Hello everyone, R-0 here and back with this next chapter. But first:
Let's answer some reviews!
thedarkpokemaster: As I said, I will do my best to try and create something for Flay, but I cannot promise a lot.
code R.R: I wrote that scene in because I believe that Cagalli that would not stand there and take Murrue's "us against them" speech when she has lived with the "enemy" all her life.
edboy4926: You will just have to wait and see what my intentions are with the GINN.
popcaga: I'm updating it now, aren't I?
TheSkyKing: Nice to see that you are having an open mind about this pairing.
Ayatane Elemia: As I have already stated, Flay will have a less prominent role in this version. As for what her plot is… wait and see. I am not in the business of dishing out spoilers.
Don 77: I am happy that you think that I am characterising Cagalli correctly.
Kevinrock8899: Nice to see that you accept that Lacus is one of, if not the, worse Mary Sue in history, rivalling the original Mary Sue, in my opinon.
NaruSaku fan 100: I am going to have to disagree with you about Flay. Her death was necessary as it pushed Kira over the edge and gave him what he needed to defeat Rau. If she had stayed through to Destiny, she would have gotten her character butchered alongside the other originals. Please do keep your theories to yourself as it may cause spoilers. Regarding your planned fanfic, I say do what you feel is appropriate as KiraXCagalli works either way, in my opinion. Write it the way you want to, not how someone says you should.
Fireminer: You're welcome. I only referred to the GINN's Heavy Sword as a Sabre because that's how the Subtitles refer to it. I don't think it's a Claymore, personally, and just consider it be a normal LongSword. I am aware of the Assault Type and I did christen it for a while, however, that idea was dropped for reasons which shall be revealed later down the line. Pretty much just trust me when I say that I am a pretty big Gundam nerd and am aware of almost all of the Mobile Suits with the exception of some REALLY obscure ones. As I stated in chapter 1's author notes, the M rating is there simply because I am a paranoid bastard. Though I do think being impaled by a giant shield and having your head torn off (Tolle) probably qualifies as an M rating. As for THAT… I can only say that I may or may not include it.
worldwanderer2.0: It is somewhat depressing how little KiraXCagalli there is compared to KiraXLacus and AsuCaga. As I have already stated, just wait and see what plans I have for the GINN. It is true that this will not deviate much from the overall plot and is really only influenced by Cagalli joining them early and one other change that shall be revealed this chapter… Don't worry, your KiraXCagalli will be fulfilled.
Anyway, to the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or its respective materials.
Chapter 3: One Fate Changed
The Archangel continued to soar through the air as Rau cursed his fate for having to face down this new battleship and missing out on his chance to finish of Mu and the new mobile suit. The bridge crew were furiously at work trying to make heads or tails out of what has occurred in the colony.
"We're inside the Colony's interior!" Nuemann informs the bridge crew.
"Morgenroete has been destroyed!" Jackie chips in, "the Strike has been activated! No it's in combat!"
Natarle narrows her eyes and slightly leans forward as Rau's CGUE comes charging for the battleship, seemingly trying his luck at sinking the new Battleship alone. Either that, or he could be testing its combat strength.
"Evade!" Natarle orders Neumann, "Starboard!"
Neumann responds by and tilts the operating device to the right just as the CGUE starts to open fire on the Battleship with its Heavy Machine Gun. The Archangel swerves to the right to evade the oncoming fire as the CGUE flies straight past it. Rau quickly turns back around and reloads his Heay Maching Gun, ejecting the current Magazine and loading another with Armour Piercing Rounds (Enhanced APSV). Instead of making another pass on the Archangel, he flies straight towards the idle Strike as well as Kira's entourage who were completely exposed with the exception of Cagalli who had taken cover in the Flatbed that was restraining the GINN.
"Phase Shift?" Rau scoffs, "then how about this?!"
Murrue quickly wheels around to address Kira's friends.
"Take cover!" She yells. They all respond so by diving onto the ground as Rau begins to open fire. Kira, out of concern for his friends, manoeuvres the Strike so that its knee protects them from harm, causing the Mobile Suit to take all of the incoming shots, luckily the bullets do not seem to even Phase the Strike as it shrugs off the bullets like nothing.
Rau grunts a little in annoyance as he flies past.
"Not even Enhanced APSV?" He questions in wonder.
The Archangel turns back around to address the Enemy Mobile Suit.
"Prepare Stern Missile Tubes Seven to ten for firing!" Natarle commands, "Target Enemy Mobile Suit!"
Two Missile Bays located on the Two columns protruding out of the Archangel's vertical fins open to reveal Four "Wombat" Anti-Air missile ready to fire.
"Laser Designator!" She commands Romero, "Under no circumstances are you to hit the shaft or ground, understood?!"
Romero grunts a little in confirmation.
"Fire!"
The four large missiles roar into life as they shoot out of their Missile Bays and charge straight for Rau and his CGUE. In response, he groans in annoyance as he flies backwards and takes cover behind the shaft while shooting one of the missiles down. The second missile impacts the shaft while Rau shoots down the third and the fourth also hits the surface. Rau quickly flies away to avoid the explosion as the large wires holding the Shaft come loose from the damage. Miriallia screams in terror at the sight.
