Phase 41: Fighting Back

It was a silent moment. Nothing but the hum of machines around her as she waited for the green light. The ships were moving swiftly and with the shadows of the planet as the new the sun would rise for Mars soon and they would launch their attack. Crash, crash, burn. She had waited for this moment for so long. ROW would pay for the darkness they spread over the land, she would make sure of it. Her breathing increased as she felt hatred flowing through her veins. She was not in denial, it was strong within her and it drove her forward. Today Liene would pay.

Meiko's eyes darkened as she sat in the cockpit of the Phoenix. She was ready for this moment, for the next hours would determine so many things.

She heard Redemption's alarms start up as the level one battle station orders were given. Once the main bombardment ceased the mobile suit teams would be launched. Meiko herself was biding her time. She knew that Liene was playing a game here and she would fight back silently, waiting.

Shinn smiled as he received his launch orders. The way the plan was set to play out.

"Shinn Auska, Destiny launching!" he declared as his machine sky rocketed into space. He was immediately joined by Lunamaria Hawke and he observed that ROW was getting ready to use their main guns, should the mobile suits get close to the base. A few ships had made it out of the hangar and he smiled as he recognized the repetitive nature of ROW's robotic units launching onto the field. He quickly moved into the battlefield destroying a robotic unit as he went. He saw that the units had been upgraded, as they seemed more aware of what was going on around them. Lunamaira fired at one which subsequently dodged her blast.

"They're different Shinn," Lunamaria said to him. He smiled, they were different but they were still no match for him as he realized that they were more heavily armored now but their weaknesses were still relatively the same.

"Stay alert," Shinn ordered, "We can do this, just look for the weaknesses in their weapons and armor, use high power blasts and don't be phased by them." He also broadcasted the message to the other machines that had launched from the Clyne faction and Redemption side. He smiled as he jumped into the battle. He saw Luna using speed to her advantage and realized she was onto something. The machines were heavier and they were compromised by the planets small amount of gravity as well, it was harder for the robotics to fly. He smiled and put his thrusters to full blast. They would have to beat these machines to get to the main base. He sincerely hoped the Phoenix, Dreamer and Justice launched soon.

Kira typed quickly as the busyness of battle was around the hanger. He wanted his new machine to be finished by somehow all systems still wouldn't check in. He knew the battle plan counted on him soon in the Justice but he knew that it would make ROW more nervous to see a new machine.

"You'll have your day in that thing," Dearka said rushing into the hangar and toward Kira, "But right now our units being called out, we have to get out there! We can't let everyone else have all the fun." Kira heard his words and knew he was right, they had to go now, there was no more time for this. He quickly floated away from the machine and toward the Justice nodding to Dearka as he went. No matter what machine he used, he was a formidable enemy for ROW. They would feel his anger now.

He turned to see Yaro enter the hangar, and he knew this was part of the plan. Soon after his unit launched the Dreamer would be the next player on the battle. Yaro seemed cocky now and Kira hoped that would not get in the way of anything they needed to accomplish.

"Load missile tubes," Lacus yelled, "Aim main guns down the center of the battlefield and alert our troops of our firing range!" Leyas relayed the message obediently as she heard a voice on the screen before her and saw Trey.

"I need Kiran," Trey said desperately to Leyas and Leyas turned to Kiran, "my machine runs better with two people and I know your parents don't want you to fight, but Kiran has more experience make the request please Leyas!" He knew she would want to go herself but he had to make her understand that the battle was important now and her parents had made it clear that she was to fight on the bridge. Kiran had also heard every word.

"Trey is requesting Kiran to come help him with his unit," Leyas quickly asked her mother, "the machine works better with two pilots, you have to let him go." Lacus had not thought of that. She knew Kiran was dreading not getting mobile suit time, and she knew that she was worried about Trey fighting in a two person machine alone. She quickly gave the order and Kiran grinned ear to ear as he left the bridge to get the the hanger. Trey was going to launch with Yaro's unit and he would not have much time to get there. He had to hurry.

"All machines out of range," Leyas said to Lacus.

"Then fire!" she yelled. The Eternal let out a strong blast right into the center of the battlefield, destroying a large number of robotics and hitting the ROW base right in one of it's main cannons. Lacus smiled as she gave her next order, "Order Kira and his unit to launch now!"

