Hello everyone, R-0 here and welcoming you back to the latest chapter, one which is coming after a VERY long hiatus. I very much apologise as I started my job and it's a tough one. I come back from work exhausted and all I want to do at the weekends is sleep and recover my strength. Luckily, I FINALLY have a free moment and have gotten used to the workload, so here's the latest chapter. Hope you enjoy it! It's been a while since I last wrote anything, so it might show in the writing. Don't be afraid to criticize it should you want to.

Also, if any of you folks are Akame Ga Kill fans, there might be a fanfic coming! Operative term being "might".

Anyway, let's get to chapter after my stupidly long hiatus!

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Gundam SEED or its respective characters. If I did, grunt units would have gotten more love.

Chapter 13: Descending Fates

Earth's Atmosphere…

The tension is running high within the Eighth Fleet as every ship, along with its complement of Crewmates and Pilots, are on high-alert in preparation with the imminent skirmish with the approaching Gamow and Vesalius. The massive cluster of ships are turned towards the approaching foes in preparation, the flagship Menelaous and the signature Archangel and within the very centre of it, also ready for combat as Admiral Halberton is still issuing the necessary commands.

"All vessels, take counterattack position in tight formation!" He relays throughout the fleet. "Archangel, don't move and remain beside this ship!"

"Valkyrie 1! Valkryie 2!" The XO addresses the two Moebius Mobile Armours ready to sortie. "Launch and activate your N-Jammers!" He commands. "Prepare to fire anti-beam depth charges!" He adds in address to the rest of the crew as the Agamemnon-Class' assortment of Mobile Armours all begin to sortie in anticipation of the oncoming assault.

Following suit, the large assortment of Drake-Class and Nelson-Class battleships all launch their own assortments of Moebius in preparation.

"Supply ships, withdraw!" Likewise, at this command, the small number of Supply Ships quickly alter their course to fly away from the fleet and to safe distance. At the same time, the shuttle containing the last batch of refugees bound for Earth reaches the flagship and enters its hangar and hopeful safety.

"Taking in launch!" One of the bridge crew calls out. "Closing hatch!"

While these preparations are being made by the rest of the fleet, the Archangel refuses to not do its part and begins going through its own measures to prepare for the battle.

"Activate Iggelstellungs and load the Korinthos!" Natarle commands as the order is carried, the familiar autoturrets and missiles rising from their berths. "Prepare to fire the Gottfried and Lohengrin!"

"Damn…!" Jackine mutters silently to himself at the misfortune of the situation as their enemies close in and he observes their advance.

While he watches, on the opposite side, similar preparations are being made as the platoon of ZAFT Mobile Suits all fly into formation, the X-Numbers all activating their signature Phase Shift and becoming coated in colour. Behind them, the Nazca and Laurasia-Class ships maintain a sensible distance while also continuing their advance.

"Sorry we're late!" Tolle apologizes to Ramius as he and his entourage arrive at the Archangel's bridge and all move to take their respective positions.

"You guys…?" Murrue asks with a confused tone due to her prior knowledge that they had elected to disembark.

"They've enlisted." Natarle informs Murrue, surprising the Captain who turns to address her XO. "Captain Hoffman accepted them and I approved it." She explains as the volunteers take their seats and exchange pleasant looks with the bridge crew, Tolle even presenting a thumbs-up to Arnold.

Their arrival is well-timed as the enemy platoon of Mobile Suits make contact with the Fleet and engage in combat with its company of Moebius.

"Our target is still the Legged Ship!" Rau reiterates to the Mobile Suits over the communicator as the platoon's GINNs are already knee-deep in combat with the Earth Forces' Moebius, exchanging a mixture of bullets and rockets with them. Already within the first few moments, the battle seems one-sided as the GINNs use their superior weapons and Mobility to dispatch a couple of the inferior Mobile Armours.

Meanwhile…

Within the depths of the Archangel, Kira Yamato, having finally made his resolution, is nearing the Archangel's locker room, preparing himself to suit up and sortie in the battle himself. While he should be focused on the battle, after the recent events with his friends and Cagalli, there is a lot on his mind.

"My friends joined because Flay persuaded them, didn't they?" He mused to himself. "Could Cagalli have been right when she said Flay was up to something? I don't see why she'd convince my friends of all people to stay instead of me, the Strike's pilot…" His eyes widened as a wave of realisation hit him. "…Unless her intention was to make me stay by convincing them to stay… Flay wouldn't do something like that… She couldn't...! Could she…?" He shakes his head. "Dammit, Cagalli! Why'd you have to put these ideas in my head?!"

Before he can continue his musings, he reaches the door to the Locker Room and the automated door opens. Still pensive, it takes him a moment to realise the presence of another individual… An individual with red hair…

"Kira?" The familiar individual calls out before leaping over towards him and, all of a sudden, embraces the youth, muttering a sad sigh.

"Eh?" Is the only response the boy can manage in confusion to actions of the previously-antagonistic girl.

Battlefield…

The conflict is in full swing as both the ships and Moebius still try to defeat their adversary's Mobile Suits. The large challenge of this is easily demonstrated as a single GINN effortlessly flies behind a Moebius, while a Nelson-Class is firing on it, and dispatches the Mobile Armour with its Recoiless Rifle. Another such Moebius is equally unlucky as, once firing its payload of Missiles, a GINN lands on it and drills its Recoiless Rifle into the helpless Mobile Armour, destroying it with a rocket.