"Wha…?!" Kira exclaims, "You've gotta be kidding?!" He quickly activates the Strike's manual sights as the device slides up from beside him and into his line of sight so that Kira can utilise it. Kira equips the "Agnir" Impulse Cannon from his back and starts to lock onto Rau's CGUE who was dodging fire from the Archangel's "Igelstellung" CIWS while Mu, being unarmed attempted to play a distraction.
"Wait!" Murrue tries to warn him, "that's…"
It's too late as Kira opens fire and the large, red and intense beam of energy erupts from the Cannon and hurtles towards Rau's CGUE. He, unfortunately, notices at the last second and evades out of the way, only losing his right arm and Heavy Machine Gun as a result. The worse part about is that the Beam continues on a trajectory and impacts against the surface of the Colony, causing a large explosion to occur as a hole into space is revealed. Kira can only look at in shock and terror as Rau uses the opportunity and makes his escape through the hole.
"How could they allow a Mobile Suit to have that much firepower?" Rau can't help but wonder as he successfully makes his escape through the hole.
"The enemy Mobile Suit is retreating!" Jackie informs Natarle.
Natarle breathes a sigh of relief that they managed to scare off the enemy.
"We're landing. Adjust speed to match ground rotation." She commands, "Be cautious of gravity kicking in."
Meanwhile, aboard the Vessalius…
The engineering crew aboard the Nazca-Class are hard at work recovering as much data as they can from their latest bounties as well as getting to work on improving the somewhat inferior OS that is currently being utilised on each Mobile Suit.
"All unauthorised personnel are restricted from access to areas designated to captured Mobile Suits." Came the voice of the Communications Officer over the Ship-Wide intercom. Meanwhile, Athrun was hard at work assisting the Engineering crew in rewriting the Aegis' OS. As he worked however, flashes of his childhood departure from Kira kept occurring.
"Security clearance is in effect for all maintenance crew until confirmation that Mobile Suits pose no threat." The communications officer continued as Athrun kept seeing childhood flashes as he was working. What also flashes across his mind is his VERY recent encounter with Kira Yamato.
"Failure to comply will result in disciplinary action."
An alarm broke Athrun out of his trip down Memory Lane as one of the engineers assisting him gave a yell of confusion as his console started to malfunction.
"Sorry!" Athrun apologises, "I started working on yours as well by mistake."
"Oh, don't worry." One of the engineers assures him, "we're done with the external check and recharging. What about you?"
"I'm done as well." Athrun informs them, "But how'd they manage with an OS like this?" He can't help but wonder as moves the Operating Keypad away from himself. The proximity alarmed roared through the ship alerting Athrun.
"Commander Le Creuset has returned." The Communication's Officer informed the crew over the intercom, "There's damage from a direct hit. Firefighting and relied squads to B Deck." Came the order as Rau's damaged CGUE entered the hangar and impacted against the safety net, preventing him from just crashing into the hangar.
"The commander's unit lost an arm?!" One of the Aegis' engineers queries with an incredulous tone.
Athrun also peers out of his cockpit to observe the damaged CGUE with the same confusion as the engineers.
"How'd that happen?" He can't help but wonder as the Cooling Systems begin to scrub the damaged CGUE.
"But if it was against him, then…"
Back with the Archangel…
Mu's damaged Moebius lands on top of the Archangel as Kira, after carrying the disabled GINN, that was released from its binds, into the hangar and locked it in place, carries his friends into the Right Launch Ramp of the Archangel.
"Lieutenant Ramius!" Calls the voice of Natarle as she races towards the Strike, with the handful of crew aboard, to greet their comrade.
"Ensign Badgiruel." Murrue addresses her as they come to a halt in front of her. Natarle quickly salutes Murrue.
"I'm glad to see that you're safe!" Natarle tells Murrue as she responds with her own salute.
"And you." She responds, "I'm glad to see that you managed to save the Archangel. You saved our lives."
Their pleasant reunion is interrupted at the Strike's hatch opens up and Kira climbs out of the cockpit. Natarle and her band of soldiers are shocked as they take in the young boy as he uses Zip-Line elevator to descend to the ground.
"Come on, what's going here?" Kojiro Murdoch exclaims with an incredulous tone, "he's only a kid!" He looks towards Jackie, "you mean to tell a kid piloted that thing?" He wonders as Kira gets off the elevator and is greeted by his friends.
"Lieutenant Ramius, what's going on?" Natarle asks her comrade. She gives a slight gasp and looks as if ready to say something before closing her mouth and looking at the ground with a secretive expression.
"Wow, what a surprise." A male voice catches their attention as the figure of Mu La Flaga enters into the picture still in his Normal Suit. He walks towards the Ramius before standing in front of her and next to the Strike.
"I'm Lieutenant Mu La Flaga of the Seventh Orbital Fleet." He addresses her with a salute, "nice to meet you."
He is met by a large crowd of salutes from the Military Staff.
"I'm Lieutenant Murrue Ramius of Sector Two, Fifth Special Division." She addresses him.
"Ensign Natarle Badgiruel of the same division." She also addresses.
