Hello everyone, R-0 here and welcoming you to the next chapter of my Fanfic.
But first: Review and Answer time! As always, those who I communicate with privately will not be answered here for obvious reasons.
Hekate's Tragic Theme: Thank you for taking an interest in my fanfic. Personally, I don't think my descriptive skills are that impressive as I am just describing the scenes that took place in canon which isn't that difficult. Hopefully, I will be able to start branching out and get more original with the battles.
edboy4926: Okay… that's a completely random question, but alright!
Zombyra: Okay… Are you trolling or was that an accident?
I have not fully watched G-Gundam as of yet as it is something I watch on the side when I don't have anything else to do. It is pretty fun despite being very corny at point. I suppose that's its charm. The mech designs are stupidly gimmicky, but, again, it's the charm of the series so I can let it go. Domon is definitely one of the more likeable Gundam characters just for not being a lame archetype and being extremely hot-blooded.
Fireminer: Oh, that's easy. It would have to be a tie between the Zudah and Kampfer easy. Both are limited production mechs that, in the right hands, give Gundam-types a serious run for their money. On another note, I like the various upgraded versions of the Zaku Series such as the Zaku Kai, Zaku F2, Zaku Cannon, Act Zaku etc… I also took a particular liking to the Zeon MS that make an appearance in The 08th Mobile Suit Team like the Gouf Custom as well as that team of beaten up Zakus that come across the Guerrilla Village.
Where did I ever say I dislike Super Robots? I LOVE Super Robots! Some of my favourites are SRX (and Banpreious), Black Getter, Mazinkaiser (and SKL), Dai-Guard, Dygenguard, Cybuster, Valsion, Valsione, Shin (and New) Getter Robo and the list goes on! I prefer Real Types, yes, but I, in no way, dislike Super Robots. The only ones I dislike are ones that are really gimmicky. What I dislike are ones that stupidly blur the line for no legitimately good reason like the Strike Freedom. Some can get away with it like the Arbalest and some can't like the Strike Freedom.
Don't worry, I fully intend to go back to my Super Robot Wars Fanfic. I just want to reach a respectable point here and then go back it. Then it will probably turn into an on/off sort of thing with the order of which I update them.
thedarkpokemaster: As I have stated before, I will TRY to do something with Flay's character, I can't just magically make her a nice character for the hell of it. Her becoming a manipulative slut is what is unique to her character. It wouldn't feel right to take that away when that is something that defines her as unique. Besides, if she doesn't, how else is that Nuclear Fallout supposed to start? It's important that she turns out that way for the sake of the plot.
I don't think Lacus is that sort of person. Converted Athrun to her way of thinking, yes. Took advantage of him? No. That's Flay's job.
Again, I have to disagree with you about the whole sympathy thing. Throughout SEED, Flay kept doing things which made people lose sympathy and sort of liking towards her while Lacus and Miriallia didn't. Flay started spouting racist ideals to blame Kira in front of countless ORB residents who live with these "freaks of nature" every day. Of course they're going to lose sympathy for her. Lacus never did such a thing and is the antithesis of this (God, I am disgusting myself with defending that Mary Sue) and so characters didn't feel the need to distance themselves from her or say "she doesn't deserve my sympathy." To the characters, she never did anything to turn them against her (which is one of her biggest issues as a character) hence why they were there for her during her time of loss. Again, I am still talking about the characters and not us, the viewers. Miriallia is an understandable case as she was still grieving over the loss of her lover. It's nothing to do with Dearka being a Coordinator that caused her to try and knife him (which is why Flay tried to shoot him). He could have been a Natural and it would have not made a difference. It's because he was part of the Army who killed Tolle and was talking shit to her (while her heart was in a million pieces) which led Miriallia to do what she did. And she snapped out of her grief and protected him from Flay and her Racist close-mindedness which negated the loss of sympathy for Miriallia. There are ways that tragedy can be handled to garner more or less sympathy for the character by the other characters in the series itself. Flay's close-minded racist ideals are an example of less and Miriallia's grievance towards Tolle's death but accepting that it was a casualty of war are an example of more.
Seriously, you may like Flay, but I don't… AT ALL! If you keep talking to me about her, I will keep raging about her as I have a lot to say about her… None of which is pleasant…
Don 77: Incorrect. Cagalli's character was butchered to make Lacus look better in comparison, yes, but Flay's was not. The direction her character took was intended to go the direction it did from the very beginning and trying to draw some sort of parallel between Lacus and Flay isn't worth it as I consider them to be two different entities. Flay becoming what she did was a key plot-point and added some charm to the series that defines it from the other Gundam series. I am not close-minded regarding Flay, but I can easily see that what happened with her character was something that was fully intended to happen from Episode 1 and trying to say that she, like Cagalli, is a victim of Morosawa wanting to make her Mary Sue look better in comparison is, sad to say, completely incorrect. If anything, Flay was one of the few characters whose arc went EXACTLY the way it was supposed to without influenced bias from Morosawa.
Kevinrock8899: Again, keep your expectations low. I can't promise anything. What happened to Flay was what made her character unique and interesting. I feel like I'd be doing a disservice if I took it away from her.
Again, I have to disagree. Flay knew full well what she was doing throughout and planned out everything she did. Her being oblivious was the point of her father's death. It was an eye opener for her. Unfortunately, it opened her eyes and affected her in the worst way it can affect a human being. Flay, from the beginning, had a very cruel and manipulative mindset that she made full use of throughout the series with her Father's death simply aggravating it. As I have already stated, I dislike Flay. While it is true I hate Lacus more, that's like saying "I hate this piece of Dog Turd more than this piece."
Not going to go into depth about real world issues as you can't really use that as a parallel to fiction.
Narusaku fan 100: Please refer to the above reply for a similar answer. Basically, Flay wasn't screwed over plot-wise. Everything that happened with her was logical and clearly supposed to happen the way it did and not a result of favouritism towards Lacus.
