Hello everyone, R-0 here and welcoming you to the next chapter.
But first, Review and Answer time! As always, people who I PM won't receive an answer for obvious reasons.
mafia king: As I have already stated, I will try and formulate something for Flay's character. I cannot make any guarantees that I will find something, however, I will attempt to. Please do not be upset if nothing comes to fruition because, as you said, her key plot point is null and void.
Ayatane Elemia: All the technical referencing I only really do once or do it for weapons that are well known by their codename. Notice how I haven't called the Anti-Ship Sword the "schwert gewehr" in a while and, vice versa, frequently refer to the Archangel's Positron Cannons as "Lohengrin."
The Desert section is probably where the most divergence is going to occur and is something I do look forward to writing.
No worries about your nationality. I have definitely seen people my own nationality write things that are completely incoherent to me.
littlemsstrawberry: "Sigh" I guess I best make this clear. (Clears Throat) AsuCaga is non-existent in this fanfic. There is not even going to be undertones about it. Why? Well, if you are comfortable with spoilers, I'll give you a little hint: The certain incident that formed the basis of AsuCaga is going to go VERY differently this time and will make clear sense why AsuCaga can't even make sense in this universe. I am sorry if this has saddened you and I will not be upset if you cease reading this fanfic, but this is the direction it is going and that is NOT subject to change.
mega1987: Don't know who Houko is so that reference went STRAIGHT over my head, sorry. I also don't know what MP stands for.
Code R.R: Indeed it does.
edboy4926: Thank you and you're welcome.
Fireminer: My speed is so quick because I am in the afterglow of my school year after all my exams so I don't get much homework now. I get a chance every weekend now.
Gundam has never tried to be an anti-war message. Tomino wanted to portray a realistic portrayal of war in a futuristic environment and how neither side is in the wrong. It was when you get to the Cosmic Era and they start to get REALLY preachy with their anti-war message to the point where they beat you over the head with it. It portrayed war in a very "GoodVSBad" sort of way, especially in Destiny. This sort of portrayal only belongs in a Super Robot anime like Mazinger, Getter Robo or GurrenLagann.
You know, you say that, but I'm a ZeekFanboy. I don't think Zeon is THATbad; it was only when Gihren was put in charge when they basically became Space Nazis. There are some cool characters (Bernie, Ramba, Gato, Cima, Johnny, Dozle, Shin, etc…) in their army. They're just victims of persecution by Earth and were purely defensive to start. Their hatred, unfortunately, got the better of them and they became the aggressors in the war. Feddies can go suck it! Zeon all the way! They have much cooler Mobile Suits (Zaku Kai, Kampfer, GelgoogJager, Zudah, etc…) and, unlike the Federation, aren't led by a group of cowardly douchebags who only care about themselves. Sure, Gihren's a dictator, but at least he wants what's best for his Nation.
Worldwanderer2.0: Miguel may be a friendly big-brother figure to the Le Creuset Team, but he's still an experienced and competent soldier and knows how to think objectively. He knows that Athrun's history with Kira can have dangerous consequences on the battlefield and doesn't want that to affect their chances of winning these skirmishes. However, he's still sympathetic to his situation and that's why he's giving him a chance. You'll see what I mean after the battle.
Be patient! Cagalli will get her time to shine, that I promise you! I have a very particular moment picked out just for that occasion. If you can hold on until then, I hope you will be greatly satisfied with that Sub-Plot.
As I said, I hate Flay. What I respect, however, is that she is one of the few characters to undergo some serious growth throughout the series. Granted, that growth may have not been positive, but I think it's a nice representation of what war can do to a person's psyche. It just aggravated her already racist ideals and took advantage of the fact that she likes people to follow her around. It portrayed a realistic sense of "not every character on the hero's side is good." And that's what I credit her character for. She's still a slut, though. You're on the right track with your theories. Cagalli won't let no harpy try and take advantage of a person she has come to care deeply for. Cagalli can see through bullshit like a clean window being raised around politicians and all.
Lacus is just a bad character. It's hard enough to believe that a Pop Star could gain access to one of ZAFT's strongest prototypes, but manages to amass a whole army under her, ready to follow her every command mindlessly?! Bullshit! Suddenly, she's the solution to everybody's problem in Destiny and it pissed me the hell off the serious favouritism she was getting (Durandalliterally said that she has more power and influence than him). It screams Mary Sue in every way, shape and form. She's a goddamn terrorist who forces her ideals on others and, if you don't agree with them, you're a villain, by default. I hate her even more than I hate Flay!
I think you misunderstand where the "Jesus" Yamato moniker originated from. People call him that because he survived THREE scenarios that he should not have survived (being at point blank-range to a self-destructing Aegis, surviving the Genesis despite being engulfed in the blast as Rau was and surviving having his cockpit be impaled by the Impulse's Excalibur). I understand why he got to be a skilled pilot, fighting off 4 other Gundams practically requires you to get REALLY good REALLY quickly, so I can accept that. Do I think he's the best Gundam Pilot in terms of character and skill? Nope. Do I think Heero is a good character? Nope. He's a bland archetype and a pretty boy. In general, I dislike Wing because it started the trend in Gundam of the Gundams being stupidly overpowered and being the solution to everyone's problems. I mean, a Leo punched a Gundam and its arm shattered! That's so stupid!
I'll have to, unfortunately, disagree with you on both accounts of Gundam 00 and After WarGundam X. The Mobile Suits in 00 were justifiably OP as they were running off an incredible power source, so I can let the nature of them go. I mean, there were aliens in the series and the presence of GN Particles allowed the Mobile Suits to be tough. Even in the final battle, the endgame Gundams still struggled against the ELS and the Quanta probably would have as well if it hadn't just casually flown through the battlefield. Double X and Gundam X are not OP in the slightest. Sure, they got an incredibly powerful weapon, but unlike the Freedom and Strike Freedom's full burst, you can't abuse it. The Satellite Cannon has a significantly long charge time and the Mobile Suit must be still. Not only that, but the Mobile Suit itself isn't that tough, it's pretty basic in terms of weaponry and moves like a slug both in atmosphere, and in space, requiring the G-Falcon to be able to move decently. Also, that weapon is just dead weight if the Microwave Transmitter is ever disabled. You can't consider them OP as their very nature is completely justified within the context of the Universe. Their overpowered nature is off-set by something. What excuse does Fukuda give for how OP the Strike Freedom is? NONE! It's too flashy and completely invincible for me to consider it a Real Type. There's no flaw to it, no issue that a strategist can exploit and is way ahead of everything else. The Freedom was passable because Kira still struggled against his opponents. He never had that struggle in the Strike Freedom.
Kira's retarded "don't shoot cockpits" principle is stupid for so many reasons. It's a war anime! Spare an enemy and they'll come after you even angrier and hell bent on killing you! Look at Gundam Age and Kio's fight against Fram. If he did his job and killed her when he had the chance, he would have saved the lives of Jonathon and Obright! But no, in the middle of battle, he wanted to "talk" to her and what did that cause? Fram went into a rage and smacked the little ass-wipe upside the head.I face-palmed so badly at that moment. I agree with his initial motivations and I would have preferred that they remained unchanged.
