the three machines and the ship, firing his rifle at both the Aegis and the Blitz while La Flaga launched another volley of red beams at the Buster.

Once again, none of the shots connected, and Kira had to bring both his sword and shield up in order to block close range attacks from the red and black machines. Damn, he thought as they drove him downwards, forcing him to hit the thrusters sooner than he'd planned, Athrun's even better than last time, and the Blitz's pilot is no slouch either. Good thing Tolle and the Lieutenant Commander are keeping the other two machines busy, or I'd be in real trouble.

….

"Prepare the Helldarts for another volley," ordered Murrue, "stand by on Igelstellungs in case the enemy gets any closer!"

"Aye, Captain!" said Natarle.

Murrue looked at one of the side monitors, which showed the battle taking place to the rear of the ship. The two Skygraspers and the Strike appeared to be evenly matched against the four ZAFT machines, with Kira and Tolle engaging the Aegis, Blitz, and Duel while Lieutenant Commander La Flaga played out his almost traditional encounter with the Buster. Those two always seem to go for each other when they're on the same battlefield, she thought. Looking past them, Murrue saw a front of black and gray clouds steadily advancing. Looks like we have a storm bearing down on us, she thought, I hope it isn't too bad.

Satisfied that the threat to their rear was contained for the moment, Murrue turned her attention to Heero's battle. She saw Wing Zero slice a gray and black DINN clean in two before whirling to block more strikes from two more machines. At the same time he was constantly side slipping and dodging fire from the other six machines, and the fact that it had taken him this long to kill four of his opponents had her concerned. They aren't regular ZAFT pilots, Murrue thought, I can tell from here that they're pretty good, though since Heero's been able to kill some of them I doubt they're as skilled as the Valkyrie Team. Still, the fact that there's more of them is undoubtedly making it difficult for Heero.

She suddenly heard Natarle's voice from the CIC. "Captain," she said, "we're receiving targeting solutions for the Gottfrieds and Valiants from Wing Zero, along with a time to fire!"

"Send them to my display!" Murrue ordered. A set of numbers and a red timer appeared on her small screen, twenty seconds on it.

Murrue knew she had to act quickly. "Enter those solutions and fire on my command!"

"Aye, Captain," she replied, quickly running final checks on the guns.

Murrue's eyes narrowed as she studied the numbers. The only way Heero would be able to provide this kind of precise targeting data, she thought, would be by using the Zero system to predict where the enemy will be. I can't begin to imagine the sheer strength of will and mental acuity it takes to do something like that. Heero, I promise I won't fail you!

She watched the timer enter its last numbers. "Three, two, one, fire!" she yelled.

Large emerald beams ripped forth from the Gottfrieds, while massive projectiles flew from the Valiant Heavy Rail Cannons. In a display of coordination Murrue couldn't help but marvel at, all four shots connected. Two gray and black and two white and gray DINNs exploded, and the remaining four machines scattered wildly, completely caught off guard by the incredibly precise salvo.

Murrue smiled as she saw Heero waste no time in taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, rushing in to impale another gray and black machine with his emerald blade. He then whirled around as the DINN exploded and went for his next target. However, this time the enemy managed to regroup somewhat, and Wing Zero's target managed to block the Gundam's saber strike while the other two machines came in to support.

Still, Murrue knew that the tide of battle had turned decisively in Heero's favor. She knew that he probably could've taken the original twelve machines by himself, but it probably would've taken him longer than he could afford. Also, Murrue couldn't deny the thrill she got as Heero had sent her that targeting data, knowing it meant that he had taken her words about fighting together to heart.

We'll beat them together, Heero, she thought, smiling again, no matter what ZAFT throws at us, I know we can triumph if we fight to protect each other!

….

Yzak was getting frustrated. The battle with the Strike and the two fighters had become a stalemate, and the silver-haired, hot-headed pilot could not stand the thought of his enemies escaping again… especially the damn Strike.

