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?)

11. Chapter 11

Author's notes: Hey there, it's been a while! Sorry for the delay, I tried to compress the chapter compared to previous ones, but as always that's a case of easier said than done.

Only two songs for the chapter: "Shoot to Thrill" by AC/DC and "Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin.

Enjoy!

Episode Eleven: Tipping Point

It was fortunate that Cagalli had the back of the government sedan to herself at the moment; if any of her ministers, let alone the Seirans, had been with her she would've been sorely tempted to chuck them out the door onto the highway. As things were she was still fuming over the most recent meeting, and she dearly needed some time to herself even if it was just for an hour or two at the most.

I can't believe they did that, she thought, I know they dislike Coordinators and want to ally with the Earth Alliance, but still… they actually went after the Minerva. That ship helped save the world, but they still tried to serve them up to the Atlantic Federation on a silver platter. I'm just glad they were able to escape.

She had gotten no small amount of satisfaction from the frustration Yuna and Unato had exhibited at the meeting when they'd talked about the ZAFT battleship slipping through their fingers. None of the gathered ministers knew who had tipped off the Minerva's crew that security teams were coming to seize the ship, but Cagalli had no doubt in her mind who had slipped them that critical bit of intelligence before it was too late; Terminal. It was good to know that her friends could still act independently and follow the ideals that had brought them all together… and it made her all the more ashamed at just how far her government had fallen by comparison.

The title of Chief Representative meant nothing now. It was an empty label thanks to the machinations of the Seirans and their backers in the Atlantic Federation. All Cagalli could do was watch helplessly as her country moved further and further into the orbit of the Earth Alliance. Anti-Coordinator policies hadn't been introduced as of yet, but Cagalli was sure that it was just a matter of time. To make matters worse, there was no way that she could stop them from going into effect.

"Ma'am," said the driver as the car came to a stop, "We're here."

Cagalli nodded as one of her guards opened the door for her. "Thank you."

The cool afternoon air felt good on her face, but she could find little joy in the place she had come to. It was certainly a lovely area; a park that overlooked the sea would always be popular with people. However, it had been cordoned off today due to her visit, and there was a very specific reason why she had come to this spot today.

It was the memorial park that had been commissioned in honor of her late father. Walking down the central path, Cagalli could see the large gravestone up ahead. There was no actual body here, of course; Uzumi Nara Athha had been burned to ashes when he had destroyed the Kaguya Mass Driver during the last war. It had been considered improper to leave him without some sort of marker, though, so this modest memorial had been created. Cagalli felt that it was quite fitting for her father, although she knew that others believed it wasn't grand enough for a man like him.

"Give me some space," she said to her security detail, "Don't worry; I won't be here too long."

Her guards silently nodded and backed off as she approached the marker. A soft breeze gently tussled her hair, while the smell of salt from the sea felt almost refreshing given the circumstances. She sighed as she looked down at the gravestone, wondering what her father would think if he could see her now.

"I failed you," she said softly, "Father… I'm so sorry."

The legacy of the Lion of Orb was being torn apart even as she spoke. The nation's promise of neutrality and sanctuary to both Naturals and Coordinators rang utterly hollow in light of the policies pursued by the Seirans and the ministers. The military might've been rebuilt, but now it would serve as little more than a glorified auxiliary force for the Earth Alliance. The nobles had been given a choice between dishonor and war. They had chosen dishonor, but they would have war anyway.

Father, she thought in despair, I don't know what to do…

Her power was gone, but that had not eased the crushing weight on her shoulders. There was a powerful moral obligation to stand up to both the Seirans and the Earth Alliance that she could not deny, not the least due to the fact that they had brought about a new world war that would consume countless lives if it was not ended quickly. However, she had no idea how to oppose them at this point. If she wanted force of arms then reaching out to her friends in Terminal was the way to go, but her opponents would simply brand her as a wannabe dictator launching a coup to hold on to power, and the truly depressing part was that there would be some truth to that accusation. She wanted desperately to save her country, but would she really have to do it at gunpoint?

"I thought I'd find you here," said a familiar male voice from behind her.

Cagalli scowled as she turned around and saw Yuna strolling towards her. "I thought I made it clear that I wanted some space, Yuna. Why are you following me?"

Yuna smiled and held up his hands. "Easy there, Cagalli! Rest assured that I did not come out here to torment you. You have my word on that."

Cagalli turned back to the memorial marker, fighting back the urge to punch her cousin in the face. "I might believe you if your word was worth more than piss."

"Really, Cagalli?" said Yuna with an exaggerated sigh, "That sort of language is unbecoming of a woman in your position, you know that? What would your father have to say about that?"

Cagalli grit her teeth. Of all the places her cousin could've picked to grind on her nerves, did he have to choose her father's grave? At this rate it would be a miracle if she got through the day without murdering him with her bare hands.

Walking up next to her, Cagalli saw Yuna frown as he looked at the memorial marker. "I really should do something about this grave. It doesn't really capture just how monumental a figure Lord Uzumi really was."

Cagalli folded her arms. "It's fine the way it is."

Yuna smiled. "Well, you are his daughter. I'm sure you would recognize his tastes better than I."

Cagalli sighed. "What do you want, Yuna?"

Her cousin smirked. "Am I not allowed to simply pay my respects at Uncle's grave?"

"You would be if you had any respect for him in the first place," Cagalli all but spat at him, "Just cut to the chase already."

"Well, if you insist on being so crass," said Yuna, "We need to discuss our people's future, Cagalli."

Cagalli glared at him. "You mean their future as citizens in a puppet state of the Atlantic Federation? What's there to discuss? I thought you wanted Orb to take its marching orders from the Americans from now on. Wouldn't that mean that they dictate our people's future now?"

"That's a gross mischaracterization," Yuna replied, "and it's completely uncalled for. Just because we've chosen a side in this conflict does not deny us the autonomy that we're entitled to as a sovereign state."

Cagalli rolled her eyes. "Keep telling yourself that. Just don't come crying to me when the Atlantic Federation proves you wrong."

"I need you to take this seriously, Cagalli," said Yuna, "We won't do our people any good if we're constantly at each other's throats like this."

I wouldn't mind getting my hands around your throat, she thought as she stared daggers at him, or let Heero take a knife to it…

"This is a time of crisis for our nation," Yuna continued, "Our recent moves in the foreign policy arena will spare us the wrath of the Earth Alliance, but that does not change the fact that the world is at war again. ZAFT's Carpentaria base isn't that far away from the Orb Union, and while I have no doubt that the Atlantic Federation's Pacific Fleet will attend to it soon enough there is still the very real possibility of a major battle taking place in relatively close proximity to our territorial waters. There is also the chance that ZAFT could retaliate directly against us for aligning ourselves with the Americans. The people are very much afraid of this war coming to our shores, and we have to reassure them that they'll be kept safe during this conflict."

"So ask the Earth Alliance to reinforce our defenses," Cagalli growled, "If you're that scared of ZAFT then why don't you just beg your friends in D.C. for help?"

Yuna shook his head. "As I already said, the Americans will attend to ZAFT's forces in the area soon enough. We need to take measures on the home front to keep our people calm. There are practical steps that can be taken in the name of security, but there are also more symbolic gestures that our people would very much appreciate."

Cagalli's eyes narrowed; she didn't like where this was going one bit. "And what would those be?"

Yuna smiled. "For starters, I think a demonstration of unity is in order. It's an open secret that our two houses have not always been on the best of terms. If we can put on a performance of sorts to convince the people that we are determined to set aside our differences and protect them under the single banner of the Orb Union, I believe that would go a long way towards putting their minds at ease."

"And what exactly did you have in mind to accomplish that?" asked Cagalli warily.

"Well," said Yuna, "I think that you and I should get married as quickly as possible."

Cagalli's jaw nearly hit the floor; that was the last thing she had expected him to say. "What the hell? You can't be serious!"

Yuna shook his head. "Cagalli, I assure you that I am not joking. This is hardly the time for jest in any case."

Cagalli stammered, trying desperately to find her footing. "We… we already discussed this. I… I know the arrangement that our fathers had, but it died with mine. This isn't something that we should pursue, and it's definitely not something to be approached as casually as you are!"

"I understand your hesitation," said Yuna calmly, "but this is for the good of the Orb Union, Cagalli. It sends a crystal clear message to our people that we are determined to face this conflict together and are putting the interests of the nation over our personal ambitions."

"But we're cousins!" Cagalli protested.

"That's not as big a deal as you seem to think it is," Yuna countered, "and similar matches have been made between other members of this nation's nobility in the past. It's a trivial matter, really. A few people may raise eyebrows, but I'm willing to be that the vast majority of the commoners will not consider it to be an issue."

Cagalli shook her head. "Even so… this isn't the right way forward."

Yuna sighed. "Really, Cagalli, I was hoping for a bit more maturity on your part. What I am proposing is for the greater good, but you're being selfish. Your father would be so disappointed."

Cagalli scowled. "You have no right to invoke him, especially here of all places!"

"On the contrary," Yuna shot back, "I think this is an entirely appropriate time and place to invoke him. I came here because I wanted to swear before Uncle's grave to protect both you and the Orb Union, and this is the best way to do it. Will you really refuse just because you'd rather be with the Coordinator who abandoned you? Be realistic, Cagalli; he is an enemy of the Orb Union now. Our future is with the Earth Alliance, and we must do all we can do bring our people down that path with us. This marriage is vital to the future of the Orb Union, and refusing to take part in it would be a grave dereliction of duty on your part. How would the people feel if they heard that Lord Uzumi's daughter put her own selfish desires before the good of the country? I can't imagine that would reflect well upon Uncle's legacy."

"You son of a bitch!" Cagalli snarled.

"Language, my dear," Yuna chided her with a triumphant smirk, "I really am going to have to do something about that mouth of yours. Well, good thing we'll have plenty of time to work on that once we're married."

He turned around and started heading back down the path. "This marriage will happen, Cagalli. If you accept it now, you might even learn to like it. Either way, both father and I have made our decision and it is final."

"What about my decision?" Cagalli shot back, "I haven't accepted, you know!"

Yuna laughed. "Who do you think you're fooling, Cagalli? It's not like you have a choice in the matter. After all, if you don't play along, not only will you be failing your people, but you'll be a liability to our partners in the Atlantic Federation."

"Why would they care if I went along with this or not?" she asked, "They've already got you and your father in their pockets, and that was enough to take over Orb."

Yuna turned back towards her. "You're still a powerful figurehead, Cagalli. I know you disdain politics, but even you must realize how popular you are with the people. That's why it's so important for the Alliance that you take part in this marriage. This isn't for the sake of power, Cagalli; this is the only way that I can guarantee your safety."

Cagalli's eyes narrowed. "Are you trying to blackmail me, Yuna?"

Yuna shook his head. "I'm simply stating the facts, Cagalli. If you're not willing to play your part, then father and I won't be able to protect you from the consequences of your actions. Please accept this, Cagalli. This isn't just for Orb; it's also to save your life."

He headed back down the path again. "I'll contact you soon regarding the final arrangements. Farewell, Cagalli."

She clenched her fists as he departed, unable to find the words to fully express the depths of her outrage. Her cousin had reached a whole new low, and her disgust was beyond measure. Still, that did not change the fact that she really did lack the power to refuse. It wasn't that she feared for her life, but rather that even after all that had happened to her she still wanted to help her people. Running away might make her feel better personally and avoid an empty and lifeless marriage, but would that help the people that she was sworn to guide and protect?

Damn it, she thought, What the hell am I supposed to do?

For the life of her, she could not find an answer.

….

"What's going on?" asked Heero as he and Murrue rushed into the security room.

Standing behind one of the security staffers were Eric and Shemei, while everyone else was either spread out around the room or just arriving. The sun had already set and the members of Terminal at the estate had been just about to settle in for the night when Eric had summoned them and put the compound on alert.

Eric nodded at the security guard. "Go ahead."

"The perimeter sensors were tripped from three different directions simultaneously," said the man, "The north, south, and west sections of the grid all picked up movement, and we got visual confirmation about a minute ago. Check this out."

The guard gestured towards three monitors, and Heero's eyes narrowed as he studied them. Two showed groups of armed men working their way through the foliage, while the third was from the underwater grid and was displaying a new kind of mobile suit. It immediately became apparent what was happening, and Heero wasn't the only one to arrive at the correct conclusion.

"They found us," said Andrew.

"Is it the Alliance or ZAFT?" asked Murrue.

"ZAFT," said Eric, "That unit's one of their new early production models, the ASH. As you can see, it's an amphibious transformable suit."

"And it's heading right for us," said Duo.

"We need to scramble," said Trowa.

Quatre nodded. "Agreed."

"Why are they coming after us?" asked Kira, "They're at war with Alliance; we haven't fought ZAFT since the last war!"

Heero saw Lacus's already pale face become practically as white as snow. "Oh no… it can't be…"

"We'll worry about the why after we stop them," said Adaline firmly.

"Agreed," said Priscilla.

Lan nodded. "We'll make them pay for coming here."

"We can take them," said Dearka.

"It'll be tricky," said Yzak, his eyes narrowing, "but we have the home field advantage."

"How many are we looking at?" asked Aisha.

"From what we've spotted so far," said the security guard, "There are twenty soldiers on foot divided into two squads of ten. As for the mobile units, it looks like there are twelve of them."

"Enough for a covert strike force," said Shemei, "but not enough for what we've got here."

Heero nodded, a plan already forming in his mind. Most of Terminal's mobile suits were with their warships, but there were enough in the compound's underground hangar to handle this situation.

"We have four Gundams here," he said, "Duo, Trowa, Quatre and I will launch and intercept the mobile suits on the beach."

Andrew nodded. "Agreed. The rest of us will arm ourselves and take out the soldiers when they enter the compound."

Heero turned to Murrue. "Be careful."

She nodded. "I will. You do the same."

"Roger that," he replied.

….

"All units accelerate to attack speed," said the squad leader, "Prepare to transform to mobile suit configuration on my mark."

Here we go, thought Vince Killrayne, I still can't believe we're really going through with this, though. How the hell did I get myself into this mess?

The brown-haired, grey-eyed pilot might've been as professional as any member of ZAFT's Special Forces, but he'd had a hard time suppressing his shock when he and his comrades had been given the full rundown for Case Black Rose. Even now, as his team was making the final approach to the target, a part of his mind was still struggling to accept that this was real.

That they were actually targeting Lacus Clyne for assassination.

He might've remained loyal to ZAFT during the First Bloody Valentine War, but that didn't mean that he'd bought completely into the old regime's line about the treason of the Clyne family. Even with Patrick Zala's media crackdown it had still been relatively easy to access bootleg transmissions from those dismissed by the radicals as renegades and traitors, and that included messages from the iconic songstress. Even as a soldier of ZAFT, Vince had believed in her message of peace; it had only been fear of what might happen to his parents and younger sister that had stopped him from outright defecting to the Clyne Faction during the war.

Now here he was, two years later, assigned to the strike force tasked with ending the life of the legendary songstress. The officer in charge of the mission briefing had told his team that this operation was vital to ZAFT's strategic interest, but the words rang hollow in Vince's mind. He could find no justification for going after Lacus Clyne, especially since she had stepped out of the limelight after the end of the last war. How could she possibly be considered a threat to ZAFT now? Their attention should be focused on the forces of the Earth Alliance at this point; this operation was nothing less than needless cold-blooded murder.

Yes, murder. Vince refused to mince words with himself on this one, and he knew that several of his comrades felt the same way. However, none of them were in a position to stop the operation. They were soldiers who were sworn to follow orders from their superiors, and as a member of ZAFT's Special Forces he knew that sometimes the assignments sent his way could be unseemly. Besides, even if he had stepped aside he knew that his spot would simply be filled in by someone with less moral qualms about the mission. From Vince's point of view, if he stayed with the strike team he would at least have a chance to make sure that the songstress met a quick and relatively painless end.

"We're the bad guys here," he muttered ruefully, "There's no getting around that."

"Did you say something, Vince?" asked Logan Howell, the team leader.

Vince shook his head. "No, sir. Just static on the mic."

He doubted the seasoned Commander bought that excuse, but to his relief his superior didn't press the matter. "All right, then. Stay sharp; we're almost there."

Vince nodded. "Right."

He scanned his console as he gave his machine one last minute look-over before they breached the surface. While he might have disagreed with the mission it was being employed in, there was no denying that the UMF/SSO-3 ASH was an impressive piece of military hardware. Currently in its mobile armor configuration for swift travel through the sea, the green and yellow transformable amphibious attack mobile suit looked like a crab or lobster that had somehow gained the ability to swim as fluidly as a shark. Mounted on each shoulder were a combined GMF22SX prototype propeller and multipurpose missile launcher, combining both propulsion and firepower into a sleek and modular package. Also mounted on the shoulders were four MA-M1217R high-energy beam cannons, although due to the limits of ZAFT's beam weapon technology they could only be employed in surface combat. A Type PJP dual phonon maser cannon wielded by the ASH was the unit's underwater energy weapon. Two M47 23mm dual machineguns were mounted in the forearms, and each of those arms also had a wicked looking MX-RQB505 beam claw. The twelve machines that composed the strike team had launched from a pair of Vosgulov-class submarines holding position just beyond Orb's territorial waters, and while they could always radio for air support as well Vince doubted it would come to that.

