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?)

19. Chapter 19

Author's Notes: Hello there! Well, I knuckled down on my writing, and I'm pleased with the result; got this chapter out relatively quickly, at least by my standards. Hope everyone's doing all right, shit be crazy out there right now.

No real action in this chapter except for a quick skirmish at the end. No music for this one, either. This one's really more of a character development and drama chapter, along with some politics as the strategic situation shifts. Don't worry, there will be plenty of explosions to come, but setting the stage for big battles takes work!

Enjoy!

Episode Nineteen: Doubt and Resolution

A soldier shouldn't find satisfaction in defeat, mused Mihaly as he surveyed the devastation below, and yet, I'm perfectly fine with what happened here. What does that say about me, I wonder…?

Thousands of Eurasian Federation Navy sailors were dead or wounded. All of the assembled carriers had been reduced to charred debris, their escorts were thoroughly trashed, and the remainder were dazed and demoralized. By Mihaly's estimation, somewhere between half to two-thirds of the fleet had been laid to waste, all thanks to a single surprise attack from eight mobile suits. If that didn't count as a complete disaster, then he didn't know what did.

And yet…

…he found it completely acceptable when compared to the alternative.

The fleet would not sail to Gibraltar now. The Earth Alliance's grand operation had been rendered moot in a single night. ZAFT would keep their base, and Mihaly wouldn't have to be the accessory to a massacre. There were no war crimes in his immediate future now.

If only it hadn't come at such a steep price.

Mihaly couldn't say that he'd been particularly close to any of the sailors or pilots that had lost their lives tonight, but he did feel that they had deserved better ends than this. The ones he'd interacted with on the Borodino had been likeable, capable and professional soldiers. He'd caught snippets of their idle gossip, the same sort of small talk that most soldiers engaged in; wondering about friends and family back home, thinking about what they'd do after the war, trash talking each other's favorite sports teams, and more. Hardly any of it had been about their enemy in this war, and what little had focused on that topic certainly hadn't been with the kind of hatred that Mihaly had seen in Alliance propaganda. In the end, they'd just wanted to survive the war and go home.

That wasn't on the table now.

He closed his eyes for a moment in tribute, even as his ragged breathing and aching chest told him that he really needed to land soon. Just like the clash back at the Dardanelles, the furious duel he'd waged against Heero over the harbor had taxed his aged body considerably. He wasn't just physically exhausted, either; his conversation with the Gundam pilot had left him with a good deal to think about, and it weighed heavily on his mind.

"Your ability is beyond question, but what about your dignity? You knew what your country was getting itself into when it signaled support for the Atlantic Federation in this campaign. Are you so desperate to fight pilots like me that you'll make yourself an accessory to mass slaughter?"

It was a pointed question, and one that cut right to the heart of Mihaly's dilemma. Flying as a combat pilot was everything to him, and yet it was impossible to deny the truth; he'd made a devil's bargain to keep his wings. The Wyvern was a fantastic machine, by far the best that he'd ever flown, but his superiors expected him to use it in cooperation with their Atlantic Federation allies.

Allies who were hellbent on a genocide campaign.

In a purely physical sense, the duel tonight had been a draw; both parties were alive, their machines undamaged, and the score between them was unsettled. However, one pilot had flown away with a mission accomplished, while the other remained to float over dead or dying allies and to struggle internally with what they risked becoming the longer this war went on. In that sense, there was a clear winner here, and Mihaly knew it wasn't him. The raid tonight had spared him having to participate in one atrocity…

…but how long until his allies geared up for another?

Where would they next set their bloodthirsty sights…

…and what would Mihaly do should they call upon him to execute their brutal will?

To that, he had no answer.

….

If Shinn had thought the flight out from the Minerva to Cagliari had been nerve-wracking, that was nothing compared to the return trip. They'd had to fly slower due to him and Heine supporting the Gaia; the GOUF Ignited had only been able to carry the machine solo for so far before requiring help. Needless to say, the two of them were extremely vulnerable in such a position, even with the rest of the strike team escorting them. If the enemy dispatched a combat wing to intercept them, Shinn and Heine would've been fully dependent on their allies for survival less they ditch the Gaia, and that was the last thing the ZAFT Red wanted to do.

The whole flight, Shinn's eyes had been nervously darting between his sensors, his main monitor, and his energy gauge. The fighting over the harbor hadn't been quite as taxing on the Impulse's batteries as other engagements in the war, but Shinn was keenly aware of the energy his machine was bleeding as it struggled to support the Gaia in cooperation with the GOUF Ignited. Heine's machine didn't have Phase Shift Armor, so it had greater reserves of energy for extended operations than the Impulse did. There were still a few ticks left in the gauge before the Impulse went over to emergency power, and Shinn's knuckles had been slowly growing whiter on the controls as he increasingly worried about what might happen should he run dry out here.

This was just supposed to be a damn raid, he mused, I didn't think it'd end up like this. Man, talk about running into complications…

Looking at the Gaia, Shinn struggled to get his thoughts in order. Sure, he'd managed to talk Heine into helping him capture Stella as opposed to killing her, but that didn't mean she was safe. For the first leg of the flight back to the Minerva, Shinn had heard Stella thrash about in the cockpit, alternating between anguished shrieks and pitiful whimpering. She'd gone mostly silently at about the halfway point of the return trip, with only ragged breathing and the occasional sobbing indicating that she was still alive. Shinn had been very nervous about her possibly activating the Gaia's self-destruct mechanism; the electrical charge from the GOUF Ignited's Slayer Whip Head Rod should've shorted out the device in theory, but as far as Shinn knew that hadn't actually been field tested until now. Was the device really disabled, or was Stella in such a state that she had simply forgotten it was even a thing? Heine and Shinn weren't just carrying a captured mobile suit, but potentially a very heavy bomb, and he was understandably nervous about what might happen should their captive's mood take a suicidal turn.

Stella hadn't blown the Gaia up yet, though, and they only had a little further to go before they reached their destination. After what had felt like an eternity of flying while nervously glancing at his energy gauge, the Minerva was finally within visual range. Well, 'visual' might not have been the best way to put it; in order to minimize detection by hostile forces, the ship was currently operating with its running lights off, and it was still very much night at the moment. Making a tandem landing with Heine while carrying the Gaia would be tricky enough, but pulling off such a maneuver at night was not a thrilling prospect to Shinn. Still, it was coming up soon, so he had no choice but to steel himself for it.

He heard Athrun's voice over the tactical channel a moment later. "Minerva, this is Saviour. We have you on visual scopes. Please verify approval for landing approach. GOUF Ignited and Impulse have brought back the Gaia and require priority in the queue."

Shinn breathed a sigh of relief as Meyrin's voice came over the radio in response. "Saviour, this is Minerva; we have you on our scopes. The Captain's requesting that you repeat the last part of your transmission."

"We've captured the Gaia," said Athrun, "The GOUF Ignited and Impulse have it currently restrained. The pilot is alive, so a security presence will be required in the hangar."

Shinn was surprised to hear none other than Heero chime in. "Have a medical team accompany the security detachment. The pilot needs to be restrained without causing additional injuries, and a full examination should be performed."

Shinn's eyes widened. As far as he was aware, he was the only one amongst the strike force that had met Stella before, yet Heero's request was very specific; did he know something that about her that Shinn didn't? Anything was possible at this point.

Meyrin replied a moment later. "Understood. GOUF Ignited and Impulse, you are cleared to land using the portside entrance. Saviour, take the starboard entrance. Gundam pilots, please remain on combat air patrol until you're cleared to land."

"Shinn, are you ready?" asked Heine.

Shinn took a deep breath; this would be the trickiest landing he'd ever attempted. "Yeah, let's do this."

Hang in there, Stella, he thought as they carefully began their descent, I'll save you… somehow.

What would he be saving her from, though? She was out of the Alliance's reach for the moment, but now she was a prisoner of ZAFT. How was Shinn supposed to navigate that particular conundrum? He'd have to figure that out later. For now, he had to make sure he got her inside the Minerva in one piece first.

….

Sitting in the cockpit of her ZAKU, Lunamaria had a front row seat to the return of the strike team, and her jaw dropped when she saw the GOUF Ignited and Impulse make their awkward landing with the Gaia in tow. There'd been no reports about what had happened on the mission yet, and clearly a lot more had gone down than what everyone had been expecting.

I have got to get me a mobile suit that can actually fly in atmosphere, she thought, I mean, I'm clearly missing out on some big shit being stuck at the Minerva like this!

Her fingers raced across the keyboard of her mobile suit as she set up a private channel with the Impulse. "Hey, Shinn, you there?"

Shinn's face appeared in the bottom right corner of her screen a moment later. "Lunamaria? What's up?"

"You tell me!" she replied, "What the hell did you guys do out there? How'd you manage to capture the damn Gaia?"

"Can we talk about that later?" asked Shinn, "I need to focus on getting this thing settled somewhere secure in the hangar first, and carrying it with Heine's a lot harder than it looks!"

Normally Lunamaria wouldn't have let him brush her off like that, but the way his brow was furrowed in concentration told her that he was actually being serious. "All right, fine. Just be ready to spill the beans, you got that?"

"I will," Shinn answered, "Gotta go."

As his face disappeared from view, Lunamaria watched as he and Heine carefully maneuvered the Gaia towards one of the open mobile suit docking areas. Once the rest of the strike team landed, the Minerva would be packed pretty tightly, either at capacity or damn near close to it. The Gaia itself was almost undamaged apart from one of its arms being sheared off at the elbow, along with the other clutching the rear half of a demolished rifle. Since the Minerva had been designed to carry and support the Gaia in the first place along with the other Armory One prototypes, the ship naturally had replacement parts in stock; the recovered machine could be restored to operational status in fairly short order. Could she or Rey possibly be in for an upgrade?

Maybe I'll be the one they choose to pilot it once it's fixed up, she thought, I mean, the Gaia was our machine to begin with, after all. I'd definitely like to take it for a spin…

That was a matter she could bring up later with Captain Gladys. Lunamaria didn't like the idea of possibly having to compete with Rey for the position, and she wasn't sure which of them would win should it come down to that. Her skills had definitely grown since the start of the war, but so had Rey's. More to the point, her experience in the Gunner ZAKU Warrior had been as long-range artillery and anti-air support for the Minerva, while the Gaia was designed as a ground assault and fast attack mobile suit. She'd have to seriously alter her fighting style were she to be given command of the recovered prototype, and Rey's skillset and experience with the Blaze ZAKU Phantom were closer to what the machine was suited for than hers. If the Captain compared the two of them when deciding on a pilot for the Gaia, Lunamaria had to admit that she was at something of a disadvantage.

Leaning back, she pondered her chances while watching the rest of the strike team gradually filter into the hangar. The Gundam pilots landed without incident, and her heartbeat picked up a notch when she saw the Altron Custom enter the Minerva. Wufei's machine was perfectly intact, and while Lunamaria was relieved at his survival, it also brought another issue to the forefront of her mind.

Namely, her feelings for him.

Her face flushed red as she recalled with perfect clarity what had happened before the strike team had departed on their mission. Their conversation, and particularly that quick kiss on the cheek she'd given him, had never been far from her mind; hell, she'd damn near tortured herself replaying it in her head over and over again while Wufei had been out on the raid. Now he was back, which meant that Lunamaria had to figure out what came next.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" she muttered to herself as she watched the Altron Custom settle into the docking port next to hers, "I don't know the first thing about… any of this."

It was a rather embarrassing truth to admit, even if it was just to herself. Despite the confident front she put on for her younger sister, not to mention the slightly provocative skirt she'd added to her uniform in order to attract attention, the fact of the matter was that her romantic experience was about the same as Meyrin's; nonexistent. Sure, she'd shown more interest in it than her younger sister had at first, and it wasn't exactly a secret even back in their Academy days that she'd been scouting their friends and comrades for a potential boyfriend, but ever since the attack on Armory One her plans had been thrown for a loop. Between the rapidly escalating events that had culminated in a new world war and simply fighting for her life, she really hadn't been given a chance to try out conventional dating. The closest she'd gotten to that was the shore leave they'd been given in Orb before the war had officially begun…

…and that had been with Wufei.

If someone had told her that her first date would be with a cocky and irritable warrior from another world, she would've laughed before telling them to get their head checked. It was a lot harder to laugh now that she found herself in exactly that kind of situation, though. Where were things supposed to go from here? It wasn't like she could try her hand at another date with Wufei at the moment; being aboard the Minerva in the middle of a war meant that opportunities to set something up were rather limited. Sure, she'd fantasized from time to time about getting caught up in some fiery wartime romance, but now that the prospect was actually staring her in the face, she found herself hesitating. Had it been another ZAFT soldier she'd fallen for, things might've been a bit easier to figure out, but Wufei…

…well, that was definitely a can of worms she hadn't been counting on.

He'd certainly grown on her as an individual, which was surprising when she considered his personality. His talents as a mobile suit pilot and martial artist were undeniable, but his incredible abilities had no doubt considerably fed into his ego. Lunamaria wouldn't quite go so far as to call Wufei overconfident; he definitely had the experience and skills required to back up his tough talk. That didn't change the fact that he was abrasive, prideful, stubborn, had some rather retrograde attitudes when it came to women in combat, and in general he just got under her skin far too easily even at the best of times. Still, there was definitely more to him than his prickly demeanor initially suggested.

He was surprisingly thoughtful when it came to the complexities of geopolitics, especially in times of war, and his insights were quite valuable. Beneath the aloof and cocky exterior was a great deal of wisdom, although it was tinged with bitterness stemming from tragic loss and weariness with the world. It was far too easy to get into an argument with him, but Lunamaria had slowly come to value those tempestuous clashes; sure, he could push her buttons without even trying, but at the same time he also challenged her assumptions and really got her to think hard about whatever topic they were bickering about, especially when it came to the current conflict consuming the Earth Sphere. Despite all the occasions that they'd butted heads, it had become more and more apparent as time passed that he genuinely did care for the people around him and wanted to protect him, and Lunamaria believed that went for her as well. If she were ever in trouble, she had no doubt that Wufei would come to her aid, even if he'd make a show of grumbling over it and would more than likely fluster her in the process. Wufei could be aggravating, but Lunamaria had come to realize that he had a heart, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

The conversation they'd had after his return from investigating the Lodonia lab was a clear example of that. His usual brashness and prickliness had taken a backseat in favor of the somberness that the horrors in that facility demanded. Although his demeanor had been quite subdued, Lunamaria had sensed the righteous fury smoldering beneath the surface. The atrocities that had been committed there had incensed his sense of justice, and Lunamaria had no doubt that he wanted to make those who had committed such horrendous crimes answer for what they had done. That wasn't the mentality of someone who thought he was better than everyone else and couldn't be bothered to give a shit; he was genuinely appalled at the display of barbarity and sadism he'd witnessed and wanted to avenge it, both for his own sense of justice and so that the victims could rest just a bit easier in the afterlife. As much as she sometimes struggled to understand his ideals, on this matter Lunamaria felt that she had a clear read on where Wufei's mind was at, and she admired him for it.

He can be a damn pain in the ass sometimes, she thought, but his heart's in the right place. That's not really the issue now, though…

For all of her growing fondness for him on a personal level, there was still one giant elephant in the room when it came to Lunamaria pursuing Wufei; he wasn't from her world. He'd come to the Cosmic Era with the other three Gundam pilots to find Heero Yuy, and once the war was over those pilots would be returning home. Well, three of them would…

…but would Wufei?

"So… does that mean you'll be staying here even after the war's over?"

"The more time I spend here, the greater appeal that option has. I'm still keeping my options open, but… well, I'm not about to rule it out, that's for sure."

Their conversation prior to her mission in the scout chopper to spy on Athrun echoed in her mind. Wufei had grown disenchanted with the After Colony world, so him remaining in the Cosmic Era once the conflict ended was potentially in the cards. Where he'd ultimately stay should he pick that route was up in the air, which meant that it definitely wasn't too late for Lunamaria to try to convince him to come back to L5 with her when the war was over. Whether or not he'd officially join ZAFT was another matter entirely, but after all he'd done for them in this conflict surely the Supreme Council would allow him to immigrate to the PLANTs in recognition of his service, right?

Lunamaria shook her head; she was getting way ahead of things here. She didn't even know how Wufei really felt about her in the first place, and she was still trying to come to grips with her own feelings on top of that. If she wanted a shot at the long-term, she had to sort out the short-term first, and that alone was going to be tricky.

With all the mobile suits of the strike team retrieved, Lunamaria figured the Captain wouldn't mind if she left her ZAKU to stretch for a bit. Popping open the cockpit, she headed over to the Altron Custom. She saw the cockpit of Wufei's Gundam open up a moment later, and she took a deep breath.

Don't make things weird, she told herself, Wufei just got back from a mission; jumping him with all this romantic crap flying around in your head right out of the gate isn't a good idea. Take things easy.

She waited a few seconds to give him time to step out of his Gundam, but Lunamaria did not see Wufei emerge from the Altron Custom. Now a little worried, she climbed one of the nearby maintenance crew ladders and made her way onto the gantry. Cautiously stepping forward, she slowly poked her head around the open hatch. Sure enough, there was Wufei. He didn't appear wounded or anything, but he didn't even seem to register her appearance; he had a distant look in his eyes, like he was focusing on something far beyond his immediate surroundings.

"Hey," she said after a moment, hoping she didn't sound as nervous as she felt, "Welcome back. Glad you made it here in one piece."

Wufei looked genuinely startled for a second, which was quite a rarity. "Lunamaria… hey."

His usual attitude was nowhere to be seen, which raised further alarms in Lunamaria's head. "You okay, Wufei? You look a little… out of it. Did something happen out there?"

He closed his eyes for a moment, and when opened them again he actually looked worried. "I'm… not sure."

Something was definitely wrong here, and Lunamaria decided to throw caution to the wind. "Wufei, what's going on? Hesitancy isn't like you; we both know that. Something did happen out there, didn't it? Come on, talk to me. You know you can trust me, right?"

His eyes widened slightly, almost as if he was seeing her for the first time, or perhaps in a new light. "I… I suppose I do, don't I? Strange… never thought I'd be able to say that about anyone on this ship… no offense."

Lunamaria smiled and hoped it didn't look as forced as it felt. "Don't worry about. Now level with me; what's up?"

Wufei sighed. "The mercenary I've been tangling with since before this war officially began… I faced him again at Cagliari. He survived again, too."

Lunamaria raised an eyebrow. "That hasn't bothered you in the past. I always thought that you were happy when he got away since it meant that you could fight him again. You saw him as a good challenge, right?"

"I did, yes," Wufei admitted, "but these past few fights have led me to question my earlier assumptions. Rodrigues is a talented pilot; I doubt there are many others in the Earth Sphere that can match him. However, he's fighting only for the sake of battle itself and doesn't care about the cause that he's aiding and abetting without question. He sees his employer as just a means to seek out the thrill of combat and doesn't concern himself with the bigger picture. It struck some… uncomfortable chords."

It only took Lunamaria a moment to make the connection. "He reminds you of yourself, doesn't he?"

Wufei nodded. "Yes, but there's more to it. You know that old saying about looking into the abyss and it looking back at you? I'm starting to think that my duels with Rodrigues are taking me pretty close to that… closer than I would like."

A chill went down Lunamaria's spine as she considered the implication. "You're afraid that the two of you are more alike than you'd care to admit… and you're worried about where that's taking you."

"I suppose so," Wufei conceded, "Rodrigues is more than just an opponent; he's a mirror… one that's showing me what I do not wish to become. He's a true dog of war, to the point that he doesn't care about who suffers by the orders of his masters so long as he gets what he wants. The atrocities that we uncovered at Lodonia… they meant nothing to him when I called him out on it. He has skill, and perhaps a sense of honor given his willingness to repeatedly clash with me one-on-one, but no justice. The crimes of the Earth Alliance are irrelevant as long as he can slake his thirst for battle. If I continue down my path as I am now… who's to say I won't end up the same way?"

Lunamaria fervently shook her head. "You're not like that, Wufei. Sure, you enjoy a good fight more than most, and it's probably unhealthy, but you have the sense of justice that he lacks. You're fighting for the side that isn't committing such heinous crimes, and if ZAFT ever did stoop that level, I know that you'd leave… and I'd join you."

It took her a moment to fully appreciate the magnitude of what she'd just said; her heart had gotten ahead of her brain. However, even as her mind raced to catch up to her mouth, Lunamaria knew that she'd meant everything she'd just said.

I need to be careful here, she thought, I'm probably safe with Wufei, but if I say something like that around anyone else, I could get into serious trouble!

For his part, Wufei seemed unsure about how to respond. "You… you would? Your own country, your people… you'd turn against them if I did?"

Lunamaria nodded. "If they were going down the wrong path, then yes. You're fighting for us right now because the Earth Alliance is threatening genocide against us, right? They did the same thing in the last war, but ZAFT under Patrick Zala wanted to return the favor. The new government's not doing that now, but if they were… I'd want to stop them. I'm pretty sure you would, too."

Wufei's eyes narrowed. "Saying that is one thing. Following through is quite another. It's not a choice to make lightly."

Lunamaria wouldn't deny it. "I know, and I hope it never comes to that. Still, there are some things you have to fight against no matter what, right? We've only known each other a few months, but that's something I can tell that you believe. Anyway, what I'm trying to get at with all this is that you're not like the mercenary you've been fighting. Even if part of you is fighting because it's all you know or want, you're channeling it to serve something larger than yourself. I know you don't really care about the PLANTs or ZAFT, but you do care about protecting the innocent. You can play the tough-guy all you want, but you have a heart, and you want to do the right thing."

Wufei actually chuckled at that. "Perhaps I've been around you too long… you've got a better read on me than most."

Lunamaria put her hands on her hips. "Hey, I'm not just pilot or a pretty face, you know? I can use my head just as well as you. Probably better; I don't have the same stick up my ass that you do!"

Wufei smirked. "Maybe. If that's what you want to think, I'll let you believe it for now. I suppose there's no harm in that."

Lunamaria rolled her eyes before extending her hand. "Whatever. Come on, you need to get out of there. Your cockpit smells, and not in a good way."

There was a brief pause before Wufei accepted her hand and let her pull him from his Gundam. "I suppose a shower is in order, and then I'll need to clean up Nataku a bit. A long strike mission will have that effect."

"Shower and sleep," Lunamaria corrected him, "You look like you need both. I'm pretty sure your Gundam can wait until tomorrow."

She thought for a moment he'd argue, but instead he simply nodded. "Good point. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

He looked at her for a few seconds, and in that moment Lunamaria was tempted to bring up what had happened between them before the mission. It didn't feel right to do it now, though; he clearly still had a lot on his mind, and she didn't have the right to force an issue like that when he clearly needed some rest.

In the end, she simply nodded and smiled. "Sleep well, Wufei."

She watched him climb down the gantry ladder and head off towards the hangar exit. Had she missed a golden opportunity, or was caution the right call here? Lunamaria shook her head; second guessing herself now wasn't going to help matters.

I'm bushed, she thought as she stretched and yawned, and I didn't even fly today. Can't imagine how beat Wufei must be right now. It's better for both of us to sleep on this; we can sort this crap between us out when we've got clear heads.

She made her way back to her mobile suit; her watch wasn't over until she got word from the bridge, after all. When she got back inside the cockpit of her ZAKU Warrior, she leaned back and gave a heavy sigh. Wufei wasn't the only one with a lot on his mind right now.

A battleship at war's an odd place to look for love…

…and neither of us are making it any less weird.

….

Quite the crowd had gathered outside the Gaia as Shinn made his way over. The ship's security detachment was already there, as was a team of nurses from the sickbay. Shinn had expected to see Heine there as well, but the FAITH operative had only stuck around long enough to give his mobile suit a quick check before leaving the hangar. It was hard to blame him; they'd just gotten back from a long flight, so some rest was definitely in order. Shinn wanted nothing more than to lie down and call it a night, but he was desperate to make sure that Stella was safely extracted from the Gaia.

I'm the only one here that's met her outside of combat, he thought nervously as he watched the security team work on forcing the Gaia's hatch open, but everyone else here would only see her as just another enemy. I can't let anything happen to her!

"Any progress?" asked a familiar male voice from behind him.

Shinn turned around to see Heero looking past him at the security team. "Uhm… not sure. Looks like they're still having some trouble with it."

Heero nodded. "The Atlantic Federation likely changed the access codes, so any backdoor programs ZAFT built into this thing are moot. They might have to use brute force to crack it open."

Shinn's eyes widened; he hadn't thought of that. "Wait a second, if they do that…"

"There's the possibility it could harm the pilot," Heero finished for him, "You're right to be concerned. I'm hoping they can avoid that."

Shinn folded his arms. "What are you doing over here, anyway? Why would you care about the pilot?"

"You clearly do," Heero calmly replied, "I would be lying if I said that I wasn't curious about that. I also have a theory regarding how she wound up in the Alliance's service, but I need a positive identification to confirm it. Seeing her in person will be a good first step towards that."

Shinn glared at him. "You better not be planning to interrogate her the moment she gets pulled out of there. She's scared and in pain; she needs help!"

"I agree," said Heero, taking the wind out of Shinn's sails, "and I have no intention of asking her so much as a single question tonight. All I require is a visual, no more."

Shinn sighed. "I'll hold you to that."

"It's not me that you have to worry about right now," Heero pointed out, nodding at the security team, "It's your own comrades in arms. I highly doubt they share your concern for the Gaia's current pilot. That is why you're really here right now, yes?"

Shinn didn't want to admit it, especially within earshot of his fellow ZAFT soldiers, but Heero's words definitely had a ring of truth to them. "I just… I want to make sure she's secured and treated well."

Heero nodded. "For what it's worth, so do I. I suspect we're not dealing with a typical hostile soldier here."

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

A dark look came to Heero's eyes. "Remember where we were mere days ago… and what we found."

Shinn's blood chilled. He hadn't actually gone inside the Lodonia base, but rumors had begun to spread throughout the ship of what had been discovered. Heero had told him about the cloning program, and that had been unnerving by itself, but the whispers had primarily focused on the Earth Alliance's super soldier program and who had been used as its test subjects.

The thought of Stella having come from that house of horrors was downright nightmarish, and Shinn didn't want to believe it… but it would definitely help explain certain aspects of her behavior. "She couldn't be… could she?"

"It's entirely possible," Heero replied grimly, "In fact, I'm almost certain of it. Once I see her face, I'll be able to run a comparison with the files we extracted from the facility. We'll have our answer then."

Shinn wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer at this point. The poor girl he'd rescued from the sea had seemed troubled enough, but for her to have suffered through the Earth Alliance's ghoulish human experimentation as well… it was cruelty beyond belief. Just how much misery and suffering were the Atlantic Federation will to inflict upon the world to achieve victory? As this war went on, what other horrors would ZAFT discover?

His dark train of thought was thankfully interrupted by the excited chatter of the security team. Looking over the shoulders of one of the nurses waiting on standby, Shinn saw the Gaia's cockpit finally open up. He gulped nervously as he saw the guards ready their weapons, and for a moment Shinn actually considered barging through the crowd to put himself between them and Stella.

Fortunately, that didn't prove to be necessary. The fully opened cockpit revealed Stella slumped back in her chair. For a second, Shinn feared the worse, but then he saw her chest slowly rise and fall. She appeared to have passed out, but she was definitely breathing.

"Restrain her," ordered the leader of the security team.

Stella was pulled from the cockpit and cuffed before being passed over to the medics. One nurse carefully removed her helmet and checked her vitals before nodding to her colleagues, who proceeded with the delicate work of transferring her down from the mobile suit gantry to the gurney waiting below. Shinn anxiously followed behind, and when he looked over his shoulder, he saw that Heero had decided to tag along.

"I thought you only wanted to see her face," said Shinn, "You have now, right?"