"I'd like to board this ship." He requests, "Who's in charge here?"
Murrue looks towards Natarle from a response as she lowers her head with a somber expression.
"The Captain and Top Officers of this ship have all perished in battle." She informs the Mobile Armour Pilot, "Therefore, I believe that Lieutenant Ramius is now in the position of responsibility." Murrue looks at her with a shocked expression.
"Only a dozen or so of us were saved, mostly non-commissioned officers." She explains, "Fortunately, being in the shaft, I was able to escape danger."
"The captain?" Murrue asks, "How could that be?"
Mu scratches his forward at the seeming unfortunate series of circumstances.
"Oh man." He exclaims, "What a disaster."
"In any case," he continues, "please give me permission, Lieutenant Ramius. The Ship I came in was shot down." He explains.
"E-er sure," she manages to say, "I'll give you permission." He then turns towards Kira and his entourage.
"So?" He asks, "Who's that?"
"As you can see, he's a civilian teenager." She explains, "for some reason, he was in the factory district while we were under attack with that girl." She gestures to Cagalli. "I let them both on the G-Weapon."
"His name is Kira Yamato."
"Hmmm…" Mu simply says.
"Th-thanks to him, we were able to fight off and disable…" she gestures to the docked GINN, "that GINN and protect this one machine."
"A GINN?" Natarle asks incredulously as the Crew begin to whisper to themselves about the revelation, "The kid did that?"
"I came here to escort the pilots who would be piloting those Mobile Suits." Mu explains, "where are they?"
"We were bombed in the Control Booth while being welcomed by the Captain." She informs him, "that means they're…"
"I see…" Mu simply says. He then looks towards Kira and begins to walk towards Kira, the rest of the survivors follow suit.
"W-what is it?" Kira asks.
"You're a coordinator, aren't you?" Mu asks. This causes Kira's entourage to adopt an alarmed expression while the Alliance Soldiers all adopt a shocked expression. Cagalli adopts a somewhat aggressive expression as she can only imagine what's about to occur.
"Yes." This response causes nearby armed soldiers to ready their weapon. Tolle is about to come to Kira's aid before…
Back on the Vessalius…
The bridge's briefing console of the Vessalius was now surrounded by Rau, Fredrik, the three Green Pilots (Miguel, Olor, Matthew) and Athrun.
"You sure saved my neck by bringing this data back, Miguel." Rau addresses the Green as they watch the recording of Miguel's battle with the Strike, "otherwise, I would have been a laughing stock for having my unit damaged by Mobile Suits of the Earth Forces no matter how I'd try to make my case."
"You're all already aware of the situation with the original OS." Rau continues, "as a result, I have no idea why the Mobile Suit was able to move so well."
They all nod at his explanation.
"But what is clear is that we cannot afford to leave it in their hands and ignore this situation!" He declares.
"Sir…" Miguel pipes up.
"Yes, Miguel?"
"Are we authorised to destroy the enemy Mobile Suit?" He asks. Athrun adopts a worried expression as the prospect of Kira being killed scares him greatly.
"It would be beneficial to capture it…" Rau answers, "but our primary goal is to ensure that it can never be used against us as a weapon. Destruction of the unit is authorised along with the new battleship"
Miguel smirks a little.
"Don't underestimate it, Miguel." Rau cautions him.
"I won't, sir."
Rau salutes the four of them and they respond in kind.
"Miguel, Olor, prepare to take off!" Fredrik addresses them, "permission to use the D-Equipment has been authorised!"
"Make sure you finish them off this time!" He asserts to them.
"Yes, sir!" They respond before moving to exit the Bridge. Athrun chooses this opportunity to speak up.
"Captain Ades, please allow me to sortie" He requests the Captain who responds with a curious "hmm?"
"But you have no machine." Rau reasons, "besides, you already completed your objective and captured one of the Mobile Suits."
"But…" Athrun protests.
"Let the others go this time, Athrun." Fredrik tells him, "Miguel and Olor have a stronger case, given the humilation they have suffered."
Back on the Archangel…
"So what?"
A voice calls out during this tense stand off. Kira's friends as well as the Alliance Soldiers all turn to see that Cagalli was the one to utter this statement, a very angry expression was clear on her face.
"What did you say?" One of the soldiers say to her.
"You heard me." She responds, "So what if he's a Coordinator? Doesn't change the fact that he has done three things for you that entitles him to some damn gratitude."
She gestures to Murrue.
"First, he saved the life of one of your own people. If he was an enemy he would have killed her when she fainted from blood loss but instead chose to save her life for you."
She then gestures to the Strike.
"He stopped your last Mobile Suit from falling into ZAFT's hands and ensuring that you still have a fighting chance in this war."
She then gestures towards the disabled GINN.
"And, as the icing on the cake, he stole one of THEIR Mobile Suits for you. Now call me weird…" She scoffs a little, "but I think he deserve a thank you and not guns being pointed at his face!"
"But he's a coordinator!" One of the soldiers reasons.
"AND THAT'S THE SORT OF ATTITUDE THAT MEANS THIS WAR HASN'T ENDED YET!" She yells hotly, causing the people nearby to flinch, "the moment that word is uttered, you reach for your guns without thinking… Not caring… I'm sick of it!" She gestures towards herself.
