Gundam Wing: Destiny's Call

by operation meteor

Sequel to Journey to a New Battlefield. It's been two years since the Bloody Valentine War and tensions are rising. When a shadowy group attacks the colony of Armory One, a certain Gundam pilot takes to the battlefield once again. However, little to his knowledge, some old friends are on a journey to his new world. M for language and violence (again, it's war. What do you expect?)

2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: Damn, got this one out faster than I thought! Seriously, I got on a hot streak over the weekend, I was really anticipating that it would be at least a month before I released the second chapter. The story's young, but already the SEED Destiny canon is taking some hits. By the way, I've got a special teaser in store for you guys in the last scene of the chapter. You'll know it when you see it!

Two songs for this chapter, in order of appearance: "Last Impression" from Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, and "The Only Thing I Know For Real" from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

Enjoy!

Episode Two: Armory One

October 2nd, C.E. 73

Leaning back in his chair, Colonel Nazara smiled as he looked at the main bridge monitor. "So that's one of ZAFT's Hel-class cruisers, huh? The Intelligence file photos don't do it justice."

At three-hundred meters in length, the Coordinator warship was an impressive sight. With a tapered bow that eventually flared out at the halfway point of the ship before curving inward again as the hull went to the engines, the black cruiser was a product of the arms limitations presented by the Treaty of Junius Seven. With a sleek profile and relatively low bridge, the vessel had been designed to operate as a task force command ship. Capable of carrying seven mobile suits, one of which per Defense Council decree always had to be a Recon GINN while doubtlessly the rest were of the new ZAKU model, it was a highly versatile warship. Its armaments were heavier than those of the smaller Nazca-class destroyers, and were composed of four 177cm high-energy beam cannons, one pair mounted at the bow and one pair where the hull flared out amidships, four 100mm dual railguns mounted in a similar configuration, twelve 58mm CIWS, and ten Multipurpose Vertical Launch Systems (MVLS) along the central dorsal hull capable of launching both ship-to-ship and anti-air missiles. The vessel's speed was actually comparable to that of the Nazca-class destroyer, but this came at the price of lighter armor than would be typical for a ship of its size.

The cruiser floating mere kilometers ahead of the Colonel's warship was identified by its IFF beacon as the Vidar, one of the latest vessels to come out of the L5 shipyards. The fact that it had not hailed Nazara's vessel indicated that the cloaking systems were still fully operational, which was definitely a good sign given the importance they had in today's mission.

Just keep floating by, he thought, his smile taking on a cruel edge, By the time you become aware of our presence your fate will already be sealed.

The field commander of the secret Earth Alliance organization Phantom Pain, who was also known as the Phantom Commander, tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair as he watched the ZAFT cruiser fly by. Appearing to be a man in his late twenties or early thirties, his facial features were obscured by a dark grey and red mask-helmet that covered his upper face and most of his head. Out of the sides and rear of the mask spilt long blond hair that fell slightly past his shoulders. His uniform was the same design as an Earth Alliance officer's uniform, except that it was primarily dark grey and black with yellow and red trim. He was supremely confident that the warship he was on would continue to escape detection, and that confidence was not unwarranted.

The namesake vessel of a class of new, top secret battleships, the Girty Lue was a formidable warship. It was 380 meters in length, making it smaller than either of the Archangel-class battleships built in the last war but slightly larger than ZAFT's new battleship Minerva, and it was an impressive design. When visible it had a robust appearance, with a bulky forward section that tapered off towards the middle before flaring back out again for the bridge and engine sections. The front section of the blue-hulled warship had an impressive four linear catapults for launching mobile suits in rapid succession, stacked in two pairs. The front was also where the vessel's only beam weapons were mounted; six Gottfried Mk.71 225cm high-energy dual beam cannons. Three were mounted on each side, with one on the top, one on the bottom, and one on the flank. For anti-air defense the warship employed 16 Igelstellung 75mm Automatic Multi-Barrel CIWS and 38 vertical missile launchers, although the latter could also be employed in a limited ant-ship role at close range.

The reason the Girty Lue was not showing up on the Vidar's sensors, or even visually for that matter, was due to a blatant violation of the terms agreed to by the Earth Alliance when it had signed the Treaty of Junius Seven; the vessel was equipped with a Mirage Colloid stealth system. Working in conjunction with that stealth system was a special gas propulsion system that could be used to move the vessel with heatless jets of gas, thus keeping the ship from showing up on any thermal scans. In order to travel for an extended period of time the Girty Lue mounted arms on either side which held extra fuel tanks, which could be detached at any time. Rounding out the warship's features was a special rocket anchor system designed to allow the vessel to latch itself on to large objects such as asteroids.

Six mobile suits were in the warship's hangar at the moment, although the ship had the capacity to carry more than that. Four of them were GAT-02L2 Dagger Ls, an upgraded version of the mass production Strike-Daggers that had been introduced in the last war. The other two were special models, one reserved for the Colonel and one for a mercenary pilot that had been included in the operation. Nazara eagerly anticipated adding to the Girty Lue's mobile suit count with the fruits of today's mission.

The battleship operated under the aegis of Phantom Pain rather than the regular Earth Alliance fleet. The black organization, officially designated the 81st Autonomous Mobile Group, had expanded significantly since the end of the Bloody Valentine War. It remained the primary entity in charge of the Biological CPU 'Extended' program and scores of other top secret research and development programs, but the true nature of its growth and operations was now far beyond what it had once been. Girty Lue was now the flagship of what had become known as the Earth Alliance's Black Fleet, a force of warships that was completely off the standard naval registry, an entity that officially did not exist in order to provide the government with deniability. The ships operated without markings or typical IFF beacons, instead using special frequencies and signals to identify themselves in operations, and were under the strict jurisdiction, officially nonexistent though it may be, of Phantom Pain.

As the Phantom Commander, the organization's military leader, Colonel Nazara reported not to the Earth Alliance Executive Command or to the Atlantic Federation High Command or President but directly to Lord Djibril, the head of both Blue Cosmos and the larger shadow military-industrial organization known as LOGOS. His position as the operational executor of Djibril's will meant that even though he was a Colonel, the Phantom Commander could commandeer military resources under the control of full Alliance Admirals and even supersede their authority, a fact that caused no small amount of resentment amongst the regular officers of OMNI Enforcer. This authority was not just limited to the space forces; Earth Alliance surface divisions could also be appropriated as the situation demanded, though not as easily if they were Eurasian or East Asian units. In addition to that, Phantom Pain maintained its own Black Army, a secret force which mirrored the purpose of the space-based Black Fleet.

The organization's resources and capabilities even extended beyond the realm of the military units commanded by Colonel Nazara. Over the past two years Phantom Pain had grown to include its own foreign and domestic intelligence branches, working independently of Atlantic Federation services such as the CIA or NSA. It maintained a homeland paramilitary force that operated under the title of the National Safety and Security Service, which supplemented the FBI and for all intents and purposes acted as a secret police organization. Through a government front Phantom Pain even operated a special national youth program known as the Patriot Youth, an organization with male-exclusive membership composed of boys between the ages of 13 to 17. Publicly the program's mission statement was 'to empower the nation's young men and prepare them for a life of service to their country in every aspect.' In reality it sought to build up a pool of recruits for both Phantom Pain and the broader ranks of OMNI Enforcer, and in the event of war all its members, regardless of age, would be drafted for military duties. Membership was currently voluntary, though powerful incentives were offered for parents to enroll any male children of eligible age into the program as quickly as possible, and a bill was even now being crafted in the Atlantic Federation Congress that would soon make joining the Patriot Youth a required legal obligation for all who qualified. Similar measures had failed to gain traction in the Eurasian Federation or the Republic of East Asia, which was a real shame as far as the Colonel was concerned; it would be nice to tap into the vast manpower reserves of both nations.

"Whatever you say," quipped a man floating off to the right of the Colonel.

Beneath his mask Nazara scowled as he looked over at the speaker. "Something on your mind, Rodrigues?"

Samuel Rodrigues, also known as 'Jetstream Sam' or less commonly by his codename 'Minuano', folded his arms and shrugged. Half-Brazilian and half-Japanese, Sam was not a member of either Phantom Pain or OMNI Enforcer. Tall and well built, his black and red uniform doing little to hide his athletic figure, he was a warrior for hire. His dark brown hair, tied back in a pony tail save for a few bangs, mirrored his sharp brown eyes, though right now the latter had a rather bored look in them. On his right hip a typical pistol was holstered, but on his left side the man wore a katana. It was an odd choice of personal armament to say the least, but the Colonel had stopped questioning it some time ago; Sam was a lethal practitioner of the form known as Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, an art learned from his father's Kenjutsu dojo in Rio.

An unintended consequence of the Treaty of Junius Seven was the considerable increase in mercenary organizations, known in the market as Private Military Companies or PMCs. These had resulted from the limitations of the armed forces of the major powers, and while officially private security personnel were employed only to supplement official security operations such as policing, embassy protection, and aid convoy escort, the organizations also provided a convenient way for nations to bolster their fighting forces if they were willing to contract the groups for their services. The companies were completely legal, and no provision of the treaty came close to addressing them or their recent increase in proliferation and activity. Sam was a member of one of these new PMCs, a group known as Desperado Enforcement LLC.

Desperado was based in the Atlantic Federation, more specifically in Delaware. Although they maintained a handful of security contracts in that area and over in D.C., most of their business was actually conducted out of the country, and their financials were handled by a separate holding company in the notorious tax haven of the Cayman Islands. The firm was very well funded thanks to operations and contracts it had for security of development projects in the African Community and South African Union, and it also handled VIP protection and assisted with internal policing in the Earth Alliance's L2 colonies. However, the company was also suspected of offering under-the-table services to drug cartels and political extremist groups, and rumors flew of aid money and resources embezzled in some of their African operations. The firm would take practically any job and were known for their discretion, qualities that made them attractive to groups like Blue Cosmos and LOGOS. With funding from the latter, Desperado had branched out into anti-smuggler and anti-pirate patrols in outer space and were even rumored to be aiding Earth Alliance military patrols in the L1 and L2 regions along with the Lunar Perimeter.

Sam was a member of the top elite core of Desperado, a group of mercenary captains known as the Winds of Destruction. While he could wield authority over Desperado resources and soldiers Sam actually had a reputation for working independently. He was known to seek out powerful opponents in his contracts and had a reputation for favoring his katana over firearms. With anyone else such a fighting style would be suicidal, but his mastery of the sword made him an exception. Although Nazara had operational command over Sam for this mission, the fact that the contract was actually under Djibril and LOGOS made the mercenary's status somewhat of a gray area, and as thus he enjoyed much more freedom than a regular Alliance soldier or even a member of Phantom Pain, and that included the freedom to mouth off and quip at the Colonel.

"It's just a ship," Sam replied, "Nothing a good mobile suit pilot can't dispatch."

"Perhaps," said Nazara, "but your machine isn't designed for anti-ship combat."

"It doesn't matter," said Sam, smirking, "I'm still good for it, and you know it."

Nazara forced a chuckle. "It sounds like you're getting impatient. That's not like you, Minuano."

Sam shook his head. "Hardly. Just worried that this job won't be any fun. ZAFT's force at L4 is made up mostly of green troops."

"A tactical advantage for us," said Nazara, "and one that we will exploit to the fullest. This isn't one of your African or South American shithole brawls, Sam; it's a military operation. A black operation, but an operation nonetheless. I expect you to act professional and in line with the mission."

The Colonel scowled again as he saw that familiar smug, mocking, shit-eating grin appear on the mercenary's face. "You're the boss."

Not as much as I'd like to be as far as you're concerned, he mentally fumed.

"So," said Sam, "how long until this show gets on the road?"

"We wait until our operatives send us the signal," he said.

Sam frowned. "Those three… can we count on them?"

Under the mask Nazara glared at him. "They are not your concern."

"If the success of this mission and my paycheck is counting on them, then I disagree," Sam shot back, "I've seen them on this ship and in exercises. I'm not impressed."

"Duly noted," Nazara growled, "and irrelevant. They are perfectly capable of the tasks that have been given to them. More to the point, as you said so yourself ZAFT's force in this area is largely green, which means that they will pose little obstacle for those three."

Sam shrugged. "Whatever you say."

"I suggest you get down to your mobile suit," said Nazara, "It won't be too much longer."

Sam nodded and headed for the exit.

Good riddance, he silently grumbled, That man's insolence cannot be checked.

As much as the mercenary's disrespect irritated him, the Colonel knew that the man's skills were too valuable to cast aside. He was one of the best pilots taking part in this operation, and would prove to be an important asset if something unexpected should occur in the coming fight.

He tapped the keys on the small console mounted on the right arm of his chair and the ship's chief mobile suit mechanic appeared on the screen. "Crew Chief Summers, status report."

"All mobile suits are fully armed and ready for action," Nicholas Summers replied.

Nazara nodded. "Good. I'll be taking the Nosferatu out soon enough. Carry on."

As the Crew Chief disappeared from the screen the Colonel turned his attention back to the main monitor. The Vidar was still on the screen, but Nazara's gaze was focused past the cruiser and toward the hourglass-shaped colony behind it. He gave a cruel smile as he imagined the chaos that would soon overtake it.

Armory One, he thought, the newest gem in the Coordinator crown. Enjoy your jewel while you still can, Durandal, because I'm about to soak it in blood!

….

In many ways, Armory One was much like any other PLANT colony. It bore the same signature hourglass design, with a central shaft 30 kilometers in length running through the two sections and a blocky docking and control hub where the halves met. The central hub was connected to two large external mirrors which reflected sunlight into the living areas. Said living areas, one at the top of the colony and one at the bottom, were each 10 kilometers in diameter. Although it was a very new colony the Durandal administration had pulled out all the stops to make sure it had a large and viable population, and as of the inaugural census the amount of people on Armory One stood at 175,479, smaller than the average population of a Coordinator colony but with plenty of room for growth.

However, the similarities rapidly faded when one was confronted by the stark differences. One of the most obvious contrasts was the colony's location. While all other PLANT colonies were at L5, Armory One was the first of its kind to be constructed at L4. It was in a stable location not far from the debris field and graveyard of ruined Earth Alliance colonies from the last war, including the notorious Mendel. Another difference was its very name and the purpose it implied. While plenty of PLANT colonies housed segments of the arms industry, Armory One was the first to be specifically devoted to weapons manufacture. As a result much of the population was either directly part of ZAFT or employed in the arms industry and supporting the military, although there was still a vibrant civilian infrastructure and culture.

The interior layout of the colony was quite a sight to behold. In the lower half, the point where the central shaft met the disk housing that section's population was actually a large island. A thriving city was built on that island, and although plenty of people lived on the other side of the artificial lake's shore the island city was the beating heart of the colony. The lake served purposes beyond providing a stunning bit of scenery and a pleasant place to swim; a large quantity of freshwater fish had been brought in and provided a steady source of food, while the water itself was good for drinking and also provided a good environment for the testing of amphibious and aquatic weapons.