It was hard for Vince to tell if all this was overkill or not. On the one hand, it certainly seemed like a bit too much to be sending at one girl, but the mission briefing had mentioned the possibility of mobile suits protecting her. Vince didn't know if there was any credibility to that; if Lacus Clyne really had gone into hiding in the Orb Union it was hard to see how she could have mobile suits guarding her and not have them run afoul of the nation's military. Such hardware would surely draw attention sooner or later.

Why am I even worrying about that?, he thought, The guys infiltrating on foot will probably have taken her out before we even line up a shot on her. Either way, I just want to get this over with and go back to the ship.

"All right, people," said Logan, "This is it! Shift to mobile suit configuration in three…two…one… mark!"

Hitting the switch, Vince heard his machine groan as it went through its transformation. Checking his monitor, he saw that all systems were still running normally. His unit breached the surface along with the rest of the strike team, and immediately his gaze fell on an estate situated at the far end of the beach.

"So that's it, huh?" he said, "Nice little getaway she's got here."

"No sign of fixed defenses," said the Commander, "Everyone, advance!"

"Contact!" shouted one of the other pilots, "It's coming out of the cliff wall to the south!"

Vince's eyes widened as an alarm went off in his cockpit. Checking his sensors, he could indeed see a mobile suit emerging from what had clearly been a cleverly hidden hangar; the advanced reconnaissance conducted by the SIB hadn't picked up a trace of it before. As shocking as that was, though, unit racing out of the concealed hangar turned what had been surprise into something much closer to outright terror.

No, he thought, It can't be…

But indeed it was. According to reports, it had gone by the title of Gundam Albion during its brief stint of cooperation with the Minerva, but the men and women who made up ZAFT's Special Forces had not been fooled.

It was Wing Zero.

And it wasn't alone.

One after another, the other three suits that had parted ways with the Minerva following Operation Redemption flew out of the hangar. Even though they had spent considerable time aboard a ZAFT warship, Vince knew that very little intelligence had been acquired regarding them beyond their immediate combat capabilities. However, that limited knowledge was more than enough to convince him that his superiors had completely misjudged what kind of security Lacus Clyne would have around her. Clearly they had been detected on their final approach, otherwise there was no way that the mobile suits would've been able to scramble and meet them so quickly. More to the point, though, Vince knew that the strike team was completely screwed. They might outnumber the enemy three to one, but the numbers didn't matter here.

Vince and his comrades had come to carry out a death sentence on Lacus Clyne, yet as far as the mobile suit pilot was concerned the tables had been turned. Now the hunters were about to become the hunted. There was a bitter irony to it all…

…but Vince wouldn't live long enough to comment on it.

….

"Engage at will," said Heero as he locked onto the lead ASH, "Don't let them anywhere near the mansion."

"You got it, buddy!" Duo replied.

"Understood," said Trowa.

"Roger that," Quatre chimed in.

His target dead in his sights, Heero opened fire with Wing Zero Albion's railguns. The twin slugs raced through the air and slammed into the lead unit, bursting it like a ripe fruit. Heero wasted no time in shifting to his next target while his friends fanned out to engage their prey.

Only eleven left, he thought, Durandal, are you trying to insult me? Surely you don't think this paltry group is enough to take me down, do you? Then again, I suppose I'm not the real target of this strike.

There was no doubt in his mind that Lacus Clyne was the intended victim of this attack. The timing of the strike was too soon after the doppelganger had made her public debut for it to be coincidence. He would make Durandal pay for daring to launch an assault on his home, but that would come after dealing with the immediate threat posed by the strike force.

His next victim in his sights, he cut loose with another salvo from his railguns. This time his shots wound up knocking out the unit's legs and sending it tumbling to the ground. That hadn't been Heero's intention, but there was a silver lining to it; a disabled unit meant a live pilot for them to interrogate later.

Or at least it would've had the pilot not self-detonated the machine a second later.

Killing themselves to avoid capture, he thought, his eyes narrowing as the ZAFT mobile suit went up in flames, So we're not just dealing with run of the mill soldiers; these guys are hardcore operators.

"Watch yourselves," he said, "If you're fighting up close, don't bother trying to cripple them."

"I saw that," said Duo, "Damn, these guys are serious here! Well, if they're so eager to meet the Reaper, I'll speed them on their way!"

Deathscythe Omega swooped down onto the beach and wasted no time in carving into the attackers. A broad swing with its beam scythe sliced an ASH clean in half, while a follow-up attack impaled a second machine through the cockpit. A third opened up on the Gundam with its beam cannons, but Duo simply closed the Active Cloak Beam Deflection Barrier and activated the Micro-Defensors imbedded within, causing the shots to simply dissipate upon contact. The attacker didn't last long after that; Duo raced forward and cut down the machine with his emerald blade.

The L2 native wasn't the only Gundam pilot attacking the enemy up close; Quatre had also moved in, and Sandrock Saladin's Heat Shotels were cutting through the ZAFT machines with ease. His opening attack had brought both blades down on one hapless target, eviscerating it before its pilot knew what hit it. A second ASH had charged in attempted to carve into the Gundam with its beam claws, but Quatre had reach on his foe and it was a simple matter to pull back just enough to avoid the attack before countering and carving up the machine. Another ASH opened fire with the warhead pods mounted on its shoulders, but the missiles were intercepted by Quatre's Vulcan Cannons. The pilot from L4 then opened fire with the missile pods mounted on Sandrock Saladin's legs, and the warheads swarmed the ZAFT unit, pounding it into bits of superheated scrap.

Meanwhile, Trowa was bringing the considerable firepower of Heavyarms Arsenal to bear on the enemy. Both the Gundam's Double Barrel Gatling Gun and its Double Assault Beam Cannon were blazing, and a hail of bullets and energy fire shredded a pair of hostile machines. A third machine tried to take on the Gundam up close, but Trowa simply opened fire with the four smaller Gatling Guns concealed in the mobile suits chest, ripping his attacker apart in seconds.

After what he'd seen earlier Heero knew that there was little point in asking for the final ZAFT pilot to surrender, but he made the effort nonetheless. "You can't win. Stand down and you'll at least get to live."

The only response from the last pilot was a salvo of particle beams which Heero easily deflected with his wing shields. The Perfect Soldier shook his head at the futile act of resistance before raising the Twin Buster Rifle and opening fire. It was a low power shot, but even that was more than enough to turn the final ASH into little more than glowing bits of scrap metal.

"I think that's all of them," said Quatre.

Agreed, said Heero before turning his gaze to the estate, Murrue…

…please be all right.

….

Releasing the safety on her assault rifle, Murrue waited for the enemy to make their move. She was at the top of the main staircase with Andrew, Aisha, Yzak, and Dearka, all of them armed and ready to go. Meanwhile Shemei, Eric, Lan, Adaline, and Priscilla had taken up positions in the kitchen. Based on the enemy's movements as shown on the hidden security cameras it was clear that the commandos on foot would hit the mansion from the front and the back, so the two groups had divided accordingly; Murrue and the others at the top of the staircase would intercept the hostiles heading for the front door, while Shemei's group would ambush the enemies from the kitchen once they came through the back door. Meanwhile, Kira had taken Lacus to one of the secure rooms down below to wait for the all-clear along with the other members of Terminal currently at the estate.

It's been a while since I've gotten into a gunfight, she thought, I guess it's a good thing that Heero's been helping me keep my skills sharp. I'll have to thank him for that later. I just hope he's okay…

She forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand. Her boyfriend had the power of his Gundam at his disposal, and was being backed up by three more of the legendary pilots from his world; the enemy mobile suits didn't stand a chance against them. He would survive the battle on the beach, so she had to play her part and make it through this fight so they could reunite when it was over.

"They're at the front door," said the voice of the chief security guard through her earpiece, "They're planting charges now. Same goes for the rear."

Murrue turned to the others and saw them nod; they'd all gotten the same message. Ducking behind the wall, they braced themselves for what would doubtlessly be a noisy entrance.

The blast came a moment later, and even though she was prepared for it Murrue still winced and the sheer volume. Steeling herself for what had to be done, she nodded at the others before leaning around the corner and opening up on the invaders. The burst of fire from her rifle caught the lead intruder right in the neck and immediately dropped them to the floor. Ducking back into cover, Murrue let the others take their shots; alternating shooters would let them keep the enemy guessing while allowing for pinpoint and lethal fire at the front entrance.

The enemy was clearly taken aback by such heavy resistance right out of the gate, and Murrue surmised that they'd been planning on taking the occupants of the mansion by surprise. Now that was out of the picture, and to make matters worse Terminal had them at a chokepoint. Bursts of fire from the other side of the house told Murrue that Shemei's team had likewise engaged the enemy, and she hoped that they would be able to deal with their share of the attackers quickly.

"Hold onto your teeth!" called Andrew as he primed a grenade and chucked it at the entrance.

The subsequent explosion was almost as loud as the charges the enemy had used to force their way through the front door, and as Murrue peered back around the corner she saw several bloody corpses lying on the ground. There were still a few more active commandos trying to make their way in, though, so Murrue once again laid down a stream of fire before ducking back into cover to reload and let her friends take their shots.

An eerie silence fell a few seconds later, and for the first time since the shooting had started Murrue noticed how tense her breathing had become. A firefight like this was much more visceral than the ship-to-ship engagements she was used to; even her training with Heero and the others could only do so much to prepare her for a shootout like this. She almost jumped when the voice of the chief security guard came over her earpiece again.

"That's the last of them," he said, "Front end's secure."

"All clear back here!" Shemei called a moment later.

Murrue sighed with relief. "It's over."

"Yeah," said Andrew as he looked around, "Everyone okay?"

"All good here," said Aisha.

"I'm all right," said Yzak.

"Same," Dearka chimed in.

Patting herself down, Murrue smiled when she saw no signs of injury. "I'm good to go."

Andrew nodded down the stairs. "Let's check the bodies. If there's anyone alive down there, we need them to talk."

Murrue and the others cautiously moved forward. Soon enough they were walking amongst the remains of the enemy commandos, and it took a considerable amount of restraint on her part to keep from throwing up. Between the hail of assault rifle fire and the grenades, the intruders had been torn to bloody ribbons.

"Nothing," she said after a moment, "They're all dead."

Aisha sighed. "We're too damn good at killing. Then again, if we weren't we wouldn't be alive right now."

"Are these guys really ZAFT soldiers?" asked Dearka nervously.

Yzak nodded as he pointed at their weapons. "Oh, yeah. Check it out; those are ZAM-540 rifles. Only ZAFT Special Forces use those."

"Yzak's right," said Andrew, "and their sidearms are P-870s; standard issue for ZAFT, officer and enlisted alike."

"So, you guys found the same guns as we did, then," said Shemei as she came up the hall with her group.

"It's funny," said Eric, "I would've thought the Alliance would be gunning for us at this point in the game."

"Are you all okay?" asked Murrue.

"Lan's right arm got grazed," said Adaline, "but it's nothing she can't handle."

"Yeah," Lan hissed, and Murrue saw a trickle of blood coming from the wound, "It stings like a bitch, but I'm good."

"Come on, Lan," said Priscilla with a smile, "Let's get that cleaned up and dressed. From the look of things, I think we've dealt with all the hostiles."

Eric nodded while Priscilla took Lan off to the side to tend to her wound. "She's right. Heero and the others already have the beach under control; you can look out window if you want to see for yourself."

Murrue did just that, and she was relieved to see the four Gundams standing amidst the smoldering ruins of the enemy strike force. There were no signs of damage to Wing Zero Albion or any of the other machines; Heero and his friends had made a clean sweep of the amphibious attackers.

Next to her, Shemei smirked. "Those boys really went to town on them. I wonder if whoever was leading that strike force had any idea what they were walking into."

Eric's eyes narrowed. "It's strange. With a force of that size, the only way they could've won would've been to take us completely by surprise. With our perimeter grid, that wasn't possible. Proper reconnaissance should've tipped them off that we had eyes watching for an attack."

"Maybe they got sloppy," said Murrue.

Andrew shook his head. "Those were ZAFT Special Forces; 'sloppy' isn't a word in their vocabulary."

"Perhaps they received bad intel," said Aisha, "Depending on their target, they might not have been looking for a high-tech and camouflaged perimeter setup like the one we've got. They might've thought they were attacking just another quiet beachfront mansion."

"We still need to confirm who their target was," said Yzak.

Dearka rolled his eyes. "Good luck with that; we just wiped them all out, remember?"

"Shemei," said Andrew, "are any of the guys your group fought still alive?"

The Valkyrie shook her head. "If there were I would've had one of my girls stand guard over them until you could get to them."

"We thought we had a live one once the shooting stopped," Adaline chimed in, "He was hit in the leg and shoulder, but he was still breathing. I tried to restrain him, but he just went limp and all this spit started foaming from his mouth."

Murrue's eyes widened. "Wait, you can't seriously mean that…?"

"Poison capsule," said Eric grimly, "Probably had it concealed in a fake tooth; standard procedure for ZAFT black ops units."

Andrew sighed. "That's a shame. Still, it does tell us one thing; the one who ordered this attack didn't want anyone talking if it went sideways."

"This is security," said the chief guard through Murrue's earpiece, "I've got Heero on the line."

Murrue nodded along with the others. "Put him through."

She heard Heero's voice a moment later. "Are you all right?"

She smiled; while the question could've encompassed the group as a whole, Murrue knew it was really meant just for her. "We're all in one piece, Heero. How about you?"

"No damage," he replied, "and the same goes for the others."

"Glad to hear that," she said.

"We're heading back into the hangar," said Heero, "Meet us there; I don't want to risk anything else over the radio. I think we've dealt with all the attackers, but the enemy could still be listening to comm chatter."

Murrue nodded. "Understood. We'll be there soon."

….

Checking his sensors one more time as he entered the hangar, Heero was relieved to see no signs of ZAFT reinforcements moving into the area. Terminal appeared to have earned a reprieve, but it was impossible to say how long it would last.

Even a small skirmish like that is impossible to keep under wraps, he thought, I doubt it will be long before others begin investigating. Time is not on our side.

As he set Wing Zero Albion down in its berth he could see Murrue already in the hangar, along with several other senior members of Terminal. Powering down his Gundam, he opened the hatch and went to meet them.

Murrue met him halfway and kissed him on the cheek. "Nice job out there."

Heero nodded. "Thanks. Same goes for you; it sounds like you routed the commandos pretty quickly."

Murrue sighed. "Yeah. To be honest, it was pretty one-sided. More of a slaughter, really. They definitely weren't expecting prepared resistance."

"They underestimated our perimeter grid," Heero replied, "We'll have to thank Erica for giving us the gear we used to set that up; it saved our lives tonight."

"No kidding," said Duo as he and the other Gundam pilots caught up to them, "Honestly, I'm amazed we got as much warning as we did."

"It won't be long until the enemy learns that their attack force was wiped out," said Trowa, "They won't be so reckless the next time they chose to attack."

Quatre nodded. "Trowa's right. We caught a lucky break this time. Next time we might not have that luxury."

"I won't argue with that assessment," said Eric as the other senior members of Terminal joined them, "We won today, but it could've easily gone the other way."

Andrew nodded, his good eye narrowing. "This round's ours, but unfortunately it's the end of Home One. I don't know how they did it yet, but ZAFT managed to track us back here. We need to pack up, and quickly."

"Natarle and La Flaga are already onboard the Dominion," said Aisha, "They can bring her out from the hidden dock and help us get a jump-start on evacuation."

"I can head for the Archangel's berth and get her over here as well," said Murrue, "I know the ship's ready for departure; Erica's crews have seen to that."

"That's a good start," said Shemei, "and anything we can't put on the warships we can always move to one of the secret supply depots Kisaka's helped us set up across the country. If it comes down to it, we can always destroy anything too cumbersome to move."

Adaline nodded. "Those are all good first steps, but where do we go from there? The world's at war now; we can't just head out of here without a firm heading. Acting rashly could get us into a fight we're not ready for."

"Perhaps," said Heero, his eyes narrowing, "but we've sat on the sidelines long enough. It's time we make our presence felt on the battlefield again."

"What do you have in mind?" asked Andrew.

"I'll come to that a moment," said Heero as he scanned the group, "Where's Lacus?"

"In the main shelter with the other noncombatants," said Murrue, "Kira's standing guard with them."

Heero nodded. "I see."

He then turned to Andrew. "Can you start coordinating the evacuation? I need to speak to Lacus. It won't take long; I just need a few minutes."

"Sure thing," the Desert Tiger replied with a smirk, "so long as I get to hear your idea for our return to the battlefield after that."

"Don't worry," said Heero, "I promise not to keep you in suspense for too long."

….

Lacus nodded after Heero explained the situation to her and Kira. "I see… so it is as you feared."

Heero nodded. "We weren't able to capture any survivors, but based on the size of the strike force and when they chose to make their attack it's clear this wasn't a regular assault; this was a covert operation. More to the point, I'm certain it was an assassination attempt. Durandal's made his move, and we can't sit back here and wait for him to take another shot at you."

Kira's eyes widened in shock. "But… but why? Why would he go after Lacus? She's done nothing to act against ZAFT since the end of the last war! She's not an enemy of the PLANTs!"

"Not to the Coordinator people as a whole," Heero replied, "but she is to Durandal and his inner circle. The moment they conceived the idea of a doppelganger a target was put on her back, if not sooner. At this point your very existence is a major threat to the current PLANT regime, Lacus."

