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...

18. Chapter 18

Author's notes: Alright, I finally managed a short chapter… kinda. For those of you keeping track at home, this one is, not counting the author's notes, about 95 pages long. So, for perspective, it's a little more than half as long as 17 was.

Lot's going on in here, drama is the focal point, combined with romance for the main pairing, but there are also a few action scenes in here as well. For those of you who want a more battle focused chapter, you'll just have to wait until 19!

Song list for the chapter, in order of appearance: "Heartbreaker," by Pat Benatar, the Super Robot Wars W version of "Last Impression" from Endless Waltz, and "Leaving Earth" by Clint Mansell, from the Mass Effect 3 soundtrack.

Enjoy!

Episode Eighteen: A Light for the Future

After docking the Freedom in its berth, Kira slumped back in his chair. Adrenaline letdown was in full swing, and the young Coordinator was exhausted. His arms and legs felt like lead, his breathing was slow and lethargic, his skin was soaked in sweat… to say that the boy had had a trying fight was a considerable understatement. The duel against Wing Zero, against a Heero completely controlled by its lethal operating system, had been intense, more so than any other battle Kira had ever fought in. True, it had not been as brutal as his clash with Athrun in the Marshall Islands, but it was a much more prolonged engagement, one that had pushed his abilities to their limits and taxed his body severely.

As much as he might've wanted to, though, Kira knew that he could not spend too much time sitting around in the Freedom. There would be time to rest later, but right now he needed to exit his machine. Athrun had just set the Justice down in the center of the hangar, and Kira had seen the ZAFT flight suit his old friend had been wearing when they had spoken earlier; when he got out of his machine wearing that, things would get… tense. After finally reuniting with Athrun, the last thing Kira wanted was for a member of the Archangel's crew to end up shooting him over a misunderstanding.

Popping open the hatch, Kira saw the Tallgeese Kai and Skygrasper touch down behind the Justice, with the Buster moving in after them. It's getting pretty crowded in here, he mused, Crew Chief Murdoch's going to have a fit reorganizing everything.

Climbing out of the Freedom and closing the hatch, Kira made his way across the maintenance catwalk and down the ladder. When he got to the bottom he headed towards the Justice. Looking up, he saw the hatch open and Athrun climb out, descending on a pilot wire. The ZAFT ace removed his helmet and cradled it in his left arm. Turning to face Kira, Athrun's face was difficult to read. There was a definite tension to his expression, but Kira thought he detected something else; longing, perhaps, the hope that maybe, just maybe… they could be friends again, that they could bridge the enormous gap that the war had driven between them.

Off to the side, Kira saw La Flaga climb out of the Tallgeese Kai and head towards them, his right hand edging towards his sidearm, his eyes narrowing as he saw Athrun's crimson flight suit. Close behind him was Cagalli, her own brown eyes widening in surprise as she saw the pilot of the Justice. A young man with tan skin and blond hair was exiting the Buster, a pilot that Kira had never spoken to before, only knowing that he had been captured during the same battle that he had gone M.I.A. in months ago. Two security officers were approaching as well, weapons held in their hands.

Kira raised his hands in an effort to ward off any preemptive and rash actions. "He's not an enemy," he said, his voice calm and firm.

His words had more or less the desired effect; the two soldiers lowered their weapons, though their hands did not leave them. La Flaga, for his part, simply nodded and moved his hand away from the sidearm at his hip.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kira once again turned his attention towards Athrun. The two young pilots walked towards each other, their pace slow yet inexorable, both boys apprehensive about this confrontation but unable or unwilling to avoid it.

When they came to a stop the two of them were scarcely half a meter apart. Kira's heart seemed to lodge itself in his throat, and he struggled to find the right words for the occasion. After all that had transpired between them since Heliopolis… would words alone be enough to remove the wedge that had driven them apart? Could something as simple as communication be enough to heal the wounds, or at facilitate the process of recovery?

Memories swirled through Kira's mind like a cyclone, blurring by with incredible speed, yet each one distinct, perfectly visible. Their days growing up together on the moon, the years spent together in the Lunar prep school, their fateful reunion in the raid on Heliopolis, all their subsequent battles… each bit lasting less than a second, yet seen and felt with absolute clarity. It was surreal to say the least, and Kira felt as though he was reliving his entire life in that brief moment in time, all the memories and the sensations that came with them as tangible as the very present he found himself in now.

And as impossible as it seemed… as he looked at Athrun, Kira knew he was experiencing the exact same thing.

He met Athrun's gaze, still struggling to find the right words for the occasion… if there were any. "Athrun…" he said after a moment, "hey… I…"

Nothing else would come out, and it appeared that Athrun was beset by the same problem, trying to speak but unable to find the right way to vocalize his thought. "Hey… Kira…"

"You guys!" Cagalli cried out. The two of them turned in surprise as she ran up between them… and pulled them both into a hug.

"You two…" she said, "You guys… are such idiots! Idiots! You know that?"

Perhaps it was due to her sudden interjection into the mix, or maybe it was the sheer surrealism, the sheer absurdity of the whole thing… but Kira found himself smiling. And as he looked over at Athrun, he saw that his old friend was smiling as well.

That was when Kira realized something simple, something he should've grasped long ago; sometimes words aren't needed to express your feelings. Sometimes they just weren't adequate, couldn't describe the emotions and thoughts you held inside; your face said it all, and someone who knew you as well as Athrun knew him, as well as Kira knew Athrun, would not need to say anything to grasp what the other wanted to convey.

The emotions in Athrun's face, in his eyes, were a mixture of apology, regret, forgiveness, and hope… the same ones that Kira had no doubt were in his own. The last thing either of them had wanted was to fight against each other in this war. Both had killed someone the other had cared about, and had tried to kill each other in the name of vengeance… and they deeply regretted doing so, regretted even contemplating it. There were no words to describe just how sorry they were for having done so… yet both of them could see the depths of that regret in the eyes of the other. Kira had lost one of his dearest friends, and he had no doubt that the pilot he had killed in the Marshall Islands had held a similar place in Athrun's heart… but he didn't hate him for it. Athrun had never wanted to kill Tolle, nor had Kira wanted to kill Athrun's friend. They had been on opposite sides in a war that should never have happened, fighting in a conflict that they had never wanted to take part in.

As impossible at it had seemed months ago… Kira was willing to forgive Athrun for what had happened between them, for what had happened to Tolle. And Athrun… was willing to do the same. Whatever hatred there had been between them was gone… if it had ever been there to begin with. As Kira reflected on it, he realized that, even in the Marshall Islands, after Tolle had died, what he had felt towards Athrun had never been hatred. Yes, the boy had been outraged at Tolle's death, as Athrun had been towards the demise of his own comrade, but it had not been hatred that had driven the two of them to clash so fiercely. It had been the grief and sorrow at losing someone so close to them, and the anguish that came with knowing that the guilty party was your best friend, the last person that you had ever wanted to fight.

More than anything else, what Kira wanted, what he so dearly hoped for, was that he and Athrun could once again be friends, that they would not have to fight each other. That same desire, that same hope, was in the eyes of the ZAFT pilot. There was no animosity, no lingering thirst for vengeance; only the wish for a dear friendship to be renewed.

It was a realization that made Kira want to both laugh and cry at the same time, and he knew Athrun felt the same… and all the while, Cagalli was berating them.

"Idiots!" she cried, "Dumbasses! Morons!" The outpouring continued, and both Kira and Athrun could not help but give each other bemused smiles as Cagalli ran the gamut of idiot insult vocabulary.

"You two are so stupid!" she said, looking up at them, "All you two have is each other! Say something, damn it!"

There was no need for words between the two of them at the moment, but they would make an attempt for Cagalli's sake. "Athrun…" said Kira, "I'm sorry… about everything."

Athrun nodded. "Yeah… me too, Kira. It's… good to see you again."

"Same here," Kira replied, smiling, "I'm… I'm glad you're here, Athrun."

Cagalli finally released the two of them. Stepping back, she shook her head, smiling slightly while she did so. "That's… a start," she said, her expression one of relief and exasperation.

"It'll do for now, little lady," said La Flaga, walking up to the three of them, smirking.

"Hell of a machine you got there, kid," he continued, looking at Athrun, "and judging by your uniform, I'm assuming it's a ZAFT unit."

Athrun nodded nervously. "Yes… sir. It's part of the same line as the Freedom, and is called the ZGMF-X09A Justice. I was given it as part of a… special assignment."

"What was it?" asked Kira.

Athrun looked at his friend, his expression apologetic. "The purpose of my mission was two-fold. The first objective was to hunt down the Freedom and recapture it… or destroy it. Either way… I was supposed to kill the pilot."

"I take it you don't plan on doing that anymore," said La Flaga, looking between him and Kira, "Or am I reading this little thing you three have going here wrong?"

Athrun shook his head, smiling slightly. "No, sir. I have no intention of retaking the Freedom, or attacking Kira."

"Good to hear," said La Flaga.

"I'll say," said the tan skinned, blond hair boy as he walked up to join the group, "I'd hate for us to have to fight you, Athrun."

Athrun nodded. "Good to see you again, Dearka. How've you been?"

The Buster's pilot shrugged and smiled slightly. "Alright, really. Been locked up in the ship's brig for most of the past couple months, but things could've been worse. This ship's crew's been pretty decent to me. Still, glad they decided to cut me loose."

"I take it you two are friends?" asked Kira.

Athrun nodded. "Kira, this is Dearka Elsman. Dearka, this is my friend Kira Yamato."

The two of them shook hands. "You never even came down to visit the whole time I was here," said Dearka, chuckling slightly.

"Sorry," said Kira, looking down.

Dearka shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Miriallia mentioned you a couple times when we were talking. You were the Strike's pilot, right?"

Kira nodded. "Yeah, I was."

"Well," said Dearka, smiling, "glad we never wound up killing each other."

"Same here," said Kira.

Kira then turned to Athrun, a thought crossing his mind. "Athrun, you said the purpose of your mission was two-fold. What was your second objective?"

Athrun sighed. "My second objective… was to destroy Wing Zero."

A chilled silence fell amongst them for a second before La Flaga spoke up. "Do you still plan on completing that part of your mission?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

Athrun shook his head. "No, I do not… and, to be honest, I don't think I ever really had a chance from the beginning. I know I'm good... but taking on Wing Zero would've been a suicide mission; I knew that from the start."

"No kidding," said Dearka, "glad you're not going through with it, Athrun."

"Hey," said Cagalli, "speaking of Wing Zero, what the hell happened earlier? Why did Heero keep attacking the Alliance Fleet after they sent up those withdrawal flares? And why did he attack Kira? What happened to him?"

"Yeah," said La Flaga, "we saw that whole show from a distance… Kira, do you know what's going on?"

"Sort of," he replied, "it's… complicated. I can tell you this much, though; that wasn't Heero I was fighting, at least not the Heero we know."

"What are you talking about?" asked Athrun.

Kira turned towards Wing Zero, where two medics and Captain Ramius were removing Heero from the cockpit. He watched as they, with considerable effort, lifted the young man onto a gurney and began heading for the med bay.

"Come on," said Kira, "let's go to the infirmary. I'll try to explain on the way."

….

"How is he?" asked Murrue as the ship's chief medical officer, Dr. Trent Clark, examined Heero. The Gundam pilot was lying in one of the med bay's beds, an IV attached to his arm along with a pulse reader. There was also a small sensor device over his forehead, which the doctor was removing.

Heero's breathing was light, almost imperceptible, but the steady beeping of the pulse reader seemed to indicate that, whatever his problems were, oxygen flow wasn't among them. However, Murrue could clearly see the sweat that was building up on his forehead and dripping down his face, and his skin looked a little pale.

Murrue and the chief medical officer were not alone in the room; standing off to the side was Dr. Claudia Monroe, her expression one of concern. Murrue could only imagine what her own face looked like right now. Her heart seemed to be caught in her throat, and it was hammering away at a frantic pace. Murrue was struggling to maintain what little composure she had managed to give herself during the frantic run from the hangar to the med bay. To say that she was worried about the young man lying in the bed before her would've been a massive understatement; every fiber of her being was now devoted solely to Heero's well-being, his physical, mental, and emotional health. She was desperate to do something, anything, to help him. Not knowing what actions she could take to do so pained her heart in a way she couldn't begin to describe, and scared her more than all the battles she had been through combined.

Looking at Heero now, lying in the infirmary bed, she did not see the indomitable super-soldier that she knew the rest of the crew thought him to be. She didn't even see the strong, cunning, and courageous warrior in whose hands she was willing to place her very life without a second thought. What Murrue saw was a very vulnerable young man whose mind had been taken over by the deadliest mobile suit operating system ever conceived. She saw a kind and gentle young man who had been turned into an incredibly brutal and efficient killing machine by a cold, heartless program, and who was now suffering for it.

Murrue saw the man she loved unconscious and defenseless, wounded not in body but in his heart and mind. Heero had sworn to protect her, and had gone far above and beyond all expectations to do so, with a strength and determination that Murrue could only marvel at, but now he was the one who needed protection. It was not enough, in Murrue's mind, that she had saved him from the Zero System, that she had stopped him from killing his friend and countless other people, had prevented his rampage from consuming people outside of the Atlantic Federation invasion force, had kept it from destroying Heero's very humanity. Now that he was in the Archangel's med bay, exhausted and passed out, he was at his weakest; Murrue had not seen him so vulnerable since that night several months ago, when they had been crossing the Red Sea and he had been tormented by the nightmare that was his worst memory.

I was able to help him then, she thought, remembering how she had held him tightly, reassuring him that he was not the murderer he believed himself to be, I was able to comfort him, give him a sense of hope and peace. Now he needs my help again… but I don't know what to do!

She continued looking down at him as Dr. Clark spoke. "It's difficult to say, Captain. Physically, apart from a slight fever pilot Yuy is fine. His temperature should drop over the course of the next few hours, and the fever should be completely gone by tomorrow morning."

"But it's not that simple, is it?" asked Murrue softly.

"No, Captain," said the doctor, "I was going over the readings on the neural scanner, and they're unlike anything I've ever seen before. The best way I can put it is that Yuy's mind entered a state of cascading hyper-activity, one that was suddenly interrupted. From what you told me it's easy enough to see the source of both; the 'Zero System', as you called it, was the source of the surge in brain activity, and the override command you used caused the interruption. The combined stresses from those two factors completely drained Yuy's mental energy; his mind is in a state of severe exhaustion, and his body passed out as a result."

"Did I… did I do this to him, when I used that override command?" Murrue asked, a sense of dread swelling up within her.

"Yes and no, Captain," the doctor replied, "Your action caused the Zero System to suddenly cease functioning, which would've imparted a significant shock to Yuy's mind… but it would've been much worse had he been allowed to continue flying in such a state with the Zero System active. Ultimately, had he gone on much longer it's probable that Yuy's mind would've been destroyed by sheer sensory overload. At the very least, he would've caused an incalculable amount of death and destruction, far beyond the damage he was able to inflict on the invasion fleet; the Orb military may well have been completely wiped out had Yuy's rampage continued long enough to put them in his crosshairs."

"Captain," Dr. Clark continued, causing Murrue to look at him, "I realize that this may be difficult to believe considering the state he's in now, but you saved Yuy's life. I do not know how much longer his mind could've continued functioning under such hyperactive stimulus, but eventually it would've destroyed him, of that I have no doubt. He is alive, and able to recover, thanks to you, Captain Ramius."

Murrue breathed a sigh of relief. She still felt somewhat guilty knowing that her use of the override command had helped put him in this state, but the knowledge that things could've turned fatal, both for the young man she loved and for her allies, helped offset it.

And if I hadn't acted when I did, she thought, then Kira would be dead. That would've devastated that boy's friends; it would've broken Miriallia. And if Heero had managed to recover afterwards and learn what he had done… I can't begin to imagine the pain he would suffer as a result.

Still, that did not change the fact that Heero was weak and vulnerable now, and that Murrue was desperate to help him. "Dr. Clark," she said, "is… is there anything I can do to help him?"

"Some small things, yes," he replied, "but… with all due respect, Captain, shouldn't you be up on the bridge?"

"The battle is over," said Murrue, "and my watch would be ending right about now in any case. Lieutenant Tsukino can manage the ship for now; I have faith in her abilities. She is scheduled to watch the bridge until late night, and Ensign Neumann will take over for her afterwards. I have plenty of time to remain here with Heero, Dr. Clark."

The chief medical officer raised an eyebrow at his superior officer but otherwise did not protest or comment on her decision to remain with the Perfect Soldier. "In that case, Captain," he said, "if you are so inclined to help Yuy, a wet washcloth on his forehead would help with his fever, and you could also wipe away the sweat; the poor boy's face is practically soaked in it. I'll leave a thermometer if you wish to monitor his temperature, and you can call one of the nurses if his IV bag runs dry before he regains consciousness. Other than that, the best thing anyone can do for him is allow him to rest and recover from his mental exhaustion. I can't say for certain, but he should wake up sometime during the night if all goes well."

"I understand," Murrue replied.

Dr. Clark smiled at her, and the Captain thought she detected a knowing look in his eye. "I'll bring out one of the spare office chairs for you," he said.

"Thank you, Dr, Clark," said Murrue, "I'll go to the sink and get a wet towel."

"Captain Ramius," said Dr. Claudia, speaking up for the first time since Heero had been brought in, "if you don't mind me asking, why did you request my presence here? I'm a psychologist; neurology and physical health are not my areas of expertise."

Murrue gave her a soft smile. "I'll tell you in a moment, counselor. Once I've cleaned Heero's face up a little… and we have some privacy."

"Of course, Captain," she replied.

Murrue went over to the sink, found a towel, and ran cool water over it. Giving it a brief squeeze to wring out excess water, she quickly returned to Heero's bedside, where she found a chair already set up, along with a thermometer on the small desk next to it. Placing the white cloth on Heero's forehead, she began to wipe the sweat from his brow when she heard several other people enter the med bay.

Looking up she saw Kira, Cagalli, La Flaga, and Dearka Elsman enter the med bay, along with another pilot that Murrue did not recognize, a young man with black-blue hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a red and white pilot's jumpsuit, one that Murrue recognized as a ZAFT uniform, and she surmised that he had been the pilot of the new mobile suit that had helped Kira earlier in the battle.

"Captain Ramius," said Kira, nodding at her before looking over at Heero, "how's Heero doing?"

Murrue forced a small smile as she replied. "He'll be alright, Kira. He's running a slight fever, but the doctor said it should go down over the next several hours. His mind is suffering from severe mental exhaustion, and he needs time to rest and recover from it."

"How long do you think he'll be out for?" asked Cagalli.

"According to Dr. Clark," said Murrue, "for the rest of the day at least. He should wake up sometime tonight or tomorrow morning, but… it's impossible to say for certain."

"Man," said La Flaga, "I never thought I'd see the guy laid up like this. The way he carries himself, the stuff he's able to pull off in battle… it always seemed like nothing could touch him. I mean, I know he's not invincible, but still…"

"He's one hell of a tough pilot," Dearka finished for him.

Murrue looked down at Heero, wiping a trickle of sweat off the Perfect Soldier's left cheek. "Heero is an extraordinary pilot and soldier," she said softly, "but he's still human, just like the rest of us. His limits may be beyond our own… but he still has them."

"A few days ago I wouldn't have believed that," said the new pilot, "I've flown against him before, and he was just indomitable… it was like fighting a force of nature."

Murrue looked up at the young man. "Forgive me if this sounds rude; I am grateful for the help you gave us during the battle earlier. That being said, just who are you?"

"Sorry, ma'am," the young man replied, "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Athrun Zala. I was the pilot of the X303 Aegis… and I'm an old friend of Kira's."

She nodded. "I'm Captain Murrue Ramius, commanding officer of the Archangel." Murrue's mind suddenly flashed back to the raid on Heliopolis all those months ago. "You were the ZAFT soldier from the hangar… the one that shot me in the shoulder."

Athrun nodded, looking down at that remark. "Yeah, that was me. You'd killed a friend of mine, Rusty, earlier in the fight. I was about to kill you… before I saw Kira with you."

Murrue nodded. "I see. I understand if you do not believe me… but I'm truly sorry about your friend. I'm sure he was a nice young man."

"He was," said Athrun, "Rusty was a good friend and a comrade. That being said… I do believe you… and forgive you. It wasn't anything personal… just this damn war." He looked up at her. "I'm sorry I shot you."

Murrue gave him a soft smile. "It's alright, Athrun Zala. Like you said, it was nothing personal; we were soldiers on opposite sides of a war. That's just the way things turned out." Her expression then became more serious. "All that aside… are you still acting as a member of ZAFT?"

He shook his head. "No, ma'am. I was given my machine, the ZGMF-X09A Justice, as part of a ZAFT mission, but it's an assignment I have no intention of carrying out. I came to Orb to find Kira, work out our differences… and help end this foolish war."

Murrue nodded. "I understand. In that case, welcome aboard, Athrun Zala."

The young man smiled slightly. "You can just call me Athrun, ma'am."

"Alright," Murrue replied before turning to Kira. "Kira, could you show Athrun to the crew quarters; I'm sure we have an extra bunk he can use."

"Sure, Captain," he replied.

"Ma'am," said Dearka, "I don't suppose you've got one more bed available? I… want to stay and help too.'

"Of course," said Murrue, nodding, "we'd be grateful for your assistance, Dearka; having the Buster and its pilot with us will be a great help. Welcome to the crew, both of you."

With that the three boys left the med bay, followed by Cagalli. La Flaga remained behind, smiling slightly at the retreating teenagers. "I never thought we'd be recruiting two of the ZAFT pilots that hounded us for so long since Heliopolis."

"Neither did I," Murrue replied, "perhaps I'm reading too much into this… but it could be a sign of a growing rift within ZAFT, a greater divide between moderates and radicals. Of course, drawing such a conclusion from the defection of two pilots is quite a step, but still…"

"It's worth considering," the Hawk of Endymion finished for her, "More importantly, it offers the chance for us to pick up some much needed allies."

"Yes," Murrue said, nodding absently, her attention drawn more to the young man lying before her than the blonde ace pilot.

La Flaga caught it, but to his credit he showed no signs of being offended by his Captain's divided attention. "So, this 'Zero System'… Kira was telling me about it on the way over here. I'd heard Heero mention it in passing before… but I had no idea it could do something like this to a pilot."

Murrue nodded. "It's one of the reasons why Heero's been so determined to keep the secrets of Wing Zero to himself. The Zero System offers an incredible boost to a pilot's awareness and fighting abilities… but at a tremendous cost. It truly is a double-edged sword, one only Heero's truly capable of wielding effectively."

"Until today," said La Flaga, "Something went very wrong; that much is clear. Can't say what, though."

"Yes," said Murrue softly. After a moment she turned to the pilot. "La Flaga, I want you to go back down to the hangar and have our tech crews close Wing Zero's cockpit. Tell them that no one is to attempt entry or tampering with the Gundam."

"I don't think that will be a problem, Captain," he replied, "The crews have always given it a respectful distance unless Heero tells them otherwise. Even now that they know he no longer keeps the self-detonation sequence primed to blow 24/7 I don't think that will change, especially after what happened today. Besides, everyone down there stayed out of loyalty to this ship and each other; none of them would mess with Wing Zero."

"I know," said Murrue, "still, I don't want to take any chances. If someone else activated it and fell under the control of the Zero System…"

La Flaga nodded. "I hear you. I'll head on down then. Any other orders, Captain?"

"Make sure the Tallgeese Kai is prepared to sortie should the need arise," she said, "I doubt the enemy will launch a second attack today, but we still need to be on our guard. After that, go grab a bite to eat and get some rest; I'm sure you could use it."

"No arguing there, Captain," said La Flaga. Then he left the infirmary.

There was silence for a moment as Murrue finished wiping the sweat from Heero's face before placing the washcloth back on his forehead. She then turned to Dr. Claudia, who had been standing by patiently the whole time.

"Dr. Claudia," said Murrue, "La Flaga was right; something was wrong with Heero today. He's never lost control of the Zero System in all the time he's served aboard the Archangel."

"I understand, Captain," she replied, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to Murrue, "If you could elaborate for me on how the Zero System works, and how Heero controlled it before, I may be able to help you figure out exactly what happened today."

So Murrue recounted, to the best of her ability, what Heero had told her about the Zero System. Dr. Claudia listened patiently throughout her explanation, nodding and occasionally asking for clarification on a few points.

After a few minutes the counselor officer spoke. "So, in order to use the Zero System to achieve the outcomes Heero desires, he has to impose his own will on it. He must act with logic and emotion balanced within himself, and force that same balance onto the Zero System. By doing so, he gives it his values and ethics, and works with it to accomplish his objectives. Through this he gains a sense of battle precognition, and is able to read the moves of his opponents and act accordingly, anticipating their actions and taking the necessary steps to engage and defeat them. That's the gist of it, right?"

"In a nutshell, yes," said Murrue, "It's such an intricate and complex system, far beyond anything the Alliance, ZAFT, or Orb has ever attempted to make… but that is a fair summary."

"I see," said Dr. Claudia, "in that case, I would guess that something happened to disturb the balance between logic and emotion Heero requires to maintain control over the Zero System, either before or during the battle."

Murrue nodded. "I suppose that's the most likely explanation… but if that's the case, then what was it? I know Heero; his mind is incredibly strong and disciplined. It would take something enormous to disturb the balance he keeps within it."

"Aside from Heero's losing control," said Dr. Claudia, "was there anything out of the ordinary regarding the battle? Anything that set it apart from all your previous engagements?"

"Every battle is unique, Dr. Claudia," Murrue replied, "No two fights are ever exactly the same."

"True, Captain," said the counselor officer, "let me rephrase that, then; was there anything about this battle that would cause Heero to behave differently than in you past engagements? Anything that may have triggered a strong emotional reaction such as shock or outrage?"