Shinn and Luna smiled as the Eternal blast broke the main line.

"We're ging in tight," Shinn informed his unit, "don't break formation." The next stage, they were going down the opening to the ROW base and cutting off the forces ROW had released already. He saw the Eternal's main unit launching with the Justice leading the field. Kira was here now.

"Turn on main shields," Kira ordered, "keep your weapons ready at all times and stay close. We're going in quickly, we are going to cut them off. Whatever you do hold together, we move as a unit."

"Now!" Shinn yelled as his unit joined with Kira's and the fresh redemption forces led by Yzak. The three units shot through the opening made by the Eternal and toward the ROW base at such a high speed. The Redemption and Clyne faction ships covered them as they moved with such incredible speed.

"NOW YARO!" he heard Leyas's voice, informing him that the forces had reached the halfway point. It was his turn. He smiled as he launched with another large unit of Clyne faction mobile suits.

"Sir we have a large force cutting off our troops," someone said to Liene, "and the Dreamer has made an appearance."

"Still no Phoenix," Liene said with a sigh, "where are you Meiko? What game are you playing?" This made him angry to see. Maybe she had cowered out of this battlefield. Where was she?

Yaro moved the Dreamer into position as the main forces that had moved in to the middle split into the the sides out of Yaro's rage. His machine moved into cannon mode and he fired a large blast toward the ROW base breaking open one of the main hangars and destroying many backup units. He smiled as it hit perfectly. His mobile suit transformed as his forces protect the main ships. He had waited for this moment. He saw Trey and Kiran's unit pull alongside him as the two units joined forces destroying robotics headed toward the Eternal.

"When's Meiko going to show?" Kiran asked him. Trey also appeared on the screen and nodded to Yaro in assurance.

"When she's ready," Yaro said with a grin destroying another robotic unit.

"Hard to port, load all main guns! Pick off those robotics!" Milady Redemption gave her orders with assurance, not from the bridge but from the hangar. She had left another officer in charge of the bridge but she was still giving main orders, for now. She smiled as the ship did as instructed and she turned to her main technician. "So she's launched?"

"Yes," he responded, "The Phoenix launched about five minutes ago, but she was using her mirage colloid. Who know's what she is planning.

"I think I do," Milady said turning away from him and looking out into space wondering how things would play out. So far the Clyne faction had done as promised and had broken through the main lines, cutting off the chances of escape for those robotics. Yaro had made it to the battlefield with his impressive weapons and had fired his large cannon into the main hangar, It was a part of the plan that made sense to no one else but she knew that Meiko would need that opening. She knew what was about to take place better than anyone else.

Meiko would bring Liene into custody, or kill him trying. Either way ROW's days as their enemy were at an end. And a swift end it would have to be. For if given too much of an opportunity to speak, Liene would take it. But in this Milady smiled, for she would make sure everything went right. Soon it would be her turn as well.

Liene watched the battlefield intently as the Clyne faction forces and Redemption forces fought solidly. They were formidable opponents and they were taking on his limited forces with speed and accuracy as he expected. The tactics of Redemption were clearly shown as the moves that were made played out. But he still watched and waited. He knew that Meiko was near, he could feel her presence out there. It was then that something strange happened. He had ordered the launch of another wave of robotics but the machines were destroyed as they entered the battlefield with such blinding speed, though there was nothing to suggest that there was anyone out there fighting them.

"The Phoenix must be able to fight even while invisible!" Liene yelled! "Order all machines to focus on her and find her!" He knew it was to no avail. He didn't have enough forces to win here, his only confidence was upon his plan, and Meiko would have to fall right into line with it in order for everything to work the way he wanted it to. Soon, very soon.

Meiko opened her eyes in anger as she destroyed another robotic. No more sense in hiding. She knew what she had to do as she finally revealed herself. In the middle of the battlefield.

"This is the day you ROW will end," she said broadcasting a message to ROW, hiding her face from them. "For the corruption and evil you have spread, I sentence you to death! I Meiko Virea who know more than anyone about your evil will destroy you!" She announced her name as she lifted her eyes and the people of ROW saw her face. In this moment fear filled their hearts, for they had through her dead and she had survived the odds. She would be their greatest enemy, once their greatest ally. They knew her strength and their hearts were close to failing them for now just from her words they felt as thought their time was up.

