Author's notes: What's up everybody? So, this chapter's not nearly as long as the one before it, hence the much sooner update time. Hard to believe I started this fic up over three and a half years ago, and now we're almost at the end. Man, time flies.

Song list for the chapter, in order of appearance: "Zero" from Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, "A Stranger I Remain," and "The Stains of Time" from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, "Avalon" from Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, and "Just Communication" from Gundam Wing.

Enjoy!

Episode Thirty: Zero

Larry 'Solo Wing Pixy' Foulke raised an eyebrow as he surveyed the aftermath of his shot. "Huh. Didn't see that coming."

Intel had indicated that the pink and red Strike was piloted by none other than Orb's new Chief Representative, and he'd intended to take full advantage of that. Eliminating Cagalli would demoralize the Orb members of the rogue fleet that was attacking both the Earth Alliance and ZAFT, and it would eliminate one of the Justice's teammates. While the Justice was the greater threat militarily its more powerful sensors meant that it would be able to see Pixy lining up the shot well before Cagalli would and would've been able to evade him, so taking out the Strike Rouge to soften up the enemy had been the logical move.

I didn't think Zala's son would go that far to save Orb's princes, he thought, but I'm not complaining. The Justice is out of the fight.

The stolen prototype had taken the blast on its shield, and while that had spared it some of its power the unit was still utterly mauled. Its arms, legs, and head had been completely destroyed, and the surviving torso was badly damaged. Pixy knew it was certainly possible that Athrun Zala had survived, but it didn't matter; he wouldn't be able to do anything else in this battle.

"Nice shooting," said Cipher, "It's good to see that the Tartarus rifle works as well for you as it does for the Valkyrie."

Pixy nodded. "It's a beast, no doubt there. That goes for the rest of this machine too. The techies really outdid themselves with our new mobile suits."

"Agreed," Cipher replied.

'Witch' might've been a more appropriate term for Galm Two's new mobile suit. That was at the very least the project title under which the machine had been created. An experimental heavy assault mobile suit, the ZGMF-X07A Morgan was the pinnacle of ZAFT offensive capability on the small unit level. Nuclear powered, the machine's Phase Shift Armor was tailored to match its pilot's preference; light grey with the exception of the right arm, which was solid red, along with the Galm Team emblem on the upper left torso. Like the rest of ZAFT's prototype nuclear machines, the unit had a pair of MMI-GAU2 Picus 76mm CIWS mounted on its head, and it also shared the hip-mounted MMI-M15 Xiphas Rail Cannons found on the Freedom and the Wraiths. The Tartarus rifle held in its left hand was of course the same model found on the Judgment. However, the final armament was a truly unique weapon. Titled the MX-360 experimental warhead launcher, it was a very large weapon held in the machine's right hand and extending back over the shoulder. It carried only four missiles, but the payloads of these particular munitions promised to be a very unpleasant surprise for its foes.

The techies said that those four Catalyst missiles would allow this mobile suit to rival even Wing Zero in terms of pure firepower, he thought, I guess we'll find out if they live up to those boasts one way or another.

The unit was an offensive powerhouse, but Pixy didn't let that blind him to its vulnerabilities. Like his last unit, the Morgan focused on long range combat; if he got caught in a close quarters fight all he would have to rely on would be the CIWS, and those were of limited effectiveness. It would be important to work closely with his flight lead to offset that crucial weakness.

Cipher's machine, built under Project Knight, was of the opposite nature. The ZGMF-X06A Galahad was an experimental close and mid-range attack mobile suit, and it was very well suited to its aggressive pilot. The unit's Phase Shift Armor was programmed to follow the same color scheme of Cipher's last machine; a light grey base with black trim. It too had the same head-mounted CIWS, but the rest of its armaments were far more intimidating. In its right hand was a large anti-ship sword, similar in nature to the weapon used by the Sword Strike, but bigger and with energy blades on both sides of the metal core. Called the MMI-515 Caledfwlch, it was one of the Galahad's two principle close quarters weapons. On its left forearm was a small shield, but within that shield was mounted another experimental weapon; the MA-M757 Slayer Whip Heat Rod. With decent reach and great flexibility, it could melt right through conventional armor and with time even pose a threat to Phase Shift Armor. Meanwhile, mounted on its back in an X array were four DRAGOONs, and competing its mid-range arsenal were two chest mounted Slash Harken rocket anchors.

It may be focused on close range combat, Pixy thought, but those four DRAGOONs actually give it greater versatility than my machine. I'm almost jealous… I guess it's just as well that long range combat's always been my strong suit.

Both Cipher and Pixy had been disappointed to learn that their orders were to remain with GENESIS while the Grand Fleet engaged the Earth Alliance armada. They were well compensated for it, but the money was actually a secondary concern to them at this point. The two mercenary hellhounds wanted to give their new mobile suits a proper baptism of fire, and playing the last line of defense for ZAFT's super weapon didn't really give them the chance to do that. With the neutralization of the Justice Pixy had finally scored first blood with his machine, and he was sure Cipher was itching to match him.

However, the prey that was left hardly seemed worthy of either of their skills. The Strike Rouge had gone straight to the remains of the Justice after the shot, while the M1 Astray had put itself between them and the Galm Team. With a machine like the Galahad at his disposal Pixy knew that Cipher wouldn't even break a sweat in dispatching the remaining two machines, and Galm Two didn't exactly feel right in picking them off either. He would if it came to that, but if they weren't going to advance any further he was content to let them go.

"Your call, buddy," he said, "Do we go in and mop up?"

On his screen Cipher shook his head. "No. Check your sensors again, Pixy; our real enemy approaches."

Turning back to the display, Pixy's eyes narrowed as he saw a very familiar mobile suit coming up from behind the crippled Justice and the other two machines.

Galm Two smiled. "He's here. About time."

"A little more than eleven minutes left," said Cipher, a hint of excitement in his voice, "Let's make it the greatest eleven minutes of our lives."

Pixy nodded. "Roger that."

He braced himself for the coming confrontation, his eyes never wavering from the rapidly approaching mobile suit.

Wing Zero.

….

"Athrun!" cried Cagalli as she approached the battered remains of the Justice, "Come on, say something! Athrun!"

For all she knew his radio could be out. There certainly didn't seem to be much power coming from what was left of his machine. The Phase Shift Armor had been completely taken out by the blast, and the dull gray torso was full of cracks and fissures.

Cold sweat ran down her brow as she grabbed the battered hulk and positioned her hatch close to his. "Athrun, you have to answer me! Please!"

There was a crackle of static before she finally got a response. The signal was weak, and Cagalli was sure it had to be coming from his helmet radio rather than the Justice's, but it was there all the same.

"Cagalli…" said Athrun, "Are you ok?"

Cagalli breathed a sigh of relief. "You idiot, I'm fine! Are you all right?"

"I think so," Athrun replied, "No suit tears, no injuries… but I think my machine's done for."

There was no arguing with that assessment. The only salvageable bit of the Justice was the torso and cockpit. Whether he liked it or not, Athrun was out of the fight.

"Can you open the cockpit?" asked Cagalli, "I'll take you to the Kusanagi!"

"I think so," said Athrun, "Don't come out of your mobile suit yet; I'm gonna have to hit the emergency hatch release."

Cagalli waited, and a few seconds later she felt a slight tremor go through her mobile suit as Athrun triggered the small charges built into every mobile suit designed to force open its cockpit in the event of catastrophic system failure. She then opened her hatch and saw Athrun begin to climb out of the remains of his machine.

"Hey!" she said as she floated over to him, taking him into a fierce embrace, "What the hell were you thinking?"

Through the helmet visor she could see his eyes widening. "I… I wanted to save you. There was no way you would've been able to avoid that shot."

Cagalli sighed. "I know, but… you're too reckless, you know that?"

Athrun nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Hey, guys," said Asagi from her M1, "Can we get a move on? I'm pretty sure we can't take those two if they decide to attack again."

Cagalli nodded and pulled Athrun toward her cockpit. "Right. We're getting back inside now."

The cockpit was cramped with the two of them earlier, but after the close call Athrun had just been through Cagalli wasn't about to complain. Checking her sensors she saw the two nuclear powered machines still holding by GENESIS, neither one moving to attack.

"I don't get it," said Athrun, "Why aren't they taking another shot at us?"

A beeping came from the console, and as Cagalli checked it she saw a very familiar mobile suit rushing up from behind the Strike Rouge.

She immediately got on the radio. "Heero!"

The Gundam pilot appeared on the screen and wasted no time with pleasantries. "Get out of here, Cagalli. You and Asagi get Athrun to the Kusanagi and then stick with Waltfeld's force. I'll deal with the Galm Team. Don't try to help me. Sorry, but you'll just get in the way."