"Indeed, I have, and I can check the files later to see if there's a match," Heero answered, "For the moment, I'd like to at least make sure she gets situated relatively comfortably before starting my homework."

Shinn's eyes narrowed. "Why do you care so much about her well-being?"

"Her story is quite likely not a happy one," Heero replied, the two of them falling in behind the medical and security team as they moved towards the hangar exit, "From the way she sounded during the battle when you communicated with her, I highly doubt that she's a normal pilot. Right now, it's better if she's treated more as a patient rather than a prisoner of war. The crew of this ship might not see things that way."

"She has been flying for the side that's trying to kill us all," Shinn gloomily concurred, "Yeah… things are going to be dicey with the others."

"Tension can't be helped at this point," said Heero as they followed the medical team through the ship's corridors to the sickbay, "Realistically, the best we can do right now is make sure she's relatively secure and in no immediate danger from others or herself. Medical confinement under armed guard is probably the most viable option for the time being."

Shinn sighed as he looked over the shoulders of the nurses at Stella's unconscious form. "What's going to happen when she wakes up?"

"She just lost her commanding officer, and from her… let's say very vocal reaction to it during the battle, is probably not in the best mental state right now," Heero noted, "I wouldn't be surprised if she lashes out in grief and rage. Having a familiar face on hand could blunt the worst of it. Right now, the only one that fits the bill would seem to be you."

Shinn saw Heero give him a curious look, and for a moment the ZAFT Red thought that the Gundam pilot would attempt to interrogate him on just how he really knew her. However, that look only lasted for a second or two, and Heero turned his attention back to the nurses and security team ahead.

"Once we make sure she's secure, I'll speak to the Captain," Heero continued, "For the time being, I think you should remain close to our guest. It shouldn't be too hard to convince Captain Gladys of the necessity behind it; if you have a connection with that young woman, then it could go a long way towards reducing any potential threat from her. That should give you the time needed to talk to her and try to help her."

Shinn nodded, not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Thanks… I owe you one."

Heero shook his head. "Don't worry about it. As it stands, this will only be a short-term solution. I expect things will become much more complicated once the Captain gives her mission report to the Defense Council. When they learn of what's transpired and who we've taken captive… it could get messy."

Shinn didn't like the sound of that. "How bad could it get?"

"I can't say for certain," Heero admitted as they finally arrived at the sickbay, "but… well, our guest's troubles may only just be beginning."

Following the medical team and security detachment inside, Shinn watched anxiously as they transferred her to one of the beds. He winced when he saw them cuff both of her arms to the side of the bed, although he understood the necessity of the gesture. Half of the security detachment left, but the rest stayed behind, and the ship's chief medical officer began looking Stella over.

After a few minutes of observing the doctor, Shinn felt Heero's hand on his shoulder before the Gundam pilot began whispering in his ear. "Watch them carefully. If she is what I think she is, then she'll be in great danger once they realize just who they've really got here. I'll do what I can, but for right now, the only one who can really protect her is you."

"What do you mean?" asked Shinn.

"I'll tell you more once I've done my homework," he said before turning to leave the sickbay, "In the meanwhile, find a chair and get comfortable; you've got a long night left ahead of you if you're going to watch over her. Catch you later."

Shinn watched him exit the room before turning his attention back to Stella. The remaining members of the security team had backed off to give the doctor and nurses room to work, but he had a feeling any attempts to get close to Stella at the moment wouldn't be welcome. Shinn settled for doing what Heero had suggested, pulling up one of the seats from the side of the room and settling in for the long haul. His body felt incredibly heavy; he was practically running on fumes at the moment. Sleep was sorely tempting, but as he looked at the unconscious girl before him, Shinn knew that it would be a long time yet before he'd be able to fall asleep tonight.

….

Even though he only had a first name to go on, it hadn't taken Heero long at all to locate ZAFT's new 'guest' in the files that he'd downloaded from the Lodonia base. The sick bastards running the joint had made his job easy; a lot of the kids they'd been experimenting were only known by their first names, so the dossiers were alphabetized according to those rather than surnames. Once he'd realized that, it had only taken him a few seconds to find Stella on the list.

"War orphan, like most of the others they had in that program," he said, "The First Bloody Valentine War gave the Atlantic Federation no shortage of kids to sweep up for experimentation."

On the main cockpit monitor, he saw Murrue shake her head in disgust. "Monsters… what kind of depraved sons of bitches sign off on work like this, let alone participate in it firsthand?"

"You and I both know the answer to that," Heero replied grimly, "The same monsters that drive the world into wars of annihilation. ZAFT has evolved, but the Alliance is still the same beast we fought the last time around."

Murrue sighed. "How very true… and how I wish that weren't so."

Heero wished that he had better news for her. The past few times they'd spoken now, he had only delivered reports of freshly discovered horrors or requested aid for operations. It felt like it had been forever since he'd seen her genuinely smile rather than simply force one for both of their sakes. Still, he knew that she'd never want him to sugar-coat things; they both valued the truth too much for that, and Heero knew that she was more than strong enough to stomach the gut-churning reports he'd given her as of late.

"ZAFT's currently got her under medical confinement," Heero continued, "There's an armed security presence, of course, but it's better than just throwing her in the brig. I expect that they'll wrap up their preliminary examination and testing in a little while. I'll hack the ship's sickbay later so I can get a copy; it'll be useful to compare their results with the data we retrieved from Lodonia."

Murrue nodded. "I understand that, but be careful. If you're caught, it's only going to further increase tensions. Don't do anything reckless."

"I'll watch my back," Heero promised her, "although… well, I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to maintain my current position here anyway."

Murrue raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Has something else happened? You don't think ZAFT's about to move against you, do you?"

Heero shook his head. "Nothing like that, although I'm sure we'll be wearing out our welcome soon enough. It actually has to do with Stella. If we genuinely want to help her, then she can't stay aboard the Minerva. Not for too long, anyway."

Murrue's eyes narrowed. "Do you fear retaliation against her from the crew?"

"It's possible," Heero conceded, "but that's not actually my primary concern. The file from Lodonia indicates that she's been flying the Gaia from the very beginning. In other words, she was there at the attack on Armory One, an attack that took place before the official declaration of war."

Murrue immediately put two and two together. "You're afraid that they wouldn't treat her as a lawful prisoner of war."

"Exactly," Heero confirmed, "Legally, her actions at Armory One would be considered terrorism. If she remains in ZAFT custody, it's entirely possible that they'll put her on trial for that attack. She'd be facing execution, Murrue."

"ZAFT has access to the same files that you took from the Lodonia base, right?" asked Murrue, "Surely they'd realize after looking at them that Stella's just as much of a victim here as those who died in the Armory One attack. She was pressed into a combat role against her will after years of torture and indoctrination; any tribunal would have to weigh those as mitigating factors!"

"Maybe, but what if they don't?" Heero countered, "What if they simply don't care and are out for blood? The people of the PLANTs were outraged by the Armory One attack, all the more so since none of those responsible were ever brought to justice. Sure, some of the participants died either during the attack itself or the subsequent pursuit, but there's still a huge difference between an operation like that during wartime and one that takes place while the world is officially at peace. If word got out that Stella was involved in that attack, do you really think ZAFT or the PLANTs would care about whether or not she was mentally competent or acting under duress while taking part in it?"

Murrue sighed. "It'd be impossible for us to say for sure. That being said, I don't think it's a risk we can take. If we're going to help her, we need to keep her away from both the Alliance and ZAFT. It's the only way we'd be able to give her anything close to a shot at recovery and rehabilitation."

Heero nodded. "That's what I was thinking. I had originally planned on sticking with the Minerva a while longer, but the situation's changed. I'd like to at least give the ship's doctors a chance to finish their examinations; anything they learn, we could use to help her. After that, though… well, I'll figure out an extraction plan."

"We'll keep shadowing the Minerva," said Murrue, firm resolve gleaming in her eyes, "If you need support of any kind, just ask. We'll be ready."

Heero gave her a small smile. "I appreciate that. Better let our medical personnel know that she's coming. I know they haven't had much time to study the data I sent over, and they're unfortunately going to have cram study even harder; we've probably only got a few days at the most before we'll have to swing into action on this."

"I'll make sure they're prepared," Murrue answered, smiling as well, "and I'll be looking forward to seeing you again. You've been away far too long as it is, Heero."

"No arguing there," Heero concurred, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting all this time. It should just be a few more days at most now."

Murrue winked. "I think I can handle that, and I'll definitely have you make it up to me in full when you get back."

Heero smirked. "I'll be looking forward to it."

"As will I," Murre replied, her expression becoming serious again, "Still, let's not put the cart before the horse. Watch yourself over there, Heero. Don't let your guard down."

"Wasn't planning on it," said Heero, "Murrue… I'll be coming back to you soon. That's a promise."

….

November 13th, C.E. 73

"Five carriers destroyed, over half of the support ships likewise sunk or crippled, one of the enemy's top mercenary pilots killed, and the Gaia recovered," said Durandal, "A most successful operation if ever there was one. Talia, you've outdone yourself."

If she had been in a better mood, Talia might've smiled at receiving such praise. Unfortunately for her, at the moment she felt damn tired thanks to having spent most of the previous night reviewing the individual pilot after-action summaries and compiling the overall mission report that she'd then sent off to the Defense Council in the early hours of the morning. She'd only gotten about three hours of sleep before she'd been jolted awake by the bridge contacting her quarters to tell her that the Chairman wanted to speak to her.

Durandal, you'd better be calling for more than just to heap accolades upon our mission performance, she thought wearily, I'd kill for just another hour of sleep right about now…

It took everything she could muster to maintain her composure and respond rather than simply collapse at her desk and start snoring in front of her commander-in-chief. "You're too kind, Chairman. If praise is due, then it should go to the pilots. All the Minerva did was provide the launch platform for the operation."

Durandal shook his head. "I disagree. The pilots certainly deserve accolades for the success of the mission, but they would not have been in a position to launch it in the first place were it not for the superb positioning of the Minerva. You were able to maneuver your vessel in such a manner as to evade detection and thus preserved the element of surprise that was so crucial for the operation. The Earth Alliance has lost the eastern striking arm of their planned offensive against Gibraltar, and now their entire operation is in doubt. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Minerva and her pilots have saved the Gibraltar base."

"As long as we've decisively disrupted the Alliance's planned operation and kept our comrades alive to fight another day, I'll call it a win," Talia replied, blinking a few times to keep herself focused on the screen.

Durandal seemed to pick up on her weariness. "You've certainly earned that right, along with a bit of rest. I apologize if this call comes at a poor time; given the length of the operation and the subsequent composing of the after-action report, I imagine you must be rather worn out. This is not simply a social call, I promise you that. I wanted to convey your new orders personally along with my congratulations."

Talia nodded. "Has the Defense Council finally made up their minds as to where they'd like to send us?"

"Yes," Durandal answered, "You are to set course for the Gibraltar base. The Council would like the Minerva to reinforce the defenses there while we plan our next move. Your presence combined with the losses the enemy suffered in last night's surprise attack should prove more than sufficient to deter aggression. It'll also give you and your crew a chance to rest and refresh a bit."

Talia gave a tired smile. "Well, we certainly won't say no to that. Any additional orders?"

"Only that you and your crew maintain your training and be ready to deploy at any moment," said Durandal, "I know we've kept you pretty busy, and I'd definitely like for you to have a bit of time to relax, but we must also be mindful of the wider conflict. Things are very much in flux right now, and it's difficult to say what the next big play will be."

"I'll make sure to keep my crew sharp," Talia assured him, "Whatever op the Council has in mind for us next, we'll be prepared for it."

Durandal smiled. "I know you will, Talia."

She leaned forward slightly. "I do have a question, if you don't mind."

Durandal nodded. "You have but to ask, Talia."

She immediately obliged. "What's to be done with the Gaia and the Atlantic Federation pilot that we've captured? If at all possible, I'd like the former to stay with the Minerva; it was meant to operate with this ship, after all. As for the latter… if my understanding is correct, she is no ordinary prisoner."

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

"I had a rather interesting conversation with Heero Yuy last night," she replied cautiously, "The captured pilot is likely one of the Atlantic Federation's… experiments."

Durandal raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Do you have confirmation?"

"My chief medical officer has yet to submit his initial report," Talia answered, "I expect that will come later today."

"I see," said Durandal, "I would appreciate it if you forwarded that report to the Defense Council once its complete. I imagine that kind of information is something that they'd be very interested in."

Talia's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Purely as a matter of intelligence and preparedness, I would hope."

Durandal nodded. "Of course. We have no desire to follow the Atlantic Federation's dark path, but we must understand their experiments to counter them. Any information you can provide would be used purely to formulate defensive measures, Talia. You have my word on that."

That's all well and good, she thought bitterly, but just how much is your word really worth these days, Gilbert?

Needless to say, she wouldn't make such sentiments public. As a ZAFT Captain, it wasn't her place to voice misgivings about the Supreme Chairman of the PLANTs, even if she was a member of FAITH. Her private doubts and suspicions would remain, but it was pointless to act on them when there was no concrete proof.

"I'm glad to hear that, Chairman," said Talia, careful to keep her outward expression neutral, "Should we expect to be transferring the captured pilot once we reach Gibraltar?"

"That would be a safe assumption," Durandal confirmed, "although no official decision will likely be rendered until the findings of your chief medical officer have been submitted and reviewed. With regards to the Gaia, that most certainly will be transferred; the Defense Council would like it to be shipped back to the PLANTs for in-depth study."

Talia was a bit taken aback at that. "With all due respect, Chairman, I'm not sure if that's necessary. From what the pilots who brought it back have reported, it doesn't appear as though the Gaia's been modified beyond its original specifications. I can understand our research and development section back home wanting to analyze the machine's flight data, but we can download that from the mobile suit and send it to them without having to ship the entire unit to L5. As one of our advanced prototypes, it's a valuable asset, especially in the surface war; ground combat is one of its primary mission profiles, after all."

Durandal gave her a sympathetic smile. "I definitely understand your point, Talia, but the Defense Council has been rather adamant in their desire for the Gaia to be brought home for inspection. I'm afraid my hands are tied on this matter."

Talia sighed. "If it's the will of the Defense Council, then I suppose it can't be helped. I guess the mechanic crews will be happy about offloading it; the hangar's starting to get cramped, so they'll appreciate having their workspace back again. Regardless, I'll make sure they have the machine in presentable condition when the time comes to transfer it."

Durandal nodded. "I appreciate your cooperation in this matter, Talia. Did you have any additional concerns that you wish to address with me?"

Only ones that I doubt I'll get a straight answer on, she mused grimly, and I've got better things to do than waste my time with a fruitless inquiry.

"Not at this time, Chairman," she replied.

There was a brief pause, and for a moment Talia thought Durandal actually looked disappointed, but it passed soon enough. "In that case, I wish you and your crew a safe journey to Gibraltar. Good luck, and be careful. Farewell."

….

Heading slightly northwest, it looks like, thought Duo as he stretched his arms and enjoyed the sensation of the morning sea breeze on his face, I guess that confirms it; we're off to Gibraltar. Can't see anything else waiting for us in that direction except a metric butt-load of pissed off Alliance warships out in the Atlantic…

He smiled as he leaned forward, folding his arms over the railing and taking in the view. Duo was still a bit worn out from last night's mission, but he'd gotten a good seven hours of sleep since then and was feeling all right. It was important to relax now while he still could; once they got to Gibraltar, things would likely get a bit more tense.

For all that his fellow Gundam pilots might've liked to tease him about being simple-minded, Duo could see the writing on the wall as well as the rest of them. Things had been starting to grow tense between them and a few members of the ship's crew, particularly Captain Gladys and the ZAFT Red Rey. Heero leaking information regarding Lunamaria's scout chopper flight to tail Athrun back when the latter had gone to meet with Cagalli and Kira had almost certainly been the source the friction. It was subtle; the Captain was mostly covering it over with her professionalism, which was something that Duo could respect. However, the sideways looks she'd started giving both Heero and the other Gundam pilots had been hard to miss, and of course there was Rey's less-than-warm attitude towards them. Once they reached Gibraltar, they'd be in the middle of one of ZAFT's most heavily reinforced surface bases, which meant that if the military of the PLANTs was going to make a move against them, that would almost certainly be the place to do it.

Things would be coming to a head soon, that was for sure. Duo's fellow Gundam pilots had to be aware of that as well, or at least three of them. Wufei, as ever, was a wild card; his behavior had been odd ever since they'd teamed up with ZAFT following the Armory One attack. He'd stuck with the Minerva after Operation Redemption rather than joining everyone else with Terminal, something that Wufei definitely hadn't seen coming. What had been behind that?

I wonder if that red-headed ZAKU pilot's got anything to do with it, he mused, I don't suppose she and Wufei…nah, can't be that… or could it? Damn it, I wish he wasn't so tricky to read. Even Heero and Trowa are easier to follow than him… maybe I should ask Quatre about it. He's always been good at figuring out what makes the rest of us tick…

"Uhm… room for one more out here?" came a familiar female voice from behind him.

Speak of the devil… or in this case, I guess I should say the devil's little sister.

Duo looked over his shoulder and saw Meyrin standing by the entrance to the observation deck. "Plenty. Come on out; I don't bite."

The young bridge officer smiled as she approached. She seemed both cheerful and a bit nervous, the latter of which Duo found odd; they'd talked plenty of times since they'd met following the Armory One attack, so surely, she'd be more comfortable with him by now. Sure, he'd called himself the God of Death in front of her, but he'd also told her about the meaning behind it, and that seemed to have clicked with her. Besides, it wasn't like he went out of his way to be intimidating when he was off the clock, unlike Heero, Trowa and Wufei who could do that without even trying. Hell, Duo considered himself to be possibly the friendliest Gundam pilot, with Quatre being the only real competition in that department.

Even after all this combat, she's still a bit skittish, he thought as Meyrin joined him at the railing, I guess I can't be too hard on her about that, though. If that's her only issue, then she's holding up just fine.

Meyrin cleared her throat, and to Duo it looked like she was trying to shake off some anxiety before speaking. "I, uhm, went looking for you down in the hangar earlier. One of the mechanics said I'd just missed you, so I thought you might be up here instead. Guess I got that one right."

Duo smiled. "Well, what can I say? It's hard to beat the view up here."

Meyrin smiled as well, looking a bit more confident. "Yeah, you're right about that."

Duo's brow furrowed momentarily as a thought occurred to him. "You're not due to start up your next shift for at least another hour. You pulled a late-night shift, too; you should still be resting up. What's so important that you need to come find me this morning?"

She looked down for a moment, and Duo could've sworn she blushed. "I was worried, okay? You guys were out on that raid, and I was just sitting on the Minerva. I felt horrible that you were taking all the risk in this operation while we were out of the line of fire."

"You were on duty when we came back, right?" Duo pointed out, "You saw us all come back safely. I get worrying while we're away, but we've been back since late last night. Besides, you do know what we're capable of, don't you? We've been fighting with you guys for a while now."

Meyrin sighed. "I know, but still… I just felt so useless. In other battles, the action's been close to the ship, and since I handle communications between the Minerva and the mobile suits, I can help you guys at least a little bit. Long-range strike ops like this, though… I was just sitting at my post doing nothing but watching for any sign of radio traffic from you all for hours on end. I felt like a complete waste of space!"

Duo reached over and gave her a pat on the back. "You're being a bit too hard on yourself, kid. You were at your station ready to do the job they gave you. Sometimes doing that means sitting back while others fly out to the front. Everyone's got their part to play on a ship like this, and your role is just as important as ours. I won't say not to worry about it; if you weren't worried during wartime, then I'd call you an idiot or a nutcase. Possibly both. The fact that you're feeling like this and recognizing it is actually a good thing. As long as you're aware of what you're feeling and can keep it from getting in the way of your judgment, you'll do just fine."

Meyrin smiled, and once again Duo thought for a moment that he saw her blush. "Thanks… that means a lot, coming from you."

Duo chuckled. "Don't mention it. Pretty sure I told you this before, but given that this is your first big war and all, I think you're handling yourself well. If you're ever feeling jittery, just remember that there are soldiers all over the world right now going through the same thing. Bridge officer, infantry, pilot, mechanic, galley cook; from the guys at the top to the grunts at the bottom, some feelings are pretty universal."

Meyrin nodded. "That's good to know. It's hard to imagine someone like you feeling that way, though."

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

"You're always so relaxed," Meyrin replied, "Whether it's between fights or right in the middle of battle, you always seem to have it all under control. I hear you on the tactical channel in combat, and sometimes it's hard to listen to your chatter and remember that it's taking place during an engagement. I… I want to be like you, Duo."

Duo sighed and shook his head. "That's… not really something you should want, kid. When you sound like me during battle, it's because you've got a mountain of corpses behind you. It means killing has become so easy that you're not even thinking about it. You're too good of a girl for that, Meyrin. If you become like me, then that means something went very wrong somewhere along the way."

"How can you say that about yourself?" asked Meyrin, "I know you like to call yourself the God of Death, but you're not a bad guy. Sure, you've killed people, but that happened in battle!"

Duo shrugged. "Maybe, but do you think that distinction matters to the families of those I've killed? War is hell, no matter how you slice it. I can tell myself that I'm fighting for the right reasons, but that doesn't change the fact that I've racked up a massive body count. Most soldiers tend to think that their cause is the right one; few people risk their lives in combat because they want to be the 'bad' guy. Even if I'm doing the right thing, I can't let myself forget the sea of blood I'm wading deeper and deeper into with each battle. It comes with the territory when you're a Gundam pilot. Ask any of the others; they might express it differently, but the underlying sentiment will be the same."

Meyrin looked down. "Maybe, but even so… I think you're doing the right thing. I don't think you'd still be with us if you thought that you weren't doing the right thing. No matter which way this war goes, I feel like if I watch and learn from you… I'll be able to stay on the right path.'

Duo chuckled as he reached over and ruffled her hair a bit. "Might be giving me a bit too much credit there, kid, but I appreciate the thought."

"H-hey, I-I was being serious!" Meyrin stammered, "Also, can you please stop calling me 'kid'? I get that I'm younger and less experienced than you, but still…"

Duo smirked. "All right, all right. Only because you asked nicely, though."

Meyrin nodded. "Thanks."

Duo smiled as he regarded her. "You know, you've come a long way since that whole mess back at Armory One. You've done a lot of growing up in a short amount of time. It's too bad that it's because of the war and all, but still, you should be proud of who you're becoming. You've got a good head on your shoulders. I'd say your parents should be very proud of you; between you and your sister, they did a pretty damn good job."

Meyrin smiled as well, and there was that blush again. "I'll tell them you said that next time I contact them… I'm sure they'd appreciate it."

Duo laughed. "If they do, maybe they can return the favor by passing along some tips! If I don't come out of this war with at least some idea of the kind of father I need to be down the line, then my wife's not going to be happy. Maybe you can talk them into letting me use your name if Hilde and I have a girl! What do you think, Meyrin?"

Her reaction wasn't what he'd been expecting. He'd been lighthearted and cheerful with his question, but the way her eyes widened in shock and her face paled told Duo that he'd made a serious miscalculation somewhere. Meyrin almost seemed to be trembling, and her voice was very shaky when she answered.

"W-wait…y-you… you're married?" she asked, so softly that it was barely more than a whisper.

"Well, yeah," Duo replied as he held up his left hand to show the wedding band on it, "I mean, I haven't exactly been hiding it. Meyrin? You okay?"

She took a step back, and her shaking frame told Duo that she was very much not okay. Before Duo could try to coax a bit more information out of her, though, the young woman bolted. In what felt like the blink of an eye, she'd gone from standing beside him to disappearing back inside the ship…

…and Duo could've sworn he saw tears in her eye before he'd lost sight of her.

An uncomfortable sensation began to grow in his stomach as he slowly put the pieces together. Her behavior since they'd met back at Armory One, the way she'd seemed to gravitate towards him, always seeking a chance to talk to him despite her clear shyness…

Wait a second…

Don't tell me…

After all the crap that he gave his fellow Gundam pilots when it came to dealing with the fairer sex…

…he'd completely failed to notice that Meyrin was developing a crush on him.

Duo sighed as he looked back out at the sea again. "Well... shit. Walked into that one, didn't I? Damn it… how the hell do I fix this mess?"

….

Well, I don't think I screwed anything up back there, thought Lunamaria as she laid back on her bed in the room that she shared with Meyrin, pondering her conversation with Wufei from the night before, I mean, I hope I didn't screw something up… ugh. I hate second-guessing myself like this…

She normally spent her downtime either in the lounge, the mess hall, or up on the observation deck, but Lunamaria had a lot on her mind and wanted a bit of privacy to sort it out. Unfortunately, she was only succeeding in running herself in a bunch of mental circles. As it turned out, working out one's feelings towards someone didn't particularly go so well without having a good understanding on where that particular someone stood. The only way she'd know for sure would be to ask…

…and asking Wufei how he felt about her was not something Lunamaria was anywhere near ready to do.

"What the hell…" she muttered, "Is it supposed to be this complicated? Maybe I should ask mom…"

Yeah, that'll go over well, she mused, I can already picture her reaction. 'Hey, Mom, turns out I might have a crush on a guy who's not from our world. Any advice on how to make the magic happen?' If Meyrin and I fighting in this war hasn't given her a heart attack already, that might.

Her train of thought was derailed when the door opened and Meyrin came in. Lunamaria could immediately tell that something was wrong; her little sister's fists were tightly clenching her uniform, and the red around her eyes didn't bode well.

"Meyrin," she said as she sat up on her bed, "What's going on?"

Meyrin's eyes widened; apparently, she was so distraught that she hadn't even noticed her older sister. "Luna… it's…"

Lunamaria immediately stood up and went over to her sister. "Don't say it's nothing; you won't get away with it. Meyrin, what's wrong? What happened?"

Meyrin shook her head. "It's… it's my fault. I was… so stupid. I should've seen it… I should've asked…"

"Seen what?" Lunamaria pressed, her concern growing with each passing second, "Asked what? Come on, Meyrin, you have to give me something to work with here. I can't help you if I don't know what you're dealing with."

Meyrin sighed and took a deep breath, and to Lunamaria it looked like she was trying her hardest not to burst into tears. "Remember a while back… when I teased you… about liking Wufei?"

Lunamaria had to think about it for a moment. "Yeah… we were back at Diocuia, right? What about it?"

"After that," said Meyrin softly, sounding almost ashamed, "You asked… if I… liked one of… them… too. The truth is… I did, but…"

Lunamaria quickly ran through each of the Gundam pilots in her head, trying to figure out which one was the most likely candidate before Meyrin could say the name. She could already rule out Wufei, and Heero and Trowa weren't far behind; they struck her as a bit too aloof and intimidating for her little sister's tastes. That just left Duo and Quatre. Both were much friendlier than the others, and Lunamaria could definitely see Meyrin being drawn towards either of them. There was only one way to find out for sure.

Lunamaria gently put her hands on her sister's shoulders. "Meyrin, tell me; which one is it, and what did they do?"

Meyrin shook her head. "He didn't do anything. I… I just didn't realize… I didn't see…"

"Which one?" Lunamaria pressed.

She didn't want to be so forceful with her sister when she was in such a state, but if she wanted to get a solid answer quickly then it couldn't be helped. Meyrin took a deep breath and looked down at the floor. When she next spoke, her voice was so quiet that it was barely more than a whisper.

"Duo…" she murmured before looking up at her again, "but Luna, it's not what you…"

Lunamaria couldn't be bothered to stop and listen to the rest. The frustration she'd felt earlier regarding her feelings for Wufei was transformed into white-hot anger at the self-proclaimed God of Death for hurting Meyrin like this, and she was going to let him have it.