Again, I appreciate the suggestion, but, after properly studying the Fanfic, I can safely say it is not my cup of tea. I, very much, disapprove of OC Insertion and especially when they are the solution to a great deal of the story. OCs should have a minimal role in a canon retelling like my OC Mickal who was simply a named soldier. Obviously, they can have a greater level of significance to the plot such as Lord Of The Land Of Fire's OC Sekitan Ria, however they should never be game-changing and heavily influence canon. I apologise if my views have upset you, but these are my opinions on OC-Centric fanfics. Yes, Kira may be the protagonist, but this OC will be a protagonist himself, correct? Then I cannot like that sort of Fanfiction. Sorry.
worldwanderer2.0: Well, it's good to see that you weren't insulted by my little rant.
The fact that I referred to the "Agni" as an Impulse Cannon was intentional. It's just an abbreviation as I don't think people are going to want to read Hyper Impulse Beam Cannon over and over again so I just shortened it to Impulse Cannon which sounds much more badass than just Beam Cannon. Maybe I will refer to it as the "Agni" sometimes in the future or just call it Cannon. If such occurrences happen, just make the assumption that they are intentional abbreviations.
As I said, I know next to nothing about Hyperions so implementing them would be completely half-assed and make no sense to the canon of SEED. As you said, I'm being VERY anal about sticking to the original canon as much as humanly possible. I don't like the idea of the Archangel crew conveniently acquiring another high powered Mobile Suit to aid them. I like the idea of them scrounging what little they got to survive.
Don't worry, Cagalli will be very helpful here and Flay will get told straight. She isn't gonna be able to just run her mouth off for every little racist comment she makes. When you say that sort of shit in front of the Princess of a Sovereignty whose sole goal is to have these two races co-exist peacefully, you're basically begging for a bitch slap of the highest order.
Ok… Well, I see your heavily armed Nu Gundam variant and I raise you the Hi-Nu. Hi-Nu owns all…that is all… I win!
I will quickly stress the fact that talking to me about Flay like she's a victim is not a good idea as I very much despise her for a reason completely differing from Lacus'. I respect those who like her and will not judge them much like how I hope people will not judge me for being a fan of crack pairings (I seemed to have found some guilty pleasures in KouXCima, AsemuXArisa, KamilleXEmma and there are quite a few crackish pairings that I very much adore).
Anyway, let's begin chapter 6!
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or its respective materials.
Chapter 6: Artemis
As the numerous Eurasian soldiers wearing Normal Suits and armed with Assault Rifles encircl the docked Battleship, a significant number of other soldiers enter the Archangel through its airlocks. As this occurs, the numerous refugees (including Flay), volunteer soldiers (such as Sai) and the normal Alliance Soldiers all observe the monitor located on the Mess Hall wall, many of them all gasp with a mixture of confusion and fear clearly affecting their mentality as they can't understand why they are being boarded by their "allies."
"What is this?" Flay asks, with confusion in her tone, her love interest, Sai, who is equally confused at this development, "What's going on, Sai?"
At that moment, Kira enters the Mess Hall to join his cohorts only to notice the view-screen filled with Eurasian Soldiers with their rifles trained on the Battleship and gasps in confusion, his face showing clear and visual confusion. Unfortunately, he does not get to voice these thoughts as the Mess Hall doors open again and a voice interrupts him.
"Okay, freeze!" The voice calls out, causing all of the people occupying the room to turn towards the source of the sound to see five Eurasian Soldiers lining up in front of the door, their rifles trained on the gathered civilians and soldiers, "Don't move!" He commands, causing the gathered people to gasp in terror at their current predicament.
A similar incident is occurring on the Bridge of the Battleship as a squad of Normal Suit-clad soldiers enter the Bridge, guns at the ready. Miriallia lets out a squeal of terror as the soldiers enter the bridge with their guns drawn, causing her to raise her hands into the air. Her terror is increased as a blonde and short-haired Soldier drifts in front of her and aims his gun directly at her face.
"Don't move!" He commands, causing the distressed girl to lower her arms and instead curl them into a ball and hold them against her chest, signifying her growing fear.
"What are you doing?!" Murrue tries to protest against these soldiers only to have two other armed soldiers land in front of her and train their guns on her and Natarle.
These incidents were also occurring in other sections of the ship. A noticeable example is the Hanger Bay as a large group of soldiers have corralled the Maintenance Staff (including Cagalli, despite a heated resistance from her that forced the soldiers to let off a warning shot to deter her resistance) into a single spot and encircled them with guns.
"All of you are to gather in one place!" One of the soldiers calls out to the numerous mechanics littered in the Hangar as Mu, with his hands behind his head, is practically shoved into the coral by the soldier with gun trained on his back.
While this occurred, Natarle turned to addres the portly representative that led them into this trap.
"Commander Biddulph, I request that you give us an explanation of this!" Natarle address the now-named Biddulph with confusion very much clear in her tone, "We've…!"
"I'm just blockading the ship's controls and fire control systems as a security measure." Biddulph smoothly responds.
"Blockading?!" Natarle asks with an incredulous tone, "but you're…!" Natarle goes to protest, but a soldier moves a bit closer to her as if to stress the fact that he has a gun trained on her, causing the woman to pre-emptively cease her actions.
"Your ship is not registered so we don't have any identification code for it." He continues to explain the source of their predicament, "Given the circumstances, we did give you permission to enter port, but we have not recognised you as an ally yet."
"However-"
"This is a military facility." Biddulph stresses to Natarle, "I'd like you to at least understand that much."
The statement causes Natarle to stand down from her aggression as Murrue watched with an aggravated and annoyed expression at this recent development.
"Now, I'd like for the officers to come with me." Biddulph says in a manner that makes it blatantly obvious that that was not a request, "You shall explain the situation to us."