Elsewhere, the X-Numbers as well as Miguel's GINN are equally making light work of the Mobile Armours as the Blitz is able to blast a few while zooming fast them at high speed. The heavily-armed Buster is also able to wipe out a group with its Gun Launcher, the massive burst of slugs eviscerating them. Miguel's GINN uses its superior speed to evade the oncoming shots of a Moebius before firing its Machine Gun with accuracy and dispatching it. He then rolls around another advancing one, hailing it with bullets and shredding the armour apart. The Aegis, likewise, blasts a couple with its Beam Rifle before transforming into its Mobile Armor and dispatching a couple with its Beam Cannon, prompting the surrounding Moebius to flee in terror.

The Duel also debuts its new "Assault Shroud" armour and the new complement of weapons it brings by blasting a Moebius with its "Shiva" 115mm Railgun, the yellow bolt ripping it to pieces, and unleashing a volley of missiles from its 220mm Five-Barrel Missile Pod at the nearest Nelson-Class. Said ship, however, is fortunate as its CIWS is able to dispatch the missiles before they strike the ship.

The sight of the X-Numbers easily dispatching the Mobile Armours sends a wave of appreciation, for the Mobile Suits being so effective, and frustration, at said effectiveness being used at their extent, through Admiral Halberton.

"The Aegis, Buster, Blitz and Duel!" He mutters, grinding his teeth in annoyance.

"They are, indeed, impressive Mobile Suits." Captain Hoffman remarks. "But as enemies, they're nothing but trouble." He concludes before addressing the bridge crew again. "Shoot those four down at all costs!"

Such a task is proving quite difficult as even the inferior GINNs are causing significant trouble for the fleet, said Mobile Suits already engaging and damaging the battleships with their Recoiless Rifles. One GINN is able to destroy the Drake-Class' primary cannon with little effort, said ships attempt to return fire, said Drake-Class unleashing volleys of missiles from the launchers located on their engine blocks, but the superior mobility of the GINNs allow them to evade.

In the Archangel's Locker Room…

The red-head continues to embrace the brunette, as the battle rages on, and gravity causes them to float onto the surface of the wall. The soft impact rouses Kira from his shock.

"F-flay, why are you…?" Kira asks with a nervous tone.

"I thought you had left us…" Flay trails, moving away from the youth's shoulder to regard him. "…So I… Everyone's fighting. Except for me."

"W-well, you don't have any experience, like the rest of us." Kira tries to rationalise. "So-"

"But I was the first to say I'd remain!" She counters heatedly, momentarily shocking herself, before moving back his shoulder lest she break character. "So… I was going to…" She trails, confusing Kira before he notices that his Locker Door is ajar, his Normal Suit on full display.

"You weren't…?" Kira asks with a shocked tone. "Flay, don't be foolish! You can't pilot a Mobile Suit! You haven't any training or experience!"

"But I-"

"I've already decided to pilot the Strike myself, Flay, so don't you worry about that." Kira assures her.

"Kira…" She trails as he lets go of her and floats over to the opened locker.

"A friend of mine said that I need to fight for what I believe in and only fight because I choose to." He explains, recalling Cagalli's words to him. "Right now, the one thing I want to do the most is protect my friends and not abandon them." Kira continues.

"That's why I guilt-tripped them into staying…" Are the thoughts of Flay, feeling happy with herself that her plan's coming together, save for one last part…

"That's why I'll protect everyone on this ship, so you don't need to worry. I know that the fighting is inevitable so all I can do is help bring it to an end and get my friends through this safely. We all have to do what we can."

As he finishes his speech, Flay moves from her spot and floats over to him, stopping herself within his personal space and hovering her face relatively close to his.

"Then my thoughts are," Flay responds. "That I'll protect you." She declares before starting to move in.

As the red-head starts to move in, Kira feels a wave of excitement at the increased intimacy of the girl he finds measurably attractive. Her lips draw nearer and nearer and he feels the temptation to lean in increase.

DING!

A flash gives Kira pause as the familiar image of a certain blonde-haired female passes across his senses before her familiar words ring across his ear.

"Don't trust her."

"I'm just concerned for one of the few friends I have!"

He doesn't know why, but he suddenly grabs hold of Flay's shoulders and pulls her back, shocking the Red Head at his odd action.

"K-Kira, what's wrong?" She asks with a confused tone as the brunette's face is lowered.

"Flay, let's not do that." Kira declares before rising his face and smiling a nervous smile at her. "I'd rather not be distracted by something like that when I'm about to go into a fight… Besides, you already have Sai."

"… It's ok." Flay responds rather stiffly before letting go of him and floating towards the door. Since he can't see, he's unaware of her grinding her teeth and making a small grunt of annoyance as the door opens and she steps out.

"Calm yourself, Flay, there's plenty more chances ahead!"

As the red-head departs and the door closes behind there, Kira hovers there momentarily confused by what had just happened, holding the palm of his hand to his forehead in confusion.

"Why did… Cagalli's face come into my head…?"

Back to the battle…

As the previous events occur, the battle rages on and, surprisingly, a Moebius manages to land a direct hit on a GINN with its Vulcans. One of its allies follows up by launching two of its missiles which are successful in striking and destroying the GINN. One of the GINN's own teammates, however, avenges his comrade's death by blasting the Moebius with its Recoiless Rifle.