Murrue closed her eyes for a moment, running the entire battle through her mind to the best of capabilities. Her attention at the time had been torn between her duties as the Archangel's commanding officer and her growing concern for Heero, but she could still recall most of Heero's actions, and there had been no singular event in her mind that would've elicited the kind of strong emotional response Dr. Claudia had mentioned. There had been no major standout event that would've upset his mental balance as he'd engaged the Alliance forces…

Murrue's eyes snapped open as the realization hit her, the key distinction that had set the last battle apart from all their previous engagements; the factor that had driven Heero into a rampage.

They had been fighting the Earth Alliance forces. All their other battles thus far had been against ZAFT; this was their first engagement with the Atlantic Federation.

Their first engagement with the nation that had set them up to die at Alaska.

Everything fell into place. The dark intensity that had seemed to radiate from Heero throughout the briefing earlier that day, especially when it had been mentioned that one of the members of the Atlantic Federation High Command would be personally leading the invasion force, suddenly made sense. He'd wanted to pay the Alliance back for their betrayal of the Archangel at Alaska.

For their betrayal of her.

I know it sounds egotistical to think of it like that, Murrue mused, but I know Heero; he swore to protect me, and he values the bond, the friendship we've forged together more than anything else. He's been incredibly protective of me throughout our voyage, and I know he cares deeply for me… the High Command's actions at Alaska must've infuriated him! I know he's good at keeping his feelings hidden beneath that calm demeanor of his, but still… I should've caught that!

"From the look on your face, Captain Ramius," said Dr. Claudia, snapping her out of her thoughts, "may I assume that you've figured out just what set Heero off?"

Murrue nodded. "Yes, though 'set off' may be the wrong way to describe it. This was a slow burning fury, one that had been building up inside Heero since Alaska."

Dr. Claudia's eyes widened in dawning comprehension. "Where you were set up to die by the Atlantic Federation, betrayed by your own High Command... yes, it makes sense. However, Heero himself is not an official member of the Atlantic Federation armed forces, and I do not believe he held any measure of attachment towards that nation; its betrayal would not affect him in the same manner as it would people like you and your crew."

"It wasn't their betrayal of him that made Heero angry," said Murrue, "it was… their betrayal of me. Heero and I… we've… we've developed a very strong bond since he came aboard the Archangel. When we first met… I was grateful for his help, and curious about who he was. He was quiet and withdrawn, strong and intelligent; everyone could see that. But I saw something else that no one did… weariness and sorrow. It was in his eyes, just beneath the surface. It was just a glimpse… but I saw pain, and a deep sense of guilt and self-loathing within him. I wanted to help him, to let him know that he wasn't alone, that I was there if he needed someone to talk to."

Murrue then smiled slightly. "It wasn't long before we became friends, and I learned so much about him. He told me about his past, what he'd done and been through before we met… the trials, battles, and tragedies that turned him into the man he is today. I'm… one of the few real friends he's ever had, Dr. Claudia. That's why the bond between us is so strong."

The counselor officer smiled as well. "I could tell as I watched the two of you interact during your interviews with me and Lieutenant Tsukino. You two care deeply for each other, and I don't think I'm wrong in saying that you would do anything for each other. I know that you are the real reason he's staying aboard the Archangel; Heero would challenge Heaven and Hell to protect you."

Murrue nodded, once again looking down at the young man who meant so much to her. "Yes, he would," she said softly, "and I would do the same for him."

"Captain Ramius," said Dr. Claudia, "You love him, don't you?"

Murrue hesitated for a moment before realizing that it would be pointless to deny it, especially to a woman who was so adept at reading the feelings and emotions of other people. "Yes… I do. I… I know how it must look to you; I'm ten years his senior, after all. I know what kind of… implications that would give you."

"From other women, perhaps it would," the counselor officer replied, "but not you, Captain Ramius. I can see as clear as day how deeply you care for him. You are not after him out of purely physical desires; you're not that type of woman. Yes, Heero is sixteen, but his biological age is far from a true reflection of his maturity, which I believe you are fully aware of. The phrase 'wise beyond his years' is quite fitting for him. Any act of intimacy between the two of you would be as equals, true lovers. You would never, could never take advantage of Heero… though you are afraid of precisely that, aren't you?"

Murrue nodded. "Heero… all he's ever known is war. His romantic experience is more or less non-existent. I don't want to pressure him into anything… but I just can't deny the way I feel about him. It's true, I love him dearly, more than I have anyone else… and I think he feels something for me as well. I… god, I want him, more than I could ever hope to describe to you. I want so badly to tell him that I love him, and I want to show him just how deep the love I have for him goes. I have never felt so strongly for anyone else in my life, and I believe he has feelings for me too, but…"

"You've been giving him time to come to grips with those feelings," said Dr. Claudia, smiling again, "to truly understand what it means to be in love with someone, and to know that he can entrust the entirety of his being, his body, mind, and soul, to the person who has his love. Captain Ramius, that is all the proof I need to be able to tell you that you would never take advantage of him."

Murrue smiled as well, looking up at woman who had so astutely and effortlessly described her internal conflict, the swirling emotions that her love for Heero evoked within her, who had just done a great deal to reassure her that her feelings were not wrong. "Dr. Claudia… thank you."

"You're welcome, Captain Ramius," she replied, "and though you may not wish to look at it this way… the fact that the Alliance's betrayal of you at Alaska elicited such wrath from Heero shows just how deeply devoted to you he is in return. I believe that he does indeed return your feelings… though of course, only Heero can say that for certain."

It was heartening to hear the psychologist say such a thing, but it also brought a sense of guilt to Murrue as she came to another realization. "So that rampage," said Murrue, "that… was for me, wasn't it?"

"Perhaps not intentionally," said Dr. Claudia, "I'm sure he knows that you would never want him to lose control to the Zero System… but the fury he must've felt towards the Alliance probably overruled that."

"Captain Ramius," the counselor continued, "you cannot blame yourself for this. I can understand why you would feel responsible for Heero ending up in this state, but it was not your fault. As Dr. Clark said earlier, you saved Heero's life. Though the bond the two of you share may have been the reason he was so furious at the Alliance's betrayal, his reaction to it, his failure to control that wrath, is on his head. Heero must find a way to deal with those feelings himself, must find a way to keep the fury he feels towards them in check if he is to continue piloting Wing Zero."

"But I can help him do that, can't I?" asked Murrue.

"I'm sure there's a way for you to do so," said Dr. Claudia, "but you must tread carefully in the process. When Heero wakes up, he'll have a lot to process; you cannot allow him to become overwhelmed… especially with the Alliance invasion fleet still on our doorstep. It will be difficult enough, I think, for him to deal with the fact that he lost control of the Zero System to the point that he fought against his own friend. The knowledge that he did that, and could well have endangered all of us, will be a heavy burden for him to deal with, especially so soon after regaining consciousness. I have no doubt that you can help him come to terms with what happened and find the focus and balance needed to truly wield the Zero System as he did in all your previous battles… but it will require a delicate touch."

The counselor was right; Murrue would have to be extremely mindful of Heero when he regained consciousness. She would have to do all she could to be understanding towards him, to offer comfort and reassurance, to show her continued faith in his abilities. I have no doubt that Heero can find the balance again that he needs to properly control the Zero System, thought Murrue, I just have to show him that I believe in him, that I know he can do it. Beyond that, all I can do when he wakes up is show him that I care for him, and make sure that he gets any aid he needs in completing his recovery.

It would be very tempting to simply spill all, to finally let out the magnitude of affection that she felt for Heero… but Murrue would have to hold herself back. As Dr. Claudia had said, she couldn't let Heero become overwhelmed, especially with the high likelihood of another battle with the Alliance in their immediate future.

Now wasn't the time for romanticism, regardless of how much she may have wanted it. When Heero was fully recovered and they weren't under the threat of an imminent attack… perhaps then she could finally let loose her feelings.

The situation is already delicate, no, desperate, as it is, thought Murrue, Heero and I both need to be completely focused and ready for the next battle as quickly as possible. It's the only way we'll have a chance at getting out of this alive. Besides, even with what Dr. Claudia said… if I acted now, right when Heero wakes up, I'd still feel as if I were taking advantage of him. Heero is incredibly vulnerable right now, and will be so when he comes to. The shock of what he did, combined with the severe mental fatigue… it wouldn't be right if I acted while he's in such a state.

Still, it would not be wrong for her to show at least some signs of affection, to let him know that, if he did indeed have truly romantic feelings towards her that she was open to them, and more than willing to reciprocate. Murrue smiled slightly, and felt her face warm noticeably as a few images flashed through her mind, all featuring her and the Gundam pilot.

"Captain Ramius," said Dr. Claudia, once again bringing Murrue out of her thoughts and back to the here-and-now, "is there anything else you wish to discuss with me?"

She shook her head. "No, Dr. Claudia. Thank you for coming here to speak with me."

"You're quite welcome, Captain," the counselor officer replied. She smiled as she stood up. "Would it be safe for me to assume that you will be staying here until Heero wakes up?"

Murrue nodded. "Dr. Clark said he should regain consciousness sometime tonight… I want to be here when he does. As you said, he'll have a lot to process when he comes to; I want to help him deal with it all."

"Alright," said Dr. Claudia, "in that case I'll run by the mess and grab you something to eat and drink before I turn in for the evening."

"I appreciate that," said Murrue.

"Don't mention it," said Dr. Claudia, "and Captain, if you need to speak with me again, or if you believe I may be able to help you with Heero when he regains consciousness, please contact me."

"I'm grateful for the offer," Murrue replied, "but… I want to help him myself."

The counselor gave her a knowing smile. "I understand, Captain. I'll be back shortly with some food and water."

Murrue watched as she left the room, thanking whatever deity or fortune that existed that she had been able to recruit such a competent woman to take the role of the Archangel's counselor officer. Dr. Claudia's skills, her ability to read the emotions of the ship's crew and empathize with them, were invaluable, and Murrue found herself wondering just how she had gone for so long without someone like her on board.

She then smiled, knowing the answer to her own question as she once again looked down at the young man next to her. It's because I had Heero by my side, she thought, his strength, his courage, his compassion… I was able to lean on them when I needed to. He supported me without hesitation, without any thought to himself… and I'm going to do the same.

Murrue took the white washcloth and wiped it across his forehead to get rid of the sweat that was building up there again. She then leaned down and kissed his brow, caressing his left cheek as she did so.

"Heero," she said softly, "I'm here; I'm with you. I promise that I'll never abandon you. Rest, Heero; I'll watch over you."

….

"So," said Kira, "are you two sure about staying with us?"

He was sitting on a bunk in one of the ship's crew quarters. Dearka was next to him, while across from them Athrun and Cagalli were sitting on another bunk.

"Yeah," Cagalli chimed in, "I mean, up until now the two of you have just been fighting the Alliance forces, but in the future you could well end up battling ZAFT. If you guys went back now, they'd probably still welcome you."

The Orb princess tried to keep her voice nonchalant, but Kira detected some reluctance in it, like she did not really want them to do what she was suggesting. He also saw her looking at Athrun as she spoke, and there was something in her eyes that seemed to hint at her wanting him to stick around more than Dearka, or at least he was the one she was really concerned over.

Athrun shook his head. "I can't go back, Cagalli. My mission objectives were clear; capture or destroy the Freedom, and destroy Wing Zero. I failed to do either, and in fact worked to save both units. My actions would be viewed as treason… and I'd be executed."

"But your father's the head of ZAFT and the PLANTs now, isn't he?" said Kira, "Wouldn't he step in to help you?"

Athrun chuckled ruefully. "For what I did, Kira, my father would probably insist on killing me himself."

"Athrun…" said Cagalli softly. Kira raised an eyebrow as he saw her reach over and put her hand on his shoulder, but otherwise said nothing. I wonder what's going on there…

Kira then turned to Dearka. "What about you? I mean, I doubt the Captain would let you take the Buster, but if you wanted to go back she'd probably ask Orb to arrange transport to Carpentaria for you."

Dearka sighed. "It's tempting, I'll give you that… but I'm not going back. If what Athrun's saying about his father is true, then the ZAFT I signed up to serve may no longer exist. Patrick Zala is the head of the PLANT radical faction… and their as bad as the Atlantic Federation's Blue Cosmos. Besides… there's someone here I want to protect." He looked at Kira and smiled slightly. "So I'll be sticking around. Hope you don't mind flying with one of the guys that was shooting at you a couple months ago."

Kira smiled in return, and looked back and forth between Dearka and Athrun. "I think I can deal with it."

The room was quiet for a moment before Athrun spoke up again. "You know, Dearka," he said, "There's a chance we could end up going against Yzak if we do this."

"Is that another friend of yours?" asked Kira.

They both nodded. "He was in our squad," said Dearka, "he's the Duel's pilot."

Kira's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean he's the one that fired on that shuttle during the orbital battle?"

Both Athrun and Dearka looked down uncomfortably. "At the time," said Athrun, "he thought that it was full of Alliance soldiers; he didn't know it was a civilian shuttle."

"That shouldn't have mattered!" said Cagalli, "The shuttle was still unarmed; he shouldn't have fired!"

"Troop transports are valid targets under the rules of engagement practiced by both sides," said Dearka grimly, "of course, I'm not sure either nation is following the conventions of war now…"

"He still shouldn't have fired on it!" said Kira.

"I think he wishes he hadn't," said Dearka. He looked over at his fellow ZAFT pilot. "Not sure if you're aware of this Athrun, but once Yzak found out that that shuttle had been carrying Orb civilians… well, let's just say he started catching a lot less sleep at night than the rest of us."

Athrun shook his head. "I didn't know. You really think he regrets his actions that much?"

Dearka nodded. "Yeah… he never talked about it, but I'm pretty sure it's been eating away at him since then."

Everyone in the room fell silent at that, and Kira realized that he actually felt somewhat sorry for Yzak. To have unknowingly killed innocent people… that was a guilt that Kira couldn't begin to imagine dealing with.

"So…" said Cagalli after a moment, "if we do wind up meeting him in battle… what will you guys do?"

Athrun sighed. "We'll have to fight… hopefully we'll be able to get him to withdraw before things get ugly."

"Yeah," said Dearka, "other than that, there's not much else we can do… damn, I hate this war."

Everyone else nodded in agreement. The mood in the room was becoming quite somber, almost grim, and Kira tried to figure out a way to relieve some of the tension, or at least change the subject.

Much to his surprise, Athrun beat him to the punch. "So," he said, clearing his throat, "this ship's CO, Captain Ramius… she seemed very worried about Heero."

Kira nodded, thinking back to their conversation in the med bay. "Yeah, you're right. I mean, I know they're good friends; Heero talks to her more than anybody else on this ship, and I know he trusts her absolutely. They probably spend most of their time off-duty together. Still… there was something up with her behavior."

"No kidding," Dearka chimed in, "the way she was looking over him… she was tending to him, watching over him. I'm sure the Captain cares about all her pilots and crew, but still… I'm pretty sure that wasn't normal."

There was a groan, and all three of them turned to see Cagalli shaking her head exasperatedly. "Oh, dear god," she sighed, putting her palm to her face, "you mean you guys really couldn't tell what was going on there?"

The three boys raised their eyebrows, prompting another groan from Orb's princess. "You're kidding… you three really didn't see it?"

"See what?" asked Kira, "I mean yeah, something was up with Captain Ramius, but I don't know what it was? Do you?"

"Ugh," she sighed, looking down for a moment "you thickheaded morons…"

"What?" said Athrun, his voice growing nervous. Kira couldn't blame him, given his friend's proximity to Cagalli and the tomboy's well-known temper.

"Isn't it obvious?" she said, looking up at them again, "She's in love with him!"

There was silence in the room for a few seconds before all three boys blurted out the exact same thing.

"What?"

"Captain Ramius loves Heero Yuy," said Cagalli, "What, do I have to spell it out for you guys or something?"

"Sorry," said Kira, "It's just… well, it's a little hard to believe."

"Why not?" asked Cagalli, "You saw the way she was looking at him, trying to care for him. You said it yourself; they spend practically all their off duty time together, and Heero talks to her more than anyone else on the Archangel. The Captain loves him, and I'm willing to bet Heero has feelings for her as well."

"Whoa, whoa," said Dearka, "that guy actually likes her? I mean, don't get me wrong; Heero has a cool demeanor, but I don't think he's heartless, and Captain Ramius is a beautiful woman. Still, Wing Zero's pilot being attracted to the Captain? I don't buy it; the guy just seems like too much of a professional to have those kinds of feelings towards a comrade, especially the Captain of the ship he's serving on."

"Besides, she's gotta be like ten years older than him!" said Athrun.

Cagalli shook her head. "Idiots… age and looks have nothing to do with it. It's the way they act around each other… god, I probably saw it long ago and just didn't believe it until now. There's a connection between them… they trust each other more than anyone else. Why do you think Captain Ramius knows so much about Wing Zero and its operating system? Heero told her all about it!"

"Why would he do that?" asked Kira.

"Probably to help her," said Cagalli, "I bet he wanted her to have a way to stop him if he ever got out of control, like in the battle today. The last thing he wants is to hurt her, so he gave her that override command as a way to avoid that."

"That's quite a conclusion to jump to," said Athrun.

"Is it really?" said Cagalli, "Look, I'm sure Heero considers Kira and I to be friends, but he's barely told us anything about himself or Wing Zero. Yet she knows so much, and they're always talking together when they're not on duty… hell, when I was on the ship Heero spent a ton of his time on the bridge with her when she was on duty, at least when he wasn't down in the hangar with Wing Zero. They like spending time together, that much is obvious… and they support each other. I mean sure, Heero may be the best pilot and soldier any of us have ever seen, but he's still human; he's got his own issues. It's probably why he's so withdrawn most of the time."

"So you think he opened up to Captain Ramius?" asked Dearka, "I can't really see it."

Cagalli looked down, and Kira was surprised to see her demeanor soften somewhat. "I can. Aside from the Captain, and occasionally us, Heero tends to keep to himself… and I don't think it's just coincidence. I don't know the details, but I'm sure he's been fighting a long time, and it's more than left its mark on him. He holds himself apart from others as a defense; he doesn't trust easily. I think Captain Ramius saw all that, and she wanted to show him that he wasn't alone… that she cared about him. She's a very kind woman, and in the time I spent aboard the Archangel I saw how reasonable and compassionate she is with the ship's crew, and even passengers like me and Kisaka. Considering Heero's the best pilot on this ship, it's natural that she would reach out to him, to make sure he's ok. That's probably where it all started. She showed Heero that she wanted to help him, and he reacted to it… that's where their bond began."

Kira was surprised at all this sudden insight from the normally fiery princess. He knew she was capable of it, of course, but it still caught him off guard.

Athrun shook his head. "I don't know… it still seems like there'd be some major issues there, especially the age gap."

"I'm sure the Captain's put plenty of thought into that," said Cagalli, "She's not a fool; she knows that any relationship between them could get them into serious trouble if the wrong people found out. Still… I think she wants to give it a shot; she really loves him."

"And you think Heero feels the same way?" asked Dearka, raising an eyebrow.

"Given how protective he is of her, I'd say yes," Cagalli replied, "I bet Captain Ramius is the real reason he's stayed aboard the Archangel as long as he has; it sure as hell wasn't due to loyalty to the Atlantic Federation."

"Especially considering he wiped out their base at Alaska," said Kira.

Cagalli nodded. "Every time I see him look at her, there's this feeling I get from him. The way he carries himself shifts somehow, and there's this look in his eyes… I didn't know what it was before, but now it's obvious; he likes her too."

"Then why haven't either of them made a move yet?" asked Kira.

"They're probably worried about what will happen between them," said Cagalli, "along with getting each other into trouble. Like I said earlier, I'm sure Captain Ramius has thought about the age difference between them, and I'm willing to bet Heero's done the same. I know their friendship means a lot to them, and they're probably worried about jeopardizing it."

"What do you think they should do?" asked Athrun.

Cagalli smiled. "Hook up already! It's obvious they both care about each other, and I doubt Captain Ramius would take advantage of Heero's age. Their love wouldn't destroy their friendship; quite the opposite. It would be stronger than ever; it would grow and deepen beyond anything they could imagine!"

"Now you're just being a romantic," said Dearka, shaking his head, "girls… they get so crazy when it comes to these sorts of things."

"It's not crazy, it's love!" Cagalli shot back, glaring, "Besides, look at the times we live in. Look at how the war continues to escalate with each passing day! Millions have already died since the conflict began, and countless more lives are at risk. In the end, one of the most important things we have as people is love. It's precious, beautiful; it offers hope and comfort in a way that nothing else can match. Captain Ramius and Heero need to realize that they're fighting for more than just a peaceful end to this war, or even to protect each other; they're fighting for the love they have for each other! If they would just completely open up with each other, finally share their feelings, then they'd see that they have nothing to fear from loving each other. Any obstacles they face can be overcome together!"

"Are you speaking from experience?" asked Athrun.

Cagalli blushed and looked down. "Well, no… but I know I'd feel that way if I was with someone I loved."

Kira was surprised to see her glance sideways at Athrun. The ZAFT pilot looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. After a moment Cagalli sighed, and Kira could've sworn he heard her mutter "boys" under her breath.

"I still think you're going way overboard with all this," said Dearka.

"Well, I think you're an idiot!" she shot back, throwing a nearby pillow at him.

The tan skinned Coordinator ducked the fluffy projectile with comical ease, a bemused expression on his face.

"Cagalli, calm down," said Kira.

"Yeah," said Athrun, putting a hand on her shoulder, "you're getting too worked up."

She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Alright, fine."

"Look," Athrun continued, "we don't know for certain if the Captain and Heero really have feelings for each other. Let's just not worry about it, ok?"

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Cagalli groaned and brushed his hand off her shoulder. Athrun's eyes widened as she brusquely stood up and stormed out of the room. "Idiot," she said, not looking back as she did so.

The three young men remained seated, looking at each other with puzzled expressions on their faces. After a moment they all shook their heads, and Kira had a feeling that they were all thinking the exact same thing.

Man, girls are weird…

….

On the bridge of the carrier Powell, Azrael narrowed his eyes as he reviewed the reports from the hangar crews in charge of maintenance and repair for the three prototypes used by the Biological CPUs. Each mobile suit had suffered varying degrees of damage, and they would not be fully ready for combat operations until at least late morning the next day. The Blue Cosmos leader wasn't too concerned about that, though; the Eurasian Home Fleet would not link up with the Atlantic Federation forces until around midnight, and it would take time to reorganize both groups into a single armada for the next push. In addition, Azrael had sent another ultimatum to the Orb leaders, demanding their surrender in return for their cooperation in the war against the Coordinators. He wasn't expecting Lord Uzumi himself to acquiesce; rather, he hoped that the damage Orb had suffered in the earlier battle would convince the other nobles to turn against the Athha family, overthrowing Uzumi and his ilk before turning around and offering their allegiance to the Atlantic Federation.

Even if the nobles do not rebel against the Lion of Orb, mused Azrael, this will give us time to repair more of our ships and mobile suits before reengaging the enemy. He would not tolerate too long of a delay, though; the attack would commence by late afternoon if there was no reply from the Orb Union.

Inputting new commands on his personal monitor, Azrael brought up the casualty figures from the battle. The lives lost meant nothing to him, but he was enraged at the amount of warships that had been destroyed during the fighting.

Over one hundred twenty ships lost, he fumed, over a third of the armada… and Wing Zero was responsible for almost half those kills! Granted, the 170 ships of the Eurasian Home Fleet would more than make up for the losses in vessels, but the damage to the armada was still far greater than Azrael had anticipated going into the battle. Despite his reputation for being cold and calculating under any circumstances, Wing Zero's rampage through the heart of the Alliance fleet had… unnerved Azrael. It had been one thing to read reports on the mobile suit's destructive power and observe grainy footage of the Alaska engagement. However, witnessing Wing Zero's sheer dominance firsthand was another thing entirely. It had posed a very real threat to his personal safety, which had been the chief reason Azrael had ordered the fleet to withdraw after Vice-Admiral Vickers had been killed; self-preservation trumped all.

I was wrong to have the Biological CPUs focus on opening up the beachhead, he thought, I should've had them fighting with our Aile Strike-Dagger squadrons against Wing Zero. We could've finally removed that abomination from the game, or captured it for ourselves. I won't make the same mistake twice!

It had been interesting to observe the unexpected fight between Wing Zero and the new mobile suit that was operating with the Archangel. Azrael had no idea what had caused the two allies to start fighting each other, though he had attempted to capitalize on it by having the Aile Strike-Daggers move in to attack. However, yet another new model mobile suit had come between them and the duel, holding them off long enough for the two combatants to get clear of the Alliance armada.

That machine, he thought, I bet it was nuclear powered, just like the other unit. Its strength was undeniable… we must capture it!

Once again the fires of his desire for the technology that allowed the new mobile suits to utilize nuclear power burned within him, for Azrael knew that it was the key to finally wiping out the Coordinators once and for all. However, this obsession also burned alongside the one for Wing Zero's removal from the game. Both objectives would require enormous amounts of resources to achieve… and in not prioritizing one over the other, Azrael was unwittingly making a grave mistake.

For as the ancient Far Eastern proverb goes, "he who chases two rabbits will acquire neither."

In addition to being cold, ruthless, and outright genocidal, Azrael was also incredibly greedy… and he refused to believe that said greed could work against him.

….

Natarle leaned in closer as she read the report on her personal computer. She was still stuck on the lunar base, and other than review crew dossiers and technical files regarding the new ship she would soon be taking charge of she had scant little to do. The former XO of the Archangel had difficulties when it came to socializing, especially when it came to people she did not know. Though she carried herself with the authority and confidence that came with her new rank of Lieutenant Commander, the power of her position did not transition into a newfound ability for her to form friendships with other people. It was times like this she missed her former crew; the months she had spent aboard the Archangel meant that she was constantly encountering the same people several times a day, and that interaction had allowed her to form bonds that went beyond mere superior-subordinate roles.