Shinn Asuka didn't care about any of that at the moment. A sixteen-year-old Coordinator with black hair, reddish chestnut eyes, and a slender build, the young ZAFT pilot's only concern was the fact that he was running late. Still dressed in civilian clothing, the young man knew he looked disheveled, and mentally berated himself for oversleeping today of all days.

From nearly a block away he could hear Lunamaria yelling at him. "Shinn Asuka! You're late! You heard me say Hitonmaru-maru Hangar Six, right?"

"I heard you!" he shouted back, picking up the pace.

He then shook his head and muttered under his breath. "Man, Lunamaria's such a nag!"

His eyes focused on the dark green jeep with his friends up ahead, the young Coordinator failed to pay attention to his more immediate surroundings, and as a young blonde woman wearing a blue and white dress stepped out in front of him on the sidewalk he slammed right into her, taking both of them to the ground.

Reflexively he closed his eyes and reached out blindly as they fell. His hand did not find pavement, but something else. Something softer, rounder…

Oh, shit, he thought as he opened his eyes, don't tell me I…

Sure enough, there was his right hand…

…grabbing the girl's left breast.

Beneath him he saw her violet eyes flash with anger and her face flush red, and as he felt the heat rushing to his face he could not react as the girl slapped him across the face.

"Get off of me!" she yelled at him.

"I'm sorry!" cried Shinn as he scurried back, "It was an accident! I didn't mean to grab you like that."

The girl scowled at him and folded her arms. "Hmph. Pervert."

"Hey!" said Shinn, still blushing, "I told you it was an accident!"

"Hey, come on, Stella," said a male voice, "We don't have all day!"

Looking up and to the right, Shinn saw two young men looking at him and the girl. Both appeared to be around the same age as the girl and were wearing civilian clothing. The one who had spoken had green hair and bright yellow eyes, while the other had light blue hair and blue eyes. The former looked irritated, while the latter just looked amused.

"Stella," said the green-haired boy, "Do you want to get left behind?"

The blue-haired boy laughed. "That's what you get for being absent-minded, dummy!"

"All right," said Stella, brushing herself off as she got to her feet, "I'm coming!"

Shinn just watched as the girl joined her apparent friends, lost for what to do. She hadn't even acknowledged his apology.

"Hurry up already!" shouted a familiar female voice.

Shinn jumped, remembering that he had to get a move on. He got up and ran for the jeep.

Four people were already in it. In the driver's seat was a young man in a green ZAFT technician's uniform, with brown hair that had a bright red splotch at the front, named Vino Dupre. To his left was the girl that had been yelling at him, a fiery 17 year-old girl with red-violet hair, her indigo eyes glaring at him in frustration. Her name was Lunamaria Hawke, and she wore the red uniform that was the mark of an elite ZAFT pilot. In the back were two young men, one wearing another red uniform and the other in a green technician's uniform. The former had long blonde hair and light blue eyes, and he had a rather bored expression on his face. Shinn knew that Rey Za Burrel was calm and aloof under most circumstances, but the young man felt that he could've shown at least a little excitement given what was happening at the colony. The other young man in the back seat was a dark skinned mechanic by the name of Yolan Kent.

"Shinn!" snapped Lunamaria as he approached the jeep, "You don't even have your uniform on! What's wrong with you?"

"Look, I'm sorry," he said, knowing he just had to weather this storm. Lunamaria was actually a very nice girl, but heaven help anyone who ticked her off.

"What happened over there?" she asked.

"Looks like he copped a feel," chuckled Yolan.

"Good for him!" laughed Vino.

"Would you guys cut it out?" pleaded Shinn as his face burned red.

"Get in already," said Lunamaria, "We need to get going!"

"Right," said Shinn as he climbed into the back, "Hey, Rey, can you scoot over? It's tight back here."

His quiet friend simply nodded and moved towards the middle to give Shinn some room. He had barely settled in and closed the door when he saw Lunamaria turn to Vino.

"Step on it, Vino!" she said, "If we're late today the Captain's really gonna let us have it!"

"You got it," Vino replied as he hit the gas, and the force of the acceleration pushed Shinn back in his seat.

Well, Shinn thought as he fumbled for his seatbelt, the episode with that blonde girl still playing out in his head, at least today can't get any worse…

….

Sting Oakley, the young man with the green hair, smirked as he watched the jeep speed off down the road. "Ha! What a bunch of fools!"

"Yeah," said the blue haired boy, Auel Neider, with a laugh, "Just look at them! They're acting like the war really is over."

Sting chuckled. "They'll find out real soon that it's not over yet. Isn't that right, Stella?"

Stella Loussier nodded, though unlike the other two she wasn't smiling or laughing. "Right."

Sting started out down the sidewalk, with the other two already falling in behind him. "Let's go. We've got a schedule to keep."

Have your fun while you can, Coordinators, he thought, because we're about to crash your party!

….

Of all the things she would end up doing with her life, Miriallia Haw had never imagined that becoming a spy would be one of them. Now 18 years old, the young woman had changed very little since the end of the Bloody Valentine War. She still kept her brown hair a manageable mid-length, and while her ocean blue eyes were slightly hardened by her experiences in the last conflict they still hadn't lost their kindness or their earnest energy.

I gotta hand it to the Wolf and the Tiger, she thought as she looked down at her forged press pass, They did one hell of a job with my forged documents. Sometimes I even forget that they're fakes!

Operating under the alias of Marilyn Peterson, she had slipped into Armory One as part of the press corps that would be covering the launch of the new ZAFT battleship and its mobile suits. At the moment she was milling around by the dock that the warship was sitting at, with a clear view of the vessel.

At 350 meters in length the LHM-BB01 transatompheric battleship Minerva may not have been as large as the Archangel, but it was still an impressive sight. The vessel had a sleek design, with a low bow that rose up towards the central body and reached its peak at the bridge. A large stabilizer wing ran under the ship, much like the Archangel. Aft of the bridge there was a small landing pad. The battleship's color scheme was primarily dark grey, with some black trim at the bow and red trim along the stabilizer wing and towards the rear of the hull.

As the newest warship in ZAFT's fleet, the Minerva was very well armed. Mounted at the bow of the ship and currently concealed under a shutter was the vessel's QZX-1 Tannhäuser Positron Blaster Cannon, reminiscent of the twin Lohengrins found on the Archangel. For anti-air and anti-missile defense the ship carried 12 40mm CIWS. Concealed underneath a shutter in front of one of the catapult on the main body was a heavy M10 Isolde 42cm Triple Cannon. Mounted further back above the two standard linear catapults on either side of the bridge were two XM47 Tristan Dual Beam Cannons. The ship also carried four torpedo launchers along with several missile launchers carrying interceptor, ground, and space missiles. Augmenting the ship's capabilities were anti-beam depth charge launchers, again like those found on the Archangel. Its primary mobiles suits would be the prototypes that would be on display later today, but provisions were also made to accommodate mass production models like the ZAKU-series units and the older GuAIZ R.

The ship's impressive abilities weren't just limited to its firepower. It had laminated armor which made it capable of withstanding punishing amounts of fire. The vessel had a prototype Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer system, a unique device that allowed it to transmit energy to nearby mobile suits and recharge their batteries even in the midst of combat. The battleship could also be equipped with a special space booster that would allow it to breach the Earth's atmosphere and make it to outer space without assistance from a mass driver.

Miriallia had initially been surprised that the new battleship's capabilities had been made public so quickly. However, as Eric Bristow had explained to her, ZAFT had gone through with the full disclosure in order to show that the Minerva was fully in line with the terms of the Treaty of Junius Seven, and it had resulted in the ship being unofficially referred to as a 'treaty battleship'. At the same time it also sent a clear message to the rest of the Cosmic Era; even with their hands tied by the treaty limitations the Coordinators could still build powerful weapons. Stuck in a position of quantitative inferiority they had decided to work in favor of gaining a qualitative edge instead, much like the last war, and the treaty battleship and her mobile suits were testament to that doctrine.

Rumor had it that Chairman Durandal and the ZAFT top brass believed that the Minerva and its new mobile suits, when working concert, would be a match for the Archangel and Wing Zero. Miriallia could only smirk and shake her head at such a notion. If Durandal was under such an impression then he was severely underestimating not only the power of the legendary mobile suit and battleship but also the people who operated them.

Heero could wipe the floor with all of them in his sleep, she thought, and that's even before Wing Zero was upgraded into the Wing Zero Albion. Captain Ramius and her crew have far more experience than any ZAFT could put aboard the Minerva… and ZAFT has no idea that the Archangel's been upgraded as well.

Of course, it wouldn't be wise to give voice to those opinions at the moment. For now she'd keep them to herself and focus on the mission at hand.

Even though the launching of the battleship and its opening trials would be public both Eric Bristow and Andrew Waltfeld had decided it would be good to have some of Terminal's operatives observing them firsthand. Miriallia made up half of that equation; she was spending her time on Armory One examining as much of the battleship as she could get away with, as well as digging up information on its new mobile suits as well as the military resources devoted to the colony in general. She'd been on station for about a week and was quite pleased with the amount of photos and data she'd been able to submit to the Terminal higher ups for review. The second half of the observation group was even now travelling towards the colony, and he would be monitoring the Minerva and her mobile suits from a safe distance as they conducted exercises.

She had to keep herself from smiling as she thought of the man and machine that would soon be arriving here. If ZAFT knew just who and what were coming to pay them a covert visit she could only imagine their reaction.

Considering what he did to them in the last war, she thought, and what he'll be flying, it's definitely a good thing that he'll be keeping a low profile. It would've been better if we'd sent one of the Valkyrie's girls in a Wraith, but he wanted to check things out for himself… I hope those upgrades work as advertised.

Bringing her camera up, she snapped another photo of the Minerva, focusing on her bridge section. Checking the result on the device's screen to make sure it was a good shot, she furtively looked around her for a moment before remote transferring the picture to her cell phone. She then pulled out the device and quickly did another transfer, this time sending it to a nearby civilian satellite. From there the photo would be routed through a few more satellites before reaching its ultimate destination.

She hoped that Terminal could make good use of what she was sending them. Tensions were running high at the moment between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT, and the launching of the Minerva and her new mobile suits would not likely help matters. Right now Terminal needed every scrap of information it could get on both powers, and she was determined to do her part.

….

"Chairman Durandal," said Jennifer, the red-haired woman currently acting as his secretary for his time on Armory One, "the Orb Chief Representative and her bodyguard are here to see you now."

Sitting in the office that had been arranged for his stay here, the Supreme Council Chairman nodded. His sharp brown eyes had an eager light in them, though his overall composure was as calm and welcoming as ever. His black hair flowed long and free, but it did not detract from his orderly appearance and the fine overcoat and tunic he wore for today's pleasantries.

He smiled as he responded to the young lady. "Please, send them in."

"At once, Chairman," she replied.

Exiting out of the screen on his computer, he stood up and flattened out a wrinkle in his jacket as the door opened and the Orb delegation stepped into the office.

He smiled at his two guests. "Welcome, Princess!"

Now 18 years old, Orb's Chief Representative had become something of an icon due to her actions in the last war, and would've been recognizable to anyone. Wearing the maroon suits that were typical of the Athha family, the masculine attire did not at all detract from her feminine beauty. She wore her blonde hair just like she had in the last war, flowing down to her shoulders. Her amber eyes had a fiery spark in them, though it was tempered by the responsibility that came with her station. She appeared to be very much in shape, and Durandal wondered if she could still pilot a mobile suit. It certainly would not have surprised him if that were indeed the case.

As lovely as ever, daughter of Uzumi, he thought before turning his attention to her bodyguard, and as for this young man… how very interesting.

His name on the guest registry had been Alex Dino, but Durandal was not fooled. He'd play along for appearance's sake and to avoid an incident, but he knew exactly who he was looking at. Dressed in dark grey and black civilian clothes, the dark-blue haired and blue-eyed young man was quite clearly the famous Athrun Zala. Durandal was frankly surprised that no one else had recognized him since he and Cagalli had arrived on the colony; he chalked it up to there being very few veterans of the last war at Armory One.

Members of the previous combat generation would know him right off the bat, he thought, but in these past two years there's been a changing of the guard in ZAFT. Many veterans left for civilian life, and the main ranks are full of new faces. Even with his fame I suppose it's natural that the troops stationed here have not realized who he is. After all, technically he's still wanted as a traitor; no one would expect him to show up at a PLANT colony, let alone one devoted specifically to producing weapons for ZAFT.

"It's an honor to meet you, Chairman Durandal," said Cagalli as she bowed her head, her bodyguard following suit.

Durandal shook his head. "The honor is mine, Princess. Thank you for coming here today. I know it's not a trip made lightly."

"It's quite all right," Cagalli replied, "I know you're a very busy man, Chairman, and I thank you for making time for us."

"Not at all," said Durandal, "Compared to the work you did in the last war and in the peace process I believe my own deeds pale in comparison to yours, Princess."

He saw her try and fail to completely suppress a grimace, and her tone rose slightly as she spoke. "I'm sorry, Chairman, but would you please stop calling me 'Princess'? I stopped using that title when I took over my father's duty as Chief Representative. Call me Lady Cagalli or Representative Athha."

'Alex' gently nudged her. "Cagalli, I'm sorry, but that was rude!"

"But I…" she said, her frustration showing.

Durandal raised his hands and gestured for calm. "No, it's my fault. I'm afraid I didn't fully consider my words and their affect on you. I meant no harm by it. I apologize, Lady Cagalli. It won't happen again."

Cagalli nodded. "All right. As long as we have an understanding."

"Yes, we do," Durandal replied before turning to 'Alex', "So this is your bodyguard? Do you always critique your charge?"

"I'm not just her bodyguard," the young man replied, "I'm also her assistant, and Lady Cagalli has asked me to aid her in any way I can. That includes pointing out when a mistake may have been made."

"I see," said Durandal, smiling as he decided to test the waters, "I'm sure you're a very capable assistant. Forgive me if this is presumptuous, but I can't help but feel as though I should know you. Have we met before?"

The bodyguard looked down. "No, I don't believe we have."

As expected, he thought, but the day is young. If I can get him to admit the truth it may lead to something worthwhile.

Durandal nodded. "I see. You reminded me of someone, but it must just be a passing resemblance. Forgive me."

"It's fine," 'Alex' replied.

"Chairman Durandal," said Cagalli, "I don't mean to be blunt, but I would like to move things along."

"Of course," said Durandal, "and please, feel free to speak frankly throughout your visit, Lady Cagalli. Simple honesty is quite refreshing nowadays."

"Very well, then," said Cagalli, "You have a reputation as a thorough and thoughtful man, Chairman Durandal, so I'm sure that you read the summary that I sent with my formal request for a meeting."

Durandal nodded. "Of course. You were quite eloquent in voicing your concerns regarding the current state of affairs between my nation and the Earth Alliance, along with the risk of escalation to the point of open conflict. Given the suffering Orb endured during the war I know that this is a deeply personal matter for you, and I have great respect for that."

Cagalli bowed her head. "Thank you, Chairman. I would be remiss if I didn't address the hardship that the PLANTs endured as well, especially the Bloody Valentine Tragedy. What happened that day must never be repeated again."