Some time later…
The three highest ranking officers (Murrue, Natarle, Mu) were all "escorted" to the Shuttle that had originally transported the representative (Biddulph) onto the Archangel. They all embarked the craft that would take them to meet the residing commander of Artemis: Gerard Garcia. Said Shuttle was already nearing said Commander.
As this was occurring, the captured Hangar and Bridge Crew were also being "escorted" to the Mess Hall to join the rest of the crew, despite protests from Murdoch and Cagalli.
"What is it with you guys?!" Murdoch exclaimed as he is roughly pushed into the Mess Hall, "You've gotta be kidding me!"
"Is this how you treat all your allies?!" Cagalli asks with a heated tone as she is also pushed into the Mess Hall. They gave up resisting and all willingly walked into the Mess Hall together despite some annoyed comments from the captured crew. Kira saw that Cagalli was being handled quite poorly and got up to greet her.
"Cagalli!" Kira addresses her with concern, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Cagalli responds with a reassuring tone, "These Artemis guys just need to work on their people skills, is all."
"That's good…" Kira mutters.
"We're fine too, kid." Murdoch interjects with a semi-amused smirk and playful tone as Kira became somewhat embarrassed, scratching the back of his head to signify this while Cagalli just scratches her chin with a finger to identify her own embarrassment. Their cheeks are also slightly coloured out of the public embarrassment they had just suffered.
As this rather awkward moment occurred, Gerard Garcia was observing the new Battleship that had just wandered into his Port with vested interest. He was looking at the Archangel through the numerous view screen located behind his desk in his office as his XO stood on the other side and observes the battleship also.
"A top-secret military project of the Atlantic Federation." Gerard begins to say, "Who would've thought that something like this would jump right into our laps?"
"So the rumours that Heliopolis is involved are true." His XO added. Gerard smirked a little as he shuts his eyes.
"We'll invite the crew to spend some time here." Gerard declares out loud for XO to hear. They are broken out of their little reverie when a knock from the door alerts them, causing Gerard to open his eyes and his XO to turn towards the door.
"Excuse me," Biddulph apologises from outside the door, "I have brought three officers from the unidentified ship with me."
"Come in." Gerard calls out to him. The door opens and Biddulph stands to the side of it as Mu, Natarle and Mu all enter the Office and walk to the centre before turning to address Gerard Garcia who gets out of his chair to address them.
"Welcome to Artemis."
Archangel…
There was much unrest within the Ship's Mess Hall as both the Civillians and Military Personnel could only sit there with both worry and confusion running through their veins.
"What? What's happening?"
"Aren't we gonna be let off here?"
"Why is there no explanation?"
These were the numerous of the refugees who were confused at their current situation and why they weren't allowed to depart the ship and why there were numerous soldiers with their guns trained on them.
"Eurasia is supposed to be an ally, right?" Sai asks his comrades with confusion, "Don't they get along with the Atlantic Federation?"
"That's not the problem." Jackie clarifies for him, causing Sai to give him a confused expression and sound.
"The problem is that we have no identification code." Romero explains with a sigh.
"Is it really that much of a problem?" Tolle asks with an incredulous tone.
"Apparently!" Dalida responds.
"Although I believe that the real problem lies elsewhere." Murdoch interjects.
"You're right." Arnold agrees.
"Yeah, it's not like we just wandered into a backwater station with the Alliance's Latest prototype battleship and a new Mobile Suit or anything like that." Cagalli remarks with a sarcastic tone, causing the people around her to widen their eyes in realisation.
"Now that you mention it…" Tolle agrees with her assessment, to which Kira merely sighs, knowing that this can only end horribly.
Artemis Interior…
"Lieutenant Murrue Ramius," Garcia begins to list out the names of the three officers in front of him as he looks through the database, "Lieutenant Mu La Flaga and Ensign Natarle Badgiruel."
"I see." He finishes, "It appears that your identifications are genuine Atlantic Federation IDs."
"We apologise for the trouble." Mu addresses his superior officer.
"Not at all." Garcia assures him, "In fact, I've come across your impressive record… Hawk of Endymion. I also fought at Grimaldi Front."
"Oh?" Mu asks knowingly with a smile, "Then you must have been in Commodore Villiard's unit."
"That's right." Garcia confirms, "Although we were forced to retreat in that situation, your heroics in downing five GINNs gave us some much needed encouragement."
"Thank you, sir." Mu responded.
"But who would've imagined that you would have appeared on THIS ship?" Garcia asks with an intrigued tone, his smile showing equal intrigue.
"Unfortunately, being on a special mission," Mu explains, "I am not at liberty to disclose details.
"I understand," Garcia reassures him, "But you musn't expect a resupply right away."
"It is crucial that we head to Lunar Headquarters as soon as possible." Murrue explains to the Commodore, "Moreover, we're being chased by ZAFT."
"ZAFT?" Garcia asks with an uncaring tone before activating the Camera controls which caused the images, which were images of plant-life, to the exterior of Artemis to reveal a Laurasia-Class outside of Artemis' perimeter, but still kept near to the Space Station. The image caused Murrue to gasp at the sight.
"The Laurasia-Class?" Natarle wonders out loud.
"As you can see, they've been wandering outside of the umbrella." Garcia explains, swivelling his chair around to address the image, "they've been here for a little while now."
"Well, one or two vessels won't be a worry us." Garcia assures them before turning his chair back around to address them properly, "However, this means that you won't be able to leave here even if you were resupplied, would you?"
"They're after us." Mu warns him, "We can't afford to risk damage to Artemis by staying here." Mu's response is simply a brief and loud laugh from the Base Leader.
"Damage to Artemis?" Garcia asks with a disbelieving tone, "They won't be able to do a thing and they'll eventually leave. It always happens."
"However, Commandant they're-" Mu attempts to protest and convince Garcia to let them go, however a dismissive hand reaches out towards him to silence the Mobile Armour pilot.
"In any case, I suggest you get some rest." Garcia recommends to his subordinates, "You look very tired so I will have rooms prepared for you." Garcia explains before activating the communicator on his desk.