That last part stung, but she knew that Heero hadn't said it to be mean; it was just the blunt truth.

"All right," she replied, "but watch out, Heero; they've got new models!"

"I noticed," said Heero as he flew past her, "Wing Zero, out."

….

Start "Zero"

Raising the Twin Buster Rifle, Heero sighted in on the mercenary duo and cut loose. The wing pair expertly split up, moving around the blast before gunning their engines to meet him head on.

The long range machine, which Heero was certain was flown by Galm Two, returned fire. Heero dived to avoid the blast from the machine's Tartarus rifle and the railgun salvo. While he did so he saw Galm One pull ahead, its double-edged sword raised and ready to strike.

He raised his emerald blade and blocked the attack, but he was surprised at just how much power was behind it. Pushing back, Heero then quickly broke off as he saw the four DRAGOONs on the mobile suit's back detach and move to attack. A flurry of emerald beams filled the space around him, and while Heero worked on evading these Galm Two launched another strike with its plasma rifle and railguns.

These are powerful machines, he thought as he dodged the attacks and worked his way back towards Cipher, and with pilots of Galm Team's caliber… this won't be easy.

Closing with the mercenary captain, the Gundam pilot saw two small slots open in the unit's chest before rocket anchors flew out of them. With a single slash of his beam saber Heero cut both weapons in half. At that moment Galm One's machine raised its left arm, and out of the small shield on it Heero saw a weapon he hadn't encountered since his old war appear; a Heat Rod.

So, he thought as he raised his shield to ward off the whip, it has the close-quarters abilities of Epyon, minus the ZERO System but supplemented by DRAGOONs. A potent combination… and the last thing I want to face right now.

He countered with a swing of his beam saber, forcing Galm One to bring his sword up to block the blow. Heero immediately pulled back; the DRAGOONs had just been unleashed again, and he knew he had to act fast to avoid getting caught in their deadly crossfire.

As he went evasive he knew that Galm Two was already locking in on him. It didn't take long for Pixy to unleash another salvo, and he was barely able to dodge it. He kept his shield up to take beam fire from Galm One's DRAGOONs as he avoided the blast from Galm Two and then proceeded to climb.

He returned fire against Pixy, sending a blast of golden-yellow hellfire his way. As Galm Two went evasive Heero turned to face an incoming Galm One. He brought up his emerald blade to parry Cipher's overhand strike. Parrying the blow, this time he was able to strike back with a horizontal slash, although Cipher was able to block it. Heero broke to the right as the DRAGOONs moved to take shots at him again, dodging their fire as he charged at Galm Two.

Unfortunately he was unable to close the distance. Pixy laid down fire with the Tartarus and the railguns again, and between that and Cipher's DRAGOONs it was impossible to advance. Breaking to the left, Heero managed to turn around in time to evade a strike from Galm One's Heat Rod, but the mercenary captain followed up with a sword attack, keeping the Perfect Soldier on the defensive.

As their blades crossed a familiar voice came over the radio. "I've been waiting for this, Heero Yuy. Have you?"

The Gundam pilot shook his head as he pulled back to avoid the DRAGOONs again. "I don't care about fighting you or Pixy, Cipher. I'm here for GENESIS."

"That's insulting," Pixy chimed in as he joined Cipher in pouring fire at Wing Zero, "We've wanted this rematch ever since you beat us the first time."

"And now we can finally fight you on even footing," said Cipher, "With the Galahad I can match you up close, and with the Morgan Pixy can go toe-to-toe with you at range."

"So fighting me's all you two care about now?" asked Heero as he fired another blast at Pixy before meeting Cipher's charge, "All life on Earth's at risk thanks to GENESIS and you just want to settle a score? Zala's dead; your paycheck's meaningless at this point, and that's pitiful when compared to what's at stake here!"

"Yes," Cipher replied as their blades crossed again, "money is pitiful when compared to fighting you."

"The Naturals already tried to wipe us out in this battle," said Pixy, "Turnabout's fair play at this point. They don't get to complain after throwing nukes at us."

"Nukes that we stopped," said Heero as he climbed to evade fire from both the DRAGOONs and Pixy's artillery, "The Alliance's nuclear arsenal has been neutralized now, and you know it."

"So do the same with GENESIS," said Cipher as gunned his engines in pursuit, "Your group of renegades has already performed one miracle; surely another's not beyond them at this point."

"But they'll have to do it without you," said Pixy, "We've waited too long to find someone like you in this war; someone that can make us go all out. The only way you're getting a shot at GENESIS is if you can beat us before the time runs out."

Heero glared as he blocked another strike from Galm One's sword. "I should've known better than to try to reason with you. You truly are a pair of hellhounds."

Cipher chuckled as Heero broke off again to avoid the DRAGOONS. "Indeed we are. War's not merely our livelihood, Heero Yuy; it's our life. The battlefield is the only place that's real to someone like me; the rest of life is just a dream."

"This is the path that we chose long ago," said Pixy as he fired another salvo, "A mountain that we've been climbing for years. Fighting you is that last struggle to reach the summit, and it doesn't matter what we have to sacrifice to reach it."

Heero shook his head as he weaved through the fire, sending another blast from the Twin Buster Rifle at Galm Two before charging back in at Galm One. "So be it. I won't say anything else. I'm taking you down here and now; your path ends here."

"Prove it," said Cipher as their blades met again, "Come at us with everything you've got, Demon Lord of Avalon!"

Cipher lashed out with the Heat Rod, only for Heero to dive and avoid the attack. The Gundam pilot then charged right back up, attempting to pierce the Galahad from below. However, Cipher's reflexes were too quick; the mercenary captain reoriented himself and was able to block the blow on his sword. Heero wasn't able to press the assault; fire from the DRAGOONS forced him to back off, and Pixy used the opening to launch another bombardment.

It's a stalemate right now, he thought as he blocked the railgun rounds on his shield while evading the blast from the Morgan's rifle, Every time I close to attack the Galahad I get in one or two exchanges before those DRAGOONs force me to pull back, and when I do that the Morgan's always ready to open fire. When I try to attack the Morgan Cipher pursues, and with DRAGOONs firing at me from behind I can't close the gap and take out Pixy. If I can't find a way to break the cycle then I won't be able to help Waltfeld's attack on GENESIS!

Figuring out a way to gain the upper hand would be easier said than done. Galm Team's coordination had been top-notch in their last fight and that hadn't changed a bit in this rematch. Their new mobile suits made them an even deadlier unit, each giving greater emphasis to the strengths of their pilots than their older units had, and complementing each other's weaknesses seamlessly.

As he continued his clash with the mercenaries he could at least take comfort in that he wasn't the sole hope for taking down GENESIS. While he and Galm One crossed blades again, on his sensors he could see Waltfeld's force rapidly approaching the giant weapon; they'd be at optimal bombardment range in less than a minute. Meanwhile Murrue and her battle group were already taking up position to fend off any ZAFT or Alliance forces that attempted to stop the attack on GENESIS or strike the PLANTs. With Heero tying up the Galm Team and Murrue watching their backs the Desert Tiger could commence his barrage without fear of interference.

The power of the Kusanagi's Lohengrins alone should be enough to at least do serious damage to GENESIS, he thought as he climbed to avoid getting ensnared by Cipher's DRAGOONs, and there are still over a hundred warships to back her up. So why… why do I feel like something's out of place?

Evading both the DRAGOONs and another round of artillery fire from the Morgan, Heero caught sight of the Valkyrie Team's continuing clash with both Sorcerer and Wizard Teams. Remarkably both Special Operations Squadrons still had six units apiece; they were fighting well against Shemei and her girls.

That glimpse of the other Special Operations Squadrons was enough to make Heero realize what was bothering him. Galm, Gault, Sorcerer, and Wizard were all highly skilled teams with advanced mobile suits, but their combined strength amounted to only twenty-six machines. It was a potent guard, but given the immense power of GENESIS the Gundam pilot realized that the weapon should've had at least a squadron of capital ships acting as a close-in defense as well. While the sheer number of ships in the Earth Alliance armada would certainly demand the bulk of the Grand Fleet's resources it was still surprising that Patrick Zala hadn't ordered some vessels to specifically guard the gamma ray cannon.

Either Zala was supremely overconfident in the Grand Fleet and the final Special Operations Squadrons, he thought as he cut loose with the Twin Buster Rifle, forcing Pixy to go evasive, or there's something more to GENESIS that we're missing.

Whatever it was, Heero would have to trust that Waltfeld and the others could handle it; he had enough on his plate as it was right now.

He was expecting Cipher to be charging him again, but surprisingly Galm One was not doing that. The mercenary captain was actually keeping his distance, peppering Wing Zero with DRAGOON fire but otherwise not acting aggressively. That alone was enough to raise a red flag for Heero; this was not Cipher's style.