Natarle had become friends with the people she had served with on the Archangel. Not all of them, of course, but she had come to know her fellow bridge officers reasonably well, and though she and Captain Ramius did not always see eye-to-eye that had not stopped Natarle from respecting and admiring her commanding officer and developing a kind of rapport with her. She also knew that although her Captain had not always agreed with her input she had at least taken it into consideration, and Natarle knew that her former commander not only had confidence in her abilities as XO but faith in her as a person.

Despite our arguments and disagreements, she thought, a feeling of nostalgia running through her heart and mind, we trusted each other to act in the manner we felt was best for the ship. That trust… it's not just something that comes with rank or the superior-subordinate relationship, though we were always taught to believe that it did. I understand now; it comes from working with someone, getting to know them not just as a fellow soldier but as a person, understanding their own motivations beyond mere duty and regulations. Captain Ramius… she saw me not just as her second-in-command, but as a trusted colleague and a friend. I wish…

…I wish we could still serve together.

Of course, with the Archangel's desertion at Alaska that possibility was off the table. Her former Captain and the rest of her friends were now her enemies… along with the man she loved.

Mu…

She missed the Hawk of Endymion more than anyone else. A few months ago she would've thought such feelings to be selfish, but then again she had never fallen for someone as hard and fast as she had for the calm, cocky, laid-back, and devilishly handsome mobile armor pilot. He'd surprised her with sudden moments of insight, with an underlying kindness that she hadn't noticed at first, with his own ethics and morality that ran beyond the black and white rules and regulations that Natarle had for so long sworn to live by. She'd fallen head over heels for the man, and had been caught off guard when she had discovered the possibility that he did indeed return her feelings. Her cheeks reddened as she remembered the brief kiss they'd shared before she'd departed Alaska… a gesture she'd barely dared to dream that she'd ever receive from him. The contents of the email he had sent her after the First Battle of Alaska were practically seared into her mind; she'd read his message so many times she had it nearly memorized. Natarle had been dearly tempted to respond, but she knew she did not have the level of encryption skills needed to ensure that she could send her own email without the Atlantic Federation OMNI Enforcer's Cyber warfare division reading the contents… as she had no doubt they were already doing to the messages of other soldiers.

After all that time I spent trying to get your attention, your affection… to succeed only to be forced to become your enemy… The pain that gripped Natarle's heart was unlike any she had ever felt before. It went beyond the mere ache one might feel from separation from their beloved; this was a cruel serpent, twisting and squeezing her heart like a vice, a prolonged torture that she was desperate to alleviate in any way she could.

Natarle was not sleeping well, and she could only hope that it would not affect her performance. She'd tried every trick in the book to get a solid night's shuteye short of medication; she refused to become dependent on pills just to fall asleep. The best she'd been able to do was dull the ache in her heart by burying it under facts relating to her own assignment and the ongoing conflict, doing all she could to keep her mind occupied by something other than the people she was now officially fighting against, and her successes at even that were temporary. It was all too easy for her personal feelings to sneak up on her at night, when her defenses were down, and her sleep was suffering considerably as a result.

If this keeps up I'll end up mainlining coffee just to get through the day, she thought, grimacing. Natarle drank the Atlantic Federation military's crap excuse for brew as a means to help her wake up in the mornings and occasionally recharge while on a break, but never more than was absolutely necessary. The thought of becoming dependant on the substance just to keep functioning to be able to carry out her duties made her want to puke.

She turned her attention back to the report she was reading in an effort to shake the grotesque thought out of her head. Her new position did have a few benefits, chief of which was new levels of access to information. It wasn't just due to her rank alone; Natarle had no doubt that her role as the commander of the soon-to-be completed new warship gave her status more weight.

Natarle was viewing one of the first preliminary reports she'd been able to get her hands on regarding the invasion of Orb. She by no means had the whole picture, but from what she had access to and had viewed so far told her that the Alliance had paid a dear price for its frontal assault on the island nation. To be expected, really, she thought grimly, according to Mu's email, the Archangel is in Orb, which means Wing Zero is there as well, along with the prototype mobile suit Kira took from ZAFT. I have no doubt they're responsible for quite a bit of the losses suffered by our forces in the battle.

From what she had been able to piece together so far, the battle had ended with a tactical withdrawal by the Alliance forces after suffering far heavier casualties than had been anticipated. Natarle assumed the fleet was regrouping at the moment and preparing for a second assault, likely to be launched sometime the next day… but that wasn't what she was focused on at the moment.

Attached to the reports were brief film bits, combat recordings taken by mobile suits and fighters during the battle, showing either key moments or unique events or units. Natarle had been surprised to see several new model machines fielded by both sides… and one in particular stood out to her.

Or rather, the way it flew.

It was a white and blue mobile suit, its frame unlike any other Alliance or ZAFT machine Natarle had ever seen, and also quite different from the new units Orb had fielded in the battle. Its armament was simple enough, as it was shown wielding a violet beam saber and a beam rifle, but it was incredibly fast and maneuverable. The frame reminded Natarle of Wing Zero, and she wondered if it had been inspired by Heero's machine. The unit's pilot fought with a style that was best described as bold and precise, favoring hard, fast strikes. The technique itself was reminiscent of a certain mobile armor pilot Natarle knew, and her suspicion had been aroused… which turned into shock as she saw what happened a few seconds later.

Several Alliance Aile Strike-Daggers leveled their guns at the new machine and fired. Rather than dodge though, the mobile suit launched four green disk-like drones from its shoulders, which quickly generated an energy shield and blocked the attacks. The use of such a barrier was a surprise in and of itself, but what had shocked Natarle was the use of drones to create it. Using such devices effectively required an incredible degree of spatial awareness, one possessed by very few pilots... and the ones Natarle knew that were capable of wielding such devices were all present in the battle, fighting for Orb.

Heero would be piloting Wing Zero, naturally, and images of the fearsome machine taking part in the battle had been included with the reports, meaning Natarle could instantly rule him out. As for Kira, Mu had not described the boy's new machine in detail, but Natarle had spotted a black, white, and blue unit that was among the most advanced mobile suits on the field, and she was able to reasonably assume that that was the young Coordinator's unit. The fact that an image showed it flying with the blue and white mobile suit, a Skygrasper, and Wing Zero early on in the fight before the craft had all split off added weight to that conclusion. As for the Skygrasper itself, while it was possible that Mu himself had been piloting it, Natarle knew that the blue and white fighter jet was relatively simple to fly, and that it would've been a simple matter for Captain Ramius to find a capable pilot in the Orb forces to operate the plane… and she doubted any of Orb's pilots had the skills required to operate the blue and white unit's shield drones.

Which left just one pilot capable of doing so.

Mu La Flaga.

It was impossible to say for certain, of course; there were many possibilities, many variables at play, and Natarle did not have access to nearly enough information to be able to come to a concrete conclusion. But as she watched the blue and white mobile suit streak across the sky, taking down Aile Strike-Daggers one by one with precise rifle shots and saber attacks, weaving through return fire and blocking volleys with well timed use of the shield drones, her heart became convinced that she was watching none other than the Hawk of Endymion in combat.

Fighting against the Atlantic Federation forces.

"Mu…" she whispered.

Just seeing him in action, even if it was only in brief film segments, elicited a storm of conflicting emotions within her. Joy that he was still alive, awe at his piloting skills with a mobile suit, sorrow that he was fighting against the forces of her country, dread at the possibility of a confrontation with him… all this and more whirled through her heart and mind.

Today was the first day he had fought against Atlantic Federation forces, and Natarle knew that it would not be the last. The battle lines had been drawn, and the Hawk of Endymion had chosen his side… had chosen to fight against his homeland.

Against Natarle's homeland.

That increasingly familiar sensation, of being torn between the man she loved and the nation that she had sworn to serve, was stronger than ever, threatening to rip Natarle's heart in two. All she could do was pray to whatever divine power there was that she did not end up fighting against Mu. If she was ever forced to lead her new command into battle against her former colleagues, against Mu… she did not know if her heart could survive such a confrontation.

….

Late afternoon was shifting to early evening as Miriallia's shift came to a close. Smiling at Lieutenant Tsukino, the brown haired girl stood up and made her way towards the doors at the back of the bridge. When they opened her eyes widened for a moment as she saw Dearka standing in front of her.

"Hey," he said, smiling slightly, "I figured your watch would be ending right about now… want to go grab a bite to eat?"

Miriallia nodded, smiling in return. "Yes… I'd like that."

The two of them made their way down towards the mess hall, an odd silence between them. The young man's decision to come back and help the Archangel during the battle had caught Miriallia completely off guard. Though his departure from the ship had left her feeling a little down, at the same time she had been relieved to know that he would at least be evacuated to safety. Now he was back, in harm's way with the rest of the crew, no longer as a prisoner but a willing combatant. Part of Miriallia was concerned… but the rest of her was actually glad that he had returned.

Her heart fluttered as she glanced over at him. Do I… really like him? That thought had only been amplified since her chat with Dr. Claudia several days ago. It was now ever present in her mind, like a background humming that she could not get rid of, no matter how hard she tried. In fact, part of her was wondering if she actually wasn't really trying to get rid of it, if she was only kidding herself when she tried to convince herself that she didn't like the ZAFT pilot.

"So," said Dearka, snapping her out of her thoughts, "you doing ok? I mean, that was one hell of a fight back there… things were pretty tense."

She nodded. "I'm alright. I mean, I've been in many battles now… though I admit I got scared near the end, when Heero went on that rampage."

"Can't blame you there," he replied as they entered the mess, "that guy's a frighteningly good pilot, and Wing Zero is a beast of a machine... I'm just glad the Captain and Kira were able to stop him."

Miriallia nodded. "Speaking of Heero, I heard he was unconscious when Wing Zero's cockpit was opened. Do you think he'll be alright?"

"That guy?" said Dearka, smirking, "He'll be fine. Remember, he was there during that little fiasco in the med bay back when we first met. I may not know much about him, but I could tell he was a tough soldier. He probably just wore himself out and needs to sleep it off."

Miriallia smiled as the two of them grabbed sandwiches and waters. "You're probably right."

They sat down and focused on their meals for a little while. Despite her mixed emotions regarding her possible attraction to the young man in front of her, Miriallia felt surprisingly at ease in his presence. Though he had not said so directly, she was smart enough to figure out that she was part of the reason he had come back to the Archangel. Whether it was because he valued the friendship that had developed between them, or he wanted to repay her for protecting him from Flay during the incident in the med bay, or if he actually felt something for her as well… she could not determine his exact motivations. Perhaps it was a combination of the three; she didn't know.

And it didn't matter. Dearka was here, with her, now, and that was what counted. He'd came back, and had helped protect the Archangel during the battle, had protected her, and that was all Miriallia cared about at the moment. She was very grateful towards him for doing that… and in that gratitude, she supposed her fondness for him was growing.

"So," said Dearka, "have you heard from your family at all?"

Miriallia nodded. "I was allowed to contact them a couple days before the battle. They were in the early evacuation waves, so they were out well before the fighting started. Right now they're settling into temporary housing in the Philippines."

"Will they be alright?" he asked.

"I think so," she replied, "Mom's a nurse, and I'm sure she'll be able to find work helping refugees. Dad's an accountant, so I'm sure he'll have a little more trouble finding a role for himself, but he's resourceful; he'll be ok. As long as he's with Mom, I know he's happy, and that's what counts."

Talking about her parents made her realize that she knew nothing about Dearka's own family, and she decided to rectify the situation. "What about your own parents? I mean, I'm sure they're safe in the PLANTs, but still… you must be worried about them."

Dearka looked down for a moment, and Miriallia saw his expression become uncertain. "Well… it's true they're in the homeland, so they don't have to worry about the Earth Forces, but…"

"What is it?" asked Miriallia, growing concerned at his hesitancy, "Dearka, what's wrong?"

Dearka sighed. "Both my parents work for the government. My mother works in the Februarius City Prosecutor's Office. She's one of the mid-level managers for the paralegals on staff, so her position shouldn't be too affected by my actions here. My father, though… he's the Supreme Council Representative for Februarius City."

Miriallia's eyes widened in shock. "Wait a minute, you mean you're Coordinator royalty?"

Dearka shook his head. "Councilors are elected officials; the position isn't hereditary. However… I won't deny that having your father being one of the PLANT bigwigs puts quite a bit of pressure on your performance in the field. Whether I like it or not, I have a certain amount of name recognition within ZAFT. The same went for my teammates; we were all children of members of the PLANT Supreme Council."

"That must've been tough," said Miriallia softly.

"It wasn't easy, I'll be the first to admit that," he said, nodding, "Expectations were high for us, and it's why we were selected to take part in the raid on Heliopolis. We were given elite status; I'd like to think we'd earned it with our skills and performance, but I've wondered off and on whether or not my father's position played a role in my elevation, and I'm sure the others had similar doubts."

"I can see why you might have those doubts," said Miriallia, "but I think they're unnecessary. I've seen you fight, both against us and for us, and you truly are a skilled pilot." She did her best to give Dearka an encouraging smile. "You earned your rank, Dearka, of that I have no doubt."

She was heartened to see the young Coordinator return her smile. "Thanks, Miriallia; I appreciate that."

"Anytime," she replied. She then became more serious. "About your father… do you think he'll be ok?"

"I'm not sure," said Dearka, looking down, "I don't know the details regarding my father's political activities. However, he has tried to keep himself between the two main political movements; he always said playing the middle was the best way to get ahead."

"No offense," said Miriallia, "but he sounds like a consummate politician."

Dearka chuckled. "None taken. I know my father can be pretty slippery and ambitious, and he's determined to keep advancing his career. Still, he does care about the people he represents." He then sighed. "Last time we spoke he talked about the Clyne family being on the decline, and that it was important to ingratiate himself with the Zala family; he said they were the rising star in the PLANTs. If he keeps up that approach, then I think he'll be ok, even with my defection; it'll rattle him, but he'll survive."

"That's good," said Miriallia, "I… I'd feel terrible if your joining us meant you lost your parents."

"Hey," said Dearka, reaching across the table to grab her hand, "it's ok, really. I knew my leaving ZAFT and helping you guys would have consequences. I mean, I was hoping my parents wouldn't pay the price for it… still am hoping… but I don't regret my decision." He smiled at her. "Miriallia, this is where I want to be. Right here… with you guys."

Miriallia smiled in return… and couldn't help but feel that what he'd really wanted to say was just 'with you'.

Maybe… just maybe… her possible romantic feelings towards him weren't one sided.

The thought made her a little nervous… and excited.

….

Leaning back in his chair after finishing the latest of many, many reports, Lord Uzumi let out a long and heavy sigh. Never more so had the burdens of high office weighed so greatly upon his shoulders than they did now as he was examining the post-action reports of the day's battle. Damage to Orb's infrastructure, warships sunk, planes shot down, mobile suits and armored vehicles destroyed, the amount of soldiers dead and wounded… and the civilian casualties.

Though an evacuation of the areas within the immediate range of the fighting had of course been ordered well before the start of the battle, not everyone had left. The majority of the populations in the areas estimated to be affected had indeed complied with the order to leave, but some had stayed, primarily out of stubbornness and the refusal to abandon their homes. This development had not been unanticipated, and emergency shelters had already been prepared for such people. Most had chosen to make use of those facilities, but some had not, and Lord Uzumi had been reluctant to have them forced into the bunkers at gunpoint. In the end, the Orb security forces had been left with no choice but to leave those that refused to either evacuate or take shelter to their own devices. Some had weathered the battle unscathed… while others had not.

Stubborn fools, he thought, closing his eyes for a moment, and yet… I understand their reasons completely. Orb is my home, and I would rather die than abandon it… I suppose I am as foolish as those people that decided to risk being caught in the fighting to remain where they have built lives for themselves. Search and rescue crews were combing through rubble at that very moment, searching for survivors. However, the teams were stretched thin, all the more so due to the heavy losses that had been suffered by the Orb military in repelling the enemy's massive assault; emergency personnel, medical and otherwise, were tasked well beyond capacity.

Almost half the fleet is at the bottom of the ocean, he thought, and casualties among the fighter squadrons, mobile suit teams, and army divisions were even worse! We may have repulsed the Atlantic Federation's fist attack, but the price we paid for doing so was steep. According to estimates from intelligence analysts, the Alliance armada had lost somewhere between a third and half of its own warships, but given the massive scale of their fleet the enemy could stomach the casualties better than Orb could. Losses among their mobile suits and fighters were estimated to run at similar figures, with their airborne Strikes in particular having been guessed at being reduced to around 200 machines out of the original number, which had been calculated to be over 530 units. Still, as with their warships they were losses the Atlantic Federation could deal with much better than Orb could… especially in light of the latest radio intercepts from Intelligence.

"Everything alright, sir?" said a familiar voice from the doorway.

Lord Uzumi looked up as Colonel Kisaka entered the office. "What do you think, old friend?" he replied, a rueful smile appearing on his face.

The Colonel shook his head as he closed the door behind him. "Sorry, I suppose that was a poor choice of words on my part." He walked up and took a seat in front of the Chief Representative's desk. "How bad is it?"

"Casualties were within our estimates for the first day of fighting," said Lord Uzumi, "Wing Zero's assault on the center of the Atlantic Federation armada helped considerably… though Yuy's actions in the final stage of the battle are a concern. Have you heard anything about that?"

"Not much, I'm afraid," he replied, "only that Kira Yamato and the Freedom, along with Captain Ramius, were able to stop him eventually, and that Yuy is now unconscious in the Archangel's med bay. We don't know why he continued attacking after the Alliance issued their withdrawal signal."

"I see," said Lord Uzumi, sighing, "well, whatever happened, let's hope the wakes up quickly; having him out cold makes our situation even worse. You were right about using Yuy and Wing Zero as a single combatant rather than integrating him as an officer in our command structure; though his actions at the end of the battle are troubling, the fact remains that he was incredibly effective at keeping the Alliance fleet occupied, and inflicted a phenomenal amount of damage on them."

"No arguments there," said Kisaka. He smiled slightly. "The Archangel's pilots as a whole acquitted themselves very well in the fighting… including Lady Cagalli."

Lord Uzumi nodded, unable to resist a smirk. "Defiant child, and Captain Ramius was no help in that regard… yet I find myself proud of her all the same. Isn't that strange, old friend?"

"Not at all, sir," he replied, "Lady Cagalli has more than proven that she has the strength and the will needed to protect our people, and that she will be ready to lead them when the time comes. I think any father would be proud of her, even if she went against your orders."

"She will have to learn eventually that a leader cannon always afford to place themselves on the front lines," said Lord Uzumi, "I trust you will be able to help her learn that lesson, Colonel?"

"I would think you would be the one to teach her that, sir," said Kisaka.

The Lion of Orb sighed. "I would like to teach her that, and many other things… alas, I will not have the time."

"Sir?" said Kisaka, his expression one of concern, "What is wrong, my Lord?"

Lord Uzumi slid a file across his desk to the Colonel. "The latest radio transmission intercepts from our recon drones observing the Alliance armada. I believe you will find them to be… interesting."

Kisaka opened the file and spent a few moments browsing the contents. His eyes widened in shock before he looked up his superior. "How… how did we miss this?"

"A simple case of narrowing our focus too sharply," said Lord Uzumi, "We've put so much effort into observing the Atlantic Federation… that we forgot that they are not the only member nation of the Earth Alliance."

"I can't believe the Eurasians would send their Home Fleet to reinforce the Atlantic Federation armada," said Kisaka, "especially after the setup at Alaska!"

"Their former leadership would not have done so," said Lord Uzumi, "but as you can see in that file, Moscow's old rulers have been swept aside by the CPK."

"A silent coup," said Kisaka, scanning the contents of the file again, "and the CPK's in power now… damn, just when we thought things couldn't get worse. Those guys are vicious bastards…"

"Cut from the same cloth as the Atlantic Federation's Blue Cosmos," said Lord Uzumi, nodding, "They're a vile and ruthless bunch, and as reckless and profligate as Azrael when it comes to the lives of their soldiers. They're willing to do what the old Moscow Centre was not; commit the Eurasian Federation's last fleet and reserve divisions to the war."

"Along with its considerable mineral resources," said Kisaka, "if they gain control of a mass driver, then those will go straight to the lunar facilities and the L2 shipyards."

"A possibility that is becoming increasingly likely," said Lord Uzumi, "according to Intelligence, the Atlantic Federation's North and South Atlantic Fleets are massing in the British Isles under Rear-Admiral Bernard; they'll be ready to hit North Africa within weeks if not sooner, and the Eurasians are committing their reserve forces to the offensive."

"They're planning to drive ZAFT out of the Suez Canal," said Kisaka, "then they'll swing south and take Victoria."

"Giving them access to outer space once again," said Lord Uzumi, "It doesn't matter if we deny them Kaguya or not; in the end, it only delays the inevitable."

"Still, any delay we can force on them must help in some way," said Kisaka.

Lord Uzumi nodded. "True. It would give the forces that wish to bring a peaceful resolution to this conflict time to organize and build up strength... and recover from a great loss."

"You are speaking of Orb on that last point, aren't you sir?" said Kisaka.

Lord Uzumi sighed. "Our nation is doomed, Kisaka. When the Eurasian Home Fleet links up with the Atlantic Federation forces, the armada will have more than replenished its lost warships. The Eurasians still do not have access to mobile suits, but their carriers hold plenty of fighters, enough to compensate for the Atlantic Federation's losses. Today was the twilight of Orb; tomorrow will be nightfall."

"I can't believe that," said Kisaka, shaking his head, "surely we can still stand against them. I know our losses were grave, but we're not out of the fight. The Buster's pilot has reclaimed his machine and joined the Archangel's crew, and we've gained another defector from ZAFT with a powerful new mobile suit. Those two young men and their units alone boost our power considerably, and if Yuy comes to in time to help fight against the Alliance's next assault…"

"It will only delay our fall a little longer," said Lord Uzumi, smiling grimly, "Colonel, I appreciate your refusal to give up, and your continued loyalty to both Orb and my family… but I believe you know as well as I do that the game is up."

The Lion of Orb chuckled ruefully. "Azrael has come to the same conclusion. A half an hour ago we received another ultimatum. In return for our surrender and cooperation with the Alliance, Orb's leadership has been promised a reprieve from reprisals for our resistance, as well as continued governance over our territory."

"The bastard wants to make you and the other nobles puppet rulers," Kisaka snarled, "Azrael must've known you'd never agree to such a deal!"

"I'm sure he did," said Lord Uzumi, "just as I am sure that the message was not truly for me, but the other noble families… the ones who have longed to supplant the Athha line as the head clan of Orb."

"You mean he's trying to encourage a coup by one of the other houses?" asked Kisaka, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes," said Lord Uzumi, "fortunately this outcome was not unanticipated. I sent the other four families to the Elysium colony as soon as the Alliance issued its first ultimatum over a week ago. The Seirans, the Sahakus, and the other clans are already well removed from our mainland, and have no knowledge of Azrael's latest ultimatum. Our defeat will not come through a knife in the back, I assure you. The only member of Orb's leadership left here on the island is our nation's core; I and my cabinet."

"Good to hear," said Kisaka.

Lord Uzumi sighed. "That being said, our defeat is nigh; there is no getting around that. We must look to Orb's legacy now, and plant the seeds for our nation's rebirth. This is a land where Coordinators and Naturals have proven that the two races can live together in peace and harmony. Orb is one of the last lights remaining in a very dark world, and we cannot let it be extinguished forever."

"I agree, sir," said Kisaka, a determined look on his face, "and I will do all I can to ensure that that light will not die."

"Thank you, old friend," said Lord Uzumi, "I have already begun preparations for precisely that, but I will not be able to carry them out without your help."

"You can count on me, my lord," said Kisaka, "So, what's the plan?"

"The Kaguya mass driver will be quite busy tonight," said Lord Uzumi, "I'm having as many of our M1s and their pilots as possible transported to Elysium, Eden, and our resource satellites; if the Alliance Fleet plans on going after L3 after taking our mainland, I want to make it as uninviting a target as possible."

"What about the rest of the armed forces?" asked Kisaka.

"I've spoken to other member states of the Equatorial Union," said Lord Uzumi, "the Philippines and the Central Asian Republics have given permission for us to send our surviving Army divisions to their countries as refugees; troop transports are being loaded as we speak, along with as many civilian freighters as we can get our hands on." The Lion of Orb then sighed. "Unfortunately, we cannot do the same with our air squadrons or the Fleet."

"We need them to buy time," said Kisaka grimly, nodding in understanding.

"Precisely," said Lord Uzumi, "specifically, to cover mass driver, and keep the Alliance forces away from it for as long as possible. We'll be launching shuttles full of soldiers and government workers into space up until the last minute; the final vessel to go will be the Kusanagi, with Chief Engineer Simmons and Morgenroete's top design teams aboard, along with you and Cagalli."

"Does she know about that yet, sir?" asked Kisaka.

Lord Uzumi shook his head. "No. I'll summon her tomorrow morning while final preparations are underway, along with the Archangel's Captain and top pilots; they'll be briefed on the situation then."

"Speaking of the Archangel," said Kisaka, "what role will that ship play in the final evacuation?"

"I've spoken to Engineer Simmons," said Lord Uzumi, "and Morgenroete's prototype positron space boosters are compatible with the Archangel; in fact, she's the best candidate for them, considering only the central section of the Kusanagi is down in Orb and the other two parts are up in space. The Archangel will be fitted with those boosters, and will therefore be able to achieve escape velocity without using the mass driver. This will allow us more time to prepare the Kusanagi for launch; we'll only have one shot to get her into space, and we'll have to make it count."

