Preview: The Clyne faction and ORB have finally joined forces resisting the pressure from the PLANTs to fight ROW's new warship the STING. Yaro and Uzumi are set to board their mobile suits again. The Minerva is still far away from ORB trying to get out of ROW territory. The Archangel stayed in ORB to defend Cagalli should ROW attack there. Athrun and Kira are set to board their mobile suits again to join the fight. Kiran and his friend Alicesia are aboard the Tranquility. Leyas transfered to the Eternal. Cagalli watches from the ground. Meiko has given into ROW because of Trey and she is now ready to fight for them again, but how long will this last?

Battles are not my strong point so I am a bit concerned about this... Here I go

Survivor18 - I tried emailing the pictures to you but they all got sent back saying that the email address you gave me did not exist.

Phase 17 - Battle In Space

She sat alone on a bench near the back of the Eternal thinking about how the world was going. It was not like her to feel so out of it about anything but today for some reason she had a growing sense of dread. Leyas was crying. The battlefield was now set and the forces of the Clyne faction sat over ORB protecting it and waiting for ROW. The ORB forces had moved away hoping to give a slight element of surprise and with them went Yaro and Uzumi who had both transferred to the Tranquility. She knew that the battle ahead would be hard to watch but strength was always something she was good at. She was going to fight for now but she felt that she did not belong on the battlefield

"I thought I'd find you here," she turned to see her dad standing a few feet away from where she sat. When she had seen him for the first time on this ship she could not look at him for more than a second and she ran away. He left them when they needed him most and Leyas found it hard to see him again. Tears filled her eyes now seeing him there. She quickly jumped up and threw her arms around him letting herself cry.

Kira held his eldest daughter comforting her, thinking about all the times when she had been in the same position she was now, simply seeking the comfort of her daddy.

"It was awful," she finally said, "daddy, I didn't know what to do! I was so scared." She had gone through a lot in escaping the PLANTS and she had not let anyone know of the fear and doubt that she was facing. Leyas always wanted to seem strong like her parents but Kira knew that inside she was just like him, very soft and very easy to wound. In his first battles he had faced so much and he had cried alone for a very long time. He had sworn that his children would never have to cry alone but when he was gone he could do nothing about their fears.

"I know Leyas," he said, "but I'm here now and I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. It's going to be okay."

"Daddy," she said letting go of him, "I'm sorry, I couldn't face it all in front of all those people. I just wanted to run to you but I didn't want them all to see me cry." She wiped a few tears from her eyes. He knew exactly what she was saying, she was Leyas Yamato after all.

"It's alright Leyas," he replied putting a hand on your shoulder, "your mother used to tell me that it was okay to cry and when things get hard sometimes it's all you can do. Right now we are going to be entering a battle where we all need to be ready for anything so let all those tears out now while you have the chance." She nodded hugging her father again knowing that as long as he was there she felt safe.

Liene sat and watched as a large fleet of ROW agents gathered around the STING. He knew that his force would be met by the Clyne faction and by ORB and he was counting on them all being there for the unveiling of the full power of the STING.

The laser cannon was more effective to him than any other large cannon in their history. It was powered by crystals he had mined on Mars; crystals with incredible power that he had been able to harness. The only problem with these crystals is that they were destroyed every time one was used to fire the machine. This was his problem in the battle against the Clyne faction before. A mistake he was not willing to repeat. He now had a stock of ten crystals as they took a while to prepare. He could fire them one after another or he could spread them out. He was going to use them to his advantage.

The second thing he was relying on was the brute force of his robotic units. They were all programed to target anything that did not have a certain ROW code and as such they existed to destroy. By eliminating the human factor in the mobile suit he had created warriors that had no feelings and that could not be tossed and turned by anyone. Another thing about these machines were their large numbers. He had been able to mass produce so many of them that he had a massive army. Their sheer numbers alone and their lack of feelings would make them very hard for the Clyne faction to deal with. Among those forces he also had his skilled ROW agents. He knew it would be hard on Lacus's pilots to be constantly switching between the two adversaries. On one hand they could fight brutally against the robots and destroy them and on the other hand they would dance around his agents and try to preserve life by disarming them in which case they could pilot for him again another day.