Sorry about that little rant, I get VERY passionate when it comes to Gundam. I don't want you to think that I hate the Cosmic Era and fanboy over the Universal Century. Universal Century is probably the best universe, but that doesn't mean I think the others suck. SEED was very good for 80% of the series, but started to take a dip within the final 10 episodes. SEED Destiny had some serious potential and looked to rival the originals that inspired them. Unfortunately, a lack of objective thinking (having his wife write the script(this was made worse by the fact that she was going through cancer)), serious writer bias (she cosplayed with her husband as Lacus and Kira at a wedding (not sure if it was their own)), a director who gave into peer pressure (the fans wanted Kira back as the protagonist and he gave in) and some serious backstage issues (apparently, arguments with several of the Voice Actors broke out) all ruined that potential. It was REALLY good for the first ten or so episodes, but started to slowly decline after that point once the old cast came back into play. This decline ultimately culminated post Phase 35 as every good aspect of Shinn was thrown down the drain and was turned into a barking lackey for the stupidest of reasons (Durandal: here's a shiny new Gundam, Shinn, now obey my every command! Shinn: Yes, Sir, just gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme!). I will gladly say that Stargazer, despite being significantly shorter than both series, was far superior to them and, if afull 13 episode series is made, it would easily wipe the floor with them and be just as good as the originals. Stargazer suffered none of their problems. There was an objective director and a script-writer who didn't let their favouritism get the better of them. In my opinion, SEED and Destiny would have been epic had they been done by the guys who did Stargazer.
Again, I'm sorry for getting a little too passionate with my response. These are simply my opinions and you do not have to agree with them.
Anyway, Let's begin the next chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or its respective materials.
Chapter 5: Five Against One
The three G-Weapons launched from the Laurasia-Class (Duel, Buster, Blitz), all activating their respective Phase Shift Armours to prepare for the Archangel. They eventually come into range of the Archangel as Dalida's sensors managed to successfully read their presence, three small blips on his Console appear informing him of this development, each of these blips heading to their position.
"Three Heat Sources approaching from the rear!"He informs the bridge crew, "They're Mobile Suits!"
"They're here!" Murrue mutters to herself.
"Prepare for Anti-Mobile Suit combat," Natarle commands the personnel operating the CIC, "Load Korinthos into missile tubes 13 through 24!"
Upon this command, the rear missile Launchers open to reveal the large Missiles labelled "Korinthos." Three of these flaps opened to reveal six Missiles primed and ready to fire at the enemy.
"Activate the Valiant Linear Cannon!" She continues to issue her commands. The large circles on the side of the Archangel's centre both separate as the "Valiant MK8" 110CM Linear Cannons rise out from their berth, their cannons extending in preparation for the oncoming foes. "Input Target data, hurry!" She urges the CIC operators.
"Machine type confirmed!" Dalida informs the CIC Chief, "Why these are…" He pauses in surprise, "the X Numbers! Duel, Buster and Blitz!"
"What?!" Natarle exclaims in surprise at this shocking development, Murrue and the rest of the Bridge Crew all gasp at this shocking development as the realisation that this skirmish is going to be much more difficult to come out of than they initially thought.
"So they're using all the G-Weapons they took against us?" Murrue wonders out loud as Natarle still struggles with this revelation.
Approaching from the Front…
Meanwhile, Athrun (along with Miguel) also approaches the Archangel from the front. He has a strong and confident expression on his face until he sees something that gives him pause. This is, of course, the sight of the Strike, standing guard from the oncoming assault. Miguel also notices the Mobile Suit and a scowl makes its way across his features, the near death experience he had with the enemy entering his mind. He glances towards Athrun's Mobile Suit as he cannot help but wonder if it is true and, if so, what Athrun is going to do about it.
"Oi, Athrun." Miguel calls over to his ally, snapping Athrun out of his thought pattern as he quickly replies to the message.
"Y-yes?"
"I'm going to go on ahead and assist the attack on the enemy warship." Miguel informs him, "Distract the Strike so I can get past."
"E-eh?" Athrun asks with a confused tone at this action.
"With my current Mobile Suit and equipment," Miguel begins to explain, "I'm basically a moving target for the Strike. I'll be more useful helping out the assault on the ship."
"R-right."
"And besides," Miguel adds, "I promised to give you a chance with that Mobile Suit and I'm a man of my word. I'd just make things harder for you if I got in the way."
Athrun sits there for a few moments struggling to comprehend what Miguel means with that statement. That is until the conversation Athrun had with Miguel flashes through his brain as he remembers that Miguel told him he'd let him try once with the Strike's pilot. If he fails, Miguel is going to gladly try and destroy the Strike and its pilot.
That thought alone scares Athrun and only spurs him on to try and convince Kira to join their side, preventing the wrath of his team-mates.
"Thanks." He responds, Miguel smiles a little.
"Don't mention it."
On the Strike's end, the Strike's sensors blare into life, informing him of the incoming enemies.
"Two units," he mutters to himself. He reminisces about when Mu told him to simply focus on protecting the ship and himself, "that's easier said than done," he, once again, mutters as he ignites the Strike's boosters.
The Aegis' scanners take note of the Strike as a zoomed in image of the approaching Mobile Suit appears on its display and Athrun properly takes it in.
"Kira," he says out loud to himself.
The Strike's scanners also perform this action as they zoom in on the approaching GINN and Aegis.
"That Mobile Suit, Athrun?!" Kira cannot help but wonder to himself.
Meanwhile, at the flank…
Duel, Buster and Blitz also close in on the Archangel. Yzak takes the lead in the Duel, Nicol follows behind in the Blitz and Dearka brings up the rear in the Buster.
"Athrun has already taken off from the Vessalius!" Yzak informs his two comrades, "don't be late!" Dearka gives a little scoff at this.
"Not by that guy!" Dearka remarks as the three ZAFT Reds all split up in separate directions to give the Archangel a wider area of fire to cover. Dalida, on the Archangel, notices this.
"Enemy Mobile Suits have spread out!" he informs the Bridge's crew.
"Commence interception!" Murrue orders as she turns towards Natarle, "CIC! What's taking you?" Natarle makes a little gasp as she snaps out of her trance and turns towards Jackie.
"Laser Designator ready?" She inquires.
"Yes!" He responds. She turns back towards her front.
"Missile tubes 13 through 18, fire!" She commands. The large Missiles are launcher from the berths and veer, all at different directions, towards the attacking Mobile Suits, "Load Sledgehammers into tubes 7 through 12! Korinthos Missiles 19 through 24! Fire!" This large volley of missiles all veer towards the enemies.
Meanwhile, Athrun stows away his Beam Rifle on the side skirt and brandishes one of the Aegis' arm mounted Beam Sabres. Kira responds by pulling one of his own beam sabres mounted in the backpack. Neither attacks as the Aegis flies straight past the Strike, not attacking. Meanwhile, while Kira is distracted by this moment, Miguel's GINN flies past from his rear and veers towards the Archangel. The Strike's sensors alert Kira to this as he lets out a small gasp of realisation is about to intercept.
