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?)

15. Chapter 15

Author's Notes: Happy 2019! I think it's only fitting for me to kick off the new year with a new chapter, especially since it's been a while since this fic was last updated. Not much in the way of action for this chapter, it's more focused on setting the stage for the battles to come. Don't worry, the chapter after this one will more than make up for the combat deficit!

Enjoy!

Episode Fifteen: The Brewing Tempest

The temporary office that had been provided to Chairman Durandal for his stay at Diocuia was quite lovely. It wasn't as large as the one he typically used in Aprilius One, but the classical woodwork and marble had a certain charm to them, as did the paintings that adorned the wall. He doubted any of them were genuine articles, but as recreations they were certainly of high quality. What he liked most about it, though, was the view it gave him of the Black Sea.

As majestic as the PLANTs are, there are some areas in which they simply cannot compete with the birthplace of humanity, he mused, I certainly wouldn't mind staying here for a while if it means I can enjoy this grand vista.

Alas, he could not allow himself to fully appreciate the scenery at the moment. The events of earlier in the day were playing out in his mind, with Durandal attempting to discern what course they would take from here. Such a task was far easier said than done, especially when it came to a certain group of mobile suit pilots.

Ever since he'd received notice that Heero and the remaining three Gundam pilots had rejoined Wufei aboard the Minerva following their thwarting of Durandal's assassination attempt against Lacus Clyne, he was acutely aware of the precariousness of his position. The crew of the Minerva would not necessarily have to believe any claims Heero made for them to cause damage; their doubts alone could inflict harm, especially when Durandal would be counting on them in the battles to come. Yet based on how the meeting had gone it did not appear that they'd spread the word about what had happened back in the Orb Union, or at least not very far.

Athrun was one of Heero's compatriots in the closing campaign of the last war, he thought, so at this point he's likely been informed of the failed attack. It's safe to assume that this 'Chang Wufei' has also been notified. Beyond that, though, no one else there appeared to have been told. That's what Heero's threat would indicate, at least…

No one else who was at the meeting, that is. Shortly afterwards, he'd been informed by Meer's manager that the girl had been found passed out in her dressing room shortly after Athrun and the Gundam pilots had visited her. There had been no signs of foul play, and she had woken up a little while later. Her manager had dismissed it as simply a sign of Meer being overworked, but Durandal wasn't so sure.

Meer's manager hadn't brought those pilots backstage to see her on a whim; he'd been operating under Durandal's orders. Durandal knew that they would see through the act instantly even if Athrun didn't tell them the truth. The point wasn't to convince them that Meer was Lacus, although he was sure that the girl had tried to keep playing the part with them. Rather, he had hoped to present Meer to them as a sympathetic figure; a girl who was simply doing what she thought was right, who had taken on a heavy burden for the sake of the people. If they could understand the necessity of her existence and her potential to help bring peace back to the Earth Sphere, then perhaps they'd be willing to overlook the little 'misadventure' that ZAFT's black ops strike group had had in Orb.

The look in Heero's eyes at the meeting was all Durandal had needed to know that that hadn't worked. Lacus Clyne might've survived, but the famous pilot wasn't about to forgive the attempt on her life. When that look was combined with the report from Meer's manager, the Chairman was forced to consider the distinct possibility that Heero had told her about the assassination attempt. He would have to check in with her later to confirm, and if that was indeed the case then he would have to find a way to make sure that she was still committed to his cause. The girl might've been pretending to be Lacus Clyne for the sake of his agenda, but Durandal was well aware of the fact that Meer also idolized the singing icon of the last war. That was why he had kept her in the dark as to his plans for the legendary songstress. If she actually had been told the truth by Heero or one of the other Gundam pilots, then his plans potentially stood upon the edge of a knife.

Athrun, Wufei, and Meer, he mused, Three in total… why limit yourself, Heero Yuy? Why only spread the word so far?

It was difficult to say. He had a better read on the intentions of the Earth Alliance and his domestic political rivals than he did with regards to the hero of the Second Battle of Jachin Due. That was why he had wanted to bring him around to his way of thinking, but it seemed like that would not be possible. He remained a temporary ally, but only that; temporary. The threat at the meeting had been quite clear on that matter.

A chime came from his desktop computer, and a female face with light skin, brown eyes and dark brown hair tied up in a bun appeared; Amber Victors, another one of his aides. "Chairman Durandal, FAITH operative Heine Westenfluss is here per your request. Shall I send him in?"

Durandal smiled. "Ah, yes. Thank you, Amber."

His aide nodded. "Of course, Chairman. One moment."

She disappeared from the screen, and a few seconds later the door to the office opened. In walked Heine at a brisk pace, coming to a stop before the desk and snapping to salute.

"FAITH operative Heine Westenfluss reporting for duty, sir!" he announced.

"At ease," Durandal replied before gesturing to the chair before his desk, "Please, sit. How do you find our newest surface holding?"

"It's quite nice," said Heine as he sat down, "Not as large or well-fortified as Carpentaria or Gibraltar, but still a formidable position. The local scenery is rather lovely."

"And your fellow soldiers?" asked Durandal.

"If you're referring to those stationed here, they seem like a decent group," Heine answered, "Not much combat experience, but their hearts are in the right place. However, if you're referring to those I'll be joining shortly when I move to the Minerva, I'm afraid that I haven't met any apart from Athrun as of yet, and I have not seen him since you had the two of us stationed aboard the Gondwana to beat back the Alliance's attack on the homeland."

Durandal nodded. "I see. Well, you'll have your chance to form opinions regarding the rest of them soon enough."

"Is that why you called me here, Chairman?" asked Heine.

"Yes," said Durandal, "To be more precise, this concerns the pilots that you'll be joining aboard the Minerva."

Heine smiled. "An interesting bunch, if I do say so myself. The ones that were assigned to the ship since her construction at Armory One have proven themselves to be quite capable considering that they're relatively new pilots, and that's not even getting into those that joined the vessel since her rather chaotic launching."

Durandal concurred. "Yes, they're certainly a unique group of individuals. With your position as a FAITH operative, you and Athrun will be the pilots aboard that ship with the greatest seniority… or at least, you will amongst those that are officially part of ZAFT's command structure."

"Ah," said Heine, nodding in comprehension, "and now we come to the heart of the matter; those that I will not outrank. The Gundam pilots… they've built up quite a name for themselves in this war, and that'd not even getting into one of their number's exploits in the prior conflict."

Durandal nodded. "Quite so. Have you read the files?"

"Yes," Heine replied, "Unfortunately, the information they contained was quite sparse. We know more about their machines than we do about the pilots."

"That's part of why I'm assigning you to the Minerva," said Durandal, "I already have one set of eyes and ears aboard that ship, but there's only so much that he can do to learn about them. I'd like it if you could try to further his efforts; a fresh face such as yours may provide new windows of opportunity in that regard."

"Understood," said Heine, "I'll do what I can."

Durandal smiled. "I cannot say for certain as of yet, but one of those pilots may be more amenable to our goals than the others. I'm not sure if he can be swayed fully to our side, but it's an avenue that should be explored."

Heine leaned forward. "Interesting. Which pilot would that be?"

"The one who flies the Gundam known as Altron Custom," Durandal answered, "Chang Wufei."

Heine raised an eyebrow. "The one that remained aboard the Minerva after Operation Redemption?"

"The very same," said Durandal, "There's an opening for us to exploit, and we'd be fools to pass it up."

Heine nodded. "I'll do what I can, although I make no promises. Piloting is my area of expertise, after all. I'm not trained as a spy, Chairman."

"I understand," said Durandal, "You needn't think of this as an intelligence mission, though. After all, your particular brand of charisma has proven itself to be most effective for ingratiating yourself with new acquaintances. Use that ability of yours to make new friends on him and see where that takes you. Don't force the issue, but let it play out naturally. All you should need to do is provide a little nudge."

"I'll do my best, Chairman," said Heine, "Do you have any additional orders?"

Durandal's gaze narrowed. "Yes; be mindful of Heero Yuy. He may be fighting aboard the Minerva for the time being, but make no mistake about his intentions. He sees this as a temporary alliance, and that's a sentiment I return. I'd once hoped for a different outcome, but I believe now that to continue to pursue that would be foolish. He's waiting for the right moment to turn his sights on us, and we must be prepared."

"Would I be wrong in assuming that the same goes for the other Gundam pilots with the exception of this Chang Wufei?" asked Heine.

"Not at all," Durandal replied, "They put on a united front at the meeting, and right now I only have suspicions as to whether Wufei may be brought around fully to our side, but the rest I'm sure are beyond our reach."

Heine nodded. "Understood. I'll bear that in mind."

"Take heed, Westenfluss," Durandal cautioned, "This is a critical point of the war. The Alliance is still reeling from the massive losses they suffered up in orbit, and their surface casualties have been mounting steadily. In order for us to capitalize on their misfortune, we must make sure that our own house is in order. Tread lightly with the Gundam pilots; we cannot afford to get into a shooting match with them before we're ready."

"Of course, Chairman," said Heine as he stood, "I'll treat the matter with the utmost care."

Durandal nodded. "In that case, I believe I've kept you long enough. Rest up while you can; you'll be deploying soon enough."

….

Dusk was rapidly giving way to night and a fall chill was in the air, yet Heero wasn't ready to turn in just yet. After delivering his latest update to the Archangel he'd once again left the Minerva and was now sitting on the edge of one of the Diocuia base's docks. The evening breeze was quite refreshing, and enough darkness had fallen that a handful of stars were visible. That was where his gaze was focused, and indeed his thoughts were oriented that way as well.

Orb's surface forces are now working with those of the Alliance, but their space forces are less numerous, he thought, I know the few active warships they have up there are focused mostly on defending the Eden and Elysium colonies, or at least they were the last time we got an update from Kisaka. They don't have nearly as much muscle up there, but if the Seirans give them the right orders then they could still cause some trouble.

One of the downsides of Terminal's small size when compared to the belligerent nations in the Second Bloody Valentine War was that they had to make tough calls as to where they deployed their forces. The organization had eyes and ears both on the surface and up in space, but it was hard to deploy their muscle accordingly. The Eternal and the Kusanagi remained up in orbit, but with the bulk of Terminal's powerful mobile suits and their best pilots down on Earth the two advanced warships were severely handicapped.

It would be a simple matter for the Seirans to order the Orb space forces to disrupt ZAFT's supply lines as the PLANTs tried to reinforce their armies on the surface with orbital drops, yet there'd been no indicators of that happening. Based on the reports from their allies within Orb's government, it seemed that the new regime was focusing their efforts on the surface, which Heero counted as a blessing. After all, the two remaining Orb colonies both had sizeable Coordinator populations; if the Seirans turned their eyes towards them in an effort to gain further favor with their partners in the Atlantic Federation, they could serve them up on a silver platter.

In addition to Orb's colonies, there was another factor that had Heero's gaze fixed upon the stars. The Earth Alliance might've suffered devastating losses to its space forces in the opening operation of the war, but they still had the fleet units defending both Luna and the L2 shipyards. It was those shipyards in particular that Heero was worried about; they were highly advanced and efficient production facilities, and once they kicked into gear they could churn out replacement warships for those lost in early battles at a startling pace. Factories both on the surface and up in space would supply those new warships with fresh mobile suits, while the Alliance could draw upon its superior population to provide crews and pilots. The massive losses at the end of the First Bloody Valentine War combined with the limitations imposed by the Treaty of Junius Seven had restricted large scale military production, but with the world once again engulfed in conflict the treaty was out the window. The Atlantic Federation alone was an industrial behemoth, and if the other member states of the Earth Alliance put their backs into the war effort then armaments production would move into overdrive.

Serving the interests of LOGOS quite well in the process, he mused, I have no reason to trust Durandal, but at the same time this cabal of industrialists can't be dismissed out of hand. Hopefully Eric's sources within ZAFT's intelligence services will be able to shed light on just how much of what the Chairman told us was true and how much was embellishment or outright fabrication.

It was a pity that he could only look up at the stars now and see potential threats, whether it be from the Orb Union or the Earth Alliance. He'd been living on Earth for the past two years, but at heart he remained a child of the colonies, regardless of which world said colonies were in. He knew the joys and struggles of living in outer space all too well, and it was disheartening to know that the colonies of the Cosmic Era were once again in the middle of a war that was raging across the Earth Sphere.

"War, peace, and revolution…" he murmured as he gazed at the glimmering lights above, "The Cosmic Era remains trapped in the endless waltz. How many more meaningless battles will mankind wage against itself in this world?"

"Kind of depressing to think about, isn't it?" said a familiar male voice from behind him.

Looking over his shoulder, Heero saw Duo walking towards him. "It's definitely not encouraging."

The self-proclaimed God of Death chuckled as he sat down next to Heero. "Well, it's still early in the game. You know that as well as I do."

Heero nodded. "True. At least the old world seems to have moved forward, unlike this one."

"Hey, it's only been two years," Duo reminded him, "Sure, After Colony's made strides, and at the time the four of us came over here to find you it was still at peace, but there's still time for humanity to screw it up over there just like they've screwed it up over here."

Heero shook his head. "You don't really believe that. You know as well as I do that mankind in the old world turned a corner. We could all feel it at the end of the war. The peace that's held since the destruction of the Libra combined with the massive reduction in armaments indicates as much."

"We might've made some progress, but things aren't exactly perfect," Duo pointed out, "I mean, hey, we've still got our Gundams, remember? There are still trouble spots; remnants of either OZ or White Fang that haven't gotten with the new era, and the ESUN did have to create Preventers as a peacekeeping force."

"It's only natural that there would be a few speed bumps in the early years," Heero conceded, "Even so, compare those with what you found when you followed me over here. Unlike the After Colony world, not only is the Cosmic Era not united into a single government, but the great powers that vie for influence here still maintain large armies and fleets. There were some armaments reductions and restrictions put in place, but the treaty responsible for those wound up not being worth the paper it was written on."

Duo shrugged. "So, the Cosmic Era wound up backsliding after two years of peace. It can still turn the same page After Colony has. We just need to give it a chance."

Heero couldn't help but smile slightly at that. "We… you know, even now, it's still strange for me to think about the fact we're all fighting together again in this world. I thought I'd gotten rid of you guys for good when I came over here."

Duo grinned. "Come on, buddy; you should've known you couldn't ditch us that easily!"

"I wouldn't exactly call what I did easy," Heero shot back, "I did rip open a hole in the fabric of space and time just to get here."

Duo laughed. "Yeah, but you did it on accident! We did it on purpose. Then again, I really should've figured from the start that the best way to follow you would've been to create a massive explosion. It is what we do best, after all."

"True enough," said Heero.

Duo sighed. "All that trouble we went through, and then we get here and find out that you're not even going to come back with us. If we'd known that from the start it would've saved everyone a lot of hassle."

Heero nodded. "Yeah… sorry about that."

Duo chuckled. "Hey, buddy, don't worry about it! Coming out here was still totally worth it. The gang's back together, we're blowing up bad guys; it's just like old times! Besides, I totally get why you're staying. Hard to say no to a babe like the one you found, after all."

Heero smiled. "You're right about that."

Duo smirked. "So, you and Murrue for the past two years, eh? Ten years older than you, yet the two of you are making it work. I'm proud of you, buddy!"

"Thank," Heero replied.

Duo playfully nudged him. "So, what's it like? Dating a hot older babe and all? Give me the details!"

Heero's eyes narrowed. "Which 'details' would those be? Tread carefully, Duo."

Duo held up his hands in mock-surrender. "Whoa, easy there! We don't have to go into the steamy bits here."

"Then what exactly are you looking for?" asked Heero.

"Whatever comes to mind, buddy," Duo replied, "I mean, I don't think you would've stuck with her this long unless it really was serious; you're not the type to play around with something like this. So, what's her secret? What's she got that makes leaving the old world behind worth it?"

Heero closed his eyes for a moment. He knew how he felt in his heart, but putting it into words was something else entirely.

"Earth to Heero," said Duo, and Heero didn't need sight to know that his fellow Gundam pilot was waving his hand in front of his face, "Yo, buddy, are the lights on in there?"

Heero opened his eyes. "It's… something incredible."

Duo smiled. "Well, I kind of figured that. You gotta give me a little more to go on, though."

"Right," said Heero, still trying to put his thoughts in order, "If I had to boil it down to one quality over all the others, I think it would have to be… acceptance."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Really? Not the fact that she's smoking hot and smart enough to command a battleship?"

Heero glared at his friend. "I'm being serious here, Duo."

Duo laughed. "All right, all right, buddy! I'll try to humor you here, then. So, acceptance, huh? Why's that so big to you?"

"She knows, Duo," he said, "I told her everything. Everything about what we did as Gundam pilots… and what I did before."

Duo whistled. "Quite the rap sheet you must've laid out for her. Killing the Alliance pacifist leaders alone would be a hard pill for a lot of people to swallow."

Heero nodded. "It would, and I've done far worse than that. I was afraid it'd drive her away, but it did the opposite; it wound up bringing us closer together. Once I realized that I could tell Murrue those things, that I didn't have to hide who I really was from her… well, it was only a matter of time before I fell for her."

Duo smiled. "Well, you landed a real keeper, I won't deny that. Still, didn't Relena know that stuff about you, too? I didn't see her shooing you away. Quite the opposite, really: you know how weird it is for a girl to chase after a guy that threatened to kill her?"

"Relena learned over time," said Heero, "and she didn't learn everything. Had I stayed in our world longer after the war, maybe that would've changed, but what's done is done. I can't change my past no matter how much I may want to, but I've found someone who accepts that past and is willing to not only share her life with me but wants to build a future with me. After all we've been through together, I know the truth. She's the one, Duo. I'm more certain about that than I am about anything else in this world or any other."

Duo grinned and patted him on the back. "Well, good for you, man! You've come a long way since those days when you were scowling at and threatening everyone who got within five feet of you. I'm proud of you, buddy!"

Heero couldn't help but roll his eyes. "I'm not looking for your approval."

"I know," said Duo, "but you've got it anyway. So, what's your plan for making it official?"

Heero raised his eyebrow. "Official? What do you mean?"

Duo held up his right hand, drawing Heero's eyes to the silver band on one of his fingers. "Do I really gotta spell it out for ya, buddy?"

Heero's eyes widened ever so slightly. "That's… well…"

"Well what?" Duo pressed, "Come one, it's not that complicated. It's obvious that you're crazy about her, and you two have been together for over two years now so there's definitely some solid chemistry. What more do you need? Hell, what's taking you so long as it is?"

Heero looked out over the sea. "It's not that simple."

"Afraid you're wrong there, buddy," said Duo, "Sometimes, it really is just that simple, and this looks like one of those times."

Heero sighed. "It's not that I don't want to take the next step with her, but… am I really capable of something like that?"