Pixy, Heero thought as he weaved through the emerald beams, turning back towards Galm Two, What's he up to?

That was when he saw, for the first time in this clash, the Morgan raise the large weapon in its right hand. The Gundam pilot's eyes narrowed as he raised the Twin Buster Rifle in response, and he gritted his teeth when he saw Galm Two open fire. A single missile flew from the launcher, and alarms went off as the Search Eye analyzed the warhead.

The payload was nuclear.

….

Continuing to pull back and covering his move with the DRAGOONs, Cipher smiled as he saw the Morgan unleash its secret weapon; one of its four Catalyst Tactical Nuclear Missiles.

Not quite the same amount of power as the full might of Wing Zero's rifle, he thought, but it comes close enough.

The warhead rushed toward its target, but Wing Zero was already reacting. It had raised its rifle as soon as the Morgan had brought the warhead launcher to bear, and a yellow-gold beam ripped across space, intercepting the missile.

There was a brilliant flash of orange-red fire as the warhead detonated. The sphere of destruction encompassed an area of nearly a kilometer and a half, and Cipher was glad he'd already moved well outside the blast zone.

Did that get him?, he thought, He may have managed to prematurely detonate it, but still… even taking the edge of the blast might've at least caused some damage.

Another blast of golden-yellow hellfire, this one aimed at him, answered that question. Dodging the shot, Cipher saw Wing Zero fly through the fading fireball, coming right at him at top speed.

Cipher had to smile as he lashed out with his Heat Rod. "You're not going to make this easy on us, are you? Fine by me!"

Wing Zero took the whip on its shield before lashing out with its emerald blade. Cipher immediately responded, taking the strike on the Caledfwlch before bringing his DRAGOONs to bear. He expected Heero to pull back, but instead of a withdrawal the Demon went down and to the left, cutting down one of the gun-drones with his beam saber before he could open fire.

Cipher's eye widened as he attempted to use the remaining three DRAGOONs to shoot down the mobile suit as it pulled away and reoriented itself towards Pixy.

He intended that from the start, thought Cipher, He's already adapted to the weapons our machines have, and he's acting to neutralize our advantages!

Cipher chuckled. This was truly a foe to be savored; no one else had ever come close to putting up a fight like this.

"Come on, then," he said as he pursued Wing Zero, "Show me what else you can do. The world is on its final countdown to Armageddon, so show me a fight worthy of the occasion, Heero Yuy!"

End "Zero"

….

"Targeting solutions locked in!" shouted DaCosta, "Ready to fire on your orders, sir!"

Not a moment too soon, thought Waltfeld as he surveyed both their target and the larger battle, This needs to end now!

Without Wing Zero's strike team and the Archangel's force it would've been impossible for the Eternal's battle group to get into attack position so quickly. The former had Zala's final line of defense all tied up, while the latter was already engaging both scattered Alliance forces trying to break through to the colonies and ZAFT units attempting to race to the aid of GENESIS.

Heero's clash was particularly impressive. While Waltfeld considered himself a skilled mobile suit pilot, the display he was seeing now left him feeling like an amateur. The last time he'd seen a contest anywhere near this one it had been Heero's fights with Shemei, but even those seemed to take a back seat to what he was witnessing now. Wing Zero was putting on the performance of a lifetime in its rematch with the Galm Team, and Waltfeld knew that it would've been impossible for his force to set up for the bombardment of GENESIS if those two mercenary hellhounds weren't preoccupied now. The fact that one of them apparently carried tactical nukes had come as a complete shock, and it was fortunate that it hadn't had a chance to use them against the rest of the Three Ships Alliance.

Lacus had been rather quiet for a while now, and it was easy to see why; her eyes were fixed on her personal monitor, still watching the unfolding clash between Kira and Creuset. Waltfeld was glad the boy was at least keeping the masked lunatic tied up; what glimpses he'd caught of Creuset's new machine were foreboding to say the least. He still didn't know if Kira had what it took to play for keeps this time. All he could do now was hope.

Now his battle group was arrayed along the left flank of GENESIS in a perfect position to hammer the main body of the weapon. Its sheer size may have been daunting, but against the bombardment of over a hundred ships that would mean nothing.

"All ships, open fire!" he ordered.

The Kusanagi led the barrage with a blast of her Lohengrins, and the twin rivers of crimson energy were joined a split second later by a hail of particle beams, railgun rounds, and missiles. GENESIS was covered in blinding light from the barrage, and for a moment the Desert Tiger actually lost sight of the target.

That had to have at least hurt it, he thought, especially those Lohengrins…

Then the glow faded from the initial bombardment…

…only to reveal that the weapon didn't have so much as a scratch on it.

Waltfeld's good eye widened. "What the hell? Get me Engineer Simmons now!"

A moment later Erica appeared on the screens. "Simmons, what happened? There's not even a dent in that thing!"

"We're analyzing it now," she said, "It appears the main body of the weapon has Phase Shift Armor!"

"That still shouldn't be enough for it to shrug off something like the Lohengrins without a scratch!" Waltfeld replied.

Erica shook her head. "Sir, it seems the main body of the weapon has multiple layers of Phase Shift Armor, not just the single one that we've seen in mobile suits. The power requirements for such a defense mechanism would be massive, though; only a very strong nuclear reactor, or multiple reactors working in concert, would be able to sustain the energy needed for such a comprehensive defense."

"Damn it," Waltfeld growled, "So what can we do against it?"

"Well," said the engineer, "based on our scans it appears that only the main body has this protection; the secondary mirrors do not. We should be able to at least destroy those with a conventional bombardment. However…"

"That still leaves the initial beam," Waltfeld finished for her, "and it's aimed at D.C., which means about eight million people are in the crosshairs. Simmons, do we have anything that can stop it?"

Erica nodded. "Yes… but only if he can defeat the Galm Team within the next seven minutes."

"Heero…" said Lacus softly.

Waltfeld nodded, already forming a new plan. "Ok. All ships reorient towards the secondary mirror; concentrate all firepower on that!"

He turned to the songstress. "Lacus, contact Wing Zero; Heero's the only chance we have now at stopping that thing!"

The young woman nodded and immediately began working her console. Meanwhile, Waltfeld once again turned his attention towards Wing Zero's continuing clash with the Galm Team.

So this is what it comes down to, he thought as he watched the mercenaries and the soldier from another world go at it, Millions of lives riding on the outcome of a two-on-one fight. It's strange, but… for some reason I'm actually not surprised.

From the moment he took down Avalon…

…I had a feeling that this whole war would come down to him.

….

Murrue braced herself against the arm of her chair as her ship rocked under a heavy blow. "Damage report!"

"Portside Valiant's been knocked out!" replied Lieutenant Tsukino.

"Keep firing with everything we've got left!" Murrue ordered, "No matter what happens we have to hold out here!"

"Aye, Captain," said her XO, "You heard her; let 'em have it!"

The Archangel cut loose with a furious barrage. Twin tides of crimson-orange energy ripped through space as her Lohengrins opened up, washing over a dozen Earth Alliance and ZAFT mobile suits before slamming into a Nazca-class destroyer. Her Gottfrieds and remaining Valiant launched another salvo as well, hammering a Drake-class escort ship and snapping it in half. Rounding out the bombardment was a flock of Sledgehammer warheads from the rear launchers. Arcing over the ship, the heavy missiles rained down on a Laurasia-class frigate, mauling its artillery and knocking it out of the fight.

Around her the rest of her fleet opened up. Particle beams, railgun slugs, and missiles flew across the void, taking down scores of mobile suits and capital ships from both sides. The surviving mobile suits and armors of Murrue's force were likewise giving everything they had left to the holding action, working with the warships to screen both Waltfeld's fleet and the colonies. Bristow and Dearka were waging a fierce defense of the Archangel, and the same went for La Flaga and the Duel's actions for the Dominion. Fortunately neither side was coming at them in a concentrated effort; the Alliance and ZAFT forces were still primarily focused on killing each other. Still, Murrue knew that Lady Luck could change her tune at any moment, and it was crucial to remain on guard to continue to safeguard both the colonies and Heero and Waltfeld's backs.

I can't believe the bombardment had no effect on the core of GENESIS, she thought, and even after the Eternal's force takes out the secondary mirror that still leaves millions of lives at risk in D.C.!

Fortunately it hadn't taken much effort for the Desert Tiger's fleet to reorient itself and target the secondary mirror. Murrue saw the Kusanagi fire the opening shots with her Lohengrins and Gottfrieds, followed by a swarm of missiles. The positron blasts and particle beams slammed into the structure, and this time there was very noticeable results. A chunk of the left side of the mirror was blown away, with superheated cracks spreading out from there. The rest of the Eternal's force opened up, and a hail of fire hammered the mirror. Craters and cracks were blown into the device, support struts were blasted away; the mirror was crumbling before her very eyes.