"You stay here," she growled as she brushed past her and opened the door, "I'm going to give that jerk what he deserves!"

"Luna, wait!" Meyrin cried out in protest, "It's not like that! Luna!"

Lunamaria didn't listen; she was on the warpath now, well beyond reason. All she could think about was finding the Gundam pilot that had made her little sister cry…

…and make him pay dearly for it.

….

Duo was still out on the observation deck trying to figure out how to approach Meyrin and apologize for the misunderstanding when he heard the hatch open behind him. Both fearing and hoping that it would be her, he turned around and saw that it was actually Lunamaria standing in the doorway.

A very angry Lunamaria.

Oh, shit… not good.

Duo held up his hands, hoping to defuse the situation quickly. "Lunamaria, I can explain…"

"Explain what?" she growled as she advanced on him, both hands formed into tight-clenched fists, "Explain why my little sister was crying? That's the least of what you owe me, Duo!"

"It was a misunderstanding!" he replied, scrambling to think on his feet as she quickly closed the distance, "I didn't realize that she looked at me that way! I didn't…"

"Save your excuses!" Lunamaria snarled, and Duo saw her right arm tense up, "I'm not in the mood for them!"

She might not have intended it, but she'd already telegraphed the ensuing right-hook, and Duo took full advantage of it. Stepping to the side, he grabbed her by the arm and flipped her over. Her back hit the upper deck of the Minerva a bit harder than he would've liked; Duo wasn't nearly as graceful in close-quarters-combat as Wufei, but he wasn't exactly untrained either.

Pinning Lunamaria before she could counter, Duo's eyes narrowed as he met her furious gaze. "Look, you're pissed, and you have every right to be. I screwed up; I didn't put the pieces together until it was way too late. Give me a chance to explain what actually happened, and then we can help Meyrin. I'll even let you have a free swing at me once we're done. Deal?"

In a way, it was heartwarming to see her seething at him like this. Duo didn't know Lunamaria very well, but it was clear that she cared deeply for her little sister. He wished that it hadn't come to this in the first place, but he was sure that they'd be able to work together to ease Meyrin's broken heart once her initial fury subsided.

Lunamaria took a few deep breaths, and Duo gradually felt the tension in her dial back. He cautiously released her, still fully prepared in case she decided to haul off and claim that free hit early, but his wariness proved unnecessary. She was still glaring daggers at him as she stood up, but she looked like she at least had a better grip on her anger than before.

"Talk," she said curtly, her indigo eyes smoldering with suppressed wrath, "and make it quick."

Duo obliged, rapidly running her through the chain of events that had transpired earlier along with the clear signs he'd missed leading up to it all. A few minutes and several deep breaths later, Lunamaria had calmed down a great deal. She still looked far less than pleased with Duo, but he was willing to accept that.

She gave a weary sigh when Duo had finally wrapped up. "So, that's how it is… damn it. Can't say I'm particularly happy about it, but… well, I guess it wasn't really your fault."

Duo shook his head. "I'm probably not blameless here. I should've caught on sooner and let her down gently. Didn't realize she had a thing for me, although with hindsight the signs were definitely there. She's a sweet girl, and the last thing I want to do is hurt her, although I'll understand if you don't believe me."

Lunamaria leaned against the railing. "No, I do. Honestly, I didn't see the ring either, and it's not like you've been hiding it. I probably would've made the same mistake as Meyrin. Never would've pegged you as the type to actually get married, let alone be a faithful husband. No offense."

"None taken," Duo replied.

Lunamaria's eyes narrowed for a moment before she spoke again. "Your wife… she's back in your world, isn't she?"

It took Duo a second to fully absorb the real meaning behind what she'd just said. "Wait a sec… you know? About where we're really from, I mean?"

Lunamaria nodded. "I got caught eavesdropping on Heero and Wufei, and they let me in on the truth. It was… well, definitely hard to wrap my around, at least at first. The more I thought about it, though, the more it actually made sense. As crazy as it all sounded… it really is the truth, isn't it?"

Duo smiled. "You got it. You know, you're in a pretty exclusive club; not a lot of people in the Cosmic Era know that juicy little secret. Seeing as it hasn't been blazing its way through the ship's rumor mill, it looks like you've kept it under wraps for us. Thanks for that."

"I did tell Meyrin," Lunamaria admitted, "but it hasn't gone any further than us. She understands just how big a deal it is, and she seemed real intent on keeping it on the down-low when I talked to her. Looking back on it, she probably also did it as a favor to you."

"Way to twist that knife in," Duo muttered, "Now I really feel like a jerk… not that I don't deserve it, of course."

"I don't think it's about blame at this point," said Lunamaria, "It's really just one giant mistake on everyone's part."

Duo shook his head. "Maybe, but seeing as I'm the older and more experienced one, I definitely should've picked up on things sooner and acted. All I can do now is damage control."

Lunamaria nodded. "We need to talk to her together. She's never really had a serious crush on a guy before, and for it to turn out like this… I can't imagine what she's feeling right now."

"All the more reason to do this now," said Duo, "I know she'll still be hurting for a while, but the least I owe her is to apologize and explain things. It won't fix everything, but it'll at least help get her on the road to mending. She deserves that much."

Lunamaria sighed. "Let me talk to her first, okay? You wait outside our quarters until I open the door. I'll then give you two some privacy to sort things out."

"Thanks," Duo replied, "Let's get to it."

….

Lying back on her bed, Meyrin could only stare numbly upwards. She hadn't cried for a while, but she had definitely hit a low. She had no idea how to handle the crushing mixture of defeat, embarrassment, and heartache. Her entire body felt like lead; simply moving at this point would've been a monumental effort on her part, and she wasn't even sure if she could manage that.

I was such an idiot, she mentally berated herself, I didn't even both to check for a ring, and he wasn't hiding it. Meyrin, you fool…

She wanted to crawl beneath the blankets and disappear. Since the day she'd met Duo, she'd been trying to prove that she was growing as a soldier, yet she'd gotten swept up in her crush on him so badly that she'd failed to take into account something as elementary as the possibility that he might already be with someone else. She hadn't so much as bothered to ask if he had a girlfriend back home, let alone a wife. If she'd just bothered to use her head for a minute rather than let her schoolgirl-like whims carry her along, she just might've spotted that damn ring before making an absolute fool of herself.

It was far too late for that now, of course.

Of course, he's with someone, Meyrin thought, and you should've seen that coming. He was out of your league right from the get-go. Even if he wasn't married, did you really think that a shy little ingenue like yourself had any kind of chance with him?

A knock at the door provided a very welcome distraction from the sea of self-loathing and shame she was currently drowning herself in. "Hey, Meyrin? It's Luna. Can I come in?"

Lunamaria hardly needed permission; the two of them shared the room, after all. Meyrin knew that her older sister was trying to be considerate of her feelings, though, and she appreciated the gesture.

"Sure," she said after a moment.

The door slid open, and Lunamaria cautiously entered the room. She looked like she was walking on eggshells, which was definitely a weird look for her. Her sister clearly wanted to say something, but she was obviously having trouble figuring out where to start. Meyrin was nervous; Lunamaria had been pretty steamed when she'd left, and she hoped that her sister hadn't done anything rash.

That's just what I need, she thought bitterly, With my luck she probably punched him, which means that Duo must hate me now. I suppose things can't get much worse than that…

"I… talked to Duo," said Lunamaria, giving her a sympathetic look, "Meyrin… I'm so sorry."

This wasn't the way Meyrin had imagined things going. Had her sister actually listened to Duo rather than simply flying off the handle and decking him?

"What do you mean?" she asked nervously.

Lunamaria sighed as she sat down on the bed next to her. "He told me what happened. When I talked to you earlier, I didn't really give you a chance to properly explain things. I thought he'd deliberately hurt you, and… well, I tried to take a swing at him, but it didn't really work out. After that, he laid it all out, and it honestly sounds like one giant mistake. I should've calmed down and listened to you first before going off to confront him like that."

"It's okay," Meyrin mumbled.

Lunamaria shook her head. "No, it's not. You were hurting, and rather than trying to comfort and support you I just looked for an outlet for my anger. I really need to get a better handle on my emotions. I mean, I practically turned into Shinn for a moment there!"

Despite all that had happened, Meyrin couldn't help but give a small laugh at that. "You kind of did, yeah."

Lunamaria rolled her eyes. "Very funny. Anyway, knowing you, I'm sure you've been beating yourself up inside about not spotting the ring. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't really notice it before now either. Duo doesn't hold it against you; he admitted that he should've been up front about his situation. He told me that he didn't realize how you really felt about him until it was too late… and I believe him. I'm still pissed at him, but I believe him."

Meyrin blinked as she processed what her sister had just told her. "So, he… he doesn't hate me?"

Lunamaria's eyes widened slightly. "What? No, of course not! Meyrin, you made a mistake, and so did he. I guarantee he doesn't hate you. In fact, I can prove it."

Meyrin raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"Simple," Lunamaria replied as she stood up and went to the door, "He's right outside."

Before Meyrin could protest, Lunamaria opened the door and leaned out into the hallway. "Okay, you're up."

Lunamaria left the room as Duo came inside, and Meyrin wanted to hide under the sheets. She wasn't ready to face him so soon after making a complete fool of herself in front of him, but here he was. All she could do was look down at her bed, her face reddening with embarrassment and shame.

"Hey," he said as the door shut behind him, "Can we talk?"

Meyrin nodded, although she still couldn't bring herself to actually face him. For his part, Duo went over to the small desk that Meyrin and Lunamaria shared and took a seat. It wasn't a very big room, so Meyrin guessed that it was his way of giving her as much a respectful distance as was possible in such a confined space.

There was a long moment of silence before he spoke again. "Listen… I'm not going to pretend that I know what you're going through. What you're feeling… it's different for all of us. There's no one-size-fits-all for this sort of thing. All I can do is apologize and try to explain myself a bit. Will you hear me out?"

"Okay," Meyrin muttered.

Duo sighed. "Before that, can you look at me? Just for a moment, that's all."

Meyrin reluctantly did so, only to be surprised when she saw a very gentle smile on his face. "You might find this hard to believe, but I'm not mad at you, and I certainly don't hate you. Quite the opposite; I feel like shit for putting you through this. I meant it earlier when I said that your parents should be proud of you. You're a good girl, Meyrin, and with the way you're growing, you're well on your way to becoming a fine young woman. I get why you're beating yourself up right now, but you really shouldn't be. You made a simple mistake, and it's not like I'm exactly blameless here, either. So, let's talk a bit, okay? I promise that I'm not about to fly off the handle and yell at you or try to shame you; I'd never do that to you. Do you believe me?"

When he looked at her like that, how could she not? Meyrin didn't fancy herself the best at reading people, but from what she could tell there wasn't so much as a hint of anger or judgement in Duo's eyes. She'd quickly grown to trust him during his stay aboard the Minerva, and despite her crushed feelings for him, that trust still remained.

She gave him a slow nod. "I do."

"Thanks," he replied, "I'd totally understand if you didn't. Anyway… guess I should start with what I should've told you way before now. As you heard back there, my wife's name is Hilde. She took my last name when we married, although truth be told, I would've been okay taking hers. Mine's one that I just picked up from the church that took me in when I was an orphan. The two of us actually run a junkyard together back in our world; she was working there when I first met her. We tied the knot last year. She's a good pilot, but we both agreed that she couldn't come with us on this mission. Someone had to mind shop back home, after all."

"So, she's back in your world, then," said Meyrin as she mulled it over, "I guess that makes sense."

Duo smiled again. "Speaking of our world, I owe you one. Your sister said that Wufei let slip to her about where we're really from, that she told you about it, and you haven't let the word get out to anyone else. That means more than you might think. If it becomes general knowledge, things could get dicey… even more than they already are. Thanks. I mean that."

Meyrin couldn't help but smile as well in spite of how she'd been feeling just a few moments ago. "You're welcome. I… I didn't think it'd be right for either of us to blab about something that important. If you don't mind, though, I do have a question about that."

Duo chuckled. "You've probably got several, but I appreciate the restraint. I suppose you deserve that much. What do you want to know?"

"Why did you all come out here?" she asked, "From what Luna told me, it sounds like Heero came to our world by accident. Was it the same for the rest of you?"

Duo shook his head. "Nope. It was an accident for Heero, but for the rest of us it was quite deliberate. We came out here looking for that lunatic! Wasn't nearly as hard to find him as we'd initially feared, but… well, it's clear that he's not planning on coming back with us once this war is wrapped up. Your world is stuck with him for good. My sympathies."

Meyrin had to laugh at that, which she suspected was Duo's goal from the start. "I don't mind, but I think the Alliance and ZAFT in general might."

Duo smirked. "Well, they don't get a say in the matter. That's the thing about us Gundam pilots; we're not the types to play nice and follow the rules, and we definitely don't like being bossed around."

"I've noticed," said Meyrin, "I'm sure the leaders of both governments would much rather you not have come here at all. I'm glad you came out here, though."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Really? Even after… well, what happened earlier?"

Meyrin nodded, although she did wince at the mention of their previous conversation and its disastrous ending. "Yeah. I mean, you saved our lives back at Armor One, for starters. If you and your friends hadn't shown up, we would've been dead. The same goes for so many of the battles we've fought since then. Even without that, though, I really am glad that you came to our world. I was so afraid and confused as the world plunged into war, but you… you helped me find a sense of calm and focus. I was still scarred, but I felt more confident about doing my part to help get us through the tough times to come."

Duo smiled. "You would've grown into your role without my help. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

Meyrin looked down. "Strong? Not really. Look at what I did after I found out you were married. Ran off like a dejected schoolgirl."

Duo shook his head. "Don't beat yourself up over that. Like I said, I really should've gotten that out there a whole lot sooner. You'll bounce back. I know you will."

He stood up and took a few steps towards the door, but paused in front of her bed. "If you need some time and distance from me, I totally get it. That being said, if you ever need someone to talk to, come find me. I can't promise that I'll have all the answers to whatever's on your mind, but I can at least take a shot. You've been friendly to me ever since I first came to this ship, even when it was clear that we had our own goals and were simply using ZAFT to achieve them. I'd like to at least return the favor. You're a good friend, Meyrin. I really would like for that to remain so, but I'll understand if you can't."

Meyrin looked up and smiled. "No, I… I want to keep being your friend too, Duo. I think… I think I just need a bit of time. You know?"

Duo nodded. "I got you. Take all the time you need."

"Thanks," she said, "for everything."

"Don't sweat it," Duo replied, "I'll get out of your hair, then."

As the door shut behind him, Meyrin laid back on her bed again. The crushing despair and embarrassment she'd felt before had definitely lessened, although they weren't yet completely banished. That would take time, but she was in a much better position to move forward now than she had been several minutes ago.

She would survive and move on…

…and know that she still had a good friend in the God of Death.

….

As the door closed behind him, Duo almost plowed headlong into Lunamaria. "Whoa there! Give a guy a little room, okay?"

"Sorry," said Lunamaria as she backed up, "I shouldn't have stood so close to the door."

Duo shook his head. "Nah, it's cool. Can't blame you for trying to listen in."

Lunamaria folded her arms. "I wasn't doing that."

Duo rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say. So, we going to do this now or are you going to make me wait?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Lunamaria.

Duo sighed. "Don't play dumb. I promised you a free hit earlier if you'd hear me out, remember? Given how pissed you were at me, I doubt you've forgotten."

"Oh, that," said Lunamaria, looking down for a moment, "About that… I'm not going to take it."

Duo raided an eyebrow. "Really? Not that I'm complaining, but why?"

Lunamaria smiled. "Don't get me wrong, I was really tempted to take you up on it, but while you were talking with Meyrin I had some time to think… and I know it's not what she would want. This whole thing was one giant mistake, and you helped get her started down the road to recovery. I'm still mad that she got hurt like this, but I know it wasn't deliberate. So… I'm letting it go. You stepped in to try and make things right, and you don't deserve to get punched after that."

"Awfully generous of you," said Duo, "Thanks."

Lunamaria's eyes narrowed. "That being said, if something like this happens again, I will deck you. Got that?"

Duo chuckled. "Fair enough."

….

It's been a while since we've had a large meeting like this, Murrue thought as she took her seat in the briefing room, although it's hard to ignore a few key absences.

Normally, one of the spots next to her would've been filled by Heero. Instead, Cagalli was to her left while Lacus was to her right. Her boyfriend's absence wasn't the only one keenly felt; Murrue was sure that Cagalli would've felt infinitely better having Athrun sitting at her side right now. Murrue could at least take comfort in the fact that Heero would be returning to the Archangel soon, but Cagalli had no such reassurance when it came to Athrun.

Despite those two notable absences, though, the briefing room still had a decent crowd in it. Kira, Yzak and Dearka were present, as were Miriallia and Flay. Andrew and Aisha Waltfeld were at the front of the room, the latter helping the former make some adjustments to the monitor on the wall before things got underway.

A few seconds later, Murrue saw the screen flare to life. There was a brief moment of static before the image resolved itself, revealing the briefing room of the Dominion. Like that of the Archangel, it was fairly well occupied for the occasion. Eric and Shemei Bristow stood at the front, while behind them sat the Valkyrie's subordinates along with Natarle Badgiruel and Mu La Flaga.

"Are you lot hearing us okay?" asked Aisha.

Eric nodded. "Loud and clear. You guys?"

"No problems on our end," the Desert Tiger replied, "Tight-beam link's up with full encryption running. I'd say we're good to go."

Murrue smiled. "Good. We've got a lot to cover today."

Cagalli shook her head. "No kidding. It's hard to know where to start."

"Assessing the overall strategic situation will help us get our bearings," Lacus suggested, "From there, we can delve into more detailed subject matter."

Andrew nodded. "That's where I was hoping to kick things off. Aisha, shall we?"

"Of course," his wife replied before raising a remote and clicking a few buttons.

The image of those aboard the Dominion was shifted to the right half of the screen, while the left was filled with a global map. Earth Alliance territory was marked in red, ZAFT in blue, Orb Union in orange, and non-aligned nations in yellow. The map looked much the same as it had at the start of the war, with ZAFT's Diocuia base in eastern Europe being the only real new addition, along with their limited holdings in North Africa centered on the Suez Canal. Murrue knew that the map didn't come anywhere close to telling the full story, though.

"It's very much a mixed bag at the moment," Eric began, "Ever since our little rampage against the Atlantic Federation's Pacific Fleet, that theater of war's been largely reduced to ZAFT and the Alliance having a long staring contest with each other. With the loss of the First Fleet at the Dardanelles, Orb's remaining forces are focused more on defense than offense. The Earth Alliance could always force them to put the rest of the fleet to sea, but as of right now they've made no moves to do so. With the way ZAFT's been reinforcing its surface bases, it's likely that both the Alliance and Orb have decided to hold the remaining fleet units back in case an assault force is launched out of Carpentaria."

"Does ZAFT actually have the ships and troops required to make such a move?" asked Murrue, not failing to notice the nervous look in Cagalli's eyes.

Eric sighed. "With what they have now… technically, I think they've got enough to breach Orb's defenses, probably even conquer it. However, it'd be a Pyrrhic victory; the resulting losses would leave Carpentaria almost completely undefended, and you can bet that the Earth Alliance would be perfectly happy with sacrificing Orb so they could take out ZAFT's only base in the Pacific. If their buildup continues at its current pace, then eventually they'll have sufficient forces to launch a successful offensive while still keeping Carpentaria protected, but for now such a move just isn't possible. The Pacific theater remains a stalemate for the time being."

Kira gave a nervous smile as he glanced at his sister. "Could be better, but could be worse, right?"

"Oh, yeah," Cagalli muttered grimly, although she did look at least a little relieved, "Definitely could be worse."

Aisha gave her an encouraging smile. "We'll return to the Orb Union and free your people when the time is right, Cagalli. ZAFT will think twice about attacking an Orb Union that has both the Archangel and Dominion threatening it."

Andrew nodded. "The day will eventually come when we return to the east and take back our home, but for now the action is firmly in the west. As much as I wish that they were flying with us, I have to admit that Heero and his old friends have done us a huge favor operating out of the Minerva. They've utterly decimated Alliance naval strength in the European theater of the war, and that's given us much greater freedom to maneuver in the Mediterranean. We still have to watch out for ZAFT naval patrols, but their search patterns and tactics haven't changed all that much since the last war; it's pretty easy to anticipate their moves and work around them."

Shemei shook her head. "You'd think the top brass would've learned a thing or two from the last time around. ZAFT still has a long way to go when it comes to surface warfare."

"Well, their top field commanders in that area did defect during the last war," Lan pointed out.

"Hard to replace the Desert Tiger and the Wolf of the Far East," Adaline chimed in.

"I almost feel bad for them," Priscilla added with a wink, "Almost."

Mu La Flaga chuckled. "We do seem to be good at sucking all the real talent out of them. Then again, we've done about the same with the Earth Alliance, and I'm definitely including myself in that category."

Natarle shook her head. "Cocky as ever."

The Hawk of Endymion grinned. "Would you have me any other way?"

Natarle gave him a light kick to the shin. "Don't push your luck, flyboy."

"It makes a certain amount of sense," said Miriallia, "ZAFT's a space-based nation, which means that their military's primary field of deployment is extraterrestrial. Most of their soldiers and commanders operate there; it's only a minority of their forces that take part in surface missions. Their talent pool when it comes to operations on Earth is likely limited as a result."

Dearka nodded. "That's actually pretty close to the truth. At least, that's how things were back when I was with them."

Yzak concurred. "Same. We all got basic training for surface operations, but by and large the primary focus was space combat. What most soldiers wanted was to be deployed with the fleet and make a name for themselves that way; there was always a certain amount of reluctance to take on surface assignments. Only a few soldiers and officers really dedicated themselves to that area of expertise."

"If the same's held true over the pasts two years, then that works in our favor," said Flay, "I understand that the pilots aboard the Minerva are good, and I'm sure there are soldiers at ZAFT's surface bases that are skilled, but overall it sounds like they don't have the best of the best down here. If we end up fighting them, those battles will be easier than ones we'd be fighting up in space."

Murrue's eyes narrowed. "Theoretically, you're correct, but it would be a mistake to take them lightly just because Earth isn't where they're best at fighting. They still outnumber us, and their mobile suits have advanced considerably since the last war."

Lacus leaned forward, and Murrue saw that she was studying the on-screen map intently. "Even if ZAFT does not have their most skilled commanders and soldiers down here, those that are in the region have us surrounded. Gibraltar, Diocuia, and their base in the Suez Canal zone allow them to come at us from multiple angles. We must tread cautiously."

"No arguments there," said Andrew, "although it's not ZAFT that I'm worried about at the moment. There's been recent movement on the Alliance's end, and it's got me a little concerned."

Murrue knew that wasn't a good sign. "What are they up to?"

Andrew turned to the screen and nodded at Eric, who took over. "One of my contacts with ZAFT's Surface Intelligence Bureau forwarded me their latest reconnaissance and surveillance reports the other day; there's been a major increase in trans-Atlantic military travel, and it's all one-way. The Atlantic Federation has been sending over multiple large-scale convoys and cargo jet flights. Troop and mobile suit transports, tankers, supply freighters; they're moving a lot of men and materiel, and they're in a rush to do it."

"Are they setting up for another push?" asked Cagalli, "Reinforcing the Eurasian Federation forces for assaults on Gibraltar and Diocuia?"

"It's a distinct possibility," the Desert Tiger admitted, "With their naval forces in the region decimated, they might be going all in on an overwhelming air and ground attack."

Murrue's brow furrowed in thought. "Any idea on what sort of numbers we could be dealing with here?"

Eric sighed. "My contact could only give me rough estimates. Based on the number and size of the transports and cargo jets, they're ballparking it at somewhere between 700,000 to nearly a million men. Those figures could definitely climb, especially given how quickly they're throwing convoys together."

Aisha's eyes narrowed. "Something's not right about this. Even if they're allies, I can't see the Eurasian Federation being comfortable with so many Atlantic Federation troops operating in their territory."

Natarle nodded. "During the last war, things were pretty tense between both countries; they actually tried to steal the Archangel and the Strike when we docked at Artemis, and we had to use the chaos created by ZAFT's attack to escape. I imagine parts of the Eurasian military are still sore about how they were set up to be sacrificed at Alaska, too."

Murrue gave a rueful chuckle. "I'm still holding a grudge over that, so I wouldn't be surprised in the least if they are too."

"That makes two of us," La Flaga quipped.

"Three of us," Miriallia grumbled.

"Four of us," Kira chimed in, "Although, I suppose I was a bit late to the party. Good thing I showed up when I did.

Yzak winced; Murrue knew that he still felt guilty about having nearly blown up the bridge of the Archangel during that fight, and it was only thanks to Kira's timely arrival that she and her crew were still alive. "Yeah… that wasn't a good time."

Dearka shuddered. "No kidding."

"I was there, too," Flay reminded them, "Though I spent most of the fight inside the base. I got lucky with Creuset picking me up, although it wasn't exactly fun spending time with him."

Kira smiled. "At least you lived long enough to make it back to the Alliance and for us to rescue you during the final battle. If you'd still been inside the base when Heero opened fire…"

Flay shook her head, although she did return his smile. "Believe me, I know how it could've gone. Things worked out in the end, although they very easily could've gone the other way."

"If the Eurasians have lingering hostile sentiments towards the Atlantic Federation, then why would they allow so many of their troops to be deployed in their homeland?" asked Lacus, "I know that the Eurasian Federation armed forces aren't quite as powerful as those of the Atlantic Federation, but they are still very formidable. Even with ZAFT having taken a new base in Europe and seizing control over most of the Mediterranean, the Eurasians still have an impressive army to defend the mainland with. Having foreign troops in their sovereign territory, even if they're from an allied nation, surely can't be popular with their citizens."

"That's what's so strange about this," said Eric, looking more than a little worried, "If they're just reinforcing allies or prepping for assaults on Gibraltar and Diocuia, that'd be one thing. They'd need large numbers of troops and materiel, but nothing on the order of what they're bringing to the table here. A force this large… I don't have any evidence to base this on, but it feels like there's another purpose behind it. It's rubbing me the wrong way, and I can only imagine how the citizens of the Eurasian Federation will react to such a large foreign armed force in their homeland, allied or otherwise."

"Any chance your contact in the SIB can do some further digging on this?" asked Shemei, "We need to figure out what the Alliance is up to, preferably sooner rather than later."

Eric nodded. "I already passed that request along. They'll do what they can, but to be honest, the impression I got was that ZAFT's as confused about this as we are."

"Could it be in response to the fact that Chairman Durandal himself is on the surface now?" Priscilla suggested, "One of Heero's earlier reports indicated he was at Diocuia, right? That facility could be a much more attractive target to the Alliance than Gibraltar by virtue of his presence alone."

Eric shrugged. "It's possible, but if so, they're aiming at the wrong location now."

Lan raised an eyebrow. "The Chairman's on the move?"

"Yes," Eric replied, "Just before our meeting, I got a separate report from one of my contacts within ZAFT's surface navy; three Vosgulov-class submarine/carriers departed Diocuia just a few hours ago. One's carrying the Chairman while the other two are acting as escorts. Their destination is Gibraltar."

Murrue's brow furrowed. "Gibraltar… the Minerva is heading that way as well. Somehow, I doubt that's a coincidence."

"Why go by sea?" asked Kira, "Wouldn't air travel be faster?"

Mu La Flaga shook his head. "It would, but it'd also be more dangerous. Thanks to the raid on Cagliari, ZAFT has practically complete naval dominance in the Mediterranean Sea; going by submarine is infinitely safer than flying."

Cagalli had a thoughtful look on her face as she studied the map. "Why did Durandal come down to the surface in the first place? None of the prior Chairmen of the PLANTs ever took that risk during the last war. It strikes me as completely unnecessary."

