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...

29. Chapter 29

Author's Notes: Kept you waiting, eh? Sorry this took so long, but it's a really big chapter and I've had a lot on my plate the past few months, so it's been slow going. Just as a heads up, Seed canon takes quite a few hits to the balls here. There, don't say I didn't warn you.

Before we get the show on the road, here's the song list in order of appearance: "The Master" from Code Geass, "Fighter" from Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, "Swordland" from Sword Art Online, "Rhythm Emotion" from Gundam Wing, "Crossing Field" from Sword Art Online, "Diapason" from Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, "Red Fraction" from Black Lagoon, "I'm My Own Master Now" from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (the version with the acoustic intro preferably), "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath, "Sins of the Father" by Donna Burke, and "Demon of the Round Table" from Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War.

There, I think that's everything. Oh yeah, you might want to set some time aside for this one; you're gonna be here a while.

Enjoy!

Episode Twenty-Nine: Firestorm

I did this…

This is my fault!

Those words echoed in Flay's mind as she watched the Dominion's main bridge monitor in horrified silence. The feed was still focused on the ruin of Boaz, the charred chunk of rock and its rapidly expanding debris field. How many had died in that strike? Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands?

I killed them!

She may not have ordered the strike or pulled the trigger, but Flay knew that her guilt could not be denied. She thought back to that day at L4 when Creuset had given her that data drive before her pod had been launched towards the Earth Alliance forces. He'd told her that she carried the 'key' to ending the war…

…but he'd never said how it would end it.

He never meant for me to return to my friends, she thought, He wanted me to give the Earth Alliance the technology to make their nukes operational again. But why? He's with ZAFT. He must've known the Alliance would use the nukes against his side. It doesn't make any sense!

Creuset's motivations were a moot point now, she supposed. All that mattered was that the Earth Alliance could once again use its nuclear weapons, and Flay was the one that had made that possible.

A conversation she's had with Natarle back on the Moon a little over two months ago flashed through her mind. Taken in context with what she had just enabled, it now became so much more horrifying.

"How many died?" she asked, "I don't know the exact number…"

"I do," said Natarle grimly, "243,721 people were killed in that attack… and they were almost all civilians. The Junius City colonies have no major military presence beyond their internal security forces, Flay. Their primary purpose… is agriculture."

Flay's eyes widened in horror. "Wait… we nuked one of the places where they grow food?"

Natarle nodded. "Yes. Junius Seven had no value as a military target, just like the rest of the colonies in the Junius City." She sighed. "At least, if you only look at it with your sense of humanity intact."

"What do you mean?" asked Flay.

"The Junius colonies," said Natarle, "are the only places the Coordinators have for food cultivation. Before those facilities were brought online they were dependent on shipments from Earth. Just destroying one of those colonies would've been a significant hit to food production, but if they were all destroyed…"

"The Coordinators would starve," said Flay, terrified at the direction this already grim conversation was taking, "If they hadn't deployed the N-Jammer Cancellers after Junius Seven, then…"

Natarle nodded solemnly. "If we were willing to take out Junius Seven, then I imagine the Alliance would be perfectly capable of destroying the rest of the Junius colonies. If that had happened, the Coordinators would've had two choices; surrender or be exterminated through starvation… if the Alliance didn't nuke the rest of the PLANTs before then."

There had been nearly a quarter-million people on Junius Seven. With that colony destroyed there were now 119 PLANT colonies left at L5. Assuming each colony had at least as many people living on it as Junius Seven…

How many more, she thought as she surreptitiously pulled up the calculator function on her workstation, hoping Azrael wouldn't notice, could die because of me?

Try as she might, she could not suppress a gasp when she finished the math, and it was all she could do to hold back tears. At bare minimum, if the Earth Alliance nuked the rest of the PLANTs…

…she would be an accessory to the mass murder of 29,750,000 people.

She felt sick, and it took every ounce of strength in her not to throw up right there. So many people had died today because of her, yet even that paled in comparison to how many were still at risk.

Cautiously looking over her shoulder, she saw Azrael grinning at the main monitor. There was a frightening look in his eye as he gazed upon the carnage. He seemed almost in a state of ecstasy, and it only made Flay even more terrified of what was to come.

She turned to Natarle, looking for some kind of reassurance, but her Captain's expression could only be described as utter despair. As the commander of Azrael's flagship, no small amount of responsibility for what was about to happen to L5 rested on Natarle's shoulders, and Flay could only imagine how it was hurting her. It was bad enough for Flay that she had enabled Azrael by providing him with that data, but for Natarle to have to be commanding the man's warship as he issued the order to commit mass murder and be unable to stop him… she couldn't imagine what that was like.

Images of two young men flashed through her mind… two men that she knew were lumped in with Azrael's targets simply because of how they were born.

Kira…

Yzak…

She looked down, doing her best to hide from the others the tears that now fell.

"I'm… I'm so sorry," she choked out, her voice a ragged whisper, "I… I never wanted this to happen."

Forgive me…

Save me!

….

"Well," said Murrue as she looked at the main monitor, "what's our next move?"

The mood on the Archangel's bridge was grim to say the least. Mere minutes ago they had witnessed the rebirth of the Earth Alliance's nuclear arsenal, unleashed against The Boaz Wall, and it was clear to all that it was only a taste of what would soon be brought to bear against the PLANTs.

We knew it was a possibility, she thought, that they had regained their nukes, that the 'key' Flay held was N-Jammer Canceller schematics given to her by Creuset, but still… I never imagined we'd actually be right.

Shock and disgust burned within her. The former was at seeing her former nation's greatest weapons brought back to the war before her very eyes, while the later was born from the knowledge of what those weapons had been used for at the beginning of the conflict and what their intended target was now. Her country had not just fallen from grace in her mind; it was utterly irredeemable.

To know that the nation she had once called her own now stood upon the brink of slaughter millions of people in the name of racism… it was a shame unlike any she had ever felt before.

The only comfort she had right now was the firm but gentle weight of Heero's hand on her right shoulder. It hadn't left there since the destruction of Boaz, and she needed it now more than ever. She felt like it was her lifeline, keeping her steady when her world had been thrown into turmoil.

Up on the screen she saw Waltfeld's good eye narrow. "The Earth Alliance will need a little time to bring up its main force and reintegrate the vanguard into it. Once that's done, though… they'll advance, and that means we'll have to as well."

"They'll throw a lot more than four missiles into the fray when they get in range," said Heero, and Murrue saw a grim look in his eyes, "I can intercept some with the Twin Buster Rifle… but not all."

Waltfeld nodded. "I know. I've got something else in mind for missile defense actually; it involves the Freedom and Justice. The Eternal's METEOR batteries were designed to detach from the ship and attach to those two machines. In that state they considerably boost the firepower of those mobile suits, and when combined with their targeting systems they're capable of intercepting large quantities of missiles. We'll be counting on them to defend the colonies if the Alliance gets off any volleys."

"Those nukes aren't the only thing we have to worry about," said Murrue, her expression dark, "The Alliance has played their trump card, and if ZAFT has one too, now's the time they'll reveal it. We still have no idea what it could be, beyond the fact that it involves N-Jammer Canceller technology."

"Bristow's been on the lookout for it," said Waltfeld, "but so far we've got nothing. Either it's not ready, or it is and Zala's waiting for the right moment to unleash it."

"Has Lan seen anything?" asked Heero, "She is our forward recon right now, and she should have a good view of both Boaz and L5 proper."

Waltfeld shook his head. "All she's had to report is that the survivors of the ZAFT vanguard are falling back to the Jachin Due Line. The rest of the Grand Fleet is already mobilized and ready, so at least the Alliance won't be catching them off guard when they advance."

"For whatever that's worth," said Murrue grimly, "They don't have anything that can defend against a mass nuclear strike. I hope the METEOR batteries combined with the Freedom and Justice are up to the task."

Waltfeld nodded. "That makes two of us."

"How will we deploy?" asked Heero, "If we're going to be both targeting the enemy leadership and positioning ourselves to intercept missiles, then we're going to be spreading ourselves thin."

Waltfeld sighed. "I know, but we don't have a whole lot of options here. I'm going to rearrange the battle group into two task forces. Task Force One will be headed by the Archangel. Its goal will be to drive through to the heart of the Earth Alliance armada and take out their leadership by any means necessary. Captain Ramius, you're in command of that group. I'll be diverting all three of Shemei's girls to Task Force One; you'll have the whole Valkyrie Team under you."

Murrue nodded. "Understood. What about the second group?"

"The Eternal will carry the flag for Task Force Two, and the Kusanagi will be in it as well," Waltfeld replied, "We'll try to position ourselves to fend off any Alliance attacks on the colonies that threaten to breach the ZAFT lines. We'll also be gunning for key figures in ZAFT ranks, targeting fleet flagships and working our way over to Jachin Due. Since Heero will be part of Task Force One we're going to have to find another way to get a shot at Patrick Zala. We'll also be on the lookout for ZAFT's secret weapon and try to take it out if we find it."

"Be on the lookout for Creuset," Heero cautioned, "Thanks to L4 we now know that he's the one most responsible for the escalation of this war. He will try to stop us when he realizes what our intentions are."

"I know," said Waltfeld, "Believe me, that slippery bastard's close to the top of my target list."

"When are we moving out?" asked Murrue.

"As soon as the Earth Alliance reunites its fleet," Waltfeld replied, "We'll stick to the periphery until it's clear that both sides are moving to engage. Be ready to move at a moment's notice. "

Murrue nodded. "Understood."

Waltfeld sighed. "So many dead already… and no way to tell how many more will meet the Reaper before it's over. We're flying into a real shitstorm here. Eternal out."

It was a grim note to leave things on, but one Murrue could not deny was appropriate given their situation. As the Desert Tiger disappeared the screen once again returned to the devastation and ruin that was the remains of Boaz.

Thousands are already slain, she thought, and it will only get worse from here. Are… are we really up to this?

She felt that familiar hand on her shoulder give it a comforting squeeze, and she looked up at Heero. It was like he knew exactly what she was thinking, that he could sense her doubts. Hell, he probably did sense them; he was remarkably perceptive.

He gave her a small nod, and in his eyes she saw that same reassuring strength and determination. He was just as aware as her of the odds they were facing, probably more so. After all, no one in the Cosmic Era had ever seen a battle anywhere near to what was coming towards them, but Heero had in his old world, and he had survived.

Not just that; he had triumphed.

Murrue recalled with perfect clarity how the Gundam pilot had told her that his final battle at the Libra paled in comparison to what they would soon be flying into, but it was still comforting to know that he had gotten through a fight similar in nature to the one that awaited them, if not in scale. While OZ had not threatened the colonies with annihilation in that final clash, White Fang had tried to drop their massive battleship onto the Earth. The devastation that would've ensued had Heero failed would've been beyond anything in human history, but he had prevailed. He knew what it was like to face incalculably high stakes, unimaginable pressure, and come out on top. Murrue knew that he would need that experience now more than ever.

They all would.

"Are you okay?" he asked, and Murrue almost blushed, knowing he'd caught her staring.

She nodded and smiled. "I'm all right, Heero. Thank you."

She turned to her sensor officer. "Maintain our connection with forward recon, and keep our long-range scopes on alert. If either side so much as twitches, I want to know."

"Understood, ma'am," he replied.

She looked back at Heero. "We've been so caught up in what's coming that I forgot to ask; did you and La Flaga get everything you need from the armory?"

Heero nodded. "We're all set; everything's stored in our mobile suits."

"Glad to hear it," said Murrue, "I'll do all I can to back you two up when the time comes. I just hope this works."

"So do I," said Heero.

Murrue turned back to the main monitor, once again focusing on the ruins of Boaz. Now the sight of the blasted fortress was not so disheartening to her. Rather, she took it as a challenge.

Stand against impossible odds, against the power to wipe out countless lives…

…and survive.

Not just survive, she thought, her eyes narrowing, but win! Heero, myself, my crew, our allies… we will stop this madness!

….

September 25th, C.E. 71

It was one thing seeing it on sensors at a distance, Natarle thought as she stared out the Dominion's main bridge viewport, but it's another to see it up close. So much destruction… so much death…

To say looking upon the aftermath of the Battle of Boaz was sobering was a considerable understatement. The blasted hulls of hundreds of ships, the twisted wreckage of so many more mobile suits, the blackened and mauled remains of the once mighty asteroid fortress… it was all a grim harbinger of what Natarle knew was to come.

The battle had proven that ZAFT had no new counter to the Earth Alliance's nuclear arsenal. With the Coordinators' N-Jammer Canceller technology turned against them, ZAFT was now facing their worst fear; the threat of a new Bloody Valentine, one on a far larger scale. The enemy had been unable to make a concentrated attempt to intercept the four Ragnarok missiles unleashed on them two days ago, and Natarle knew if they could not manage that against such a small number of warheads then they would be helpless against the barrage Azrael planned to unleash against the colonies. Once battle was joined and ZAFT was focused on holding the line against the Alliance's conventional forces there would be no way for them to shoot down the massive nuclear salvos that would be coming.

It's so predictable it's painful, really, she thought with disdain, Azrael will simply throw the armada against the Jachin Due Line and swamp ZAFT with sheer numbers. After enough time's gone by that the enemy's sufficiently focused on repelling our conventional forces he'll just spam nukes until every colony is destroyed. There's no real regard to subtlety or tactics, no concern for the massive casualties we'll take with such a straightforward attack. He'll slaughter the enemy by whatever means necessary, and if that means drowning our forces in a sea of our own blood, so be it. He'll wave the flag of victory while standing atop a rampart of our own dead. It's disgusting…

Then again, so was the rest of this war.

She looked over at Flay. The girl seemed to be holding up all right, but Natarle knew much of it was a front. Her shock and horror at the nuclear strike on Boaz had been clear to anyone watching her, and she had been very quiet and subdued since the attack. Of course, she'd been much that way since she had been recovered at L4, but now it was even more pronounced. The girl was making a very conscious effort to avoid looking at the devastation that lay just outside the viewport, but Natarle could tell that she was failing. Every so often her gaze would slip and catch sight of the aftermath of the battle… of the carnage that she had helped enable.

There was no doubt in Natarle's mind now that what Flay had delivered to them on that fateful day at L4 was the secret to countering ZAFT's N-Jammers, and it was just as clear that the poor girl had had no idea that she had been carrying such a deadly package. Her heart went out to her unofficial ward; she was sure Flay was suffering from an almost crippling guilt.

Misery loves company, she mused darkly.

Natarle wondered how the rest of her crew felt about recent events. The mood on the bridge had been grim ever since the armada had been launched, and it had only gotten worse upon the destruction of Boaz. Natarle actually took that as a good sign; her subordinates recognized the fall of the fortress to the fire of the atom as a harbinger of what was to come. Enemy soldiers may have been targeted in that attack, but when the time came to march on the PLANTs themselves Natarle knew her superiors would not be distinguishing between civilians and combatants. Millions would die, and every Earth Alliance soldier would be complicit in the biggest war crime of human history.

If there were any courts left in this world not thoroughly corrupted by Azrael and his cronies, Natarle knew that she and her comrades would be found guilty.

And she would've made no effort to plead otherwise.

Azrael wasn't on the bridge right now, but Natarle knew that would change shortly. When he arrived, she knew that would be the signal that she had been dreading; it would be time to march on the PLANTs.

And there was nothing she could do about it.

Mu, she thought, I'm sorry. You believed I was better than this, and I would do anything to prove you right, but… I can't. If I disobey, I'll simply be killed, and I doubt whoever Azrael finds to replace me will have the same concern for my crew that I do. I want to keep them safe, just like Captain Ramius did for us when I was on your side… and to do that, it looks like I'll have to become a criminal. Forgive me…

"Any movement from the enemy?" she asked.

Her sensor officer shook his head. "The ZAFT fleet is still concentrated around Jachin Due. They've made no move to engage us."

Natarle nodded. "I thought as much. They'll wait for us to attack so they can use the fortress itself and the rest of the Jachin Duel Line in the fight. We're going to have to be the ones to start this."

They'd be more than capable of doing that. The losses suffered by the vanguard fleet in the battle were but a pinprick when compared to the full might of the Earth Alliance armada. With the fleet now completely united, Natarle knew it would not be long now before Azrael would give the order to commence the attack. It was very late in the 'day'; 'night' on Natarle's time, but distinctions like that mattered little in outer space. The armada had been reorganized, with Bernard and Sutherland each officially in charge of half the fleet, though unofficially of course the entire operation was under Azrael's command.

She heard the bridge door open behind her, and she didn't have to turn around to know who had entered; the devil was here.

Azrael came up and took his customary seat, smiling as he looked upon the ruins of Boaz and the full Alliance armada.

"Ah, what a lovely scene," he said, "A good omen for what's to come, wouldn't you say, Captain Badgiruel?"

"I'll take intel over omens," she deadpanned in reply.

Azrael chuckled. "Practical as ever."

He turned to Flay. "Get the Truman on the line."

Natarle raised an eyebrow as her subordinate carried out Azrael's order. The Truman wasn't one of the command ships; why did Azrael want to get in touch with that particular carrier?

The Captain of the carrier in question appeared on the screen, and Azrael wasted no time in getting to business. "Captain Walters. Is his machine ready for battle?"

The man on the screen nodded. "The Phantom Commander's Strike-Avenger and the Perfect Strike pack are both fully operational."

Phantom Commander?, she thought, Who the hell is that? And what's the Perfect Strike pack?

Azrael smiled. "Excellent. And his condition?"

"Optimal," Captain Walters replied, "No health concerns to report. He is prepared to fight, as are the rest of my pilots."

Azrael nodded. "Glad to hear it, Captain. Carry on."

As Captain Walters disappeared from the screen Natarle turned to Azrael. "Sir, what was that about?"

Azrael shook his head. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Miss Captain. Focus on your own duties, if you will."

His voice dripped with ill-conceal contempt, and Natarle fought to suppress a glare. The way he kept her out of the loop on intel like that when it could have a major impact on her operations had gotten old long ago.

"Get the Doolittle and Roosevelt on the line," he ordered.

The screen split, with Admiral Sutherland appearing on the upper half and Rear Admiral Bernard on the lower. The latter was scowling, and Natarle was sure he was still furious over how Azrael had practically made him beg for permission to launch the nukes at Boaz and the three dreadnoughts. Natarle had no sympathy for Bernard, but Azrael's conduct during the battle was still disgusting all the same.

Using a battle to grandstand, to lord his power over someone, Natarle silently fumed, How disgraceful. Yet another sign of just how far we've fallen…

"Gentlemen," said Azrael, "I trust you're both ready."

Sutherland nodded. "The armada is fully reintegrated. All ships have their assignments and are awaiting orders."

"So can we get this started?" growled Bernard.

Azrael chuckled. "Still sore, Rear Admiral? Come, now; surely you're professional enough to put your personal feelings about the previous operation behind you? In light of what lies ahead, I think out past disagreements have little relevance, don't you?"

Bernard sighed. "Yes, Lord Azrael. We are ready to launch on your orders."

"Excellent," said Azrael, "Then I see no reason for further delay. Let us commence the final stage of Operation Peacemaker!"

So it begins, Natarle thought grimly, Our final fall... our crossing of the event horizon. Our victory…

…and our damnation.

….

"Chairman!" cried the main communications officer, "Forward recon reports the Alliance armada has begun to move!"

From his perch in Jachin Due's command center, Patrick Zala nodded, his glare hard as stone. "Are the weapon's final preparations complete?"

"Yes, Chairman!" the man replied, "They are reporting green across the board. Projections show both primary and secondary targets in the firing lane!"

L5's de facto dictator gave a cruel smile. "At last…"

"Chairman?" asked the officer anxiously.

Zala stood up and waved his arm towards the massive main monitor. "Deactivate the Mirage Colloid!"

Time for a taste of your own medicine, Naturals!

Out of Zala's line of sight, Rau Le Creuset grinned as the Chairman issued his next order.

"Fire GENESIS!"

….

"New contact just appeared on scopes!" cried the sensor operator, "It's behind Jachin Due… it's massive!"

Natarle's eyes widened. "Why are we just seeing it now?"

"They must've used a Mirage Colloid to hide it, Captain!" the officer replied.

Natarle's heart raced; this couldn't be good. "Get it on screen now!"

Start "The Master"

Natarle couldn't help but gasp when the screen shifted, and her bridge crew likewise couldn't hide its shock. A gargantuan dish-like weapon had materialized seemingly out of thin air. The base of the structure looked like a massive pot or vase. It had a bulbous core that quickly fanned out, with two long and thick struts supporting a huge concave dish with a mirrored surface. In the center of the mirror was a hole that Natarle was sure was a firing chamber. Out a ways in front of the main structure was a smaller concave mirror that was facing towards the larger one, in direct alignment with the firing chamber.

"What… what is that? she whispered.

The entire bridge was stunned, even Azrael. The smug smirk was gone from his face, and he seemed awestruck by what they were seeing.

"Massive thermal readings coming from the object!" yelled the sensor operator.

Suddenly the hole in the mirror began to glow with blue-white light. Seconds later a bright blue-white beam shot out of it, and a wave of energy rippled across the mirror. The blue-white beam hit the smaller mirror, which proceeded to reflect it back at the larger one in dozens of smaller, multi-colored rays. It was terrifyingly beautiful display, sending a chill down Natarle's spine.

The smaller mirror glowed red as it was superheated by the energy it was reflecting back at its companion. The larger mirror radiated with energy as all the light coalesced on and around it, radiating like a second sun. For a fraction of a second all that energy seemed to be captured by the larger structure, wreathing it with unholy light.

And then hellfire was unleashed.

At its core was a thick crimson beam, reminiscent of the blasts from the Archangel or Dominion's Lohengrin Positron Cannons, but on such a more massive scale. Energy a multitude of colors, spanning the spectrum, radiated out from that central crimson pillar of apocalyptic destruction, resulting in a vast swath of annihilation that dwarfed even the legendary Wing Zero's Twin Buster Rifle.

"Hard to port!" Natarle yelled.

Her ship had barely begun to move when the titanic torrent of energy ripped into the Earth Alliance armada. The light was blinding, forcing Natarle to shield her eyes until the sensors adjusted for its brilliance. Her face paled as she saw the tsunami of radiant energy swamp at least a thousand warships, and they detonated like a string of firecrackers. The massive wave of destruction mauled the right wing of the armada… and it didn't stop there.

"It's heading for the Moon!" cried Flay.

Indeed it was. It only took a glance for Natarle to know exactly where on the Moon the gargantuan beam would impact, and it did not disappoint.

The blast slammed into the Ptolemaeus crater, impacting the base dead-center. A massive shockwave rippled across the lunar surface, while energy and molten rock was thrown into space. When the blast cleared Natarle could see a huge, glowing crater where the Earth Alliance's greatest fortress had once been; a superheated, radioactive mass grave.

"The base…" she heard one of her subordinates murmur.

"Oh my god!" said another.

Natarle was speechless. All this time she had feared her side's trump car, and had never given a thought to the possibility of ZAFT having one to match it.

We're all damned now, she thought, Earth Alliance, ZAFT… it doesn't matter. We've all gone off the deep end…

Coordinator… Natural…

We're all going to die!

….

"Magnificent," Creuset whispered as he looked upon the results of so much hard work.

Nuclear fire had been returned in kind, an escalation that he knew Azrael'd had no way to predict. The masked Field Marshal would've given every credit in his account to see the look on Azrael's face right now. That shock, the hubris completely wiped from his face, replaced by the fear, the rage… it would've been almost as beautiful as the attack of GENESIS herself.

The doom of the PLANTs has already been revealed, he thought, and now the doom of the Earth is unveiled. Mankind has built the instruments of its own execution; the means to carry out the sentence that I have cast upon it!

Looking down on the control center's main crew pit, he could see the shocked expressions of all the assembled staff officers and operators. Most of them had just learned about GENESIS mere hours ago; only a select few, primarily Jachin Due's weapons officers, had been clued into the true nature of the project that had once been concealed by the Mirage Net and then its own cloaking device.

"Mother of god…" one said.

"Holy shit…" murmured another.

"The Moon…" said a third.

Creuset smirked as he looked over at Patrick Zala. The Supreme Council Chairman had a fire in his eyes, and Creuset was pleased. The nuking of Boaz had served wonders to further incense L5's dictator, and now that he had gotten a chance to repay the Naturals with ZAFT's brand of nuclear firepower he was in an almost manic state. Revealing and firing GENESIS had emboldened him. In his mind, vengeance would soon be enacted against not just the Earth Alliance but all Naturals. The bloodlust that had been growing in him since the Bloody Valentine Tragedy was now at its peak, and nothing could rein it in now.

Which was exactly what Creuset wanted.

Satisfied, Chairman?, he silently asked, Of course not. You want them all to burn… and so do I. Of course, the difference is I'm intent on throwing both races into the fire. It's all going so well…

"Success!" said Field Marshal Keitel, grinning at the screen, "Now they know our true power!"

Indeed, thought Creuset, but you're already forgetting theirs, Field Marshal. You've still come up with no means to counter a mass nuclear attack, which is exactly what the Alliance will unleash on the PLANTs. All you, Zala, and the rest of the radicals have come up with is the means to repay slaughter with slaughter. So much the better for me though; it saves me the trouble of having to sabotage the defenses.

Creuset folded his arms as he watched Patrick Zala take a step forward. It was speech time again, and he knew the Chairman would not disappoint.

"This," he began, "is the dawn of a new era! For too long we have lived in fear of the Naturals! We've known since the beginning of this war the barbaric depths they'll sink to. The Bloody Valentine Tragedy showed us that, and though we thought we had removed their means to commit that same level of destruction again from their arsenal they proved otherwise at Boaz. They crossed the line when they launched those nukes at us! They brought us to this point, but what they do not know is that now we have the power to make them pay!"

Creuset chuckled quietly. "A good start…" he murmured.

Zala gave a broad wave of his hand at the large monitor on the wall. "We cannot allow these savages… these Naturals, to take things any further! Now is our time to rise up! With GENESIS we can eliminate the Natural threat once and for all! Our power is absolute! We are the next stage of human evolution, and now is the time for us to seize our birthright! We will purge the Natural threat from this world and take out place as the true rulers of the Earth Sphere, of humanity itself! The glory of victory will be ours, and with it our future will be guaranteed!"

He pumped his fist into the air. "Do it for ZAFT!"

"For ZAFT!" echoed Field Marshal Keitel.

The cry was taken up by everyone in the control room, though to Creuset it seemed that many of the participants were doing it less out of zeal than out of fear of what might happen to them if their superiors felt they weren't sufficiently… enthusiastic. Whether it was genuine or forced though did not matter to the masked ace.

For ZAFT?, he thought, a cruel smile appearing on his face, No…

For ME!

For your JUDGMENT!

FOR THE END OF HUMANITY!

End "The Master"

….

Libra…

Images of the massive battleship hijacked by White Fang back in his old world flashed through Heero's mind as he studied the aftermath of ZAFT's attack. The parallels were easy to draw, but the Gundam pilot knew that the similarities ended at the sheer scale of the power he had just witnessed. Nothing in the After Colony world could come close to the apocalyptic might ZAFT had just unleashed. Barge, Wing Zero, Libra… all paled in comparison to what he had just witnessed.

The right wing of the Earth Alliance armada had been utterly mauled. What ships hadn't been completely atomized were reduced to twisted bits of radioactive scrap. The massive fleet was in complete disarray, and Heero wondered how long it would take for them to recover. In his gut he knew it was just a matter of when, not if they would strike back; after having their nukes shown up by ZAFT's secret weapon, there was no way in hell someone like Azrael would back down or surrender.

So many ships destroyed, he thought as he stared at the Archangel's main bridge monitor, along with the Moon base. So much death…

…and it's just the beginning.

He looked over at Murrue. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with shock. After what they'd all just seen, he certainly couldn't fault her reaction.

"Oh my god…" she whispered.

Just like before, when the Earth Alliance had launched their nukes, Heero put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, and he gave her a small, determined nod.

It's not over yet.

Her eyes narrowed, courage and determination alight in those beautiful brown gems, and she returned his gesture, briefly grabbing and squeezing his hand.

We've still got a job to do.

A silent dialogue, spoken only by their eyes, by how well they knew each other, but it was all they needed.

"Transmission from the Kusanagi," said the communications officer, "They're in conference with the Eternal as well."

Murrue nodded. "Put them through."

The image on the main monitor shifted. Most of the screen was taken up by Erica Simmons, along with another screen in the background, and Heero assumed that she was in the Kusanagi's briefing room. At the bottom left corner of the bridge monitor a small square was set aside for Waltfeld.

"This is Erica Simmons," said Orb's premier engineer, "The results of my initial analysis of that attack show that the wave of thermal energy we just witnessed was caused by gamma rays."

"How did they harness them on such a large scale?" asked Heero.

Erica aimed a remote at the screen in the background, and it zoomed in on the main body of ZAFT's new weapon, with the core section highlighted in red.

"They initiated a controlled nuclear detonation inside this firing chamber," she explained, "The resulting burst of gamma radiation is funneled through a shaft from the firing chamber in that solid blue beam we saw at the start of the attack. That external mirror the beam hit is designed to break up the initial beam and reflect it back at the larger mirror mounted on the main body. The larger mirror on the central part of the weapon then refocuses all that energy into a massive gamma ray blast."

"How much power does that thing have?" asked Murrue.

Erica sighed. "As we saw in that first attack, it can cover a wide area and is easily capable of savaging a fleet even as large as the Earth Alliance's armada. At the same time it's clearly capable of destroying hardened structures; Ptolemaeus base was rumored to be even more fortified than the Alaska headquarters, but you saw what good that did it against that beam."

"What if it were aimed at Earth?" Heero asked.

Erica closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them the look on her face was one of dark certainty.

"If Earth were hit by a blast of that magnitude," she said, "it would destroy a great part of the planet's surface… and the radiation would wipe out almost every living thing on the planet. The Moon's lack of atmosphere actually saved the other habitats on it, including Copernicus City; it has nothing to contain all that radiation, so it goes back into the vacuum. However, Earth's atmosphere would keep much of that radiation on the planet after the initial attack, and it would doom all life as we know it."

"They couldn't…" said Murrue softly, "They wouldn't target the Earth…"

"We can't be sure," Waltfeld replied, "Both sides have taken this to the point of no return."

Heero nodded and once again put his hand on Murrue's shoulder. "We have to assume the worst."

Murrue briefly grabbed his hand again before returning the nod. "Yes, you're right."

"There is some good news in all of this," said Erica, causing Heero and Murrue to turn back to the main monitor, "Based on my initial observations, it looks like the weapon has no automatic firing mechanism. That external reflection mirror was badly damaged by the blast; they have to swap it out with each shot, which I imagine would be a lengthy process. That should buy us some time."

"How are we going to take it out?" asked Murrue.

"Our main target should be the secondary mirror," said Erica, "It'll be much easier to destroy than the main body of the weapon. If we can destroy the replacement mirrors it won't be able to turn the concentrated initial beam into that larger blast."

"That shouldn't be too hard," said Waltfeld, "We've certainly got the firepower for that, and it doesn't even have to be Wing Zero."

"Yes," Erica replied, "however…"

"What's the catch?" asked Heero.

"It's not really a 'catch' per se," said Erica cautiously, "but… even without the secondary mirrors to reflect the energy back to the larger focusing mirror, the initial beam is still quite potent. With the secondary mirrors destroyed it can't cause nearly as much devastation as that attack we just witnessed, but the levels of radiation in it far surpass anything I've ever seen before. If it were aimed at a colony or a metropolitan area on Earth it would incinerate anything in the initial impact zone, and a surrounding area of several kilometers would be lethally irradiated; anything in that radius would be dead within minutes."

"So even if the secondary mirror's the more vulnerable target, we still need to take the whole thing out to completely eliminate it as an immediate threat," Heero summarized.

"Precisely," said Erica.

"Looks like our mission just got even more complicated," said Murrue, her eyes focused on the screen, "Which group will target the gamma ray cannon?"

"Ours," said Waltfeld, "We'll be operating closer to the PLANTs anyway in order to intercept the Alliance's missiles and take a shot at Zala. The Kusanagi's Lohengrins should be up to the task, and she'll have plenty of fire support from our other ships. However… depending on how things go, we might need a little help."

Heero nodded, instantly getting what the Desert Tiger was implying. "I'll be ready to target the weapon if you need me to."

"Appreciated," said Waltfeld, "For now though, your primary objective remains the same as the rest of the Archangel's group; neutralizing the Alliance's leadership. Unless I say otherwise or you judge the situation to have changed significantly, focus on that."

"Understood," Heero replied.

"We detected a tight-beam transmission going between the weapon and Jachin Due," said Erica, "The weapon's most likely being controlled from there. Still, we can't assume that's the only place they can direct it from."

The screen shifted, and Lacus appeared in the lower right corner of the monitor. "We can't allow them to launch any more nuclear attacks or gamma rays. If either side manages to lock in on the other's civilian populations, it'll be all over."

"At least we can intercept the Alliance's missiles," said Murrue, "but as for that gamma ray cannon… nothing can repel firepower of that magnitude."

"So our margin of error is zero either way," said Heero, his voice firm and certain, "Just like old times."

"We'll keep our sensors on the weapon's projected firing path," said Waltfeld, "and transmit that data to the rest of our fleet. That way we can at least track where it's next shot will be and we can stay out of the way."

Heero saw Murrue nod before turning to the sensor operator. "Make sure we're sharing data with the Eternal at all times and passing it on to the other ships in our group."

"Already on it, Captain," her subordinate replied.

"It won't be long until the Earth Alliance regroups," said Waltfeld, "When they make their move, we'll make ours. Everyone stay on your toes and be ready for action. Eternal out."

As the Desert Tiger, Lacus, and Erica disappeared from the screen, Murrue turned to Heero. "It looks like our fight is even more desperate now. I know you didn't face a weapon quite like ZAFT's new beast back in your old world, but you're still the only one among us that's experienced anything close to this. If you've got any advice, we're all ears."

Looking around the bridge, Heero saw the eyes of all Murrue's subordinates on him. He glanced over at the monitor, taking a hard look at the Earth Alliance armada before turning back to Murrue. "Focus on the mission. We know our role in this, and we have to concentrate on playing our part. Take out the Earth Alliance leadership. Protect our comrades the best we can. Defend the civilians. Don't think about the enemy's power, however massive it might be; focus on what you can do."

Protect each other, he added silently, his eyes focusing on hers, just like we've always done.

She nodded and smiled. "You're right, Heero. Thank you."

She turned back to her crew. "We all know what our responsibilities are. The Eternal's group will focus on ZAFT's side of the fight; we need to deal with Azrael and the Alliance. Trust each other, and trust yourselves. If any crew can make it through this fight, it's us."

Heero saw the bridge crew look at her and each other, giving determined nods. Whatever fear they had was outweighed by their resolve to see the last step of their long journey through to the end. They had faith in their Captain, in their comrades, and their mission.

They were ready.

Well done, Murrue, he thought, They'll follow us into the fire without hesitation. Now we have to lead them, to prove that their faith is not replaced. I'll do my part, and I know you'll do yours. After all…

…there's no Captain in this world, any world, that's stronger than you.

….

Ever since the surprise ZAFT attack, Flay had been staring out the Dominion's main bridge viewport in stunned silence. The horror she had felt as the Alliance had launched its nukes during the Battle of Boaz was back in full force, only now it was directed at the enemy's new source of apocalyptic destruction. Images of that strange, masked ZAFT officer flashed through her mind for reasons she could not comprehend, along with an odd sense of dreadful certainty.

He… he planned this! He knew this would happen! Why… why would he want it to be this way? The Alliance, ZAFT… they're about to wipe each other out! Nukes, that cannon… humanity's on the verge of annihilation!

She had no way to prove it, but it was the only thing that made sense to her. Her intuition was centered on that thought, and she knew in her heart that she was right. That certainty did not help matters though; quite the contrary. A fresh shudder went down her spine as she realized that the man that had saved her at Alaska and had kept her as his unofficial captive for the past few months was completely insane.

She wanted to tell someone, anyone, but how could she? Who would believe her? Even Natarle would be skeptical, and rightly so. For all of mankind's brutality, who would actually want to wipe out the human race?

More to the point, she couldn't tell anyone right now. They had just taken an attack from a weapon of unprecedented and horrifying firepower. Right now the focus would be on their very survival, or at least she thought Natarle would make that her top priority.

"Status report!" said Natarle, "Do we have a total on our losses yet?"

"Preliminary estimates put the toll at roughly 1,700 ships," replied the sensor officer, "We're still trying to account for everyone!"

Seventeen-hundred at least, she thought, Combined with the ships we lost in the fight at Boaz… we're down almost two-thousand vessels! The lunar base was taken down too… how many died in that attack?

"We've lost the Roosevelt's IFF beacon," the officer continued, "Rear Admiral Bernard is dead!"

"What about the Doolittle?" asked Natarle.

"She's still transmitting," the officer replied.

"And the Truman?" Azrael asked, and Flay noted more than a hint of panic in his voice, "Is that ship still intact?"

That's the second time he's mentioned that ship, Flay thought, Why does he care so much about that one? What's on it?

"Affirmative," said the sensor officer, "She has no damage."

Azrael breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Good…"

"Any new energy buildups from that thing?" asked Natarle, "Sensors, are they about to fire again?"

"No thermal buildups detected," he replied, "and that second mirror looks badly damaged. I don't think they can fire when it's like that."

Natarle sighed. "Good. We have a little breathing room."

"Captain," said Azrael, "How long before we can regroup the fleet and go in for a coordinated attack?"

Flay's eyes widened in shock. Attack? After they had been hit by something like that? Was he out of his mind?

She wasn't the only one who thought that. Looking at her Captain, she saw that Natarle's expression was torn between horror and revulsion.

"A coordinated attack?" she parroted in disbelief, "Do you have any idea what kind of situation we're in here? We just lost almost two thousand ships in one strike!"

"You're the one who doesn't understand!" Azrael yelled back.

He pointed at the image of the Coordinator's new weapon on the monitor, his hand shaking. "What? Are you saying we should just leave that thing floating out there?"

"We need a plan!" Natarle shot back, "We can't just rush back in!"

"There's no time for one of your so-called 'plans'!" Azrael sneered, "Even from this distance it could wipe out the Earth! We can't sit around and wait for them to attack with that thing again!"

"I wasn't suggesting that," Natarle replied, "but a head-on assault would be a bloodbath for our forces!"

"It's the only thing that will work now!" Azrael yelled, "It's soldiers like you, unable to make the hard decisions, the necessary sacrifices, who gave them enough time to build that thing in the first place!"

Necessary sacrifices?, thought Flay, disgust and anger overtaking her disbelief at what she was seeing and hearing, That's bullshit! He just wants to throw soldiers into battle and kill as many Coordinators as he can! It's not a 'sacrifice'; it's lives wasted! And all so Blue Cosmos can wipe out the Coordinators? It's unbelievable… his hatred is endless, and it's going to get so many people killed! It already has…

"I don't care what it takes!" Azrael roared, "It doesn't matter how many of our soldiers die! That's what they signed up for; to sacrifice themselves for the good of all Naturals! I don't care if the whole fleet's destroyed; we will kill them!"

Flay did not miss how Azrael's ranting had turned from ZAFT's new weapon to the Coordinators themselves. It would be one thing if the man simply wanted to destroy the weapon and eliminate the very real threat it posed to so many innocent lives, but of course a man like him had no place in his heart for such humanity. All he cared for was wiping out the Coordinators, fulfilling the xenophobic creed of Blue Cosmos, drowning the Earth Sphere in an ocean of blood, and if it included Earth Alliance soldiers too, so be it.

She saw Azrael clench his fist, his face contorted in fury. "Damn! Those filthy Coordinators. Those god-damned vermin! Do you think I'm going to give up after coming this far, after coming so close to finally purging your kind from this world? I'm going to win this thing! Mark my words, I'm going to win!"

He turned to Natarle. "Get the Doolittle on the line now!"

Natarle glared but complied, turning to Flay and giving her a nod.

Flay gulped but managed to compose herself enough to carry out the order. A few seconds later Admiral Sutherland appeared on the screen, his face hard as stone.

"Lord Azrael," he said, "What are your orders?"

"You and Captain Badgiruel are to reform the armada," said Azrael, "As soon as that's done, we'll march on the PLANTs."

Sutherland nodded. "It will be done, my lord."

"We'll concentrate our assault on Jachin Due," Azrael said, "When we punch enough holes in their line we'll nuke the colonies and the fortress. That weapon too; it's all going to burn."

"Of course," Sutherland replied, "We'll be regrouped and ready to finish this soon enough."

"See to it," Azrael growled, "Failure will mean more than just disgrace, I promise you that."

Sutherland glared at him. "Doolittle out."

The Admiral disappeared from the screen, and Flay looked back at Natarle. For her part, the Dominion's Captain just shook her head in a mix of exasperation, weariness, and despair. She could see just how pointless all this was, how they were only driving further down the road of annihilation, and so could Flay.

How do we stop this?, she thought desperately, With the way things are going now, we're all going to die! The Alliance, ZAFT, everyone… this has to stop!

Someone please, help us!

Help us!

Yzak!

Kira!

….

September 26th, C.E. 71

Taking his seat on the Eternal's bridge, Aisha floating behind him, Waltfeld turned to DaCosta. "When do you think they'll make their move, my friend?"

"Can't be more than an hour or two away now," his former aide and now the Eternal's XO replied, "From what we can see it looks like the Earth Alliance has almost completely reformed the armada."

"What about ZAFT?" asked Lacus as she entered the bridge, "Has their fleet moved? What's the status of that weapon?"

"They've spent quite some time preparing the new mirror for the weapon, Miss Clyne," said DaCosta, "It looks like they're almost ready to deploy it again. The current projected firing path is still running through the Earth Alliance armada though."

"We know for sure they're not setting up to hit Earth yet?" said Aisha, her hand on Waltfeld's shoulder.

DaCosta nodded. "They'll have to considerably shift the weapon's angle to target the planet, and the Grand Fleet will have to significantly alter their deployment to avoid getting caught in the line of fire. There's no way they'll be able to hide that from us."

"Small favors," Waltfeld muttered, rubbing the sleep out of his good eye, "I hope everyone's ready for this. We won't get a second chance."

The new day was still very young. Waltfeld had figured the Alliance would need a little bit of time to regroup for their attack, so he'd instructed everyone to get at least a bit of sleep. It was nowhere near a full night's rest; they just couldn't afford that given the circumstances. Still, he knew they'd need every bit of strength that they could muster today.

"How are the METEORs?" asked Lacus, "Are they ready for the Freedom and Justice?"

'Yes, Miss Clyne," said DaCosta, "We've run multiple checks on them. We can detach them and link them up with Athrun and Kira's machines at any time after they launch."

The songstress nodded. "We will need every bit of their power and precision today."

"No doubt about that," said Waltfeld.