Durandal gave her a solemn smile. "In that we are in full agreement, Lady Cagalli. I only wish that President Copeland was as eloquent and sincere in his concerns for the continued peace in the Earth Sphere as you are."

"The Atlantic Federation is a separate matter right now," said Cagalli firmly, "Chairman, I know that your offer to host my visit at this particular colony on the day of the Minerva's official launching ceremony was no accident. I can appreciate the desire to showcase ZAFT's newest battleship and mobile suits, but I'm afraid that that is actually part of the problem."

"The Earth Alliance could very easily see this as a provocation," 'Alex' chimed in, "and that could serve to intensify the growing arms race between them and the PLANTs!"

"All that is not even counting the other matter I brought up in my summary," Cagalli pressed, "A new armaments program is one thing, but to have Orb citizens involved in it is quite another!"

Durandal raised his hands once again for calm. "Lady Cagalli, if I may? Please, trust me when I say that I truly do appreciate the concerns that you have. I would like to do all I can in your time here to allay those fears, and I believe that there is a better way for me to do that than to keep our meetings limited to offices and conference rooms."

Cagalli raised an eyebrow. "Chairman, what are you getting at?"

Durandal smiled. "Simply put, I believe words alone would be insufficient for this matter. Would you mind coming with me?"

The bodyguard's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Where are you taking us?"

"There's no need for worry," said Durandal, "I'd just like to take you both down to the facilities where the mobile suits and warship have been assembled. It's quite safe, I promise you that."

"Why show us the new weapons before the official unveiling?" asked Cagalli.

"Consider it a gesture of good faith," he replied, "I would like to further the trust between us, and I believe that showing you some of the fruits of our program ahead of schedule will aid in explaining my reasons for these developments. What say you, Lady Cagalli?"

After a moment she nodded. "Very well, Chairman Durandal. Lead on."

….

As a ZAFT warship the Minerva shared several interior similarities with previous vessels of the Coordinator military, but at the same time plenty of marked differences. Her bridge was a hallmark of this trait, a fusion of what had worked in the past and newer, more efficient design traits. Like the command centers of the Nazca-class destroyers and the newer Hel-class cruisers it had a mostly white color scheme, giving it a rather sterile feel. Proceeding from the entrance at the back it had a descending layout. At the uppermost level there were two rows of consoles for support operators, one row on each side, while in the middle there was a table with a large interactive screen to allow for strategic planning, along with a chair for visiting VIPs. At the middle level was the Captain's chair, putting the commanding officer at the center of all bridge operations and within earshot of any immediate subordinate. Finally there was the forward, lowest section with the main operating consoles, including helm, primary weapons, sensors and navigation, and the XO's position. Given the Minerva's nature as a battleship rather than a smaller cruiser, destroyer, or frigate the bridge was considerably larger and more open, allowing for greater freedom of movement and capacity for additional personnel or visiting dignitaries.

That last feature was one that her Captain could definitely appreciate. Talia Gladys could quite clearly recall her time on the Laurasia-class frigate Natta prior to this assignment, and while she bore her former command no ill will she was absolutely enamored with the Minerva. The bridge on the Laurasia-class frigate had always felt a little on the small and tight side to her, often times making her feel like she was stuffed in with her crew in an armed can of sardines. By contrast the space afforded to the Minerva's command center was downright luxurious.

Twenty-nine years old, Captain Talia Gladys was a very lovely woman. Her white uniform fit her quite well, and while it wasn't meant to call attention to her curved and in-shape figure it certainly didn't detract from it. Her mid-length brown hair, capped by her Captain's hat, was swept forward like the wings of a hawk, framing steely gray eyes that could be at one moment warm and compassionate and at the next firm and strict. She had a reputation as a kind but disciplined woman, an officer who looked after her subordinates but at the same time was not afraid to sanction them should the need arise. Duty was a matter of vital importance to her and she would carry hers out regardless of personal cost, but at the same time she would do all she could to make sure that her subordinates did not suffer for it if possible.

Talia was also a woman who preferred to stand on her own two feet and advance without preferential treatment, which was why she actually had mixed feelings about her new assignment. Yes, the Minerva was the newest and most advanced ship in the ZAFT fleet, and it was an honor and a privilege to be selected as her commanding officer. However, her ascendance to this position had not followed the natural course.

Officially, Captains in the ZAFT fleet were considered to be of equal rank. Unofficially, though, there was a certain hierarchy. The older model Laurasia-class frigates were considered to be the bottom of the space force pecking order, so to speak. What should've been next in line for a Captain of one of those ships was a transfer to a Nazca-class destroyer. From there one could eventually expect an official promotion to Commander and with due time perhaps be given one of the new Hel-class cruisers and a task force to lead. After that the next rung in the ladder would be the lofty rank of Field Marshal and a posting to one of the few remaining Orizaba-class carrier/dreadnoughts, a base command in the Exclusion Grid or the Homeland, or that coveted perch on the new super carrier Gondwana. A Commander or a senior Captain of a Nazca-class destroyer should've been given command of the fleet's newest battleship. Even Talia's status as a veteran of the last war should not have exempted her from that process, informal though it may be. For her to jump from command of the Natta right to the bridge of the Minerva was not conventional.

Her service had earned her commendation and praise, but in Talia's eyes that was not enough to leapfrog her to the command of the Minerva. By this point in her career she should've been either a Captain on a Nazca-class destroyer or a Commander on one of those ships leading a squadron. She had a suspicion she knew how she had landed this posting, and it made her rather uncomfortable.

Gilbert, she thought, this was your doing, wasn't it?

Her past with the current PLANT Supreme Council Chairman was a closely guarded secret. It wasn't that she was embarrassed about it, but she knew that if it got out it would cause others to look at her differently. There would be the inevitable rumors of favoritism, and if nothing else she wanted her comrades to believe that she had earned this command on her own merits… even if she didn't truly believe that.

"Arthur!" she called out to her Executive Officer, "I need a status report! Where are we at with the ship checks?"

Dressed in the black and purple uniform common to the second-in-command officers of ZAFT warships, Arthur Trine turned towards his Captain. Her deputy Captain was twenty-six years old, with brown eyes and hair that was dyed a light grey, a rather odd choice given his youth. While he was a competent administrator the fact remained that he was untested in battle, and though he had performed well in simulator exercises Talia knew that there was no substitute for field experience.

"We're at a little over 80% right now, ma'am," he replied.

Talia's eyes narrowed. "80%? The launching ceremony is in five hours, and we're loading those three new models in two. We need to pick up the pace!"

"I understand, Captain," said Arthur, "but we also have to check over the Impulse. It's by far the most complex unit we have on this ship. There are also many new crew members still coming aboard the ship and are still undergoing orientation and familiarizing themselves with their duties."

"And do you think an enemy would care about things like that if we were at war?" she said, "We have to make our deadline, Arthur!"

Her XO nodded. "Yes, ma'am!"

"What's her deal?" she heard Meyrin mutter from her station, "The war's over."

At sixteen years of age the girl was the youngest member of the Minerva's bridge crew. She was a kind but shy girl. Wearing a green uniform and matching cap, she had her long red hair held up in twin pigtails, and while her indigo eyes were the same as her older sister Lunamaria they did lack the pilot's fiery energy and confidence, instead being full of insecurity and caution. Meyrin had a difficult task for one so young; she supervised the ship's mobile suits and communications. The young lady was gifted in multi-tasking with tactical coordination and hacking systems. Meyrin had been trained to delegate information between the bridge and the mobile suit pilots, along with handling the complex launch procedures of the combat units.

Talia decided to let the girl's utterance slide. There were more important things to worry about at the moment. Besides, most of the time Meyrin was a very respectful young woman, so for her to mutter like that on the bridge was actually an indication of the stress she was under, and Talia did not want to add to it unnecessarily.

Meyrin was also as untested as Arthur, which gave Talia cause for concern. In fact, Talia was actually the only veteran officer assigned to the Minerva, which did not make sense to her. As the newest ship in the fleet the vessel should've had more experienced crew members assigned to her, and yet aside from her the ship's entire crew was green. Talia had no idea what the top brass were thinking by putting such a crew on the Minerva, and she could only hope that the simulations they had undergone so far would along with their prior training would be enough to get them through today's exercises.

"Where's the pilot of the Impulse?" asked Talia, "We need him in order to complete the checks on that unit!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Meyrin replied, "I'll find him!"

Talia sighed.

Damn it, Shinn. You'd better not be late.

….

"Chairman Durandal," said Cagalli, "Why are you showing us all of this?"

The head of the PLANTs, along with a few of his staffers and bodyguards, was taking her and Athrun on a tour of one of Armory One's mobile suit assembly and maintenance facilities. Currently they were walking between two rows of several large hangars, and while Cagalli had been impressed by their contents it had done little to ease her concerns.

"I have no desire to hide anything from you," Durandal replied, "As I told you earlier, Lady Cagalli, I believe that full disclosure on my part will aid our dialogue considerably."

Cagalli nodded. "I appreciate that, Chairman. However, this tour of yours has only served to bring up one of my main worries about your program. I've repeatedly requested that you stop using information and personnel that were once part of Morgenroete for military purposes. I may be a member of the Orb political elite, but I've spent a significant amount of time working with Morgenroete, and I've already recognized several of its former employees among those working on this colony."

Durandal sighed. "I understand, Lady Cagalli. However, these are refugees from Orb who did not feel safe in your country after the Alliance invasion and the attack on Elysium. When they arrived here we wished to give them meaningful employment, a place where they could put their talents to good use and provided for themselves and their families. Can you really blame them for taking advantage of their abilities to make new lives for themselves here?"

Cagalli shook her head. "No, but I also know that their talents can be put to other uses besides the manufacture of weapons. I realize that this does not constitute a direct transfer of technology or aid and does not violate the terms of the treaty, but the fact remains that these are former Orb citizens now working in a ZAFT armaments program. What if the weapons that they're helping to create are used against their former country?"

Durandal smiled. "I have a hard time imagining that, Lady Cagalli. After all, our respective nations have been on excellent terms since the end of the war. I know you enjoyed a strong working relationship with Provisional Chairwoman Canaver, and in the time since I've taken the executive office I've never had a serious quarrel with your administration. Also, if you're worried that these former Orb citizens may hold ill will for you or their former country, I can assure you that is not the case. I believe you've already seen evidence of that during the tour."

Cagalli couldn't argue with that. Inside the facilities Durandal had shown them so far she'd been given a warm greeting, with many of the former Orb citizens calling out to her. They'd seemed happy to see her, and while it was always possible that those greetings had been merely staged by Durandal their feelings had appeared to be genuine.

Maybe they are happy here and don't hold any hard feelings towards Orb or myself, she thought, Do I really have the right to protest after the failures of our government to properly protect people like them in the last war? After Elysium…

She shuddered as she recalled the slaughter of the refugees during the Alliance's attack on that colony. Were it not for the efforts of her friends she knew things could've been much worse, but they'd still been bad enough as it was.

"Cagalli," said Athrun, grabbing her hand, "Are you okay?"

She nodded and forced a smile for him. "I'm fine, Alex."

It still felt weird using his cover name. How was a girl supposed to call her boyfriend a name that was not his own? She wondered if some of the others that were currently in hiding in Orb had managed to handle that bit of their new lives.

She turned back to the Chairman as the paused in front of an open entrance to one of the hangars. "Putting aside the matter of former Morgenroete employees, there's another issue that needs to be addressed."

"And what is that, Lady Cagalli?" asked Durandal.

Cagalli gestured towards the hangar and the machines that she could see inside it. "How about all of these mobile suits, Chairman? You're building a large number of units here, and you're about to launch a new battleship! I'm well aware that the vessel and these machines are within the boundaries of the treaty, but it's not the risk of treaty violation that concerns me. Chairman, don't you think that a development like this will only increase instability and intensify the arms race?"

Durandal shook his head. "No, I believe a show of strength like this can be used to deter further aggressive actions. Currently, the Earth Alliance…"

He was cut off by a blast coming from one of the hangars.

….

Leaping from their hiding spot behind several large crates, Stella, Sting, and Auel drew their weapons and rushed into the hangar. The decoy bomb had worked like a charm, drawing a large number of the security forces towards the hangar the diversionary blast had taken place in and making it much easier for the three Extended Humans to go after their real objectives.

Sneaking in here and planting that bomb was easy, she thought, These guys really are sloppy!

A submachine gun in her right hand and a knife in her left, Stella wasted no time in finding targets. Auel had drawn two submachine guns and had a gleeful look in his eyes, while Sting had also drawn two such weapons. The three of them opened fire in unison, gunning down anyone unfortunate enough to be in their way.

Her eyes narrowed as she played her part in the slaughter of the few remaining guards and the mobile suit technicians, Stella quickly found the mobile suit that she was supposed to hijack. Plugging a guard between the eyes and slashing the neck of a mechanic, she rushed towards the machine. The smell of freshly spilled blood filled the hangar as Sting and Auel likewise butchered their way towards the mobile suits they had been sent to steal. Gunfire and screams echoed in the air as the three of them put the hapless ZAFT personnel to death, the few pathetic attempts to counterattack posing no meaningful threat to the augmented and heavily trained trio. They moved swiftly, with speed and precision that even a Coordinator would be hard pressed to match.

The three mobile suits that they were going to steal were dull grey machines, though that was only because they hadn't been powered up yet. Once they were up and running that would change; the Phase Shift Armor would take care of that.

Shooting a mechanic in the chest before stabbing another one through the heart, Stella leaped up on top of her machine and slipped neatly into the open cockpit. Closing the hatch, she immediately began the power-up sequence. The cockpit displays came to life, and on the monitor in front of her the name of her machine flashed across the screen; ZGMF-X88S Gaia. From the outside, if anyone were still alive in the hangar apart from the three Extended Humans they would've seen the dull gray frame become a primarily black-armored machine as the Phase Shift Armor powered up, along with purple, red, and yellow trim.

Developed as part of ZAFT's Second Stage Series, the Gaia was classified as a prototype transformable assault ground mobile suit. As the typing suggested, the unit was not just limited to its mobile suit form; it could shift into an alternate combat mode, in this case a wolf-like surface attack unit similar to the older TMF/A-802 BuCUE most famously used by the Desert Tiger's legendary North Africa Corps in the last war. In combat the Gaia was primarily oriented towards close-range battle, although the unit did have some ranged weaponry for distance engagement.

In mobile suit form the Gaia's primary weapons were MA-M941 Vajra Beam Sabers and an MA-BAR71XE High-Energy Beam Rifle. Mounted on the head was a pair of MMI-GAU25A 20mm CIWS, used primarily for shooting down missiles or small aircraft, although they could also be deployed for suppressing fire against infantry and light ground vehicles. Two MA-81R Beam Assault Cannons were mounted in the backpack, giving the unit additional firepower for long range combat. Mounted on the left arm was a MMI-RS1 Mobile Shield.