She smiled as she knew exactly what her words had done. She turned her machine as it seemed the enter battlefield was focused on her now, the way she had wanted it to be. Yaro and Kira pulled alongside her, the three would be formidable together as the all moved into the battlefield at full force.

Yaro joined alongside Meiko in the battle as he noticed the battlefield's attention turn to her, something of a protectiveness filled him for her as his seed exploded in the back of his mind, as it had in the past but this time it had the glow that marked it as the super seed. He knew that this meant he was stronger than before. He was the first one to have it, fully evolved.

He destroyed robotic after robotic and disarmed any manned units he had contact with. Kira noticed that his movements seemed to trail the aqua blue glow that matched his eyes.

"She makes a dramatic entrance," Yzak said to Milady, "no doubt she takes after you in that!"

"Just be ready Yzak, I will need your help in everything I plan to do." Milady smiled in sadness. They were fighting ROW back now, for all the pain that had come about in it's existence. For ROW had never done anything, from it's founding it had caused division in the world and in the lives of the people that had served it. No longer, for now finally they were fighting back!

"The troops are unnerved sir," someone told Liene, "they are scared at the sight of Meiko." Anger filled him at her insolence. She had the nerve to waltz in here and declare that ROW would die? He grinned for she had no idea what was about to happen and what was coming. For once again it was going to be the actions of Milady and Meiko that would bring on the next stage. This battle was lost by both sides before it began, but it was his actions that would be the turning point and Liene knew he would win the war.

Meiko knew that she didn't have much time for this as Kira and Yaro seemed to handle their units well, she smiled and let a large blast out of her mobile suit, clearing her path. With her thrusters at full range she shot across the battlefield at a blinding speed and into the hangar of the ROW base. She landed her machine in the broken down hangar locking it sealing it as she left it with two guns and fired at the ROW guards in the hangar, killing each of them with perfect accuracy. She then took off into the base. For this would end today.

Lacus watched in shock as Meiko entered the base and left Kira and Yaro to handle the units, but her mission had been accomplished. the Robotics were focused on her and now blasting shots toward the ROW base as that was where her unit had gone.

"That girl," Waltfeld shook his head, "she just has to keep with these reckless strategies. Who would have known?"

"Keep alert," Lacus responded, "take down as many units as you can while their focus is elsewhere! ROW will soon realize what is happening and reverse it!"

Shinn smiled as the Robotic units attention turned back to the Clyne faction and Redemption. ROW should have seen that one coming in his mind. He took down some robotics that dared to challenge him.

"NO!" Yaro yelled as he realized that Meiko was now inside the Redemption base alone. She had made him promise not to do anything reckless out here but she had once again not been able to equal her own request. Anger filled him at the idea of her in there all alone, if anything happened to her he would never be able to forgive himself. His super seed ignited with a fire as he realized that he was powerful enough to protect her now the way she had protect him.

He quickly destroyed the units he was fighting and moved his mobile suit higher and higher into the sky. The robotic units that followed him he turned on unleashing a blast like the one he had used in ORB. The machines lost power and crashed to the ground of Mars as his blast continued hitting many ROW units, and mistakenly a few allied units that were in the wrong place at the wrong time. He moved his machine with the blast until it hit the main base draining it of power on the right side. He smiled as he knew now, the cameras there were out. Finding Meiko would be a problem and she would be able to move stealthily.

"Yaro!" he heard his father's voice, "that was out of line! You hit your own units…" Yaro could tell his father wanted to continue but he had shut off his radio. He had no time to listen to this. He moved his mobile suit now in a swift trajectory landing inside the ROW base along side the Phoenix. He exited the cockpit into the darkness of this side of the base and smiled. He had bought Meiko time and now he would have to find her. He pulled his gun out and turned down the hall.

"Kira!" Lacus spoked to him in fear, "Yaro!" Kira had seen it and he heard his wifes expression of fear. Yaro had used his power recklessly and followed after Meiko in a delicate situation. What action could he take now? The battlefield needed him but his son needed him as well.