Duo's eyes narrowed. "You mean actually settling down with her? You've already done that, at least if your setup with her is any indication. Sure, the living arrangement at that mansion of yours might not be conventional, what with everyone else that you've got under that roof, but you two have your own room and bed, right? You go to bed and wake up with each other, make meals together, spend your days together; what more do you need to see that you've got what it takes to make the plunge?"

Heero closed his eyes for a moment before responding. "It's… what comes afterwards."

It took a moment for the proverbial lightbulb to turn on, but when it did Heero was surprised to see Duo laugh. "Oh, man, that's the thing you're worried about? Kids?"

Heero shook his head. "I should've known better than to bring it up with you."

"Whoa, whoa, easy there!" Duo replied, holding up his hands, "I'll dial it back, I promise. I just didn't realize that you'd have such a hang-up about something like that."

"Well, what about you?" Heero shot back, nodding at Duo's ring, "You and Hilde are already married, so would I be wrong in assuming that the topic's come up?"

Duo smiled. "No, you wouldn't. Granted, marriage doesn't necessarily guarantee kids, but it is one of those things that potentially come with the package. Hilde and I haven't had any kids yet, but I'd be lying if I said we hadn't talked about it."

"Where do you guys stand?" asked Heero, genuinely curious.

Duo grinned. "We're good with it if it happens, and when all this is over I think it will happen. I just need to talk her into accepting the name 'Duo Junior' if we have a boy, and that'll take some work."

Heero couldn't help but chuckle. "Duo Junior? I can't see Hilde going for that one."

Duo smirked. "Oh, she'll come around. I just need more time to work my magic!"

"Good luck with that," Heero deadpanned.

"I don't need luck," said Duo, "I've got my irresistible charm! Enough about me and Hilde, though. Have you actually talked to Murrue about having kids?"

Heero shook his head. "No… well, it's not something that I've ever brought up with her, anyway."

"If that's the case, then how do you even know that kids are what she'd want out of marriage with you if you haven't even talked to her about it?" asked Duo, "You're making a pretty big leap here, buddy."

"I don't think so," said Heero, "Just because it doesn't come up directly when we talk doesn't mean that it hasn't crossed her mind. I know her, Duo. The signs are there."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "What signs?"

"We've got a few married couples in our group," Heero began, "Andrew and Aisha and Eric and Shemei are the most prominent ones. They've brought up children in conversation before, and I actually think that they might've been planning on having them relatively soon up until the battle at Armory One; the world sliding back towards war put that sort of talk on hold. Anyway, if they brought it up while Murrue and I were present, she always took an active interest. She'd suggest names, talk about how they could handle education given our unique circumstances, and much more. I didn't really put it together at the time, but looking back on it now, I don't think she was just trying to help them out; she was sending signals to me, and I was completely oblivious to them."

Duo smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like she was testing the waters. Man, I would've loved to have been there just to see it go right over your head!"

"And you would've caught onto something like that at the time?" asked Heero pointedly.

Duo chuckled. "Okay, fair enough. I probably would've missed it the first time around, too. Well, at least you're able to look back and put the pieces together. You two are still together, which means you've still got a chance to act on that knowledge."

Heero sighed. "How? That's where I'm stuck."

Duo shook his head. "Look, you're overthinking the hell out of this. Take a deep breath and step back; it's all much simpler than you're making it out to be."

"What do you mean?" asked Heero.

"Take it this way," said Duo, "What's the most important thing to you in your relationship with Murrue?"

He didn't even have to think about that. "That she's happy."

Duo grinned. "You didn't even hesitate! That's all you need to know that you're ready for this."

Heero remained skeptical. "That sounds a bit too easy."

"It's the truth," Duo countered, "At the end of the day, we commit to these things because we've found someone whose well being matters more to us than our own. If they're happy, then we're happy. That's how it is with me and Hilde, and I've seen enough of you and Murrue to know that it's the same with the two of you. It doesn't mean that we completely shelve what we want in life, but that we've merged it with what the women we love want in life."

Heero leaned back a bit as he took it all in. "That's… remarkably mature for you."

Duo laughed. "Hey, give me a little more credit here! You're not the only one that's grown up a bit since our old war ended."

Heero nodded. "True. So… that's really all there is to it, then? Just wanting to make her happy?"

"Yup," Duo replied, "If that's what's most important to you, then the rest will come on its own. Settling down for good, family; it all stems from that. It's still a big leap, but it's not as scary as it looks at first glance. Besides, when you're walking that road with the woman you love, it's totally worth it."

Heero allowed himself a small smile. "You're right."

The biggest shit-eating grin he'd ever seen formed on the God of Death's face. "Say that again, buddy? A little louder, if you please!"

Heero rolled his eyes. "Don't push your luck. I'll steal parts from your Gundam again if you don't watch it."

Duo sighed and shook his head. "Dick move, Heero… dick move."

Heero shrugged as he stood up. "Well, you know what they say; all's fair in love and war."

Duo chuckled as he joined him. "I didn't think it was possible, but this world's actually made you more dangerous than you were before."

"The enemies we face here are more dangerous than those in our old world," Heero replied, "I evolved to survive and to defend those I care for."

Duo smirked. "And woe be to anyone who threatens the woman you love, right?"

Heero nodded. "That goes without saying."

….

November 4th, C.E. 73

The Orb Union might've been small when it came to territory, population, economic production and resources in comparison to great powers such as the Earth Alliance and the PLANTs, but its naval engineering program was the most advanced in all the Earth Sphere. As it was an island nation, and sea power was thus crucial to its survival, this wasn't exactly surprising, but even that knowledge wouldn't prepare an outside observer for the magnificent sight that was the country's newest warship.

Flagship of the First Fleet, the aircraft carrier Takemikazuchi was the pride of the Orb Union Navy. While only lightly armed with a collection of 25mm Gatling guns and several anti-air missile launchers for defense, the strength of this formidable vessel was not with its own armaments but rather what was carried within its hull. 370 meters in length and built on a wide trimaran design, the vessel's cavernous interior was capable of housing no less than 60 mobile suits. This capacity put it well over that of its closest contemporary, the Earth Alliance's Spengler-class carriers, and ensured that its presence would be a threatening one for any foe within flight range of its pilots. It was the first of its class, and while a second vessel was undergoing construction at Orb's shipyards it would still be quite some time before that ship became operational. This was the true weakness of the Takemikazuchi; a vessel as large and sophisticated as this unfortunately could not be manufactured quickly. In recognition of its value as both a fleet carrier and command ship, the vessel was defended by supporting squadrons of Aegis-class cruisers and Kuraomikami-class heavy destroyers. This would be further bolstered by the significantly larger Earth Alliance fleet that it was set to link up with once it entered the Mediterranean Sea, and the result would be a truly mighty fighting force.

Standing on the bridge of the carrier, Yuna Roma Seiran looked out over the Red Sea and smiled. The morning sun hitting the waves was truly a beautiful sight, but it was not the lovely vista that had him in such high spirits. Word had just been received from the Atlantic Federation naval forces operating on the opposite side of the Suez Canal; a sufficiently powerful battle group had finally been brought into position to begin the attack on the ZAFT forces holding the vital passageway. The strategy was a simple yet promising one, and Yuna had played no small role in formulating it; the Earth Alliance would make the initial strike from the north, drawing the occupiers' attention that way. Once they were engaged, the Orb Union First Fleet would advance up the canal, with the Takemikazuchi's mobile suits clearing the way. The goal was not to seize the canal outright, but simply to beat back the defenders enough to temporarily secure passage, and between the First Fleet moving from the south and the Alliance forces in the north they had all the firepower they needed to succeed.

We can return here later on and permanently reoccupy the region at our leisure, he thought, This campaign will demonstrate the usefulness of the Orb Union to the Earth Alliance as a military partner, and we'll get greater backing from them in short order. The Seiran house's rule over Orb will be solidified, and not even Cagalli and her band of renegades will be able to oust us.

Orb's full-hearted participation in the Alliance's campaign was vital if Yuna was to shore up his position. His father had been against him going along with the expeditionary force, preferring to leave the matter to the soldiers while the two of them focused on securing their base of power and managing their nation's civil administration. He could see the merits of that stance, but it was too short-sighted and failed to consider a critical weakness of their government; Cagalli's absence.

It had become impossible to deny to the press now that she was no longer in the Orb Union, but the Seirans had still not yet changed their official stance that she was unwell and staying out of the public eye for health purposes. Cagalli had always been far more popular amongst the common people than Yuna or his father ever were, and according to the nation's internal security services talk was beginning to circulate that she had actually been ousted by her cousin and uncle. It was just whispering and rumors for now, but Yuna doubted it would stay that way for long. The general population might've been spared the death and destruction of a second Atlantic Federation invasion, but the Seirans' move to actively side with the Earth Alliance in their war against the PLANTs wasn't widely accepted in no small part due to the country being home to a significant Coordinator diaspora even after the devastation and subsequent migration following the First Bloody Valentine War. Joining the Alliance in their campaign went firmly against the ideals that Cagalli and her father before her had worked so hard to impart upon their countrymen, and while Yuna hoped to eventually dispel such outdated views from the common masses he knew that it would still take quite some time to accomplish that goal.

A dramatic gesture was needed to salvage the domestic situation before it could deteriorate to the point of no return, and Yuna had found his inspiration in the foreign policy arena. By demonstrating that the Seirans could put the full might of Orb's military behind the Alliance's campaign, he planned to use the subsequent goodwill generated by their participation to lobby for Atlantic Federation assistance in maintaining domestic order and security. Plans were already being drawn up for the necessary housing arrangements and cooperation deals with Orb's local law enforcement in such matters, and draft contracts were being formulated to entice the well-equipped and well-funded American PMCs to provide additional manpower. A victorious campaign would provide the boost needed to bring his scheme to fruition, and Yuna wanted to leave nothing to chance, hence his personal participation.

He had not come alone; a detachment of security personnel had joined him aboard the carrier. This was more than just a group of bodyguards, for their armaments and training put them on equal grounds with the Orb Marines stationed aboard the flagship, and their numbers were considerable. As the Orb Union military had by-and-large favored Cagalli's leadership and respected her due to the personal risks she'd proven herself willing to undertake, Yuna knew that he could not fully count on the loyalty of both rank-and-file troops and the officer corps. His security detachment was thus less for personal protection and more for the enforcement of his will aboard the command ship. He and his father had been in talks about instituting a political officer system within the Orb military in order to further cement their control, but implementing it in the midst of a major campaign was too dangerous; they could not afford to completely alienate the armed forces at such a crucial stage. Once victory had been achieved and the First Fleet returned to home port, however, a great many things would soon change.

Of course, all this was assuming that the combined strength of the Alliance and Orb naval forces would be enough to complete their mission. While the campaign had the rather broad official goal of combatting ZAFT's growing strength in the Mediterranean, one of their more specific objectives was the destruction of the battleship Minerva. Intelligence reports had indicated that not only had the warship survived the gauntlet it had run from Carpentaria all the way to Diocuia, but it once again had all five Gundams operating aboard it.

The Earth Alliance is to provide the aces that will counter the Gundams, he mused as he looked out over the sea, I heard they're brining in some top Eurasian pilots to supplement the mercenaries. Between their firepower and ours, we should be able to prove that the Gundams' reputation of indomitable strength does not match the reality. The legend of Heero Yuy will be ended, and it will be my strategies that at long last take his life!

Ridding the world of the troublesome pilot was a personal goal for Yuna, not the least because he was certain that the young man had a hand in the disappearance of Cagalli. Her exit had been far too clean; she'd definitely had help from the inside. Yuna wasn't familiar with all her allies on a personal level, but he knew that they had all the intel they could possibly need on her security arrangements to slip her out of the country, and for a man that had stormed the Alliance flagship in the final battle of the last war such an exfiltration would likely have been a simple matter. There was also their encounter at the Elysium colony during said conflict that irked him tremendously, for the way the pilot's cold eyes had evaluated Yuna and his father after they'd repelled the Alliance attack clearly indicated that he was suspicious of them. Of course, given that Yuna and Unato had attempted to sell out the colony's Coordinator population, refugee and otherwise, to the Earth Alliance and had only been thwarted by the arrival of the Three Ships Alliance, that suspicion was completely warranted.

He doubted the Three Ships Alliance had any concrete proof; Yuna and his father had been careful to cover their tracks, and they had been the only ones in the Seiran family to contact Azrael in the last war. They'd utilized the most discrete back-channels possible, well removed from anything that Cagalli or her allies would've had access to. They could poke about and meddle all they wanted, but they would find nothing incriminating.

Of course, the best move possible would be to eliminate Cagalli's allies altogether, but that was a case of easier said than done. There had been sporadic reports of the Archangel and Dominion's movements, but those had only come about due to the vessels and their mobile suits raiding the Earth Alliance forces in the Pacific. There hadn't been another such attack for some time now, which meant that Yuna had no way to track his most dangerous internal foes. This was no small cause for concern, but for the moment there was very little that he could do about it. At least by ensuring the demise of their greatest pilot he could significantly reduce their strength and shatter their morale.

However, that wouldn't be possible if the Takemikazuchi and the rest of the First Fleet weren't able to punch through to the other side of the Suez Canal. If the Alliance battle group was in position, then it was time for Orb to demonstrate its commitment to the cause.

"Captain, what's our status?" he asked.

Captain Todaka, a thirty-five-year-old man with black hair and brown eyes, turned to him. The carrier's commanding officer was a distinguished veteran of the last war, and while his file indicated that he was closer to Cagalli's line of thinking than Yuna was comfortable with his need for seasoned soldiers meant that he couldn't afford to be picky. The Captain had conducted himself with strict professionalism since Yuna had arrived on the carrier, never uttering so much as a word of protest regarding the security detachment he'd brought along. It was about as much as Yuna could hope for, but he didn't trust him further than he could throw him.

"All pilots are on standby," he replied, "We can go to battle stations and begin the advance at any time."

Yuna smiled. "Good. That time is now. Send word to our counterparts across the canal that we're advancing, and get our mobile suits into the air."

Todaka nodded. "Understood."

This is just the opening act, thought Yuna as the battle alert sirens sounded and the bridge roared with fresh activity, Orb's rise as a new power begins now, and nothing can stand in our way!

….

Sweat was building at her brow, and Stella was sure that beneath the gloves of her flight suit her knuckles were white, such were her nerves. It might've been just a simulator fight, but her opponent was certainly treating it like the real deal.

At first glance, the enemy wasn't all that imposing; just a single GAT-04 Windam. Since they were practicing for atmospheric combat conditions, the unit was outfitted with a Jet Striker Pack allowing for full-flight, but it wasn't like that made it special when compared to the countless other units in the Alliance's arsenal that could fight with the same equipment. Armaments were standard fare, and even the paintjob was nothing too out of the ordinary; a light grey base with dark blue trim.

What set her opponent apart was the level of skill they brought to the table. Ever since the attack on Armory One, Stella had picked up experience in fighting talented pilots, but most of them had been flying custom machines. This foe was utilizing a simple mass production mobile suit, yet he was fighting her on even ground. In fact, if her desperate defense was any indication, her opponent was winning.

Her opponent in this case was also her new commanding officer, Major Allen Hamilton. While she'd been distressed upon learning that Colonel Nazara would be leaving her to return to Heaven's Base, the superior that replaced him had been something of a pleasant surprise. He had a cool demeanor and wasn't exactly outgoing, but at the same time he didn't treat her harshly. In fact, despite the fact that only a day had passed since the transfer, a part of Stella strangely felt safer with him than she had with Nazara. She tried to figure out why that was, but haunting flashes of memory fragments too intense and horrifying for her to properly comprehend discouraged her. For the moment, she was willing to throw herself into the new training regimen he'd worked up for her; better to improve her skills than try to delve too deep into what she unconsciously knew was her badly damaged mind.

The violet beam sabers of the Gaia and the Windam clashed again and again, and Stella could feel herself giving ground. Frustration built up alongside her mounting desperation, and her fighting form suffered because of it. She lashed out furiously, but her movements were becoming sloppy as a result. New gaps opened up in her defenses, and a few seconds later her opponent found the one he needed to land the finishing blow. The screen flashed pink as the beam saber coming towards her filled up the camera for a brief second, and then the monitor went black; game over.

It was only a practice match, but Stella still found herself struggling to calm herself. Death terrified her on a level far beyond anything else; even a demise that was merely simulated drove her to a state of near panic. Her breathing came in ragged gasps, and sweat freely dripped down the side of her face. Her shaking hands were barely able to remove the suddenly all-too-tight helmet, and the rest of her body trembled with equal intensity.

The Major's voice came over the cockpit speaker. "You lost your cool… Stella? Stella, can you hear me? Respond!"

It took a moment for her to answer. "I'm… I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Stella shakily nodded. "Y-yes."

He clearly didn't buy it. "Open the cockpit but don't get out of the Gaia. I'll be over there soon with one of the medics."

"Understood," she said.

She followed his orders, and sure enough he appeared just outside the cockpit a minute or so later. He wore no mask unlike her former superior, giving her a clear view at his surprisingly handsome features. His light-blue eyes often felt like they had a chill to them, but Stella still found that preferable to Nazara; she'd often feared a possible angry outburst from him, and with his mask it was incredibly difficult to tell when one was coming, so being able to actually see her new superior's face was a welcome change. His brown hair was cut short per military regulations, but to Stella he didn't seem the type to let it grow long even if he were given the choice. He was in his late twenties, and his figure was very much that of a pilot who took pride in keeping himself in shape. The flight suit he wore mirrored the paintjob of his Windam; light grey with dark blue trim, nothing remotely ostentatious despite his high rank giving him the right to something a little flashier.

"Major," she heard one of the ship's medics say from just out of view.

He stepped aside, allowing a blond-haired young man to come forward. Stella couldn't recall his name, but he seemed nice enough. At the very least, she didn't feel as uneasy around him as she did around the carrier's senior medical personnel, although why she got such uncomfortable vibes around them she couldn't say.

"Undo your harness," he said, "Let me take a look."

Stella nodded and obeyed his instructions. The young man stepped into the cockpit and examined her briefly before turning back to the Major.

"Her stress-levels are significantly elevated," he said, "She needs a break, and preferably some fresh air."

"Understood," said the Major.

As the medic got out of the way, Hamilton leaned into the cockpit. "We'll pick this up again in an hour. Why don't you go topside and relax for a bit?"

Stella smiled; the upper deck was her favorite place on the carrier. "All right. Thank you, Major!"

He nodded and gave her a small smile in return. "You'd better get going. Time's precious, after all."

With that, she took off, excited to get out of the hangar and feel the wind and sun on her face again. She was vaguely aware of the medic leaning forward and whispering something to the Major, but she paid it no mind.

Despite the carrier's size, it only took a couple minutes for her to make it out onto the flight deck. There was a strong breeze today, and her hair whirled around her as it hit her. She took a deep breath, feeling invigorated just by stepping outside. The late morning sun was high in the sky, and the waves were sparkling in its dazzling light.

