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?)

22. Chapter 22

Author's Notes: Hello there! Sorry for the wait on this, took a bit longer than I had originally planned. Hope everyone's doing okay, I know things are still pretty crazy out there. Keep your head down and don't do anything stupid. I know that should be a low bar to clear, but… well, you all saw 2020, not to mention the shitshow back in January; stupidity's not exactly in short supply these days.

No big fight scenes in this chapter, but the next one will more than make up for it. This one is very much the calm before the storm. No music this time around, either.

Enjoy!

Episode Twenty-Two: The Deep Breath Before the Plunge

Dawn was mere hours away as Wing Zero Albion touched down inside the Archangel. Moving his Gundam to its berth, Heero leaned back in his seat and let out a weary sigh. The battle had been a short affair compared to other engagements he'd taken part in, but the clash with Wufei hadn't been easy to say the least.

His skills are constantly growing, thought Heero, and he's highly driven. His motivations may be mistaken, but that doesn't diminish their potency. Combine that with all the upgrades Howard made to the Altron, and you have the recipe for an incredibly dangerous opponent.

One that I'll almost certainly have to go another round with at some point.

It was a risk that Heero had been aware of for some time now, but actually confronting it for real had a way of bringing the stakes into much sharper focus. Whether Durandal realized it or not, he had scored a brilliant coup; one of the deadliest pilots in the world, in any world, was now fighting for him. The next time Terminal fought with ZAFT and the Minerva was present, Heero's first priority would be to contain Wufei. That would remove the fearsome firepower of the Twin Buster Rifle from the equation, though, which would give the rest of ZAFT's forces much greater freedom to act. It was true that Heero could always ask Shemei to tangle with Wufei; the Valkyrie would be more than up for such a fight, and the Epyon Revenant was quite capable of going toe-to-toe with the Altron Custom. However, Wufei was one of the five original Gundam pilots. He was Heero's responsibility to deal with, and he understood how he fought in a way that only a fellow Gundam pilot could.

"What a mess," he muttered as he undid his flight harness, powered down his Gundam and opened the hatch, "Damn it, Wufei…"

Stepping out onto the maintenance catwalk, he was greeted by Murdoch. "Good to have you back, Heero… hey, you okay? Nothing went wrong out there, did it?"

Heero had to give the veteran chief mechanic of the Archangel credit; the man was much more perceptive than he let on. "The mission went well, but I'm afraid we've made a new enemy, one that won't be easy to defeat. Our battles from here on out are only going to get tougher."

Murdoch chuckled as the other mobile suits that had taken part in the operation filed into the hangar behind him. "Well, what's that you're always saying? Easy battles aren't for Gundam pilots, right?"

Heero nodded as he looked around and caught sight of Murrue entering the hangar. "True enough."

Climbing down the ladder, he worked his way around the edge of the hangar to stay out of the way of the incoming mobile suits. Murrue did the same and met him halfway, smiling as she greeted him.

"We just got the confirmation signal from the shuttle before you landed," she said, "They've disabled the beacons on the craft and the Gaia and are proceeding to the asteroid hideout where we've stashed the Eternal. Operation Passport was a resounding success."

Heero gave her a small and weary smile. "That's good to hear. I'm glad they were able to launch safely."

He immediately saw her eyes narrow; Murrue had gotten far too good at reading him over the past two years. "What's the matter, Heero? You don't exactly look like a pilot who just returned victoriously."

Heero nodded grimly. "The other Gundam pilots launched to defend Gibraltar. It didn't take them long to realize my intentions, although they might not have known precisely what I was drawing attention away from. Duo, Trowa and Quatre played along by only fighting the Earth Alliance's mobile suit squadrons, but Wufei went straight for me. We fought, Murrue… he's no longer an ally."

Murrue gasped. "Don't tell me… you weren't forced to…"

Heero shook his head. "I didn't kill him. Neither of us were able to damage the other, and for this fight I only had to keep him focused on me anyway. Still, that doesn't change the fact that this wasn't what I wanted. Whether we like it or not, Wufei's thrown in with ZAFT now."

Murrue sighed. "Just like with Athrun… that's the last thing we needed. Do you think there's a chance that we can pull him back?"

Heero closed his eyes for a moment as the duel replayed itself in his mind. "It's possible, but it won't be easy. If we can figure out what Durandal's really after in this war, then we might be able to pry both Wufei and Athrun from his grip. We need more information, though. In the meantime, we'll have to accept that if we encounter the Minerva again, we're likely going to end up fighting both of them."