Lacus nodded. "You're right. The Earth Alliance would consider him and whatever base he was staying at to be a high-priority target, and Durandal would surely know that. The Supreme Council may have contingency protocols in case the Chairman is ever incapacitated or killed, but they've never actually been put into effect before; Eileen Canaver's seizure of power and formation of the provisional government in the aftermath of Patrick Zala's death was very much outside of the normal procedure for such a situation. I find it hard to believe that Chairman Durandal would want to risk a similar scenario unfolding on his watch."

"Maybe he's a closet adrenaline junkie and wants to be closer to the action?" suggested Dearka.

"Not exactly the best of traits to have in a ruler," Miriallia quipped.

"Maybe," Yzak conceded, "but the fronts in outer space have been relatively static ever since the Alliance attacked the PLANTs at the start of the war; Earth is where all of the major battles have taken place since then. He could've decided that it'd be more effective to lead as a wartime ruler on the surface where he could understand the situation on the ground in a way that he couldn't by staying at L5."

Flay shook her head. "I don't know… I mean, it's not like it would take him all that much longer to get status updates in L5 than it would if he were at Gibraltar or Diocuia."

"Is it related to whatever end goal he has for this war?" asked Natarle.

"We really need to work on figuring out what that is," Lan suggested.

Adaline nodded. "Can't argue with that."

Priscilla sighed. "Maybe, but where would we even start with that? Apart from the fact that his plans obviously require Lacus's death and a global conflict, we don't have all that much to go on."

"Hate to admit it, but she's right," said Shemei, "Durandal's much cagier than Patrick Zala ever was. He's been keeping his cards close to the chest."

"That's putting it mildly," groaned Eric, "I've worked every angle I can think of through my network, but I keep coming up empty on that front. My contacts in the Supreme Council's office haven't been able to dig up anything. If we could flip someone on the Chairman's personal staff, our luck might turn around, but I haven't been able to find anyone who fits the bill. His aides are all personally loyal to him, which has made the Chairman's office an information black hole. It's incredibly frustrating."

"Maybe we're taking the wrong approach to this," said Andrew, "We've been focusing our intelligence efforts on L5, but we know that Durandal's background isn't limited to just the homeland. Before he went into politics, he was in the scientific field, specifically as a geneticist."

"What kind of work did he get up to?" asked Aisha.

"I believe he was studying the influence of an individual's genetic code on their behavior," Eric answered, "One of my contacts in the PLANT scientific community was able to forward me a few of his old research papers on the subject. While for much of his work he was in the homeland, there were a few periods where he was away, often for months on end. I was able to check travel records for that part of his life, and I found something interesting; his destination for those trips was always L4."

Murrue's mind immediately went to the obvious conclusion, and she was certain that she wasn't the only one. "Was he involved with Mendel? Between the cloning program and Ultimate Coordinator Project, that colony was a hub of underground genetics research. I'm sure that they would've found a use for his particular field of study."

"It's certainly possible," Eric admitted, "Hard to say for certain with the information currently available, though."

"I did ask DaCosta to look into things up there," said the Desert Tiger, "It was just before the war officially kicked off. He did send a team to scout out the area, but ZAFT had increased their patrols near Armory One following the surprise attack; they couldn't make an approach to L4 without risking detection. I haven't ordered another attempt yet."

"Then it's time we do so," said Lacus, standing up and drawing all eyes to her, "During the last war, we only used Mendel as a temporary shelter; the closest we came to exploring the colony was when Creuset lured Kira and Mu La Flaga into the abandoned cloning facility. We must return to L4 and make a thorough investigation of the colony, regardless of the risks involved. In addition to this, we must also open new fronts in our intelligence efforts within the homeland itself. Towards those ends, I believe it would be best to redeploy some key personnel."

Kira looked nervous. "Lacus, what exactly do you have in mind?"

"I wish to return to outer space," she replied, "We have resources in orbit that have laid dormant thus far due to our focus on the surface theater of war. It's time we began activating and utilizing them. Mister and Missus Waltfeld, I wish for the two of you to accompany me."

The room went silent for a moment, with Cagalli eventually being the first to speak up. "Uhm, Lacus? Don't take this the wrong way, but… are you insane?"

Lacus blinked. "No, I'm completely serious. Why?"

Dearka sighed. "Oh, boy…"

"How to put this delicately…." Miriallia murmured.

"It's physically impossible for you to get there from where we're at right now," Yzak bluntly chimed in.

"He's right," said Flay, giving Lacus a look that was somewhere between concerned and very disturbed, "We'd have to get all the way back to Orb, sneak into the country, and set up a flight at the mass driver. Given everything that's going on out here in the European theater of the war, that's not a detour we can afford right now."

Lacus shook her head. "We don't have to go all the way back to the Orb Union. There's a mass driver not too far from our current location."

As much as Murrue wanted to support the songstress, she couldn't help but wonder if Lacus really did have a few screws loose in that head of hers. "Lacus, that mass driver is at Gibraltar. That's by far ZAFT's most fortified base on the planet!"

Lacus smiled. "Oh, I'm fully aware of that. Why do you think I want Mister and Missus Waltfeld to accompany me? Their expertise will be vital to getting through base security and finding a suitable flight out."

Murrue saw both Andrew and Aisha's eyes widen. Clearly, the songstress had not consulted either of them about this before today's meeting.

She's had some pretty 'out there' ideas before, Murrue mused, but this one might just take the cake…

Kira gingerly took Lacus's hand. "Lacus, I know why you want to do this, but… I really don't think it's a good idea."

"That's an understatement," Aisha wryly quipped.

Much to Murrue's surprise, the Desert Tiger came down on the other side. "No, she's right. In fact, I'd say it's overdue."

Natarle glanced at La Flaga. "Did I hear him right? He thinks that this is a good idea? Has he lost his mind?"

The Hawk of Endymion shrugged. "Hey, don't look at me. I'm just a pilot. My job is to fly around and shoot things. He's one of the big-picture people, so I assume he's got his reasons."

Eric nodded. "I think I know what you've got in mind, old friend. Can't say I'm particularly thrilled about it, but I'm with you."

Shemei turned to her husband and raised an eyebrow. "Really? Sweetheart, I can't see how this anything other than a really bad idea. Can you help a girl out here?"

"No kidding," Lan chimed in, "I'm lost."

"This can't end well," Adaline muttered.

"Let's hear them out first," Priscilla suggested, "Then we can all pile on them about how it's a bad idea."

Lacus smiled. "Thank you, Priscilla."

"Ignoring the operational complexities of infiltrating Gibraltar and getting the three of you on a shuttle that you can then seize control of and use as you please, having you go to space seems unnecessary at this time," Murrue argued, "I'm sure the fighting in orbit will heat up eventually, and we do need to increase our efforts when it comes to investigating the Chairman, but we've already got people up there that can handle the legwork. I know DaCosta struck out during his first attempt to organize an infiltration of L4, but surely ZAFT's patrols in the area aren't seamless; there will be gaps that can be exploited for such a mission. It'll just take time and patience to discover them. DaCosta's a competent commander; if we tell him what needs to be done, he'll find a way to accomplish it."

Andrew smiled. "I appreciate the vote of confidence in my old second-in-command. Normally, I'd be right there with you, but things are moving quickly. I don't doubt DaCosta's abilities, but I also know his limitations. He's a good commander, but he's also a bit more conventional than someone like Eric or myself. If we want to kick our efforts up in space into high-gear, it'd be better if I was there to personally assume command."

Aisha sighed. "I can understand that, and I would be fine with accompanying you and aiding our efforts up there as a pilot. However, that only justifies the risks involved in moving the two of us back to outer space; Lacus is another matter entirely."

"True, at least as far as our military operations are concerned," Eric conceded, "However, there is a reason why her presence up in space would be beneficial; morale. When it comes to inspiring people, can you really name anyone better?"

"There's no reason why she can't accomplish that down here," Kira countered.

Cagalli nodded. "Kira's right. Having her go to space just for the purpose of inspiring our forces up there is a foolish risk! We have everything we need for her to accomplish that down here!"

Murrue reluctantly shook her head as a piece of the puzzle fell into place. "No, not really. It's true that the communications equipment aboard the Archangel could easily be used for broadcasting her messages, but those sorts of transmissions would make it easier for both the Earth Alliance and ZAFT to locate us. When we were operating out of Home One, we had a setup that at least allowed her to route her signal first through secure landlines and then any number of intermediary nodes and relays before it went out into the open. We don't have that same kind of capability with either the Archangel or the Dominion, especially not under our current circumstances."

"We have been letting the Earth Alliance and ZAFT dominate the media game in this conflict," Miriallia admitted, "Finding a way to get our message out there is just as important as any of the battles that we've fought so far, and Lacus is by far the best of us when it comes to countering our adversaries' propaganda. Getting her into a position where she can make full use of her talents in that field would go a long way towards helping us fulfill our ultimate objective of bringing this war to an end before it escalates as badly as the last one did."

"I don't like it," said Dearka, "It's still way too big of a risk."

Much to Murrue's surprise, Flay was shifting to the other side of the debate. "It's definitely dangerous, but… I think it's worth a shot. If we let the Alliance and ZAFT stay in control of the narrative, it won't end well for us."

Yzak took a long look at Lacus. "I don't know… it's awfully reckless. If anything goes wrong… I don't want to lose any of you guys, but Lacus alone getting captured or killed would hurt us more than the loss of even a Gundam. We'd be putting a very important egg in a vulnerable basket. Is upping our media game really so important as to justify this kind of risk?"

"I would not simply be acting as a voice for our cause or an inspirational icon," Lacus chimed in, "There is another purpose that I can fulfill in service to Terminal, one that I could accomplish with much greater effectiveness in outer space than from the surface; diplomacy."

La Flaga raised an eyebrow. "Huh? I don't know if you've noticed, but the Alliance and ZAFT aren't exactly willing to talk to each other at the moment. Their leaders also want you dead, which means that they probably wouldn't accept you as a potential mediator between them."

Lacus shook her head. "I do not speak of mediation between the Earth Alliance and the PLANTs. While I would certainly welcome such a role if it was possible, I am well aware of the fact that both sides are now fully invested in this conflict and that they both seek my demise. When I speak of diplomacy, what I refer to is reaching out to allies whose support will be vital in the weeks and months to come. I can engage in such efforts far more effectively in outer space than I can down on the surface."

"Much of the old political infrastructure built by the Clyne Faction during the last war has laid dormant in this conflict," Eric elaborated, "Chairman Durandal doesn't present as clear and obvious a threat as Patrick Zala, so many of our old connections in the late Siegel Clyne's sphere haven't been actively organizing; they're mostly just waiting to see how this plays out. If they were to find out that the Chairman attempted to have Lacus murdered, I wager that they'd suddenly become much more interested in working with us."

The Desert Tiger nodded. "Eric's intel network is all well and good, but most of his sources are focused primarily within the military and intelligence services. We don't have as many contacts in the civil administration and political circles of the PLANTs as we used to, and that's in large part due to many of our old allies in said circles not seeing the need for a domestic resistance. Durandal's played his hand well; he presents his administration as defending the PLANTs from unjustified aggression in an honorable and just manner, implicitly contrasting his efforts in the war with those of Patrick Zala in the last one. Many of those we relied upon for influence and information, particularly as the prior conflict escalated, don't feel like their involvement is required this time around. We need to open their eyes, and Lacus is uniquely suited to doing just that."

"Those contacts would go a long way towards fighting Durandal when the time comes for us to move against him," Murrue admitted, "Without allies in a position to take power should his administration be brought down, we could simply be replacing one adversary with another. Having people in leading positions of a potential new government that share our views will be a necessary element of our mission to bring this war to an end and secure a lasting peace for the future."

Shemei sighed. "When you put it that way… well, it's hard to argue with the potential benefits."

"I still don't like it," Lan grumbled.

"Same here," Adaline chimed in, "Lacus has a giant target on her back already, and if she's discovered Durandal would have a clear shot at her."

"She'll be most vulnerable during infiltration and transit," Priscilla pointed out, "Gibraltar's security is going to be tight; just slipping the three of you in there and arranging transport is going to be a challenge. Even if we can pull that off, you won't be in the clear once the ship takes off. Most transport shuttles are typically unarmed, and they're not the fastest craft in the Earth Sphere either. If you're intercepted by Alliance forces or if ZAFT discovers the ruse and pursues, you won't be able to fight back or outrun them."

"It's definitely a tall order," Natarle concurred, "I know we've been able to pull off some upsets in the past, but this scheme might be beyond our current capabilities."

"We'd need someone on the inside to make this work," said Cagalli, "Mister Bristow, how many of your contacts are at Gibraltar?"

"I've got one inside its logistics hub, and another on the general staff overseeing the facility's operations," he answered, "The former can get us most of the information we'd need. Arrival and departure timetables, shipping manifests, security measures for the flights themselves and the spaceport; enough for us to work with."

"Getting inside's still going to be a problem," Kira argued, "How do we pull off the insertion?"

Murrue's mind was already racing forward, and the rough outline of a plan was taking shape. "A night insertion with the helicopter we used to retrieve Cagalli with wouldn't be feasible; it's not geared for stealth. The Wraiths, on the other hand, are perfect for this op. I know they're not meant for passengers, but their cockpits are spacious enough that we could squeeze each of you in one of them. Lan, Adaline and Priscilla can approach Gibraltar cloaked and drop you off inside the perimeter. There'd be a brief window when the cockpit opens that you'd be vulnerable to detection, but by the time anyone would be able to investigate the three of you should be on the ground and on the move. We keep ZAFT uniforms on both the Archangel and Dominion for use in infiltration ops, so the three of you can take your pick as far as the wardrobe's concerned."

"What about once they're on base?" asked Yzak, "They'll need identification."

"I can handle that," Eric replied, "You'll have the best fakes in the Earth Sphere. Shouldn't take too long to make them."

"That still leaves the shuttle itself," said Dearka, "If you're going to slip in with a pre-scheduled flight, you'll need to get your names inserted into the transport manifest. Once that's done, there's still the matter of where the shuttle's going; odds are good it'll be heading to L5. You'd have to either hijack the shuttle before reaching that point or ride it all the way to the PLANTs and then steal something there. I'm pretty sure I don't have to tell you how dangerous that would be."

Eric shook his head. "We can work around that. I can have my contact in the logistics hub insert a new flight on the schedule. Gibraltar flight control would only be tracking us until break free of the atmosphere; they just want to make sure we don't crash and burn on takeoff, after all. Once we're in outer space, we can alter course as we please."

"What about passengers and crew?" asked Miriallia, "You can't just take random outsiders to one of Terminal's secret facilities, let alone ZAFT personnel. That's a massive security risk."

"ZAFT has shuttles designed specifically for shipping cargo," Andrew countered, "and there are always at least a few spare craft at the major bases in case they need to transfer any heavy equipment back to space or make a run to one of the colonies to pick up an emergency shipment. We'll have no passengers to worry about if we take one of those, and they've got pretty minimal crew requirements. Wouldn't be out of the ordinary at all for a shuttle like that to be departing with only three on board."

Aisha nodded. "I can fly one of those, no sweat. Andy, I'll need you working as my copilot. Lacus, you can just sit back and enjoy the ride."

Lacus smiled. "Sounds good. I wouldn't want to get in your way."

Murrue's eyes narrowed as she recalled a key detail from Heero's report on the Cagliari raid. "Perhaps the shuttle's cargo bay shouldn't be empty."

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

"The Minerva is on its way to Gibraltar," Murrue elaborated, "and according to Heero, it's hauling a very special prize; the recaptured Gaia. I don't know what ZAFT's plans are for that machine; it's possible they may just briefly study it at Gibraltar before getting right back out into the field, this time on their side. It was designed for surface combat, after all, at least in its mobile armor configuration. However, on the off chance that they decide to move it back to the colonies instead…"

Andrew grinned. "We could snag ourselves a ZAFT prototype. Murrue, I never thought you could be so devious!"

Murrue smiled as Heero's face flashed through her mind. "It's something you pick up when you're dating a Gundam pilot."

Flay shook her head. "Isn't that another unnecessary risk? ZAFT's already lost the Gaia once; they'd take extra precautions to make sure that it's not stolen again."

"Plus, we don't even know if they're planning to move that unit back to space at all," Natarle pointed out, "As you said, Murrue, it is a unit with an edge in surface combat. Yes, it can fight in space, but down on Earth is where it can play to its strengths. Any halfway competent field commander would want to keep it down here."

Murre nodded. "True enough. However, if ZAFT does decide to ship it back to space from Gibraltar, they'll have to use one of the cargo shuttles. If we can confirm that they're moving it, I don't see why we shouldn't take advantage of that."

La Flaga chuckled. "It'd be a nice little way to flip ZAFT the bird. A little preliminary payback for their attack on Home One, as it were."

Lan smiled. "I'm down with that!"

Adaline smirked. "I can already picture the looks on their faces when we swipe the prototype they just recovered right out from under their noses."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Priscilla cautioned, "We still have to figure out if they even plan on moving the unit back to space or not. It's hardly guaranteed."

"I'll include a request to look into it in my message that I'll be sending to my contact in Gibraltar's logistics hub," said Eric, "Like Murrue said, if ZAFT wants to move it, they'll have to utilize one of the base's cargo transports. That means they'll have to route a requisition order through the base's shipping administration services to get the ball rolling."

Shemei nodded. "For now, let's consider stealing the Gaia to be a potential secondary objective of this operation. Our primary focus still needs to be getting Lacus, Andrew and Aisha safely back to our forces in outer space. When do we plan on putting this scheme into motion?"

"We're currently tailing the Minerva," the Desert Tiger replied, "Accounting for her evasive maneuvers and course corrections to avoid possible enemy submarines or air attacks from mainland bases, she'll likely arrive at Gibraltar within the next day or so. That gives us a bit of time to fine-tune the details of this little scheme of ours, but we'll probably have to implement it shortly after the Minerva arrives at the base if we want to steal the Gaia as well; if ZAFT does decide to move it, then they'll want to get that taken care of as quickly as possible."

"I'll contact Heero a bit later today and inform him of what we're planning," said Murrue, "Given the position he and the other Gundam pilots are in, they might be able to help us out. At the very least, since they're aboard the Minerva they'll be able to monitor the Gaia and give us a warning if ZAFT removes it from the ship."

"Any chance that we could convince them to stage some kind of diversion?" asked Aisha, "It certainly couldn't hurt our chances."

Murrue shook her head. "I don't know if that'd be possible. Thanks to Heero warning us about their attempt to spy on Athrun during his meeting with Cagalli and Kira, ZAFT surely has him under greater scrutiny than before. Perhaps one of the other Gundam pilots might be able to pull something off, but we have to assume that ZAFT is trying to monitor them as well given their association with Heero. More to the point, Heero has his own operation that he's trying to put together… one that also involves stealing something from ZAFT, strangely enough."

Andrew's eyes narrowed. "I believe you mentioned that before the meeting. When he contacted you last night after the Cagliari raid… he wanted to abduct the Gaia's pilot from the Minerva, right?"

Murrue nodded. "Yes. He found a matching face and name in the files that were recovered from the Lodonia facility… she's one of the children that were experimented on in the Alliance's Extended program."

A grim silence fell over the briefing rooms of both warships. Thanks to Heero's report after the storming of the facility, everyone knew about the horrors that had been uncovered in the Atlantic Federation's secret North African laboratory. The medical staff on both the Archangel and Dominion had been kept busy studying the data Heero had sent them, organizing it all so that it could one day be effectively presented before the world as evidence of Earth Alliance crimes against humanity. The doctors and nurses on both ships had been in understandably somber moods over the past few days, and Murrue's stomach churned from simply thinking about the material that they were reviewing.

Shemei was the one that finally broke the silence. "Damn… where do we even start with that can of worms?"

"He wants to save her, right?" asked Aisha, "Given what was done to those children… I hate to sound like a pessimist, but is that even possible? Forget about the physical damage to their bodies; the psychological trauma alone must be unimaginable."

"We have to try," said Cagalli, "She's a victim of Alliance cruelty and sadism; we owe it to all who have suffered under them to give them a chance at salvation."

Lacus nodded. "Cagalli is right. I am glad that Heero wishes to rescue her; it is our moral imperative to heal those that have been tortured so horrifically to be used in this conflict."

"How does he plan to pull it off?" asked Kira, "He's got a plan, right?"

"I'm sure he's working out the details of one as we speak," Murrue replied, "I know that he wants to bring her to the Archangel, and I've already instructed our medical personnel to prepare as best they can. As for him liberating her from the Minerva in the first place, we can only trust that he can handle it."

"At least we'll be able to help when she arrives," said Flay, "Doctor Monroe should be able to handle whatever psychological treatment is needed, and our medics hopefully will figure out the rest."

"What do we do with her after that?" asked Yzak.

"We don't even know if she'll let us treat her," Dearka pointed out, "For all we know, maybe she's gone crazy and likes what the Alliance has done to her."

Miriallia's eyes widened. "Dearka, you don't actually believe that, do you?"

Dearka shrugged. "I'm just saying that it's a possibility we need to account for."

Eric sighed. "He's not wrong. Torture does things to people, and if the files Heero recovered are indication, the poor kids that got caught up in this program went through worse than most. She very well could have gone genuinely insane simply to cope with the horror of her situation."

"I really hope that's not the case here," said Shemei.

"What do we do if she's beyond saving?" asked Lan.

Adaline shuddered. "I don't want to think about that."

"We should focus on treatment," Priscilla suggested, "Depending on the severity of her mental and physical damage, there's a strong likelihood that we're looking at a very long-term recovery program."

Natarle nodded. "We have the security personnel needed to keep an eye on her if she's a threat, regardless of what ship we put her on. I don't like the idea of just tossing her into the brig if she becomes too much for the medics to handle, but it's an option."

"Let's leave all that for the medical staff to figure out," said La Flaga, "Security can coordinate with them and hopefully find a middle ground."

"That depends on how much time they have to prepare for her arrival," said Eric, "Murrue, any idea as to when Heero plans on springing her?"

"Within the next few days, I believe," Murrue replied, "I know he was concerned about ZAFT taking her off the Minerva and possibly transferring her back to the PLANTs to stand trial for the Armory One attack since it took place before the official declaration of war. Even if they don't move her, it'll still be harder for him to make a clean escape while the ship is at Gibraltar as opposed to it being at sea. Odds are good we'll be seeing the two of them sooner rather than later."

"Who's all coming with him?" asked Andrew, "Is it just going to be Heero and the girl, or are the rest of the Gundam pilots pulling out of the Minerva as well?"

Murrue shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure. Heero didn't mention if any of his friends would be helping him spring her, let alone join him in leaving the Minerva. We should be prepared in case we end up needing to accommodate more than one Gundam."

Natarle nodded. "Between the Archangel and the Dominion, we should have sufficient space for all five of them. It'll be a bit crowded in the hangars, but we can manage."

"What about Athrun?" asked Cagalli nervously, "Is… is there any chance that he might return with Heero?"

Murrue sighed. "I'm sorry, Cagalli. Heero didn't mention him when we spoke. It's always possible that he may change his mind, but for the moment… it would be prudent to assume that he's sticking with the Minerva."

Cagalli looked down at the floor, her disappointment and frustration on full display. "I see…"

"He won't be with them forever," said Kira in a desperate attempt to lift her spirits, "He'll see that ZAFT's manipulating him and come around eventually!"

Lacus gave Cagalli a sympathetic smile. "I know how hard this is for you. Athrun's carried the guilt about what happened with his father in the last war inside him the past two years; even now, I don't believe he's fully accepted that there's nothing he could've done to dissuade Patrick Zala from the dark path that he chose. I think that's why he returned to ZAFT and has remained with them thus far. Still, do not lose hope. Kira is right; eventually, Athrun will recognize that he is being used by Durandal. It may take longer that we would like, but he will find the right path in due time."

"Too bad we can't fly over there and smack some sense into him," Dearka grumbled.

Miriallia giggled. "I don't think ZAFT would appreciate it if you approached the Minerva with the intent of dope slapping one of their pilots, no matter how much he might deserve it!"

"Someone has to open his eyes," Yzak chimed in, "If he comes back here on his own, I call first dibs on whacking him upside the head for his stupidity."

Flay gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs. "Cagalli gets first dibs on that, Yzak. You'll have to get in line."

Yzak gingerly rubbed his chest. "Okay… I can do that."

"It would be nice if he came back sooner rather than later," said Andrew, "We need every ace pilot we can get right now, especially with all the work that lies ahead of us. The Atlantic Federation and Orb, ZAFT… we've got a lot on our plate."

Murrue saw Cagalli perk up slightly at the mention of her homeland. "At least Yuna's not around to make things worse than they already are. Unato's a piece of work, but he's more cautious than his son was. I don't think he'll be dispatching any more Orb Union forces to the frontlines unless the Atlantic Federation threatens to outright overthrow him. He definitely won't be commanding them in the field; he's not stupid enough to play at a role he's completely unsuited for."

Eric smiled. "Speaking of Orb, I've been hearing some interesting chatter from Kisaka and the rest of our friends back home. Unato's on very shaky ground, as it were. The engagement at the Dardanelles was a complete debacle for him, and not just because his son was killed and the First Fleet destroyed. Support for his administration from within the military has gone down the tubes, and things aren't looking much better for him on the civilian front either."

Shemei grinned. "Any chance they might coup him before we get back and save us the trouble?"

"It'd be nice if we didn't have to be the ones doing all the work for once," Lan grumbled.

Adaline smirked. "Come on, you love busting heads, don't deny it."

"She's got a point, Adaline," Priscilla argued, "We can't be the ones to respond to every crisis and solve every problem. If Orb's military and civil administration could take care of Unato for us, that'd be one less headache for us to deal with. We've got enough of those on our hands as it is."

Natarle shook her head. "I don't think a coup can happen until we're back in the Orb Union. A leader that's accepted by both the people and the military would be needed to replace Unato, and right now that leader is out here with us."

"And it's not like we can divert back to Orb right now," La Flaga added, "Things are hot out here, and with the Atlantic Federation shipping so many new troops over it's only going to get hotter."

Eric nodded. "Natarle and La Flaga are both correct; a coup won't be possible without legitimate leadership waiting in the wings, and we can't afford to deliver that leadership at the moment due to what's very likely to be a major spike in activity on this front. Restoring the Orb Union's rightful ruler and pulling them out of the Earth Alliance's orbit is unfortunately going to have to wait for a bit. I'm sorry, Cagalli, but we can't afford to divert the resources needed to get you back to your homeland right now."

Cagalli smiled. "It's okay, I understand. I can at least do some immediate good out here as a mobile suit pilot, and it would take time to organize a successful coup anyway. As long as we keep in contact with those that we left behind, we can monitor developments and give them the space needed to lay the groundwork for my eventual return."

Murrue put her hand on Cagalli's shoulder. "We'll return to Orb when the time is right, and we'll do everything we can to save your people. You have our word on that, Cagalli."

"I appreciate that," the young woman replied, "and I know that Orb's just one part of this war. Terminal has to be where the action's fiercest in order to have the most immediate impact and prevent things from getting worse. I knew that going into this. I hate leaving Orb in Unato's hands a second longer than necessary, but it's unavoidable if we're to accomplish our goals. He'll get what's coming to him eventually."

"That he will," the Desert Tiger concurred, "In the meantime, I think we've covered all the big topics for today. Murrue, I want you to get that message out to Heero ASAP. If he and his friends can help in any way with our plans for Gibraltar, great. If he's got his hands full working out the extraction of the Gaia's pilot, that's fine. As long as he's aware of what we're doing, he'll be able to plan his next move appropriately. We've got a lot of work to do, people. Let's make it happen!"

….