"I'm a Natural." She declares before pointing to Kira.
"And, until he saved my life, I didn't know he was a Coordinator." She explains, "Did that change my opinion of him? NO! You soldiers need to learn to look beyond what that stupid Blue Cosmos propaganda tells you…"
The situation is tense as Cagalli still adopts an aggressive stance and attitude and those soldiers still have their gun fixed on Kira before…
"Lower your rifles!"
Murrue steps into the firing line and commands the soldiers who pause for a few seconds before doing as she asks. Natarle steps in front of her with a confused expression.
"Lieutenant Ramius!" She addresses her superior, "please explain yourself." Murrue adopts a small smile and looks at Natarle.
"There's no puzzle, is there?" She asks rhetorically, "Heliopolis belongs to a neutral state, after all." She gives her a solemn expression.
"It's obvious that some coordinator would choose to live and avoid being involved in the war." She then turns towards Kira, "am I right?"
"No, you're right." Kira responds, "Especially with me being a first-generation coordinator."
"First-Generation?" Romero asks.
"Meaning that your parents are Naturals." Mu states before scratching his head in embarrassment, "well, I apologise for causing a stir. I was just curious, is all."
"Lieutenant La Flaga…" Murrue trails. Mu looks towards the Strike.
"On my way here, I observed a fair number of situations involving the guys who would be piloting these," Mu starts to explain, "but none of them could do anymore than just get them to move."
He sighed a little.
"Man oh man…" he says before walking back towards the hangar. Natarle quickly addresses him.
"Lieutenant! Where to?" She asks.
"Where to?" He repeats before turning around to address her, "I landed after being shot down, and the team waiting outside is Le Creuset's." They all look at him with shock.
"He's a persistent guy." Mu says with a playful tone, "if you ask me, I don't think that we should spend much longer here."
Meanwhile, aboard the Gamow.
The engineering crews are hard at work attaching the fabled "D-Equipment" to the GINNs. One of the numerous weapons containers open to reveal the M66 "Canus" Short Ranged Guided Missile Launcher and M68 "Pardus" Short-range guided Three-Barrel Missile Launcher.
"Number Six Container!" One of the Engineers calls out, "mount the D-Equipment onto the GINN!"
One of the GINNs moves forward, ready to receive this equipment.
"Operation commences at 01:00!" The announcer calls over the intercom, "Matthew, proceed to standby position!"
Meanwhile, from the Locker Room, the three Red pilots (Nicol, Dearka, Yzak) watch the GINN's through the observation window as the ZAFT Greens are preparing to sortie.
"D-Equipment, huh…" Dearka starts to say, "Does Le Creuset plan to storm a fortress or something?"
"But what'll happen to Heliopolis?" Nicol asks his comrades with concern.
"Can't be helped, can it?" Dearka responds.
"It serves them right," Yzak states, "calling themselves a neutral state."
Nicol only looks at Yzak for a few more seconds before turning to regard the GINNs, once again.
Back with the Archangel…
The central loading ramp is lowered as numerous Supply Trucks are coming and going from the Archangel carrying various supplies, ranging from the Strike's wear parts, ammunition, food, water, general repair parts that can fix up the GINN, Moebius Zero (which were in the process of being repaired) and the Strike should the need arise. There are also other various assorted goods.
"We have no choice but to bring the water from Morgenroete!" Romero tells two random engineers.
"Our priority is to load ammunition and parts for the Strike, hurry!" Murdoch urges his Maintenance Crew.
Meanwhile, during all of this chaos, Kira and his friends (Cagalli included) were resting in the ship's quarters. They were all alert and awake while Kira was fast asleep.
"I'm impressed that he's able to sleep through all this." Kuzzey says.
"He's tired." Miriallia defends, "It was really tough for Kira, you know." None of Kira's friends respond to that statement for a few seconds and instead adopt thoughtful expressions before Kuzzey speaks up again.
"It was tough? Well, that's true," he agrees, "but…"
"What are you getting at, Kuzzey?" Sai asks.
"Nothing really…" Kuzzey responds, "just that we can only say that it was tough for him and that's it."
"Kira said he rewrote the OS for the thing…" He turns to look at them, "when did he do that?"
"What do you mean?" Sai asks.
"Just that if he's never used one of those thing's before…" he looks towards Kira, "… how did he rewrite the OS?"
They all adopt solemn expressions except for Cagalli who only sits there seriously not liking the undertones of this conversation. They all recall during the battle where, in the space of practically a second, the Strike stopped behaving like a drunken animal and like a true machine of war.
"We always figured he was a coordinator." Kuzzey continues, "To think that Coordinators, born genetically-enhanced do these amazing things, but to them it's nothing more than "tough.""
"The guys in ZAFT are probably all like that." He concludes, "Do the Earth Forces have any chances against guys like that?"
"Well, you should be thankful that have one who's willing to risk his life to protect you all." Cagalli finally intrudes into the conversation. This causes them to all look towards her.
"Sorry?" Kuzzey asks.