"A little help from Wing Zero wouldn't hurt either," chimed in Aisha.

"I already spoke to Heero about that," Waltfeld replied, "His main mission at this point may be to take out the Earth Alliance leadership, but he told me he'll act to intercept their nukes if he's in a position to do so. That rifle of his can cover a good area; it'll be effective at least for reducing the amount of warheads Athrun and Kira will have to deal with."

"Speaking of those two," said Aisha, "are we sure they're up for this? They're top notch pilots, and both their machines have the capabilities we need when combined with the METEORs, but still… it's a tall order."

"I have faith in them," said Lacus, smiling, "Kira and Athrun know what is at stake here. The pressure is immense, that is true, but it will drive them to succeed. They will not allow a single missile to hit the PLANTs."

Waltfeld nodded and smiled. "Good enough for me."

Aisha smiled. "Same here."

Privately, Waltfeld had his worries, though it wasn't about Kira and Athrun's ability to intercept the missiles. Rather, it was Kira's mentality that had him concerned. He knew the boy had been shaken up by what he had seen during and after the Earth Alliance's attack on Elysium. The strike on the refugees had seemed to finally hammer home to the young man the cost of his unwillingness to go all out on the battlefield, to accept the burden that came with taking life in combat. Waltfeld had reviewed sensor data and footage of the battle; he'd seen the Freedom finally shoot to kill. Kira seemed to have hit a threshold, but Waltfeld didn't know if he had definitively crossed it… or what direction it would take him in.

Against regular pilots, his style works just fine, he thought, but if he gets tangled up with more of those special Alliance units, ZAFT's Special Operations squadrons… or, god help him, Creuset or Galm Team… can he embrace that killer instinct again?

When the chips are down…

…can he kill?

Has he found his balance, the ability to discern between those he can go easy on and those he has to slay?

Waltfeld sighed. He hated not having a definitive answer to something this important.

Too much was riding on it.

….

Down in the Archangel's pilots' locker room, Heero was running a final check over himself. His helmet was floating in the air next to him, his CR 75AC pistol holstered at his hip, and his black pilot's suit looked to be perfectly in order.

The rest of the kit I'll need is already aboard Wing Zero, he thought, Looks like I'm all set.

He was about to grab his helmet when a chime came from a nearby wall speaker. "Heero?" came Murrue's voice, "May I come in?"

Heero leaned over and pressed a button by the speaker. "Go ahead."

The door leading to the ship's crew areas slid open, and the beautiful Captain floated inside.

"When we left our quarters I thought you were going straight to the bridge," said Heero.

Murrue smiled, though it couldn't completely hide her nervousness. "I know, but… well, considering what we're about to fly into, I wanted to come down to give you a proper sendoff."

Before he could react she came over to him and took him into a fierce embrace. As he returned it they came together in a deep, passionate kiss. All their fears for the coming battle and their absolute devotion to each other came out in that kiss. The tight grips, the fiercely mashed together lips, the frantic swirling of tongues… it was desperation and passion intertwined.

All too soon they had to part for air, and while they moved back just a bit they still held each other tightly. Their eyes met, and Heero could see the determination, desperation, and affection in her beautiful brown eyes.

"Come back to me!" she said, "No matter what happens, promise me that you'll come back!"

Heero gave her a firm nod. "I will. It doesn't matter what I have to face out there today, I will survive. That's a promise, Murrue… so you'd better do the same."

Murrue smiled again, and this time there was no fear to hide. "Absolutely. After all we've been through together, there's no way in hell you're losing me now!"

Heero gave her a small smile before pulling her back in for another kiss. This one was soft and tender, almost fragile, but with no less devotion or meaning than the last.

As their lips parted he raised his right hand and gently caressed her cheek. "I love you," he said, his voice so soft it was almost a whisper.

"And I love you," she replied, "Now, let's show this world that it's going to take a lot more than armadas, nukes and gamma ray cannons to keep us from surviving this war!"

Heero nodded. "Roger that."

They shared one more embrace before going their separate ways, Murrue to the bridge and Heero to the hangar. Helmet tucked under his arm, Heero made his way towards Wing Zero, looking around the vast hangar as he did so.

Everyone around him felt so alive. They were scared, true, but that fear was far outweighed by their determination, their sense of purpose. Everyone knew the score, and they were hell bent on beating the odds and then some.

Passing by, Crew Chief Murdoch gave him a nod and a smile. "You're all set for the fight, Heero, and I even had the boys buff out a few scratches in the paint. Wing Zero's good to go."

Heero nodded. "Thank you."

The Archangel's head mechanic surprised him with a light punch on the shoulder. "Only the best for you, kid. Give 'em hell."

"Count on it," he replied.

Across the hangar he saw Shemei and Eric moving towards their mobile suits. The Wolf and the Valkyrie shared a brief kiss before turning towards him and smiling. For his part Heero gave them a nod and a wave.

We started this war on opposite sides, he thought, and now we're comrades in arms, even friends. So much has happened since I came to this world… since I began my journey through this new battlefield.

"Yo, Heero!" a familiar voice yelled out.

Looking ahead of him, he saw Mu La Flaga floating towards him. The Hawk of Endymion had a confident smile on his face, and his hand was held out.

"No matter what happens," he said, "I just want to say thanks. For sparing Natarle back at L4, for being willing to try and save her this time… I owe you big time."

Heero shook his head. "I'm not just doing this for you. Murrue wants to save her too."

"I know," La Flaga replied, "Still, I'm in your debt."

Heero reached out and shook his hand. "In that case, watch my back out there."

La Flaga chuckled. "Deal."

The two pilots went their separate ways. As Heero approached Wing Zero he felt a sense of nostalgia come over him. There were plenty of differences between now and back then, of course, but he still could not deny just how much the situation reminded him of the final battle of the Eve Wars.

Two sides with overwhelming power and numbers, he thought as he climbed into the cockpit, Countless lives riding on the outcome… the only thing missing is the other four Gundam pilots.

Heero shook his head. This was his fight, not theirs. After Colony was their world now, not his. Murrue's home was the Cosmic Era, and therefore it was now Heero's. He was perfectly at peace with that. When he'd left his old world, he'd essentially left his old life behind. Here he had started anew, and he knew he had Murrue to thank for that. She'd welcomed him into her world with open arms, and had shown him so much of what he had been missing in his old life, just how much more there was for him to experience. His old friends could defend his old world while he defended this one.

The Cosmic Era, he thought as he settled in and checked things over, is our world. Our new life together is here, not another world. I'll be damned if I let the Earth Alliance and ZAFT destroy it.

Everything was in order. Wing Zero was ready to go, and all the gear he'd gotten from the Archangel's armory was properly secured. All he had to do now was wait.

He had a feeling it wouldn't be too long.

….

Can… can I do this?

It was a thought Kira had been having for quite some time now, and it was all the more pressing the closer the final battle got. Down in the pilot's locker room of the Eternal, the young Coordinator was suiting up. He was grateful for the fact that the other pilots were already done; he knew he couldn't hide his nerves from them.

It wasn't the pressure of thwarting the Alliance's nuclear strike that had him so worked up. While a daunting task to be sure, it was one Kira knew he could tackle head-on thanks to his skills, the Freedom, and the METEOR unit he'd be using. Rather, it was the issue of the fight itself… how he would fight.

The Battle of Elysium had never been far from his mind over the past two months. The consequences of his failure to take down those new Alliance mobile suits quickly enough had been devastating, and the knowledge that it could've been far worse was scant comfort to the young man. When he had finally done what was necessary, had killed his opponents, it had been on pure instinct. Whether he could consciously will himself to do it again after that fight was something he had been struggling with ever since.

It was a struggle that had not gone unnoticed by his comrades.

….

August 21st, C.E. 71

"So," said Lacus, "Did Heero say why he wanted to meet you?"

Kira shook his head. "No idea."

"That's weird," said Cagalli, "He doesn't do something without a reason, even if it's a crazy one. I wonder why he called you out of the blue like this."

"And to meet at the colony's kendo dojo, too," said Athrun, his eyes narrowed in thought, "He's up to something…"

The four of them were walking down one of Elysium's many sidewalks, fast approaching the dojo in question. Kira had been hanging out with the three of them when he'd gotten a call on the cell phone he had been given by Cagalli for communication with the others while they were staying at the colony. All the core members of the Three Ships Alliance had been given the devices soon after arriving on the colony in order to keep in touch even while they were enjoying their much-needed shore leave.

"I'm surprised he even knew the Kamiya Dojo existed," said Cagalli as they walked up to the ancient Japanese-style building, which definitely stood out amid the rest of the colony's much more modern architecture, "It's not like they're world famous or anything like that."

"Knowing Heero, I'm sure he did his homework on this colony," said Lacus, "That still does not answer the question of why he wanted to meet Kira here."

"Uhm, guys," Kira chimed in nervously, "He didn't exactly say I should bring company either. As far as I know that call was just meant for me."

"He can deal with the rest of us," said Cagalli, smiling, "We're his friends, after all. I'm sure he won't mind."

"I hope you're right," Kira replied as he and the others kicked off their shoes by the door before walking inside.

When they entered they saw that the dojo was largely empty save for three people. One was a man who appeared to be in his late thirties to early forties, another was a raven-haired girl in her late teens, and the third was Heero. The first two were dressed in traditional kendo robes, with the girl having her long black hair tied back in a ponytail, while Heero wore his customary jeans and green tank-top. Kira also saw that the girl was holding two wooden swords.

"Well," said the older gentleman, "that's a few more people than I was expecting."

Heero shook his head. "I wasn't expecting this. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Master Kamiya."

The head of the dojo shook his head. "Not at all, Yuy-san. Should I have Kaoru grab more shinai?"

"That won't be necessary," Heero replied, holding out his hands to Kaoru, "I'll take those."

The girl nodded and passed them to him.

"Come, my daughter," said Master Kamiya, "We should leave them to their business."

As father and daughter left the room Kira saw Heero turn towards him, his eyes slightly narrowing. "I only called for you."

"Sorry," said Kira, "I was with them, and they insisted on coming."

He saw Heero look at the others, and was curious when he saw his eyes linger on Lacus with a regretful look in them. Heero gave the songstress a slight bow. "In that case… I'm sorry that you'll have to watch this."

Kira hadn't been expecting that, and he and the others traded puzzled looks before turning back to Heero.

"What are you talking about?" asked Lacus nervously.

"Come on, clue us in already," said Cagalli, folding her arms to express her impatience, "What the hell's going on here, Heero?"

Heero ignored her, instead looking straight at Kira and motioning for him to come forward. The boy did so, and Heero tossed one of the shinai to him. Kira caught it with little effort, but as soon as the handle met his palm…

…Heero rushed forward to attack.

Kira's eyes widened in shock as he hastily brought the sword up to defend himself. His surprise only increased at the raw power behind Heero's strike, and the boy half-expected the wooden sword to snap in half.

"Heero!" yelled Athrun, "What the hell?"

If Wing Zero's pilot noticed his distress he gave no sign of it. His focus was squarely on Kira, and the young man was quickly pushed towards the center of the room as Heero rained down a furious series of blows in rapid succession.

"Why are you doing this?" cried Lacus.

"Heero!" yelled Cagalli, "What's wrong with you?"

Again the Gundam pilot gave them no answer, and Kira didn't have time to join in. Heero continued his attacks, a viciously powerful sequence of overhand strikes and diagonal slashes designed to overwhelm the boy with sheer ferocity and brutality. Kira was amazed that he was able to keep Heero from landing a blow so far, and he had to wonder just how long that would last. He had absolutely no training with sword fighting beyond mobile suits, and was defending himself almost on pure instinct.

Heero quickly altered his approach, going with a series of low and mid-level horizontal slashes, mixing it up with quick and precise thrusts. Kira frantically blocked the attacks, unable to find any opening to counter; it was all he could do just to protect himself from this completely unexpected attack. The boy had very little knowledge of kendo, but he did know that duels were supposed to be formal, with rules and warning before the start, and he also knew that there was none of that here. Heero wasn't treating this like a traditional kendo match at all; Kira felt like he was on the wrong end of an all-out brawl.

The Gundam pilot returned to his vertical chops and diagonal strikes, and Kira was stunned by the raw power behind the blows. His mind flashed back to Heero's duel with the Valkyrie back at L4, and he wondered how the hell Shemei had been able to last as long as she had against such incredible strength. The fact that Kira was a Coordinator – if that madman Creuset was right, the Perfect Coordinator – seemed to mean nothing here. All his enhanced abilities and the combat experience of the past several months were only enough to allow him to barely hang in there against a combatant who had been training and fighting since Kira was in grade school.

Then, whether by accident or design he did not know, his eyes met Heero's. An arctic chill went through Kira's body as he saw just how dark they had become and just how intensely focused they were on him. Kira was used to Heero being cool, withdrawn, insightful, and focused, but now he just looked straight up ruthless. No, murderous. For a split second the Gundam pilot's face was replaced in his mind by that of a wolf, its fangs bared and its eyes focused on his throat.

A single thought hit him then.

'He's going to kill me!'

It didn't matter that they were friends or comrades, or that they had fought alongside each other for months now. The fact that they were wielding practice swords meant nothing as well; Kira had no doubt that Heero could kill with one if he put his mind to it, which it very much looked like he had.

It was in that fearful moment that a familiar sensation came over Kira, a mix of clarity and purpose. It wasn't just instinct kicking in; it was something deeper. Just like on those rare occasions before when he had felt like this a strange vision flashed through his mind.

A seed spinning, touching a clear, calm surface, sending out ripples…

…and bursting in brilliant light.

His eyes darkened, and his grip on his shinai hardened. His stance became firmer, and as Heero lashed out with a horizontal strike Kira was finally able to do more than just frantically block it. This time he managed to parry the blow and launch a counter attack, a vertical strike. Heero was able to block it, but it marked a shift in the fight; now Kira was taking the offensive.

The Freedom's pilot pushed forward, his body moving faster than he'd ever felt in his life. He launched a series of hard, fast attacks, pushing Heero back across the floor. The Gundam pilot's eyes narrowed, but it was something that barely registered to Kira. He was in a strange place, a level between conscious and unconscious thought, acting on instinct yet at the same time fully aware of his surroundings, knowing what he wanted to do and how to do it.

He launched another overhand strike, but despite his newfound speed, strength, and resolve Heero was able to counter. Wing Zero's pilot altered the angle of his shinai, redirecting Kira's strike down towards the floor. The young man moved to recover, but as he did so Heero was able to regain the initiative with a horizontal swipe of his sword. Kira rolled as he blocked the strike, using his momentum to gain a little distance and set up for a counter of his own.

The boy rushed in, thrusting out with his shinai, but Heero was ready for him. He caught Kira's shinai on his and redirected the blow, forcing the young Coordinator to go right past him. At the same time the Gundam pilot spun around, adding centrifugal force to his counter, his shinai hitting Kira in the back of the head.

The impact sent him falling forward and at the same time knocked him out of that strange state he'd entered after that vision. It took him a few seconds to recover, and he shook his head as he got up and turned towards Heero. He raised his sword to defend himself, only to find that Wing Zero's pilot had lowered his own. His eyes didn't have that ice-cold, murderous edge to them anymore; now he was back to regular Heero.

"So," the Gundam pilot said, so softly it almost seemed like he was talking to himself rather than Kira, "You still have it… you just don't have control over it."

Kira blinked in confusion. "Control of what?"

Lacus seized the opportunity to move between them, with Athrun and Cagalli not far behind. Kira was surprised to see that she looked genuinely angry as she glared at Heero.

"That was completely uncalled for!" she said, "Heero Yuy, explain yourself at once!"

"Yeah!" Cagalli chimed in, folding her arms, "What the hell was that all about?"

"You didn't even give Kira time to prepare before you attacked!" yelled Athrun, "I thought that was supposed to be a duel!"

"I never said anything about a duel," Heero replied calmly, "nor was it supposed to be one. Duels are formal affairs; this was a fight, and one that had to happen."

"What are you talking about?" asked Kira.

"I had to know," said Heero, his gaze meeting Kira's, "whether what I'd seen in you before was gone, or if you still had it… and if you did, whether or not you could control it."

"Seen in him before?" asked Lacus, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Kira already knows, even if he hasn't wrapped his head around it yet," said Heero, his gaze still on the Freedom's pilot, "I could see it in his eyes when he unlocked it."

"Unlocked what?" asked Cagalli.

Kira's eyes widened as he flashed back to that strange mental image he'd seen earlier.

The seed bursting into brilliant light…

"Looks like you've figured it out," said Heero.

Kira nodded. "That… that wasn't the first time that's happened to me."

"I know," Heero replied, "I may not have seen it as up close and personal as I did today, but I have seen you enter such a state before. Doubts erased, focused purely on the enemy in front of you, fighting beyond mere instinct or conscious thought, natural restraints cast aside… an entirely new battlefield awareness, a new fighting mentality."

Kira's mind flashed back to occasions where he'd experienced what Heero was talking about. The fighting in North Africa, the fierce clash in the Marshall Islands, the frantic battle against Creuset at L4… those were the most prominent examples for him, but he knew they weren't the only ones.

"I wasn't sure if you could still access it, especially after L4," Heero continued, "In the battle to save this colony you proved you could kill again, but that wasn't that state you unlocked earlier; that was simply instinct. More to the point, for all I know it could've been a one-off."

"I know you've had a problem with the way I've been fighting since I came back with the Freedom," Kira replied, "but you still let me go my own way."

Heero nodded. "I did…and it had a cost, one you're well aware of."

Kira nodded in return. "I… I know. The refugees… if I'd been willing to do what was necessary sooner, we might've been able to save more of them."

"I thought you'd recognize that after viewing the aftermath of the battle," said Heero, "Still… I wasn't sure if it had really woken you up, if you were truly willing to take life again in combat or if that was just a fluke. Also, I needed to know if you could still harness that ability that you just showed me earlier. All evidence points to yes… but it's not enough."

"What are you talking about, Heero?" asked Lacus.

"From where I'm standing," said Heero, still looking at Kira, "it looks like you're at a crossroads. I can understand that, especially after all you've gone through since Heliopolis… but we can't afford it now. Any hesitancy, any indecision or doubt on your part could get us all killed, and many more besides. We won't be at L3 forever, and you know what the stakes are in the fight that's coming up."

"We all know that," said Cagalli, "If ZAFT wins, Naturals die. If the Alliance wins, Coordinators die."

"And if Creuset has his way," Athrun chimed in, "everyone dies."

"Which reinforces the point I'm getting at," said Heero, "Kira, it's not enough that you still have that ability, that access to that state of combat awareness. At L4 you may have used it against Creuset, but it wasn't with lethal intent; he survived because you let him. Your desire to fight without killing your opponents worked its way into that subconscious state you sometimes enter while in combat. It let you neutralize Creuset as a threat in that fight, but you didn't take him out for good… and if you want to beat him in the next round that has to change."

"What makes you think we'll even have a next round?" asked Kira, "If the next battle's going to be as big as everyone thinks it is then the odds of the two of us facing off against each other individually are pretty slim."

Heero shook his head. "It may seem that way, but if I've learned anything over the course of my career it's that the statistical odds aren't a failsafe guarantee. Besides, that encounter between you two at L4 is all I need to know that he'll come gunning for you. You and Creuset have a connection, just like he and La Flaga do. You're all tied together by the Mendel colony, and it's not just because of that last battle."

Kira looked down. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Too bad," Heero shot back, "because that connection might mean the difference between life and death for you in the coming fight. From what I understand, Creuset's creation wasn't just the result of La Flaga's father's desire for a perfect legacy; Hibiki used that process as part of the experiment that eventually led to you becoming a Coordinator. You may not be a clone of Al Da Flaga, but in a way you're still tied to Al Da Flaga due to that research, and by extension Mu and Creuset. La Flaga mentioned that he could sometimes sense when Creuset was on nearby. Have you ever felt anything like that?"

Kira shook his head. "Not that I know of."

"That could change," Heero replied, "I'm not an expert geneticist; I'm not qualified to go into detail on the experiment that ties you three together. However, it strikes me that if Creuset was right, that you're the 'Perfect Coordinator', you may only be just beginning to tap into your true abilities. You've managed to survive in this war without any real combat training, and your abilities have grown incredibly in a very short amount of time. Experience has been a good teacher for you, Kira, but I think there's more than that at play here. That awareness that La Flaga has when Creuset's nearby is something you could eventually get as well. As for that 'state' you sometimes go into during battle… that might be a result of the experiment as well, or it could be something else entirely. Regardless, it may very well be the key to your victory over Creuset when you meet again in battle."

"But you said it yourself; I can't control it," said Kira, "I don't know how to just… well, just enter that 'state' you described."

"I know," said Heero, "and that's something you need to figure out. I've never experienced anything like it myself, Kira, so I need you to describe to me how you've gotten there before. Your feelings just before you enter that state; what were they?"

Kira closed his eyes for a moment, thinking back to all the times he'd had that strange vision in his mind before. "It… it was a little different each time. Anger, desperation, determination… sometimes they were all mixed up when it happened."

"But somehow your mind turned that into focus, into resolve," said Heero, "It took those feelings and sharpened them, forged them into a weapon that you could use to deadly effect. It helped you survive situations that could very well have killed you without it."

Kira nodded. "Yeah… it did."

"And you're going to need it to survive what's coming," Heero continued, "That's why I came at you without any warning and with such ferocity; I wanted you to believe I intended to kill you because I thought that was the best way to force you into that state. I'm sorry for the deception, but it was necessary."

"So what now?" asked Kira, "I mean, I still don't know how to control it."

"I know," Heero replied, "Which is why you and I are going to train here. I've already discussed it with the dojo master, and he's okay with it. I think you can control this, and I want to help you do it."

"But if I know you're not really coming at me to kill, I won't enter that state you want me to," said Kira.

Heero shook his head. "Trust me, I can convince you otherwise. In your head you might know that I don't intend to kill you… but I can make your instincts react like I do. The mind and the heart are not always easily reconciled or fully in synch with each other, and that's something I'll be using to full effect in this exercise."

"How long will this take?" asked Lacus.

"That's up to Kira," said Heero, "We're not going to spend every bit of our remaining time on the colony doing this; we both have other things we'd like to do while we're here, while we have this reprieve. However, if Kira's serious about making it through the final battle and protecting his friends, he will put some effort into this. Won't you, Kira?"

"Does he have a choice otherwise?" asked Cagalli, glaring at Heero.

Heero nodded. "Of course. I can't force him to do this. However, I would advise that he do so."

Kira turned to his friends. "What do you guys think?"

Lacus sighed. "I don't know. I understand how difficult this is for you, Kira, and how important the way you fight now is to you. However… I think Heero might be right. You need to be at your best, especially with what we're up against, and this could be the key to your survival."

"I don't know," said Cagalli, still giving Heero the stink eye, "I still don't like the way you started this, Heero. Even if I get your reasons, you still lied to Kira. I thought he was your friend?"

"He is," said Heero, "You all are, and that's why I did what I did. I want Kira to be able to do more than just fight effectively; I want him to survive and to be able to help his friends do the same."

Kira turned to Athrun, who nodded. "I don't like how he set this up, Kira… but I think Heero's got a point. In fact… I want to join you guys in this."

Kira's eyes widened. "Athrun?"

"What the hell? Athrun!" said Cagalli, just as surprised as Kira.

"Why?" asked Lacus.

Heero looked over at the former ZAFT ace. "So you've experienced something similar to Kira?"

Athrun nodded. "First it was in the Marshall Islands… after Nicol died. The next time I felt it was at L4 after Kira got hit by that Alliance machine. From what you and Kira described, I think the same thing happened to me. It's still kind of hazy for me… but I fought like I'd never fought before. I was faster, stronger, more focused… it was almost unreal. If I can learn more about it, maybe even control it… I might be able to stop my father."

Heero looked between Athrun and Kira for a moment before nodding. "All right then. Go grab another shinai. I'll take you on after another round with Kira."

He then turned back to Kira and raised his sword, his eyes once again narrowing as they took on that dark and frigid edge.

"Here I come."

….

September 26th, C.E. 71

Kira looked down as that first training exercise between him and Heero ran through his head. It hadn't been the last of its kind. With Athrun joining them, he and Heero had met several more times at the Kamiya dojo over the remainder of their stay on Elysium. The training sessions had usually lasted no more than a couple of hours apiece, but their intensity had made them seem far longer. Heero had very much been right; just because Kira and Athrun knew in their brains that Wing Zero's pilot wasn't trying to kill them didn't mean he couldn't convince their hearts otherwise. The gap between intellectual knowledge and gut instinct was something Heero had proven that he knew how to take full advantage of, and Kira knew that if they hadn't been using practice weapons both he and Athrun would be dead several times over.

He wasn't sure just how much progress they'd made either. While Heero had been able to repeatedly force both of them into that strange state, what Kira had privately begun to refer to as 'Seed Mode' thanks to that particular vision that always came just before he entered it, neither Kira nor Athrun had actually been able to call upon it at will. They still relied on the situation, their instincts and feelings when it seemed like their lives were on the line, to give them that final push.

Kira had been worried about Heero's reaction to that, but to his relief the Gundam pilot seemed to take it in stride. Perhaps it was because Heero couldn't seem to access 'Seed 'Mode' himself that made him recognize his own limited understanding of just what Athrun and Kira were experiencing, that the final key to truly harnessing that power might be something that they had to discover themselves. He'd treated the whole affair like part training session, part science experiment, observing how they reacted to his attacks and adjusting accordingly. Eventually Heero had decided to bring the exercises to a close, declaring that he'd done all he could for Athrun and Kira with regards to their strange ability.

We know for sure it's not a fluke, that we can both use it, he thought, and thanks to Heero we were at least able to get a better handle on controlling it while we were actually in it. Pushing ourselves into it though, controlling how and when we actually enter 'Seed Mode'… I'm not sure if that's possible.

He shook his head as he zipped up his flight suit. There was no point in worrying about it now. All he could do was fly and fight with every ounce of skill and strength he had… and hope that he'd be able to call upon that strange ability if he needed it.

If there was a definite positive outcome to his training sessions with Heero, it was the strengthening of his resolve. The Gundam pilot had repeatedly hammered home the point that Kira had to be able to distinguish between targets that he could fight with restraint and those against which he could hold nothing back. It was much the same argument that Waltfeld had made to him after the fight at L4, but after the tragedy at Elysium it carried much more weight. Kira still didn't like the idea of having to kill, but more and more he understood that his friends and allies didn't either despite the apparent ease with which they did so. They had all long ago learned to accept and deal with the terrible burden that came with taking life on the battlefield, and if Kira didn't want to be a liability to them he knew he would have to do the same. At least he could take comfort in the fact that people like Heero and Waltfeld weren't telling him to completely abandon his way of fighting, just to recognize situations where it was not enough, where he was confronted with an enemy that had to be taken down no matter what.

Of course, actually applying that in battle would be easier said than done.

Grabbing his helmet, the boy headed for the door. Entering the Eternal's hangar, Kira made his way towards the Freedom, his doubts still running through his mind all the while. He could see his fellow pilots going to their mobile suits as well, but he paid them little attention, distracted as he was by his internal conflict.

Would he know where to draw the line?

Would he be able to kill when he had to?

And if… or, if Heero was right, when he encountered Creuset on the battlefield, could he defeat him? Was it a matter of skill? Conviction? Ruthlessness? All of the above? Creuset had called him the Perfect Coordinator, but that was the last thing Kira felt like. Hell, he didn't even know what that meant.

He looked up at the Freedom as he approached. His skills combined with that mobile suit's power made him a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, but how he had fought in the past would not be enough for what lay ahead. He had the ability and the strength… but did he have the will? He had killed before acquiring the Freedom, and Elysium had proven that he could still do it, but that clash paled in comparison to what he was about to fly into now. It wouldn't be enough to wait for his instincts to take over; he would have to seize the initiative.

A familiar female voice rang out behind him. "Kira!"

He turned around and smiled as he saw the pink-haired songstress floating towards him. "Lacus! What are you doing down here?"

She smiled in return, though she looked nervous. "I wanted to give you something."

Kira's eyes widened as she reached out her hand and gave him a silver ring. "What's this?"

Her eyes met his. "Think of it… as a good luck charm."

Kira was dimly aware of actually taking the ring. His eyes were entranced by Lacus as she looked at him, and he realized that there was far more than friendly concern for him in her expression. He also realized that she was moving closer to him, and his heart began to race.

Taking him completely by surprise, she gave him a soft kiss on the lips. Her eyes still on his, she smiled again. "Please… please come back to me in one piece."

Kira felt the heat rushing to his face, but he still managed to nod and return her smile. "I will… I promise!"

She then threw her arms around him. "Be careful… and follow your heart. I know you'll make the right decision. I believe in you!"

Surprised at the sudden gesture, Kira gently took her in his arms. "Thank you, Lacus."

They slowly parted, but not before Lacus gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I know I can't really fight," she said, "but still, I'll be on the Eternal, supporting you. You're not alone, Kira! We can do this!"

Kira nodded, his confidence growing. "Yeah, we can."

Lacus looked up at the Freedom and then back to Kira. "We can, and we will! Now, prepare your machine for launch, Kira. Fly with courage and faith… and know that my heart goes with you."

"Understood," Kira replied, "and… and mine with you."

He actually saw the songstress blush, a rare sight indeed. She still managed to smile though and maintain her grace. "Thank you, Kira."

They both nodded before turning their separate ways, her to the bridge and Kira to the Freedom's cockpit. As he entered the mobile suit he could still feel the heat in his face, the kiss still lingering in his mind. His heart was racing and his confidence surging; now he had even more reason to make it through this fight.

I'll find my answer, my balance, he thought with determination as the hatch closed, The line between mercy and pragmatism, between my ideals and what has to be done… I'll find the spot where I have to stand. The Earth Alliance, ZAFT, Creuset… I'll stop them all. I'll save this world… and come back to Lacus!

….

Zipping up his crimson flight suit, Athrun felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hey," said a familiar female voice, "are you doing ok?"

Turning around, Athrun forced a smile as he faced Cagalli. "Yeah."

For her part Orb's tomboy ruler shook her head. "No you're not. Not by a long shot."

"If you know that, then why did you ask?" Athrun replied, a little harsher than he'd meant.

"Come on, Athrun!" said Cagalli, a pleading look in her eyes, "Talk to me! You're about to fly into battle against your father! We're gunning for him, for crying out loud! Don't act like this isn't hurting you!"

Athrun sighed. "What do you want me to say, Cagalli? Waltfeld and the others have already made up their minds. My father's a threat to billions of lives and has to be stopped by any means necessary. They're right; you and I both know that."

Cagalli nodded. "I do, but they've already written off his death as a foregone conclusion. Look, if it comes down to it... if he leaves us no other choice, then I do think that we'll have to kill him, but that's not a certainty. I know you haven't given up on him yet, Athrun, which means I won't either!"

Athrun's eyes widened. "Cagalli…"

She put both of her hands on his shoulders. "Athrun, I know how it feels to lose a father. I don't want to see you suffer that same pain if we can avoid it! Patrick Zala has to be stopped and brought to justice for his crimes, and one way or another we will do that, but the others are completely certain that the only way to do that is to kill him when there's a chance we could capture him and make him stand trial!"

Athrun looked down. "Cagalli… you heard the others. He's too far gone. Physically, he may still be alive, but… after all he's done, can I really call him my father? Was that the same man my mother married all those years ago? I don't think so… and I think she'd be disgusted by what he's become. There's nothing left of the man he once was. He's already dead."

"You don't believe that!" Cagalli cried, her piercing brown eyes drilling into his soul, "I know you don't, Athrun, and you deserve the chance to decide for yourself! The others might be right in the end, but we can't say that for certain. You have to confront him!"

"How am I supposed to do that?" he asked, his eyes narrowing, "Just call him up in the middle of the fight? Storm Jachin Due and stare him down in the command center? What do I do, Cagalli? What do I even say to… to someone like him? He'd murder you without a second thought, Cagalli, and he'd do the same to billions more! How do I talk to someone like that? How can you want me to?"

"Because I love you!" she replied desperately, "I don't want you to do something that you'll regret forever, that'll burden you for the rest of your life, Athrun! If you didn't take a chance, if you didn't try to confront him, to save him from what he's become, I know you'd never forgive yourself! You would carry that pain for the rest of your life, Athrun, and I don't want you to do that! I can't just stand by and watch you suffer or do something that will make you suffer even more than you already are!"

"Athrun!" she continued, "I know how much this is hurting you, and how hard it will be to confront your father, but it's something you have to do… and you won't do it alone! I'll do it with you! I'll help you fight him; I'll help you try to save him! And… and if we have to kill him, we'll do it together. We will stop him, one way or another… and we'll do it right. If we have to take his life in the end, we'll do it, but not before we try to take him alive, to convince him to surrender!"

"That won't be easy," said Athrun, "The two of us trying to confront him like that… you know how dangerous that's going to be, Cagalli. Jachin Due's the anchor of that defense line, Cagalli; it'll have maximum protection, and that's not counting inside the fortress."

Cagalli smiled. "I never said it would be. Come on, when have things ever been easy for us?"

Athrun had to chuckle at that. "You've got a point there."

She leaned in for a quick kiss. "We can do this, Athrun. I know it won't be easy, that both of us we'll be in grave danger, but it'd be that way anyway given the battle we're flying into. I can't promise that he'll listen, or that we'll even get to him before the others do, but we have to try."

Athrun nodded. "He's my father, which makes him my responsibility."

Cagalli shook her head. "Just because you're his son doesn't make you accountable for his crimes. Yes, you have a responsibility to stop him, but so do I. All of us do. Not because he's your father, but because of the threat he poses to the people we care about and so many more. I want you to do this, and I want to help you do this, not because of an obligation, but because I don't want you to throw him away as casually as he's done to you. You're better than your father, Athrun, and I'll help you prove it. We'll bring him to justice together… and if we can't take him alive, we'll take him down permanently."

"One way or another," said Athrun, finding his resolve, "we'll stop him. If mother could see what he's become… the heartbreak would kill her if the Earth Alliance hadn't already."

"Which is another reason we have to confront him," said Cagalli, raising her hand and gently touching his cheek, "to honor her memory. I know much of what's driving your father is vengeance, and I'm sure that your mother would never want him to go this far even after what the Earth Alliance did to Junius Seven. She deserves to rest in peace, and we can give her that by stopping both your father and the Alliance. Here and now, we'll bring this madness to an end."

Athrun nodded again as he brought his hand to hers. "Cagalli… thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," Cagalli replied softly, "I love you, Athrun. I don't want you to suffer like this. Your father isn't just threatening billions; he's threatening you, and has hurt you badly. I know what this is doing to you, and I want to stop it. You want to thank me? You can do that by helping us stop your father and making it through this fight alive. I won't accept anything less, you got that?"

Athrun smiled. "Got it."

In one swift motion she threw her arms around him and pulled him in for a deep kiss. It took Athrun off guard to say the least, but he didn't fight it. After all, it could very well be the last one he'd get, and he wanted to savor it.

When their lips parted she smiled. "Come on. Let's get out there and stop this war."

Athrun nodded. "Stop this war, and my father."

One way or another, he thought, it ends here.

….

Leaning against the back wall of Jachin Due's command center, Creuset folded his arms and smiled as he looked up at the main monitor. The screen was split in half, with the right section showing the approaching Earth Alliance armada while the left displayed GENESIS.

The new mirror's in alignment, he thought, She just needs to be primed for firing. I imagine it will be any minute now. It won't take quite as long to get the next one lined up after that. Now that GENESIS truly is combat proven and not about to blow up in his face Zala's confident enough to move the replacement mirrors closer to the weapon. The alignment for the shot after this one will still take some time to be sure, but once it's in place… it will be the end for Earth.

Everything had fallen into place according to his design. Soon the Alliance would launch their attack, and it would only be a matter of time before they launched their nukes at the L5 colonies. He was expecting Zala to get in the first shot with GENESIS against the armada before that, and then the Supreme Council Chairman would have the weapon realigned, targeting Earth.

All the actors had taken the stage, with the exception of the renegades, the Alliance defectors, and the Orb remnant. While their skill and power had proven to be a considerable thorn in his side in the past, Creuset was not overly concerned with them now. The raw power and the sheer, overwhelming hatred wielded by the Earth Alliance and ZAFT could not be matched. Mutual annihilation was inevitable.

I'll still take the field against them when the time is right, he thought, I do owe La Flaga that much, after all. And Kira Yamato, too. Hibiki's crowning achievement will die by my hand! Such sweet revenge… I can hardly wait!

He idly wondered if he'd also have the chance to go up against Wing Zero. That fearsome mobile suit and its enigmatic pilot had certainly proven to be a wild card in this grand game, a source of both intrigue and irritation for Creuset. It would be nice to have a rematch after being forced to withdraw during the orbital battle all those months ago, especially with the Providence now under his command, but in the end such a duel was really no more than a diversion as far as he was concerned. An entertaining one to be sure; the Demon Lord of Avalon had proven to be far more formidable than anyone the Alliance or ZAFT could field. However, it wasn't a necessary battle, and compared to his anticipated fights with Kira and La Flaga one he just didn't have as much invested into.

Besides, he mused, it would be rude to deny Galm Team the rematch they've been longing for. I may have fought Heero before they did, and his actions have been no small nuisance in this war, but I really don't have the same stake in a fight with him like Cipher and Pixy do. It's true that Wing Zero poses a threat to GENESIS, but the combined might of the fleet and the Special Operations squadrons guarding it should be enough to deal with him. Galm, Gault, Sorcerer, Wizard… they aren't mere political appointees like the lesser teams were. They can hold their own, even against the legendary Heero Yuy.

Indeed, he was actually mildly regretful of the fact that he would probably be too occupied with his own fights with Mu and Kira to get a good look at the clash between Wing Zero and the last of Zala's Praetorian Guard. All of Sorcerer and Wizard were flying GuAIZs, as was the bulk of Gault, but its leader and the two mercenary hellhounds of Galm Team now had nuclear powered machines, and a contest between them and Avalon's bane would no doubt be a sight to behold.

In the end Creuset simply shrugged it off. It was a necessary price to pay, missing out on one fight so he could enjoy another. He took comfort in the fact that the outcome didn't really matter at this point; not even Heero Yuy and Wing Zero could stop what he had set in motion. The stage was set, with his final preparations in place. He smiled as he thought of the little contingency plan he had set up, one that Zala would be all too willing to play into.

Yes, that should do nicely, he mused, Even if the situation does get to the point where the fanatic decides to activate Jachin Due's self-destruct sequence, it won't threaten my plans. In fact, it will play into them quite smoothly. It's all too easy, really.

He looked over at the command platform. There was Zala, glaring at the image of the Alliance armada with a maniacal hatred burning in his eyes. Creuset wondered if Azrael was looking at the PLANTs and GENESIS much the same way. The leaders of the Alliance and ZAFT really were incredibly similar, and Creuset knew that both men would sooner die than admit that. It really went to prove his beliefs, that humans were greedy and vengeful creatures driven by their desire to dominate, to come out on top at whatever cost. The judgment he would soon pass upon the pathetic species really was too good for them. A long and agonizing end would suit humanity better, but Creuset did not have the luxury of time thanks to the cursed Al Da Flaga and Ulen Hibiki. He would have to content himself to see mankind swiftly consumed by the flames of Armageddon that they had brought upon themselves.

It would be enough.

And he could take great satisfaction in how he had orchestrated it all.

He saw Patrick Zala smile, though with him it was not an expression of joy but more akin to a beast bearing its teeth, eagerly anticipating the kill. "It's time."

He gave a broad sweep of his hand. "All forces, assume battle stations! Target the armada and prepare to fire GENESIS!"

Klaxons blared as soldiers rushed to take their positions. Outside the fortress Creuset knew that the Grand Fleet would be setting up its mobile suits for launch and the crews of its warships readying weapons for the opening salvos.

"Final checks complete!" shouted the primary weapons officer, "The mirror is aligned! GENESIS is primed and ready!"

On the main monitor Creuset saw a broad crimson pillar cut through a significant portion of the armada; the weapon's projected path of fire.

I hope you're ready, Azrael, he thought, I'm expecting great things from you today, after all. Fight fire with fire and all that… do your part to unleash my grand inferno!

He smiled as he turned back towards Patrick Zala, eagerly anticipating the vengeful warlord's next order.

And he did not disappoint.

"Fire GENESIS!"

….

So that's it, thought Natarle as she watched the main monitor, That's the full ZAFT fleet. It's certainly an imposing sight.

There it was, sprawled out before the approaching Earth Alliance armada, a wall of warships and mobile suits between them and the L5 colonies. There were so many Nazca destroyers and Laurasia frigates that the fleet almost seemed to go on forever, much like Natarle's force. It wasn't just conventional warships that were arrayed against them either; interspersed throughout the fleet were no less than ten of the new carrier/dreadnoughts. Just three of those ships had made the assault on the Boaz wall all the more difficult, and Natarle shuddered at the thought of what more of those vessels could unleash. The tiny, sparkling blue-white lights of mobile suit thruster fire looked almost like new stars, and Natarle realized that the units were not just from the warships but also the colonies themselves. At minimum their numbers must've been in the tens of thousands, but Natarle knew it could quite possibly be more. Even with the losses the Earth Alliance force had taken from ZAFT's super weapon they still outnumbered the enemy ships by roughly two thousand vessels, but it was far less of a margin than they had originally anticipated.

The weapon that had wrought so much carnage on the Earth forces in a single attack loomed ominously behind the armada and the Jachin Due fortress. While Natarle was sure that the power of the Alliance's nuclear arsenal could bring it down, she was not the one that could order the attack. That fell to Azrael and Admiral Sutherland, and while both at least recognized the threat it posed they also struck Natarle as more focused on attacking the colonies rather than the weapon.

Barbarians, she thought with utter disgust, Murderers, psychopaths… they care more about slaughtering civilians than they do protecting the people of Earth. Our objective should be to destroy that weapon and defeat the enemy fleet, but they want to go beyond that and wipe out the colonies… and there's nothing I can do about it.

What choice was there? She could fight, try to limit the attacks to the ZAFT fleet, Jachin Due, and their monstrous new weapon, but she did not have command authority over the armada. Azrael and Sutherland's orders left little open to interpretation; she could only bend them so far before she crossed the line. If she acted according to her conscience it would be the end of her, and she had no way of knowing if Azrael would extend that punishment to members of her crew as well. However, if she followed her orders to their full intent, she would never be able to live with herself afterwards.

ZAFT's super weapon only made things worse. After that first shot there was no denying the raw power it had and the very real threat it posed to Earth. It had to be destroyed, and Natarle would do her utmost to accomplish that… but that also meant brining her forces into a position where they could unleash maximum devastation on the colonies once they breached the Coordinator defenses, and that was something she knew Azrael would fully exploit.