The newsfeeds in Djibril's office were from at least a dozen different major metropolitan areas in the Eurasian Federation, and none of them showed anything promising. Quite the contrary; in the past few hours there had been a marked increase in activity that the leader of LOGOS considered to be less than ideal.

Mass demonstrations in Berlin.

Full-blown riots in Paris.

A general strike in Vienna.

An attempted storming of the Atlantic Federation embassy in Rome.

An open brawl between MPs on the steps of the Eurasian Federation Parliament in Moscow.

Can't even keep their own house in order, Djibril fumed as he watched the building chaos, and all over a single defeat.

It had been impossible for the Eurasian Federation to hide the disaster that had been ZAFT's surprise attack on their fleet at Cagliari. The strike had taken place within full view of the scenic port town; any civilian with a halfway decent camera could've taken footage of the assault, and plenty had done just that. New videos of the surprise attack and the aftermath were being released to the media or uploaded online every hour, and Djibril doubted that would stop anytime soon.

He'd anticipated some backlash once word of the raid and the resulting casualties got out, but Djibril hadn't counted on it spiraling so quickly. The leaders of the Eurasian Federation had reassured him before now that they had their populations under control and backing the war effort, but clearly that wasn't the case. Brushfires were breaking out all across their territory now, and if Djibril wasn't careful they could easily merge into a devastating inferno.

The underlying problem was that support for the war within the Eurasian Federation had never been as firm there as it was within the Atlantic Federation. Things were easy for Djibril; the North American media conglomerates had long ago been paid off by LOGOS and were quite comfortable with either outright toeing the Blue Cosmos party line or sanitizing it enough to appeal to the more squeamish supporters amongst the population. Having the backing of the major evangelical groups in the Atlantic Federation went a long way towards providing motivated foot soldiers, and any religious denominations that could've provided a counterweight had been effectively marginalized. Blue Cosmos and LOGOS had a host of willing pawns in their home territory; there was little need for nuance or subtlety in the propaganda at this point.

As for potential opposition within the Atlantic Federation's political system, neutralizing that had been a simple matter. The courts had been quite thoroughly stacked by Blue Cosmos loyalists and sympathizers well before even the First Bloody Valentine War, and the judiciary had only been tilted further in their favor since then. From there it had been child's play to rig the electoral game, and the representation of any remaining moderates had been firmly relegated to permanent minority status. The legislative branch existed as little more than a rump body, a rubber stamp for an executive that was saturated in LOGOS funding and die-hard Natural supremacists.

Djibril's house was quite in order, but the same clearly could not be said for his counterparts across the pond. The problems had manifested themselves on many levels, and while they'd been papered over up until now, the underlying fault lines had never truly been dealt with. One of the issues came down to simple structure; governance within the Eurasian Federation wasn't as centralized and consolidated in the manner that Blue Cosmos and LOGOS had been able to achieve with the Atlantic Federation. Many of the individual territories could still exert considerable sway within the system, and since anti-Coordinator sentiment had never reached the same heights in Europe as it had in North America, that meant that it was much harder to enforce a top-down approach when it came to convincing the majority of the population that total war against the PLANTs was necessary.

Lingering distrust and hostile sentiments were another serious problem. Cooperation between the fellow members of the Earth Alliance could be tricky even at the best of times, and during the last war there had been quite a bit of friction. The sacrifice of Eurasian Federation forces at the First Battle of Alaska was a particularly sore spot, and high-ranking officers within the military had never forgiven what they perceived as Atlantic Federation treachery. The allies of Blue Cosmos within Eurasia had been able to consolidate power to an extent during the last war, but they had lost a great deal of influence in the ensuing peace. Pulling the Eurasian Federation into a second conflict had by no means been easy, and the heavy naval losses at Cagliari gave the foot-draggers plenty of ammunition to use against those that wished to continue the fight.

A third bone of contention was proximity. While the core territories of the Atlantic Federation were far removed from the front lines, the same couldn't be said for those of the Eurasian Federation. ZAFT now had two bases in continental Europe and a third near the Suez Canal; as far as the surface war was concerned, the people of the Eurasian Federation had a front row seat. The effects of the conflict were felt much more readily in their homeland than they were in the Atlantic Federation, and being so close to the action naturally had the civilian population on edge. All in all, it was hardly a recipe for a stable ally.

The first wave of our occupying troops will be coming ashore soon, Djibril thought as he only half-heartedly followed the headlines, and their reinforcements will follow in short order. We'll continue to let the Eurasians believe that they are simply using their territory as a staging area for future offensives, and we can even move some of them closer to the front in order to maintain the ruse. With a bit of luck, we should be able to maintain the façade until the Coordinators have been purged from Europe altogether. If not… well, by then it will be too late for them to do anything about it.

Unfortunately for the leader of Blue Cosmos and LOGOS, it wasn't just the other nations in the Earth Alliance that he had to worry about. The Extended Program was still reeling from the storming of Lodonia, and the crisis had only been compounded by word of the Gaia's capture at Cagliari. With luck, its pilot would be dead, although that would still give ZAFT a useful corpse to study in autopsy. If the girl was still alive it would pose a few problems, but from what Djibril understood, without the right cocktail of chemicals to properly maintain her she would expire within a week or so.

The loss of expertise was a far more serious threat to the program. While Djibril hadn't outright loathed Dr. Frick in the manner that Azrael had, he had been less than fond of the scientist. Still, his experience and knowledge had been vital to the Extended Program, and with him gone that left the project to be run by far less brilliant and competent second-stringers. The Phantom Commander cloning program had been brought to a screeching halt as well, although Djibril didn't consider that to be a great loss. The final product of Azrael's vanity project was a nuisance even on the best of days, and lately he had become so consumed with his vendetta against the pilot of Wing Zero that it was impeding his effectiveness in leading Phantom Pain.

"If only he'd just gone and died back at Armory One," Djibril muttered, "If I'd known his failures would be so many, I would've cut the power to the tank they grew him in. Azrael… you always did leave me to clean up your messes."

At least Nazara was currently at a post where he could do no harm; Heaven's Base was as far from the front lines as one could get without being in the Atlantic Federation homeland. There was important work going on at the facility, particularly Project Reaper, but that was a program that the Colonel had an incentive not to screw up. Djibril's faith in the leader of Phantom Pain had waned considerably since the start of the conflict, but he could at least be reasonably confident in the Colonel's ability to intimidate the staff involved in that special project into working productively and finishing on time.

At the rate things are going, we may need their final product sooner rather than later, he mused, Europe in particular is in need of a reminder of what they will face should they try to shirk their obligations in this fight. The Destroy units will go a long way towards achieving that end, but if we really want to make a statement then we'll need something a bit more dramatic.

Alas, for the moment he would have to make do without the titan that was taking shape in Iceland. The bloody work ahead would be borne by the divisions currently on their way or already landing in Europe, and if the Eurasian Federation didn't get their act together soon then Djibril's legions would do it for them. He was well aware of the fact that outside intervention would likely serve to intensify the current unrest, but at the same time he knew that a firm hand would be needed to quash it before it morphed into a beast beyond their control. Protests, riots and strikes were bad enough; the last thing Djibril wanted to deal with was a full-blown rebellion.

A chime came from his computer, drawing his attention away from the newsfeeds. Checking the console, he saw that the alert was regarding the situation in the Orb Union. It was from a liaison with one of the several private security companies that had been contracted to assist with maintaining internal order within the Earth Alliance's junior partner. Djibril's eyes narrowed as he studied the report, and he was ill at ease with the contents.

The incompetence of Unato's son cost us more than ships and mobile suits, he thought bitterly, Orb's current government is treading on thin ice. No protests or riots yet, but discontent within the military has risen sharply. I suppose that's to be expected; they were the ones that got bloodied at the Dardanelles, after all.

While Djibril liked to remind Unato of the price Orb would pay for betraying the Earth Alliance, that threat didn't quite have the teeth that it used to. The losses inflicted upon the Pacific Fleet earlier in the war were still keenly felt, and reinforcements were proving difficult to muster. While the Atlantic Federation had a highly formidable industrial base, the problem was that it still hadn't completely shifted to a full war economy; the preparations for such a move had been lacking due to the fact that Djibril had been gunning to win the war with the opening strike on L5. Even if that hadn't been the case, devoting too many resources to the war effort would inevitably begin to cut into the creature comforts of the Atlantic Federation's citizens, and one of the reasons they weren't currently rebelling like those in Europe was that they'd yet to truly feel the deprivations of a protracted conflict. Yes, plenty of Atlantic Federation soldiers had died, but they had fallen on battlefields far away from the homeland; Americans had mastered the art of ignoring the dead and wounded of foreign military adventures over the years, a tendency that Djibril was all too happy to encourage if it meant that the people under his rule wouldn't rise up against it.

It wasn't the Atlantic Federation civilian population that he was worried about in any case. His eye was on the military, and for good reason; they'd taken considerable losses since the start of the Second Bloody Valentine War, and it had been several key defectors during the previous conflict that had been crucial to thwarting the plans of Blue Cosmos. Djibril was determined not to make the same mistakes as Azrael. Both the rank and file troops and the officers leading them were closely monitored, with the Atlantic Federation's various intelligence services working overtime on background vetting in order to root out any potential troublemakers.

There was a delicate balance that needed to be maintained. Allies and subordinates needed to be kept in line, but acting ham-handedly would only serve to alienate those Djibril sought to keep in his camp and possibly encourage new defections. However, without powerful reminders of the price that would be paid for betrayal, how did one prevent those defections in the first place? The Orb Union had been brought to heel by threatening a repeat of the invasion that they had suffered in the last war, but that warning would lose its teeth without forceful demonstrations of the fact that the Atlantic Federation could still back up its threats.

We're at a tipping point, he mused grimly, A display of brutality and might will be needed to remind those that might betray us of the consequences for such an act, but we're not yet in a position to make good on that. The reinforcing troops, the Destroy units, Project Reaper… two out of three will soon be in position, but the third will take a little while longer to become fully operational. All three were meant to act in concert to achieve the greatest result, but at the rate things are going we may have to make do with the first two for the time being. Will that be enough?

Tapping a few keys on his console, he shifted the image on the monitor to a map of the Earth Sphere as a whole. The situation in outer space was as precarious as that on the surface. Earth Alliance military forces were concentrated at two primary points; the moon and the L2 shipyards. Technically, the Orb Union forces defending their colonies at L3 could also be considered part of Earth Alliance now, but Djibril was skeptical as to their actual loyalty. Unato and Yuna had focused primarily on seizing power within the Orb Union mainland; very little attention had been paid to the orbital colonies. Djibril had originally kept several squadrons of warships close to the L3 border as a not-so-subtle threat, but he'd been forced to withdraw those after the catastrophic losses that had been suffered in the attack on the PLANTs. ZAFT was maintaining patrols outside of L3, but they weren't of sufficient force to actually threaten the colonies; they were merely meant to monitor activity in the region. For better or for worse, the Orb Union Eden and Elysium colonies were operating independently of Earth Alliance supervision, and Djibril suspected it was in fact for worse.

"Their time will come," he whispered as he adjusted the map, "Sooner or later…"

The image on the monitor shifted, this time bringing the moon into prominent focus. In outer space, it was as close as the Earth Alliance could come to home turf. True, Copernicus City was considered to be neutral territory, but the Alliance had two hardened bases on the moon and a score of smaller outposts. ZAFT maintained no lunar territory, a fact that the Alliance was quite eager to enforce through an extensive naval presence in orbit.

Of the two primary lunar bases, only one was known to the public: Arzachel. With the destruction of the Ptolemaeus base by GENESIS in the final campaign of the First Bloody Valentine War, the Atlantic Federation had spared no expense in constructing a new lunar stronghold as quickly as possible. The facility was named for the crater it was housed in, and much like its predecessor had been designed as a command hub, fleet repair and resupply center, and a fortified storage location for the Alliance's secretly rebuilt nuclear missile stockpile. While the nukes had already been expended, the base was still a vital strategic point for the Earth Alliance and keeping it secure remained a top priority.

However, it wasn't actually Arzachel that Djibril had eyes for at the moment. The image of the moon on the monitor had been steadily rotating since he'd first brought it up, and it only took a few seconds for what Djibril considered to be the real prize to come into view; Daedalus. Constructed on the dark side of the moon in the aftermath of the last war, it was a top-secret facility designed to serve as a strategic redoubt and a center for advanced weapons research. The second half of Project Reaper was taking shape there, and like its surface counterpart it couldn't come on line fast enough as far as Djibril was concerned. However, that was not the project that Djibril wanted to check up on at the moment. Instead, his gaze shifted to a side window that had opened up, displaying the latest updates and adjusted timetables for the weapon that would ultimately bring this war to an end.

It's coming along well, all things considered, he thought, I would prefer it to be online already, but given the scale of the project a significant period of time is understandable. Once it's finally complete, the Earth Sphere will be ours. That day cannot come soon enough.

Djibril smiled as he turned back to the newsfeeds. "Temporary setbacks, the lot of them. Enjoy your moment of ascendancy while you can, Durandal. I guarantee that it will not last long. Your day of reckoning will come, and when the time comes to drop the curtain on your abominable race, the world will sing the sweetest of requiems."

….

Back during basic training, Shinn's instructors had occasionally mentioned that soldiers might sometimes find themselves in a state of nervous exhaustion; their bodies might be desperate for sleep, but their minds were seized by apprehension and therefore slumber eluded them. Shinn hadn't given it any real thought at the time, but with how long he'd sat beside Stella's bed in the infirmary he was finally starting to appreciate just what the academy instructors had been trying to describe. He felt almost indescribably heavy, and at this point he seriously wondered if he was actually capable of rising from the chair he occupied. He knew that he needed sleep and would occasionally come close to nodding off, but he couldn't bring himself to cross the threshold and allow himself the rest his body required.

Fear kept him awake. Not fear for himself, but for the girl that lay before him. When Stella had initially awakened a few hours after she'd first been brought to the infirmary, things hadn't exactly gone well. Shinn had hoped that his face being the first thing she saw might ease her mind a bit, and for a moment he could see the recognition in her eyes. However, it had only lasted for a moment, and it had immediately been replaced by a wail of anguish as what Shinn assumed were the memories of the previous battle came flooding to the forefront. That combined with the ensuing wild thrashing despite Shinn's best efforts to calm her had been all security required to get involved, and she'd been forcibly sedated by one of the nurses once the guards had tightened her restraints. She had been slumbering in front of him since then, and Shinn dreaded what would happen when she inevitably stirred.

Stella…, he thought numbly as he gazed upon the helpless young woman, what happened to you? How did you get dragged into all of this?

He'd been tempted to seek out Heero to find answers; the Gundam pilot must've had enough time to peruse the files he'd stolen from the Alliance by now to know what Stella had gone through. However, Heero's warning about keeping an eye on the medical staff examining Stella hadn't been far from his mind. Shinn was no medical expert, but from what he'd seen so far it certainly didn't look like the chief doctor or any of the nurses were up to anything suspicious. They'd drawn a bit of blood for analysis, but given the circumstances that didn't strike Shinn as particularly unusual, and the rest of their examination of her had seemed to be more or less conventional.

"You really should be back in your quarters resting," said a familiar male voice from behind him.

Shinn nearly jumped as he looked over his shoulder. "Rey? Why are you up? I thought the doctor said that you weren't ready to move around yet!"

His fellow ZAFT Red shook his head. "I'm feeling much better now. I imagine they'll certify my as fit for service and discharge me quite soon. If you stay here much longer, though, they might just insist on classifying you as a patient and hooking you up to an IV. Looking at you now, you might actually need it; you haven't eaten since before the raid, have you?"

Shinn shook his head. "Haven't really been hungry."

A rather noticeable rumble came from his stomach at just that moment. Shinn looked down sheepishly as Rey folded his arms.

"Not hungry, huh?" the blond pilot quipped.

Shinn sighed. "Okay, fine. I can't leave, though."

"What's stopping you?" asked Rey.

"I'm worried about her!" Shinn argued, "I don't know what's going to happen to her!"

"She's well-guarded and has some of ZAFT's finest medics caring for her," Rey pointed out, "She's in no immediate danger."

Shinn wanted to believe that, but Heero's warning lingered in his mind. It made no sense; the doctors and nurses aboard the Minerva were hardly the monsters that had worked in the bowels of Lodonia. He'd trusted them before now, and their behavior with Stella so far hadn't struck him as suspicious. There should be no danger in him stealing away for a bite to eat and then a few hours of much needed sleep.

And yet the last thing Shinn wanted to do was leave.

Looking down at Stella, Shinn knew that at this point the only way he'd be leaving was through either a direct order from Captain Gladys or the security personnel forcibly ejecting him. Quite possibly both would be required. There was no logic to it, but his instincts were screaming at him that Stella needed his protection now more than ever, and he wasn't going to abandon her.

"I know that there's no threat for her here," he conceded to his friend, "but that doesn't matter. I'm staying."

Rey shook his head, but Shinn could've sworn he caught the briefest flicker of a smirk on the young man's face. "As stubborn as ever… fine, then. You do still need to eat, though, so I'll swing by the mess and grab you something."

Shinn was surprised by the offer, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Thanks… although, are you technically allowed to leave here? You haven't been officially discharged yet, right?"

Rey shrugged. "No, but the medical staff has more important matters to worry about than me slipping away for a bit. I doubt it'll cause any trouble."

"All right, then," said Shinn, "I owe you one."

"Don't mention it," said Rey, "Need anything else while I'm at it?"

Shinn smiled as he cleared his throat. "Some water, if you don't mind."

Rey nodded. "I'll be right back."

Shinn turned his attention back to Sella as Rey headed out. The knowledge that he'd soon be getting a bite to eat improved his mood a bit, but he still couldn't shake the unease that was gripping him. He wanted to reach out and take Stella's hand, but he had a feeling that the security guards stationed nearby would disapprove.

She doesn't need armed guards, Shinn thought, Stella needs help! I know she was piloting the Gaia, but she's not the enemy; she's a victim! Why can't they see that?

Then again, he supposed that he was the outlier here. After all, he'd been the only person from the crew of the Minerva to have any sort of meaningful interaction with Stella outside of combat. As far as everyone else was concerned, she was an Alliance black ops soldier who had attacked Armory One, stolen a prized prototype and killed many ZAFT troops. They saw her as an enemy, and with good reason. The horrors of the Lodonia facility had only been discovered a very short time ago, and while most of the crew had a general idea as to what had been found there, not many knew that Stella had been one of the Alliance's unfortunate test subjects.

He wasn't keeping track of time as he watched over Stella, so when he heard the medical ward's doors open again, he thought Rey had returned. Looking over his shoulder, though, he was surprised to see not his fellow ZAFT Red but Heero Yuy.

Shinn's eyes widened slightly as the Gundam pilot approached. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking up on things," he replied as he joined him by Stella's bedside, "How is she?"

Shinn sighed. "I don't know. She's been sedated for several hours now. I thought seeing me the first time she woke up would've helped, but she freaked out. I'm… I'm afraid of what's going to happen when she wakes up again."

"Her lashing out isn't all that surprising," said Heero, "Even if she knows you, don't forget that you and her were on the opposite sides of a battle not too long ago. There's also the fact that Heine killed her commanding officer in that same fight, and her reaction to that was quite powerful. Who can say what demons she's wrestling with in that mind of hers right now?"

Shinn slumped down in his chair. "How are we supposed to help her if she won't let us? If she lashes out again when she wakes up, what do I do?"

"Be here for her," Heero answered firmly, "This was never going to be an easy process. Having you by her side, though, could make all the difference here."

Shinn saw the Gundam pilot regard him for a long moment. He had to work not to flinch under Heero's gaze; it felt like he was searching Shinn's soul for something, but the ZAFT Red had no idea what that might be.

Then Shinn saw Heero's brow furrow ever so slightly. "How far would you go to save her?"

Shinn blinked; had he heard Heero right? "Excuse me?"

"What would you be willing to do in order to keep her alive?" Heero asked, nodding at Stella, "To help her get through her nightmare of a life with something approaching a semblance of sanity when she emerges from the abyss of her own mind? To what ends would you go?"

He's being serious here, Shinn thought.

Shinn surprised himself with how firm his response was. "To hell and back."

Heero glanced off to the side. Following his gaze, Shinn saw that he was looking at one of the two security guards currently posted in the infirmary. The guard in question suddenly seemed very interested in her fingernails, or at least saw them as a convenient excuse to avoid the rather piercing look that Heero was giving her.

Heero turned back to Shinn a moment later, his expression completely unreadable. "Then maintain your vigil… and be ready for anything."

The Gundam pilot strode out of the infirmary, leaving a bewildered Shinn behind.

….

Giving the Saviour's monitors one last look-over, Athrun powered down the displays. Stepping out of the mobile suit and closing the hatch behind him, he turned to the young blue-eyed engineer with orange-brown hair that had been assisting him.

"Everything's in the green, Vino," he said, "Good work."

Vino Dupre smiled. "Thanks! You know, you don't have to come down here and do the maintenance checks with me each time. You're a combat pilot; your job is to shoot stuff. I'm an engineer; my job is to fix your cool mobile suit while you rest."

Athrun shrugged. "I know, but I like being part of this sort of thing. Helps me understand my machine better. It's a little habit you pick up when you've got so many battles under your belt."

The young man nodded as he brushed some grime off of his green jumpsuit. "I gotcha. Well, this baby's purring like a kitten, so I think we're done for the day. I was gonna go grab Yolan for a few rounds of poker once shift's up; want to join in?"

Athrun was about to take him up on his offer, but as he looked down from the mobile suit maintenance catwalk, he saw none other than Heero walking across the hangar floor and heading right for the Saviour. The Gundam pilot looked up at him, and Athrun realized that he had now had a more pressing engagement than a card game.

"Sorry, but I'll have to take a raincheck this time," said Athrun, "I'll try to join in on the next one, okay?"

Vino followed his gaze, and the young engineer suddenly became quite eager to leave when he saw who was approaching them. "Uhm, sure, sounds good. Catch you later!"

The two of them climbed down service ladders on opposite sides of the Saviour. Vino very quickly walked out of the hangar while Athrun went to meet Heero, looking a few times like he might break into an open run. He saw his friend watch the engineer flee with an eyebrow raised in what looked like amusement.

"I didn't think I was that scary to the crew," Heero muttered.

Athrun had to laugh at that. "Well, you were the bane of ZAFT's existence in the last war! You've got a reputation whether you like it or not, Heero."

Heero shrugged. "I suppose you're right. No matter. I won't be sticking around much longer anyway."

Athrun did a double-take; this was news to him. "Excuse me?"

"Let's go topside," said Heero as he looked around the hangar, "We need to talk, preferably without an audience."

Athrun didn't think they had much to worry about down here; the engineers and technicians still in the hangar seemed quite focused on their work. There was certainly enough noise to go around that the two of them probably didn't have to worry about eavesdropping. Still, if Heero wanted to take precautions, Athrun wasn't going to fight him on it.

A few of the mechanics waved at Athrun as he passed by, although they rather quickly got back to work when they saw Heero glance their way. Heero's reputation aside, Athrun thought that their reactions were rather funny. After all, Heero wasn't their superior officer; it wasn't like he was going to bark at them to get back to work.

"You seem to be getting on well with the ship's crew," Heero commented as they left the hangar.

Athrun nodded, unsure if Heero was going anywhere with this. "Well, they're a pretty friendly bunch. Reminds me of the support staff you have with Terminal."

Heero's eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't you mean the support staff we have with Terminal?"

Athrun winced as he realized what Heero was getting at. "Uhm, yeah… that's right. Sorry."

Heero shook his head. "I'm not so sure."

Athrun's eyes narrowed. "You got something you want to say?"

"Yes," Heero answered casually, "Why else would we be going up top?"

Athrun had to bite back a groan. While normally he appreciated how Heero almost always kept a level head, sometimes he wished that that his friend would be a bit less inscrutable and unflappable. It was hard to tell if Heero's words had been just a simple statement or if they were meant as a dig.

Get your head on straight, Athrun told himself as the two of them made their way to the observation deck, Whatever's going on here, you'll get a straight answer on it soon enough.

They made it to their destination a few minutes later. A brisk Mediterranean late afternoon was rapidly transitioning into evening. The sun was already down quite a way in the west, and with only partially cloudy weather it made for quite a lovely backdrop. The two young men headed over to the railing, and as they both leaned against it Athrun saw Heero staring out at the sunset for a good long moment. Was he lost in thought? Actually taking a second to stop and enjoy the view? Athrun couldn't tell.

"You're at home here," Heero said after a few seconds.

Athrun shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about. Home is back in Orb with Cagalli and the rest of you guys."

Heero gave him a hard look. "Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?"

Athrun folded his arms, his brow twitching in frustration. "Just spit it out already! You think I've betrayed Terminal, haven't you?"

"Nothing so extreme," Heero countered, "I know you haven't told ZAFT our secrets. You've made plenty of questionable decisions since the mess at Armory One, but you're not a traitor. Continue down the path that you're currently on, though, and I might have to revisit that judgement."

"And what 'path' do you think I'm on?" Athrun shot back.

"The path of someone who's slipping back into old habits and familiar territory," Heero replied, "In the last global conflict, your allegiance was with ZAFT until just before the Alliance invaded the Orb Union. You spent much of your life in the PLANTs, and the majority of the prior conflict with their military. In contrast, you've only spent a little more than two years with us. Being aboard the Minerva with the world at war again is almost a homecoming of sorts for you."

Athrun bristled. "This is where I can do the most good, Heero! The Seirans were isolating Cagalli and keeping me from being her bodyguard, and I would've been just another pilot if I'd stayed with Terminal. With ZAFT, I can actually make a difference! Durandal made me a member of FAITH, which means I have actual authority here. I can use that to our advantage!"

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Actual authority? Funny; I haven't seen you trying to exercise it all that much. At best, you might've been something akin to a flight leader for the ZAFT pilots on this ship, but now that Heine's here your role in that department is redundant. You're both members of FAITH, so either of you can take that role. What authority and influence do you really have?"

The question caught Athrun flat-footed; he'd never really tried to push the envelope when it came to the powers his official rank theoretically held. "I… I can command resources in battle. If we operate with any other ZAFT forces…"

"We did that back at the Gulnahan Ravine operation," Heero countered, "The only role you played there is the same one you've played since rejoining ZAFT; that of an ace pilot and field officer. Apart from taking out the enemy's prototype mobile armor, the only thing of real note that you did there was accept the surrender of the surviving Alliance troops once the main action was over. That was the extent of your 'influence'."

"It saved lives!" Athrun argued.

Heero nodded. "Yes, but another officer could also have accepted that surrender. I'm not trying to discount your accomplishments in that battle; I want you to look at the bigger picture. What purpose do you really serve here?"

"A morale boost, for starters," said Athrun, "My reputation might not be in the same league as yours, but I'm still a well-known ace from the last war. Word that I'm fighting for ZAFT again has surely spread; soldiers tend to be motivated when they know that famous pilots are fighting on their side."

"A factor that serves Chairman Durandal quite nicely," Heero pointed out, "as does the ridiculous façade he wants to put on for his soldiers with regards to you and Meer."

Athrun glared at him. "Meer's got nothing to do with this. She's just doing her job, Heero!"

The look Heero gave him in response was not a friendly one. "Her 'job' is to act as a cheap knockoff of Lacus Clyne in order to maintain support for Durandal's administration, and he was willing to sign off on at least one assassination attempt against the genuine article to keep the truth from getting out. Meer may not be hostile to us, but her puppeteer most certainly is. Terminal's been focusing on fighting the Earth Alliance for now, but a confrontation between us and ZAFT is inevitable."

Athrun shook his head. "Heero, just because we had to fight both the Earth Alliance and ZAFT in the last war doesn't mean we'll have to engage them again in the same manner. This war isn't a repeat of the last one. The leadership of the PLANTs wants what Terminal wants; peaceful coexistence between Coordinators and Natural. ZAFT's not our enemy!"