Elsewhere, the Earth Forces get lucky again as one of the Drake-Classes' CIWS strikes a GINN and peppers it with the bullets. The damage is enough for the cockpit to get shredded and the Mobile Suit to explode.

As the battling continues, a wave of thought hits Rau Le Creuset onboard the Nazca-Class.

"Halberton intends to land that ship on Earth no matter what." He muses, pressing his hands together in thought. "He's keeping it stashed away at the back and not letting them participate in the battle." He concludes.

"That's all the easier for us if it means they won't be sending out the Strike." Ades counters.

"He knows that they can no longer beat us with just battleships and Mobile Armours." Rau explains. "He must be quite the General. Besides, I hear he had them make those things." He smirks slightly. "In that case, the least we can do is prove to him that his views on the battlefield have merit."

As Rau discusses the irony of the X-Numbers and their current situation, one of them (The Aegis) transforms into its Mobile Armour form and charges a Drake-Class. The unit uses its massive claws to grasp the ship's main turret and shred it apart with the Beam Cannon. Unsurprisingly, the weapon's high output causes it to burn straight through the ship's inner workings, causing it to be crippled as the Aegis flies away and transforms back into its Mobile Armour form.

The Blitz also makes its move on a Nelson-Class by advancing on it and using its Mirage Colloid to sneak through and de-cloak immediately in front of the ship's bridge. The bridge crew can only stare in shock and terror as the Black Mobile Suit unleashes its Rocket Anchor and shreds the Bridge apart, crippling and disabling it.

"Take this!" Dearka exclaims as he, in the Buster, dispatches a Drake-Class as well by combining its two weapons into its Sniper Rifle form and firing at the main fuselage of the ship. The large yellow beam strikes the ship with enough force that it drills out the other end, crippling the ship and causing it to explode.

Miguel, not wanting to be out-classed by his ZAFT Red teammates, uses his Mobile Suit's superior speed to evade a Drake-Class' CIWS and land on the fuselage on the ship. Wasting no time, he fires his leg-mounted Missile Launchers into the bridge of the ship, shredding the structure apart as he boosts away with the ship exploding behind him.

The Duel also makes its mark by closing in on a Nelson-Class and Yzak, consumed by inner range, unleashes a hellish flurry of Railgun and Beam Rifle bolts across the side of the ship, causing enough damage to sufficiently destroy it.

"Where is he?!" Yzak exclaims angrily. "Where's the Strike?!"

"The Seleukos is bombed and unable to battle!" A Menelaous Bridge Officer informs the distressed Admiral who watched the X-Numbers casually destroy a battleship individually. "The Cassandros is silent! The Antignos, Lysander and Ptolemaios have been sunk!"

"What?!" Hoffman exclaims, sweating profusely in nervousness. "Four vessels have been taken out and only five minutes into the battle?!"

"The enemy Nazca-Class and Laurasia-Class are approaching!" Another officer informs them. "Measured irradiation directed at the Seleukos and the Cassandros!" He continues, causing both the Admiral and Captain to gasp in realisation.

Meanwhile, as the helpless Drake-Class and Nelson-Class spiral into the atmosphere, the Gamow and Laurasia enter the battlezone, backed up by their complement of GINNs.

"Athrun and Nicol are being too kind." Rau remarks. "If you leave anyone unharmed, he'll come back at you with a new weapon in hand!"

And with that, both the Gamow and Vesalius unleash a volley of their Beam Cannons at the helpless Drake-Class and Nelson-Class. The Large, Green Beams tear into the ships with ease, causing to explode and be erased from existence. On the bridge, the Menelaous can only watch in shock at the almost-cruel actions of their adversaries.

"Sinking escaping ships?!" Halberton exclaims. "Damn you, Le Creuset…!"

Meanwhile…

Aboard the Archangel, the sight is also observed with fairly equal amounts of shock and horror by its crew and captain before the latter is interrupted by her ship-wide phone blaring into life. Wasting no time, she picks the communicator up to respond.

"Hey, why am I still on standby?!"Mu asks with an annoyed tone from the Hangar. "The Eighth Fleet is in trouble against those machines!"

"Lieutenant La Flaga…" Murrue trails in sympathy.

"I know that my Mobile Armour won't make much of a difference." Mu agrees. "But still…!"

"We haven't been given the go-ahead to engage!" She counters. "Please continue standing by!"

"But-" His communication is cut short as Murrue puts the phone back in its berth before deciding on a course of action.

"Connect me to the Menelaous!"

Back on the Menelaous…

"Xerxes and Paris moving out!" One of the Menelaous bridge crew calls out. "The X-Numbers are closing in, however!"

"Use the beam and shoot them down!" Hoffman commands in fear.

"We're connected in real time to the Archangel!" a Crewmember calls out as an increasingly distressed Halberton moves to bring the communique up on screen.

"What is it?!" He addresses the brunette captain who appears on-screen.

"We wish to leave the fleet and enter descent sequence at once!" She requests. "Please Authorize!"

"What?!" He exclaims. "Are you trying to run away from this battle alone?!"

"The enemy's target is this ship!" She reasons. "Unless we move away, the whole fleet shall be destroyed!" She appeals as the XO moves to the Admiral's side to address him. "We may not be able to reach Alaska, but, from this position, we will be able to descend into Earth Forces' territory, so if we can survive attack until we reach the atmosphere's entry limit, we'll be able to shake off the GINNs and ZAFT ships!" There's no response. "Admiral!"