"I saw it," Kira said, "Yaro took out enough forces that he's done his job. What do you want me to do Lacus?" He pleaded to her. He wanted her to make this decision for him, to tell him what he needed to do in this situation.

"I don't know," she responded.

Another few blasts rocked the base as Meiko watched the lights go out, she knew who it was that had done this. She smiled, it was perfect, the cover of darkness. She moved quickly and stealthily through the base. She needed to know what powers they were holding back and she needed to capture Liene. Now was the time to move quickly, for time was of the essence. Many lives were in the balance here and she knew it was a risk when she had decided to come now it was a risk she just had to take.

She heard footsteps and quickly hoisted herself into the bars above the hallway and up into the rafters. She was well hidden by the darkness.

"Liene's ordered us to prepare for immediate evacuation," it was Glligan Manchester below with eight guards. She felt hatred boil in her blood, and she knew that in this moment she could kill all of them without much more than a thought of it. She lowered herself a little and looked into the faces of the guards. She saw one of them looked very young indeed and the others had eyes that were hardened by the darkness of the lives they had endured. For she realized a long tim ago that the people who choose ROW were the ones who were so hardened by sadness and hatred. It was something that she had tried to tell herself. Here now she didn't have to kill these men, but doing so would leave her with less to deal with.

It was a dilemma, for was it really their fault that they had been brought to this place and this moment. She wondered in this moment if ROW ended and peace returned would people still exist like this? Would people still be haunted by their anger till they boiled over into the kind of person Liene was. If this was the truth, was there a way to achieve perfect peace? For hatred would always exist among some. Some people would lash out against others and this cycle was so complicated in the lives of so many, was it even possible to end this. If she ended these lives, and many others in ROW and then captured Liene, would that be the end of everything? Or would then hatred of another man or another woman rise out of a life of suffering and once again repeat the cycle? Was there any hope for mankind?

She lowered her guns and looked within herself as the men passed, a missed opportunity to kill but it wasn't one she wanted. There was so much more in the world than good and evil, there was a process that led people to evil and if evil was to be eradicated that process would have to end. She turned back toward the hall and lowered herself down and the ran. This fight was one she had to continue with, for even if it didn't change everything, it would change enough.

"The base defenses are weakening," Andrew Waltfeld informed, "I seems the tide is turning, but we're not out the woods yet, stay vigilant!" Lacus nodded turning toward space. Meiko's plan all along must have been this, in that case they would all have to trust her again. Lacus sighed, why was it this girl always kept her plans from people; it was always difficult to predict what she was going to do and now Yaro was in there.

"I'm going in!" Kira declared on screen, "I'll beat as many units as I can out here but if they don't come out soon I'm going in!"

"Right," Lacus responded standing, "we must stay strong now! Launch the final wave of troops! Overwhelm their forces!"

"The Clyne faction is launching another wave!" Yazk alerted Milady.

"Hold back on ours!" Milady responded, "We want some backup in case things turn against us!" Lacus was a fool unleashing her final troops now, the battle wasn't won yet; Liene was playing a game with the and now it was up to Redemption to play along.

Yaro Yamato wandered around the halls swiftly as he searched for Meiko. The lack of nuclear energy to power this side of the base made it very cold. It was barely holding on to it's oxygen supply through the emergency seals that protected it from the dangers of the atmosphere outside. It was a complex structure, and gravity was included when there was power but the fail Yaro had caused had set it on emergency mode and he knew a majority of the guards were now stationed on the side with power. Meiko was searching for Liene and perhaps he would have moved already to the power side. Yaro gathering his wits quickly started in that direction.

He thought about the path that had brought him here. A year before he would have laughed at the idea of an organization that was destroying nations from the inside. He would have never thought that he would be fighting in a mobile suit and he would have never predicted he would be here now. The things that had happened were too harsh when he thought of them. The road that led him to this place and this time, he knew that there was a turning point coming and it was coming fast. He wasn't proud of many of the things that he had done but he knew that they were what he deemed necessary at the time. This road that he had started on wasn't one he would turn back on for now he had great power with his super seed and he was advancing more and more everyday. He would fight this battle in his own way.