"I won't let you get away again!" he roared. Pushing his engines to the max, he all but slammed into the enemy mobile suit, which was barely able to raise its beam saber in time to block his vicious attack.

Yzak smiled as he pushed the Strike away from the battle. "Now's your chance, guys!" he said, "Get 'em!"

"You got it!" said Dearka, renewing his assault on the fighter with the large cannon. Meanwhile, Athrun and Nicole easily managed to overwhelm the other plane, with the Blitz hanging back to cover while the Aegis moved in on the legged ship.

However, Yzak's triumph was short lived. Seeing that its mother ship was threatened, the Strike was suddenly moving much faster, and before Yzak realized what had happened the blue, white, and red machine had backed off, raised its rifle, and put a beam right through the Duel's left leg.

"Damn it!" cried Yzak as he lost balance, his machine's knee completely destroyed. He struggled to keep himself upright, but it was a losing battle, and the proud pilot knew that he would barely be able to make it back to the Cousteau as it was.

"Shit!" he yelled, "I'm out. Dearka, take them down for me!"

"No problem," said his friend, confidence clear in his voice.

Yzak snarled as he was forced to retreat, his only comfort being that he'd gotten his team a window to assault the legged ship. He could only hope they'd make the most of it.

….

"Damn it!" came Tolle's voice over the radio, "Archangel, the Aegis is incoming!"

"I'll stop it!" said Lieutenant Commander La Flaga, but as he tried to break away to help his fighter was hit by the Buster. The plane survived, but the damage to its engines was severe.

"Shit," Murrue heard him say, "I'm out. Archangel, I'm coming in for a hot landing!"

Murrue quickly began issuing orders. "Have the hangar doors opened, and tell them to get the arrestor nets and fire extinguishers ready!"

"The Aegis is closing in!" said the radar operator.

"Hard to port!" Murrue yelled, "Get as many guns on it as we can!"

She gripped the arms of her chair tightly as the ship turned. The vessel unleashed a hail of anti-air fire, but the crimson suit's pilot was skilled, and nothing hit it. Suddenly the ship shuddered as the Aegis fired.

"Portside Valiant is hit!" said Natarle, "It's inoperable!"

"Fire Helldarts and Wombats!" cried Murrue, "Get him off of us!"

A swarm of missiles flew from the Archangel, and this time the Aegis took hits. However, its Phase Shift Armor took the brunt of the barrage, and it came right back for more.

Heero, she thought as she turned to her personal monitor, which showed Wing Zero battling its last two foes, having dispatched another DINN with its shoulder gatlings, please, get back here quickly!

….

"Damn it," Heero snarled, "I don't have time to be playing around with you two!"

Wing Zero was trading saber blows with the last two machines, one of each color scheme. Gunning his thrusters, he quickly gained altitude, and when he was temporarily clear of the enemy machines he turned and fired the Twin Buster Rifle. Rather than aim at the DINNs though, his target was the Aegis, which was bombarding the Archangel. The red machine barely managed to dodge the yellow energy blast, and Heero could only hope that his distraction had bought the white warship a little breathing room.

Hang on, Murrue!, he thought as he reengaged the DINNs, I'll finish these guys now, then I'm coming to help you!

His thoughts quickly became action as the last white and gray DINN moved in to attack. Dodging to the right, Heero swung his beam saber so fast it was almost a blur. The blow ripped through the machine's cockpit section, and the mobile suit exploded.

He then turned to the final machine, the last of the gray and black DINNs. "You're mine," he hissed as he charged it.

….

How… how did this happen?

Ashley was in shock, and was barely able to block the ferocious strike from Wing Zero's beam saber. He reacted numbly as the force of the blow pushed him back, unable to comprehend just what had happened to his command.

Grabacr, Ofnir… completely annihilated. All by one mobile suit and a battleship…

His pride was shattered, the will to fight utterly abandoning him. As he saw Wing Zero charge him again, Ashley couldn't even bring himself to attempt a retreat or do anything to save his own life.