He sits there pondering his options as the battle rages on and yet another one of his precious ships is sank. Reaching a decision, he makes a grunt of approval.

"I see that you're reckless ways haven't changed, Murrue Ramius." Halberton remarks, smirking slightly which she returns.

"A subordinate learns from her superior, after all." She counters.

"Very well!" He concurs. "Archangel, prepare for descent at once and we'll cover you to the entry interface." He commands before smiling. "We won't let a single enemy through!"

"Yes, sir!"

On the battlefield…

As the command is finally given to the Archangel to make its way to safety, another Nelson-Class is not as fortunate as the overwhelming damage by the GINN's causing it to explode. Another Drake-Class is actually luckier with it being able to take down a GINN with its large missile volley. Unfortunately for this Drake-Class, a stray Moebius spiral out of control and impacts against the nose of the ship, causing severe damage inside and killing a significant number of crew members.

Athrun, in the Aegis, the advances on the cripple Drake-Class and manoeuvres around to the rear of it and repeatedly blasts the reserve fuel tanks. To prevent more damage, the crippled ship is forced to eject them.

"Still more coming!" Nicol exclaims as a small group of Moebius advance on his Blitz and open fire. He evades most of the oncoming bullets and missiles, but goes to block a few with his Shield. The Mobile Suit then retaliates by firing a trio of its Penetrators, the needle-like weapons impaling a Moebius with ease. Providing assistance to his comrade, Miguel appears and shreds two of the Moebius in half with his Machine Gun before holstering it and drawing his Heavy Sword. He rushes a retreating Moebius and cleaves it in two before turning to address the Blitz. "Thanks for the help, Miguel!"

"Just learn to watch your own back a little bit better and you'll be an Ace in no time!" He assures him before both Mobile Suits take off in different directions.

"Great!" Dearka mutters sarcastically. "We're outnumbered!" He exclaims before opening fire on a Drake-Class with his two weapons and causing heavy damage to the ship.

Elsewhere, a still irate Yzak attacks a trio of advancing Moebius with his Railgun and Beam Rifle, effortlessly dispatching the Mobile Armours in a hail of green and yellow bolts.

"Come out, Strike!" Yzak grinds through his teeth in anger. "Otherwise… Otherwise, this pain will never go away!"

Archangel…

"All units, prepare for atmospheric entry." Came the instruction over the Intercom as Mu was just getting into his Zero.

"Descend?" He remarks with a confused tone as he regards Cagalli and Murdoch. "In this kind of situation?"

"Reconfirming descent sequence!" Murrue, on the bridge commands. "Test ablative gel dischargers!" At this command, the dispensers located on the hull of the Archangel begin to release their Gel-like substance that will assist in re-entry.

"What good will it do to yell at me?!" Murdoch shoots back.

"At least we're finally doing something after all this waiting around." Cagalli reasons.

"Yeah, I guess it's better than doing nothing." Murdoch agrees.

"But you know…" Mu trails with a knowing tone.

"Even if we're able to shake off the GINNs and the ZAFT Ships," A new, but familiar voice, cuts into the conversation. "Those four machines are still gonna be a problem."

"Kid?" Murdoch exclaims with confusion.

"He's staying." Cagalli clarifies for the confused mechanic as she moves to follow the brunette. "I guess I forgot to mention."

"I'll stand by in the Strike." Kira declares. "We're still at Level-One battle-stations, right?"

"Kira." Cagalli addresses the youth as they both float towards the Strike. "Are you okay after… You know?"

"I'm fine, Cagalli." Kira assures her with a small amount of nervousness in his voice, avoiding eye contact. "I don't know what to think after that incident with Flay… Dammit, I'm so confused and Cagalli being here isn't helping!" He muses to himself before putting a reassuring smile on for her. "I can't worry about things like that when I've got to focus on the battle."

"That's good that you're finally ready after all that moping you were doing." She remarks, trying to ignore the small amount of hurt she feels at him seemingly trying to avoid looking at her.

"It sucks, doesn't it?" Mu remarks from his Zero, watching the duo float away, confusing the mechanic.

"What does?" He queries confusedly.

"Being exposed to battlefields and wars at such a young age is gonna make life tough later on for them, you know?" He asks rhetorically, Murdoch refusing to answer the question out of understanding the comment.

As this rather depressing conversation was occurring, the final checks for the Archangel were being completed.

"Descent sequence check complete! Systems all green!" Dalida calls out.

"Adjusting course descent angle by 6.1, Theta, Plus three." Tolle informs the bridge crew as the corrections are shown on the display monitor, indicating their intended flight path.

"Admiral." Murrue addresses her superior who nods.

"Archangel, commence descent."

"Commencing descent!" Arnold calls out as the Archangel's engines roar into life. "Engine at 40% and proceeding at minimal speed! Position control in four seconds!" He confirms as the Archangel sails down below the rest of the fleet, towards the planet down below.

"Menelaous to all ship controllers!" Halberton calls over the communicator, addressing all remaining ships. "This is Halberton. From this point on, the focus of our battle will be to protect the Archangel until it arrives at the atmosphere's entry interface." He informs them as the battle rages on with the addressed ships continuously sustaining damage. "We expect this to be a furious battle, but considering our future situation in this war, we cannot afford to lose this ship!" He declares heatedly. "As such, we'll change our formation. With the will and determination of this Eighth Fleet, we'll make certain not a single enemy gets past us. We will show them what we are made of."