"But, Commandant-" Once again, Mu is interrupted as the Office Door opens and a Eurasian soldier enters, causing Mu to turn around and look at him.
"Excuse me, sir!" The soldier addresses Garcia, saluting as he does so.
"We'll be able to get in touch with Lunar Headquarters once they leave." Garcia assures them before standing up to better address them, "we'll plan everything after that."
"Is Artemis really that safe?" Mu asks, turning back around.
"Yes." Garcia confirms with an assuring tone, "It's as safe as being in your Mother's arms."
Archangel…
Seeing as there really did not seem to be anything that they could do about their current predicament, the crew of the Archangel have all grabbed trays of food in order to quell their hunger.
"Is the situation going to continue on for long?" Dalida asks his comrade as he just acquired a tray of food from the Chef.
"Beats me!" Jackie responds, "We won't know a thing until the captain returns."
"We can't exactly cause a scene with our allies, either." Romero surmises.
"Some allies…" Cagalli mutters to herself.
"There seems to be a lot going on even within the Earth Forces." Sai comments.
Meanwhile, Kira plays with his food while a pensive expression is clear on his features. He thinks about his encounters with Athrun and the issue he faces now with his closest friend being on the opposite side. He sighs quietly to himself at his current predicament.
Artemis Interior…
Two Eurasian Guards are currently standing outside one of the various on-suite quarters available on the shielded Space Station. The residents of this room are Natarle Badgiruel, Murrue Ramius and Mu La Flaga, the latter two sitting down on the two couches across from each other while Natarle paces back and forth in annoyance at their predicament.
"Sure, the ship maybe unregistered," Natarle accepts with a degree of annoyance, "But the treatment we are getting is inappropriate!" She complains with an aggravated tone.
"It can't be helped." Mu responds, "Right now, they don't want us to return to the ship." He theorises, causing Natarle to let out a confused gasp, "What I'm concerned about is that those guys believe that they're completely safe on Artemis."
Gamow…
On the bridge of the Laurasia-Class the remaining three ZAFT Red Pilots (Yzak, Dearka, Nicol) are stood around the Information Terminal on the Gamow's bridge along with its Black Coat Captain: Zelman. The current data that was appearing on-screen was information regarding the Space Station that the enemy Battleship have just entered: Artemis. The current information showed how all form of matter that collided with the Shield simply disintegrates into nothing.
"The Umbrella doesn't allow any lasers of projectiles past it." Zelman informs the three pilots, gesturing to the screen as he does so, "Although the opposite is also true."
"In other words, they won't be attacking us." Dearka concludes, "It's kinda ridiculous when you think about it."
"But it's First-Class as a defensive weapon." Zelman clarifies for him, "Not being an important strategic position, our forces have pretty much ignored up to this point." Zelman explains, "We currently have no way to get past that Umbrella." He continues, "They've gone into a most troublesome spot."
"Then what'll we do?" Dearka asks with a joking tone, "Wait for them to come out?" He chuckles at his sarcastic joke causing an annoyed grunt from Zelman and Yzak.
"Stop kidding, Dearka!" Yzak scolds his fellow ZAFT Red, "When the Commander returns, do you want to report we did nothing?" The cocky look on Dearka's face is quickly wiped away as he looks at Yzak with a surprised expression before turning away with a look of annoyance, "It'd be a disgrace!"
It's at this point that Nicol decides to chirp up.
"The Umbrella's not open all the time, is it?" He asks Zelman.
"No." He confirms, "It's not normally activated unless there is an enemy presence in the area." He explains, "However, even if we did approach it with the Umbrella closed, they'd notice us once we got within its range and activate the umbrella." To assist, Dearka makes a shrugging motion.
"My machine…" Nicol starts to say, "The Blitz may be able to do it." This statement intrigues the other three at the console as they all turn towards him with a curious expression, "It has an interesting function besides its Phase Shift."
Some time later…
Once the meeting concluded, the Gamow ignited its manoeuvring thrusters and the Ship swung in a 180 Degree pattern. The Laurasia-Class ignited its engines and started to fly away from Artemis.
This action was noticed as Garcia, while in the Port Control Room, received an Intercom call and went to answer.
"What is it?"
"ZAFT's Laurasia-Class is leaving the area." The Officer called over the intercom, "Yellow 18, Mark 20, Charlie. Distance, 700. The distance is increasing."
"Very well," The Commandant responds, "I'll leave it to Rize. Continue to maintain surveillance over the area." As he gives the order, the Control Room doors slide open and his XO enters the room just as the communications officer signs off.
"Well?" He queries his XO.
"Sir." The Officer addresses Garcia, "Well, the examination of the ship is running along smoothly, but the Mobile Suit…"
"Which one?" Garcia asks with a sarcastic tone.
"The new one, sir." He replies.
"What's the matter?" Garcia inquires.
"There's a lock on the OS that's impossible to analyse." The XO explains, "We haven't been able to activate it yet."
"What?!" Garcia asks with a clear tone of annoyance.
"We have all of our technicians working on the lock as we speak." The XO tries to reassure Garcia which ultimately fails as he lets out an irritated "Tch."
Gamow…
As the ship slowly made it's way away from the Space Fortress, the Eurasian Forces thought that the threat to them was slowly leaving them peacefully. Unfortunately, this was not the case at all.
"Distance from Artemis: 3500." The Communications Officer informed Zelman, "Still no change in the Lightwave Defensive Belt."
Meanwhile, in the Gamow's hangar, a certain green-haired ZAFT Red was hard at work in his Mobile Suit in order to prepare for his latest sortie.
"Mirage Colloid voltage checked, systems all green." Nicol mutters to himself as he runs through the checks to utilise his Mobile Suit's special function. He takes a small breath, "We're putting this to use without any preliminary tests. I hope it works."
Meanwhile, in the Gamow's Locker Room, Dearka and Yzak were watching Nicol working on his Blitz with a degree of interest.