"I'm just saying, don't look a gift-horse in the mouth." Cagalli continues, "if he wasn't a coordinator, that GINN would have won, taken the Mobile Suit, ZAFT would be one step closer to winning this war and we probably wouldn't be here."
"I suppose you're right…" Miriallia responds before something occurs to her, "by the way, you never told us what you're doing here…"
"Huh?" Cagalli queries.
"What I mean is…" Miriallia begins, "you're not from here, so why did you come here?"
Cagalli sits there for a few seconds quickly trying to devise some sort of excuse that could be believable. She manages to think up one.
"Well, I come from ORB's capital." She begins to say.
"Capital?" Tolle wonders, "you mean Onogoro Island?" Cagalli nods in response.
"Yeah, and I had never been to other Neutral territory before so I decided to come to Heliopolis to see what it is like." Cagalli explains.
"That's it?" Sai asks her.
"That's it." Cagalli responds.
It's still too early for her to reveal herself yet…
Archangel bridge…
Murrue breathes a sigh as her Phone-call ends and places the Phone back into the Captain's chair. She turns to address Natarle and Mu.
"I'm told that the Colony interior is almost One Hundred Percent evacuated but with that last incident, the alert is up to nine." She explains.
"Which means that the shelters have been completely locked." Mu concludes, before having a thought, "what'll happen to those kids?"
Murrue gets out of the chair and walks over to him, slipping out a questioning "huh?" at his query.
"I mean, it's too late to look for a shelter to throw them back into, isn't it?" He reasons.
"Lieutenant Ramius detained those children because they have seen Military Secrets." Natarle corrects him, "we can't just let them go."
"So you're saying to let them join us in our escape?" He clarifies, "once we leave, we'll be involved in some pretty heavy fighting."
A tense silence passes between the two of them before Murrue speaks up.
"I think that we need to rely on the Strike's strengths." She interjects.
"You're going to use that in battle again?" Natarle objects.
"How else are we supposed to make our escape without it?" She reasons to which Natarle gasps quietly.
"Has the kid agreed to do it?" Mu asks Murrue.
"Why don't you pilot it this time, Lieutenant La Flaga?" Natarle suggests. Mu responds with an incredulous look and exaggerative gesture.
"Hey don't be silly!" He responds, "there's no way I can use that thing!" Natarle gives him a confused look.
"Haven't you seen the OS that the kid told us he rewrote?" He asks her, "there's no way a normal human being, like me, could pilot that thing."
"Then make him change it back to…" Natarle tries to reason, "we can't have a civilian, especially a young coordinator, in charge of such important machinery."
"Then we should go out there and be an easy target for them?" Mu simply responds. This single statement causes them all to fall into an awkward silence as they decide what would be the best course of action.
On the Vessalius…
Olor and Matthew have just launched from the Nazca-Class with their D-Equipment attached (the Missile Launchers). Meanwhile, Miguel was just getting ready to launch with his GINN that was equipped with the M69 "Barrus" Heavy Ion Cannon equipped and, rather strangely, has elected to take a Heavy Sword with him.
"Olor unit takeoff complete." The Flight Controller declares, "Miguel to the Catapult!"
"I'll get you this time, Strike!" Miguel mutters to himself, "Miguel Aiman, GINN, launching!" Are his words as his GINN shoots out of the Hangar, detaching its power cable in the process as he hurries to catch up to his comrades.
Unknowing to the Hangar Crew, Athrun was currently booting up the Aegis, preparing to follow the GINN squad. The Mobile Suit roars into life.
"Close the hatch!" One of the Maintenance officers yells before the Aegis moves out of its restraints behind him, surprising the man as well as the rest of the crew,
"What's going on?"
"Is that going out, too?"
"Nobody told me!"
Unfortunately, they are unable to get any answers as the Aegis flies out of the Hangar, detaching its power cable, leaving behind a very confused Vessalius crew.
"What?" Fredrik asks, "Athrun Zala has taken off in one of the Capture Units? Call him back! Order him to come back to the ship!"
"Let him go." Rau simply asks him.
"Huh?"
"We're already done with the data extraction, so this may be interesting." Rau reasons, "pitting one Earth Forces Mobile Suit against another." Upon saying this, Rau turns back around to watch the ensuing chaos.
Archangel…
The ship-wide alarm is roaring as Dalida is alerted to the fact that they no longer have visual communication to surrounding area as evidenced by the static screen on his Display as well the large amount of Jamming Bars.
"Electrical Interference throughout the Colony!" He informs the bridge crew, "N-Jammer levels rising!"
"What?" Natarle asks as she turns her chair around to regard Delida. Mu lets out a grunt of annoyance as he can easily assume what's causing this.
"It seems he has no intention of waiting until we get out of here!" Mu exclaims with annoyance, "The bastard!"
"Do they intend to hit us again within the colony?" Natarle asks him.
"Easy for them" Mu states playfully, "We can't fire, but they can fire as much as they want!"
Crew Quarters…
"I won't do it!" Kira states with resolution at Murrue's request, "Please don't involve us any further in this war than you already have!"
"Kira…" Murrue simply responds.
"What you say may be correct," he agrees, "that there's a war going on outside of our world but we don't agree with it! We hate war!" He declares, "that's why we chose to remain in the Colony!" He lowers his head with a sad expression, "yet you…" he trails.