As his indomitable foe's emerald blade stabbed into his cockpit, the Special Operations Commander felt only a brief flash of pain before Death's sweet embrace took him.

….

Kira rushed towards the Archangel. The Blitz moved to block his path, but Kira barreled on past it, shoving the black mobile suit aside with his shield. "Tolle," he said, "keep that one busy!"

"You got it, buddy!" his friend yelled as he dived in, his plane launching a pair of missiles. The Blitz raised its shield and took the warheads on it before returning fire. Kira was relieved to see his friend dodge the green beams that came his way. I hope Tolle will be alright…

He turned back to the Archangel, which was now under attack by both the Aegis and the Buster. The white ship was throwing up a storm of anti-air machine gun and missile fire, but the Phase Shift Armor of both units enabled them to weather the barrage. The two machines had already scored a few hits on the vessel, the most serious of which had knocked the portside Valiant Cannon out of commission.

Charging headlong into the fray, Kira raised his rifle and fired several shots. None of the green beams connected with the two suits, but they did serve to draw their attention away from the Archangel and towards him. Both the Aegis and the Buster quickly moved on him, firing as they approached.

Kira brought his shield up, and though he managed to block the attacks he knew that he had been thrown on the defensive. Gunning his thrusters in an effort to get above the two machines, he was dismayed to see them keeping pace, the platforms beneath the two mobile suits giving them greater mobility.

More bad news was quick in coming, courtesy of Tolle. "Damn, he got past me! Kira, the Blitz is heading your way, I can't stop him!"

Oh no, thought Kira; he had reached the peak of his climb, and the Strike was now beginning to descend. With the Aegis and Buster above him and the Blitz coming up from below, the boy knew they had him dead to rights.

At least until a massive yellow blast cut through the sky, scattering the three mobile suits.

A new contact appeared on his radar. "Wing Zero!" cried Kira. It seemed that Heero had finished dispatching his adversaries just in time.

Sure enough, the Gundam pilot's face appeared on the Strike's main monitor, as calm as ever. "I'll take the Buster and the Blitz," he said, "you focus on the Aegis."

"Got it!" said Kira, "Thanks, Heero!"

His fellow mobile suit pilot nodded before cutting the connection. As he aimed at the Aegis and fired, he saw Heero make a beeline for the Blitz. The black machine was barely able to bring up its beam saber in time to block a powerful overhand strike from the Gundam, which then pulled back and fired the Twin Buster Rifle at the Buster. The green and tan suit barely dodged the shot before returning the favor, combining its beam rifle and gun launcher to form the massive cannon, from which it fired a scatter-shot blast.

However, the overwhelming skill of Heero and the sheer acceleration provided by the Gundam's powerful engines enabled him to completely avoid getting hit, and Kira watched in awe as he began a two-on-one shoot out with the Blitz and the Buster. The Coordinator then shook his head, reminding himself that he had to focus on his own battle.

He turned back towards the Aegis, barely managing to dodge Athrun's return fire. As he did so, two missiles flew into the fray, which the red machine took on the shield on its left arm. Kira looked up to see Tolle's fighter flash by.

"Kira!" his friend said, "I'll make hit and run attacks to keep him off balance; you take him head on!"

Kira nodded. "Got it!" The boy knew that the help of the fighter might give him enough of an opening to damage Athrun's flight platform and force him to retreat.

He could only hope…

….

"Damn it!" said Nicole, "This guy can't be human! Not even a Coordinator has moves like these!"

Wing Zero was all but schooling him and Dearka. The machine had fallen into a deadly pattern, trading long-range fire with the Buster before quickly moving in for close-quarters-combat with the Blitz. Each time Nicole's violet beam saber clashed with Wing Zero's green blade, the young man was staggered back by the sheer power behind each blow.