The situation was hopeless. Success meant slaughter. Failure meant slaughter. Trying to find a third path meant death for her and leaving no shield between her crew and Azrael. It meant leaving Flay without any protection from the sick bastard's cruel intentions. There was just no path Natarle could see that led to anything resembling what she might call an acceptable outcome.

And as if all that weren't bad enough, Natarle knew that she would still have to fight her friends today. Mu, Captain Ramius, the rest of her old crew… with so much on the line today, she knew that there was no way that they would sit this one out. They would give their all to stop the bloodbath, and she dearly wished she could join them.

Oh, Mu… what I wouldn't give to be with you now. It was bad enough fighting you at L4, but here too, when the stakes are so much higher, when you and the others are fighting for the cause that I wish I could be fighting for… I'm so sorry.

There was no sign of them yet, but Natarle knew it was just a matter of time. In the meanwhile she would content herself to worry about just the most immediate and desperate situation in front of her.

Namely, ZAFT's giant gamma ray cannon.

Her blood chilled as a fearful cry rang out from her sensor officer. "Massive thermal surge detected! The weapon's firing!"

On the main monitor Natarle once again saw that concentrated blue beam shoot out of the hole in the center of the main mirror. Just like before, the beam hit the secondary mirror, scattering into many smaller beams and redirected back at the larger refocusing mirror. There they gathered in an eerily beautiful display that lasted mere seconds but seemed to take far longer as Natarle's dread slowed time to a crawl.

"Hard to port!" she shouted, praying she wasn't sending them into its firing path.

It scarcely mattered; the order had hardly left her lips before that massive blast of energy she had witnessed yesterday came back to life before her eyes. Once again it tore through space, a tsunami of apocalyptic power, a multicolored wave of destruction, and just like before it washed over the right wing of the reformed Alliance armada. The light was blinding, forcing her to shield her eyes until the glare died down.

Damn it, she thought, How the hell are we supposed to fight that with a head on assault? Damn you, Azrael!

Lowering her hand, she cautiously opened her eyes. It felt like déjà vu. Hours ago she had witnessed that titanic wave of overwhelming power savage the fleet, and now she was seeing it again. The right wing of the armada, already savaged before by that weapon and freshly regrouped, was once again a vast graveyard floating in the void. Twisted and charred wrecks an chunks of seared metal stretched almost as far as the eye could see, and Natarle couldn't begin to imagine how many soldiers had lost their lives in that attack.

"Not again…" she heard Flay murmur.

Looking at the girl, she saw her face pale with shock and horror. Flay's expression was mirrored by those of everyone else on the bridge, save for Azrael. His face was an ugly contortion of rage, a display of fanatical hatred that Natarle was sure would put history's greatest mass murderers to shame.

"Damn you, monsters!" he snarled, "Freaks, abominations… I won't let you hell spawn beat me!"

Countless soldiers dead in one attack, and all he cares about is his damn ego, Natarle thought with disgust, Sick bastard.

She turned back to her crew. "Status report! What are our losses?"

"Still counting," the sensor officer replied, "At least a thousand ships, Captain!"

"Oh my god…" said Flay softly.

"Is the Doolittle still intact?" asked Natarle.

She had to fight back a grimace as she asked that question. Truth be told, she didn't give two shits about Admiral Sutherland at this point and felt horrible about asking about just one ship when so many others had just been destroyed, but she needed to verify that the official chain of command was still in play.

"Positive response from her IFF beacon," said the sensor officer, "Admiral Sutherland's still alive."

"What about the Truman?" asked Azrael, and Natarle noted a frantic edge to his voice, "Is it still in once piece?"

Again with that ship, thought Natarle as she glared at Azrael, What the hell is on it?

"Affirmative," replied the sensor officer, "IFF beacon is active."

"Admiral Sutherland's on the line!" shouted Flay, doing her best to regain some of her composure.

Natarle nodded. "Put him through."

The head of the Atlantic Federation High Command appeared on the main monitor. "Lord Azrael, the fleet cannon withstand another attack like that and maintain its superiority. We must attack now!"

What superiority?, thought Natarle with disdain, We're barely above the enemy in terms of numbers as it is now, which means we might as well be even.

"I know that, Admiral!" Azrael sneered, "Be mindful of your place!"

"We've got an update on our losses," the sensor officer interrupted, "It's at almost fifteen-hundred ships!"

"Shut up!" Azrael shouted, "Our losses don't matter! Deploy everything we have at once!"

"We can't launch the nukes yet!" said Sutherland, "We need to engage their fleet and keep them occupied so they can't intercept the warheads!"

"I'm well aware of that," Azrael hissed, "Throw every mobile suit and mobile armor that's not carrying a nuke at them, along with all the forward warships! We'll scatter their lines and wipe out their colonies once and for all!"

Sutherland nodded. "As you wish, my lord."

"All forces, prepare to attack!" yelled Azrael, "Send them straight to hell!"

Natarle sighed. The hour of woe was at last upon her, and she had no choice but to plunge down the path of damnation and ruin.

"Launch all mobile suits!" she ordered, "Weapons, acquire targets and prepare to fire!"

Admiral Sutherland disappeared from the main monitor. His image was replaced by a tactical display showing both massive fleets facing off. With their recent losses the Earth Alliance armada was now down to roughly fifty-five-hundred ships, while the ZAFT fleet was at about forty-eight-hundred vessels. It was a much smaller margin than Natarle would've liked, and with the fortifications of Jachin Due herself she knew that the odds were much closer to even.

Over ten thousand warships were about to go head to head, along with exponentially more mobile suits. Their massive military buildups and over a year and a half of fighting had all come down to this moment, with two gargantuan armadas about to unleash utter hell upon each other. The already crowded space was getting even more packed as mobile suits and armors launched from the Alliance ships, their blue-white thruster trails blazing like a horde of new stars. From her own ship flew the Calamity, four Strike-Avengers, and four Strike-Daggers, while the Juggernaut assault mobile armor lifted off from the Dominion's upper hull and moved forward. Between the armadas was a patch of dead space, a no-man's land of sorts, but it would not be empty for long.

"Firing assignments coming through from the Doolittle!" cried the weapons officer.

Natarle nodded. "Adjust targets and stand by."

She looked over at Azrael. As much as it disgusted her, the final order to attack would have to come from him. There was certainly no way a man like him would give Sutherland the glory of giving such a command.

"Zala," she heard him hiss, "You're going to burn… you and the rest of your wretched race!"

If they're wretched, then so are we, she thought grimly, Both sides are deluding themselves at this point if they believe they have the moral high ground in this fight.

She watched as he stood up and gestured outward towards the enemy, his expression one of seething bloodlust, hatred, and rage.

"Kill them all!"

Natarle steeled herself as she issued her own command. "Open fire!"

And all hell broke loose.

The two armadas unleashed their might, and what appeared to be sheets of fire ripped forth from both sides. It was as if twin monsoons of particle beams, railgun rounds, and missiles had decided to cut loose with downpours of titanic proportions. The Dominion's contribution to the firestorm seemed meager in comparison to the vast whole, her Gottfrieds, Valiants, and heavy missile launchers all opening up at once while the Lohengrins remained silent for lack of a firing lane through the armada large enough for them. Space was filled with the blaze of modern warfare, with the opening salvos so vast and powerful that Natarle could barely make out where one side's volley ended and the other began. Immense strings of explosions ripped through both sides' forward ranks as the largest barrages in the history of warfare found their targets.

"All forward!" yelled Azrael, "Grind their line to dust!"

Natarle turned to her helmsman and nodded. "Match speed with the rest of the armada as we advance!"

The ship rocked as a handful of beams and railgun rounds somehow made it past the forward ranks and impacted the Dominion. "Damage report!" cried Natarle.

"Armor's holding!" one of her subordinates replied, "No breaches or system failures!"

She turned back to the massive brawl unfolding before her eyes. The forward lines of both fleets had been savaged by the opening shots, but neither was letting up. There were now constant streams of fire issuing forth from both sides, and two gargantuan hordes of tiny blue-white lights were swiftly converging on each other; the mobile suit and armor squadrons were about to engage. Just like at Boaz the new Juggernaut mobile armors and Biological CPU-piloted Strike-Avengers were at the forefront of the formations, spearheads ready to pierce bloody holes in the enemy ranks while the mass production units followed, prepared to rip the wounds further open.

Small streams of crimson fire opened up in the distance as Natarle saw the assault mobile armors cut loose with their heavy guns, and more explosions ripped across the forward ZAFT lines. However, the return fire from the Grand Fleet and its mobile suit squadrons was withering and fierce; the Earth Alliance would not gain the advantage so easily. The constant small explosions out front gave testament to the ferocious dogfight that was already unfolding between both sides' smaller units, and it was rapidly expanding both above and below the plane that the battle had started on. Strike-Daggers and Buster-Daggers danced through space, twisting, climbing, and diving as they tried to gain the upper hand over the GuAIZs and GINNs that opposed them. Machineguns and beam rifles blazed, bazookas and missile launchers unleashed their payloads, and energy sabers flashed in the void as the grand melee continued to grow, pulsating and writhing like a thing possessed.

The largest fleet clash and small-unit clash in human history, Natarle thought numbly, her mind struggling to comprehend just what she was bearing witness to even as she was an active part of it, We're going to smash a lot of records today… and not in a good way.

"Pick new targets and fire at will!" she ordered, "Keep CIWS ready for missile and mobile suit interception! I want Helldarts on standby too!"

"Aye, Captain," replied the weapons' officer.

The Gottfrieds and Valiants fired fresh salvos, while the rear missile launchers cut loose with a flurry of Sledgehammer warheads. The shots were quickly lost amidst the typhoon of fire being unleashed by both sides, and only sensor data would reveal if they found their mark.

Out ahead the Alliance mobile suits and armors were pushing into the ZAFT front ranks, but the enemy was returning the favor. Natarle could see GINNs and GuAIZs blasting their way through the forward Alliance formations, mixing it up with Strike-Daggers and picking off escort ships. Backed up by fire not just from the destroyers and frigates but the ten black leviathan carrier/dreadnoughts they were wreaking havoc in the front lines.

However, ZAFT was nowhere near gaining the upper hand. Far out front Natarle could see formations led by the Juggernaut assault mobile armors work their way into the Jachin Due Line, blasting apart Laurasia-class frigates and Nazca-class destroyers with their heavy guns and missiles while sending out near constant streams of bullets from their CIWS to rip apart approaching mobile suits. The Strike-Avengers flying with them only added to the carnage, ripping apart GINNs and GuAIZs that tried to attack the Juggernauts and picking off additional warships. Behind them came the regular squadrons of Strike-Daggers, Buster-Daggers, and non-nuclear equipped mobile armors, ready to take full advantage of the chaos being sewn by their brethren.

The carnage was breathtaking. Mobile suits from both sides racing through the others forces and killing everything in their path, warships pounding away at each other in salvos unmatched in the history of warfare, countless lives being lost every second… it was combat on a scale the human mind could barely grasp, let alone fully understand. It was a manmade storm that was already spiraling out of control, cascading into a force of nature that could only end in Götterdämmerung.

Then the sensor officer's voice rang out, fresh fear in it. "Energy spike from the left wing of the armada!"

"Visual!" Natarle yelled.

Start "Fighter"

Her blood chilled as she saw a massive blast of familiar golden-yellow hellfire punch into the far left side of the fleet, ripping apart no less than four escort ships, two battleships, twenty-five mobile suits and thirteen mobile armors. She didn't need an announcement to know who had fired that shot.

He's here.

They're all here.

The image on the main monitor shifted, and Natarle's eyes widened even further as she saw what was bearing down on the now engaged Alliance fleet. A force of two hundred capital ships of various types and nationalities was coming in fast, with the Archangel at the center of the formation. They had already launched their mobile suits, and the one that had fired that shot was at the head of the pack.

Wing Zero.

….

The dust had barely settled, so to speak, from Heero's opening shot with eighty percent of the Twin Buster Rifle's fearsome power before his comrades opened up. Surrounding him like his very own Praetorian Guard, the entire Valkyrie Team cut loose with their primary weapons. A crimson lance of plasma from the Judgment's speared a Nelson-class battleship through the left flank, ripping it in half. At the same time Adaline, Lan, and Priscilla, having joined their commander after taking off from the Eternal and linking up with the Archangel's group, opened fire with their beam rifles and railguns, and each girl's quartet of shots hammered a Drake-class escort ship, pulverizing their targets. Not to be left out, the Tallgeese Kai took aim and fired as well, sniping the bridge of another escort ship with precision shots from its beam rifle.

Then it was the capital ships' turn, with the Archangel leading the pack. With Wing Zero constantly streaming targeting data to the warship through the ZERO System Murrue's already formidable arsenal would be increased dramatically in its lethality, and that power was now brought to bear on the enemy. The bow-mounted Lohengrin positron cannons cut loose with twin torrents of crimson-orange fire, obliterating twelve Strike-Daggers before annihilating a Nelson-class battleship. At the same time the white warship's Gottfried Mk.71 High-Energy Beam Cannons and Valiant Mk.8 Linear Cannons opened up, with the portside weapons blasting the bridge of another battleship while the starboard guns obliterated an escort ship. Following up that deadly cocktail was a full barrage of twenty-four Sledgehammer anti-ship missiles. The warheads split into two packs of a dozen missiles each, with each group slamming into an escort ship apiece and ripping their targets apart. Just behind the anti-ship missiles was a pack of freshly launched Wombat anti-air missiles. Carefully fired along the flanks of the advancing Three Ships Alliance mobile suits, the warheads rushed ahead before bursting into cascades of crimson buckshot, and the lethal anti-air munitions ripped nineteen Earth Alliance Strike-Daggers and ten Moebius units.

The Archangel's barrage was powerful in its own right, but it was made even more devastating by the support fire from the assortment of capital ships flying with her. Drake-class escort ships, Nelson-class battleships, Laurasia-class frigates, Nazca-class destroyers, and modified Marseille III-class transports all opened up, sending a veritable deluge of particle beams, railgun rounds, and missiles into the left flank of the Earth Alliance armada. With the enemy ships still oriented towards the ZAFT Grand Fleet and focused on trading brutal salvos with the Coordinator forces they were ideal targets for the barrage, and it slammed into them with lethal effect. Scores of escort and battleships were pummeled by the Three Ships Alliance's opening bombardment, along with several mobile suits unfortunate enough to get caught in the firing paths. Explosions rippled across the armada's left flank as warships were blown apart, while several others took varying degrees of damage.

After the initial attack Heero saw several of the Three Ships Alliance's mobile suits move forward, forming up behind his advance team. It was all part of their general plan; roughly half of the Archangel's group's mobile suits would serve as the attacking force, while the rest would remain with the warships and act as escorts. He was comforted to see the Archangel in particular covered by Bristow, the three M1 Astray's of Wolf Team, and Dearka, while the three Tauruses that had been assigned to the ship before their departure were part of the offensive squadrons.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the battlefield, the second half of the Three Ships Alliance made their presence known. A volley of emerald beams, yellow railgun rounds, and crimson plasma blasts hammered the far right edge of the Grand Fleet, or the left if being viewed from head on. Several mobile suits were either destroyed or disabled, and four Laurasia-class frigates suffered multiple impacts, destroying two of the vessels and heavily damaging the others. Those opening shots had come from the Freedom and Justice, their already fearsome power now enhanced even further by the METEOR units that had formerly served as guns for the Eternal but were now hooked up to the stolen ZAFT prototypes.

That barrage was swiftly followed by twin crimson-orange lances of energy from the Kusanagi's Lohengrins, along with additional fire from her Gottfrieds and a pack of anti-ship missiles. The positron blasts slammed into a Nazca-class destroyer, obliterating the azure warship, while the emerald beams knocked out one frigate and the anti-ship missiles severely damaged another. Additional particle beams joined the Kusanagi's barrage as the Eternal cut loose as well, knocking another destroyer out of the fight.

Then the rest of the group opened fire. Like the Archangel's group it was an assortment of vessels from all three nations, two hundred strong, and their barrage hammered the right flank of the ZAFT fleet. Several destroyers and frigates were taken out, while other vessels were damaged. Along with the warships hit by the barrage several ZAFT mobile suits were knocked out of the fight as well, unfortunate as they were to get caught in the line of fire.

After that group's opening barrage several mobile suit teams advanced, forming up behind the Freedom and Justice. Cagalli was out in front, the Strike Rouge mounting its IWSP-X pack, and it would not be long before she and her comrades engaged the ZAFT squadrons.

All our preparation paid off, he thought, We're outnumbered by a ridiculous amount, but still… we can do this!

Murrue appeared on one of his monitors. "We'll cut through their back ranks and push towards the command ships. Keeping towards the rear should limit the fire we catch from the Grand Fleet's salvos."

Heero nodded. "The Alliance's caught up with ZAFT, but they'll redirect some resources at us. Be careful."

Murrue nodded in return. "You too. Remember, we need to take out Sutherland before we eliminate Azrael. That will ensure maximum disruption of the chain of command after we neutralize him and save Natarle."

"Roger that," Heero replied, "We'll widen the hole we just opened up. Back me up."

Murrue smiled. "You got it. Archangel out."

As she disappeared Heero switched over to the squad channel he'd set for the Valkyrie Team, La Flaga, and himself. "I'm splitting the rifle. Cover me, but leave me room to fire."

"Copy that," said La Flaga, "No one's getting near you, Heero!"

"Not if we've got anything to say about," said Shemei, "We'll screen you, so fire away!"

Heero reduced his speed slightly to allow the others to get out ahead before splitting the Twin Buster Rifle and lining up targets, dialing back the power to thirty percent. As he did so he could already see Earth Alliance mobile suits moving in to intercept them, and several capital ships were beginning to reorient themselves to provide fire support. He'd have to make this quick; once the general melee began his friends couldn't cover him forever, and he would have to rejoin the rifle and draw his beam saber.

"All right, girls!" said Shemei over the squad channel, "Time to cut loose!"

The Judgment and the three Wraiths opened up with their missile launchers at the oncoming Alliance mobile suits. A storm of Lancer Dart and micro-missiles flew forth, and the incoming enemies immediately scattered, with several trying desperately to shoot down the warheads. The evasive maneuvers and frantic gunfire saved some pilots, but thirty-one others were not so lucky, and their mobile suits were ripped apart by the barrage.

"Hey, now," La Flaga chuckled, "I'm feeling left out here. Save some for me!"

The Tallgeese Kai rushed forward, firing away with its beam rifle. La Flaga's mastery of the lethally fast machine was on full display now as the Hawk of Endymion downed one target after another with a series of precise shots. What scattered return fire the dazed and confused Alliance units could muster was either evaded or deflected by the Tallgeese Kai's four Planet Defensors.

My turn, thought Heero, now locked onto his next targets and ready to strike.

He cut loose, with two beams of golden-yellow death ripping across space. They were smaller than the shot he had fired earlier, but the blasts were still very much lethal both for their intended targets and anything in their firing path. Fifteen Strike-Daggers blew apart like firecrackers before the beams slammed into two Nelson-class battleships, and the vessels burst like grenades.

The shots had barely left his split rifle when the Valkyrie Team cut loose again with the rest of their missiles. Once again their furious barrage ripped into the ranks of oncoming Earth Alliance units, and this time nineteen Strike-Daggers and thirteen Moebius mobile armors were blasted by the storm of warheads. La Flaga continued to add fire from the Tallgeese Kai to the mix, picking off additional mobile suits as they struggled to evade the swarm of missiles Shemei and her subordinates had unleashed.

With a quick glance at his sensors Heero saw the other mobile suit attack teams moving up to support him, the Valkyrie Team, and La Flaga. M1 Astrays, Tauruses, Strike-Daggers, GINNs, CGUEs and GuAIZs opened fire, beams and bullets flying forth and cutting into the disoriented Earth Alliance ranks. Further back he could see the Archangel and her supporting capital ships preparing to cut loose as well with a second barrage.

"Tighten up!" he ordered, "Our ships are about to open up again!"

His comrades pulled in mere seconds before the Archangel and the other warships in her group unleashed another bombardment. The white battleship's positron blasters ripped apart another Nelson-class vessel, while fire from her Gottfrieds and Valiants destroyed two Drakes. Another volley of Sledgehammer missiles tore up a third escort ship, while a pack of Wombat missiles hammered the Earth Alliance Strike-Dagger formations, shredding twenty of the machines.

Murrue won't be able to use those again for awhile, Heero thought, The fight's going to get too mixed up and chaotic for indiscriminate weapons like the Wombat missiles. Still, they served their purpose.

Just like before, the rest of the ships in the Archangel's group followed Murrue's lead, unleashing another coordinated barrage. Particle beams, railgun rounds, and missiles rushed through space and impacted their targets or Strike-Daggers and Moebius units unfortunate enough to be in their firing paths. Several more ships went down, but Heero could see the armada beginning to adjust to this new force that was attacking its flank. Many warships were in the process of reorienting themselves to face the Archangel's group, and more Earth Alliance mobile suits were coming in as well. The Archangel and her companion ships would be firing at will now rather than in concentrated salvos; the fight was about to get much more heated.

Knowing he wouldn't have long until he was forced to engage in close quarters combat, Heero increased the charge on his split Twin Buster Rifle and set up for another pair of shots. Picking his targets and making sure he had clear firing lanes, he once again cut loose. Twin pillars of golden-yellow hellfire tore through space, and another pair of Nelson-class battleships fell to his guns, along with fourteen Strike-Daggers and ten Moebius units.

Out ahead he saw the Valkyrie Team and La Flaga blasting away at incoming Earth Alliance mobile suits with their beam weapons and railguns. Crimson fire from the Judgment's Tartarus rifle burned across the void, incinerating nine Strike-Daggers before blasting apart a Drake-class vessel. The three Wraiths were cutting loose with a near constant torrent of fire from their beam rifles and railguns, their coordinated fire mauling incoming enemy formations, while La Flaga continued to pick off more units that were trying to recover from the withering fire. Still, the sheer number of approaching units meant that they would not be able to effectively screen Wing Zero for much longer, and Heero decided it was time to rejoin his rifle and draw his beam saber.

He'd barely done so when Shemei contacted him. "I hope you're ready, Heero, because we're not going to be able to hold back all these guys!"

Heero nodded, bringing the reformed Twin Buster Rifle up to bear and igniting his emerald blade. "I'm all set. Thanks for the support."

"Anytime," she replied as she picked off a pair of Strike-Daggers with her DRAGOONs.

He opened up again with the rife, this time with a much lower power shot that only destroyed six mobile suits. Heero then brought up his shield to absorb fire from other incoming units before rushing in for saber combat. Coming in fast and hard, he impaled one unit on his emerald blade before slipping to the right, parrying the slash of another machine, and slicing it in half. Around him the others were starting to mix it up in close quarters combat as well, their violet blades blazing as they hacked into the oncoming Earth Alliance mobile suits. The other Three Ships Alliance mobile suits were starting to catch up to Heero's advance team as well, and they added their own melee weapons to the mix.

We gotta keep moving forward, he thought as he gunned down a Moebius unit with a quick burst from his gatling cannons, We can't lose our momentum!

He increased the throttle, punching into the heart of the enemy squadrons. One Strike-Dagger was slashed clean in half, another impaled through the cockpit, a third stabbed in the side; Heero was Death incarnate.

Checking his sensors he saw his two main targets sitting at the heart of the armada, both blinking red; the Doolittle and the Dominion. His current course was on track for the command ships, but he had a long way to go.

So many of them between us and our targets, he thought as he blocked a beam saber strike on his shield before stabbing the attacking unit in the gut, but I won't let them stop me!

He slammed his thrusters into reverse and brought up the Twin Buster Rifle again. Making sure he had a clear firing lane, he increased the charge and opened up. The pillar of energy he unleashed carved a fresh path for him through the Alliance forces, blasting twenty mobile suits before annihilating a Nelson-class battleship.

Say your prayers Azrael, Sutherland…

I'm your Reaper, and I'm coming for your heads!

End "Fighter"

….

"New targets acquired, Captain!" yelled Lieutenant Tsukino.

Murrue nodded. "Fire at will!"

The Gottfrieds and Valiants blazed forth, the port and starboard side weapons each locked onto an Alliance ship. Two Drake-class vessels fell to the heavy weapons fire, and they would not be her last victims. Her adversaries were sending more ships her way, and Murrue intended to make them pay for it.

Out ahead she could see Heero and his advance strike team carving a swath of carnage through the Earth Alliance forces. Strike-Daggers and Moebius units were being wiped out almost whole squadrons at a time as Wing Zero, the Judgment, the three Wraiths, and the Tallgeese Kai tore into their ranks, the best pilots in the Earth Sphere wreaking utter havoc on their foes. However, for all their skill they could not advance far through such a force on their own, and Murrue intended to back them up until they reached the heart of the Alliance armada.

"Get more fire support on our units' flanks!" she ordered, "I want Corintoss and Sledgehammer missiles in the air now!"

"Aye, Captain!" replied her XO, "You head her! Corintoss, Sledgehammers; fire!"

A swarm of warheads flew from the Archangel's rear launchers, arcing over the ship and forward, splitting into two distinct groups as they rushed into the fray. Their accuracy magnified by the combination of the Archangel's new targeting program and the constant stream of data from Wing Zero, the combined anti-ship and anti-air missiles ripped into the enemy ranks with lethal force. A battleship and an escort ship fell to the heavier warheads, while the lighter ones tore apart nine Alliance mobile suits.

All around the Archangel, her companion ships continued to pour their fire into the fray. Additional explosions rippled through the Earth Alliance forces, more ships and mobile suits succumbing to the attacks from the Three Ships Alliance, though not as many as in the opening attacks. They were done with mass salvos now; with the Earth forces now sending more ships to counter them, they couldn't pull off such mass attacks. Already Earth Alliance flotillas were moving to engage the Archangel's half of the Three Ships Alliance fleet, firing away with beam cannons and missile launchers.

Murrue grimaced as she saw one of their allied Laurasia-class frigates succumb to enemy fire, followed by a Drake-class escort ship. They would not be the last casualties in her force; she was well aware of that. Losses would be inevitable today, and all she could do was make sure those deaths were not in vain.

Out ahead it was the same for their mobile suits. Heero's advance team was still in one piece, but the mobile suits that were supporting it were mixed up in a furious melee with their Earth Alliance counterparts, and they were already taking casualties. Murrue could comfort herself with the great skill, courage, and tenacity the pilots of her group were showing, but it did not change the fact that people were dying in an attack she was in command of.

I hate fleet command, she thought solemnly, It's bad enough just commanding one ship and her smaller units, but this… there's just so much more to lose. I just have to do my best to make those loses count for something.

"Tell the others to loosen up the formation," she said, "They can give themselves more room for evasive maneuvers, but we have to keep moving forward!"

"Aye, Captain!" said her communications officer.

"We've got Alliance mobile suits coming in fast!" yelled her sensor officer.

"Have our escort units prepare for interception!" Murrue ordered, "Helldarts and CIWS can fire as soon as they have targets! Coordinate with the Buster and Wolf Team!"

"Bristow, Dearka, engage at will!" said Miriallia from her post in the CIC.

Out the forward viewport she saw Dearka, Bristow, and the three M1 Astrays open up on the approaching Strike-Daggers and Buster-Daggers. The Buster was cutting loose with both its Gun Launcher and beam rifle, picking off units with what seemed to be practiced ease. Bristow was moving forward, his beam gatlings spitting a hail of emerald death at one machine before he ignited his beam claws and carved into another. Backing him up, the three M1s unleashed coordinated fire on the incoming units, guarding the Werewolf's flank.

Then the Archangel's close-up weapons joined the fray. Streams of shells flew forth from the CIWS, lethally accurate thanks to the upgraded targeting system. The same went for the swarm of Helldart light anti-air missiles that flew out from behind the bridge and into the melee, hammering multiple enemy mobile suits. Still, it wasn't a perfect barrage, and the enemy's force was great. A few Strike-Daggers managed to survive and returned fire with their beam rifles, peppering the Archangel's upper decks.

The ship shuddered under the hits, though the enemy's attacks were soon interrupted by a series of swift slashes from the Werewolf's twin beam claws. "Damage report!" cried Murrue.

"Armor's holding for now," replied one of her subordinates, "No breaches or system failures."

Murrue breathed a sigh of relief. So far, so good.

Checking the tactical display she could see it was more or less the same situation all around her. The rest of her companion ships were in the process of fending off attacks from Strike-Daggers, Buster-Daggers, and Moebius mobile armors. They didn't have the advantage of the Archangel's upgraded targeting system, but they still had their escorts, and they were putting up a furious defense. Loosening up their formation earlier had been a good move on Murrue's part; it gave the ships and their escorts more room to deal with the attackers while still keeping overlapping arcs of fire. Still, it was not perfect. Already friendly mobile suits and armors were beginning to fall, and the other ships didn't have the luxury of the Archangel's thick, laminated armor.

As long as we don't let this slow us down, we'll be fine, she thought, I can't let us get bogged down here.

For all the new effort the Earth Alliance armada was directing at her though, Murrue knew it could be much worse. Waltfeld's decision to hold off engaging until the Alliance and ZAFT had started their brawl was serving them well; the bulk of Azrael and Zala's resources were focused on killing each other. While the Three Ships Alliance would still not have an easy time of it due to the sheer numbers their foes had on the field, the situation for Murrue and her allies was still manageable.

On the tactical display and out to the left of the main viewport she could see the Earth Alliance and ZAFT forces still going at it with unmatched fury. Every second explosions large and small rippled through the armada and the Grand Fleet as warships and mobile units met their demise. Neither side was unleashing those massive coordinated salvos she had witnessed at the start of the battle, but the sheer volume of fire they were putting out was still mindboggling. Particle beams, railgun rounds, and missiles constantly crisscrossed what little space between them remained as the two vast fleets edged closer and closer, their warships about to become as entangled as the mobile suits already were. Both sides' forward ranks were already torn to bloody ribbons, and the carnage was still young.

ZAFT may have still been outnumbered by the Earth Alliance, but it wasn't by the huge margin Murrue and the others had been expecting prior to the unveiling of the gamma ray cannon. The Alliance's new assault mobile armors and mobile suits may have been ripping through their front lines, but the Grand Fleet's core still held. Anchored by the ten black carrier/dreadnoughts, it gave as good as it got. The black leviathans alone were putting out punishing volumes of fire, and though each ship bore the scars of multiple hits none of them looked anywhere close to going down yet. The newer model GuAIZ units were also starting to have success in stopping some of the Juggernaut mobile armors, though their escorts of Strike-Avengers made the task very difficult and costly.

Their fleet's still intact, but there's breaches in the lines now, Murrue thought, I don't know if it's enough for the Alliance to launch their nukes yet… I just hope Kira and the others are ready.

"Captain!" cried the sensor officer, "Multiple Alliance flotillas are moving to starboard. They're trying to flank us!"

"Match their move, but keep us pushing forward!" she ordered, "We'll take more fire from the port side, but better that than a complete envelopment. Prepare Lohengrins for fire, and ready the other weapons for support!"

"Heero, adjust your heading to the right twenty degrees and hit the flanking flotillas!" said Miriallia, "We'll back you up!"

Out ahead Murrue could already see Wing Zero and the rest of the strike team reacting to Miriallia's instructions. A familiar blast of golden-yellow hellfire slashed across the sky, pulverizing eleven mobile suits and a Nelson-class battleship. It was followed by a crimson torrent of plasma, which took out another nine enemy machines before obliterating a Drake-class escort ship. The three Wraiths and the Tallgeese Kai made their contributions known as well with emerald beam fire and yellow railgun rounds as the strike team began redirecting their carnage along their new course. Meanwhile the rest of the allied mobile suits did their best to provide them cover fire as the advance shifted.

"Lohengrins primed!" said Lieutenant Tsukino, "We have a firing lane! Gottfrieds and Valiants tracking secondary targets, and Sledgehammers are ready for launch!"

"Open fire!" Murrue yelled.

The Archangel cut loose with everything she had. Twin blasts of crimson-orange energy tore through space, incinerating a dozen enemy machines before blasting apart a Nelson-class battleship. Fire from the Gottfrieds and Valiants hammered another battleship, ripping the vessel in half. The swarm of Sledgehammer missiles launched from the ship's rear split up and rained down onto two Drake-class escort ships, knocking out one's topside guns and engines while the second had its bridge turned into a charred crater.

Fire poured out of the other ships as well as the Archangel's group adjusted its heading. The destroyers, frigates, and battleships lead the barrage with their heavy guns while the modified transports and smaller escort ships backed them up with missiles. A new path was being forged through the Earth Alliance armada; a road paved with the mauled wrecks of warships, twisted pieces of mobile suits and armors, and the corpses of so many soldiers callously thrown into the fire by leaders who would stop at nothing in their quest for genocide.

Hang on, Natarle, she thought, gripping the arms of her chair as the Archangel was rattled by enemy fire, We'll save you and your crew…

…and make Azrael pay for his crimes!

….

Waltfeld grimaced as the Eternal shook under the latest ZAFT attack. "How bad?

"Armor's holding so far," said DaCosta, "Lucky us they can't throw a concentrated barrage our way."

Waltfeld shook his head. "No, but they can still make our lives miserable. Don't get complacent just because we're advancing."

DaCosta nodded. "Aye, sir."

So far, so good, he thought as he surveyed his part of the battlefield on the tactical display, but this fight's still in the opening rounds. We've got a long ways to go.

Driving hard along the rear ranks of the Grand Fleet, conscious to keep as many ZAFT ships between them and the heavy Earth Alliance salvos as possible, Waltfeld's force was cutting a bloody swath towards Jachin Due and the massive gamma ray cannon floating behind her. Kira and Athrun were at the tip of the spear, deepening the breach in ZAFT lines with almost continuous fire from the Freedom and Justice, their power greatly amplified by the METEOR units attached to them. Mobile suits fell by the squadron, utterly destroyed or merely disabled as fortune and the skills of the two attacking pilots had their way with the enemy. In their wake was a trail of debris, and it was only growing as the two young Coordinators continued to advance.

Though they were out in front, they were hardly alone. Rushing to catch up was Cagalli and the three Morgenroete test pilots, and behind them were more mobile suits from the Eternal's group. Gatling cannon and railguns blazing, beam saber ignited, the Strike Rouge IWSP-X was making quick work of the ZAFT mobile suits unfortunate enough to get in its way. Part of that may have been due to most of them being GINNs, but Waltfeld knew it also spoke to Cagalli's improved skill and fierce determination.

The little princess has come a long way, he thought, I just hope she can pull through here.

"Sir, new target acquired!" said DaCosta.

Waltfeld nodded. "Let 'em have it!"

The Eternal opened up with her main beam cannon and smaller guns, and several emerald particle beams flew across space and hammered a Laurasia-class frigate, ripping into its upper hull and knocking out its heavy weapons. To the Eternal's right the Kusanagi cut loose as well, her Lohengrins ripping apart a Nazca-class destroyer while her Gottfrieds pounded another frigate. All around the two lead warships, their subordinate vessels were firing as well, continuing to provide artillery support for the advancing mobile suit teams.

It wasn't all smooth sailing for Waltfeld's group though. Though ZAFT was outnumbered by the Earth Alliance armada it was still diverting some warships to counter the Three Ships Alliance's advance. GINNs and GuAIZs were charging in, a continuous stream of mobile suits that were giving Aisha and the other escorts a fierce workout. Out the main bridge viewport Waltfeld could see his lover's black and green GuAIZ dancing across the void, sniping some units with her beam rifle while ripping apart others with her blazing violet claws. With the Eternal's enhanced targeting system guiding her CIWS and anti-air missiles, the fire support provided by the warship only served to magnify the carnage Aisha was unleashing on the attackers. The Tigress was on a roll today, and Waltfeld wondered what her kill count would be when it was over.

Just survive long enough to count it, Aisha, he thought, After all we've been through, I'll be damned if I lose you now!

All the while they drove slowly but surely through the rear lines of the Grand Fleet Waltfeld was mindful of the Earth Alliance's moves. The fresh assault from the Archangel's group on their far left flank had diverted some resources, but for the most part Azrael was clearly fixed on punching through ZAFT's lines. He had begun with a wide assault across the breadth of the Grand Fleet, but Waltfeld's eye narrowed as he noticed a gradual shift in their attack patterns.

On the tactical display he could see the Earth Alliance armada beginning to focus its attacks along specific routes. Ten distinct areas were coming under concentrated assault, and it didn't take a genius to see that the new Orizaba-class carrier/dreadnoughts were stationed at those points. The black behemoths were putting up an incredible fight, their thick armor allowing them to weather an extraordinary amount of conventional punishment while their huge arsenal gave them tremendous offensive capabilities, but they were not invincible.

Wing Zero brought down their predecessors on the surface in the past, he thought, and the Alliance destroyed the ones at Boaz with nukes, but the Twin Buster Rifle and Ragnarok missiles aren't the only things that can take out those leviathans. A fuckton of concentrated conventional firepower can do the trick, and the Alliance has plenty of that.

He had to wonder how long it would be until the first dreadnought fell. Waltfeld could make out a very clear pattern in the Alliance's effort to attack the dreadnoughts, and it did not bode well for ZAFT. At the head of the assault formations were the new heavy assault mobile armors and Strike-Avengers, cutting fiery paths of destruction towards their massive targets. Behind them the Alliance's mass production units were widening the gaps and sowing more chaos, making openings for the squadrons of capital ships that were moving up. The new concentrated attacks may have made it easier for ZAFT to direct their fire against the enemy, but it also gave their assault forces more punching power, and it would only be a matter of time before they achieved a breakthrough.

He turned to Lacus, grimacing as he saw the stricken look on her face. If he'd had it his way she would've stayed behind on Elysium, but he'd known that trying to convince her of that would've been futile. This was no place for the songstress, no matter how much she might want to be here to see her cause through to the end. She may have formed the ideological heart of their resistance to the Earth Alliance and ZAFT, and her courage could not be denied, but at heart she was a maiden of peace. To see such bloodshed on such a massive scale would be terribly disheartening for her, and Waltfeld was impressed that she was holding up as well as she was now.

"So much death…" he heard her murmur, "So many lost so far… how did it come to this?"

"We both know the answer to that," he answered firmly, surprising her, "Azrael, Zala, and Creuset. An unholy trinity if there ever was one."

Lacus nodded. "I know you're right, but still… to think that the raw hatred of three men could've spawned something like this…"

Waltfeld shook his head. "It wasn't just that, though it was the driving force. Fear and anger have permeated both sides since the beginning of this war. In an atmosphere like that the worst impulses of those in power can have dramatic effects. Too many were willing to follow their lead, to give into their darker natures."

"And now it's up to us to bring an end to the madness they unleashed," Lacus replied, her eyes narrowing in determination.

Waltfeld nodded as he turned back to the battle. "Yes, it is."

He leaned forward as he saw one of the Alliance's attack formations approaching a dreadnought. There was no doubt in his mind; this one would fall.

The black leviathan was pouring out fire from every gun she had, but her efforts were focused on hammering the broader Alliance fleet, and this assault was up close and personal. Leading the charge, three heavy assault mobile armors opened up with their topside guns. The crimson streams of energy hammered the massive warship all along the front, superheating and melting through the armor.

Coming in above and below, several of the new Strike-Avengers launched a pincer attack. Red beams poured from the Agnis of the Double Launcher and Sword Launcher units that were leading the strikes, pounding the ship in a vicious crossfire. Weapons were blown apart, armor plating ruptured; the dreadnought would not last much longer.

The deathblow came from a concentrated Alliance barrage. Several Nelson-class battleships had the dreadnought in their sights, and they cut loose with everything they had. Salvos of beams and missiles slammed into the front of the ship, exacerbating existing wounds and blasting the bridge. More fire from the Strike-Avengers and Juggernaut mobile armors cut through the vessel, and it began to break apart. A breach to the main power plant sealed the deal, and the ship was consumed by a titanic blast.

"Sir!" cried DaCosta, "We've got movement from mobile armor squadrons that were hanging back before! Nuclear payloads confirmed!"

"Oh my god…" whispered Lacus.

They've got their first breach, so they'll make their first direct attack on the colonies, he thought, Here we go…

"Give Kira and Athrun the heads up!" he ordered, "They're gonna have nukes incoming! Call Wing Zero too; see if Heero can throw some fire their way!"

On the outside he was calm, but his heart was racing. Here was the moment of truth. Either they stopped this attack…

…or millions would perish.

….

Start "Swordland"

The power was unbelievable.

As he tore through the ZAFT lines, Kira almost felt like he was piloting an entirely different mobile suit. The incredible power the METEOR unit added to the Freedom was unlike anything he had expected. He couldn't use his beam rifle, but the addition of four new beam cannons more than offset that deficit. Combined with the Freedom's targeting system, the mobile suit's augmentation pack could be used to devastating effect, non-lethal or otherwise.

Kira was still going with the first approach; none of the enemies he'd encountered so far had risen to a threat level he'd deemed necessary to go all out against. An almost continuous stream of fire poured from both the Freedom's primary weapons and the METEOR's beam cannons, disabling whole teams of ZAFT mobile suits at a time and mauling the armaments of any warships that got in his way.

He saw a team of GuAIZs moving in, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to intercept them with his ranged weaponry. That was ok; he had a counter for that. The large beam swords on both ends of the METEOR ignited in fountains of violet energy, more unwieldy than traditional beam sabers but more than making up for it with greater reach and broader blades. The approaching GuAIZs activated their beam claws in response, but Kira was unconcerned; he had these guys completely outmatched.

His eyes narrowing, he took a swing with his right sword, completely severing a unit's shield arm at the shoulder. A second later he lashed out with the left blade, this time burning straight through a GuAIZ's shield; they weren't meant to withstand this kind of raw power. He then whirled to the right, destroying another unit's beam rifle before hitting its head with fire from his CIWS. A fourth unit was knocked out of the fight by another slash from the left blade and a pair of shots from his railguns.

I've got them completely outclassed, he thought as he severed both arms of a fifth unit, I can do this!

To his left Athrun was making similar progress, though without Kira's restraint. The Justice was eviscerating any enemy unfortunate enough to get in its way, its blazing beam swords leaving a trail of wreckage in its wake. Athrun was in top form today, and working together with Kira the two young men were proving to be an unmatched team. The Freedom and Justice had a specially created data link set up between them, allowing them to coordinate targeting information and ensuring that there was no wasted fire.

"Destroyers up ahead," said Athrun.

Kira nodded. "I see them. We'll plow right through the middle!"

The two young men picked their targets and cut loose, pounding the warships in the center of the formation. Kira raked two Nazca-class destroyers across their forward and upper hulls, blasting apart their primary and secondary weapons in a withering volley. The assault from the Justice was even fiercer, and two more destroyers were caught in a merciless barrage, guns blown apart and their bridges turned to smoldering craters.

To their right Kira saw several GINNs and GuAIZs moving in to engage them, but before he could move to counter he saw them get torn apart by a volley of railgun rounds, bullets, and beams.