His final card was one he was reluctant to lean on, Meiko Virea. Her mobile suit ability was sure to win them the battlefield if he could keep control of her. He wished he had gotten the chance to test the new mobile suit system on her but there was no time. He would be leaning on that system if she let her emotions take control and as he did not know if it would work he was a bit nervous about using it.

The Hatred was being piloted by Jurme Krey this time around as Trey Likra Day was still just a prisoner. Liene had been trying to convince the boy of the error of his ways because he was such a valuable pilot and because his influence on Meiko was considerable. If Trey was fully committed to ROW Meiko would be the other way around was a little bit more tricky. Trey was not committed to ROW yet now Meiko was because of fear. So Liene repeatedly spoke to Trey but the boy would not budge. It reminded Liene to much of someone he knew in the past and he was tired of defecting agents.

He sat back watching space go by feeling the battlefield getting nearer and nearer. This day would belong to him and he would make sure to destroy the forces of the enemy.

As ROW appeared on the horizon the members of the Clyne faction held onto their courage at the size of the force that had been sent. The STING sat proudly in the center of an arrangement of ships that were spread out to make their numbers seem larger. Lacus had broadcasted to her entire fleet strengthening them right before ROW arrived and everyone worked hard to hold onto that strength.

"The enemy fighting strength is twelve ROW standard ships, three mobile suit carriers, seven fighter ships, the Predjudice and the STING!" Kiran declared letting the Tranquility know what was happening there. He had just received a message from Leyas, as of now the ORB forces held back not wanting to expose the alliance between them and the Clyne faction until the battle started. If they fought with Lacus from the beginning then it would be obvious that they were working together but if ORB arrived a little late it might seem as if they are trying to break up the conflict. Everyone knew it was not a full proof plan but it was all they could come up with on such a short notice.

"How did they have a force that big?" Alicesia asked Kiran, she was just beginning to have confidence in the battle when they appeared and shattered it all. The ORB fleet that had been sent was pretty small, seven ships and the Tranquility. It was because the council thought it was too dangerous to send off their full strength. The Clyne faction had sent ten ships, the other six in their group had rushed to the emergency base with the plans for new weapons and things like that.

"Remember ROW has control of a few nations," Athrun said, he stood next to the Captain's seat which was occupied by Ayren Saith, one of the most capable commanders in the ORB military.

"Do you think they have control of the nation's militaries?" Ayren asked.

"Yes," Athrun replied, "The Minerva has been unable to move because there are ROW ships crawling around the Southern Hemisphere. Here we are facing a large force but there are more down there." Kiran gulped and looked back toward the information again. 24 ships with who knows how many mobile suits vs eighteen ships and a limited number of good pilots.

"We have sighted them," a crew member said, "ten Clyne faction ships, no ORB vessels."

"They will come," Liene said with a smile turning around, "but it will not be enough. Send out the Pain!"

"Loading Pain into launch catapult, preparing launch sequence."

It was about to begin for her, another battle against people she did not hate. Meiko Virea sat back waiting for the launch sequence to be complete as she numbly resolved herself to destroy as many machines as she could. She would simply forget that there were people piloting them and treat them like ROW's new robotic units.

"Meiko Virea," she said lifting her head, "Pain launching." Her mobile suit shot out to space and she saw the Clyne faction mobile suits launching. It was time.

"We are picking up Robotic units and ROW standard suits," Leyas said alerting her mother as the battle began and mobile suits began fighting each other, "wait, there is one more signal! The Pain has launched!" Everyone on the bridge nearly jumped at those words.

None of them could forget the last time they faced the Pain in battle.

"It seems the pain has been upgraded," another bridge memeber said, "and it's coming toward us!" Lacus watched as the Pain weaved through her forces like they weren't even there. That mobile suit was much stronger than she had remembered.

"Order all mobile suit teams to stick to the main plan," Lacus responded, "don't let them get distracted! Launch the Freedom!"

"Stay on course," Leyas repeated the instructions then she she switched her radio and saw her father's face, "it's your turn now, launch Freedom!"

"This is Kira Yamato,Freedom launching," he said. Everyone on the bridge had missed that sound and now that it had returned they were more hopeful than ever. Leyas looked out to see her father's mobile suit quickly entering the battle and she felt safe for she knew he would protect them.