"Kira!" A familiar voice calls over his communicator, ceasing his action of chasing after the GINN as he refocuses back on the Aegis as a familiar face appears on the communicator screen.
"Athrun?!" he exclaims.
"Stop it!" Athrun yells at his friend, "Put your sword away, Kira! We're not enemies, are we?"
Both the Strike and Aegis continue to circle around each other, neither unleashing an attack on the other at the risk of harming their friend.
"Why are we fighting against each other?" Athrun calls out to his friend.
"Athrun…" Kira trails.
"Why must you, a coordinator like us, fight against us?" Athrun pleads to his friend. These words give Kira pause as he tightens his grip around the control lever and grunts a little to signify his frustrations at this situation.
Meanwhile, Yzak continues to close in on the quarrelling friends as a he shoots down a pair of "Korinthos" Missiles that tried their luck at scoring a hit on him. He easily shot them down using his head mounted CIWS. His communicator blares into life as Miguel's familiar face appears on it.
"How's it going, Yzak." Miguel asks rhetorically.
"Glad to see you made it, Miguel." Yzak remarks, "I thought you'd chicken out and hide on the ship." Miguel gives a little scoff at that remark.
"As if I'd miss out on this witch hunt after a prize like this!" He replies, "I've left the Strike to Athrun and am going after the Enemy Ship. You may want to go back him up."
"So you did chicken out and chose not to fight the Strike?" Yzak remarks.
"There's a difference between chickening out and choosing not to fight battles you know you can't win."
"Yeah, whatever!" Yzak mutters, "Dearka and Nicol, go after the ship with Miguel!" He commands his team-mates, "I'll attack the Mobile Suit with Athrun!"
"Roger!" Nicol responds as he makes use of the Beam Rifle inside his arm-mounted "Trikeros" Offensive Shield System to shoot down an oncoming missile. He dodges another which approached him from behind and also shoots the missile down.
"You hear that too, Dearka?"Miguel enquires as he also successfully shot down some incoming missiles using his Heavy Machine Gun, the volley of bullets easily ripping apart the missiles that were charging at him from the front. He also slices another Missile in half horizontally using his Heavy Sword which he brandishes in his Mobile Suit's left hand.
The Duel brandishes his 350MM Gun Launcher at the large volley of missiles approaching him and lets off a shotgun-like burst of fire, easily destroying the missiles that threatened to impact his Mobile Suit. The Buster easily making up for its sluggish nature with its superior firepower.
"What?" He whines. His eyes travel to the communicator screen as Yzak's face appears.
"I don't want any complaints, Dearka!" Yzak scolds him, "it'll be a huge catch!"
The Archangel's CIWS "Igelstelung" attempts to shoot down the Duel as it flies away from the battleship towards the duelling Mobile Suits. This does not work as the Mobile Suit easily evades the oncoming bullets as well as a blast from the Archangel's "Valiant" cannons. The Buster and Blitz charge pass by the Duel as they charge towards the White Battleship from the left front while Miguel and his GINN come from the right front.
Natarle sees these Mobile Suits come in from both sides.
"Valiants, fire!" She commands the CIC crew. Both "Valiant" Cannons fire off a couple of shots at the approaching Mobile Suit. The Port "Valiant" fires at the Buster and Blitz while the Starboard "Valiant" fires at the GINN. Unfortunately, the large yellow blasts unsuccessfully miss their targets as the pilots manage to just evade the fire. The pilots grunt in annoyance at the battleship's sizeable firepower.
As Miguel, Dearka and Nicol get in sufficient range of the Archangel to begin their assault and fly around the ship to avoid enemy fire, Kira notices how close they have gotten and turns to fly back to the Archangel to assist the lone Battleship. "The Archangel!" He exclaims as he is about to fly back, but not before Athrun and his Aegis appear in front of him to prevent Kira from assisting the Archangel. Kira flies backwards away from the enemy Mobile Suit as the Aegis gives chase, neither Mobile Suit still attacking the other.
"Stop it, Kira!" Athrun pleads to his friend, desperate to prevent his suffering.
"Athrun!" Kira responds.
"What are you doing with the Earth Forces?" Athrun asks with a disbelieving tone, "why are you siding with the Naturals?"
Kira turns around in his Mobile Suit and flies upwards away from the Aegis, the salmon Mobile Suit looking up towards the fleeing enemy.
"I'm not a member of the Earth Forces!" Kira assures his friend to which Athrun gives him a confused look, "there are people I know on that ship! My friends are on that ship!" He asserts to Athrun. The Strike turns to face the Aegis and continues to fly backwards away from it, it's shield held in front of it to prevent potential damage, however, Kira still refuses to attack his friend.
"So why are you a part of ZAFT?" Kira counters, "why are you taking part in this war?!" Athrun's eyes widen at that question, clearly distressed by it. This lapse gives Kira the opportunity to move himself even further away as he ignites the Aile pack's boosters to gain some distance from the Aegis, the two Mobile Suits still continue to circle each other hesitantly.
"You used to say you hated war!" Kira continues, "so why did you assault Heliopolis?"
"Because the Naturals, who fail to understand this situation went and made these things!" Athrun explains with a heated tone.
"But Heliopolis is neutral!" Kira counters, "So am I! Yet…!" Kira is unable to finish his statement as an "ALERT" Message appears on his helmets display with the Strike's sensors blaring into life. Kira quickly boosts upwards to avoid a burst of shots that originate from the Duel's 57MM high energy Beam Rifle (with 175MM Grenade Launcher), the Blue Mobile Suit quickly advancing on the Strike.
"Why aren't you attacking, Athrun?!" Yzak queries with an aggressive tone. The Aegis backs away and pauses as Athrun takes in Yzak's presence.
"Yzak?" Athrun asks out loud with a confused tone.
The Strike's radar suddenly recognises another reading labelled "X-102" alongside the Aegis' "X-103" reading.
"X-102 Duel?!" Kira mutters to himself with an anxious tone, "Then this, too?!" He quickly blocks a shot from the Duel and manages to successfully evade two others, but the Blue Mobile Suit is unrelenting and chases after the fleeing Strike.
Archangel…
The three Mobile Suits (GINN, Blitz and Buster) continue their assault on the White Battleship, the Blitz itself having just avoided some blasts from the "Valiant" Cannons and continues its advance followed closely by Nicol's two comrades.
"Evasive Manoeuvres," Murrue hastily commands, "Maximum speed!"
"Fire Anti-Beam depth charges!" Natarle orders her CIC crew. These devices are launched from the Archangel and explode, creating a large bright light and allowing the effect of some beams being dissipated before impacting on the Archangel.
"Igelstellungs!" Natarle begins to order, "don't allow the enemy to get any closer to the ship!"
The Automated CIWS Gun Turrets continue to fire on the attacking Mobile Suits with a continuous stream of bullet, hoping to at least keep them at a firm distance.
"Set Helldarts to Auto-launch!" Natarle continues to order. The Bridge Tower Missile Launchers fire their payload of small "Helldart" Missiles at the enemy Mobile Suit.