"What about its mobile suits?" asked Kisaka, "We can't have them even temporarily aid our fleet in its holding action?"

"I'm sure we can convince Captain Ramius to at least let us use the Freedom and that other new model machine, the Justice, to help stave off the Atlantic Federation's attack until the Kusanagi is ready to launch," said Lord Uzumi, "however, I suspect that she will want to hold onto Wing Zero, and I am inclined to let her. The Archangel will need Heero and his mobile suit to respond to any attacks the Alliance tries to launch against it while it sets up for its exit run. The same goes for the Tallgeese Kai. Besides, with the M1s and the Strike Rouge loaded on board, the Kusanagi will only be able to squeeze aboard two more machines at the most; might as well be the Freedom and the Justice."

"Will those machines be able to break off in time to join the Kusanagi?" asked Kisaka.

"It'll all come down to the skill of their pilots," said Lord Uzumi, "Kira Yamato has more than proven himself, and the pilot of the Justice seems to be quite competent; the two of them should be able to latch their mobile suits onto the Kusanagi as it goes down the mass accelerator."

"Quite the risky maneuver," said Kisaka.

"Unprecedented as well," said Lord Uzumi, sighing, "still, it's the only option available; those two machines will be needed if the enemy breaks through the fleet and heads towards the mass driver before the Kusanagi is away. It will be challenging for both pilots; all we can do is hope that we have not overestimated their skills."

Kisaka nodded. "My lord, what about you and the cabinet? Will you be leaving on board the Kusanagi?"

Lord Uzumi shook his head and gave his friend a small smile. "No, Kisaka. We will remain behind in Kaguya… and trigger the self-destruct sequence once the Kusanagi is away."

Kisaka sighed. "So you really mean to go through with it then… I had hoped to talk you out of this, sir."

The Lion of Orb chuckled. "I appreciate the sentiment, old friend… but my time has come. The world has changed drastically in the past few years; by the end of this war I doubt I would recognize it anymore, assuming mankind even existed after it. I have devoted my life to the service and stewardship of this nation, but the time has finally come for me to step aside. The old guard must give way to the new, and help send off the next generation."

"But do you have to stay and trigger the charges yourself?" said Kisaka, "Surely it could be done remotely! You could still escape with aboard the Kusanagi, or take a shuttle to Elysium or Eden and have someone at a distance but within eyesight of Kaguya trigger the detonation."

Lord Uzumi shook his head. "If I went to our L3 colonies, it would only encourage the Alliance to attack them. I must keep my distance if they are to stand a chance at flying beneath the radar and surviving this war. As for the Kusanagi… I have no place aboard a warship, Colonel. I would have no purpose, contribute nothing to the struggle. Besides, I must take responsibility for what has happened to our people, our nation. So many good men and women have already died defending the ideals my family and government have sworn to uphold, and I played a part in putting them in that situation. Our cooperation with the Alliance in their Project-G may have been given with the overall intent to strengthen Orb, but I cannot hide from the fact that it also dragged us into the war. Whether the Alliance still would've ultimately invaded Orb or not, I cannot say, but in involving us with them I cannot deny that my actions helped bring about this turn of events. Far too many people have already perished because of this; I have no right to flee while they lie beneath the waves or in unmarked graves. They gave the ultimate sacrifice for the idea that is Orb; I can do no less."

"Soldiers enlist knowing full well that that sacrifice may well be asked of them," said Kisaka, "it is a very different matter for the leader of the nation."

"Nevertheless," said Lord Uzumi firmly, "this is the decision I have made. I have already discussed this matter with my ministers, and they have come to the same conclusion. We are willing to give our lives to ensure that the Atlantic Federation does not claim the Kaguya mass driver; we refuse to allow them to turn Orb into the staging ground for their campaign of genocide."

Kisaka nodded grimly. "I understand, my lord."

"Good," said Lord Uzumi, "I will need you to stand by Cagalli's side tomorrow, old friend. She will not understand the decisions that we have made, at least not yet. She will fight them tooth and nail, of that I have no doubt. No matter what happens, you must make sure she is taken on board the Kusanagi. My time may be coming to an end, but hers is just beginning. The future of Orb will lie in her hands, and I need you to make sure she lives on to carry on this nation's ideals, and aid her when the time comes to rebuild."

"I'll look after her," said Kisaka, "and I will make sure she is aboard the Kusanagi before it launches tomorrow; you have my word."

Lord Uzumi smiled. "Thank you, Kisaka. With your guidance I believe Cagalli will grow into the leader our people need. She has already come so far… so long as she continues to learn under your wing, I believe our people's future will be in good hands. She already has the passion and devotion needed to lead them; it will be up to you to teach her restraint and discipline."

Kisaka chuckled. "No easy task, my lord… but I will do my best."

"I'm sure you will, old friend," said Lord Uzumi.

He then reached into the drawer of his desk and pulled out a photograph. In it was a brown haired woman with gray eyes, holding two infants; a brown haired boy, and a blond haired girl.

I'm sorry, my daughter, he thought as he gazed at the picture, I will be leaving you forever tomorrow. I dearly wish it were otherwise, but my time has come. Do not be afraid, my child. Though I will be gone, you will not be alone…

….

Andrew Waltfeld sighed as he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his right hand over his good eye. The Desert Tiger had not had much time to sleep since the Eternal's sudden departure from the PLANTs; ZAFT patrols had been hot on the cruiser's tail shortly after it had broken through the Hydrian Line. Waltfeld had only been able to catch a few hours of shuteye each 'night'; he was pulling extended shifts commanding the hijacked warship as it attempted to shake off pursuit. While DaCosta was capable of commanding the vessel in his own right, he just didn't have the same level of tactical and strategic savvy as the Desert Tiger.

As things stand now, he thought, we're barely a step ahead of the hounds. Eric's modifications to the patrol routes of the ships on the Hydrian Line gave us a little breathing room, but ZAFT's closing the gap fast.

The Eternal may have been a new model warship, but it lost out in terms of speed to ZAFT's Nazca-class destroyers, several of which had wasted little time in chasing after the hijacked cruiser and now mobile headquarters of the PLANT moderate faction. In order to negate that critical advantage, Waltfeld had plotted a course right into the Debris Belt. The cruiser had barely been able to get inside the massive thicket of wreckage in time, and the engines had been pushed to their limits in the process, but the effort had paid off. Now the Eternal was weaving through the vast fields of starship parts, pieces of wrecked space stations, and random bits of scrap in a deadly game of hide and seek with the ZAFT Navy, one that had been going on for a few days now.

"Andy," said a soft feminine voice behind him, "you doing ok?"

Waltfeld forced a smile as he looked over his shoulder and saw Aisha floating over to him, clad in her black pilot's suit. "About the same as you and the girls, I suspect. Are you holding up alright, dear?"

The Desert Tiger wasn't the only one running on minimal sleep. Aisha, Adaline, Lan, and Priscilla had been forced to sortie several times as the Eternal had engaged in skirmishes with the ZAFT ships and mobile suits that had stumbled across them. The four female aces had acquitted themselves very well over the course of a dozen brief battles, and it was due in no small part to their efforts that Waltfeld had been able to keep his ship in once piece so far. However, the frequent fighting was playing hell with the girls' sleep cycles, and whenever they weren't flying they were either sleeping, eating, or taking turns keeping an eye on Lacus.

The daughter of the late former Supreme Council Chairman had been in a state of mourning since they'd left the PLANTs. Though she had managed to contain her grief during the initial breakout through the Exclusion Grid, once they'd cleared the Defense Lines the songstress had excused herself from the bridge and had gone to her cabin. Aisha and her fellow pilots had done their best to make sure that at least one of them was able to be with Lacus at all times, and they had told Waltfeld what he had already known; the poor girl was now grieving in earnest. Lacus hadn't appeared on the bridge since the Eternal's departure from the PLANTs, and Waltfeld could only imagine the state of depression she was in. If there was any silver lining to the mess, it was that, according to Aisha, the young lady had weathered the initial storm of sorrow and despair. There were no massive outpourings of grief now, no burying her head in the shoulders of Aisha or the girls. Rather, Lacus had simply become quiet and somber, speaking to her friends when they came to visit her, but not yet exhibiting signs of her characteristic energy and optimism.

I can't blame the poor girl for that, thought Waltfeld, the loss she suffered was devastating, made all the worse by Clyne taking that hit right in front of her. Still, the people of this movement look to her for strength and leadership. They understand that she needs time to mourn, but still… whether Lacus likes it or not, she's a symbol to them, and a powerful one. I don't expect her to stop grieving for her father's loss anytime soon, but she will have to come out of her quarters in the near future; her very appearance does wonders for the crew's morale. I need her to be visible, to be able to look at people and offer them the kind of hope and reassurance she was able to do so before that raid. She understands that, I know she does… all I can do now is wait, I guess.

Aisha leaned down and kissed his cheek. "I'm alright, love. I managed to catch a couple hours of sleep before it was my turn to check in on Lacus."

Waltfeld nodded. "How's our songbird doing?"

"A little better," said Aisha, "I finally managed to get her to crack a smile. It was small, but it was there all the same."

Waltfeld raised an eyebrow. "Impressive. How'd you pull that one off?"

"It actually wasn't that hard," she replied, "I wish I'd thought of it sooner. I was desperate for something to talk about, so I brought up our little encounter with Kira, Heero, and Cagalli in Banadiya all those months ago."

"Didn't Shemei tell her about that when she returned to the PLANTs?" asked Waltfeld.

"Yes," said Aisha, "but that was quite awhile ago… and like I said, I was getting desperate. Anyway, I told her about how nervous and flustered Kira was during that little affair, how Lan was teasing him, how cute and sweet he was… anyway, long story short, Lacus perked up a little at that. I'm sure she knew I was retelling that tale just to get that kind of response out of her, but I don't think she smiled like that just for my sake. It was small, but it had a natural feel to it; it wasn't forced. The two of us wound up just talking about Kira for a little while after that, and she had that little smile on her face the whole time."

Waltfeld chuckled. "Well, she is pretty fond of that kid. I wish we'd thought of that sooner."

"I don't think it would've worked had I tried it earlier," said Aisha, "she needed time to let out all that grief she was forced to hold back during our breakout. If I'd brought it up then I doubt I would've gotten such a genuine response from her. But now that she's had a few days to get over the initial shock… she still has a long ways to go, and we can't blame her for that, but I think she's turned a corner. She'll still be mourning for awhile, but I think it'll be subdued, beneath the surface. The girls and I will keep watching her, of course, but I think bringing up Kira's name helped her find some of her old strength again; that boy's a powerful motivator for her."

"No surprise there," said Waltfeld, "You and I did suspect she was sweet on him, after all."

"I think it's safe to say it's more than just that by now," said Aisha, smiling, "She likes the boy; no doubt about that. I think talking about Kira helped her realize the need to keep moving forward, to fight to not only carry on her father's legacy but to create a future that her and that boy can be together in."

"A nice sentiment," said Waltfeld, smirking, "though of course that is rather dependent on how Kira feels about her."

Aisha playfully slapped his shoulder. "I think you and I both know that there's an attraction on that boy's end. Of course, whether he's truly aware of his feelings or not is another matter, but the interest is there."

"We'll know for sure the next time they see each other," said Waltfeld, "of course, no telling when that might be."

Aisha nodded. "True. I do hope we see that boy and his friends sometime soon; it'd do wonders for Lacus, and I imagine it would be a boost to everyone else's morale if we managed to join forces with the Archangel."

"No arguments there," said Waltfeld, "but they've got their own problems to deal with right now, what with the Atlantic Federation attacking Orb and all. For now all we can do is pray that they find a way to survive the onslaught and hope for a way to contact them in the future. At the moment… well, we've got our hands full."

"Though things seem calm right now," said Aisha, looking at her lover, "Andy, you should get some rest while there's a lull; you need to sleep."

Waltfeld shook his head and gestured at his personal monitor. "Much as I'd like to, love, I can't; things won't be quiet for long."

Aisha peered over his shoulder, her eyes narrowing as she saw the image on the monitor; a ZGMF-LRR704B GINN Long Ranger Reconnaissance Type. Using the same basic frame as the standard GINN, the scout variant of ZAFT's mainline mobile suit had a grayish purple paintjob with yellow trim. There were two advanced radomes on its shoulders, giving it far superior sensor range when compared to regular mobile suits. However, it was lightly armed, carrying a single sniper rifle.

"An annoying fly," said Waltfeld, "it's out of our weapons range, and I wanted to give you ladies more time to rest; that's why I didn't ask you four to scramble."

"I appreciate the thought, dear," said Aisha, "but with that thing at our tail ZAFT's going to have another capital ship bearing down on us in minutes."

"We would've encountered one soon anyway," Waltfeld replied, "the Debris Belt's crawling with scout GINNs now, and whoever's commanding ZAFT's pursuit force is refining their technique; it won't be long until we're engaged again."

"Contacts!" cried the sensor operator, a girl with mid-length blond hair, "Two capital ships inbound, profiles register as Nazca-class destroyers!"

"Speak of the devil," muttered Waltfeld before turning to the officer, "Get me their position!"

"Off our portside, thirty degrees down angle," she replied, "They're launching GINNs!"

"Helm," said Waltfeld, "rotate us thirty degrees to port! CIWs and defense missiles, prepare for intercept! Bring the METEOR batters up ninety degrees, and get our main turret at maximum elevation!"

The position he was moving the Eternal into would have the two oncoming destroyers facing the ship's topside. This would allow Waltfeld to bring the largest amount of CIWs and missile launchers to bear on their GINNs, and the METEORs could still rotate high enough to track the capital ships. However, the downside was that it would be presenting a bigger target profile to the destroyers than if he had brought the Eternal about to face the enemy head on.

The girls should be able to deal with the capital ships before they get into heavy weapons range, thought Waltfeld, hopefully all we'll have to contend with is the GINNs.

He then turned to Aisha and smirked. "Time for us to go to work, dear. Watch yourself out there."

She nodded and gave him a quick kiss. "I love you, Andy."

"I love you too, Aisha."

….

(Start "Heartbreaker")

Zipping up her crimson flight suit on the run, Adaline made a mad dash for her machine. Glancing sideways at the mechanics as they cleared out of her way, she saw one of them give her the traditional thumbs up; her unit was fit for combat. Good, she thought as she put on her helmet, can't afford any delays right now.

Leaping up, taking advantage of the nonexistent gravity in the hangar, the redheaded Australian beauty floated into the cockpit of her mobile suit with cat-like grace and speed. Closing the hatch, she quickly powered up her machine; the ZGMF-X08A Wraith.

Based on the stolen GAT-X207 Blitz, the Wraith was a much more formidable version of the machine built at Heliopolis. The unit's frame was considerably larger, and its weaponry had been markedly increased. The Trikeros Integrated Offense/Defense was now mounted on both arms, giving the machine a pair of shields that also contained beam rifles, beam sabers, and Lancer Dart missiles, the last of which had been increased in capacity from three to six warheads in each launcher for a total of twelve. The Gleipner Anchor had been removed from the left arm as a result, and had been replaced with two smaller rocket anchors mounted in the unit's upper torso. At the hips was a pair of Xiphas rail cannons, the same type wielded by the hijacked Freedom. Like the Freedom, the Wraith was equipped with N-jammer Cancellers and a nuclear reactor, giving its Mirage Colloid System an unlimited runtime. However, the unit had the same drawback as its predecessor; the cloaking device was still too energy inefficient, and as a result it could not be used at the same time that the mobile suit's Phase Shift Armor was active.

As the mobile suit powered up Adaline checked her monitors, which showed the other two Wraiths initializing their startup sequences as well. The girls had modified the color scheme of their Phase Shift Armor, and the units now had a black base with red trim on the shoulders, arms, and legs; the ensemble of the Valkyrie Team.

There was a fourth unit in the Eternal's hangar as well; Aisha's machine. Unlike the Wraiths it was neither nuclear powered nor equipped with Phase Shift Armor, but the Tiger's lover still flew a formidable mobile suit. It was a ZGMF-600 GuAIZ, the ADB's intended replacement for ZAFT's mainline GINN. The mobile suit sported a black paintjob with emerald trim. The armor sported a few dents; souvenirs from their earlier skirmishes with ZAFT patrols. Still, Adaline knew that the tech crews had the unit fully operational, and the damage was strictly cosmetic.

Her sensor display lit up as a telemetry feed was established with the Eternal's bridge. Adaline's eyes narrowed as she studied the incoming data, a plan already forming in her mind. There was a reason the Australian Coordinator was unofficially considered to be Shemei Rehema's second in command, and had now assumed a leadership role over her two teammates; Adaline had just the right combination of initiative, cunning, and daring needed to effectively lead such an elite outfit should the occasion arise.

"You guys getting this?" she asked while she waited for the hangar door to open.

"Crystal clear," said Priscilla.

"Only two Nazcas?" said Lan, raising an eyebrow, "I'm insulted; I think Zala's mocking us. It'll take more than a pair of destroyers and twelve GINNs to beat us."

"More are no doubt on the way," Aisha chimed in, "We need to neutralize the threat quickly and clear out before enemy reinforcements arrive."

"Agreed," said Adaline, "Aisha, Lan, you two are on defense; support the Eternal and take out the GINNs as they come into range. Pris, you're with me; we'll hit the destroyers."

"Copy that," they all replied.

DaCosta then appeared on her screen. "Valkyrie Team, Tigress, you are clear to launch. Good hunting."

Adaline couldn't resist a smirk. She had proposed including Aisha in the ranks of the Valkyrie Team, but Waltfeld's lover had refused, stating that her skills and machine would be better suited to supporting the Eternal. Adaline had begrudgingly conceded, prompting Lan to give Aisha the unofficial call sign Tigress. Waltfeld had quickly gotten wind of it and had had a good laugh before ordering DaCosta, who was acting as both XO and flight coordinator, to use the moniker.

"Understood," said Adaline, "Adaline Bellerose, launching!"

Her Wraith shot out of the hangar, and as she cleared the ship Adaline immediately pulled up, orienting herself to face the approaching enemy. Her three comrades flew out of the hangar one after another, with Priscilla moving onto Adaline's wing while Aisha and Lan took up position above the Eternal.

The redhead opened a private tactical channel with her partner. "Cloak and break; we'll hit the destroyers in a pincer attack. I'll take the one on the left; you hit the one on the right."

"Roger that," Priscilla replied.

Adaline activated her mobile suit's Mirage Colloid system, and as she glanced to her right she saw the lines of Priscilla's Wraith blur as she did the same, her suit briefly becoming a silhouette before vanishing entirely.

Breaking hard to port, Adaline took her Wraith into a long arc that would bypass the oncoming GINN formations on. The hair on the back of her neck was on edge as she weaved through bits of floating scrap metal; with her Phase Shift Armor inactive, the unit was much more vulnerable to damage. Still, despite the added danger, the redheaded Australian couldn't deny getting a certain thrill from the experience.

I guess I'm a lot like Commander Rehema in that regard, she mused, we both like dancing on the razor's edge between life and death; she's just a lot better at it than I am.

Going wide and setting up for her attack on her targeted destroyer, Adaline took a brief glance at her long-range sensors to check on Aisha and Lan. Her eyes narrowed for a second when she only saw the black and emerald GuAIZ before she realized that Lan had cloaked her machine, and Adaline smirked as she realized what was happening; her teammate was setting an ambush, with Aisha as the bait.

As the GINNs fanned out to surround the Tigress they were suddenly hit from the right flank by a flurry of six Lancer Dart missiles that had seemingly come out of nowhere. The warheads had been launched in three pairs, and each set of missiles impacted a GINN, turning three mobile suits into fireballs. As the remaining nine units scattered and tried to figure out where the attack had come from, the Tigress lashed out, taking down one GINN with her beam rifle before closing in and ripping another apart with the twin violet beam claws mounted on her GuAIZ's Composite Shield. An emerald energy beam fired from seemingly empty space, destroying one more GINN before Lan finally decloaked her Wraith and ignited the beam saber stored in its right Trikeros and moved in for close-quarters-combat. At the same time, a flurry of missiles flew forth from the Eternal, destroying two more GINNs and sending the surviving four into a state of near panic; each was now flying without a wingman, isolated and easy pickings for the two Amazons facing them.

Satisfied that the remaining GINNs would be dealt with shortly, Adaline turned her attention back to her target. Coming in high over the ship's starboard side, she sighted in on the bridge and opened fire, cutting looses with a barrage of six Lancer Darts, both beam rifles, and the Xiphas rail cannons. The sudden rain of fire hammered the destroyer and cratered the bridge. Knowing she had bought herself a few moments before officers in the ship's auxiliary bridge took over, Adaline pressed her assault, decloaking the Wraith as she moved in and hit the vessel's dual railguns with her beam rifles. Her decision to cut the Mirage Colloid paid off when a storm of wild anti-air fire blazed forth from the destroyer's CIWs.

Priscilla had launched her own attack simultaneously to Adaline's, only she had struck from a different angle. Coming up from below and to port, she'd nailed the two main beam cannons in her opening assault with the rifles in the Trikeros shields before moving along the keel of the ship towards its engines and hitting them with a bombardment of Lancer Darts and rail cannon fire. Priscilla had then been forced to decloak as the destroyer's CIWs opened up wildly, spewing shells everywhere. Coming up over the back of the ship, Priscilla dove straight down at the bridge and impaled it with her beam sabers.

A little bolder than usual for her, thought Adaline as she fired her remaining six Lancer Darts at the hangar, following up with her beam rifles, gutting the ship in the process, still, it was an effective attack. Priscilla launched her own follow up attack in a similar manner, pounding the hangar with Xiphas fire while hitting her target's dual railguns with her remaining Lancer Darts. Meanwhile, Adaline turned around and hit the bow cannons of her target, neutralizing the threat they posed to the Eternal before breaking off her attack.

Adaline whistled as she and her partner pulled away, admiring their handiwork. Both destroyers had been mauled by the surprise attack, their main weapons knocked out and primary command and control centers destroyed, as well as having suffered severe internal damage with the added bonus of Priscilla's target having its engines ravaged. Adaline briefly considered doing the same to her own target before deciding against it; the ship was already defanged, and it was more important to mop up the remaining GINNs and get the hell out of dodge before reinforcements arrived.

"Well, they're done for the day," she said, "let's go help Lan and Aisha."

"Copy that," said Priscilla, nodding on her screen.

Flying back towards the Eternal, Adaline saw that there really wasn't much for her and Priscilla to do. Aisha and Lan had already reduced the number of remaining GINNs from four to one, and were finishing off the last unit in a double-team attack. Lan had hit the machine in the back with her Wraith's rocket anchors, immobilizing it as Aisha calmly lined up a shot with her rifle and fired, destroying the mobile suit with a single well-placed emerald beam.

"All GINNs destroyed," said Lan.

"Good job," said Adaline, "we knocked the destroyers out of the fight."

"Excellent work, ladies," came Waltfeld's voice, "now get back to the ship; time for us to bug out. DaCosta's already opening the hangar doors."

"Roger that," said Adaline, "coming in for landing."

"Once you're inside, you four go get some rest," said Waltfeld, "that's an order."

"Yes sir," they all replied.

Adaline sighed as she entered the hangar and moved her Wraith to its berth. Don't need to tell me twice, she thought as she powered down her mobile suit. Yes, the battle had been brief, but it had been one of the many quick skirmishes that characterized the deadly cat-and-mouse game they were playing with the ZAFT fleet. The engagements were only increasing in frequency, indicating that either the commander leading the task force was narrowing his search area, or that they had been given more ships to assist with the hunt… or both.

I don't know what's harder, she mused as she exited the cockpit and made her way towards the locker room, one large, prolonged engagement, or a bunch of quick fights over the course of a couple days. I've had my share of both, but the latter were never quite like this. Yeah, we've got some powerful new machines, but we are severely outnumbered, and our endurance isn't unlimited. There are only so many attacks we can beat back before it begins to wear on us… if it isn't already.

(End "Heartbreaker")

….

Like a ship sailing through a thick fog, guided only by the faint beam of a distant lighthouse, Heero Yuy began the slow journey back to consciousness. The dark, heavy haze that had engulfed him was at last beginning to clear, with a pinprick of light piercing the black curtain. The Perfect Soldier focused on that light with all the effort he could muster, not an easy thing to do when his mind and body felt heavier than Wing Zero. The sensation was vaguely familiar to the Gundam pilot, though he was nowhere near at the point that he could place where or when he had felt it before, or what had caused it. Slowly but surely the faint, miniscule bit of light began to grow, driving back the black curtain of unconsciousness. He groaned softly from the effort, and was dimly aware of a voice calling out to him; his hearing was as muddled as his mind, though clarity was slowly returning to it. The voice was feminine and familiar, though Heero could not yet identify it.

The darkness receded a little more, revealing the blurry silhouette of a person leaning over him. Bit by bit their features became more distinct; long, flowing brown hair, light skin, brown eyes, a curvaceous figure…

It was Murrue.

The realization prompted a boost in Heero's climb out of unconsciousness. His muffled hearing cleared noticeably, and his vision became much less blurry. "Murrue…" he said softly as his senses returned to him.

At last he could hear her voice clearly... her gentle, beautiful voice, as angelic as her appearance. "Heero! Thank god, you're awake!"

The Gundam pilot moved to prop himself up on his arms, not an easy task considering his body felt like lead. As he did so was at last able to get a clear look at Murrue's eyes, and he saw that they were wide with both relief and worry. There was a cool sensation on his head, and he felt a wet washcloth slide off him, landing squarely in his lap. At the same time there was a pricking sensation in his left forearm, and as he glanced over he saw that there was an IV hooked up there.

Murrue leaned forward, grabbing him by the shoulders gently yet firmly, trying to push him back down. "Heero, lie back down! Please, don't push yourself!"