In mobile armor form the Gaia's weaponry underwent a considerable shift. Mounted alongside the head specifically for use in the MA form were four MMI-GAU1717 12.5mm CIWS for shooting down missiles and suppressive fire. The pair of backpack-mounted Beam Assault Cannons was also usable in MA form, while the High-Energy Beam Rifle would be mounted on its right shoulder. For close-quarters-combat the wings would fold out and two MR-Q17X Griffon 2 Beam Blades would activate, and when the MA got into a good run they would be lethal weapons. Meanwhile, the shield would shift to the unit's abdominal region to protect the pilot from attacks from below.

As she stood her new mobile suit up Stella could see Auel and Sting's machines also rising. Auel had grabbed a blue mobile suit called the ZGMF-X31S Abyss, a prototype transformable assault amphibious mobile suit. It was meant to serve as primarily a long-range support unit with aquatic capabilities in both mobile suit and mobile armor form. The unit was quite large, and it was framed by two heavy shoulder-binders that served as both weapons mounts and protective shields.

In mobile suit form the unit's most powerful long-range weapon was its chest-mounted MGX-2235 Callidus Multi-phase Beam Cannon. Inside the two large shoulder-mounted binders were sets of MA-X223E 3-barrel Beam Cannons, one set in each binder. They were effective in engaging multiple targets but, like the Callidus, they could only be used in mobile suit form. Mounted at the lower end of the shoulder-binders was a pair of shell-firing M68 Dual Cannons. Four MMI-TT101 Mk9 High-speed Guided Torpedoes were set up on the binders and could be used in both mobile suit and mobile armor form. On the backpack was a M107 Balaena Kai Dual Beam Cannon, a more energy-efficient version of the ZGMF-X10A Freedom's M100 Balaena Plasma Beam Cannons. In mobile suit mode the weapon could be used to engage enemies after flipping upwards or all the way forward. Two MMI-GAU25A 20mm CIWS were mounted on the chest, while a smaller MMI-GAU1717 12.5mm CIWS was mounted below the mobile suit's forehead camera. Its sole melee weapon was a unique MX-RQB516 Beam Lance.

In mobile armor mode the shoulder-binders closed, preventing several of the machine's weapons from being used but producing a streamlined form that reduced water resistance, making for a high-speed aquatic machine. The MA form could also be used in space combat. In this configuration the primary weapons were the torpedoes, the shell-cannons, and the Balaena Kai cannons. It was the most formidable amphibious weapon in ZAFT's arsenal and would be a devastating loss for the Coordinators.

The final stolen mobile suit, now piloted by Sting, was the ZGMF-X24S Chaos. It was classified as a prototype transformable assault space mobile suit, capable of high-speed combat in both outer space and in the atmosphere. The unit bore a color scheme of different greens along with some orange trim, and Stella thought that it was a good match for Sting.

Without a doubt the most unique feature of the Chaos were the two EQFU-5X Mobile Weapon Pods mounted on the back of the mobile suit, one on each side. The pods could be detached from the Chaos and operated wirelessly to attack enemies from multiple directions to overwhelm them. While the wireless feature made them similar in nature to the DRAGOON remote gun-pods found on units from the last war like the Judgment and the Providence, the size of the Chaos' mobile weapon pods and their shape was more reminiscent of the gunbarrel pods found on the old Earth Alliance Moebius Zero mobile armor. The operating system of the weapons pods was greatly simplified than the similar systems employed in the last war, although a pilot still needed considerable spatial awareness to wield them with maximum effectiveness. Each pod was armed with a MA-81R Beam Assault Cannon and twelve AGM141 Firefly guided missiles. Boosters were mounted on the back of the pods, and when they were not detached they served to increase the already considerable mobility of the Chaos.

In addition to the Mobile Weapon Pods the Chaos had a number of other weapons it could use in its mobile suit configuration. For close-quarters-combat it had a pair of MA-M941 Vajra Beam Sabers just like the Gaia. It carried a MA-BAR721 High-energy Beam rifle. Four MMI-GAU1717 12.5mm CIWS were mounted on the head for missile interception and suppressive fire. Two larger MMI-GAU25A 20mm CIWS were mounted in its chest for the same purpose. On the left arm was a MMI-RG30 Cruising Mobile Shield, and mounted within the shield were two MMI-GAU2 Picus 76mm machine guns.

In its MA configuration the Chaos looked much like a bird of prey. The mobile suit's backpack folded over its head, and in it was mounted the unit's most powerful weapon, an MGX-2235B Callidus Kai Multi-phase Beam Cannon. The beam rifle and Mobile Weapons Pods could still be used in MA form, and for close-combat in this configuration the Chaos wielded two MA-XM434 Beam Claws, one mounted on each leg.

Although all three mobile suits were unique, they did employ some uniform features. They were all equipped with Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer Systems, allowing their batteries to be remotely recharged mid-battle by the battleship Minerva, although since the Earth Alliance warships lacked this capability that meant that the system would not see use with the mobile suits' new owners. Their Phase Shift Armor was an improved design called Variable Phase Shift Armor, which was more energy efficient and could be set at different levels to fit specific situations and maximize its utility. The operating system was state of the art, and was advanced to such a degree that it could even be employed by Naturals, which would've made it easier for Coordinators to use and was a great benefit to the Extended Humans who had hijacked them.

Sting's face appeared on the monitor as Stella checked out her machine. "Auel, Stella. Status report."

"I'm good here," she replied.

"All set," said Auel, "Let's trash this place!"

"Destroy the hangars first," Sting ordered, "That'll limit the amount of mobile suits that can come after us!"

"Got it!" said Stella.

"Time to blow it all to hell!" cackled Auel.

"Okay," said Sting, "move out!"

….

Looking around frantically for the source of the threat, Athrun and the others braced themselves as a hangar not too far away was blown apart. Keeping himself between Cagalli and the destruction, his eyes widened as he saw three of ZAFT's prototype mobile suits rise from the wreckage.

"Those are new models!" he cried.

"It's a hijacking!" yelled Cagalli, "Just like Heliopolis!"

Athrun certainly wouldn't deny the similarities; he'd been part of the Heliopolis raid in the last war, after all. However, that didn't matter right now. His objective was to keep Cagalli safe, and being on foot with renegade mobile suits rampaging about made his task extremely difficult.

He saw Durandal turn to one of his aides. "Evans, take Lady Cagalli and her bodyguard to the closest shelter! The rest of you will escort me to the Minerva!"

Athrun saw a blond man in a green uniform salute the Chairman before turning to him and Cagalli. "Follow me! We must hurry!"

Athrun nodded and grabbed Cagalli's hand. "Let's go!"

As the two groups split up Athrun got a close-up view of the power of the three ZAFT prototypes. They were blowing apart every building and vehicle in their path, and since the attack was coming from inside the facility the security forces were caught completely by surprise. The Chaos had taken to the sky and transformed into its mobile armor form. Like an emerald hawk from hell it made strafing runs on the facility, blowing apart structures with its beam rifle, energy cannon, and particle beam fire from its weapons pods. Meanwhile, the Gaia had also transformed into its wolf-like mobile armor form and was running amok, its two large beam blades ripping through buildings while its energy cannons and rifle blasted more to shreds. Its four CIWS peppered the ground, shredding light vehicles and turning the poor souls unfortunate enough to be in their line of fire into bloody chunks on the pavement. The Abyss had stayed in its mobile suit form and was bombarding the facility with every gun it could bring to bear. Smoke rose from scores of fires, the screams of the wounded and dying rang out amid the constant string of explosions, and impact craters and debris were scattered everywhere.

The base was rapidly becoming a picture of hell.

Various mobile suits were beginning to emerge from the few intact hangars and from beneath piles of debris. It was a mix of older models, including GINNs and GuAIZ Rs. The latter was an upgraded form of the GuAIZ mobile suit introduced in the last war as a replacement for the venerable GINN. It had a simpler design to make mass production easier, replacing the extensional arrestors with railguns and removing one of the two beam claws from the Composite Shield, while some of the backpack thrusters had been removed to make the units easier to pilot. The mobile suit retained the beam rifle and the head-mounted CIWS. It was a solid machine, certainly more powerful than the combat GINNs or the garish ceremonial units scattered around the facility, but it was outmatched against the hijacked prototypes and they were still attempting to recover from a deadly surprise attack.

As he, Cagalli, and Evans ran Athrun watched as the ZAFT pilots tried to organize a counterattack. Their responses were sloppy and panicked though, betraying the inexperience of the soldiers assigned to Armory One. Scattered and disorganized, they were easy prey for the three attackers.

A GINN was ripped in half by one of the Gaia's beam blades as it fired its machine gun at the stolen prototype. A GuAIZ R was blown to bits by strafing fire from the Chaos. Two more GuAIZ Rs were destroyed by a rain of emerald beams from the Abyss. Another GINN was blasted by the Gaia's beam cannons. All around Athrun and Cagalli the ZAFT forces were falling to their foes.

If only I could get into a machine, he thought as they ran, If only I could fight!

The three hijackers were clearly skilled, but even from his vantage point Athrun could see that they were far from perfect. They were very aggressive and fast, but they weren't coordinating their attacks; they were more or less rampaging at will. A cooler-headed pilot could, with skill and calculation, potentially turn the tide against them, but Athrun was not seeing any evidence of that in ZAFT's response so far.

"Quickly!" shouted Evans from up ahead, "The shelter's this way!"

Athrun was about to respond when a nearby building exploded, throwing him and Cagalli off their feet and consuming Evans. Athrun had landed on top of Cagalli and did what he could to shield her from debris.

"Cagalli!" he yelled, "Are you okay?"

Raising her head, he was relieved when he saw her blink and nod. "I think so… oh no!"

Following Cagalli's gaze, Athrun grimaced as he saw the charred and blackened remains of Evans. The two of them had become more than accustomed to death in the last war, but it had been quite some time since they had seen it up close like this.

This trip's gone completely to hell, he thought, No matter what happens I have to get Cagalli out of here!

"Can you move?" he asked as he helped her to her feet.

"I think so," she said, her voice shaky, "Athrun… what do we do? Where are we supposed to go? We have to help them!"

"I know," Athrun replied, "but…"

His voice trailed off as his eyes found a green mobile suit lying face-up on the ground nearby. It was partially covered by debris, but it looked to be intact and the cockpit hatch was clearly exposed.

"Come with me," he said, his eyes narrowing in focus and resolve, "I've got an idea."

….

"Core Splendor," said Meyrin from the screen in his cockpit, "move to the catapult!"

Clad in his crimson flight suit, Shinn steadied himself as he moved his machine forward. A small white and blue fighter craft, the YFX-M56 Core Splendor actually doubled as the cockpit section of the advanced prototype mobile suit ZGMF-X56S Impulse. It was designed to launch from its own dedicated hangar aboard the Minerva and then link up with the Chest and Leg Flyer to form the complete mobile suit. From there the Impulse could link up with one of three specialized Silhouette packs and engage the enemy. The Core Splendor itself could be used for reconnaissance and harassment, but it was only lightly armed with two MMI-GAU19 20mm machine guns and two QF908 missile launchers equipped with AGM33 Ladybird missiles. When the Core Splendor linked up with the Chest and Leg Flyers the missile launchers detached and used built-in micro-thrusters to return to the battleship.

"Core Splendor," said Meyrin, "We're showing you in launch position. Course is clear and you are green for launch! Good luck!"

Shinn saw Arthur appear on the screen. "Remember, Shinn, this is not a drill! Your orders are to distract the enemy and then link up with the Flyers and a Sword pack and take them out! Lunamaria and Rey will be launching to support you directly, while Malik and Burt will follow them and act to contain the enemy and keep them focused on you!"

"Got it!" Shinn replied, "Launching now!"

He was thrown back in his seat as the fighter shot out of the hangar like a bat out of hell. Shinn had done training launches before, but since now he was flying into actual combat this one had a distinctly different feel to it.

Checking his sensors as he gained altitude, his eyes narrowed as he saw the three rampaging prototypes and the inferno that was consuming the facility.

"You bastards!" he growled, "I'm going to make you pay for what you did here!"

….

Like most post-treaty mobile suits, the ZGMF-1000 ZAKU (ZAFT Armed Keeper of Unity) Warrior was designed under the basic principle of doing more with less. In essence it was a potent upgrade of the venerable GINN with a variety of new features. The standard color scheme for the unit was green, like that of the mobile suit Athrun and Cagalli had just now commandeered, with a single red sensor eye in its head. It had a wicked spike coming out of its right shoulder, while mounted on the left was a shield with a trio of spikes on the upper section. Its base armament was respectable, composed of an MMI-M633 beam assault rifle that had its own clip for power rather than siphoning energy from the unit's batteries, four large grenades of varying types attached to the skirt, and a MA-M8 Beam Tomahawk stored in the shield. Also attached to the shield were two replacement energy clips for the assault rifle. Curiously the ZAKU, like the GINN before it, lacked the CIWS common to most mobile suits of the Cosmic Era. The unit had respectable mobility in space and in the lighter gravity of a colony or the Moon, although it lacked full-flight capabilities in Earth's atmosphere. Its true strength came from its ability to mount a variety of augmentation packs called Wizard packs, which provided it with new weapons and enhanced capabilities. Unfortunately for Athrun and Cagalli, the unit they were in now was just the base mobile suit, and they would have to make do with that.

It may not have been the Justice he'd flown in the last war, or even the Aegis, but Athrun would definitely take the ZAKU in a pinch. The cockpit was cramped as he took the pilot's chair and Cagalli crammed herself in on his right; like most mobile suits it had not been meant for two people. At the back of his mind Athrun mused that he now had a greater appreciation for what Heero'd had to endure during the raid on Aprilius One in the last war, and that had been with two passengers.

"Are you ready?" he asked as he powered up the mobile suit.

Cagalli nodded and gave him a clearly forced smile. "Yeah. I'll try not to get in your way."

Athrun smiled in return. "In that case, hold on tight!"

Pushing the ZAKU up, debris sliding from it as it got to its feet, Athrun scanned the area around him. Equipping the beam rifle in his right hand and the beam tomahawk in his left, Athrun immediately found the Gaia, back in its mobile suit form, to be the closest enemy to him. It had just stabbed a GINN through the cockpit with its beam saber and was only now noticing him.

"You're mine!" growled Athrun as he charged forward.

Leading with his shield, Athrun plowed into the Gaia with a hard tackle. The blow knocked the stolen machine off balance, but Athrun's eyes widened in horror as it also threw Cagalli forward and she smacked her head against the arm of his chair.

"Cagalli!" he cried.

The young woman groaned, and Athrun saw a trickle of blood running from a cut on her forehead. She was losing consciousness quickly, and Athrun mentally berated himself for not being more careful with his attack.

Damn it, he silently fumed, If I keep this up I could get her killed! Focus, Athrun! Hold out until help arrives and then get Cagalli to safety!

His panic had distracted him from his foe, and as he checked his monitor again he saw that the Gaia had regained its footing. The mobile suit was clearly preparing to charge, and as Athrun raised his beam tomahawk in response he knew he had to be very careful about how he handled the fight going forward.

However, before either mobile suit could act a rain of bullets came down from above, pinging off the Gaia's shield and Phase Shift Armor. Athrun saw his foe leap backwards as additional bullets dug into the pavement, and then it opened up with its CIWS to intercept a flurry of small missiles that had been launched at it.