Meiko finished off the mobile suit she had just attacked feeling on fire today. Anger tore through her about ROW and she took it out on everything around her. If she could not have the life she wanted she would make people fear who she was. She quickly engaged another mobile suit moving so fast the other pilot did not know what was happening. She jumped away from the explosion and brandished her weapons scaring a lot of the other enemy troops. No one could stop her now.

"Meiko don't waste your time with them, Jurme is launching in the Hatred for that," Liene said contacting her suit. He almost smiled when he saw the resolve on her face, "The Freedom had launched Meiko, now prove your worth and destroy that machine."

"Rodger," she said feeling the rush of the battle come over her. She quickly scanned the area and saw the Freedom fighting a ROW standard unit. In no time the unit was completely disarmed. She slammed the controls of her mobile suit ignoring all the fire around her and quickly rushing to that mobile suit. The Freedom was taken off guard as she fired the two new arm cannons she had into it's back and flipped over it firing a couple more guns. "Take me on!" She yelled.

Instantly she was in the battle with the Freedom and she knew they were perfectly matched. He launched his dragoons and she dodged all of the fire at once.

Kira gritted his teeth as he realized this pilot was not going to let him disarm the mobile suit. He had never fought anyone who moved like this, the Pain was quick, much faster than anything he had ever seen and it seemed to rely on that speed to fight. The pilot was also exceptional moving the mobile suit so naturally as if this was no more than a game. Kira stayed alert dodging the other units attacks and then he pulled out his beam sabers and went in for close combat keeping his dragoons aimed at the unit in front of him.

The pain me his attach with no hesitation falling into his trap, he slammed his beam saber pinning the unit down then fired two built in cannons and his Dragoons. The Pain was hit but the mobile suit jumped back before all the firepower could get to it. The machine appeared undamaged by his attack. Who was this pilot?

"All remaining mobile suit teams launch," Leyas said relaying the instructions she was getting, "ORB forces send the Visage and the Journey. The Lacuna and The Arete move in on the sides. Fire on those robotic units! Clyne faction move in!"

"Kira has engaged the Pain," another bridge member said, "neither of them seem to be able to gain ground against each other."

"Send backup units," Lacus said, "we need to take that machine down before it is able to cause any more damage." Leyas nodded relaying that information to a couple of units. ROW had launched a few human mobile suit teams along with the robotic units and they were overwhelming Lacus's mobile suit forces. Leyas held on knowing ORB's eight ships would be there soon but it was hard to watch the battle ufold in this way.

"Okay boys the ORB forces are still not moving in but Lacus has requested we send you two," Athrun said from the bridge alerting Yaro and Uzumi, "we are sending you both with G4 booster packs which have been modified. You can fire with them now. Go and top speed it's taking place about a mile away."

"Rodger," both of the boys said preparing for launch. Yaro held his breath as his mobile suit was thrown into space, it was about to begin for him. He had wanted to fight for so long and now that he was here he was a little afraid. His mind turned to Meiko wondering where she was now and if by chance she was participating in this battle. She was an agent of ROW and an incredible mobile suit pilot. The odds of her being there were very high and if she was there Yaro knew that he would not be able to really fight her.

"Yaro let's go," he heard Uzumi's voice and saw the Journey flying toward the battlefield. He slammed his engines and followed.

Kayla stared up at the night sky and saw the bright lights of battle overhead. It was exactly as her mother had predicted, ROW was headed toward ORB. Her mother's pink Haro bounced beind her and Kayla wondered if anything bad had happened yet.

"Beneath the veil of starry skies," Kayla began to sing her mothers song trying to hold onto the peace it would offer her, "as cold as winters darkest night. It's there you sleep, silent and deep, you're all alone. I sing the prayers soft melody, across the lonely silent fields. A little light began to shine, it shines on and on. I watched you as you so peacefully dreamed, you laughed like a child happy and carefree. It's so familiar and yet so far that's the future is promised for you and me. One day on a green and shining morn, one day we will finally make it though, cause in this sky so dark with winter we still have to believe that it's true. Fields of hope."