Murrue solemnly nodded. "It can't be helped. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, though. Right now, we need to rest up and regroup. Once we submerge again, I'm taking us east into the middle of the Mediterranean. The action's probably going to be focused on Europe for some time to come, and now both sides will be keeping an eye open for us as well. If we stay on the move underwater, we should be able to remain one step ahead of their patrols while at the same time remain able to respond in the event of a crisis."

"Sounds good," Heero replied, blinking a few times as a sudden wave of exhaustion hit him, "This might be our last chance to catch our breath for a while. I can't say for certain, but… I've got a feeling that something big is coming."

"I agree," said Murrue, "Eric's reports regarding Atlantic Federation reinforcements coming to Europe have me worried. I don't think they're here just for us and ZAFT. If word of the growing civil unrest within the Eurasian Federation is accurate, then we could be sitting on a powder keg here."

Heero nodded. "Exactly. We need to be ready for anything."

Murrue put a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, and that starts with getting you some sleep. You've put in enough work for the night, Heero. Go to our quarters and shut your eyes for a while. I'll join you in a little bit."

Heero gave her a small smile. "Sounds good. Don't take too long; you look about as tired as I am."

Murrue leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll get some rest soon. Sleep well, Heero."

….

"Remind me why we're part of the welcoming committee here," said Duo as he watched the dock crews secure the Vosgulov-class carrier/submarine that had just pulled in.

"Diplomacy," Quatre replied, "We might not be officially part of ZAFT, but we're still high-profile pilots. If we're not on hand with the other luminaries from the Minerva to greet the Chairman, it'll come off as a snub."

Duo folded his arms. "Why should we care about that? We're here to fight the Alliance, not soothe the ego of a politician."

"Gestures like these make our current position a bit more tenable," Trowa pointed out, "As of last night, we're on pretty thin ice. We need to watch our step."

Duo stretched his arms and failed to stifle a yawn. "Can't believe you guys convinced me to get up early for this shit."

He understood the necessity, of course. After Heero's little stunt, Duo was well aware of their precarious situation. The three of them had taken down plenty of Earth Alliance mobile suits and could make a good case that their efforts had blunted the enemy's offensive, but there was also the fact that they hadn't gone after the pilot who had triggered the battle in the first place. They could always say that they'd been following Captain Gladys's orders; she had only told them about the incoming Alliance squadrons, after all. When it came to the letter of those orders, the trio had carried them out quite effectively.

Would it be enough, though? They were definitely taking a gamble in sticking around like this. Duo understood Quatre's reasoning, of course, but he wasn't sure if the risks were worth it. Sure, they were in the heart of one of ZAFT's most important surface bases; it was a prime intelligence gathering opportunity. By the same token, though, it meant that they were more vulnerable now than ever before. They were using the threat of self-detonating their Gundams to keep ZAFT's technicians away, and it had worked so far, but how much longer could they play that card? The machines really were set to blow if anyone other than the Gundam pilots tampered with them, and Duo was pretty sure that ZAFT didn't want to risk sending their prized battleship along with a good chunk of Gibraltar's docks to kingdom come, but what if their hosts decided that the three of them were bluffing?

I really hope you know what you're doing, Quatre, thought Duo as he saw the portside hatch of the submarine open up and a gangway extend, because this could easily blow up in our faces… possibly quite literally.

Several ZAFT soldiers emerged from the craft first, followed by the Chairman and his aides. Duo's eyes widened slightly as he saw Lacus Clyne with him as well… or rather, Meer Campbell. His worries momentarily were shoved aside as he surreptitiously glanced at Trowa. The pilot of Heavyarms Arsenal was trying to look impassive, but Duo couldn't help but notice how his gaze briefly flickered towards the fake songstress.

Duo smirked as he gave his fellow Gundam pilot a playful nudge with his elbow. "Head's up, buddy!"

"What for?" asked Trowa.

Duo chuckled as he watched Durandal and Meer reach the end of the gangway. "Don't play dumb with me, pal! You know exactly what I'm talking about here."

Trowa simply shrugged. "The Chairman brought his songstress with him. That's not exactly surprising."

Duo smiled. "Play it cool all you want, but I know better. You were hoping she'd be coming along, weren't you?"