Dearka, for his part, was alternating between scatter-shots and concentrated blasts in an effort to catch the fearsome machine off guard, but its pilot was too good to let that happen, completely evading each shot regardless of what type it was.

I got no choice, the green haired young man thought, time for the Mirage Colloid! The cloaking system would not cover the flight platform, and he wouldn't be able to use his Phase Shift Armor either, but it might take Wing Zero by surprise for a second or two, which could give either Nicole or Dearka a window of opportunity.

He pulled back as he activated the system, and soon the Blitz was invisible. However, much to Nicole's astonishment, Wing Zero didn't hesitate for an instant; the machine charged him head on, and the boy knew that the pilot was using his flight platform as a means to gauge where the Blitz was.

Nicole raised the mobile suit's left arm and fired the Gleipner rocket anchor, hoping that, since the Mirage Colloid covered the retrievable weapon, it would be enough to temporarily throw Wing Zero off balance.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. Nicole's eyes widened in astonishment as Wing Zero raised its beam saber and sliced the Gleipner anchor clean in two from stem to stern. He must've seen the rockets fire, he thought, the Colloid didn't cover their jet wash, and he was able to use that to gauge the trajectory! Shit, this guy's a damn god of war!

Wing Zero continued to charge at him, and Nicole knew that remaining cloaked would do him no good. He quickly deactivated the Colloid, just in time to endure a barrage from the machine's shoulder gatlings. The impacts caused the mobile suit to shudder, and Nicole was barely able to dodge to the right to avoid Wing Zero's saber slash.

However, the boy hadn't moved quickly enough, and the Blitz's entire left arm was severed at the shoulder. As Wing Zero passed him, it turned around at cut loose with another volley from its shoulder gatlings, and several rounds hit the flight platform. Having no choice, Nicole quickly took the Blitz into a jump off the platform just as it exploded beneath him.

"Nicole, dive!" yelled Dearka.

Nicole did so, cutting his thrusters and allowing the Blitz to plummet as the Buster fired another scatter-shot blast. The move forced Wing Zero to reengage the green and tan machine and bought Nicole time to adjust his piloting style as he struggled to adapt to the same thruster technique the Strike had been using throughout the battle.

"Go help Athrun," said Dearka, "I'll keep Wing Zero distracted!"

Nicole nodded. "Good luck!"

….

Murrue breathed a sigh of relief as the Aegis and Buster were drawn off by the Strike and Wing Zero. Lieutenant Commander La Flaga had touched down safely as well, though according to the hangar teams the landing had been a bit rough. Time to find out how much of a pounding we took, she thought.

"Lieutenant Badgiruel," she said, "damage report!"

"Not as bad as it could be, all things considered," her second in command replied, "the portside weapons took a beating though. The Valiant on that side is out, along with Igelstellungs five and six and missile tube Three. We also took a hit to the portside engines, but they're still holding together."

"Decrease speed until engineering can figure out the extent of the damage to them," ordered Murrue, "we can't afford to have them blowing out on us."

"Aye, Captain," said the helmsman.

"Also," said Murrue, "turn us so our starboard side is facing the enemy; I want to be able to hit them with a full broadside if they come back at us."

"Understood," replied the helmsman, "beginning turn."

Murrue took the opportunity to check on the raging mobile suit battles. Kira seemed to have the Aegis bottled up for the moment, with Tolle aiding him in Skygrasper Two. Heero, meanwhile, was slugging it out with the Buster in an epic artillery duel, with massive shots from both parties flashing across the sky. The storm clouds Murrue had seen earlier had moved over the battlefield, and the rain that had begun to fall seemed quite fitting for the thundering titans blasting away at each other overhead. The battle between Wing Zero and the Buster appeared to be heading towards a nearby island, which just happened to be directly in front of the Archangel's new heading.

Then Murrue realized that something was wrong. Where's the Blitz?

….