He turned around as he realized he wasn't going in the right direction. His intuition told him he was closer to the part that was still functional but he wasn't completely sure which way to turn and there were a lot of halls in this place. Another problem would be finding his way out if he didn't find Meiko. Then the through occurred to him, Meiko must know this base like the back of her hand. She grew up in ROW and it was plausible she had been here many times before, there was a confidence in that. He realized now that rushing in here may have been an altogether too rash decision for him to make at the time.

It was then that he turned the corner to see a ROW officer on a functional computer terminal. Yaro concluded he had found his way to the functional side of the base. The man seemed to be working on something fast, sending information to someone. Yaro reached for his gun as the man suddenly jumped up to face him with his gun drawn. The man looked into Yaro's eyes and Yaro looked into his, both stunned in silence as they pointed their guns at each other, daring the other to shoot first. Yaro glanced at the computer screen as he realized that a broadcast had just been sent to the PLANTs, confirming something he already knew; Jayley was connected to ROW.

"I don't want to hurt you boy," the man said in a kind voice Yaro had not expected, "leave now and I won't hurt you, I promise."

"What good are your promises when you are with ROW," Yaro spat an the man flinched at these words. For he was Mike Shustre and he felt in his heart that this had been growing for so long; he was never really a part of ROW and he was ashamed of how he lost himself to keep that front.

"I know what it looks like boy but you have to believe me when I say I don't want to hurt you," Mike responded lowering his gun, "and you are Yaro Yamato, you can't want to hurt me." Anger was stirred in Yaro at these words, just becase of his family name people had assumptions about what he wanted. They had no idea what it was he wanted, he wanted to be normal. He wanted his life to go back to that life of peace that had once been his. He wanted ROW to end and all those that still serve it to be destroyed.

"You know nothing about what I want!" Yaro yelled now, "You're an agent of ROW and an enemy of peace! It is ROW who destroyed the world and it is I who fight for the memories of everything we had in this world! Who do you think you are to say you know what I want!" Yaro stepped forward cocking his gun.

Mike took a deep breath closing his eyes briefly, he never thought it would end like this. Yaro fired the shot and Mike felt the pain tear through his body, the shot was followed by another and another pain as tears streamed from Yaro's eyes. He hated ROW more than anything, for what they did in killing Uzumi, for how they destroyed the world he held dear and to how they destroyed Meiko's life in so many ways. To him this man was nothing but another tool ROW was using to continue their waves of corruption, he was an obstacle in the battle for peace. He would have to die, in Yaro's mind there was no other way to stop ROW but to kill them all.

But in that moment another factor entered as Yaro turned his head to see Meiko rush into the doorway of the room and to see a look he had never seen before on her face, a terrified shock at the sight she was witnessing. Yaro Yamato had shot Mike, the man who had rescued her in so many ways, the person she owed her light to. The boy she had grown to love had killed Mike. Horror filled her at this as something inside her broke her and tears streamed from her eyes. Yaro hated the look he saw now and a silent dread filed him.

"MIKE!" He heard his name from a voice screaming out, a voice he never thought he'd hear again as he turned his head. He was falling back but he was still able to turn and see the figure of a girl running toward him, the girl was the same. Her red hair and strength radiating from her, she was Meiko. He could scarcely believe anything he was seeing and in that moment he believed he must be dying. Meiko Virea died, she gave her life and with her death he had lost his purpose. She couldn't be alive! It was a true miracle and he had never been there to see it. In this moment as blood poured from his wounds, it was only regret that filled him for the darkness he had submitted to and the hopelessness he had believed. For all along a miracle that was her existence in the world was before him and he had never had the strength to really believe it. He had failed to protect her but he had never needed to her. She was protected by the greatness she was destined for just as he was now abandoned by the darkness he had fallen into.

She couldn't fathom it, she couldn't see it, couldn't take it. Something so wrong, it shouldn't be happening, it couldn't be happening. Mike was falling as if he was moving in slow motion; there were two shots and he was unarmed. He had never wanted to hurt anyone, he had only ever fought to save her and to protect her. This was an injustice, he didn't deserve this. He heart skipped multiple beats as the man who had been as a father to her hit the floor. She fell beside him on her knees lifting his frail form from the floor as he looked up at her with sorrow clear on his face and a simple apology in his eyes.