"Lieutenant Ramius!" A voice over the intercom interrupts them, "Lieutenant Ramius! Please Come to the bridge at once!"
She quickly walks over to the nearby intercom and activates it to reply.
"What's wrong?" She enquires.
"There are Mobile Suits approaching!" Mu informs her, causing Kira's friends to gasp, "Come up here and take command! You're the captain!" Murrue regards him with a confused expression.
"I-I am?"
"I may have seniority…" he agrees, "but I don't know anything about this ship!"
"…I understand" Murrue confirms, adopting a serious expression, "then prepare the Archangel for takeoff! All hands to Level One Battle-Stations! What about your Mobile Armour?"
"No good, it ain't ready!" He responds.
"Then, Lieutenant La Flaga, please take command of the CIC!" She orders him. The intercom shots off after that as she turns to regard the group.
"It's like you just heard." She confirms, "we are entering another battle. With the alert at Level Nine at the Shelters, I can't let any of you go." She walks towards them to address them further on the matter at hand.
"If we can somehow overcome this and escape Heliopolis…" She reasons. Tolle and Miriallia regard each other with a worried expression before embracing each other.
"Tolle…" Kira clenches his fist in anger.
"You people aren't being fair!" He addresses her with an angry tone.
"Kira…" Murrue trails.
"Kira-" Sai starts to say.
"And now you'll tell us that you only have one functioning Mobile Suit…" he starts to assume, "and that I'm the only one who can pilot it, right?"
Some time later…
The Archangel's engines roar into life as the White Ship takes off from the ground, kicking a large cloud of dust behind it from its launch. The crew have all manned their stations and Murrue has managed to make it back to the Bridge in time for launch.
"Our top priority is to escape Heliopolis." Murrue explains to the bridge crew, "be careful not to damage the Colony during battle!"
"That's impossible," Jackie mutters to himself, Natarle silently regards him."
Meanwhile, the Strike is currently positioning itself on the Loading Catapult, ready to receive whatever equipment has been deemed the most effective.
"Open Number Three Container!" Murdoch orders his crew, "Attach Sword Striker!" The roof above the Strike opens up to reveal a loading arm carrying a Power Pack. The wall to the Strike's right opens to reveal the Sword Striker Pack's signature weapon: The 15.78M "Schwert Gewehr" Anti-Ship Sword which is mounted on the back while, on the opposite side: the arm-mounted "Panzer Eisen" Rocket Anchor and the Shoulder-Mounter "Midas Messer" Beam Boomerang.
"A sword…" Kira trails, "Odds are THAT won't happen again." Kira reasons as he deploys the Phase Shift Armour.
The radar bursts into life as a contact appears on it, alerting the Bridge Crew.
"One heat source approaching!" Jackie calls out, "The thermal pattern, it's a GINN!" He declares as a GINN's blueprint screen appears as well as a video of the GINN approaching, equipped with the Missile Launchers.
"What are they thinking?!" Mu exclaims, "It has heavy bombing equipment used to take out bases! Are they planning to use that here?!"
Suddenly an explosion occurs as another hole is ripped in the side of the Colony as two more GINNs fly through the hole (Miguel's and Olor's) into Heliopolis
"A separate time is approaching from the Tannenbaun District." Jackie confirms for them.
"Send out the Strike!" Natarle orders.
All of a sudden, a certain crimson Mobile Suit also appears through the tear which reveals itself on Jackie's Radar to which he lets out a gasp of surprise.
"One of them is X303, Aegis!" Mu, Natarle and Murrue all gasp at that revelation.
At that moment, Kira launches from the Strike to meet the oncoming enemies.
"They're already sending it into actual battle?" Murrue asks with a disbelieving tone.
"Right now it's an enemy!" Mu states, "do you want to be sunk by it?"
"Prepare to fire Korinthos!" Natarle orders, "Direct Laser Designator at the GINNs!" Murrue turns to regard her.
"Projectile Weapons are useless against Phase Shift Armour!" She reminds Natarle, "Link laser to main cannons, fire at will!"
As she makes this command, the Archangel's two "Gottfried MK.71" 225CM High Energy Beam Cannons rise from the front of the Archangel, extend their cannons, and take aim at the Mobile Suit Squad. Four large beams of Green Energy burst from the cannons and veer straight towards the enemies. Unfortunately, they all manage to dodge the oncoming attacks. Miguel's GINN then regards Athrun.
"Olor and Matthew, focus on the warship!" Miguel commands his two fellow Greens, he then turns to Athrun, "Athrun! You came against orders. Now show us some more of that spirit and help me beat the Strike!"
As Miguel addresses Athrun, the Aegis focuses on the incoming Mobile Suit of the Strike and Athrun regards it with a quiet expression before eventually responding to Miguel.
"Sure."
In the crew quarters, Kira's entourage of friends are sitting nervously around while the battle ensues until Tolle calls out to them.
"Hey! We can see what's going on outside on the monitor over here!" He calls out to his friends to join him. They nod to each other and run into the Mess hall to observe the action.
Kira brandishes his Anti-Ship sword, igniting the Beam Sabre and proceeds to fly in circles around Miguel's GINN who responds in kind.