Lacus sighed. "I understand what you're saying, but… this is still a lot to process, Heero."

"I know," he said, and she could sense the genuine sympathy in his voice, "I'm sure it can't be easy to take in. Still, that doesn't change our situation. The Supreme Council Chairman wants you dead, and if the Earth Alliance finds out where you are I imagine it won't take them long to make an attempt on your life as well. We have to move out now before that can happen."

Lacus nodded, her eyes narrowing as she gathered her resolve. "I understand. What is our next course of action?"

"We're bringing the battleships over here now," said Heero, "You can take your pick which one you want to be on."

Lacus smiled. "The Freedom is on the Archangel, which means that Kira will be there as well. My choice is clear enough."

"Don't worry," said Kira as he put his hand on her shoulder, "I'll protect you."

She kissed him on cheek. "I know you will."

"We don't have much time," said Heero, "We're already moving to pack as much away as we can, and Erica will have loyalists from Morgenroete help out with whatever we can't move. Grab what you need and make what arrangements you must as quickly as you can. Once we're clear of here we'll be launching right into another operation, so we won't be getting much sleep tonight."

Lacus raised an eyebrow. "What operation would that be, Heero?"

"This attack has forced our hand," Heero replied, "We wanted to wait a little longer before getting back into the fray, but that's no longer an option. So far, we've simply been reacting to developments since the strike on Armory One. That's not getting us anywhere, so it's time to shake things up. We're going to start with Orb."

Lacus gasped. "Orb… you mean Cagalli, don't you?"

Heero nodded. "Right now she's more useful to the Seirans and the Alliance alive, but that can change all too quickly. We're going to get her out tonight whether she likes it or not. After that I've got something else in mind, but I need to run it by Waltfeld and the others first."

"I understand," said Lacus, "If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."

Kira nodded. "Same here."

"Let's get moving," said Heero, "We've got a long night ahead of us."

….

The legal drinking age was sixteen in the Orb Union, and while Cagalli didn't regularly partake in alcohol she would indulge in a glass when the occasion called for it. She had even received a bottle of rum from Eric and Shemei Bristow on her last birthday, and right now she was sorely tempted to pop it open.

Getting shitface drunk never really appealed to me before, she thought wearily as she looked out the window, but right now that sounds a hell of a lot better than dealing with all this crap. Damn it… I'm in so far over my head it's not even remotely funny.

She had been brooding in a mix of fury and despair ever since her encounter with Yuna at the memorial park. Legally she had every right to refuse to marry him, but unfortunately for her the situation wasn't nearly that simple. It wasn't the threat to her life that had kept her from telling Yuna exactly where he could shove his proposal, although she would be lying if she said that wasn't weighing on her. Rather, it was the idea of doing her duty to protect her people in any way she could, and while Cagalli had never really been one for symbolic gestures she could appreciate how the citizens of her country might find comfort in such a gesture. However, to go through with the ceremony would not only symbolize in her mind a betrayal of her father's legacy and all she held dear, but it would also be nothing less than her stabbing Athrun in the back.

Why did he have to leave for the PLANTs? She knew all too well what it felt like to want to make a difference, but surely there were better options than for him to run off to L5. As much as she loved Athrun and dearly wanted to trust him, a part of her could not help but feel angry at what he had done. She needed him here now more than ever before, yet he was about as far away as he could possibly be.

"Athrun…" she said softly, "why? Why did you have to go? I need you here… I can't do this on my own."

"You were never on your own," said a familiar male voice, "although Athrun's departure definitely didn't help matters."

Cagalli jumped as she turned around and saw none other than Wing Zero's pilot standing behind her. "Heero! How... how did you get in here?"

Heero simply shrugged. "I'm a Gundam pilot, remember? If I want to get inside a place it's pretty hard to keep me out."

Cagalli couldn't help but smile at that. "Yeah… I guess you're right about that."

Just seeing a friendly face in front of her was enough to erode her restraint in her emotionally battered state, and before she could stop herself she stepped forward and embraced him. "Heero… I'm glad you're here. I'm glad someone's here that's not… that's not…"

"One of Yuna and Unato's pawns," Heero finished for her, and he surprised her by gently patting her on the shoulder, "I'm sorry, Cagalli. One of us should've come here much sooner."

Cagalli shook her head. "No… it's okay. I've been trying to keep you guys out of this. I thought it was for the best… show's what I know, right?"

"You did what you thought was right," Heero reassured her, "No one at Terminal doubts your devotion to both your country and our cause. We knew that our presence in Orb always had the potential to cause problems for you, so we tried to keep a respectful distance and give you room to govern without interference."

Cagalli chuckled ruefully as she reluctantly let go of him. "Yeah… I think you guys were a little too good at that. With the way I've been screwing things up, I could've used some interference a while ago."

"Well in that case," said Heero, "I hope it's not too late to make up for lost time."

Cagalli smiled again once she met his gaze. She knew that look in his eyes; he had a plan.

"Better late than never," she said, "Please tell me you've got hard evidence on the Seirans betraying the Orb Union. If we have something concrete I can take it to the media and blow all their schemes right out of the water."

Heero shook his head. "I'm afraid we're not at that point yet, although it's certainly not for lack of trying. Kisaka's doing his best, and thanks to him and Erica we've got plenty of friendly contacts within Orb's military and industrial communities, but we don't have everything that would be required for a slam-dunk case."

Cagalli sighed. "Damn it. Well, a girl can dream, right?"

Heero nodded. "Don't give up yet. The Seirans are dirty; I have no doubt of that. We just need to keep digging and we'll find something that'll stick. It's impossible to say when or how right now, but we'll take them down eventually."

"All right," said Cagalli, "In that case… why are you here, then? Don't get me wrong; it's great to have a friend show up, but you're not the type who sneaks into a heavily guarded residence just for small-talk."

"True enough," Heero replied, "Might as well get to the point; I'm here to kidnap you."

That certainly wasn't what Cagalli had been expecting. "Can you… say that again? Please?"

"We're getting you out, Cagalli," said Heero firmly, "This has gone on long enough."

Cagalli shook her head. "Hold on… who's 'we'?"

"You don't think I'm acting on my own here, do you?" Heero asked.

It's always hard to tell with you, she mused, but for something this big, I guess not.

"Look," she said, "I know things aren't good right now, but this seems a little… drastic."

"And this situation doesn't qualify as drastic?" Heero shot back, "Cagalli, your government has fallen. Your uncle and cousin have sold the Orb Union out to the Atlantic Federation and are about to openly declare war against ZAFT. If you stay, all you're doing at this point is lending legitimacy to their puppet regime."

Cagalli shook her head. "Heero, it's not that simple! Yes, the thought of going along with the Earth Alliance after everything they've done disgusts me, but I still have a duty to look out for my people. I can't just leave them now!"

"I agree with you when it comes to the matter of duty," said Heero, "but you no longer have the power to carry it out within the Orb Union. You've been usurped in all but name. To outright remove you from your post as Chief Representative wouldn't go over well with public opinion, so the Seirans are simply keeping you on as a means of deflecting attention from them while they consolidate power and cement their new pact with the Earth Alliance. You won't be helping your people by staying on with this government, Cagalli; you'll be complicit in the crimes it will commit when it joins the Atlantic Federation in this war."

"That's bullshit!" Cagalli fired back, "You know that I would never condone what the Alliance has done and plan to do in this war!"

Heero nodded. "Believe me; I'm well aware of that. However, can you honestly say that you would have any power to stop your forces from joining the Americans in committing war crimes? The PLANTs may not be fighting a war of extermination this time around, but the Atlantic Federation definitely is, and the Orb Union is now partnered with them. You know what they're going to expect your country's troops to do once they meet ZAFT in combat, Cagalli."

Cagalli shook her head emphatically as she took a step back. "No… they would never… they could never commit the same atrocities as the Americans!"

"Perhaps not without coercion," said Heero grimly, "but do you really think the Earth Alliance will let them play their part in this war as a regular army? The Atlantic Federation made its goals in this conflict abundantly clear with their attack on L5; they are out for nothing less than the utter annihilation of every Coordinator in the Earth Sphere. They won't let your country's forces conduct themselves in accordance with the traditional laws and customs of warfare. Orb's troops may initially be reluctant to commit outright massacres, but the Earth Alliance will have guns pointed at their backs; do you really think every single one of your nation's soldiers will be willing to accept death rather than follow orders to kill every Coordinator they find?"

I want to believe that, she thought, but… with that kind of pressure on them… I don't know…

Heero put his hand on her shoulder. "I know it's tough to accept, but you can't help your people by staying here, Cagalli. At this point you'll have a better shot at making a difference if you come with us. We're returning to the battlefield; we've been on the sidelines for too long as it is. Truth be told, we were actually pulled in sooner than we anticipated."

Cagalli raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Home One was attacked just a few hours ago," he replied.

Cagalli gasped. "What? Is everyone okay?"

Heero nodded. "Yes. We managed to wipe out the enemy strike force without taking any losses."

Cagalli sighed with relief. "That's good. So who launched the attack? Was it the Alliance?"

Heero shook his head. "No. It was a ZAFT black ops force."

Cagalli's eyes widened in shock. "What? Are you serious?"

Heero nodded. "Yes."

Cagalli shook her head. "That… that doesn't make any sense! Why would ZAFT target you guys after you helped them defend Armory One and stop the Junius Seven remains from falling to Earth?"

"I don't think ZAFT's rank and file troops actually know about this attack," Heero replied, "Like I said, it was a black ops group that launched the assault. Therefore, it's safe to say that the ones who ordered the attack wanted to keep it from becoming public knowledge."

"That still leaves the question of why they would attack you in the first place," said Cagalli, "ZAFT's war is with the Earth Alliance and the Orb Union; making an enemy out of Terminal just worsens their situation."

"I agree," said Heero, "However, I don't think it was Terminal as a whole that the attackers were after, although even had they succeeded in their primary objective the effect would still have been a declaration of war against us. They were seeking one specific target; I actually don't believe that they expected to encounter the rest of us during that attack."

Cagalli's eyes narrowed. "Who were they after?"

"Lacus," he said grimly.

Cagalli's face went pale. "What? Why?"

"You saw the transmissions from the PLANTs after the Alliance attacked, right?" he asked.

Cagalli nodded. "The ones with the fake Lacus, right? It was pretty hard to miss those."

"Who do you think created the fake Lacus?" said Heero, "More importantly, who do you think would benefit the most from having the real Lacus out of the way so that the fake can have free reign?"

"Durandal," said Cagalli softly, "but… would he really go that far?"

"The attack on Home One would indicate so," said Heero, "and just because his first attempt on her life failed doesn't mean that he won't take another shot at her. That's another reason why we want to get you out of here; we're taking Lacus as well, and it'll be easier to protect both of you if you're both with us."

"And where exactly would I be going?" asked Cagalli.

"The Archangel," said Heero with a small smile, "We've already got the Strike Rouge on board, and you'll have plenty of chances to use it. We're getting back into the action, and we need all hands on deck."

Cagalli smiled; she liked the sound of that. "Well, I'm pretty sure I'll do a hell of a lot better in a mobile suit than at a damn conference table. So, who are we going after first? The Alliance, ZAFT, or the Seirans?"

"We can go into further detail on that once we're out of here," said Heero, "Are you ready? I'm afraid there's not really any time for you to pack."

Cagalli nodded. "It's fine. Whatever you guys have onboard the Archangel already will be more than enough for me."

"All right," said Heero, "In that case, follow me."

The two of them left her room, and Cagalli gasped when she saw three members of her security detail lying on the floor in the hallway. "Heero… are they…?"

"They're fine," said Heero as he passed a pistol with a silenced barrel over to her, "Check the ammo in there if you don't believe me."

Cagalli ejected the magazine and sighed with relief when she saw what was in the clip. "Tranquilizer rounds… of course. Sorry, Heero. I didn't mean to doubt you there. It's just… well…"

"Don't worry about it," Heero replied, "I know I'm not like Kira, so I don't blame you for questioning how far I'd go to accomplish this mission."

"Still," said Cagalli as she handed the weapon back to him, "I should've had more faith in you. You never target innocents with lethal force, and I should've expected you to show restraint with my security detail."

Heero nodded. "Most of them were your regular escort, although I did see a few new faces. I'm assuming the Seirans were involved with that."

Cagalli sighed. "I guess so. It wouldn't surprise me if Yuna and Uncle put plants in my security detail."

"Well, you won't have to worry about them tonight," said Heero as the two of them set off down the hallway, "They'll all be asleep until sunrise."

Cagalli smiled. "That's good. So… what's the plan for getting out of here?"

"Simple," Heero replied, "We're going to walk right out the front door."

Cagalli smirked. "Really? Come on, Heero; there's got to be more to it than that."

Heero chuckled. "Well, I suppose the walking portion's just the first part. You'll see the rest soon enough."

It felt very strange to walk through the halls of the Athha estate and see members of the household staff sprawled out on the floor deep in slumber. Cagalli could only shake her head at the sight and wonder how it had come to this.

When the two of them went outside Cagalli saw a black sedan waiting right by the front door. Turning to Heero, she saw him nod and figured that this was their ride. The two of them got into the car and Cagalli found none other than Trowa Barton in the driver seat.

The pilot of Heavyarms Arsenal gave her a nod as Heero shut the door. "Hello, Cagalli. Are you all right?"

She smiled. "Well enough, I guess."

"Any problems?" asked Heero.

Trowa shook his head. "The perimeter's secure, along with our exit. Quatre's standing by with the chopper, and Duo's got our ECM screen ready to go."

Heero nodded. "Good. Step on it; our window's tight enough as it is."

Cagalli barely had time to buckle up before Trowa hit the gas. As soon as the car got onto the main road the Gundam pilot floored it, and Cagalli found herself nervously clenching the side handle. This was in sharp contrast to Heero, who seemed perfect relaxed.

"Don't worry," he said, "We'll be fine."

Cagalli scowled. "Easy for you to say. Remind me not to hire Gundam pilots as my chauffeurs in the future."

"Backseat driving is not appreciated," Trowa remarked offhandedly, "Even from heads of state."

Heero folded his arms and smirked. "And Duo says you have no sense of humor."

"And he'll keep saying that," said Trowa, "You know how he is."

"True," Heero replied, "I guess it's good that some things never change."

"You only say that because you don't have to go back to the same world as him when this is all over," said Trowa dryly.

"Less banter, more focusing on the road, please!" said Cagalli anxiously as the car raced down the highway.

"I don't think you'll be getting a tip from her when the ride's over, Trowa," Heero quipped.

"Good thing this isn't my day job then," said Trowa without batting an eye, "We're almost there."

The car zipped down the coastal highway for a few more minutes before it began to slow down. Looking around, Cagalli saw the parking lot for a beachfront recreational park up ahead. Since it was still the middle of the night the park was completely deserted, and it was into this parking lot that Trowa took the sedan.

As soon as the vehicle stopped the L3 native wasted no time in getting out of the car. "Come on; Quatre's got the chopper primed and waiting."

"You heard the man," said Heero as he held the back door open for Cagalli, "Let's get a move on."

Lacking any better ideas, Cagalli followed the two of them down to the beach. There was nothing in sight beyond the sand and the waves at first, and she was getting nervous as she followed the Gundam pilots down the shore.

"Are you guys sure we're in the right place?" she asked.

"It's just up there," said Trowa, pointing towards an alcove not too far up the beach.

A couple minutes later they arrived, and Cagalli was relieved to see a black helicopter sitting on the sand. It was a military transport model, but the standard Orb armed forces serial numbers had been removed from the main body and the tail. Looking at the cockpit, she saw Quatre wave at them through the window before starting up the rotors.

"Good timing," said the L4 native as they hopped in, with Trowa moving up to the copilot's seat, "Are you doing okay, Cagalli?"

She smiled as she took a seat. "I think so. The sooner we get to the Archangel, the better I'll feel about all of this."

"Then let's take off," said Heero as he slammed the door shut, "Is Duo ready?"

Quatre nodded. "He's all set."

"Good," Heero replied, "Then get us out of here."

As the chopper began to lift off Cagalli turned to Heero. "Aren't they going to pick us up on radar? I doubt you guys cleared this with military or civil air traffic control; someone's going to investigate this."

"We'll be fine," said Heero, "In fact, we'll barely even show up on their radar."

Cagalli raised an eyebrow. "How? This isn't a stealth chopper."

Heero shook his head. "No, but Duo's overhead in Deathscythe Omega."

Cagalli peered out the window but caught no sign of the Gundam. "I'm not seeing him."

"Good," said Trowa from up front, "That means the Active Cloak is working."

"But that would just conceal him, right?" asked Cagalli, "How does it help us?"

"He's not just using the Active Cloak," said Quatre, "Duo's also got Deathscythe's Hyper Jammer ECM Suite up and running as well. Since we're flying directly beneath him…"

"It'll scramble our radar signature!" Cagalli finished for him, her eyes widening in dawning comprehension.

Heero nodded. "Exactly. There might be some distortion showing up on the radar of anyone who's paying attention to this area, but at first glance they'll likely write it off as a technical glitch. By the time they bother to actually investigate we'll be long gone from here."

Cagalli smiled. "You guys really thought of everything, didn't you?"