Heero shook his head, grimacing as he tried to dispel some of the haziness from his mind. "No… I need to be up…"

"Heero…" she said softly, her hands sliding from his shoulders. Heero looked around for a moment, realizing that he was in the Archangel's infirmary, before turning back to Murrue. Once again meeting her gaze, he realized that the emotions in her expression were much more intense than simple relief and worry. As he looked into her lovely brown eyes he could see desperation, joy, apprehension… and affection. He was startled to see the moisture gathering at the edges of her eyes; she was holding back tears!

The eye contact only lasted for a second before Murrue threw herself at him, taking Heero into the fiercest embrace he'd ever experienced in his life. The strength of the beautiful Captain's arms seemed overwhelming to his dazed body as she held him with a passion and desperation the likes of which the Gundam pilot could've scarcely imagined existed mere weeks ago. Her hands gripped his shoulders so tight that her fingernails were digging into his skin, so sharply it was almost painful… a sensation he was distracted from as he felt her ample breasts press tightly against his chest, eliciting an increasingly familiar surge of heat to Heero's face.

Murrue spoke softly, her voice almost breaking, though from desperation or joy Heero couldn't tell. "You're finally awake… god, I've never been so worried in my life! I was terrified when they brought you in… I wanted so badly to help you, but I didn't know how! Heero…" As she spoke Heero felt two drops of cool moisture fall onto his shoulder; tears of joy and relief that Murrue could no longer completely hold back.

Acting on instinct alone, Heero managed to bring his right arm up and around Murrue while still propping himself up with his left. As impossible as it seemed, his actions prompted her to tighten her grip even further, pulling him in with a strength the young man could only marvel at. Her long, flowing hair was brushing against his face, caressing his cheek like a fine silk cloth, and her fragrance wafted about him like the sweetest perfume. Another teardrop fell upon his shoulder, the cool bit of moisture soaking into the skin exposed by his tank-top. Adjusting himself, the Gundam pilot brought his right hand to the nape of Murrue's neck, gently pulling her head closer to his.

"Murrue…" he said softly. All other words failed him; nothing seemed adequate for the situation Heero found himself in.

"Heero," Murrue whispered in his ear, "its ok, I'm here. Everything's alright, Heero. You're safe; I'm with you."

The Gundam pilot gave a slight grunt of acknowledgement and closed his eyes for a moment, resting his head against hers. The rest of the world didn't exist right then and there; there was only Murrue. Her powerful embrace, her sweet scent, the softness of her hair against his cheek, her firm yet supple body against his… at that moment, she was his entire existence. His mind was still in a daze, brief flashes of memory swirling through it at lightning speed, trying to sort themselves into a format he could comprehend. It was chaotic, almost to the point of overwhelming… but in the arms of the woman he loved, the Perfect Soldier found peace, shelter, and protection from the maelstrom that was his own mind. It was a single, perfect moment; tranquil, serene, and, dare he say, divine. In her arms, shielded by her compassion, engulfed by the powerful affection and devotion she had for him, for the bond that existed between them, he felt something he'd rarely experienced in his life… and only with her; absolute safety. There was no threat, no enemy at the gates, no danger looming on the horizon; nothing could touch him… save for Murrue.

He wanted it to last forever.

Unfortunately, the young man knew that they would have to release each other eventually. Slowly, reluctantly, the two of them parted, though not completely; as Heero's arm slid back down to the bed he felt Murrue's hands still on his shoulders, gently yet firmly holding him, helping him stay upright.

Their eyes met again, and Heero saw more tears gathering at the edges, threatening to fall. Acting on instinct, he brought his right hand back up, slowly and gently wiping away the few that escaped and tried to make their way down Murrue's cheeks. His efforts were rewarded by a warm, soft smile from the angelic beauty before him, and the gathering moisture at the edge of her eyes receded. There was a long silence before Heero was finally able to break it. "Murrue… how long… was I out?"

"Since the end of the battle," she replied, "several hours; it's almost midnight now. You woke briefly… when Wing Zero's cockpit opened… but you then you passed out again."

Peering closer, Heero noticed the red surrounding Murrue's eyes, along with a few thin rings, and he was hit with the realization that she had been right beside him the entire time he'd been out cold. Glancing around he saw an empty water bottle and a granola bar wrapper on the table next to his bed, further evidence to support his conclusion.

She's been here, by my side, since the battle, thought Heero, stunned by the realization, I know she cares about me, but this… Never before had someone gone to such lengths just to care for him; her devotion to him was beyond anything he'd ever experienced before. The Perfect Soldier could not begin to find words to describe the upwelling of gratitude he felt towards her; he'd never dared imagine that someone could find him worthy of such compassion and concern.

He sure as hell didn't think he was.

Heero looked down, humbled by the lengths to which Murrue had gone for him, for the close and powerful bond that they shared. "You've been here this whole time…" he said softly, "…because of me. I'm sorry; you must be tired, and I'm sure you could use some sleep."

"What?" said Murrue loudly, causing Heero to look back up at her, "Heero, don't apologize for this. I stayed here out of my own free will; I stayed because I care about you!"

Her hands tightened their grip on his shoulders as she continued. "Heero, I would do anything for you, to take care of you, to protect you! After all you've done for me, how could I do anything less?"

A soft smile appeared on her face, and before Heero could react she leaned in and kissed him on the left cheek. His already warm face heated up even more, and his eyes widened in surprise. As Murrue pulled back she raised her right hand and gently caressed the spot where her lips had met his skin.

"You've fought so hard to protect me," she said, "not just in today's battle, but in so many others. As you swore to protect me, so did I for you, and that is a vow I will never break. Watching over you was no burden, no imposition to me; please, do not think for a moment otherwise."

It was reassuring to hear such words from her, but the mention of the earlier battle brought the flashes of memory swirling through his mind back into full focus. Heero grimaced, closing his eyes as he tried to focus and make sense of everything. The sense of his mind being filled with data to the brink of bursting hit him… a sensation he'd felt before.

"Heero?" said Murrue, concern in her voice, "What is it? Are you alright? Heero, talk to me!"

Heero was not alright, not by a long shot. The sense of incredible heaviness and weariness in his mind, the storm of data in his head swirling around, slowly recompiling itself into a recognizable format, the inexplicable and intangible weight that seemed to weigh down his entire body… Heero had felt all this before, and he could now remember exactly when and where.

The Sanc Kingdom, after fighting against Romefeller's invasion force in the Epyon Gundam, after engaging a newly arrived Zechs Merquise and Wing Zero… after he'd lost control of the Zero System.

No…he thought numbly, I couldn't have… not again…

"Murrue," he said softly, "what… what happened to me?"

The question was pointless; Heero knew exactly what had happened to him. More and more images of the battle against the Atlantic Federation fleet flashed through his mind, slowly but surely assembling themselves into a coherent framework. However, there were still bits and pieces that were unclear, as if they were obstructed by a black haze. Heero knew that he was asking the wrong question; it was not what had happened to him that he needed to know, but what he had done next.

Murrue sighed. "Heero… I… I'm not sure how to tell you this…"

"Just… tell me what I did," said Heero, "There's no need to sugar coat it. I just… I can't remember everything yet." He looked up at her, and could see the trepidation in her eyes. "Please… tell me what I did, Murrue."

Murrue looked down for a moment before meeting his gaze again, her expression a mixture of resignation, apologetic, and worry. "You… you went on a rampage, Heero. It wasn't right away, but… I could tell as the battle went on that something was wrong with you. You weren't fighting like yourself, you weren't contacting me for support… you weren't you, Heero. The deeper you cut into the Alliance armada, the more vicious and ruthless you became… and you just kept attacking, even after they sent up withdrawal flares. I know what happened; the Zero System took over your mind, Heero."

Bits of memory that had been blurry cleared themselves up; more images of his attack on the enemy ships and mobile suits. Cutting down damaged mobile suits, annihilating vessels with the Twin Buster Rifle… Heero was getting a more complete picture, but there were still fragments missing.

"That… that wasn't all I did, was it?" he said softly, "Murrue… what happened next?"

"We had to stop you, Heero," said Murrue, "I remembered the override command… but I couldn't use it right away. You were at the heart of the Alliance armada; they could've captured you easily if I had shut down Wing Zero then. So I… I sent Kira against you, to draw you away from the enemy; the Freedom's the only mobile suit we had that I thought had a chance of pulling such a stunt off."

She looked down, unable to meet his gaze, her grip on his shoulders tightening uncontrollably. "I… I ordered your friend to fight you. Heero… I'm so sorry… but I didn't have a choice. I had to stop you… I had to save you!"

The rest of the haze was burned away by the revelation, and Heero could now recall, with perfect clarity, his fierce duel with the Freedom. His relentless attacks against Kira, his withering assault… how he'd nearly killed him with the Twin Buster Rifle.

Nearly… but he hadn't; Murrue had stopped him.

It was a shock to take all that in, but that didn't stop him from bringing his right arm up and putting his hand on Murrue's shoulder. "Murrue," he said, causing her to look up at him, "it's alright. I… I didn't leave you any other choice. This was my fault, not yours; don't apologize for what you did."

"Heero…" she said, her eyes widening. After a moment she gave him a soft smile before pulling him into another embrace, not as fierce as the one before but still quite powerful.

"Oh… thank you, Heero," she whispered in his ear, "I felt horrible asking Kira to fight you… sending your friend against you. I… I was afraid I'd get him killed; Kira's good, and the Freedom is a powerful machine… but neither are a match for you and Wing Zero. I was terrified that I was sending him to his death… at your hands."

"I'm sorry," said Heero as they slowly parted, "I… I can't imagine how hard that was on you. I… I never meant to put you in such a position." He looked down, unable to meet her gaze, ashamed at what he'd forced her to do, at the pain he had put her through.

I told myself that I loved her, he thought, after all she's done for me, all her selflessness and compassion… how could I have done that to her? I swore to do all I could to protect and support her, and instead I forced her to send Kira against me!

He remembered all too well how torn up Murrue had been following the battle in the Marshall Islands, when Kira had been believed to have perished, and Tolle had died as well. He remembered how she had beat herself up mercilessly for her actions in the engagement, how the guilt over her perceived responsibility for what had happened to them had so dearly hurt her, and how it had torn at him to see her that way.

After supporting her through such a trying time, he thought ruefully, I could've forced her to relive that pain… hell, it would've been worse than the first time! Damn it... and after my actions today, she still cares about me, is still willing to go to such incredible lengths to care for me… how can she see me as worthy of such affection and compassion?

"Heero…" said Murrue's voice, a soft caress in his ear, a gentle breeze that somehow managed to blunt the wave of self-incrimination the Gundam pilot was pounding himself with, "please, look at me."

As he looked up at her she took her right hand off his left shoulder and brought it up to his face. Caressing his cheek, her lovely brown eyes were full of concern as she spoke to him. "Heero, I know you never wanted to put me through that; I know you care about me too much for that."

She was right, though she had no idea just how much Heero cared, just how deeply he loved her. However, it was precisely because of how dearly Heero cared for Murrue that he felt so ashamed of his actions, and what they had forced her to do. How she could be so understanding with him, how she could forgive him for what he had put her through, the Gundam pilot had no idea; the compassion she held for him was beyond anything he'd ever even imagined existed in a human being.

"Heero," Murrue continued, "I… I need to know what drove you into such a rampage, to lose control of the Zero System. You've fought in many battles since we've met, and not once did the Zero System take over your mind… until today."

She looked down for a moment before meeting his gaze again. "When we got you out of Wing Zero… when we brought you to the med bay, I called Dr. Claudia to join us here. The two of us tried to figure out what had caused you to lose control of the Zero System. I… I think I know what drove you to fight the way you did… and how the Zero System was able to overpower you. Still… I want to hear it from you, Heero."

Heero nodded; she deserved that much, and definitely more.

He sighed. "It was Alaska, Murrue. When the Atlantic Federation set us up… betrayed you… I was furious. It wasn't all at once, not a sudden bursting of rage… but as we fought our way out of that hellhole I swore that I would make them pay for their treachery. I was able to keep my anger in check back then; I was focused on the fight, on making sure that you got out of there alive. But in the days and weeks that followed… the seed that was planted at Alaska grew. I couldn't stand the idea of the Atlantic Federation High Command setting you up... trying to murder you, and getting away with it. I vowed to kill them all… and one of them was commanding the invasion fleet in today's battle."

Murrue nodded slowly. "Vice-Admiral Vickers on the Clinton, the flagship of the combined Pacific Fleet. You destroyed that carrier and killed him today… a measure of vengeance for Alaska. Heero… was that what this was about? Avenging the Atlantic Federation's betrayal of us… of me… at Alaska?"

Heero looked down. "Yes. I… I almost lost you in that battle, Murrue. I can't do that… I need you, Murrue. The fact that the Atlantic Federation was responsible for putting you in that position, deliberately trying to get you killed… I couldn't just set that aside, I couldn't let it go. I tried to suppress it… but my wrath kept building, and when we finally met the Alliance in combat… I lost control."

"I thought as much," said Murrue, startling him and causing him to look up at her, "Dr. Claudia and I… we figured the roots of your rampage lay at Alaska, and the Atlantic Federation's treachery. You've never lost control in a battle since you've arrived in the Cosmic Era… but today's engagement was our first fight against Earth Alliance forces, commanded by one of the officers that set us up at Alaska. It was our first battle since Alaska… and you had a lot of time to brood over what happened in that fight."

Despite the gravity of their conversation, Heero couldn't help but smile slightly. "You know, you're an incredibly insightful woman, Murrue."

"Well, I had help," she replied, "remember, I said Dr. Claudia was with me."

Heero nodded. "Yeah… she's a bright woman too. We're lucky you were able to get her aboard the Archangel."

"Indeed," said Murrue. They were quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "Heero, why didn't you talk to me about this after the battle at Alaska?"

Heero shook his head. "I… I didn't want to worry you, Murrue. After that battle, it was all we could do just to figure out a way to survive, especially with both the world's superpowers now after us. You had the lives of everyone on the Archangel riding on your shoulders, and I couldn't afford to distract you. Besides, this was my problem, my own emotions to deal with…" He then looked down and sighed. "Though I clearly failed to do so. I… I'm sorry I didn't come to you. I just…"

"It's alright, Heero," said Murrue, "I wish you had come to me, but I understand why you kept it to yourself. I'm grateful for your concern for me, and your points are valid. We were so desperate for a way to survive, a path that would give us a future… we had to focus on that. Still, remember that I said that you could come to me for anything; this certainly fell into that category."

"I agree," Heero replied, looking up at her, "if I had done so… I might not have lost control; I could've found a way to handle my emotions better."

"The past is the past," said Murrue, smiling slightly, "you can't afford to beat yourself up over this, Heero."

Heero shook his head. "If I don't then who will? We must carry the weight of our sins, Murrue."

"Heero, stop this!" cried Murrue, "Yes, you made a mistake in how you handled your emotions after Alaska, but you're only human; it's ok for you to make a mistake!"

"Not like this, Murrue," he said, "I have to maintain a perfect balance between my emotions and rationality when I'm fighting; it's the only way I can keep control over the Zero System, you know that! I can't afford to let rage over the Atlantic Federation High Command's betrayal influence my actions in any way, regardless of how human it may be for me to do so."

"I understand that," said Murrue, "but it's not wrong to feel those emotions. You told me yourself; the best way to live a good life is to act on your emotions!"

"Yes, but not be ruled by them," Heero replied, "Murrue, I gave in to my wrath! I let it take over, and through it allowed the Zero System to override my will. All because I wanted to pay back the Alliance for what they did at Alaska; for petty revenge!"

He brought his right hand up, gently caressing her left cheek, the feeling of her soft skin against his palm more precious to him than all the money or power in the world. "Murrue," he said softly, unable to keep the fear from his voice, "I… I could've killed you today. I may have been fighting at the heart of the Atlantic Federation armada, but if I'd kept going, eventually I would've killed Kira… and then began targeting the Orb forces… and the Archangel. It would not have been my will, but it would've happened all the same! I failed to control my wrath, gave into it, gave the Zero System an opening to override my mind, and it could've led to your death! All because I wanted to kill some bastard of a Vice-Admiral… no way in hell Vickers's death was worth me doing something so stupid, putting your life at risk."

"Murrue," he continued, his eyes narrowing, conviction and resolve burning in his chest, his voice regaining his characteristic strength and determination, "I swear, no matter what happens, I will never give the Zero System a chance to control me again. I will never give into my anger like I did today, will never let myself be ruled by the desire for revenge, never let anything compromise my ability to wield the Zero System… or to protect you. I will die before I allow myself to do anything that puts you in danger."

It was a vow he swore to himself that he would keep, no matter what happened. Yes, the Atlantic Federation's betrayal at Alaska had been monstrous, the way that they had set Murrue up unforgiveable, but Heero should've been stronger, should not have let his wrath at the bastards sitting on the enemy High Command dictate his actions. Yes, he had killed one of the four men responsible for the disaster at Alaska, tearing through the Alliance armada to get to him, but the price that had come with letting his wrath fuel his fighting was far too high. Not only had he lost control of the Zero System, but he had created the very real possibility of him targeting the Archangel during his rampage. That was absolutely unacceptable; repaying the Atlantic Federation for their betrayal at Alaska was not worth even thinking about fighting the way he had during the battle off Orb's shore if it put Murrue in danger.

"Heero" said Murrue softly, bringing Heero's attention back to the beautiful woman in front of him, "I believe you." She smiled at him before pulling him into another embrace, one that Heero was quick to return. "I believe in you," she said into his ear, her breath gently caressing his ear, "I know that you would never do anything to endanger me. What happened today was a mistake, one that I know you will take to heart and learn from. I know that you will be able to maintain control of the Zero System in all your future battles; you have the strength, the will you need to keep the balance you need in your heart and mind to wield that system to its full potential, without losing yourself to it."

The two of them parted briefly before Murrue leaned back in, this time to kiss Heero's left cheek. Yet another surge of heat went to the Perfect Soldier's face, and it was only amplified as Murrue pulled back and gave him a radiant smile, her lovely brown eyes practically glowing with affection, reassurance, and belief.

"Heero," she said, "I have the utmost faith in your abilities, your strength, you will. What happened today will never happen again; of that I have no doubt whatsoever."

Those words were exactly what Heero needed to hear. The doubts and guilt that had been weighing down his heart and mind since realizing what he had done earlier that day were purged, wiped away by the incredible woman before him.

The woman he loved.

A small voice began whispering in the back of his mind that he should tell her, now, exactly how he felt about her. It was certainly tempting, but Heero forced himself to quell those thoughts. The Atlantic Federation armada had been mauled, but not destroyed, and the two of them would need to be completely focused tomorrow if they were going to have a chance at beating back the second assault that he had no doubt the enemy was even now preparing for.

Not right now, he thought, but… soon. I… I'll have to tell her soon. This… affection, attraction… this love… it's stronger than anything I've ever felt before. Hell, it's starting to hurt, keeping it bottled up like this… but I can't spill all right now. We need to focus on the here and now, surviving the next battle.

But Heero would not deny that things were coming to a head. The fact that the Atlantic Federation's betrayal of Murrue at Alaska had elicited such a powerful wrath within him was proof of just how strong his feelings for the beautiful Captain had grown. Also… seeing her like this, staying by his side for only-she-knew how many hours, comforting and reassuring him the way she had after he had woken up… the evidence was growing that she might well share his feelings. Heero still wasn't completely sure, and he still couldn't shake the feeling that if she did that he wasn't worthy of such affection… but the possibility was there, nonetheless.

His thoughts were derailed as a feeling of light-headedness swept over him. He leaned forward, closing his eyes, raising his hand to wipe away the cold-sweat he felt gathering at his brow.

Suddenly he felt a cool and refreshing sensation against his skin, and as he opened his eyes he saw that Murrue had grabbed the white washcloth that had fallen into his lap and was wiping it over his forehead.

"Heero," she said, putting her left hand on his right shoulder, "you're still a little feverish, and I imagine you haven't completely dispelled your mental fatigue yet. Please, lie down."

He did as she said, her command enforced by her hands gently but firmly pushing him back down onto the mattress and pillow beneath him. She smiled at him as he looked up at her, wiping his face with the washcloth. "You should go back to sleep for awhile," said Murrue, "the chief medical officer told me that your fever should be completely gone by morning; you'll be fit to fly. Still, you need to get as much rest as you can."

Heero nodded, smiling slightly for her sake. "Alright, Murrue. You should get some rest too; I'm sure you're exhausted."

"I admit I'm pretty tired," she replied, "but still, I'm not leaving your side."

"Murrue…" said Heero, attempting to argue.

Murrue put her finger to his lips, smiling as she did so. "Don't worry, Heero. I'll take the bed next to yours. I said I'd stay by your side… but I will get some sleep. I finally can now that I know you're alright."

"Sorry I kept you up so long," said Heero.

Murrue leaned down and kissed his brow. "It's alright, Heero," she said softly as she pulled away, "I don't regret a second of it, and would do it again in a heartbeat." She gave his left cheek one last caress with her right hand. "Goodnight, Heero. Sleep well."

He nodded. "I will Murrue… and thank you… for everything."

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

….

It was a little after six in the morning as Murrue stood up beside her bed in the infirmary, doing her best to smooth the wrinkles out of her uniform. I should've brought my bathrobe with me and changed into that to sleep in, she thought, grimacing as her efforts met with only slight success, I look terrible right now…

Sighing in defeat, she turned to the small mirror on the wall space between her bed and Heero's, doing what she could to straighten her hair out. She had better luck with that than she did her uniform, though Murrue knew her long, flowing brown locks still looked a bit disheveled. She couldn't help but give herself a bemused smile as she looked in the mirror. I suppose it's a good thing I'm no longer formal military, she thought, I'd be chewed out for looking so unprofessional otherwise.

Murrue then looked to her right, her smile becoming more genuine as she saw Heero sitting on the side of his bed. With a quick tug the Gundam pilot pulled the IV out of his arm and took off the pulse reader before standing up and turning around to face her. The young man's beautiful blue eyes were full of gratitude… and something else, a glimmer of an emotion that Murrue had only dared to hope she might someday see in them; affection. It was a trace, struggling to break through the walls of stoicism Heero had built up over the years, but it was there all the same. Murrue's heart fluttered as she stared into his eyes for a moment, a strange silence hanging between the two of them.

"Hey…" Heero said softly, attempting to strike up conversation but clearly unsure of how to proceed.

"Hey yourself," said Murrue, taking the initiative and walking around the bed and over to him, "how are you feeling, Heero?"

"I'm alright, Murrue," he replied.

That didn't stop her from putting her left hand on his forehead and her right hand to her own. Closing her eyes for a moment to concentrate, she then opened them and smiled again as she let her hands drop to her sides. "Well, it feels like your temperature's back down to normal, so I'll have to take your word on that. You'd tell me if it were otherwise, right Heero?"

The Gundam pilot looked down, his expression becoming guilty; no doubt Murrue's words had reminded him of how his not telling her about his feelings after Alaska, and how that had bitten him in the ass in the battle against the Alliance fleet. "Yes… I would, Murrue."

Murrue put her hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at her. "I know you would, Heero," she said, smiling, "just checking. I'm sorry; I suppose that was a poor bit of teasing on my part."

She was heartened to see the Perfect Soldier smirk slightly at her remarks. "It's alright; I had it coming."

Murrue had to stifle a small laugh. "Indeed you did, Heero." She softened her smile, doing her best to exude the warmth and compassion she wanted to give him. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Heero… I was really worried about you last night."

He nodded. "I know... and I'm sorry I put you through that."

"Heero," said Murrue, giving his shoulder a squeeze, "I already told you not to apologize for that. As long as you're ok, that's all that matters to me."

"Alright," Heero replied, "and… thank you."

"You're very welcome, Heero," said Murrue, "Come on, let's head up to the bridge. No one called me during the night, so I'm assuming that there haven't been any major developments yet, but we still need to assess the situation."

Heero nodded, his expression now all business. "Agreed… though are you sure you want me on the bridge right now? Shouldn't I head down to Wing Zero?"

Murrue shook her head. "It's alright for now; I had La Flaga order the tech crews to close up the cockpit. Other than reload Wing Zero's shoulder gatlings, Chief Murdoch has ordered his mechanics to keep their distance from your machine. Besides, if the enemy is spotted on long range sensors you'll have plenty of time to get down to the hangar and power up your Gundam."

"Alright," said Heero.

Together the two of them walked out of the infirmary and made their way to the bridge. "Heero," said Murrue, "I forgot to tell you this earlier, but yesterday, when we were trying to figure out a way to get you out of Wing Zero… well, I let slip that you no longer had the self-detonation device ready to blow at a moment's notice. I'm sorry, but…"

"It's ok, Murrue," said Heero shaking his head. His eyes met hers, and Murrue could once again see the gratitude within them. "You did what you felt was necessary… and you were trying to help me. Don't apologize for that."

It was a relief to hear the Gundam pilot say such a thing, and Murrue felt as though a weight were lifted from her chest. Silly girl, she chastised herself, yes, that was a secret that had originally existed between you and Heero, but revealing it in order to save his life would never anger him. After all… so few people ever even cared about him before he met you, and your actions were purely to help him. That must mean a great deal to him.

Before she realized what she was doing she felt herself reaching out and grabbing Heero's hand. Looking over at the Gundam pilot, Murrue saw his eyes widen slightly at the unexpected contact before he turned to her and gave her a small smile. She returned it, and tightened her grip slightly as well. There was no need for words between them at that moment; the silence between them was a comfortable one, the kind shared by two people who cared deeply for one another, whose trust in each other was implicit and absolute.

They were like that for the rest of their brief journey to the bridge, their hands parting reluctantly as the bridge doors opened. As they walked in Murrue saw Ensign Neumann sitting in the command chair.