Heero folded his arms. "At best, we have an uneasy and unofficial truce with them. It can fly out the window at any time. I'm certain that Durandal's already accounted for that. You clearly haven't, though. I thought you were smarter than this. The way you've been acting lately, it's as if you've swallowed ZAFT's party line with gusto. You spoke with Kira and Cagalli; you heard from them what ZAFT tried to do at Home One, so you know it's not me spinning a tall tale here. Durandal has an agenda beyond protecting the PLANTs or winning the war, and for you to not recognize otherwise is a gross display of willful ignorance."

Athrun took a deep breath to keep his composure; losing his cool here wouldn't do anyone any favors. "Heero… I do believe what you, Kira and Cagalli said about what happened at Home One, but… maybe we're missing something here. Remember the radicals we fought against in Operation Redemption? Those probably aren't the only remnants from my father's old political faction still kicking in the Cosmic Era. Maybe the attack was from another group."

"Unlikely in the extreme," Heero argued, "The radicals who tried to drop the remains of Junius Seven onto Earth were using older ships and mobile suits; the strike force that attacked Home One utilized ZAFT's latest model amphibious unit. There hasn't been enough time for those to wind up on the black market and in the hands of paramilitary groups or terrorists. Also, I doubt the remnants of the radical faction have the intelligence resources necessary to pinpoint Home One's location. This was a ZAFT black ops strike, Athrun. You know it just as well as I do."

"Maybe it was a rogue op?" Athrun suggested, "I'm sure there are still soldiers within ZAFT that harbor radical sympathies. Maybe they had a source in ZAFT's intelligence services and were able to put together the strike that way."

"Doubtful," Heero replied, "ZAFT conducted a pretty thorough housecleaning after your father's regime was overthrown. I may consider Durandal to be an enemy, but I'll say this much for him; he did a good job on purging Patrick Zala's most fervent supporters wherever he could find them. It's always possible that he missed some, but enough to launch a strike like the kind we faced at Home One? That's a long bet, and not one I'm willing to put any money on. If you were thinking clearly, you wouldn't even be entertaining the notion."

"I'm not thinking clearly?" Athrun shot back, "Heero, you're the one who's fixating on Durandal as some sinister mastermind behind the scenes. He's not the real enemy; the Alliance is. They're the ones who started the war, and they tried to nuke the PLANTs as their opening move! Even if Durandal's made questionable decisions, he's not the one we need to fight."

Heero gave him a sharp look. "Would you still be saying that if Lacus or any of us had died in the attack on Home One? It sounds to me like you hold Durandal's word and agenda in higher regard than you do the lives of your friends."

Athrun glowered at him. "That was low, Heero."

"If you want fair play, I'm not going to give it to you here," Heero casually replied, "I don't think you understand where things are going at this rate. Whether you like it or not, eventually hostilities will commence between Terminal and ZAFT. It's simply a matter of when, not if. When that time comes, where will you stand?"

Athrun felt a chill run down his spine. "It… it won't come to that."

"Humor me," Heero quipped, "If our forces come to blows, whose side will you be on? Who will you be taking aim at?"

Athrun was at a loss for words. He knew what Heero's answer would be without the Gundam pilot saying anything. Athrun, though… he genuinely couldn't say.

For his part, Heero simply shook his head and sighed. "For what it's worth, Athrun, I do still consider you a friend. I'd really rather not have to fight you… but if it comes down to it, I'll do what I must."

Athrun's eyes narrowed. "What you must? How should I take that?"

"Let me put it this way," Heero answered as he turned to walk away, "Should the worst come to pass and our forces clash…"

"…pray that Kira finds you on the battlefield before I do."

….

"How far would you go to save her?"

Heero's words had been echoing in Shinn's mind ever since the Gundam pilot had left the infirmary. The ZAFT Red's reply to him at the time had been quite firm, but having had several hours to really think things over now, Shinn found himself wondering just what such dedication to Stella's survival and well-being would actually entail.

Heero could be enigmatic on the best of days, but Shinn had learned enough about him since they'd met to realize that his question from before hadn't been asked lightly. He must've been planning something, and it clearly involved Stella. What that was, Shinn couldn't begin to guess, and that was in part because he didn't know what he himself would have to do if he really meant what he'd said when he had given Heero his answer.

What could he even do for Stella now? Sure, he and Heine had been able to capture her and bring her to the Minerva, and Shinn wanted to believe that him staying by her side might have some impact, but beyond that? Planning ahead had never been one of Shinn's strong suits, and matters weren't made any better by the turmoil in his head and heart.

Why had he gone this far for Stella already? He barely knew her, yet he'd taken risks for her that were incredibly dangerous, the kind that he'd normally only take for his closest friends. Yes, she was obviously a victim of the Alliance and needed help, but trying to capture her in a fight where she was trying to kill him and a friend? Staying by her side and denying himself much-needed sleep and potentially risking the Captain's ire in the process? By rights, he should've been resting; the Minerva was still at sea, which meant the enemy could attack at any time, and a sleep-deprived pilot could quickly become a dead one.

Yet here he was.

And he couldn't make any sense of it.

"You're still here?" came an exasperated male voice from behind him, "Pilot Asuka, this really isn't healthy."

Shinn looked over his shoulder at the speaker. At thirty-seven years old, Doctor Herbert Helman was one of the chief physicians aboard the Minerva, and normally a rather welcome sight for pilots and crew alike. More than a few centimeters above average height, his neatly-trimmed dark brown hair and sharp light blue eyes at first glance gave the impression of a no-nonsense doctor, but as everyone who underwent the required physicals with him soon discovered, the First Generation Coordinator was actually rather easy-going provided that the situation wasn't a life-or-death one. It was hard to ruffle his feathers, but he wasn't hiding his concern and frustration now.

Shinn sighed. "I know, but… I can't just leave her like this, Doc."

The medic gave him a thoughtful look before speaking again. "Where have you met her before?"

Shinn raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Herbert gave him a weary smile. "Shinn, let's not play games here. I'm not a fool. You wouldn't be going through all this trouble for someone that you only knew as an enemy pilot. If you can give me a bit more information, I might be able to use that to figure out a way that your presence can meaningfully help her."

Shinn hesitated. On the one hand, he genuinely trusted Herbert, and if there was anything Shinn could do to assist the doctor in helping Stella then he wanted to do it. However, part of his conversation with Heero the night before echoed in his mind, and it made him wary.

"I expect things will become much more complicated once the Captain gives her mission report to the Defense Council. When they learn of what's transpired and who we've taken captive… it could get messy."

Shinn didn't like the sound of that. "How bad could it get?"

"I can't say for certain," Heero admitted as they finally arrived at the sickbay, "but… well, our guest's troubles may only just be beginning."

By now, Captain Gladys would almost certainly have sent her report to the Council. At the very least, the Captain would've given them news of the Gaia's capture and the possibility that its pilot might be linked to the Lodonia labs. What would ZAFT do with that knowledge? How would it impact their treatment of Stella going forward? How would anything that Shinn said here and now potentially influence her fate?

Heero was right, Shinn grimly realized, Things are definitely getting complicated…

It was unusual for him to approach a conversation with a comrade so cautiously. However, Shinn was starting to grasp the truly shaky ground that both he and Stella now tread upon, and he couldn't afford to be careless. If he wanted ZAFT to recognize her as a victim as opposed to an enemy, he needed to tread carefully.

He gave Herbert a selectively edited account, leaving out his brief run-in with Stella at Armory One while focusing more on the chance encounter that they'd shared on the coast of the Black Sea. Shinn took great pains to emphasize the almost childlike behavior Stella had displayed there; if he could impress upon the doctor the severity of the mental trauma that had almost certainly been inflicted upon her as a result of the Alliance's experiments, he believed that he had a better chance of steering the superiors that Herbert would inevitably report to of the need for giving Stella proper medical care and rehabilitation as opposed to simply treating her as a dangerous enemy. It didn't feel good to deceive a comrade, even if it was merely with lies of omission rather than blatant falsehoods.

For his part, Herbert simply sat back and listened attentively while Shinn related his account. He was relieved to see that the good doctor's demeanor was much the same as it had been whenever Shinn had seen him as a patient; relaxed, understanding, and willing to hear him out in his entirety. Shinn took that as a good sign, although he was admittedly desperate for any good signs at this point.

When Shinn finally finished, the doctor looked down at Stella. He seemed deep in thought, which definitely made Shinn nervous.

"Does the Captain know about this encounter?" he asked after a moment.

Shinn shook his head. "I… I haven't exactly spread the word around. I didn't know she was a mobile suit pilot at the time… I didn't realize it until I heard her voice over the radio in the battle last night."

"I see," Herbert replied solemnly, "Perhaps it would've been a mercy to let her drown that day."

Shinn recoiled; that was not what he'd been expecting from the doctor. "Doc, what the hell? You're telling me I should've just let her die when I saw she was in trouble?"

"Don't get the wrong idea," Herbert calmly answered, "You did the right thing in saving her life. However, in doing so, you may only have prolonged her suffering. I'm still working with my colleagues on the initial test results, but… well, death in combat or otherwise is likely to be a mercy compared to what's ahead for her."

Shinn's face paled. "What are you talking about?"

"There is a chance that I'm being premature here," Herbert cautioned, "There's still so much about this girl and the experiments performed on her that we do not know, after all. However, preliminary bloodwork shows that she has a particularly nasty chemical cocktail running through her system. We're still trying to pick it apart and analyze its components, but from what we understand so far, it's likely addictive… and withdrawal's probably going to hit her soon. It'll be ugly to say the least."

Shinn felt a chill go down his spine. "How bad?"

Herbert sighed. "I don't know, but… we should be ready for the worst."

"What's 'the worst'?" Shinn pressed.

The doctor looked at a loss for words. Shinn was about to demand that he spit out whatever it was that he knew when he heard a weak moan come from the bed.

"Stella!" he cried as he turned back to the girl lying before him.

Her eyelids were fluttering, and a hoarse groan slipped from her throat. She was starting to stir…

…and Shinn didn't know what to do.

….

The best way that Stella could describe the absolute mess that was her mind was a swirling haze of blurry memories briefly punctuated by brilliant flashes of horrifying lucidity. Images of her piloting the Gaia in the heat of combat suddenly shifted to a shadowy room with a masked man with a Colonel's insignia standing over her. Shouted orders merged with pleading whimpers, laughs and smiles became cries of terror and anguished snarls.

She saw two young men, one with green hair and the other with blue hair. Both smiled at her and held out their hands, but before Stella could take them their forms shifted into green and blue mobile suits. The two mechanical titans then exploded before her, with a four-winged silhouette floating above them as the Angel of Death.

Two more men appeared before her, one the mask-wearing Colonel from before, the other a brown-haired man who also wore a uniform with a Major's insignia. Like the two young men from before, both figures held out their hands. For a moment, Stella was torn, but a nagging feeling from somewhere in the depths of her mind wanted to be as far away from the masked man as possible, so she reached for the Major instead. Her fingers brushed against his, but before she could firmly take his hand a shaft of violet energy pierced his chest, and he was engulfed in a brilliant flash of light.

Stella tried to scream, but there was no sound. The masked man now advanced on her, and she tried to run, but her legs suddenly felt like blocks of lead. Her pursuer was on her in moments, throwing her to the ground and twisting her arms behind her. His hand reached for her face…

…only for the image to be washed away in a flood of white light.

It took a few moments for Stella's eyes to adjust, for her to realize that what she was seeing now was not a dream but in fact reality. Her head felt like it was filled with fuzz and shards of glass, and she needed a few seconds to properly process what she was seeing. She'd been in enough infirmaries to realize that she was lying in one now, and she was struck with twin pangs of fear and relief. She wasn't on the battlefield, but medical facilities had never exactly been safe as far as she was concerned.

"She's coming around," she heard one man say from somewhere nearby.

"Hey!" said another one, this one sounding both younger and much closer, "Stella… Stella, it's me. It's Shinn! Can you hear me?"

"Shinn…" she murmured, trying to figure out where she'd heard that name before.

Suddenly she wasn't in the infirmary anymore. Instead, she was lying on the beach, and a young man was leaning over her. He had black hair, reddish chestnut eyes, and a warm smile on his face. Stella didn't understand why, but her mind told her that she was safe because this young man was with her.

Then there was a spike of searing pain shooting through her head, and for a brief moment the image of the young man became something else entirely. That kind and warm face was replaced by the cold steel façade of a mechanical giant, the fair human complexion now the white, blue and red Variable Phase Shift Armor of a very familiar mobile suit.

The Impulse.

"Stella!" cried the young man's voice, and she was vaguely aware of his hands on his shoulder, "Stella, it's Shinn! You remember me, don't you?"

Did she?

The dueling images of the young man who had saved her from the Black Sea and the implacable mechanical nemesis that she'd faced countless times since the raid on Armory One flashed before her, fighting each other for dominance. The kind boy who had comforted her when she'd been consumed by fear after having such a close brush with death versus the machine that she'd fought in mortal combat since before the war had officially begun. Should she reach out or recoil? Rejoice or tremble in dread? Break down in tears of joy or sorrow?

Stella didn't know.

And so, she did the only thing that her fragile mind could tell her to do.

She screamed.

….

Holding Stella's hand, Shinn didn't know what else to do. For just a moment, it looked like she might've remembered him, but then she'd started thrashing and wailing. Were it not for the handcuffs that latched her hands to the side of the bed, it was possible that she would've lashed out directly at Shinn. That, at least, wouldn't be a problem here, but Shinn worried about the harm Stella might do to her wrists if she continued to struggle like this.

"Stella, come on!" he desperately pleaded, "It's me, Shinn! I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe here! Stella…"

One of the ship's nurses rushed over to the other side of the bed, doing what she could to help Shinn keep Stella from hurting herself. Herbert had gone over to a nearby desk, and as he grabbed a syringe Shinn feared what was coming. Maybe he was just going to sedate Stella again, but Shinn didn't think it was right to constantly keep the poor girl under like that. Two security guards stood at the foot of the bed, and Shinn was desperate to keep things from escalating to the point where they would have to get involved.

Shinn leaned in close, forcing himself to calm down; if he was panicked, then that probably wouldn't do much to help Stella's mental state. "Stella, it's all right. No one's going to hurt you here. You're safe, I promise."

Amazingly enough, that actually seemed to get through to her. She stopped thrashing, and while her breathing was still far too fast for Shinn's liking she at least wasn't about to hurt herself. She looked around frantically at the infirmary before her gaze found Shinn again. Her eyes widened, and Shinn saw tears forming.

"Shinn…" she groaned, her voice sounding incredibly dry.

Shinn turned to the nurse. "I think she's calming down. Can you go get some water?"

The nurse glanced at Herbert, who gave her a quick nod. She left and returned a few seconds later with a bottle which she then handed to Shinn. Opening it, Shinn carefully brought it to Stella's lips.

"Stella, it's okay," he said softly, "Here, drink this."

Thankfully, she didn't fight him on that. Shinn warily kept one eye on the others as he gently tilted the bottle back, allowing Stella to take slow sips. After a few moments he pulled the bottle away and set it on the bedside table before turning back to face her. Shinn knew that he had to tread carefully here; she didn't look like she might lash out again, but it was impossible to say for sure.

"Who… who are you, again?" she asked.

Shinn smiled as he took her hand. "I'm Shinn Asuka. Remember when you fell into the sea and almost drowned? I was the one that saved you."

Stella's eyes closed for a moment before snapping back open, wide with terror. "I… I almost drowned? I almost died? No… no, no, no…"

Oh, crap, thought Shinn as he recalled that particular encounter in greater detail, That time, when I said she would've died, she freaked out! I have to make sure that doesn't happen here!

He leaned close to her again, tightening his grip on her hand while doing so. "Stella, it's all right! You didn't die then, and you're not going to die now, I promise! I told you that you're safe here, and I meant it. You trust me, don't you?"

"Trust… you…" she murmured, studying his face as if she was trying to recall something that had happened years ago instead of less than a week, "You… wait… Shinn? It's… it's really you?"

Shinn's heart leapt as the light of recognition finally appeared in Stella's eyes. "Yes! Yes, it's me! You do remember!"

For a moment she smiled, a genuine smile, one free of the fear and pain that had gripped her since the battle at Cagliari…

…before her body seized up, becoming wracked by tremors.

"Agh!" she shrieked, her hand shaking fiercely in Shinn's grip, "No… it hurts… it hurts so much! Shinn…"

"Stella!" Shinn cried out, fresh fear gripping him despite his best efforts, "Stella, stay with me!"

"Doctor…" said one of the nurses nervously, looking past Shinn.

Looking over his shoulder, Shinn saw Herbert standing behind him. "I know. Shinn, we need to sedate her again."

Shinn's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"Look at her," Herbert replied, "She's in incredible pain, Shinn. A recovery's not possible if she's in constant agony. This is for her own good."

Shinn looked down at Stella again, as if simply his gaze and the tightness of his grip on her hand were enough to drive her pain away. Alas, it was not to be. If anything, the tremors gripping her body were getting worse, her breathing was becoming ragged, and cold sweat was dripping down her face.

There was nothing he could do, and it galled Shinn to the core to admit that. "Fine…"

The doctor came forward, carefully lining up the syringe before driving it into Stella's arm. The poor girl struggled for a few moments, but whatever sedative the doctor had used proved to be quite efficient; it only took a handful of seconds for her cries to die down and her breathing to relax. Shinn reached out to brush a few strands of hair out of Stella's face. She looked so peaceful in slumber… and so vulnerable.

I'm sorry, Stella, he thought, I promise, we'll find a way to make you better. Sleep well.

Shinn leaned back, all but collapsing in his chair. He'd never felt so drained in his entire life. The doctor immediately picked up on it and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Shinn, you really need to get some sleep," said Herbert, "You don't have to leave the infirmary; you can take the bed next to Stella's. If you don't do that, I'm going to have the guards remove you by force."

Shinn sighed; the doctor was right, whether Shinn liked it or not. "All right…"

He moved over to the bed to the left of Stella's. Taking one last look at the slumbering young girl, he laid down and closed his eyes.

He was out like a light within moments.

….

Dusk was rapidly giving way to night, and the evening breeze meant that it was quite chilly on the upper deck of the Minerva. Wufei wasn't particularly bothered by it, though. Quite the contrary; the wind was helping him keep cool during his workout, something that he was very thankful for. The last few crimson rays of sunlight peeking out from beyond the horizon glimmered in his sword as he went through a sequence of basic warm-up slashes and thrusts. It was a lovely sight, but Wufei couldn't have cared less about the scenery at the moment.

The encounter between him and Lunamaria before he'd taken off for the raid on Cagliari had been replaying itself in his mind quite regularly, and Wufei had no idea how to deal with that.

What the hell was that woman thinking?

She'd clearly been drawn to him since their first meeting, but Wufei hadn't realized her feelings might've been moving in that kind of direction. The kiss on the cheek was a sign that he'd clearly underestimated just how close she wanted to get to him, and he was at a loss as to how he should respond. It was something he'd actually been worried about on the flight back to the Minerva following their retreat from Cagliari, although his most recent fight with Rodrigues had been a more pressing concern. When he'd landed on the Minerva, his mind had actually been something of a jumbled mess; he wasn't in any condition to seriously ponder something like romance with a certain ZAFT Red. When Lunamaria had come up to his mobile suit after he'd landed, Wufei had thought for a moment that she was about to force the issue, but she'd seemed to have recognized that he didn't have the presence of mind for it at the moment and had mercifully not brought up what had transpired between them before the mission.

He'd been given a reprieve, but Wufei was no fool. It was just that; a reprieve, one that would not last forever. He had to get his head and heart in order soon, and that was proving to be a much trickier matter than he'd ever counted on. He'd come to the Cosmic Era seeking battle rather than an old friend, and while he'd certainly found both, what he'd learned from the latter had shaken his assumptions.

Heero stayed here for a woman, not because this world is a warrior's paradise, Wufei thought as his sword weaved circles around him, I'm still focused on what really matters for pilots like us. I came here to fight, not chase after a girl.

That's what he kept telling himself, at least.

The reason why he'd come to the Cosmic Era in the first place was certainly that, and sticking with the Minerva since his arrival had definitely helped him stay at the center of the action. He hadn't lacked for combat since the Armory One attack, and it didn't look like he'd be left wanting going forward either. The war didn't look like it'd be ending anytime soon, and with multiple fronts on Earth as well as in outer space if one died down Wufei knew that the Minerva would be transferred to an active one in short order. Powerful warships and elite mobile suit pilots were always in demand when the entire Earth Sphere was embroiled in conflict, after all.

Of course, he had to make sure that he was fighting for more than just to satisfy his pride as a warrior. His encounters with Rodrigues initially had been something to look forward to; in terms of pure skill, he was the kind of adversary that Wufei had dreamed of fighting before coming to the Cosmic Era. However, the past couple of engagements had forced some uncomfortable realizations upon the Gundam pilot. He and the mercenary really were two sides of the same coin when it came to combat, and Wufei would begrudgingly admit that his opponent was at least honest about why he fought. The Desperado Enforcement pilot hadn't offered him any sort of platitudes about the justice of the Earth Alliance's cause; he knew that the people who signed his paychecks were ruthless politicians hellbent on genocide, and he made no bones about it. He was the kind of demon that told nothing but brutal truths, regardless of how the rest of the world might react to them.

A true dog of war, Wufei mused as he made a series of quick thrusts, with a scent for battle and nothing else. There was a time when I thought that such a hunger should be enough for honest warriors, but his has led him down the path of wanton butchery. I don't know what all he's done in service to his masters; in the engagements I've seen him in, he's only fought opponents who can fight back. However, who's to say what else he's gotten up to, both in this war and elsewhere?

Wufei wasn't completely sure what he wanted from the Cosmic Era beyond securing a place as a warrior, but he knew that he didn't want to become like Rodrigues. The man was a willing accessory to a campaign of mass slaughter; whether or not he actually believed the Atlantic Federation's rhetoric about Coordinators or thought that the end goal of wiping them out was justified was really beside the point. He was using the Alliance as a means to seek out combat, and they in turn used his deadly skills to further their campaign. It was a mutually beneficial relationship to be sure, but it was completely devoid of justice, and that was something Wufei absolutely could not abide.

What am I going to do about it, though?

The easy answer would be to finally kill Rodrigues the next time they met in battle, but even if Wufei managed to pull that off the Desperado ace was just one pilot at the end of the day. The root of the issue was the people employing Rodrigues and other fighters like him. The Earth Alliance, particularly the Atlantic Federation, had to be dealt with decisively.

There was a simple answer for that, too; remain with ZAFT and keep doing what he was doing. However, the recent conversation with the mercenary ace had caused Wufei to rethink the matter, and it wasn't entirely settled. While he wanted to make sure that he was in a place where his skills as a warrior would always be needed, if he went along with one nation just because it allowed him to keep fighting then he'd be no better than Rodrigues.

Was ZAFT's war just? From what he'd seen so far, the answer was obvious. ZAFT hadn't started the conflict, regardless of what the Alliance propagandists might've said in an effort to tie them to the radicals who had tried to drop the Junius Seven fragments onto Earth. Their efforts in outer space had been defensive, and while they'd made advances ono the surface those had been limited to key strategic points like Diocuia and the Suez Canal. Apart from those actions, by and large their strategy seemed to be to defend their main surface holdings of Carpentaria and Gibraltar while defending L5 up in space. They certainly hadn't attempted a large-scale nuclear attack like the Alliance had, which was definitely a point in ZAFT's favor as far as Wufei was concerned.

However, that wasn't the whole story. Wufei was aware of ZAFT's misdeeds in the past war, for starters. He also hadn't forgotten what Heero and his other fellow Gundam pilots had told him about the black ops attack on Home On and the attempted assassination of Lacus Clyne. While Wufei couldn't say he was all that impressed with the Cosmic Era's legendary songstress, he could understand why others would see her as a valuable symbol given her reputation. While he had butted heads with Heero recently regarding their reasons for being in the Cosmic Era, Wufei had no reason to doubt him regarding ZAFT's attack and its likely objective. It wasn't in Heero's nature to lie about something like that, and the other three Gundam pilots backing him on it just served to reinforce the point.

Where Wufei differed from his friends, though, was his opinion on whether or not said attack was really a dealbreaker. Sure, it was dishonorable, there was no denying that, and it was painfully clear that Durandal had ordered the attack to help ensure his deception regarding the fake Lacus remained secure. The whole deal with the imposter was also quite distasteful, but Wufei did understand the reasoning behind it.

When he weighed the sins of the Earth Alliance against those of ZAFT in the Second Bloody Valentine War, it wasn't much of a contest. Some of the actions ordered by Durandal might've been shady to say the least, but they didn't hold a candle compared to the open genocide campaign that his enemies were waging. The Earth Alliance was the clear threat here, and from everything Wufei could see, ZAFT's war against them was justified. Durandal wasn't clean by any stretch of the imagination, but Wufei didn't see him as evil. The Earth Alliance, on the other hand, had practically gone out of their way to come off as the villain in this conflict.

So, easy choice, right? He wouldn't have sided with either during the First Bloody Valentine War, but in round two, the choice was practically black and white. Justice demanded that the Atlantic Federation be brought to account over their actions, and they were by far the clearest threat to the world. The code that Wufei lived by would never allow him to side with a power that saw the mass slaughter of civilians as not only an acceptable policy but a desirable one. In siding with ZAFT, he was acting in a manner that allowed him both a chance to live as the warrior he knew he was and also to fight in accordance with his idea of honor and justice.

Except that Wufei was no longer sure if it was just his desire to fight and uphold justice that was keeping him here now…

…and he had a certain red-headed young woman to thank for that.

Wufei wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all; he hadn't entertained thoughts of romance for a long time, and after the death of Meilan Long he certainly hadn't planned on getting entangled with another woman. None could hold a candle to her, could hope to match her fire and her firm belief in justice. And yet…

…the ZAFT pilot that had been intruding on his thoughts was uncomfortably similar to her.

Not physically, of course; appearance wise, Lunamaria and Meilan were night and day. In spirit, though… well, that was another matter. The same determination and passion, that stubborn refusal to back down… oh, yes, Lunamaria had all that and more. Wufei considered himself fortunate that the ZAFT Red and his late wife would never meet; he could only imagine the headache that would've come with facing both of them at once in an argument.

Just one's a handful, he mused, I suppose it's a good thing that they were each born in different worlds.

Thinking about her actually brought a small smile to his face, something Wufei definitely hadn't expected. He needed to sort out what he actually felt for the young woman preferably sooner as opposed to later, especially given how it could potentially impact his path going forward. Was he staying for a just fight, or to pursue a woman?

"Shit," he muttered as he ceased his exercise, his sword arm coming to rest at his side, "and here I told myself I wouldn't be like Heero here. Staying for a woman… ridiculous."

"You actually taking my advice?" came a familiar male voice from behind him, "I did try to tell you that the reason you ultimately decide to stay in this world might be different than the one you originally imagined."

Wufei turned around and saw Heero come out onto the upper deck. His eyes immediately darted to the saber tied at his fellow Gundam pilot's hip.

"Here for another go?" asked Wufei.

Heero shrugged. "I was simply looking to get a bit of exercise. If you're raring for a rematch, though, I won't say no."

Wufei smirked. "Well, I just finished my warmup. Why don't you get one in too? We can go a round after that."

"Suit yourself," Heero replied as he drew his sword and began running through a series of basic strikes and deflections.

Wufei leaned back against the railing as he watched Heero practice. "You're wrong, you know. I'm not planning on staying just because of her."

"Perhaps," said Heero as his saber flashed through the air, "but she's become a factor in your decision, and a larger one than you were anticipating by the sound of it."