"As much as we could," Heero replied, "We're not perfect, but we know what we're doing. An extraction like this is really a walk in the park compared to most of our missions."

"I'll take easy missions like this any day of the week," said Quatre from the cockpit, "The fact that we didn't have to kill anyone to pull this off is a bonus."

"Let's hold off on patting ourselves on the back until we get to the Archangel," Trowa gently chided.

Heero nodded. "Good point. How far out are we?"

"A few nautical miles already," said Quatre, "Just a few more to go and we'll be right on top of her."

"Any signs of trouble?" asked Cagalli.

"The area's clear," said Trowa, "Neither the Alliance nor Orb have much of a patrol presence over here. They'd still detect an outbound flight or incoming warship under normal circumstances, but they're not trying to see through an ECM screen or find a submerged vessel."

"Their attention's likely oriented towards Carpentaria at this point," said Heero, "That leaves us with a wide open window."

"Speaking of windows," said Quatre, "Trowa, you'd better give the Archangel a heads up. We don't want them to be on the surface any longer than necessary."

Trowa nodded. "Right. I'll contact them now."

Cagalli turned her attention back to the window and the ocean below. It was so hard to believe where she was now. Less than an hour ago she had been at her estate with Yuna's ridiculous marriage demand weighing her down, and now she was in a chopper racing towards friends that she would've given anything to see in the days leading up to now. Her fears hadn't been completely cast aside, but the burdens on her shoulders now felt immeasurably lighter.

I owe you one, Heero, she thought as she glanced at her friend, I know you don't do this sort of thing to collect favors, but still… I won't forget this.

"Got her," said Quatre, "She just breached the surface!"

Cagalli and Heero both stood up and leaned over Quatre's chair. Sure enough, there was the Archangel rising from the sea. Cagalli couldn't begin to describe how good it felt to see that ship again. It didn't matter what kind of odds they were faced with; anything was possible with the crew of the Archangel behind her, and they were even more powerful now than they had been two years ago.

She heard a new voice come over the radio. "Hey, guys, am I good to decloak now?"

Trowa nodded. "Go ahead, Duo."

Even though she knew it was there, Cagalli's eyes still widened when she saw the Gundam Deathscythe Omega seemingly appear out of thin air. The black demonic mobile suit was much closer to the chopper than Cagalli and anticipated; it looked like there were just a few meters separating them at the most.

"Jesus!" she gasped, "Aren't you cutting it a little close here?"

The pilot laughed over the radio. "Is that you, Princess? Shouldn't I be getting a 'thank you' for giving you some ECM cover?"

"Don't call me Princess!" Cagalli shot back, "I don't care if you are a Gundam pilot; you should give us a little more space than this!"

"Relax," said Duo, sounding as though he didn't have a care in the world, "I could fly like this in my sleep. Any of us could."

"He's right," said Quatre with a smile as he glanced over his shoulder, "There's no need to worry, Cagalli."

Cagalli took a deep breath as she stole another glance at the mechanical Grim Reaper hovering above them. "Easy for you to say."

"Let's get inside quickly," said Heero, "We can't afford to linger here."

"Hangar doors are opening up," said Trowa.

Quatre nodded. "All right. Here we go."

The landing went off without a hitch, and the Deathscythe Omega followed them into the hangar a moment later. Cagalli sighed with relief and smiled as Heero opened up the door, letting in the familiar sights and sounds of mobile suit and aircraft work crews going about their duties; she'd take this over meetings with nobles and ministers any day of the week.

"Welcome back," said Heero, and Cagalli was surprised to see a small smile on his face as well.

Cagalli nodded. "It's good to be back."

"Hey, you guys made it!" called Crew Chief Murdoch as he approached the chopper, "Any problems with the bird?"

"Not at all," said Quatre as he and Trowa exited the chopper, "She flew like a dream."

The top mechanic on the Archangel grinned. "High praise indeed, coming from pilots with your reputation. Thanks!"

"Yo, Murdoch!" called Duo as he climbed out of his Gundam's cockpit, "Can you give my buddy over here a quick once-over? I want to make sure he's ready for the next sortie."

Murdoch nodded. "Be right there!"

"How are the rest of our machines?" asked Heero, "We didn't take any hits in the fight at Home One, but it doesn't hurt to be thorough."

The Crew Chief chuckled. "Come on, Heero, don't you know me by now? Your Gundams are ready for action whenever you need them. Same goes for the Strike Rouge, Lady Cagalli; I can give her my personal certificate of combat readiness!"

Cagalli nodded. "Thanks. It's good to see you again, Chief."

Murdoch shook his head. "Aw, don't worry about the rank, little lady. You can just call me Murdoch like the good old days!"

Cagalli couldn't help but giggle. "I'll try to remember that."

"Where's the rest of the welcoming committee?" asked Quatre.

Murdoch looked around. "They should be down any… oh, there they are!"

Cagalli turned around and saw several people entering the hangar. At the front of the group were Lacus and Kira, while behind them she spotted Murrue, Andrew and Aisha Waltfeld. Her smile grew as they approached; it had been far too long since the last time they'd met in person.

"Cagalli!" shouted Kira.

"It's good to see you again!" called Lacus.

Before Cagalli knew what was happening, the two of them embraced her. It took every ounce of her self-control to keep from becoming overcome with emotion right then and there. Finally, after what felt like an eternity surrounded by people who wanted nothing more than to use, exploit, and manipulate her, she was among friends again. It meant more to her than she could possibly put into words.

"We were worried about you," said Kira, "I'm sorry we couldn't help you before now."

"Are you doing all right?" asked Lacus.

Cagalli nodded. "I'm fine, but what about you? Heero told me that ZAFT just tried to kill you!"

"Emphasis on tried," said Aisha from behind them with a smirk.

Andrew chuckled. "No kidding. I wonder how long it took the ones who ordered the attack to realize that their entire strike force was wiped out."

"I would've liked to see the looks on the pilots' faces when they saw who there were up against on the beach," said Murrue before kissing Heero on the cheek, "They didn't bring nearly enough mobile suits for a job like that."

"It would've been enough if they'd taken us by surprise," said Heero, "Good thing we took extra precautions with perimeter security."

Kira smiled. "It was a little tense, but we're okay, Cagalli."

Lacus nodded. "Yes, although I do wish it had not come to this."

Cagalli shook her head. "I still can't believe it. When I met Durandal back on Armory One I never thought he'd be capable of something like this. I guess it shows how bad I am at reading people. No wonder I suck so badly when it comes to politics."

"Don't beat yourself up over it," said Andrew, "Durandal's a master at this game; the way he's been playing the people of L5 is proof enough of that. He's much more subtle than Patrick Zala, which makes him much harder to anticipate."

"He betrayed his hand with this play, though," said Aisha, "We still don't know his endgame, but at this point it's safe to say that it involves far more than just defending the PLANTs from Atlantic Federation aggression."

"Exposing his true agenda will not be easy," said Lacus, "but we must get to the heart of the matter if we're to have any hope of bringing this war to an end."

Cagalli nodded. "Durandal, the Alliance, the Seirans… I think we've actually got more enemies this time than in the last war."

"Perhaps," said Murrue with a smile, "but that doesn't mean that we can't turn this around. The Seirans may hold power in Orb, but they'll never capture the hearts of the people like you do, Cagalli. When the time is right we'll move against them and remove the hold they and the Alliance have over your country."

"It'll be a while before we reach that point," said Heero, "In the meantime we've got plenty of work to do."

Duo grinned. "You got that right! So, who's ready to do what we do best?"

"I'm game if the rest of you are," said Quatre with a smile, "How about you, Trowa?"

Trowa nodded, and Cagalli was surprised to see a small smile on his face as well. "We've come this far, haven't we? Just give me a target."

"All right," said Cagalli, feeling more confident by the second, "So, what's our next move?"

"As much as I'd like to go after ZAFT for their attack on Home One, we need to keep things in perspective," said Heero, "There's a broader war being fought, and while Durandal's certainly proven himself to be an enemy at this point he's not the one fighting a campaign of outright extermination. His time will come, but for now the biggest threat is the Earth Alliance."

Andrew nodded. "With Orb in their pocket, their forces in the Pacific can now concentrate their might and prepare a knockout blow against Carpentaria. If that base falls, not only will the immediate defenders be slaughtered, but the considerable Coordinator community in Oceana will be targeted for extermination."

"We don't want to give ZAFT the decisive edge in this conflict," said Aisha, "but at the same time we don't want the Earth Alliance to maintain the initiative either. Inducing a temporary stalemate in the Pacific theater of this war will buy us some time to sort out the larger conflict."

Cagalli nodded. "Okay, then. How do we do that?"

"The Pacific Fleet is still spread out," said Murrue with a smile, "They haven't begun to consolidate their battle groups for the push against Carpentaria yet. That means they're vulnerable."

"We have two targets in mind," said Heero, "The Archangel will take one and the Dominion will go after the other. Natarle's already moving her ship into position, so we've got some catching up to do."

"You haven't flown for a while, Cagalli," said Kira, "If you wanted to take some time to brush up on your piloting skills, no one would blame you for sitting this round out."

Cagalli shook her head. "Not a chance in hell. You have been risking your necks ever since the attack on Armory One; I'm done sitting on the sidelines. I haven't forgotten how to fly a mobile suit. Just get me into the cockpit and instinct will take care of the rest."

Lacus smiled. "Your confidence is encouraging, but please don't be reckless."

"That goes for all of us," said Andrew, "We'll have the element of surprise with these attacks, but we can't afford to let our guard down. We hit our targets fast and hard, and then we get the hell out. Is that clear?"

Duo smiled. "Are you kidding? This sort of op is what me and Deathscythe are best at!"

"Strike and fade," said Trowa, "We pulled that often enough in our war."

"Just like old times," said Quatre with a chuckle, "Too bad Wufei's with the Minerva right now; I bet he'd want in on this."

"We can fill him in on what he missed once we link back up with him," said Heero.

"Hopefully Durandal won't take any action against him," said Murrue, her eyes narrowing, "He may not have been at Home One when ZAFT attacked, but Durandal knows that he's linked to you so it's hard to say what he might do once he realizes that you stopped his attempt to kill Lacus."

Heero shook his head. "Wufei can take care of himself. Besides, at this point he's a valuable combat asset for the Minerva, so I doubt Durandal will try anything that might push him away. The Altron gives that ship the ability to punch far outside its weight class; that's not something to toss aside lightly."

"I'd like to see them try to make a move against Wufei," said Duo with a smirk, "The Minerva would be twisted scraps of metal by the time he finished with it."

"Something Durandal is likely quite keen on avoiding," said Heero dryly, "As I said, Wufei can handle himself just fine without our help. Our top priority is to hit our current targets as quickly as we can."

"I'll have the data provided by Eric uploaded to your mobile suits," said Murrue, "Study up fast; it won't be long until we make contact with the enemy."

Cagalli nodded and smiled. "All right, then. Let's do this!"

….

October 24th, C.E. 73

Currently holding position to the west of the Orb Union's territorial waters, the Atlantic Federation battle group led by the carrier McConnell was a fairly typical example of the clusters of warships that currently surrounded the once neutral nation. In addition to its flagship it had another two carriers, four cruisers, and seven destroyers in its ranks, along with their accompanying mobile suits and helicopters.

Its commanding officer, Rear Admiral Isaac Brooks, was also a typical example of the men the Atlantic Federation had leading such groups; conventional-minded, obedient, unimaginative, and sympathetic to the aims of Blue Cosmos, although in his case he wasn't actually a full-fledged member. Middle-aged, rigid in ideology and fully convinced of the righteousness of his nation's cause, he was an ideal front line commander in a military that was taking part in a war of outright extermination.

While his current task was to patrol the western waters and keep an eye out for any signs of Orb Union naval units attempting to desert their country due to the shift in allegiance, he really only had half a mind for his present mission. Instead his thoughts would frequently turn to the inevitable and eagerly anticipated moment when the combined might of the Pacific Fleet would turn to the southwest and lay siege to ZAFT's Carpentaria base. It might've been the very early hours of the morning, but he still had plenty of energy to contemplate what he'd much rather be doing with his forces.

This fleet did not come out here for a mere policing action, he thought, Our ships and mobile suits were meant to purge the Coordinators from the surface of our world, not sit idly as we wait for Orb to formalize its alliance with us. Every moment that we stand by here is a moment wasted.

There were additional matters that he felt required urgent attending to, chief among them being ZAFT's new battleship. Brooks was well aware of the fact that the Minerva had slipped through the net set up for it by the Pacific Fleet and was currently en route to Carpentaria, and he could not for the life of him figure out why his superiors had not decided to give chase. The destruction of one battle group at the hands of the vessel meant nothing; they had more than sufficient forces to devote to hunting the ship down and blowing it out of the water before it reached its destination. Alas, his vessels had not been given the order to pursue, so here he was, waiting for deserters that so far had not deigned to rear their ugly heads.

"Any sign of activity?" he asked the carrier's sensor officer, more out of reflex and boredom than anything else.

"No, sir," came the reply, "No warship movements of any kind."

He sighed. Had he really expected there to be a change at this point? With the way things stood now he had half a mind to turn in; it didn't look like he'd be missing anything important.

"Hang on," said the sensor officer, leaning towards his console, "There might be something…"

Brooks raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

The officer shook his head. "It looks like minor interference, but… it could just be a system glitch. I'll run a diagnostic; the system may need to be recalibrated."

"We've got the time for it," the Rear Admiral deadpanned.

His gaze idly drifted out the viewport and over to one of the other carriers in the battle group, the Ryan. It was a Spengler-class carrier, the exact same model as the McConnell, and apart from being slightly fresher out of the shipyards than the flagship there was nothing remotely remarkable about it.

Except for a sudden flash of green light that seemed to appear out of thin air just above the carrier's bridge.

Start "Shoot To Thrill"

Before Brooks realized what was happening that light grew into a wicked crescent and swung right through the bridge of the Ryan. The carrier's command center was sliced clean away from the rest of the ship before the emerald blade swung back around and down straight into the vessel's flight deck. Gouts fire and smoke billowed from the ship's wounds, and the air immediately above the deck began to shimmer…

…revealing a mechanical Grim Reaper.

"T-that thing!" he sputtered, "T-that's one of the machines from the orbital fight!"

"Energy spike coming from on high!" shouted the sensor operator, "Altitude; ten kilometers!"

Before he could ask what the source was a pillar of golden hellfire lanced down from above and slammed into the third carrier in the battle group, the Pence. In an instant the vessel was annihilated, leaving nothing but searing bits of scrap metal floating on the waves.

"It's here!" cried one of the bridge officers, not even trying to hide their terror.

Sure enough, the main bridge monitor shifted to reveal the airborne attacker, and it was none other than Wing Zero. Its four white wings spread with azure streams of light flowing from them, it looked like nothing less than an angel of death.

Brooks was about to give the order for the McConnell's mobile suits to launch when the carrier was rocked by what appeared to be a giant geyser of water mere meters off the vessel's starboard side. A second later enough water had fallen back into the sea for the Rear Admiral to discover yet another mobile suit hovering right next to the carrier, this one wielding two long and gleaming curved blades. While it did not have anywhere near the same fearsome reputation that Wing Zero had acquired it was still one of the units that had fought alongside it during the Break The World Incident, and that alone was enough for Brooks to realize that he would not be leaving this battlefield alive.

….

The barrels of the Twin Buster Rifle were still glowing from the heat of the shot Heero had just fired when he saw Quatre make his assault on the third and final carrier in the Alliance battle group. Sandrock Saladin's attack was as swift as it was merciless; it sheered the bow clean off of the carrier with its first blow before carving right into the bridge with a vicious follow-up strike. Raising both Heat Shotels, the Gundam then brought both blades down into the heart of the carrier and ripped it apart.

That deals with the enemy's air power, he thought as he surveyed the unfolding clash, They never even got the chance to launch their mobile suits. A perfect opening strike…

There were still the four cruiser and seven destroyers left to contend with, but their numbers would be reduced in short order. Immediately after Quatre finished his attack on the last carrier, Heavyarms Arsenal burst forth from beneath the waves. Leveling both the Double Assault Beam Cannon and the Double Barrel Gatling Gun at the nearest cruiser, Trowa Barton proceeded to unleash a rain of fire upon the hapless vessel. The sheer weight of the barrage utterly wiped out the upper superstructure of the warship, leaving little more than a blackened husk of a vessel floating on the waves. The remaining cruisers and destroyers opened fire, but their counterattacks were frantic and disorganized. The heart of the battle group had been ripped apart and the chain of command was in tatters.

Heero and his friends would ruthlessly exploit that.

The elimination of the battle group's core was the signal for the others to move in. Just beneath the surface Heero saw the faint tell-tale signs of two torpedo tracks a few seconds before the warheads fired by the submerged Archangel slammed into the portside of a destroyer, causing the warship to quickly take on a steep list. Approaching rapidly and flying just above the waves were the Freedom, Strike Rouge, the Mercurius Kai and the Vayeate Kai; more than enough firepower to deliver the death blow to the Earth Alliance battle group.

Overkill would be an apt description, Heero mused, and that's not even counting the fact that we're holding Aisha and Andrew's Murasames in reserve…

He shifted his sights to his next target, a cruiser. A low-power shot from the Twin Buster Rifle was more than sufficient to punch through the vessel's upper decks and down to the keel, snapping the ship in half. Another cruiser found itself under attack by the Deathscythe Omega, which wasted no time ripping the vessel apart. Sandrock Saladin fell upon the last of the larger warships with a vengeance, carving into the cruiser with its Heat Shotels until it was reduced to a few floating hunks of metal.