"That is beautiful Kayla," she heard her aunt Cagalli enter the room and she turned around to face her.

"The battle's begun," Kayla said pointing into space and Cagalli nodded, "Oh, Aunt Cagalli I just have this feeling something awful is going to happen."

"I know," Cagalli said stepping forward to stand next to the girl to see into the battle above them, "The night has just begun and I wonder if there will be anyone left standing when the morning comes."

"I could write a song with that," Kayla said with a slight smile.

The night has just begun

With darkness all around

I wonder if somehow

There will be Anyone left standing

When the morning comes

Hold on to truth

Hold on to peace

The light will come

So just hold on

The night has just begun

Cagalli felt tears enter her eyes as the young girl sang the few verses that had just come to her mind. It was hard for them both to just wait down here for something to happen. Kayla then began singing another song and Cagalli was comforted by the voice of her youngest niece as they sat there beneath the stars together.

Uzumi entered the battlefield with a bang attacking a robotic unit and saving a Clyne faction machine. He smiled as he took the unit out, today he would be strong and he would not let the darkness hold him back. He attacked another robotic unit and then realized why they were such a problem. The machine attacked over and over again without feeling, strategy or care. Uzumi maneuvered around it seeking to find it's weak points. It took hi longer than he expected to lay down fire power enough to disarm it He then worked to destory it finding a weak point in the back he jabbed his beam saber into it them lept back to avoid the explosion.

The battle raged around him and he turned just in time to see the Hatred moving toward him. He dodged the machine's attacks and laid down his own. The machine moved differently than it had before as if it had a different pilot.

"You're not going to win this," Uzumi yelled as he entered a fight with that terrible machine. It had been upgraded but so had the Journey. The pilot had gotten more than he bargained for with Uzumi.

Yaro fought a robotic unit and was very annoyed with the machines brainless methods of fighting. This time Yaro was not slow and he was not a bad pilot anymore. His training in ORB had prepared him for this battle and he knew he could not afford to loose to anyone. He heard his sensors and turned to see another robotic unit behind him. He quickly moved and the units shots hit the unit he had been fighting, destroying it since it had been weakened by Yaro's attacks. Yaro quickly moved to try and get behind it because it's weak points were all in the back. His machine was hit by the robotic unit but not damaged. Yaro flipped over the machine and it followed him so he opened his booster pack and fired four missiles into it. As they exploded the machine was destroyed and Yaro turned to scan the battlefield.

Uzumi was fighting the Hatred and he seemed to be doing pretty well in the battle so Yaro flew about aiding other Clyne faction machines until he saw the Freedom fighting in a battle and gaining now ground. The machine he was fighting was clear to Yaro, an upgraded version of the Pain Gundam. H He watched the battle for a few seconds and his mind began to feel an odd feeling as if he knew the pilot. Suddenly everything hit him at once, Meiko in ROW and the fighting style of that mobile suit. He had been fighting her along.

He knew she felt him there as well because for a moment her mobile suit moved differently and white light enveloped him.

She floated before him just as beautiful as ever staring back and him. They saw each other and they knew that fate was now laughing at them. They were both on the same battlefield once again and they were now enemies.

"Meiko you don't want this," Yaro said trying to reach out to her, "You don't want to do this, you don't want to fight us."

"Yaro," she said as tears filled her eyes, "I have no choice."

"No Meiko," he yelled, "don't!"

The white light faded and Yaro saw the battlefield again. Meiko was fighting his father and trying her best to destroy him. Yaro had to get over there, he had to stop them.

Kira noticed the machine before him falter for a second as if something was effecting the pilot and he took the slight opening to blast the side machine with one of his cannons. The machine took a little damage but the pilot quickly whipped back into the fast fighting style. It was very odd, even in close combat the pilot used the main engines on his or her machine to move and to move very quickly. Kira had never seen anything like it before, it was as if this pilot knew everything about what his or her gundam could take.

He mimicked her moves trying to understand the pilots weak points and he attacked accordingly. The Pain dodged his attacks again and fired at Kira with two shoulder cannons. If he did not defeat this unit soon he would not be able to proceed with Lacus's battle plan. He moved faster trying to fight off the machine before him to no avail.