"I'll take over, Ensign," she said, smiling, "why don't you go get some rest."

"Aye, Captain," he said, nodding as he stood up and returned the smile, "I caught some shut eye earlier when Lieutenant Tsukino was on watch, but a quick nap and a bite to eat wouldn't hurt. One of the naval officers Orb sent us to fill in the gaps in our roster is at the helm; she'll carry out my duties until you need me."

"Good to hear," said Murrue, glancing over at the helmsman's station, where a woman who appeared to be in her early twenties, with orange-red hair tied in a pony tail and wearing an Orb military uniform, was sitting, "Dismissed, Ensign Neumann."

He nodded, and the Captain saw him briefly turn to Heero and nod again before leaving the bridge. Looking back at the backup helmsman, or helmswoman in this case, Murrue realized that she had not yet personally introduced herself to the girl, and decided to rectify that situation.

"Hello, miss," she said, causing the young woman to turn and look at her, revealing her pale skin and bright green eyes, "I'm Captain Murrue Ramius. I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you yet."

The girl smiled and saluted. "Ensign Emily McBride, Orb Navy, ma'am" she replied. There was a slight Irish accent to her voice.

She must've immigrated to Orb from the British Isles, Murrue thought, just like Dr. Claudia. I'm sure there's a story there… but now's not the time for that.

She nodded at the girl. "It's nice to meet you, Ensign McBride. Carry on."

As the helmswoman turned back to her station Murrue took her seat. Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled as she saw Heero settle in at his customary spot right behind her, scanning the bridge and the vista beyond the main viewport like a hawk. Relieved to see that the extraordinary young man was seemingly back to normal, or close to it, Murrue then turned her attention to her personal monitor. Hitting a few keys, she brought up the sensor and communication logs for the previous night. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the latter, but she was surprised to see a major increase in activity on the former, most of it centered on the Kaguya mass driver.

There's a lot of traffic at the spaceport, she thought, her eyes narrowing, it looks like they had a shuttle taking off nearly every half an hour since early evening. The Orb fleet's repositioned itself too; the bulk of the surviving warships are now concentrated in front of Kaguya. What's going on?

Double checking the communication logs, she confirmed that there had not been any top priority messages from the Orb leadership during the time Murrue had spent by Heero's side. I'm sure they'll contact us soon, she thought, judging by the way Orb's military has adjusted its posture, particularly the Navy, it's pretty clear that something's up. The Archangel is the most powerful ship on the field, so whatever Lord Uzumi and Colonel Kisaka's plan is, I have no doubt we'll have a role in it. I suppose I'll just have to wait for them to contact us and fill us in.

Hitting some keys again, she exited out of the two logs she had on her screen and brought up the damage reports and status updates. The Archangel had taken a few hits during the battle yesterday, but the ship's tough armor had weathered the blows well, and only minor damage had been suffered overall. Murrue was pleased to see that Crew Chief Murdoch and his technicians had already made the necessary repairs; the warship was in top shape. The same also went for its mobile suits and the Skygrasper.

Murrue then brought up the casualty estimates for yesterday's battle, and her eyes narrowed as she skimmed over the reports. The Alliance forces had taken a severe pounding, but so had the Orb military. Given the far greater numbers of ships, fighters, and MS under the enemy's command, Murrue knew that their foe was much more capable of dealing with heavy losses than her allies were.

As she closed out of the reports she heard the bridge doors open behind her. Looking over her shoulder she saw Kira and Cagalli approaching. The boy was in his Alliance uniform, while Orb's princess had ditched her red shirt and khakis in favor of more formal Orb military attire.

"Hello you two," said Murrue, "what brings you here?"

Cagalli smiled. "We passed Neumann in the hall, and he said that Heero was up here. We came to see him."

Kira nodded, and Murrue watched as he and Cagalli turned to face the Gundam pilot standing by her chair.

"Hey…" said Kira, smiling hesitantly.

There was more than a hint of uncertainty in the boy's actions, and Murrue couldn't blame him after what had happened the day before. Looking over at Heero, she saw the Perfect Soldier nod in return. "Hey, Kira. Cagalli."

The blond girl nodded, and Murrue could see the concern in her brown eyes. "Hey, Heero… how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," he replied calmly.

He then turned to his fellow mobile suit pilot. "Kira, about yesterday… I'm sorry about what happened. I may have lost control… but that's still no excuse for what I did."

Kira's eyes widened for a moment before the boy smiled again. "It's ok, Heero. You lost control of the Zero System; you didn't attack me on purpose."

"Still," said Heero, "I did almost kill you…"

"But you didn't," said Kira, "Captain Ramius stopped you in time, and that's what counts."

"Kira's right," Cagalli chimed in, smiling again, "It all turned out ok in the end. Besides, you're not going to let something like that happen again, aren't you Heero?"

Murrue was pleased to see Heero shake his head firmly, that familiar strength and resolve visible in his eyes. "No, I won't Cagalli. Losing control of the Zero System was a grave mistake on my part, one that I won't repeat."

"I thought so," said Cagalli, "Still, I'm glad to hear that from you." She then held out her hand. "Welcome back, Heero."

The Gundam pilot shook it, then turned and did the same with Kira, who had his arm held out as well. There was a hint of a smile on his face as he replied. "Thank you… both of you."

"No problem," said Kira.

"Yeah," said Cagalli, "after all, we're all friends, aren't we?"

Heero nodded. "Yeah… we are."

Some of the very few he's ever had, thought Murrue, a warm feeling in her heart as she watched the three teenagers interact, from what he told me, I'm sure he considered his fellow Gundam pilots to be friends, but they were all very independent young men as well, so the bonds developed between them would not have been the same as what he's forged with Kira and Cagalli. As for Relena, I know Heero said he and she had become close friends over the course of the war, but with her ideals and her new role in the government versus his past experiences, his own morals, and the lifestyle he chose… I'm sure there was some divide there. It's different with Kira and Cagalli though; they're both fighters, just like Heero, and they've shared many battles together now. None of them may have wanted to go to war, but they did so as a means to protect the people they care about. Heero can relate to them with that, and bond with them… as he has with me. It's not as deep as the one we share, of course, but there are ties between the three of them now, and that's a good thing.

Heero must've felt her gaze on him, because the handsome Gundam pilot then turned towards Murrue. The Captain gave him a warm smile, and he returned it with a small one of his own. You've come so far since arriving in our world, Heero, she thought, you've opened up… more to me than anyone else, but you've still shared some things with Kira and Cagalli. I'm glad; you deserve to have more friends, especially in this world since you know so few people here. We're all here for you… I'm here for you.

It wasn't something she would say in front of the bridge crew, but the words weren't needed; there was something in Heero's eyes that told her all she needed to know, that he'd gotten the message. It was a faint glimmer, something just beyond his incredible strength, determination, and compassion, but it was there all the same. A tiny nod from the young man was all Murrue needed to confirm her feelings.

Heero's expression then became more serious. "I'm sure we hurt the enemy yesterday," he said, "but I don't doubt we took losses of our own. Murrue, how bad were our casualties?"

She sighed. "Better than expected, and worse than we'd hoped. You're right in that we did some serious damage to the enemy; estimates from the recorded combat data show that the Atlantic Federation fleet lost over a third of their ships, and far more in terms of mobile suits and fighters. However, Orb's military was hard hit in repulsing their first assault. The Navy has been reduced to a little over half its warships… and it's the most intact branch of the armed services."

"What about the Army and the air squadrons?" asked Kira, his expression one of worry.

"Less than half of Orb's fighters, naval and ground-based, are still operational," said Murrue grimly, "and their ground forces were hit even harder. Yes, they were able to slow down and even contain the Alliance forces' advance, but they paid a steep price to do so. A lot of good men and women died yesterday…"

Kira looked down solemnly, and Cagalli did the same. Heero, for his part, simply closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and looking out the main viewport, grim determination within them.

Murrue shared the sentiment. Despite the losses suffered the day before, she was by no means ready to throw in the towel; they'd come too far to give up now. Percentage wise, Murrue thought grimly, we caught the worst of the casualties, but if you go by the numbers then the Alliance forces took heavier losses due simply to the fact that they have so much more ships, vehicles, and soldiers than we do. It's not something I'd like to take consolation in, but… well, frankly it's all we have. With the Buster and that new mobile suit Kira's friend brought with him now on our side our forces have been bolstered, but we still have an uphill climb ahead of us, no doubt there.

Murrue hated measuring success or failure, winning or losing, by the amount of lives and material lost by both sides; the cold calculus of war made her sick. What made it even worse was the knowledge that her former superiors hardly gave a thought to sacrificing countless good men and women to achieve their definition of 'victory'. It was little wonder that reliance on sheer numbers had become the order of the day for the Earth Alliance forces; human lives had been reduced to mere statistics, currency to be thrown away until 'victory' was bought under a mountain of their own dead. Most of the truly talented pilots, with a few aces like La Flaga proving to be the rare exception, were thrown away in large scale frontal assaults, attacks lacking any real sense of tactical subtlety or long term strategic regard for the lives of the soldiers involved in them.

Murrue actually found herself admiring ZAFT for the way that they had managed to fight against such tactics with a numerically inferior force. Granted, the technological superiority of their mobile suits against the Alliance's mobile armors, along with the enhanced strength, reflexes, and mental speed of the Coordinators, gave them a significant edge, but that did not change the fact that at the start of the war ZAFT forces had been outnumbered by a staggering ratio of nearly ten to one. The fact that they had not only managed to survive but bring the overall strategic situation to a near dead heat over the course of nearly two years, at times even gaining the initiative, was astounding. ZAFT had of course mounted its share of large-scale frontal assaults and battles, but their field commanders had taken greater care with the lives of their troops in most circumstances. Operation Spitbreak had been a clear sign of how things had begun to change within the Coordinator military; the tactics used there had been more of a reflection of the brute-force and superior numbers methodology favored by the Alliance.

No doubt influenced by more extremist elements gaining control of their armed forces and government, Murrue thought grimly, from what Lord Uzumi told us weeks ago, it seems a faction has taken power within the PLANTs that has the same views regarding Naturals as the Atlantic Federation holds for Coordinators under the leadership of Blue Cosmos. They're a reflection of my former superiors, and the way that they so willingly threw away the lives of their troops in Spitbreak's frontal assault only shows that their depravity and ruthlessness is as boundless as their enemy's.

"Captain," said the communications officer, bringing her focus back to the bridge, "Colonel Kisaka is hailing us!"

Murrue nodded. "Put him on the main monitor."

The dark-skinned Orb officer appeared on the large screen overhead. "Captain Ramius," he said, nodding. She saw him glance to the side, and she knew that he had spotted Heero, Kira, and Cagalli. "Yuy, glad to see you're up."

"Colonel," said Heero, nodding in acknowledgement.

"Kira Yamato," said Kisaka, nodding at the young Coordinator before turning to Orb's tomboyish princess, "Ah, Lady Cagalli, I'm glad you're up there with them. This will make things easier."

"What's going on, Kisaka?" the blond girl asked.

"Lord Uzumi wants to see you," he replied, "along with Captain Ramius and whoever she deigns to bring with her; we're holding an emergency meeting at Kaguya."

"Will you be sending a helicopter out to pick us up?" Murrue asked.

"No, Captain," said Kisaka, "Lord Uzumi requests that you take the Archangel to the spaceport; one of the waterfront docks has already been prepped for your ship. We're sending telemetry to you as we speak."

"Understood," said Murrue, "we'll get underway at once."

"Thank you, Captain Ramius," said Kisaka, "we'll have an escort prepped and waiting at the dock to take you and your companions to the conference room. See you shortly."

….

The conference room they were shown to was a rather plain chamber, consisting of a large black circular table with several chairs around it, and a large screen on the far wall. Glancing around as he, Murrue, Kira, Cagalli, and La Flaga entered the chamber, Heero saw Lord Uzumi seated in the chair directly in front of the large monitor, which for the moment had the black and yellow crest of the Orb Union displayed on it. Seated to his right was Colonel Kisaka, and to his left was Morgenroete's Chief Engineer Erica Simmons. The brown haired genius behind Orb's mobile suit program gave Heero a small nod of acknowledgement, which the Gundam pilot returned.

"Thank you for coming so quickly," said Lord Uzumi, standing up along with the others to greet them, "time is of the essence; the situation has rapidly deteriorated over the past several hours."

"How so, Lord Uzumi?" asked Murrue as they all took their seats, "While I know our losses yesterday were heavy, so were those of the Alliance. The situation may be grim, but we're not beaten yet."

"Murrue's right," said Heero, "our position's still tenable, and we've even managed to gain some new allies. Granted, it's only two more pilots, but their skills combined with their mobile suits make them formidable soldiers."

"Yeah," said Kira, "with Athrun in the Justice and Dearka in the Buster fighting with us, we can make up for some of the firepower we lost yesterday."

"We're still in this, father!" said Cagalli, "We can't give up now!"

Lord Uzumi sighed. "Were things as they were at the end of the battle yesterday, I might be inclined to agree with you, and all the more so since Heero has regained consciousness." He looked at the Gundam pilot for a moment and nodded before continuing. "Unfortunately, as of last night the situation has taken a turn for the worst… one we cannot hope to rectify."

"What happened?" asked Murrue, a hint of trepidation in her voice.

The Lion of Orb nodded at Kisaka, and the Colonel pressed a button on the remote he was holding. The image on the screen behind them shifted, becoming a tactical display similar to the one used in the briefing before the battle the previous day. Heero's eyes narrowed as he saw the surviving vessels of the Orb Navy arrayed in front of the Kaguya spaceport, represented by yellow dots along with a single white one for the Archangel, while the Alliance fleet was to the north, shown as a much larger mass of blue dots.

No, Heero thought, realizing something was amiss, according to Murrue the Atlantic Federation invasion force lost over a third of their warships yesterday… but this armada's back at full strength! No… there's actually more ships now. They've been reinforced!

To his left he heard Murrue gasp, and Heero knew that she had come to the same conclusion. The reactions of Kira, La Flaga, and Cagalli were a little delayed, but their expressions became ones of shock as they eventually caught on to what they were seeing.

"Yes," said Erica Simmons grimly, "the enemy has replenished their numbers… and then some."

"How is that possible?" asked Murrue, "The Atlantic Federation hit us with the entirety of their Combined Pacific Fleet yesterday; they can't have any more ships in this theater! The rest of their Navy is in the Atlantic Ocean, and there's no way that they could send vessels to reinforce the invasion force in such a short period of time!"

"You are correct, Captain Ramius," said Colonel Kisaka, "Unfortunately, the enemy reinforcements are not from the Atlantic Federation; they're Eurasian."

"That's impossible!" said La Flaga, "The Eurasian Federation's offensive fleets were all but wiped out at Alaska, and after the betrayal there by the Atlantic Federation there's no way the Eurasians would commit their Home Fleet to any joint effort!"

"Normally you would be right, Hawk of Endymion," said Lord Uzumi, "but the situation within Eurasia has changed. The Chistaya Partiya Krovi, an extremist party in the same vein as the Blue Cosmos, has seized power in Moscow. They've thrown all of Eurasia's remaining military might behind the Atlantic Federation, along with its considerable economic resources."

"When did this happen?" asked Murrue, "And why did we not learn of it until now?"

"The coup occurred a few days prior to the Atlantic Federation's opening assault," said Kisaka, "as for how we did not learn of it sooner, that's simple; we devoted so many of our intelligence assets to monitoring the Atlantic Federation that we completely ignored the other member states of the Earth Alliance."

"You had no reason to believe that Moscow would act against Orb, especially after Alaska," said Heero, "It was a logical move to make; you were just thrown a curve ball by Eurasia's internal politics."

"A small consolation, Yuy," said Lord Uzumi, "and it hardly matters now in any case."

Heero nodded. "True. So, what's our next move?"

"We've been issued one final ultimatum by the Atlantic Federation forces," said Kisaka, "More specifically, by Azrael himself; turns out he is with the armada, on board the carrier Powell."

"Too bad you didn't nail that ship during your rampage," said La Flaga, looking over at Heero.

"Too late to worry about that now," said Heero, glancing at the blond pilot before turning back to Kisaka, "How much time do we have until they attack again?"

"About nine hours," the Colonel replied, "and we're going to need every one of them, and a little more time beside, if we're going to pull this off."

"Pull what off?" asked Kira.

"Our final evacuation," said Lord Uzumi, "We cannot stand against the forces that face us now; it's only a matter of time before we fall. It falls to us to ensure the survival of Orb's legacy and ideals. The physical lands may soon be conquered, but the heart of the nation cannot be taken by fleets and armies. We will sow the seeds for the future, for the light that is our country's beliefs… for a better tomorrow where Coordinators and Naturals can live together in peace and friendship."

Heero saw Murrue nod. "That light may be small, but it burns brightly with us. We will do everything in our power to help you protect your country's beliefs and preserve them for the future, Lord Uzumi. The Archangel and her crew will fight to keep the hope we've created here alive; we won't let the Alliance or ZAFT plunge the world into utter darkness."

The Lion of Orb smiled. "Thank you, Captain Ramius. Your ship and crew will play a critical role in that fight… and the future of Orb; of that I have no doubt."

"So what do we do now?" asked Cagalli, "I know we evacuated the civilians from areas that had the highest chance of being caught up in the fighting, but this is another matter entirely."

"We've already put our plan into motion," said Erica, "We've been sending transports filled with M1's, their pilots, and as many additional soldiers as we could squeeze in to our surviving L3 colonies. We've also sent several ships full of Orb military personnel to nations of the Equatorial Union, along with refugee ships for civilians who wish to leave the country; they'll be looked after until the war is over."

"Unfortunately," said Lord Uzumi, "it is simply impossible to evacuate the entire civilian population. All we can do is hope that the occupiers will take some measure of mercy on the people who have no choice but to remain in Orb."

"Luckily we've already managed to evacuate our Coordinator minority population," said Kisaka, "We have no doubt the Atlantic Federation forces will attempt to purge any that they come across, and we've nipped that threat at the bud… well, the best we could at any rate; there will always be those who refuse to leave their homeland."

"We are taking measures to hide those that refused to leave in the initial evacuation," said Lord Uzumi, sighing, "but only time will tell if the remaining Orb Coordinators will be able to elude the CIA hellhounds."

"I pray that your civilians will be alright," said Murrue, "Coordinator and Natural."

Lord Uzumi nodded. "Your concern is appreciated, Captain Ramius."

What a disgusting war, thought Heero as he listened, devoting intelligence assets just towards hunting down and killing civilians because of their race… not even OZ, the old Alliance, or White Fang stooped anywhere near this low in their battles with us. It's true that the conflict escalated to the point that mankind on Earth and in space was endangered, but the motivations and campaigns were very different; it wasn't about the kind of hatred and brutality that the Earth Alliance and ZAFT have for each other, nor was it about genocide. And in the end, Treize and Zechs made the final confrontation's true purpose into turning mankind away from war, wagging a fight so massive, with almost impossibly high stakes, ultimately making humanity lose all taste for battle. It wasn't about murdering an entire race of people simply because of their genes. The Alliance and ZAFT just want to completely eradicate each other, down to the last man, woman, and child. Treize and Zechs would be appalled by a war like this.

Heero found himself wondering how the two cunning and charismatic leaders, amongst the greatest warriors and commanders of the After Colony timeline, would bring the war the Gundam pilot found himself caught up in now to an end. It was difficult to even begin contemplate the methods the former White Fang leader and ruler of the Earth Nation would go about in manipulating and ultimately concluding the conflict; the workings of both men's minds were difficult to understand. While it was true that fighting Zechs had given Heero a better read on that man than Treize, and that the Lightning Count was more straightforward than the Colonel who had taken over the Earth not once but twice, the pilot of the Tallgeese and later the Epyon still maintained an air of enigma about him.

Treize and Zechs were both charismatic and idealistic, yet at the same time pragmatic and ruthless. They had their own unique codes of honor, yet were quite willing to use underhanded tactics and strategies to secure a long-term goal. They had both lived for battle, yet the final, massive confrontation that the two of them had orchestrated had proven to be the catalyst needed to push mankind into embracing pacifism. One had died and the other had vanished… though Heero doubted that the latter had gone on to meet the Grim Reaper. The similarities and contradictions between the two men were quite difficult for Heero to truly grasp. Granted, he had been able to predict Zechs' moves to a degree during his tenure as the leader of White Fang during the Eve Wars, but his ultimate motives had been another matter, and that wasn't even counting having Treize and his plans thrown into the mix.

After a few moments Heero shoved his musing aside; he was getting nowhere, and focusing on the here and now was more important. He could pick back up on his train of thought latter on, when he and the others weren't in the middle of planning an evacuation.

He looked to his left as Murrue spoke again, her eyes narrowing. "You mentioned that you were already evacuating your ground forces to other member states of the Equatorial Union, but you've made no mention of the Orb Navy or the remainder of you ground-based fighter squadrons. I'm assuming you have a role in mind for them in the coming battle."

Kisaka sighed. "Yes… we will need them for the final holding action. We may have nearly nine hours until Azrael's deadline passes, but even that amount of time is not enough to complete our final preparations. We will need both the fleet and the land-based squadrons to buy us the final moments we need to ensure that the last ships take flight; the Archangel and the Kusanagi."

"This is not a sacrifice we make lightly," said Lord Uzumi, his expression grim, "all nonessential crew have already been ordered to leave their ships and join the Army in its evacuation… but we cannot have all personnel leave the fleet. The crews that remained behind have already been informed of their task, and have accepted the part they must play. They will shield Kaguya with their lives and hold back the Alliance assault for as long as they can. All we can do is make sure that their sacrifice will not be in vain."

"You can't just order them to their deaths like that!" cried Kira.

"Kira's right," said Cagalli, "Father, you can't do this!"

"Don't you think I know that?" said Lord Uzumi, his eyes narrowing, "We have no choice! If the Navy and fighter squadrons do not perform their delaying action, then Orb has no future!"

"So you'll just throw thousands of brave men and women to the wolves?" cried Cagalli, "This is wrong, Father!"

"Once the Archangel and Kusanagi are clear," said Kisaka, "the survivors have been given leave to either surrender or attempt a breakout. It is by no means a perfect plan, but they do have a hope for survival."

"You're still sacrificing their lives!" cried Cagalli, "Father, how can you do this?"

"It's the lesser of the evils Orb is confronted with," said Heero, causing the others to look at him, "The unfortunate truth about any war is that sometimes you're given no choice but to make sacrifices. There is no true right answer in such a situation; all you can do is try to make the most out of it, to make sure that any lives lost mean something. Cagalli, your father isn't just throwing away his troops lives, nor has he deceived them about their role in the coming battle; they know that their duty today will be to fight as a rearguard, something that they were aware that they could be called upon to do when the enlisted."

"Heero's right," said La Flaga, "none of us have to like it... hell, it would be wrong if we did… but those are the cards Orb's been dealt. It's not right, princess, but at least your father isn't setting his troops up for slaughter just for the chance to kill more of the enemy; he's sacrificing them to make sure that the ideals and culture of their country have a chance to live on, and that future generations of their people will be able to live in peace in the land that they gave their lives for. Lord Uzumi isn't acting like the butchers that sit on the Atlantic Federation High Command; this isn't Alaska."

"Eloquently put, Hawk of Endymion," said Erica Simmons.

La Flaga shrugged but made no comment.

Murrue sighed. "It's unfortunate, but given the situation there truly is no other alternative… though I dearly wish it were otherwise." She looked up at Lord Uzumi and the others, and Heero could see the resolve in her eyes. "I swear that we will do all we can to make the sacrifices of the brave men and women of the Orb military count for something; I refuse to let them die in vain."

"Thank you, Captain Ramius," said Lord Uzumi, bowing his head slightly, "your commitment and bravery mean a great deal to us, and the Archangel will be invaluable in planting the seeds for Orb's future. Between you, your crew and pilots, and the Kusanagi, I believe that the fire of this nation and its ideals will survive, and may yet flourish again when this war is finally over."

"You've spoken of the Kusanagi several times now," said Murrue, "I'm assuming it's a warship of some kind?"

"Correct," said Lord Uzumi. He nodded at Erica Simmons, who took that as her cue to grab her own remote and point it at the monitor behind the Orb delegation. The tactical display disappeared, replaced by an image of a formidable-looking spaceship.

Heero's eyes narrowed as he studied the Kusanagi. Design wise the Perfect Soldier noted several features similar to the Archangel, particularly with regards to the rear section of the ship and its upraised bridge. The bow had a two-pronged design similar to Murrue's command, only instead of the prongs being side by side they were one over the other, like the open jaw of a shark or whale. In between the prongs was a single hangar door, and Heero assumed that the prongs were part of the linear catapult system used by warships of the Cosmic Era to launch mobile suits. The ship's color scheme was a mixture of light blues.

"The Kusanagi," said Erica, "is the second in our line of Izumo-class battleships. The line served as the basis for our collaboration with the Atlantic Federation in the construction of the warship Archangel."

"I saw mention of that in the reports I was given when I was read into the project," said Murrue, "though I wasn't given access to any schematics regarding the Izumo-class ships. I can definitely see some level of resemblance between it and the Archangel, at least based on that image."

Erica nodded. "The Archangel is more advanced and formidable than the Kusanagi, but the ship is still powerful in its own right. The vessel is 290 meters in length, and uses the same Laminated Armor installed on the Archangel. Armaments include two retractable Gottfried heavy beam cannons mounted above and below the hangar, two retractable Lohengrin positron cannons mounted at the sides of the rear section of the ship near the engines, twenty Igelstellung CIWs, and several ship-to-ship and ship-to-air missile launchers. The vessel can carry eight mobile suits, though if pressed we can cram one or two more inside the hangar."