Now there were just the six remaining destroyers to deal with, and they were not long for this world. CIWS, cannons, and surface-to-air missile launchers spewed desperate bursts of anti-air fire left and right, but the volleys were sloppy and uncoordinated. A swarm of warheads flying towards Heavyarms Arsenal were almost casually blown out of the sky before the Gundam turned on the destroyer that had unleashed them and utterly wasted it with a hail of bullets and beams. Fate would not be much kinder to its brethren.

Entering the fray in earnest now, the Freedom and the mobile suits it led made short work of the survivors. In his trademark fashion Kira aimed merely to disable rather than kill, and the destroyer he targeted was swiftly stripped of its weaponry. For a moment Heero considered destroying the ship anyway so they could not relay to their superiors who had attacked them, but he decided against it; if Kira was still set on sparing the lives of the enemy then Heero would let him do so as long as it didn't prove to threaten the others. Besides, if the survivors told their comrades of how easily their battle group had been annihilated there was always the chance that it could adversely affect the morale of the Earth Alliance armed forces, and that was a potential advantage for Terminal that might very well come in handy down the road.

The four remaining active destroyers earned no such respite, though. One was immediately blown out of the water by Dearka's heavy cannon, while Yzak made short work of another through a combination of his mobile suit's beam saber and rifle. The Strike Rouge fell upon a third, sweeping the vessel's upper hull with particle beam fire before finishing it off with her saber. Heero set his sights on the last destroyer and opened fire, effortlessly demolishing the final active hostile vessel.

The sun had still not risen, and yet the ocean waves were glowing in orange-red light from the flames of the burning warships. The entire battle group had been swiftly and systematically annihilated in a matter of minutes, and there was nothing left to do now other than move on before the sun rose and enemy reinforcements arrived.

Contacting the Archangel, Heero immediately gave his report to Murrue. "All targets neutralized."

On his monitor, Murrue smiled. "Nice work. The Dominion should be striking its target any second now."

Heero nodded. "We should head for the rendezvous point."

"Agreed," said Murrue, "I'm bringing the Archangel up now. Get on board so we can get the hell out of here."

"Roger that," Heero replied.

End "Shoot To Thrill"

….

An old saying went that an army marched on its stomach, and that was as true in the Cosmic Era as it had been since mankind had first begun waging organized warfare on itself. The gargantuan Fleet Replenishment Vessel (FRV) Horn Of Plenty and her sister ships were designed to accomplish that for the Atlantic Federation Navy, and no expense had been spared to make sure that they could perform that mission par excellence.

While technically not classified as a capital ship, the vessel's sheer size and level of importance to the Pacific Fleet meant that it was more or less treated like one. Coming in at an astounding six hundred meters in length, the vessel carried enough stores of consumables, fuel, and other essential goods to keep an armada well-supplied through the most grueling and extensive campaigns imaginable. While it had been built essentially as a massive fleet tender, the ship was exceptionally well armored for a vessel of its class, and it was capable of withstanding a considerably amount of conventional weapons fire. The ship also had extensive anti-air defenses for a resupply ship, consisting of twenty-six Igelstellung 75mm CIWS and twelve surface-to-air missile launchers. Of course, it would be foolhardy to expect the ship to be able to adequately defend itself without support, which was why the Horn Of Plenty was accompanied by its own dedicated escort group. This was composed of a single Spengler-class carrier, three cruisers, and six destroyers.

Currently situated to the northwest of the Orb Union, the Horn Of Plenty and her escorts were assigned as the primary resupply point for the forces of the Pacific Fleet that had surrounded the island nation. While there were other fleet tenders operating with the armada, the Horn Of Plenty was by far the largest and the most important, so she and her escorts had been positioned in what was thought to be a relatively safe portion of the operational theater. No Orb Navy units had attempted to move in that direction, and it was relatively out of the way of any potential strikes coming from ZAFT's Carpentaria base.

Unfortunately for the Horn Of Plenty and her escorts, it wasn't ZAFT that currently had them in their sights.

….

Leaning back in the pilot's seat of the Epyon Revenant, Shemei smirked as she looked up at her prey. "Gotta give credit where it's due; the Americans sure know how to build 'em big."

Too bad that just means it's a fatter target in this case.

Her Gundam was positioned underneath the Horn Of Plenty, waiting patiently for the right moment to strike. The Valkyrie idly glanced over at the timer and saw that there was just a minute left before her team's coordinated assault on the FRV and her escorts would begin. The timer was crucial due to the fact that they had to maintain radio silence in order to maximize the element of surprise. Making the approach undetected had been trick, but Shemei knew that the payoff to all that effort was going to be spectacular.

I hope the others are doing okay, she thought, They had more opposition to deal with than we do here. Still, they should've had the element of surprise just like we do now, and that's all a team of Gundam pilots needs to make mincemeat of the enemy. It'll be interesting to compare notes later…

Start "Black Dog"

She grinned as the timer finally went down to zero. "Showtime."

Bringing the hilt of her beam sword up and pressing it against the keel of the Horn Of Plenty, she ignited the blade. The emerald energy raced through the ship as she fed more power to the weapon, right up until Shemei knew that it gone straight up to the top deck of the vessel.

"Time to cut you down a peg or two," she said with a smirk.

She dragged the beam sword towards the portside of the FRV. The water above her turned to steam as she progressed, and she could only imagine the utter terror striking the crew of the ship as the verdant blade carved inexorably through the vessel. Soon enough she reached the edge of the ship. Dialing back the power to bring the beam sword down to a more manageable length, the Valkyrie then gunned her thrusters and sent her demonic machine shooting right to the surface.

As she climbed she could see the full extent of the damage she'd done to the Horn Of Plenty. Her strike had broken the spine of the ship, and the vessel was already folding in on itself. At the same time water was rushing through the gash in her hull, causing the ship to list sharply to port as it broke in half. Shemei could tell that at this rate it would only be a matter of minutes before the FRV slipped beneath the waves.

The FRV wasn't the only ship that had been attacked; Shemei's opening strike had been the cue for the rest of her team to come out of hiding. A swarm of Lancer Dart missiles rained down from the sky, launched from the three cloaked Wraiths, and utterly mauled the upper decks of the carrier and two of the cruisers. Follow-up barrages from Adaline, Lan, and Priscilla as their machines decloaked were enough to finish off their victims and turn them into nothing more than flaming hulks.

"So much for their air support," said Shemei with a chuckle as she surveyed the gutted carrier, "That'll make this much easier."

A beeping coming from her sensors told her that the next member of their strike team was moving in fast. Taking a look, Shemei nodded with approval as she saw the Tallgeese Kai racing in, barely above the surface of the water in an impressive display of precision flying.

Raising his beam rifle, the Hawk of Endymion wasted no time in taking down his first target. A volley of particle beams ripped into a destroyer and set its upper decks alight. Igniting his machine's violet beam saber, La Flaga moved in for the killing blow, slicing the burning warship in half.

The remaining cruiser and five destroyers quickly opened fire with their CIWS, cannons, and missiles. Shemei blew a few warheads out of the sky with her Gundam's head-mounted Igelstellungs while evading everything else that came her way. Her subordinates likewise had little difficulty in dealing with the anti-aircraft fire from the enemy, and they were already zeroing in on new targets.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the destroyers suddenly rock as two large plumes of water shot into the air directly off its starboard side. As the water fell away Shemei could briefly see two gaping holes in the side of the warship before the vessel began to list; the Dominion had made her torpedo attack. Satisfied that that particular vessel was out of the fight, Shemei set her sights on the single remaining cruiser and moved in to strike. She unfurled and ignited the Epyon Revenant's Heat Rod as she came in low before lashing the vessel with it. The superheated whip utterly mauled the upper superstructure of the cruiser, and Shemei quickly finished it off with a swing of her beam sword.

Only four destroyers left, she thought, and they won't be around for much longer.

Leaving the remaining targets for the others, she gained altitude so she could serve as an effective over watch. They still had Eric and his GuAIZ Werewolf in reserve, although at this point it didn't look like there would be a need for her husband to deploy. There were no enemy reinforcements showing up on her scanners; by the time more hostiles showed up it would be far too late for them to save this battle group.

She watched as Adaline nailed one of the destroyers right in the bridge with her rail cannons before finishing the warship off with the beam rifles mounted in her Wraith's shields. Meanwhile, Lan had decided to take her target on up close, igniting both of her beam sabers and driving them straight into the heart of the destroyer. Gouts of flame flew from the ship as its engine and power-plant were demolished, and the burning wreck of the destroyer began to rapidly slip beneath the waves. As for Priscilla, she had opted to deal with her target from afar, sweeping the destroyer's decks with her beam rifles until the entire ship was a charred hulk drifting on the waves. The last destroyer fell victim to the beam rifle of the Tallgeese Kai, with a precise volley tearing into the vessel's starboard side and ripping it apart.

Shemei nodded in approval as she surveyed the results of the sneak attack. "Looks like we got them all."

"I almost feel bad for them," said Lan, "Almost."

"That ought to disrupt their operations in this area for a little while," said Adaline.

"Yes," said Priscilla, "Now they'll have to be on guard for attacks from ZAFT and us. That should deal a nice little blow to the morale of their forces."

La Flaga sighed. "It's too bad it had to come to this. I doubt most of these guys really bought into what Blue Cosmos was selling them."

Shemei shook her head grimly. "You're probably right, but that doesn't change the fact that they're fighting for the wrong side. We did what we had to do, and this won't be the last time we'll have to take on soldiers being used as pawns in a larger game."

"I know," said La Flaga with resignation, "We should get moving."

Shemei nodded. "Agreed. Dominion, this is Epyon; all clear on the surface."

Natarle appeared on the monitor. "Understood. We'll be popping up shortly. Get aboard and we'll make for the rendezvous point."

"Roger that," the Valkyrie replied.

End "Black Dog"

….

Durandal's eyes narrowed as the officer on the screen finished their report. "Two of them? Are you certain?"

The soldier nodded. "Yes. One was a carrier group, while the other was an escort group for an FRV. Our scouts report that they were wiped out within minutes of each other, and it wasn't our forces that attacked them."

"I see," said Durandal, "What of the rumors that have been buzzing around the Orb Union these past few hours?"

"We're still trying to corroborate what we're hearing," the young man replied, "If it's true, though… well, none of us really know what to make of it."

Durandal nodded. "Quite understandable, all things considered. Keep at it and pass any updates along to my secretary. I'll review them as soon as I'm able to."

"Understood, Chairman," said the officer before he disappeared from the screen.

Durandal leaned back in his chair, taking a minute to ponder all that the intelligence analyst had told him. He really should be asleep at this hour, but it had been such an eventful night that the Supreme Council Chairman didn't want to risk missing any more developments.

The Case Black Rose strike force was wiped out, he thought, two Earth Alliance battle groups have been destroyed and, if the rumor mill is correct, the Chief Representative of Orb has been kidnapped. Now the question becomes this; how does it all fit together?

The loss of the Case Black Rose strike force was an easy enough question to answer; somehow the element of surprise had been lost and whoever was defending Lacus Clyne had taken them down. The lack of reports on the status of the mission's target was enough for Durandal to conclude that the songstress was still alive, and the complete devastation of the strike force meant that the opposition had been both better armed and better prepared than he or the Surface Intelligence Bureau had anticipated. Ordering a second strike would be pointless now; he was sure that Lacus had been spirited away since the failed attempt on her life.

The other two major events of the night were much harder to place into broader context. It was easy enough for him to guess at who had carried them out; only the forces dedicated to Lacus Clyne had the resources to both kidnap the Orb Union's head of state and demolish two Earth Alliance battle groups so quickly. More importantly was Durandal's hunch that a certain pilot was at the heart of all these events; Heero Yuy. However, from there it got considerably more complicated. In fending off the strike on Lacus Clyne, Durandal was sure that Wing Zero's pilot and his allies would've recognized the attackers as Coordinators due to their equipment, and yet it had not been ZAFT forces that they had attacked after the failed assassination attempt; it had been the Earth Alliance who had been struck. Why had they gone after someone whom they surely would've known had nothing to do with the attempt on the life of Lacus Clyne? Why had they also kidnapped Cagalli in the same night? What did it all mean?

A lesser man would've brushed such concerns aside. After all, the Clyne Faction was a small group. Sure, it was well armed and well-informed, but its resources paled in comparison to those that could be marshaled by power blocs such as ZAFT and the Earth Alliance. However, the First Bloody Valentine War was proof enough for what happened to those who underestimated the songstress and her allies; Patrick Zala and Muruta Azrael had ultimately paid for their hubris with their lives. Durandal was determined to avoid making the same mistakes that they had.

It would be so easy to dismiss them as a handful of idealists, he thought, but that would be tantamount to suicide. This is not just a songstress and a handful of ex-soldiers. They're highly trained and skilled officers, pilots, and intelligence analysts with access to powerful weaponry and a formidable information network. They are incredibly dangerous when provoked, and I have done precisely that. The question now becomes this; will I see their retaliation in the immediate future, or will they play the long game?

The loss of two Earth Alliance battle groups actually indicated the latter from Durandal's point of view. Taking down the two clusters of warships so swiftly required speed, power, and cunning, but it also demonstrated another quality; patience. Rather than strike back at ZAFT right from the get-go, the Clyne Faction had acted with an eye to the broader strategic picture. They would not lash out at the most convenient targets to take their retribution against him; they were biding their time until the right moment to make their move present itself. That was a quality that Durandal could appreciate given the scope of his own long-term plans.

A hot war was being waged between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance, but Durandal was not blind to the fact that a cold one now existed between him and the Clyne Faction. How the next steps in this delicate and dangerous dance would play out was impossible to predict…

…and to Durandal, that made it all the more exhilarating.

….

"Any signs of activity?" asked Talia as she took her seat on the bridge.

Arthur shook his head. "Things have been fairly quiet, ma'am. Although…"

He seemed a little apprehensive, so Talia gave what she hoped was an encouraging smile. "If something's bothering you, it's best to get it out in the open now, Arthur."

Her XO sighed. "It feels too easy. I mean sure, the initial fight to get clear of the Orb Union was rough, but it's been relatively smooth sailing since then. I thought for sure the enemy would launch a pursuit force at some point, but there hasn't been any trace of one."

Talia nodded. "I agree that it's odd, but for now we should count our blessings. Go get some rest, Arthur."

"Aye, Captain," he replied before leaving the bridge.

"Meyrin," she said, "Did I miss any transmissions from our superiors?"

Meyrin shook her head. "No, ma'am. We did intercept some odd radio traffic earlier, though."

Talia's eyes narrowed. "What kind of traffic?"

"It was an Earth Alliance transmission," she replied, "The encryption was low-key so it was easy to crack. Apparently two of the Pacific Fleet's battle groups were wiped out overnight."

Talia raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

Meyrin nodded. "Yes. The funny thing is that the transmission didn't state that ZAFT forces were involved in the battle groups' destruction, though."

"Who else would've made that kind of attack?" asked Talia, "I mean, the only other power in this area is the Orb Union and they're in bed with the Americans now, so it can't be them."

"They didn't name the forces of a specific country," said Meyrin, "However, there were two words in that transmission that stood out, and I'm pretty sure they referred to the identity of the attackers."

"What were those words?" asked Talia.

"The first was 'renegades'," said Meyrin, "and the second… it was 'demon'."

The first word was up for interpretation as far as Talia was concerned, but when it came to the second her thoughts instantly went to one specific pilot.

Heero Yuy.

"So," she murmured, "he's back on the field. I wonder why now…"

"Captain?" asked Meyrin, "Is something wrong?"

Talia shook her head. "It's nothing. Good work decoding that transmission, Meyrin. Let me know if you come across any more of those."

Meyrin nodded. "Understood, ma'am."

The sooner we get to Carpentaria, the better, she thought, I was afraid that we'd encounter the enemy again before our arrival, but if the likes of Heero Yuy and his allies are attacking Alliance forces in the region then we may just get off easy.

Here's hoping our luck holds.

….

"Again," said Wufei.

Lunamaria didn't need to be told twice. She charged forward as her sparring partner brought his arms up to guard and wasted no time in cutting loose with a hard right hook. Just like before, Wufei was able to block her attack and quickly counter with a sweep of his leg. However, this time Lunamaria was ready for that move, and she jumped backward to avoid having her footing swiped out from under her.

Her opponent smirked. "That's better."

Lunamaria chuckled. "You like that, huh? Then you're gonna love this!"

She rushed in again and threw another right hook, only this time it was a feint. Her real attack was the knee she quickly brought up, aimed right at his gut. Wufei was able to pivot and avoid the strike, but Lunamaria thought she caught a hint of approval in his eyes as he evaded her blow. She didn't have any time to celebrate that, though; his counter was swift and precise, and a sharp elbow to her side staggered her and forced her to gasp for breath.

"Shit!" she hissed as she clutched her side, "That's a new one…"

"Always be ready for anything in a fight," he said, "That rule holds true whether it's a clash of mobile suits or hand-to-hand combat. The human body is a potent weapon, and a true martial artist exploits every aspect of it."