The Blitz is able to black the oncoming "Igelstellungs" with its Offensive Shield System and flying backwards to avoid oncoming fire. Unfortunately, the "Helldart" Missiles manage to make contact with the Black Mobile Suit, causing the cockpit to vibrate harshly and a bright light to fill up Nicol's screen, causing him to grunt in annoyance.
Dearka also makes a small grunt as he begins to open fire with his 94MM High-Energy Rifle. Some of the shots dissipate, but one manages to break through the Anti-Beam Field and impact against the surface of the Archangel on one of the panels on the Port side, causing a large smudge of burnt metal to be left behind and venting air. The impact causes the ship to shake violently as the Bridge Crew all grunt in pain at the shaking. This also occurs throughout the ship as the refugees all cry out in terror including Flay Allster.
"What's going on?!" She cries out in terror, "what's going on?"
The damage doesn't end here as Miguel, despite distancing himself from the Archangel manages to easily use this moment and fires a large burst of Heavy Machine Gun rounds. Since they are unaffected by the Anti-Beam Depth Charges, the bullets easily sail towards the Archangel and make contact with the Starboard "Igelstellung" Gun Turrets, causing the weapons to explode. These explosions make the Battleship shake violently again.
"Eat that!" Miguel yells out gleefully, letting go of one of the controls and fist pumping in triumph.
"What the hell was that?!" Natarle queries out loud.
"Port-side Hull was heavily damaged!" Jackie responds, "Starboard Igelstellungs are… all destroyed?!" He declares with a disbelieving tone.
"What?!" Murrue also yells out with disbelief.
"Contact the Strike!" Natarle orders, "tell him we need him back here!"
"He's still engaged in combat with the Aegis and Duel!" Dalida explains.
"Do it anyway!"
Unfortunately, the Strike isn't much position to even manage to help itself, much less manage to protect the Archangel as it continues to flee from the aggressive Duel and its pilot. Chasing the Strike like an angry bull as it continues lets off blasts from its beam rifle at the retreating Mobile Suit.
"That rascal!" Yzak exclaims, "Does he only know how to run away?!"
Kira gives a short gasp as he continues to try and avoid the relentless Mobile Suit. Unfortunately, he is distracted as he sees that the Archangel is trying to communicate with him. Taking this as some form of urgency, he turns around and brandishes his Beam Rifle at the attacking Mobile Suit. The targeting apparatus in his cockpit deploys forward in front of his eyes to improve his aiming. He begins to fire at the Duel.
The Archangel does not manage to take a break as the Buster launches a barrage of Missiles at the Archangel from above. Unfortunately, the Archangel's remaining CIWS manages to dispatch these missiles before they impact against its hull.
"Dammit!" Dearka complains, "It's well-armed! How are we going to get through it?!"
"I know!" Miguel agrees, flying next to Dearka as he reloads his Heavy Machine Gun, swapping out the current Magazine with another, "I just managed to get a lucky shot in!"
"I'll go at it from below!" Nicol responds, alerting Dearka to his presence as he momentarily flies between him and Miguel, "You and Miguel cover me!"
"Right!" They both respond.
The Blitz quickly flies through the bulletstorm and manages to get beneath the Archangel as Dearka continues to fire burst of energy at the Archangel from its right side while Miguel fires on it from the left.
"Enemy Mobile Suit moving below us!" Dalida calls out.
"Lower Section Igelstellungs!" Natarle orders, "commence interception!"
The CIWS Gun Turrets located on the underside of the Archangel take aim at the Blitz and begin firing, preventing the Black Mobile Suit from attacking the ship's flank.
"We'll use the Gottfrieds!" Murrue declares, "Left roll 30 degrees and twenty to port!"
"Left roll 30 degrees!" Neumann repeats to himself, "Port 20!"
The Archangel quickly turns and pivots to the left so that it can aim its "Gottfried" Beam Cannon down towards the flanking Blitz. Unfortunately, these sudden turn can be felt throughout the ship as the refugees and crewmen all struggle to hang onto something for dear life including Flay Allster, who clutches onto a bed post, and Cagalli who clutches one of the catwalks railings.
"No!" Flay cries out.
"This is something they should have warned us about!" Cagalli exclaims.
The Archangel deploys its port-side "Gottfried" and takes aim at the the Buster and Blitz while the Starboard "Gottfried" takes aim at the GINN. Both cannons fire their large and intense beams of light but it is for nothing as all three Mobile Suits manage to evade the shots and continue their assault.
Vessalius…
"Enemy Vessel approaching! Distance 740!" The Communications Officer calls out, "message from the Gamow: 'Our ship has also confirmed total enemy battle force to be one Mobile Suit.'"
"So that Mobile Armour is still not ready for sortie, I see." Rau remarks, causing Fredrik to turn his chair slightly to regard him.
"I believe we can make that assumption." Fredrik adds, clearly agreeing with the sentiment. Rau just quietly sits there for a few moments before bringing his hand up to his chin and a pensive expression gracing his features. A slight "hmm" can be heard leaving his mouth to indicate this.
Back to the Battle…
The Strike continues to rain fire on the Duel, but the Blue Mobile Suit manages to avoid every shot even with Kira using the Targeting system to assist him.
"Dammit, Dammit, Dammit!" Kira continuously cries out in frustration and terror, completely oblivious to his quickly declining Power Gauge.
"Not with the way you're fighting!" Yzak remarks as he holsters his Beam Rifle and brandishes one of his Beam Sabres. Kira cries out at the sight of this as the blade of Pink Energy clashes with his shield. Kira breaks the clash and flies to the left to try and get a shot off, unfortunately missing and causing the Strike to chase him again as Kira flies away when Yzak swipes at him again.
Meanwhile, Athrun can only watch as Kira runs from Yzak's assault with a worried expression.
Near the Vessalius…
The familiar orange Mobile Armour is slowly navigating through debris underneath the Vessalius, waiting for the most opportune moment to strike.
"Not yet." He mutters to himself.
"Enemy Vessel approaching, distance 630!" The Communications Officer calls out on the bridge of the nearby Nazca-Class, "it will shortly enter our ship's firing range!"
"We will begin our attack." Rau declares to his confidant. Fredrik turns towards him.
"But our Mobile Suits are still out there!" Fredrik protests, "firing the main cannon would…"
"None of our guys would be clumsy enough to be hit by friendly fire." Rau smoothly counters. "But our counterparts will be firing at us." Fredrik looks at Rau with a surprised expression before steeling it and turn back forwards to address the bridge-crew.
"Prepare to fire main cannon!" Fredrik orders, "Target enemy vessel!"
"Prepare to fire cannon!" One of the Gunnery Officers repeats.
"Target enemy vessel!" The other continues. The two large 177MM Beam Cannons on the nose of the Vessalius all tilt forward and adjust themselves to begin firing at the approaching Archangel.
Battle…
Yzak lets out a battle cry as he slashes at the Strike, once again, but ultimately fails and the Strike evades, the defending Mobile Suit continuously firing at the Duel while the Aegis continues to remain idle during the whole ordeal. Due to Kira's panicked state, he fails to notice that his Power Gauge has already dropped into Yellow from excessively using his Beam Rifle. Luckily, he still has sense enough to notice the new presence of the Buster.