"If this ship is currently on Earth," said Heero, "why wasn't it used in the battle yesterday? It may not be as powerful as the Archangel, but it would've still been a valuable asset in the fighting."

"Unlike the Archangel," said Erica, "the Kusanagi is not composed of one seamless hull." She hit a few buttons on her remote, and Heero saw the ship split into three sections. "The frame was built as three separate components: the bow, the central body, and the main engine block. The bow and engine block were constructed at our resource satellites at L3; the body was built in Orb. This was done so we could load M1s onto it directly from our factories here. Unfortunately, in this state it is completely defenseless."

"So the plan is to launch it into space and have it link up with the other two components?" asked La Flaga.

"Correct," said Kisaka.

"We are currently in the final outfitting process," said Erica, "we're running final systems checks and loading the necessary supplies. Since this will be the Kusanagi's maiden voyage, we are trying to be as thorough as possible given our time constraints. Unfortunately, there is only so much we can rush the process, and it will not be ready to launch before the Alliance's deadline passes. That's why we need the Orb Navy to perform the holding action."

"What about the Archangel?" asked Murrue, "Will it be launched from the mass driver before the Kusanagi?"

"Actually no," said Erica, "while the Archangel will be departing prior to the Kusanagi, it will not be via Kaguya."

Morgenroete's Chief Engineer hit another key on the remote, and the image of the Kusanagi was replaced by that of the Archangel. Heero was quick to zero in on a modification to the white warship; two gray and blue fin-like structures mounted over the vessel's Valiant rail cannons.

"The Archangel," said Erica, "will be fitted with two of our prototype positronic space boosters. This will allow the ship to exit the atmosphere without utilizing the mass driver, allowing us more time to launch additional refugee transports, along with preparing the Kusanagi for departure."

"How do the boosters work?" asked Kira.

"They operate in cooperation with the Archangel's Lohengrin positron cannons," said Erica, "the ship will ascend to its maximum operating altitude and fire its main cannons at a 45 degree angle, which is theoretically within the vessel's atmospheric flight limitations. When the Lohengrins are fired, the boosters take the positronic interference created by the blast to form an energy cone that literally disintegrates the atmosphere in front of the ship. This eliminates all forms of air resistance, allowing the Archangel's engines to be pushed to maximum and achieve escape velocity. Due to the mass of the ship, doing so without the boosters would rip the Archangel apart from the atmospheric pressure exerted combined with the sheer force of gravity."

"I've never heard of this procedure for atmospheric exit," said Murrue, her eyes narrowing.

"Well, the positron boosters are prototypes," said Erica, "and we've been testing them under the strictest secrecy. They're for use purely as a means of emergency atmospheric escape, and the only reason we want the Archangel to utilize them here is due to the time constraints placed on us. Otherwise we would use the mass driver to boost your ship into orbit."

"That's why you wanted us to bring the Archangel into dock," said Heero, "to install the boosters."

"Correct," said Erica, "along with replenishing the ship's munitions and loading as much supplies on board as we can. Once we're in space… well, who knows when we'll find another friendly port?"

"You're coming with us, Miss Simmons?" asked Kira.

"In a manner of speaking," she replied, "I'll be on board the Kusanagi, along with my top engineering and research teams. We'll be helping maintain both the ship and its mobile suits, and will also help analyze any new vessels, mobile suits, or technology that we encounter in our coming travels."

"Judging from the image on the screen," said Murrue, "those boosters are quite large, and it will take time to install them on the Archangel, and that's not even counting resupplying the ship. We should get started immediately."

"Agreed," said Lord Uzumi, standing up, "this meeting is adjourned." The Lion of Orb turned towards his daughter. "Cagalli, go with Kisaka; he'll bring you up to speed on all the key details regarding the Kusanagi, along with your new mobile suit."

"Wait," said Cagalli, her eyes widening, "I get a machine now?"

"Yes," said Kisaka, "and it's not an M1, though I believe you will recognize it instantly."

"Alright," said Cagalli. She looked over at Heero and the rest of the Archangel delegation. "I guess I'll catch up to you guys later. Take care, ok?"

Heero nodded, along with the others. He saw Murrue smile as she replied. "We will, Cagalli. We'll see you later."

"Captain Ramius," said Erica, "one of my aides will meet you at the dock; you can coordinate the installation of the boosters with her. I need to go supervise the loading and system checks of the Kusanagi."

"Alright," said Murrue.

"There is one favor I wish to ask of you, Captain Ramius," said Lord Uzumi, "I would be grateful if you would allow Kira and the pilot of that new machine that's now aboard the Archangel to transfer over to Kaguya."

"You want them to act as a final line of defense for the Kusanagi in case the Alliance forces break through the Orb fleet," said Murrue.

Lord Uzumi nodded. "Precisely, Captain. Both machines will be able to latch onto the Kusanagi as it heads down the mass driver. They can then board the ship once it clears the atmosphere; we will make sure there is enough space in the hangar for both units."

"Very well," said Murrue, "Heero and La Flaga will be more than enough to cover the Archangel until we've reached maximum altitude." She turned towards the Gundam pilot and the Hawk of Endymion.

Both pilots nodded. "We'll return to the ship before you fire the Lohengrins and activate the boosters," said Heero.

"Right," said La Flaga, a confident smile on his face, "leave it to us, Captain."

Murrue nodded before turning back to the Lion of Orb. "Is there anything else you need, Lord Uzumi?"

"No," he replied, "that is all. Thank you for your cooperation, Captain." With that he strode out of the room, with Kisaka, Erica, and Cagalli following suit.

Heero and the others stood up to leave. As they did so Murrue turned to Kira. "Kira," she said, "go inform Athrun of what we discussed here; I want the Freedom and the Justice transferred to Kaguya as quickly as possible. Make sure to pack your things too; I'm sure Engineer Simmons can arrange for quarters for both of you onboard the Kusanagi."

"Are you sure, Captain?" asked Kira, "We could both return to the Archangel once we reach outer space."

Murrue shook her head. "Between Wing Zero, the Tallgeese Kai, and the Buster, the Archangel has a formidable mobile suit force. The Kusanagi will only have the M1s and Cagalli's machine though; they could use the boost in firepower."

Kira nodded. "Alright, I'll go tell Athrun. We'll take our machines to the spaceport and coordinate with Colonel Kisaka."

As the boy left the room Murrue turned towards Heero and La Flaga. "I'm sorry for dumping so much responsibility on your shoulders, but Wing Zero and the Tallgeese Kai are our only full-flight capable machines without the Freedom or the Justice. The Buster can't maneuver at the altitudes we'll likely be fighting at, and with Cagalli leaving the Archangel we don't have another pilot trained on operating the Skygrasper."

"It's alright, Murrue," said Heero, nodding, "La Flaga and I can handle whatever air units the Alliance throws at us."

"Heero's right," said La Flaga, "so long as we're mindful of our position and the Archangel's altitude, we'll be fine."

"Hopefully the two of you won't have to launch at all," said Murrue, "You'll be on standby in your mobile suits the moment the Archangel leaves port, but I only want you to leave the ship if we pick up enemy mobile suits and fighters on an intercept trajectory, and only if it's clear that they'll catch up to us before we can reach our maximum altitude and fire the Lohengrins. If that happens, the two of you will have to wipe out the enemy as quickly as possible and return the ship, understood?"

"Roger that," said Heero.

"Got it," said La Flaga.

Murrue looked at Heero for a moment, and the Gundam pilot could see the concern in her eyes. She may have had faith in his abilities, but that did not stop her from worrying about him all the same. It meant a lot to Heero; it was a sign of just how much she cared for him. He gave her a small smile and nod in an attempt to offer reassurance.

His efforts seemed to work, for Murrue returned the smile before looking at both Heero and La Flaga. "Alright, let's get back to the ship. We've got a lot to take care of before we launch, and not nearly as much time to do it as I'd like."

Agreed, thought Heero as the three of them headed towards the exit, less than nine hours to mount the boosters, adjust the Archangel's systems to work with them, completely provision the ship for an operation that will likely go on for several months… it'll go by all too quickly.

….

Sitting on the bridge, Murrue checked her personal monitor, which was currently linked to one of the portside exterior cameras. Through it she saw the Orb dock crews mounting the positron space booster over the Valiant rail cannon, and she knew that the same thing was happening on the starboard side of the ship.

Almost six hours have already gone by, she thought, those boosters are large and cumbersome; getting them into position alone was a difficult task for the dock crews. At least now we can begin synchronizing them to the Lohengrin cannons.

Mounting the boosters was not the only task the dock crews and the Archangel's personnel were engaged in. Since Murrue and the others had returned from the meeting everyone had been working non-stop to load supplies onto the ship. Rations, water, spare parts, munitions… all that and much more were being brought aboard the Archangel. New crew members for the white warship were trickling in as well, personnel that Orb had been unable to allocate to the vessel before the initial Alliance assault. For the first time in her career the Archangel would be launching with a full crew compliment, which would greatly ease the burdens of those that had stuck with the ship since Heliopolis. The greatest relief would be for the tech crews and the bridge staff, both of whom had been forced to pull the longest hour shifts over the course of their long journey.

Now we have enough personnel to run three full-staffed shifts for all departments, thought Murrue, smiling slightly, before now many of the crew were pulling ten or twelve hour stints at their posts… I'm glad we can finally fix that.

The only members of the crew that would not have such relief were the Archangel's combat pilots. However, Murrue knew that Heero and La Flaga had already accustomed themselves to such conditions, and Dearka seemed disciplined enough to work with them. Besides, other than actual battles the pilots were usually on break, so in that regard they actually had more time to rest than most of the crew.

Of course, Murrue thought as she looked over her shoulder, how they spend that break time is another matter. Just over her right shoulder was Heero, having just come up to the bridge about an hour ago after running through a very thorough systems and maintenance check on Wing Zero. The incredible pilot had reported that his fearsome machine was in peak condition before settling in at his usual place at Murrue's side.

Their eyes met, and Heero gave her a small nod. His eyes were full of the familiar strength and determination that had become Murrue's rock amidst the sea of chaos that seemed to always surround the Archangel, a place where she could always turn to for reassurance and stability. She nodded in return, smiling in an effort to convey her gratitude. It appeared to work, as the handsome young man gave her a small smile in acknowledgement.

"We've got less than three hours until the Alliance begins its second assault," said Murrue, "how long do you think the Orb fleet and air squadrons can hold out?"

The Perfect Soldier looked out the forward viewport, his expression becoming grim. "Were the Alliance forces at the strength they were at the end of yesterday's battle, I'd give the Orb fleet and air squadrons about three hours. With things as they stand now, though… they'll be lucky to last one."

It wasn't an optimistic prediction, and as much as she wanted to believe otherwise Murrue had long ago learned to trust Heero's instincts and his ability to analyze a situation. It was a grim assessment, and all Murrue could do was try to make sure their own plans would work with it.

She closed her eyes, doing some quick estimates in her head before opening her eyes and looking at Heero. "That won't leave us a lot of room to spare; we'll be getting out near the last moment."

Heero nodded. "Agreed, and it'll be even closer for the Kusanagi. It's a good thing they'll have Athrun and Kira acting as their final line of defense; they'll need all the power the Freedom and Justice can bring to the table."

"Especially if, no, when those three Alliance prototypes break through the Orb forces," said Murrue, "with the way those three units fought yesterday, combined with the weakened status of the Orb fleet… they'll cut through like a hot knife through butter."

"Yeah," said Heero, "I'm not too worried if they come after us; La Flaga and I can take them. It might be a little more challenging for Kira and Athrun though."

"How so?" asked Murrue, raising her eyebrows, "They were able to handle those three yesterday."

"They're handicapped," said Heero grimly, "by Kira's unwillingness to kill. If he was still capable of taking life when necessary he would've destroyed all three prototypes before the Justice arrived, but the fact that he won't go for a lethal blow combined with the unique abilities of those machines and the skills of their pilots means any confrontation between them will be far more drawn out than it should be. From the combat data you showed me earlier it's clear Athrun doesn't have the same compunctions when it comes to killing on the battlefield, but he'll still be hamstrung by Kira's inability to fight lethally."

Murrue looked down. "I suppose you're right. Still… Kira was so torn up over the fact that he had to kill in order to protect his friends. Fighting non-lethally seems to have allowed him to finally come to terms with his role as a mobile suit pilot."

"You and I kill in battle, but we're able to deal with the burden," said Heero, his eyes meeting hers, "we both understand that it's necessary to take down the enemy with lethal force in a fight in order to permanently neutralize the threat they pose to us and the people we care about. We don't like it, but we're still able to do it without hesitation. I know Kira had difficulty accepting that, and it's natural given the fact that he never had any military training prior to the attack on Heliopolis, but he's been fighting for months now; enough time to make up for that deficiency."

The young man then sighed. "Kira… he's just too soft to truly be a soldier like us. Yes, he's a very good pilot, and his abilities are invaluable, both now and in our coming struggles, but the fact remains that his refusal to kill his opponents now that he has the Freedom is more of a hindrance than a help to us. Any foes he takes down may be removed for an engagement, but they'll be back in the next, and they'll be bolstered by the experience they gained from surviving the previous fight. That goes for the pilots of those three new Alliance mobile suits as well; they'll know what to expect from him, and they'll make full use of the knowledge that he doesn't fight lethally. Athrun will provide an effective counterbalance… that is, if Kira doesn't try to stop him from killing the enemy."

Murrue nodded. "I suppose you're right. I may not be a mobile suit pilot, but I know full well that the orders I give as Captain of the Archangel during combat lead to the deaths of those opposing us. When I give the command to open fire with the Lohengrins, Gottfrieds, and Valiants, or launch a barrage of Wombat or Sledgehammer missiles, I'm as responsible for killing the enemy as the gunners that pull the trigger. The same goes when I have you or La Flaga launch an attack; the blood that is spilled is as much on my hands as it is on yours. It's a burden I was trained to deal with… one I know I must deal with if any of us are to have a chance at surviving this war. You and I know that the lives of many others ride on our shoulders, and that any hesitation on our part could well get them killed."

Her eyes narrowed as she continued. "I don't want to say anything against Kira, especially after all he's done for us since Heliopolis… but his new style of fighting smacks of self-righteousness bordering on arrogance. All that time he spent fighting those three damn machines yesterday was time he wasn't reinforcing the Orb Army and driving back the Alliance landing forces. How many good men and women lost their lives because he was more concerned with fighting his own foes non-lethally? Like you said, you and I may not like killing the enemy, but we understand that we have to in order to protect those we care about, our allies, and ourselves. Having blood on our hands is a burden, but one we're willing to bear so that others don't have to. Every enemy we kill is one less enemy that can threaten us or the people we care about, now and in the future. Kira's methods may remove the immediate threat, but not the future one. More importantly, the fact that his tactics force him to take longer fighting skilled opponents means that more of our own allies are put in danger because he's not there to support them; the battle yesterday was a perfect illustration of that. Kira may not directly be killing anymore… but how many lives could he have saved yesterday had he been willing to shoulder the same burden that you, I, and so many others do every day of this war?"

"My thoughts exactly," said Heero.

"Are you going to confront him on this?" asked Murrue.

Heero shook his head. "I've already discussed the flaws of his new flying style with Kira, though I did leave out the aspect of his allies lives that he may be endangering as a result of his actions. Still, I made my point. I also told him that if he was determined to stick with that style that I wouldn't press the issue… and that he shouldn't get in my way while I'm fighting, as I don't share his compunctions. He knows that the consequences of his actions are his to deal with; there's little point now in rehashing that argument with him… unless you want me to."

Murrue shook her head. "No, Heero. I know that despite your differences, you two are friends; I don't want to start a fight between the two of you. Besides, right now we can't afford one."

"True," said Heero, nodding, "Kira can thank the Alliance for that."

They were both quiet for a few minutes after that, contemplating the coming battle. Granted, the Archangel would only engage if she was attacked while setting up for her atmospheric exit, but Murrue knew the value of planning for worst case scenarios.

With Heero and La Flaga on standby, she thought, we'll be alright. Between fighting the Orb forces and trying to take Kaguya, the Alliance's resources will be split; any squadrons they send after us will be taken care of by Wing Zero and the Tallgeese Kai.

What would happen after they made it to outer space was another matter altogether. Murrue was concerned over the vagueness of their new 'mission'. It was all well and good to say that the purpose of the Archangel and the Kusanagi leaving Orb was to find a way to bring the war to a conclusion that did not involve genocide, but how to accomplish that was, at the moment, beyond her.

The two largest militaries in human history are clashing in this conflict, she mused grimly, and both are determined to wipe the other out, not just to the last soldier but their civilians as well. The power, numbers, and resources behind the Alliance and ZAFT dwarf any other nation in the Earth Sphere, and we're just two ships and a handful of mobile suits. If we can make contact with members of the PLANT resistance movement our odds will improve… but we'll still have a long ways to go. The task before us may as well be moving mountains…

Still, despite the challenges that lay before them, Murrue refused to be intimidated. She would not give up; after coming so far, how could she?

She turned to the incredible young man at her side and smiled. It's true that saving mankind from annihilating itself is part of why I'm fighting now, she thought, but my true reasons are much more personal. I'm fighting for a future for Heero and myself… for a future with the man I love. I don't care if others might view that as selfish in light of what's at stake; protecting Heero, securing a future for the two of us… that is why I'm fighting!

….

Muruta Azrael chuckled as he watched the timer on his personal monitor tick down inexorably towards zero. The deadline was about to pass, and as he had predicted there had been no response from Lord Uzumi to his demands. He had been hoping for the other noble families to overthrow the Athhas and make an overture, but that hadn't happened. It hardly mattered; with the arrival of the Eurasian Home Fleet, the Alliance armada was now a truly overwhelming force. The pitiful remnants of Orb's military could not hope to survive the coming assault; they were doomed.

Minimizing the timer, Azrael brought up another image, this one of the Powell's main hangar. He had a clear view of the Raider, Forbidden, and Calamity. All three units had been fully repaired from the damage they had taken the previous day, and they were ready for battle. The pilots were already inside, having just received new doses of Gamma Glipheptin mere minutes ago.

It's too bad we don't have a second line of Biological CPUs ready for battle yet, he thought, having only these three to draw on is a real pain… no matter. With the funding they have access to, it will only be a matter of time until Lodonia and our other facilities will be able to churn out more front-line fighters. They certainly don't lack for test subjects; I've made sure of that.

He brought up another file, this one labeled 'Phantom Pain'. A black organization established by Blue Cosmos and its chief financial backer Logos several years prior to the start of the war, the group had its hands in not only the Biological CPU project but dozens of other top secret programs as well. MS and warship research, weapons development, biological enhancements… all that and more fell under the purview of the organization forged by Azrael and his associate, Lord Djibril. Its official designation within the Atlantic Federation was the 81st Autonomous Mobile Group. The title wasn't entirely non-indicative; Phantom Pain did utilize a significant number of the Alliance's new mobile suits, participated in active theaters of war, and had the authority to commandeer warships at will. However, the unit was outside the Alliance chain of command, and reported directly to Azrael. Designating it as the 81st Autonomous Mobile Group served as a means of concealing its more research oriented departments, which in fact made up the bulk of the organization.

Scrolling though the file, making a brief overview of the operations his private army and science group was currently running, Azrael smiled as he came to the tag he was looking for. Accessing the link labeled 'Phantom Commander', his eyes narrowed as he studied the latest updates.

So far so good, he mused, he's still with Bernard's North Africa invasion force. That campaign will give him more battle experience as a mobile suit pilot; can't have him just participate in exercises to hone his skills. Now, let's check his physical health…

He smiled as he browsed the medical records of the project's sole surviving subject. Excellent, he thought, he still hasn't shown signs of the degenerative conditions found in others like him. Considering how long the project has been going, along with all the failures, this is marvelous news. If things continue along these lines, he should prove to be a worthy representative. I cannot physically take part in battles; my skills lie elsewhere. Through him, though, I will have a field commander and a warrior that embodies everything I seek to achieve.

Anyone else would've called what he was trying to do little more than trying to live through a being that could do what he lacked the skills to do, but Azrael considered himself above such foolish sentiments. To him, the top subject of 'Phantom Commander' would be an agent of his will on the battlefield, an executor of his agenda in the military. However, despite all the intense training that the subject had been put through, he was still untested in actual battle. Fighting in North Africa would begin building the field experience necessary to complete the process of turning the subject into the warrior and leader destined to lead Phantom Pain's combat operations in the future.

Exiting out of the file, he returned to the timer just in time to see it enter the final minute of its countdown. Sitting back in his chair, Azrael decided to use that last moment to bask in the glory of all that he had accomplished in but a few short years… and how he would propel himself and the Earth Alliance, nay, the entire human race to even greater heights in both the coming battle and the campaigns to follow.

Azrael grinned as the timer finally ticked down to zero. "Captain," he said to the Powell's commanding officer, who was now also charged with military leadership of the armada, "the time has come; begin the attack."

….

"Holy hell," said the sensor operator, "they're getting decimated…"

No argument there, thought Murrue grimly as she watched the tactical feed of the battle displayed on the main monitor. Like the battle yesterday, there was no sense of subtlety or finesse to the Alliance's attack; their forces had simply slammed into the Orb fleet and air squadrons like a tsunami.

The battle was nearly a half an hour old, and despite being heavily, hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned the surviving warships of the Orb fleet were putting up a valiant fight. Bolstered by the remaining carrier fighters, surface-based aircraft, and shoreline artillery, the Orb military was determined to stand their ground, buying every extra minute they could for the Archangel and Kusanagi to finish their final launch preparations.

Unfortunately, the sheer weight of the enemy's numbers meant any effort on the part of the Orb forces was doomed to failure. Dozens of Alliance warships were damaged or sinking, and their fighter squadrons were slugging it out in a vicious dogfight with the Orb planes, but the enemy was more than capable of absorbing the losses, and had more than returned the favor. The Orb Navy was being pounded relentlessly under a rain of missiles and cannon fire, along with torpedoes from the Alliance Aqua Dart mini-attack-subs. The last of the Pisces mobile suits had been destroyed in the opening act of the engagement, taking scores of Aqua Darts before succumbing to the sheer weight of numbers thrown at them in a massive frontal assault. The remaining Aries mobile suits had met a similar fate, destroying dozens of full-flight Strikes and Spearhead fighter jets before being ground down and ultimately wiped out by the enemy.

Matters were only made worse by the three Alliance prototype mobile suits tearing into the Orb forces. The black and red machine was in its mobile armor form, carrying the blue heavy artillery unit. While the latter mobile suit pounded away with its formidable array of cannons, the former fired off yellow energy beams from the cannon in its 'mouth'. Several smoking wrecks of Orb warships lay in their wake, slipping beneath the waves. Meanwhile, the green and grey mobile suit was ripping a swath of its own through the Orb fleet, hacking ships in half with its wicked scythe and demolishing others with its railguns and plasma cannon.

If only Kira had destroyed those three units the day before, Murrue thought, griping the arms of her chair as she watched the brutal battle unfold on the tactical display, yes, our position would still be untenable, but we could've saved more people, the fleet would be able to last longer. Thousands of brave men and women have already died in the course of half an hour; how many more will perish before this is over? If Kira had been willing to take the lives of three enemy combatants, how many of our allies might've been spared?

There was no point in ruminating on such things. Murrue had no way of knowing how the Alliance would treat any surviving Orb soldiers that surrendered after the Archangel and Kusanagi had made their escape. For all she knew her former comrades would carry out another massacre. As much as she hated to even think such a thing, it was not a possibility Murrue could rule out. Still, there was always the chance the enemy would abide by the laws and customs of war in this scenario. The Orb forces taking part in the holding action were entirely made up of Naturals; all Coordinator personnel had already been evacuated to the Elysium and Eden colonies at L3.

As things were now, the Orb forces were being mauled. Heero had been right in saying that their allies would be lucky to last an hour; at the rate the Alliance forces were tearing into them, the Orb military would be wiped out in another fifteen or twenty minutes. The Navy had been reduced to a third of the ships that they had started the engagement with, while the fighters had been worn down to a quarter of their numbers. They had made the Alliance pay for it, of course, but the sheer weight of numbers, especially in the form of the swarms of newly arrived Eurasian fighter squadrons and Aqua Dart mini-attack-subs, meant that any losses the enemy suffered were ultimately negligible.

Murrue had a feeling that they were running out of time, and contacted Heero on her private monitor. "Heero, are you getting all this?"

The Gundam pilot nodded. "I'm patched into your sensor feeds. Orb's getting thrashed… looks like them lasting even an hour was a generous estimate. We need to get underway."

"Agreed," said Murrue. She turned to her new XO. "Lieutenant Tsukino, status report!"

"Final system checks complete," she replied, "and the last dock workers just left the ship a minute ago. We're fully stocked and ready to go. Just say the word and I'll get dock control on the line."

"Do it!" ordered Murrue. She turned back to the Perfect Soldier. "Heero, how's Wing Zero?"

"Ready to go if needed," said Heero, "and La Flaga's all set in the Tallgeese."

"Good," she replied, "I'm going to get us out of here ASAP. I'll contact you if I need you to launch."

Heero nodded. "Roger that."

As he signed out Murrue turned her attention to the main monitor, which now showed the dock chief. "Captain Ramius," he said, "you're clear to go. Once you clear the dock, run west parallel to the mass driver. We're sending your vector now. Good luck."

"Understood," said Murrue, "you as well."

The dock chief nodded before the screen went back to the tactical display. A thin red dotted line appeared on, just behind the rear line of the remaining Orb warships. It's going to be close, Murrue thought, her eyes narrowing, at the rate Orb's losing ships and planes, we'll probably be engaged by a few MS teams before we reach maximum altitude. Heero and La Flaga can take them, though… alright, here we go!

"Ensign Neumann," she said, "take us out. Once we clear the dock, begin our ascent."