"Right," said Lunamaria as she rubbed her side, "Still… you could've held back at least a little bit."

"I was holding back," Wufei replied pointedly, "I have been this entire time. I thought you knew that already."

Lunamaria sighed. "I guess I hoped I was pushing you harder than before. Show's how much I know."

"For what it's worth," said Wufei, "that wasn't bad. You're showing signs of improvement. Small signs, anyway."

Lunamaria wasn't sure whether to smile or scowl; it was rare to get any kind of compliment from Wufei, but the caveat at the end took a considerable portion of the morale boost away from it. In the end she settled for a shrug, figuring that this was probably as good as she was going to get from him for today.

"Ready for one more?" she asked, already raising her fists.

Wufei shook his head. "We'd better take a break. You need a little more time to catch your breath."

She hated to admit it, but he was right; his elbow had taken more of the wind out of her than she'd first thought. Deciding to take a load off, she sat down and leaned back against the hull, enjoying the cool sea breeze on her face.

I'm glad we spar out here instead of inside, she thought, This feels great after a fight like that.

They'd been out on the Minerva's exterior observation deck for about a half an hour now. The practice fights between her and Wufei had been gradually growing more intense, which Lunamaria took to be a sign of her growing abilities. While she still wasn't a fan of her instructor's attitude, she had to admit that he was doing a much better job of teaching her than the drill masters at the ZAFT academy had. Basic hand-to-hand exercises were all well and good, but she wanted to be able to fight on the same level as the Gundam pilots, and her matches with Wufei amply demonstrated just how far she had to climb if she wanted to get anywhere near the peak that he and his comrades stood upon.

"Hey," she said after a moment, "Mind if I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," he replied.

"Who taught you how to fight like this?" she asked with a smile, "I bet he was a total badass!"

Wufei smirked. "Not sure if that's the kind of title he'd give himself, but he was a formidable instructor. His skills in the martial arts were almost as sharp as his technical genius."

Lunamaria raised an eyebrow. "So he wasn't just a martial artist, then?"

Wufei shook his head. "No. I knew him as Master O, although I highly doubt that was his real name. He was the one that taught me how to fight, both as a martial artist and as a mobile suit pilot. He was also the one that designed Nataku."

Lunamaria's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean he was the same guy that built your Gundam? Holy shit!"

Wufei nodded. "Like I said, he was sharp in mind and body alike. I never actually saw him pilot a mobile suit himself, but I imagine he would've given me a decent fight had we clashed in such a manner."

The way Wufei kept talking about the man in past tense made Lunamaria nervous. "So… what happened to him?"

"He died in the war," said Wufei, "You could consider Nataku to be his legacy."

"I see," said Lunamaria somberly.

It was hard to really say anything more than that. They may have been around the same age, but when it came to the amount of death that they had experienced in their lives it was clear that they were worlds apart. Lunamaria could count herself lucky in that her friends and family were still alive, but apart from his fellow Gundam pilots Wufei did not appear to have even that luxury.

"So," she said after a moment, trying to change the subject, "how long are you planning on staying with us?"

"We've been over this already, haven't we?" Wufei replied with a roll of his eyes, "As long as the Minerva's at the center of the action, I see no reason to leave."

"But what about your friends?"asked Lunamaria, "Aren't they going to come after you eventually?"

"We're free to fight when and where we please," said Wufei, "We can take care of ourselves just fine; they have no reason to come after me right now. A world at war is an environment that the five of us are quite accustomed to."

"But you guys are more effective when you fight together," Lunamaria countered, "I may not know you all very well, but up in orbit you guys tore apart everything in your path when you were operating jointly. You were unstoppable! Wouldn't it make sense to maintain that unite front to maximize your impact in this war?"

"You're assuming that the five of us all have the same objective," Wufei shot back, "There are some points where our interests coincide and cooperation is the most effective means of furthering those goals. However, we each have our own ideals and goals that we're working towards as well. I do not begrudge the others the pursuit of their own paths just as they do not begrudge my desire to follow my idea of justice. Where we unite and where we part ways is dictated as much by circumstance as by design."

Lunamaria shook her head, struggling to wrap her mind around it all. "You know, you guys are the weirdest bunch of pilots I've ever met."

She was surprised to hear Wufei chuckle. "Well, we have to keep things interesting somehow. It's in our nature."

"Well, as long as you guys keep the enemy on their toes, I guess I can live with that," said Lunamaria, "Just don't go making life difficult for us, okay? We've got enough to worry about as it is."

Wufei shrugged. "We'll see how things play out."

Lunamaria sighed. Whoever had coined the term 'wild card' had clearly never met the likes of Wufei and the Gundam pilots. They took unpredictability to a whole different level; it was impossible to tell what was going through their minds and what they were planning to do next.

Then again, she thought with a smile as she stole a quick glance at Wufei, it also makes them pretty fun… in their own way, I guess.

….

October 25th, C.E. 73

"Please wait in here," said the Chairman's aide as she stepped aside to let Athrun through the door, "I apologize for the inconvenience, especially considering how early the hour is. Chairman Durandal will be with you shortly."

Athrun nodded and smiled. "It's all right… Rachael, was it?"

The blonde woman returned his smile. "Yes. Is there something else that I can do for you before I go?"

"There is, actually," said Athrun, "Can you tell me why the Chairman wanted to meet me down here?"

The aide shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't have permission to do that. The Chairman will brief you when he arrives. I can say no more than that on the matter."

"Very well," Athrun replied, "What about the situation down on Earth?"

"I'm sorry," said Rachael, "but I don't have permission to discuss military or geopolitical matters with you either. Forgive me, but I must go."

As Rachael left the room, Athrun headed over to one of the chairs. He had been quite surprised when he had received the summons from the Chairman, and the question of why the ruler of the PLANTs wanted to meet with him now was still buzzing in his mind. The shuttle flight from the Gondwana had been uneventful, but unfortunately the only passengers on the craft had been himself and Heine so he had been unable to learn anything new regarding how the war was unfolding down on Earth.

He wished Heine was still with him; it would've been nice to have someone to pass the time with. The FAITH member had made it much easier for him to reintegrate into ZAFT than he had initially feared, and there were moments where Athrun almost felt as though he'd never left the military. It had been nice to have such an amiable pilot around to help him get back into the swing of things, so to speak, but unfortunately the two of them had gone their separate ways once the shuttle had arrived at Aprilius One; Heine had gone to report to the Supreme Council, and Athrun had been summoned out here.

'Here' in this case was the lobby of a subsection of the central docks that formed the middle of every PLANT-style colony. His experience from the last war was enough to for him to know that this particular area was actually reserved for classified ZAFT operations and projects, which made him all the more curious as to why the Chairman had wanted him to come to this particular location.

The last time I was down here, he thought, was when I received the Justice. That feels like a lifetime ago. I wonder what the Chairman's got in store for me this time…

Much to his surprise, it wound up only being about ten minutes or so before the door opened. As expected, Durandal was there, but he was also accompanied by none other than Meer Campbell. It was still so strange for Athrun to see her in her 'Lacus Clyne' persona, and he wondered what his friends had thought of her broadcast after the attack on the PLANTs that had kicked off this war.

"Athrun!" cried Meer as she rushed forward, "It's so good to see you again!"

"Hello," said Athrun, rather taken aback by her enthusiasm.

Before he could react she threw her arms around him. "The Chairman showed me footage of you fighting to defend us in the battle earlier. You were amazing!"

Athrun could only manage a weak smile, feeling rather awkward about the whole situation. "Oh, well… thanks."

As he gently extricated himself from her embrace she smiled at him. "Did you see my broadcast after the battle? What did you think?"

"Oh, that?" said Athrun, "It… it was good. Really good, in fact. I could tell that you put a lot of work into it."

Meer gasped. "Really? You mean that?"

"Of course he does, Meer," said Durandal with a smile, "Athrun wouldn't lie to you about something as important as that."

Athrun nodded. "Right."

Meer was beaming. "Thank you so much! I promise that I'll do even better next time, just you watch!"

"Sure thing," said Athrun, "I'll keep my eyes open for your next broadcast."

"That's most kind of you," said Durandal, "As an active soldier now I know that you'll have your hands full, but it is generous of you to grant her such attention."

Athrun forced a smile. "Well… she's working hard, so she deserves it."

It's the role you want me to play, Durandal, thought Athrun, I can support her as long as she's serving a good cause. I hope you don't disappoint me like my father did…

Meer looped her arm through his. "Well, are you ready?"

Athrun raised an eyebrow. "Ready for what?"

"For your next assignment," said Durandal, "I just finished speaking to Heine before coming here. I had already reviewed footage of your combat performance in the defense of the PLANTs, but I still wanted his personal evaluation of you. I'm pleased to say that you passed with flying colors. It is my firm belief that you are now worthy of taking on a far greater role in this conflict, and to employ you otherwise would be a serious waste of your abilities."

Athrun was stunned. "Are… are you serious?"

Durandal nodded. "Quite so. Please, follow me."

Athrun did so, towing Meer along with him. He recognized the hall that the Chairman was leading him through, and he knew exactly where it led. To say that his feelings on the matter were rather mixed would be a considerable understatement.

Durandal seemed to be reading his mind. "The last time you were here, you were given a great weapon and a terrible burden. I know that you did not perform the mission that your father assigned to you, and I do not fault you for that. Quite the contrary, in fact; you made a principled choice that ultimately helped save not just your people but all of humanity from utter annihilation."

"There were personal reasons involved as well," said Athrun, "Don't make me out to be a saint."

Durandal smiled. "Of course. Trust me; I know full well just how human you are. It would be wrong to not consider the bonds of friendship and compassion that motivated your decision back then. That is another reason why I want you to fight for me; your desire to help your friends in any way that you can gives you a firm moral grounding. You have a strong sense of right and wrong, and I believe it will serve all of us well in the struggles ahead."

They reached a door at the end of the hallway, and the Chairman became more serious. "I can understand if you still have reservations. If you are more comfortable staying in a role similar to the one you played in the defense of the PLANTs, now is the time to speak up. Say the word, and I will gladly arrange for you to return to the Gondwana and continue to fly with her mobile suit wing as a guardian of the homeland. It is a noble posting, and no one will think less of you for taking it."

Athrun shook his head. "I appreciate the consideration, but I want to do more than simply defend the PLANTs. I want to use my skills to bring this war to a quick end, and in order to do that I can't just sit back and play defense."

Durandal nodded. "In that case, what lies ahead will suit your purpose quite nicely."

"Oh, I can't wait for you to see this!" said Meer, positively glowing with excitement, "The Chairman showed me pictures of it earlier; it's incredible!"

Durandal chuckled. "While I'm inclined to agree with you Meer, I believe that Athrun is more qualified to render judgment on it than you or I. I'm looking forward to your thoughts on it, Athrun."

The door opened and the Chairman led them out onto a catwalk. There was a single berth in the hangar, but it was shrouded in darkness. When they stopped in front of it Athrun saw Durandal turn and nod at a technician in the distance.

"Allow me to introduce you," said the Chairman as a series of lights suddenly turned on, "to the ZGMF-X23S Saviour."

Athrun's eyes widened as he saw the mobile suit before him. It was currently a dull gray, but Athrun suspected that it was equipped with Phase Shift Armor that would rectify that soon enough. It was about the same size as the Impulse and some of the other prototype units from Armory One, and based on its designation Athrun guessed it was part of the same series. Most of the unit's weapons weren't readily apparent, but Athrun's eyes were immediately drawn to what looked like two large cannons that were folded behind the mobile suit.

"This," Durandal continued, "is a prototype transformable fast attack mobile suit. Its mobile armor form was actually based off of the 'bird form' displayed by Wing Zero during the last war. In accordance with the Treaty of Junius Seven it's a battery-powered machine, but do not let that deceive you; this is a potent weapon capable of going one-on-one with almost any other machine in the Earth Sphere when wielded by the right pilot."

"Why wasn't this unit at Armory One with the other machines?" asked Athrun.

"There were technical issues that couldn't be resolved by the staff at that colony, particularly concerning the transition from mobile suit to mobile armor form," Durandal replied, "It was decided to bring it back to the capital for fine tuning. A most fortuitous move given what happened, wouldn't you say?"

Athrun nodded. "Yeah. So, I take it that the problems have been resolved now?"

"Yes," said Durandal with a smile, "The Saviour is now fully operational."

Athrun looked back and forth between the mobile suit and the Chairman. "And… you're really giving me this?"

Durandal nodded. "Indeed. You've experienced the horrors of war and suffered greatly thanks to your late father. I can tell that you're deeply committed to avoiding a repeat of the mistakes that nearly consumed all of mankind two years ago. You are a sincere young man, and you are exactly the type of person that I want to stand with me in these trying times."

The Chairman sighed. "I wanted to avoid another war and did all I could to give peace a chance, but unfortunately I failed. As things stand now, we have successfully defended the PLANTs, but this conflict is far from over. I do not wish to walk the same path as Patrick Zala and his followers. However, for all the power that comes with my position, in the end I am only a man; I make mistakes."

"Chairman…" said Meer softly.

"What are you getting at?" asked Athrun.

Durandal smiled. "If I end up going down the wrong path, I need someone with the power and force of will and conviction to correct me. On an individual level, you meet all the requirements save for that of power. The Saviour can rectify that. It will grant you not only the power to fight for what you believe is right, but to stop me if you come to believe that I have gone too far."

Athrun raised an eyebrow. "You're… not really a typical politician, are you?"

Durandal chuckled. "Yes, I suppose I do break the mold, don't I? It is rare that a man deliberately grants power to another in order to keep his own power in check. However, I believe that it's better this way. I would not have the PLANTs become another military dictatorship hell bent on the destruction of the Naturals. If ensuring that we do not go down that road requires taking some unorthodox steps, then so be it."

Athrun nodded. "I understand."

Durandal reached into his pocket and pulled out a very small box. "I want you to have this as well."

Athrun's eyes widened when he saw the contents; the white-winged badge that was the emblem of FAITH. "Are you serious?"

"Quite so," Durandal replied, "It is only through FAITH that you'll be able to utilize your talents to their maximum capability. That will give you the authority to act as a personal representative of the Supreme Council and myself on the battlefield. The normal chain of command will not hamstring you; you'll be able to fight in the manner that you believe is right."

"Will that really be all right?" asked Athrun, "This won't cause problems for the regular forces?"

Durandal smiled. "I appreciate the concern, but it's unnecessary. All military units have been briefed regarding FAITH and the roles its operatives play. The regular forces have established protocols to follow once you make your presence known. Some field commanders may bristle at the thought of an independent operative in their midst, but your authority will not be questioned."

Athrun nodded. "Very well. In that case, when do I leave?"

"Take a couple of hours to go over the Saviour's specs and run a flight simulation or two," said Durandal, "Once you're comfortable with the machine, I want you to head to Earth. The Saviour can make an orbital drop independently, so don't worry about arranging support transportation."

"All right," said Athrun, "Where should I go once I'm on Earth?"

"Well, I would advise Carpentaria," said Durandal, "By the time you complete your descent the Minerva should be there. The Saviour was designed to operate in tandem with that battleship and the other units developed at Armory One, so she's ideal as a base of operations for you."

Athrun nodded. "Makes sense. Having some prior experience with the crew will help as well."

"Quite so," said Durandal with a smile.

"Please be careful down there, all right?" said Meer, "I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to you, Athrun!"

Athrun was a bit taken aback by the sentiment. Was this part of her act, or was her concern genuine? He wished Heero was with him; he'd be able to see through a deception like that much easier than Athrun would. Ultimately, Athrun decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"I'll keep my guard up," he said, "I appreciate the concern, but don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

He was completely unprepared when she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck!"

"Yes," said Durandal, "Stay on your toes down there, Athrun. There's also something that I want you take with you when you depart; it's for Captain Gladys. I'll have it brought to your mobile suit before you leave. Don't worry; it won't interfere with your flight."

Athrun nodded. "Understood."

Durandal smiled. "The two of us will take our leave, then. Good luck down there, Athrun… and good hunting."

As the Chairman and Meer left the hangar, Athrun's gaze returned to his new mobile suit. He now had what he'd come here to find; the power to make a difference in this war. The question now was this; how would his friends react when they saw him on the surface fighting under the banner of ZAFT?

One way or another, he would find out soon enough.

….

Unato sighed as he watched Yuna pace back and forth in the office. Under other circumstances it might've given him some satisfaction to see his haughty son humbled so, but the current situation was an adverse one for him as well, and he was desperate to find some way to keep it contained.

"Shit!" hissed Yuna. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! They still haven't found any trace of her!"

"We'll have to come up with a new cover story soon," said Unato, "The line we've been spinning about her being under the weather won't hold up to media scrutiny forever."

"What are we supposed to tell them?" asked Yuna frantically, "Do we just say that she disappeared in the dead of night? She's the key to keeping the population under our thumb and her damn guards just let her vanish into thin air!"

Unato shook his head. "It's hard to believe that our security services were so inadequate here. Whoever took her was thorough; not only were all the guards knocked out, but the security cameras were hacked and their footage replaced with a looped feed. The culprits left no traces of themselves at the scene of the crime."

"Who could've taken her?" asked Yuna, "It had to have been an inside job!"

Unato nodded. "I suspect members of the military and security services leaked crucial information regarding Cagalli's protection detail. That's the only explanation for how she was spirited away so cleanly."