"The Earth Forces sure make some weird stuff." Yzak remarks to which Dearka turns away from the window to address him.
"Nicol would be perfect." Dearka remarks before turning back towards the Hangar with a smile, along with Yzak, "It's a job fit for a coward."
As soon as that comment was made, the clamps holding the Blitz to its berth came loose and Mobile Suit walked out in preparation to sortie.
Artemis…
A short Shuttle ride later and Garcia, along with his Officers, were onboard the Archangel and have just made their way to the Mess Hall. The guards inside the room all stood at attention eagerly as the Commandant entered the room.
"Who is the pilot and mechanic of the brand-new Mobile Suit on-board?" He calls out to the crowd of prisoners. This causes a collective gasp as a nervous look makes its way across Kira's face while Cagalli seems to be deep in thought.
"The pilot and mechanic!" His XO repeated, "He's one of you, right?" Kira goes to stand at this question, but a pair of hands on his shoulder, compliments of Murdoch, prevent the Coordinator from rising from his seat and instead sit back down. Meanwhile, Arnold marches towards the Commandant.
"Why are you asking us?" He enquires.
"What?!" The XO responds aggressively as he takes Arnold by the collar.
"Is it because our Captain and the Officers didn't tell you." Arnold asks knowingly, "Or because you couldn't ask them?" A look of realisation passes across Kira's face as he recalls when Mu told him to lock the Strike's OS. Suddenly, the reason why makes much more sense.
"I see." Garcia mutters before gesturing to his XO to release his grip on Arnold, which he does, "That's right. Among the Atlantic Federation, you people are elite personnel selected for a top-secret Military project."
"What are you planning to do with the Mobile Suits?" Arnold asks with concern.
"We'll probably turn the GINN into scrap metal; it can't be used by us, after all." Garcia informs him, "But we won't do anything to the Strike. We just want the opportunity to observe it before its grand announcement. So I will ask again, who is the pilot."
"It's Lieutenant La Flaga." Murdoch interjects, "If you have any questions about it, please ask the Lieutenant."
"We monitored the battle fought earlier." Garcia counters, "Even I know that he is the only person capable of handling the Zero and its GunBarrels." He then walks over to Miriallia and roughly pulls her to her feet by the arm, causing her to squeal and alerting Tolle who gets up out of his seat.
"Miriallia!" He exclaims. Once again, Kira tries to get out of his seat only to be prevented by Murdoch.
"It's unlikely that a woman would be able to pilot that thing." Garcia remarks as Miriallia struggles in his grasp, "But when you consider that even the captain of the ship is a woman…" He pulls on Miriallia roughly which causes her to let out a cry of pain.
"Stop it! That's unfair!" Kira shouts as he gets out of his chair to address the Commandant.
"Kid!" Murdoch protests and tries to make Kira sit back down before it's too late only to have Kira shrug him off.
"I'm the pilot of that thing!"
Artemis exterior…
The Operators of the Shield System have ultimately concluded that there is no more threat to their well-being, meaning that alert status was dropped from Level One to Level Two. This means that the Reflectors generating the many panels that form the Bubble Shield have all deactivated, collapsing the protective barrier around of Artemis, its inhabitants believing that there is no threat to them…
At that moment, the Gamow's launch catapult opens and the Blitz is waiting to launch with its Power Cable attached and Phase Shift already active. The Launch Sign goes green and the Mobile Suit zooms out of the Hangar, detaching its cable as it goes.
The Black Mobile Suit moves at a fairly slow pace, doing nothing more than using momentum to carry it towards the Space Fortress. Nicol then activates his Mobile Suit's special feature and particles start to radiate from the Mobile Suit, coating the surface in it and ultimately making the Mobile Suit, in layman's terms, go invisible (It's simply a cloak).
"Mirage Colloid formation: satisfactory. Current disposition rate: 37%" Nicol mutters to himself as he reads over the readings that this new feature is giving off before looking back towards the view-screen, "Use time: 80 Minutes." He says with finality as his Mobile Suit continues its course towards the defenceless Fortress.
Artemis…
Kira's recent declaration has caused Garcia to, luckily, relinquish his hold on the girl and instead advances on the young Coordinator (which the Commandant is unaware of).
"Look kid, I appreciate you trying to protect the girl," Garcia compliments the boy, "But that's not something like you can handle now, is it?" He faces goes from cocky to downright offended as he raises his fist to strike the boy. Unfortunately, a fist collides with the right side of his face and he goes careening into the windowed wall. All eyes turn to see that Cagalli is stood on the table with her fist positioned where Garcia's face used to be.
"What the hell are you trying to do?!" Cagalli exclaims, "Attack a kid because you felt like it?!"
"Commander!" Garcia's XO cries, running through the crowd with an entourage of Eurasian Soldiers.
"What's the matter with you people?!" Kira exclaims with an equally heated tone.
"Kira, stop it!" Murdoch scolds him, putting a pair of hands on his shoulers to try and keep him back "Don't fight back!"
"You as well, Cagalli!" Jackie remarks as he and Dalida try and pull her off the table with her resisting heavily.
"Bastard!" Garcia's XO yells as he moves on Kira, attempting to punch him, only to be stopped by Sai.
"Stop it!" The bespectacled boy tried to deter the Eurasia Officer only to receive a backhand that caused him to go careening into the arms of his Love Interest as well as his glasses falling off, causing Flay to squeal in terror at her Love Interest's poor treatment.
"Sai!" She cries out in terror, "Would you stop it?! What Kira is saying is true!" She confirms as the XO holds Kira by the collar, fist at the ready (Cagalli still trying to break out of Dalida and Jackie's grip), "That boy is the pilot!"
"Flay!" Tolle scolds her.
"Would you guys cut it out?!" The XO responds heatedly, still finding the idea impossible to believe.
"I'm not lying!" Flay fights back, "That boy is a Coordinator!"