Several of the mechanics waved to her as she idly strolled down the deck; she was a common sight for them up here, and a welcome one. Unlike most of the ship's doctors, she felt quite comfortable with the technician crews. They were always kind to her, and a few of the older ones had even remarked on how she reminded them of daughters that they had back home. She gave them a cheerful wave as she headed towards the bow, eager feel the full force of the wind off the front of the carrier.

About a dozen or so seagulls had gathered at her destination. Stella grinned as she ran towards them. Sure enough, the birds took off, white feathers scattering everywhere, but after circling overhead for a few moments to make sure that she wasn't a threat they came back down again. Soon she was surrounded by the birds, and when combined with the breeze and the sun it was all she needed to forget about her troubles, at least for a little while.

Looking up at the sky, she caught glimpses of a few Jet Windams that were either heading out or coming back from patrol. Even from a distance she recognized the distinct sounds of their engines, which was why she suddenly perked up when she heard a new sound a few moments later. It was of a different set of jet engines, and as she searched the sky she found the source; a large military transport jet. From this distance it was hard to make out the model, but she doubted it was hostile. After all, if it was then the patrolling Windams would've shot it down already.

A few seconds later she saw a dot trailing blue thruster fire suddenly fly out the back of the transport. This was followed by another, and then one more a couple seconds later, for a total of three. The transport began to break off and head north, while the three dots that had emerged from it descended, and soon enough Stella recognized them as mobile suits. As they got closer, though, she realized that they were new models, or at least were units that she didn't recognize. The lead unit was a sleek black machine with orange markings, and it was moving at a far greater pace than what a Jet Windam was capable of. It was certainly outpacing the two units that had deployed with it, although Stella didn't know if the pilots of the other machines were holding back or not.

Eventually the other two machines came into view. Their frames weren't as slender as the lead unit, and in fact appeared closer to conventional mobile suits like the Alliance's Dagger-L or Windam. They seemed to be a bit bulkier than the Alliance's mainstay models, and their paintjobs weren't standard either; both had a dark grey base with red and gold trim. Stella couldn't make out much more in the way of detail and didn't know what models they were, but she suspected she'd find out shortly; they were heading right for the carrier.

There's no alarm, so they must be on our side, she thought, I hope their pilots are friendly…

….

Taking his machine through a smooth descent, Captain Alberto Lopez smiled. At 29 years of age, the Eurasian Federation ace was in his prime, and mobile suit piloting came as naturally to him as breathing. Slightly above average height, he had his black hair cut short per pilot regulations, although he did allow himself a short and well-trimmed beard. That little bit was technically against Eurasian Federation pilot rules, but he was too good of an ace for them to bench him over such a minor detail. His olive-drab flight suit appeared relatively plain for that of a distinguished veteran like himself, but any fellow pilot who saw his unit patch on his right shoulder would know exactly who he was; the crimson bull pierced with two swords and overlaid by a yellow X-pattern was the famous insignia of the Espada Team for a reason, after all.

He contacted his partner as he adjusted his landing approach. "Espada One to Espada Two. How's she handling?"

The sultry voice of Lieutenant Marcela Vasquez came over the speaker in response. "Like a dream, Espada One."

Alberto smiled. "Don't get so caught up in the dream that you miss the carrier, darling."

His lover chuckled. "What, you don't want to dive into the waves to scoop up your fair maiden? That hurts, Alberto."

Alberto smirked. "We both know you're not that fragile, mi amor."

Indeed, she was far from that. In fact, of all the other pilots in the Eurasian Federation armed forces that hailed from their homeland on the Iberian Peninsula, she was the only one who could keep up with him. While she was also known as the Rose of Madrid for her graceful dancing, when it came to combat she was as tough as nails. Alberto demanded nothing less of one who would serve as his wingman, and to have that in a woman as lovely as her was nothing less than a divine gift.

It was fortunate that the mobile suits they'd been assigned were worthy of their talents as pilots. Both of them flew a secret weapon that had initially been developed by the Eurasian Federation during the First Bloody Valentine War; the CAT1-X Hyperion. A handful of these machines had been produced around the same time that the Atlantic Federation had been in the midst of creating the much more famous GAT-X series mobile suits at Heliopolis. While the Eurasian units had as much potential as the Atlantic Federation machines to majorly impact the course of the war, ultimately, they'd never become public knowledge. One had wound up in the hands of a rather unstable Coordinator pilot in the employ of the Eurasian Federation, but the others had been put into storage due to the lack of qualified pilots and the fact that a Natural-compatible operating system had not been fully developed until very late in the war. After the conflict the units that had been produced were outfitted with a suitable operating system and had also been modified to have full atmospheric flight capabilities, but no further machines had been developed; it was considered more economical for the Eurasian Federation to simply produce under license or outright purchase mass production mobile suits that had been created by the Atlantic Federation. Once again, the few Hyperion-series machines that had been developed during the war seemed doomed to languish in storage as little more than forgotten curiosities, at least until the top brass decided to grant them to distinguished aces.

Alberto was glad that Marcella and himself had been chosen for them, because they were splendid machines. Frame-wise, at first glance their appearance wasn't all that different from the Heliopolis prototypes. Most of their armaments were fairly conventional as well, including two multi-barrel CIWS mounted in the head, an RFW-99 Zastava Stigmate Beam Submachine Gun for mid-range fighting, and one RBW Type 7001 Romteknica Beam Knife stored in each limb and one on the submachine gun for a total of five. Heavy firepower was provided courtesy of two Forfanterie Beam Cannons. These were mounted in the mobile suit's backpack binders and would swing forward and over the shoulders of the unit when deployed. All of the Hyperion's weapons were powered by their own independent batteries as to avoid drawing from the mobile suit's energy reserves. This was done in order to ensure that the mobile suit's ace in the hole had as much energy as possible should it have to be used.

That ace in the hole was one of the most advanced pieces of equipment in the Eurasian Federation armed forces; a mobile suit-portable mono-phase Lightwave Shield known as the Armure Lumiere. Based off of the much more well-known Lightwave Barrier that had been used to protect the asteroid fortress of Artemis, it represented a phenomenal refinement of the larger energy shield system that had been deployed during the last war. Unlike the famous Umbrella of Artemis, the mobile suit could actually fire its weapons from within the barrier to engage incoming targets even while it was protecting itself. Each Hyperion unit had a total of seven Lightwave Shield emitters, one on each arm, one on the rear of the backpack and two on each of the binders. The emitters on the arms could create triangular barriers, while those on the backpack and binders could combine with the arm emitters to form a shield that surrounded the mobile suit, rendering it completely impervious to any conventional form of attack.

'Conventional' being the key word there, Alberto mused, I couldn't help but notice that the developers never said whether or not it could stand up to the firepower of something like Wing Zero's damn rifle…

For all the strengths of the Armure Lumiere, it wasn't a perfect defense. While the bulk of the mobile suit was protected, the emitters themselves were not, rendering them vulnerable to an enemy that was either very precise in their shooting or very lucky. Weapons with an anti-beam coating applied were also capable of piercing the barrier. Perhaps its greatest weakness, though, was the demands it put on the Hyperion's batteries; it was such an energy-guzzler that it could only be deployed in combat for a maximum of five minutes. Careful timing was critical to utilizing it effectively, because if confronted by an enemy that could put up a sustained barrage beyond the shield's time limit the Hyperion was effectively screwed.

Even with the many flight hours that he and his partner had logged on training sorties and simulator fights, Alberto was concerned about how their machines would perform when the time came to actually test them in battle. Fighting against conventional frontline ZAFT forces was one thing, but the Espada Team had been given a much more challenging mission; to take on the five Gundams that had inflicted such utter carnage against the Earth Alliance forces. While they would have support in this mission courtesy of their fellow Eurasian ace Mihaly along with the Desperado Enforcement pilots, Alberto was well aware of the fact that they were being put up against soldiers and machines who had wiped the floor with all of their previous opposition.

Alberto pushed those doubts from his mind; he had more important things to worry about at the moment. Mihaly had just landed on the carrier, and it was time for Alberto and Marcella to do the same. Making the final adjustments to his heading, he smoothly came out of his dive and touched down on the flight deck with practiced grace. Marcella was right behind him, and like him hers was a flawless landing.

The carrier's flight controller contacted them over the radio. "Espada One and Two, you are free to leave your mobile suits. Our tech crews will have them moved below deck."

"Tell them not to break anything," said Alberto, "This is an expensive toy, after all."

Opening up the hatch, he took a moment to savor the fresh air that blew into the cockpit. The sea breeze was always pleasant no matter where he felt it, and it was good to have a chance to stretch his legs.

Climbing out of the cockpit, he looked over at his partner's mobile suit. Its hatch popped open a moment latter, and out came the most beautiful pilot in the entire Eurasian Federation. Her olive-drab flight suit hugged her slender figure tightly, and it was very much the body of both a seasoned pilot and a trained dancer. She always moved with elegance and poise even if the situation didn't call for it, to the point that it was as natural as breathing. Her dark brown hair was tied up in a bun, and there was a radiant glow to her brown eyes as she took in the glimmering waves beyond the carrier.

She gave him a confident smile; she'd caught him staring. "In the mood for some fun, mi amor?"

Alberto grinned. "Once we're settled in? Of course. For now, though, we should make our proper introductions to our host."

The two of them descended from their mobile suits in unison. Up ahead, Alberto saw that Mihaly had done the same and was approaching them. Alberto had read the man's file and was aware of his reputation, he hadn't actually met The Beast in person until they'd boarded the transport plane together earlier that morning.

"Smooth descent," said the Major as he came up to them, "The Hyperions do well in a dive."

"Yours was no slouch either," Marcella replied, "I didn't realize that we were in a race to the carrier."

Alberto chuckled. "You seemed rather eager to leave us in your dust, Major."

The Beast shook his head. "I told you back on the plane; just call me Mihaly. Despite our ranks, on this mission we're operating as equals. As for my rapid descent, that wasn't intentional; that kind of acceleration just comes naturally to the Wyvern."

Marcella smirked. "Having trouble taming your steed? Who's the real Beast, the man or the machine?"

Mihaly shrugged. "I suppose it depends on how you look at it."

Alberto looked around. "Where's our welcoming committee? They're taking their sweet time today."

Marcella looked out towards the bow. "I don't suppose it's her? She doesn't look like commander material."

Following her gaze, Alberto was treated to the odd sight of a blonde teenage girl seemingly dancing amidst a flock of seagulls. Her uniform insignia identified her as an Atlantic Federation pilot, but to his knowledge the Americans had ceased employing female soldiers in any position since the end of the First Bloody Valentine War.

Two talented Captains defect and the Atlantic Federation overreacts in paranoia, he thought, I can't believe they were so foolish. Her presence does seem to be at odds with their policy, though. I wonder what's going on there…

Mihaly shook his head. "One of their 'Extended', I think. Too unstable for leadership."

Alberto grimaced in disgust; he'd only heard rumors about the Atlantic Federation's program to create super soldiers, but those were more than enough for him. "So, they don't want women volunteering for their armed forces, but they have no issue with experimenting on teenage girls and turning them into living weapons? Here I thought the Americans had reached the peak of their distastefulness in the last war."

Marcella shook her head. "Poor girl… the last place someone like her belongs is anywhere near a battlefield."

Mihaly sighed. "It can't be helped now. She's probably the one they've got flying that machine they stole from ZAFT."

"The Gaia, right?" asked Alberto, "Their transforming surface attack unit?"

"The last surviving unit of the three they stole," said Marcella, "If she's the pilot, I'm surprised it's lasted this long."

"Don't underestimate Stella," said a new male voice from behind them, "You'll see soon enough why she's remained the pilot of the Gaia."

Turning around, Alberto and his companions saw a man wearing an Earth Alliance Major's uniform heading towards them. It wasn't hard to match his face with the one he'd seen in the briefing file aboard the transport jet; Allen Hamilton.

"So, our welcoming committee finally shows itself," said Alberto.

"Are all Atlantic Federation officers this lax when it comes to common courtesy?" asked Marcella.

"Apologies for my tardiness," Hamilton replied, "I was caught up with other matters down in the hangar."

"I hear that there's quite a ruckus going on not too far to the south of us," said Mihaly, "Why weren't we invited?"

Hamilton shook his head. "That's just one of our battle groups providing support to the Orb Union First Fleet; they're driving through the Suez Canal as we speak. Once they make it through and join the rest of our fleet we'll commence the main operation."

Alberto looked around at the assembled naval units. "All this firepower just for a battleship and a handful of mobile suits… if I didn't know who we were after, I'd say it was excessive. However…"

"Is even this enough?" Marcella finished for him, "The Minerva may be powerful, but it's still something we can deal with. The real problem is the Gundams."

"They're dangerous, but not invincible," Hamilton countered, "They can be beaten, though it won't be easy. My predecessor got too personally invested in the task; he let his rivalry with Wing Zero's pilot get in the way of sound strategic judgment. I won't make the same mistake."

"So, you actually have a plan, then?" asked Alberto.

Hamilton nodded. "Even after the Orb Union First Fleet breaks out into the Mediterranean, it'll still be a few days before we'll be ready for a major engagement. I want to use that time to run some exercises… along with some advanced reconnaissance on the enemy's newest base."

"I hear their position's been heavily fortified," said Marcella, "Diocuia may not be Carpentaria or Gibraltar, but it's not for lack of trying on ZAFT's part."

"Our mobile suits can get close for a peek," said Mihaly, "We won't be able to stay on-site for very long, though. Not with the kind of firepower they're packing."

Hamilton shook his head. "This won't be an aerial scouting run. I have something subtler in mind. Besides, it won't involve you three; your responsibility will be to train and maintain your machines until the time comes for open battle."

The three Eurasian pilots traded glances. It was odd that their Atlantic Federation commander would leave them out of an intelligence gathering mission considering that it would be directly related to their target, but it sounded like he already had a plan that he was committed to following. All that the aces could do was go along with it and see how things played out.

"If you insist," said Albert.

"By the way, are the Desperado aces on this carrier?" asked Marcella.

Hamilton nodded. "They are. Try to play nice."

Mihaly shrugged. "As long as they stay professional, we shouldn't have any problems."

"They have their orders," said Hamilton, "and you have yours. There's no need to make things complicated."

Alberto chuckled. "Whatever you say."

Hamilton gestured towards a distant doorway. "Come on, I'll show you to your quarters and introduce you to the mercenaries. After that, it'll be time to hit the simulators. Sorry to put you to work so soon after your arrival, but we have a schedule to keep."

….

"What's up, sis? You look a little out of it," said Meyrin.

The two of them were in the mess hall aboard the Minerva enjoying lunch together. It actually wasn't all that often that they got to do that; if it wasn't a schedule clash then it was typically Lunamaria eating with her fellow pilots while Meyrin ate with someone else. Even though the two of them actually shared quarters, it felt like they didn't have many chances to really sit down and chat as sisters.

Unfortunately, Lunamaria was a bit too distracted to enjoy the downtime with her little sister. The conversation and duel between Heero and Wufei that she'd witnessed had been just a few days ago, yet it felt like she'd been thinking about it for far longer. It all still sounded completely crazy as she replayed it in her head, yet that didn't change the fact that what she'd overheard was the truth.

"Luna? You okay?" asked Meyrin.

She almost jumped out of her seat; she'd gotten so wrapped up in her own head that she'd almost completely forgotten her sister. "Oh, um, yeah! Sorry about that… kind of spaced out there a bit."

Meyrin gave her a skeptical look. "Really? That's not like you."

Lunamaria folded her arms. "Hey, I'm allowed to be distracted every once in a while. I mean, look at everything that's been going on around us lately. It's crazy!"

Meyrin sighed. "I know what you mean. It's nice to have a chance to rest at a forward base like this, but it's easy to forget that we're surrounded by enemies."

"Not quite," Lunamaria countered, "Remember what the Captain said earlier today about the town around the base being friendly? It sounds like we might even have a chance for some shore leave there, as long as we dress as civilians, anyway."

"Maybe," said Meyrin nervously, "I'm… I'm not sure if I want to risk it, though."

Lunamaria smiled. "Hey, it wouldn't be that dangerous. Besides, you wouldn't be alone; I'd be there with you, and Shinn and Rey would probably come along as well."

Meyrin shook her head. "If the Captain does give us permission to leave the base and go into the town, I… I might pass this time. I'd rather know for sure that we're in friendly territory."

Lunamaria nodded. "All right, I'll get off your case, then. If you don't feel comfortable then you shouldn't do it."

Meyrin smiled. "Be careful if you go, okay? Mom and Dad keep telling me to look after you, there's only so much I can do to support you from the Minerva."

Lunamaria raised an eyebrow. "Wait, Mom and Dad want you to look after me? Shouldn't it be the other way around? The messages they send me don't mention much about me keeping an eye on you."

Meyrin giggled. "It's because you're the reckless one in the family, remember?"

Lunamaria scoffed. "Please! Compared to Shinn or the Gundam pilots, I'm pretty restrained."

"I know," said Meyrin, "Mom and Dad don't, though."

That got Lunamaria's train of thought back on a track that it had occupied far too frequently as of late. "Mom and Dad… I wonder if they'd like him..."

"Do you mean Wufei?" asked Meyrin.

Lunamaria blushed. "Well… maybe."

Meyrin laughed. "I think it's more than maybe, Luna!"

Her little sister then looked down and sighed. "Then again, I guess I'm not really one to talk."

Lunamaria's eyes widened. "Hey, wait a sec! You mean you like one of them too?"

Now it was Meyrin's turn to blush. "So, what if I do?"

Lunamaria grinned; her sister rarely gave her a chance to tease her about her love life, so she wasn't about to pass this up. "Which one is it? Which lucky boy's stolen my little sister's heart?"

"I don't have to tell you!" Meyrin squeaked in embarrassment.

Lunamaria leaned forward. "Come on, you already know mine! It's not fair if you get to hide yours!"

"You wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I told you!" Meyrin protested.

"I won't let you hear the end of it if you don't tell me," Lunamaria countered, "I'm your big sister, Meyrin; I can keep a secret for you if you can keep one for me."

Meyrin rolled her eyes. "You liking Wufei isn't a secret, sis."

Lunamaria's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

Meyrin giggled, clearly enjoying the turnabout. "Come on, Luna. You've spent quite a bit of time with him since he came aboard the Minerva. The rest of the crew isn't blind."

"Well… they shouldn't get the wrong idea!" Lunamaria replied, "Sure, he's a really good pilot and martial artist… and he might've saved my life back at Armory One… but still, he can be a real piece of work sometimes! Even if I do like him, it's not like things will go anywhere with the way he's been acting lately!"

"What do you mean?" asked Meyrin, "Is something wrong with him? He's not being mean to you, is he?"

Her sister's concern was touching, although Lunamaria knew that it wasn't necessary. "No, it's nothing like that. It's… well, it's complicated."