"Hey!" said a familiar voice, "Don't think I'm going to let you guys keep going without me!"

Kira smiled. "Cagalli!"

Indeed, coming in fast was the Strike Rouge IWSP-X, along with the three M1 Astrays wielded by the Morgenroete test pilots, weapons raised and blazing away.

Athrun chuckled. "I should've known you'd catch up to us sooner or later."

"Damn right!" she replied.

"We're not gonna let you boys have all the fun," said Asagi.

"Where Cagalli goes, we go!" said Juri.

"Someone's got to keep her from getting in over her head," Mayura chimed in.

The friendly mid-fight banter was interrupted by a transmission from the Eternal.

"Kira! Athrun!" cried Lacus, "The Alliance just launched a wing of nuclear bombers! They're targeting the colonies!"

Kira's eyes widened. "Where are they?"

"We're sending you their position and trajectory now!" Lacus replied, "Kira, please, stop them!"

Kira nodded. "I will. I promise!"

On his sensors a swarm of Alliance contacts were highlighted as he received the data from the Eternal, making for the gap in the formation just opened up by the loss of a ZAFT carrier/dreadnought. There had to be at least fifty of them, and Kira was sure this was just a small fraction of the nuclear arsenal that the Earth forces had brought to the fight.

Another voice came over the radio, one he had not expected to hear.

"Targets locked," said Heero, "Kira, Athrun, get ready."

Before Kira had a chance to reply he saw a massive blast of golden-yellow light tear across the battlefield, ripping apart dozens of mobile suits before washing over part of the Alliance's nuclear strike wing. Ten of the mobile armors were consumed by the shot, the units and their payloads completely disintegrated.

"That's all I can hit from here," said Heero, "The rest is up to you."

"They're launching!" cried Lacus.

Indeed, on his sensors Kira saw forty Ragnarok missiles take flight. Alarms rang in the cockpit; the warheads had armed the second they had launched. Kira immediately began selecting targets, and he knew Athrun was doing the same.

His eyes narrowed as he tracked the incoming missiles and locked onto his targets. The data link between the Freedom and Justice showed him which warheads Athrun was targeting as well, and as soon as his monitor showed every missile covered by him and his friend they cut loose.

A storm of missiles flew from the METEORs, a small fraction of their full payload. Like a swarm of hornets they zipped through space at lightning speed, intercepting the Ragnarok missiles in an incredible display of precision. A string of massive explosions ripped across the stars as their targets' nuclear payloads detonated, wiping out any Alliance and ZAFT mobile suits unfortunate enough to be within the blast radius. The pyrotechnics were almost blinding, and if it weren't for the automated adjusting of his visual sensors Kira was sure he would've been unable to see anything beyond the forty brilliant orange-red blossoms of nuclear fire.

If those had hit, he thought with a shudder, that would've been a third of the PLANTs wiped out! Millions of lives… how could anyone do this?

"Great job, Kira!" said Lacus, and Kira saw her smiling on his screen, "You too, Athrun!"

"I'll say," said Cagalli, "Nice shooting!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, people," Waltfeld cut in, "The fight's still young, and they've got plenty more where that came from. Kira, Athrun, we'll keep watch for the next salvo. Be ready to react immediately when we send the data."

Kira nodded. "Got it."

"Keep an eye on the remaining dreadnoughts," said the Desert Tiger, "The Alliance has begun concentrating their attacks on them to fracture the Grand Fleet. I'll be as soon as another one falls Azrael will order another strike, and this one will have more openings to make it through."

"Understood," said Athrun, "Should we try to support them?"

"Negative," Waltfeld replied, "Focus on cutting through to Jachin Due and the weapon, along with nuclear interception. Anything more and we spread ourselves too thin. Eternal out."

"Be careful!" cried Lacus before the transmission cut.

Sighting in on new targets, Kira felt a renewed sense of resolve pumping through his veins. He and Athrun had just proven that they did have the power to stop the Alliance's nuclear strikes, and they couldn't let what had just happened become just a fluke. They would do it again and again, until the Earth forces either gave up or ran out of nukes.

We'll beat them both, he thought as he cut loose again, the Freedom's and METEOR's guns erupting in a dazzling barrage, The Earth Alliance, ZAFT… neither of them will get the chance to carry out their atrocities!

Azrael, Zala, Creuset…

…I'll stop them all!

End "Swordland"

….

Start "Rhythm Emotion"

"Targets locked," said Heero, his eyes narrowed in intense focus and his rifle set at seventy-five percent power.

"Same here," Shemei replied.

"We've got you're back!" yelled La Flaga, "Go for it!"

Heero nodded. "Firing."

Back to back, Wing Zero and the Judgment cut loose in a titanic display of power. Crimson death poured forth from the Valkyrie's plasma rifle, ripping apart ten Strike-Daggers before spearing a Nelson-class battleship that was about to launch a broadside against their team. At the same time a massive blast of golden-yellow energy ripped across space in the opposite direction, wiping out scores of mobile suits and armors before washing over a flotilla of four Nelson-class battle ships and six Drake-class escort ships that had been moving in on the left flank of the Archangel's battle group.

Not nearly enough to completely relieve the pressure on Murrue, he thought as he immediately turned Wing Zero around, but it's something.

He gave a small smile as he saw Murrue already returning the favor. The Archangel opened up with a concentrated barrage. Salvos from her Gottfrieds and Valiants downed a Nelson-class battleship out ahead of the strike team, while a barrage of Sledgehammer missiles blew apart an escort ship. The ships accompanying the Archangel continued to provide supporting fire of their own, though with the Earth forces diverting more resources to fight them they also had threats of their own to deal with. Several ships in the Archangel's group had already succumbed to enemy fire, while others were showing signs of damage. Still, Murrue's force continued to press forward, hell bent on reaching the heart of the Earth Alliance armada. Likewise, the other mobile suits that were flying in support of the strike-team were pushing forward, mixing it up with Alliance squadrons and carving out some space for Heero and his friends, though they too were taking casualties.

The strike team continued their advance as well, though the resistance grew thicker and more determined the further they moved into the Alliance ranks. More mobile suits and warships were repositioning in an attempt to stop them, and Heero could also see some of the more advanced units being recalled from their assault on the Grand Fleet; it would not be long before they engaged the forward strike team.

"Got some of those heavy mobile armors up ahead!" said Lan as she speared a Strike-Dagger on her violet blade, "Looks like they held a few back from the front line!"

Checking his sensors, Heero could indeed see no less than four Juggernaut mobile armors advancing towards them, along with several Strike and Buster-Daggers flying as support.

"Shemei and I will deal with them," he said, "The rest of you keep covering us."

"You got it!" said La Flaga as he slashed a Strike-Dagger in half.

"Bring 'em on," said Adaline as she picked off two more mobile suits with her beam rifles, "They're not getting past us!"

"Copy that," Priscilla chimed in as she downed a Buster-Dagger with a salvo from her railguns.

Moving in coordination born as much from flying together now as flying against each other in the past, Wing Zero and the Judgment sighted in on their targets, with the Valkyrie setting up to attack the left side of the formation and Heero the right. Meanwhile the three Wraiths and the Tallgeese Kai arrayed themselves around Shemei and Heero in a diamond formation, cutting loose with all their ranged weaponry as they covered Wing Zero and the Judgment. The barrage of beams and railgun rounds cut into the incoming Alliance squadrons, ripping apart the forward units and causing the rest to scatter.

Heero and Shemei opened up simultaneously, but at the same time the Juggernauts got off a salvo of their own. Fire from both sides crisscrossed the void. The golden-yellow blast from the Twin Buster Rifle obliterated one of the Juggernauts, and the shot from the Judgment's Tartarus rifle destroyed another, but that still left two more on the field. Meanwhile, the shots from the assault mobile armors' main guns and missiles did not hit anyone on the strike team, but they did tear into the ranks of their supporting mobile suit squadrons. GINNs, M1s, and Strike-Daggers were ripped apart by the blasts of crimson energy and swarms of missiles.

They'll pay for that, Heero thought grimly, already sighting in on his next target, I won't let these things stop us.

Wing Zero and the Judgment cut loose again in a synchronous salvo and the twin shots downed the other two Juggernauts. It wasn't a moment too soon; more Earth Alliance mobile suits were coming in fast.

"Thanks for the cover," said Heero as he cut into a Strike-Dagger with his beam saber before destroying another with a quick burst from his gatling cannons.

"Anytime," La Flaga replied as he slashed a mobile suit in half and downed another with a shot from his beam rifle.

As they continued to carve their way through the armada Heero took a quick glance at his sensors to get a sense of the larger fight. They'd made a great deal of progress and were continuing to push further towards the heart of the fleet, but the battle was only growing more intense with each passing second. The forward ranks of the Grand Fleet and Earth Alliance armada were now fully mixed up with each other. Capital ships from both sides traded fire at point-blank range, while GINNS and GuAIZs clashed with Strike-Daggers and Buster-Daggers in a mad, chaotic frenzy. Both sides were pushing deeper into each other, but the Earth forces had more forward momentum.

The Earth Alliance's brutal frontal assault was costing them countless lives with every second, but the pressure they were putting on the Grand Fleet was beginning to take its toll. Heero had already seen one of the massive carrier/dreadnoughts fall to Alliance fire, opening up a gap that the Earth forces had attempted to use for their first nuclear strike. It may have failed, but it was inevitable that other holes would be punched in the ZAFT formations, and the Alliance would launch another nuclear salvo.

He singled out a dreadnought on his sensors, one towards the center of the Grand Fleet's formation.

That one, he thought, will be the next to fall.

The ZERO System seemed to agree with the assessment, and it wasn't hard to see why. The ship in question was under fierce assault from multiple directions. From head on came a formation centered on four Juggernaut heavy assault mobile armors and supported by Strike and Buster-Daggers. Coming in from both flanks were flights of Strike-Avengers, consisting mainly of Double Launcher, Sword Launcher, and Aile units. Backing up all these units were several flotillas of battleships and escort ships, already trading heavy fire with the black leviathan and her supporting frigates and destroyers.

He contacted the Eternal, transmitting his data as he did so. "Waltfeld, I've got the next likely breach in the line."

The Desert Tiger appeared at the bottom right corner of his screen. "I see it. Thanks for the heads up. Think you can give any long-range support when the Alliance sends in the bombers?"

"No promises," he replied as he blocked a Strike-Dagger's beam saber on his shield before stabbing the unit through the cockpit, "We're pretty busy over here. Kira and Athrun might be on their own for the next one."

"Understood," said Waltfeld, "Eternal out."

Waltfeld had barely disappeared from the screen when Shemei took his place. "Heero, we got some of those new models incoming!"

The Gundam pilot nodded. "I see them. You and your team take the left half of the group. La Flaga and I will deal with the right."

"Copy that," she replied, "Judgment out."

As he cut down another Strike-Dagger with his emerald blade he turned his focus to the pack of Strike-Avengers Shemei had referred to. The group was composed of four Twin Sword units, four Aile Avengers, and four Havoc units. They weren't flying with any real semblance of formation, and Heero realized that their pilots were most likely augmented child soldiers like the ones he had fought at Elysium.

More blood of the tortured and twisted victims of the Alliance's experiments on my hands, he thought grimly as he brought the Twin Buster Rifle to bear, So be it.

He pulled the trigger, sending a wave of destruction across space. To his left the Judgment mirrored the motion, and a spear of crimson plasma shot through the void. Neither shot found their mark, instead causing the oncoming pack to scatter. That was fine by Heero; he knew from past experience that these pilots could barely even function as a team, and further isolating them like this would only make it easier to exploit that fatal flaw.

"I'll take point," he said, "Cover me."

"Copy that," La Flaga replied, "I've got your back!"

He hit the throttle and shot forward, picking out one of the Havoc units as his targets and gunning straight for it. The machine responded instantly, opening up with its plasma cannon. It was a move Heero had anticipated, and he was already breaking to the right when the shot came. The beam curved to follow, but he was already too far ahead.

His vector took him right into the path of an Aile unit, which quickly opened fire on him with its beam rifle. Heero brought his shield up to block the attacks and then broke back to the left, setting him up to hit his original target. The Havoc unit lashed out with its sphere-breaker, but with a quick slash from his beam saber Heero sliced it in half, and then stabbed the Strike-Avenger straight through the cockpit.

He swerved to the left as one of the Twin Sword units came in to attack. The Aile unit from before had a perfect shot at his rear, but before it could take it a violet beam saber pierced it from behind, destroying it.

"Thanks," said Heero as he blocked a strike from his foe's anti-ship sword on his shield.

"Anytime," said La Flaga as he began trading fire with another Aile unit.

He pushed forward, Wing Zero's more powerful engines easily putting its adversary off balance. Sensing an opening, Heero slammed his shield into his foe, knocking him back and giving him room to dive as another Twin Sword unit tried to hit him from the left flank. Now clear of both units, Heero brought the Twin Buster Rifle up and opened fire. The blast of golden-yellow energy washed over the second Twin Sword Avenger, turning it into superheated atoms.

A quick glance at his sensors showed the Valkyrie Team meeting similar success against their foes, and at a quicker pace, though the latter was natural due to them outnumbering Heero and La Flaga two to one. Shemei had already dusted a Havoc Avenger with a blast from the Tartarus rifle, overwhelming its shields with the powerful plasma gun, before double-teaming an Aile Avenger with Lan, distracting it with her DRAGOONs before the Chinese Coordinator had impaled it on her beam saber. Likewise, Adaline and Priscilla had coordinated their efforts as well, with the redhead bombarding the second Havoc Avenger with her beam rifle and railguns while the blond had slipped underneath it before raising her blade and slicing it in half.

Turning back to his own fight, he contacted the Tallgeese Kai. "La Flaga, dive!"

The Hawk of Endymion reacted instantly, and not a moment too soon as the space he had just occupied was slashed through with a curving, crimson plasma beam. Heero had already brought his rifle up and wasted no time in opening fire, the blast of golden-yellow energy utterly overwhelming the Havoc Avenger's shields and obliterating the unit that had attacked La Flaga.

"Nice save," said the Hawk as he traded rifle fire with an Aile Avenger.

Heero nodded as he raised his shield to block a swing from a Twin Sword unit. "No problem. Let's finish these guys off."

"You got it!" said La Flaga.

Turning words into action, Heero immediately took the offensive. He rushed in and launched an overhand strike with his beam saber. His foe blocked it and countered with an attack from its second anti-ship sword, but Heero was able to deflect it with his shield. He then opened fire with his shoulder gatlings, draining precious energy from the Strike-Avenger's Phase Shift Armor and forcing it to back off. That gave Heero the opening he needed. Pressing his assault, he feinted to the right before veering back to the left and sinking his emerald blade into the Strike-Avenger's torso.

Looking over at the Tallgeese Kai, he saw La Flaga finishing off his foe as well. The Hawk of Endymion had led with a volley of rifle fire, which the Aile Avenger had taken on its shield. La Flaga had then rushed in, blocking his foe's return fire with the Tallgeese Kai's Planet Defensors before slashing the Alliance machine in half.

Meanwhile the Valkyrie Team had already wrapped up its engagement with their half of the Strike Avenger pack. Shemei and her subordinates were pouring fresh fire into oncoming squadrons of Strike-Daggers and Buster-Daggers, giving Heero and La Flaga time to wrap up their fights and ripping the Earth Alliance machines apart with particle beams and railgun rounds.

"Thanks for the cover," said Heero as he added the Twin Buster Rifle to the fray, wiping out nine machines before the blast impacted a Nelson-class battleship.

"No problem," Shemei replied as she took out another four mobile suits and a Drake-class escort ship with a crimson spear of plasma from the Tartarus rifle.

"You'd do the same for us," Priscilla chimed in as she picked off a Strike-Dagger and a Buster-Dagger with her two beam rifles.

"Nice job, by the way," said Lan as she downed one machine with her railguns before carving up another with her twin beam sabers, "You owned that last Twin Sword unit, Heero."

"Those guys were vicious," said Adaline as she shot down three Strike-Daggers in a precise volley, "Not very skilled, and no teamwork, but vicious. What the hell were they?"

"More of the Alliance's crimes," said Heero as he shot down a Buster-Dagger with his shoulder gatlings, "I'll explain later. We need to keep moving forward."

His emerald blade flashing as he carved into the enemy squadrons, Heero led the strike team deeper into the Alliance armada. Mobile suits fell one after another, but the amount of fire coming at the strike team only seemed to get thicker the further into the fleet they got. Wing Zero was buffeted by the occasional missile hit or CIWS barrage, but the Gundam pilot never lost sight of his ultimate targets.

His eyes narrowed as he saw the carrier Doolittle and the battleship Dominion highlighted on his sensors. Slowly but surely he and the others were working their way towards the source of the festering evil that had corrupted Murrue's homeland, and he was determined to extinguish it once and for all.

Sutherland first…

…then Azrael.

End "Rhythm Emotion"

….

"Captain, missiles and portside guns are locked onto their targets!" reported Tsukino, "Starboard guns are set forward and have their marks!"

Murrue nodded. "Fire at will!"

Death spat out from the Archangel in two directions. Her portside guns unloaded to her left, blasting a Drake-class escort ship that was part of the squadrons that were attacking her group from that flank. A volley of Sledgehammer missiles flew from the rear launchers and arced to port as well, and the heavy anti-ship warheads rained down on a Nelson-class battleship, with one hitting the bridge dead center. Meanwhile the starboard Gottfried and Valiant opened up, firing ahead into the horde of warships that was still between them and the armada's command ships. The salvo slammed into the bridge of a Drake-class escort ship, blasting apart the command center and knocking the ship out of the fight.

We never could've managed such precision fire in a fight like this before, she thought, Heero, the new targeting system you gave us really is amazing.

"Refocus all our guns forward!" she ordered, "Use the missile launchers to support our forces on the left flank. Acquire targets for our next volley and be ready to fire on my command!"

All around the Archangel the rest of the ships in her group were trading fire with the Earth Alliance armada. Some had focused their efforts on putting up a screen on the left flank, trading punishing fire with approaching Alliance flotillas in order to give the rest of the task force a better chance of making it to the heart of the enemy fleet. It was on that flank that her force's casualties had been heaviest, but it still held. Escorts, battleships, destroyers, and frigates were pouring everything they had into Azrael's armada, but their losses were mounting. Nearly thirty ships in Murrue's group had already fallen, and many more were damaged to varying degrees. The Archangel's incredibly tough laminated armor had allowed her to power forward and weather the storm so far, but as much as Murrue might wish otherwise it was not Gundanium alloy; sooner or later they were bound to take a heavy hit.

Out the forward viewport she could see her ship's escorting mobile suits continue to fight it out with attacking Alliance units with incredibly ferocity. The Werewolf moved like a thing possessed, utterly mauling any Strike-Dagger unfortunate enough to meet it in close combat, while a hail of small emerald beams from its two gatlings ripped apart targets at mid-range. Backing up Bristow, the rest of Wolf Team contributed what they could with beam rifle fire and their own beam swords. They were doing well, though one of the M1s had succumbed to enemy fire. Meanwhile the Buster continued to serve as a deadly mobile anti-air battery for the Archangel, picking off one Alliance mobile suit after another with steady fire from its beam rifle and Gun Launcher. Backing up her escorts, the Archangel's CIWS poured what seemed like a near continuous stream of shells into the fray, their accuracy far greater and deadlier than their enemies might have expected; the new targeting system was getting a huge workout today.

Up ahead the strike team continued to carve through the Alliance ranks, utterly decimating any opposition. Murrue had been worried when she'd seen several of the Alliance's new models moving to engage Heero and the others, but those fears had been misplaced. The Strike-Avengers and their pilots had proven to be no match for the battle hardened fighters of Heero's strike team, and had barely even slowed them down.

Several mobile suit teams continued to support Heero's group, but Murrue could see that the sheer ferocity of the battle was taking its toll on them. Allied GINNs, GuAIZs, CGUEs, Strike-Daggers, M1 Astrays, and Tauruses gave their all, but they were gradually falling one by one. Their skill and teamwork were excellent, but the overwhelming numbers of the Alliance forces and the chaotic nature of the massive brawl were such that the supporting squadrons were slowly being ground down. They were buying the strike team precious operating room, but Murrue had to wonder just how long they could keep fighting in such a brutal engagement.

The mobile suits and armors that had been held back to serve as escorts for the capital ships were faring better, though they were still taking losses. Working in tandem with the warships, they were forming a very effective screen, warding off Earth Alliance mobile suit squadrons and greatly reducing the number of losses Murrue knew her group would've suffered without such protection. However, like their comrades in the offensive squadrons the defensive units were taking casualties, and fighting in the midst of their allied warships only made things more difficult; the risk of friendly fire was no small matter.

We're still moving forward, she thought grimly, As long as we can keep doing that, as long as we can get to the center and take out the leadership… our comrades that have died will not have fallen in vain.

On the other side of the battlefield she could see the Eternal's group continuing to power through the Grand Fleet. Their progress was steady, though they still had quite a fight ahead of them, and Murrue knew that unlike her they had to both get to ZAFT leadership and be ready to intercept any nuclear missiles launched by the Earth Alliance. She had seen earlier the incredibly display of precision fire unleashed by the Freedom and Justice as they had intercepted the first wave of nukes launched by the Alliance, but she knew that what they had countered was just a small portion of her former homeland's arsenal, and it had been concentrated along one strike corridor.

She knew that when the next carrier/dreadnought fell the Alliance would unleash another nuclear salvo. Heero had been able to help reduce the first one, but with the strike team moving deeper and deeper into the thick of the Alliance armada his ability to repeat such a feat was in doubt. Murrue did not doubt her boyfriend's incredible skill, but she knew his abilities were being pushed just leading the strike team in their attack; to have him try to counter another nuclear assault while doing that at the same time could very well be too much. In her heart she felt that it would come down to Kira and Athrun to defend the PLANTs from here on out, but she was sure that they were up to the challenge.

"Targets acquired, Captain!" said Tsukino.

"Open fire!" she ordered.

The Gottfrieds and Valiants all opened up on a single target, a Nelson-class battleship that had been attempting to set up for a broadside against the strike team. It never got the chance to fire; the Archangel's salvo ripped the ship in half.

At the same time, the Archangel's missile launchers opened up with a swarm of Sledgehammer and Corintoss missiles. The heavier anti-ship warheads split into two distinct groups, each targeting a Drake-class vessel that was attacking from the battle group's left flank, while the anti-air missiles quickly spread out as they headed for their individual targets. The two escort ships were pounded by the anti-ship warheads, with one losing its bridge while the other's engines and missile launchers were knocked out by the barrage. At the same time the Corintoss missiles began finding their marks, and while a few were intercepted by beam or CIWS fire seven of the warheads impacted Strike-Daggers and blew them apart.

"Excellent work," said Murrue, "Lieutenant Tsukino, prepare the next volley, same attack pattern. Fire as soon as you have targets locked in!"

"Aye, Captain," her XO replied, "Guns, acquire new targets out front! Have Sledgehammers and Corintoss warheads ready for support fire on the left flank!"

"Captain!" cried the sensor officer, "We've got a problem! Two of the ZAFT dreadnoughts are going down!

"Isolate them on the tactical display!" Murrue ordered.

The image on the main monitor shifted, and Murrue could see the blinking blue dots that represented the two ships in question. Both were towards the center of the Grand Fleet, and they were under heavy concentrated assault from combined forces of Strike-Avengers, the new assault mobile armors, mass production Strike and Buster-Daggers, and several flotillas of capital ships.

One blue dot disappeared, and the second followed moments later.

"Look out for the bomber squadrons!" shouted Murrue, "They'll be moving now! Get their vectors and get that data to the others!"

"Scanning…" said the officer, "I've got them! Multiple Moebius wings, all advancing! Tracking their trajectories now. Transmitting data to Eternal's group."

On the tactical display Murrue saw the nuclear bombers moving in three distinct groups, each angling for the gaping holes left in the Grand Fleet by the dreadnoughts that had fallen so far. Doing a quick count, she realized that there were no less than 120 mobile armors armed with Ragnarok missiles.

One for each colony plus Jachin Due.

She frantically checked her personal monitor to see if Heero was in a position to intercept, but saw that he was far too preoccupied. Wing Zero was mixing it up in a fierce close-in fight with multiple Strike-Daggers as it led the strike team through the thick of the Alliance armada. Wing Zero hacked one machine to bits after another with its blazing emerald blade, but even with such dominance over his foes that didn't change the severe disparity of numbers in this battle. Even with La Flaga and the Valkyrie Team covering him he would be hard pressed to target any of the bombers in the midst of such a ferocious brawl.

The Archangel shook as beam fire hit the port side, reminding Murrue that she could not afford to divert her focus now, even for something as important as the Alliance's nukes. She could only trust that the data had gotten to Waltfeld's group and that Kira and Athrun would be ready to use it.

"Damage report!" Murrue yelled.

"Armor in that section's still holding!" came the reply, "We're good!"

"Return fire!" yelled Lieutenant Tsukino, "Shift Sledgehammer missiles to the ship that fired that shot!"

Once again the Archangel cut loose. Her forward guns opened up in a single salvo, and two Drake-class ships that had been moving to cut off the strike team were pulverized by fire from the Gottfrieds and Valiants. Sledgehammer and Corintoss missiles flew from the rear launchers, the former swarming the Nelson-class battleship that had landed that earlier hit on the Archangel while the latter spread out as they tracked individual mobile suits. The Alliance battleship was mauled by the barrage, her main guns and sensors ripped apart in the attack, while eight Strike-Daggers fell to the anti-aircraft missiles.

Glancing back towards the tactical display, she saw the Alliance bomber squadrons charging forward, with Strike-Daggers and Buster Daggers providing cover. They hadn't launched their missiles yet, but Murrue knew it was only a matter of seconds before they did.

I hope Waltfeld and the others are ready, she thought, bracing against the arms of her chair as the Archangel shuddered under another hit, because they're on their own for this one.

….

Start "Crossing Field"

"Athrun, here they come!" cried Kira.

Athrun nodded as he hacked a GuAIZ in half with the METEOR's large beam sword. "I see them! Cagalli, cover us while we intercept the nukes!"

"You got it!" Orb's tomboy princess replied.

As he saw the Moebius squadrons moving in on his sensors Athrun knew that he and Kira would have their work cut out for them. This next salvo would be across a broad front, and the Freedom and Justice would have to intercept the warheads while trying to avoid fire from ZAFT forces; even with Cagalli and the others covering them, the sheer numbers that they faced would make it impossible to completely screen them.

Shooting down two GINNs with his beam cannons, he began angling himself to intercept the attack. To his right Kira was cutting loose with every gun he had, desperately trying to clear out some space around them before the mobile armors launched their missiles. Meanwhile Cagalli and the other allied mobile suits supporting them did what they could to provide the Freedom and Justice with additional space, opening up with every gun they had and mixing it up in fierce close-quarters-combat with the foes that got into saber range.

Heavy beam and railgun fire cut across space, slamming into approaching Nazca-class destroyers and Laurasia-class frigates. With a glance Athrun saw the Eternal, Kusanagi, and their allied warships pushing forward and providing whatever supporting fire they could for him and Kira. The group had taken casualties but it was still holding together, and the barrage they unleashed was punishing for the ZAFT forces.

We've come so far, he thought as he slashed two GuAIZs in half before destroying three GINNs with his beam cannons, there's no way I'm letting the Alliance nuke the colonies! I couldn't stop the Bloody Valentine… I couldn't save my mother back then… but I can save the PLANTs here and now!

"Athrun!" cried Kira, "They're launching!"

His eyes narrowed as he saw the horde of mobile armors unleash their deadly payloads. He immediately began targeting the incoming warheads, but on his sensor he saw a team of GuAIZs moving in to attack him at the same time. There was no way he'd be able to fight them off and intercept the nukes at the same time.

In an instant he knew the choice he faced.

His life or the destruction of the colonies.

For him, it wasn't a choice at all.

He wouldn't let another child suffer the same pain the Bloody Valentine Tragedy had inflicted upon him and so many others. He wouldn't let another atrocity like that drive people like his father down the dark road of hatred and vengeance.

If that meant his life, so be it.

I'm sorry, Cagalli, he thought as he prepared to fire, all the while steeling himself for his imminent death, I know we said we'd stop my father together, but it looks like you'll have to do it without me… and survive this war as well. I love you… forgive me.

Suddenly gatling and railgun fire ripped into two of the approaching GuAIZs. Mere moments later the Strike-Rouge slammed into their formation, cutting down two more units with blinding speed. Athrun was astounded; he'd had no idea Cagalli could fight like that.

Cagalli's smiling face appeared on his screen even as she shredded a fifth GuAIZ with her gatling gun. "I've got these guys, now take out those missiles!"

Athrun nodded, renewed confidence and resolve coursing through his veins. "Got it!"

Cagalli's support had come not a moment too soon; the swarm of Ragnarok missiles was streaking through space as they spoke, and there was no way Kira could cover the whole thing by himself. Finalizing his target selection and making sure that there was no unnecessary overlap between the Justice and the Freedom, Athrun cut loose.

A swarm of missiles tore across space, racing to intercept the incoming nukes. Unlike last time the Alliance's attack was over a much larger area, and the Freedom and Justice's missiles spread out accordingly. Athrun was already preparing for follow-up shots in case any of his missiles failed to hit their targets; there was no way he was letting a single warhead get through.

A string of gargantuan explosions lit up the battlefield as 120 nuclear weapons were prematurely detonated by the intercepting missiles, vaporizing any mobile suit, armor, or warship unfortunate enough to be in the blast zone. For a brief instant everything was bathed in red-orange light, and the Justice's visual sensors struggled to compensate for the powerful glare. The massive blossoms of nuclear fire were both awe-inspiring and terrifying, and Athrun had to suppress a shudder at the thought of what could have happened had he and Kira not been able to take them out.

So much power, he thought, and they're using it against civilians! How could anyone do this? How could they hate us that much?

A much closer explosion rocked him out of his shock as the Strike-Rouge blasted another GuAIZ that had been moving in to attack him.

"Athrun, come on!" cried Cagalli, "We're not done here yet!"

He nodded as he turned his guns on fresh approaching squadrons of ZAFT mobile suits. "Right. Thanks for the help."

"Anytime," Cagalli replied as she tore up a GINN with gatling fire, "After all, there's no way I'm letting you die here!"

Athrun smiled. "Yeah… same goes for me with you."

Together they pressed forward, joining Kira in laying down fire on ZAFT units as they continued to move along the rear line of the Grand Fleet. Athrun was surprised to realize that the amount of fire they were facing had actually lessened a little, but the reason for it was not one to celebrate. Alliance squadrons, led by the new Strike-Avengers and heavy assault mobile armors, were cutting deeper into the Grand Fleet's ranks. The two vast opposing forces were now even more mixed up than before; it was almost impossible to distinguish between the two massive fleets now. Mobile suits from both sides flew between capital ships that were trading fire from ranges so close that they were known as 'knife fights' in military lingo. There were no layered or in-depth strategies, no cunning tactics or ploys used here; both sides were going at it in the most brutal of head-to-head brawls.

The largest battle in the history of the world.

Of two worlds, now that he thought about it; he recalled Heero mentioning that the forces they faced here dwarfed any that he'd ever fought in his old world.

Cannons blasting and beam swords blazing, the Justice was a fountain of emerald and violet death, overwhelming its foes with lethal precision and ferocity. GuAIZs were sliced in half, GINNs blown to shreds, frigates and destroyers mercilessly pounded and mauled by particle beams; none could stand against him.

Over it all loomed the twin monuments to his father's power, growing steadily closer.

Jachin Due and GENESIS.

I'm coming, father, he thought, and one way or another, our battle ends here!

End "Crossing Field"

….

"Incredible…" Natarle whispered as the glow faded from the detonation of 120 nuclear missiles.

It was an understatement, but she was hard pressed to find adequate words to describe the amazing display of accuracy and power she had just witnessed. Yes, the Freedom and Justice had intercepted a nuclear salvo before, but that one had been smaller and they'd had help from Wing Zero. This one had been much larger, and they'd had to deal with it on their own.

She did her best to hide her relief; with Azrael sitting right next to her, it would not be wise to show her true feelings. Still, on the inside she could not help but celebrate as the mightiest weapons in her country's arsenal fell far short of their targets, brought down by only two mobile suits. Her friends had found a way to do what she could not; prevent the Alliance from massacring civilians.

Inwardly, Natarle marveled at just how Captain Ramius and her allies were handling the sprawling battle. They'd come in at the perfect time and position, hitting the rear and flank of both the Grand Fleet and the Earth Alliance armada after both forces were fully engaged with each other. Now their divided forces were pushing hard towards their respective targets, and even with their superior numbers neither ZAFT nor the Alliance were able to stop them while engaging their archenemies at the same time.

Their progress was steady, and to Natarle it was both thrilling and concerning. The former was simply due to her pride in her friends and her relief that they had so far managed to survive this incredibly brutal battle. They were fighting like she'd never seen them do before; their skills and teamwork had reached new heights, and she would've given anything to be able to fight alongside them here and now. However, that skill and coordination meant that she had no doubt they would reach the heart of the Alliance armada...

…and then she would have to fight them.

What do I do?, she thought as she tracked their progress, Mu, Captain Ramius… how can I fight them again? It was bad enough at L4, but in a battle like this…

Her eyes were drawn to the six mobile suit strike team that was leading the charge. Wing Zero was at the forefront, its astoundingly powerful rifle clearing a path through the Alliance ranks while its emerald blade eviscerated any mobile suit that got into sword range. Another machine that Natarle knew was piloted by none other than the Valkyrie was right alongside Heero's, blasting away with its plasma rifle, beam cannons, and gun-drones, utterly mauling Strike-Daggers and Buster-Daggers while its violet energy sword cut down any that tried to take it on in close quarters combat. Three more black and red machines clearly based off the stolen Blitz formed a perimeter of sorts, buns blazing and violet blades shining bright as they picked off one machine after another in an astounding display of teamwork and precision.

But it was the sixth unit that most drew Natarle's attention.

The one she knew was piloted by Mu La Flaga.

The blue and white machine that signal intercepts had identified as the Tallgeese Kai moved like lightning, picking off one Alliance unit after another with unbelievable speed and precision. Natarle had always admired the Hawk of Endymion's piloting skills, and she knew that they had only improved since he had gained the new mobile suit, but now they were beyond anything she had ever seen from him before. His unit actually had the least amount of firepower when compared to the other mobile suits in the strike team, but from the way Mu wielded the machine it hardly seemed like a handicap. Buster and Strike-Daggers fell one after another to quick shots from his beam rifle and blindingly fast strikes from his violet saber, while any attempts from the Alliance to return fire failed miserably thanks to either the mobile suit's incredible agility or Mu's expert use of its four shield drones.

Every second that passed was a second that brought them closer to meeting again.

Again on the field of battle.

The last place she wanted to meet him.

For the life of her she could not think of a way out of her impossible situation. She did not just hold her own life in her hands, but that of her crew. The burdens that she had seen Captain Ramius hold and stand strong with months ago weighed heavily upon Natarle, and matters were made only worse by the fact that she shared her ship with the monster most responsible for the Bloody Valentine Tragedy, a man who sought to not only repeat that atrocity but magnify it by more than a hundredfold. Those she sought to protect were not just under threat from ZAFT; their own government served as a Sword of Damocles, ready to fall upon them at the slightest hint of disloyalty.

Looking to her right, she could see the source of all her troubles trembling in a mix of seething rage and growing fear. Azrael was gnashing his teeth at the failure of the Moebius mobile armors to deliver their nuclear payloads on target, and not once but twice. At the same time though Natarle also saw his gaze frequently dart towards the tactical display, where the progress of the Archangel's battle group and Wing Zero's strike team was fully apparent. The combination of anxiety and anger would only make him more aggressive and unpredictable, and Natarle feared what it might drive him to do.

His eyes were blazing with a dark fire, an inferno of malice and viciousness the likes of which Natarle had never seen before. He was less man than demon, a ravenous beast whose hunger had been denied and would stand for it no more.

"Have Sutherland launch another wave!" he snarled, "Get our bombers in there and wipe out those colonies!

Natarle turned to Flay and gave her a grim nod. "Contact the Doolittle and relay those orders."

It didn't seem possible for the poor girl's face to get any paler, but somehow it found a way. Still, even as Flay turned to carry out Natarle's instructions she thought she caught a flicker of hope in her eyes.

Hope that the Freedom and Justice could once again perform a miracle.

She wasn't alone in that wish.

On the tactical display she saw fresh Moebius squadrons moving forward, once again enough to take out all the colonies plus Jachin Due or ZAFT's new weapon, Ragnarok missiles slung beneath their fuselages. The Earth Alliance's nuclear arsenal was massive, but Natarle was aware that it had actually taken a heavy blow thanks to the two shots from ZAFT's massive gamma ray cannon; several carriers that had held the missiles and their delivery craft had been annihilated in those gargantuan blasts of energy. Azrael's supply of nukes was now severely reduced, and more interceptions like those performed by the Freedom, Justice, and Wing Zero would only exacerbate things for Blue Cosmos.

As she watched the bomber wings move forward, she silently prayed that her friends would be able stop them again.

A familiar blast of golden-yellow light flashed across space, answering those prayers. Natarle was astounded at the sheer size of the shot; it had ripped through scores of mobile suits from both her side and ZAFT, along with no less than nine Alliance capital ships, before washing over the nuke-bearing Moebius units. On the tactical display she saw Heero's attack annihilate a third of the nuclear strike force, but that still left plenty of mobile armors with Ragnarok missiles ready to launch.

As skilled and powerful as ever, Heero Yuy, she thought, but you didn't get them all…

The remaining mobile armors proceeded into optimal firing range and released their payloads. A horde of Ragnarok missiles spread out across the void, charging through the sprawling battlefield towards the hourglass colonies behind the Grand Fleet.

A storm of smaller missiles and beams answered them. The Alliance warheads were swiftly intercepted by precision fire from the Freedom and Justice, just like the past salvos had been. Once again a string of massive nuclear detonations ripped across the battlefield like a series of volcanic eruptions, bathing the combatants in fiery light and incinerating any Alliance or ZAFT unit unlucky enough to be caught in the blast radius.

It took every ounce of Natarle's discipline to fight back a smile as she looked upon the failure of her side's latest nuclear assault.

Well done, all of you, she silently praised the incredible pilots that had made the interception, I only hope that you can keep this up. You're the only thing that's standing between me and my crew becoming accessories to mass murder.

From her right came an increasingly familiar snarl. "Shit! Damn those mongrels and traitors!"

Natarle sighed, hoping her façade of resignation would convince her superior that she was not secretly elated with this latest failure. "Sir, we can't continue to attack like this. We're only wasting pilots and weapons. The nuclear arsenal was severely reduced by those shots from ZAFT's new weapon; we can't keep launching salvos indefinitely."

"Shut up!" Azrael shrieked, spittle flying from his mouth, "Don't you think I know that? I won't let them defeat me here!"

All the lives lost here so far, and still it's all about him, she thought with disgust, I can't believe such an egotistical maniac holds the reins of power in my country.

"Get Sutherland on the line!" Azrael continued, "I know how to fix this!"

Natarle shuddered, fearful of what the loathsome madman on her bridge could have in mind now. Turning to Flay, she gave a nod and the girl rushed to carry out the order.

Admiral Sutherland appeared on the main monitor. "My lord, it would seem that further head on attacks would be futile."

"So I've noticed," Azrael spat, "That's why we're going to divide the fleet."

The Admiral was aghast. "Sir, we cannot do that! We're fully engaged now!"

"I don't need a fifty-fifty split," Azrael replied, his voice now eerily calm, "A small battle group will accompany the Dominion while we go around the ZAFT lines. All our remaining nukes will be with my force. We'll make a direct strike on the PLANTs while the rest of the fleet keeps the enemy occupied."

Natarle's face paled. What Azrael was saying was certainly possible, though it was unlikely that ZAFT would not make an effort to intercept them. Worse though was the fact that even a smaller force could still destroy the colonies, and interception of their nukes would only delay the inevitable. The PLANTs could still fall to conventional firepower; it would just take longer.

The Dominion's Lohengrins, she thought grimly, would suit him just fine as backup weapons. They're not anti-colony weaponry per se, but… they'd have no problem opening the colonies up to the vacuum of space. From there…

She shuddered as flashbacks from her brief stopover at the ruins of Junius Seven with her old crew went through her mind.

"Admiral," Azrael continued, "You will with and command the main armada. The Dominion will lead the smaller force. You will screen us from both ZAFT and the traitors, is that understood?"

Sutherland looked nervous at that, and for good reason; at the rate Wing Zero's strike team was moving, it wouldn't be much longer before it began carving into the armada's core. Having the Admiral stay with the main fleet rather than go with Azrael's new battle group would put him right in Heero Yuy's path.

Not that he wasn't already.

"With all due respect, sir," Sutherland said cautiously, "Perhaps my ship should come with the strike force to… to preserve our leadership. We've already lost Rear Admiral Bernard. With my experience…"

Azrael glared at him. "Are you questioning my orders and my ability to lead our forces?"

The Admiral quickly shook his head, and despite his best efforts to disguise it Natarle could sense his fear. "No, of course not!"

Azrael gave a cruel, satisfied smile. "That's what I thought. We'll only take two hundred ships, Admiral. I trust you can deal with that small of a detachment from the armada."

Sutherland nodded. "Yes, my lord."

"Good," Azrael replied, "We'll be moving now. And Admiral?"

"Yes, my lord?" said Sutherland.

"If Wing Zero breaks through to us, pray that it kills you first," Azrael snarled, his dark glare back in full force, "That will be a mercy compared to what I will do should we survive your failure. Understood?"

Sutherland nodded, his face paling slightly. "Perfectly, my lord."

Azrael smiled. "Excellent. Carry on, Admiral."

He then turned to Natarle. "Recall the Calamity and some of the supporting Strike-Avengers. I'll do the same with the Perfect Strike-Avenger unit. We'll send them against Wing Zero like we should've done from the beginning; my Phantom Commander will be Heero Yuy's undoing."

Privately, Natarle had her doubts. She didn't know any details regarding the mysterious 'Phantom Commander' that Azrael had only mentioned briefly before, but it was hard to imagine them equaling Wing Zero's pilot. Natarle doubted having Orga would make much of a difference either. Ever since the loss of his teammates at L4 the already unstable pilot had become further unhinged; he was now scarcely operating above the level of the augmented humans that were piloting the Strike-Avengers.

"I want two hundred ships from the fleet's core to follow our lead," she ordered, "Make sure the nukes are with them. Set heading starboard forty-five degrees; we'll go around the defense line and hit the PLANTs from behind while the main fleet keeps ZAFT occupied. Get the Calamity and some Strike-Avenger squadrons back here to intercept Wing Zero."