"And there haven't been any demands made," said Yuna, "which means this isn't a regular kidnapping. Do you think it's… them?"

Unato's eyes narrowed. "We have to assume the worst. If it was them, then that means Cagalli's regained her nerve and is now in open opposition to us. We have to contain the situation before she finds a way to rally the populace against us."

"How are we supposed to do that?" asked Yuna, the panic clearly growing in his voice, "The people idolize her! That's why we were trying to turn her into a puppet!"

"We'll throw together a quick investigation once the media realizes that she's missing," said Unato, thinking out loud, "We can then announce that she was abducted by the Coordinators. That should help rally our people to support our involvement in this war."

Yuna nodded. "Yes… that could work. The world already fears ZAFT thanks to the Break The World Incident. We can play on that and make them think the Coordinators took Orb's beloved princess and are holding her as a hostage! ZAFT will deny it, but our people won't believe them!"

Yes, mused Unato, but that's only a short-term solution. Now that she's no longer under our thumbs Cagalli has become a liability rather than an asset. There's only one way that we can permanently neutralize the threat that she poses to us…

His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of his secretary coming from the monitor on his desk. "Lord Unato, you have an incoming call. It's from the Atlantic Federation embassy. Shall I put it through?"

Unato froze. It was possible that it was just the local ambassador, but given the circumstances he doubted that he would get so lucky. The odds were much better that the call was in fact only being routed through the embassy; the source was likely North America itself, and there was one man out there who would no doubt have a very keen interest in the current situation.

"Damn it," he muttered, "That was faster than I thought…"

"Lord Unato?" said the secretary, "Do you wish to take the call or should I request that they call back later?"

Unato shook his head; that would only make things worse if the caller was who he thought it was. "No, it's all right. Put them through."

Lord Djibril's face appeared on the monitor a moment later. The man was smiling, but Unato was sure that would not last long.

"Ah, Lord Unato," said Djibril, "My sincerest apologies for not giving you advanced notice of this call. I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time."

Unato shook his head. "Not at all, my lord. We've simply been attending to administrative functions over here. We're still in the process of completing our consolidation of power."

"Of course," said Djibril, "Tell me, how has that been going?"

Unato had to struggle to keep from fidgeting; Djibril was being far more civil than he had expected, which only meant that the hammer would eventually fall all the harder. "We have operational control over the military and security forces, and most of the key players in domestic affairs have been brought into line as well."

"I trust that would include our darling little puppet of a Chief Representative, right?" asked Djibril with a knowing gleam in his eyes, "After all, she's such a valuable prop for your new regime. It would be a shame if she were… misplaced."

Unato winced; the moment of reckoning had come. "I… I don't know what you've heard, but I can assure you…"

"That Lady Cagalli will make a recovery and return to the public stage in due time?" said Djibril, his voice laced through and through with sarcastic contempt, "Spare me the pathetic line you've fed to your domestic press, Unato. Feigning the illness of a public figure is one of the oldest tricks in the book. LOGOS has taken media manipulation to levels of sophistication that petty states like yours can only dream of."

"Our current story is holding with the media," Unato countered forcefully, "and we are prepared to adapt when that cover is no longer sufficient."

Djibril laughed, but if he was amused it was not in a good way. "Is that what you've been telling yourself over the past twenty-four hours? Well, whatever helps you sleep at night, I suppose. Unfortunately for you, I do not deal in comforting self-delusion; I deal with reality, and the reality of the situation is that your precious tramp of a Chief Representative has slipped the net! More to the point, she has already taken the field against us!"

A cold sweat began to build on Unato's brow. "That… that can't be right. We've… there's been no word…"

"No doubt due to the incompetence of your intelligence services," Djibril sneered, "Well, why don't I demonstrate my profound generosity and fill in the substantial gaps in your knowledge?"

The image on the monitor suddenly shifted, and Unato was confronted with the sights and sounds of the Atlantic Federation's Pacific Fleet engaging in combat with several mobile suits. The footage froze a few seconds later on one particular unit, and Unato immediately recognized it as the Strike Rouge flying Cagalli's personal colors.

"This," Djibril spat, "was taken by one of the battle groups we had positioned outside your territorial waters. The timestamp is mere hours after that bitch slipped through your fingers!"

"That can't be!" cried Yuna as he rushed around to Unato's side of the desk to get a better look, "She… she can't be piloting that! We… we'd already broken her will to fight!"

"Oh, really?" Djibril snarled, "I don't see a broken girl on that screen, boy. I see a woman piloting the same mobile suit she used in the last war and firing on our warships! What do you intend to do about this, Unato?"

"We already have a contingency plan," said Unato hastily, "We're going to leak to the media that she's been abducted by ZAFT! That will advance the aims of further alienating the general public from the Coordinators!"

"ZAFT is not the group that she is fighting with now, you old fool!" Djibril countered, "It's the damn renegades from the last war that she's working with! You were supposed to help us neutralize them, you senile piece of shit!"

"And you were supposed to help us track down their hideout so we could accomplish that objective," Unato shot back, "Our partnership depends on the sharing of valuable information, but you've been less than forthcoming with us even after all the work we've done to pave the way for you in the Orb Union!"

"You've only been able to rise as far as you have because of the assistance we've already given you," said Djibril coldly, "You requested that we limit our activities within the Orb Union to strictly a behind-the-scenes agenda, so we've acted with restraint out of deference to our partnership with you. However, if you feel that we haven't been pulling our weight then I have an entire fleet parked just off your shore that can remedy that. Tell me, Unato; do you know just how long it would take for my forces to completely overrun your pathetic little islands now that the renegades aren't backing the Orb Union? Here's a hint; without our invasion forces having to worry about Wing Zero opposing them, it would be a much shorter conquest than the ridiculous amount of time you took to seize power in your country."

"S-such a rash action would jeopardize all that we've worked so hard to accomplish here!" Unato stammered, "I-it would completely undermine the control we have over the government and the population!"

"The renegades have already undermined you," Djibril replied, "The only question now is whether or not you will continue to let them do so. If you wish to avoid the threat they pose to your regime, then harsh action will be required."

"What sort of action?" asked Yuna nervously.

"I know that you have been taking measures to bring the Orb military up to full wartime mobilization," said Djibril, "That process must be accelerated. In order to make up for the losses the renegades have already inflicted upon our forces, the Orb Navy needs to put to sea and conduct joint operations with our own units."

"We need more time," Unato protested, "We're still calling up reservists and trying to move the economy onto wartime footing. This isn't something that we can do overnight!"

"You've had more than enough time already to accomplish those goals," Djibril sneered, "The fact that the process remains incomplete does not reflect well on your administrative abilities. Perhaps I should reach out to one of the other noble families; I'm sure that their representatives would be willing to put in a vigorous effort if it meant supplanting you at the head of the table."

"Y-you wouldn't!" stammered Yuna, "W-we're the strongest of Orb's noble families! You need us!"

"I need a noble family that can serve our cause in a competent manner," Djibril shot back, "The Seiran family was performing that role quite well before, but now that the world's at war again it would seem that you're approaching the limits of your capabilities."

"You would have to start from scratch without us," said Unato, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt, "That would take time that you do not have."

"Hardly," said Djibril, "You've already laid the groundwork for the consolidation of power within the country; another noble can hold the reins just as well as you. It would be an inconvenience to groom another puppet to replace you with, but not an insurmountable obstacle by any stretch of the imagination. Consider yourself fortunate that I don't think we're at that stage quite yet, Unato. You can still redeem yourself and your family if you act quickly."

Unato nodded. "We'll do all we can to speed up the mobilization process."

Djibril nodded. "I'm sure you will. Tell me, though; what do you plan to do about Cagalli?"

"What more would you have us do?" asked Yuna, "We've already told you our plan for dealing with the media fallout her flight from Orb will cause. Beyond that I don't see what else we can do."

"There is a very simple solution," Djibril replied, "Sooner or later our forces will encounter her on the battlefield again. Whether they be actual Earth Alliance forces or those belonging to the Orb Union, the action that must be taken remains the same; she has to be killed."

Unato shook his head. "Our forces would never knowingly fire upon her. She earned their trust and admiration from fighting on the front lines in the last war; they'd never attack her."

"So tell them that the girl they're facing is an imposter and order them to fire upon her," said Djibril matter-of-factly, "If they refuse to obey orders then simply court martial and execute them as traitors. Simple enough, wouldn't you say?"

Yuna nodded. "Yes, but… we'd have to really convince them that she's an imposter. How are we supposed to do that?"

Djibril shrugged. "That's your problem, not mine. I'm sure you'll find some way around the matter. If you do not… well, do I really have to spell out the price of failure at this point in our relationship?"

"We will not fail," said Unato firmly.

Djibril nodded. "I should certainly hope not. Get your house in order, Unato, and get your forces onto the battlefield. Until next time."

Djibril disappeared from the monitor, leaving Unato and Yuna to stew uncomfortably over what had just occurred. They had not been discarded yet, but they were keenly aware that their heads were on the chopping block.

Power politics has always been a high stakes game, thought Unato, and when one partners with the likes of LOGOS it only raises the bet that much more. We still have a chance to salvage the situation. If we win we'll have secured Seiran dominance over the Orb Union for generations to come. If we lose…

…then we'll be lucky to get out of this mess with our lives.

….

"All right," Athrun muttered as he strapped himself in, "One last check. Weapons... green. Engines… green. Sensors… green."

The ZGMF-X23S Saviour might not have been the most powerful mobile suit that he'd ever been assigned to, but Athrun had to admit that it was an impressive machine nonetheless. All of the advances made on the other units developed at Armory One had been incorporated into it, including Variable Phase Shift Armor, an advanced set of batteries for power, a Deuterion beam reception system for remote energy replenishment, powerful engines that gave it incredible speed and mobility for a non-nuclear powered machine, and a highly sophisticated arsenal capable of giving just about any mobile suit in the Cosmic Era a run for its money.

Two fire-linked MMI-GAU25A 20mm CIWS were mounted in the unit's head for missile and light anti-air interception, and their targeting software was about as cutting edge as Athrun had ever seen. The two large weapons currently folded behind the unit were in fact a pair of M106 Amfortas plasma cannons capable of engaging targets while the machine was in either mobile suit or mobile armor mode, and they gave the Saviour some serious firepower. The Saviour also utilized two MA-7B Super Fortis beam cannons, which were mounted above the Amfortas plasma cannons. Like the plasma cannons, there were capable of engaging targets in both mobile suit and mobile armor form, and while they were not quite as powerful as the plasma cannons they had a higher rate of fire. Two MMI-GAU2 Picus 76mm machine guns were set up in the backpack cowl that covered the Saviour's head while it was in mobile armor form, and these were the primary light weapons the unit utilized while it was in that configuration. A pair of MA-M941 Vajra beam sabers gave the mobile suit a set of potent close-quarters-combat weapons, while an MMI-RD11 Aerodynamic Shield supplemented the unit's defensive capabilities and gave it some form of protection against particle beams.

It's too bad this thing wasn't at Armory One, he thought as he ran through the pre-flight checklist, I could've grabbed it instead of that ZAKU and put up a much better fight against the attackers. Then again, Cagalli still would've been in the cockpit with me… maybe it's better that things played out the way that they did.

At the same time that he was preparing his mobile suit for takeoff he also took a moment to do a final check of his flight suit. It felt strange to be wearing the crimson suit of an elite ZAFT Red again. Not only that, but his elevated rank as a member of FAITH actually put him at roughly equal footing with regards to where he had been when his father had given him the Justice during the last war; that of a special operative reporting directly to the Supreme Council Chairman. The key difference was that this time the authority that he answered to was one that was worth fighting for.

At least, that's what Athrun kept telling himself.

He shook his head as he contacted the dock's flight coordinator; such thoughts would only distract him now. "Control, this is FAITH operative Athrun Zala, requesting launch clearance."

A young raven-haired woman appeared on the monitor. "Please stand by. Opening the dock doors now."

Up ahead he saw the heavy steel doors begin to slide open. As they did so Athrun initialized the Saviour's Variable Phase Shift Armor, and the mobile suit's dull grey hull suddenly took on a crimson hue with white, black and yellow trim.

Seems like I've got a thing for red mobile suits, he mused, First there was the Aegis, and Justice was pretty close to that too. Now there's the Saviour… I hope it lives up to its potential. Then again, that's in my hands now.

As the doors finished opening the flight coordinator spoke again. "All clear. Athrun Zala, you are green for launch. Good luck out there."

Athrun nodded. "Thanks. Athrun Zala, launching!"

He gunned the engines, and the Saviour shot out of the dock like a cannonball. As soon as he was clear of the colony he shifted the unit into its mobile armor form. Adjusting his heading, he soon had the Earth in his sights and was racing toward it.

Hang on, everyone. I'm coming.

….

Talia couldn't help but smile as the sprawling complex that was ZAFT's Carpentaria base appeared on the main bridge monitor. "Finally."

They had already been contacted by patrol squadrons flying out of the facility well before coming into visual range, so the officers in charge knew that they were coming. The Minerva had actually passed into ZAFT's defense umbrella for the region some time ago, but it was still very reassuring to actually see the base in front of her ship now.

Talia wasn't the only one smiling; her entire bridge crew was grinning, and she couldn't blame them. Their journey may have been short, but they had been on edge for every kilometer of it. Now they would have a chance to breathe easy, even if was just a temporary reprieve.

"My word," Arthur murmured, "I never realized it was so… vast."

"That's right," said Talia, "You've never been to any of our surface bases, right Arthur?"

Her XO shook his head. "No, ma'am."

"Will we really be safe there?" asked Meyrin.

Talia nodded. "Carpentaria is very well defended. I'm sure that the Earth Alliance will launch an attack on it sooner or later, but it will take time for them to bring sufficient forces to bear on it. Even then, it's not the kind of base that can be taken overnight."

Of course, it's another matter entirely if they decide to use nukes, thought Talia, I don't think it will come to that, though. With all the nukes the enemy lost up in space when they tried to attack the PLANTs they're probably hoarding what few warheads they have left. Besides, the fallout generated by using such devices on Earth would actually go against the beliefs of Blue Cosmos when it comes to preserving the purity of the planet. Then again, in their zeal to wipe us out, they could always break an ideological pillar or two…

There was not much of a point in her mulling over that right now, though. Whether or not the Earth Alliance had any nukes remaining following their disastrous attack on the PLANTs was up to ZAFT's various intelligence services to determine. Talia's responsibility was only to her ship and crew, and right now that meant getting the Minerva docked at Carpentaria so everyone could take a moment or two to relax and catch their breath now that they were firmly inside friendly territory.

"Captain," said Arthur, "does Carpentaria have any docks of sufficient size to actually service the Minerva?"

Talia nodded. "Yes. The base actually underwent some serious renovation and expansion after the treaty was signed. One of the things ZAFT made sure to account for was the possibility of larger warships coming to Carpentaria in the future. They won't have any trouble hosting us."

Arthur smiled. "That's good."

"Indeed," said Talia, "By the way, Arthur? As soon as we dock I want you to go down to the brig and release Shinn."

Arthur's eyes widened. "Are you serious? But he's only been in there for a few days! After such a blatant act of disobedience…"

"I don't disagree with you there," Talia interrupted, "but the matter is out of my hands. Chairman Durandal sent a direct order that he be released upon our arrival. I don't know why he's being so lenient given the severity of Shinn's offense, but it's not our place to argue with the leader of our people."

Arthur nodded. "Understood, ma'am."

His overall performance in the battle with the Alliance surface forces probably accounts for Durandal's leniency, mused Talia, I certainly won't deny that Shinn showed a greatly improved level of skill in that fight, especially when it came to taking down the new mobile armor the enemy deployed, but still… actions have consequences. Durandal should know better than to undermine military discipline…

"What are you playing at?" she murmured.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Ma'am? Is something wrong?"

Talia shook her head. "It's nothing. Keep us on our current course. I want a nice and smooth docking, understood?"

Arthur saluted her. "Aye, Captain!"

….

Shinn raised an eyebrow as the door to his cell opened. "Are you serious?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes. You're returned to active duty effectively immediately."

Shinn smiled as he stood up. "Wow. That was shorter than I thought it would be."

Arthur folded his arms. "Don't let this go to your head, Shinn. You got off easy this time. The next time something like this happens I wouldn't expect the same level of leniency from the Captain."

Shinn rolled his eyes. "All right, all right. By the way, I felt the ship stop a little while ago. Did we finally make it to Carpentaria?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes. We'll be completing repairs and topping off our supplies here while awaiting new orders from the Defense Council. The Captain has put me in charge of arranging crew shifts so you all can take a chance to leave the ship and stretch your legs for a bit. Carpentaria's a very large and sophisticated facility, so it has a lot to offer in the way of amenities."

"So we get another shore leave here, basically?" asked Shinn.

"Not quite," Arthur replied, "Even while off the ship, you'll still be expected to answer to your superiors, and none of us will be able to leave the base. Still, it will be a chance to relax for a little bit, so I suggest you make the most of it when your turn comes."

Shinn nodded. "Right. So… can I go now?"

"Yes," said Arthur as he turned to leave the brig, "Just don't forget what I told you earlier. Many people, myself included, think highly of your talents as a mobile suit pilot, but blatant disregard for orders from your superior officers will not be tolerated."