Looking up, the former ZAFT ace saw a small white and blue fighter craft pull out of a strafing run. He had no idea what a machine like that was doing here, flying for a military that predominantly used mobile suits, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Raising the ZAKU's beam rifle, Athrun squeezed off a few shots at the Gaia, forcing it to pull back a bit.

Additional contacts appeared on his sensors. There were three of them and they were rapidly approaching the fighter craft. Looking up, Athrun was about to contact the pilot when he realized that there was something off about the contacts approaching the aircraft. They didn't appear to be mobile suits… or at least, not complete ones.

Are those modules?, he thought incredulously, Don't tell me it's going to…

Indeed it was. Athrun's eyes widened in amazement as the two small missile launchers detached from the fighter and flew off to parts unknown before the craft itself began to shift and change. A section clearly identified as mobile suit legs linked up first with the bottom of the craft, followed by a chest and head section at the top. A third flyer with two large prongs sticking out of it attached itself to the back, and Athrun quickly realized that they were actually anti-ship swords like what had been used on the old Sword-Strike.

"It's another new model…" he said softly.

Coming down fast, the ZAFT mobile suit slammed feet first into the pavement. As it stood up Athrun could see the machine in its full glory. Boasting a red and white color scheme, it had taken the two anti-ship swords and combined them at the hilt to form a double-bladed weapon with the energy blades on alternating sides of the central metal spars. Mounted on each shoulder were what Athrun recognized to be beam boomerangs, while two anti-armor knives were stored at the hips and two CIWS were mounted on the chest. He also saw a beam rifle, though it was currently stored on the lower back of the mobile suit. A shield was mounted on the unit's left arm.

A young male voice came over the radio on an open channel, and Athrun realized that it was the new mobile suit's pilot.

"Are you guys trying to start another war?"

….

"I'll stop you here!" Shinn shouted as he brandished his combined swords.

Now that the Impulse was completely in its Sword configuration he wasted no time in attacking the enemy. He leapt forward at the Gaia, making a broad swing with his double-bladed anti-ship sword in an attempt to slice the black machine in half. Unfortunately for him his enemy was too quick and managed to pull back and avoid the strike. Shinn didn't let that stop his attack; he grabbed one of his beam boomerangs and let fly.

The Gaia managed to bring up its beam saber and deflect the projectile. As it returned to the Impulse Shinn was about to follow up but he was forced to pull back as fire from the sky rained down around him. With a snarl he looked up and saw the Abyss and Chaos, both in their mobile suit forms and coming right at him.

He leapt to the right to avoid fire from the two machines. To his left he saw the Gaia moving towards him, but it was cut off by emerald beam fire. Shinn saw a green ZAKU had its rifle trained on the black mobile suit, and while its shots had not damaged the Gaia it had distracted it.

"This is Shinn Asuka. Who are you?" he asked, "Answer me!"

"My name's Alex," a male voice replied, "but that doesn't matter right now. Watch out to your right!"

Startled, Shinn saw that the Abyss had gotten on the ground to his right and was charging at him, its beam lance ignited. Bringing his sword up Shinn managed to deflect the attack, but scarcely had he warded off that strike when he was forced to pull back due to fire from the Chaos.

"Damn it!" he growled, "There's too many of them!"

Suddenly Lunamaria appeared on the screen. "Shinn, hang on! We're almost there!"

Shinn smiled as he dodged particle beams from the Chaos and Abyss. "About time! Hurry up!"

Checking his sensors, he saw on one of his monitors four ZAFT mobile suits coming his way. One was a red ZAKU with no Wizard pack; that would be Lunamaria's machine. The second was a white ZGMF-1001 ZAKU Phantom, a limited production, improved version of the ZAKU that was currently only used by elite pilots and commanders. It had two shields unlike the single one on the regular ZAKU, giving it twice as many clips for the beam rifle and a spare beam tomahawk. Apart from that it was distinguished by a unique horn on its head that housed special advanced sensors. This unit was equipped with a Blaze Wizard pack, which consisted of two missile launchers mounted on the back of the machine with multiple AGM138 Firebee missiles, along with improved thrusters for increased mobility. The unique paintjob gave it away as Rey Za Burrel's mobile suit. Bringing up the rear were Malik Yardbirds and Burt Heim in their ZGMF-601R GuAIZ Rs.

"All right!" he said, "Let's take back our machines!"

….

"Damn it!" hissed Auel, "There's more of them!"

"I can see that," said Sting as he checked his sensors, "and these two that we're fighting here don't exactly suck either."

"What do we do?" asked Stella.

Sting's eyes narrowed as he dodged beam fire from the green ZAKU on the ground. He returned fire with his beam rifle and the guns in the pods, but his foe was able to keep its shield up and block the fire it couldn't dodge. Meanwhile the red and white machine was successfully holding off Auel and Stella, and when those other four mobile suits joined the fray things would get even more complicated.

As much as Sting hated to cut their fun short, he knew that they had to retreat. Their primary objective had been to steal the three mobile suits; wrecking facilities inside Armory One was a secondary goal. Colonel Nazara would doubtlessly see both goals as having been accomplished by this point, so it was time to pull out.

"Auel, you and I will stall them," he said, "Stella, go open up our escape hatch!"

"But I…" she began to protest as she crossed blades with the red and white machine.

"Just go!" Sting ordered, "The Colonel's probably on his way by now, remember? We can't be late!"

The mention of the Colonel was enough to stiffen her resolve. "Right. Breaking off. Cover me!"

As the Gaia pulled back the double-sword machine moved to pursue. Sting didn't let it. Opening up with his rifle and beam cannons, he forced the red and white mobile suit to go evasive and bought Stella time to get airborne.

Hurry up, Stella, he thought as he set himself up to engage the green ZAKU and the red and white machine while Auel trained his artillery on the four incoming mobile suits, We need to get out of here!

….

From his perch on the Girty Lue's bridge Colonel Nazara chuckled as he watched the cruiser Vidar turn towards Armory One, its mobile suits quickly deploying and rushing towards the colony. His three Extended had clearly stirred up a ruckus inside the colony, which meant that it was time for the rest of his force to enter the field… and with the Vidar's rear now fully exposed she made for such a lovely target.

"I think it's time we made our debut, Captain," he said, "You know what to do."

Captain Ian Lee nodded and turned to his crew. "All hands, battle stations! Deactivate the Mirage Colloid! Aim Gottfrieds at that cruiser's engines and fire at will! Launch all mobile suits! Comm, signal Force Alpha and order them to advance on the colony!"

Nazara smirked at that last order. The Girty Lue was not the only Phantom Pain warship involved in today's operation. Force Alpha was a task force that had concealed itself in the L4 debris field roughly two weeks ago, laying patiently in wait for the order that Captain Lee had just given. Like the Girty Lue and all other Phantom Pain units they lacked the signature markings and IFF beacons of standard Earth Alliance forces in order to preserve deniability, however tenuous it might be. The ships of Force Alpha lacked Mirage Colloid systems, which was why it had been so important for them to quietly slip into the L4 debris field to conceal themselves during the waiting period.

Nazara rose from his seat and turned to the Captain. "I'm going to deploy as well. I'll need to buy some time for Sting and the others to withdraw. Captain, command of this force is yours."

The Captain nodded. "Understood, Colonel. Good hunting."

Nazara smiled. "Oh, I'm sure it will be."

….

Already strapped into the cockpit of his mobile suit, Sam grinned as his machine was fitted to the catapult. He'd spent enough time cooped up on the Girty Lue; now it was time to earn his paycheck.

His mobile suit was a custom machine constructed by Desperado Enforcement with covert assistance from the Atlantic Federation. Called the GAT-X192 Ronin, it was a mobile suit specifically designed for close combat. The unit's frame was based on the old Strike like so many other Earth Alliance mobile suits, and it even shared the same Igelstellung 75mm CIWS. Apart from that the only weapon the mobile suit had was a custom-built beam katana. It worked on the same basic principle as the anti-ship sword used by the Sword Strike, but the metal part was curved and actually kept in a sheath at the mobile suit's waist. The mobile suit had greatly improved batteries, Phase Shift Armor, and an Aile pack stripped of the usual weapons but with enhanced thrusters for significantly increased mobility. There was no shield; it was a machine that was build solely to attack at close-range. The pattern of the Phase Shift Armor was mostly black with red trim, while on the cockpit there was a red skull set in a diamond; the Desperado logo.

The voice of the flight controller came over the radio as the forward hatch opened up. "Ronin, you are clear for launch."

Sam chuckled. "About damn time. Minuano, launching!"

The Ronin shot out of the Girty Lue and right into a rapidly unfolding battle. Heavy beam fire from the battleship's Gottfrieds had hammered the engines of the Vidar, and the cruiser was already dead in space. Of course, that wasn't good enough, and another salvo of emerald death punched through the cruiser's bridge and reactor, turning it into a fireball.

Sam was worried that there wouldn't be anything left for him, but then he saw contacts on his sensors and smiled. The cruiser had apparently launched her seven mobile suits upon learning that Armory One was under attack, and the Girty Lue had blasted her just after the launching had been completed. All seven machines were turning around and coming back to avenge their fallen mothership.

One recon GINN and six ZAKUs, he mused, I suppose that's not too bad for a warm-up…

The recon GINN only had the sniper rifle that such models were equipped with in the last war and wouldn't be a real threat. As for the six green ZAKUs, Sam's eyes narrowed as he saw that they were all equipped with various Wizard packs. Three had Blaze packs, two had Slash packs, and one had a Gunner pack.

The Slash pack was a Wizard pack designed primarily for close combat. It gave a ZAKU or ZAKU Phantom an MA-MR Falx G7 beam axe, a pole-arm with two large metal blades at one end, one large than the other. Both blades were lined with beam emitters, while at the other end of the weapon was a small fold-out metal blade that could be used for surprise attacks or if the main blades were damaged. The pack also included a pair of MMI-M826 Hydra Gatling Beam Cannons that gave the ZAKU some midrange firepower.

Meanwhile, the Gunner pack was focused on the other end of the spectrum, providing a ZAKU with long-range hitting power. The pack's contribution was the heavy M1500 Orthros high-energy long range beam cannon. It was an exceptionally powerful weapon, well suited to either anti-ship or anti-fortification bombardment. However, it had a slow rate of fire and considerable recoil. Due to the gun's high-energy requirements the Gunner pack also came with a separate battery specifically devoted to the M1500 Orthros.

They've got a good spread, he thought with a chuckle, Let's see what they can do with it!

Sam poured on the thrusters, eager to engage the enemy before the other Phantom Pain mobile suits could get in the way. The four Dagger Ls of the Girty Lue had already launched, but there speed was no match for that of the Ronin. Two of the black mobile suits were equipped with the new Doppelhorn Striker pack, which basically added two shoulder-mounted recoilless cannons capable of inflicting severe damage to warships and utterly obliterating mobile suits. The other two had no augmentation packs and were armed with the standard beam sabers, beam carbines, CIWS, and shields. He didn't see Colonel Nazara's mobile suit yet, but he was sure that the Nosferatu would deploy soon enough.

Approaching the enemy, Sam drew his katana and ignited the violet blade than ran along its edge. "Let's dance!"

He was met with a rain of fire as the Blaze ZAKUs opened up with their beam rifles and missiles, the Slash ZAKUs with their beam gatlings, the Gunner with the Orthros, and the recon GINN with its sniper rifle. Sam was not deterred by the bombardment and raced through it at lightning speed, the nimble Ronin weaving through the fire. Phase Shift Armor was no defense against energy weapons, which meant that a single hit from a particle beam could be the end of him, but to Sam that simply added to the thrill. With no shield to block incoming fire and no meaningful way to respond at long-range everything came down to his ability to close the distance and strike back, and that was something Jetstream Sam excelled at.

Seeing that he would make it through their barrage the two Slash ZAKUs moved to the front of the formation, their beam axes blazing and ready to cut him down. Sam never gave them the chance to use them. Bringing his sword down in a quick vertical strike, he split the lead unit down the middle before whirling on the other one. Making a horizontal slash he cut the second Slash ZAKU in half at the waist.

While he had contended with the close-range units the rest of the ZAFT mobile suits had attempted to surround them. Sam made a beeline for one of the Blaze ZAKUs, using his CIWS to shoot down a few missiles before thrusting the katana right through his enemy's cockpit. He didn't stop their; pulling his blade out as fast as he could, he rushed the Gunner ZAKU, the brilliant stream of crimson fire from its Orthros cannon sailing past him through the void as he got into sword range and cut it down.

Four down, he thought with a grin, and three to go!

Rushing the other two Blaze ZAKUs, he lashed out again with his blade. He was impressed as this time his target managed to bring its beam tomahawk up to block the blow, but he quickly adjusted and made a second strike that destroyed the machine. Diving to avoid fire from the other Blaze ZAKU, Sam rushed the recon GINN and stabbed it through the cockpit. As he was about to turn on the final Blaze ZAKU he saw it get torn apart by shells from one of the Doppelhorn Dagger Ls.

He smirked and threw a mock salute at the Phantom Pain unit that had fired the shot. "Not bad. I thought for sure I'd get all of them before they crashed the party. I might've been a little sloppy."

Glancing back at the Girty Lue, he saw a familiar violet mobile suit launch from the battleship.

Took your sweet time, Colonel, he thought.

Colonel Nazara's mobile suit was called the GAT-X666 Nosferatu. It was larger than the other machines that were with Phantom Pain's force here today, and for a very good reason; the mobile suit was nuclear powered. It was another clear violation of the Treaty of Junius Seven, but Sam knew that Nazara and his superiors didn't really care about that. The nuclear reactor and N-Jammer Canceller meant that Nazara could keep his Phase Shift Armor running as long as he wanted, along with the rest of his machine; the only limitation on it now was the pilot himself.

Its armaments were quite impressive. In its right hand was a violet beam saber while in the left was an M9509N beam rifle. Mounted on the left arm was also a shield for blocking beam attacks. At the waist was mounted a pair of MAU-M3 linear guns, while the head had two GAU-M2S 38.5mm machine guns. However, its most impressive weapons were four seed-shaped M16M-D4 Wireless Gunbarrel pods mounted along the wings, two on each side. Each pod had two beam cannons inside it, and the thrusters mounted on them not only maneuvered the pods when they were launched but also served as additional boosters for the Nosferatu when they were attached.

Great, he thought, now I've got him running around. At this rate the enemy won't last much longer.

For a moment he feared that that was the end of the show, but a beeping from his sensors reassured him otherwise. The other assorted warships of Armory One's patrol screen, Nazca-class destroyers and Laurasia-class frigates, were inbound and already launching mobile suits.

"Come on then, kiddos," he said with a laugh, "Time to play!"

….

Keeping some distance from the main fight, Athrun did what he could to harass the enemy with beam rifle fire while the ZAFT mobile suits took care of the heavy lifting. He wanted to do more, but with Cagalli still slumped over in his lap he knew that there was no way he could go all out here.