The Dominion began to move, and on the tactical display Natarle could see carriers and battleships moving to join her. Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet's core was reforming, with the Doolittle forming the center of a new line that was coming up between the Dominion's budding battle group and Wing Zero's strike team.

It won't be enough, she thought, surprised at her sense of certainty, It never is with them. The strike team and the Archangel's force will break through.

And then…

…I'll have to fight them.

Mu, Captain Ramius, Heero, everyone…

…I'm sorry.

….

Murrue's eyes narrowed as she watched part of the Alliance formation begin to shift. Despite being fully engaged with the enemy two hundred ships, mostly battleships and carriers but also the Dominion were breaking off from the armada. It only took her a moment to grasp what was going on.

"Get Heero and the Eternal on the line now!" she ordered as fresh salvos flew from the Archangel's guns.

The main monitor split, with Heero appearing in the upper half and Waltfeld the lower.

"What is it, Murrue?" Heero asked.

"Azrael's breaking off a battle group from the main Alliance force," she replied, "He's going to attempt to bypass the ZAFT fleet and hit the PLANTs directly!"

"Damn," said Waltfeld, "Like things weren't bad enough out here."

"We can still stop them," said Heero, "I can see a new line forming up around the Doolittle. We just need to punch through it and we can attack Azrael."

Murrue nodded. "We'll concentrate our attacks on the Doolittle's part of the formation. We need to take it out anyway in order to maximize the disruption and chaos in their fleet."

"I'll get us set up to make the strike," said Heero with determination, "I know you've got your hands full Murrue, but can you still back us up?"

Murrue smiled. "Absolutely."

"You'll need to make it fast," said Waltfeld, "We have no way of knowing how much of the nuclear arsenal is with Azrael's group and how much is still with the main fleet. Athrun and Kira are doing well, but if the Alliance starts launching nuclear strikes from two separate fronts they'll be overwhelmed."

"And if ZAFT tries to intercept Azrael's force too things will get only more chaotic for us," said Heero.

Murrue nodded. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now our top priority has to be stopping Azrael from attacking the PLANTs."

"Agreed," said Waltfeld, "I'll leave that up to you two. Good luck."

Waltfeld faded from the screen, but Heero was still there.

"We're engaged pretty heavily here," he said, "but the Doolittle's still along our flight path. We can make it. We just need some help, Murrue."

"And you'll have it," Murrue replied resolutely, "Be ready, Heero… and be careful."

Heero nodded. "Roger that."

As the Gundam pilot disappeared from the screen Murrue began issuing new orders. "Lock in on the Doolittle's position and make it our heading. We're going to break through Sutherland's line and attack Azrael directly! I want all heavy guns and missile launchers locked on forward targets; we're going to support the strike team with every bit of firepower we've got!"

"Transmitting new heading to our allies," said the communications officer.

"Acquiring new targets now," said Lieutenant Tsukino, "We're ready to go on your orders, Captain."

Murrue nodded. "Fire when ready."

The Gottfrieds and Valiants opened up first, followed by a mix of Sledgehammer and Corintoss missiles from the rear launchers. Emerald beams and yellow railgun rounds hit their targets first, ripping a Drake-class escort ship in half and blasting the bridge of a Nelson class battleship. The missiles arced over the white warship and rushed towards their targets, with the anti-air warheads destroying seven Strike-Daggers while the Sledgehammers slammed into a carrier and blew it apart.

The Archangel's volley was soon followed by fire from the rest of her force. They'd taken further losses and were now at a little over 150 ships, but they were still determined to press forward and their salvos were still deadly. Beams, railgun rounds, and missiles flew forward, destroying mobile suits and hammering additional warships, giving the strike team more room to do what they did best.

Meanwhile, the escorts of the Archangel's battle group were still going at it with the Alliance mobile suits with skill and tenacity, but the battle had worn on them too. Wolf Team had lost another M1 Astray, though the Wolf of the Far East appeared to have lost none of his cunning, precision, and ferocity. The GuAIZ Werewolf moved like a vengeful demon, carving up Strike-Daggers left and right with its dual beam claws while shredding the occasional Buster-Dagger with its beam gatlings. Backed up by the last M1 of Wolf Team and the Archangel's CIWs, Bristow was more than proving that he was just as dangerous a combatant as he was a spymaster and commander.

The Buster was still holding strong as well, though Murrue noticed that it was being more careful with its shots; no doubt Dearka was trying to conserve energy. The stolen Alliance prototype was still quite deadly despite its more conservative approach though, with Dearka's accuracy and experience more than making up for the decreased volume of fire he was putting out.

"Keep us moving forward," said Murrue, "We have to break through their line no matter what it takes."

We have to take out Sutherland and Azrael, she silently added, If we're to have a chance at peace after this battle is over, those two have to die!

….

Adrenaline coursing through his body like never before, Yzak flew through what could only be described as mechanized warfare's Valhalla. The sheer scale of the battle far surpassed any fight the young man had been in before; even the enormous clash at Boaz mere days earlier paled in comparison to this firestorm.

It's almost unreal, he thought as he sliced a Strike-Dagger in half before shooting down a Buster-Dagger with his beam rifle, How… how did we get here?

How did it come to this?

His kill count for this battle was through the roof, but the Duel's pilot couldn't care less about that. He'd be satisfied just with surviving this battle and defending his homeland, and right now both of those were still far from certain outcomes.

The Alliance's nuclear salvos had rocked him to the core, all the more so because he'd been unable to do anything about them. Were it not for the renegades and the stolen Freedom and Justice, along with Wing Zero, Yzak knew that his homeland would've been done for.

It looks like I owe Athrun one, he thought as he cut down another Strike-Dagger, knowing his old friend was piloting the Justice, along with Heero Yuy and whoever's piloting the Freedom.

It had been bad enough to see the enemy bring more of their nukes to the fight, but just as shocking had been the unveiling of his side's super weapon. Yzak had had no idea that ZAFT had been building something like that until the Chairman had first unleashed it on the Alliance the day before. To see the kind of firepower wielded by GENESIS was both awe-inspiring and terrifying.

All the more so for the latter, since Yzak was sure Earth was on Zala's target list.

The Granin had fallen earlier in the fight, downed by a blast from one of the Alliance's heavy assault mobile armors. Yzak had avenged his mothership's loss, but it was a hollow victory in light of just how many soldiers ZAFT had lost so far in this fight.

The Grand Fleet was still holding together, but it had been reduced by well over a thousand ships. Yzak could draw small comfort from the fact that the Earth forces had been hit far harder, especially from the two blasts from GENESIS, but the enemy had far more ships in their armada than ZAFT and had been better able to absorb the losses. Both fleets were operating at relative parity now, and though the Alliance was still on the offensive it was moving slowly, their progress hampered by both the Grand Fleet and the actions of the renegades. It was a testament to the sheer size of the fleets and the raw hatred and ruthlessness of their commanders that both sides were continuing this insane clash despite of the horrendous losses already suffered.

When this is all over, he thought grimly as he shot down a Strike-Dagger with his railgun, the militaries of the world will be much smaller… if they survive at all.

Striking down another machine with his saber, Yzak glanced at his sensors, his gaze drawn as it had been repeatedly over the course of this battle to the Earth Alliance flagship. There was no way he could forget that vessel.

Not after what had happened at L4.

Flay, he thought as he took down two more mobile suits with his beam rifle, are you on that ship? Are you out here on this battlefield?

He knew Flay's life pod had been recovered by an Alliance mobile suit and taken to that black battleship, but he had no way to know what had happened to her since then. Was she back on Earth now? Was she on a different ship, and was it still in one piece? Had she been on the Moon when ZAFT had unleashed GENESIS?

Or was she still on that flagship?

The uncertainty was killing him, and he knew such a distraction could very well be the death of him in a battle like this, but he couldn't completely banish it from his mind. Yzak still very much felt responsible for Flay's situation even though she had made it perfectly clear that she did not consider how Creuset had used her to be his fault. Not knowing what had become of her meant to him that there was a very real chance that she was out here now, and that he could kill her without even realizing it.

If he hadn't already.

The flagship had remained at the fleet's core since the beginning of the battle, but when he looked this time Yzak could see that it was breaking off now, along with an escort of battleships and carriers. He was sure one reason it was moving like that was the steady advance of the legged ship and Wing Zero, but it took him a moment to realize that another was that they were moving to bypass the Grand Fleet and launch a direct attack on the PLANTs.

A male voice came over the radio. "This is Jachin Due Command to Duel. Pilot Joule, please respond!"

Yzak nodded as he replied to the transmission. "This is the Duel. What is it?"

"We're sending a force to intercept the Alliance fleet that detached from their main armada," Command replied, "You're to join them in their task, understood?"

"Copy that," said Yzak as he shot down a Buster-Dagger with his beam rifle, "Duel out."

A group of ZAFT ships were highlighted on his sensors as Jachin Due sent the information to Yzak. The force was only half the size of the Alliance's detachment, but Yzak was surprised Command was willing to spare even that much given the circumstances. It was composed mostly of destroyers, and he noted that there was a high concentration of GuAIZs in the new group. This new detachment would weaken the rest of the ZAFT line, but considering what this new Alliance group was trying to do Command had doubtlessly decided that stopping them was worth the sacrifice.

They're dead serious on stopping that Alliance detachment, he thought as he raced to join the new force, Even if our numbers our only half the strength of the enemy group the ships and mobile suits Command's assigned to this should be able to make up for that gap.

However, Yzak had a feeling that his new group would eventually clash with more than just the Alliance detachment. Wing Zero's strike team and the legged ship's battle group was still pushing forward as hard as ever, and he had little doubt that they'd be able to break through the new line that the Alliance was trying to put up between them and the flagship's force.

Once that happened, everything would be up in the air.

Would he fight Wing Zero?

Or would he attack the flagship before then?

And if it was the latter…

…was Flay on that ship?

"Damn it all," he hissed as he cut down another Alliance machine.

There was just no way to know.

….

Start "Diapason"

Twin Buster Rifle raised and charged, Heero pulled the trigger. The blast of energy that ripped forth cut another hole in the Earth Alliance lines, destroying a dozen Strike-Daggers before blowing apart two Nelson-class battleships.

Their formations are getting tighter, he thought as he brought his beam saber back up and began hacking away at more Alliance mobile suits, They really don't want us getting through that line. Too bad for them.

He got on the tactical channel as he sliced a Strike-Dagger in half. "We can't let Azrael's force get too far ahead. We break Sutherland's line here and now."

"Copy that," Shemei replied as she cut loose with the Tartarus, burning nine machines to ashes and blasting another battleship, "What do you need?"

"Cover," said Heero as he impaled another Strike-Dagger through the torso, "I can get to the Doolittle if you've got my back."

"We've had it this far, haven't we?" said Shemei as she shot down two more mobile suits with her DRAGOONs.

Heero nodded. "I know, but their line's much more concentrated here. We need to hit them with everything we've got."

"Then let's stop talking and get to it!" said La Flaga as the Tallgeese Kai swooped in, slashing a Strike-Dagger in half before picking off a Buster-Dagger with his rifle, "I'm not letting the Dominion get away from us. Not when we're so close!"

Heero's hand flew across the keyboard as he highlighted a series of targets and began transmitting the data to his teammates and the Archangel. "We strike along this corridor. Everyone ready?"

"Let's do it!" yelled Lan as she blasted apart two mobile suits with her beam rifles.

Additional fire came from Adaline and Priscilla, taking down more Alliance machines and getting the strike team set up for their run. Meanwhile, Heero could see the other allied attacking mobile suits that were still alive doing what they could to keep the Earth force squadrons from reforming to attack the strike team from behind. Their numbers had been reduced by nearly half, but the combination of surviving Orb units and defectors from the Alliance and ZAFT were still putting up a fierce fight. Tauruses swooped like avenging eagles, picking of one Strike-Dagger after another with their rifles. M1s, GINNs, GuAIZ, and defector Alliance machines had formed patchwork fire teams with each other, doing what they could to coordinate their fire and keep the enemy from regrouping and making a coordinated counter attack. They had bought the strike team precious room to make this attack, and Heero was not going to waste it.

Up ahead was a very thick and well coordinated force comprised exclusively of battleships and carriers, with the Doolittle right at the center. Their fire was split between ZAFT and the strike team, but even then they were still an imposing obstacle. Strike and Buster-Dagger squadrons were arrayed in a formidable screen; punching through them would be the first task, and it would not be an easy one.

A red line appeared on his sensors, piercing part of the Alliance forces, and Heero knew that Murrue was ready on her end.

"Split up, now!" he ordered.

Wing Zero and the Tallgeese Kai broke right while the Valkyrie Team broke left. Their surviving supporting mobile suits likewise scattered, leaving enough room for the Archangel to unleash her full firepower.

Twin blasts of crimson-orange energy tore through space as the Lohengrins opened fire, disintegrating nine Strike-Daggers and seven Buster-Daggers before slamming into one of the Nelson-class battleships and turning it into a fireball. Synchronized with that attack was a salvo from the Gottfrieds and Valiants, with the beams and railgun slugs punching right through the thin armor of two carriers and ripping them to shreds. Meanwhile, a swarm of Wombat missiles flew from the rear launchers and through the space the strike team had previously occupied before bursting into crimson shrapnel, shredding fifteen more mobile suits. Topping that off was a volley of heavier Sledgehammer missiles, and the anti-ship warheads pounded a battleship and destroyed it.

The destruction wrought by the white warship was impressive, but Heero wasn't wasting time admiring it. The fire was still fresh from Murrue's attack as Heero brought the Twin Buster Rifle back up, already locking in his firing lane.

"Our turn," he said.

The entire strike team opened fire at once. Heero's blast of the Twin Buster Rifle was by far the most devastating attack, annihilating no less than thirty Earth Alliance machines along with two battleships and a carrier. However, his comrades' efforts were still lethal in their own right. The Judgment opened up with everything it had, felling nine Strike-Daggers and a battleship with its plasma rifle and four Buster-Daggers with a volley from its shoulder cannons and DRAGOONs. Beam and railgun fire flew from the three Wraiths, taking down a dozen more mobile suits and widening the gap in the enemy formations. Capping things off was a quick volley from La Flaga's beam rifle, only taking down three machines but still serving to scatter additional units.

Then the rest of the Archangel's battle group cut loose with a volley, throwing everything they could into the fray. Murrue's ship opened up with a second salvo as well, minus the Lohengrins, and despite her force's growing casualties they were still able to deliver a powerful blow. Beams, railgun slugs, and missiles hammered the Earth Alliance formation, destroying several more ships and many more mobile suits unlucky enough to be in the firing lanes. The barrage had succeeded in widening the breach first opened by the strike team, and Heero was already gunning for the gap.

It's all or nothing here, he thought as he downed a Strike-Dagger with a burst of gatling fire before cutting down another with his emerald blade, We have our opening, and we're not going to lose it.

As he carved his way through the Alliance mobile suit ranks he heard a beeping from his sensors. A quick glance showed him the source of the chime; more new models were moving in, returning from the front of the battlefield and setting up to intercept the strike team head-on.

"Heads up," he said, "We've got more Strike-Avengers incoming… and an old friend from L4."

On his monitor he'd already noted that one of the incoming machines was the blue artillery unit that Dearka had faced off against at Mendel and that had taken part in the invasion of Orb. That wasn't the only machine that stood out to him though.

What is that?, he thought as he zeroed in on another machine with the Search Eye.

The mobile suit used the Strike-Avenger frame, but it was the augmentation pack that stood out to Heero. It was a successful fusion of all three of the original Striker Packs, including every weapon from the Launcher and Sword packs while also having the stabilizer wings and high mobility of the Aile pack. Data gathered by the Search Eye also showed Heero that the unit had more powerful batteries available than even the standard Strike-Avengers or the three prototypes that had made their debut at Orb while still utilizing Phase Shift Armor, and despite already fighting at the forward ranks it still had plenty of energy left for battle. Heero decided to dub it the 'Perfect Strike', for lack of knowing its official designation… unaware that he was pretty much on the mark with that title.

"The Earth Alliance has been busy," he said as he hacked another Strike-Dagger to pieces.

"What the…" said La Flaga, "That can't be right… he can't be piloting that thing…"

"What are you talking about, La Flaga?" asked Heero.

"I just got this feeling," replied the Hawk of Endymion, "Like I normally get with…"

"Creuset?" Heero finished for him.

"Yeah," said La Flaga as he shot down a Buster-Dagger, "but that can't be right…and besides, it doesn't have quite the same vibe to it. Still… it's weird."

"It doesn't matter now," said Heero, steeling himself for the coming fight as he cut down another Strike-Dagger, "I'll deal with him. You and the Valkyrie Team dispatch the others."

"Copy that," La Flaga.

Sighting in with the Twin Buster Rifle, Heero wasted no time in opening fire. The blast of energy tore through space and ripped apart eleven Alliance machines, but the one Heero had been trying to destroy wasn't among them; the pilot had dived as soon as he had taken the shot.

He has quick reflexes, he thought as he rushed in, I need to hit him hard and fast.

In response to his attack the Perfect Strike raised its Agni and cut loose with a blast of familiar crimson energy. Heero had little trouble evading it, but he didn't want to give the enemy too many more chances to fire that gun; just because it missed him didn't mean it couldn't cause trouble for his allies. In the unit's right hand was its anti-ship sword, the violet beam blade ignited and ready for action.

As he prepared to face off with his new foe, his allies were likewise arrayed for battle against the other incoming Alliance machines. La Flaga was clearly setting himself up to take out the blue artillery unit from L4 and Orb, while the Valkyrie Team was angling to take out the rest of the machines, an assortment of Twin Sword, Havoc, and Aile units. The enemy wasn't flying in any kind of organized formation; they were all just rushing in to attack.

More of the berserkers from before, he thought, In that case it shouldn't take the others too long to deal with them.

There was no time to worry about his comrades in any case; the enemy was upon him.

Emerald and violet light clashed as the two machines crossed swords, energy sparking between them. Giving more power to his thrusters, Heero pushed the Perfect Strike back, but the enemy wasn't about to be beaten just through brute force. His foe threw his thrusters in reverse to bleed off some of the energy from Heero's attack before transitioning into a counter-strike.

No mistake, thought Heero as he parried the attack before striking back, he's good.

He made a diagonal slash, and once again his foe blocked the attack. Like before his enemy pulled back, but this time it was to give himself room to fire its Agni. Hitting the thrusters, Heero climbed to avoid the crimson beam before returning fire with his rifle. The Perfect Strike broke to the right to avoid the shot before striking back with the Vulcan gun and two 350mm Gun Launchers mounted in the Combo Weapons pod on the right shoulder. At the same time Heero fired his shoulder gatlings, and the rounds from the two mobile suits impacted each other, buffeting them but doing no damage.

We can both take these attacks, he thought as he charged back in, but your armor drains energy; mine doesn't.

He made a hard thrust. His foe caught the attack but was forced back, and Heero pressed his assault. The anti-ship sword actually worked against its wielder in such a quick fight like this; taking an attack on the wrong side would mean the destruction of the blade, and Heero knew that the faster he attacked the more likely his foe was to make that fatal mistake. The blade had a longer reach than conventional beam sabers, but a skilled fighter could easily negate that advantage.

As Heero relentlessly hammered his adversary he saw his allies swiftly tearing into their foes. La Flaga had the blue artillery unit on the defensive despite the mobile suit's advantage at long-range combat. The combination of precision fire with the beam rifle, the Tallgeese Kai's amazing agility, and the Planet Defensors was a potent force that the Hawk of Endymion was taking full advantage of. His enemy was responding with a near constant barrage from every gun it had, but La Flaga was untouched. More than that, he was swiftly closing the gap between them while cutting down any Strike-Dagger that was foolish enough to try to get in on the action.

Meanwhile, the Valkyrie Team was already tearing into the Strike-Avengers. Operating in such precise coordination it bordered on telepathy, the four lethal women were more than making up for the difference in numbers between them and their foes. The Judgment served as the spearhead, engaging its foes with every weapon in its formidable arsenal. An Aile-Avenger had already been sliced in half by Shemei's blade, while a Twin Sword unit had fallen to her plasma rifle. The other advanced Alliance machines tried to assault the Valkyrie's flanks, but they found themselves met by precision fire from the three Wraiths. Only the Havoc units with their energy shields were able to get into close-quarters-combat range with the girls, and the former ZAFT aces quickly made them regret it. Each deadly lady had already claimed a Strike-Avenger kill with their blades and another with their guns, proving that the combination of their teamwork, sophisticated mobile suits and considerable combat experience was far superior to any technological gimmicks or bio-augmentations the Alliance squadron brought to the table.

They'll be done soon, thought Heero as he made a horizontal slash, I need to finish this quickly too; can't afford to get tied up here.

However, his foe wasn't about to make things easy on him. Jetting back on its thrusters, the Perfect Strike released a beam boomerang, causing Heero to dive to avoid the projectile. Rather than come back up and rush back in he continued to keep his distance; he'd seen Athrun catch unwary foes from behind with the same weapons on the Justice, and he would not repeat their mistakes. With one eye on the pink blur of energy and the other on his foe, Heero opened up with the Twin Buster Rifle, keeping the Perfect Strike at bay until the beam boomerang returned home.

His foe returned fire with the Agni. Slipping to the left to evade the shot, Heero hit his thrusters and rushed forward when he saw the beam boomerang return to the Perfect Strike. He made an overhand strike, one his foe managed to block. Before his foe got a chance to counter though Heero thrust forward with his shield, slamming it into the machine and knocking it off balance. Heero then pressed his assault, and a thrust of his blade pierced the Combo Weapons pod on the mobile suit's right shoulder.

The munitions inside the pod exploded, rocking the machine. An explosion like that wouldn't pierce the Phase Shift Armor, but it did disorient its pilot, and Heero used that to maximum effect. He lashed out again with a slash that was meant to cut the unit in half. However, at the last moment his foe managed to dive, and instead of slicing it clean in two Wing Zero's emerald blade cut through the upper torso from the right to left shoulders. Another explosion wracked the machine, and Heero saw that his attack had also destroyed both the beam boomerang and the Agni.

The upper torso had been completely torn away, but Heero could see that his attack hadn't pierced the cockpit. His foe was drifting now, but before Heero could finish the enemy off he was forced to break off as one of the surviving Aile Avengers fired at him with its beam rifle.

"Sorry, Heero!" said Shemei as she sliced a Twin Sword unit in half, "We're almost done here, but that one got through!"

Heero nodded as he brought the Twin Buster Rifle to bear on the new target. "It's ok, I've got him."

He opened fire, but his foe managed to avoid taking the brunt of the blast. It broke to the right, with the arm holding its beam rifle catching the edge of the shot and disintegrating. Heero rushed in to finish the job, impaling the Aile Avenger through the cockpit.

With a quick glance at his sensors Heero saw that La Flaga was likewise wrapping up his clash with the blue artillery unit. The Hawk of Endymion had managed to get into beam saber range of his foe, and had already sliced off the right arm and had destroyed one of the shoulder cannons. La Flaga finished his foe off with a volley from his beam rifle, the shots piercing the unit's cockpit and turning it into a fireball.

Looking around, Heero saw that a Strike-Dagger was supporting the crippled Perfect Strike, taking it back to one of the Alliance carriers. Heero briefly considered pursuing before shaking his head. That foe was beaten, and Heero had much more important targets to go after now.

"Status," he said as he cut down a Strike-Dagger.

"We're all good," Shemei replied, "Let's get back on track."

"Yeah," said La Flaga, "We've still got an Admiral and a psychopath to kill."

That we do, thought Heero as he and the others resumed their charge forward, Sutherland's carrier dead ahead.

Time to finish off the High Command.

End "Diapason"

….

With a death-grip on the arms of his chair, the head of the Atlantic Federation High Command was fighting hard to keep his composure. The combination of fear, rage, and indignation burning inside him was quite potent, and it was growing with each passing second.

Damn you, Azrael, he silently fumed as he watched the Dominion's battle group continue to distance itself from the rest of the armada, I did not ascend to become head of the armed forces just to be used as a rearguard by the likes of you!

Now more than ever the Admiral was aware of his true position in the hierarchy of the Atlantic Federation. His knowledge of the military and his position made him useful, but in the end to the likes of Azrael and his shadowy allies he was only ever a means to an end. His power over the armed forces was but a reflection of Azrael's, inescapably tied to the head of Blue Cosmos and his financial backers in LOGOS. He had been reduced in all but name from the head of the High Command to the commander of a buffer force, an expendable barrier between the Dominion and the Demon Lord of Avalon.

It's all their fault, he mentally raged as he watched Wing Zero's strike team and the Archangel's ragtag fleet continue their assault on the Alliance armada, That traitorous bitch Ramius and her damn attack dog Yuy! They should've died at Alaska! The Archangel and her contaminated crew would've been purged were it not for Wing Zero!

Sutherland knew that the Doolittle was smack in the middle of Heero Yuy's line of attack, and he was throwing everything he had at the pilot that just would not die. The carriers and battleships were pouring out nonstop fire while Strike and Buster-Daggers continued to rush in to intercept the enemy, but the strike team and the battle group backing them up continued to advance. The situation had deteriorated to the point that the Doolittle was now as active a combatant as the rest of the fleet, her two beam turrets continuously firing in a vain attempt to take down Wing Zero.

The Demon Lord of Avalon was like a force of nature. Another blast from the Twin Buster Rifle tore through the fleet, annihilating nineteen mobile suits, two battleships, and a carrier. A squadron of Strike-Daggers attempted to swarm Wing Zero up close, but they quickly found themselves at the mercy of its beam saber. The fearsome mobile suit moved like lightning, cutting down one machine after another, decimating the squadron in mere seconds. Other units moved in to support, but they quickly found themselves on the wrong end of a pissed off Valkyrie Team and the Hawk of Endymion. Emerald particle beams and yellow railgun rounds hammered the Alliance mobile suits with lethal precision, while a crimson blast from the Judgment's plasma rifle ripped apart eight more machines before piercing a battleship and turning it into a fragmentation grenade. Every attempt to outflank or encircle the strike team was foiled by the battered but still very much alive squadrons of supporting mobile suits, a ragtag mix of non-nuclear machines that were putting up a ferocious fight in their effort to give Wing Zero and its teammates the chance they needed to punch through to the heart of the armada.

As if that weren't bad enough, fire continued to pour in from the Archangel and her motley force. The white battleship was by far the greatest threat among them, her heavy guns and missiles knocking out one Alliance warship after another with staggering precision and power, along with many mobile suits. The fact that the warship was somehow even more effective now than it had been when under the banner of the Atlantic Federation infuriated Sutherland to no end. To see the ship supported by defectors from both the Alliance and ZAFT, along with Orb units, only rubbed salt in the wound.

Matters were only made worse by the continued failure of the nuclear attacks on the PLANTs. Between Wing Zero and the stolen ZAFT prototypes the traitors and their allies had been able to completely screen the Coordinator homeland from the most powerful weapons in the Earth Alliance arsenal.

The entire purpose of this campaign was to purge L5, he thought, We just got our nuclear arsenal back in the game, and now those renegades have completely negated it!

There was a brilliant flash outside the main viewport as a carrier not too far from the Doolittle was torn apart by a barrage of Sledgehammer missiles from the Archangel. The fighting was now far too close for comfort, but the Admiral could not move his forces. The situation was further complicated by the fact that he wasn't just faced with fighting the renegades; the ZAFT Grand Fleet was very much mixed up with the Alliance armada now, putting Sutherland in the middle of a two front fight. He scowled as he saw that ZAFT wasn't even trying to attack the Archangel's battle group or Wing Zero's strike team, though given the huge disparity of numbers and the fact that the Alliance had launched repeated nuclear salvos at the PLANTs now it should've come as no surprise to the Admiral that the Coordinator armed forces viewed his armada as the greater threat.

"I want every mobile suit we have left on Wing Zero!" he ordered, unable to completely mask the growing fear in his voice, "Shoot down Wing Zero!"

An operator relayed his command, but it was unclear how much good it would do at this point; every mobile suit that wasn't fighting the renegades was fighting ZAFT.

Another blast of golden-yellow hellfire tore through his force's ranks, wiping out no less than twenty mobile suits, a battleship, and a carrier. This was only followed by more fire from the rest of the strike team and their supporting warships; their determination and tenacity was beyond anything he had ever seen before.

On the tactical display the situation was growing more and more alarming. The sea of blue dots that represented the Alliance armada was intermixed with a swarm of red dots standing in for ZAFT, which was to be expected given the sheer scale of the battle. However, towards the rear of both the Alliance and ZAFT formations were two small groups of yellow dots; the renegades. The latter was getting closer and closer to Jachin Due, while the former had cut through the Alliance lines to the point that it was practically right on top of the Doolittle.

He saw the strike team and its supporting units split up, and thought for a fevered moment that perhaps his defenses had finally stalled them. However, that hope was swiftly dashed as twin pillars of crimson-orange energy tore through the gap; they'd merely moved to give the Archangel room to unleash her Lohengrins. The wave of destruction washed over eleven Strike-Daggers and six Buster-Daggers before slamming into a carrier, ripping through the ship like it was tissue paper.

That blow was followed by fire from the Archangel's lesser but still very potent weaponry. Salvos from the Gottfrieds and Valiants downed another carrier, while Sledgehammer missiles mauled a battleship and Corintoss missiles destroyed seven Strike-Daggers. The attacks from the white warship only further widened the breach in Sutherland's lines… and gave Wing Zero's strike team the final opening it needed.

"Concentrate all fire on Wing Zero!" he shouted, "Take it down now!"

Particle beams and missiles poured from the heart of the armada, to no avail. Somehow Wing Zero always seemed to be one step ahead of the barrage, like it could predict where the next shot would go. Beams sailed through the space around it but failed to find their mark, while any missiles that got close were shredded either by its gatlings or the guns of its allies. Six blazing beam sabers, five violet and one green, cut down any Earth Alliance mobile suit that got close to the strike team, and before Sutherland knew it Wing Zero was right in front of the Doolittle, rifle raised and ready to fire.

His blood chilled and time slowed to a crawl as the twin barrels of that damn rifle glowed. All of Sutherland's power and ambition, his lifetime of service in the Atlantic Federation military, his ascendancy to its highest echelons, his drive for the crusade against the Coordinator scourge… it had all brought him to this point.

To be just another one of Heero Yuy's kills.

He didn't even have time to curse his foe.

The glow in front of him became brilliant light…

… and then a blazing inferno.

….

"The Doolittle's been destroyed!" cried the Dominion's sensor officer, "Wing Zero's breached the line!"

"Damn it, Sutherland!" Azrael fumed, "Incompetent to the very end!"

Natarle shook her head. Time and time again Azrael and his cohorts had underestimated Heero Yuy and Captain Ramius. What did they expect, continuing to make the same mistakes?

With the Admiral dead, command of the armada technically fell to her as the ranking officer of the Dominion. However, with Azrael still alive her authority was strictly in name only, and even were he not there were other high ranking officers within the armada that were either part of or on the payroll of Blue Cosmos, and by now it was an open secret that Natarle didn't entirely see eye to eye with the unofficial ruler of the Earth Alliance. Whether the armada really would follow her was an open question; any of Azrael's cronies on the surviving carriers could conceivably take command.

"Sir," she said cautiously, "With the Doolittle destroyed, flag command of the entire armada falls to us… unless you have someone in mind to take the Admiral's place."

Azrael scowled at her. "Concentrate only on the task I have given you, Miss Captain. I already have a successor in place for Sutherland. Flag command for the main force has already been transferred to the Truman per arrangements that were made before we left the Moon."

And you left me out of the loop again, thought Natarle angrily, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at this point, but still…

The Dominion's battle group had managed to put some distance between itself and the rest of the armada, but now that Wing Zero and the Archangel had breached Sutherland's line and killed the Admiral they would make up that distance quickly. Captain Ramius's fleet had been reduced to a little over 130 vessels, but considering what her former captain had been capable of doing with much less Natarle knew that meant the Archangel's force would actually be the stronger one when it caught up with hers. The situation was only further complicated by a ZAFT battle group that had been dispatched to intercept them. At 100 vessels it was smaller than either group, but its vector made it clear that it was focused first and foremost on the Dominion's fleet; the Archangel and Wing Zero were most likely secondary targets.

And for good reason, she thought bitterly, We're the ones that are actually trying to attack the colonies, after all.

The forward ranks of the Alliance and ZAFT groups were already engaging. Up front the Nelson-class battleships formed a screen for the larger but more vulnerable Agamemnon-class carriers, trading salvos with Laurasia-class frigates and Nazca-class destroyers. Strike and Buster-Daggers were likewise mixing it up with GINN and GuAIZ squadrons, and Natarle could also spot the Duel in the midst of the expanding dogfight. Only a handful of the more advanced Strike-Avengers were available to aid Azrael's battle group; the rest still fighting the main body of the Grand Fleet, and the same went for the Juggernaut mobile armors.

It was a straightforward fight with standard tactics and doctrine, but Natarle knew that her force was vulnerable. Wing Zero's strike team and the Archangel's fleet were coming on strong, punching their way through the scattered capital ships that remained between them and the Dominion's force. It would not be long until they engaged Natarle's group, and they'd be in ideal position for a flank attack.

She turned to Azrael. "Sir, we need to rejoin the main fleet. We can't fight both ZAFT and the rogues like this."

He glared at her. "No. We keep moving forward. No matter what the costs, we continue our advance. All we have to do is break through that group and we have a clear shot at the PLANTs! That is our priority, Miss Captain, is that understood?"

Natarle sighed and nodded. "Yes, sir."

She spared one more glance for her friends, her heart hammering in her chest as she saw them get closer and closer to her force. The moment she had feared was fast approaching; soon she would have to fight them.

And this time she wouldn't be able to retreat.

….

The Hawk of Endymion was on a roll.

One Earth Alliance mobile suit after another fell to Mu La Flaga, cut down by his saber or shot down by his rifle. The former Alliance mobile armor ace was flying like he'd never flow in his life in a battle unlike any other. The Tallgeese Kai was a powerful steed, one that had taken every ounce of his piloting prowess to master, but the punishing training and initial battles in that machine were paying off now. No Earth Alliance pilot on the field could match him now, though that didn't stop them from trying.

His kill count was through the roof; La Flaga was sure that he'd already taken down more enemies in this fight than in all the others in his career combined, and the battle was still raging. Whether by rifle fire or his blazing violet blade he was tearing into the Earth Alliance squadrons like a wolf among sheep. The Tallgeese Kai may not have been as powerful or sophisticated as Wing Zero, the Judgment, or the Wraiths, but it was still the deadliest unit that La Flaga had ever flown, and he was taking full advantage of its incredible agility and unique capabilities.

While Heero and Shemei used their powerful guns to blast a path through the enemy ships and mobile suit squadrons, La Flaga's role was similar to that of the Valkyrie's subordinates; to further break up the Earth Alliance formations while watching the backs of his more powerful allies. Precision fire from his rifle picked off Strike and Buster-Daggers that survived the powerful attacks of Wing Zero and the Judgment, while his saber was perfect for fending off the units that tried to get in on Heero's flanks. The combination of the Tallgeese Kai's maneuverability and the four Planet Defensors was invaluable for his survival in such a chaotic battlefield; there was no way he would've survived out here in the Moebius Zero.

Cutting down the Alliance machines had become almost reflexive at this point, and as another Strike-Dagger fell to his blade La Flaga's gaze fell on his ultimate objective; the Dominion. The black battleship, like the rest of her force, was angled towards the incoming ZAFT battle group, intent on punching through them before continuing on to the PLANTs. However, La Flaga knew that eventually that would change; even a fanatic like Azrael would be forced to bring the ship around to fight them when they got close enough. It wouldn't take much either; the Dominion was towards the rear of her fleet, and with the bulk of the force's firepower focused forward to overwhelm the incoming ZAFT battle group it was lightly defended.

Hang on, Natarle, he thought as he shot down a Buster-Dagger, We're coming. I won't let you serve under Azrael anymore!

On his sensors a new red line appeared, piercing the back of the Dominion's force. At the same time the voice of Wing Zero's pilot came over the tactical channel.

"We'll strike along this vector," said Heero, "There're only a few carriers between us and the Dominion. Is everyone clear on the plan?"

La Flaga nodded. "No way I'd forget it at a time like this!"

"We know what to do," said Shemei, "Pris, once Heero's opened the breach you're going in with him and La Flaga. Ready for that?"

"Affirmative," Priscilla replied, "I won't let you down."

"All right," said Heero, "I'm designating targets now. We engage as soon as Murrue makes her shot."

Two of the carriers on La Flaga's sensors lit up. They were directly between the strike team and the Dominion, and he knew those would be Heero and Shemei's targets. Each carrier had a Nelson-class battleship flying in tandem with it, and both were highlighted. One would be hit by Adaline and Lan, while the other belonged to him and Priscilla. Additional warships were highlighted as the Archangel and her accompanying vessels locked onto their targets.

"Break!" ordered Heero.

The strike team split up, and mere seconds later the space that they had previously occupied was torn through by twin pillars of crimson-orange energy. The blasts from the Archangel's Lohengrins disintegrated four mobile suits unfortunate enough to be in their line of fire before impacting their true target, a carrier. Its light armor melted away before the positron blasts, and the ship became a short-lived inferno. Salvos from the Gottfrieds and Valiants quickly followed, and another carrier bit the dust.

More beams, missiles, and railgun slugs ripped through space as more of the capital ships in Murrue's fleet opened fire. The barrage was not as thick as previous ones but it served its purpose; battleships and carriers were hammered by the shots, some destroyed and others damaged, while mobile suit squadrons that had been assembling to intercept the strike team were broken up by the bombardment.

That barrage was also the cue for the strike team to make their move, and they did so instantly. Heero and Shemei opened fire simultaneously, the Twin Buster Rifle and Tartarus rifle blazing with all their lethal fury. The two carriers that had been targeted by Wing Zero and the Judgment went down in twin fireballs. La Flaga and Priscilla proceeded to cut loose on their target, hammering the unfortunate battleship with a barrage of emerald particle beams and railgun rounds. Adaline and Lan likewise opened up, their shots raking their target's upper decks and mauling weapons, sensors, and the bridge.

"That got their attention!" said Shemei, "Looks like the rear ships are starting to come about."

"As expected," said Heero, "Let's move."

La Flaga nodded. They had to hurry; with the Earth Alliance force now splitting up the ZAFT battle group attacking from the front would now begin to make headway. If they took too long here ZAFT would reach the Dominion, and from there their already risky operation would become all but impossible.

"The Dominion's coming about," said Lan, "She'll have her guns on us soon!"

"So be ready to evade," Heero replied, "We're only going to get one shot at this. As soon as we punch through the last line I'm going to set up for my shot."

La Flaga nodded as he cut down another Strike-Dagger with his blade. "Just say when, Heero. I'm ready for this!"

He saw Wing Zero's emerald blade flash as Heero cut down two more Alliance mobile suits. "Cover Shemei and I; we'll make the final breach in their formation."

Two carriers were highlighted on La Flaga's sensors; the targets of Wing Zero and the Judgment. La Flaga and the three Wraiths formed a loose circle around Heero and Shemei as the two pilots set up for their shots. Beam rifles and railguns blazing, the four machines made approaching Wing Zero and the Judgment a very costly endeavor for the Earth Alliance squadrons.

Then Wing Zero and the Judgment opened up. Synchronized blasts of crimson and yellow energy rushed through space, obliterating a dozen mobile suits before hitting the targeted carriers and turning them into fireballs. The final path to the Dominion was clear.

La Flaga steeled himself for the imminent assault.

Here we come, Natarle!

….

"The John F. Kennedy and Gerald Ford have been destroyed!" shouted the sensor officer.

Out the main viewport Natarle could see the fading fireballs of the two fallen carriers. Through them flew the six mobile suits that had wrought so much carnage upon the Earth Alliance forces, with the Archangel's motley fleet providing fire support. The Dominion had completed her turnaround, and Natarle knew that the fight she had so dearly sought to avoid was now upon her.

"Lock in with all guns and missile launchers," she ordered, "Fire as soon as you have targets!"

The Dominion cut loose with a hail of bullets and missiles while the Gottfrieds and Valiants opened up with a single salvo. However, the strike team was too agile, the opposing pilots far too skilled; even a warship as powerful as Natarle's would be hard pressed to land a hit on them.

The strike team kept a loose formation, giving enough room for the individual pilots to evade incoming fire while at the same time allowing them to cover each other and fend off attacking Alliance mobile suits. Their teamwork was seamless, unmatched by anything Natarle had ever seen from her own forces.

They went high, and Natarle saw Wing Zero's fearsome rifle split. Her mind flashed back to the battle at L4, and she knew what was coming.

"Hard to starboard!" she ordered, struck by a sense of déjà vu. It was the same order she had given the last time this had happened.

And she knew the results would be exactly the same.

Covered by its comrades, Wing Zero cut loose with twin pillars of lethal light. The glare was blinding, and as she shielded her eyes she could feel the Dominion thrash like a thing possessed. She was barely able to keep herself from falling out of her chair, and when some semblance of stability finally returned she opened her eyes.

"Again…" she whispered to herself, still stunned at what she was seeing.

The damage was not as extensive as it had been back at Mendel, but it was still shocking to behold. Heero's attack had completely destroyed the Lohengrin cannons and had ripped open twin gashes where the Dominion's linear catapults had once been. However, unlike last time the devastation actually stopped short of the Gottfried turrets, a development Natarle found puzzling; with Heero's skill she knew he would've had no problem repeating the exact same feat he had achieved in their last round.

Why did he hold back?, she thought, The Lohengrins may've been our most powerful weapons, but the Gottfrieds are still deadly in their own right, and Heero's well aware of that. What's his game?

Then she saw Heero and Mu, along with one of the three Wraiths, dive towards the Dominion. They'd split up, with Wing Zero and the Wraith in a wing pair while La Flaga was alone. Meanwhile, the Judgment and the other two Wraiths were continuing to pour fire into the Earth Alliance mobile suit squads that were rushing in to try to relieve the beleaguered flagship.

And then it dawned on Natarle just what was happening.

Wing Zero and the Wraith were approaching the right leg, and Mu the left. They weren't firing even though the damage to the legs presented a perfect opportunity to inflict even further wounds on the Dominion, even destroy her.

Impossible!, she thought, not daring to believe what her eyes were showing her, They can't seriously be…

But they were.

Mere seconds after blasting twin holes in the Dominion's legs, Wing Zero had set up to board the black battleship. She was stunned as she watched Wing Zero enter the right leg, with the Wraith just behind it, while Mu flew into the left.

In what seemed like a blink of an eye, they had disappeared from sight.

And then all hell broke loose.

….

His shield raised like a battering ram, Heero had no problem punching through the door that separated what remained of the linear catapult from the hangar bay. On the left side he knew it would take La Flaga a little more time; the Tallgeese Kai did not have the advantage of a Gundanium alloy hull after all, and would likely need to employ its beam saber to get through.

That was fine with Heero though.