Vesalius…

"The Archangel's moving?" Rau exclaims at the recent information of the Archangel changing position. "Halberton, that bastard. Is he using the Eighth Fleet as a shield to allow the Legged Ship to descend?" Ades glances at him in familial realisation. "After them! We have to destroy them before they descend, no matter what!"

"Right!" Ades confirms.

Elsewhere, the Vesalius' Mobile Suits are deep in action against enemy Mobile Armours. As the Aegis and the Blitz are dispatching Moebius, they receive the message about the Archangel's intended actions.

"The Archangel's…" Nicol trails.

"… Descending?" Athrun adds with confusion, angering their three other teammates.

"I won't allow it!" Dearka exclaims.

"We've come too far to just let it get away!" Miguel remarks.

And, with that, the five of them give chase, charging the remaining line of battleships attempted to protect the Archangel, unleashing a rain of bullets, missiles and beams to discourage the advancing platoon.

"Miguel." Athrun addresses his elder. "You need to watch yourself. If you get caught in the gravity well, your GINN will…"

"It'll be alright." Miguel assures him with a confident tone. "Don't worry about it."

As the wall of battleships attempt to push the enemy Mobile Suits back, the Archangel nears its entry point and starts going through the necessary motions for atmospheric entry.

"Descent sequence, Phase One." Arnold calls over the communicator, tensions running high amongst the crew across the ship. "Seven minutes to atmospheric re-entry."

As the clock counts down, both Kira and Mu are still sat in the cockpits of their Mobile Suits. Kira is currently handling the small paper flower he received from Elle before placing the item in the dashboard of his Mobile Suit, seemingly for good luck.

While the duo are trapped within the bowels of their ship, the fight still rages on with the Eighth Fleet desperately trying to hold the oncoming foes back. Unfortunately, the superior armour and mobility is proving too much with the Blitz able to lazily block a volley of missiles with no damage to his Mobile Suit.

"Dammit!" Yzak rants, his rage continuously increasing as he fires another volley of rounds at an unsuspecting Drake-Class, causing severe damage and annihilating the small frigate.

"Give it up!" Dearka exclaims with a grunt before combining his weapons into its Shotgun form and blasting another Drake-Class to pieces.

"At this rate, we'll never…!" Miguel trails in aggravation as he shreds a group of Moebius apart with his Machine Gun before boosting past their wreckages as Dearka and Yzak follow closely behind and then by Athrun and Nicol who trailing slightly. All five of them, however, continue to advance on the solitary Agamemnon-Class, something which the Admiral notices.

"Main cannon, fire!" He commands with an urgent tone. The Menelaous opens fire with is Dual Beam Cannons as the remainder of battleships follow suit in a desperate attempt to hold the advancing Mobile Suits back.

As the trio (Miguel, Dearka and Yzak) all recklessly charge ahead, hoping to break through the blockade, Athrun and Nicol maintain distance lest they scrape the atmosphere. Noticing their proximity, the latter start to become worried.

"Yzak!" Athrun calls out towards his ally.

Meanwhile, another development is occurring as the Gamow starts to speed ahead of its other allied ships who continue to rain fire down on the dwindling Eighth Fleet, something that Ades picks up on with some concern.

"What?!" He exclaims with a confused tone.

"Duel, Buster and a GINN have passed the procession of troops ahead of us!" Jackie calls out on the Archangel's bridge. "The Menelaous is engaged in battle."

Accurate with his information, the enemy Mobile Suits have entered the range of the lone Agamemnon-Class, the GAT-X102 wasting no time in opening fire on the ship in an angry flurry.

"Why won't you go down?!" Yzak exclaims angrily at the ship's resilience.

"Shoot them down!" Halberton commands with an urgent tone. "Don't let a single one past us!"

Seemingly at his command, one of the remaining Drake-Class scores a lucky hit on an assaulting GINN, dispatching the Mobile Suit with one of its Vulcan Cannons. This small victory is futile as the X-Numbers continue to advance…

Archangel…

As the battle continues to go backwards for the Earth Forces, tensions within the Legged Ship have reached boiling and Kira has lost all patience.

"Lieutenant La Flaga!" Kira exclaims in an incredibly heated tone, his frustration and the current situation apparent.

"Yeah, I know!" Mu agrees with equal amounts of frustration. "Captain!" He addresses Murrue, alerting the brunette who regards her communication screen. "Let us out to fight until the last possible moment. How much time do we have?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" She admonishes the Mobile Armour Pilot. "We're…"

"According to the catalogue specs, the Strike should be able to descend on its own." Kira assures her, alerting the Captain.

"Kira?" Murrue exclaims with a confused tone at his presence, the rest of the bridge crew also share a look of shock at his apparent decision to stay. "What are you still doing here?"

"If this keeps up, the Menelaous will still be in danger, Captain!" Kira declares, ignoring the brunette's question and obvious concern.

Murrue hesitates, seemingly unsure of what would be the valuable course of action in the situation they find themselves in. Fortunately (Or perhaps unfortunately), her decision is made for her…

"Alright!" Natarle responds over the communicator in Murrue's place. "But return before Phase Three begins!" She commands, alerting the Captain to her actions. "The specs might say it's possible, but no one has tested it so we don't know how it will affect the interior!" She warns the youth. "You need to keep on an eye on the altitude and time as much as you can!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Kira responds before cutting the feed. Seemingly use this as a signal, the Captain rises from her chair to regard the XO, seemingly enraged with an angered expression on her face.