"Cut the chatter!" Quatre hissed, "Look sharp."

Duo rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever you say."

Their position was somewhat unique, perhaps unintentionally reflecting just where they stood with their current hosts. Several rows of ZAFT soldiers were lined up at the docks to greet the Chairman, with Captain Gladys and several others from her crew front and center. That included her XO and all of the ship's pilots. Athrun, Heine, Lunamaria and Rey were in their full regalia, while the Gundam pilots presented an odd contrast by showing up in their casual clothes; they hadn't exactly packed dress uniforms for their mission. Duo couldn't help but notice that Wufei had positioned himself between the other Gundam pilots and ZAFT's pilots, leaving his three friends decidedly on the edge of the lineup.

I can't believe the guy actually went after Heero like that, he thought, Wufei, what the hell's gotten into you?

It was something that he'd tried to call out his fellow Gundam pilot on after the fight, but Wufei had brushed him off. There was definitely a rift now between the L5 native and the other Gundam pilots, and it didn't bode well for the future. The five of them were always at their strongest when they worked together, and that valuable cohesion had taken a serious hit. Duo could only hope that there was time to mend the rift; from the look of things, the conflict was only going to heat up further from here on out.

The ZAFT soldiers snapped to attention as the Chairman approached. None of the Gundam pilots saluted, including Wufei, which Duo took as a good sign. The guy had a few screws loose, but at least he hadn't crossed that particular bridge. Duo watched as Durandal's gaze drifted over Captain Gladys and her subordinates first, and then towards the Gundam pilots. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but it lasted only for a moment before his focus shifted back to the commanding officer of the Minerva.

"Welcome to Gibraltar, Chairman Durandal," said Captain Gladys, "I'm pleased to see that you made it here safely."

Durandal nodded and smiled. "Our journey was thankfully uneventful. Travel by submarine might be slower than flying, but with the naval losses our foes have suffered in this region it's definitely more secure. It's good to see you again, Talia, although I do wish it was under better circumstances."

"As do I," Talia grimly replied.

"I've only received preliminary reports so far regarding last night's engagement," Durandal continued, "and I must admit to finding them rather puzzling. Correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that it started with none other than Heero Yuy attacking Gibraltar's northern defensive line. Is that right?"

Duo was surprised by Talia's response. "Not entirely, Chairman. It's true that the Gundam Albion did make the initial approach, but Heero did not open fire first; our defenses did. He only began truly battling our forces once they had him under fire."

It almost sounds like she's defending Heero, Duo mused, I mean, she's at least telling the truth about how the fight started, which is something. The Chairman was going with a more aggressive version of the opening moves from last night…

The Chairman seemed a bit taken aback by Talia's reply. "Oh, is that so? Well, regardless of who opened fire first, I think we can both agree that he initiated this engagement. Do you know what it was that he was hoping to accomplish here?"

Talia shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not, Chairman."

Durandal nodded. "I see. We should continue this conversation somewhere a bit more private. Captain, if you and your subordinates would come with me? Oh, and if you Gundam pilots would like to attend as well, that'd be most appreciated."

It was framed as a request, but it sure didn't feel like one to Duo. Was it a trap? He couldn't say for sure. He looked at Quatre, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Trowa do the same.

Your call, buddy, he thought, We've got your back either way.

Without hesitation, or indeed any outward sign of concern, Quatre nodded. "Of course, Chairman."

And so they set off, with Duo hoping that his friend knew what he was doing.

….

Quatre wasn't a gambler by nature. He didn't frequent casinos, bet on horse races, or anything of the sort. Hell, the closest he got to it were friendly card games with his friends, and even then, the stakes were merely bragging rights or the occasional odd dare courtesy of Duo. When it came to his own life and those of his friends, though, there was no denying the risky bet he'd made here.

If we get through this mess in one piece, maybe I should hit up a casino afterwards, he mused as the group followed the Chairman into one of Gibraltar's conference rooms, I really am pushing my luck these days…

He remained collected, almost downright casual, on the surface, but inside he was definitely on edge. Quatre knew the chance he was taking here; it might have been a calculated gamble, but it was still a gamble. It was the same razor's edge that he'd been walking with Duo and Trowa during the battle several hours ago, only this time they weren't in their mobile suits. As everyone sat around the table, he quickly and surreptitiously scanned the room. No security guards had come in; it was just the Chairman and Meer, Talia and Arthur, the remaining pilots of the Minerva, and the Gundam pilots. Not the best odds if it came down to a fight, although Quatre had definitely seen worse. Quatre was hoping to avoid an open clash altogether, though; the battle that needed to be fought now was one of wits, not fists.