He'd been planning on making himself the spearhead right from the start.

Wing Zero came to a stop in the center of the hangar, with Priscilla's Wraith not far behind. Checking his screens he saw no members of the ship's security detail in there yet, only confused and scared mechanics.

He got on the radio, broadcasting on an open channel so their helmet receivers would pick him up. "We're here for Azrael. Stay out of our way if you want to survive. You won't get another warning."

Not waiting for a response, he immediately began assembling the gear he'd taken from the Archangel's armory. Moving with practiced ease and swiftness, he threw on over his flight suit a black Alliance combat rigging, with multiple pouches containing ammunition magazines, flash and fragmentation grenades, and breaching explosives. He then reached down and grabbed the M147 assault rifle he'd also taken from the armory. It was more compact than other weapons of its type, specifically designed for the confined nature of ship-board combat. It had three firing settings; semi-auto, three-round-burst, and full-auto. He made sure it was on the first one; Heero preferred the greater precision, and it would also help avoid overheating the barrel. Rounding things out were his trusty pistol and combat knife.

He switched his radio over to the three-person tactical channel he'd set up in advance for this specific operation. "Status?"

"Read to go," said Priscilla.

There was a loud crash as La Flaga forced his way into the hangar. "Just give me a sec to get my gear."

"We don't have the luxury of waiting," Heero replied, "Priscilla and I will lead with flash bangs. We go on my mark. La Flaga, hurry things up on your end."

"Just another sec," said La Flaga.

Heero prepped himself, one hand hovering over the release for Wing Zero's hatch while the other held a flash grenade. "Open and throw in five… four… three… two… one…mark!"

Start "Red Fraction"

He hit the hatch release, and as soon as he had room he primed the flash grenade and tossed it at the hangar entrance. It wasn't a moment too soon; members of the ship's security detail were already entering the hangar while the mechanic crews were fleeing.

Back to back detonations of brilliant light went off. Waiting a split second in order to get a better shot on his targets, Heero brought the rifle up and opened fire. Three shots rang out in rapid succession, with three targets slumping over and floating lifelessly through the air, blood leaking from their suits.

Two short bursts of fire came from the Wraith near simultaneous with his shots as Priscilla laid down supporting fire with her SM59, a ZAFT issue submachine gun. Two more soldiers went limp and joined their fallen comrades floating in zero gravity. Heero was impressed with her accuracy with such a weapon at range; Shemei had not been exaggerating the quiet blonde's skills with firearms.

"We got our opening," he said, "Seal up your machines and get to that door."

Moving to match words with deeds, he exited his machine and quickly locked it down, one eye on the hangar entrance for signs of another fire team. They were clear for now, and the mechanics still in the hangar were not moving to attack, but in a boarding action like this every second was crucial.

He saw Priscilla secure her machine, while the hatch of the Tallgeese Kai opened and La Flaga came out. He was geared up the same way Heero was, and was more than ready for a fight.

"Heads up!" cried Priscilla, "Another fire team's coming out!"

"La Flaga, flash bang!" ordered Heero as he trained his rifle on the opening door, picking off the first soldier to come through.

"Right," the Hawk of Endymion replied, "Fire in the hole!"

Heero shielded his eyes as La Flaga made the toss. There was another blast of brilliant light as the flash grenade detonated, and a second later Heero trained his rifle back at the enemy fire team and opened up. Two quick headshots followed, while another burst from Priscilla's submachine gun took out the other two soldiers.

"Fish in a barrel," said La Flaga.

"Let's move," Heero ordered, "I've got point."

He pushed off Wing Zero, his gun trained on the hangar entrance as he floated towards it. His eyes darted left and right, analyzing his surroundings. To their credit it looked like those mechanics still stuck in the hangar were doing everything they could to keep out of his way, even though the Gundam pilot was sure they at least carried sidearms. Either his reputation and his display of lethal accuracy and skill was keeping them at bay, or they really hated Azrael.

Or quite possibly both.

Reaching the door, he leaned against the wall to the left of the entrance. Following his lead, Priscilla took the right while La Flaga took cover behind a nearby tool bench. Peeking around the corner, Heero saw another fire team approaching and primed a frag grenade. Waiting a second for them to get closer, he tossed the grenade before ducking back behind the wall. The ensuing blast rattled the wall, and taking a peek behind the corner he saw the carnage his attack had wrought. Four bodies were slumped in the corridor, blood flowing from multiple gashes in their suits. His eyes narrowed as he searched for and found the fifth member of the fire team taking refuge in a nearby doorway.

Heero pushed himself into the corridor, rifle trained on the spot where the enemy soldier was hiding. His foe leaned out of cover to take the shot, but Heero was quicker on the trigger and steadier in aim. The bullet went clean through the man's heart.

"Layout should be the same as the Archangel," said La Flaga as he and Priscilla entered the corridor behind Heero.

The Gundam pilot nodded. "By now they've probably sealed the bridge. We'll need the breachers. Make sure to save at least one flash bang too; frags are the last thing we want to use once we break through the door."

"Got it," the other two replied in unison.

Heero nodded down the corridor. "Let's move. La Flaga, you're middle. Priscilla, watch the rear."

The two of them nodded in return, and they proceeded to make their way down the hall. Heero had the Archangel's interior layout completely memorized, and that was serving him well now; La Flaga's earlier comments were right on the money about the Dominion. Along the way the Gundam pilot made sure to shoot out any security cameras they encountered. The zero gravity worked in their favor, allowing them to fly down the halls with minimal physical exertion.

They came to a T-intersection. Going left would take them towards the central elevator, but any competent security crew would've locked that down and put guards on it the moment the boarding team had entered the ship. It wouldn't be too much trouble for Heero to manually bypass the security lockdown, but that would still leave armed and prepared Alliance Marines that would be waiting for him and the others, ready to gun them down the instant the elevator opened. However, he knew that wasn't the only way to the bridge.

"Should be a maintenance passageway five meters before the elevator," he said.

"We'll be fish in a barrel if we take that," said Priscilla, "All they have to do is drop grenades down it."

"They won't if they don't think we're coming that way," Heero replied, "I've got an idea."

….

"Move, move!" yelled Gunnery Sergeant Jerry Tills, "Com says the elevator's coming up, and we gotta kill anything on it!"

A burly hulk of a man with a Southern drawl, the blond haired, blue eyed non-com was one of the senior officers of the Dominion's Marine detachment, and the head of the fire teams charged with defending the bridge.

Coming into my turf, eh?, he thought as he and his men rushed to the elevator to get ready before it opened, Worst mistake of your life, mister 'Demon Lord' Heero… and I'll make it your last!

His blood was pumping; this was far better to simply sitting around like he and his men had been earlier. He hated being stuck on a warship in the middle of a battle; there was nothing for him to do but pray that those pasty sardines called naval officers could keep the vessel from going down. Things were only made worse knowing the Captain was a woman; to a dyed-in-the-wool misogynist like him, women didn't belong in any position of authority, especially in the military. Now that there was a firefight onboard the ship he felt more confident, more self-assured; this was a situation where he had a measure of control, where he could take his fate back into his own hands, and where he didn't have to count on the dubious skill of a female officer.

Right now he was personally leading two fire teams to meet the boarders when they got off the elevator; the remaining Marines on the command deck would guard access to the bridge. They wouldn't be needed though; not after he had turned the intruders into Swiss cheese.

His men took up position, steadying themselves as best they could in the zero gravity, ready to meet their foes.

Tills grinned. "As soon as that door opens up, let 'em have it!"

He checked the nearby monitor on the wall; the elevator was just a floor below them now.

Any second…

The doors slid open…

…to reveal an empty elevator.

Well, not completely empty.

Looking down, Tills' eyes widened as he saw several explosive charges secured to the elevator floor.

Along with three grenades.

He didn't even have time to swear before the explosives detonated, sending fire and shrapnel everywhere. Tills heard screams and was aware of his own suit getting torn, but it had a slow-motion and muffled feel to it.

There was a brief moment of darkness, but he quickly came to. Looking around, he saw six of his men floating lifelessly, globules of blood orbiting their bodies like a macabre solar system. The other four, himself included, were still alive, though not unscathed. On himself Tills counted several cuts and tears in the sleeves of his suit and his right torso, but incredibly his wounds appeared to be minor.

He shook his head to shake off the daze, trying to process what had happened. He'd clearly been suckered into a trap; now he had to figure out what came next.

Tills saw one of his men raise their rifle, and for a stunned second he thought the man was aiming it at him. Then he realized it was pointed past him…

…just a split-second before a bullet pierced his subordinate's heart.

Turning around, the Marine saw a figure in a black flight suit coming out of the maintenance hatchway. Even through the enemy's helmet visor Tills could see his foe's piercing, icy eyes, and he knew he was face to face with his Grim Reaper.

"Shit," he hissed.

There was a muzzle flash and a 'bang'…

…and then oblivion.

….

Two quick shots later and the rest of the Alliance ambush team that had been mauled by Heero's elevator trap was neutralized. Making room for La Flaga and Priscilla to get out of the maintenance shaft, the Gundam pilot looked back and forth down the hallway. No reinforcements were in sight yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time.

The boarding team had pooled explosives and grenades to fashion the elevator trap, and now they would have to conserve what was left for the bridge assault. Heero was reasonably sure they had enough charges to punch through the door, and they hadn't used any flash grenades in the trap so they would still be able to utilize them when the critical moment came.

"What a mess," said La Flaga, and Heero saw him grimace at their grim handiwork.

"They're Alliance Marines," said Priscilla brusquely, though she did not look entirely unfazed by the carnage either, "They knew what they signed up for."

La Flaga shook his head. "Somehow I don't think they signed up for this."

"Let's move," said Heero, "We need to get to the bridge."

His rifle raised, the Gundam pilot led the way down the corridor. Every second counted, now more than ever. They were ripping the Dominion's internal security forces to shreds, but that would have consequences. The closer they got to the bridge, the more agitated Azrael would get; who knew what he would do once they got there?

He held out his arm to stop the others as they came to an intersection. Peeking around the corner, he saw another fire team approaching fast.

"Priscilla, I need your last frag," he said.

She nodded and passed it to him. Priming it, Heero waited a second before tossing it around the corner. The incoming fire team managed to halt, but the point man was still in range of the ensuing blast and was taken out.

Heero dived out, firing as he went. Two shots caught the next Marine in the torso, sending him back into his comrade. Behind Heero came La Flaga, and a burst of fire from the Hawk of Endymion tore into another Marine's torso. Swiftly shifting targets, Heero caught a third Marine in the head before hitting a fourth in the chest, while La Flaga finished off the last of them.

"Bogeys at our six!" shouted Priscilla, her submachine gun blazing on full-auto.

Heero whirled around, sighting in and firing in one smooth motion. He was just in time; his shot nailed a Marine that was about to take out Priscilla. The blonde Coordinator had already cut down two soldiers and had forced the last two to take cover in doorways on either side of the hall.

"La Flaga, frag!" Heero ordered.

The Gundam pilot switched his rifle to full-auto and joined Priscilla in laying down covering fire while the Hawk of Endymion primed and tossed a grenade. The explosive detonated right between the doorways where the two Marines had sought refuge, and the hallway began to fill with floating blood as the two bodies drifted lifelessly from their cover.

Ejecting their spent magazines and slamming fresh ones home, Heero and Priscilla braced for more foes but found none.

"There's gotta be more," said Priscilla, "We're almost at the bridge, right?"

"Maybe not," La Flaga replied, "Marines are typically a small fraction of a ship's crew, and since the Dominion follows the same design as the Archangel that means there's a lot more automation; smaller crew, smaller Marine complement."

"Perhaps," said Heero as he switched his rifle back to semi-auto, "but don't forget the Archangel left Heliopolis with a skeleton crew. It was only during our second stop in Orb that she was able to get up to full crew strength, with Orb Marines filling in for where Alliance ones would've operated. We can't use our experience with the Archangel's crew as a base for what we'll find here; be ready for anything."

Taking point again, Heero lead them towards their final destination. For now they still held the initiative, but the Gundam pilot knew that the ultimate success of this operation was actually not in his hands.

In the final part, the one whom everything rested upon was Natarle.

End "Red Fraction"

….

"Those fucking incompetents!" Azrael yelled, spit flying from his mouth as he got the latest update from the ship's security forces, "Tills, Griggs, Paulson… what the hell did I pay those sacks of shit for if they can't even stop three intruders?"

Natarle looked on with decidedly mixed feelings. Though Heero, Mu, and the girl with them were cutting down Alliance Marines in charge of protecting her ship, she didn't actually have much sympathy for them. This was due in no small part to the fact that every man in the fire teams had been handpicked by Azrael for this role, screened from a pool of candidates, selected for both their unswerving loyalty and their dedication to the crusade against the Coordinators. All were known to either be part of or associated with Blue Cosmos, and they had been selected to serve as both guards and enforcers, to both protect Azrael and ensure the loyalty of Natarle's crew. It was an open secret among her bridge staff and the rank and file that the Marines' true loyalty lay with Azrael; they would gun down Natarle and her crew without hesitation at the slightest hint of rebellion against their psychopathic master, and would probably receive a hefty bonus for it to boot.

They're his Praetorian Guard, she thought with a strange mix of bitterness and satisfaction, and they're being ripped to shreds.

The ship's Marine complement was almost completely wiped out. To Natarle's knowledge the last of them were between the boarding team and the bridge, and if what had happened so far was any indication they would not last long. It was just a matter of when Mu and the others got to the bridge, not if.

What would happen then, though… that was something else entirely.

She'd heard Heero's message in the hangar perfectly, and she knew Azrael had as well.

"We're here for Azrael. Stay out of our way if you want to survive. You won't get another warning."

If the casualty reports were any indication, her crew had followed that advice; the only deaths so far had been Marines. Mu, Heero, and whoever the third person with them was were gunning for Azrael, and Natarle was of a mind to let them have him.

But that would be treason. It would be the one offense that, as the daughter of a die-hard military family, she had been raised to believe was worse than all the others. Any cooperation with Mu and the others on her part, no matter how slight, would be a betrayal of both the oath she took and the highest beliefs of her family.

And yet, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that the nation she had pledged that oath to did not deserve it… and as much as she loved her family, their way of thinking was far too rigid for something like this. It allowed people to be used all too easily by madmen like Azrael, and it had brought her to where she stood now, on the brink of Armageddon.

The Atlantic Federation and the larger Earth Alliance that she had pledged herself to was dead. The ideals that she had once sworn to uphold were now nothing more than trappings on a corpse, a flag wrapped around an abomination.

With each passing second Natarle realized that the moment of truth was fast approaching.

Would she continue to make the same mistakes she had been since Alaska, to follow a monster in the name of national loyalty and patriotism?

Or would she follow the example of her Captain, risking everything to make a stand for what was right, for her crew… and the man she loved?

When one viewed it like that…

…the choice was easy.

It was dealing with the consequences that would be the hard part.

Gunshots rang out just beyond the bridge door; it wouldn't be long now.

"No," she heard Azrael growl, "I won't let it end like this! I will win!"

Turning to him, she was startled at the expression on his face. She'd be the first to say that Azrael was a vicious bastard, but now he looked downright feral.

"Have a shuttle prepped for me, Captain," he said, "I'm transferring the flag to the Adams."

"Sir, the enemy is just outside the door," she said, trying to stall until Mu and the others broke through, "You'll never reach the hangar!"

Azrael grinned. "Oh, I will. I'll have… insurance."

He got up, and Natarle saw his gaze fall on Flay. With dawning horror Natarle realized his intentions, but he was already on the move by the time she could react.

"Azrael!" she shouted as he grabbed Flay.

"Captain Badgiruel!" cried Flay as Azrael forced the poor girl in front of him and put his gun to her head.

The rest of the bridge crew was frozen in horror, the battle outside completely forgotten. No one had counted on a hostage situation right in their midst.

"You were once part of their crew, girl," said Azrael, his voice eerily calm and at odds with the manic expression on his face, "They won't dare shoot when they see you're with me; they're too soft for that."

"Besides, I don't want you dying here," he continued, leering at her as he smelled her hair, "I want you with me… so we can properly celebrate my victory when this is over!"

"You sick son of a bitch!" Natarle growled as she drew her pistol, "Let her go!"

Azrael chuckled. "My, my… drawing on your superior. So, you too are a traitor, just like that bitch on the Archangel. Your family will never let you get away with this dishonor… if you survive long enough to meet them again, Captain."

"I don't care about that!" yelled Natarle, glaring at him, "Just let Flay go now!"

"Or you'll shoot?" said Azrael, smirking, "I think not, Captain. We both know you won't put the life of one of your precious crew at risk."

He then trained the gun on her. "Of course, I have no such compunctions."

The look in his eyes was all she needed to know that he was about to shoot… and there was nothing she could do about it.

Mu, she thought, I'm sorry… it looks like I couldn't make it long enough to see you again, and after all you went through. I'm sorry…

I love you.

She saw his finger tense over the trigger.

"No!" cried Flay…

….before lunging forward and biting his hand.

The shot went wild, ricocheting off the floor before hitting a random monitor and sending sparks flying. Natarle couldn't believe what had just happened, but surprise turned to horror as Azrael recovered and punched Flay in the face.

"You bitch!" he shrieked as the girl fell back, rubbing his hand, his gun going back and forth between Flay and Natarle, "Both of you fucking whores… why can't you just do as I say? You shouldn't even be here! So weak, emotional… just fucking die already!"

There was a gunshot, and Natarle reflexively flinched and closed her eyes… before she realized that she hadn't been hit.

Flay, she thought in a panic, Flay!

She opened her eyes…

…only to find that Flay hadn't been shot either.

Her gun was drawn.

She had fired.

Natarle turned back to Azrael and saw blood flowing from his left shoulder. With the way Flay's hands were shaking Natarle was surprised she had hit him at all, but she had all the same. For a moment Azrael seemed to be in shock, but apparently by reflex he raised his gun again, his grip trembling as he aimed at Flay.

Natarle prepared to take him down…

…only for an explosion at the back of the bridge to throw an already mad scene into pure chaos.

The doors were blown apart, and as Natarle and the others were recovering from the shock a small black cylinder flew through the opening. Natarle instinctively closed her eyes and covered her ears; she knew a flash bang when she saw one.

Even with her preparations though, the blast still left her ears ringing and the brilliant light almost seemed to overwhelm her shut eyes. She opened them quickly; every second counted now, discomfort be damned.

She was just in time to see a figure in a black flight suit and helmet come through the door, one she would've recognized anywhere.

Heero Yuy.

….

His vision blurry and his hearing almost completely shot, Azrael fumbled about in a daze. He was dimly aware of the blood continuing to flow from his shoulder, but the pain was surprisingly numb. He looked around wildly, but his surroundings all seemed to blend together; he couldn't tell person from background.

I have to escape, he thought frantically, I have to survive… I have to win!

He blinked his eyes rapidly in an effort to clear them. Everything seemed to rush around him, like he was caught in the center of a cyclone, but some semblance of vision was returning to him.

Enough to see a black figure rushing towards him.

He raised his gun at it, but a flash and muffled bang from his foe's rifle beat him to the punch. Searing pain coursed through his hand, and as his vision cleared just a little more Azrael was shocked to realize that his attacker had blown two of his fingers, including the one on the trigger, clean off before imbedding in his arm. Blood poured from the stumps and gash, joining the stream that was flowing from his shoulder.

Impossible, he thought numbly, No shooter's that accurate!

He looked back up at his attacker, his vision clearing further.

Enough to see the ice cold blue eyes behind the shooter's visor.

Eyes more frigid than the Antarctic.

Pupils darker than a black hole.

The withering glare of the Perfect Soldier.

The piercing gaze of his executioner.

Propelling himself through the zero gravity, Heero Yuy moved with shocking speed. In a second he was on Azrael, having lowered his rifle and drawn a knife in a single, fluid motion.

"Demon…" Azrael muttered.

It was his last word before the blade plunged into his heart.

….

It was almost surreal as Mu watched Heero pull his knife out of Azrael's chest. The Perfect Soldier withdrew the blade almost casually, wiping it on one of the few clean spots left on Azrael's jacket before putting his fingers to the man's neck to check his vitals. A few seconds later Heero turned to him and nodded.

"It's done."

Mu returned the gesture. "Good."

Heero looked past him to their comrade. "Priscilla, keep the entrance secure."

"Understood," replied the ZAFT ace, taking up position in the doorway, her submachine gun going back and forth as she repeatedly scanned both ends of the corridor for incoming threats.

Mu saw Heero look back and forth between him and Natarle. The Dominion's Captain was looking at them in stunned silence, and the Hawk of Endymion could hardly blame her. Then the Gundam pilot's gaze turned to Flay, equally surprised at this turn of events.

"I'll tend to her," said Heero, "You know what you have to do, La Flaga."

Mu nodded, turning back to Natarle. "Yeah…"

As Heero went over to Flay the former Earth Alliance ace pulled the helmet from his head. His gaze met Natarle's, and he furiously tried to figure out what to say, what to do. He'd been thinking about this moment ever since Heero had told him of his plan, and he knew they didn't have much time here, but now that the moment of truth was upon him the pressure was infinitely greater.

He took a deep breath. "Natarle… are you ok?"

It felt like such a lame way to start, but with the way he was struggling for words right now he would take what he could get.

Much to his relief the black-haired beauty nodded. "Yes… thanks to you."

They stared at each other, completely oblivious to the titanic battle raging outside the ship. After so many months apart, so much time spent longing to see her again, to save her from her cruel circumstances… words couldn't begin to describe what Mu was feeling now.

He found himself moving forward on his own. "Natarle… I can't let you keep doing this. You can't fight for the Alliance anymore; you know what they're trying to do!"

Much to his surprise he saw her nod. "I know… I've known that for quite a while now. But… if I acted against Azrael, my crew would suffer the consequences."

"Which is why you have to join us now!" he replied, "There's no way the Alliance would let any of you live after what happened here. We can protect your crew if you help us; you know Captain Ramius wouldn't let anything happen to them!"

Natarle looked down. "Would she… would she welcome us after what we've done?"

She then looked back up, her gaze meeting Mu's. "Would you… would you still have me after all this?"

And there it was. In her violet eyes Mu could see every bit of the emotional turmoil she had endured since their parting at Alaska. Her guilt, her suffering, her confliction… her longing.

And he knew that what he had hoped for all these months was true.

She loved him.

There was only one thing to do now.

He closed the gap between them, absently releasing his helmet and letting it float through the air behind him. He took her in his arms and saw her eyes widen in surprise. He had the satisfaction of seeing a hint of red in her face, and he said just one word before sealing the deal.

"Yes."

He felt her tense briefly as his lips met hers, but she quickly returned the kiss. Natarle threw her arms around Mu, pulling him in, finally getting a chance to let out the feelings she'd been holding within for so long. The passion burned fiercely; it was unlike anything he'd experienced before in his life.

Eventually they parted, and he gave her a smirk as they did. "Totally worth the wait."

She gave him a surprisingly shy smile, one that he thought was quite cute on her. "Agreed."

He saw her turn to her bridge crew, her embarrassment clear. To their credit her subordinates just smiled.

Heero and Flay floated forward. "I'm sorry, but we don't have much time here. Badgiruel, we need your help if we're going to get through this. Will you fight with us?"

Mu turned back to Natarle, who nodded. "The Marines on this ship were the only ones loyal to Azrael, and you killed the last of them before entering the bridge. We're free to join you now; tell Captain Ramius we'll fight under her command."

She turned to her crew again. "We can't go back to the Alliance, you all know that. This is the only way we have a hope of survival… and it's the right thing to do."

The rest of them nodded; there was not a word of protest.

"Flay," Natarle said, "Are you ok?"

The red-head nodded, her face red where Azrael had struck her but otherwise no worse for the wear. "Yes, Captain."

Natarle nodded. "Good. Get to your station and contact the Archangel; we'll coordinate with them from here on out. Also contact the rest of the fleet. It's a long shot, but with Azrael's death the armada could fracture; we could pick up some help. Make the broadcast open channel; if there's any moderates in the ZAFT forces they might decide to direct their fire away from us and at Azrael's loyalists instead. I'll personally address the rest of the crew. Without the Marines here, I think they'll go along with us."

"What about the nukes?" asked Heero, "We need to neutralize the rest of the Alliance's arsenal."

Natarle nodded. "We'll send you the data on the positions of the remaining weapons, though there actually aren't many left now. Those two shots from ZAFT's weapon wiped out much of the stockpile with the armada, and the interceptions from you and the others have severely depleted what we have left."

Heero nodded. "Good to know."

He turned to Mu. "Our main objective here's complete. It's time to neutralize the threat from ZAFT."

He nodded and smiled. "I know Waltfeld said his group would try to take out that big ass gun… but honestly, I'd feel a lot better if you were the one going after it."

"I think we all would," said Natarle, grabbing Mu's hand, "Be careful, all of you."

Mu grinned as he surprised Natarle by pulling her in for another kiss. "You got it. I love you."

Natarle smiled, her face once again flushed red. "I love you too. Don't you dare die on me out there."

Mu nodded. "Roger that."

….

"Contacts leaving the Dominion!" cried the sensor operator, "Confirm Wing Zero, Tallgeese, and Wraith!"

Murrue smiled. Before she could issue the order to contact him none other than Heero appeared on the main monitor.

"The operation was a success," he said, "Natarle and her ship are on our side now."

"Excellent work, Heero," Murrue replied, "I knew you could do it!"

Heero nodded. "Thanks. Natarle's sending us data on the remaining nukes; turns out there's not many left, and they're all in the carriers in this group."

Murrue turned to her XO. "Lieutenant Tsukino, as soon as we get that data I want it sent to the rest of our force. Begin targeting those carriers as soon as we have it!"

"Aye, Captain!" replied the Lieutenant.

"I'm taking the strike team to the ZAFT lines," said Heero, "It's time to take out their new weapon. Will you be all right here?"

Murrue smiled again. "Leave this to us, Heero. As soon as we mop up the carriers here we'll come back you up!"

Heero nodded. "Roger that. Wing Zero, out."

As the Gundam pilot disappeared from the main monitor a golden-yellow flash lit up the space ahead of the Archangel as the Twin Buster Rifle cut loose, annihilating a dozen Earth Alliance mobile suits and a carrier. Heero's shot was quickly followed by a crimson blast from the Judgment's Tartarus rifle, downing another carrier. A multitude of emerald beams flew from the three Wraiths and the Tallgeese Kai, ripping into the already scattered and confused Alliance squadrons as the strike team began carving a path for themselves towards the ZAFT forces.

"Captain," said the radio officer, "Transmission incoming from the Dominion!"

Murrue nodded. "Patch them through."

Murrue was expecting to see Natarle's face appear on the monitor, but was surprised when another old crew member took the screen instead.

"Captain Ramius" said Flay, "Captain Badgiruel is addressing her crew now; we'll be fighting alongside you from here on out. Please, help us! Some of the other Earth Alliance ships are already turning on us, and ZAFT squadrons are incoming too!"

Indeed, Murrue could already see some of the nearby carriers bringing their guns to bear on the Dominion, while ZAFT mobile suits were cutting through the Earth Alliance ranks. Even with the damage inflicted upon it by Heero's attack Natarle's warship still outgunned anything in the Earth Alliance armada, but it was wounded, and sheer numbers would more than make up for the gap in firepower.

"Hold on, Flay," said Murrue, giving the girl a reassuring nod, "We're coming! Just hang in there!"

Flay nodded. "Ok. Just please, hurry!"

As the girl disappeared from the screen Murrue turned back to her XO. "Get firing solutions on the ships moving against the Dominion. Fire as soon as you have targets locked in!"

Lieutenant Tsukino nodded and immediately began issuing orders to her gunners.

Murrue then turned to her communications officer. "I want the rest of our force providing cover fire for the Dominion until we get her formed up with us."

"Aye, Captain," her subordinate replied.

"Targets locked in!" yelled the chief gunnery officer.

"Let 'em have it!" shouted Tsukino.

The Archangel erupted with a storm of fire. Salvos from the Gottfrieds and Valiants punched right through two Agamemnon-class carriers, ripping them apart like a chainsaw through butter. A swarm of Sledgehammer missiles was right behind them, the flock of warheads raining down upon two more carriers, tearing gaping holes in their thin armor and pummeling them into oblivion.

The rest of the task force joined the fray, and a rain of fire flew through the space around the Dominion, hammering any Earth Alliance ship that dared try to attack her. When combined with the head-on assault from the ZAFT force the attacks were devastating; the late Azrael's battle group was swiftly falling apart.

"Keep moving forward!" Murrue ordered, "We have to get the Dominion within our ranks!"

Hang on, Natarle, she thought, gritting her teeth in determination, We're coming!

….

"I repeat, Muruta Azrael is dead!" cried Flay into her speaker, "We have no intention of following his genocidal plans, and the Earth Alliance should not either! Earth Alliance forces, please, stop this! We cannot attack the PLANTs!"

Her words fell on deaf ears, just as they had before. The utterly insane battle raging around her continued unabated, with the Earth Alliance forces continuing to press their assault against the ZAFT lines. If any in the Alliance armada were sympathetic to her pleas they were apparently not in a position to act. Flay could only comfort herself that at least they hadn't been able to launch any more nuclear strikes, though that was only due to the sheer chaos of the battle and Captain Ramius's force mercilessly hammering the carriers that Natarle had indicated still had warheads and the mobile armors to deliver them.

The Dominion was still very much in danger, but the Archangel and the rest of her fleet had at least been able to take out the Earth Alliance ships that posed the most immediate threat to her. Their new allies were continuing to press forward, their fire now split between covering the Dominion and targeting the warships that were designated as holding nuclear warheads and bombers. However, Flay new that her ship's position was still very precarious, caught as it was between both Alliance and ZAFT forces.

She shook her head in frustration. Her efforts with the Alliance forces were getting her nowhere. She decided to switch back to ZAFT, though she doubted that she would have better luck with that angle.

"Attention ZAFT forces," she said, "This is the battleship Dominion. We are no longer part of the Earth Alliance fleet. Azrael is dead; this is no longer his flagship. We seek only to stop our former comrades from attempting another nuclear strike and to prevent a gamma ray attack on Earth! I realize that the armada attempted to nuke the PLANTs, and we do not condone those actions and are actively fighting to keep that from happening now! Please, you cannot allow your superiors to return the favor and annihilate all life on Earth!"

She waited for any kind of reply, but the Grand Fleet seemed as intent on ignoring her as the Earth Alliance force. Flay turned to her commander. "Captain, it's not working. I'm not getting through to anyone on either side!"

Natarle sighed. "Well, it was a long shot to begin with. Flay, go ahead and send ZAFT the data on the positions of our remaining nuclear weapons. That might at least get them to ignore us specifically for awhile and give us some more breathing room. After that, keep broadcasting to both sides. We can't give up yet."

Flay nodded. "Understood, Captain."

The ship rattled as it took another hit. Looking out the main viewport, Flay saw the source of the attack, an Agamemnon-class carrier that was coming in from the portside front.

"Damn it!" growled Natarle, "Gottfrieds, take that ship down now!"

The heavy beam turrets cut loose with a salvo of emerald beams. Caught in the starboard side, the attacking carrier was ripped apart by the volley, its thin armor making it by far the weaker combatant in a matchup with the Dominion.

At this point in the fight, mobile suits were actually a bigger threat to the Dominion than capital ships. Captain Ramius's group was moving in fast, but Flay knew that the Dominion would still be vulnerable until it could be brought into the fold of the Archangel's escorts. The black battleship's CIWS and Helldart missiles offered some defense, but in such a chaotic battle it would be far too easy for Earth Alliance or ZAFT mobile suits to slip through the anti-air umbrella.

And mobile suits were swiftly approaching. Thanks to the earlier attacks from Heero's strike team and the ongoing assault from the Archangel's fleet the smaller ZAFT force had been able to make quick headway through the Earth Alliance group. GINNs and GuAIZs were inbound, cutting their way through the swirling dogfights raging all around and making a beeline for the Dominion. At the same time some Earth Alliance machines were moving to attack the black battleship, mixing it up with the ZAFT units as they did so.

"Fire Wombat missiles straight ahead!" Natarle ordered, "CIWS and Helldarts, be ready to fire as soon as the enemy's in range!"

Flay watched as the heavy anti-air warheads arced over the ship before bursting into a familiar crimson hail of shrapnel. The deadly hail ripped into Earth Alliance and ZAFT mobile suits alike, completely shredding some and badly damaging others. Flay hoped it would give the attackers pause, but there were simply too many of them. Fresh units quickly took their place, and both Alliance and ZAFT machines continued to make their way towards the Dominion all the while fighting each other.

"CIWS, Helldarts, let 'em have it!" shouted Natarle.

A storm of bullets flew from the Dominion's guns, while from behind the bridge a swarm of light anti-air missiles burst forth. The combined barrage took out several machines from both sides and disrupted their momentum, but while the Alliance units fell back in disarray the ZAFT pilots showed greater discipline. Fanning out, several GINNs and GuAIZs began probing for holes in the defensive coverage, and Flay knew it would just be a matter of moments before they attacked.

The ship began to shudder as the enemy began making passes. The CIWS worked furiously to fend them off, but they were overwhelmed. Fire from machineguns and beam rifles hit the upper hull, and while Flay saw some of the mobile suits explode from CIW fire or Helldart missiles there were still others that managed to avoid getting hit and continued to attack.

Captain Ramius, she thought, please hurry!

A few more GINNs were blown apart by CIW fire, but the Dominion's defenses were having much less luck with the more advanced GuAIZs. Their head-mounted CIWS were capable of taking out incoming Helldart missiles, while their shields could withstand the streams of bullets from the black warship's close quarter guns. They were also faster, more maneuverable, and had thicker armor, making things even worse for the Dominion.

Desperate to do something to contribute to her ship's defense, Flay got back on the radio. "Attention ZAFT forces, we have no desire to fight you! We want to save both the Earth and the PLANTs! Please, listen to me! We're not going to attack the colonies!"

The ship shook again as beam fire from a GuAIZ hit the starboard side. It was useless; they wouldn't listen to pleas coming from the former flagship of the Alliance armada, and Flay honestly couldn't blame them.

We did try to nuke them earlier, she thought grimly, I guess I'd find it hard to believe us too if I were in their position.

"The enemy's broken through!" cried one of the bridge crew, "They're heading for the bridge!"

Her eyes widening in horror, Flay watched a GuAIZ set up to attack. Its rifle was pointed straight at the bridge, and Flay knew that there was nothing she or anyone else could do to stop it.

In that moment she was surprised to find herself not thinking about her imminent death, but about two young men that had completely changed her life since she'd gotten dragged into this war.

Kira…

Yzak…

I wish I could've seen you two again one more time.

There was a flash of green light…

…and the GuAIZ exploded.

"What the hell?" said Natarle.

Flay was just as surprised; that ZAFT pilot had had them dead to rights. Who'd taken out the GuAIZ?

Then a voice she'd never thought she'd hear again came over the radio.

"Flay! Are you there? Flay!"

A new mobile suit had appeared in front of the Dominion, its rifle barrel still glowing from the shot that had destroyed the GuAIZ.

The Duel.

"Why did he…" she heard Natarle say softly.

Paying no heed to the others, Flay got back on the radio.

"Yzak!"

….

Yzak's hands were shaking on the controls as the fireball had faded. Had he really just done that?

The answer, of course was yes.

He'd shot down a fellow ZAFT pilot. He'd killed a comrade.

To save Flay.

"Yzak!" he heard her cry over the radio, "Yzak, is that you? Please, answer me!"

He fought to steady his voice as he answered. "Flay… it's me. Are you ok?"

"Yes!" she replied, "But why… why did you save us?"

Why indeed, he thought with bemusement.

But it wasn't a mystery. He'd known why he was doing it the moment he took the shot.

No… even earlier.

The moment he'd heard her voice on the radio, pleading with both sides to stop this insanity… that was when he'd made up his mind.

He found himself smiling as he answered her. "I made a promise to protect you, didn't I? I couldn't save you from Creuset before, but now… I'm not going to fail twice."

"Yzak…" she said softly.

"What you said earlier," he continued, "About wanting to save Earth and the PLANTs… did you mean it?"

Her answer was immediate and emphatic. "Yes!"

Yzak nodded. "Ok. In that case, I'll fight with you!"

Before she could respond Jachin Due got on the line. Yzak wasn't surprised; he'd been wondering how long it would take them to notice that he'd just shot down one of their own and saved the Dominion.

"Pilot Joule!" said Command, "What the hell are you doing? Destroy that ship immediately!"

Yzak shook his head. "No. I'm not going to be a pawn of Zala or Creuset anymore!"

"You are a soldier of ZAFT!" Command shouted, "You will obey our orders!"

Start "I'm My Own Master Now"

Yzak glared. "No. From now on, I choose the battles I'll fight."

"Damn it!" growled Command, "Attention all forces; the Duel has gone rogue! Yzak Joule is a traitor! Eliminate him!"

Yzak cut the link with Command. "Boring conversation anyway," he muttered.

Turning his attention back to the fight, he took up position in front of the Dominion's bridge. Already he could see both Earth Alliance and ZAFT mobile suits coming in fast, as intent on killing him and destroying the black battleship as they were on fighting each other.

Sighting in on the enemy, he bared his teeth and growled. "You're not getting Flay!"

He cut loose with his beam rifle and railgun. The initial salvo took out a GINN and a Strike-Dagger, while follow up shots managed to break up enemy formations. While the Alliance units scattered and mostly proceeded to mix it up in dogfights with other ZAFT units, Yzak's former comrades appeared much more intent on taking him down.

So be it, he thought, reigniting his beam saber, You want me? Come and get me!

He charged forward, blasting another GINN with his railgun before lashing out at a GuAIZ. His foe managed to block his blade on its beam claws and immediately retaliated with its rocket anchors, forcing Yzak to pull back and dive. However, it gave him an opening, and he fired his CIWS. The bullets weren't enough to destroy the machine, but they did damage it, chewing up the housings for the rocket anchors and depriving the enemy of one weapon. Yzak wasted no time in capitalizing on this, rushing right back in and spearing the machine from below.

Bullets pinged off his armor as a GINN attacked from the right side. Whirling around, Yzak took the attacker down with his beam rifle but was quickly forced onto the defensive as a GuAIZ attempted to strike from behind. He was able to dive and avoid the machine's beam claws before raising his shield to take fire from the unit's rifle. An alarm chimed as he saw two more GuAIZs closing in from the right.

"Damn it," he hissed as he moved to the left, opening up on the newcomers with his rifle and railgun while simultaneously trying to avoid fire from the other unit.

His shots succeeded in taking down one of the GuAIZs, but the other was able to cover itself with its shield. It quickly moved into a pincer attack with the other surviving machine, forcing Yzak to climb in order to get out of the way. That gave him a chance to open up on both machines, but they took the shots on their Composite Shields and returned fire with their rifles.

Suddenly a stream of bullets from below ripped apart one of the GuAIZs. The other machine quickly reoriented itself to protect it from the new threat, but in the process it made itself vulnerable to Yzak, who wasted no time in rushing in and stabbing it in the back.

He smiled as he looked at the source of the other GuAIZ's demise; the CIWS of the Dominion.

Thanks, Flay.

More machines were swift in coming, this time a group of Strike-Daggers. Yzak met them head on, guns blazing. One machine fell to a precise beam rifle shot to the cockpit, while another lost its gun arm to his railgun before being finished off by a beam saber strike. Going hard to the right to evade a beam saber from a third unit, Yzak retaliated with his rifle only for the shots to be blocked on the Strike-Dagger's shield. Yzak rushed in, slamming his own shield into his foe before stabbing it through the torso.

"Yzak, watch out!" cried Flay, "There's a battleship moving in behind you!"

Her warning was barely enough for him to get out of the way as the Nelson-class battleship unleashed a salvo. It rained down a steady bombardment on him, and while Yzak normally would've been able to work his way through that and attack the ship matters were complicated by new Strike-Daggers coming in to attack him. They were approaching cautiously so as not to get caught by friendly fire, but that did not change the fact that they would be on him in moments.

Damn it, he fumed as he tried to stay ahead of the barrage, how am I going to get out of this one?

Before he could figure out a way out of his dilemma a salvo of heavy particle beams and railgun rounds hammered the portside of the battleship. This was quickly followed by a hail of anti-ship missiles, and the one-two punch was enough to knock the warship out of the fight. As he dodged rifle fire from the Strike-Daggers Yzak could see the source of the battleship's demise; the Archangel.

Never thought that ship would save my hide, he thought as he picked off one of the Earth Alliance mobile suits with his beam rifle, I just hope they're not holding a grudge against me from Alaska… or all the other times I attacked.

As he engaged the other Strike-Daggers he saw a mix of Orb, Alliance, and ZAFT mobile suits coming in ahead of the Archangel and the rest of her fleet. The varied units moved in and opened up on the Earth Alliance and ZAFT machines that threatened the Dominion, giving him some much needed support.

Shooting down another Strike-Dagger with his railgun, he was surprised to see someone was hailing him on a new frequency. Answering it, he saw a face he knew from ZAFT wanted images appear on his screen.

"Give us your IFF code," said the Wolf of the Far East, "If you're on our side now I'd rather not shoot you down."

"Field Marshal Bristow," Yzak replied, not expecting to be contacted by one of ZAFT's most notorious traitors; the way he'd utterly played the Defense Council and Patrick Zala himself had already become the stuff of legends.

Bristow chuckled. "You really should drop the title; no one uses it any more for me. You gonna send me that data or what?"

Yzak nodded. "Right. Here it comes."

As he slashed a Strike-Dagger in half he saw Bristow smirk. "You're Ezalia's kid, right? You know there's no going home after joining up with us."

Yzak's eyes narrowed. "I'm well aware of that. I'll deal with that when this is over… and don't call me a kid."

Bristow nodded. "All right. In that case, welcome aboard… and good luck. You're gonna need it to get through this fight. We all are. Bristow, out."

Yzak nodded as the former ZAFT Field Marshal disappeared from the screen. He didn't doubt for a second that getting out of this battle alive would be one hell of a challenge, but his odds were already improving. It was no longer just him and the Dominion versus a raging horde of Alliance and ZAFT forces. Now the Archangel's fleet and its mobile suits had moved in to join the fray, giving him some much needed breathing room.

I'll act as the Dominion's escort, he thought as he sliced a GINN in half, From there, I guess we'll just follow the Archangel.

As the white warship and her allies continued to approach Yzak's eyes widened as he saw a familiar mobile suit defending the Archangel.

The Buster.

He immediately got on their old squad frequency. "Dearka, is that you?"

His old friend appeared on the screen. "Hey, Yzak! Never thought I'd see you again!"

Yzak smiled as he shot down another GINN. "Same here. Are you ok?"

Dearka nodded. "Yeah, though getting a little tired. We've been going at it for awhile now."

"I hear you there," Yzak replied, "but I'm not quitting yet."