The Chaos was mixing it up with Shinn's machine in a furious duel. The green prototype was swift, darting around the red and white mobile suit and peppering the area with emerald beam fire before closing in to saber range. Fortunately Shinn was able to keep from suffering a major blow, and his skill with the combined anti-ship swords was evident in how he parried the Chaos' blows and went right into counterattacks. It wouldn't have surprised Athrun to learn that Shinn was a Red; his piloting here indicated he certainly had the talent to earn that prestigious position, although from his moves Athrun could tell that he wasn't a veteran.

Meanwhile, the Abyss had squared off with the four incoming ZAFT machines and was already cutting loose with its chest cannon and the six beam cannons mounted inside the binders. The backpack mounted beam cannons flipped forward and added their firepower to the barrage, and Athrun saw the red ZAKU, white ZAKU Phantom, and the two GuAIZ Rs move frantically to evade the bombardment. They were only partially successful; while the ZAKU and ZAKU Phantom were able avoid taking damage, the two GuAIZ Rs succumbed to the Abyss' withering attacks.

As he took a few more shots at the Chaos he saw the red unit and the white one split up to take the Abyss in a pincer movement. Rather than wait for the two prongs to take shape the blue prototype charged the white unit. The ZAKU Phantom cut loose with its beam rifle before bringing up its beam tomahawk and managed to block the Abyss' strike. Meanwhile the red ZAKU closed from behind and attempted to take it out, but the enemy pilot had sharp reflexes and climbed to avoid getting hit.

His gaze drifting up past the Abyss, Athrun caught a glimpse of the Gaia racing for altitude. It was possible that the third machine was going for the docks, but it was hard to tell; the flight path was not a straight line for the top of this half of the colony.

A groan from Cagalli took his attention away from the Gaia and to his passenger. "Cagalli! Can you hear me?"

She nodded, although her eyes looked hazy, and Athrun thought she might be suffering a concussion. Blood still trickled down her forehead from the cut, but at least she was conscious. "I think so…ow! Damn it, my head!"

Athrun sighed. "I'm sorry, that was my fault. I should've been more careful."

Amazingly he saw her shake her head and give him a weak smile. "Idiot… don't worry about it. Where are we?"

"In the middle of a fight," he replied, turning his attention back to the screen, "but not for long. Reinforcements are here, which means I'm getting you somewhere safe!"

"Where's that?" she asked, "We don't know where the shelters are."

Athrun shook his head, an idea coming to mind. "No, but I've got the next best thing. Hang on!"

….

Gripping the arms of the command chair, Talia's eyes narrowed as she watched the battle unfold on the main monitor. It was good to see Shinn, Lunamaria, and Rey engaging the enemy and holding their own, but it would've been better had Burt and Malik survived to be able to join them.

Rest in peace, you two, she thought solemnly, and… forgive me.

She could not afford to dwell on the dead; the battle was still in full swing. For the moment the Minerva remained in her dock, though from the outside chatter Meyrin was relaying to her that was likely to change soon.

"The Vidar's been destroyed!" the girl cried, "All her mobile suits have also been lost! The destroyer Hawking reports a battleship of unknown classification decloaked and attacked her from behind! Enemy mobile suits were launched nearly simultaneously with the Vidar's loss."

"Mirage Colloid!" she fumed, "That's a treaty violation right there. Did the Hawking report the contact's markings and IFF signature?"

"Ma'am, they said the ship wasn't using a standard beacon and had no recognizable markings!" Meyrin replied, "It doesn't match anything listed in the official Alliance naval roster!"

"Are they renegades?" asked Arthur, "Pirates?"

"Save the speculation for later," Talia ordered, "We can worry about who they are after we've defeated them and secured Armory One! For now designate the unknown battleship as Bogey One! Have the Hawking and all active external forces send us every bit of data they pick up on that ship!"

Arthur nodded. "Aye, Captain."

"Captain, Impulse is on the line!" yelled Meyrin.

Talia nodded. "Put Shinn through."

The young pilot's voice appeared on the main monitor. "Captain, I need a Force Silhouette to fight these guys more effectively!"

Arthur stepped forward. "Shinn, we can't do that! You know we don't have the authorization to reveal that yet!"

"I'll allow it," Talia cut in.

Arthur turned to her. "But Captain, we can't…"

"There's no need to keep it a secret at this point," Talia replied before looking behind her, "Isn't that right, Chairman?"

Chairman Durandal was standing on the level above her, and he wasn't alone. Two of his aides were with him, along with a young brown-haired woman that Talia did not recognize. She wasn't dressed in a military or government uniform. In fact, she appeared to be a member of the press corps.

The Chairman looked momentarily startled that she had noticed him, but he quickly composed himself and nodded. "Yes, I agree. Holding it back at this point would be foolish."

"Chairman Durandal!" said Arthur with a start, "You're on board!"

"Yes," he replied before turning back to Talia, "I apologize for boarding without permission."

Talia smiled. "Well, it's not like I could refuse you entry. I'm fine with the aides too, but… who is she?"

The young woman stepped forward. "Marilyn Peterson, independent photo journalist, ma'am. I got separated from the press corps in the confusion and ran into the Chairman. Since I couldn't get to a shelter he was willing to bring me here for my safety."

"I'm sorry, Talia," said Durandal, "I hope this won't be a problem."

Talia nodded. "It's all right. Miss Peterson, as long as you do not interfere with our operations make yourself at home. We will look after you until we can safely disembark you somewhere."

Marilyn nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Captain."

Talia turned to her XO. "Arthur, don't just stand there. Get the Force Silhouette out there now!"

Arthur gulped and nodded. "Right away, Captain!"

As he XO moved to carry out her orders she looked back at Durandal, who smiled at her.

"Talia," he said, "you didn't seem surprised that I had boarded."

Talia shook her head. "I saw you board on one of the external cameras. I advise that you strap yourself in, Chairman. I doubt that we'll be sitting here for long."

Durandal nodded and took a seat in the VIP chair. "Of course. Command as you see fit, Talia; I'll stay out of your way."

Talia nodded. "Thank you, Chairman."

"Force Silhouette is on the catapult!" yelled Meyrin, "Launching now!"

"Excellent!" said Arthur, his earlier hesitancy now brushed aside with anticipation, "Let's see how they like it when Shinn uses that against them!"

"New report from the Hawking!" cried Meyrin, "Captain, new contacts are emerging from the L4 debris field!"

Talia's eyes widened in shock. "That can't be right! Have the Hawking confirm!"

"One moment!" said Meyrin.

A few seconds later her voice rang out through the bridge again. "Hawking confirms contacts, all unmarked and no conventional IFF! Contacts are all warships. Counting six Typhoon-class destroyers, two Nelson-class battleships, and an Agamemnon-class carrier! Mobile suit launches confirmed!"

Talia's eyes widened still further. "Typhoons? How's that possible?"

ZAFT hadn't been the only military in the Earth Sphere to commission new warship classes in the aftermath of the Treaty of Junius Seven. Even though the Earth Alliance fleets still held numerical superiority over ZAFT they were still forced to make do with reduced numbers, and a new ship design program had been instituted to address that and other fleet concerns and develop more effective combat vessels.

The Typhoon-class destroyer was a product of that program. At 210 meters in length the black warships were meant to combine the roles of the Drake-class escort ship and the Nelson-class battleship into a single vessel. The destroyer had a very sleek appearance, with a streamlined upper hull that curved slightly up and leveled off before getting to an upraised bridge and then lowering again until it came to the tail fin. It had been commented by some that the vessels actually bore a passing resemblance to the old Typhoon-class nuclear missile submarines once used by the long-since defunct Soviet Union, though personally Talia had a hard time picking out any similarities other than the name.

The new destroyers were formidable vessels. Their powerful engines and comparatively light hull allowed them to match the speed of ZAFT's Nazca-class destroyer, making the Typhoon-class the first such Earth Alliance vessel to garner that achievement. Armaments wise the destroyer borrowed elements from both the Drake-class escort ship and the heavier Nelson-class battleship. From the former it took the six bow-mounted torpedo launchers, and on the new destroyer those were mounted at the bow as well, capable of delivering a powerful spread against enemy warships or space stations. It also employed two of the Drake-class's four ten barrel missile launchers, one mounted on each side of the ship. From the Nelson-class the ship took the three twin beam turrets, two mounted on the upper hull and one on the bottom. For the topside guns one was in front of the bridge and the other was behind it. Also topside was an 8-cell Vertical Launch System, capable of deploying both anti-air and anti-ship missiles. Finally, the Typhoon-class deployed the Nelson-class's eight twin machine gun turrets for close-in defense. The warship also contained six mobile suits, typically of the newer Dagger L type, and these were deployed from a single linear catapult that came out in a gap up front between the upper and lower sections of the hull.

The Typhoon-class was certainly a potent design, but it was not invincible by any means. Its principle weakness was its light armor, a necessary feature in order to achieve its high speed but making it more suitable for hit-and-run strikes than prolonged slugging matches. Also, if the forward torpedo launchers or the side missile launcher were hit before they discharged their payloads then the result would be a pyrotechnic catastrophe.

"This has to be the Alliance attacking us!" shouted Arthur, "Typhoon-class destroyers are among the newest vessels in their fleet!"

"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet," said Durandal, "I've been made aware by our intelligence services of several recent shipjackings out at the L2 yards. It's entirely possible that we are dealing with a rogue faction."

Privately Talia hoped as much, though she had her doubts. The last thing she wanted was a return to full-scale war with the Earth Alliance, but for this whole attack to be the work of mere renegades was a hard pill to swallow.

One thing was for sure, though; the Minerva could no longer remain in her cradle. If the new battle group was attacking from the L4 debris field then the ZAFT task force assigned to protect Armory One would be horribly out of position since it had moved to respond to the strike from Bogey One. If the ZAFT forces here, not to mention the colony itself, were to stand a chance at surviving today then the new battleship had to take the field.

Talia turned to Durandal. "Chairman, I apologize, but at this rate the entire colony will be at risk. I must launch the Minerva at once if we're to salvage the situation."

To her relief she saw him calmly nod. "I understand, Talia. I trust your judgment in this matter."

She nodded and turned to Meyrin. "Contact docking control! We're taking the Minerva out at once!"

It's time for our new battleship's combat debut, she thought, I just hope that she's ready!

"Ma'am!" cried Meyrin, "I've got a ZAKU on the line, but it's not piloted by one of our soldiers!"

"What?" said Talia, "Patch it through at once!"

On the main monitor she saw a young man with dark blue hair and blue eyes… along with a familiar blond-haired woman with a trickle of blood running down her forehead.

"This is Alex Dino! I have Orb Chief Representative Cagalli Yula Athha with me in this mobile suit. She's wounded and needs immediate medical attention! Minerva, please respond!"

Talia turned to Durandal, who gave her a nod. She then turned back to Meyrin. "Let them board, and have a medical team standing by in the hangar!"

As Meyrin carried out her orders Talia looked at Arthur. "Get launch preparations underway at once! I want docking control to begin lowering us for launch as soon as that ZAKU's aboard!"

"Aye, Captain!" her XO replied.

….

"Heh," Auel chuckled as he gained altitude, "Slowpokes!"

He and Sting rained down fire on the three ZAFT mobile suits below as they ascended to meet Stella. The Gaia was almost in position to create their escape hatch, and it was up to the Abyss and Chaos to screen her. Fortunately with the green ZAKU breaking off and the superior speed of the Abyss and Chaos it had been relatively easy for Auel and Sting to keep ahead of the Coordinators and push them back with almost non-stop fire.

"Auel, watch out!" said Sting, "Something's happening below with that new model!"

Auel's eyes narrowed as he saw the unit with the giant swords actually pull back. It then put those swords away and the pack that they'd been returned to detached from the machine. Auel saw another pack meet up with the mobile suit almost as soon as the old one had left, and as it latched on to the unit its Variable Phase Shift Armor began to change color, this time settling on a blue and white design.

The new pack was a red and black one with four wings in an X-pattern. In its right hand it now held a beam rifle, while in its left it had ignited a violet beam saber. Also on the left arm was mounted a larger shield. The effects of the new pack were readily apparent as the ZAFT mobile suit rapidly accelerated and ascended ahead of its comrades.

"Shit," growled Sting, "Auel, here he comes!"

"I see him," snarled Auel as he unleashed a new bombardment, "Suck on this, fucktard!"

Crimson and emerald death flew forth, but the new model moved like a completely different machine now. It was much faster now than it had been earlier and when combined with the skills of its pilot it was quite capable of not only evading the shots but actually advancing through the barrage. The enemy raised his rifle and returned fire, forcing Auel and Sting to split up to avoid getting hit.

"Damn it!" yelled Auel as he continued to fire, "He just keeps coming!"

"Stella!" shouted Sting, "We need that escape route now! We're not going to be able to keep them off you much longer!"

"Hang on!" Stella replied, "Firing now!"

Up above, Auel saw the Gaia cut loose against the wall of the colony with its beam rifle. It fired shot after shot, and the section of the wall Stella was hitting soon began to glow orange, with multiple fractures showing.

"Auel, pay attention!" snapped Sting, "He's almost here!"

"Shit!" growled Auel as he turned back towards the new model.

Sting was right; the ZAFT machine had closed the gap at an incredible pace. It once again cut loose with precision fire from its rifle, and this time Auel was forced to use the shoulder-binders to protect himself from the beams.

"Bring it on!" he screamed as he brought up his beam lance.

Sting moved forward as well, his beam saber ignited and ready. In a moment the new model was upon them. Auel lashed out to with his lance, but to his astonishment the ZAFT pilot struck back not by parrying the blow but by cutting through the handle of the weapon, turning what remained into a useless piece of metal. The Chaos tried to strike from behind, but it was forced to break off due to beam rifle fire from the other two approaching ZAFT mobile suits.

"Stella!" roared Sting, "Now or never!"

"Hurry up, bitch!" Auel sneered.

"Shut up!" Stella shot back, "I've got this!"

A final shot from the Gaia was enough to breach the wall. A hole opened up, one easily large enough for a mobile suit to fit through. Immediately Auel could feel the pull of the vacuum of space, and he didn't fight it. Gunning his engines, he joined Sting and Stella in their flight from the colony.

"All right," said Sting, "Let's get out of here!"

….

"Those bastards!" cried Shinn, "How could they do that?"

When the three stolen mobile suits had ascended, Shinn had been under the impression that they would ultimately try to access the docks in the central part of the colony that connected the two main sections. Never had he imagined that they would actually blast their way out through the colony's wall.

"Considering the carnage they wrought below, I doubt they care too much about collateral damage," said Rey.

"We can't let them get away with this!" yelled Lunamaria, "We have to go after them!"

Shinn nodded. "Agreed. Let's go!"

Impulse and Lunamaria's ZAKU took off for the hole right away, but Rey was hesitant. "Shinn, Lunamaria, wait! We don't know the situation outside the colony! We can't just rush out there!"

"We have to!" Shinn replied, "It's because we don't know that we need to get out there! Besides, we have to stop those guys!"

"He's right, Rey!" said Lunamaria, "Come on, don't you have our backs?"

Shinn was worried for a moment, but he was relieved when Rey acquiesced. "Okay, I'm right behind you two."