"How?" Meyrin pressed, "Sis, I can't help if you don't tell me anything."

Lunamaria sighed. Where was she even supposed to start? She thought everything she'd heard from Heero and Wufei was insane, even if she had no reason to doubt them. Then again, if there was anyone she could run it past and at least be reasonably sure she wouldn't be laughed at or referred for a psyche evaluation, it was Meyrin.

She furtively looked around the mess hall to make sure no one was eavesdropping before turning back to her sister, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Look, if I tell you this, you have to promise to keep it between the two of us, okay? I'm serious here, Meyrin."

Meyrin nodded, and to her credit she certainly looked like she wasn't going to tease her this time. "Okay, Luna. That's what sisters are for, right?"

Lunamaria smiled. "Yeah. Still… well, let's just say that what I'm about to tell you is going to sound completely nuts."

….

Meyrin hadn't been sure what to expect, but what her older sister told her was beyond anything she could've possibly imagined. Several minutes had passed since Lunamaria had finished her revelation regarding what she'd learned about the Gundam pilots, but Meyrin still couldn't think of what to say.

It's all so crazy, she thought, but Luna wouldn't lie about something like this. I don't think she could come up with a lie that's anywhere near as insane as this.

As utterly surreal as it all was, though, it actually made a strange kind of sense. All the theories that had been floated since the First Bloody Valentine War regarding the origins of Wing Zero and Heero Yuy had always felt like they were missing something, no matter how plausible they might be on the surface. With what Lunamaria had told her, Meyrin now had that missing piece.

What she was supposed to do with it, though, was another thing entirely. She fully understood now why Lunamaria had seemed a little distracted over the past couple days; now that Meyrin was in on the secret, it felt almost all-consuming. If she were a journalist, she imagined it would've been like hitting the scoop of the century. This wasn't information that was meant to be shared lightly, though. It had serious weight, and it was all the more important when Meyrin considered one of the pilots that it had bearing towards.

Duo…

It was no wonder that the young man who wielded Deathscythe Omega seemed so relaxed even as the world around him spiraled deeper into the chaos of war. He had an entire previous campaign behind him, and one from an entirely different world at that. Maybe the Cosmic Era had distinct characteristics that separated it from his 'After Colony' world, but Meyrin was willing to bet that a massive war in one would have plenty of similarities to such a conflict in the other.

Lunamaria sighed. "Well, that's about all that I know. So, is this the part where you tell me to get my head checked?"

Meyrin shook her head. "No, of course not! You're my sister, Luna!"

Lunamaria smiled. "Does that mean you actually believe me?"

Meyrin nodded. "Well yeah. I mean, it's a lot to take in, and a ton of it sounds crazy, but you wouldn't make something like this up."

"I'm glad you've got my back," said Lunamaria, "Thanks, Meyrin."

"Anytime," she replied, "Still… what do we do now?"

Lunamaria shook her head. "Honestly? I don't have a clue. I thought about telling the Captain, but it… well, it didn't feel right. Not that I don't trust her or anything like that, but… man, it's hard to describe."

"It's like you were entrusted with something that's a large part of who someone is," said Meyrin, "It's not something to spread around casually… that's what it feels like to me, anyway."

Lunamaria nodded. "Yeah… I think that's a good way to put it. Sorry I took so long to tell you, Meyrin. I should've known that I could at least trust you with it."

"It's okay," Meyrin replied, "We just need to figure out what comes next."

"What comes next, huh?" Lunamaria echoed dryly, "That's the big question, isn't it? I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Maybe… we should keep it to ourselves," said Meyrin cautiously, "For now, I mean. Just… just until we can sort it all out."

"That's probably the way to go," said Lunamaria, "I know I've still got questions for Wufei about all this, and I'm sure you've got some for whoever your favorite Gundam pilot is too."

Meyrin blushed as an image of the self-proclaimed God of Death flashed through her mind. "Well… yeah."

Lunamaria nodded. "Thought so. Let's just be careful for now. I don't think they'll be mad that I told you, but if we start spreading it further that could change, and we definitely need them on our side. We wouldn't have gotten through the last few battles alive without them."

Meyrin couldn't argue with that.

….

It was rare indeed for Meer to have a chance to break away from her security detail, but she'd managed to gain a surprising amount of freedom since they'd arrived at the Diocuia base. Her bodyguards had relaxed somewhat since they were on a ZAFT installation, even if it was one that had been set up in the middle of hostile territory. It actually hadn't been too difficult for Meer to slip away, and while she knew that they'd find her eventually she figured that she'd earned the right to a little break.

It was early afternoon, and the base was alive with activity. There was a steady stream of incoming transport shuttles as ZAFT continued to build up its regional forces, and the main tarmac was full of large vehicles offloading heavy equipment from the craft and moving them to other parts of the facility. DINNs and BABIs took off or returned from patrol flights at regular intervals, while more surface-oriented mobile suits like ZAKUs stood watch over the perimeter. Everywhere Meer went, soldiers gave her friendly waves and cheers, and naturally she smiled and waved back. Keeping morale up was central to her job, after all, and it did feel good knowing that she had the ability to lift their spirits in the midst of war.

This must've been how she felt in the last war, Meer thought, It's a lot of work, but seeing them smile at me, being able to help them keep moving forward… I'm just like you, Lacus.

Hopefully she'd become like her in more ways than that. That was her plan today as she made her way towards the Minerva. She was looking for Athrun in the hopes of spending some quality time with him, and this time hopefully without the Gundam pilots interfering and making things… uncomfortable.

Accessing the docks was easy; she had the run of the base, and the security staff wasn't about to say no to her. A simple smile was all it took for them to let her pass. She couldn't help but feel somewhat intimidated as she approached the Minerva; she'd never seen a warship of this scale up close and personal before. It was easy to feel small and insignificant next to the pride of ZAFT's fleet, and she had to remind herself that for all its power it was still only a ship.

The ship that Athrun serves on, she thought, I wonder what it's like, being a mobile suit pilot…

As she walked along the dock she saw a young man that she recognized as one of the mobile suit pilots currently operating from the Minerva up ahead. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't Athrun. It took her a moment to remember the pilot's name; Trowa Barton

Meer tensed up as she recalled the encounter from the day before. Of all the pilots that had been present, his words had lingered in her mind more than any of the others.

"You have genuine talent. Why not use it as yourself rather than craft another persona around it and let it take credit for your gifts?"

While she'd appreciated the compliment at the beginning, it was the question afterwards that had left the real impression. It cut deeper than she'd expected, for it went right to the heart of her current circumstances. Maybe she did have some real talent, but it paled in comparison to that of the woman who she had been assigned to impersonate. Meer knew she was an imitation, but at the same time it was through her role as a doppelganger that she was able to show her worth. The work that she was doing now had major importance, especially in the middle of a war; she mattered to people now.

Or at least, the person everyone thought she was mattered.

She initially considered just heading straight for the ship and avoiding Trowa. He was far enough down the dock that he was past the ramp leading onto the Minerva, so staying away from him wouldn't be too difficult. Her gaze lingered on him, though, and she wound up watching as he went through a series of stretches. Apparently, she'd stumbled upon his exercise routine, and while he was fully clothed the way he moved left no doubt in Meer's mind that he was very much in shape.

And he was actually kind of handsome.

Meer felt a surge of heat rush to her face. What was she doing? She was supposed to be bonding with Athrun and fulfilling her public role as his fiancé, yet here she was gazing at a different pilot, one that had no bearing on her mission.

What's going on?, she thought, I… I need to snap out of it!

She kept staring, though, and a moment later she saw him end his warm-up and get into his real routine. Meer's eyes widened as she watched him perform a standing jump that propelled him much higher than it should've. He twirled through the air and landed with the practiced grace of an acrobat, and Meer was absolutely dumbstruck by it.

"Incredible…" she softly murmured to herself.

The rest of his exercise routine wasn't too shabby either. Meer looked on in wonder as he performed a series of leaps, flips, backhand springs and much more. He made it seem so easy, and he barely appeared to be sweating or even breathing hard from his exertions.

I heard that all the Gundam pilots were supposed to be Naturals, she thought, but there's no way that Naturals can perform moves like these as easily as he does, right? Is he actually a Coordinator?

She lost track of time as she watched him. It was an impromptu private performance for an audience of one, and Meer was utterly captivated. The first impression she'd gotten from him during their initial meeting was that of an aloof and cold pilot, but here he seemed to be far from that. He appeared to be relaxed, as if he were in his element. He wasn't smiling or showing much in the way of overt emotion, but the more Meer watched him the more she realized that she might've been mistaken in her earlier appraisal. The cold edge she'd perceived the first time around was no longer there, and it had been replaced by what actually appeared to be a sense of low-key enjoyment.

She was so entranced that it took her completely by surprise when after landing from a particularly high leap he fluidly spun on his heels to face her and give her a performer's bow, even including a bit of showman's flourish with his arms. Her eyes met his, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"It wasn't my intention to put on a show," he said, "Still, I hope you enjoyed it."

"Oh…i-it was great!" Meer stammered, "D-do you do this every day?"

"Depending on whether or not my current environment provides the room necessary for it," Trowa replied, "I can't let my skills get dull, and I need to make sure that I'm still in condition to perform once this war's over."

"Perform?" Meer said, "Wait, you mean that you do this sort of thing for a living? I thought you were a mobile suit pilot!"

Trowa nodded. "I am in times of war, yes. However, in peacetime I have a different occupation?"

"What occupation's that?" asked Meer.

"Circus acrobat," he answered.

Of all the possible replies she could've gotten, that one was not what she'd been expecting. "You… you're joking, right?"

Trowa shook his head. "Not at all. I do the trapeze and the tightrope. I'm also the partner for our group's knife thrower."

Meer's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean you're the one that's up against the target while they throw knives around you?"

Trowa nodded. "Yes."

His answer was so casual that Meer found herself at a loss for words. Here was one of the deadliest pilots in the world matter-of-factly telling her that his day-job was that of a circus stuntman. It seemed so utterly ridiculous, yet he'd kept a completely straight face the whole time.

"That's… I mean… wow," she stammered, feeling a little lightheaded, "I think… I need to sit down for a minute."

There was a supply crate a couple meters away, which seemed as good a place as any to take a load off. Plopping down on top of it, Meer struggled to sort out everything she'd learned in the past few minutes.

She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she nearly jumped out of her dress when Trowa suddenly appeared next to her, holding out a bottle of water. "This might help."

"Oh… thanks," she said, struggling to regain her composure as she accepted the drink.

He leaned against the side of the box as he looked up at the ship. "Are you here for Athrun?"

Meer raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

"You're in your role right now," he said, "As far the soldiers here are concerned, he's still your fiancé."

"Have you… told anyone about me?" she asked nervously.

Trowa shook his head. "No. It's not my secret to share right now."

She regarded him with renewed curiosity. "Don't take this the wrong way; I'm glad you're keeping my secret. Still… why?"

He turned to her for a moment, and although his face appeared calm Meer was surprised to detect what actually looked like a hint of concern in his eyes. "You're in a dangerous position. Even if I disagree with what you're doing, I'm not going to make it worse for you."

Meer looked down at the dock. "Do you really think that what I'm doing is wrong?"

"I think your heart's in the right place, but you're only being used," Trowa replied, "You may think that you chose this path, but it's the Chairman that's guiding you. You're only a tool to him, nothing more."

"You're wrong!" Meer protested, "The Chairman's not like that. He's doing everything he can to bring peace back to the Earth Sphere, and I'm helping him achieve that!"

"That might be what you believe, but the circumstances surrounding your employment aren't exactly innocent," Trowa countered, "Do you really think it's a coincidence that the Chairman would have you make your public debut and then try to assassinate the one person above all others in the Earth Sphere who would be the greatest threat to your credibility?"

Meer shook her head in desperation. "You… you can't prove that!"

"I was there," said Trowa firmly, "I fought off the strike force. They were gunning for her. The moment you assumed your role, you put a target on her back. I'm sure that wasn't your intention, but it was the result."

"That… that's not fair!" Meer cried, "I'd never do anything to put her in danger!"

Trowa nodded. "I believe you, but as I already said, that's exactly what happened. Our actions have consequences, and when your stage is the entire Earth Sphere that effect is amplified by several orders of magnitude. It's not enough for you to simply be an inspirational figure; you need to take action to ensure that your message serves the right agenda."

"That's exactly what I'm doing!" Meer argued, "Why can't you see that?"

Trowa shook his head. "Because I don't think you fully understand the master you serve or what he is capable of. Durandal is a highly skilled political operator with his own ambitions, and you appear to not grasp the complete picture with regards to how your role plays into that. In that respect, you're not faithfully following in the footsteps of your inspiration."

Meer's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

"I took the time to study the broadcasts, messages and performances of the last war," said Trowa, "There's far more to them than simply a call for peace. It's not about calming the masses and getting them to follow a particular agenda; the message was for them to search inside themselves, embrace the brighter side of humanity, and act on it. To reach for compassion rather than hate, for courage rather than fear, for friendship over animosity… I could go on, but I think you get the idea."

Meer sighed. "Why don't you just come out and say it? I'm not good enough to do this."

"It's not a matter of being good enough," Trowa replied, "It's about using your talents for the right cause… and making sure that you don't lose sight of who you are in the process."

"Why does that matter to you?" she asked.

"Because I know a thing or two about taking on a new name," he said, "Identity's a tricky thing. What's the role and what's the real you? The line between those is what really matters."

Meer looked down. "No one cares about the real me. The real me couldn't make a difference like this."

Trowa raised an eyebrow. "So it's insecurity that led you down this path, then? The only way you can find self-worth is through an identity that's not your own?"

Meer shook her head. "Why is that important to you? You're where you are thanks to your own skills and your own name."

"You're only partially right," Trowa countered, "The skills are my own, but the name's not… or at least, it wasn't to start with."

Meer's eyes widened. "Wait, so your real name's not Trowa Barton? What is it, then?"

Trowa shrugged. "I didn't have one, or if I did I couldn't remember it. People just called me No Name, and it worked well enough."

"If it worked, then why become Trowa Barton?" she asked.

"First it was the mission," he said, "I killed the real one and took his place, along with his mobile suit. After making some real friends under that name, the lie became the truth in a way. I accepted the name as my own, but my personality remained separate from the man who had once held it."

He then gave her a sharp look. "You're trying to make the lie become the truth on a completely different level. It's not just a matter of names in your case; you're trying to fully immerse yourself in the role at the cost of your true self. That's not a price worth paying."

"It is if I can help people!" Meer protested, "It is if I can help bring peace back to the world!"

"Peace on whose terms, though?" asked Trowa, "You don't know what Durandal really wants, and that's exactly the way that he wants it. As long as you blindly follow his orders, you serve his agenda as a perfect pawn. Do you really think that's how your inspiration would play her part?"

Meer was starting to panic. "No… I mean… I don't know!"

Trowa shook his head. "I think you do know. You've clearly taken the time to study her in order to properly fulfill your role. What you didn't do was take into consideration the consequences of your actions. You didn't think about the future, while she most certainly does."

He headed towards the Minerva, but not before giving Meer a look over his shoulder. "You're in over your head. The sooner you recognize that, the better your chances will be for making it through this war alive."

….

As Trowa climbed up the ramp, he saw none other than Duo Maxwell waiting by the warship's hatch. His fellow Gundam pilot was smirking, and Trowa doubted that it boded well for him.

"Well, well," said the L2 native as the hatch closed, "Here I thought I'd have to get more aggressive, but look at you! You're doing my job for me!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Trowa

Duo grinned. "Don't play dumb, pal! I'm talking about what I just saw down there with you and the songstress. I never imagined that you'd make a move like that. I'm impressed!"

Trowa shook his head. "I'm pretty sure you've got the wrong idea."

Duo laughed. "Oh, really? I watched the whole thing from up here, and it looked like she was starting to get hot under the collar! Don't tell me you didn't notice!"

"We were simply having a discussion about the implications of her role and what it might mean for her future," Trowa replied, "You're reading too much into it."

Duo chuckled. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe you're not reading enough into it, if you get my drift."

"She's taken on a role that's going to destroy her," Trowa countered, "Even if her master is our foe, she's not our enemy. If anything, she's almost a victim."

"And you want to help her before it's too late," said Duo with a smile, "Saving the lovely singer from her manipulative bastard of a boss. Didn't figure you for an old-school romantic, Trowa!"

Trowa shook his head, growing somewhat frustrated by his friend's antics. "Romance has nothing to do with it. I know a thing or two about living with a name that's not your own."

"Maybe," Duo replied, "but your situation and hers aren't quite the same. You're not impersonating an idol, for starters. Nice that you got something to bond with her over, though."

Sometimes Trowa had to marvel at Duo's ability to irritate others. "This isn't bonding. It's me trying to do the rest of us a favor."

"By getting the girl to think for herself," said Duo, "Trust me, I get it. I also get how it might work out for you if she has you to lean on when she has doubts. Come on, man; it's the perfect setup!"

"I'm going to the hangar," said Trowa, quite eager to end this conversation, "I need to check on Heavyarms."

He immediately headed down the hallway, but not before he heard Duo's parting shot. "I'm rooting for you, buddy!"

If the enemy doesn't shoot him first, I might have to.

….

It was nice to have a place to train other than the Minerva, and Wufei was taking full advantage of the spacious Diocuia base. He was currently on the tarmac overlooking the sea, out of the way of any incoming or outgoing aircraft but still with a front row seat should he decide to observe them. That wasn't what was on his mind, though; keeping his swordsmanship skills sharp was the order of the day.

Privately, he would begrudgingly admit that his recent sparring match with Heero factored into his decision to step up his training. He'd always considered his fellow Gundam pilot to be a fearsome warrior worthy of respect, but he'd still wound up underestimating his abilities when it came to combat outside of his mobile suit. His defeat, even if it had been by a narrow margin, was a much-needed wakeup call.

A blade to my neck, and it was Treize's saber to boot, he mused as he ran through a series of warmup swings, Heero's not the type to rub salt in the wound, but that still stung…

He picked up the pace in short order, his exercise quickly becoming a solo replay of his duel with Wing Zero's pilot. Retracing his moves while picturing those of his opponent clearly in his mind's eyes, he searched for the moment where the match had turned decisively in his foe's favor. It wasn't hard to find; it was the second Heero had revealed his real motives for staying in the Cosmic Era.

The moment he'd shattered Wufei's expectations of him.

Staying for love, he thought bitterly, I still can't believe it. This is the perfect world for warriors like us, yet he denies his purpose and stays for a woman. Heero Yuy… you disappoint me.

Even if Wing Zero's pilot would not recognize the Cosmic Era as the warrior's paradise that it truly was, Wufei would happily embrace it. He'd felt more alive here over the past several weeks than he had during two years of After Colony's 'peace'. If Wufei's mind hadn't been made up before, it was now; he wouldn't be returning to his old world even after the Second Bloody Valentine War was over. Why return to a world that offered him no real purpose when there was one that offered an opportunity to put his gifts to their proper use? It might've been unintentional, but the Cosmic Era had welcomed him with open arms.