That statement causing the Eurasian Officer to cease his hostility and look back at the boy with Murdoch face-palming at the issues that this will cause. Meanwhile, Cagalli looks at the girl with annoyance and anger, seeing the distaste in her eyes when she made that statement, the blonde girl knowing all too well what they expressions means.
"I'll have to watch her in the future!" She thinks to herself.
"A Coordinator?" Garcia asks with curiosity. Kira turns towards the Commandant and simply nods his head. "In that case, you will need to come with us." As he says this, the armed Eurasian guards train their guns on him. Kira is silent and unmoving for a moment before he starts to willingly walk towards the door.
Garcia and his entourage join the boy at the exit and prepare to leave. That is until…
"Wait a second!"
All eyes to the direction of the voice to see an annoyed Cagalli stood there.
"What is it, little girl?" Garcia asks with boredom.
"You need Kira to unlock the Strike, right?" Cagalli asks to which Garcia nods.
"Among other things…" Garcia says vaguely.
"Well, you're going to be waiting a while!" She remarks, confusing the Commandant as well as everyone else in the Quarters.
"What do you mean?" Garcia asks, suddenly much more interested in what the girl has to say.
"Did you really think that Kira would be stupid enough to make it so that only HE can unlock it completely?" Cagalli asks, seemingly stressing completely.
"Are you saying it requires more than one person?" Cagalli nods, "Who?"
"Who do you think?!" She responds heatedly, the implications clear who she means. This statement confuses the Archangel crew as they know that her programming skills are terrible. What she was saying was an outright lie. Flay also knows this (based on conversations she has overheard) and goes to speak out when Sai puts his hand over her mouth, shaking his head at her.
"Do you mean to tell me that YOU also helped lock the Strike's OS?" Garcia clarifies.
"That's right." Cagalli confirms, "We figured that if we both programmed two locks without letting each other see it, it would make it harder for just one of us to crack it this sort of crap ever happened."
"Are you a Coordinator?"
"Do you have to be to know your way around a computer?"
"I suppose not." Garcia remarks before turning back towards Kira, "Is this true?"
Kira stands there with an expressionless face for a few seconds as if trying to figure something out. He tries to understand why she's doing this, what's the point? Eventually, he gives up trying to figure out her intentions and curtly nods.
"Yes, it is." He confirms.
"In that case," Garcia points towards her, "You're coming with us!" He demands, to which she smirks and walks towards them.
"Gladly."
She joins the group and is pushed out of the room. Garcia and his XO have a firm grip on Kira while the two accompanying soldiers have their guns trained on Cagalli's back. As they leave, Tolle confronts Flay.
"Why'd you have to tell them that?" Tolle interrogates her with an annoyed tone.
"Because it's the truth!" She responds heatedly as she holds a wet cloth up to Sai's cheek where he was back-handed.
"Didn't you think about what would happen to Kira?!" Tolle asks with an aggressive tone.
"Stop talking down to me like that!" Flay responds heatedly, "Kira's on our side and this is an Allied Base, right? Then there's no problem!"
"Who do you think the Earth Forces are fighting against?!"
Hangar…
Eventually, the entourage reach the Hangar. Kira and Cagalli walk to the left side of the Strike while Garcia and his party stay on the left side.
"So you want us to release the lock on the OS, am I right?" The Coordinator queries.
Meanwhile, several Civilian workers look at the two with disbelief.
"What, are you sure?"
"Those children?"
"For starters." Garcia confirms, "But you, boy, are capable of doing many more things, am I right?"
"What do you mean?" Kira asks with worry, turning to directly face the group.
"For example," Garcia begins as he turns to look towards the Strike, "You can analyse the structure of this and build another or make a weapon that's effective against this type of Mobile Suits." Cagalli grits her teeth at this.
"So you basically want him to be a war factory?!" She asks with anger. Garcia laughs a little.
"Such a crude term," He remarks, "I prefer to say a provider of useful assets. We are fighting a losing war, you know."
"I'm just a Civilian Student!" Kira protests, "I'm not a soldier, nor a Military Contractor. There's no reason why I should have to do such things."
"But you're a traitor to Coordinators." Garcia smoothly counters, stunning Kira and angering Cagalli further.
"Traitor…?" He mutters as flashes of his memories of Athrun spring themselves to the front of his mind.
"I have no idea why you did do it, but the fact is that you did betray your own people, didn't you?" Garcia surmises, "In that case…"
"That's bullshit!" Cagalli heatedly responds, snapping Kira out of his distressed gaze, "Coordinators are people the same as us! Are you saying that if Coordinators and Naturals were all the same, then a person would be a traitor to all people because he fights?!"
"But Coordinators and Naturals ARE different." Garcia counters.
"THEY'RE NOT!" Cagalli responds with clear anger, "What gives you the right to judge Coordinators based on how they were born and call them different because of it?! Kira was never part of ZAFT nor your Alliance, so how the hell is he betraying a side he was never on?! Not ALL Coordinators are ZAFT, you know!" Her heated defense of him causes Kira to feel glad that she came with him.
"It doesn't change the fact that there are almost no, if any, Coordinators that are part of the Earth Forces making the boy VERY valuable." Garcia reasons, "There's nothing to worry about being treated unfairly, even in Eurasia."
Some time later…
Soon enough, Cagalli and Kira were "escorted" to the Strike's gantry and Kira quickly sat in the pilot's seat to get to work while Cagalli made herself comfortable next to him on the right holding the roll-cage for support, waiting for when she would have to do it herself.
"Oh Cagalli." Kira addresses his friend, "I think there might be a bug that's getting in the way, think you can fix it?"
Cagalli looks at him confusedly before he gestures to a message on-screen. It reads:
WHY DID YOU LIE AND COME WITH ME?
A light bulb switches on her head as he grabs the Keyboard and slowly types up a reply message to stall for even more time, pretending to look through the software as she does it so as to not arouse suspicion.
"Idiot, you could have done it yourself!" She remarks as she quickly hands the keyboard back and Kira looks over her response.