"Yzak!" Dearka calls to his friend. He fires bursts of energy at the Strike as Kira can only gasp at his constantly decreasing luck.
Near the Vessalius…
Meanwhile, the Moebius Zero's sensors start to buzz into life as Mu continues to inch forward, informing the Pilot that he has reached the correct position.
"Got it!" He mutters to himself.
Archangel…
"Laser Designator sensed from the Nazca-Class ahead of us!" Dalida informs the bridge-crew, "They're targeting this ship! They're locked onto us!" Natarle's eyes widen as a surprised expression crosses her features momentarily before she turns and calls up to Murrue.
"Captain!" She calls. Murrue can only sit there quietly as a silent moan works its way through her mouth, clearly signifying frustration and worry, "prepare to fire Lohengrin!" this statement causes Murrue to snap out of her trance as her eye's widen and she quickly turns around.
"Wait!" Murrue protests, "The Lieutenant's Zero is approaching the enemy! Evasive action!"
"That's risky!" Natarle counters, "Unless we fire, we'll be hit!"
Murrue smacks the arm of her chair with a scrunched-up fist in frustration at their predicament as an anxious expression is clear on her features.
"Laurasia-Class approaching fast from stern!"
Battle…
"Athrun! Yzak!" Dearka addresses his team-mates, "what are you doing let's cut him off!"
Kira continues to fire at both the Duel and Buster before he realises that he is surrounded on all sides. The Buster at his flank. The Duel is at his right side. The GINN is at his left side and the Blitz and Aegis at his front. Kira can only give a nervous growl at his predicament.
"Dearka!" Athrun calls to his teammates.
"Athrun!" Nicol calls to him.
Vessalius…
A sudden familiar feeling crosses through Rau Le Creuset, a feeling he knows only occurs when someone when very particular is in close proximity.
At that moment, Mu ignites his Mobile Armour's boosters and charges towards the Nazca-Class from underneath. All the while, he lets out a passionate battle cry.
"Boost engines to maximum!" Rau suddenly commands, "Lower bow, pitch angle 60!"
"Huh?" Fredrik asks confusedly before the ship's alarms blare into life, alerting the captain.
"Heat source approaching from below!" The Sensor Officer informs him, "it's a Mobile Armour!"
"What?!" Fredrik exclaims, "Activate CIWS! Boost engines to maximum! Lower bow, pitch angle 60!"
The Large battleship activates its orientation thrusters to tilt the ship downwards to face the approaching Mobile Armour. The unit in question deploys its GunBarrels and begins to open fire as it charges through the Bullet Storm from the Nazca-class' CIWS that rains open it. The Mobile Armour also opens fire with its Linear Gun. This combined onslaught of firepower is enough for Mu to complete his objectives as the projectiles impact against the Vessalius' starboard engine, causing the crew of the Vessalius to groan a little from the sudden vibrations throughout the ship as it starts to lose orientation.
"Alright!" Mu cries out cockily. He fires a wired rocket into the hull of the Vessalius just as he passes by it. This causes him to quickly swing around so that flies back towards the direction of the Archangel and away from the now damaged enemy battleship.
"Major damage to engines!" One of the Bridge Officers called out, "we're losing thrust!"
"Enemy Mobile Armour has left!" Another Officer adds.
"Shoot it down!" Fredrik commands with an angered tone.
"Number 5 sodium wall damaged!" The Officer adds, "it's on fire! Damage control! Seal Bulkheads!"
"Damn you, Mu!" Rau thinks to himself as a very angered expression crosses his features. "We're leaving! Ades, send a message to the Gamow!"
Archangel…
"Message from Lieutenant La Flaga!" Jackie addresses Natarle, "Mission successful, he's on his way back!"
All of the bridge crew let out a cry of joy at the news, realising that their chances of reaching Artemis and safety just got a lot higher with this development. Murrue is much less vocal about her joy and instead restricts herself to a mild sigh of relief.
"We'll take this opportunity to attack the Nazca-Class in front of us!" She declares.
"Prepare to fire Lohengrin Numbers One and Two together!" Natarle orders her CIC crew.
"Send Lieutenant La Flaga a message to clear the area!" Murrue adds, "Also, tell the Strike to move away from the line of fire!"
"Positron bank breath chamber at maximum." Dalida declares, "Muzzle choke potential has stabilized! Opening Launchers.
As the Archangel prepares to unleash the dual Positron Cannons on the Vessalius, Kira is still engaged in heavy combat as four out of the five enemy Mobile Suits continue to rain a mixture of energy and bullets upon him. Exhausted, Kira receives a message in his helmet informing him of the impending rain of fire from the Archangel. This can be seen visually as the Launch Bay Doors open and the two "Lohengrin" Positron Cannons lower from their berths, both soon ready to fire.
The five ZAFT Pilots all cease their actions momentarily as they also receive a message also telling them to retreat. The only difference is that their reasoning is that their Battleship is heavily damaged.
"The Vesalius has been hit?!" Yzak asks incredulously.
"Why?" Nicol wonders.
"They want us to retreat?!" Dearka complains.
"The Strike must have just been a decoy!" Miguel realises.
In their moment of confusion, the Strike quickly flies away from their enclosed group. Unfortunately for Kira, they are easily alerted to his attempted retreat.
"Oh, shit!" Yzak exclaims as realises that they are in the Logengrin's line of fire. They all quickly ignite their boosters to avoid it as the two Large cannons fire their large bursts of red energy that charges straight towards the injured Nazca-Class, incinerating several pieces of debris as well as giving Mu a pleasant show as he returns back to the Archangel.
"Whoa!" Mu exclaims with a playful tone.
This does not bode well for the Vesalius as their sensors blare into life and alert them to the approaching threat.
"Heat source approaching!" The Communications Officer cries out with a worried tone, "direction: zero, zero, zero! Three seconds to impact!"
"Starboard: Maximum thrust!" Rau commands as he sweeps his arm in the air in an commanding manner, "dodge it!"
The Nazca-Class quickly veers to the right at the last second, preventing a large portion of the ship from being completely incinerated. Unfortunately, the red beam still makes contact with the left engine, causing the section to explode. The resounding vibrations carry through the ship as the Bridge Crew hold onto something as they are harshly thrown around, all crying out in terror and pain. Unfortunately, the Maintenance Crew working in the Engine Area are not so lucky as they are completely incinerated by the explosion. Rau can only let out a grunt of annoyance at this development.
"The Nazca-Class is leaving our ship's route!" Dalida confirms for his Captain.
"Signal the Strike to return!" Murrue orders, "The Archangel will proceed to Artemis at maximum speed!"
Upon this command, the Archangel fires three Signal Flares, all differently coloured (violet, green, blue). This three and large balls of light alert the Strike and his ZAFT enemies and they pause for a second. Kira gives a small gasp of relief that he can finally get away from his enemies.
"A return signal?!" Yzak exclaims with annoyance, "I'm not letting him! Not him!" He declares as he charges, once again and with Beam Sabre in hand, at the Strike who dodges another slash from the Duel and returns fire.
"Yzak!" Athrun scolds him, "we've been ordered to retreat!"