"ORB forces move out!" Athrun ordered as he launched in the Infinite Justice leading the eight ships into the battle. Lacus Clynes plan had now progressed to it's next stage, her units were moving forward and ORB would join them.

Athrun rushed to the battlefield as his forces followed.

"Sir the Infinite Justice has arrived leading the ORB forces," a bridge member told Liene as he sat on a ship near the STING.

"Good," Liene said with a laugh, everything was going as he predicted. Meiko was holding Kira Yamato down while Uzumi Zala was fighting Jurme Krey. Now all that remained was to get Athrun lost in an unwinnable battle. "Send out the Prototypes." Those three Gundam machines were surely enough to do the job, their pilots had been trained from a young age for this moment.

Athrun soared through the battlefield fighting robotic units and finding the units altogether to easy, what was it that ROW had coming next. He then saw them, three brightly painted Gudam units all coming toward him.

"For ORB!" Athrun yelled as he attacked the three units. They danced around him but he stayed alert dodging their attacks and fighting them back.

Kira fought the machine finally gaining some progress as the pilot seemed to falter at something. Kira laid down attacks fast and heavy trying to pin the machine down so that it could not just speed away again. As he targeted all the points he could he prepared to fire when suddenly the Visage jumped in his way.

"YARO!" Kira yelled feeling a little angry. It was heard on all channels. Meiko looked up at the sound of his name.

"Father I'm sorry," Yaro responded, "but she's my friend, she doesn't want this she's being forced to fight! We have to help her dad, please believe me!" Kira listened to his son's desperate cries and remembered fighting Athrun in the first bloody valentine war, they had no choice bak them they were enemies. Somehow Yaro knew this girl and he clearly cared about her so who was Kira to stand in his way? He lowered his guns as the Pain faltered at the sight of the Visage.

"You take her Yaro," Kira replied, "save her." With that he took the opportunity to get out of there. He had to continue with Lacus's plan which had been stalled while he was with the Pain. Kira breathed out heavily, that battle with the Pain had been hard on him. He had never faced an enemy like that and he did not think he ever would again.

He looked back one more time to see the Visage and Pain just facing each other not fighting and he wondered how it would turn out. Would the two be forced to endure the pain he and Athrun had or would Meiko leave ROW.

"I don't want to fight you," Yaro said contacting Meiko as she let tears flow from her eyes, "Just come with me, leave ROW behind." The Pain attacked knowing that she would have to fight or Liene would hurt Trey.

"I can't Yaro," she responded and he heard the breaking of her voice and knew this was hard for her, "I can't they won't let me go! Please just don't fight me! Please Yaro leave the battlefield get out of here and go someplace safe." He heard her begging him and it drove him on more, she was too important to him now to loose her. They fought each other slowly both defending and not really trying to hurt the other.

"I'm not giving up on you Meiko," Yaro yelled into the microphone, "I never will no matter what you say, no matter what you do."

"You don't know the half of what I've done Yaro or you wouldn't say that," she replied, "I am a killer, a monster who can do nothing else but fight."

"I don't believe that!" Yaro yelled, "You warned me and you are not trying to kill me now. Look into yourself Meiko there is a light in you and you can try to deny that but it will always be there keeping you from ever really being part of ROW." She stopped and he stopped. They both just stared suspended in space. She felt more tears come from her eyes, he really believed in her and he was willing to put himself in this much danger for her. No one had ever told her this before. She was always called a monster, always called evil yet here and now she was called good. He saw a light in her she did not believe in. She moved to attack again with no heart in her moves and Yaro knew he was getting through to her.

"Come on Meiko you can see it to," he said, "the light, it's in you now. You don't want this and you don't have to be this anymore."

Uzumi kicked the machine in front of him and pulled out his beam saber. Th Hatred also pulled out it's beam saber blocking Uzumi's attempt to slice into it.

"This ends today!" Uzumi said pulling out a beam knife and sticking it into the arm of the mobile suit. There was a small explosion but it was not enough to completely get rid of the arm. Uzumi could tell the pilot was getting angry as the unit slashed at him faster and with more strength. As Uzumi felt the machine coming on him some thing exploded in the back of his mind.