That would eliminate the threat the world as a whole, but the danger to the Atlantic Federation's capital remained. Murrue knew it would've been all too easy for any number of commanders to dismiss the city's impending doom; it was the heart of a belligerent nation after all, and one that had just tried to destroy its rival. For so many military and political officials alike the millions of civilians at risk would simply be collateral damage, a price easily paid to destroy the enemy's seat of power.

For Murrue, her friends, and her comrades though, such losses were inexcusable, such indiscriminate targeting unforgiveable. Yes, those leading the Atlantic Federation and the broader Earth Alliance were responsible for unspeakable atrocities, but that did not give the Zala regime the right to put the millions of civilians who lived there as well to death.

"Heero," she said softly, turning to the clash unfolding on her personal monitor, "please, hurry!"

The only hope for eight million people in the Atlantic Federation was engaged in a two-on-one fight unlike any other. The bright flares of Wing Zero's engines and those of its opponents zipped across the starscape at lightning speed, a ballet of death that would put all others in their place. Brilliant flashes of golden-yellow and crimson hellfire tore open the void, rounded out by pinpricks of emerald particle beams and saffron railgun rounds, along with the briefest sparks where energy blades met.

Murrue's heart raced even from a glimpse at the clash, and that had paled in comparison to how it had hammered in her chest moments ago when she'd seen the detonation of the tactical nuke that had been fired at Heero. This wasn't like his previous clashes with Shemei; the stakes were so much higher, as was the raw firepower involved. For the first time since coming to the Cosmic Era, Wing Zero was finally fighting against foes that could match its fearsome strength; even the Judgment took second place when compared to the combined might of Galm Team's new machines.

Remember his promise, she told herself, He promised you that he'd make it through this and come back to you! Don't you dare doubt him now!

Her fear was real, but so was her belief. The Gundam pilot had made performing the impossible his signature in this war. Having the deck stacked against him wasn't a deterrent; it was a challenge that he was always more than willing to take on. It would take more than two mercenaries in new machines to beat him. She would not be able to completely banish her fear for his safety, but she would never lose her faith in him.

"The mirror's breaking up!" cried Lieutenant Tsukino, "They've done it!"

Shifting her attention, Murrue saw that her XO was correct. The sustained bombardment from Waltfeld's force had proven to be far more than the secondary mirror could take. Explosions wracked the structure as massive fissures ran through it, growing by the second as more beams and missiles slammed into it. A series of blasts went off along the device, and it began to fall apart.

"The Eternal's hailing us!" yelled the communication's officer.

"Put them through," Murrue ordered.

Lacus appeared on the main monitor. "Captain Ramius, now that the secondary mirror is dealt with our group will be coming to reinforce you."

Murrue nodded. "Understood. Thank you, Miss Clyne."

Lacus nodded in response, but Murrue was surprised to see a little guilt in her expression. "Murrue… I asked Mister Waltfeld if we might spare some units to assist Heero, but he refused; he said anything we did at this point would only get in his way. I am sorry."

Murrue shook her head and did her best to give the songstress a reassuring smile. "It's all right, Lacus. I'm grateful for your concern, but I actually agree with Waltfeld here; in a clash like this, Heero needs to be free from any interference, and that includes our own forces. If he has to worry about protecting comrades then he can't go all out on the attack, and that's what he needs to do to win here."

"I see," said Lacus.

"Miss Clyne," said Murrue, strength growing in her voice, "this is a battle that Heero knows how to win. Of all of us, he's the one who's actually had to fight a clash like this before. He understands the stakes better than any of us, and he's the best suited to win. The Galm Team has no idea what they're dealing with."

Lacus nodded in understanding. "Because of his old world, his last war… very well, Captain Ramius. I'll place my faith in that. Eternal, out."

Once again Murrue turned towards the clash between the love of her life and the Cosmic Era's deadliest mercenaries.

You've already fought one duel for the fate of the world, Heero, she thought, The only other man that can lay claim to that kind of experience was the one you fought that duel against in your last war. Show them, Heero. Galm Team, ZAFT, the Earth Alliance, our comrades…

…show them all that this is the kind of battle that you were meant to fight!

….

Start "A Stranger I Remain"

Quite the show you're putting on, Heero, Shemei thought as she cut loose with the Tartarus rifle, obliterating a GuAIZ, Wish I could watch it more, but I've got my own performance to attend to!

At her back was Priscilla, all guns blazing as she warded off potential attacks from behind. There were still five machines left belonging to Wizard Team, and Shemei knew that they wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Come on, Lucan!" she said as she charged the flight leader, "Show me what you've got!"

Violet energy blades clashed, but Wizard One was a capable combatant. He expertly parried her strike, forcing her to deploy her DRAGOONs as he countered with his machine's arrestor anchors. The result was both machines pulling back while unleashing their mid-range weapons, neither able to land a blow.

Shemei and Pris weren't the only ones still slugging it out with their original foes. Off in the distance she could see Adaline and Lan going at it with Sorcerer Team. Like Wizard, Sorcerer was now down to five GuAIZs, but the remaining pilots weren't letting their losses throw them off their game. Shemei had faith in her girls, but she still knew it'd be tough going for them. These were the top tier of Zala's Special Operations Squadrons, and were the most disciplined foes the Valkyrie Team had faced in quite some time. They may have lacked the ferocity and newer machines that the Earth Alliance special units had thrown at them earlier in the battle, but their experience and teamwork was more than enough to make up for that difference.

Their foes had split up, with Lucan and two of his subordinates squaring off with Shemei while the other two confronted Priscilla. Both Wizard and Sorcerer may have taken casualties, but they were still in the fight, and it was taking far too long for Shemei's liking to wear them down.

"I don't have time to be playing around with you guys!" she growled as she opened up with all her artillery.

It was an impressive display of particle beams and a fearsome lance of plasma, but her foes expertly split up and managed to evade the barrage. The Valkyrie broke to the left, targeting one of the flanking units. She came in hard and fast, lashing out with her beam saber the moment she got into range. The GuAIZ managed to block her blow, but Shemei quickly dived and reoriented herself, blasting at the machine with her shoulder cannons and DRAGOONs.

The salvo was too much for the ZAFT pilot, and his machine was torn apart by a hail of emerald beams. However, Shemei had little cause to celebrate. While she'd made her attack Lucan and his other subordinate had moved to strike from her sides. Both GuAIZ's opened fire, and while Shemei was able to avoid taking a fatal blow one of the particle beams did impact her right shoulder cannon, knocking it out of action.

"Damn it!" she hissed as the Judgment shuddered, "These guys can actually shoot."

Shemei wasn't the only one of her girls to have taken damage. Over in the fight with Sorcerer, Adaline had scored another kill of her own, but the effort had cost her; another GuAIZ had sliced off the left arm of her machine, including the Trikeros Shield and all the weapons that came with it. Lan had taken a hit too; her right railgun was out of action. It was just another sign of how good their enemies were; no one had been able to land hits like this on them since their clashes with Heero back in North Africa.

She didn't let it faze her though. Breaking to the right, Shemei charged the machine that had landed the hit. Beam saber met beam claw in a bright clash, and as the enemy parried her blow the Valkyrie used her DRAGOONs to pincer the GuAIZ. Unlike Heero or Lucan this foe was unable to react fast enough, and it was blown apart by the emerald beams.

Once again though, the kill cost Shemei; Lucan had flanked her while she was taking out his subordinate and was charging in for a slash with his beam claws. The Valkyrie managed to pull back to avoid the blow, but the violet energy blade cut through the left gun-drone, and the weapon exploded.

"You've got some moves, Lucan," she said as she raised her saber to parry a follow up attack, "It's too bad you're on the wrong side."

"I am on the side of our people, as you should've been," Wizard One replied as the two combatants broke off and traded fire, "Zala's sins are grave, but those of the Alliance are even worse."

"They're both in the gutter at this point," Shemei shot back, "The Alliance just tried to wipe out the PLANTs and GENESIS has the power to kill everything on Earth! Tell me, Lucan; what's the difference now?"

"The difference," said Lucan, "is that our side is the lesser of two evils. No side is ever a saint in war, Valkyrie, and you know that."

"That's still no excuse to go along with the will of monsters!" shouted Shemei, "There's always another option; the Clyne faction is proof of that, and you know it!"

Lucan sighed. "It is too late for us, Valkyrie."

Shemei shook her head in disgust. "Fine, be that way."