"Ensign Badgiruel!" She exclaims with a furious tone.

"If this ship sinks, then all of the sacrifices the Eighth Fleet is making will be for nothing!"

Both XO and Captain stare at each other with intense eyes, the latter still maintaining a furious, but conflicted expression while the former stares with a steel expression.

Battle…

The decision to send out the Strike and Moebius Zero might be a decision that comes too late with Yzak, Dearka and Miguel closing on the Archangel, the ship coming into their range. It's a desperate affair as there's only a mere handful of ships left to defend it.

"Dammit, we don't have any time!" Dearka exclaims with frustration. "Just hurry and lets us destroy you!" He demands before combining his Mobile Suit's weapons into its Rifle form and firing the weapon, the large yellow bolt penetrating the front end of a Drake-Class and shooting out the other side, destroying the ship. With an enthusiastic whistle, he comments "Not many left now!"

"The Belgrano's been sunk!" One of the comms officer's informs Halberton.

"Just five minutes until interface." Another adds.

"Admiral, we cannot go any further!" The increasingly-distressed Hoffman pleads. "The ship can't last much longer!"

"Not yet!" Halberton admonishes him.

Seemingly in response to the Captain's distress, the Strike and Moebius Zero are finally ready for take-off as the Launch Bay doors open on either side, both craft ready to take off with their pilots experiencing varying levels of nervousness at the scenario at hand.

"It's the first time for me, too, to sortie in this kinda situation." Mu assures Kira. "Just hold on for as long as you can."

"I know but-" His response is cut short as the take-off sign all reads "CLEAR", silencing the youth and bringing back to attention. "Kira Yamato, taking off!" He declares as his Mobile Suit takes off down the Launch Catapult, leaping off of the end, detaching its Power Cable and flying away, unfolding its Aile Pack wings and activating its Phase Shift as it goes. Soon enough, Mu follows suit as his Mobile Armour releases its Docking Clamp and zooms straight out of the Catapult, detaching its own cable and following the Strike.

"X-105 Strike and Moebius Zero have taken off from the Archangel!" The Menelaous Communications Officer informs Halberton, eliciting a surprised gasp from the Admiral as well as the other assembled crew members.

"What did you say?" Halberton asks confusedly.

Soon enough, both Mobile Suit and Mobile Armour fly away from the Archangel and straight towards the battle. Soon enough, however, they start to feel the effects as the gravitational forces developing start to impact against the Strike, causing it to shake violently almost immediately.

"This must be the gravitational forces pulling me down!" Kira surmises before activating his boosters and pushing past the force. Soon enough, his appearance draws the attention of Yzak whose Mobile Suit's scanners zero in on the advancing Mobile Suit.

"So you've finally decided to make an appearance, Strike." Yzak mutters with some relief as the Mobile Suit starts to fire at him. He evades the shots, holsters his Beam Rifle, and brandishes on of his Beam Sabres. "This is for this scar!" He exclaims as he ignites his boosters and charges the Strike.

"Duel, it's equipment?" Kira wonders out loud, clearly confused by its new armor and weapons as the enemy continues to charge, unleashing blasts from its Railgun as it charges the Strike.

"Take this!" Yzak exclaims as he slashes at the Strike. The Mobile Suit blocks with its shield before evading to the right, firing and missing before boosting away as the Duel attempts another slash, the Blue Mobile Suit, chasing him.

"Yzak!" Miguel addresses his comrade knee-deep in combat. "I'll back you-" He's unable to finish his sentence as he dodges a barrage of bolts from the Moebius Zero's Gunbarrels. "This bastard again!" He mutters with annoyance before attempting to shoot a Gunbarrel with his GINN's Machine Gun. The Moebius, unfortunately, dodges the shot and re-docks the Gunbarrels before turning to address the Buster, firing a blast from its Linear Gun which the Buster shakes off thanks to its Phase Shift.

"Man, this is getting dangerous!" Dearka remarks. "Miguel, help me take this guy out!"

"Alright!" His comrade concurs as, while the Buster continues to casually fire at the Mobile Armour, the GINN chases it with is greater speed, firing a volley of bullets. The Moebius spins to avoid the oncoming fire from the GINN.

"Damn pests!" Mu exclaims with some annoyance. "All I can do right now is hope that I can drag that GINN into the well!"

"Moving to descent sequence, Phase two!" Romero calls out from the Archangel, alerting Kira and Mu to the Archangel nearing the atmosphere.

Luckily, some assistance is provided as the Menelaous starts to fire its Beam Cannons at the Buster, dissuading him from continuing to be idle and just attack the Moebius. The Mobile Suit evades the oncoming fire from the Menalous while also giving chase after the Moebius Zero.

"Four minutes to atmospheric entry interface!" Romero reiterates.

As the clock continues to count down, the Strike evades another slash from the Duel by boosting to the left and firing at the angry Mobile Suit and its pilot who merely evades the shots and continues rushing Kira.

"Stop it." Kira exclaims, clearly nervous with how close to the atmosphere he's getting.