Uzumi looked up with his mind completely cleared and his goal acknowledged. He would defeat this unit.

"Come on Meiko just give into it," Yaro said calling out to her again as she fought him. She was having trouble with all this, she knew Liene was watching her every move and she couldn't just stop. Trey's life was in the balance. She could either kill Yaro or let Trey die and she didn't want either to happen.

"Please Yaro retreat," she begged, "i don't want to hurt you!"

"I know Meiko which is why you can't do this anymore," he said, "you are not this! Come on Meiko! Come with me where you'll never have to fight again." She stopped once again thinking of his words. There was no place in the world she could be where she would not have to fight. Liene had sent the world into war and ORB was no longer going to be a safe place for anyone. Any choice she made could not end her pain.

"Yaro please," she begged one more time, "don't make me fight you! I can't fight you and if I don't fight Trey will die."

"Why do you let them control you!" Yaro yelled throwing his anger into the movements of his mobile suit and attacking you, "Why don't you just be free of it all!"

"I CAN"T!" She yelled. At that something exploded in the back of his mind and he blocked her moves fighting her back stronger than he had ever been able to. She fought to maintain her defensive position but he was clearly fighting her now.

"You can!" he yelled at her, "And if you don't break free, I'll force you to!"

"Sir the Pain is now fighting the Visage and it seems the Freedom is still alright and it's going for the mobile suit carriers." Liene frowned at the news, What was Meiko doing out here? How could she just let the Freedom escape and how had she not just taken down the Visage.

"Gilligan take over," Liene said handing command over, "Mike Shurste come with me. And Gilligan feel free to fire the STING." Mike followed Liene as they both moved quickly down the halls of the ROW flagship. Mike wondered what Liene was planning now, he was clearly angry with the situation Meiko was in. Mike knew Meiko was probably fighting one of the boys she had met in ORB and that alone was significant. If she was fighting one of them she was probably fighting herself to do so. What move would Liene make to stop her from defecting. Liene let Mike to a part of the ship he had never been in and he watched in awe as Liene sat down at a machine that looked like the cockpit of a mobile suit. From it Liene could see everything the Pain was doing from several angles and even from the view point of the Pain.

"What is this?" Mike asked.

"The S-System was designed to keep Meiko from sitting a battle out," Liene said with a grin, "if she won't fight the enemy for some reason then she will be forced to fight them." Liene watched Meiko's every move and as she fought now he waited to see if she would falter and if she did then he would be right there to force her to keep going.

Kira led a group of Clyne faction mobile suits toward ROW's three mobile suit carriers, he would not allow them to launch anything else. He saw a group of robotic units coming toward them and he quickly targeted them all with is targeting computer sending out more blasts than had ever been seen before. All the units were taken out at the firepower he let out and their path to the carriers was clear.

"Take down those ships," Kira ordered the commander of the unit, "i'm going for the STING."

"Rodger," the commander said, after Kira had cleared the for them he was sure they could take on the task without him. Kira flew toward the STING wondering why it had not fired yet.

"Think you can take it down alone," he heard Dearka Elsman's voice over his radio.

"I could use an extra mobile suit," Kira laughed, "Just follow my head. They headed toward the massive ship dodging the ships weapons and going toward the large hangars.

Meiko fought off Yaro trying to keep him back when she felt something trying to invade her mind. She cried out and then saw something. A flash, a man getting ready to fire it. She could not let this happen any more. She reached out to Yaro!

"Yaro they are going to fire the STING!" Yaro quickly relayed the message back to all the Clyne faction units.

"WHAT!" She heard him yell, "NO!"

"FIRE UP ALL ENGINES! WE ARE BEING TARGETED!" Lacus yelled and the crew scrambled to move the massive ship. It soared away from the place where it was as all the other Clyne faction ships moved in panic. It was a wonder none of them crashed into each other. Lacus saw on the monitor Kira and Dearka moving away from the cannon on the STING and trying to find it's weak points. Perhaps them machine was not going to fire, it showed no signs...

The cannon lit up brightly as a large beam tore through the battlefield destroying everything in it's path. A large group of robotic units, a Clyne faction mobile suit team, two Clyne faction vessels and an ORB vessel.