Shinn braced himself as he passed through the hole. The damage could be fixed, and he hoped that by now the people that lived in this half of the colony had gotten to the shelters, but it still hurt him to know that their battle had caused this.

They'll pay for this, he mentally snarled, They'll all pay!

The scowl disappeared from his face, replaced by a look of astonishment as he saw what was happening outside the colony. "What the hell is this?"

If he'd thought the battle inside Armory One was intense then that engagement paled in comparison to the clash that was going on out here. A full-on space fight was underway, the likes of which hadn't been seen since the last war. An expanding debris field was all that remained of the cruiser Vidar, and Shinn could see an unknown battleship ripping into a Nazca-class destroyer with a hail of emerald beams. ZAKUs and GuAIZ Rs had deployed from the other ZAFT destroyers and frigates charged with defending the colony, but like the forces inside Armory One they were disorganized. Dagger Ls were engaging the ZAFT mobile suits, along with two unknown machines. The three stolen prototypes were making a beeline for the unidentified battleship.

"Shinn, look!" yelled Lunamaria, "Over by the L4 debris field!"

Shinn followed her instruction, and his eyes widened in shock. "You've got to be kidding!"

An entire battle group had emerged from the L4 debris field. The six black Typhoon-class destroyers had formed a curved vanguard, screening the two Nelson-class battleships and the single Agamemnon-class carrier behind them. The vessels bore no signature identifiers and were not broadcasting regular IFF beacons, so despite being models used by the Earth Alliance it was impossible to definitively determine whose flag they were really flying under. Out in front of the battle group was a horde of black Dagger Ls, and the entire force was heading for the colony.

"Our force is out of position!" said Rey, "They redeployed to fight the unknown battleship and now Armory One's completely exposed!"

"Hey, guys!" cried Lunamaria, "I've got a new contact emerging from the bottom of the colony. It's the Minerva!"

….

"Armory One docking control confirms we've completely cleared the colony!" shouted Meyrin, "Captain, we're good to go!"

But go where?, Talia thought solemnly, How do we deploy what strength we have left in such a situation?

No matter how she looked at things the situation appeared to be untenable. With most of Armory One's patrol screen currently mixed up with Bogey One and its mobile suits the logical deployment for the Minerva would be to shield the colony from the battle group that had emerged from L4. However, not only would she be outnumbered and outgunned but she did not have her mobile suits with her. Shinn, Lunamaria, and Rey were pursuing the stolen prototypes, and even if she recalled them she still did not know if that would be enough for the Minerva to triumph. There was also the fact that the PLANT Supreme Council Chairman was on board the battleship; by all rights Talia knew that she should've been focused on withdrawing and getting Durandal to a safe place. However, the new battle group was on an attack vector for Armory One, and with the brutality that the three hijackers had shown the colony Talia doubted that this force intended to show it any mercy. Over 170,000 people were on that colony; she couldn't just abandon them. A frigate and destroyer had broken off from the fight with Bogey One and were on their way to support the Minerva, but Talia did not know if they would make it in time.

Talia sighed as she issued her order. "Meyrin, have Shinn, Lunamaria, and Rey break off their pursuit of the stolen units. We're going to need their help over here."

Meyrin nodded. "Understood, Captain."

Talia turned to Durandal. "I'm sorry, Chairman."

Durandal shook his head. "Don't be, Talia. The lives on Armory One should come before those three machines."

Talia was relieved to hear that. "Thank you, sir. However… even with Shinn and the others with us, I'm not sure if we can win."

"I believe we can," said Durandal, "I trust your abilities, Talia."

Talia turned back to the main monitor, sparing one last look at the three stolen prototypes. It stung to let them get away like this, but what choice did she have?

Suddenly the sensor operator's voice rang out. "Captain, we've got an energy spike out there, coming from below the stolen prototypes… it's massive!"

Talia's gaze was still on the three hijacked machines when her subordinate spoke…

…which meant that she very clearly saw the Abyss get consumed by a tsunami of golden-yellow hellfire.

Start "Last Impression"

Her blood turned to ice, her face became as pale as snow, and she could've sworn her heart stopped beating. She'd only seen a blast like that during the last war; only one mobile suit had a weapon like that.

No…

It cannot be…

Not him…

The entire battlefield seemed to have frozen with that one shot, and Talia had a feeling that she knew damn well why. If this was her reaction to seeing a resurrected demon, then she could only imagine what the others on both sides of the fight were feeling.

"What the hell?" cried the sensor officer, "Captain, new contact! You've got to see this!"

The main monitor shifted, revealing the new contact…

…and changed everything.

It had clearly undergone some modifications since the last war. The color scheme was now primarily white and blue, with a bit of red beneath the cockpit and a red fin sticking out of each forearm. The shoulder armor had been streamlined, with a curved form rather than the rectangular hull segments from before. Two railguns had been added to the hips, and they appeared to be the same type used on the Freedom.

However, the most obvious change by far had been the replacement of the thruster pods with four angelic white wings, split into two pairs, one pair larger than the other. Out of the smaller pair flowed blue and white thruster fire, while out of the larger one came a stream of azure light waves.

Despite all these changes and more, the mobile suit was unmistakable. The green chest and eye sensors, the distinctive yellow head-crest, the panels concealing the shoulder-mounted machine cannons, a drawn and ignited emerald beam saber in its right hand, and that fearsome rifle in its left…

"That's impossible!" shouted Arthur, "It was destroyed! The whole world saw it get demolished!"

Talia numbly nodded. She had watched it too, and had breathed a sigh of relief when it had occurred.

Apparently that relief had been premature.

I never believed that I would see you again…

…Wing Zero!

….

Underneath his mask, Colonel Nazara's eyes widened in amazement. He could feel the scars on his face beneath the mask begin to tingle as he looked upon the mobile suit that had just entered the battlefield.

It's been modified, he thought, but there's no mistake. That's definitely Wing Zero!

Slowly a smile began to creep across his face as he recalled their first encounter two years ago…

…the one that had given him those scars in the first place.

He chuckled as he poured power to his thrusters, rushing at this new enemy as fast as his mobile suit could take him.

"I've been waiting two years for this!" he cackled, "I just knew that the world was not rid of you yet! It's payback time, Wing Zero!"

….

"Auel!"

Stella was in a state of absolute shock at what had just occurred. She'd thought that they were home free; it would be child's play to make it through the fighting and dock with the Girty Lue. They had accomplished their mission, and all that had been left was to return to their ship and retreat.

And now Auel was dead.

And the mobile suit that had killed him was coming straight for her and Sting.

"You son of a bitch!" she heard Sting shout, "You'll pay for that!"

"Damn you!" cried Stella as she aimed at the mobile suit that was coming from below.

She and Sting opened fire in unison to avenge their fallen comrade. Emerald beams poured down at the incoming contact, but none of them found their mark. The enemy was incredibly swift, with the blue fire and azure light flowing from its four wings increasing in a brilliant burst as it weaved through their barrage.

"Get ready, Stella!" yelled Sting.

She brought up her beam saber as the blue and white mobile suit closed with her. Stella managed to block the strike from its emerald energy blade, but the power behind the blow was incredible, and she found herself being pushed back.

"What the hell is this thing?" she cried.

The new enemy broke off as the Chaos moved in for a flank attack. Stella saw Sting deploy his two weapons pod, and the fronts of them opened to launch their missiles. However, before they could let fly with their payloads the enemy opened fire with the two railguns mounted at its waist, and the precise shots caused the warheads to detonate inside the weapons pods and tear them apart.

"Oh, you motherfucker!" Sting snarled.

The two of them charged in, firing their rifles as they went. Once again the new mobile suit was too fast, weaving through their fire almost as if the pilot knew where they were going to shoot before they did. Stella's eyes widened in horror as she saw the machine rocket forward, propelled on a wave of blue fire and azure light, heading for the Chaos at a phenomenal speed.

"Sting, look out!" cried Stella.

She saw him raise his violet blade in preparation for the strike, but just before it reached saber range the enemy fired another salvo from its railguns. The precise shots slammed into the Chaos' cockpit, and while physical rounds could not pierce its Variable Phase Shift Armor the sheer power behind these slugs was enough to knock Sting off balance…

…and give the enemy an opening to stab its emerald blade through Sting's cockpit.

Her face paled and her eyes widened in horror as the Chaos exploded.

"Sting!"

Now the white-winged mobile suit turned towards her. Fear and rage battled within Stella. Auel and Sting had to be avenged, but if this foe could dispatch the two of them so easily then what chance did she have? Stella didn't know what she could do, but the anger building up within her was overpowering her fear, and she was determined to take this thing down.

However, before she could act the voice of Colonel Nazara came over the radio. "Stella, dive!"

Acting on instinct she obeyed the command. A split second latter Stella saw a hail of emerald beams fly through the space where she had just been. She watched as the new enemy folded its two larger wings in front of it, and a pair of shimmering blue energy barriers appeared over them, deflecting the barrage.

No way, she thought numbly, it has energy shields?

Turning back towards the source of the barrage, Stella saw not only the Nosferatu but also the Ronin coming in fast.

"Stella," said Nazara, "You must pull back; you'll run out of power soon!"

"But he killed Auel and Sting!" she cried, "He has to pay for that!"

"And he will," Nazara growled, "but you're not strong enough yet to fight him. Go back to the Girty Lue at once!"

Stella gulped and nodded. "Yes, sir."

….

Well, now, thought Heero Yuy as he watched the Gaia withdraw and the two new mobile suits move forward to engage him, more new models. Today's just full of surprises… so much for keeping a low profile.

Clad in his black flight suit and helmet, the Gundam pilot knew that he had landed himself in a very tricky situation. Behind the helmet visor his Prussian blue eyes narrowed in concentration, but despite the dangerous circumstances he was completely calm, with not a single bead of sweat on his forehead or in his thick brown hair. His body was as athletic and toned as ever, and aside from a minor growth spurt that put him at almost the same height as Murrue he hadn't changed much physically over the past two years. Constantly assessing the rapidly shifting battlefield around him, the eighteen-year-old Perfect Soldier readied himself to meet the two oncoming mobile suits.

One with wireless gunbarrels, he thought, and another with only a beam katana and CIWS… this should be interesting.

Regardless of the strength of his foes or their mobile suits he knew that he was more than up to the challenge, especially with the upgraded Wing Zero. The legendary Gundam was now officially designated the XXXG-00WA Wing Gundam Zero Albion, and if ZAFT and the Earth Alliance had hated fighting against the old version then Heero knew that they were absolutely going to loath taking onthis one.

Most of the core capabilities of Wing Zero remained with the Wing Zero Albion, but they had been significantly enhanced and many brand new features were also added to the machine. The legendary Twin Buster Rifle was still the crowning glory of the Gundam's armaments, and thanks to work Heero had done with Erica Simmons not only had its firepower been increased by twenty percent but the addition of new targeting sensors on the weapon itself and also within the mobile suit's forearms had improved accuracy by a full thirty percent. The clavicle-mounted machine cannons remained part of the arsenal, as did the two beam sabers, but added to the mix was a pair of waist-mounted MMI-M15 Xiphias rail cannons. When combined with Heero's considerable skill and the formidable ZERO System the arsenal was even more potent now than it had been in the last war.

The advancements and upgrades to the Gundam extended far beyond its weaponry. While the four white wings eliminated the Neo-Bird form that the original design was capable of they made up for that in so many other ways. For starters, both the inner and outer wing pairs housed the Gundam's propulsion systems. While the inner wings held more conventional thrusters, the outer wings had a special Voiture Lumiere electromagnetic-light-wave propulsion system, originally developed by the independent Deep Space Survey and Development Organization (DSSD) and acquired for Terminal thanks to the impressive intelligence network run by Eric Bristow. This combination of conventional thrusters and the Voiture Lumiere made the Wing Zero Albion extremely fast and agile, and Heero had measured the unit's new top speed as considerably higher than it had been with the old Neo-Bird form.

The two larger outer wings also took over the duties of shielding the Gundam since the older arm-mounted shield had been removed. Like the rest of the mobile suit all four wings were constructed from Gundanium alloy, and the two outer wings could act as heat shields during atmospheric reentry. Mounted within those two wings, in addition to the Voiture Lumiere, was a prototype energy shield system Erica had developed starting from the Planet Defensor technology Heero had provided her in the last war. The shield system, called the DSX-1 Shakō-tai, could deflect most energy and physical attacks, although a sustained and powerful barrage or an extremely heavy weapon like a positron cannon could overwhelm it. As for the smaller inner wings, not only did they house the conventional thrusters and stored the Gundam's beam sabers, but they also contained a modified version of the Deathscythe Hell's Hyper Jammer ECM Suite. The jammers were smaller than the ones carried on Duo's old machine, and Erica had used the designs provided by Heero to make them capable of distorting his Gundam's already-small sensor profile. It was that capability that had allowed Heero to infiltrate ZAFT's patrol screen without being detected.

The Gundam's communications suite had been completely overhauled. Its range had been significantly boosted and it had a brand new encryption system capable of relaying completely secure messages through any satellite network. Such a feature was very useful for Heero, especially since he planned on using it to report back to Murrue and the others once this fiasco had been settled. It was also much better able to scan and decrypt communications from other forces, and listening in on Armory One's internal radio traffic had been how he had discovered the theft of the Abyss, Chaos, and Gaia.

Heero'd had to make a quick decision on whether or not to interfere in the rapidly unfolding battle. He'd initially wanted to maintain his role as an observer but the entrance of the battle group from the L4 debris field combined with the deployment and swift advance of the two new models and the regular Dagger Ls from the decloaked battleship had forced his hand. The Gundam pilot had decided the best course of action would be to intercept and eliminate the three stolen prototypes as quickly as possible. Once that was complete he would then attack the new battle group that had emerged from the L4 debris field. He had fulfilled two-thirds of his first objective, but the arrival of the new gunbarrel machine had stopped him from going after the Gaia. Now the last hijacked unit was retreating, and Heero knew that at this point he would have to let it go.

It's been awhile since I've had a matchup like this, he thought as the gunbarrel mobile suit moved out ahead of the one with the beam katana, Bring it on.

….

Nazara could hardly contain his excitement as he rushed towards Wing Zero. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins like never before, the thrill of the imminent clash matched only by his fury at the thought of how their last battle had gone.

Not this time, he thought, This time I'm going to rip you apart!

"All right," he heard Sam say over the radio, "Finally someone who can fight!"

Nazara shook his head. "No, Sam! Go after the fourth prototype. Destroy or capture, I do not care. This one is mine!"

Once again he heard that insolent chuckle, but he didn't care. "You're the boss."

As the Ronin broke off Nazara brought the four gunbarrels, his rifle, and his linear guns to bear on Wing Zero. He cut loose with a furious barrage, determined to blast the mobile suit into atoms.

Of course, his foe wasn't about to make it easy on him. A brilliant burst of blue thruster fire and azure light from the four white wings propelled the mobile suit forward at blinding speed. Wing Zero was weaving its way through the bombardment like nothing Nazara had ever seen before; it was far faster than it had been in their clash at the Second Battle of Jachin Due.