Dearka smirked. "Same here. I've got someone on the Archangel that I want to protect."

Yzak nodded as he slashed a Strike-Dagger in half. "I get you. It's the same for me with the Dominion, actually."

Dearka's eyes widened. "So you really have turned… never thought you would. You sure about this?"

"Are you sure about your choice?" Yzak shot back.

Dearka nodded. "Yeah, I am."

"Then you already know my answer," said Yzak as he picked off another Strike-Dagger with his beam rifle.

Dearka chuckled. "I guess I do. Looks like neither of us are going back to the PLANTs after this. I hope your girl's worth it."

Yzak's eyes widened. "How did you…?"

"Had a feeling," he replied, "Figured it'd be the same as with me. You didn't think I changed sides just for ideals, did you?"

Yzak had to smile at that, and at the image of Flay that flashed through his mind. "I wasn't sure, but when you put it that way… yeah, she's worth it."

"Good," said Dearka, "Now, let's show these guys why we've managed to survive this long!"

Yzak nodded. "You got it!"

Reinvigorated at the prospect of fighting alongside his old friend again, Yzak tore into the mobile suits assaulting the Dominion. Beam rifle and railgun blazing, the Duel shot down one machine after another, the veteran former ZAFT Red relentlessly hunting his foes like a wolf among sheep. Both Earth Alliance and ZAFT forces were growing increasingly disorganized as the Archangel's fleet and mobile suits got more involved in the action, and Yzak knew it would not be long now before the Dominion would be brought into the fold.

A GINN fell to his violet blade, followed quickly by a GuAIZ. Two Strike-Daggers were blown apart by his beam rifle, and then a Buster-Dagger was taken down by his railgun. Yzak had never fought like this before; the combination of protecting Flay and the reunion with Dearka was providing a motivation unlike any other.

As he took down another GINN he saw the Dominion's guns flash to life. A salvo of heavy particle beams and railgun rounds slammed into an Alliance carrier, punching right through its hull and ripping the ship apart. Checking his sensors, Yzak saw that said carrier was one of the ships indicated by the Dominion to be holding nuclear weapons. To him it was another sign that he'd made the right choice; there was no way the Dominion would be targeting such ships if its Captain and crew weren't serious about the path they had chosen.

More particle beams and railgun rounds tore another carrier apart. This time the barrage was from the Archangel, and Yzak could see the white warship moving alongside the Dominion. Dearka and Bristow flew over the vessel, ripping apart any ZAFT or Earth Alliance mobile suits that tried to attack it.

While he shot down a Strike-Dagger with his beam rifle Flay appeared on the screen. "Yzak, we're going to finish off the rest of the carriers in this group that have nukes and bombers with them. After that we're going to follow Wing Zero and the strike team through ZAFT lines to back them up for their attack on the gamma ray cannon."

Yzak nodded. "Understood."

Flay looked worried. "Are you sure? Yzak, these are your people we'll be fighting against…"

"I've made my choice," he said, "I'll live with the consequences."

Flay nodded. "Ok. Please, be careful, all right?"

"Don't worry," Yzak replied, "I've got no intention of dying here."

She surprised him with a smile. "You'd better not. Flay, out."

Steeling himself for a round with a new group of ZAFT mobile suits, Yzak was surprised at just how sure of himself he was now. The past few months had been marred by increasing uncertainty with the side he was on, his suspicions of both Creuset and ZAFT leadership as a whole weighing heavily on him. To be so confident now that he was on the right path, fighting for the right people and reasons, was very refreshing.

You won't stop me this time, Creuset!, he thought as he engaged the enemy once again, No matter what happens, this time I will keep my promise to Flay! I'll keep her safe…

…and stop you!

End "I'm My Own Master Now"

….

Her short cropped red hair glistening with sweat inside her helmet and her bright blue eyes gleaming with the thrill of battle, Courtney Fields cackled as she hacked yet another GINN in half with her anti-ship sword.

"Is that it?" the fourteen year old girl sneered, "Is that all you space monkeys can do? Pathetic!"

Another one of the test subjects for the Biological CPU program, the young lady was having the fight of her life. The chemical cocktails coursing through her veins had her adrenaline pumping at an all time high, fighting less like a soldier and more like a barbarian of ages past. She'd been racking up kill after kill in her Sword Launcher Strike-Avenger, and nothing ZAFT threw at her could stop her.

She cut loose with her Agni, blasting a GuAIZ and narrowly missing a Twin-Sword Avenger in the process.

A black haired, brown eyed boy a year older than her appeared on the screen. "Courtney, you bitch! That one was mine!"

Courtney laughed. "Tough shit, Kyle. If you don't want me stealing your kills then stop fighting like a fucking pussy!"

Kyle Cruz glared at her as he cut down a GINN with his heavy blades. "You'll pay for that, you little whore!"

"Bring it on, shit for brains!" Courtney sneered as she slashed another GINN, "You couldn't beat me in a hundred years!"

A curving blast of plasma cut through the space between then, piercing a GINN and a GuAIZ.

A dark skinned sixteen year old boy appeared on her screen, his voice a deep growl. "Enough, both of you. We didn't survive training just to kill each other out here!"

"Piss off, Adam," hissed Courtney.

"Stay out of this!" yelled Kyle.

"You two are going to get us killed if you don't get it together!" shouted Adam Cantor as he took down another GINN with the dual cannons mounted in his Havoc Avenger's shield, "Save the pissing match until after the fight!"

Courtney rolled her eyes as she cut down a GuAIZ. "Fine, if it'll get you to shut up."

"No kidding," grumbled Kyle as sliced up a GINN.

The Strike-Avenger squadrons had taken serious losses since the battle had begun, but those that were left were still wreaking havoc on ZAFT. Even with the deaths of Azrael and Sutherland the Earth Alliance forces were continuing their assault on the Coordinators, driven by blind obedience to the chain of command and, in the case of the Biological CPUs, sheer rage and adrenaline. Courtney and her fellow pilots didn't care about Azrael's cause or the orders of the higher-ups anymore; the battle had been raging for so long now that the chemicals flowing through their bodies had worn their higher thought process down to their raw emotions. Hyper-aggression was far too mild a term to describe it; they were hell bent on killing anything in their way just to keep the rush going now.

On her sensors Courtney could see other groups of Strike-Avengers acting much like hers, continuing their attacks without a thought to anything else. The more conventional Alliance units still moving forward as well but keeping a cautious distance from the Strike-Avengers less they become victims of pilots that were now all but feral.

She laughed as she cut loose with her Agni, blowing away three GINNs. "Come on, boys! Can't any of you show a girl a good time?"

She was about to launch another attack when she saw something strange on her sensors; a trio of her fellow Biological CPUs had just disappeared simultaneously. It wasn't something she'd normally have given much thought to, but nothing ZAFT had on the field was capable of taking out an entire team of the new models and augmented humans in one attack.

Turning in that direction, she saw a hail of emerald beams cut through a group of Strike-Daggers, taking out nine machines at once. This was quickly followed by another barrage, with eight more Earth Alliance mobile suits falling simultaneously.

"What the hell's that?" she murmured as she cut down a GuAIZ.

Adjusting her visual sensors, she finally caught sight of the source of the quick destruction of so many Alliance machines. It was a large mobile suit, predominantly grey but with some blue, red, and yellow in the torso. In its right hand was a beam rifle, one much larger than conventional versions, while a violet beam saber blazed from the shield mounted on its left arm. What stood out most to Courtney though was the large circular structure on the back of the mobile suit. There were five spine-like protrusions coming from it, and Courtney could see six more coming from the mobile suit's 'skirt', two on each hip and two at the rear, making for a total of eleven.

"Hey guys, check this out," she said, sharing her data with her fellow pilots.

Her eyes widened as she saw all the spines detach from the mobile suit and array themselves around it in a rough circle. At the same time it raised both its rifle and shield, and then a monsoon of emerald beams ripped through space. Courtney was astonished as she watched the storm of green death annihilate no less than a dozen Alliance mobile suits in the blink of an eye.

"What the fuck is that thing?" cried Kyle.

"Whatever it is, it's heading this way!" yelled Adam, "Get ready!"

There were only a few Alliance mobile suit squadrons and warships between them and the newcomer, and Courtney doubted they would last long. Another dozen Strike-Daggers fell in the space of mere seconds as the machine cut loose with its incredible array of gun-drones. At the same time she saw the mobile suit open up on a Drake-class escort ship with its large beam rifle. Heavy particle beams hammered the ship, and its pathetic return fire had no effect against the mobile suit, confirming that it had Phase Shift Armor. A final shot to the escort ship's bridge knocked it out of the fight, and the newcomer went right back to cutting through Strike-Dagger squadrons like a scythe through wheat.

Courtney readied her Agni. There was no way she would die as easily as those other pilots had; if that thing wanted her, it'd have to work for it.

"Suck on this!" she shouted as she fired.

She wasn't alone; Adam had also opened fire with his plasma cannon, while Kyle was moving forward. However, the new mobile suit evaded both their attacks with contemptuous ease before turning its attention to the approaching Twin Sword Avenger. It raised both its rifle and shield, and Courtney saw two beam guns on that shield open up in addition to the larger rifle. The shots ripped through Kyle's mobile suit, and it went down in a flash of fire.

Courtney and Adam had already begun rushing in as Kyle met his end. Adam was a little ahead of her, and took a swing with his sphere-breaker. The ZAFT machine simply lashed out with its beam saber, slicing the weapon in half. It then opened up with its assortment of gun drones.

"Fuck!" Courtney snarled as several beams pierced her Agni, rendering it useless.

She saw several beams reflect off of Adam's shields, and for a moment she thought that her fellow pilot would be able to use that to counter attack. However, the new mobile suit simply rushed in, and with his main melee weapon disabled Adam was unable to fend off the ZAFT pilot, and they thrust their violet blade right through his cockpit.

"You'll pay for that, you piece of shit!" she shouted, her anti-ship sword raised and ready.

However, before she could even swing a beam from one of the gun-drones pierced the blade. Sparks flew from the weapon as it shorted out, leaving Courtney with just her knives and CIWS, both of which would do her no good against this foe. That didn't stop her from grabbing her blades and opening fire with her machineguns as she charged her foe.

Bullets pinged off the machine's Phase Shift Armor, and with an almost thoughtless backhand swing the ZAFT mobile suit cut her down.

….

Creuset grinned as his latest victim fell to his violet blade. It had taken him far too long to get out of Jachin Due and onto the field, and he was hell bent on making up for lost time.

I was starting to worry I'd never get away from Zala, he thought, I'm running late now thanks to his paranoia, but now I'm finally where I belong… and Providence can shine in all her unholy glory!

The ZGMF-X13A Providence was the crowning glory of ZAFT's nuclear powered mobile suit program. Work on the Judgment and GuAIZ Lancer had brought the DRAGOON system to fruition, but it was Providence that had refined it and taken it to its zenith. The mobile suit's DRAGOON system's eleven gun drones had multiple beam cannons on them, for a grand total of forty-three guns. This allowed the machine to overwhelm its adversaries with an incredible volume of fire coming from multiple directions, although wielding such a complex array was a huge challenge even for a Coordinator; Creuset was one of the rare few beings in the Earth Sphere with the spatial awareness needed to master the system.

The DRAGOONs may have been the mobile suit's signature weapons, but they were not the only armament in the machine's arsenal. Creuset knew that the MA-M221 Judicium Beam Rifle was but a pale mockery of Wing Zero's Twin Buster Rifle or even the Judgment's Tartarus rifle, but it was still a potent weapon. Pushing mobile suit particle beam weaponry technology to its limits, the Judicium was a powerful rifle capable of obliterating mobile suits with a single shot and mauling capital ships in a short volley. The MA-MV05 Composite Armed Shield System took the signature feature of the GuAIZ mobile suit and made it even more formidable, replacing the dual beam claws with a single embedded beam saber but adding two small beam guns, making Providence a lethal combatant whether at close or long range. Rounding out the arsenal were not the usual two but four MMI-GAU2 Picus 76mm CIWS, two mounted on the head and two on the shoulders, relatively useless against mobile suits but well suited to swatting missiles and mobile armors out of the sky.

The masked Field Marshal cackled as he once again unleashed his DRAGOONs on the Earth Alliance forces. Lining up his targets, Creuset cut loose with a storm of emerald fire, not just from the gun-drones but also the Judicium rifle and the guns on his shield. The hail of particle beams was devastating. No less than thirteen Strike-Daggers fell to the DRAGOONs and shield guns, while a volley from the Judicium rifle blew apart a Drake-class escort ship.

"For such a grand fleet, it sure lacks in quality, Azrael!" he sneered, "Allow me to educate your neophytes on what it means to be a true mobile suit pilot!"

The fact that Azrael was already dead meant nothing to Creuset at this point as he continued to butcher his way through the Alliance squadrons. He had only been surprised in the manner in which Azrael had died; a boarding action by Heero Yuy was not something he had considered.

Yet again he acts unexpectedly, he mused as he gunned down another squadron of Strike-Daggers, One of the few players in the game that still makes it interesting. Azrael and Zala could learn a thing or two from him about creativity.

Not only was Azrael now a corpse, but his flagship had defected to the renegade forces. This was certainly an unforeseen development by Creuset, but not one he was overly concerned with. Even the neutralization of the Alliance's nuclear arsenal didn't worry him too much; at the rate they were going their conventional assault would eventually breach the Grand Fleet's lines.

It had been the loss of two more Orizaba-class carrier/dreadnoughts that had finally convinced Zala to let Creuset leave Jachin Due and join the fray. Taking them down had exacted a heavy toll on the Earth Alliance forces, but the Field Marshal knew that such losses would do nothing to deter them at this point.

Azrael's successor seems more than willing to continue the assault, he thought while ripping apart a Nelson-class battleship with his rifle, I suppose I should thank him, but given my position that hardly seems appropriate at this time.

Although Zala had ordered him to stop the Earth Alliance advance, at this point he couldn't care less about that. Sure, wiping the floor with Azrael's pawns was entertaining, but that was hardly what he was interested in now.

"Come now, La Flaga," he said, "The stage is set for our final clash, and I would be loath to keep my old friend waiting. Now, where are you?"

He scanned the vast battlefield for the Hawk of Endymion, all the while continuing to lay waste to Strike and Buster-Dagger squadrons with his lethal array of DRAGOONs. A few seconds later he felt that familiar tingle in the back of his mind, and he knew he had found his foe.

"Ah," he said, smiling as he caught sight of La Flaga's machine, "there you are… and not alone, I see. This should be interesting."

Indeed, there was not just the Hawk of Endymion's blue and white machine, but five others as well, all cutting a swath of destruction through the ranks of the Earth Alliance and ZAFT alike.

Wing Zero and the Valkyrie Team.

Creuset grinned as he gunned his engines, racing to intercept the strike team, though truth be told he only cared about fighting La Flaga at this point. A clash with Wing Zero and the Valkyrie Team would be amusing as well, but in fact he was fully expecting La Flaga to move to engage him and buy the others time to continue towards Jachin Due and GENESIS. That was fine by him; who was he to deny Galm Team their rematch with Wing Zero? They were not the only squadron lying in wait with GENESIS either; Gault, Sorcerer, and Wizard Teams would be sure to give Shemei and her subordinates a run for their money.

It's too bad Kira's not with them, he idly mused as he cut down a Strike-Dagger with his beam saber, but no matter; I'll hunt him down after La Flaga and I settle our score. After all, this is the inferno that will consume humanity itself. It's only fitting that Hibiki's 'Ideal Human' die at the hands of the one who has cast judgment on mankind. A failed clone of a vain plutocrat striking down the Perfect Coordinator… yes, that shall be a sweet justice!

Like a mad wraith demon let loose from the abyss, Creuset carved himself a path of destruction towards the Hawk of Endymion. Scores would be settled, judgment meted out…

…and he would have his revenge against the rotten world of humanity.

….

Raising his rifle, Heero cut loose with another blast of golden-yellow hellfire. The wave of destruction washed over mobile suits from both sides of the fight, taking down eleven Earth Alliance machines and nine ZAFT ones before destroying a Nelson-class battleship. That attack was immediately followed up by the Judgment and the Wraiths opening up with everything they had, filling the sky with crimson plasma, emerald particle beams, and yellow railgun rounds. Tallgeese Kai's beam rifle rounded out the display, and the combined barrage sent another twenty five mobile suits of various types to the grave, along with a Drake-class escort ship.

Both sides are so mixed up it's hard to tell where one armada ends and another begins, Heero thought, I've never seen anything quite like it. Even the brawl at the Libra doesn't come near this battlefield…

The sheer chaos worked in the favor of the strike team; with the Archangel's force focused on mopping up the remaining carriers in Azrael's group while Waltfeld continued his drive towards Jachin Due and GENESIS Heero and his friends had no capital ships or mobile suit squadrons providing backup. They were making good time, and with the stakes so high every second counted.

What's Zala's next target?, he thought as he cut down a GINN, The armada again, or Earth?

There was no way to know, and that was why this had to end quickly.

On his sensors he suddenly saw a group of Strike-Daggers up ahead of them disappear. More Earth Alliance mobile suits quickly followed, and as Heero focused on that area he saw the source of their destruction appear on his screen.

A new model, he thought as he watched the large grey machine utterly maul Earth Alliance squadrons with its gun-drones, and it's got DRAGOONs… quite a few more than the Judgment or Cipher's unit, too.

La Flaga's voice came over the radio. "He's here."

"You mean that's Creuset?" asked Heero.

"Oh, yeah," La Flaga replied, "I've got that feeling again, and it's always right."

"He's heading right for us," said Shemei.

"And he's tearing it up," Lan chimed in, "Holy shit!"

"Fan out," Heero ordered, "I'll take point."

"Wait," said La Flaga, "Let me take him."

"Alone?" said Adaline incredulously, "You can't be serious."

"We need to fight him as a team!" Priscilla protested.

"Heero needs to get to ZAFT's cannon, and he needs backup," said La Flaga, "Every second that goes by is one less we have to stop that thing. You guys don't have time to play around with Creuset. I'll keep him off you. Besides, we've got a score to settle."

Heero nodded, though he had his concerns. Creuset's machine was no doubt nuclear powered, and he clearly knew how to use all those gun-drones to maximum efficiency. "Roger that. We'll pull back while you engage, then adjust our flight path to skirt the duel."

"La Flaga," said Shemei, "fight him up close; he'll have a much harder time using the DRAGOONs if you're right in his face. If he keeps you at range he'll overwhelm you."

"Got it," the Hawk of Endymion replied, "thanks for the tip."

Tallgeese Kai pulled ahead as the rest of the strike team dropped back and began to alter course.

"Good luck, La Flaga," said Heero.

"Thanks. You too."

….

Locking in on his targets, Kira once again cut loose with the formidable combined array of the Freedom's artillery and the METEOR unit. The multicolored barrage hammered the ZAFT mobile suits with pinpoint accuracy, knocking eight GINNs and two GuAIZs out of the fight.

To his right he saw Athrun open up with a bombardment of his own. The flurry of fire was lethal, downing six GIINNs and a GuAIZ in mere moments. Bullets and railgun rounds seemed to fill the space around him as Cagalli fought like hell to keep ZAFT units from flanking the Justice. All three M1 Astrays were still with her as well; Kira was impressed at how much their pilots had improved since he had first seen them use their mobile suits back in Orb.

The sheer chaos of the battle had only grown as the fighting continued, and Kira's group had actually increased their pace. The Eternal, Kusanagi, and the other warships of their task force, along with their supporting mobile suit squadrons, were likewise moving at a good clip, although it was not without cost; their casualties had just passed twenty-five percent. Despite the losses Kira was feeling good about their progress. Jachin Due and GENESIS grew larger before them with each passing second, and it would not be long before Waltfeld's part of the Three Ships Alliance's fleet would be confronting the final defense line of the asteroid fortress.

Things were going well, but something in the back of the young Coordinator's mind was nagging at him. It was a very odd sensation, a prickling feeling that something was out of place. The strangest thing was the puzzling belief that he should somehow recognize this, that it had been described to him before.

Why do I feel like this now?, he thought as he sliced off the rifle arm of a GINN with his beam sword, It's only been in the past few minutes that I've felt this sensation, and it's been growing. What is it?

A transmission from Heero gave him his answer. "Kira, Creuset's taken the field."

It all fell into place. That sensation was familiar because La Flaga had described it to him before; it was what the Hawk of Endymion had felt whenever Creuset was nearby.

But why am I feeling it now?

Part of his conversation with Heero back on Elysium flashed through his mind.

"I'm not an expert geneticist; I'm not qualified to go into detail on the experiment that ties you three together. However, it strikes me that if Creuset was right, that you're the 'Perfect Coordinator', you may only be just beginning to tap into your true abilities. You've managed to survive in this war without any real combat training, and your abilities have grown incredibly in a very short amount of time. Experience has been a good teacher for you, Kira, but I think there's more than that at play here. That awareness that La Flaga has when Creuset's nearby is something you could eventually get as well."

It was hard to believe, but Heero seemed to have been right.

"Where is he at?" asked Kira.

"Engaging La Flaga," Heero replied, "and he's got a new model. La Flaga's good, but the Tallgeese Kai's no match for what Creuset's flying."

As Heero was talking images flashed across Kira's display. They were all of the same large, dark gray mobile suit, and one with a large amount of DRAGOONs.

"Kira," Heero continued, "Go back up La Flaga."

Kira was startled. "What? I can't! We're still driving towards Jachin Due and that new weapon!"

"Athrun and the others can take it the rest of the way to Jachin Due," Heero replied, "and I'll clear this with Waltfeld before making my run on ZAFT's cannon. Kira, you know full well what Creuset wants to get out of this battle. He has to be taken down."

Kira nodded. The encounter with Creuset at L4 was still all too clear in his memory. No matter what, the masked madman had to be stopped.

"Right," he said, "I'm on my way."

"Thanks," said Heero, "I'm sending you his and La Flaga's approximate position now. Kira… you can't hold back this time."

"I know," Kira replied.

Heero nodded. "I'm counting on you. Good luck."

….

Start "War Pigs"

There was no time for subtlety in La Flaga's approach; the longer it took him to close the gap between him and Creuset the easier it would be for his rival to overwhelm him with the DRAGOONs. Pushing the Tallgeese Kai's engines to the limit and putting up a barrier with the Planet Defensors, La Flaga rushed in head-on, firing his rifle as he went.

None of the shots connected, and Creuset was quick to respond with his horde of gun-drones, filling space with emerald fire. La Flaga went evasive, and thanks to the cover provided by the shield drones he was able to keep pushing forward despite having to weave his way through a monsoon of particle beams. However, he couldn't keep the Planet Defensors activated indefinitely; they used too much power.

"Creuset!" he shouted as he finally made it to saber range.

His foe raised its violet blade, easily blocking the attack. At the same time he heard his rival's voice cackling over the radio. "I'm so glad you could make it, La Flaga! Tell me, what do you think of this little melodrama I've arranged?"

"You call this little?" La Flaga replied in disbelief as he lashed out again, "I don't care what happened to you! You've got no right to take your issues out on the human race like this! How many have died already because of you?"

"On the contrary," Creuset sneered as he parried La Flaga's strike, "I have the only right! My very existence is due to the twisted ambitions of mankind! I've been cursed by their endless greed, and it's only right that I be the one to deliver humanity's long overdue judgment!"

"So what if you're dying early because you're a clone?" La Flaga countered as he let loose with a volley from his rifle, "That's no excuse to take everyone else down with you!"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand," Creuset shot back as he unleashed his DRAGOONs again, "and I couldn't care less if you did or did not at this point! Come now, La Flaga. The stage is set; let us have our last dance!"

La Flaga shook his head as he was once again forced to weave through a hailstorm of emerald death, bringing his shield drones back up to block the fire he couldn't dodge. "You've lost your mind…"

He heard Creuset chuckle as the two of them rushed back in, violet blades at the ready. "Hardly, my old friend. My mind's never been clearer. I see our rotten species for the disease that it is, and only I have the will to purge it!"

"The will, maybe," La Flaga shot back as their sabers met, "but that's it. You came close, Creuset, I'll give you that, but we're ending this here and now!"

"You refer to Wing Zero's imminent attack on GENESIS?" asked Creuset, though the question was dripping with sarcasm, "Don't get me wrong; I admit he has the means and skill to take it down. However, there's no way he'll be able to line up a shot before it fires; Cerberus will meet him at the gate."

La Flaga raised an eyebrow as he lashed out again. "What are you talking about?"

Creuset laughed. "The hellhounds, my friend. It's really a shame that you'll be dead before Heero meets them in combat; I'm sure it will be quite the show."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," La Flaga growled as he dived to dodge fire from Creuset's shield guns, "I'm not going down without a fight!"

"No, of course not," Creuset replied as he opened up with his rifle, keeping La Flaga on the defensive, "and I would expect nothing less, my friend!"

Juking to the right to avoid the heavy particle beams, La Flaga gunned his engines, coming in hard and fast, his blade poised to strike. He brought the beam saber down in an overhand blow, but his rival brought his blade up to block the attack and warded it off without difficulty.

Damn it, thought La Flaga as he quickly moved to block Creuset's counterattack, his mobile suit has more power than mine. Raw strength won't win this one for me. It's gotta be speed!

Speed was something the Tallgeese Kai had in abundance, and it was also a smaller target than Creuset's machine. However, La Flaga had already spent considerable energy during the battle so far, and Creuset's mobile suit was definitely nuclear powered, putting the Hawk of Endymion at a severe handicap. Also, while Creuset's machine was bulkier it was still no slouch in the mobility department, and when combined with his foe's masterful use of its stunning arsenal it made for one incredibly formidable opponent.

La Flaga did his best to keep the action as close to Creuset as possible. However, his enemy could put more power into its sword swings, and despite La Flaga's best efforts he was forced to give ground whenever he blocked an attack, which gave Creuset an opening to use his DRAGOONs.

He went into a desperate series of turns, once again activating the Planet Defensors to take some of the fire off him. La Flaga managed to get a few shots off in return, but none of them were anywhere near their mark.

Shemei was right, he thought as frantically tried to keep ahead of the horde of gun-drones, if he keeps me at range like this I'm screwed!

Pushing his engines to their limit, La Flaga was finally able to break through the net of emerald fire. The pressure on his chest was intense, and he fought to keep himself from coughing. It was easy to forget in a fight like this that he faced almost as much danger from his own machine as he did from the enemy. He'd have to worry about the physical consequences later though; right now he needed every bit of speed he could get.

"I'm taking you down here and now!" he shouted as he made a vertical strike.

Creuset managed to block the attack, but La Flaga pressed his assault. He took another swipe at Creuset, this time going for a horizontal slash. Creuset was able to block this one too, but La Flaga noticed that it was a near thing.

His machine's bulkier than mine, he thought, it can't react so quickly up close like this.

La Flaga thrust out with his blade, but Creuset managed to redirect the blow. The Hawk of Endymion tried to transition into a slash, but he was forced to dive as his foe's four CIWS opened up. He managed to evade the shots, but it was a near thing. More importantly, it gave Creuset enough room to bring all his artillery to bear again. The space around him was once again filled with emerald light as all the DRAGOONs opened up, along with the beam rifle.

Once again the combination of the Tallgeese Kai's maneuverability and Planet Defensors saved his hide, but he knew that he couldn't keep this up forever. Between his rifle, saber, and the shield drones La Flaga was bleeding energy left and right. A prolonged battle overwhelmingly favored Creuset, but the Hawk of Endymion was hard pressed to turn the tide.

"You've done well, La Flaga," said Creuset as he continued to rain fire on him from all directions, "but we both know who's going to win this one. The child can never defeat the father!"

"Bullshit!" growled La Flaga as he took a few shots with his beam rifle, "My father's dead. You're just his batshit insane phantom!"

Creuset chuckled. "Maybe so. What does it matter at this point?"

"It doesn't," La Flaga shot back, managing to close the gap again, "but you can say hi to him when I send you to join him!"

Once again their violet blades crossed, sparks of energy flying as they met. La Flaga pressed forward, gunning the thrusters in an effort to push Creuset back. Unfortunately it was to no avail; Creuset's machine was simply too strong, its engines too powerful.

Creuset struck back with a broad slash from his sword. La Flaga managed to block it, but the effort pushed him back, and Creuset immediately followed up the sword strike with fire from his CIWS and the guns on the shield. The streams of bullets and particle beams forced him back, and the DRAGOONs were waiting for him.

Emerald death filled the space around him. Once again La Flaga deployed the Planet Defensors and used every ounce of the Tallgeese Kai's agility, but this time he wasn't so lucky. His mobile suit shuddered as it took hits to the legs and shoulders. The arm holding the beam rifle was blown off at the elbow; there was simply too much fire coming in from too many directions for the shield drones to block it all or for him to evade.

"Accept it, La Flaga!" Creuset cackled, "You've lost! You and the rest of the human race!"

La Flaga glared. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not done yet!"

He tried to match words with action, but with the loss of the rifle his disadvantage had only grown. The CIWS would do nothing against his foe, and he was hard pressed to get back into beam saber range. It was all he could do to avoid taking more hits, and he knew that it wouldn't last.

La Flaga made a desperate charge, throwing every bit of speed he had into the attack. His mobile suit took another hit, this time to the left shoulder, but he still managed to press forward. Finally reaching saber range, he thrust out with his blade. Creuset caught the attack and deflected it. As he did so he once again opened up with his CIWS, and the bullets chewed up La Flaga's sword arm.

"You're finished, La Flaga!" Creuset shouted as he raised his rifle.

However, before he could fire a torrent of particle and plasma beams ripped through the space around them. Creuset was forced to pull back, and La Flaga's eyes widened as he saw his savior.

"Kira!" he shouted, "What are you doing here?"

"Heero sent me!" the young man replied, "Get back to the Archangel! I've got this guy!"

La Flaga nodded. "All right. Don't hold back, Kira!"

"I know," Kira replied, and La Flaga was surprised by the uncharacteristic grimness in his voice.

Maybe this time he can do it, he thought, He'll have to; I've lost this round.

He broke away and began heading back to the Archangel. While he knew there was no point in him continuing to fight in a badly damaged mobile suit, La Flaga still felt like he was letting everyone down. It wasn't enough that he was still alive, had not only fought through the Alliance armada but stormed their flagship and had rescued the woman he loved; there was too much at stake for him to pack up and head back to base and leave the final act to the Freedom and Wing Zero.

Then his eyes widened in sudden realization.

Zero…

He smiled as he remembered what was still in the hangar bay of the Archangel.

He wasn't done yet.

End "War Pigs"

….

The space between Kira and Creuset filled with light as the two combatants unleashed every bit of artillery they had. Even with the incredible speed and power of the Freedom Kira knew that he would be hard pressed to defeat his foe. Not only did the DRAGOONs mean that Kira had to evade fire from all directions, but his adversary was right in the middle of the battle he had always wanted. An insane fury was driving Creuset now, and when combined with his skills and experience it made for an enemy unlike any Kira had ever fought before. The closest comparison he could find was his desperate clash with Heero at Orb, and given that the only reason he had survived that was due to Captain Ramius using Wing Zero's override code that did not bode well for the battle that he was in now.

"So you managed to save La Flaga," Creuset sneered at him as he rained down an emerald monsoon on Kira, "It won't do you much good, boy! The final hour is at hand; mankind will burn!"

"How could you possibly want this?" cried Kira as he returned fire while trying to stay ahead of the barrage, "It doesn't matter that you're a clone; you're still human!"

"Don't patronize me, boy!" his enemy shouted, "The sentiment of one person means nothing when compared to the overwhelming greed and arrogance of humanity as a whole. As I am neither Natural nor Coordinator I stand outside the pathetic attempts at classification and categorization of the likes of Azrael and Zala! Al Da Flaga and Hibiki saw me as nothing more than garbage, but because of their rejection I am the only one fit to cast judgment on humanity!"

"No one has that right!" Kira screamed at him as the two combatants continued to pour a near non-stop rain of fire on each other, "One person can't be the sole decider of mankind's worth!"

Creuset laughed. "Parroting the songstress? Is that all you're good for? You're more pathetic than I thought, Kira Yamato! Oh, the professor must be rolling in his grave right now! His prized creation, so naïve and weak! If he were still alive he'd kill himself!"

"I don't give a damn about Professor Hibiki!" Kira shot back as he rushed towards Creuset, "I don't care if I'm the result of his experiments or not! That's got nothing to do with why I'm fighting you now!"

Creuset charged forward to meet him, both combatants firing as they went. "Fool! It's got everything to do with it! From the moment you were born, you and I were destined to fight. Hibiki's greatest success and his greatest failure; this is a death match sixteen years in the making!"

At that moment their blades crossed. The large beam swords of the METEOR unit gave Kira a major advantage in reach, but he didn't let that fool him into thinking that was the decisive edge; Creuset had more than enough skill to counter that.

"Accept it!" Creuset sneered, "The fact that a battle like this came about is proof of what I told you at Mendel!"

"Bullshit!" Kira yelled, "You planted the seeds for this fight!"

"And mankind brought them to fruition!" Creuset cackled as the two machines broke off and began cutting loose with their artillery, "Azrael and the High Command, Zala and his Councils; the two leading bodies of humanity happily danced to the tune that I called! They eagerly embraced their hatred and let me fan its flames. Both have the arrogance to believe that they are the true rulers of mankind, and both have the greed to want to reign over the entire Earth Sphere and leave nothing for anyone else! The Cosmic Era burns because men like them have been allowed to ascend to the heights of power, and it is only right that it is consumed by the fire that they have lit!"

Kira's eyes narrowed as he tried to match Creuset's fire while keeping ahead of his foe's barrage. It was no easy task; the fire from the DRAGOONs came from many different vectors, and the METEOR unit made him a much bigger target. So far both parties had managed to avoid serious hits, but Kira knew that could not last forever.

How do I beat him?, Kira thought as they traded fire, He's more experienced, he has those DRAGOONs… what do I have to do to win?

There was one thing he knew for sure.

He was running out of time.

….

Start "Sins of the Father"

Father…

The confrontation Athrun had feared since long before the start of this battle was fast approaching. Continuing to blast a path through the chaotic battlefield, the massive asteroid fortress of Jachin Due now filled most of the space ahead of him. There were no organized defense lines now, no tight formations of mobile suits and warships; the titanic clash had become one gargantuan free-for-all.

The beam cannons of his mobile suit and METEOR unit blazing with emerald death and the twin fountains of violet light that were the large beam swords enabled Athrun to carve a path through the bloodshed. Both sides were so mixed up now that the former ZAFT ace was cutting down almost as many Earth Alliance units as he was GINNs and GuAIZs. Cagalli and the three Orb test pilots still had his back, but the fighting had reached a fever pitch, and he was sure they had to be tiring. While he was grateful for their support, he regretted bringing them along on his journey to stop his father. This was his responsibility, and he didn't want to get the girl he loved or her friends killed in the process.

Countless explosions lit up the void every second, every single one a brief candle for the newly departed. How many had died so far? How many more would die before it was all over?

Was this what you wanted, Father?, he thought as he cut down two GuAIZs with his beam swords, The battle of Armageddon raging on the front door of the PLANTs? All of humanity at risk of being wiped out?

He shook his head as he entered a ZAFT frequency into his communications array. This was a long shot to put it mildly, but he had to try.

He couldn't bring himself to believe just yet that his father was beyond saving.

"This is Athrun Zala to Jachin Due," he said as he shot down two GINNs and a Strike-Dagger, "Chairman Zala, please respond! Father!"

Much to his surprise he saw the face of his father appear on the screen. However, that surprise quickly became despair as he saw the look on his face. The elder Zala glared at his son, his teeth clenched in rage, the fires of fury and vengeance blazing in his eyes.

"You have some nerve calling out to me here and now," the Chairman growled, "If you've come to beg for the lives of your fellow traitors you're wasting your breath."

"Father, this has to stop!" Athrun yelled, "Azrael is dead along with the High Command and the Earth forces' nukes have been neutralized! This battle is meaningless now!"

"The Natural threat still exists!" his father shot back, "They are still attacking us, bent on getting through our lines and annihilating our home, with or without their nukes, and they will continue to do so for as long as we allow them to live! The Naturals intend to finish what they started with the Bloody Valentine, and the only way to counter that threat is to purge them once and for all!"

"That's not true!" Athrun shouted as he continued to shoot down Earth Alliance and ZAFT mobile suits, "The only reason this battle continues now is because of the threat your new weapons poses! Father, you can't fire that thing at the Earth!"

"I can and I will!" the elder Zala snarled, "This is the hour of both our ascendance and our revenge! We will take our rightful place as the next level of human evolution and destroy the savages that would deny us our destiny! We will take the persecution they have tormented us with, their attempts to wipe us out, and turn them against us! GENESIS is our means to secure our future and our vengeance!"

"You can't do this!" Athrun cried, "Avenging mother isn't worth this!"

"You have no right to mention her after your treachery!" his father roared, "When you turned against us you betrayed more than just your people; you spat on her memory as well! With GENESIS I will bring justice to Lenore and all other Coordinators! I will not let you stand in the way of our crusade!"

"Crusade?" said Athrun incredulously, "Father, can't you hear yourself? You sound like Blue Cosmos!"

"It is only through embracing the enemy's brutality that we can defeat them once and for all!" the elder Zala countered, "Of course, I wouldn't expect you to understand; you've always been weak-willed. It doesn't matter now though; you will not live to witness our triumph and revenge. You and the rest of the traitors will burn along with the beasts you chose over your own people."

"Father!" cried Athrun.

It was too late; Patrick Zala had already disappeared from the screen.

"Athrun…" said Cagalli.

Athrun was despondent. Had he really fought so hard, come so far, just for it to come to this? To have his father utterly and completely reject his plea for sanity, to shove aside the hand he had reached out to pull him back from the brink?

He shook his head. It couldn't end here.

"Cagalli," said Athrun, "I'm going inside Jachin Due."

"I know," she replied, "and I'm going with you."

Athrun shook his head. "You don't have to do this."

"If you're going, I'm going," said Cagalli firmly, "and you can't stop me."

Athrun nodded, and despite everything that had just happened he couldn't help but smile. "All right… and thanks."

"Anytime," she said, "Now, let's do this!"

Athrun's eyes narrowed. "Right."

I'm coming for you, father!

One way or another…

…this ends here!

….

The scene in the command center of Jachin Due was one of barely-contained pandemonium. Flight controllers, sensor operators, commanding officers… none of them had ever faced a battle anywhere near on the scale of this one. The sheer scale and brutality of the brawl was overwhelming for even the most experienced operators and officers. All organized formations, offensive and defensive alike, had practically disintegrated, and bringing any sense of order to the surviving forces was an exercise in futility.

Patrick Zala surveyed it all with seething rage. Were his subordinates really this weak-willed? The solution to all their problems was blatantly obvious, but none of them had the nerve to put it into motion.

"What the hell is the matter with you all?" he shouted, "Hurry up and arm GENESIS! Our target is the Atlantic Federation's capital, Washington D.C. Hit them with our full power!"

A stunned silence momentarily fell over the command center. Then the murmurs and mutterings began, and they only served to further fan the flames of Zala's fury as he heard them.

"Full power…" said a woman softly.

"But… but that would wipe out all live on Earth…" said a man.

"We can't…" another murmured, "We just can't…"

"It's too far…" said a woman in horror, "Why… how could anyone…?"

"Our fleet would be caught in the blast!" a man cried.

Zala rose from his station, glaring at his underlings.

"Weaklings!" he snarled as he moved forward, "Get out of the way! I'll do it myself if none of you have the nerve!"

"Chairman!" cried one of the staff officers, "You can't…"

"Shut up!" he shrieked, "I'll put an end to all of this with a single attack! I'll have my victory and my vengeance!"

"The Grand Fleet's in the line of fire!" shouted another officer, "You'd murder them and all life on Earth!"

"Silence!" Zala roared as he reached the console and began to enter the activation sequence for GENESIS, "The Grand Fleet's fighting so we can win this war once and for all! Our soldiers have always been prepared to make exactly this sort of sacrifice!"

That was when a shot rang out.

Zala froze. Looking down, he saw blood seeping from a hole in his chest, yet for some reason he felt no pain. Was it due to adrenaline, to the sheer shock at what had just happened? He didn't know.

Turning around, his eyes widened as he saw one of his subordinates pointing their sidearm at him, their hands trembling and wisps of smoke coming from the barrel.

"I've got family in Orb," he said, "I… have friends there too. This… this is no way to fight a war!"

"Traitor…" Zala growled as he reached for his sidearm.

The Chairman was the only one moving to act against the man that had shot him; the rest of the command center, momentarily frozen by the shooting, had now broken out into sheer chaos.

"The Chairman's been shot!" cried a man.

"Is it a coup d'état?" asked a woman.

"What do we do?" yelled another man.

Weaklings, Zala silently fumed, traitors, cowards…

He raised his pistol and shot the man that had shot him. His attacker slumped over, blood flowing from the chest wound. Zala turned back to the console, but it was at that moment that the pain he should've felt before now hit him with full force. He clutched the edge of the console, but because the activation sequence for GENESIS had been interrupted it had reset, and Zala was shaking too badly to have a hope of entering it accurately. He knew that he was dying, but he was determined to go through with his act of vengeance.

I've still got my backup, he thought.

He slammed his fist into a glass panel to the right of the keyboard. The glass shattered, with bits of it imbedding in his hand. Ignoring the blood flowing from his knuckles, Zala pressed the red button beneath it.

A timer appeared on the main screen, and red lights began flashing. As alarms blared and the command center staff devolved into a panicked mob, Zala smiled.

One way or another, his will would be done.

….

Athrun, Cagalli fought as she cut down a GuAIZ, I'm so sorry…

Athrun may have called his father on a ZAFT frequency, but he'd kept her and her teammates patched for the whole thing. It was one thing to have disagreements with a parent; Cagalli was no stranger to that. However, to have one's father be consumed by such hatred, to be condemned in their eyes, seen as another enemy… Cagalli couldn't begin to imagine the pain. Her father may have been dead, but at least he had died as a noble man, willing to give his life for the future of not just his people but all of mankind.

Athrun was watching his father complete his transformation into a monster.

She wanted to comfort him, but the battlefield was hardly the place for that. All she could do for right now was fight alongside him and help him see this struggle through to the end.

"Damn it," said Asagi as she shot down a GINN, "there's no end to these guys!"

"Just hang in there!" Cagalli replied as she ripped up a Strike-Dagger with her gatling gun, "We're almost to Jachin Due!"

"I hope so," said Mayura as she impaled a GINN, "How much longer can this battle go on?"

"As long as GENESIS is still aimed at the Earth," Juri answered grimly while shooting down a Buster-Dagger.

GENESIS, Cagalli thought with disgust as she recalled hearing Athrun's father name ZAFT's horrifying new weapon, The beginning of all life for the Christian faith, now turned into the means to end all life… someone in ZAFT has a sick sense of irony.