He glanced at Duo and Trowa, both of whom gave him small, almost imperceptible nods. The unspoken message was clear; they had his back, and they would let him take point here. The ball was in Quatre's court, and he could only hope that he didn't fumble it.

"Thank you for agreeing to this," said Durandal after a moment, "I'm sure that none of you were planning on a prolonged meeting, and I'll do my best to keep this brief. Given the events of last night, there are a few pressing matters that need to be settled quickly."

Talia nodded. "Of course, Chairman. Before we begin, though, I have a question."

Durandal smiled. "Please, ask away."

Talia turned to Meer. "Why is she here? With all due respect, I'm assuming we are here to discuss military matters, and while I appreciate Miss Clyne's contributions to our cause I do not believe that her primary expertise is the art of war."

Her expression was neutral on the surface, but there was something about the way that Talia was looking at Meer that struck Quatre as odd. Furtively looking around the room, he noted a similar look on Arthur's face. Both of them seemed almost uncomfortable simply being in the same room as her. It wasn't just the Captain and her XO, either; Lunamaria appeared a little uneasy whenever she glanced at the songstress.

And that was when it hit Quatre; they knew she was an imposter. How or when they had gained such knowledge, he couldn't say, but it was the only explanation that made sense to him. The three of them knew she was a fake, and Quatre suspected that Durandal didn't know that they knew.

That altered the dynamic in the room, potentially to Quatre's advantage. The L4 native quickly reevaluated the situation. The four Gundam pilots had already known that the Chairman's songstress was a fake and that Durandal had tried to kill the real one. It was part of why Quatre, Duo and Trowa didn't trust Durandal in the slightest, although Wufei clearly didn't care. Athrun knew she was a fake, but he seemed to be slipping further and further into ZAFT's camp with each passing day, so him possessing that knowledge would be of little help here. Talia, Arthur and Lunamaria had suddenly become wild cards thanks to being in on the secret, but what about Heine and Rey? The two of them didn't appear to be reacting much to her presence beyond idle curiosity, and while that wasn't concrete evidence, it was enough for Quatre to suspect that neither of them knew the truth. Could he use that? Quatre didn't know.

Tread extremely carefully here, he told himself, Secrets like this one are a valuable trump card, but play it at the wrong time and it could misfire.

He kept his expression casual even as he focused intently on Durandal while the Chairman answered Talia's question. "That may be so, but her understanding the events of last night will be helpful for her in performing her duties here later. Please, humor me, Talia."

Talia nodded. "As you wish, Chairman. My apologies, Miss Clyne."

Quatre didn't know if she truly bought Durandal's line; he sure as hell didn't. Meer's presence in this meeting had a hidden purpose, and Quatre had a strong suspicion that she was meant as bait for him and his friends. If Quatre or any of the other Gundam pilots attempted to call her out as a fake, that would give Durandal an excuse to move against them. There might not have been any ZAFT soldiers in the room apart from Captain Gladys and her subordinates, but the Chairman almost certainly had the means to summon reinforcements in a hurry.

For her part, Meer simply smiled, and her relaxed demeanor suggested to Quatre that Durandal was keeping her in the dark as to her true purpose here. "There's nothing to apologize for, Captain Gladys. I understand your misgivings regarding my presence, and I promise not to get in the way here."

"The first order of business here has to do with the Minerva herself," Durandal began, "Specifically, your vessel's performance at the outset of last night's incident, Talia. From what I understand, Gibraltar Control ordered that you launch your mobile suits once the Gundam Albion was detected and under fire from our outer defenses, yet you delayed in doing so. I'm sure you can understand why this is a point of concern, Talia. I offer you this chance to justify your actions. Nothing formal has been submitted yet, and there is still time to properly satisfy the record."