Kira could feel the sweat dripping down his brow. Damn it, he thought, I can't believe we're still going at it like this. Even outnumbered two to one, Athrun was more than holding his own, and his deadly combination of rifle fire and yellow beam sabers were more than enough to match the Strike and Skygrasper. Kira realized that this was probably due in large part to the fact that, unlike him and Tolle, Athrun had actual military training prior to going to the battlefields, and that training had taught him among other things how to fight efficiently while being outnumbered. His old friend's moves were very precise, never expending more energy than he had to, and his shots were frighteningly accurate; Kira had been forced to use his shield several times, and Tolle had been dodging shots with bare meters to spare. It had been pure luck that Athrun hadn't scored a serious hit yet on either of them.

Desperate to end the fight, Kira recklessly charged his old friend as Tolle finished another pass. Distracted by blocking energy beams on his shield, Athrun had made himself a prime target for a close in attack. However, as Kira swung his sword in an attempt to sever the Aegis's right arm, Athrun instantly brought his yellow beam saber up and blocked the blow.

Reacting quickly, Kira pulled back, aided by two missiles from Tolle that Athrun had to evade. After he had gained some distance, Kira rushed to bring his rifle to bear. Acting without thinking, he fired…

…only to realize as he pulled the trigger that the shot was aimed squarely at Athrun's cockpit.

Oh no! "Athrun!" he cried.

The emerald beam seemed to leave the barrel in slow motion, and Kira watched in horror as it flew towards the Aegis.

….

Athrun's eyes widened as he saw Kira take the shot. That's it, he thought, I'm dead!

However, just as he thought his life was about to end, the air in front of the Aegis seemed to blur, and then the Blitz appeared… between him and the Strike.

Terror gripped the young man as he realized what had just happened. "Nicole!" he cried out…

…just as the beam hit the cockpit of the Blitz.

The black machine exploded, parts flying everywhere… the pilot consumed by the flames.

For a moment Athrun froze, the sheer shock at what had occurred halting all conscious thought. Then, after a second of eerie calm, a fire such as he had never felt before seemed to burst forth from within. He had a vision of a seed bursting in his mind as he let loose a roar of pure rage. "KIRA!"

….

Kira's eyes widened in shock as he heard Athrun's cry over the radio. He'd never heard anything like that from his friend; the sheer wrath in the single word was like a raging inferno. The pilot of the Strike barely had time to react as the Aegis closed in on him, with lightning speed and lethal fury. Swinging with the sabers attached on both arms, the crimson mobile suit quickly had Kira on the defensive, pushing him away from the Archangel and towards the island where Wing Zero and the Buster were trading fire overhead.

Athrun's assault was overwhelming. Kira could scarcely block his old friend's blows, much less find the space to counter-attack. He knew that, at this rate, it would only be a matter of time before Athrun broke through his defenses and landed a lethal blow.

Then, out of the blue, a series of green beams flew between the two machines. "Kira!" cried Tolle as his fighter swooped in.

However, Kira's friend did not seem to realize that they were no longer facing the same enemy pilot that they were a minute ago. "No, Tolle!" shouted Kira, "Get back!"

His warning came too late. In the blink of an eye, the Aegis flung its shield off its left arm, as if it were an afterthought. The massive red slab of metal slammed into the Skygrasper's cockpit, shearing it completely in half… and utterly destroying the fragile human inside.

For a moment Kira felt as if he had been doused in ice water… before a burning rage took hold of him.

"ATHRUN!"

The restraint that he had fought with before was gone. Now, as the two pilots swung their blades…

…they were fighting to kill.

….

"Damn!" snarled Dearka, "Why won't you die?"

The Coordinator had fired shot after shot, but nothing had come close to hitting Wing Zero. Scatter, concentrated, missile barrage… nothing connected, and he was barely able to dodge Wing Zero's return fire. The young man knew that he had only prolonged the fight by keeping his distance and firing his weapons as rapidly as he could, but he knew that the effort was draining the Buster's battery charge severely, and he had scarcely more than a minute of operating time left before the Phase Shift Armor went down and he would be on reserve power. He wouldn't be able to use the combined cannon, and the beam rifle would be useless; he would only have his few remaining missiles and the Gun launcher, none of which would be enough to so much as scratch Wing Zero's armor.