Shinn waited for the ship's XO to leave before heading out of the brig himself. Stepping out into the corridor, he found Rey leaning against the wall waiting for him.

His fellow pilot gave him a nod. "Welcome back."

Shinn smiled. "Did I miss anything?"

"Not really," said Rey, his eyes narrowing, "but just because you're out of the brig now doesn't mean you should be celebrating."

Shinn was a bit taken aback. He knew Rey could be aloof, but he hadn't been expecting a reception as cold as this one.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"The Captain wasn't particularly thrilled about letting you out so early," Rey replied, "Orders from above forced her hand. She's going to keep a close eye on you because of this, and if you fly off the handle again she'll throw you right back in the brig. You might get bailed out by the higher ups again, but I wouldn't go making a habit of it; they appreciate your skills, but their patience has limits."

Shinn raised an eyebrow. "You're making it sound like someone pulled some strings to spring me loose. Do you know something, Rey?"

"Nothing that I'm at liberty to comment on," said Rey, "Let's leave it at that."

Shinn sighed. He knew that tone of voice; Rey wouldn't be giving an inch further here.

"All right, fine," he said, "So where's Lunamaria? Why isn't she down here?"

"It's not like everyone had the free time to come down here and wait for you to be released," said Rey, "That goes for Lunamaria as well. I believe she's up in the hangar checking on her machine."

Shinn nodded. "Right. I guess I'd better look over the Core Splendor while I've got the time."

"That would be wise," said Rey, "Let's go."

The two of them set off towards the hangar. Along the way Shinn spotted a few friendly faces and got a nod and wave or two. It was good to see the crew again. Even if he'd only been in the brig for a few days and had gotten the occasional visit from Rey and Lunamaria, it was still good to have free human contact again.

"So where do you think they're going to send us next?" asked Shinn, "The Defense Council's not going to have us sit at Carpentaria for the rest of the war, are they?"

Rey shrugged. "That's hard to say. Your guess as to the intentions of the Defense Council is as good as mine right now."

Shinn sighed. "I just hope they don't make us sit around here like they did back in Orb. They need us on the front lines!"

"I don't disagree with you there," Rey replied, "While the Minerva would certainly give a considerable boost to Carpentaria's defensive capabilities that would ultimately be a waste of this ship's potential. She and her mobile suits were designed as offensive weapons and should be used accordingly."

Shinn smiled. "Nice to know that you've got my back on that."

"I'm sure that others feel the same way," said Rey, "but the final decision on the Minerva's deployment rests with our superior officers. All we can do is obey their orders and trust that they're making the right call. It's not our place to question them."

Shinn rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

A few minutes later they entered the main hangar bay. It was alive with activity, and Shinn couldn't help but notice that one of the hatches was open. His eyes narrowing, he spotted what looked like a mobile suit making its final approach.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"It looks like we may be getting a new recruit," said Rey as he followed Shinn's gaze.

"Who is it?" asked Shinn.

"Why don't we go find out?" said Rey.

Shinn caught sight of Lunamaria standing with Wufei and some of the mechanics as they watched the mobile suit approach, so he and Rey went over to join her. She gave them both a wave and a smile as they came up to her.

"Hey, there!" she said, "So, did you learn your lesson, Shinn?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Shinn sighed, "Get off my case, all right? I had enough of that from the Captain and Arthur while I was in the brig."

"Well, you kind of deserve it for flying off the handle like that," Lunamaria shot back.

"She's right," said Wufei, "By the way, your Captain's given me permission to attack you if you do something that stupid again. Not that I needed her authorization to begin with, but from here on out I'll have official sanction to beat some sense back into you if you pull that kind of stunt again."

Shinn glared at him. "I'd like to see you try."

Wufei smirked. "Don't you remember? I already have."

"Cut it out, you two!" Lunamaria snapped, "Shinn just got out of the brig, Wufei! Are you trying to set him off and get him sent back there?"

Wufei shrugged. "I don't care either way. I just wanted to make sure he knew where we stand."

"Believe me," Shinn growled, "I think I've got a pretty good idea."

"If we're done with the petty hostilities, perhaps we should greet our new comrade," said Rey, nodding towards the hangar entrance, "Judging by the type of unit they're flying, it would seem that the Defense Council is being quite serious with our reinforcement."

Shinn's eyes widened as he saw the crimson machine enter the hangar. It was a sleek and formidable-looking machine, and he couldn't help but notice some design similarities between it and the mobile suits that had been developed at Armory One.

"Wait a minute…" gasped Lunamaria, "Is that what I think it is?"

"The Saviour, right?" said Shinn, "I thought they took it back to Aprilius One because they were having problems with it."

"It would seem that whatever issues they were having with it have since been addressed," said Wufei.

"It's good to have it finally operational," said Rey, "Having it active on the field and fighting with us will give us a serious boost in strength."

"So who's the pilot?" asked Lunamaria.

"We'll know soon enough," said Wufei.

Indeed, Shinn could already see the mobile suit's hatch opening. There was a pause before the pilot stepped out. He was wearing a crimson flight suit and holding a small case, but Shinn didn't care about that; it was the identity of the pilot that threw him for a loop.

"Athrun Zala?" he said, his eyes widening, "What the hell?"

Lunamaria's eyes widened. "No way… did they reinstate him?"

Wufei folded his arms. "Interesting…"

"Yes," said Rey, not sounding nearly as surprised as Shinn was.

Shinn glared as Athrun approached the group. What the hell was going on? Why was the lapdog of Orb's Chief Representative now dressed as a ZAFT pilot? He didn't like any of this, and he was determined to get some answers.

Athrun nodded in greeting. "Hello. It's good to see all of you again."

Shinn stepped forward before any of the others could react. "What the hell are you doing here? And what gives you the right to wear one of our uniforms?"

Lunamaria elbowed him in the ribs. "Shinn, shut up and take a closer look! Check out that insignia!"

Rubbing his side, Shinn followed Lunamaria's gaze and was stunned by the sight of the white winged emblem. "What the… they made you a member of FAITH? That's crazy!"

"Believe it or not, I feel the same way," said Athrun as he glanced down at the insignia, "I guess it still hasn't really sunk in yet."

"I take it the Chairman reinstated you, then," said Rey, "Not surprising given your record and talents, although it's unusual that you'd be given one of our most advanced machines after having only just rejoined our ranks."

Athrun nodded. "I understand where you're coming from there. The Saviour was a reward for my passing the Chairman's trial by fire."

Lunamaria raised an eyebrow. "Trial by fire? What are you talking about… sir?"

"The battle at L5," said Athrun, "The Chairman allowed me to fly in defense of the PLANTs under the supervision of another FAITH operative. My performance and survival were enough to convince the Chairman to fully reinstate me and elevate me to FAITH in addition to granting me a mobile suit suitable to my new mission."

"And what mission would that be?" asked Wufei.

"To help bring this war to an end," said Athrun firmly, "By the way, where can I find the Captain? I was instructed to speak to her as soon as I arrived."

"She's in her office, sir," said Lunamaria, "I can guide you there if you'd like."

Athrun nodded. "I appreciate that. Please, lead on."

Shinn scowled as Lunamaria and Athrun left the hangar. "I don't believe this… he just landed here and he's already acting like he owns the place!"

"You're overreacting, Shinn," said Rey, "He was promoted by the Chairman and the Supreme Council to this new position, and it is our duty to honor their decision. The Chairman would not have reinstated and elevated him without good reason."

Shinn shook his head. "I can't believe you're just accepting this! Sure, he's a good pilot, but he defected to Orb during the last war! We can't trust him to stay loyal."

"The Chairman apparently feels otherwise," Rey replied calmly, "I understand your concerns, Shinn, but you need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. We need all the help we can get in this war. A pilot with Athrun's level of experience and skill is a valuable asset."

"More like a valuable pawn," said Wufei with more than a hint of disdain in his voice, "He's already allowed himself to be collared by the Chairman."

"FAITH operatives have a tremendous amount of leeway and authority," Rey countered, "They're hardly lapdogs."

Wufei shrugged as he walked away. "If you say so."

Shinn's head was still spinning from all that had just transpired. Was he really supposed to just accept Athrun as a fellow ZAFT pilot now? He wouldn't deny the skills that he brought to the table, but the fact that he'd been elevated so high up the chain of command so quickly did not sit right with him.

I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on him, he thought, I doubt the Captain will listen to what I have to say about him at this point. Other than that, all I can do now is sit here and wait for orders. I hope the Chairman knows what he's doing…

….

Talia's eyes narrowed as Meyrin finished her update. "Another one? Are you certain?"

On the monitor the young red-headed bridge officer nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Reports confirm that it was a carrier battle group, and this time it was attacked in broad daylight. All warships were either sunk or disabled, and the intercepted radio traffic made mention of the word 'Demon' again."

Talia nodded. "I see. Is there anything else?"

Meyrin shook her head. "Aside from the Defense Council's transmission and the Saviour's arrival, I'm afraid not."

"I see," said Talia, "Thank you for the report, Meyrin. Carry on."

Meyrin nodded. "Understood, Captain."

You've been busy, Heero Yuy, she thought as Meyrin vanished from the monitor, I don't know why your actions are focused on the Earth Alliance naval forces at the moment, but I'm certainly not about to complain…

Her musings were interrupted by a sudden chime followed by a voice coming from the nearby speaker. "It's Athrun Zala. Permission to enter?"

"Granted," Talia replied.

The door slid open and her newest pilot walked in. It didn't take long for Talia to spot the FAITH insignia on his flight suit. The door shut behind him a moment later as Athrun gave her a salute.

"It's an honor to serve with you, Captain," he said.

Talia smiled. "Likewise. There's no need to stand on ceremony, though. In fact, given your new rank I daresay your authority rivals mine now. Congratulations, by the way; to go from fresh reinstatement to FAITH operative is no small feat."

Athrun nodded, although he seemed a little taken aback by her praise. "Thank you, Captain."

"You're quite welcome," she said, "Having you back as an official member of ZAFT will make integrating you into our crew much easier. Some of the others might be wary given your new rank, though."

"I understand," said Athrun, "I have no intention of exerting the power of my position any more than is absolutely necessary. My mission is to help bring this war to an end as quickly as possible, and that is what I intend to do."

Talia nodded. "In that case, I think we'll work quite well together."

Athrun then stepped forward and passed a small case to her. "The Chairman asked that I deliver this to you."

Talia leaned forward. "Really? Well, let's take a look…"

Her eyes widened when she saw the contents. There was a small black external data drive off to the side, but what really caught her attention was the white winged badge.

"I don't believe it!" she gasped, "First you, and now me? What on Earth is the Chairman thinking?"

"You'd have to ask him," said Athrun, "To be frank, I have a hard time understanding some of his decisions as well. I'm sure he had good reasons, though."

No doubt, she thought grimly, Durandal, I know we have a history, and I can understand why you might entrust me with this, but it's precisely because of that history that you shouldn't have done this. This has favoritism and conflict of interest written all over it…

"Is something wrong, ma'am?" asked Athrun, "Forgive me, but you don't exactly look pleased with this."

Talia shook her head. "It's nothing. I guess it'll just take a little time to process."

Athrun nodded. "I know what you mean. It still doesn't quite feel real to me, either."

Talia smiled as she took the external data drive from the case and plugged it into her computer. "Well, it's nice to know that we're in the same boat, so to speak. Now then, I'm assuming Durandal has some special orders for us in this thing. Let's find out what they are, shall we?"

"Is it really all right for me to be present while you're reviewing the contents of that?" asked Athrun, "I can leave if it's necessary."

Talia shook her head. "No, it's quite all right. Since we're both members of FAITH now I assume that the Chairman would want us both to see this."

Her eyes narrowed as she studied the new orders that showed up on her monitor. "Interesting…"

"What is it?" asked Athrun.

"According to our new orders," Talia replied, "once the Minerva is fully repaired and resupplied, she is to set out for Gibraltar to reinforce the garrison there. En route, our orders are to assist the troops that are assigned to capture the Suez Canal."

Athrun's eyes widened. "The Suez Canal? That's half the planet away from where we are now!"

"A modest exaggeration," said Talia, "but it will be quite the trip. I suspect we'll encounter Earth Alliance patrols along the way, so we'll need to stay on our guard."

"Even if we're able to take the Suez Canal, will we be able to hold it?" asked Athrun, "I know that ZAFT is dropping reinforcements for both Carpentaria and Gibraltar from orbit, but trying to hold the canal could stretch us thin."

Talia nodded. "Your concerns are valid. According to these orders, we should be receiving some local help with the operation."

Athrun raised an eyebrow. "What kind of help?"

"Apparently there's been increasing civil unrest in the Eurasian Federation's sphere of influence," said Talia, "This includes North Africa; there are several local factions that have recently formed a united front to demand independence from the Earth Alliance. Troops from both the Eurasian and Atlantic Federation have been cracking down harshly in the region as a result. Their repression has only convinced the dissidents to escalate their actions from simple civil disobedience and protest to outright insurgency. The body count is already starting to pile up, and at the rate things are going the region as a whole is likely to become ground zero for a nasty guerrilla conflict."

"ZAFT has some history in North Africa," said Athrun grimly, "and it's not the good kind. I get why we need to secure the canal, but for the locals wouldn't that just be trading rule by one super power for another? I don't think they're going to welcome us with open arms."

Talia sighed. "It's true that we're not likely to get the warmest of receptions, but we still need to make the effort to reach out to the local resistance groups. The Earth Alliance's harsh crackdown in the area gives us a chance to make up for past mistakes in the eyes of the local population by helping them drive out their oppressors. Once the enemy's been defeated I'm sure the Defense Council will want to leave sufficient forces behind to defend the canal, but local administrative rule is another matter. There's no reason why we can't come to an agreement with the local forces where we hold the canal and they govern the surrounding region."

"That sounds like something for the Foreign Office to hammer out, not the military," said Athrun, "Will we be getting civilian advisors to help with that task?"

Talia shook her head. "None that will be assigned to the Minerva, at any rate. According to these orders our only concern is to work with the locals to secure the canal. Further diplomatic matters are outside of our purview, and we're to continue on to Gibraltar as soon as the operation is concluded. We'll just have to assume that the Supreme Council has a broader plan for the region that will hopefully not antagonize the locals and turn them against us."

Athrun nodded. "Understood."

"Bear this in mind," said Talia, "Per the Defense Council, our current position in this conflict is one of proactive self-defense. We are not out to conquer territory like the old regime was. If we're able to convince the locals of that then we should be able to forge an alliance with them to seize the canal. At the very least, we might be able to get them to share whatever intelligence they've managed to gather on the Alliance forces stationed in the region. People find it much easier to work with liberators than conquerors, so that's the image we have to present."

"Of course," said Athrun, "By the way, I know this is a little off topic, but have we heard anything about the situation in Orb?"

"Aside from the fact that they're considered a hostile power now?" said Talia, "Not much, to be honest. Chief Representative Athha has disappeared from the public eye in recent days. The official statement from her administration is that she's been under the weather lately, but there are rumors going around that she's actually been ousted from power."

Athrun's eyes widened. "What? Are you serious?"

"Like I said, they're just rumors at this point," Talia replied, "I know that you were Lady Cagalli's bodyguard before rejoining our ranks, so I can sympathize with your concern, but you have to put it from your mind now. You cannot let your past duties and feelings distract you from the task at hand."

Athrun sighed. "I know. I'll… I'll be ready when the time comes for us to move out."

Talia smiled. "It may be of little comfort, but if the rumors are true then I do not think that anyone would've actually tried to hurt Lady Cagalli. Her reputation and popularity with her people are still very strong, after all. I think she'll be all right, Athrun."

Athrun nodded, although he did not look completely convinced. "Right… thank you."

"Not at all," said Talia, "Is there anything else that you needed to discuss with me?"

Athrun shook his head. "No, ma'am."

Talia nodded. "In that case, consider yourself at liberty until the time comes for us to depart. I recommend taking some time to reacquaint yourself with your fellow pilots. After all, you'll likely be serving with us for quite some time to come."

"I'll do so, Captain," said Athrun before leaving the office.

She turned her gaze to her new FAITH emblem as the door shut behind him. Her feelings about her new position were decidedly mixed. On the one hand it was easy to appreciate the increased authority it would give her, but she couldn't help but wonder what Durandal wanted in return. He wasn't a typical quid pro quo politician, but that still wasn't enough completely ease her concerns.

What do you have planned for me, Durandal?, she thought, I'm a Captain of ZAFT, so I will perform my duties to the best of my abilities, but elevating me to the ranks of FAITH implies that you want me to go beyond that. The question now…

…is how far.

Preview for next time!

Having received their new orders and completed repairs, the crew of the Minerva begins their long journey towards North Africa and Gibraltar beyond. Their journey will not be a peaceful one, for the forces of the Earth Alliance are on the move and gunning for another shot at ZAFT's most powerful battleship. Meanwhile, after successfully getting in a few shots of their own against the Earth Alliance military, Heero, Murrue and the rest of Terminal must decide their next move. Next time, on "Destiny's Call", Episode Twelve: A Bloody Omen.

The surface war has only just begun…

Author's notes: Thanks again for bearing with me on this. I know the wait time between chapters can be frustrating, and believe it or not I really am trying to work on that! You know what they say, though; old habits die hard.

Thanks for reading! Please review, and see you next time!