She once again crossed blades with her foe. As she did so she saw that Priscilla had destroyed another GuAIZ as well; they were now down to Wizard Team's final two machines. However, she could see that the effort had cost her subordinate: like Adaline, Priscilla's machine had lost its left arm and all the weapons that were with it. Still it was progress, and Shemei could see that Adaline and Lan had made similar strides against Sorcerer Team, with both girls each facing off with one remaining GuAIZ apiece.

This has gone on long enough, she thought, and it ends here!

Pulling back, the Valkyrie unleashed a withering salvo with her remaining artillery. To his credit Lucan was able to avoid taking a direct hit, but it kept him on the defensive, and he was only able to counter with sporadic fire from his beam rifle.

Shemei kept up the barrage as she charged in for the kill. "Say 'hi' to Zala for me when you see him in hell, Lucan!"

As she made the approach the GuAIZ responded first with its beam rifle and then with its arrestor anchors. The Valkyrie managed to evade the beams and cut down one of the arrestors with her blade, but the other one managed to grab the Tartarus rifle. Shemei immediately let go of the plasma rifle, and not a moment too soon; the beam emitter in the arrestor fired, destroying the weapon. It was a heavy loss for the Judgment, but it was a worthwhile sacrifice; the Valkyrie was now in attack range.

She lashed out with her beam saber, and while Lucan caught the blow on his beam claws Shemei was still able to hit him by deploying her remaining DRAGOON. The gun-drone destroyed the GuAIZ's rifle, and Shemei used the distraction from the explosion to make her final attack.

"Goodbye, Wizard," she said quietly as she slammed her violet blade into the GuAIZ's cockpit.

Turning around as Lucan's machine exploded, she saw Priscilla finish off her final foe as well with a particle beam and railgun round. Adaline and Lan had likewise finally defeated Sorcerer Team and both girls were flying towards her now.

Shemei smiled. "Good work, all of you."

"Thanks," said Adaline, and Shemei could hear her breathing hard, "So what's next? We go help Heero?"

Glancing over at Wing Zero's fierce battle with the Galm Team, Shemei shook her head. "None of you girls are saying it, but I'm sure you're tired by now. Combine that with the damage our mobile suits have taken and… well, we're in no shape to fly into that fight."

"So what do we do, then?" asked Lan.

Shemei sighed. "We head back to the Archangel. At this point we'll be better off defending the ship and helping Captain Ramius hold the line against the Earth forces and ZAFT. GENESIS is in Heero's hands now, simple as that."

"Roger that," her girls replied.

She spared one last glance over at the Gundam pilot's continuing clash with the Galm Team before heading off.

It's all up to you now, Heero. Show them what you've got!

End "A Stranger I Remain"

….

Start "Stains of Time"

Gritting his teeth as the Freedom shook around him, Kira continued his clash with the insane Field Marshal at the heart of this war. Fire from the DRAGOONs had hit the METEOR unit, damaging but not destroying it. Still, Kira was sure those wouldn't be the last hits Creuset landed on him; the METEOR just made the Freedom too big of a target, and the masked maniac wielded his horde of gun-drones with unbelievable precision and coordination.

"Is that all you have, boy?" Creuset sneered over the radio, "Kira Yamato, you're so disappointing!"

Don't let him get to you, he thought, Just focus on defeating him!

He rushed back in, firing as he went, desperate to close the gap and at least somewhat neutralize the advantage of the DRAGOONs. Kira managed to get into beam sword range, but Creuset easily managed to parry his attack and then force him to retreat again with flanking attacks from the gun-drones. The Freedom rumbled again as the METEOR unit took additional hits, and alarms went off in his cockpit as major components of the heavy weapons system were damaged.

"Accept it!" Creuset cackled, "All your battles up to now have been meaningless, Kira! They have been merely steps down mankind's road to destruction. You, like the rest of humanity, have reached your limit! You're at the gates of the underworld, and I'll send you through to Hades!"

"You're nuts!" Kira cried as he detached the Freedom from the crumbling METEOR unit, "The Alliance has lost its nukes and the mirror for GENESIS has been destroyed; you've lost, Creuset!"

"Oh, hardly," Creuset replied as the Freedom and Providence continued to trade fire, "Even if the world will not end today, GENESIS is still on target, and Wing Zero will not be able to stop it. When Washington D.C. is consumed by radioactive fire that will ensure that the flames of mankind's hatred will outlive me! They'll rearm and come back here with a vengeance! The cycle will continue and escalate again, and culminate in the inevitable annihilation! It may not be today thanks to you and your wretched friends, but one way or another my will shall be done!"

"No!" yelled Kira, "I'll stop you here!"

"Try it, boy!" Creuset snarled.

Ridding himself of the METEOR unit greatly increased Kira's ability to evade fire, and now he could use the Freedom's shield to block shots that he couldn't dodge. However, he knew that his situation was still grim. He'd never faced a mobile suit like Creuset's before, and the masked lunatic was fighting with a manic frenzy that far surpassed the hatred he had thrown Kira's way back at the Battle of Mendel. Eerily enough, despite his seething rage and malice Creuset still appeared to be completely in control of his mobile suit, wielding the DRAGOONs with incredible skill. Wrath was no hindrance to the man; quite the contrary.

Kira pushed forward, igniting his beam saber as he did so. Keeping his shield up to take incoming fire, the young man was able to break through the net of emerald death and into sword range. Violet blades clashed, but Kira was unable to breach Creuset's defense. In fact, the boy soon found himself on the defensive again as Creuset parried the blow and launched a counterattack.

The Field Marshal's assault was brutal. Kira was forced back under the blow, which Creuset immediately followed up with fire from the two small beam guns mounted on the unit's shield. Raising his shield to take the shots, Kira was pushed further back as Creuset once again brought both his DRAGOONs and the mobile suit's large rifle to bear on him.

No!, he thought as he frantically evaded the monsoon of emerald beams, If this keeps up I'll never be able to beat him!

"Why do you insist on this futile fight, Kira Yamato?" asked Creuset, his voice dripping with mock-concern as he continued to pour particle beam fire at him, "The cycle of hate is one that cannot be stopped! Its energy builds and builds until eventually all are consumed by the flames of wrath and vengeance. Sooner or later all will burn!"

"You're wrong!" shouted Kira as he returned fire, "It only came down to this because of you!"

"Fool," Creuset sneered, "I merely encouraged it. That's irrelevant now anyway. The human race will wipe itself out, and no one can stop it now!"

"I'll stop it!" yelled Kira as they continued to trade fire.

"There's no way you can stop it now!" Creuset cackled as both of their mobile suits took hits, "This is the destiny of the human race! Those wretched fools brought this upon themselves!"

The Freedom rocked around Kira as particle beams slammed into it. The beam rifle was destroyed along with the arm that held it. The left plasma cannon and right railgun were also hit by the hail of emerald energy, as was the right leg. Kira could see that his shots had hit the large circular structure on Creuset's machine that the DRAGOONs attached to, destroying several of the mountings and rupturing the armor, but the fearsome mobile suit wasn't beaten yet.

"Your wretched existence ends here, boy," Creuset growled, "but don't worry; I'll be sending your precious songstress to join you shortly!"

And that was it.

That was the trigger.

Once again Kira could feel that familiar sensation washing over him. White hot anger, yet it did not blind him. This time he was fully aware of it, could finally understand what it was. A purpose clear as crystal, a level of consciousness between pure instinct and deliberate thought.

A spinning seed touching water as smooth as glass, ripples radiating out from the point of impact…

…and a cascade of brilliant light.

This time he was in complete control, fully comprehending what was happening to him, and knew exactly what needed to be done. Reacting faster than he was able to before, he swiftly closed the gap between him and Creuset. Once again he lashed out with his beam saber, and while the masked lunatic was able to block it, this time Kira was able to press the assault despite the damage to his machine. He pushed forward, first with a horizontal slash, then a diagonal strike. The first slash was blocked, but the second strike went through his foe's large rifle, and it exploded.

"You're not getting her," Kira growled as he lashed out again, "and you're not getting anyone else either!"

Creuset was able to block the strike, and this time Kira could see the DRAGOONs preparing to fire. He broke off, but rather than pull back he angled for one of the gun-drones and cut it down with his violet blade. Another DRAGOON managed to destroy his second railgun, but he was still able to bring himself back towards Creuset and into saber range again.

"You're wrong about humanity!" Kira shouted as he attacked again, his blade meeting Creuset's, "We will survive this war, and we will protect our future!"

Creuset attempted to counter, but Kira was too fast. He redirected Creuset's blade so it would pierce the Freedom's left leg, and then he brought his saber up for the final strike.

"It's over!" he yelled.

And he thrust his blade through Creuset's cockpit.

Time froze for a moment before the machine exploded. The force of the blast threw Kira back, but with his Phase Shift Armor still operational he was well protected. His breathing became heavy as the adrenaline and the energy from 'Seed Mode' began to bleed out of him, but that was fine; the duel was over.