"No" Lacus whispered as he saw the lives that were destroyed in that instant. But there was no time to think the machine fired again, this time the blast headed for the Eternal.

"GET US OUT OF HERE!" Andrew yelled and the Eternal moved away just in time, getting barely scratched by the beam. Another two ORB ships were taken down but it was not over. The STING fired a third time, mainly taking out mobile suits. The Eternal and the Tranquility were still standing a flagships of their forces.

"It fired three times in a ROW!" Lacus declared, "How could it just do that!"

"Look lively, it may not be over!" Waltfeld said as they watched another swarm of robotic units issue from the STING.

"Are you all alright?" they saw Kira's face on the monitor.

"Yes we are fine!" Lacus said, "just hurry and disarm that ship and stay safe!"

"I got it!" Kira said, "here we go!"

Uzumi slashed at the Hatred overwhelming it's pilot with quick moves. He had never felt like this before. He fired at the unit with everything he had blowing off the unit's shield. he then moved close digging his daggers in it, blocking the machine's helpless shots with his own shield. He smiled as he knew he had the Hatred! He slashed through the legs of the machine with his beam saber in his right arm and punched at the machine's camera smashing it with his left. He then quickly whirled around it taking out all other weapons it had.

Uzumi left the helpless machine and headed into the battlefield with the seed blazing through him and giving him strength. Three robotic units tried to attack him at different times but the could not last with the new power that he possesed. He scanned the battlefield and saw his father in trouble against three Gundam type units. They would not stand!

"The S System has been activated," she heard a robotic voice through her cockpit, "Emergency S System activated. Meiko Virea, fighting." Meiko felt something rip through her mind as something was forced to explode in the back of her mind. The System forced her into Seed mode and took control of her. She did not know what was happening only that she was fighting Yaro the way she had fought Kira, strong fast and armed to kill. She tried to move her hands of the control but she was being controlled by this system invading her mind. Pain tore through her as she cried out.

"HELP ME YARO," she yelled contacting him, "Please, I can't no!" She couldn't think anymore as her mind was being attacked.

"MEIKO! What's wrong! Meiko Stop!" He tried calling out to her as her attacks became overwhelming. Even in Seed mode Yaro was no match for how quickly and how strongly she was moving now. He tried to defend and not to fight her but the only way to defend was to fight her. Her radio was left on and he heard her screaming, his name and other things. Nothing made sense. What was going on with her and why was she trying to kill him?

"Help me please!" she called out, "it hurts, I can't hold on! Please Yaro it's got me!"

"Hold on Meiko," he called to her as one of his weapons exploded, he was not going to last against her, "YOU DON'T WANT THIS! YOU HAVE TO LET IT GO! MEIKO!" He yelled to her and she responded with more screams.

"YARO!" she yelled his name.

Athrun's Seed exploded as he realized he needed to get back into the battle and away from these three units. Kira was going for the STING and he would need Athrun's help.

"Take this!" Athrun turned to dodge a mobile suits shot as he saw the Journey moving quickly and strongly toward one of the units he had been fighting. Uzumi and Athrun's mobile suits now stood back to back defending against the attacks of the three.

"You sure picked a good time to come and help," Athrun said with a smile, together they could destroy these three units in no time.

"Let's get them dad," Uzumi said and Athrun realized his son was also in Seed mode. Together the moved watching each others backs and fighting off the machines. It was clear that the three pilots were not expecting to face a duo that was so in sync. Uzumi had been trained by Athrun after all and together they were unstoppable. Uzumi fired his main cannon at one of the mobile suits gaining a direct hit. Athrun and Uzumi then spun around the unit slashing it up with their beam sabers.

"Good job," Athrun told his son as Uzumi held off the next two units. A swarm of roboits was moving toward them. Athrun quickly moved to turn on his targeting computer and locked on all the units as well as the two left over Gundam units. As he fired all the robotics were destroyed and the two gundam's disarmed. Uzumi's backup had finally given him time to do that.

"Yaro!" He heard Uzumi say and Athrun then scanned the battlefield to see Yaro being attacked by the machine Kira had been fighting earlier, before he could say anything he saw Uzumi's mobile suit blaze toward the battle and he knew that Uzumi could handle it. He turned to join the Freedom, this battle had to end soon!