Talia answered without hesitation; she'd clearly been expecting this. "The unusual circumstances surrounding the Gundam Albion's reappearance had to be taken into account. At the point that the Minerva was informed of Heero's arrival, he had not yet opened fire upon any ZAFT units in the vicinity. His only previously hostile actions had been absconding with our prisoner, convincing one of our pilots to abandon his post, and skirmishing with Athrun and Heine upon his escape. That clash ended in no casualties apart from easily repaired damage to a mobile suit. With all that in mind, I attempted to contact Heero Yuy to ascertain why he had returned. It was my hope to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed, especially given Gibraltar's particular tactical and strategic situation. Once Alliance mobile suits were detected as well, I did give the order to launch our pilots in order to assist in the defense of the base."

Durandal's eyes narrowed. "Your caution is understandable, but as a ZAFT Captain you were obligated to follow the orders of Gibraltar Control as soon as you received them. While I sympathize with your reasoning, Talia, this can still easily be taken as dereliction of duty."

Talia stood her ground. "With all due respect, Chairman, I am not just a ZAFT Captain. I am also an agent of FAITH by your order, and I was led to understand that such a position came with a greater degree of authority for independent decision-making as long as it still served our cause. Wanting to prevent needless losses in the interest of preserving ZAFT's forces for future engagements would strike me as a valid justification for my actions. If I have misinterpreted the authority that my position grants me, you are of course free to reprimand me or revoke my status."

Quatre had to resist the urge to smile. Captain Gladys had never struck him as a political animal, but she was playing the game very well here. The very fact that Durandal had elevated her to the status of FAITH operative was a statement of trust in her; for him to revoke it would mean tacitly admitting that his judgement had been mistaken. Politicians as a general rule tended to be quite reluctant to do such a thing, and while Durandal could play the part of a noble visionary ruler all he wanted, he was still very much a politician.

And the Chairman's response fit that role perfectly. "I do not believe that will be necessary. While I might disagree with your actions, I do respect and understand the reasons for which you took them. You were acting in a manner that you believed could potentially defuse a dangerous situation, and you were within your authority to do so."

"Then the matter is resolved?" asked Talia.

Durandal nodded. "Consider it so."

He backed down, thought Quatre, fighting the temptation to smirk, Captain Gladys, you're made of sterner stuff than I imagined.

Then the Chairman turned to the Gundam pilots, and Quatre knew what was coming. "That is not the only matter that needs to be resolved here, though. There was another part of the report regarding the battle that I found most intriguing, and it concerns you four. If my understanding is correct, only one of you moved to engage Heero Yuy after he was identified. Is that so?"

Quatre nodded; he would have to play this very carefully. "It is."

"I see," said Durandal, "Of course, given that the four of you first came to our attention and entered into an alliance with ZAFT as friends of Heero Yuy, I can understand a reluctance to engage him. However, I'm also sure that you can understand why such reluctance on your part would be cause for concern, especially if there is the chance of engaging him in the future."

"I think you've got the wrong idea here," Duo chimed in.

Durandal raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How so?"

"It's true that we're friends with Heero and normally wouldn't want to fight him," said Trowa, "but we're also able to recognize when our interests diverge. More immediate and relevant to the engagement we're discussing, though, is the simple fact that Duo, Quatre and myself aren't particularly well suited to fighting Heero. Wufei and his Gundam are, though, which is why he was the one to pursue him."

Quatre had to work hard to keep his poker face up. He understood what Trowa was trying to do, but in order for it to work, Wufei would have to play along. Could they trust him to do that? Just a few weeks ago, Quatre would've said 'yes' without hesitation. Now, though? That was very much up in the air.

Durandal turned to Wufei. "And your thoughts on this matter, Wufei? You were the only one to actually engage Heero in a prolonged action. Was this merely out of tactical necessity and technical capability, or were there other factors?"

Wufei shrugged. "They're not wrong; of our four Gundams, Nataku is the one best suited to taking on Heero. It's fast enough to keep up with his machine, and its strength in close-quarters-combat lets me cancel out his firepower advantage as long as I can keep him within reach. The other three Gundams are better suited to more conventional engagements than the kind of duel I sought last night, and the others played to their strengths accordingly."

Quatre refrained from the sigh of relief that he was so tempted to make. Wufei had just saved their bacon. Whether he'd done it intentionally or not, Quatre couldn't say, but he'd take it just the same.

Durandal looked back and forth between Wufei and the other Gundam pilots for a moment before nodding, apparently satisfied with the L5 native's answer. "Well, you four are combat pilots, and I'm not, so I suppose it's not my place to question your tactics. I certainly can't deny the results; between Wufei keeping Heero busy and the others fending off the Alliance squadrons, your combined efforts proved to be most effective. There is one more matter that I wish to address regarding last night's action, one that I believe you four would be well suited to offering insight on."