He had finally been able to do what was necessary.

End "Stains of Time"

He had won the fight, but there was no doubt in Kira's mind that he was out for the rest of this battle; the damage to the Freedom was too severe. Fortunately neither side was paying much attention to him; they had more important things to worry about than a crippled mobile suit.

Making sure the Freedom's beacon was active so his friends could find him later, Kira turned his machine towards the final duel of the war.

I finally beat him, he thought, I did what you told me I'd have to do. The rest is up to you now, Heero.

….

Start "Avalon"

Orange-red fire filled the sky as the Morgan's second tactical nuke detonated prematurely thanks to precise fire from the Twin Buster Rifle. Bracing himself against the shockwave, Heero was already setting himself up for his next move. The moment the blast faded just enough for his sensors to gain a visual, he targeted the Galahad and cut loose.

This had better work, he thought as he took the shot, I'm running out of time!

The low-power shot from the Twin Buster Rifle raced across space. Heero saw Cipher dive to avoid it, but he had anticipated that. It was only when he saw one of the three remaining DRAGOONs get caught in the shot that the Gundam pilot breathed a sigh of relief; that was what he'd been trying to do.

There's a brief lag between the mobile suit's movements and those of the DRAGOONs as they process the maneuvers and try to keep up, he thought as he charged headlong at Galm One, By lining up the shot in a firing path that's easiest to evade by breaking a certain way I can anticipate the path of the DRAGOONs as they're dragged along with the Galahad. Nice to see that guess proven right.

Cipher was now down to two of the gun-drones, and Heero was sure that Pixy couldn't have many of the tactical nukes left available; the missiles doubtlessly took up a lot of space. The Gundam pilot now had a handle on the fight and knew what he had to do to win, but his window was short; there were barely three minutes left on the clock.

The Galahad lashed out with its Heat Rod, but Heero was able to ward it off with his shield. He then brought his beam saber up to strike, and the emerald blade met Galm One's sword. It was fine that Cipher had managed to block the blow; Heero had only made it as a diversion. Rather than try to press his assault the Gundam pilot broke to the upper left, deflecting Cipher's counterattack before slashing through another DRAGOON.

The only one left now is the lower right drone, he thought as he dodged fire from that DRAGOON and the Morgan, I'm close.

He raced towards Galm Two even as his foe opened up with his Tartarus rifle and railguns. Cipher pursued Heero, but it was much easier for Wing Zero's pilot to evade fire from the single remaining DRAGOON than it had been to dodge shots from all four, and he was rapidly closing with Pixy's machine.

Heero pushed his engines to their limit, determined to run Galm Two down before he could launch another nuke. The Morgan was already pulling back, firing as it went, but Wing Zero was faster, and even potshots from the Galahad's last DRAGOON couldn't slow the Perfect Soldier down.

Raising the Twin Buster Rifle, Heero let fly with another low-power shot. The shot didn't connect, but that was fine with him; it had simply been meant to keep Pixy on the defensive, and it more than served its purpose.

In desperation Galm Two added his CIWS to the mix, but it didn't do any good against Wing Zero's Gundanium alloy hull. The Gundam finally closed into saber range, and Heero made a hard vertical strike. Morgan may not have been built for close-quarters-combat, but it was still a fast machine, and the mobile suit was able to slip to the left, avoiding a fatal blow.

However, it did still take a hit, and the damage suited Heero just fine; his emerald blade had cut clean through the Morgan's right shoulder, taking the arm out and the warhead launcher along with it. Before Heero could make a follow-up attack he was forced to break off to contend with a charging Galahad, brining his beam saber up to deflect a strike from Galm One.

Rather than make a counter attack, Heero instead went after the Galahad's last gun-drone and cut it down. Cipher attempted to retaliate with his Heat Rod, but Heero had already gunned his engines and moved beyond striking distance. The Gundam pilot fired the Twin Buster Rifle at Galm One to keep him on the defensive before once again turning his attention towards the Morgan.

"You're mine," Heero growled as he closed with Pixy, weaving through the increasingly desperate fire the mercenary was throwing his way. With Cipher's last DRAGOON destroyed the Gundam pilot no longer had to worry about fire from behind, and he knew that he would reach the Morgan before Galm One could catch up.

Diving to avoid a blast from the Morgan's Tartarus rifle and keeping his shield up to block railgun rounds, Heero continued forward. Cipher was hot on his tail, and Heero knew that he would only have a moment to strike and try to take Galm Two out of the fight.

His eyes narrowed as he swiftly closed in. Just like before, the Morgan was pulling back, firing as it went, and the critical moment was almost upon him. Coming in low, Heero waited until the last possible second before climbing, his emerald blade flashing in an upward left-to-right diagonal slash.

The blow initially caught the Morgan on the left thigh. As the beam saber came up it cut through part of the torso, narrowly missing the cockpit but still damaging critical systems and taking out one of the railguns. The emerald blade finally ripped through the Morgan's left shoulder, taking away that arm and the Tartarus rifle.

Heero knew it was possible that Pixy had survived, but even so it didn't change the fact that Galm Two was out of the fight. The Morgan was drifting and barely under its own power anymore; there were sparks flying from the mauled left side of the machine. More to the point, he didn't have time to go in for a coup de grace; Cipher was already lashing out with his Heat Rod, and Heero was barely able to bring his shield up in time to fend off the strike. Even without Galm One attacking, every second mattered now with GENESIS still on its inexorable countdown.

The Gundam pilot brought up his emerald blade to parry a strike from the Galahad's sword. This time he was able to counter and strike back without fear of being flanked by the DRAGOONs, and the fight quickly transformed into a duel that struck him as quite similar to the last fight of his old war.

He's got almost the same weapons now, too, Heero thought as their blades met, Sword and whip… it's almost like fighting Zechs again.

He didn't let his mind get taken back to the past, though. That was a chapter in his life that had closed some time ago, and he had no intention of trying to relive it for the sake of nostalgia. This battle was for the sake of his new world and the woman he loved; the only role the past played was to give him insight in how to win in the present.

As he lashed out and Cipher parried he heard Galm One's voice over the radio. "Now this is a fight!"

Heero didn't bother to respond; words were pointless at this stage of the fight. He simply kept up the duel, working furiously to counter his foe as the seconds continued to fall from the clock.

"Admit it, Heero!" said Cipher as the Gundam pilot blocked his attack, "You're enjoying this just as much as I am! How else did you get to the top of the combat food-chain? No one reaches our level of skill without embracing the thrill of battle!"

Again, Heero didn't waste his breath replying; he was content to let his actions do the talking. He dived as Cipher unleashed his Heat Rod before retaliating with the Twin Buster Rifle. As Galm One went evasive Heero charged right back in. He made a horizontal slash, but Cipher was able to block the blow. The mercenary responded with a swing of his sword, and Heero took the strike on his shield. He then lashed out again with his emerald blade, and while he didn't land a fatal blow he did succeed in severing the left arm, taking the small shield and the Heat Rod out with it.

You don't get it, Cipher, he thought as he parried another attack from the Galahad, I've been here before. A battle with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, a duel with a powerful foe, countless lives riding on the outcome… it may have been in another world, but I know this kind of fight better than you ever could. That's why, even in the midst of this new world, a battlefield like this… is my home turf!

….

"New targeting solutions locked in!" shouted Lieutenant Tsukino.

Murrue nodded. "Hit them with everything we've got!"

The Archangel's remaining weapons opened up in a furious barrage. Twin blasts from the Lohengrins hammered a Nazca-class destroyer, turning it into a fireball. Salvos from the Gottfrieds and starboard Valiant mauled the upper hull of a Nelson-class battleship, taking out the bridge and most of the artillery. Finally a volley of Sledgehammer missiles flew from the rear launchers, arcing over the ship and raining down on two Drake-class escort ships, ripping through their thin armor and tearing the vessels apart.

All around her the rest of the battered fleet of the Three Ships Alliance was throwing everything they had into the fray. They'd taken further losses in both ships and mobile suits, but amazingly the line was still holding. The enemy still wasn't making a coordinated effort to break through to either GENESIS or the colonies, and Murrue knew that was her fleet's saving grace.

Actually, the attempts at advancing of both the Earth forces and ZAFT seemed to have lightened up a little. It wasn't just because of the Three Ships Alliance's fierce defense or the continuing clashes both the Earth forces and ZAFT had going with each other; everyone's attention seemed half-focused on something else.

And Murrue had a feeling she knew exactly what that was.

It was the same thing that she kept looking at on her personal monitor.

The duel in the shadow of GENESIS.

The final clash between the Perfect Soldier and the mercenary hellhound.