"Shut up, you coward!" Yzak returns, causing Athrun to grunt a little in annoyance as he watches his friends continue their attack on Kira. Most prominently being Dearka, Yzak and Miguel. Kira is relentlessly being attacked from all sides as he spins around in his cockpit as if on a Carnival Ride.
"Dammit" He cries out, "I can't like this!"
Athrun continues to watch with an ever anxious expression at his friend's impending death.
"Kira!" Miriallia, on the Archangel Bridge, cries out in worry for her friend.
"He's surrounded!" Jackie observes, "at this rate!"
"Back him up!" Murrue orders.
"It's impossible in that melee!" Natarle counters.
"Our distance from the Strike is increasing!" Jackie informs the crew.
"Kira…!" Tolle mutters with a worried tone.
"I'm worried about the power level remaining in the Strike!" Natarle mentions.
"I know!" Murrue responds, "Where's Lieutenant La Flaga?"
Meanwhile, as he makes his way back to his Battleship, Mu just receives the information that Kira is pinned down and unable to return back to the Archangel.
"He can't return?!" Mu asks incredulously, a small scoff making its way through his lips, "That idiot!"
At that moment, Kira cries out in terror as the Buster fires on him from the front,using both its Gun Launcher and Beam Rifle at the same time to rain down fire on the Strike. Kira deflects these shots and tries to return fire. The Duel charges at the Strike, from its right and brandishing both Beam Sabres, as Yzak lets out a battle cry. Kira gasps and moves to attack the Mobile Suit with his Beam Rifle, unfortunately, a small burst of bullets from the GINN rip through the Beam Rifle before he can use it, causing Kira to let go of the weapon. He goes for one of the Beam Sabres on his backpack and pulls it out, expecting to block the Duel. However, when he pulls out the weapon, no energy emits from the hilt. Confused, Kira looks at the Strike's power gauge.
"Out of power?!" He remarks as the emergency warning appears on his console, giving him cause for alarm, "Shit, my armour!"
As that realisation comes to him, the Strike decolours itself, leaving it in the drab Grey colour scheme, save for the colour of the shield and Aile Pack.
"Gotcha!" Yzak yells with a cocky tone.
The Strike moves to fly away, but its too slow as the Duel gets right behind it and is ready to deal the final blow to the weakened Mobile Suit. Athrun, realising this, growls a little before transforming the Aegis into its Mobile Armour form and veers straight towards the Strike.
Kira bends his head down and closes his eyes, expecting death to overtake him, fortunately, the violent vibrations around him cease as he opens his eyes to realise that he is in the claws (literally) of the Aegis' Mobile Armour form.
"Kira!" Miriallia cries out at the sight as Murrue and Natarle look on with shocked expressions at what just occurred.
"He's been captured!" Jackie confirms, "the Strike has been captured by the Aegis! Phase Shift Down!" He concludes as the crew give gasps of worry for the Mobile Suit and its pilot.
"What do you think you're doing, Athrun?!" Yzak queries with an angry tone.
"I'm capturing this machine!" He explains.
"What?"
"Our orders are to destroy it!" Dearka chips in, "you're ignoring orders!"
"If we have the chance to capture it, the better!" Athrun reasons, "we're retreating!"
"Athrun!" Yzak yells in anger.
Meanwhile, Miguel stays silent as he thinks about what just occurred and about the conversation he had with Athrun before all this began, putting the pieces together in his brain.
"So this is what you had in mind, eh, Athrun?" Miguel mutters to himself.
The Aegis flies away as the Duel, Buster, Blitz and the GINN all fly closely behind the salmon Mobile Armour.
"Damn, that bastard!" Yzak grinds through his teeth in annoyance at this development.
Meanwhile, Dalida's sensors inform him of something that he quickly relays to the rest of the Bride Crew, despite the shocking development.
"Laurasia-Class has closed the distance to 280!"
"Captain!" Natarle calls to her superior, hoping she will come up with some sort of solution to their current predicament.
"Kira! Kira!" Miriallia repeatedly calls over he console in distress, "please respond!"
"A message from Lieutenant La Flaga!" Jackie suddenly calls out, alerting the Captain, he reads the content of the message, "Prepare catapult to launch Launcher Striker!" He paraphrases with a confused tone.
"What?" Natarle queries with an equally confused tone as Murrue looks at them with a similar amount of confusion on their face.
As Mu approaches the battlefield, hoping that Kira will make use of this development, Kira can only sit in his cockpit in confusion as he Strike lies helpless in the clutches of the Aegis.
"Athrun!" Kira calls over the communicator, "What's the big idea?
"I'm taking you to the Gamow." Athrun responds.
"Get serious!" Kira retorts, "I'm not going on any ZAFT Ship!"
"You're a Coordinator!" Athrun counters, "One of us!"
"No!" Kira asserts, "I won't join ZAFT!"
"Cut it out, Kira!" Athrun replies hotly, causing Kira to go quiet, "Just let me take you. Otherwise, I'll have to shoot you!" As he says this, his hands shake violently as a distressed expression is clear on his face.
"Athrun…" Kira trails.
"I already lost my mom in the Bloody Valentine," Athrun explains, "So I…!"
He's unable to finish his sentence as the alarms in the Cockpit informing him of an enemy contact go off, alerting both Kira and Athrun. As they look to see what it is, Mu's Moebius Zero, with the sun behind it, detaches its GunBarrels and opens fire with both them and its own Linear Gun. The Aegis tries to evade the barrage of fire from the Mobile Armour, but some of the shots impact the Mobile Suit, causing Athrun to grunt in anger.
"Kid!" Mu calls over Kira's communicator.
"Lieutenant La Flaga!" Kira replies.
"A Mobile Armour?!" Dearka asks with a confused tone.
"Athrun!" Nicol calls to his friend.
"I know that bastard!" Miguel declares, "Son of a Bitch gave me some trouble when I was stationed at one our supply bases!"
The GunBarrels score another hit on the Aegis, causing Athrun to grunt again in aggravation.
"Dammit!" He exclaims as he is forced to transform into his Mobile Suit form, letting go of his hold on Kira who lets out a surprised gasp at his newfound freedom.
"Get away from there!" Mu commands, "The Archangel's sending out the launcher!"
As he says this, the Aegis chases after the Moebius Zero, causing Mu to retreat.
"We've still got the big one behind us!" Mu explains, "Hurry and make changes to prepare for it!"
As Mu finishes, Kira gives one last solemn look at the Aegis who is opening fire on the Moebius Zero with its Beam Rifle and head mounted CIWS. Flashes of his memories with his new friends, including Cagalli, flash across his mind.
"I understand." He simply responds as he ignites the Strike's boosters and retreats back towards the Archangel. The Aegis pauses for a second and watches.
"Kira!" Athrun cries in anger.
The Strike continues to fly away from the battlefield and manages to pass the Buster, Duel and GINN who both notice his attempt to flee.
"He's getting away!" Yzak observes.
"That idiot!" Dearka whines.
"Don't let the bastard get away!" Miguel orders, "He's still got no chance against even my GINN without his precious Phase Shift Armour!"
The three of them ignite their boosters and charge after the retreating Strike, letting off bursts of beams and bullets as they go. Unfortunately, they run into a barrage of cover fire from the Archangel who lets off a volley of Missiles and energy blasts to prevent the three of them from catching up to the Strike.