Wufei shook his head. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not you."

"Never said that you were," Heero casually shot back, "but of all our fellow Gundam pilots, you and I are probably the most alike."

Wufei's eyes narrowed. "There was a time when I believed that. Nowadays, I'm not so sure."

"For the longest time, the battlefield was what defined our lives," Heero continued, "I didn't come to the Cosmic Era in search of a new war, but at the time of the Barge reactor incident that brought me here I was lost and looking for a purpose. The idea of a genuine and lasting peace was utterly alien to me. When I first came to this world, the fact that it was already at war actually made it easier to acclimate myself to my new surroundings. The same can be said of you. Open hostilities hadn't officially begun, but the Armory One attack might as well have been the unofficial start of the Second Bloody Valentine War. In that respect, your timing was perfect."

"From what you told us when we arrived, it sounds like genuine peace is still as alien to you as it is to me," Wufei pointed out, "The two year gap between the last war and this one wasn't really peace; it was just a lull, a chance for both sides to regroup and rearm. You were already at Armory One planning to observe the field trials for ZAFT's new weapons, and you wound up with a more practical demonstration than anyone was counting on. In that respect, you were already on war-footing, or at least close to it."

"True enough," Heero admitted as he made a series of quick thrusts, "Even in the immediate aftermath of the First Bloody Valentine War, we maintained our weapons and took measures that would allow us to monitor the world in preparation for a potential future conflict. Still, despite the new tensions that eventually arose, the Cosmic Era was at peace for a time. Not the lasting peace of the After Colony world, but a peace nonetheless."

Wufei huffed at the mention of the world they'd come from. "A lasting peace… at what cost? The blood price that was paid in the war itself is one thing, but for those soldiers who survived that crucible to be casually tossed aside once they're no longer needed… it's a complete disgrace."

"From what the others have told me, there are options for those who might have trouble transitioning into the new era," Heero countered as he shifted to defend himself against his imaginary foe, "It sounds like Preventers is always in need of talented recruits, and there surely must be jobs to be found with the regional and municipal policing units. There's also the fledgling Mars colonization program; people with job experience in the armed forces would doubtlessly have skills that would translate well to work in that field."

Wufei shook his head. "Maybe, but if any of those offered warriors like us a true purpose, you wouldn't be here. I know you said that you came to this world by accident, but that's only partially true, isn't it? The Twin Buster Rifle destroying the falling Barge reactor might've been what tore open the rift in space-time that allowed you to come here, but you were the one that ultimately made the choice to go through it, weren't you?"

He was surprised to see Heero actually smirk at that. "Yes and no. The end choice ultimately was mine, but I received a not-so-subtle nudge from none other than Wing Zero. My mobile suits thrusters were already vectoring me towards the right; I simply decided to follow Zero and see where the path took us. All things considered, I'd say it worked out for the best."

"The final choice was yours, though," Wufei pressed, "Your Gundam might've wanted you to take that course, but you were the one that ultimately decided to follow through with it."

Heero nodded as he began weaving broad circular slashes through the air with his saber. "Yes, but make no mistake; I didn't know that I'd be coming to a world that was at war, Wufei. I was lost and looking for a purpose, and in that moment, I simply decided to go with the flow and see what came of it. Ultimately, I stayed and fought to end the war and protect the woman I fell in love with. From the looks of things, your path might be heading in that direction as well."

Wufei scoffed at the notion. "Absurd."

Heero chuckled as he brought his exercise to a close and turned to face him. "We'll see about that. I'm ready for a round if you are."

Wufei smiled as the two of them squared off. "Good. I've been looking forward to this."

After both of them raised their swords, Wufei initiated the match by charging forward. He wasted no time in unleashing a whirlwind of slashes in an attempt to put his opponent on the backfoot right from the start, but Heero didn't budge. Instead, his fellow Gundam pilot held his ground and proceeded to deflect every strike Wufei threw at him. His opponent made no move to counter, seemingly content for the moment with just blocking Wufei's attacks.

Wufei doubted that would last long. He was certain that Heero was simply playing defense so he could study Wufei's moves for any signs of change since their last match before making a move himself. It was classic Heero; keeping his cards held close to the chest and analyzing the situation in preparation for the attack. His saber picked off Wufei's sword with close and tight deflections, minimizing both exposure and energy expenditure.

"You're off your game," said Heero as he parried a thrust aimed at his torso.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Wufei shot back as he followed up with a series of alternating low and high slashes in an effort to shake up Heero's defense, to little avail.

"I doubt that," Heero replied, his saber continuing to weave a wall of steel around him, "You've been preoccupied since the raid on Cagliari. Having second thoughts about your reason for being here?"

"Hardly," said Wufei as he pressed his assault, "I know why I'm here and what I want. I'm just sorting through a few distractions and getting my priorities in order."

After parrying a slash that Wufei had aimed at his shoulder, Heero finally counterattacked with a thrust at Wufei's left leg. Wufei quickly swept his sword downward to intercept the strike, but his offensive had been disrupted, and Heero wasted no time in taking the initiative. His saber flashed in a series of quick and precise cuts and thrusts primarily directed at Wufei's torso. They weren't particularly difficult to parry, but Wufei knew that, like him, Heero was still just warming up.

"I actually lied earlier," Heero confessed as he continued to attack, "at least partially. I was hoping to find you up here and have another match, although if I hadn't then I still would've taken the time to exercise before resuming my search for you. Either way, we need to talk."

"Isn't that what we've been doing?" Wufei quipped as he deflected a strike aimed at his hip.

"We've been dancing around the core issue," Heero countered as he shifted tactics, initiating a series of broad swings meant to push Wufei back across the deck, "I want to address that tonight while we still have a chance."

Wufei's brow furrowed as he gradually began to fall back. "What 'core issue' did you have in mind?"

"You fighting for ZAFT," Heero answered as he pressed his assault, "How committed are you to their war effort?"

"What does it matter to you?" asked Wufei as he deflected a diagonal slash from his opponent, "As long as we're both fighting against the Earth Alliance, does who we partner with as individuals make a difference? Way I see it, your organization and ZAFT have the same enemy."

"It's not going to stay that way," Heero argued as he unleashed a flurry of thrusts aimed at Wufei's chest, "Yes, the Earth Alliance is the most immediate threat, but there's more to it. They did start this war, and they absolutely must be stopped, but they weren't alone in laying the groundwork for this new conflict. Durandal's actions with Armory One and ZAFT's armaments buildup contributed to the tensions, and if you take a step back and look at the big picture, there's a case to be made that he did so on purpose."

Wufei shook his head as he finished parrying Heero's latest strike before countering with a broad slash, retaking the initiative and forcing his fellow Gundam pilot back on the defensive. "Not the way I see it. Their new weapons programs were necessary to maintain the balance of power. The Alliance was already preparing for war; ZAFT's armaments buildup was a justified response."

Heero's eyes narrowed as he deflected another strike from Wufei. "Come on, Wufei; I know you're smarter than this. If Durandal wanted to counter the Alliance's rearmament, there were much more efficient ways to do so than building a colony devoted to the arms industry all the way out at L4. For starters, it would've been much smarter to build such an important facility within the secure confines of L5 where the bulk of ZAFT's fleet could protect it. Armory One's position is way too exposed, and the prospect of using recycled materials from the nearby L4 debris field to speed up construction of both the colony and any resulting ships or mobile suits isn't nearly enough of a reward to justify the risk. By putting such a strategically important colony in such a vulnerable position, Durandal might as well have put a bright neon sign saying 'attack here' on Armory One. His plans to expand out to a full city of ten colonies at L4 would all but guarantee a hostile Alliance response if just Armory One wasn't sufficient."

"You're making it sound like Durandal was goading the Alliance to attack," said Wufei, "You have no proof of that."

"No, I don't," Heero admitted as Wufei drove him back across the upper deck, "but the whole setup reeks, and look where we're at now. The Cosmic Era is at war again, and the Durandal administration's actions helped set the stage for this conflict. ZAFT might not have fired the first shot, but they more than played their part in driving up the tension."

Wufei shook his head as he redoubled his efforts, unleashing a hurricane of swift slashes against his opponent. "What does it matter now? The world's at war, and the Earth Alliance has made their objective painfully clear; they won't stop until they've wiped the PLANTs clean from existence. Regardless of ZAFT's actions in the buildup to this conflict, I think we can both agree that they have a right to fight back against those who want to slaughter them."

"I never said that they didn't have that right," Heero countered as he fended off Wufei's attacks, "but if the end goal was simply defense and survival, then ZAFT's campaign would be a simple one; secure their core territory and exhaust the enemy to the point that the cost of continuing to wage war becomes too great and they're forced to sue for peace. The Earth Alliance isn't as cohesive as it likes to portray itself, and there's always been friction between the Atlantic and Eurasian Federations in particular. North America is the main driving force behind the Alliance's aggression, while the other member states have so far only done enough to keep the Atlantic Federation off their backs. A skilled diplomat could exploit the tensions within the Earth Alliance and ultimately isolate the Atlantic Federation. Durandal's smart enough to recognize such an opportunity, but he's focused solely on the military aspect of this conflict."

"Diplomacy tends to take a backseat when the bullets start flying," Wufei quipped.

"It still has a role to play," Heero argued as he parried Wufei's latest strike before making a thrust at his upper right leg, forcing the L5 native to pull back and allowing Wing Zero's pilot to go on the offensive, "This war can't be won by force of arms alone. ZAFT doesn't have the resources to bludgeon its foes into submission; the Atlantic Federation alone is simply too big in terms of territory, population and resources. Victories in the field can reduce the enemy's combat capability and blunt the most direct threat to the PLANTs, but at the rate things are going that simply won't be enough to win the conflict. If ZAFT truly wants to ensure the long-term survival of the PLANTs, then ultimately a political solution will be required to end the conflict. Playing the member states of the Earth Alliance against one another and convincing them that the Atlantic Federation's war isn't in their interests would be take work, but the rewards would be worth it."

"We just trashed the Eurasian Federation's navy," Wufei pointed out while intercepting a thrust that had been directed at his lower torso, "After our raid on Cagliari, I doubt they're in the mood to talk right now."

Heero nodded as he made a follow-up strike, keeping Wufei on the defensive. "I'm sure that they're suitably pissed, but the loss of those naval assets also severely reduces their ability to defend their southern coastlines against an attack. With ZAFT now having a base in North African and essentially securing naval dominance in the Mediterranean, the Eurasian Federation mainland is vulnerable to raiding, although a full-scale invasion would be extremely costly. Still, the simple existence of that vulnerability changes the strategic outlook and adds an incentive for the Eurasian Federation to seek an end to its part in the conflict. That alone is a significant diplomatic opportunity that the PLANTs could exploit."

"They very well might," said Wufei as he deflected a low slash from Heero, "The raid only just happened, so it's going to take some time for its full effects to be felt."

"Agreed," Heero replied as he followed up that attack with a thrust at Wufei's shoulder which the L5 native quickly parried, "However, ZAFT's already established a pattern in this war. They're continuing to reinforce their surface contingents, and with Diocuia and the Suez Canal they've actually expanded their presence on Earth. You can make the argument that they've only taken key strategic points, but if ZAFT's really just fighting a defensive war then capturing new bases within enemy territory is a funny way of going about it."

Wufei's eyes narrowed as he counterattacked with a swift one-two combo of low and high slashes before advancing on his opponent. "You make it sound like ZAFT has further expansion in mind."

"Look at their new acquisitions," Heero argued as he fell back while continuing to deflect Wufei's attacks, "Taking the Suez Canal gives them a stranglehold on maritime trade and presents them with the perfect jumping off point to project power in North Africa and the Middle East. Diocuia allows them to strike deep into Eurasian Federation territory if they amass sufficient forces there, with the potential to cut off the capital from western Europe if they make a heavy push. Seizing both of those positions doesn't deescalate the conflict; quite the opposite."

Wufei scowled as he pressed his assault. "Why should ZAFT worry about de-escalation when they're at war with a foe that wants to exterminate them? If they let up on the surface, then they're going to give the Alliance a chance to regroup and come at them with overwhelming force. You know that just as well as I do."

Heero nodded as he fended off Wufei's strikes. "Yes, but increased aggression in this theater is only going to threaten the Eurasians and drive them further into the arms of the Atlantic Federation. If the Eurasian Federation goes all in on the war rather than keep up the half-hearted efforts they've shown so far, then there's no way that ZAFT can win. The full resources of the combined Earth Alliance exceed what the PLANTs have at their disposal by a considerable margin; it's only thanks to the reluctance of the Atlantic Federations partners to be seen as explicitly waging a genocide campaign that's restrained their involvement so far and has kept ZAFT in the game. If the other member states of the Alliance feel that their homelands are genuinely under threat of Coordinator conquest and a potential repeat of the Zala regime's massacres, then the gloves are going to come off. It might take them time to rebuild their forces and assemble a fleet capable of threatening L5, but they have the numbers and resources to absorb punishing losses and come back for more. ZAFT can't win a war of attrition, Wufei."

"I could've told you that much," Wufei replied as he leapt into the air, bringing his sword down in a powerful overhead swing as he descended.

Heero sidestepped the strike and countered with a quick thrust at Wufei's shoulder, but the L5 native rolled to the left and ducked beneath the attack. As he came up, he brought his blade into a guard position, and just in the nick of time; Heero was already making his follow-up attack, another thrust that Wufei barely managed to parry.

"Durandal says his long-term goal is to ensure the security and prosperity of the PLANTs," said Heero as he went back on the offensive, opening his drive with a vicious burst of thrusts aimed at Wufei's torso, "but how's he going to achieve that? As of right now, the actions he's taken have served merely to strengthen ZAFT's surface position and threaten the Eurasian Federation mainland. Then there's his use of the fake Lacus and the assassination attempt against the real one. He's already deceiving his people on one front; is it really too big of a leap to consider that his stated war aims might be less than truthful?"

"What of it?" Wufei scoffed as he fell back under Heero's assault, "Even if he has another goal in mind, the clear evil here is the Earth Alliance. Above all else, they have to be defeated and their leaders brought to justice!"

"I have every intention of continuing to fight them and hold them accountable for their actions," Heero shot back, "So does everyone else in Terminal. However, the obvious enemy isn't necessarily the only enemy. Durandal's a threat, Wufei. He's already made one strike against us; there will almost certainly be more. Sooner or later, things will come to a head."

Wufei's brow furrowed as the pieces began to fall into place. "Is that why you sought me out? You want to know what side I'll be on when you confront him?"

"Yes," Heero bluntly answered Wufei parried and countered his latest attack.

The song of clashing steel intensified as the two combatants reached an impasse. Their back-and-forth exchanges from before had ceased; they were now both firmly rooted in place, striking and blocking without taking or giving ground. There was a fierce intensity in his opponent's gaze, and Wufei knew that Heero intended to bring the duel to a close.

Both fighters completed a blindingly fast series of slashes and deflections before thrusting their blades forward. The points of their swords came to rest mere centimeters away from the neck of their opponent; the duel was a draw. They held that position for a long moment, neither willing to lower their blade before the other.

After a few tense seconds, the two of them nodded before each took a step back. They sheathed their blades in unison, but the tension in the air remained.

"If you're going to remain with the Minerva, I'm not about to stop you," said Heero, "However, I suggest you take a step back and think about what you're signing up for, Wufei. ZAFT's war may seem just now, but there's no guarantee it'll remain so."

"I'll fight to honor my vision of justice," Wufei firmly replied, "If ZAFT remains in line with it, then I'll be with them. If not, then I'll have a reckoning with them."

Heero nodded. "Understood. Just remember what I said. When Terminal's confrontation with Durandal comes, I know where I'll be standing. If this is the path you're taking, you'd best be certain of it."

Wufei folded his arms. "And if my path keeps me with ZAFT when your confrontation with them comes?"

"You already know the answer to that," Heero shot back as he turned and headed towards the hatch, "I'll do what I must."

Wufei wouldn't have it any other way.

….

Heine certainly hadn't been planning on eavesdropping tonight. When he'd made his way to the upper deck of the Minerva, he'd really just been looking forward to getting a bit of fresh air before calling it a night. Suffice to say, when he'd arrived, he had found something much more interesting than a cool evening breeze.

He hadn't overheard the entirety of Heero and Wufei's conversation; when he'd made it to the open hatchway, it had been just as the two young men had started their duel. Ducking back inside, he'd been peering out from behind the corner ever since, watching with fascination as they duked it out. As it turned out, their conversation had wound up being just as interesting as the swordfight… if not more so.

A growing rift between the two best pilots on the ship, with one planning an eventual confrontation with Durandal while the other intended to stick with ZAFT, all but guaranteeing their meeting on the battlefield? Heine might've been a mobile suit pilot as opposed to an intelligence operative, but he was a quick enough thinker to recognize when he'd just stumbled onto some very important information. He wasn't just a ZAFT Red; he was a member of FAITH.

And the man that he reported to would doubtlessly be very interested in learning about the conversation he'd just overheard.

….

It was late at night as Talia worked her way through the ship's corridors towards the infirmary. What few passing crewmembers there were in the halls at this hour gave her a wide berth, and Talia suspected it was due to more than just the usual deference she was owed as the vessel's commander. No matter how she tried to mask her true feelings, her expression was foreboding and grim. Frankly, it was a mask of serenity compared to the way her stomach was churning as she recalled the message that she'd just received from Durandal regarding her prisoner.

Durandal… this is why you made me a member of FAITH, isn't it?, she thought bitterly as she fought to keep her dinner down, I should've known it wasn't because of my skills as a commander in your navy.

You just wanted someone you could entrust your dirty work to.

She didn't have to deliver this order in person; she could've simply sent a message to the ship's chief medical officer and called it a night. Given the contents of this particular order, though, Talia wanted to look its recipient in the eye. She wanted them to understand that this was not an order she was pleased to give by any stretch of the imagination.

Was she trying to make her subordinates feel better about this, or just herself?

What did it matter? Talia had her orders, and she would do her duty. She'd always done so, even when she didn't like it. Doubtlessly, Durandal had been counting on that.

Pausing outside the door to the infirmary, she took a deep breath to center herself. It felt like such a futile gesture; at this point, all she could really do was simply maintain the mask until she was back within the privacy of her own quarters. That would have to be enough.

The door opened with a low hiss, and Talia made her way over to the prisoner's bed as quietly as she could. She owed it to herself to look upon the person who would be affected by her order…

…the poor girl that had already suffered so much, and would soon suffer even more.

A stirring came from the bed to the girl's left, and Talia saw Shinn roll on his side, his back to the prisoner and the Captain. She should've had the security detail eject him and escort him back to his quarters, but when Doctor Helman had described the young man's concern for the poor girl's well-being and his desire to help her, Talia found that she didn't have the heart to kick him out. She was regretting that lapse in judgement now; her task now would only be more difficult with him snoozing right next to the prisoner. Fortunately, he at least appeared to be soundly asleep, so as long as Talia kept the noise down there should've been nothing to worry about.

There was a low hiss as one of the nearby office doors open, and Doctor Helman stepped out a second later. "Captain Gladys? What brings you here?"

"Doctor Helman," she said, trying to keep her voice down, "My apologies for arriving unannounced."

The doctor shook his head as he approached. "It's no trouble. What can I do for you?"

"What's the status of our prisoner?" she asked as she looked down at the girl again.

Helman gave a weary sigh. "Whatever chemical cocktail the Alliance used on her is a real nasty piece of work. She's already begun suffering from withdrawal; I've kept her sedated to at least spare her the pain. It's… not looking good."

Talia closed her eyes for a moment. "Will she survive?"

"I'm doing everything I can to keep her alive," Helman replied, "The files we managed to retrieve from the Lodonia lab have been helpful, but without actual samples of the medication they used on her… there's only so much that can be done. Even if I did have those, I don't know if it'd be enough."

Talia gave the sleeping girl a somber look. "How long does she have?"

"Keeping her sedated has slowed the effects of withdrawal," the doctor answered, "If we went kept her as is, she'd likely last a few weeks or so. Awake and with withdrawal ravaging her, she'd have mere days at best."

"I see," she said quietly, looking back and forth between the girl and Shinn the next bed over.

She should've asked to speak to the doctor in his office, but given the nature of the orders she was about to give, that felt like a cowardly dodge. If she was going to relay the instructions she'd received earlier, she wanted to at least look directly at the poor girl who would suffer the consequences of them. Talia felt like she owed the young woman that much, and that was despite the fact that the girl had stolen the Gaia and used it to attack ZAFT forces several times since the war had begun.

I don't have the heart to see her as an enemy, she thought, I can't, not when she's already suffered so much… and not when my superiors have chosen to condemn her so cruelly.

"Keep her alive as long as you can, Doctor Helman," she ordered, "I want all files on her specifically to be organized and prepared for transfer to the medical staff that will take possession of her once we reach Gibraltar."

The good doctor's eyes narrowed. "And… what's to become of her once we hand her off, Captain?"

"She'll be shipped to the homeland," said Talia, "The data we recovered from the Lodonia lab on the Alliance's Extended Program was quite valuable, but having access to a living specimen is something else entirely. Our superiors want her for in-depth study while she's still alive."

The doctor recoiled, and Talia knew that his mind had already jumped ahead to the part that she hadn't articulated. "In-depth study… they're actually planning to vivisect her, aren't they?"

There was a muffled groan, and Talia's gaze quickly turned to Shinn's bed. The young man had shifted slightly, but was still asleep. Talia refrained from breathing a sigh of relief; the last thing she wanted to do was jinx things.

"Keep your voice down, doctor. As for their intentions, it seems that they want to be as thorough as possible," Talia replied grimly, "A live research subject is their holy grail."

Helman shook his head. "Even so, to descend to such depths… this is the same kind of barbarism that we found in that forsaken lab."

"Yes," Talia murmured as she looked down at the slumbering girl again, a fresh pang of pity lancing through her heart, "It is."

"Then why are we doing this?" he asked, anger and confusion clear in his tone, "Why are we stooping to our enemy's level?"

"To win the war for our survival," Talia answered.

Helman gave her a haunted look. "At what cost, Captain?"

"Whatever price our superiors deem necessary," she said, "We all have our roles to play in this grisly affair, Doctor. I have my orders… and you have yours."

Helman reluctantly nodded. "I suppose I do. We'll keep her alive for as long as possible. Beyond that… well, I suppose our superiors will have the last word, won't they?"

Talia nodded before turning to leave. "They always do."

….

It had taken every last ounce of Shinn's very limited restraint to keep himself from leaping out of bed and laying into both Captain Gladys and Doctor Helman. Shinn had surprised even himself; mere weeks ago, he imagined that he probably wouldn't have been able to hold himself back. As it was, he had to fight down his instincts tooth and nail as both Captain Gladys and Doctor Helman left the room. He was mindful of the security guards as well; they'd notice if he suddenly got up for no reason. He'd have to be careful not to rouse their suspicions.

Look at you, he mused, actually trying to think things through and come up with a plan instead of flying off the handle. What happened to the old Shinn?

Of course, it wasn't quite that simple. His blood was still boiling at what he'd overheard, and the only thing that had stopped him from getting up and taking a swing at both the Captain and Doctor had been the knowledge that the security guards would've taken him down almost immediately afterwards. Even then, that might've been a price Shinn could accept, but if he got himself thrown in the brig for assaulting a superior officer then he wouldn't be able to help Stella.

"How far would you go to save her?"

Heero's words echoed in his mind once again, only this time, Shinn finally grasped the full weight of them. Just staying by Stella's bedside was never going to be enough, and he'd been a fool to think otherwise. Shinn hadn't known what else he could do for her, even as he desperately wracked his mind for solutions. He hadn't recognized what the stakes truly were before, even though they should've been painfully obvious.

If he really was going to save Stella…

…then he had to get her out of here.

He'd hopes that ZAFT or the PLANT civilian government would realize that she was a victim and arrange for treatment, but Shinn had been naïve. They were at war, and Stella was a live test subject of the Atlantic Federation's super soldier program; of course ZAFT wanted to extract every possible secret it could from her, and they were clearly determined to do so in the most direct way possible. If ZAFT was out, though, then what options did Shinn have?

He could immediately rule out the Earth Alliance. There was no way in hell that Shinn would allow Stella to fall back into their hands. Even if the Extended Program seemed to be an Atlantic Federation operation specifically, Shinn had no way of knowing if the other Alliance member states had similar programs. Besides, odds were pretty good that if he brought her to another Alliance signatory power, they'd just hand her over to the Atlantic Federation.

Could he try the Kingdom of Scandinavia? They were a neutral nation, and one with practically a spotless human rights record when compared to the Alliance or the PLANTs. Unfortunately, the most direct route there would be through Eurasian Federation territory, and Shinn didn't fancy his chances of making the trip with Stella in tow and not getting detected and captured. Equatorial Union? No, that was too far away from their current position, not to mention that the routes back would either take him by sea through the Suez Canal now held by ZAFT or overland through the Eurasian Federation. Either way, it wasn't a viable option.

Shinn's doubts began to multiply as he desperately searched for a solution. Who was he trying to kid here? He wasn't some tactical genius or master planner. He was a ZAFT ace pilot who was lucky to come back to the Minerva alive each time he went into battle. If Stella's life really depended on him coming up with a strategy to save her, then she was beyond screwed.

And that was when it hit him.

An idea that he would've completely dismissed out of hand mere weeks ago.

Heero Yuy.

He might've temporarily teamed up with ZAFT, but everyone knew the truth; his allegiance was to the Archangel. Both that ship and the Dominion had taken part in the clash at the Dardanelles, and they'd clearly coordinated their actions with the Gundam pilots. The two vessels were almost certainly still in the Mediterranean, and they weren't aligned with any of the major combatants in this war. Heero had to be in contact with them, and Shinn was certain that he knew where they were.

Could they take in Stella?

It was a long shot, and yet…

…the more Shinn thought about it, the more he realized that it just might be his only shot.

….

Heero had just been about to call it a night when Shinn had knocked on his door. When he'd opened it and saw the ZAFT Red looking as pale as a ghost, it wasn't hard for him to guess what was going on; something had happened with Stella. He'd let the pilot in, and it had only taken a few minutes for Shinn to lay things out.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Heero closed his eyes for a moment as he processed everything. "So, that's what they've got in mind… it's worse than I feared."

"Wait, did you know they'd be planning something like this?" asked Shinn.

Heero shook his head. "I was concerned about what would happen to her after she left this ship, but that had more to do with whether or not ZAFT would treat her as a victim, prisoner of war, or an outright criminal. To be used as a live research specimen, though… that was something I hadn't considered. You think this order comes from the top?"

"It has to," Shinn replied, "The Captain's not just another ZAFT naval officer; she's a member of FAITH. It only makes sense that such an order would be given to her directly from the top of the chain and bypass any intermediaries. Defense Council, Supreme Council, or the Chairman himself… any of them could've given the order. I guess it doesn't really matter. For something as important as this, the Chairman has to be involved."

"Sounds like you've given a great deal of thought to this," said Heero, carefully studying the ZAFT Red, "What do you intend to do about it?"

Shinn had been pacing back and forth earlier, but he came to a stop in front of Heero. "I need to get her out of here… and I need your help."

"What exactly do you think that I can do here?" asked Heero, wanting to gauge Shinn's reaction.

A normal Shinn reaction would've been to glare and ratchet up the anger, but that wasn't what Heero saw here. There was a pleading look in the young man's eyes; he was genuinely desperate.

"Come on!" he pleaded, "I know you've been in touch with the Archangel and the Dominion; there's no way they could've been in position to help us out at the Dardanelles without coordinating with you. You know where they're at, which means you could get Stella to them! Your people… they'd be able to help her, wouldn't they?"