The emerald blade of the otherworldly pilot struck against the violet blade of the devoted war dog. The blue-white flares of their engines raced across the black void. Even from such a distance one could feel the intensity of the duel, the fierceness of the dance as the two lords of the battlefield fought with every ounce of skill at their disposal, and with nothing less than the future of mankind riding on the outcome.

Thousands of ships, Murrue thought, legions of mobile suits. Vast armadas, great hosts of soldiers, weapons capable of reducing all to ashes… and yet, they all pale before this final contest.

"Heero…" she whispered, "Please… win."

….

Firing a low-power shot with the Twin Buster Rifle, Heero immediately charged in following the blast. Cipher had dived to evade being hit, so Heero came at him from on high, swinging his blade down in a vertical strike.

This has to end now, he thought as the mercenary blocked his attack, I'm running out of time!

Perhaps sensing his desperation, Galm One's voice came over the radio. "I'm not letting this end yet, Heero. We're going to continue this dance until we both end up in the pits of Hell!"

Heero didn't answer, instead keeping his focus on deflecting Cipher's counterattack before making another strike of his own. The mercenary captain once again parried the blow, but it was as he did that that Heero realized he could see a key vulnerability of the Galahad, one that would be difficult to exploit but just might be his best shot to ending this fight quickly.

Timing will be everything, he thought as he pulled back a bit while parrying a slash from Cipher, I have to be ready to act the instant he makes his move.

Rather than counter he stayed on the defensive, continuing to pull back and deflect Cipher's attacks. His eyes narrowed as he focused, aware of the acute need to wrap this up quickly but also knowing that he could not rush this if it was to work.

Blocking another overhand strike, Heero saw Cipher draw his sword back in preparation for a thrust, and the Gundam pilot knew that it was now or never.

Galm One thrust forward, and rather than parry the blow Heero brought his beam saber to the tip of the sword.

The metal tip.

Where there was no energy blade to block his own.

Pushing forward, Heero dragged his emerald blade along the metal core of the sword, slicing it in two. As his beam saber came out of weapon Heero continued forward, and his blade then entered first the upper right arm and then the upper right torso of the Galahad. The slash continued through the mobile suit all the way out the left side, and with a bright blast of fire and light the upper chest was torn away from the rest of the machine.

Heero was already moving on, not even sparing a glance back at the wreckage of his defeated adversary; he had something much more important to take care of. Pushing his engines to maximum, he rushed towards GENESIS. He had no time to lose; there was barely a minute left on the clock.

He contacted the Kusanagi as he flew, and when Kisaka appeared on the screen Heero cut straight to the point. "Simmons. Now."

The Orb Colonel nodded, and the brilliant engineer appeared on the screen a moment later. "What is it, Heero?"

"Making my run on GENESIS now," he said curtly, "Best attack angle?"

"Head on," she immediately replied, "Put it right down the firing shaft; Wing Zero's the only machine with the accuracy and raw power to take it down that way."

Heero nodded. "Understood."

Erica nodded. "Good luck."

Wing Zero was one of the fastest mobile suits in the Cosmic Era, but even its top speed seemed all too slow to Heero right now. Eyeing the timer, he saw the seconds ticking down way too fast.

Approaching his target, Heero immediately saw another obstacle he would have to overcome. Waltfeld's bombardment had destroyed the secondary mirror and therefore eliminated the threat to the world as a whole, but the expanding debris field would make lining up his shot much harder. Just like his fight with the Galm Team, timing the shot would be everything, but his margin for error was even tighter now than it had been in that frantic clash.

Stay calm, he silently told himself, and focus. You didn't come this far just to fail now. Too many people are counting on you.

Murrue's counting on you.

With a brief glance at his sensors he could see the Archangel still holding the line with the rest of the Three Ships Alliance fleet. Even with her battle damage she was still putting out an incredible volume of fire, and that was only amplified by the ships and mobile suits fighting alongside her. Murrue and the others were giving their all to give Heero the opening he needed to take this shot, and he refused to let them down.

Running his fingers over the keyboard, with the help of the ZERO System he was able to calculate the optimal firing position. The timing would be incredibly tight; if he wanted to fire before Jachin Due blew he would need to both lock on and begin charging the Twin Buster Rifle the instant he got into position.

Bracing himself, Heero quickly throttled down as he made it to the firing point. He immediately raised the rifle, locking in on the firing shaft and bringing up the weapon to full power. Debris from the destroyed mirror floated all around him, further complicating his shot at the target.

There were fifteen seconds left on the clock.

Fourteen…

Thirteen…

With a deep breath he steadied himself. As the countdown continued he got on the tactical channel, his eyes narrowed on the target.

"Murrue!" he said.

Ten…

Her reply was immediate. "Heero!"

Eight…

"Remember my promise," he said.

Five…

The charge was full, and Heero knew he wouldn't get a cleaner shot than this.

It was now or never.

"I will survive!" he shouted.

With that, he fired.

End "Avalon"

….

Heero's words echoed in her ears as Murrue's gaze, along with that of her entire bridge crew, was riveted to the main monitor. The seconds left on the clock could be counted on one hand as a brilliant flash of golden-yellow light tore through space; the full power of Wing Zero's Twin Buster Rifle. At that moment the rest of the battlefield seemed to go still; the eyes of all combatants, regardless of allegiance, were on GENESIS and the Demon Lord of Avalon.

She held her breath as she saw the blast flash across the void…

…and enter the firing shaft of GENESIS.

A split second latter a titanic explosion of blue and white light bloomed, flooding outward like a supernova and illuminating the battlefield like a second sun. At the same time a series of detonations ripped through the asteroid fortress of Jachin Due as the self-destruct mechanism went off, and the base soon went up in a massive fireball.

"Heero…" Murrue said softly.

The explosion had completely eclipsed him. Still burning brightly, it obscured any sign of the brilliant young man that had made the shot.

"Is he…" she heard Miriallia say, her voice trailing off.

The blast had easily eclipsed the destruction of Avalon with the raw power unleashed by it. The chance was all too real, Heero's promise to her aside. Murrue's heart hammered away in her chest.

No… he has to be…

There was an unbearable silence…

…but only for a moment.

Start "Just Communication"

"Contact!" cried the sensor operator.

"On screen now!" shouted Murrue, gripping her chair and leaning forward.

The image on the main monitor shifted, zooming in on the explosion…

…and revealing a silhouette of a very familiar mobile suit.

Murrue was elated. "Heero!"

"He's on the line!" cried Miriallia, "Patching him through now!"

The Gundam pilot appeared on the screen, a small and satisfied smile on his face. His eyes met Murrue's, and she saw those beautiful Prussian blue gems burning with what could only be described as well deserved triumph.

"Mission accomplished," he said, that calm and cool voice of his radiating confidence and satisfaction.

Murrue knew she was absolutely beaming as she replied. "Yes! You did it, Heero! You were amazing!"

The incredible young man gave her a slight bow. "Thank you, Murrue."

"Captain!" shouted the communications officer, "There's an open channel transmission coming from Aprilius One!"

"Get it on speaker!" Murrue ordered.

A woman's voice came over the speaker. "This is Councilor Eileen Canaver, provisional head of the PLANT Supreme Council, addressing all forces on this battlefield. Patrick Zala is dead, his subordinates have been detained, and his closest supporters have been arrested on charges of war crimes! Under my authority as Provisional Chairwoman of the Supreme Council I am prepared to offer a ceasefire to the surviving forces of both the Earth Alliance and those under the banner of Orb and the Clyne Faction!"

I'd forgotten all about her, Murrue thought, The Councilor and the moderates that remained at L5. It looks like they were able to pull off their coup after all. Now it all comes down to the other side…

"New broadband transmission!" said her subordinate, "It's from the Earth Alliance forces!"

A man's voice came over the speaker. "This is Captain Walters of the carrier Truman, current flagship of the Earth Alliance armed forces. All ships are ordered to stand down at once! Cease all hostilities immediately! Provisional Chairwoman Canaver, we hereby accept your offer of a ceasefire! All Earth Alliance warships will pull back to the Moon!"

A third voice came over the radio, this one belonging to a certain young woman. "This is Chief Representative Cagalli Yula Athha, speaking on behalf of all Orb and Three Ships Alliance forces. Everyone, stand down! Chairwoman Canaver, we too accept your ceasefire!"

Murrue let out the breath she hadn't realized that she'd been holding.

"It's over…" she said softly, "It's… it's finally over."

"Transmission from the Eternal!" said the communications officer.

Murrue listened carefully as the voice of Lacus came over the radio. "To all surviving forces of the Three Ships Alliance, this is Lacus Clyne. Well done, all of you! We have accomplished our mission."