"Don't let them get closer to the Strike!" Natarle asserts.
"Petty Officer Murdoch!" Murrue calls over Captain Chair's Intercom, "Are you ready?"
"Anytime!" Murdoch responds, "but this is ridiculous!" he remarks as looks at the now-tethered Launcher Pack ready in the Launch Bay, only held in place by loading claws, "what if it gets shot down?"
"I know its crazy," Natarle agrees, "but it's a chance we must take!" She asserts sternly, causing Murdoch to flinch.
"Ensign Badgiruel!" Murrue addresses her comrade, "I'm counting on you to get the timing right!"
"Roger!" She responds, "Transfer the ship's controls to me!" she leans back into her chair, "Laser Designator: Online! Match relative speed with the Strike and forward the catapult's shoot-out-time control to Launcher Striker's computer!" As she makes this commands, the Launch Bay doors open in preparation and the Strike flies past the Archangel from the left.
Meanwhile, Mu is still locked in combat with the Aegis as Athrun evades the Moebius Zero's GunBarrels while Mu avoids the Aegis' beam rifle.
"Crap!" Mu exclaims, "What good will it do if I get shot down?!"
The Blitz flies into view and assists the Aegis in its skirmish.
"Athrun!" Nicol cries over the communicator as he opens fire on the Mobile Suit with the Beam Rifle in his Offensive Shield System, causing Mu to reattach his GunBarrels and boost away to avoid the oncoming fire.
At that moment, Dearka combines his Gun Launcher and Beam Rifle (the latter at the front) to form the Hyper Impulse Long Range Rifle and fires the combined weapon in the Strike's direction but misses. Miguel also follows up with a burst from his Heavy Machine Gun or at least he tries to. Unfortunately, after a few bullets, the Heavy Machine Gun makes a clicking sound indicating that there are no bullets left. Miguel goes for an extra clip but realises that that was, indeed, his last magazine. All of a sudden, the Duel comes out of nowhere and charges straight at the Strike.
"Yzak!" Dearka exclaims.
"That idiot!" Miguel yells in an annoyed tone.
"I won't allow it!" Yzak yells passionately. This manoeuvre does not go unnoticed by the Archangel Crew as the radar shows the Duel break off from its comrades and charge straight towards the weakened Strike. Dalida relays this information to his crewmates who become tense at the news. Luckily, at that moment, the Strike flies in front of the Archangel and aligns itself with the Battleship, informed of this news, Jackie turns to Natarle.
"The Strike has locked onto the route!" He reports.
"Catapult release!" Natarle commands.
"I hope you get this, Kira!" Cagalli mutters.
The Catapult signs reads "Clear" across the board, allowing the Launcher Strike Pack and its Hyper Impulse Cannon zoom out of the Bay and veer straight for the Strike. Kira's sensors inform him of this.
"It's here!" He exclaims with a breath of relief. He then proceeds to detach the Aile Pack and its shield and then moves to properly align himself with the incoming package.
Unfortunately, the Strike is now in the Duel's sight who raises its Beam Rifle and aims it at the now defenceless Mobile Suit. A smug smirk is on Yzak's face as the Targeting System comes forward across his eyes to assist him in aiming to which he slightly grins. The Targeting Computer's reticule quickly locks onto the Strike.
"It's locked onto me?!" Kira remarks as the Wear Parts are just about to attach themselves. The Duel, unfortunately, fires its attached Grenade Launcher at the Strike and the Missile veers towards him.
"Kira!" Tolle cries in distress at the sight of it as the rest of the bridge crew just gasp save for Murrue who simply growls a little. The Impulse Cannon attaches itself to Kira just as the Missile makes contact, causing a large explosion to occur. The Archangel's Bridge Crew look at the explosion with a worried expression as well as Athrun and Mu who cease their fighting to watch the explosion. The Duel also stops in place as Yzak watches the explosion expectantly.
"Did I get him?" He cannot help but wonder with a hopeful tone. Unfortunately, he gets his answer as an intense red beam bursts through the cloud directly towards him, "What?!" He cries out in confusion as he evades to the right at the very last second, preventing his untimely demise. However, he does not come out unscathed as the Beam engulfs his Mobile Suit's entire right arm that was carrying its Beam Rifle.
The Strike charges through the cloud, Impulse Cannon at the ready as Kira lets out a loud battle cry and repeatedly fires the weapon at the disarmed Duel who evades to the right to avoid the first shot, but the second scratches his shield, causing him to growl in frustration. He boosts away as the Buster and GINN move forward to provide cover fire for their handicapped comrade, but are prevented as a Linear Gun strikes the Buster from behind, causing the GINN to move out of the line of fire of the now present Moebius Zero.
"Retreat! Yzak! Dearka! Miguel!" Athrun calls out to his exposed allies, "we can't pursue them any further!"
"What!" Yzak shouts in annoyance.
"Athrun's right!" Nicol joins in, "If we continue, this time, we'll be the ones running out of power!"
"We'll get them another day, Yzak." Miguel assures his friend as Yzak grinds he teeth in frustration, growling in anger as he does so. He punches his cockpit's view-screen in anger. The Duel is held onto by the Buster as they both fly away from the ever continuous bursts of red energy being projected at them. The GINN flies in front of them and flies backwards as it continues to fire on the Strike with its Heavy Machine Gun, providing cover for his retreating allies.
The Moebius Zero flies next to the Strike as it continues to rain fire upon its enemies. The Bridge Crew can watch in amazement as they realise that they just won that battle. Murrue stands in her chair tensely before Jackie informs her of the Mobile Suit's retreat, to which she falls back into it and breathes a sigh of relief.
Some time later… The Gamow…
The Blitz is just coming in for a landing as it enters the olive BattleShip through its lower launch hatch, its four allies having already docked in the ship. The Black Mobile Suit flies backwards slowly and plants its feet slowly on the surface of the Gamow's Launch Bay.
Meanwhile, things are not going well in the Gamow's Locker Room as Yzak grabs Athrun by the collar of his Normal Suit and rams him against the Lockers.
"Bastard!" Yzak insults him, "Are you outta your mind?! If only you hadn't acted out of line there!" His grip is quickly detached as Miguel gets in the way and pushes them both apart, attempting to defuse the situation.
"Lay off, Yzak!" Miguel scolds him.
"The hell, Miguel?!" Yzak exclaims, "you saying you agree with what this idiot did out there?!"
"Hell no!" Miguel clarifies, "What Athrun did was stupid and cost us a chance at getting rid of the Strike and its pilot! Of course I'm pissed!"
"Then why are you telling me to lay off?!" Yzak fights back hotly, trying his luck and get past Miguel.
"Because I get where he was coming from!" Miguel responds, "If we had the Strike on our side, the Alliance would have no chance!" Yzak hesitates for a few seconds as he seems to calm down a little.
"I guess…" He trails before adopting an angry face again, pushing back towards Athrun as Miguel tries to keep him back, "but it still was a stupid thing he did!"
"It was quite a blunder," Dearka chips in, "all because you ignored orders."