She shook her head. What ZAFT called that monstrosity didn't matter at this point. The only thing that mattered was stopping it. Erica Simmons had mentioned a tight-beam transmission going between Jachin Due and the weapon; storming the fortress would let them confront Patrick Zala and stop GENESIS at the same time.

Cagalli didn't let herself think about how they would make their way to the fortresses' command center; that they could figure out after they got through the final defenses and actually made it inside Jachin Due.

Focusing on the fortress, Cagalli realized that their path forward was now practically clear. A few scattered machines from both sides occasionally crossed their flight path, but as she looked on she saw only two mobile suits arrayed directly against them. However, Cagalli could immediately see that these two machines were not like the ones that they had fought before.

At first glanced they appeared to be hybrids of the GuAIZ, Freedom, and Justice designs. The basic frame was clearly that of the GuAIZ, but it was a little larger, and the power readings coming from it indicated both a nuclear reactor and Phase Shift Armor. The units were both primarily yellow, although they also had red and white trim. Mounted on their backs was the same kind of lifter unit that the Justice had, and included the same armaments. Each unit held a beam rifle of the same type used by both the Freedom and the Justice, while at their hips were the railguns used by Kira's mobile suit. Rounding out their arsenals were the same Composite Shields used by the mainline GuAIZ with violet beam claws blazing from emitters on the end, along with two CIWS each mounted on their heads.

"New models!" cried Mayura.

"Those look nasty," said Asagi.

"Can we beat those?" said Juri nervously.

Cagalli was ready for a fight, but she knew it would not be easy. Those machines' Phase Shift Armor would nullify all her ranged weapons, and only her beam saber would be any good against them. In purely technical terms those new mobile suits outclassed both the Strike Rouge IWSP-X and the M1 Astrays. Only the Justice would be a match for them, and all that still wasn't counting the potential skill of the enemy pilots.

New models and guarding Jachin Due, she thought, Those guys have to be one of those Special Operations squadrons!

"Cagalli," said Athrun, "you and the others stay back and cover the rear. I'll handle these guys."

Cagalli shook her head. "No, I'm not letting you fight alone. If we all attack together we can end this quickly!"

Athrun nodded, clearly knowing that there was no way to dissuade her. "All right. I'll take point then. Let's go."

Cagalli and her teammates pulled back as Athrun moved forward. A rain of emerald beams flew from the Justice and the METEOR unit, but the two ZAFT machines reacted quickly, splitting up and returning fire with a hail of particle beams and railgun rounds.

"Damn it," said Athrun, "I'll take the one on the right. Keep the one on the left off my back until I take out my guy!"

"Got it!" Cagalli replied, "Girls, on me! I'll lead!"

"Roger that!" all three chimed.

Even though it wouldn't do any damage against her foe's Phase Shift Armor, Cagalli still sighted in with her railguns and opened up. The rounds could still distract her enemy and give her and her friends a critical opening. Backing her up, the three M1 test pilots opened fire with their beam rifles.

Their foe responded immediately, raising its shield to block the shots that it couldn't dodge while returning fire with its beam and railguns. Cagalli and her comrades were forced onto the defensive; the enemy's counterattacks were both powerful and accurate.

No mistake, she thought as she took a particle beam on her shield, these guys are definitely Special Ops pilots! I should've asked Athrun or Heero for pointers on fighting guys like this before the battle…

She brought her beam saber up as she closed the gap with the enemy. Cagalli struck out with a horizontal slash, but the ZAFT pilot was easily able to block the attack. However, while she was engaging the enemy head on the three M1s were spreading out, opening up with their beam rifles in flanking attacks.

The enemy quickly pulled back, bringing its shield up and returning fire with everything it had. Cagalli and her comrades couldn't press their assault through the barrage; the machine may not have been the Freedom, but it still had plenty of artillery and its pilot wielded it skillfully.

Cagalli's eyes widened as the ZAFT mobile suit pushed forward, making a beeline right for her. She opened up with her railguns and gatling gun, but the enemy knew as well as she did that the bullets and slugs were useless against Phase Shift Armor and just tanked the rounds as it charged. Cagalli brought up her beam saber, barely able to block a swipe from the mobile suit's beam claws.

Beam fire from her comrades forced the enemy back, but Cagalli was shaken. It had been a close call, a fierce attack, and as she poured railgun and gatling fire on her foe she realized that they were once again setting up to attack her.

Has he identified me as the lead?, she thought as she brought her beam saber up again to block another beam claw swipe, Take me out to scatter and demoralize the others… that's gotta be his game plan!

This time she was successfully able to counterattack. Cagalli pressed forward, and once again with the help of her comrades was able to drive the ZAFT pilot back. However, before they could press their advantage the enemy cut loose with its railguns and beam rifle while at the same time detaching its lifter unit. The pack flew around the prototype and opened up with its beam cannons and machine guns.

"Damn it!" cried Asagi as she took the fire from the lifter on her shield.

"Hang on!" shouted Mayura, who fired a quick volley at the remote attacker.

While the two girls fended off the lifter Cagalli yet again found herself confronted with the main unit, and this time with only Juri backing her up. The ZAFT machine climbed, bombarding Cagalli and Juri as it did so with fire from its rifle and railguns. This time Cagalli didn't wait for the enemy to use the barrage as cover for a charge; she moved forward even as the ZAFT mobile suit continued to fire.

She caught a brief glimpse of Athrun as she once again crossed energy blades with her foe. He and his enemy were exchanging continuous volleys of fire, with neither able to get into close combat range. The METEOR unit gave Athrun the edge in firepower, but its size made him a larger target for the ZAFT machine, which went a long way towards evening the odds. Cagalli also had no way to know if Athrun's internal turmoil was playing a role as well; the knowledge that the next step after this was to end things with his father once and for all had to be weighing heavily on him. She could only hope that he would be able to keep it at bay and focus on the fight at hand.

"You do not belong here," said a male voice as she tried to counterattack.

"The hell do you know?" she shot back as she thrust forward with her blade.

"Did you think we did not know what unit you flew, Cagalli Yula Athha?" the enemy pilot replied, "A princess has no place in the realm of soldiers."

"Cut the crap!" Cagalli yelled as she blocked another strike, "I've earned my right to be here!"

"No," said the ZAFT pilot, "and your subordinates will pay the price!"

The enemy suddenly pulled back, firing a quick shot from its rifle before going upward. As Cagalli evaded the attack her eyes widened as she saw where the enemy was going.

"Juri!" she cried, gunning her engines in pursuit.

The M1 test pilot had been trying to set herself up to attack the enemy from above while Cagalli was fighting him, but the ZAFT pilot had clearly taken notice. Cagalli poured railgun and gatling fire into the mobile suit, but the enemy just ignored it as the rounds were deflected by the Phase Shift Armor. He opened fire with his beam rifle and railguns, and while Juri was able to survive the barrage the enemy was able to close the gap…

…and slice her machine in half.

Cagalli froze, and her face went pale. "No…"

The ZAFT pilot came right back at her, and it was all she could do to block his attack. He pressed his assault, and Cagalli found herself pushed back under the assault, unable to make a counterattack.

Damn it, she thought, I've got to pull myself together! Juri… I'm sorry.

A flurry of emerald beams caused the ZAFT prototype to break off. Cagalli turned and saw that another M1 had fired the shots while the remaining one was still trading fire with the lifter.

"Lady Cagalli!" cried Mayura, "Are you ok?"

"Mayura," said Cagalli, "He got Juri!"

"I know," she replied, "but she wouldn't want us getting distracted at a time like this, right?"

Cagalli nodded, her eyes narrowing. "Right."

"Now," said Mayura, "Lets…"

She never got the chance to finish; her M1 was ripped apart by railgun rounds and a particle beam.

Cagalli's blood chilled. Two friends killed mere seconds apart, both while trying to help her…

She couldn't let that happen to Asagi too.

In her anger and grief, she suddenly found clarity…

…with the image of a seed bursting in her mind.

….

The shock of losing her two best friends in the span of seconds still gripped Asagi, and she found herself barely able to ward off the lifter that had detached from the ZAFT mobile suit. She took particle beams and machinegun rounds on her shield, and what fire she threw back at it only managed to keep it at bay. Was the enemy's skill so great that they could precisely manage the lifter like this even while engaging in a separate fight with Lady Cagalli? Was the M1 Astray so badly outclassed by the ZAFT machine that even its secondary weapon could easily overwhelm her?

Or was she too stricken by sorrow to give this fight her all?

Juri and Mayura weren't just casual friends. She'd taken classes with them at school and the military academy. They'd been in the same unit ever since joining the Orb military. They'd survived the Earth Alliance invasion, the rescue of the Eternal, the raid on the PLANTs, the fight at L4, saving Task Force 9.3, and the Battle of Elysium; you couldn't go through all of that with someone without powerful bonds holding you together.

She knew she had to focus, that she could grieve for them later, but it was hard to take that kind of perspective after all that they had been through together. Asagi continued to take the fire from the lifter on her shield, while her return fire was barely enough to keep the unit from pressing its assault and finishing her. It was her duty to defend Lady Cagalli, but how could she do that when she was hardly able to fend off what was essentially a drone?

Sparing a glance at her commander, Asagi's eyes widened as she saw Lady Cagalli suddenly on the offensive. The Strike Rouge IWSP-X had somehow pushed the ZAFT prototype back, and it was now hammering the machine with a lightning fast series of beam saber strikes.

As Asagi continued to block fire from the lifter she could not help but be amazed at the sudden turnaround in Lady Cagalli's part of the fight. Where had that come from? Now it was almost like she was watching Kira or Athrun fight, not Orb's tomboy princess.

"Asagi!" cried Lady Cagalli as she pressed her assault, "Don't lose hope! No matter what happens, we have to win!"

It was such a sharp contrast from just a few moments ago. The enemy had had them on the ropes, but now Lady Cagalli had turned the tables. She was flying like Asagi had never seen her fly before, expertly attacking, parrying, and counterattacking as she continued to push the ZAFT pilot back.

The display was enough to reenergize Asagi. If her commander could still fight even after the losses they had just suffered, then she had to do the same.

I'm not about to get taken out by a damn drone, she thought as she saw the lifter come around for another pass, This thing's going down!

Her shield in front of her, she charged forward, meeting the lifter head on. The M1 was buffeted by the beams and bullets hitting the shield, but Asagi knew she was on target. Mentally counting down, she waited for the last possible second before diving. At the same time she raised her blade and sliced the lifter in half.

She turned to help Lady Cagalli, but it turned out her commander didn't need any aid. While Asagi had been finishing off the lifter Lady Cagalli had sliced the enemy's beam rifle in half. Asagi was just in time to watch her leader slip to the left, into the enemy's new blind spot, and jab her violet blade through the ZAFT mobile suit's cockpit.

That just leaves Athrun now, she though.

It turned out Athrun didn't need any help either. The Justice had finally gained a decisive edge over its foe, ripping apart its rifle and lifter with the METEOR unit's guns before slicing it in half vertically with its large beam sword.

"Come on," said Athrun, "We've wasted enough time here."

"How will we get into Jachin Due?" asked Lady Cagalli.

"We'll use the upper dock," Athrun replied as he took point, "With the METEOR unit's beam swords I can cut through the outer blast doors with no problem. The command center won't be too far from there."

"What about once we're inside?" asked Asagi nervously.

"Just follow my lead," said Athrun, "I'll figure something out."

I hope so, Asagi thought as the three of them made a beeline for the fortress, because I didn't just survive that fight to die inside that rock!

End "Sins of the Father"

….

The upper dock of Jachin Due was designed to house warships for repair and resupply. It was because of that that it was one of the few that was capable of fitting the Justice when it had the METEOR pack equipped; it couldn't enter the much smaller mobile suit launch bays with that thing attached.

Athrun was barely focusing as he slammed the METEOR's beam swords into the blast doors and began to carve his way through. This would take just a few seconds, and his mind was already focused past this point. His plan was simple; make a break for the nearest entrance and get to the bridge. The upper dock was mere minutes away from the command center, and Athrun was hopeful that the security forces wouldn't have time to organize an effective counter to their boarding action.

Once he breached the doors, he saw that the docks were scrambling with activity, but none of it was directed at him. As he entered the fortress he could see a horde of figures clad in space suits in a mad rush for the nearest shuttles.

"What the hell?" he said as he made his way forward.

"They're evacuating?" asked Cagalli incredulously.

"This can't be just because of us," Asagi chimed in.

Athrun nodded. "Agreed. We'll land at the far end of the docs and head for the bridge. If they're evacuating then the resulting confusion should make it easier to get to the command center."

As they touched down Athrun expected to be confronted by someone; the three mobile suits would be impossible to miss, especially given how the Justice had just hacked its way into the fortress. However, there were no Marine fire teams, or anyone else for that matter, making any sort of move to intercept them. He was fortunate that there was no gravity inside this part of the fortress; otherwise he would've had to detach the METEOR unit and leave it outside.

"Lock down your suits and follow me," he said, "It's not far to the command center from here."

He powered down the Justice and opened up the hatch. He looked out cautiously, an assault rifle at the ready, but still no one was making a move to attack them. Locking down his machine, he began to drift towards the nearest exit with Cagalli and Asagi close behind him.

It was utter chaos as they made their way through the fortress. Everyone was in a mad rush to get out of the base, which made Athrun nervous as they continued. The defense lines may have been collapsing but the Earth forces were in just as much chaos and confusion as ZAFT; they were in no position to launch a coordinated assault on Jachin Due. There was no reason that Athrun could think of for evacuating the base, yet that was undoubtedly what was happening. Something wasn't right, and he had a feeling he would find out what it was when he reached the command center.

"How much further?" asked Cagalli.

Athrun gestured forward with his rifle. "Just up ahead. Be ready. I… I'm not sure what we're going to find when we get there."

Cagalli put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't lose hope, Athrun. It's not over yet."

Is it?, he thought as they approached the entrance to the command center, My father's gone mad, Jachin Due is in utter chaos… maybe it's not over, but it's the end of everything I've ever known before.

He was worried about how they might force their way into the command center, but much to his surprise the doors were wide open. From what he could see through the doorway the room appeared to be completely deserted. Entering the vast chamber, he spotted his father almost immediately.

Drifting over a control console with blood floating all around him.

"Father!" he cried, rushing forward.

He knew before he reached his father that he was dead, but he still went through the motions, checking his vitals. Athrun let go of his rifle and just stared at the floating corpse.

So this is where it took you, he thought, all your anger, hatred, and grief. Father... mother would never have wanted this. What the hell made you think she ever would?

Once again he felt Cagalli's hand on his shoulder. "Athrun… I'm sorry."

Athrun shook his head. "Don't apologize, Cagalli… he made his choice."

"And you tried to save him from it," she replied, "You did everything you could."

Had he?

He'd never know.

"Uhm, guys?" said Asagi, "Hate to break this up, but we got a problem."

"What is it?" asked Athrun.

The girl pointed at the main screen.

Athrun and Cagalli followed her finger, and their faces paled at what they saw.

There was a picture of both GENESIS and Jachin Due.

Along with a timer.

"Father, what have you done?" asked Athrun in horror.

….

Waltfeld braced himself against the arm of his chair as the Eternal took another hit. "Damage report!"

"Starboard missile launchers Two and Three are out!" DaCosta replied, "Other than that, we're still in the fight!"

Pretty minor given the scale of this Charlie Foxtrot, Waltfeld mused, but it can always get worse.

Outside the main bridge viewport he could see Aisha's GuAIZ continuing to mix it up with mobile suits from both sides of the battle. The Tigress was on a tear, proving that Waltfeld had chosen her long ago as the LaGOWE for her skills and not because she was his lover. She was as deadly at long range as she was close up, and with the support of the Eternal she was a truly fearsome combatant. However, the battle had been raging for quite some time now, and Waltfeld knew she had to be getting worn out. He could only hope that she would have the strength to endure the rest of it, and that his ship could keep her alive while fighting to fulfill its daunting mission of preventing a fierce clash from becoming wholesale slaughter.

With Athrun, Cagalli, and Asagi now inside Jachin Due, Waltfeld's operation was in limbo. He wasn't about to fire on the fortress while they were still inside, but depending on what happened he knew he could have to intervene. For now his force was still pushing through the grand brawl, warding off the ZAFT fleet and keeping the Earth Alliance from making a direct attack on the PLANTs.

At least the nuclear threat's been dealt with, he thought, though I never imagined Heero'd pull a stunt like that to do it. Just when you think you've got him figured out…

After the Fall of Avalon Waltfeld hadn't thought there'd be anything crazier that Wing Zero's pilot could do in this war. The attack on the Dominion had proved him dead wrong, and it had paid off in spectacular fashion. Azrael was dead, the black warship was now on their side, and with the data provided by its captain the Archangel's force had been able to eliminate the bulk of the surviving nuclear arsenal. Now Heero's strike team was powering through the brawl, on a heading that could take them to either Jachin Due or GENESIS should they choose. Meanwhile, Captain Ramius and her force had reoriented themselves and were now carving their own path through the entangled ZAFT Grand Fleet and the Earth Alliance armada, following Wing Zero's flight path.

Glancing at Lacus, he saw the songstress staring at her personal monitor, and it didn't take a genius to know that she was watching the clash between Kira and Creuset. Waltfeld hadn't argued when Heero had contacted him after sending Kira to fight the insane Field Marshal that had done so much to drive both sides to this point; Creuset had to be taken down if there was any chance at all at salvaging a peace from this madness. However, whether or not the kid could pull it off was another matter. He had the skills, but Waltfeld could only hope that between their last clash and now he had finally found the will to do it.

Creuset's already brought us to the brink of Armageddon, he thought grimly, We can't let him live.

"Sir!" said the communications officer, "Wing Zero's on the line!"

Waltfeld nodded. "Put him through."

Heero appeared on the main monitor. "Any word from Athrun?"

Waltfeld shook his head. "Nothing, and he hasn't come out of Jachin Due yet either. You thinking of going in after him?"

Heero shook his head. "We don't have time. I won't attack the fortress while he and Cagalli are still inside, but I'm not just going to sit outside and wait for him either. I'm taking the strike team for a run on ZAFT's weapon."

Waltfeld nodded. "We'll alter course and come at it from another angle. There's no way Zala left that thing unguarded. I'll pass the word along to Captain Ramius."

"Roger that," Heero replied, "Wing Zero out."

Waltfeld turned to Lacus as Heero disappeared from the screen. "Sorry, but we can't afford to keep waiting for Athrun and Cagalli."

Lacus nodded. "I understand, but… we should at least make another attempt to contact them before we move on."

"All right," he said.

He was about to give the order when the communications officer shouted again. "Urgent transmission from the Justice, sir!"

"Speak of the devil," said Waltfeld, "Patch it through."

Athrun appeared on the screen, and even through his helmet visor Waltfeld could see the panicked expression on his face. "Sir, we have to attack GENESIS now!"

Waltfeld's good eye narrowed. "What happened, Athrun?"

"My father's dead," said Athrun, "but before he died he activated Jachin Due's self destruct mechanism, and it's linked to GENESIS! When the fortress blows the weapon will fire at maximum power, and it's locked onto Washington D.C.! We can't attack Jachin Due to stop it either; if the station's destroyed before the countdown finishes that will still trigger the firing sequence for GENESIS!"

Waltfeld's blood froze. Erica Simmons' earlier analysis of the weapon had not been forgotten. A blast from that thing would wipe out all life on Earth. Even if the secondary mirror was destroyed and that threat eliminated, the original beam was still a potent threat in its own right.

The Washington metropolitan area alone has a population of about 8 million, he thought, and that's not counting the rest of the planet! Patrick Zala, you son of a bitch…

"How long do we have?" he asked.

"Twenty-three minutes left and counting!" Athrun replied.

"Damn it!" Waltfeld growled, "Athrun, get out of there and get to that weapon now!"

"Understood!" he replied before signing off.

"Comm," said Waltfeld, "Get Wing Zero and the Archangel on the line now!"

….

"Tallgeese Kai is inside!" Miriallia reported, "Arrestor nets made a clean catch!"

Murrue nodded. "Is the Moebius Zero ready to go?"

"Confirmed!" Miriallia replied, "It just needs its pilot."

"As soon as La Flaga's inside get it on the catapult and in the air!" Murrue ordered.

The Archangel and her ragtag fleet had already finished off the carriers pointed out to them by Natarle and were now rushing to catch up to Heero and the strike team. Of course, the term 'catch up' was a bid misleading; there was no way a force of warships could match the speed of the finest mobile suits in the Cosmic Era, especially not when said mobile suits were flown by top tier pilots. However, Murrue knew she could still aid her boyfriend by keeping both Alliance and ZAFT forces from regrouping and attacking him from behind, and she intended to do just that.

Murrue and Natarle's ships were at the head of the formation, cutting loose with every weapon they had operational to burn a path through the massive brawl. The rest of the Archangel's force gave what they could to the fight despite growing damage and casualties. They were now down to just over 130 capital ships, and most of the survivors had taken hits to varying degrees. It pained Murrue deeply to know that so many people had died under her command so far, but she could not dwell on that now. The battle still raged, and if they wanted any chance at all of surviving this insanity then she had to keep herself together and focused on the fight.

"Moebius Zero is on the catapult!" Miriallia reported, "La Flaga, you are green for launch!"

A second later Murrue saw the venerable mobile armor take off from the portside catapult. La Flaga hadn't flown it since the orbital battle all those months ago, and she hoped he could still handle the craft.

Fortunately it looked as though he was still capable of wielding his old machine. The Hawk of Endymion was wasting no time in throwing himself into the furball. Right off the bat he picked off a Strike-Dagger with the main linear gun before deploying the four wire-guided gunbarrel pods. Autocannons blazing, the pods ripped into a GINN from multiple angles, tearing it apart. From there the Hawk of Endymion gunned the engines, and Murrue knew that from here on out he would be fighting in a classic hit-and-run style; the mobile armor just couldn't match mobile suits in a head-to-head fight.

She wasn't surprised in the least to see the advanced mobile armor heading towards the Dominion. Though she was side by side with the Archangel Murrue knew that La Flaga would favor defending the black battleship now that Natarle was back on their side. It was fine with her; the Archangel still had both the Buster and GuAIZ Werewolf acting as its escort, while the Dominion only had the Duel. Now both ships would have an equal protection force as they continued to lead the charge towards Jachin Due and ZAFT's gamma ray cannon.

"Captain!" cried the communications officer, "Transmission from the Eternal, and Wing Zero's conference in as well!"

"Get them both on screen!" she ordered.

The main monitor shifted, with Waltfeld in the upper half and Heero in the lower. The Desert Tiger looked grim, while the Perfect Soldier was as calm as ever.

"Athrun and Cagalli made it to Jachin Due's command center," said Waltfeld, "The Chairman is dead, but before he died he set GENESIS to target Earth, more specifically Washington D.C. The firing sequence is linked to the station's self-destruct mechanism, and there's no way to disarm it; the only one with the abort code would've been Zala, and he's taken that to his grave."

Murrue's blood chilled. That massive cannon targeting Earth…

"What if I destroy the fortress?" asked Heero, "Will that stop the firing sequence?"

Waltfeld shook his head. "Athrun said that doing that will simply trigger GENESIS early. We have to hit the weapon itself, and we've only got twenty minutes to take it out!"

Murrue nodded. "We'll move as fast as we can to help you destroy it!"

"Thanks," said Waltfeld, "Heero, I know you're already heading towards GENESIS, and that's exactly what we need you to do. Athrun and Cagalli will come at it as well from another vector, and my force will take a third route. Captain Ramius, since you're further out we'll need your force to act as support. Keep ZAFT off our backs and the Alliance from attacking the colonies!"

"Understood," Murrue replied, "We won't let you down!"

Waltfeld smiled. "We're counting on you. Eternal out."

The Desert Tiger disappeared, but Heero remained on the screen. "Murrue, are you doing ok?"

Murrue smiled. Even when he should be focused on destroying the most powerful weapon any of them had ever encountered, he was still concerned for her.

"We're fine over here, Heero," she said, "Don't worry about us. Keep moving forward. We'll watch your back and protect the colonies. Count on it!"

Heero nodded and gave her a small smile. "Roger that. Wing Zero out."

Murrue wasted no time in issuing new orders. "Helm, new course! I want us in position to intercept any attacks on our forces moving against GENESIS or the PLANTs! Get us there on the double; there's a time limit on this fight now!"

"Aye, Captain!" Neumann replied.

"Comms," she said, "Relay our new orders and course to the rest of the fleet. Lieutenant Tsukino, keep all our weapons firing forward; we've got to punch through that brawl to get into position!"

"Yes, Captain!" the XO responded.

She gripped the arms of her chair as she watched her ship fire fresh salvos from her main guns, ripping apart a destroyer. The surviving warships in her fleet opened up as well while their mobile suits coalesced around them, screening them from any enemy units that tried to disrupt their momentum.

This is the final push, she thought, All our struggles before now have led to this moment, and we cannot fail! Heero, we will survive!

….

Cutting down a GINN purely by reflex, Heero mapped out the approach vectors that everyone would be taking for their attack on GENESIS.

"Our strike team will go straight up the middle," he said over the tactical channel, "Wing Zero's the most immediate threat to GENESIS, which means that ZAFT's response will center around it and the strike team. Athrun, once we've engaged with whatever defenses they have, you'll take your group round the right flank. Waltfeld's force can arc around the left flank and strike from there."

"Are you sure?" asked Athrun, "Wouldn't it be better if the rest of us hit their defenses and you went around the flank?"

Heero shook his head. "It wouldn't work. Like I said, ZAFT recognizes that Wing Zero's the biggest threat to the weapon; Avalon taught them that. Whatever vector I take will be the one they concentrate the bulk of their defenses on. Our best approach is for the strike team and I to take them head on while you and Waltfeld use us as a diversion. The combined power of the Eternal's fleet and your team should be enough to neutralize GENESIS."

"It's a good plan," Waltfeld chimed in, "but I'd still feel better if Wing Zero were going for the kill shot."

"Depending on how quickly the strike team breaches their defenses I may still be the one to take that shot," Heero replied, "but we can't put all our eggs in one basket This approach significantly improves our odds for success."

"Come on, Waltfeld," said Shemei, "Call it a race with us giving you and Athrun a handicap. First one to take out GENESIS wins!"

Waltfeld chuckled. "I guess that's one way to look at it. Good luck, to all of us. Eternal out."

"A race?" said Cagalli incredulously, "This isn't the time for jokes, Valkyrie!"

"Relax, princess," said Shemei, "I'm taking this seriously, and so are the rest of us. You and Athrun just need to pull the sticks out of your butts."

"Enough chatter," Heero cut in, "We'll be clearing the last of the main fleet squadrons any second now. Whatever ZAFT reserved for GENESIS will show itself then. Be ready."

Bringing his rifle to bear, the Gundam pilot cut loose. The river of energy rushed through a pack of GINNs and GuAIZs, obliterating thirteen machines. That attack was quickly followed by the rest of the strike team, and an additional twenty units fell to a combination of plasma, beam, and railgun fire.

As the pushed through the final bit of organized resistance from the main force, Heero was acutely aware of the timer he had set up the instant Athrun had relayed them the data for Jachin Due's self-destruct sequence. It was almost exactly on twenty minutes; there wasn't a second to lose.

For a moment it looked like the way was clear, but a second later Heero saw three groups of eight mobile suits each arc out from behind GENESIS and approach his group in a three-prong formation. Each group bore a unique color scheme. The one on the right had units with a dark blue base and black and white trim, while the formation on the left bore a dark gray camouflage patter with light blue trim. Meanwhile, seven of the units in the center formation bore an olive drab camouflage patter as their base with gold and white trim.

All but one of the machines were GuAIZs. The leader of the center formation was the sole exception, and Heero's eyes narrowed as he studied the mobile suit. The color scheme was different, with a black base and gold trim, but Heero had seen that model before... one he'd thought until now had been one of a kind.

The ZGMF-X10A Freedom.

He sent the data to the rest of the strike team. "Shemei, you getting this?"

The Valkyrie appeared on his screen. "Affirmative. Shit… so they built another Freedom, and it looks like Kupchenko's flying it. Not good."

"Kupchenko?" said Heero, raising an eyebrow, "The head of all Special Operations Squadrons?"

"The same," Shemei replied, "and Gault Team is his personal squadron; that'd be the middle formation. The one on the right is Sorcerer, and the one on the left is Wizard. These guys aren't like the ones you fought at Alaska, Heero; they've earned their place in that organization."

Heero nodded. "I see. I'll take Gault Team. Valkyrie Team will deal with the other two."

"Got it," said Shemei, "Pris, on me; we'll take Wizard! Adaline, you lead Lan against Sorcerer!"

"Roger that!" the three girls replied.

"Heero," said Shemei, "don't stop to help us; beat Gault and punch through to GENESIS! No matter what, you have to make it through!"

"Copy that," said Heero, already pulling ahead of the strike team, "Engage at will."

Start "Demon of the Round Table"

The Valkyrie Team split up behind him, setting up to meet their respective foes. At the same time Heero saw Gault Team pull ahead of the other two squadrons while Sorcerer and Wizard split off, angling to meet the two wing pairs of Shemei's unit.

Looks like Gault wants me all to themselves, he thought, Fine by me.

The enemy squadron split into four wing pairs. Heero knew that he could not spend too much time fighting them, but the way they were setting up to engage with him was already enough to give him a hint of their skills; this clash would not be easy.

Bringing the Twin Buster Rifle to bear, the Gundam pilot opened fire. The blast didn't hit any of the enemy mobile suits, but he hadn't expected it to. The shot was simply meant to break them up a little and give him a path to the lead unit.

Heero gunned his engines and rushed towards the black and gold Freedom. His enemies opened fire as he came into range, filling space with particle beams and, in the case of the nuclear powered machine, plasma blasts and railgun rounds. Thanks to the combination of his skills, experience, and the ZERO System he was able to work his way through the barrage, but the enemy fire was tight and well coordinated, and any mistake would be costly.

He closed the gap and made a slash at the Freedom. The enemy blocked his strike on its violet blade, and rather than follow up with another attack Heero simply let his momentum carry him past the machine. Two more GuAIZs had already been setting up to flank him even as Heero had crossed blades with Gault Team's lead; he couldn't engage in a protracted fight with any single unit without the others coming at him from a blind spot.

They know exactly how to take advantage of their numbers in this kind of situation, he thought as he fired a low-power shot at an approaching wing pair, forcing it to break off, and the way they're flying shows that they're not intimidated by my reputation. These guys are good.

He dived to evade beam fire, raising his shield to block additional shots. At the same time he set himself up to hit one of the other wing pairs. He fired a burst from his gatling cannons, and as the machines split up to evade the shots he immediately charged one of them and sliced it in half.

He had no time to celebrate the kill; the black and gold Freedom was charging at him, all guns blazing. Keeping his shield up, Heero blocked the shots he couldn't dodge and met the enemy machine head-on. The two mobile suits lashed out with their blades, their sabers meeting in a flash before both machines went past each other, with Heero already gunning for another wing pair.

He fired another low-power shot with his rifle, and again the wing pair was forced to split up. Heero didn't let the opportunity go to waste; he rushed one of the isolated units and stabbed it through the cockpit.

As he zigzagged through space to avoid a torrent of enemy fire he heard a male voice over the radio, its tone deep but clipped, with a hint of a British accent in it. "So you're the Demon Lord of Avalon… I wondered when our paths would cross on the battlefield."

"Kupchenko," said Heero as he took beam fire on his shield.

Gault's lead chuckled. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you know who I am. The Wolf's defection would've given you that intel and much more besides. You've had a good run, Heero Yuy, but it ends here."

"It'll be your end, not mine," Heero replied as he warded off a GuAIZ, "You're really at peace defending a weapon capable of wiping out all life on Earth?"

"A necessary sacrifice," Kupchenko shot back, pouring fire towards Heero as he did so, "Had the Naturals gracefully accepted our ascendance as the next step in human evolution we could've let them live in contented ignorance on Earth while we forged our destiny in the stars, but they lacked that dignity and chose to fight their fate. They could've rested safely under our watchful gaze, guided by our profound knowledge and wisdom, but instead they decided to go against the forward march of progress, clawing tooth and nail to preserve their petty dominion. Now they are facing the inevitable result of when an inferior species clashes with its greater evolved kin."

Heero shook his head as he fired a low power shot at the Freedom, forcing it on the defensive. "So you really bought into Patrick Zala's bullshit…"

"It's the simple truth," said Kupchenko while Heero crossed blades with another GuAIZ, "The escalation of this war was the natural course of action as the Earth Alliance refused to recognize that its dominance had passed. When anyone holds power, what they fear more than anything else is losing it. That principle applies to people, nation states, and races. The Naturals realized our potential to supplant them and fought to hold onto their spot at the top of the hierarchy, but they underestimated our abilities, our capability to fight back. They showed their true barbarity with the Bloody Valentine, and soon they will reap the whirlwind a million-fold."

"Idiot," Heero responded as he shredded a GuAIZ with the last of his gatling rounds, "All you're doing is proving you have the same barbarity as those you claim to be your inferiors. You and Zala are no different than Azrael and the High Command."

"A pity," said Kupchenko as he charged Heero, "I would've thought that you, of all our enemies, might've had the insight to see beyond that narrow viewpoint. No matter, though. With your death our final victory will be guaranteed, and I will be the one to send you to your grave."

"Better than you have tried," said Heero as he parried the Freedom's strike before breaking off to evade flanking fire from its teammates.

Gunning his engines, Heero climbed in order to put some space between himself and his foes. Below him the enemy regrouped, with the four surviving GuAIZs forming up into two new wing pairs, each flanking Kupchenko's Freedom.

They're fighting well, he thought, and they're not letting their losses disrupt them. I can wear them down, but I don't have time for a protracted battle. I need to end this quickly!

As the five remaining mobile suits cut loose with their artillery Heero zigzagged through space as he set up for his counterattack. Moving through a gap in the fire he increased the charge of the Twin Buster Rifle and cut loose. The blast was aimed at one of the remaining GuAIZ wing pairs, and while he didn't take the whole formation down he did eliminate one of the machines.

After the shot Heero immediately rushed forward, intent on taking out the solo machine before it could form back up with its comrades. All the while the enemy kept firing, and even with his shield up Wing Zero shuddered as railgun rounds from the Freedom hit the Gundam. Still, the Perfect Soldier was able to power through the barrage. He lashed out with his emerald blade, but the GuAIZ managed to block the strike. Heero pressed his assault by hitting his engines and slamming his shield into his foe. The hit took the enemy off balance, and Heero followed up with a thrust to the GuAIZ's cockpit.

The enemy reformed again, this time as a trio, with the two surviving GuAIZ's flanking the Freedom. Their teamwork was impressive and their moves were precise and professional; finishing them off would not be easy.

Sparing a glance at his sensors he saw that the Valkyrie Team had made progress as well, though it was still slow going. Both Sorcerer and Wizard squadrons were down two GuAIZ's each, but that still left each wing pair from the Valkyrie Team outnumbered three to one. While they'd certainly faced worse odds before, this time their foes had skills to rival their own. Heero knew he had to trust in them to handle the other two Special Operations squadrons while he contended with Gault and then joined the assault on GENESIS.

He was relieved to see that Athrun had obeyed his orders and was avoiding the fight. The Justice, the Strike-Rouge, and Asagi's M1 Astray had taken a wide arc around the dogfight with the three Special Operations Squadrons, and so far there were no signs that ZAFT had deployed any forces to intercept them. Gault, Sorcerer, and Wizard certainly couldn't afford to divert any of their units to respond; Athrun was in the clear and would be approaching GENESIS shortly. Waltfeld's force of ships would take longer to get into attack position, but with the enemy in such confusion Heero was confident they'd be able to cut through the chaos and begin bombardment. Meanwhile, Murrue's force continued to power through both the Alliance and ZAFT armadas, and it wouldn't be long before they'd be in position to both cover Waltfeld's back and stop any Alliance attempts to attack the colonies.

Both Wing Zero and the Gault trio opened fire simultaneously. Heero's shot managed to scatter the opposition, and he took full advantage of it. Picking one of the isolated GuAIZs, he fired another low-power shot as he rushed in. The enemy mobile suit managed to evade the shot, but Heero hadn't expected to hit it in the first place. It had simply been meant to keep the unit on the defensive while Wing Zero closed the gap, and the moment he did he slashed through the machine with his emerald blade.

Rather than remain as a wing pair Kupchenko's Freedom and the last GuAIZ split up in an obvious attempt to catch Heero in a pincer. Heero dived to avoid being caught in the movement, all the while evading rifle fire from the GuAIZ and the black and gold Freedom's considerable array of artillery. As both ZAFT units pursued it brought them back together, which was exactly what Heero had been hoping for. Flipping Wing Zero around and increasing the charge of the Twin Buster Rifle, the Gundam pilot counterattacked. Kupchenko managed to evade the blast, but his last remaining subordinate was not so lucky, and the GuAIZ was obliterated by the wave of golden-yellow hellfire.

Just you and me now, Kupchenko, thought Heero as he charged the black and gold Freedom, his shield raised to block incoming fire.

The Gundam shuddered as it powered through the barrage, but it was only a few seconds before Heero managed to get into saber range. Emerald and violet energy blades clashed, and Heero quickly put his foe onto the defensive.

"You are an exemplary combatant," said Kupchenko, "It really is a shame you're not one of us; we could've ended this war long ago if you were on our side."

"Even if I were a Coordinator there's no way I'd fight under your banner," Heero replied, "You and Zala have destroyed everything the colonies should stand for."

"What would you know about the colonies?" Kupchenko snarled as their blades met again, "What would you know about our persecution at the hands of the Earth-born savages, their attempts to subjugate us and eventually exterminate us? You have no right to speak as though you understand the PLANTs!"

"You're wrong," said Heero as he continued to press his assault, "I understand far more than someone as blind as you ever could. Space colonization was meant to give hope to the people, to show just how far mankind could go, to embody the freedom to move beyond our origins. The creation of the Coordinators was meant to expand that freedom even further by increasing the human potential, expanding what could be accomplished. You and Zala turned that into a military dictatorship as hell bent on murder and oppression as those on Earth that you originally fought to be free from!"

"Don't compare us to those mongrels on Earth!" Kupchenko yelled, his anger clearly getting the better of him, "They are the past; wretched dregs consumed with petty squabbles and shortsighted ambitions. We are the future, the path forward for humanity, and the true rulers of the Earth Sphere!"

Heero shook his head as he blocked Kupchenko's counter. "No. You're just another part of this world. No more and no less."

It was relatively easy for Heero to retake the offensive; Kupchenko's fury was making him sloppy. Parrying the Freedom's counter, Heero responded with a vertical strike. Kupchenko managed to block it, but before he could strike back Heero pushed forward and slammed into him with his shield. Knocking his foe off balance, Heero thrust forward with his emerald blade. Kupchenko managed to avoid taking a fatal hit, but the beam saber did slice through his beam rifle, and it exploded in the Freedom's hand.

"The reign of Patrick Zala is over, Kupchenko," said Heero as he made another thrust, this time taking out the left railgun.

"He may be dead," Gault's lead replied as he struck back with his violet blade, "but through GENESIS his will lives on!"

Heero parried the slash. "Not for much longer."

Then he made a third thrust, and slammed his blade through the Freedom's cockpit.

End "Demon of the Round Table"

….

"So," said Cagalli, "how are we going to take this thing down?"

It was a good question, and one Athrun was still trying to figure out the answer for. The Justice, Strike Rouge IWSP-X, and Asagi's M1 Astray were closing fast with GENESIS, and the closer they got the more apparent it became just what a difficult undertaking it would be to destroy it. The weapon was massive, and it was hard to see how three mobile suits could begin to take it on without heavy capital ship support.

Still, they had to do something, and with the extra firepower granted to him by the METEOR unit Athrun had an idea of where to begin.

"We'll start with the secondary mirror," he said, "Between the three of us we should be able to damage it enough so it can't fracture and reflect the beam back at the main body and make that big blast. Once Waltfeld's fleet gets here they can bombard the core part of GENESIS."

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Asagi.

"All right," said Cagalli, "let's do this!"

Now that they had some semblance of a plan Athrun could feel his confidence building. He may have been unable to save his father from what he had become, but he could still make sure that his hatred and lust for vengeance did not take the rest of the world down with him.

Then his sensors chimed, and he saw two contacts coming out from behind GENESIS. His eyes narrowed as he zoomed in on the newcomers. They were large machines, one built for close combat and the other as a long range unit. Preliminary energy readings were enough to tell him that both mobile suits were definitely nuclear powered units; daunting foes to be sure, but not enough to rattle him.

At least not until he saw the emblem programmed into their Phase Shift Armor on their upper left torsos.

Oh, fuck no, he thought, his eyes widening in shock as he realized what he was looking at, Not them…

But there was no mistaking that insignia.

It was the crimson dog biting its chain.

The mercenary hellhounds.

And his shock turned to horror when he saw one of them, the long range unit, raise one of its two heavy weapons...

…and target Cagalli.

And Athrun knew that there was only one way to save her from what was coming.

….

Great, more contacts?, thought Cagalli as she saw the two new mobile suits come out from behind GENESIS, Not that many of them though… we'll just have to take them out quickly.

They had time; a little over twelve minutes remained on the timer. They'd have to act fast though; they couldn't afford to have anything interfere with Waltfeld's coming bombardment.

Before she could act though, she heard Athrun yell. "Cagalli, brace yourself!"

"What?" she asked, her eyes widening.

Then she saw the METEOR detach from the Justice…

…right before it slammed into her mobile suit.

The impact was hard, throwing her completely off course. When she managed to regain her footing she looked frantically for Athrun, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

She was just in time to see the Justice raise its shield…

…and then a blast of crimson energy engulfed it.

Her face paled and her blood became as cold as the Arctic.

"ATHRUN!"

Preview for next time!

The clash of fleets continues, but the fight that will decide the fate of the world is no longer between the grand armadas of the Earth Alliance and ZAFT. Even Kira's duel with the madman that has brought the Cosmic Era to the brink of the apocalypse is merely a sideshow next to the showdown taking place in the shadow of GENESIS. Engaged in the rematch of a lifetime with the Galm Team, Heero races against the clock to not only defeat the mercenary hellhounds but save the world of the woman he loves from utter annihilation. Next time, on "Journey to a New Battlefield", Episode Thirty: Zero.

"Without beginning or end, the ring stretches into the infinite." Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War.

Author's Notes: Holy crap, this one took a while! Thanks for bearing with me on this, I know you've been waiting for a long time now.

For the two mobile suits that were guarding Jachin Due I used the GuAIZ Experimental Firearms Type as a base and modified it from there. As for the machines being used by Galm Team, you'll just have to wait for Episode Thirty to get the details on them!

Almost there, folks! Three chapters left until the end of Part One!

Until next time!