THOUGHT THAT YOU COULD USE A FRIEND WHEN BEING SURROUNDED BY ALL THESE GUYS WHO SEE YOU AS A WEAPON…
AND…
I KNEW THOSE ALLIANCE ASSHOLES WERE GOING TO SAY SOME SHIT LIKE THAT TO YOU… ABOUT YOU BEING SOME SORT OF BLACK SHEEP… IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HARD FOR YOU ALONE… I CARE, ALRIGHT?
Kira looks back to her from the console to see Cagalli looking away from him with an embarrassed look and slightly flushed cheeks while Kira smiles a little before mouthing a "thank you" towards her and setting back to work, going as slow as he can in the hope that something will help better their luck than the guard with his Rifle trained on them.
Luckily, something does occur that makes the situation seems a lot less bleaker. Unfortunately, this is a cloaked Blitz that has made its way past the shield and has begun to open fire on the surface of the Station, its green beams impacting against the side. The tremors can be felt throughout the station as well as The Archangel as Garcia and his XO are snapped out of their casual conversation. The vibrations can be felt by Kira's friends, the Archangel Officers and Kira and Cagalli themselves.
"Control Room!" Garcia, using a radio, addresses, "What were those tremors?"
"Unknown, sir!" A reply comes, "there is nothing within the perimeter!"
"An attack?" Kira wonders out loud as another harsh tremor occurs.
"What is it?" Tolle asks from the Mess Hall, "Are we under attack?"
"It could be a Long-Range Attack!" The Control Room Officers theorises, "Open the Umbrella, Rize! What are you doing?!"
Upon this order, the Reflectors rise up from their berths, ready to project a Shield to prevent the oncoming attack. Unfortunately, Nicol sees this and decloaks.
"That's it!" He exclaims. He ignites the Beam Sabre within his Offensive Shield System and charges towards the Reflector, slicing the device in half with ease.
"T-there's a Mobile Suit within the perimeter!" The Communications Officer relays to Garcia, "Our Reflectors are being destroyed!"
"What?!" Garcia exclaims.
Some time later…
"Is that the port?" Nicol wonders as he destroys the final Reflector, deactivating his Beam Sabre and charging directly for the large bulkhead.
Meanwhile, there is a significant amount of unrest on the Archangel as these tremors become increasingly more violent. Arnold eventually gives up waiting and walks to address the guarding Eurasian Soldiers.
"Why's the alarm going off?!" He queries with a heated tone.
"Huh? Oh well…" The Soldier stammers.
"Don't you know?" Jackie asks incredulously.
"Then go ask!" Arnold demands, "This has got to be an attack no matter how you look at it!" He declares as he shoves past the Guards into the corridor. The Guards try to stop the man, but his comrades all rush and tackle the soldiers.
"You've gotta get your priorities right!" Dalida remarks.
Soon enough, the entourage reach the bridge as civilian engineers escape as well as the soldiers that were guarding the Archangel from outside. Arnold dives into the pilot seat while the others (Tolle, Kuzzey and Romero) all take their appropriate positions.
"We're gonna start it up!" Arnold declares.
"The Captain and the others aren't here!" Romero protests.
"At this rate, we're sitting ducks!" Arnold counters.
Artemis Quarters…
The three officers (Murrue, Mu and Natarle) can only stay locked in their room as the tremors continue. They all can easily guess what is causing them now based on past experiences. Mu makes this known with an irritated "Tch."
"They got past!" Mu remarks before holding his hands up to his mouth to form a funnel shape. "There's a crack in the wall from that last explosion! Air's leaking out!" Mu calls out to the entrance, confusing his comrades before he regards them with a quieter voice, "Shout out something! Make them open the door!"
A look of realisation crosses Murrue's face as she lets out a blood-curdling scream.
"Help, we're gonna die!" She cries out in false terror, "No!"
"Hurry and open up!"
"Help me! I'm suffocating!"
"Let me out!"
"Hurry!"
Their false cries are heard as one of the two Eurasian Guards opens the door and peers in as Mu hides to his left. Upon entry, Mu rushes the Soldier and smacks the back of his neck, incapacitating the Soldier.
"Lieutenant?" Natarle asks confusedly as the second soldier walks in.
"Hey, what's wrong?!" He asks before noticing Mu and being punched in the stomach, incapacitating the second soldier, also.
"We're in a hurry!" Mu remarks.
"I certainly don't want to die here in Artemis, Sorry!" Murrue remarks as Natarle sight and follows.
Artemis Port…
Several Moebius Mobile Armours, equipped with Linear Guns and Missiles and protecting the port area are quickly dispatched by the superior Blitz as it charges through their explosions and directly into the Port itself, all the while dodging Energy Blasts easily.
As the Mobile Suit blitzes (ironically) through Artemis' defences, the various Artemis staff are fleeing from the Archangel in the hopes of finding somewhere safe. Meanwhile, Garcia can only stand in front of the Strike with his XO in disbelief at this newest occurance.
"They got through the Umbrella?!" Garcia asks with an incredulous tone, "That's impossible!"
Kira and Cagalli takes this opportunity to both raise their legs at the distracted guard who has his back turned and kick him out of the hatch. The soldier as well as the civilian with him are flung away from the hatch as the two hovering next to it hastily move away as it closes and the Mobile Suit begins to move to which Garcia lets out an annoyed growl as it walks past him towards the Launch Catapult.
"We're under attack, right?" Kira reasons, "this isn't the time for this!"
"Dammit!" Garcia exclaimed as he and his XO quickly ran from the Mobile Suit Hangar as the Strike gets ready for Sword Strike weapon pack. The Battery pack is mounted on the back, the Anti-Ship Sword was mounted on the back of the Strike to the right and the shoulder pad carrying the Beam Boomerang and Rocket Anchor is mounted on the left arm as Kira deployed the Phase Shift.
"Sorry, Cagalli!" Kira addresses his friend, "I haven't got time to let you off!"