Who was he to turn it down?

He might've been caught up in the combination of his exercises and musings, but Wufei was not blind to his surroundings. He was in a wide-open area, so it didn't take him long to spot a small group of individuals heading his way from across the tarmac. It only took a few moments before he was able to identify them; they were none other than Chairman Durandal and what appeared to be a handful of aides.

Interesting…

Wufei pretended not to take notice as they approached, continuing to weave his blade through the air. He had no immediate business with the Chairman, but given that it was ZAFT that currently provided him with the means to seek out his own sense of justice on the battlefield he wasn't about to shoo their commander in chief away. Wufei might've despised politicians, but he wasn't ignorant of the fact that the Chairman could prove to be a valuable means to his ends.

Going through a series of leaps and flips while his sword danced around him, he studied the reactions of his onlookers out of the corners of his eyes as they drew near. The Chairman kept whatever his true feelings were veiled behind a polite smile, while his companions were not nearly so guarded. Their awe at his display of martial prowess was worn on their sleeves, and Wufei could not help but note that all of the Chairman's aides were young women.

The group came to a stop just a few meters away, but Wufei did not move to greet them; if they sought to engage him, they'd have to make the first move. A few minutes went by before the Chairman appeared to get the message.

"Forgive me for intruding," said Durandal, "It's not often that I get the chance to take in a spectacle such as the one you're putting on now."

"It's fine," Wufei replied, not skipping a beat as he initiated a sequence of slashes.

"If you don't mind, I'd like a moment of your time," said the Chairman, "I've been hoping to speak to you privately for quite a while now."

"Lose the retinue," said Wufei, "It hardly counts as 'private' when you have companions."

Durandal nodded. "True enough. Please, leave us."

One of his aides looked concerned. "Chairman, are you sure?"

"It's quite all right, Amber," said Durandal, "Please, return to the office with the others. I'll be along shortly."

His subordinate nodded. "Understood, Chairman."

As Amber and the rest of the aides departed, Durandal turned back to Wufei. "My apologies. They mean well and are diligent in their duties. I'm lucky to have assistants as capable as them."

"I'll take your word for it," Wufei quipped as his sword flashed through the air in a series of silver streaks, "What do you want?"

Durandal chuckled. "It seems you Gundam pilots are quite similar in your disdain for formalities and pleasantries. You're a very straightforward lot."

"It keeps things simple," Wufei replied, "Small talk's meaningless and trivial when there's a war going on."

"Quite true," Durandal conceded, "Forgive me; as a politician, I'm afraid that there are some habits I can't easily jettison."

"I've noticed," said Wufei dryly while effortlessly executing a backflip, "You still haven't answered my question."

"Allow me to remedy that," said Durandal, "You've been with the Minerva for significantly longer than your fellow Gundam pilots now. They broke away after Operation Redemption, yet you remained with the ship. I must admit, I've been quite curious about that. Why split off from your comrades in such a manner? Were you not all on the same mission?"

"You're mistaking us for one of ZAFT's combat teams," Wufei answered, "We're not cut from the same cloth as your soldiers. We have full autonomy and follow our own paths. We simply work together when the need arises."

Durandal nodded. "A setup with its advantages, I'm sure, but there must also be a hierarchy. The five of you are nothing less than a force of nature on the battlefield when you work together; the past engagements you've had with Alliance forces and the terrorists during Operation Redemption are proof enough of that. Heero Yuy is your field commander, correct?"

"You're still making the same mistake," Wufei countered as he shifted into a series of low thrusts, "He can be our leader in the field, or we might follow someone else or go our own way. We are more effective when we work together, but we decide who our field commander is; that position doesn't belong unquestioningly to one person. The leader in one fight might not be the leader in the next."

Durandal's brow furrowed. "Perhaps there's something that I'm missing here. As the leader of the PLANTs and ZAFT, for me a hierarchy is a must, so an alternate system like the one you five have seems a bit counterintuitive."

"Don't bother trying to understand it," said Wufei, "You don't know us, so you don't really know how we fight."

"Or why, for that matter," Durandal added, "According to Heero, when we first met your mission was to observe the trials of the Minerva and our new mobile suits. Beyond that, he stated that the purpose of your group was to monitor the Earth Alliance and ZAFT, and to prevent a second war from breaking out. Now that war has broken out, though, your mission has become a bit harder to discern."

"It's not that hard to figure out," Wufei replied as he altered his stance and began a series of blocks and parries, "They want to end the war as quickly as they can while minimizing collateral damage and civilian casualties."

Durandal smiled. "You say 'they' rather than 'we'… I take it you have a different goal in mind."

"Bringing peace to the world's all well and good," said Wufei, "but what is that peace without justice? It only took two years for the 'peace' that followed the First Bloody Valentine War to collapse into a second conflict, and much of that's because justice wasn't brought to the Earth Alliance. Azrael and their High Command might've been killed in the war, but the system they led endured and has only created a new generation of evil."

"You seek to strike at the roots, then," said Durandal.

"I seek to bring justice to those who embrace corruption and murder," Wufei stated, "My path for doing so is through battle."

"Yet how much justice can you bring about by yourself?" asked Durandal, "I may not be an expert in the art of war, but from what I have seen it is clear that you are one of the greatest warriors to exist in the Earth Sphere. When you work together with your fellow Gundam pilots, your prowess has demonstrated itself to be amplified by orders of magnitude. However, from what you have told me, it would seem that the other four do not share your overall goal. You may all seek peace, but your drive for justice and desire to cut out the heart of the evil that drives the conflicts of our time sets you down a path that appears to frequently diverge from that of your friends."

"What's your point?" asked Wufei.

"In the end, what can you achieve if your goals conflict with those of your fellow Gundam pilots?" said Durandal, "In the end, it is not a single man that changes the world, no matter how gifted he might be. Allies are necessary."

Wufei's eyes narrowed as he went back on the offensive with a sequence of slashes. "And you would presume to be that ally? You don't even know me."

"Not very well, true," Durandal conceded, "However, I have an appreciation for both your talents and your drive for justice that others may lack."

"I don't even know what you're really after," Wufei countered, "You're overestimating your charisma if you think that speech from the dinner meeting was enough to convince me."

"You don't believe in the existence of LOGOS?" asked the Chairman.

"I have no reason not to believe it," said Wufei, "Organizations that seek to profit from the misery of war aren't exactly new. What I have a hard time believing is that fighting them is your only purpose, or that just defeating them will be enough to bring peace to the Earth Sphere."

Durandal nodded. "I understand your skepticism. Defeating LOGOS in and of itself indeed may not be enough to truly end this war, but it will surely go a long way towards accomplishing that goal. If nothing else, rooting them out can only improve the chances of a long-term peace going forward."

"But that's not the only thing you're after," Wufei pressed, "You can hide it from your military's pilots, but I'm not blind. No Gundam pilot is."

Durandal smiled. "So I've noticed. ZAFT's pilots are gifted, but I must admit that when it comes seeing the larger picture their perception is quite limited when compared to yours."

"So what is it that you really want out of this war?" asked Wufei, "It's not just to destroy LOGOS or protect the PLANTs."

Durandal spread his arms in a grand gesture. "What I truly want, Wufei, is to bring this world together. I want to open mankind's eyes to the follow of its past and give them a beacon to rally around for the future. I want to ensure that when this war ends it will be with the birth of a new world order, one that will ensure justice and security for all. The criminals that are responsible for this era of conflict will be brought to account for their actions, and a new age will begin."

Even as his sword whirled around him like a tempest, Wufei gave the Chairman a sharp glare. "A new age? I've met my share of visionaries, but only one managed to live up to the title. You've got a long way to go before I'll consider you to be anywhere close to him."

Durandal raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? May I inquire as to whom this 'visionary' you speak of might be? If he's earned such praise from you, then he must be an extraordinary individual."

"That's one way to put it," Wufei replied, "He was willing to put his life on the line to make his vision a reality. I would know; I faced him twice in single combat. I can't picture you in a similar role, unless you're secretly an ace mobile suit pilot."

Durandal chuckled and shook his head. "Alas, I'm afraid my gifts do not extend to the battlefield. That must remain the domain of those who have the prowess to survive and thrive there. Still, I would contend that I need not have the skills of a warrior to bring about the new age that I seek. At the same time, though, I would be remiss if I did not value the contributions of warriors such as yourself."

"Flattery won't do you much good," said Wufei, "I would've thought that you'd have learned that by now."

"I can assure you that my praise is sincere," Durandal countered, "This war will not be won without soldiers, and the new age that I seek to bring about will owe its existence to them. Even once the fighting is done, those who risked their lives on the battlefield to bring justice to the Earth Sphere will not be forgotten. They will have a place in the new order as keepers of a true peace, one that will finally allow mankind to reach its full potential."

"What potential would that be?" asked Wufei as he shifted to a series of powerful overhand blows.

"For too long, mankind has allowed itself to be divided by utterly petty differences," said Durandal, "Those divisions have handicapped us. Our orbital colonies and lunar habitats are but a fraction of what humanity is truly capable of. Imagine how far we could go if we finally united."

"So you would use this war as an opportunity to unify the Earth Sphere?" Wufei quipped, "You're hardly the first politician to have that idea when it comes to conflict."

Durandal nodded. "Perhaps, but unlike those who came before, I have what's needed to make it a reality. My vision is more than just a fever dream, Wufei. A concrete plan is already in motion, and victory in this war will serve to bring it to fruition. The night is darkest just before the dawn, and I can assure you that the sunrise that awaits mankind when this conflict is over will be brighter than any that has ever been seen before."

"Bold words," said Wufei, "You'd better hope that you don't get burned by that sunrise you seek."

Durandal chuckled. "Ah, I suppose Icarus might be an appropriate analogy, but there are no wax wings here. Rather, call them wings of steel; that of the iron-blooded soldiers who will win this war and usher in the new era. I think it's only fitting that someone like you should be at the vanguard of such a force."

"If that's a job offer, it's a poor one," Wufei replied, "Weren't you paying attention at that little meeting you hosted?"

"I thought you might see things differently," Durandal countered, "Perhaps, given time, you may yet come around. After all, you'll find no other leader in the Earth Sphere who is willing to give you what you really want."

Wufei's eyes narrowed as he finally lowered and sheathed his sword. "You're presuming too much if you think you can give me what I really want."

Durandal smiled. "Am I, though? Think about it as this war continues to play out. I can assure you that you'll have ample opportunities to change your mind."

….

"You wanted to see me?" asked Shinn as he warily stepped out onto the upper deck of the Minerva.

The reason his guard was up stood right before him; it was none other than Heero Yuy. "I do. Thanks for making the time."

Since he was being polite, Shinn figured that the least he could do was hear him out. "Oh… sure. What's up?"

"You've been hitting the simulators regularly," said Heero, "That's good, but there's more than one way to train. It's important to give your body a full workout to improve your reflexes and stamina in the cockpit."

Shinn raised an eyebrow; he couldn't argue with Heero's point, but he had to wonder why Heero was picking now of all times to invite him to train with him. "Okay… so what did you have in mind?"

"Simple," said Heero, and Shinn barely had time to react before the pilot tossed a pair of black gloves at him, "Full-contact sparring. Do you object?"

Shinn's eyes widened as he caught the gloves. "Where did you get these?"

Heero shrugged. "I borrowed them from the base's infantry training facilities earlier today."

Shinn was suspicious. "Borrowed or stole?"

"Borrowed," Heero repeated, "I fully intend to return them later."

"All right, then," said Shinn as he put the gloves on, "What are the rules?"

"We go until someone taps out or is knocked out," Heero replied, "Other than that, anything goes. Does that work for you?"

Shinn nodded. "Sure. I've been waiting to pay you back for that headbutt."

"Take your best shot," said Heero, "If you only see this as a chance for payback, though, then I'm afraid you won't get much out of it."

"What am I supposed to get out of this?" asked Shinn, "I had my share of hand-to-hand training at the Academy."

"You'll find out soon enough," Heero answered, "Begin."

Shinn wasted no time in taking the initiative, lunging forward with a right hook. Heero simply ducked before countering with a jab that caught Shinn right in the chest. He staggered under the blow and was barely able to bring his arms up to block Heero's follow-up attack.

"Better late than never on the defense," said Heero, "Your opening was too reckless."

"Isn't it good to strike hard right out of the gate to take the enemy by surprise?" asked Shinn as he countered with another hard right.

Heero nodded as he blocked Shinn's punch. "It is, but you defeat the point of it if you telegraph your attack. You're too easy to read."

"If I'm fast enough, it doesn't matter if you can read my moves!" Shinn shot back as he kept on punching, trying to batter his way through his opponent's defenses.

Behind raised arms, he saw Heero's eyes narrow. "And if your opponent thinks outside the box?"

Before Shinn could reply, Heero suddenly dropped low and made a sweeping kick. The ZAFT Red's legs were knocked right out from under him, and the moment he hit the deck Heero put his foot on Shinn's neck. Shinn knew that his opponent could go for the knockout blow right then and there if he wanted to and he wouldn't be able to stop him, so he tapped the deck with his hand.

"Match," Heero said before removing it and holding out his hand, "Let's go another round."

Shinn scowled even as he let Heero pull him up to his feet. "You cheated."

Heero shook his head. "I told you that this was full-contact sparring and that anything goes. Just because I gave you sparring gloves doesn't meant that we're forbidden from using our feet in these fights. If you continue to allow aggression to rule you then you will give your opponents the openings needed to blindside you."

"Fine," Shinn growled as he brought his fists up again, "I won't make the same mistake twice."

He rushed forward, determined to not give his opponent any time to catch his breath. Punches flew through the air, and this time Shinn threw a few kicks in for good measure as well. Unfortunately, nothing he had in his arsenal seemed capable of piercing his foe's defenses. What Heero couldn't evade he blocked with what appeared to be casual ease, so despite his earlier counsel Shinn could only feel his anger growing as the match went on.

His mounting frustration and fury did not go unnoticed by his opponent, who shook his head as they continued to fight. "Have you learned nothing since Armory One? You might think that anger serves you well as fuel on the battlefield, but if you continue to rely on it, you'll only be driving yourself down the road to ruin."

"Shut up!" Shinn hissed as the tempo of his assault increased, "I'm so sick of your lectures!"

"I'm trying to help you," Heero replied, and for some reason the calmness of his voice just served to piss Shinn off even more.

"I don't need your help!" Shinn shot back.

"Clearly," Heero deadpanned as he continued to duck and block Shinn's attacks, "Just like the Minerva hasn't needed my help or that of my friends over the last few weeks, right?"

"We don't need you now!" snarled Shinn, "Why don't you just get lost?"

Heero's eyes narrowed. "You say that now, but I wonder if you'd still feel that way if we left and then one of your friends died in the next battle."

That was the last straw. Shinn felt something in his mind snap, and he was confronted by a mental image that he'd seen play out a couple times now in this war.

That of a seed spinning as it fell until it touched down into a pool of perfectly still water…

…and then bursting in brilliant light.

….

There it is.

He'd suspected it for some time, especially after reviewing the combat data from the clash over the Gulnahan Ravine, but it was nice to finally have firsthand proof. The sudden spike in his opponent's movement speed, the clarity in his gaze that merged with blazing fury and desperate instinct; Heero had seen it all before.

Unfortunately for you, Shinn, he thought as he ducked and weaved through the ZAFT Red's intensifying assault, you're not the first berserker I've tangled with.

The similarities to when Kira and Athrun went into this state were clear enough, but Shinn's was raw and unrefined. There was speed and power to be sure, but it wasn't honed to the razor's edge that would make it most effective. Shinn had the instinctive grasp of the fight, but not the coolness required to analyze the situation even while in the midst of his heightened state of being. In short, he didn't fully comprehend what he was, much less have the discipline needed to master it.

That was all Heero needed to beat him.

He fell back across the deck, allowing his foe to believe that he had Heero on the ropes. His moves were certainly impressive, and Heero did have to put effort into blocking and dodging effectively, but it was simply a matter of drawing his opponent in and letting them think they owned the fight. Athrun and Kira would've instantly caught on, but Shinn didn't have their level of experience yet.

The ZAFT Red lunged forward with a right hook aimed straight at Heero's face, but the Gundam pilot was ready for it. Shifting to the side, he grabbed hold of Shinn's outstretched arm and used the boy's forward momentum against him, pulling him forward while bringing his knee up and slamming it right into his stomach. He then let go as his opponent doubled over, wheezing on his knees as the light of his berserker fury disappeared from his eyes.

"What… the… hell…" Shinn gasped, and it looked like it was taking everything he had to keep from vomiting right there.

"You saw it, didn't you?" asked Heero, "The seed and the light?"

Shinn's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets in a mix of agony and shock. "You… how do you…"

"Did you think you were the only one to have such a vision?" Heero replied, "Did you think that you were the only soldier in the Earth Sphere to have berserker potential?"

"Wait a second…" said Shinn, still struggling to catch his breath, "You mean… you…"

Heero shook his head. "Not me personally, but I'm friends with a few people who experienced the same sensations and visions in the last war. That's why I was able to counter you; you gave the same signals they did when I sparred with them."

Shinn shakily rose to his feet. "I've only felt it… in battle before now. This is the first time… I've felt it in a training fight."

"That's because I got under your skin and pissed you off," said Heero, "You make it too easy."

Comprehension slowly dawned on the ZAFT Red. "You did that on purpose, didn't you? You wanted me to go berserk!"

"I wanted proof that you had such capability," said Heero, "Studying the combat data from the battle at the Gulnahan Ravine showed signs that you had entered such a state during the engagement, but I wanted to make sure I was reading the evidence correctly. Hence the sparring match."

Shinn glared at him. "So, you were just using me; this wasn't about training at all!"

"It actually was," Heero countered, "I wanted to gauge just how far your abilities have developed since this war began. That heightened state you're able to enter is a very useful weapon to have in your arsenal, but you currently lack the capability to control it. It's triggered by your anger, so it relies on you loosing your cool during battle to activate in the first place. That's not conducive to long-term survival no matter how much that state boosts your immediate fighting abilities."

Shinn folded his arms. "So, you're saying that all this is you actually trying to help me? It's kind of hard to believe you when you're dishing out hits like that."

"I've been trying to help you for quite some time," said Heero, "Your anger and pride have made that an uphill fight. You have the kind of combat potential that's capable of turning the tide in critical engagements and altering the course of a war, but it's undermined by the combination of your fury and your refusal to take in the big picture. You don't question what you're really fighting for. As long as people like Chairman Durandal keep telling you what you want to hear, you'll happily do their bidding."

"The Chairman's doing the right thing!" Shinn shot back, "His goal's the same as ours; to restore peace to the world and stop those that want to annihilate us!"