"You're alive," the words escaped him as tears spilled from her eyes. He lifted a hand to her face, he had raise her and in a way she was his daughter. She took his hand and shook her head yes.

"Yes, I couldn't die," she said, "you told me the world was mine, I had to fight to protect it." Mike's breaths were coming slower now as Meiko's tears increased.

"You're so strong," Mike was trying to get his words out, "I never got the chance to really say goodbye when I thought you were gone, I never got the chance to tell you… to tell you how much you changed my life." She shook her head at him as more tears came, she could have done nothing to change his life when he was the one who had really saved her from becoming what ROW had wanted her to be all along.

"No, Mike you saved me," she protested but he continued.

"No Meiko you have to listen to me," he said when a pained voice, "it's not what you think, Liene is devious, I don't even know that he is here! Listen to me Meiko, I'm proud of you… I'm so proud of what you have become, you can't loose that ever…" More tears came from here eyes.

"Just hold on Mike," she said trying to think of some way to get him back to the Eternal, to save him! She even tried to call her super seed in desperation, but in the one time she wanted it, it remained completely silent.

"It's too late for me Meiko!" he cried desperately trying to get her to focus now on what he was saying, "You are everything I ever hoped you would become… But Liene, he's going to kill you… Please Meiko you have to get out of here… Don't listen to anything he says, Meiko don't listen to him… He knows some truths, he knows who your father is but he want's to twist it against you Meiko…" She shook her head at his words, what was he trying to tell her now? "Meiko you were always like a daughter to me… I'm so proud of you, I'm prou…" He never finished his last syllable as breath left his being and she felt his body stiffen. She cried his name now screaming out in anger and pain. In her anger she turned upward toward Yaro who stood there shocked before her at what he had just seen. His actions had caused this, the pain that he had just witnessed.

"You killed him!" Meiko yelled to him, "Yaro how could you?"

"I didn't know Meiko," Yaro responded, "I thought he was just another ROW solider, I didn't know! You have to believe me!" What he saw in her eyes was a doubt and a her eyes cut through his heart. She seemed as thought she was about to speak when a voice interrupted them.

"How perfectly touching," John Liene said as they saw him enter from the other side of the large room accompanied by a few guards, "I couldn't have predicted anything more perfectly. Mike Shustre was getting on my nerves boy, thank you for getting rid of him for me, but I do believe that is exactly as I hoped that it would go." Yaro glanced to Meiko who was standing up now with her guns drawn.

"Spare me the words Liene," Meiko spat at him, "I'm here on behalf of the world to take you back to the Reversal or to kill you trying. surrender or die."

Shorter than I expected it to be but I was working hard. So sorry I keep going MIA and completely ignoring everything because of school, i've just been so swamped lately and I took the worst class load ever this semester.

So right now I am at an interesting part of the story, so tell me what you think is going to happen next. I'm sure that some things will come up that none of you will have ever predicted or expected before, secrets that I alluded to a long time ago in the story that I kinda dropped for awhile. I don't want to spoil anything else but be prepared for something huge in Phase 42: Hatred.

So this chapter was focused on the battle, we get to see some more tactics, I focused less on the movement of the battlefield near the end because the most important part of this chapter was getting Meiko and Yaro into the ROW base and leading up to this confrontation with Liene that will be more prominent next chapter, it's the main focal point of the next chapter was well as the next stage of the battle. I hope everything wasn't too breezy for you, I kinda wrote it fast wanting to give you something sooner than I would have if i had spent more time on it and that may have been a bad thing and now this is a really bad run on sentance, I tend to use a lot of those! LOL!

Thanks to all of you who have been reviewing, your reviews mean so much to me, you have no idea how excited they make me, sometimes they are all I need to get me over the edge of laziness so that I can start writing. So thank you so much, you all are my inspiration to continue this journey.

Well now I want you to leave me nice juicy reviews, tell me what you think is going to happen, tell me what you liked in this chapter and tell me what you are looking forward to. There is much more coming so please REVIEW so that I will have inspiration to get it to you sooner!

-Winterchill