"Order all ships to aim main guns at the STING's main weapon," Lacus said, "this is going on far to long! We can't afford to let that thing fire again." Leyas relayed her mother's instructions and smiled as everyone moved to obey her.

This battle was getting harder and harder as time went on and they had to end it!

Murrue Ramius sat aboard the Archangel as it was in ORB waters with an ORB fleet waiting for what she knew not. They could see the space battle above them since the sun still had not risen. She frowned as her crew was on level two knowing that there was a coming threat. They all sat back waiting. Mu La Flaga sat back in his seat clearly unaffected by their position. In his mind ORB would not be attacked on this front and he had argued that they should go to space but Murrue knew that they had to be down here just in case.

"How do you think it's going up there?" Mu asked her.

"I've heard nothing," she replied looking down, "only that ROW has them overwhelmed." She looked up toward the roof helpless thinking of all the times she had fought with the people that were fighting in space now. She hated sitting here, waiting for news.

"It will be alright," Jacob Gladys said, "it has to be!" She prayed he was right.

Milady watched the cameras as the battlefield was in front of her holding a black rose in her hands. Tears rolled down her face as she saw it all. The Pain had tried to destroy the Freedom and for some reason it was fighting the Visage now. The ORB and Clyne faction forces were being overwelmed as the STING had fired three times. If it fired again they would not be able to make it. She saw a glimmer of hope as Kira and Athrun had finally united on the battlefield.

"So we just sit back and watch," she turned to see Yzak standing behind her, "watch as all the hope this world has is destroyed."

"We can't go now," she said, "we have to wait."

"Look," Yzak pointed to the screen at the Pain fighting the Visage, "Meiko is going to destroy the Visage, then she is going to destroy the Freedom. She has made her choice. We can't just sit back and do nothing about this!"

"Do you want to be in command?" Milady asked him angrily, "I am not giving up! I know how this battle must go and we can not go out there! If we go out there ROW will fire the STING until we are destroyed! He will fire it and fire it and fire it with no care for what he hits until he knows that I am gone!" Yzak knew she was right, one apperance from Redemption would drive him mad. Still sitting back and watching the battle was too hard to do without saying something. Milady was right, they had to stand strong and they had to wait.

Yaro knew it was over, he had been reaching out to Meiko but something was controlling her. Something had taken hold of her and his mobile suit was becoming too weak to stand up to her anymore. So it came down to this now, he was about to be killed by the girl he loved all because something was controling her, because someone was hurting her and he was unable to do anything about it.

"Meiko," he said, "Please!"

"HELP ME," she said desperately again. The main cannon on her mobile suit was pointed at him now and his armor was at a low, this was the end. He closed his eyes and heard an explosion but he felt nothing, no pain, no death. He opened his eyes to see that the Pain's cannon was gone in smoke and flying at a high speed toward them was the Journey, still looking like it had barely been fighting. Uzumi had come for him once again. The Pain turned to see who dared to interrupt the battle.

"This is Uzumi Zala," Yaro heard him broadcast to the two machines.

"UZUMI!" he yelled to him, "IT's MEIKO! THE PAIN'S Pilot is Meiko!"

As Uzumi heard Yaro's words his mind rememberd the similation, Meiko had the strength to destroy him before and she would not. Now she was before him, their simulation had become reality. They were enemies and they were forced to fight.

"Meiko," he whispered as he felt the darkness in his mind that they shared. He had to save her.

"All ships are targeted toward the weapon, we await your orders Lacus!" Waldfeld said as soon as he got the information.

"FIRE!" Lacus yelled as the cannons from all Clyne faction vessels and all mobile suits fired at ROW's cannon. This battle had to end.

I did the best I could but as I said battles are my weak point. I spent a lot of time just planning this battle out so here is half of it. We get to see how it ends next chapter so hold on tight and bring a box of tissues because I am probably going to cry writing it.

Please review! I loved some of the reviews I got this time: Shoutout to Fenikkusumaru, , Byron Lancaster, survivor18, and ShyRose () because you all reviewed the last chapter I was able to gain the inspiration to finish this chapter. Keep Reviewing everyone!

Winter's Chill