Heero shook his head. "I'm not disputing all of the defensive aspects of this fight; the Earth Alliance made an open attempt at genocide in their assault on the PLANTs, and I'd hardly expect ZAFT to take that lying down. However, you're ignoring some very key elements of the broader context. If this war is purely defensive, then why take additional territory on the surface? The Suez Canal and Gulnahan Ravine are strategic points that any force would want to hold regardless of whether their campaign was offensive or defensive, but what about Diocuia? It might take some heat off of Gibraltar, but it also opens up an entirely new front that'd be easily exploited in an offensive campaign."

"What are you saying?" asked Shinn, "That ZAFT's looking to conquer Europe? That's ridiculous!"

"I'm not saying that's ZAFT's plan," Heero countered, "However, should they decide to go that route, they'd have an ideal staging ground. There's an even better example of what I'm talking about, though. Look at Armory One."

Shinn's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Think about it," said Heero, "Wouldn't it make more sense for a colony devoted to the manufacturing of advanced armaments to be located at L5 where it'd be easy to defend? Why build it out at L4 where it's much more exposed to attack? Its position just outside the debris field from the ruined Alliance colonies was practically an invitation to a strike… which is exactly what happened."

"So you're blaming the Chairman for the attack on a PLANT colony?" asked Shinn incredulously.

"It was an Alliance black ops unit that attacked Armory One," Heero replied calmly, "That's been clear from the beginning, and the responsibility for the attack lies solely with them. That being said, do you really think they would've been able to pull off that attack had the colony been located within L5's defensive grid?"

Shinn reluctantly shook his head. "Well… no."

"Exactly," said Heero, "and I'm willing to bet that the Chairman's advisors made that exact point; L5's a much more secure location for an armaments manufacturing facility than L4. Any other leader would've gone with L5, and that would've been the smart move. Instead, the Chairman picked L4, a gesture that not only left the colony completely exposed even with the battle group assigned to defend it but also served as a provocation."

"Provocation?" Shinn repeated, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"L4 was the home of the Alliance's colonies before they were destroyed in the last war," said Heero, "Durandal picking that location as the construction site for a new PLANT colony was the equivalent of rubbing salt in the wound, even if the Atlantic Federation had no plans of their own for L4 after the loss of the colonies there. It was an expansionist gesture, and the Alliance could quite easily have interpreted it as a harbinger of greater PLANT ambitions."

Shinn shook his head. "An expansionist gesture? That's bullshit!"

"Not really," Heero replied, "Believe it or not, I spoke to the Chairman in private shortly after the attack on Armory One. He indicated that Armory One was just the start, and that the long-term plan was to build an entire PLANT colony city at L4."

Shinn's eyes widened in shock. "What? That can't be right!"

"It's what he told me," said Heero, "and while I'm not normally one to take him at his word, I believe he was quite sincere about the program. Of course, the attack on Armory One and the subsequent outbreak of war has likely put that plan on hold. My point still stands, though; if the Alliance didn't feel threatened by Armory One, they certainly would've had an entire PLANT colony city been constructed at L4. Durandal's ambitious, but he's not an idiot; he would've known that he was playing with fire."

The Gundam pilot studied his sparring partner carefully as Shinn took everything in. Since the ZAFT Red wore his heart on his sleeve, it wasn't hard for Heero to pick up on the mental conflict as the young man struggled to process what Heero had told him and square it with his views regarding the Chairman.

Will cognitive dissonance break him, he mused, or will he finally be able to face the bigger picture and question his beliefs?

After a long moment, Shinn sighed, although whether it was out of confusion or frustration was difficult to determine. "What do you want, Heero? What are you getting at with all of this?"

"I want you to understand the broader picture beyond the individual battles that we fight," said Heero, "I want you to be able to make a fully informed decision on what you're fighting for. Your anger is understandable given your past, but it's a lever that others can use to control you and turn you into nothing more than an attack dog."

"I'm a ZAFT soldier," said Shinn, "I'm supposed to follow orders from my superiors, and the Chairman is at the top of the chain of command."

"A soldier might be supposed to follow orders, but they should also question the conflicts that they're thrown into," Heero countered, "Trusting your superiors is one thing, but going along unthinkingly with the agendas of others can ultimately lead to you becoming an accomplice for something that you might otherwise want no part in. That's why it's important to learn as much as you can about the wider context of the war you're fighting. If you really want to make a difference and bring peace to this world, then the first step is to understand why you're really fighting. For you, that's going to involve asking yourself some uncomfortable questions."

Shinn gulped. "Like what?"

"What kind of world are your superiors really looking to build on the back of your efforts on the battlefield?" said Heero, "How are they using your anger to their own ends? Is this what your family really would've wanted you to do with the grief and rage that's consumed you since their demise?"

Shinn glared at him. "That was low, even for you."

Heero didn't so much as bat an eye at the accusation. "This is war, Shinn. People take cheap shots all the time."

The Gundam pilot then headed towards the hatch. "If you don't figure out the answers to those questions soon, then you'll find yourself heading down a path that I doubt your family ever would've wanted you to take. There's still time to change the road you're on, but only if you're able to clear your head enough to recognize what's really going on around you."

"And if I can't?" asked Shinn, "What if I decide that this really is the path I'm meant to be on?"

"Then it will only be a matter of time before we meet as enemies on the battlefield," Heero replied before he disappeared inside the Minerva.

….

Murrue's eyes widened slightly as she processed Heero's update. "A berserker? Are you certain?"

Up on the main bridge monitor, Heero nodded. "I had my suspicions based on his performance in an earlier engagement, but the sparring match gave me definitive proof. He has the same capabilities as those displayed by Kira, Athrun and Cagalli during the last war."

"I see," said Murrue, "So this time it's the pilot of the Impulse… you took a serious risk in provoking him like that."

Heero shook his head. "I have experience with berserkers, Murrue. It was nothing that I couldn't handle."

Murrue sighed even as she smiled. "You're still as reckless as ever. When I find my first gray hair, I'm going to blame you for it, Heero."

Her boyfriend gave her a small smirk in reply. "I'll accept full responsibility for it. How are things going on your end? Any sign that the Alliance or ZAFT has detected you?"

Murrue shook her head. "We're okay for now, although we did receive some troubling news just a little while ago; according to one of our contacts, the Orb Union First Fleet has broken through the Suez Canal. They've linked up with the Earth Alliance naval forces operating in the Mediterranean. The combined fleet appears to be heading north. If I had to guess, I'd say they're coming right for ZAFT's new bit of real-estate on the Black Sea."

Heero's eyes narrowed. "Understood. How long do you think we have?"

"No more than a couple of days at most," Murrue replied, "We're going to set up rotating flights with the Wraiths; we want one of them shadowing the fleet at all times."

"Good call," said Heero.

"When do you think the Minerva will leave the base?" she asked.

"Probably within a few days," Heero answered, "This ship's main objective is still to get to Gibraltar. Diocuia was just a side-trip. I imagine we'll end up engaging the enemy fleet when somewhere near the Dardanelles, unless they decide to move further up and intercept us at the Bosporus instead."

Murrue nodded. "Either's an ideal spot to set a trap. We'll continue to keep a low profile. If things start looking dicey for you, we'll be able to hit the fleet from the rear and give you some breathing room."

"Thanks," said Heero, "Is Cagalli ready for this? This will be a combined Earth Alliance and Orb Union force that we'll be up against, after all."

Murrue sighed. "I think so, but… well, there's only one way that we'll know for sure."

Heero nodded. "You're right. Take care of yourself, Murrue."

Murrue smiled. "You as well, Heero."

….

November 5th, C.E. 73

The helicopter raced towards the shore, flying so low that Stella had been convinced more than once that the pilot was about to dash the aircraft right into the waves. She knew that the low altitude was necessary in order to minimize their chances of detection, but given that the sun hadn't even begun to rise yet Stella feared that if the helicopter dipped too low she wouldn't even see the crash coming until it was far too late.

"You're trembling," said her companion, "Compose yourself. We're almost to our destination."

Sharing the flight with her apart from the pilot was none other than Major Hamilton. The two of them weren't wearing their Alliance uniforms, but were instead clad in civilian clothing. That was because of the nature of their task; this was a reconnaissance mission, not an open battle.

"We'll be coming up on the LZ in about five minutes!" the pilot called out to them.

Hamilton nodded. "Understood."

He then turned back to Stella. "Remember, we're only here to infiltrate the town that's next to the Diocuia base and get as close to the facility as possible so we can examine their defenses. There won't be any fighting like at Armory One; this will be nice and quiet."

Stella smiled nervously. "Right. Understood, sir."

"Look over the map one more time before we land," he ordered her, "Once we enter the town, we'll be splitting up to cover more ground. Make sure to memorize the locations of both the primary and backup rendezvous point, and keep to the schedule we discussed earlier."

Stella nodded. "Yes, sir."

….

Lunamaria smiled as the wind rushed through her hair. "All right! It's about time we got some shore leave!"

Dressed in a white blouse and black skirt, she was sitting in the back of the open-topped jeep that was driving her and her companions to their destination. The vehicle's military markings had all been removed and it had been painted white rather than the typical olive drab that was typically applied by ZAFT to such an automobile. A casual observer wouldn't even know that it was from a base's motor pool, and even someone who could recognize it as a design with military origins would likely think that it had been sold to civilians as surplus.

Her younger sister was sitting next to her, and while it wasn't often that Lunamaria found herself envy of Meyrin, today was one of them. She'd completely let her hair down, so now it was flowing freely in the breeze, and its length made it a much more impressive show than what Lunamaria's short hair could put on. Their outfits were similar, save that Meyrin's blouse was a light blue and her skirt was grey.

Meyrin sighed as she looked behind them at the rapidly receding profile of the Diocuia base. "I still can't believe I actually let you talk me into this. Yesterday I was so sure that I'd just stay at the base, but now… is this really going to be safe?"

"We'll be all right," said Rey from the driver's seat, "We're incognito, and it's not like we're particularly famous. This might be a European town, but intelligence reports indicate solid opposition to the Earth Alliance's policy with regards to this war. They're quite sympathetic to us, which is one of the reasons why our superiors felt comfortable establishing this base despite being in hostile territory."

Shinn, sitting in the passenger seat next to Rey wearing a blue and white hooded sweater and jeans, smiled. "Don't worry, Meyrin. We'll protect you!"

"As long as we stay out of trouble, no one will need protecting," said Lunamaria, "Shinn, that means you and Rey had better behave yourselves!"

Rey raised an eyebrow. "I fail to see how my past behavior would indicate that my conduct on this excursion could put us in danger."

Lunamaria rolled her eyes. "Look, I mainly just meant Shinn."

Shinn scowled. "Hey! That wasn't called for!"

Meyrin giggled. "It might've been… just a little bit, at least."

Shinn folded his arms. "Really? You too, Meyrin?"

Meyrin smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

It's too bad that Wufei didn't want to come along, she mused, although maybe that's actually for the best…

Truth be told, she was still very unsure as to what to do next with regards to the Gundam pilot. She'd thought that by sharing what she'd learned about him with Meyrin she could at least clear her head a bit, but it hadn't helped quite as much as she'd been hoping. Even after that bombshell revelation, there was still so much about him that she didn't understand, and he didn't seem keen on helping her fill in the blanks anytime soon.

She shook her head; she could worry about that later. She finally had some much-needed rest and relaxation before her, and she was determined to make the most of it.

….

It was Shinn's first time in continental Europe, and despite the fact that it was considered enemy territory he found the town that his group was visiting to be quite lovely. It was relatively modest in size and appeared to primarily be a port town. Based on the near omnipresent scent of freshly caught fish wafting over from the docks, it wasn't hard to guess what the town's primary industry was.

He'd split off from his friends a little while ago. They were supposed to stick together, but Shinn had wanted a bit of time to himself, and his companions hadn't protested when he'd told them that he'd meet back up with them later. Now he was wandering along the shore, taking in the peaceful coastline and the glistening waves of the Black Sea.

It's hard to believe that this area's part of a country that's at war with us, he thought, I mean, it's so peaceful here that you can almost forget there's a war going on to begin with.

Of course, he knew that was just an illusion. Maybe the townspeople weren't happy about the Alliance's war and were thus friendly towards ZAFT, but Shinn doubted that their government's military would care much about their feelings on the matter. It was likely just a matter of time before scouts began probing the perimeter of the Diocuia base, and behind them the enemy would probably begin massing an assault force. The fact that the base was currently housing the Supreme Council Chairman made it all the more appealing of a target, even if it was guarded not just by ZAFT but also the five Gundams at the moment.

This was supposed to be a chance to relax, but his conversation with Heero from the day before kept replaying itself in his head. Part of him had just wanted to dismiss it all, especially given his dislike for the Gundam pilot, but it wasn't that easy. As much as he believed in ZAFT's cause and the Chairman, it was hard to deny that certain elements of this war made him uneasy when he took the time to actually think about it.

How was it all going to end? Shinn and his friends were fighting to protect the PLANTs, but would they have to fight forever in order to accomplish that goal? The First Bloody Valentine War hadn't continued indefinitely, but the price that had been paid to end it in the decisive Second Battle of Jachin Due was astronomically high. Given what the Earth Alliance had attempted in that engagement, Shinn was amazed that a peace treaty had been signed at all. Their goal in that battle had been nothing less than the extinction of all Coordinators, and their assault on L5 at the start of this was indicated that they were still pursuing the same policy. How were you supposed to make peace with an enemy who didn't even accept your right to exist?

The Chairman seemed like a man with a plan, but did he really have one that could restore peace even in the face of an enemy that appeared intent on wiping out everyone at L5? What would the price of such a plan be? What would Shinn's role in it be?

Shinn shook his head. "Damn it… this is all way too complicated."

There were also the Chairman's revelations about the group known as LOGOS to consider. Had Shinn's family really been murdered in the last war just so a group of industrialists could continue to line their own pockets? Were both the First and Second Bloody Valentine Wars really started by a bunch of armaments manufacturers who were just looking to profit off of the chaos and suffering that conflict brought? How was he supposed to fight an enemy that wouldn't come out onto the battlefield, but acted from behind the scenes? Hell, Shinn's actions were probably helping them; every Alliance mobile suit that he destroyed on the battlefield would simply be replaced by one built by their factories, meaning that they would continue to profit by continually supplying new weapons.

What made things even more uncomfortable was the realization that the Earth Alliance was not the only side in this war to have war profiteers. After all, ZAFT's mobile suits and warships weren't free, either. They might've been created and built by state-sponsored enterprises such as the Integrated Design Bureau, but that didn't change the fact that government taxes still went towards their construction, which meant that someone was making a tidy profit off of ZAFT's continuing war effort.

They're not with LOGOS, though, he thought, I mean, if they were, then wouldn't they be trying to sabotage our machines so we'd lose the war? LOGOS is an Alliance group… they're the real enemy…

He was desperate to simplify the situation in any way that he could. He didn't need his head to be spinning when he was in the middle of a war, after all. However, this conflict was proving to have much more to it than he'd expected at the start of hostilities. Shinn might've wanted to see it as a simple case of black and white, but events and people seemed to be conspiring to make that worldview untenable or, at the very least, rather shaky. It was enough to give him a headache.

He tried his best to shake it off. He could worry about all of that later. Shinn was out here right now to clear his head and relax a bit, and worrying about such complicated issues wasn't going to help much in that regard.

And that was when he saw her.

Well, he heard her before he saw her; her laughter was a sweet and innocent melody floating on the air, echoing over the waves that constantly crashed into the shore. It didn't take long for his eyes to catch up with his ears, though, and what he saw caused Shinn to do quite the double-take.

Dancing on a rocky ledge overlooking the sea, surrounded by seagulls, was a teenaged girl. Her blonde hair fell almost to her shoulders and was flowing freely in the wind, tossed about as much by the breeze as it was by her twirling motions. Her violet eyes were lit up with such joy and wonder that Shinn could see it even from this distance, perfectly matching the beaming smile on her face as she took in the world around her. She wore a blue and white dress with purple straps that went up around her neck yet left her shoulders and upper arms bare.

Shinn was entranced as he approached her. There was a purity what he was seeing that was out of place in a world consumed by war, yet it was all the more beautiful for it. More importantly, something about the girl seemed familiar, although what exactly that was Shinn couldn't pin down at the moment.

I can't have seen her before, he thought, I mean, I've never even been to this part of Earth before. She doesn't look like any of the soldiers I saw back at the base, either.

She didn't seem to be aware of his approach. In fact, she didn't really seem to be aware of her surroundings at all apart from the various birds around her. Dancing to a tune that only she could hear, she was precariously close to the ledge, and Shinn's heart raced as he realized that a single misstep was all it would take to send her down into the waves below.

"Hey!" he called out as he picked up the pace, "What are you doing? It's dangerous there!"

She glanced his way, but in trying to help her Shinn had ironically put her in peril. In her distraction, her left foot slipped on the ledge and she tumbled over, screaming as she fell.

"Shit!" he cried as he ran forward, "Hang on!"

Rushing up to the edge, he saw her hit the water a second later. She went down and popped back up on the surface after a moment, but Shinn's eyes widened in horror as he saw her arms flailing about wildly.

She can't swim!

"H-help me!" she screamed before she slipped beneath the waves again.

There was no one else around, but even if there had been, Shinn would've reacted the same way. Moving on instinct alone, he leapt from the cliff and dived after her.

….

Flailing as the surface got further and further out of reach, Stella's mind was rapidly overwhelmed with a single emotion; fear. The darkness of the sea encroaching upon her vision certainly didn't help matters, nor did the rapidly growing pain in her chest. For all the training that she had suffered through, aquatic warfare had not been one of them. Even then, she should've at least been taught how to swim, but that was a skillset her instructors had overlooked in favor of focusing on her mobile suit piloting and physical combat abilities.

Now she was paying the price for it.

No… I have to get up there… I can't…

I can't die here!

Unfortunately, this wasn't a situation that she could simply will herself out of. The more the light above receded, the heavier she felt, and her lungs felt like they were on fire as they screamed for air.

Help me…

Colonel… Major…

Anyone…

Help me!

A blurry shape blotted out the sun above, and it seemed to be moving towards her. It looked vaguely like a person, and for a moment Stella's mind conjured up the image of the Colonel's mask.

It wasn't as comforting as she'd hoped, but it was the last thing she saw before the searing agony in her chest forced her to open her mouth. Water poured in…

…and darkness claimed her.

….

Gasping for breath once he breached the surface with the girl in tow, Shinn hauled ass for the shore. Swimming while trying to keep an unconscious young woman's head above water wasn't easy, but thankfully Shinn had received some rudimentary training in that regard. After all, a ZAFT pilot never knew when they might be shot down over open water and would have to save a comrade.

I just hope she's only unconscious, he thought, kicking as hard as he could, I don't know who you are, but you'd better not be dead!