"What would that be?" asked Quatre.

"The purpose of last night's attack," Durandal answered, "Comparing it to our past records of battles involving Heero Yuy, this engagement doesn't really match any previously demonstrated behaviors or patterns that we've associated with. If he was going for a direct strike on Gibraltar itself, his Gundam has more than sufficient firepower to inflict massive damage with a single long-range shot that would be impossible for us to stop. However, he did not do that. Instead, he went after the northern defensive line, and even seems to have gone out of his way to stir up the local Alliance forces as well. ZAFT's intelligence services will naturally analyze these events to the fullest extent of their capabilities, and while I'm sure their conclusions will be interesting to read, I would very much like to know what those who know our culprit personally would have to say on the matter."

"Well, that's easy," said Duo, "He was putting on a show."

Durandal raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

"There's no hidden meaning in what he's saying," said Trowa, "The entire attack was nothing more than a stunt. It was flashy and messy, which meant that the eyes of both ZAFT and the Alliance were on it."

Durandal's eyes narrowed. "In other words, a diversion."

Quatre nodded. "That's our best guess, yes."

"That makes sense," Athrun chimed in, "Heero's actions stirred up a hornets' nest, and he made sure that he was at the center of attention."

"Why, though?" asked Arthur, "What was he hoping to distract us from?"

"Do the four of you have any inkling as to what his ultimate objective might have been?" asked Durandal, his eyes fixed on the Gundam pilots.

Duo shrugged. "Not a clue."

Trowa shook his head. "We're as in the dark as you are."

Rey folded his arms, looking more than a little skeptical. "Really?"

"It's true," Quatre insisted, "None of us know what he was really after. Heero's always been hard to read like that."

"Whatever he was after, he clearly got it," Wufei grumbled ruefully, "He accomplished his mission and bugged out. All we can do now is fumble around in the dark guessing at what his true mission was."

"You don't sound like you care all that much one way or the other," Lunamaria noted.

"I don't," Wufei bluntly replied, "I just want to fight him. His motives for showing up on the opposite side of a battlefield from me really don't matter at this point as long as I get to test myself against him."

Heine looked curious. "It sounds as though you were hoping he'd do something like this."

Talia appeared flabbergasted. "Why on Earth would you want to fight him?"

Wufei rolled his eyes dismissively. "I wouldn't expect any of you to understand. Isn't it enough for you that I'm able and willing to throw myself against him in the first place? You don't have anyone else here that can take him in a one-on-one fight, after all. Beggars can't be choosers, right?"

"Not the way I'd like to put it, but I suppose he's got a point," said Athrun, "Anyone who can keep Heero tied up in a duel gives the rest of our forces greater room to maneuver."

Durandal nodded. "That's true, and the rest of you certainly proved your willingness to continue fighting alongside us against the forces of the Earth Alliance. Given the way this conflict is escalating, it is imperative that we continue to work together. Our very survival depends on it."

"We'll do everything in our power to ensure that the Alliance doesn't achieve their goals," said Quatre, "We might not be from the PLANTs, but none of us want to see your homeland destroyed."

Durandal smiled. "Thank you, Quatre. Your efforts on our behalf are greatly appreciated, and they will not be forgotten when the history of this conflict is written."

Duo shrugged. "The history books that'll be written about this war are still a long way off. I'll settle for getting through it in one piece."

"That makes two of us," Trowa quipped.

"Keep fighting for us, and I'll write a song about you!" Meer chimed in, "A ballad to your bravery and gallantry!"

"Save it," Wufei huffed, "Songs won't have any impact on this war."

Quatre winced as he looked at Meer; he didn't like that she was impersonating Lacus, but the girl didn't deserve to be belittled like that. "Don't mind him; he's not a big music guy. I know the rest of us would be honored to have a song composed about us by you."

Duo chuckled. "The God of Death, memorialized in lyrics… I can think of worse ways to be remembered."

Quatre watched curiously as Meer turned to the pilot of Heavyarms Arsenal. "And you, Trowa?"

Trowa gave her a small, polite nod. "If it's something you wish to do, I won't object."