Sparing a glance over at the other battle that was raging, he was shocked to see the sheer ferocity at which Athrun and the Strike were going at it. The Aegis lunged forward, beam sabers sheering one of the wings from the Strike's augmentation pack in half. At the same time, the Alliance machine swung low with its beam saber and slashed into Athrun's flight platform. As the unit exploded, both mobile suits began to plunge towards the island below, swinging their blades all the while.

Unfortunately, his distraction cost him dearly. Wing Zero fired another blast, and while the Buster escaped harm, its flight platform was completely disintegrated.

"Shit!" he cried as his machine fell from the sky. As he plummeted towards the island below, another shot from Wing Zero's powerful rifle ripped forth. Dearka was barely able to maneuver his machine out of the way, but he didn't completely escape harm; the edge of the golden-yellow stream of energy had brushed his main engines, which were now fused into one superheated chunk of metal.

Dearka was rocked by the impact as the Buster slammed into the ground. Damn it, I can barely move! His body was sore all over, though a cursory inspection revealed that nothing was broken. He hoped he didn't have any internal injuries.

The ZAFT pilot soon had more important things to worry about, though. Warning alarms went off in his cockpit as he saw that both the legged ship and Wing Zero had their guns aimed directly at him.

The fact that they hadn't fired yet meant only one thing; they were offering him a chance to surrender…

…and he knew that he had no choice but to accept.

As if on cue, the battery gauge finally dipped into the red, and another alarm went off as the Buster's Phase Shift Armor deactivated. Struggling to remove his harness, Dearka knew what he had to do.

Opening the mobile suit's cockpit, he stepped out onto the hatch and held up his hands.

….

Looking on at the scene below, Heero contacted Murrue. "He's surrendered," he said as she appeared on his screen, "Should I go down and restrain him?"

Murrue shook her head. "No, Heero. While I don't doubt that you could probably take a Coordinator in hand-to-hand combat, I'm playing it safe. Remain over him until we can send a detachment out to take him into custody."

"Roger that," he said, "what about Kira?"

Murrue sighed, and Heero could see the barely restrained sorrow and guilt in her eyes. He also realized that he could hear someone crying in the background, and he had no doubt it was Miriallia. "Kira's… on his own," said Murrue, her voice sounding almost hoarse, "Please… remain where you are until we've detained the pilot of the Buster and retrieved the machine."

"Understood," he said, "Murrue… how are you holding up?"

Heero knew that one of the things Murrue considered most important as Captain was her responsibility to her crew, to do the best she could to keep them safe. The death of Tolle no doubt had affected her, and Heero wanted to do something to comfort her… thought he didn't know what he could say or do that would be appropriate for the situation.

He was surprised, therefore, to see Murrue give him a small smile. It was forced, he knew, and her beautiful brown eyes were wracked with pain, but she still managed to curl her lips up just a bit. "I'm… alright, for now. Heero… thank you."

The Gundam pilot nodded. "Listen, Murrue… once everything's been wrapped up here… if you want to talk, I promise I'll be there."

He didn't give a damn that the rest of the bridge crew was probably listening to their conversation, and he had a feeling she didn't either. Her sad smile became a bit more genuine, though the grief was of course still there. "Oh, Heero… yes, please… and again, thank you."

"You're welcome," he said, glancing briefly at one of the other monitors, which showed the Strike and the Aegis slugging it out with everything they had, before turning back to her, "I'm not going anywhere… I won't abandon you."

….