"It's fine!" She assures him, "Just get out there and stop whoever is attacking!"
At that moment, an unlucky Moebius was sliced in half by the Blitz as Nicol notices the Archangel.
"Found it!" He remarks as he ignites his boosters and charges towards the ship. The Strike launches from the ship and rises into view after being obscured by an Agamemnon-Class battleship. "I'll get that guy!" He remarks before firing his Rocket Anchor. The Strike counters by firing his own Rocket Anchor which causes the two wired weapons to clash with each other.
"Dammit!" Kira exclaims, "He's come all the way in here!" He remarks before brandishing his Anti-Ship Sword and charging after the Blitz who quickly retracts its Rocket Anchor to fly from the attacking Mobile Suit.
Archangel…
As the Duel and Buster launch from the Gamow to assist their comrade in this latest skirmish, the three officers (Natarle, Murrue and Mu) all manage to make it to the Archangel's bridge despite the ensuing chaos.
"Captain!" Romero cries with relief as they can finally make their escape as the woman takes her seat as well as Natarle.
"Excellent work, kids!" Mu compliments Sai and Miriallia as he rubs there head jokingly.
"What's this fortress anyway?" Sai asks in a complaining tone.
"We can't get around while we're in here!" Murrue realises, "Archangel, take off!"
As expected, the White Battleship's rear engines all roar into life as the Archangel rises from its berth, various pieces of debris collapsing around them. The Strike quickly retreats into the Archangel's range only for the Blitz to continue firing on it and shoot its Rocket Anchor. The Strike goes to slash the Blitz only for it to fly backwards and dodge the attack. As Kira recovers, the memories of all that Garcia said to him races across his mind, his anger increasing. Luckily, the memory of Cagalli defending him plays across his mind which slightly calms him.
"Just go away!" He cries out at the Black Mobile Suit, charging with his Anti-Ship Sword ready. The Blitz launches its three "Lancer Dart" Hypervelocity Kinetic Energy Penetrators at the Strike only for two to miss and the last being cut in half by the Strike. The Strike charges at the Blitz and slashes twice and almost hitting the Black Mobile Suit, causing Nicol to grunt in annoyance at the close call.
Elsewhere…
As this continues, the Duel and Buster have made their way to the already battered Space Station and have already proceeded to tear through the quickly dwindling Moebius and enter the station with ease. Things have become so desperate for them that they had to send the Moebius Mobile Armours that were guarding the Archangel to assist the remaining units. Meanwhile, Garcia watches in despair as his Station is torn apart.
"What are you doing?!" He heatedly asks the Control Room Officer, "Send our ships out! Artemis can't be destroyed by just one enemy!"
At that moment, the Buster rips through a Moebius with its Gun Launcher and Beam Rifle. Unfortunately, the Mobile Armour does not explode and instead goes careening towards the Control Room. Garcia and his entourage can only cry out in terror as the Mobile Armour punctures the Control Room's glass and the ensuing fire engulfs the room.
Dearka ceases his onslaught as Yzak rejoins with him.
"Where's the ship?" He asks.
"I don't know!" Yzak replies, "Nicol, Where are you?!" He wonders out loud as they both boost off in opposite directions in search of their comrade.
Archangel…
The Archangel finally manages to rise high enough into the air for them to escape. The ship utilises its manoeuvring thrusters to turn around and face the entrance.
"Recall the Strike!" Murrue orders, "We're escaping Artemis through the Harbour exit on the other side!"
"Kira, Cagalli! Come back!" Miriallia calls over the Communicator, alerting the Strike's occupants, "The Archangel's taking off!"
The Blitz appears in front of the Strike, but it is to no avail as Kira flies the Strike backwards and towards the Archangel, avoiding anymore conflict. This causes Nicol to gasp at the realisation.
"You're running away?!" He exclaims in frustration as he chases after the Strike only to be pushed back by the ensuing explosions and forced to retreat as the Strike manages to make it through the explosions and land on top of the Archangel.
"The Strike has returned!" Natarle informs her captain.
"Archangel, take off!" Murrue orders, "Maximum battle speed!"
The Battleship charges forward through the port as explosions continuously erupt around them. They fly straight of the entrance as a large explosion engulfs Artemis. The three X Numbers also make it out safely as they can only watch as the Archangel eludes them yet again, something which Nicol growls angrily at.
Archangel, some time later…
The Strike enters the Hangar bay and docks with its berth. As soon as this is complete, the Strike's hatch immediately opens and a rather cold-looking Kira emerges. Cagalli soon follows after out of the Hatch and starts to trail behind Kira, respecting his need for some distance. He drifts towards the exit, but is greeted to the sight of Mu and Murdoch, the former of which is waving at him.
"Kid!" Mu greets Kira. Unfortunately, Kira just ignored him and continued his journey towards the door, confusing Mu who let out a "Huh?" as a result. "What's the matter with him?" He asks Murdoch who simply shrugs. Cagalli also drifted past them and tailed after Kira, ensuring to keep some distance from the distressed Coordinator.
Eventually, he made it to his own Quarters and slid the door open. He slowly walked inside and sat on the edge of one of the beds and fell over to face the wall. His robotic pet Birdy landed on his shoulder and let out sorrowful "Birdy" at the young Coordinator, to which he slightly opened his eyes.
"I'm…" He mutters, clenching his fist as tears start to fall from his eyes.
"Kira…" A familiar voice calls out to him, it wasn't forceful or aggressive like it owner normally is, "You're not a traitor to anyone and you're not a tool to the people on this ship…"
"We care about you…"
"…I care about you…"
And with that said, the shutter doors were closed to leave Kira alone, who felt a strange peace fall over him with those words.
And that's the end of Chapter 6! Sorry for the delay, but I had to babysit my nephew last weekend and had Work Experience this week.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I tried to put some KiraXCagalli moments in this one and I hope you enjoyed them.
R-0 Out!