At that moment, the doors open and Nicol steps in. He sees the tense atmosphere and Yzak's wrestling with Miguel and quickly drifts into the room.
"What are you doing?!" Nicol cries out, "This isn't the place! Stop it!"
"We went out with FIVE machines!" Yzak exclaims, "Yet we failed to nail it!" He tries to fight past against Miguel again, "This is humiliating!"
"But taking it out Athrun won't change anything, will it?" Nicol tries to reason with his comrades. Yzak looks back towards him with an angry expression as Nicol's stern one doesn't change. He hovers there for a few moments before moving away from Miguel and flies towards the door to leave, Dearka in tow, leaving Miguel, Athrun and Nicol alone.
"Athrun…" Nicol starts to address his team-mate, "I also feel that this isn't like you, but…"
"Can you please just leave me alone, Nicol? Miguel?" Athrun pleads with them as a solemn expression is clear on his face. He leaves the room and punches the wall outside in frustration at all that has occurred.
"Kira…" He mutters.
Meanwhile, Miguel hovers in the Locker Room with a thoughtful expression as something crosses across his mind.
"Athrun, I gave you a chance…" He memorises, "You failed and you won't get another."
Archangel…
The Strike sits in its berth, unmoving as a large team of engineers hover around the Mobile Suit including Cagalli. Kira has not come out of the cockpit yet, so they are unsure what to do. Luckily, Mu arrives on the scene and drifts on over to the Machine.
"Hey!" He calls out to the Strike's occupant, "Come on, Kid!"
"Come on out, Kira!" Cagalli pleads with the cockpit hatch as she bangs on it, confusing Mu at the goings on, "don't make me come in there and kick your ass!"
"What's going on?" Mu asks Murdoch.
"Well, the kid refuses to come out." Murdoch explains.
"What?" Mu asks with a confused tone, he drifts to the left side of the Strike and uses the Mobile Suit's exterior hatch release to open the machine "Hey, what are you doing in there? Come on out!" He asks as he drifts back to the front of the machine to get a look inside, Cagalli peeking over his shoulder, "Kira Yamato!"
Unfortunately, they are greeted to a depressing sight as Kira sits there, breathing heavily with a look of distress clear on his face. The boy is clearly distressed from the latest ordeal. Mu moves into the cockpit and gives him reassuring smile.
"It's over." He assures the boy, "Come on, now!" Mu puts his hands over Kira's left that still clutches one of the control levers and attempts to remove it, "Hurry up and get out of here! Neither of us got killed and the ship's okay."
Kira still looks down at his hands with a distressed expression.
"You did well."
The statement snaps Kira out of his trance as looks at Mu with a surprised expression. Cagalli tries to help by giving him a nod. Luckily, this works as he starts to breathe normally and his hands stop shaking.
Elsewhere, a hysterical Flay has just found her Love Interest, Sai, and wrapped her arms around him, all the while, she cries.
"Sai, you idiot!" She cries, "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" She repeatedly cries out, drawing the attention of the surrounding civilians. She lifts her head up to address him, "I was scared, I was really scared! The ship shook a lot, and I was alone!" She starts to cry again and presses her face against his chest, Sai unsure of what to do in the situation.
Meanwhile, on the bridge, Romero had just received a message on his console that he believed was worth relaying to the Archangel crew.
"Message from Artemis!" He reports, "Request to enter port acknowledged, an inspecting officer is being sent!"
"I understand!" Murrue confirms, "Thank you." She breathes a sigh of relief as it seems like they have managed to make it to safety.
Vessalius…
The Communication's Officer has just received a rather important message as well as an extra other. He transfers the data to paper and approaches the White Coat onboard and hands him the letters.
"To Commander Le Creuset!" He informs them, "from the homeland!"
Rau reads the two letters speedily without saying anything. He stands there for a few moments before slightly chuckling and handing Ades one of the two letters who hastily reads it while hovering in front of him.
"A summons from the Supreme Council?" He asks before grabbing the letter and examining it more closely, "You're kidding?! After cornering them this far!"
"I'd imagine the collapse of Heliopolis has made things has made things quite hectic for the council," he theorises, "Well, it can't be helped." He casually says, "We'll leave the Gamow here to continue pursuing it."
"Right." Ades responds.
"Have Athrun and Miguel return!" He commands to which Ades raises a curious eyebrow.
"Why Miguel?" He asks with a confused tone, "I'm pretty sure he's eager to stay and fight." Rau chuckles a little at this before casually dangling the other letter in front of him.
"It seems Miguel's Personal GINN has been fully repaired." Rau informs him, "The Quartermaster has asked that he come collect it when he can from Armoury One."
"I suppose Miguel would be eager to get that thing back." Ades says.
"Indeed he would," Rau agrees, "The Vessalius will return to the Homeland as soon as repairs are complete!"
Archangel…
While the shuttle carrying the "Inspection Officer" lands, Kira passes through one of doors into a large corridor only to walk into a smirking Mu who has his arms crossed, surprising Kira as the Natural puts his arm around his shoulders.
"I forgot to tell you earlier…" Mu starts to say.
"Yes?" Kira asks.
"Put a lock on the Strike's activation program." He tells Kira, "Make sure that no one can move it but you!" He warns him, confusing the Coordinator.
At that moment, the door to the bridge opens as the short, large Earth Forces "Inspection" Officer steps through, followed by another officer. Natarle and Murrue salute the man who responds in kind along with his subordinate.
"Thank you, sir!" Murrue addresses her superior, dropping her salute along with Natarle, "We're grateful that you granted our request to enter port."
The Archangel then performs a 360 and puts its back towards Artemis. The Large Battleship starts to move backwards towards the structure as random debris is vaporised on the large bubble shield that surrounds Artemis. The Archangel utilises the Signal Lights that hover in space to properly manoeuvre into the Space Station, the shield deactivating to allow them entry.
As this occurs, Flay watches with Sai at the rear viewing platform as they back into the fortress.
"Wow." She says with an awed tone.
"It's called a Light Wave Defensive Belt." Sai explains, "also known as the Umbrella of Artemis." He informs her, "They say it's the ultimate defence weapon. It won't even allow a Laser Beam to pass through."
"I'm so glad." Flay remarks, "We're safe now, right?"
"Yeah." He agrees her as a smile comes to Flay's face.
Eventually, the Archangel reverses into the interior and makes a full stop as the Docking Clamps attach themselves to the exterior of the Archangel. This would normally signify safety for the crew of the Archangel, but this is no such case as there are several Moebius Mobile Armours equipped with Linear Guns that are aimed at them. There are also transports carrying armed soldiers wearing Normal Suits as well as random soldiers hovering around the Archangel with their guns fixed on the Battleship.
"Captain!" Natarle addresses Murrue.
"What's going on?" Tolle exclaims with a confused tone.
"Commander!" Murrue addresses her superior with an angered tone.
"I advise that you keep quiet, Captain." He retorts as Murrue can only look at him with confusion.
And so ends Chapter 5. Unfortunately, it may be more than a week before you see the next chapter as I may decide to go ahead and update the next chapter of my Super Robot Wars fic. I don't know if I will yet.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.
R-0 Out!