"Aye, Captain," the helmsman replied.

There was a familiar rumble as the Archangel's powerful engines roared to life. It would take time for them to lift the massive warship to its maximum altitude; Murrue could only hope that the Orb forces would be able to hold out long enough for them to get clear.

Slowly but surely the white behemoth made its way out of the dock. Once they were clear the ship adjusted course and headed out towards the side of the mass driver.

"I'm opening her up," said the helmsman, "beginning ascent."

As the ship began its climb Murrue looked to the starboard side of the forward viewport. The vicious battle raging between the Orb rearguard and the Alliance invasion force had begun encroaching on the immediate area surrounding the Kaguya spaceport; stray missiles and cannon rounds were impacting the water and the tarmac, though thankfully the mass driver hadn't taken any hits.

A massive explosion lit up the horizon as the last Orb fleet carrier, the Hiryū, was hit dead center by a combination of fire from the blue heavy artillery mobile suit, the green and grey special weapons unit, the beam cannon from the red and black machine serving as a mount for the blue one, a barrage of torpedoes from the Aqua Darts swarming beneath the waves, and a concentrated missile bombardment by no less than seven cruisers and thirteen destroyers. Murrue theorized that the fuel tanks must've ruptured, because the large ship was ripped in half in a huge burst of fire and smoke.

Several Orb destroyers moved in quickly to fill the breach in their lines caused by the carrier's destruction, but Murrue knew that the effort would only buy them a few minutes. She could feel the Archangel slowly rise higher and higher… too slow for her tastes.

Damn it, she thought, we need to move faster! However, Murrue knew that her helmsman was doing the best he could; he could only push the ship's engines so hard in the Earth's atmosphere before redlining them, which was why it was much slower on the planet than in outer space.

Ten meters became twenty, twenty became forty, forty became eighty... they were picking up speed, and the Archangel's altitude was increasing. Come on, girl, she privately urged the warship that had served her and her crew so faithfully throughout their trials and tribulations, give it all you've got!

They had just hit five hundred meters when the sensor operator cried out an alarm. "MS teams have broken through the last line! We've got incoming Strikes, forty of them!"

"Open the hangar doors!" she ordered, "Miriallia, tell Heero and La Flaga to launch as soon as they can!"

Not waiting for a response from the girl, Murrue hit her private monitor and contacted Wing Zero. "Heero," she said, "we've got incoming; forty Strikes."

"Understood," said Heero, nodding calmly.

"Heero, listen,' said Murrue, "we'll hit maximum altitude in three minutes. You have to beat the enemy and get back here before then!"

Heero nodded again, and Murrue could see the cool confidence radiating from his eyes. He gave her a small smile. "We'll only need two, Murrue."

Murrue returned the smile, the uncharacteristic boast from the Gundam pilot doing wonders for her own confidence. "I'll hold you to that, Heero."

"Roger that," he replied.

….

(Start "Last Impression – SRW W Version")

"So," said the Hawk of Endymion, his image on the bottom right hand corner of Heero's main monitor, "what's the game plan?"

The two pilots were waiting for the doors at the end of the ship's 'legs' to finish opening. They only had a few seconds to work out a strategy; fortunately, Heero already had one in mind.

"I'll hit them with the Twin Buster Rifle," he said, "as soon as I take my shot, you dive in and hit them while their disorganized; I'll be right behind you."

"Blast and blitz, eh?" said La Flaga, smirking, "I like it!"

"Let's move," said Heero as the doors finished opening, "Wing Zero, launching."

"Tallgeese Kai, launching!" said La Flaga.

Wing Zero shot out of the Archangel's left 'leg', while the Tallgeese Kai flew out the right. Heero's sensors lit up with a swarm of contacts approaching the portside of the white warship, and he turned to meet them head on, La Flaga hot on his tail.

Heero's eyes narrowed as he sighted in on the flock of forty mass production full-flight Strikes. They were spread out across the sky… but not as much as they should've been. The Alliance had been slow to learn the lessons that the ZAFT forces had been taught the hard way; Heero would make them pay for their mistake. He split the Twin Buster Rifle and took aim with both guns, their barrels glowing with golden-yellow energy as they built up a charge. Then he fired.

At maximum power.

The enemy machines had begun to scatter just before Heero fired, but it hadn't been nearly soon enough. Twin torrents of energy, each strong enough to annihilate an entire colony in a single blast, ripped through the Alliance formations. One shot obliterated fourteen mobile suits, the other seventeen, leaving just nine machines left to oppose Wing Zero and the Tallgeese Kai.

La Flaga wasted no time in diving right into the enemy's midst. The Tallgeese Kai shot forward just as the golden-yellow beams cleared the rifle barrels, and as Heero was reassembling the Twin Buster Rifle the Hawk of Endymion was already tearing into the Alliance mobile suits. One unit went down with an emerald beam through the chest, and another was cut in two by the Tallgeese Kai's violet blade. The remaining seven machines frantically returned fire with their beam rifles, but La Flaga was able to block their shots with the Planet Defensors.

With the enemy focusing on the Tallgeese Kai, they were vulnerable to another attack from Heero, and he wasted no time in making the most of the opportunity. Igniting Wing Zero's emerald beam saber, he dove straight into the fray, stabbing one Strike in the back and slashing another in half in a manner of seconds. Capitalizing on Heero's entry, La Flaga struck again, taking down another mobile suit with his beam rifle. One Strike tried to take him from behind, but it was shredded by a barrage of gatling fire from Wing Zero.

The pilots of the last three machines were in a state of panic. Their flying was frantic and uncoordinated, making them easy prey for the two aces that had so effortlessly wiped out their comrades. Firing a low-power shot with the Twin Buster Rifle, Heero turned two of the Strikes into fireballs, and the last was taken down by a slash from La Flaga's beam saber.

"That wasn't too hard," said the Hawk of Endymion, admiring their handiwork.

"Come on," said Heero, turning Wing Zero around and gunning his engines "we need to get back to the Archangel."

"Right behind you," La Flaga replied, following suit.

Approaching the ship, Heero contacted the bridge. "Murrue," he said as her face appeared in the lower right hand corner of his monitor, "enemy forces neutralized."

"We saw it from here," she replied, smiling, "excellent work… and in one minute, not two. You still don't give yourself enough credit, Heero."

"I had help," he replied. Still, he couldn't help but smile slightly at her praise. "We're coming in for landing."

Murrue nodded. "We're opening the bay doors now. Get inside as fast as you can!"

(End "Last Impression – SRW W Version")

….

"Heero and La Flaga have landed," Miriallia reported, "closing hangar doors now!"

"Have the hangar crews secure both suits immediately," Murrue reported, "we have a minute thirty until we reach maximum altitude."

And not a moment too soon, she thought grimly as she checked the small tactical display she had brought up on her personal monitor. While Heero and La Flaga's swift and complete curb-stomping of the Alliance Strike squadrons had been a major source of relief for her, along with their safe landing in the hangar, the fighting taking place far below them was sobering to say the least. The Orb fleet was on its last legs, with the handful of ships still afloat all suffering various degrees of damage. The waterfront before Kaguya was littered with flaming wrecks, and the Alliance forces were making their final push. Still, as impossible as it seemed, the enemy still did not have a clear shot at the spaceport. The last remnants of the Orb fleet and its supporting air squadrons were making a last stand for the history books, refusing to go down just yet, stalling the enemy through sheer tenacity alone. Mauled destroyers and cruisers were firing non-stop with every functioning weapon that they had left, supported by shoreline batteries manned by Army volunteers who had chose to stay and help cover the flight of the Archangel and Kusanagi. The Orb fighter pilots were shooting it out with the last of their missiles and machine gun ammo, and the only planes that withdrew were ones that had exhausted their munitions.

Unfortunately, it was clear now that it would only be moments before the Alliance forces would be able to begin an assault on Kaguya itself. They would naturally want to take the mass driver intact, but the surrounding facilities would be severely damaged as the enemy moved in.

The Kusanagi has to launch soon, thought Murrue, otherwise they'll be caught on the ground, and they could well be destroyed.

Murrue could only hope that they were ready to launch; right now she had to tend to her own duties. Exiting out of the tactical display, she brought up another image, this one showing the Archangel's current altitude and ascent angle.

"Stand by to fire Lohengrins!" she ordered.

"Aye, Captain," said Lieutenant Tsukino, "positron cannons are synched with boosters; all systems green!"

"Ten seconds until we hit maximum altitude!" yelled the helmsman.

Murrue nodded as the final countdown began on the main monitor. After a few seconds she spoke. "Three… two… one… fire!"

The two massive bow guns opened up, sending twin blasts of crimson-orange energy skyward. There was a noticeable thrumming as the positron boosters activated, and a swirling tunnel of energy surrounded the ship. Positron particles formed a 'cone' in front of the Archangel's, their colors running the entire width of the spectrum.

"Positronic interference achieved!" cried the sensor operator, "Atmospheric resistance decreasing rapidly!"

"Helm, punch it!" ordered Murrue.

"Hang on tight!" yelled Ensign Neumann as he gunned the throttle.

Murrue braced herself in her chair, but that didn't stop her from being pressed against the back rest, and she struggled to hang on. The ship shuddered violently for a few moments before their ride began to smooth out as the atmosphere in front of them was disintegrated by the positrons.

"Altitude increasing rapidly," said the sensor operator, "we've achieved escape velocity!"

Murrue breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness," she said softly.

Normally such a momentous event would be a cause for celebration; a ship the size of the Archangel had never achieved escape velocity without the aid of a mass driver. They had just carved their names into the history books… if their previous accomplishments hadn't done so already.

However, instead of cheers and applause, a somber silence fell over the crew. Everyone knew that as they flew towards outer space thousands of brave men and women of the Orb military were still fighting and dying on Earth. Their sacrifices had given the Archangel time to escape, and would hopefully do the same for the Kusanagi.

So many lives lost today, Murrue thought solemnly as she closed her eyes for a moment, all we can do now is make sure those soldiers didn't die in vain.

….

Sitting in the cockpit of the Freedom, Kira jumped as Erica Simmons appeared on his monitor. "Kira, Athrun," said the engineer, "the last line is collapsing, and those three prototypes are closing in. Launch immediately and deal with them; we just need a couple more minutes!"

Kira nodded. "Got it. Open the doors and we'll head out!"

The Freedom and Justice had been moved to a shuttle hangar after they had left the Archangel. They had been on standby since the battle had begun, and both boys were well aware of the deteriorating situation.

"Miss Simmons," said Kira as the doors opened, "What's the status of the Archangel?"

"It's clear," she replied, "they just fired the Lohengrins about a minute ago, and our sensors indicate they've achieved escape velocity. Your friends are fine, Kira; focus on the enemy now."

"Alright," said Kira, feeling as if a weight had been removed from his shoulders, "Kira Yamato, Freedom launching!"

"Athrun Zala," his friend said over the tactical channel, "Justice launching!"

The two ZAFT prototypes flew out of the hangar. Climbing for altitude, Kira had little trouble finding the three Alliance prototypes. They were closing in rapidly on the spaceport, a trail of destruction in their wakes. The red and black one was in its mobile armor form, serving as a flight platform for the blue heavy artillery unit, while the green and grey machine was flying independently. The young Coordinator grimaced as he saw the flaming wrecks of dozens of Orb warships in the water, slowly slipping beneath the waves.

Such a waste of life, he thought, this whole battle should never have happened…

There was little point in brooding over it now; if the three prototypes were allowed to go any further, they would find the Kusanagi and destroy it before it could launch. Kira was determined not to let that happen.

"Kira," said Athrun, "I'll take the one with the scythe; you focus on the artillery unit."

Kira nodded. "Got it. Let's go!"

He gunned the throttle while at the same time bringing the Freedom's array of weapons to bear. Kira tried to target the flight unit's wings and the heavy cannons mounted on the blue machine's shoulders. He cut loose with a barrage of plasma bolts, energy beams, and rail cannon shots, but the enemy was able to successfully evade most of his shots, with the blue machine blocking a rail cannon round with its large shield.

Damn it, he thought as he closed in, igniting his beam saber, this won't be easy.

Athrun, for his part, had initiated contact with his foe much the same way Kira had, opening fire with the Justice's ranged weapons. The green and gray machine had little problem with blocking the shots with its energy shields, but unlike Kira, Athrun's ranged fire was just to keep the enemy on the defensive. The maroon mobile suit quickly closed the gap, and Athrun put away his beam rifle and ignited both the Justice's beam sabers, quickly combining them into a double-bladed weapon. Charging head on at his foe, weaving through railgun and plasma fire, Athrun swiftly closed the gap and unleashed a powerful downward strike, attempting to cut his foe in half. The green and gray unit managed to sideslip to the right though, and the violet blade only managed to leave a scorch mark along one of the shield prongs. However, utilizing the unique nature of his weapon, Athrun was quickly able to transition into a lateral strike with the opposite blade. Once again, his foe's quick reaction times prevented the blow from being lethal, but the violet blade did succeed in slicing through the barrel of the left railgun, crippling the weapon.

Kira had only glanced at Athrun's fight for a couple seconds, but in that time his enemy was able to launch a counterattack, opening up with not just the heavy artillery unit's guns, but also the flight platform's beam cannon. Weaving through the fire, Kira dodged most of the shots and took the yellow beam from the flight unit on the Freedom's shield. Then he went back on the offensive, closing in and swinging his blade in an effort to take out one of the flight platform's wings. The machine was already going into a climb as Kira launched his attack though, and all he succeeded in doing was swiping the tip of his blade across the underside of one wing.

"Kira," said Athrun, "now's not the time to try and take them down non-lethally! We have to beat them quickly, and you won't do that by playing nice!"

"We don't have to kill them," Kira replied as he opened fire, keeping his foes on the defensive but failing to land any hits, "all we have to do is keep them at bay until the Kusanagi can launch!"

"Technically yes," said Athrun as he lashed out with his double-bladed beam saber, trying to stab his foe's cockpit but instead hitting the right shoulder, only dealing moderate damage, "but these guys are too dangerous to spare, you know that! If they survive this fight, what's to stop them from coming after us in the future, or helping the Alliance massacre innocent people or surrendered soldiers?"

"They're just following orders," said Kira as he dodged his foe's return fire, though for some reason his argument rang hollow even in his own years.

"Orders from a bunch of genocidal monsters!" Athrun spat back as he dodged a curving plasma shot from the green and gray machine, "Without nuclear weapons or the Archangel and the Heliopolis prototypes, these three mobile suits are the deadliest armaments the Alliance's arsenal; they have to be destroyed!"

Kira shook his head as he unleashed another barrage at his enemy, attempting to take out the heavy artillery unit's guns but only succeeding in hitting one of the flight platform's 'claws' with a plasma beam, destroying it but dealing no serious overall damage to the machine. "I'm not going to kill them! The Freedom gives me the power to fight without killing people, and I'm going to use it!"

Athrun sighed. "The enemy could try to do the same with their new mobile suits, but they aren't. They don't share your compassion, Kira."

"It doesn't matter, Athrun," said Kira, "this is how I'm fighting."

His friend shook his head. "Alright, I'll lay off; now's not the time for us to be arguing anyway. Just don't get yourself killed, you got that?"

Kira nodded. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Be careful, Athrun."

"Copy that," he replied before signing off.

I hope Cagalli's ship is able to launch soon, thought Kira as he traded fire with his foes, Athrun and I can take these guys, but it won't be long until more Alliance mobile suits and fighters join the fray. They have to hurry!

….

"Hurry up, Cagalli," said Lord Uzumi.

The fiery princess winced as her father grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her along the catwalk towards the Kusanagi's starboard boarding hatch. Stray cannon rounds and missiles had begun impacting the spaceport, and the massive hangar containing Orb's newest warship shuddered occasionally as it took hits. The facility was armored and reinforced though, despite being officially a civilian installation, and it was able to absorb the impacts without suffering major damage. Under a concentrated bombardment, though, that was liable to change.

Looking ahead, Cagalli saw Kisaka by the hatch, apprehension on his face. The rest of the crew was already on board, along with Erica Simmons and her top scientists. All that was left was for the Orb leadership to board, and they would be able to launch. Cagalli was concerned though; apart from her father, there were no signs of other members of Orb's central government. She had been with several of them earlier in the spaceport's control center when her father had suddenly grabbed her and pulled her away, but Cagalli had not seen any of the other cabinet members or the official Chief Representative, her uncle Homura, leave the room.

There was also the demeanor of her father to consider. There was a tension in the man that Cagalli had never seen before. Most people would've chalked it up to stress caused by the Alliance attack, but Cagalli knew better; her father had nerves of steel. No, something was very wrong, but she had no idea just what it was.

Another missile hit the facility, and Cagalli had to catch herself on the railing as the catwalk shuddered. "Lady Cagalli," called Kisaka, "Come on, quickly!'

She nodded as she regained her footing. "Right." Looking up at the Orb Colonel and her unofficial bodyguard/caretaker, she realized that something was not right with Kisaka as well. He had the same sense of foreboding that emanated from her father. It was subtle, but it was there all the same, and Cagalli's own sense of disquiet was only increased as a result.

"Kisaka," said her father, "is she ready?"

He nodded. "The ship's completely set into the mass driver, and final checkouts are complete." He then looked down for a moment before speaking again. "Just waiting on our final passenger, sir, and she's here now."

"Wait a minute," said Cagalli as she approached Kisaka, "what do you mean 'final passenger'? What about the cabinet and my uncle? Aren't they coming?"

"No, they are not, Cagalli," said her father, causing her to turn around and look at him. Her heartbeat increased to a fever pitch as she saw the somber expression on his face, and she found herself dreading what he would say next.

He spoke again, and his words confirmed her worst fears. "And neither am I."

Cagalli was floored by the announcement. "What… father, you can't be serious! You our leader; we need you! You have to come with us, father!"

The Lion of Orb shook his head. "The world that I lead our nation through is changing, Cagalli. It is ending, in a way, and I will not be fit to oversee the rebirth of our country in the new world that follows. That task, that responsibility, belongs to you."

Cagalli shook her head. "That… that's ridiculous, father! You're our leader, and you always will be! I'm not ready to govern, and even if I were, that's still no reason for you to stay behind!"

"That is not the only reason I am staying, Cagalli," her father replied, "Once you are clear, I will trigger the self-destruct sequence for the Kaguya spaceport, along with our major armaments factories, shipyards, and research facilities; they cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of the Alliance."

"So do it remotely!" cried Cagalli.

Lord Uzumi shook his head. "We cannot; there is the chance that the Alliance could intercept the signal and hack it, or that interference could disrupt it. No, it must be done manually… and I will not leave anyone else behind to do so; it is my responsibility."

"Father, no!" she cried, attempting to throw herself at the man. However, she was grabbed from behind by Kisaka and pulled into the Kusanagi.

"Let me go!" she cried, struggling in vain against the powerful hands that gripped her shoulders, "Father!"

Her father walked up to her, standing just outside the ship at the edge of the catwalk, smiling sadly. He pulled a photograph out of his pocket and handed it to her. "I'm sorry, Cagalli. Take heart, though; you will not be alone."

Taking the picture, Cagalli saw that it was of a brown haired woman holding to babies, one with brown hair and the other with blond hair. Flipping it over, her eyes widened in shock as she read the names written on the back.

Kira and Cagalli.

"No way…" she said softly, "impossible…"

She looked up again at her father, who was still smiling that bittersweet smile. "You'll be with you brother."

"Father…" she said, struggling to cope with the bombshell that had just been dropped on her… along with everything else that was happening.

"I feel honored," said Lord Uzumi, "to have been your father."

Cagalli's heart leapt up into her throat as she realized what was about to happen. "Father!" she shrieked.

She tried to reach out, but it was too late; the hatchway slammed shut. There was a small window in the door, through which she saw her father give her one last smile before looking over her shoulder at Kisaka. He then nodded before turning around and walking away.

"Father!" she cried.

Dimly she heard Kisaka speak into an intercom mounted on the wall. "The princess is aboard! Launch immediately!"

"No, we can't leave!" Cagalli screamed, pressing herself against the hatch, looking desperately out the window for her father, "We can't leave like this! Father!"

….

"Kira!" yelled Athrun over the radio.

He nodded. "I see it. Come on, let's go!"

At long last, the central body section of the Kusanagi was heading down the mass driver. Its speed was incredible, and Kira had to push the Freedom's engines to maximum in order to have a chance at intercepting it.

Athrun's position had been closer to the mass driver when the ship had begun its launch, and he was able to latch onto it first. Grasping part of the hull with one hand, the Justice shifted around and reached out with the other. "Kira, come on!" yelled Athrun.

Kira's eyes narrowed as he concentrated, reaching out with the Freedom's hand to grab the Justice's. Come on, he thought, leaning forward in his seat as the meters closed, willing his machine to stretch out its arm as far as it could go, just a little more… The three prototypes were hot on his tail, and they were setting up for shots; it was now or never.

"Come on!" he yelled. Finally the Freedom was able to grab the Justice's outstretched hand. With his friend's help Kira was pulled aboard, and he locked his machine into the place that had been set up beforehand by the dock crews for his mobile suit. He then turned around and faced the incoming Alliance machines and cut loose with a final barrage from the Freedom's guns, and Athrun did the same with the Justice's weapons. The Alliance prototypes were forced to break off to avoid being hit, and as the Kusanagi continued down the mass driver its speed increased, and it left the enemy in the dust.

"Brace yourself," said Athrun, "we're about to hit the ramp!"

Kira nodded, gritting his teeth as he made sure the Freedom was gripping the hull mounts as tightly as it could. Checking his sensors, he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the Kusanagi clear the mass driver and begin its ascent towards outer space.

….

Lord Uzumi smiled as he watched the Kusanagi clear the mass driver and begin climbing into the sky. Standing in the Kaguya spaceport's primary control room with his cabinet and his brother, he took a deep breath and let it out, a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment filling him. His had been a long life, one full of happiness and sorrow, good choices and bad, and many momentous changes and events witnessed along the way. Now, as his hand hovered over the button that would trigger the explosives planted in the facility and send the signal down the hardened wires that would cause the demolition charges in other key installations to activate, he felt a combination of peace and pride within him.

"The seeds have flown," he said as he looked out the window. Turning briefly to his cabinet members and his brother, he saw them all nod in acknowledgment, the same content smiles on all their faces; they were at peace with what they had done, with the end that they had chosen. Their legacy was taking to the stars at that very moment; Orb would survive, and be rebuilt anew.

Looking down towards the waterfront, Lord Uzumi saw Alliance landing craft closing in on the outskirts of the facility, along with mobile suits and fighters. "We can't leave Orb," he said, "in the hands of those bastards."

Then he pressed the button.

….

(Start "Leaving Earth")

No, thought Cagalli as she pressed her face against the window, watching the Kaguya spaceport recede into the distance as the Kusanagi cleared the mass driver, this can't be happening.

She couldn't be doing this, leaving her father behind. This had to be some kind of nightmare, one that she would wake up from at any second. But deep down in the pit of her heart she knew that she was not asleep; there would be no waking up from this dream.

Suddenly a huge explosion ripped through the spaceport, gutting the facility. This was quickly followed by a string of smaller explosions along the mass driver, causing it to crumble into the sea.

"No," she cried out, tears falling freely, "Father!"

As the Kusanagi gained altitude she could see more explosions erupting all over the Orb mainland. Factories, military bases, shipyards, research installations… the sources of Orb's might, the true reasons for the Atlantic Federation's invasion, were consumed by fire.

Cagalli felt as though she had been gut punched. Here she was, flying away on an advanced warship, while her homeland burned behind her…

… while her father died.

"Father," she whimpered as she watched fire and smoke engulf parts of her homeland. It was her worst fears come true, a scene straight from hell. Night had fallen on Orb, and in her despair she had to wonder if dawn would ever come again. Sorrow and anguish welled up in her chest and tore free from her throat in another tortured scream.

"FATHER!"

Preview for next time!

Orb has fallen, its mainland conquered by the Earth Alliance. The crews of the Archangel and the Kusanagi have managed to escape into outer space, but will have little time to rest and recover from the trials they faced on the surface, nor to mourn those who gave their lives to facilitate their flight. For shortly after making orbit they intercept a signal from none other than Lacus Clyne. The Eternal is engaged by ZAFT forces, and in desperate need of assistance. The Kusanagi is not yet ready for battle, so the Archangel and her mobile suits rush to the rescue, with Wing Zero, Freedom, and Justice leading the charge. Upon their arrival they find not only Lacus but several old acquaintances from their time in North Africa locked in fierce battle. And old friends are not just found in the ranks of the Eternal's crew and mobile suit pilots. For among the enemy squadrons is a soldier that the Archangel and her crew are quite familiar with… especially Heero Yuy. Amidst the fighting between the rebels and the ZAFT forces, the Perfect Soldier and the Valkyrie will at long last meet in battle once again. Next time, on "Journey to a New Battlefield", Episode Nineteen: Three Ships Alliance.

Author's notes: Alright, it took less than a month to finish this chapter. I feel mighty proud of myself. Also, my mouth is numb; had a damn visit to the dentist today to get two small cavities filled. So yeah, that kinda sucked. Ah well, you're not here to listen to me complain.

The 'surface arc', which is comprised of all but the first four chapters of this fic, is finally at an end! Man, such a milestone, feels good to have the action finally move back into space. As always, please review, I look forward to reading what you guys and girls have to say!

Again, special thanks to EpyonZero23, all those in-depth PMs are always helpful in helping me think creatively and move the chapter along. Also, if you guys haven't checked out his fic "Haruka's Wings" yet… well, shame on you! Get on it! Ok, ok, I know drama/romance isn't for everyone, but come on, that fic's just beautiful! Keep at it, my friend, can't wait for your next chapter!

Until next time!