"Go down!" He yells out as he fires a blast of Green Energy from his Ion Cannon. Kira evades out of the way, but it unfortunately hits one of Heliopolis shaft's tethers, breaking the structure in two and detach from the Main Shaft as it fell to the ground with a heavy THUD. Kira can only look at what occurred with terror. As Miguel lets out another roar before firing another Burst of Energy at the Strike. Kira evades the blast again but it still hits the Colony and causes a small complex of structures to explode.
"I can't let it hit the colony!" Kira exclaims, "what should I do?!
Miguel fires another blast which Kira has no choice but to block with his shield, causing a large flash of light to occur.
"Did I get him?!" Miguel wonders with a hopeful smile. Unfortunately, the Strike charges through the flash straight at his GINN causing Miguel to drop his smile. He evades the slash and fires at the Strike again who blocks it with his shield.
Meanwhile, Athrun can only watch with a solemn expression as his best friend and his mentor do battle with each other.
Olor and Matthew's GINNs begin their assault on the Archangel as one of them lets off a volley of their leg-mounted missiles, some are shot down by the Archangel's CIWS, but one does get a lucky hit, causing the Ship to vibrate inside from the shock.
"Number Four Weapons bank has been hit!" Dalida calls out, "Seal off bulkheads!"
The vibrations causes Murdoch to almost fall over but manages to hold onto a surface to prevent himself.
"Damn it!" He shouts in annoyance.
Another GINN unloads its arsenal of its Arm-Mounted Missiles that all veer towards the Archangel simultaneously.
"Intercept them!" Natarle commands.
"There's not enough time!"
"Give me manual targeting control!" Mu requests.
"Starboard fourty degrees, full speed!" Murrue orders Arnold.
The Archangel flies to the right in time to evade the oncoming Missiles, unfortunately, they impact against the surface, causing more damage and another unfortunately hits the Main Shaft as well as causing a nearby shelter to start vibrating, alerting the refugees inside and scaring them.
"Has another battle started?"
"Alert Level has increased to ten!" The intercoms informs them, "there is a chance that this shelter may be ejected as a lifeboat. Please fasten your seatbelts!"
Miguel lets off another blast which, once again, misses Kira who goes for another slash. Ultimately, Miguel dodges the attack and aims another attack at the Strike point-blank.
"Dammit!" he cries in irritation. He fires again only to miss as the Strike quickly dashes upwards to avoid the shot, causing it to impact against the surface. Miguel tries again but still misses.
"It's fast…" Miguel mutters, "get behind, Athrun!"
Athrun does so and boosts towards the Strike from the rear. This alerts Kira to his presence as the Strike's view screen zooms in on the Red Mobile Suit. Kira gasps at the sight of it.
"That Mobile Suit…" He trails as flashes of Athrun embarking that very Mobile Suit spread through his mind.
"Kira!" Athrun wonders, "is it really you?!"
The Aegis flies straight past the Strike, causing Kira to be momentarily distracted from Miguel who appears from his side while his guard is down.
"You're mine!" He yells in victory. Kira manages to spot him just as Miguel lets off another blast from his Ion Cannon. Kira quickly dodges it and equips his Beam Boomerang. He throws the projectile at Miguel who manages to avoid the attack and prepares to fire another shot. Unfortunately, the Boomerang flies back around and slices the bottom part of the GINN's right thrusters as well as its leg.
"WHAT?!" He cries out. Kira yells and charges at the damaged GINN, Anti-Ship Sword ready.
As Kira comes in for the kill, Miguel sees a flash of something very dear to him: His mother and brother. He joined the war so his brother could live through his illness and he made that vow that he would see them again right before this mission. He swore to his mother that he would come home and see his brother who has finally recovered from his injury.
"I can't…" He grinds through his teeth, "no… I WON'T… I WON'T DIE HERE!" he cries out with passion.
He throws the Ion Cannon at Kira who slices the large weapon in two causing a small explosion to occur. Kira rushes through it and slices yet again, expecting to hear the sound of Metal Melting only to notice that he sliced at midair. He quickly looks around for the GINN.
"W-where did he go?!" Kira exclaims. Suddenly, his sensor beeps into life alerting of a contact above him. He looks up to see the damaged GINN descending on him with both arms holding the Heavy Sword.
"EAT THIS!" Miguel roars as he slices downwards, impacting the sword against the Strike's shoulder, causing the Mobile Suit to be knocked backwards from the force of the impact. Miguel uses this moment of stun to his advantage as he uses his GINN's remaining leg to kick the Strike's head in a round-house motion, further knocking the Strike away.
"W-what the…?" Kira wonders, "where'd this come from?!"
He quickly retaliates by readying his Anti-Ship Sword and charging at the GINN. Miguel responds in kind by charging at the Strike with the Heavy Sword.
"BRING IT, NATURAL!" Miguel yells as he charges.
Both weapons clash as sparks start to radiate. Neither Mobile Suit backs down as Metal and Energy grind against each other. It seems like neither is going to give in when, all of a sudden…
"W-what the?!" Miguel cries out as he sees his Sword's blade begin to melt from the clase, "it's melting!"