After what felt like an eternity but was probably only about a minute or so, he finally reached the shallows and was able to carry the girl onto dry land. Laying her down and kneeling next to her, Shinn leaned down to check her carefully, and his face paled when he realized that she wasn't breathing.

"Shit!" he hissed as he put his hands on her chest, "Wake up, damn it!"

Once again calling on skills he hadn't had to use since basic training, he performed CPR. The first round of chest pumps and breaths didn't yield results, but thankfully the second round did; the girl's eyes practically bulged open as she suddenly coughed up seawater.

Shinn sighed with relief. "Good… you're alive!"

Her eyes were wide in fear, but they quickly narrowed into a glare. Looking a little lower, Shinn's face flushed deep red as he realized why; his hands were now right on her breasts. Before he could remove them and apologize, she slapped him across the face.

"Hey!" he protested as he rubbed his cheek, "It's not what it looks like! I had to perform CPR, otherwise you were going to die!"

That elicited quite the reaction, and not one Shinn had been expecting. He saw her eyes widen again, even more so than they had before. Utter terror seemed to take hold of her, and her entire body began to tremble.

"Die…" she said softly as she clutched her shoulders, "No… I don't want to die! I'm scared of dying!"

What is with this girl?

He wasn't prepared when she sprang to her feet and started to run. "I don't want to die! I have to get out of here!"

"Hey!" cried Shinn as he scrambled to his feet, "Wait up!"

Fortunately, he didn't have to chase her very far; she stumbled down to the sand just a little way ahead. Unfortunately, the reason she fell was because her lower right leg was bleeding.

She must've cut it on the ledge during the fall.

As he caught up with her, he saw her looking down at her leg; the sight of her own blood wasn't helping the fear that currently gripped her. "No…"

"Hey, it's all right," said Shinn as he knelt next to her, "It doesn't look too deep."

She looked around frantically. "But I need something to cover it! I need to stop the bleeding!"

"Don't worry," said Shinn, "I'll take care of it."

He didn't have a first aid kit on him, so he used the next best thing. Taking off his hooded sweater, he tore one of the sleeves and used the cloth as a makeshift bandage. It wasn't perfect, but it would do for the time being.

He smiled at her once he finished wrapping her leg. "There, see? You'll be all right!"

"I… I'm not going to die?" she asked softly, looking at him in wonder.

Shinn nodded. "Of course not! It's a shallow cut, and this'll stop the bleeding until you can get some actual bandages on it."

She sighed. "Okay… that's good."

He figured now that she had calmed down somewhat, it was as good a time as any to introduce himself. "I'm Shinn Asuka. What's your name?"

"I'm… Stella," she said hesitantly.

"Are you here by yourself?" he asked, "Where's your family?"

She looked down. "I… don't have a family."

"Did they die in the war?" asked Shinn nervously, "I'm sorry…"

She suddenly gripped her head with both hands, panic seizing her. "No! I don't want to die!"

Shinn didn't know what was going on with her. The only thing he could tell was that for some reason the word 'die' seemed to have a rather… extreme effect on her, to put it mildly.

He put his arms around her, hoping to calm her down. "I'm sorry I brought that up! You'll be okay! I promise that I'll protect you! Nothing's going to happen to you!"

She seemed to relax a bit in his arms. "Really? You'll protect me? I… I won't die?"

Shinn smiled. "I promise you won't die. I'll keep you safe no matter what, okay?"

This time, that word didn't cause her to go into a sudden panic. In fact, she actually smiled at him.

"You… you really will keep me safe?" she asked, an almost child-like look in her eyes.

Shinn nodded. "That's right."

She sighed, the last bit of tension easing out of her. "Okay…"

She leaned into him, closing her eyes as she pressed her head against his chest. Not knowing what else to do, Shinn continued to hold her close. He was glad no one else was around at the moment; he imagined that two soaking-wet yet fully-clothed teenagers acting like this on the beach would've been a rather odd sight for passersby, let alone any of his friends.

"So… what are you doing out here?" he asked after a moment.

"I'm… on vacation," she replied.

Shinn raised an eyebrow. "Really? In the middle of a war?"

She nodded absently. "Yeah…"

Something didn't add up. It didn't look like she was lying, or at least not deliberately as far as Shinn could tell, but her answer didn't make any sense. The way she spoke felt like she was repeating lines she'd memorized rather than having any kind of natural flow to it.

"Where are you from?" asked Shinn.

"Somewhere far away from here," she answered.

There it was again; another answer that felt memorized rather than natural. Something was up with this girl, but for the life of him Shinn couldn't figure out what that might be.

"That's it?" Shinn pressed, "Come on, you can tell me more than that. If it's supposed to be a secret, then I promise I won't tell anyone else after you tell me, okay?"

Stella shook her head. "No, I… I can't. I… I don't know…"

Shinn's eyes narrowed. "You don't know where you're from, or you don't know if you can tell me where you're from?"

"Both?" she replied hesitantly, "When I try to think about it… my head hurts…"

Shinn thought it was best to switch gears. "Look, forget I asked. Where are you staying in town? If you're here on vacation, we should get you somewhere safe so you'll be better able to recover. Plus, you should really change into some dry clothes."

Stella shook her head again. "I… I'm not staying anywhere."

Shinn raised an eyebrow. "What? Do you mean you're just sleeping on the street?"

"No," she said, "I… I came here with someone today. We're supposed to meet somewhere later."

Shinn nodded. "I see. Do you want to head over there, then?"

"Not yet," she answered, looking up at him, "I… I want to stay with you for now. You make me feel… safe."

Shinn smiled. "All right, then. I got some friends that I need to meet up with later, but I'll stay with you for as long as I can."

The two of them shivered as the wind picked up. The fact the two of them were still drenched in seawater certainly wasn't helping. Looking around the beach, Shinn saw bits of driftwood scattered about, along with a rocky alcove that wasn't too far from where they were currently at.

"Come on," he said as he stood up and offered her his hand, "We should take shelter and get a fire going, otherwise we're going to catch a cold out here."

She nodded as he helped her to her feet. "Right."

Shinn could tell that she wasn't completely on solid footing thanks to her earlier wound, so he let her lean on him as they made their way over to the alcove. Once they got there and he was sure that she was safe, he headed back out to gather up some of the driftwood that he'd spotted earlier. A little while later and they had a small fire going.

Survival training's really coming in handy today, he mused, I'm glad I paid attention to some of what they taught us, at least.

The two of them huddled close to the fire, and Shinn saw Stella smiling at him. He couldn't help but suddenly feel a little self-conscious; he hardly looked his best, after all. Then again, it wasn't like he could wear his official uniform out here given the circumstances.

"Where did you learn to do this?" she asked, "Making the fire without matches, my bandage… you're really good at this."

Shinn blushed as he tried to think of some halfway decent excuse. "Oh, uhm… my friends and I sometimes go camping together, and I picked up a few skills along the way."

It wasn't technically a lie; basic survival training for ZAFT did involve camping, even if it was in the controlled environments of colonies that had been adapted for such exercises rather than natural wilderness. That hadn't exactly been Shinn's favorite part of his military training, but today he was gaining a new appreciation for it.

"That sounds fun," she said softly, returning her gaze to the fire, "I'd… like to do that sometime."

Shinn raised an eyebrow. "You've never been camping before?"

Stella shook her head. "No… at least, I don't think so…"

"Do you have… memory problems?" Shinn asked cautiously, not wanting to cause another panic attack.

Stella nodded glumly. "Sometimes. It's like parts of my head are… foggy. There's stuff that I feel like I should remember, but when I try to… I get lost. Either that or it hurts my head."

"I'm sorry," said Shinn softly.

He was taken by surprise when she suddenly put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "You're really nice. I don't want to forget you."

Shinn put his arm around her. "You won't. I won't forget you, either."

It might've been reassuring to Stella, but as soon as Shinn said it, he felt an odd twinge of guilt. Looking at her again, not for the first time he felt like he should've recognized her from somewhere.

Where the hell have I seen her before?

It was a question that he couldn't answer for the life of him.

….

A few hours had passed since her fall and rescue, and despite the circumstances Stella was having a hard time recalling the last time she'd ever felt so safe. Her rescuer was a complete stranger, yet she felt more at ease around him than she had around anyone else in a long time.

He actually feels a little familiar, she thought as she glanced his way, I haven't met him before… have I?

It was hard to say. She'd learned long ago not to trust her memories; as she'd told Shinn earlier, too many portions of her mind seemed to have a kind of fog over them that was impossible for her to sift through. Vague feelings like the ones she had now were often all she had to go on.

She would have to get moving soon; the time for her rendezvous with Major Hamilton was approaching, and if she were late then she could only imagine the scolding she'd get. The Major might've treated her nicely before, but she could tell that he was the kind of superior who was very strict when it came to a mission. It wouldn't do to keep him waiting.

However, the last thing Stella wanted to do right now was leave. For the first time in what felt like forever, she actually felt safe. She might not have known Shinn very well, but it was clear that he was very kind and caring even though he'd never met her before. He could've just left after saving her from the sea, but he'd stayed. He was still with her even when he didn't have to be. Who else out there would do something like that for her?

Images of two young men flashed through her mind, one with blue hair and one with green. Their names were on the tip of her tongue, but before she could recall them a sharp pain overtook her, causing her to grab her head and cry out.

Shinn's eyes widened. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Stella shook her head as the pain subsided with the receding mental images. "I… it's nothing. I thought I could remember something, but… it didn't work."

Shinn put his arm around her and pulled her close. "Maybe you shouldn't try to remember stuff right now, especially if it's going to hurt you like that."

Stella nodded. "Right…"

She tried not to think about it, but it kept on bothering her. There were people in her life that were important to her, but she couldn't trust her mind to remember them.

What if the same thing happened with Shinn?

When she returned to the Major and the carrier, would she be allowed to remember Shinn, or would they make her forget him? If she kept quiet about meeting him, would that be enough for her to convince them that everything was fine and that she didn't need any of their medicine?

She didn't have any answers, and that was almost as scary as her brush with death just a few hours ago.

Trying to take her mind off things, she decided to focus on her curiosity regarding her companion and savior. "So… what do you do?"

He smiled. "I'm a pilot!"

Her eyes widened slightly. "Really? What kind?"

He looked away for a second, and his answer was rather hesitant, almost like he was having second thoughts about it. "Oh, well… I meant to say that I'm trying to become a pilot. I'm… still going through flight school."

"So what kind of pilot will you be when you're done?" she pressed.

"A good one, I hope," he replied, "Although… I guess you're hoping for something more specific than that."

Stella nodded. "Uh-huh."

His brow furrowed for a moment as he thought it over. "Well… a commercial pilot, I guess. I mean, it'd be cool to fly around and see the world and get paid for it, right?"

Stella smiled. "Yeah… that'd be a great job."

"How about you?" he asked, "I mean, do you have a job or are you in school right now?"

"School," she answered as she recalled her espionage training and what she was supposed to say in situations like these, "I… I don't know what I want to be when I graduate."

"Well, what do you like?" asked Shinn, "There's got to be something out there for you."

"Well… I like flying places," she said after a moment, "I like seeing the sky… seeing the Earth from space… it's very pretty."

Shinn smiled. "Yeah, it is."

Her eyes widened slightly. "You've been to space too?"

Shinn nodded, although just like before, his answer seemed a bit hesitant. "Yeah… to Copernicus City on the Moon."

Stella smiled. "Really? Same here."

It was part of her cover, but it did have a ring of truth to it. She had spent a bit of time on the Moon as part of her training, although she hadn't been to Copernicus City specifically.

"So, are you thinking about becoming a pilot too?" asked Shinn.

Stella shook her head. "I'm not sure. I like being up in space, but I also like being down here on Earth. I really like the sea… that's why I was out here when… when you found me."

"Well, if you're still in school, then you've still got time to figure it all out," said Shinn, "Whatever you decide, I hope it's something that makes you happy."

She nodded. "Thanks."

The fire was starting to dim, and outside the rocky alcove late-after noon was beginning to give way to early evening. The Major would be expecting to meet up with her soon, but even though Stella knew it was time to go the last thing she wanted to do was leave. She was safe here with Shinn, but out there awaited not just the Major but the war. She wanted to stay in here forever.

It was not to be.

With a reluctant sigh, Shinn stood up and offered Stella his hand. "We should get moving. I think we're dry enough now that we won't catch a cold, and I really need to meet up with my friends. You said you were supposed to meet up with someone too, right?"

Stella nodded as she let him help her to her feet. "Yeah… he'll be worried about me if I'm late."

Shinn raised an eyebrow. "Is he… your boyfriend?"

Stella smiled and shook her head. "No, just a friend."

He seemed relieved at that. "Oh, okay… let's get going. The least I can do is make sure you're safe when you meet up with him."

"Wait," she said, and when he turned to her again, she hugged him, "Thank you, Shinn. Please… don't forget me."

"I won't," he replied, "I promise."

….

Lunamaria raised her eyebrow. "Really? You slipped and ripped your shirt on some rocks at the beach?"

Shinn smiled sheepishly, fully aware of just how bullshit his answer was as he hopped into the jeep. "I know, I know; I should've been more careful. Sorry."

He thought his fellow pilot would press the issue, but she just shook her head. "Well, at least you didn't get hurt. Come on, let's get back to base before you manage to change that."

Rey and Meyrin were likewise already in the jeep looking no worse for the wear. Meyrin actually had a small smile on her face; she'd evidently enjoyed the little excursion. That was a pleasant surprise when Shinn remembered just how nervous she'd been earlier.

Looks like I'm the only one that ran into trouble, he mused as Rey put the jeep into gear and started down the road back to the base, although… I guess it wasn't all trouble.

He couldn't get Stella out of his head. Part of it was simply due to worry; it was clear that there was some pretty deep trauma buried in her based on her panic attacks, and it wasn't like Shinn would be able to help her from his position in the ranks of ZAFT. He could only hope that the friend that she'd met up with before she and Shinn had parted ways was able to take care of her. He'd seemed decent enough, although to Shinn he looked a little on the stern side.

Unfortunately, the odds were good that he'd never see her again. He only knew her first name and had no idea where she was really from, so looking her up once the war was over would be difficult to say the least. He didn't have a phone number for her or anything else that he could use to contact her. Whether he liked it or not, they had most likely parted ways for good. Today's encounter was a one-off, nothing more.

"Hey, Shinn," said Lunamaria as the jeep picked up speed, "You doing okay?"

He nodded and smiled. "Yeah. Sorry, I kind of spaced out there for a bit."

She still looked concern, but after a moment she simply shrugged. "All right, then. Try not to do that once we're back out in the field. There's only so much the rest of us can do to cover you."

"I'll try to remember that," Shinn replied.

….

The Major chided her as she climbed into the helicopter. "You were careless."

Stella lowered her head in contrition while shutting the door behind her. "I'm sorry, Major."

Her superior sighed before signaling the pilot to take off. Nightfall was well underway, and thanks to the secluded area where they had landed the aircraft had gone the day without detection. While Stella wasn't exactly thrilled about the prospect of heading back to the carrier, she could at least take comfort in the fact that they were leaving enemy territory.

"Did you at least get a look at the base?" asked Hamilton.

Stella nodded; she'd done her reconnaissance prior to her injury. "It's well-defended, and their security is tight. An infiltration like what we did at Armory One wouldn't work here."

The Major nodded. "I thought as much. An open offensive would be difficult as well, whether the attack comes from the land or the sea. We would need to draw heavily upon Eurasian Federation troops to reinforce an assault."

"Are we really going to attack them?" asked Stella nervously.

Hamilton shook his head. "No. Our fleet's mission is to establish dominance in the Mediterranean and destroy the battleship Minerva. We don't need to attack Diocuia to accomplish that; simply isolating the base will do. Since it's way back in the Black Sea, that won't be difficult. As for the Minerva, it's only a matter of time before she departs."

Stella nodded, not even bothering to question why her commander was so certain of that. Major Hamilton might not have been like Colonel Nazara, but the later had always bristled at being questioned and Stella had gotten into the habit of avoiding doing so. Maybe it was a mistake to treat the Major the same way, but Stella didn't want to take any chances.

"We'll have the ship's doctors check your injuries when we return," said the Major, "I don't see why they won't declare you fit to fly, though."

Stella smiled. "It doesn't feel that bad. I'll be fine."

"Good," Hamilton replied, "Rest up; it's going to be a long flight back."

Stella looked out the window as the shoreline rapidly faded from view. Her thoughts drifted away from her mission and her commander, and back to the kind young man that she'd met just hours ago.

Will I ever see him again? I hope so…

That hope felt like one of the precious few things in the world that she could truly call her own.

Take care, Shinn. Please, don't forget about me.

I'll try to remember you no matter what happens to me.

….

November 6th, C.E. 73

It was a moment that Athrun had been anticipating for some time now with equal parts excitement and nervousness. On the one hand, he was sure that his fellow ZAFT pilots would like the newcomer to the ranks of the Minerva, but on the other it was much harder to tell how Heero and the other Gundam pilots would react.

I suppose I'll get my answer to those questions soon enough, he thought as he watched the orange ZGMF-2000 GOUF Ignited touch down in the ZAFT warship's hangar bay, I can only hope for the best at this point.

It was a modest crowd that had gathered to meet the latest addition to the roster of combat pilots on the Minerva. Apart from Athrun, there was the rest of the official ZAFT pilots along with the five Gundam pilots. Captain Gladys was also in attendance for formality's sake, although since the newcomer was also a member of FAITH Athrun had to wonder if she was planning a meeting between the three of them once the official welcome was out of the way. Several mechanics milled about in the background, trying to look like they were busy while stealing glances at the incoming mobile suit.

"It'll be nice to have another comrade out in the field with us," said Lunamaria.

Rey nodded. "One that's actually part of ZAFT."

Athrun couldn't help but notice the rather pointed glance the ZAFT Red gave the five Gundam pilots. He still was having trouble figuring out what had gotten into the young man who, in the past at least, had seemed to be the most calm and level-headed amongst the official ZAFT pilots aboard the Minerva. His demeanor hadn't significantly changed, but there was a very subtle undercurrent of suspicion whenever he was in the same room as the Gundam pilots. Athrun didn't think there was a chance of a fight breaking out between them, but something definitely didn't feel right, and he was certain that Heero and his old friends had noticed the shift in Rey's attitude towards them.

The moment of truth came a few seconds later as the GOUF Ignited made its way to its assigned berth. The mobile suit's front hatch then opened and Heine Westenfluss stepped out onto the nearby walkway. It only took him a few moments to climb down to the hangar floor to meet the welcoming party.

He snapped to attention as the Captain stepped forward. "Heine Westenfluss of the Special Forces reporting for duty, ma'am!"

"Another member of FAITH," Athrun heard Shinn mutter under his breath.

"At ease, Westenfluss," said Captain Gladys, "Welcome aboard."

Heine smiled. "Thank you, Captain."

Athrun stepped forward and held out his hand. "It's been a while, Heine."