"It's possible," Heero cautiously answered, "I sent them the data that we retrieved from the Lodonia labs, and I also stole some samples of the drugs they used on the children that were part of the Extended Program. Between those, they might be able to save her. I know that our medical staff would try everything in their power, but I can't promise a miracle, Shinn. They'd either save her… or do what they could to minimize her suffering. There's no guarantee here."

Shinn sighed, looking like a man at the end of his rope. "I… I know, but… I don't know where else to turn. This… this is the only shot she's got. Please… can you get her out of here?"

"I could," Heero replied, "Escape from here with her in tow, get her to the Archangel, hand her over to the medics and hope for the best; that's all within my power. Denying Durandal a valuable prize would simply be a bonus. All this talk about what me and the people I work with can do, though, is conspicuously missing something; what can you do to help her?"

"This is all I can do to help her!" Shinn frantically countered, "I tried staying by her side, but that's not going to matter when they take her away at Gibraltar! Even if I tried to fight them, they'd just call in more guards. Flying her out on the Impulse wouldn't work; its range is too limited, and we'd run out of power either inside Alliance territory or the middle of the sea. She needs to be taken as far away from ZAFT and the Alliance as possible for treatment, and you're the only one that can do that!"

Heero nodded. "So, your plan is to hand her off to me and hope for the best? You could do worse, but you could do better. At the very least, you could take steps to maximize this plan's chances of success."

"What do you mean?" Shinn asked nervously.

"The way I see it, you've got three plausible options," Heero answered, "Option one; you leave my room and let me do all the work in getting Stella out of here. I can pull it off, but as a solo job it'll definitely be tricky. Option two; you help me bust her out of the infirmary and get her to my Gundam. Cooperation with a member of this ship's crew would definitely make my part in this scheme easier. Of course, there's a good chance of your role getting found out and your superiors throwing you in the brig, possibly worse. You'd have gotten Stella out of their clutches, but your part in deciding her fate would come to an end there."

Shinn took a deep breath. "And… what's option three?"

Heero's eyes narrowed as he met the ZAFT Red's gaze. "Come with us."

Shinn blinked a few times as he processed what Heero had just said. "Excuse me?"

"Defect and escape with Stella and I to the Archangel," Heero elaborated, "You'll be able to stay by her side throughout her treatment, and I think that would make all the difference in the world. It might not guarantee that she survives, but your connection with her could help her get through this. You'd also then be in a position to fight to prevent anyone else from suffering what she has, whether it be at the hands of the Alliance or ZAFT. That's what we're after, Shinn; to bring an end to this war and protect the countless innocent people that get pulled into the maelstrom by the great powers. The Alliance has already shown its monstrous intentions loud and clear, but ZAFT's agenda is not as benevolent as it might seem. Look at what they intend to do to Stella; you didn't sign up to serve a government that would cut open a helpless girl for the sake of research, did you?"

Shinn's footing suddenly looked very shaky. "I… I can't just… defect? You… you can't be serious."

"I assure you that I am," Heero replied, "Shinn, do you think that what ZAFT intends to do to Stella is their only dirty deed in this war? Durandal can talk as much as he wants about how he only wishes to protect the PLANTs and bring true peace to the Earth Sphere, but what he hasn't told you is how far he's willing to go for it. Stella's not the first innocent girl to be directly threatened by him."

"What… what are you talking about?" asked Shinn, his voice suddenly rather hoarse.

"When we were at Diocuia," said Heero, "you saw her, right? Lacus Clyne?"

Shinn nodded apprehensively. "What about her?"

Heero leaned forward slightly. "That's just it; that wasn't her. Not the real one. That girl's name is Meer Campbell. The real Lacus Clyne is with the group that I work for, Shinn… and Durandal tried to assassinate her at the start of this war."

Shinn was positively reeling now. "No… that… that can't be right."

"I have the footage to prove it," Heero countered, "A ZAFT black ops force attacked the compound in Orb where we had been staying. I fought their mobile suits on the beach with Duo, Quatre and Trowa; their Gundams and mine still have the combat data from that engagement, if you want to see it. The hit squad they sent into the compound itself was wiped out by my friends, with any potential survivors committing suicide to avoid capture and interrogation. Durandal had no reason at that point to target us, especially after the help we provided in Operation Redemption. He was after Lacus, Shinn. He wanted to protect the identity of his fake songstress by silencing the real one before she could speak out."

Shinn leaned against the wall for support. "I… I don't understand. Why? Why would he do that… why would the Chairman order any of this? How does this keep the PLANTs safe?"

"Durandal understands the power of narrative and popular symbols," Heero argued, "Lacus Clyne was already a popular songstress in the PLANTs during the last war, but her defiance of Zala's radical faction and her desire for peaceful coexistence between Coordinators and Naturals turned her into an icon. If someone was confused and wondering whether or not they were on the right side, they could look to Lacus as an example of what path they should follow. That sort of charisma and influence is more powerful than any mobile suit or warship, Shinn. It can turn the tide of entire wars, as it very much did in the last one. Without her, we wouldn't have been able to assemble the mixed fleet that fought in the final battle of the Second Bloody Valentine War and brought that conflict to an end without Coordinators and Naturals wiping each other out. What ruler wouldn't want such a potent symbol coopted for their regime? Durandal knew that the people of the PLANTs would be hesitant about getting involved in another war, even one purportedly for self-defense. If he could show them that none other than Lacus Clyne was backing his cause, that would go a long way towards bringing any doubters back into the fold."

Shinn slumped down to the floor, as if the weight of all that Heero had told him was pressing upon him from above and robbing his legs of their strength. "Does that mean… what we've been fighting for this whole time… it's all been a lie?"

"Not entirely," Heero answered, "I believe Durandal is being genuine about his desire to keep the PLANTs safe, but if that were his only objective then he wouldn't need to resort to such measures as assassination and human experimentation. He's after something else, Shinn. I don't know exactly what it is, but I doubt it's anything good. The group I'm working for is trying to put together the pieces of this puzzle so we can stop him before it's too late. We're still fighting against the Alliance as well, but a confrontation with Durandal will be inevitable. He's a threat, Shinn. Maybe not as obvious of one as the Alliance, but a threat nonetheless. If he's willing to target Lacus just to protect an imposter or carve up Stella in the name of understanding the enemy, what else do you think he's capable of? How many more innocent people like Lacus or Stella could be at risk because of his plans?"

Shinn looked down at the floor, utterly despondent. "I don't know… what am I supposed to do?"

"Take a stand," Heero pressed, "You have the power to make a difference, Shinn, but that power means nothing if you don't act on it. If you continue on as you have been, you and your friends will be nothing more than Durandal's attack dogs. He'll continue to manipulate all of you into doing his bidding without question. Look at what he's already convinced those within his orbit to do. You said that Captain Gladys herself came to the medical bay to give the doctor his new orders, right? She was almost certainly acting in her capacity as a member of FAITH, and FAITH operatives answer directly to Chairman Durandal and the Supreme Council. I believe her orders came through FAITH channels rather than the normal military chain of command; this was something Durandal only trusted to someone he'd made a personal agent. Athrun and Heine are FAITH agents as well; how long do you think it'll be before Durandal gives them tasks like this? Better yet, how long until you start getting them?"

Shinn shook his head. "I'm not a member of FAITH. That… that wouldn't happen!"

"It's only a matter of time until that changes," Heero argued, "Look at you; ZAFT Red, pilot of an advanced prototype mobile suit, and an ace of rapidly growing skill. You fit the profile of someone Durandal would want taking orders from him personally. If you stay with ZAFT, you're going to get that promotion from him, and I wager it'd be sooner rather than later. Once he's got that collar on you, it's only a matter of time before you start getting roped into his schemes in earnest. What's worse, he'll play up how you're being part of something extraordinary, something noble, while omitting key details and leaving you in the dark as to his ultimate purpose. You'll be nothing more than one of his tools, Shinn. Is that why you joined ZAFT? To simply be an instrument in the hands of its leader without understanding what you're really fighting for?"

"No," said Shinn, "I joined… to protect people. To make sure that they didn't suffer like I did… that they didn't lose their loved ones. To keep the tragedies of the last war from ever happening again!"

Heero nodded. "I thought as much. I'm sure you weren't the only ZAFT recruit with such noble aims to join in the gap between the last war and this one. Idealism and noble ambition can be powerful forces, especially in the hands of a skilled manipulator. Durandal understands that his plans can only come to fruition if he has an army of loyal soldiers at his command, those who genuinely believe that they're fighting for a just cause and will put their lives on the line for it. Soldiers with that kind of dedication are far more valuable than any of the private military contractors that he could hire for his own ends. He'll use their idealism against them, and none of them will recognize it until it's far too late."

He stood up, went over to Shinn, and held out his hand. "We can't protect everyone in this world no matter how hard we try, but we can defend those that are right in front of us. Stella needs help, Shinn. She needs protection from both the Alliance and ZAFT, and a safe place where she can be treated and begin rehabilitation. I can't promise that our medics can save her; for all we know, the damage that the Alliance has inflicted upon her could already be fatal. What I can promise, Shinn, is that she'll be protected and treated first and foremost as a victim, not as an enemy or a test subject. Should she pass through the worst of it and begin to recover, she'll need friends by her side. Right now, you're the only one she has. What do you want to do?"

Shinn looked up at him for a long moment, desperation and wariness fighting each other. "On the Archangel… the Freedom and its pilot are there, aren't they? So is Cagalli, right?"

"Yes," Heero answered, "I know you hold them responsible for what happened to your family. As much as I'd like to convince you otherwise, if we're going to save Stella then we don't have the time for it right now. If you come with us, though, and meet them… well, I'll make no guarantees, but talking to them just might get you to reconsider things. I can promise you this; they're both good people, and they'll do everything they can to protect Stella from those who would seek to harm her. You have my word on that."

Shinn's eyes narrowed slightly. "Your word… that's all I really have right now, isn't it? Stella's fate… it rests on whether or not I can trust you."

"It does," Heero concurred, "What say you? Will you take a leap of faith? If not for your own sake, then for her?"

A few tense seconds passed before Shinn took Heero's hand. "I will. At this point, it's the only chance she has."

Heero pulled him to his feet. "Then we'll need to move quickly. Grab anything you need from your quarters, because this is going to be a one-way trip. I just have a few things I need to move from here to my Gundam. Meet back here in twenty minutes and not a second later, got that?"

Shinn nodded. "Okay… I'll see you in a bit."

Shinn walked out the door a moment later, and before it had even finished closing, Heero had already gotten to work.

….

It was remarkable how calming having a plan could be. Well, the word 'plan' might've been doing some work there, at least in Shinn's case; his whole idea had consisted of go to Heero and beg for help. Admittedly, it seemed to have worked, albeit not in the way that Shinn had initially imagined.

Was he seriously going through with this? Springing Stella was one thing; actually joining the guy that he was entrusting her to was quite another. Shinn had been willing to take the heat for Stella escaping, and it wouldn't be the first time he'd gotten himself thrown in the brig, but this was different. This would be desertion, perhaps even treason; the stakes were much higher here than simple insubordination.

And yet…

… it felt like the only right thing to do.

Lunamaria, Rey, Meyrin, Heine, he thought as he headed back to Heero's room, I don't know if any of them will understand this. Should I talk to them first? No, there's no time for that now; Stella can't afford it. I'll just have to hope that I get the chance to explain it to them someday.

It hadn't taken him long to pack. There were only a few items that Shinn really considered essential, and most of them could fit in his pockets. He did have a small emergency bag slung over his shoulder; having one prepped at all times was one of the first things that had been drilled into them at the academy. Shinn had never imagined himself using it for something like this, but he was glad that he had it ready all the same.

The door opened a split-second after the first knock, and Heero looked like he was raring to go. "You ready for this? Last chance if you want to back out."

Shinn gave a resolute nod; he wouldn't let his doubts doom Stella. "I am. What's our next move?"

"To the infirmary," Heero replied, already setting off, "Stay behind me."

"What about the guards?" Shinn asked.

"Leave them to me," Heero answered firmly.

Shinn gulped nervously. "You're not going to… you know…"

Heero shook his head. "They won't be harmed."

The corridors of the Minerva were empty at this hour; almost everyone that wasn't on evening watch was getting some much-needed sleep. Shinn could only hope that none of his friends felt the need for a late-night snack or fresh air.

It didn't take long for them to reach the entrance to the infirmary. Before Shinn could even ask just what the plan was, Heero had already drawn a small pistol, the likes of which Shinn had never seen before. Shinn's face paled as Heero opened fire, but not only did the weapon barely make more than a small whistling sound when it was discharged, but there was no sign of blood when the two guards dropped. Their hands had momentarily moved to their necks, and when they were confirmed down Shinn knelt nearby to investigate. Each one had what appeared to be a round with a tiny barb embedded in their neck.

Tranquilizers, Shinn thought with relief as he glanced at Heero's gun, I wonder if his friends have any extras of those on the Archangel. Looks like a very useful weapon.

"How many guards are inside?" asked Heero as he leaned against the wall to the right of the door.

"There were two when I left," Shinn whispered, "The doctor went back into his office, but he might come out."

"He won't be a problem," said Heero, "Open the door on my mark, and I'll clear the room."

Shinn took a deep breath before doing so, and Heero stepped through the doorway even as the door itself was still sliding open. He heard two quick whistles as Heero's tranquilizer gun did its work, followed by a pair of thuds as the guards hit the floor.

"Clear," Heero hissed a moment later.

Shinn ran inside a moment later, making a beeline for Stella's bed while Heero knelt by the guards. He joined Shinn after a couple of seconds with the keys for her cuffs and quickly unlocked them.

"Looks like she's still sedated," said Shinn as he put his hand to her forehead, "Feels feverish. That can't be good."

"Every second we linger here is one too many for her," Heero replied, "Grab her and follow me."

"Shinn?" came a familiar male voice from the far side of the room.

Both Shinn and Heero turned to see Doctor Helman standing in the open doorway of his office. The medic was understandably surprised to see Shinn in the process of pickup up Stella and cradling her in his arms, but before either of them could comment on the situation there was yet another whistle, and Doctor Helman's hand went to his throat before he dropped to the floor a second later.

"No time to explain things politely," said Heero, already moving for the door.

Shinn gave a reluctant sigh as he made sure Stella's head was resting safely against his chest. "Guess so. How long will he be down?"

"These rounds will drop a human for a good five to six hours, depending on the individual," Heero answered as they left the infirmary, "They'll wake up no worse for wear."

Shinn smiled. "That's good. I don't want to hurt anyone here."

"Neither do I," said Heero, "Stay behind me and keep up."

It took a couple minutes for Shinn to realize that they weren't heading for the main hangar. "Hey, where are we going? Your Gundam's down that way!"

"We're getting the two of you airborne first," Heero replied, "You're taking the Core Splendor."

That didn't make sense to Shinn. "Your Gundam has room for passengers, right? Everyone knows about your extraction of the Rehema family from the capital in the last war. You can squeeze us both in the cockpit with you!"

"It'd be a tight fit with three people," Heero countered, "and I won't be able to fight as well if I have to worry about hurting you two. There's going to be pursuit, Shinn; it's unavoidable. You'll need me to fend them off while you get clear."

Shinn quickly ran through the list of pilots with full-flight-capable mobile suits in his head. He doubted the other Gundam pilots would attack once they learned that Heero was involved, while Rey and Lunamaria's machines could not fly in atmosphere. That just left Heine and Athrun, and while Shinn didn't think the GOUF Ignited was fast enough to catch the Core Splendor, the Saviour definitely was.

"Hold on a second," Shinn said, "You told me you weren't going to hurt anyone!"

"And I don't intend to," Heero argued, "I'll try to disable any mobile suits that come after us, but there are no guarantees on the battlefield. That's why I'll need to be able to fully focus in the event of confrontation; it'll be much harder to make the moves I'll need to if I have passengers."

They arrived in the upper hangar a few moments later. Most of the technician crew members had already turned in for the night, although there were a few late-shifters milling around. Shinn saw them turn to look at him, Stella and Heero as they entered, their curious expressions briefly transforming into alarm as the Gundam pilot dropped the first one with his tranquilizer gun. The others went down quickly, unable to sound the alarm.

"Get in and move to the catapult," Heero ordered, "There's an auxiliary launch station at the back end of the hangar; I'll program a sequence in and get the doors open. Get airborne and head southeast as fast as you can. Don't wait for me; I'll catch up quickly enough."

Shinn nodded. "Thanks… I owe you one."

"Worry about paying back once we've made it to the Archangel," Heero called over his shoulder as he ran off, "We're not out of the woods yet."

….

Shinn should be airborne by now, thought Heero as he sealed Wing Zero's hatch, I hope he's ready for what lies ahead.

It hadn't taken long to get from the Core Splendor's dedicated hangar to the main one; studying the ship's schematics had revealed a maintenance shaft that ran from one to the other. The fact that it allowed Heero to move between both without having to worry about encountering members of the crew was a bonus, and as a result he had been able to quickly and quietly enter the main hangar without drawing attention. Just like the upper hangar, the main one had an auxiliary launch station for use in the event that operations on the bridge were disrupted by battle damage, and Heero had wasted no time in hacking it and opening the doors. The few mechanical crew members down there had been understandably confused by the development, allowing Heero to easily neutralize them as he made his way to Wing Zero. He could've just blasted the door open with the Twin Buster Rifle, but he preferred to make his getaway as clean and quiet as he could manage.

Completing his systems check, Heero moved his Gundam to the exit and fired up the engines. Clearing the open doors and rapidly climbing, he took a moment to survey the situation. Just like he'd ordered, Shinn had already taken the Core Splendor southeast and was already barely more than a pinprick of light in the distance. Heero quickly gunned the throttle to join him, all the while watching the Minerva for signs of scrambling opposition.

"Should've sabotaged the GOUF and Saviour," he muttered under his breath, "Too late for that now."

A chime came from his console; the Minerva was trying to contact him. Figuring he might be able to stall for Shinn a bit, Heero humored them by opening a channel.

The tired face of Captain Gladys greeted him. "Heero Yuy, what the hell are you doing? I'm assuming that's Shinn in the Core Splendor? He won't answer our hails! What madness have you roped him into?"

"What madness came over you when you got that order from Durandal?" Heero coldly replied.

Talia recoiled in genuine shock. "How... how did you find out about that?"

"Does it really matter at this point?" Heero quipped, "I thought you were better than this, Captain."

To her credit, the ashamed look that followed appeared sincere. "It was a direct order from the Chairman… what was I supposed to do?"

"The same thing so many did during the last war when they received orders that they knew were wrong," Heero firmly answered, "It's not too late, Captain. Let us go. You know what I'll do anyone you dispatch for pursuit."

Talia grimly nodded. "I'm sure I can imagine… but I have no choice. This is a ZAFT warship, Heero Yuy; we will do our duty and carry out the orders of the Supreme Council Chairman."

"Then we have nothing more to discuss," Heero shot back as he cut the connection.

Taking off after Shinn, Heero opened a new channel. "This is Heero Yuy to the Archangel and Dominion. I'm inbound to your position, and I've got a friend flying ahead of me. The Core Splendor is friendly; do not shoot it down. I'll be seeing you all real soon."

It won't be much longer, he thought, a small smile appearing as he raced to catch up with Shinn, Murrue…

…I'm coming home.

….

"I don't believe this," Athrun muttered as he rushed through his preflight checklist.

"I wish it weren't so, but reality does not lie," came Heine's voice over the cockpit speakers, "We have to run them down and bring them in… or destroy them."

Athrun gave a bitter laugh. "Do you even hear yourself? Remember who we're up against?"

"I'm well aware of who we're facing," Heine replied, "That does not change our orders or our duty. Are you ready?"

Athrun checked his monitor before nodding. "Green across the board."

"Same here," said Heine, "Let's go."

As he moved the Saviour to the catapult, Athrun caught a glimpse of Lunamaria and Rey rushing to their mobile suits. There was no point in scrambling them; they couldn't move beyond the Minerva with the units at their disposal. Then again, he supposed that it made sense to have them deploy for defense. After all, the Mediterranean was still enemy territory, and it was always possible that the Alliance might sense an opportunity for a night attack on the ship.

No sign of the other Gundam pilots, he thought, I guess I shouldn't be surprised; none of them would want to fight Heero. It really is just Heine and I for this one…

Launch clearance came a few seconds later, and the Saviour shot out of the hangar. As Athrun gained altitude he saw the GOUF Ignited leave the ship and ascend to join him. The two mobile suits angled southeast and opened up the throttle, with Athrun shifting the Saviour to its mobile armor form.

"I'll distract Heero," said Heine, "Once you have an opening, bypass him and go for the Core Splendor. Shinn might be good, but I know you're better. Bring him home."

"Copy that," Athrun replied, "Don't push your luck with Heero; he doesn't usually hold back in a fight."

If they had just been chasing Heero, Athrun knew that pursuit would've been pointless; Wing Zero Albion could outrun the GOUF and the Saviour even if it didn't reach top speed. However, Heero had to protect the Core Splendor, which would give Athrun and Heine a chance to catch up. They weren't that far ahead, and if they pushed their mobile suits hard Athrun was confident that they'd close the gap soon.

Of course, that would be the easy part.

"Do you have them on scopes?" asked Heine.

Athrun checked his display again and nodded. "Yeah. Albion's behind the Core Splendor… wait a second. Albion's peeling off... shit! He's vectoring for us!"

"I suppose I should thank him," said Heine, "I always wondered what it'd be like to face him in battle."

"This isn't a game!" Athrun cried out, disturbed at just how casual Heine was being about all this, "I've seen him rip apart entire squadrons with ease. If he goes full-tilt, you're dead!"

"I'm well aware of that," Heine countered, "Still, isn't that the risk we always take when we sortie? We have our mission, Athrun; let's carry it out."

The gap between them and the Albion rapidly shrunk, and as Athrun zoomed in with his sensors he saw that the Gundam had both of its emerald beam sabers ignited. That was actually a good sign; if Heero was keeping the Twin Buster Rifle stowed away, then it meant he was probably aiming to disable rather than kill.

At least, Athrun hoped that's what it meant.

There was a chime from Athrun's console, and Heero's face appeared in the bottom right corner of his monitor a second later. "Don't try it."

"I don't have much of a choice, Heero," Athrun replied as he white-knuckled the controls.

"Sure you do," Heero shot back, "Come with us. Come back to Terminal. It's not too late."

Athrun shook his head. "I can't. Not yet. There's still so much I can do with ZAFT, Heero. Please… don't make me do this!"

The icy look in Heero's eyes chilled Athrun to the bone. "Turn back. You won't get another warning."

"You won't kill me, Heero," said Athrun, sounding more confident than he felt.

"I don't have to," said Heero, "but I'll still ruin your day."

The Gundam pilot disappeared from the screen, and a split second later Athrun saw two golden pinpricks appear in the distance. Instantly recognizing them, he pulled the Saviour down and to the right, but the move only allowed him to dodge one of the railgun rounds; the other nailed the Saviour and rattled it. It didn't break through the unit's Variable Phase Shift Armor, but Athrun definitely felt the impact and had no desire to experience another one.

"Heine, watch out!" Athrun warned, "Here he comes!"

A blue streak was rapidly approaching; it was always difficult to appreciate just how fast the addition of the Voiture Lumiere electromagnetic-light-wave propulsion system made Heero's Gundam until one saw it for themselves. Even with plenty of experience on that front, Athrun had never been on the other end of it before. Recognizing that he would have no time to shift the Saviour to its mobile suit form, he opened fire with the unit's plasma cannons. Twin streams of crimson light raced across the sky, but his target had already maneuvered out of the way, and they sailed harmlessly past. Heero's response came in the form of another railgun salvo, this time with both rounds nailing the Saviour head on and knocking it off course.

As Athrun fought to get his machine back under control, he saw Heero zip right past him, shoulder-mounted machine cannons blazing as he opened up on the GOUF Ignited. For his part, Heine went evasive and returned fire with the Draupnir 4-barrel Beam Gun mounted on the unit's right arm while bringing his left arm and shield forward to block what rounds he couldn't evade. The night sky between the two mobile suits was filled with yellow tracer shells and a hail of emerald particle beams as they traded fire, a display that Athrun might've found beautiful were it not so deadly.

Correcting his course, Athrun knew he had his opening and poured on the throttle. Racing after Shinn, he kept one eye on the fight unfolding behind him. Amazingly, Heine actually held his own… for the first few seconds. The gap between the two mobile suits quickly closed, with Heine drawing and igniting his Tempest Beam Sword in the GOUF's right hand while unleashing the Slayer Whip Heat Rod mounted in the machine's left forearm. The whip gave Heine greater mid-range capability than his opponent, but his foe had him beat in speed; Wing Zero Albion dived beneath the whip as it lashed out, eliminating what little distance remained between them. That was when Heero struck, and while Heine managed to block his right saber with the beam sword, the left one landed a vicious diagonal strike, shaving off the upper right quarter of the GOUF's head before continuing downward into the shoulder and severing the unit's sword arm.

"Heine, pull back!" Athrun shouted, unable to keep a note of panic from entering his voice.

Heine didn't listen, and he paid for it. The ZAFT Red and FAITH agent took another swing with his Heat Rod, but Heero caught the whip with his left beam saber before cutting off the GOUF's remaining arm with his right. The Gundam pilot didn't start there; he lashed out with his twin sabers, piercing and severing the flight pack from the mobile suit. Heine's orange machine plunged towards the sea, crashing into the waves a moment later.

"Heine!" Athrun screamed as he pulled a U-turn with the Saviour.

Screw the mission, he thought frantically as he transformed his unit into its mobile suit configuration, I need to save him before he sinks too far!

Athrun shot a glare at Wing Zero Albion as it hung overhead, its railguns tracking the Saviour as it raced for the stricken GOUF. Heero had done this on purpose, crippling Heine knowing that Athrun wouldn't be able to live with himself if he let his comrade succumb to a watery grave. Sure enough, as Athrun's suit hit the water and grabbed the GOUF's upper torso to keep it from completely slipping beneath the waves, he saw the Gundam break off and race to catch up with the Core Splendor.

"That was low, Heero," he growled, although he knew his friend couldn't hear him.

His engines were straining, but he managed to halt the GOUF's sinking and slowly began to pull it from the sea. He'd have to signal the Minerva for assistance and report their failure, but Athrun could live with that. Heine probably wouldn't be happy, but at least he'd be alive; few could still say that after a fight with Heero.

A dark pit formed in his stomach as he watched Wing Zero Albion and the Core Splendor vanish into the night. The moment he'd been quietly dreading was finally upon him; he was now on the opposite side of his friend…

…and likely the rest of Terminal as well.

Cagalli… Kira…

I'm so sorry…

I never wanted it to come to this.

Preview for next time!

Arriving on the Archangel, Stella is taken in for treatment while Shinn remains by her side. Heero is reunited with Murrue and his friends, but his return also leads to the inevitable confrontation between him and Cagalli over the loss of so many Orb soldiers at the Dardanelles. Meanwhile, with Terminal moving to transfer key personnel to outer space while civil unrest continues to escalate within the Eurasian Federation, the stage is being set for the next act. Next time, on "Destiny's Call", Episode Twenty: Reunion.

In the midst of war, take comfort in homecomings, for each one is precious and fleeting.

Author's Notes: I did the thing! Seriously wasn't planning on having this one completed for at least a couple more weeks, but I really got on a roll this weekend. Just kind of got in the zone, you know? Also, everything outside is smoky as all hell thanks to the fires, so it's not like I can go out to enjoy some fresh air these days. Oh, and COVID is still a thing. So… yeah.

On a brighter note, finally went and got myself Animal Crossing: New Horizons last month. It's been a most welcome distraction from all the crap that's going on in the world, really should've bought it sooner.

Hope you all liked the chapter. Please review, stay safe, and I'll see you next time!