She was swiftly followed by Waltfeld. "Everyone, excellent job! All ships, gather your surviving mobile suits. We will be withdrawing to L3 for the time being. Once peace talks begin in earnest, Lady Cagalli will take the lead as Orb's Chief Representative. For now, pack it in, people. We've done what we came here to do; it's time to pull out."

Murrue turned back to Heero and smiled again. "Did you get all of that, Heero?"

The Gundam pilot nodded and returned her smile with a small one of his own. "All clear. I'm coming back, Murrue."

Murrue's smile grew. "Yes. Come back to the Archangel, Heero… come back to me. Come home."

"Roger that," he replied.

….

Limping along in the Freedom, Kira smiled as he heard the announcements from all sides. "It's really over… we did it."

All around him he could see the Earth Alliance and ZAFT forces slowly begin to part from each other, picking up stragglers as they went. What had been unimaginable mere moments ago was now unfolding right before his very eyes. The guns had been lowered, and beam sabers had been extinguished.

The incredible price that had been paid to reach this point would take a long time to calculate. How many lives had been lost here today? How many had died in all the battles running up to this? Every loss due to this war, running all the way back to the Bloody Valentine Tragedy… how deep was the river of blood that had been shed to get to here and now?

Perhaps one day he'd know. Perhaps not.

Creuset, he thought, you believed that humans were destined to destroy each other. Coordinator or Natural… it didn't matter to you. Today, though… humanity has proven you wrong. You lost, Creuset… though the world paid a heavy price to defeat you.

A familiar female voice came over the radio, shaking him out of his musings. "Kira! Kira, it's Cagalli! Answer me, Kira!"

On his monitor he could see the Strike Rouge rapidly approaching him. The young man's smile grew as his sister came to him; he knew that someone would find him eventually.

Another familiar voice joined Cagalli's. "Kira, this is Athrun! Come on, you gotta say something, Kira!"

Kira nodded. "Hey, Athrun, Cagalli… I'm ok."

"You'd better be," Athrun replied, his voice noticeably relaxing, "Otherwise Lacus wouldn't let me hear the end of it."

"She's not the only one," said Cagalli, likewise clearly relieved, "Hang on, we'll help you get back to the Eternal."

As the Strike Rouge came up to him he saw both Athrun and Cagalli appear on the main screen. "Come on," said Cagalli, "We're getting out of here. We're going home!"

"Home…" said Kira, "Orb…"

"For a new home, it doesn't sound that bad," said Athrun, smiling.

"Of course not," Cagalli replied, "Trust me, you'll settle in just fine!"

Kira smiled as he felt the Strike Rouge grab the Freedom. "All right then… let's go home."

….

Leaning back in his seat as Wing Zero settled down inside the Archangel's hangar, Heero breathed a sigh of relief. His was the last unit to enter the white battleship, and now they would withdraw to L3.

The largest battle of his career was finally over. When he'd first entered this world, he'd never imagined that his journey would take him to a battlefield like this. It had surpassed any that he had ever fought in before, and once again he had survived.

Survived and emerged victorious.

Removing his helmet, the Gundam pilot took a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow. His body felt unbelievably heavy; his exhaustion was beyond even that which he had felt after the raid on Aprilius One. Still, he would not remain in his mobile suit to recover some strength before venturing out; there was someone who was waiting for him, who'd been waiting for him ever since he had launched into the firestorm, and he would not keep her waiting a second longer.

Checking his monitor, he confirmed that oxygen levels in the hanger were normal. On the screen he could already see the Archangel's crew and pilots milling about, their manners of celebration and satisfaction. There were notable additions and absences. The damaged Tallgeese Kai sat off to the rear, while the Moebius Zero had not returned; doubtlessly its master had gone to the Dominion to rejoice with its Captain. The three M1s of Wolf Team were gone, as were the three Tauruses that had been loaded prior to their departure from Elysium; they had fallen in battle as well. The damaged Judgment was there, as were the three battered Wraiths, their pilots preferring to join their commander on the Archangel rather than return to the Eternal. The Buster and Werewolf were in their berths, likewise bruised but still intact.

Powering down Wing Zero, Heero cradled his helmet beneath his arm as he opened the Gundam's hatch. Exiting the mobile suit, he got a much better feel of the joyous atmosphere that had erupted inside the hangar. Crewmembers were embracing each other, laughing, smiling and crying. He caught sight of Chief Murdoch, a bottle of champagne in hand, doubtlessly smuggled aboard and craftily hidden until now thanks to the ship's no-alcohol policy, waiting for just the right time to be popped open. There was Shemei and Eric, holding each other, just breaking a deep kiss. He saw Miriallia rushing up to Dearka, all but tackling him in celebration of his safe return. All three of the Valkyrie's subordinates had come together in a group hug, waiting only for their commander to let go of her lover before pulling her into it.

Scanning the hangar, Heero looked for the one person he wanted to see more than anyone else, and found her just entering towards the rear. His smile growing, he pushed off from his mobile suit, flying through the hangar on a beeline for her.

She saw him immediately and wasted no time in moving to meet him halfway. "Heero!"

"Murrue!" he replied.

The two lovers came together in mid-air. Floating above the celebrating crowd, their lips swiftly sought each other's out, and they joined in a fiery kiss. Gripping each other fiercely, mouths opened and tongues found each other in a familiar warm and wet embrace.

This was what he had truly fought for. To hold the woman he loved here and now, to have defended her world, their world, and to have returned to her in triumph. To feel her soft and smooth skin, her long and flowing brown hair, every curve of her body against his, her passionate grip, and her warm lips… it was worth more to him than anything else in the world. He knew that it was selfish, but it was also human, and he was quite all right with that.

Finally the need for air proved too great, and the lovers were forced to part for breath. They still held each other tightly though, content to look into each other's eyes, to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was real, that they had fulfilled their promises to each other, and that their efforts had not been in vain.

She brought her hand up to his cheek, and the Gundam pilot reveled in the sensation of the palm of her hand on his face.

"You made it," she said softly, her eyes brimming with tears of joy, "You're here… you came back to me!"

Heero nodded, bringing his hand up to wipe away the tears that threatened to fall. "I promised you that I would, remember? I'll never break my word to you, Murrue."

Her response was simply to dive back in for another kiss, one that Heero readily returned. Losing himself in it, the weariness from the battle just seemed to melt away. This was the only reward he sought for his actions today; it was all he needed.

He didn't know what the future would hold for the Cosmic Era. What kind of peace would be forged from the clash that had taken place today, he could not say. What he did know though, with absolute certainty, was that he would not be alone in facing that future.

He would move forward with Murrue at his side.

And at that moment, that was all that mattered.

….

Shaking his head to dispel some of the disorientation, Pixy groaned. "Man… that was one hell of a ride."

To say that the shockwave from the destruction of GENESIS had rattled his mobile suit was an extreme understatement. For a moment he'd been sure that the raw power of it would've been enough to rip the battered remains of the Morgan apart, but he'd been far enough away from the blast that he'd been able to ride out the storm. His flight suit and helmet were still intact, and the mobile suit had emergency power, enough to power his distress beacon and keep him alive long enough for recovery.

So we lost again, he thought as he scanned the massive debris field with his backup sensors, Beaten decisively… and he took out the big gun to boot. Heero Yuy, you really are the king of the battlefield.

Looking around, he eventually found what he was looking for; the mauled remains of the Galahad. It looked to be in even worse shape than the Morgan, and there was very little chance of life in that metal hulk.

But if anyone could beat the odds, Pixy knew that it was his flight lead.

At the very least, he had to try to reach out.

Fumbling with his controls, he saw that the Morgan's emergency radio was still functioning. The transmission quality would be poor, but it was still better than nothing.

He got it on the appropriate frequency and spoke.

"Yo, buddy… you still alive?"

End "Just Communication"

Preview for next time!

The Second Battle of Jachin Due is over, and with it the Bloody Valentine War. As delegates from the Earth Alliance, Orb, and ZAFT work out a formal peace treaty and an official end to the conflict, the members of the Three Ships Alliance grant themselves a much deserved vacation and celebration. However, as the diplomatic process moves forward and the details of the coming treaty become known, Heero begins to doubt whether the hard won peace will ultimately hold. Confiding in Murrue and their closest friends in the Three Ships Alliance, the Gundam pilot and the beautiful Captain begin the work of preparing for a possible future conflict. Next time, on "Journey to a New Battlefield", Episode Thirty-One: The Treaty of Junius Seven.

In the fireworks of victory, the shadows of future struggles begin to take hold.

Author's notes: All right, the final battle is over! Man, that's a huge weight off my chest, hope you all enjoyed it! Not much else to really say here I guess, other than to give my thanks for your continued patience and support.

Two chapters left until the end of Part One!