His fellow FAITH operative nodded as he shook Athrun's hand. "You're looking well, Athrun. A few more scraps under your belt since the battle at L5?"

Athrun chuckled. "Just a few."

"I'll have to catch up, then," said Heine, "I've been with the Home Fleet until quite recently, so I haven't had nearly as many chances to engage the enemy as you have."

Shinn raised an eyebrow. "Wait a minute. You two know each other?"

Heine nodded. "Of course. We fought side by side when the Alliance attacked the PLANTs last month."

"Oh," said Shinn, "I see."

"Westenfluss," said Talia as she motioned to Shinn and the other ZAFT pilots, "This is Shinn Asuka, Lunamaria Hawke, and Rey Za Burrel. They've been with the Minerva since Armory One."

Heine gave the three of them a friendly smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Word of your exploits in defending this ship against steep odds has been spreading through the ranks of ZAFT as of late. You've all built up quite the reputation since this war began."

Lunamaria's eyes widened at that. "Really? People know about us?"

Heine nodded. "Oh, yes. All over ZAFT, our soldiers are eager for the latest news on the exploits of the Minerva and her daring pilots. You may not realize this, but you've become just as important as a symbol for boosting morale throughout our forces as you have a valuable frontline asset for the Defense Council."

"It's good to know that we're having a positive effect on the strength of our forces," said Rey.

"Quite so," said Heine, "Of course, that does mean that the Defense Council will be expecting more from everyone on this ship going forward. More dangerous assignments than what you've faced before await, so it would be best not to let your guard down or allow your newfound fame to go to your head."

Shinn smiled. "Bring it on! We're ready for whatever they throw at us!"

Lunamaria glanced at Shinn and rolled her eyes. "Typical…"

"Normally I'd take the time to show you around the ship," said the Captain, "Unfortunately, I'm afraid that my schedule's a bit tight today; I need to oversee the final resupply efforts before we get underway tomorrow. Athrun, would you mind giving Heine a tour?"

Athrun nodded. "Of course, Captain."

Captain Gladys smiled. "I'll leave you to it, then. If you'll excuse me."

"I guess we should get moving, too," said Shinn as the Captain headed off.

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like for you and your friends to join us," Heine interjected.

Lunamaria raised an eyebrow. "Really? All of us?"

"That seems a little excessive for a tour of the ship," Rey pointed out.

Heine chuckled. "It may seem that way, but since we'll all be working together, I'd like the chance to get to know my new comrades before we get underway. Athrun, it won't be a problem if they join us, will it?"

Athrun smiled. "No, not at all."

Then came the moment Athrun had been concerned about as Heine turned towards the Gundam pilots. "Would you five mind tagging along as well? It would be an honor to have a chance to get to know the pilots that have struck such terror into the hearts of the Earth Alliance."

Heero shrugged. "Sure."

"Bit of a crowd just for a ship tour, but whatever," said Duo, "I was bored anyway."

"I hope you're not expecting all of us to be warm conversationalists," said Trowa dryly.

Quatre laughed. "That's a bit of an understatement!"

"Just try not to bore me to death," Wufei quipped.

Well, I suppose that could've gone worse, thought Athrun, although there's still plenty of time for that to change…

He nodded at Heine and the others; whether Athrun liked it or not, the Captain had put him in charge of the tour, so he had to take the lead. "All right, then. Let's get going."

Most of the tour passed without incident. In fact, much to Athrun's relief, his fellow ZAFT pilots seemed to warm to Heine quite quickly. However, Heero and the other Gundam pilots remained aloof, appearing to keep him at arm's length. At this point, Athrun couldn't tell if that was better or worse than what he'd initially feared.

"So, Mr. Westenfluss," said Rey as they travelled through the ship's corridors, "will you be supplanting Athrun as our flight leader in combat?"

Heine turned to Athrun. "Is that your current responsibility?"

Athrun nodded. "More or less, although I suppose it's not official."

"Are both of you our leaders now?" asked Shinn.

"That might get a bit confusing," Lunamaria pointed out.

It was something that Athrun had been wondering about as well. He'd been placed under Heine's command during the battle at L5, but at the time Heine had been a member of FAITH while Athrun had not. Now they were both of equal position, and in fact one could argue that they were equal to the Captain of the Minerva as well, although Athrun doubted that Heine had come here to usurp overall command from Talia.

"I suppose that's something we do need to address before we enter combat," Heine conceded, "but before we do so, please; don't call me Mr. Westenfluss. You don't use any special titles for Athrun, do you?"

Shinn shook his head. "Well, no."

Heine smiled. "Then don't do so for me, either. Whether our uniforms are red or green, and whether we're members of FAITH or not, in the end we're all in the same boat. We're all ZAFT pilots; comrades in arms and the protectors of this ship. Titles really shouldn't have a place among us."

"That still doesn't resolve the command issue," said Rey before glancing at the Gundam pilots, "among other elephants in the room."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Did you just call us fat?"

"You would say that, Duo," Trowa quipped dryly.

"Well, with regards to us ZAFT pilots, if Athrun's been in a command role up until now, then I have no reason to shake things up," said Heine, "I have no problem with you continuing in a leadership role, Athrun."

Athrun smiled. "I won't let you down."

Heine then turned to the Gundam pilots. "As far as you five are concerned, I understand that you've been operating at your own discretion. Is that right?"

Wufei nodded. "It is."

"We coordinate our actions with the Captain and Athrun," said Quatre, "It's not that we don't respect ZAFT tactics and the command structure. However, at the same time, we're not going to make any pretenses about being under the command of Captain Gladys or any other ZAFT officer."

"Our independence is not something that we're going to set aside," Heero added firmly, "We'll cooperate with you and the rest of the pilots of this ship like we have been doing since we arrived, but don't presume to be in a position to give us orders."

Heine sighed. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. Your cooperation has been essential to the survival of the Minerva thus far, so I'm hardly willing to jeopardize that working relationship. I can understand the concerns that some might have with your independence, but I can't deny that the five of you have proven more than capable of achieving spectacular results. Your current understanding with Captain Gladys has shown to be effective and has not impeded overall combat operations, so I will not press the issue."

Athrun smiled; it sounded like he'd been worried for nothing. "Things will work out just fine. Now that you're here, we'll have one more skilled pilot on the roster. As long as we all cooperate and coordinate our actions, we'll be in good shape moving forward."

Heine nodded. "I hope so. Speaking of moving forward… Athrun, would you and the Gundam pilots mind speaking to me in private for a moment?"

Shinn raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

"Something you can't talk about with the rest of us?" asked Lunamaria.

"It won't take long," Heine assured them, "We'll rejoin you three shortly, I promise."

"We'll be in the lounge, then," said Rey, "Come on Shinn, Luna."

As the three of them headed off, Heine turned back to Athrun. "Is there somewhere a bit more secluded than this corridor where we might speak?"

Athrun nodded. "The rear helicopter landing platform should do nicely."

"Very well, then," said Heine, "Please, lead the way."

Athrun did so, wondering just what was so important that Heine needed to speak to him and the Gundam pilots away from the others. It couldn't have been strictly FAITH business, otherwise Heero and his old friends wouldn't have been invited.

They made it to the rear landing platform just a few minutes later, and Heine didn't waste any time. "When we leave this base tomorrow, we'll likely be attacked by the Earth Alliance as we attempt to make our way back to the Mediterranean Sea. It won't just be their forces that we'll probably be fighting, though; the Orb Union First Fleet will be with them."

Athrun's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Orb's navy is out here?"

Heine nodded solemnly. "Yes. They broke through the Suez Canal two days ago. Our forces at the base we took over there following your assault on the canal and the Gulnahan Ravine took considerable losses, although as of right now they're still in possession of the base. Still, they no longer have complete control over the passage, and it's likely just a matter of time before the Alliance devotes itself to retaking the Suez Canal entirely. The much more immediate concern, though, is that we will be meeting them in open battle quite soon."

Athrun sighed. "I see…"

A part of him had always known that this was a distinct possibility. Orb had aligned itself with the Earth Alliance in what Athrun was sure was defiance of Cagalli's wishes. It was honestly amazing that he hadn't been required to fight their forces before now. Still, the thought of going up against Cagalli's countrymen was an unpleasant one to put it mildly.

"Your connection with the Orb Union is well known," said Heine, not without sympathy, "We had hoped that they would align with us in the runup to this war, or at the very least remain neutral. Given the pressure the Earth Alliance exerted against them, though, along with the devastation that they suffered during the invasion in the last conflict, it's not exactly surprising that they would throw in with the Atlantic Federation in order to avoid history repeating itself."

Athrun shook his head. "This isn't Cagalli's doing, and I know it's not what the people of the Orb Union would want."

"He's right," Quatre chimed in, "This is the doing of the Seiran noble family. They've seized control of Orb and are using its military resources for its own end!"

"So I've heard," said Heine, "I know that Lady Cagalli has been reported as missing… and while I have no proof, I'm fairly certain I know who might be behind that."

He then turned to Heero. "Athrun's not the only pilot here with a connection to the Orb Union… or to a powerful group of veterans from the last war that happen to reside within that country. Lady Cagalli's disappearance was your faction's doing, wasn't it?"

Not for the first time, Athrun cursed Heero's poker face; the Gundam pilot was impossible to read when he wanted to be. "No comment."

Heine sighed. "I see. Well, I suppose at this point it's irrelevant. The only thing that matters is that all of you have connections to the Orb Union, and we'll very likely be fighting against their forces in the coming engagement. The Chairman understands that you may be reluctant to fight against them, which is why I'm asking on his behalf if you'll excuse yourselves from the upcoming battle."

Athrun's eyes widened. "What? Are you serious?"

"So that's how it is…" Trowa muttered.

"One of the reasons that I was assigned here in the first place was to bolster our numbers in the face of Orb's fleet joining the Alliance in the Mediterranean," said Heine, "The Chairman was aware that you might be reluctant to engage them, so he sent me in order to make things easier."

Duo laughed. "Your Chairman's pretty arrogant, isn't he? If he thinks he can convince us to sit out a fight, then he really doesn't know us very well!"

"It doesn't matter if the fleet we'll be engaging in the coming fight is from the Earth Alliance or the Orb Union," said Wufei, "They'll be shooting at us just the same. That's all the reason we'd need to fight."

"It's regrettable that they're working with the Earth Alliance," said Quatre, "but that won't stop us from doing what we have to do."

Heine raised an eyebrow. "Really? What about you, Heero?"

"I'll do what I must," he replied, "No more and no less."

Heine then turned to Athrun. "Well, I suppose we'll see what that entails soon enough. That still leaves you, Athrun. It's perfectly understandable that you wouldn't want to fight the Orb Union. If you absent yourself from the coming engagement, I can fight them on your behalf."

Athrun clenched his fists. "That's not going to happen. I'm a soldier of ZAFT now! When I rejoined the organization, I knew what I was getting myself into."

"I doubt that," Heero quipped.

Athrun winced; he knew Heero and the others had never agreed with his decision to go back to his old military. "The forces of the Orb Union are fighting side by side with the Earth Alliance now. That's a choice their government made in the absence of its rightful ruler. We need to defeat them in order to help bring this war to an end."

Heine's eyes narrowed. "It's one thing to say all of that now, but can you really set aside your personal feelings once the fighting starts? If you hesitate in the middle of battle, you could very easily get either yourself or your comrades killed."

"Believe me, I'm well aware of that," Athrun replied firmly, "I won't let that happen here. I know what needs to be done."

Heine regarded him for a long moment before smiling. "Well, if you're certain, then I suppose I can't stop you since we're the same rank. Truth be told, I'm glad you'll still be fighting; I wasn't sure if I'd be able to command those three pilots from earlier. Rey seems like a cool customer, but also a bit too uptight. Shinn looks like the stubborn type, and all the information in his file regarding prior engagements indicates more than a little hot-headedness. As for Lunamaria… well, she seems all right, but that skirt? There's no way that fits regulations, right?"

Athrun chuckled. "Well, she hasn't gotten in trouble for it yet. As for the others, they're all right. Their hearts are in the right place, anyway."

Heine nodded. "I suppose they are."

He looked at the Gundam pilots for a moment, and to Athrun it seemed that his gaze lingered particularly on Wufei. Altron's pilot didn't fail to notice, at least if the narrowing of his eyes was any indication.

Before Athrun could figure out what was going on there, though, Heine brought things to a close. "Well, I'm sure the others are wondering what us senior pilots are all up to. We should go find them before they get worried."

Athrun nodded. "Right. Let's get going."

….

I seem to be rather popular with ZAFT these days, Wufei mused, First the Chairman, and now a member of FAITH comes to call…

The little tour for Heine Westenfluss had ended some time ago, and Wufei had made his way to the upper deck of the Minerva for exercise. He wasn't using his sword this time, but he was as formidable without a blade as he was with one. Fists and feet flew through the air as he went through sequences that he had practiced since long before he had become a Gundam pilot. Unfortunately for him, his practice sessions as of late seemed to have a tendency to bring him company, and this time it was the newest addition to the mobile suit pilot corps of the Minerva.

"Didn't get enough of my charming company earlier?" he quipped as he went through a series of punches.

Heine chuckled. "Would you believe me if I said yes?"

"Not really," Wufei replied, "What do you want?"

"To tell you the truth, I was curious," said Heine, "Of all you 'Gundam pilots', you're the one that's been on board the Minerva the longest. Why have you stuck around while your comrades feel free to come and go as they please?"

"We have different priorities," Wufei answered as he shifted to a sequence of kicks.

"So I've noticed," said Heine, "Although discerning the exact nature of them is another thing entirely."

Wufei didn't have the patience for beating around the bush at the moment. "Why don't you just cut to the chase already? The Chairman already made one pitch, so I'm assuming you're here to take a second shot on his behalf. Does that sound about right?"

Heine's eyes widened for a moment, and Wufei knew that he'd hit the nail on the head. "You're perceptive… more so than I had initially believed."

Wufei shrugged. "It's not hard to see through you. You and your Chairman aren't as clever and subtle as you seem to think you are."

Heine nodded. "I'll be sure to pass that on to the Chairman."

"You do that," Wufei muttered as he halted his exercise and folded his arms, "So, what do you have to say that he couldn't the first time?"

"Ideally, I'd hoped that you'd taken time to consider his words regarding an alliance and his desire to strike at the root causes of this war," said Heine, "Your skills combined with your Gundam make you nothing less than a force of nature unleashed upon the battlefield. It would seem to me that you deserve the chance to apply those skills to a cause that's far greater than the petty grievances that led mankind into this war."

Wufei raised an eyebrow. "You taking another shot at selling me on the Chairman's 'vision'? If you think you can make a better sales pitch than him, take your best shot."

Heine shook his head. "I'm afraid I lack the Chairman's gift for rhetoric. However, since I'm a pilot and he's not, I can discern certain things from combat data that his eyes might miss."

"And what have you seen?" asked Wufei.

"You fight with pride," the FAITH operative answered, "You've ascended to great heights on the battlefield, and it shows in your combat style; you take to warfare like an eagle to the sky. It's your element, and you fight with utter surety of that."

Wufei smirked. "Maybe that rank of yours isn't for nothing after all."

Heine shrugged. "I wouldn't have lasted long enough to earn the promotion if I wasn't perceptive on the battlefield. I'd wager my skills aren't at your level, but I've got an eye for how people fight."

"And you think that'll help you succeed where the Chairman failed?" Wufei asked.

Heine smiled. "Who says he failed? According to him, you didn't actually say 'no'."

"I didn't say 'yes' either," Wufei quipped.

"Which simply means that you're still weighing your options," Heine countered, "Perfectly understandable, of course."

"I still don't know exactly what sort of 'option' you and the Chairman are presenting," said Wufei, "He talks of a vision of order and peace, but he's been pretty light on the details so far. Is this the part where you start filling in the blanks?"

Heine sighed. "I'm afraid I can only disappoint you on that front."

"Thought so," Wufei replied as he headed for the doorway, "You've got nothing to offer me."

"Not quite," said Heine, grabbing Wufei's arm as the Gundam pilot tried to walk by.

Wufei's eyes narrowed. "Tread carefully. If you're picking a fight, it might not be one that you walk away from."

"Killing me would do you no favors," said Heine with a confident smile, "You'd lose your comfortable perch on the Minerva. You could no longer be where you want to be."

"Hardly," Wufei shot back, "The entire Earth Sphere's at war, so it's not exactly difficult to find the kind of place I want to be at the moment."

"Any pilot can fly off and pick a fight," said Heine, "You'd do better than most, I imagine, but random battle wouldn't offer any sort of real meaning, would it? That's why you're still on the Minerva; you're looking for the battlefields that offer genuine purpose in this war, and as ZAFT's prized battleship she offers you a golden ticket to such venues. Who are you to turn that down?"

"Who are you to assume to know what I'm after?" Wufei asked pointedly.

"I'm one veteran pilot speaking to another," Heine answered calmly, "One who believes in the Chairman's vision and is willing to put his life on the line to bring it to fruition. That's not the kind of conviction that a simple battle can give you. You're looking for what I already have; a genuine cause to fight in the name of. Only that can give you the meaning you're after."

Wufei pulled his arm from Heine's grip. "Fighting under a flag's not really my style."

"Even if the nation that the flag belongs to is one that can offer you what you're really looking for?" asked Heine, "Even if, by fighting under that flag, you find purpose that you're really seeking on the battlefield?"

Wufei shook his head, although it took a little more effort than he expected to actually dismiss Heine's offer. "Joining ZAFT won't give me what I need. Give my regards to the Chairman; you're a much more interesting spy than Rey is, if nothing else."

"At least keep it under consideration," said Heine as Wufei walked away, "This war won't be won anytime soon, so you have ample time to think it over."

"The only thing I'm thinking about is the next fight," Wufei replied, "Right now, that's all that matters."

Preview for next time!

Fully resupplied, the battleship Minerva departs the Diocuia base. While attempting to break out into the Mediterranean Sea, the vessel is intercepted by combined naval units of the Earth Alliance and the Orb Union. However, the engagement is not as straightforward as those of the past, with the arrival of the Archangel and the Dominion throwing the battle plans of both sides into confusion. While the ZAFT pilots attempt to defend their ship, Cagalli tries to convince the Orb Union's First Fleet to stand down. With Yuna Seiran aboard the command ship, though, her efforts founder against his desire to please his backers within the Atlantic Federation. Meanwhile, the combination of Desperado Enforcement's Winds of Destruction and the newly arrived Eurasian Federation aces finally presents the Gundam pilots with worthy opposition. Next time, on "Destiny's Call", Episode Sixteen: Chaos at the Dardanelles.

To those who truly call the battlefield home, the implacable foe is the only one worth fighting.

Author's Notes: Ah, it always feels good to get another chapter out there. Things are moving forward, and as you no doubt picked up in the preview, fun times are ahead!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review, and see you next time!