Nazara sneered. "So you've got some new tricks, huh? Well so do I!"

The Nosferatu continued to pour fire at Wing Zero, altering the angle of its gunbarrels to keep the enemy off balance. Unfortunately the enemy seemed to be one step ahead of him, and before the Colonel knew it the mobile suit had closed to beam saber range.

There was a brilliant clash as the emerald and violet blades met. Sparks of energy flew everywhere, and Nazara was amazed at the power behind Wing Zero's strike. The Nosferatu's nuclear reactor meant that it was better able to withstand a blade-to-blade encounter with a powerful enemy, but even then the Colonel still realized that he was actually being pushed back. He maneuvered his gunbarrels to flank the enemy, but his foe had apparently seen the move coming and broke off, bringing its outer wings around and using their shimmering blue energy shields to deflect the barrage.

Then Wing Zero returned fire with a brilliant blast from its legendary rifle. Nazara was forced to dive to evade the shot, and as he reoriented himself towards his foe Wing Zero was already closing in on him. Once again their beam sabers met, and once again Nazara tried to set his foe up in a gunbarrel pincer. Wing Zero broke off after the exchange again, but instead of just pulling away the mobile suit went to Nazara's upper right and sliced one of the gunbarrels in half before putting distance between itself and the Nosferatu.

Nazara growled as the weapon was destroyed. "Bastard! I'm not finished yet!"

End "Last Impression"

….

"Holy shit…" muttered Shinn.

Sure, nothing today had gone the way that he had expected it to, but the very last thing he'd planned on seeing was a mobile suit that was supposed to have been destroyed after the end of the last war. Not only that, but apparently it had been upgraded and was now more powerful than ever.

"Did… did you guys see that?" said Lunamaria softly, like she couldn't believe what was happening, "Tell me I'm not the only one that just saw that!"

Shinn certain couldn't blame her for that.

Even Rey, normally the picture of cool and collected, could not conceal his surprise. "That's impossible…"

Shinn was in full agreement with that. Not only was Wing Zero apparently back from the mechanical dead, but it had just destroyed two of the stolen prototypes in a matter of seconds whereas Shinn and his friends had only been able to drive them from Armory One and attempt to pursue them. The Gaia would've soon joined the Abyss and Chaos were it not for the intervention of another mobile suit… one that the Impulse's sensors were telling Shinn was nuclear powered.

He was snapped out of his little funk by the voice of Meyrin on the radio. "Shinn, Rey, Luna, where are you guys? We need you over here now!"

Checking his sensors Shinn saw the Minerva preparing to square off with the incoming unidentified battle group. The odds against the ship would be long as it was, but without mobile suit support she didn't have a chance in hell. Still, this latest development could not go ignored either.

"Meyrin, what about Wing Zero?" he asked, "You guys are seeing this, right?"

"We are," Meyrin replied, "and the Captain's orders are to ignore it for now!"

Shinn was stunned. "Ignore it? Meyrin, what the hell?"

"Hey!" Lunamaria snapped, "Don't talk to my sister that way!"

"Shinn, I'm sorry, but those are the Captain's orders!" said Meyrin, "So far Wing Zero's only attacked the stolen prototypes and one of the unknown mobile suits. As long as it's not attacking us then the Captain wants us to focus on the units that are!"

"She's right, Shinn," said Rey, "and without our help there's no way the Minerva will survive."

Shinn sighed; they had a point. "Okay, we're coming!"

"Incoming contact, moving fast!" cried Lunamaria, "Shinn, it's heading right for you!"

Once again his eyes widened, and as he checked his display he saw a black mobile suit with a red skull in a diamond on its chest heading right for him. He saw no other weapons apart from CIWS and a beam katana, but Shinn didn't take that to mean that this fight would be an easy one.

"I'll take care of this guy!" he said, "Luna, Rey, go help the Minerva! I'll catch up when I'm done here!"

"Got it," Lunamaria replied, "Good luck!"

"Be careful, Shinn," said Rey as the two of them pulled away.

Shinn nodded. "You too."

Start "The Only Thing I Know For Real"

He raised his rifle and fired off a few shots at the approaching machine, but it dodged his fire with what seemed to be contemptuous ease. The enemy rapidly closed the distance and Shinn barely had time to bring his beam saber up to block an overhand strike from the beam katana.

Shinn tried to counter, but the enemy had swiftly transitioned into a second attack, this time a horizontal slash. Once again Shinn was able to deflect the blow, but he found himself quickly giving ground to his enemy.

"Damn it!" he hissed, "This guy's good!"

After parrying another attack Shinn finally found an opening to counter. Gunning his engines he pushed forward and hit the black mobile suit with his shield. He followed that up with a beam saber thrust, but the enemy was able to recover in time to redirect the blow. Then the black machine made a counterattack of its own, once again forcing Shinn onto the defensive.

I don't have time for this, he thought as he traded strikes with his foe, There's too much at stake here for me to be stuck in some duel!

The unknown battleship that had downed the Vidar was still mauling the colony's patrol screen. A Laurasia-class frigate had just fallen to concentrated fire from its bow beam cannons, while the battleship's four black Dagger Ls worked in tandem with its CIWS and missile launchers to shred any ZAFT mobile suits that tried to attack them. Out of the corner of his eye Shinn could see the upgraded Wing Zero continuing its fierce clash with the gunbarrel mobile suit, weaving through and deflecting emerald particle beams while returning fire with its legendary rifle and crossing sabers with its foe.

Lunamaria and Rey were rushing towards the Minerva as fast as they could, but it was a race against the clock; a horde of black Dagger Ls had advanced well out in front of the enemy battle group and would soon be upon ZAFT's new battleship. A Laurasia-class frigate and a Nazca-class destroyer were closer and had already deployed ZAKUs and GuAIZ Rs to aid the vessel but they would be hard pressed to fight off the approaching force. Shinn's orders were clear; he had to get to the Minerva and fight alongside her, and in order to do that he had to take care of his current adversary as fast as possible.

As if sensing his frustration a male voice came over the radio on an open channel, and Shinn knew that it was his foe. "Eyes over here, boy! Your dance is with me!"

Shinn shook his head in disgust as he parried another blow. "Dance? This isn't a game, you bastard!"

He heard his enemy chuckle as Shinn struck back. "So uptight. You really need to loosen up, boy."

"Let's see you say that after I kick your ass!" Shinn shouted.

The Impulse and the black mobile suit continued to exchange blows, and while Shinn was occasionally able to make some offensive moves by and large his enemy was the one in command of this fight. The enemy moved with incredible speed and precision, making well timed attacks, blocks, and counters. It was clear to Shinn that he was fighting an experienced foe, but he wasn't about to let that intimidate him.

"You know," he heard his foe say as Shinn managed to make a horizontal slash at him, one that was expertly parried, "you're not half bad. I'm almost tempted to let you walk away from this one; you'd be much more fun to fight once you had a few more battles under your belt."

"Fun?" said Shinn incredulously as he blocked a swift strike, "This isn't fun at all!"

"Perhaps not for you," his enemy replied, "but there are those of us that get our kicks this way. Maybe once you get a taste for it you'll change your mind!"

"Just shut up already!" Shinn yelled as their blades met again.

His foe chuckled. "Temper, temper… you won't last long if you let yourself get riled up so easily."

Shinn ground his teeth together as the frustration built within him. His friends and the entire colony were at risk here and here he was stuck in a duel with a maniac.

"I don't care what you say," Shinn growled as he blocked another slash, "You're not going to defeat me!"

End "The Only Thing I Know For Real"

….

"Here they come!" cried the sensor operator.

On the main monitor Talia could see the lead Dagger L squadrons moving in to attack her ship. Off in the distance she could see the capital ships were actually taking a different vector, and she realized that they were going to try to move around the Minerva while she was occupied with the mobile suits and attack Armory One directly.

"CIWS and interceptor missiles, fire at will!" she ordered, "Helm, no matter what happens, keep us between the enemy warships and the colony!"

Streams of bullets filled the sky around the battleship as the CIWS opened up. Several small missiles also flew from their launchers and raced towards their targets. A handful of Dagger Ls were downed by the anti-air fire but the rest were able to go evasive, with some shooting down missiles and others taking the fire on their shields.

Fortunately the Minerva no longer stood alone; the ZAKUs and GuAIZ Rs launched from the destroyer Neil deGrasse Tyson and the frigate Fermi were engaging the enemy units. Meanwhile Lunamaria's ZAKU and Rey's ZAKU Phantom were mere seconds away from joining the fray.

Unfortunately the destroyer and the frigate themselves were still a little ways off, and Talia needed them to join the battleship as quickly as possible if they were to stand a chance at halting the enemy's advance. She would have to play things very carefully if she wanted to get her ship and crew through this mess in one piece. Meanwhile a vicious furball was unfolding around the ship, and while the ZAFT pilots had scored a few kills two ZAKUS and a GuAIZ R had already fallen to enemy fire. Her comrades were fighting well, but Talia realized that from the way they were fighting the enemy pilots were likely combat veterans, and there were very few of those on ZAFT's side of the fight out here.

"Can we get a firing solution on any of the enemy warships?" she asked.

"Not yet," Arthur replied, "The distance is still too great!"

"Keep trying," Talia ordered, "As soon as you get a clear shot, take it!"

The ship rumbled as a Doppelhorn Dagger pounded the battleship's starboard side. "Damage report!"

"Armor's holding for now," said an officer, "but we need to get that thing off us before it can concentrate its fire in that spot!"

Talia could see the unit that had scored the hit on screen, and it did indeed look like it was trying to keep itself oriented on that particular spot despite fire from the CIWS and the missile launchers. Then she saw an emerald beam pierce the black Dagger L and destroy it.

"Hey!" came Lunamaria's voice over the radio, "Sorry we're late!"

Up on the main monitor Talia watched as Lunamaria's custom red ZAKU fired off a volley from its rifle, taking out another Dagger L and forcing others to scatter. To Lunamaria's left Talia saw Rey's white ZAKU Phantom open up with its rifle as well, scoring a kill and continuing to break up the enemy's formations.

"Luna!" cried Meyrin with joy.

Talia smiled. "Excellent timing, you two. Where's Impulse?"

"Engaged with another enemy," Rey replied, "and one that is apparently quite skilled."

Adjusting her personal monitor, Talia brought up the Impulse's engagement. She could see that Rey was quite right as Shinn continued to cross blades with a custom black mobile suit wielding a beam katana. Occasionally Impulse was able to get off a shot or two with its beam rifle but by and large the enemy appeared able to keep the fight mostly close-quarters, and it clearly had Shinn on the ropes.

Damn it, she thought, Without the Impulse over here our defense is severely weakened. Shinn, you have to hurry up!

"We'll just have to trust that he can handle it," she said to her pilots, "In the meantime continue to defend the Minerva!"

"Roger that," the two replied in unison.

"Sensors," said Talia, "I don't suppose Wing Zero's on its way over here to save our hides, is it?"

"Negative, Captain," said the operator, "It's still engaged with an unknown enemy."

Talia nodded. "So we're on our own, then. We'll just have to make do."

Strange, she mused, after encountering that machine in the past as an enemy it feels odd to find myself in a position where it could potentially be an ally. Yes, Wing Zero has not communicated with us yet, but neither has it attacked us. I suppose I shouldn't be greedy. After all, if it turns on us, we're dead.

CIWS and missile fire continued to flow from the Minerva into the fray as the ZAFT mobile suits mixed it up with their unidentified counterparts. The first enemy wave had been bloodied, but reinforcements had already joined the party, and the mobile suits from the Tyson and Fermi had suffered additional casualties.

The ship rumbled from more impacts, though they weren't as hard as the previous one had been. Talia took that as a good sign since it meant that the Dagger Ls with the heavier Doppelhorn packs had either taken more casualties or were just unable to line up shots on the Minerva. Their situation was still grim though, and with every ZAKU and GuAIZ R that fell the heavier the burden became for Lunamaria and Rey.

It would be better if Luna had her Gunner pack equipped, she thought, but we can't afford to have her dock with us and switch out packs right now.

"Incoming squadron!" cried the sensor operator, "It's heading right for the bridge!"

Talia's eyes narrowed as she saw a group of four Dagger Ls, two with Doppelhorn packs and two in standard configuration, coming in fast. "Concentrate fire along their vector and have Luna and Rey intercept them!"

On the screen she saw one of the Doppelhorn Dagger Ls get ripped apart by an interceptor missile. The second one fell prey to beam fire from Lunamaria, and one of the regular units was eliminated by rifle fire from Rey. However, the fourth machine was still intact and incoming… and its rifle was trained on the bridge.

No, she thought as her face paled, It can't end here!

She saw the enemy's rifle barrel glow green, a nanosecond away from a beam flying forth and piercing the bridge…

…before an emerald blade sliced the machine in half.

Talia's eyes widened in shock as the Dagger L exploded. A curved emerald blade seemed to have materialized out of thin air.

"What the hell was that?" asked Arthur.

Talia watched as the space directly in front of the bridge seemed to shift. The emerald blade now appeared to be attached to a long pole, and a large black figure was becoming visible.

"A stealth unit?" asked Meyrin, "One of ours?"

"Can't be," said Arthur, "We don't have any…"

The black shadow continued to shift, materializing as a mobile suit… one completely unlike any that Talia had ever seen before. The weapon that had destroyed the attacking Dagger L was now clearly recognizable as a beam scythe, which she supposed was fitting given the appearance of this new machine. It was predominantly black and dark grey. A jet black cloak that had been over its main hull now opened up, taking on the appearance of the wings of a bat. It was like the Grim Reaper had been brought to the physical world in mobile suit form.

"Ma'am!" cried Meyrin, "Open channel transmission coming from the new contact!"

"Get it on speaker!" Talia ordered.

A surprisingly cheerful voice rang out on the bridge, its good cheer all the more disturbing thanks to the grim proclamation it was making.

"The God of Death is back from Hell!"

Preview for next time!

The battle for Armory One continues, and even with the arrival of Wing Zero Albion on the scene the final outcome is not yet secure. Locked in a duel with the formidable Colonel Nazara, Heero is unable to act to stop Phantom Pain's Force Alpha from heading for the colony. Fortunately, the arrival of some old friends may be enough to turn the tide of the battle. Next time, on "Destiny's Call", Episode Three: The Five Gods of War.

Those who lay eyes on a Gundam shall not live to tell the tale…

Author's Notes: All right, it's official; the other four Gundam boys have arrived! Unfortunately you'll have to wait for the next chapter to witness their glorious beat down of Phantom Pain's forces.

If you're a fan of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance then you know that Sam Rodrigues is from that game. He's not the only character that I'll be bringing over from that game to my fic, and characters from other games may also make an appearance. If you read Journey to a New Battlefield then you're already familiar with how I like to handle stuff like that.

Phantom Pain's been greatly expanded for the purpose of this story when compared to their role in SEED Destiny canon. Consider them to be more like the Third Reich's SS than just a special forces organization, and yes, that Patriot Youth that I mentioned early in the chapter is pretty much the Atlantic Federation's Hitler Youth.

Hope you liked the chapter! Please review!