At the same moment, the Moebius distracts the Buster by firing at the Buster with its Linear Gun while undocking its Gunbarrels and unleashing a volley at the still chasing GINN. Since the latter does not possess Phase Shift Armour, the pilot is forced to evade and block the shots with his shield.

"The machine's getting heavy!" Dearka comments. "Miguel, get out of here!"

"I can't!" He responds as his GINN is stuck in spot, spinning and blocking to suppress the oncoming fire from the wired weapons. "Those damn Gunbarrels are keeping me pinned! If I try and run, he'll just blast me with them! I'm good, but I can't avoid ALL of those barrels!"

Their conversation is interrupted as a green beam zips past them, aiming at the Menelaous. All eyes turn to regard the advancing Gamow, savagely firing its Beam Cannons at the handful of Earth Force ships, something that the Menelaous crew pick up on with some concern.

"Laurasia-Class approaching!" Jackie calls out from the Archangel, alerting their allies as well as their enemies to the rather daring action by the Laurasia-Class.

"Gamow, you're out too far!" Ades warns the assaulting ship. "What are you doing, Zelman?!" At his query, his fellow captain appears on-screen, small amounts of static occupying it and the transmission moderately garbled.

"I can't pull back…" He admits. "…cornering them like this… this all started… we're after… the Legged Ship..."

"Damn it!" Mu exclaims with annoyance as he averts his attention from his two foes, instead targeting the approaching Laurasia-Class.

"Alright, he's gone!" Miguel mutters with some relief. "But do I still have enough time?" He wonders as his boosters blare into life, his Mobile Suit trying to resist the pulling gravity.

"I don't know!" Dearka responds to his seeming rhetorical question, his own Buster's boosters firing at maximum power. "I'm struggling a bit myself!"

At the same time, Mu undocks his Gunbarrels and fires a massive volley at the Gamow's port engine, critically damaging it and crippling the Laurasia-Class as it exchanges fire with a solitary Drake-Class. Despite its critical damage, the ship is able to prevail as the weaker Drake-Class explodes from excessive damage, caused by the Gamow, distressing the remaining Earth Forces.

"The Gamow!" Nicol exclaims with a reasonable degree of concern for the Laurasia-Class. "Athrun!" He addresses his comrade who's currently firing at the retreating Moebius Zero. Both of them regard the descending, crippled ship and take off towards it.

"Bring Athrun and Nicol back!" Rau advises his confidant. "It's useless trying to go after the others now!"

Despite their heavy damage, the Laurasia-Class continues to fire on the lone Menealous. The repeated fire from its Twin Beam Cannons starts to inflict serious damage to the Agamemnon-Class, breaking through its armour layer.

"Are they sacrificing themselves to destroy us?!" Hoffamn queries with a distressed tone.

"Send out the shuttles with the refugees at once!" Halberton commands calmly, alerting and confusing his aide. "I can't let them sink the shuttle after coming this far!"

At his command, despite the constant barrage of fire impacting his ship, the Menelaous safely ejects the shuttle from its underside as it continues to return fire against the aggressive Gamow, both ships (And the Archangel) beginning to reach the atmospheric layer as heat starts to build up on the surface of the ships, forming a red layer on their underside to signal the heat build-up.

"Captain!" Arnold addresses Murrue on the Archangel, still mere observers to the intense situation playing out before them. "We have only two minutes before reaching Phase 3 before entry interface. Preparing to release the Ablative Gel!"

"Have the Zero and Strike return!" Natarle commands. The message is sent to the two units as the former breathes a sigh of relief.

"That's about it for me!" He mutters with relief before turning to fly back to the Archangel. His two opponents are not as lucky as, while he escapes, their Mobile Suits get caught and the familiar red aura starts to build around both of their Mobile Suits, despite their efforts to get away.

"It's too late!" Dearka cries with some distress. "I can't return!"

"I'm caught as well!" Miguel responds with equal amounts of distress.

"Dammit, I'll probably make it, but your GINN has no chance!" Dearka he informs his comrade.

"I know that, dumbass!" He fires back. "So figure out something while I sit here getting cooked like a goose!" He demands as he holsters his Machine Gun and grasps his Shield with both hands, angling his GINN straight downwards.

"Hold on, I'll think of something!"

Meanwhile…

At the same time, the exchange of fire continues between the two battleships with the Archangel Crew looking on with worry.

"Admiral Halberton!" Murrue cries with a fearful tone.

Eventually, one side gives as the damaged, combined with the heat being generated from the re-entry, causing the Gamow to explode and its crew to perish. The remaining ZAFT pilots and ships can only watch with sadness as the brave crew and ship perish in the atmosphere.

"Captain Zelman!" Nicol cries with a sorrowful tone.

Elsewhere, Mu manages to reach safe distance to the Archangel and fires his manoeuvring anchor at the hull of ship. The blade-like tip makes contact with its hull and the Mobile Armour safely descend down onto the surface of the ship.

"Where's the kid?!" Mu queries with a worried tone, clearly seeing that his fellow pilot is nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, his question is left unaddressed as more pressing issues are occurring on the bridge.

"Phase three!" Arnold confirms. "Now releasing Ablative Gel and entering the atmosphere!"

As the gel-like substance used to cool the ship during entry engulfs it, the crew can only watch in terror as the resilient Menelaous finally gives and explodes from the inside out, causing a massive explosion as the remaining pieces of the ship descend down into the atmosphere. As its remains hurtle towards the Earth, both Murrue and Natarle rise from their seats and salute the brave sacrifice made by the ship and its Admiral.