The Anti-Ship Sword tears through the Heavy Sword and continues its motion as it slices off the GINN's right arm as well as its, now broken, Heavy Sword.
"DAMMIT!" Miguel yells. He quickly uses the Strike's momentary pause and places his foot on its chest can catapults himself away with his barely functioning boosters. Unfortunately, it's all for nought as Kira shoots his Rocket Anchour at the GINN and rips off its other arm, stopping the heavily damaged Mobile Suit in its tracks.
"NO! NO!" Miguel cries as the Strike aims its Anti-Ship Sword in a lunging motion and charges towards the helpless GINN. He tries to ignite the Thrusters again, but it appears that the previous damage has affected them as it just sputters out sparks.
"Go down!" Kira yells as he gets closer and closer to the GINN. Miguel just sits there helpless as the Mobile Suit continues on its path towards, he closes his eyes in preparation for his inevitable death and then…
Nothing… No feeling of intense heat engulfing his body…
But how…?
Miguel opens his eyes and looks at his monitor to see the back of a Crimson Mobile Suit as well as the Strike hovering a fair distance away from him As his eyes come back into focus, he suddenly realises who it is.
"The Aegis… Athrun?"
Back with the Archangel
The Archangel's CIWS takes down another pair of missiles, preventing further damage to the battleship.
Mu manages to finally get a manual lock on the GINN with one of the "Gottfrieds". He grinds his teeth in hope that he'll manage to make the shot. The familiar green energy bursts from the end of one of the beam cannons and charges straight at one of the GINNs. Its pilot sees it too late as his Mobile Suit is blasted from behind and the beam engulfs his Mobile Suit, causing it to explode. Unfortunately, the beam carries on and hits the already damaged Shaft. Murrue cries out in distress out at the sight.
"Oh, shit!" Mu yells as he realises what just happened. He takes in the sight of the Shaft as sparks start to erupt from it, causing explosions to occur throughout the structure.
"Olor!" Matthew cries out, "Dammit!"
"We can't afford to cause any more damage to the Colony!" Murrue warns the CIC Crew.
"Then what do you suggest we do?!" Natarle counters, "Do you want to let them sink us?!"
Back With Kira, Athrun and Miguel…
The Strike and Aegis both hover in the air completely unfazed by all of the destruction occurring around them while Miguel's GINN hovers there helplessly behind the latter mobile suit. Miguel wanted to thank Athrun for preventing his death, but his Mobile Suit's communicator seems to have been damaged during combat, meaning that Miguel could not talk to the Aegis nor listen into what Athrun was saying. Miguel could only watch with confusion as the two Mobile Suits stared each other down. Kira looks at the Aegis with a cautious expression when his communicator blares back into life.
"Strike! What are you doing?!" Natarle call over the communicator, "we're under attack by the enemy here!"
"Athrun!" Matthew calls over Athrun's communicator, "Where are you, Athrun?!"
Kira, once again, assumed an offensive pose. He still, however, hesitated as the same thought raced through his mind:
"Athrun? It can't be!"
"Kira!" Athrun's voice called over the communicator, "Kira Yamato!" Kira gasps as he recognises the voice easily.
"So it is you, isn't it, Kira?"
"Athrun? Athrun Zala!"
At that moment, Matthew's GINN was blasted by the Archangel's Beam Cannon, causing the GINN to be blasted apart at the cockpit and subsequently explode. Unfortunately, it does not leave without issue as it fires its Arm-Mounted Missiles which veer straight towards the Main Shaft, causing it become even further damaged… If it could even take any more… The Archangel's crew can only watch in terror as it occurs. Kira, Miguel and Athrun seem completely unaware as they continue their conversation.
"Why?" Kira calls out to his friend, "why are you here?"
"That's what I want to know!" Athrun responds, "what are you doing in that thing?!"
Unfortunately, neither gets their answer as the shaft completely falls apart causing every segment of the Colony walls to break apart like a jigsaw puzzle. As this occurs, all of the Lifepods launch to safety so as to not be caught in the ensuing destruction. The Vessalius and Gamow can only watch this carnage from a distance.
"Commander…" Ades calls to Rau, who simply watches the carnage with a stone-cold expression.
The intense pressure is too much as the Archangel starts to buck violently. Meanwhile, Kira cries out as the Strike starts to get sucked out into the vacuum of space.
"Kira!" Athrun cries out to his friend who drifts further and further from him.
He notices that Miguel's GINN starts to drift out of the colony with Kira as well. Fearing for his ZAFT comrade, Athrun quickly transforms his Mobile Suit into its Mobile Armour form and grabs the beaten GINN in its claws. Miguel breathes a sigh of relief as he was almost sucked into space with the enemy.
"Thanks, Athrun." Miguel hopes Athrun can hear him, "If it weren't for you, I'd be a goner."
And so ends chapter 3! Believe me when I say that this will probably be the only time I release a chapter as fast as this. I just got REALLY lucky with my workload.
Anyway… So Miguel survives in my story! Yeah, you'll just have to wait and see what becomes of that. I really like his character and he felt like wasted potential to me.
There isn't really much else to say so…
R-0 Out!