Down on another part of the island, the two mechanical titans went at it with wild abandon and reckless fury. Gunning his thrusters, Athrun rushed in at the Strike, getting around its shield and severing the arm that held it and the rifle as well. At the same time thought, Kira had lunged forward as well, and the Aegis's right leg was sheared away at the knee.

Going for altitude in order to compensate for his lack of balance on the surface, Athrun fired away with his beam rifle. One shot hit the Strike in the left shoulder, but Kira scarcely seemed to notice as he streaked skywards to meet him, and a thrust with his violet blade destroyed the rifle.

Now Athrun went for broke, igniting not just both the sabers on his arms but the on the Aegis's left leg. Swinging all three of the blades, he attempted to overwhelm Kira's defenses. His old friend managed to parry the right one and even severed the one on his left hand, but the bottom blade stabbed into the Strike's right leg, severely hampering its surface mobility.

Kira retaliated with a vengeance, stabbing towards the head of the Aegis. The violet beam saber penetrated the left optical sensor, causing sparks and flames to fly from the hole created as he withdrew the blade.

Athrun's counter-attack was swift and savage. Sweeping his right blade across the Strike's chest, he managed to rip away a portion of the mobile suit's chest armor, exposing the cockpit… and his old friend.

Time to finish you off! The Aegis entered mobile armor mode as Athrun prepared to unleash the 'Scylla' Energy Cannon… only to hear an alarm go off in the cockpit as his batteries entered their reserve power, which did not have enough juice to fuel the high-powered weapon.

Snarling and slamming his fist into the side of the cockpit, Athrun pushed his engines to their limits, grasping the Strike with the claw-shaped mobile armor the Aegis had become. As the two machines slammed into the ground, the ZAFT pilot keyed in the mobile suit's self destruct sequence, and a rapidly ticking timer appeared on the main monitor.

Athrun opened the rear hatch and exited the Aegis. He hit the jets on his flight suit's thrust pack and began to move away from the mobile suit… only to be flung forward as the machine exploded…

…taking the Strike with it.

Athrun retained consciousness only for a moment as he flew through the air, out of control. His vision spun wildly, until only the rapidly approaching ground was visible…

… and then darkness took him.

….

"No," said Murrue softly, "not Kira too…"

But she had seen the explosion, courtesy of Wing Zero's sensor feed. Seen the Aegis latch itself onto the Strike shortly before both machines were ripped apart by the blast…

Dimly, she heard Miriallia cry out again in the background along with Sai and Kuzzey. Murrue was in a state of near shock. She had gone for so long without losing a single member of her crew, had even managed to keep them from serious injury…

…and now two were dead in a single engagement.

Only two things kept her from giving in to despair: her duty to the rest of the crew…

…and the fact that Heero had survived.

She knew it was selfish in light of what had just happened, but she gave a silent thanks to whatever cosmic power or deity existed that the Gundam pilot had made it through the battle in one piece.

Heero, you made it, you can come back… back to me.

Preview for Next Time!

After recovering the Buster and capturing Dearka, the Archangel continues on its journey to Alaska. In the slim hope that Kira may have survive, Murrue Ramius asks Orb to conduct a search operation in the Marshall Islands. Cagalli joins the mission, but the pilot they find is not Kira, but Athrun Zala. The Coordinator from Heliopolis has been recovered by a different party, who takes him to a certain pink-haired songstress. Meanwhile, Murrue struggles to come to grips with the loss of two pilots under her command. Searching for comfort and hope, she finds both in the arms of the Perfect Soldier. Next time, on "Journey to a New Battlefield", Episode Thirteen: Recovery.

Is it a calm before the next storm... or a brief interlude before the massive tempest blows again?

Author's Notes: Well... that was an interesting chapter to write, no doubts there. The action's going to die down for the next chapter or two, but don't worry; when it comes back, it'll be in the form of Operation Spitbreak, which means lots of explosions for everyone! And this is MY Spitbreak, which means a MUCH bigger battle than the one shown in the series canon.

Please review, and until next time, my friends!