"Admiral…!" Murrue mutters with reverence as a long tear escapes her eye at the sacrifice made by her mentor figure.

Elsewhere…

While one group mourned one of their own's passing, another duo was figuring out a way to avert one of their own's seemingly certain death. His likelihood of death, however, was becoming more likely as his shield, his only source of defence from the heat bursts into pieces.

"Dammit, there goes my shield!" Miguel exclaims with reasonable degree of fear, manoeuvring his Mobile Suit's arms to attempt to protect its body by covering the cockpit area. "DEARKA!"

"I know, er…" He mutters to himself. "Dammit, if only his GINN was protected by some kinda layer of Phase Shift…" His eyes widen as a metaphysical light-bulb lights up in his head. "That's it!" He activates his communicator. "Miguel, I have an idea!"

"That's great!" He responds with sarcastic tone. "So put it into effect!"

"I know! Just hang on a little longer!"

And with that, he ignited the thrusters of his Buster, the Mobile Suit inching towards his comrade, an objective in mind…

Meanwhile…

The fierce battling between the Duel and Strike's pilots continue as they continuously strike Beam Sabre against Shield and boosting away before the Duel, using both its hands, viciously presses its Beam Sabre against the Strike's shield, forcing it to defend.

"You bastard!" Yzak exclaims with an angered tone.

"You won't kill me!" Kira yells with determination before both Mobile Suits back off from one another, the Duel firing a bolt from its Railgun while the Strike unleashing a volley from its Head Vulcans.

As the exchange continues, the Aegis and Blitz (Along with the remainder of GINNs) regroup with the two remaining ships and look on in terror at their three comrades being pulled into the atmosphere.

"Yzak! Dearka! Miguel!" Nicol exclaims with concern at his comrade's predicament.

"Kira…" Athrun secretly muses to himself, concerned for his childhood friend.

As the four Mobile Suits continue to descend into the atmosphere, the Duel is relentless and continues to fire its Beam Rifle at the defending Strike. Kira's fellow crewmates (And his fellow pilot) all regard his current situation with concern at him defenceless against the still-aggressive Duel. Kira, finally tired of the Duel's harassment, ignites his Boosters, brandishes his Shield and charges towards the Duel, blocking the oncoming volley of Railgun bolts and Beam Rifle shots. He impacts against the Duel, causing it to be stunned and the Pilot to grunt in annoyance before Kira follows up with colliding the Duel's head with the sole of his Strike's foot, knocking the Mobile Suit further away and closer to his two comrades (The Buster now almost next to the GINN).

"Dammit!" Yzak exclaims with annoyance before, in one last ditch effort, brandishes his Beam Rifle again, while eliciting a grunt.

"Yzak, forget him!" Dearka calls out. "I need your help!"

"I'll come in a second!" Yzak responds. "Just let me finish this bastard!"

As he starts to steady his Beam Rifle on the Strike, the defenceless shuttle from the Menelaous, carrying the remaining refugees, comes into view.

"The shuttle from the Menelaous?" Kira wonders with concern as the shuttle enters Yzak's field of view also, interrupting his aim.

"Damn…" He grinds through his teeth, haphazardly firing his Beam Rifle in an attempt to score a hit. "How dare you get in my way?" He asks with anger before switching his target, angling his Beam Rifle to no longer target the Strike, but the Refugee's shuttle, something that Kira realises with a concerned gasp as he ignites his boosters and charges towards the shuttle.

"Don't do it!" He pleads in a futile attempt. "On that shuttle are…!"

"Cowardly soldiers running away, eh?!" Yzak declares with anger at the seeming cowardice of the shuttle, firing his Beam Rifle at the defenceless craft.

Kira tries to outrun the green bolt and defend the craft from its power. It's hopeless, however, as the bolt reaches the shuttle first and burns straight through it, causing Kira to look on in horror, his Mobile Suit's hand hopelessly stretched out as the Shuttle explodes, killing its occupants and sending the Strike careening back down towards Earth, its pilot crying out in terror.

Even so, the four Mobile Suits continue their descent to Earth in an attempt to survive…

So that was the descent into Earth's atmosphere and, boy, did I change a few things. Miguel's getting dragged down to the planet, but is he dead or did he survive somehow? You'll just have to wait to find that out, won't you? Don't worry, it won't be some handwave explanation where it's just mentioned in a conversation and not properly explained. The one thing I'm trying to avoid are creating my own plot-holes! Kira also dodged a bullet by actually using his brain and connecting the dots regarding Flay and her motivations and actions instead of being an idiot and falling for her tricks… Albeit Cagalli is probably most responsible for making him aware of it as well as now being a little source of confusion and conflict in his heart.

Anyway, that's it folks! Stay tuned for the next chapter that should (Hopefully) be coming out sooner than this one! Regarding that, I wish to mention that I will be skipping over Rau's long monologue at the beginning of the episode. The reason for this is that it just reiterates things we already know and any new details are still covered later (And if they aren't, I'll cover them myself at some point during this Fanfic). As such, that chapter will be significantly shorter than the rest which is why it's more of a bridging/intermission chapter for the events of Chapter 15.

Don't worry, the chapter after that will be back to the average length and, as I said before, I will be back to the R&A section!

R-0 Out!