Quatre looked back and forth between Meer and Trowa. Was there something going on here that he'd missed? He saw Duo smirking out of the corner of his eye, and he could only hope that the God of Death wasn't cooking up trouble.

It's Duo, he told himself, Of course, he's cooking up some kind of trouble. Then again, that's what Gundam pilots do, right?

"Songs are all well and good," said Talia, "but I don't think a melody is going to help us solve our current puzzle."

Durandal nodded. "Quite true, unfortunately. Are the four of you sure you can't think of just what Heero Yuy was trying to divert our attention from with his actions here? Any hint or clue that comes to mind, no matter how small, would be most valuable."

Duo shook his head. "Got nothing right now, sorry."

"Same," said Trowa, "We simply don't have enough information to go on here."

"We've yet to truly study the battle in its entirety," Quatre pointed out, "We were focused on our particular role in it. With time for a broad and proper analysis, the truth may yet reveal itself."

Wufei simply shrugged. "I don't know how the guy thinks these days. Then again, as long as I get a chance at another go with him, it doesn't really matter."

"Not exactly helpful," Rey muttered.

Lunamaria was looking at Altron Custom's pilot with concern. She said nothing, but Quatre could tell that something was bothering her greatly. He surreptitiously looked back and forth between her and Wufei. The dynamic between them had changed over the past few weeks or so, Quatre realized.

Were they…?

Quatre almost let slip a smirk as one particularly juicy suspicion crossed his mind. For all that Wufei might dismiss the path that Heero had chosen in the Cosmic Era, the L5 native was perhaps heading down a very similar road without even realizing it. Quatre would have to keep an eye on his friend and the ZAFT Red who had become so close to him; the latter might just be the key to saving the former.

For his part, the Chairman simply nodded. "Well, if something does occur to any of you later, please inform Captain Gladys so she might pass it along to me. In the meantime, I believe we've wrapped things up here. Miss Clyne, I know we've only just arrived, but would you be up for a performance later today? I'm sure the soldiers and support staff here could use an uplifting song or two in light of recent events."

Meer smiled. "Of course, Chairman! I'll do my best to lift their spirits and put smiles on their faces."

Durandal smiled as well. "I'm sure you'll do so with aplomb. As for the rest of you, thank you very much for your time. Please, take the rest of today to rest. There will be much work ahead in the days to come. Heine, Rey; could the two of you stay behind? I promise that I will not keep you for more than a few minutes."

Heine looked a bit surprised, but he didn't argue. "Very well, Chairman."

Rey simply nodded. "As you wish."

Quatre was curious, but he didn't dare try to inquire. As he and the others stood up and began filing out of the conference room, the gears in his head were already spinning away. They'd skated by, but they were on thin ice. There was a window of opportunity to gather serious intel here, but it was small, and it would likely close all too quickly.

Quatre was determined to make the most of it.

….

As soon as the others left the room, Durandal turned to the two pilots that had stayed behind. "Your thoughts?"

Rey's eyes narrowed. "They're lying. They have to be."

Heine looked more thoughtful. "I don't think so. That wasn't my read on them."

Rey gave him a skeptical look. "Really? You honestly believe that Heero assaulted Gibraltar and left his fellow Gundam pilots in the dark as to his intentions?"

"I believe we've already established that it wasn't an assault," Heine countered, "or at least, not a genuine one. As was pointed out before, if he had been attacking Gibraltar with the intent of causing real damage to or destroying the base, the Gundam Albion has the means to do so with very little warning. A single full-power shot from high altitude with the Twin Buster Rifle would've caused catastrophic damage, and Heero could've easily done that and gotten clear before an effective intercept could've been scrambled."

Durandal regarded his FAITH operative with keen interest. "So, you favor their interpretation of events? This was a diversion, not a meaningful attack?"

Heine nodded. "I do, Chairman. It's the only explanation that really makes sense in light of what we know so far. Besides, if he had planned such an attack, then I believe he most certainly would have informed the other Gundam pilots beforehand so they could get clear. The fact that they were still present, in my opinion, supports the theory of this being a diversionary operation rather than a genuine strike."

Rey folded his arms. "He could still have informed his friends so they could play along."

Heine shook his head. "He could have, but I don't think he did. They seem to be as genuinely in the dark regarding his true mission as we are. They know him well enough to at least puzzle out a likely intention, but the more precise details elude them just as much as they do us. That was the impression I got from their behavior during the meeting, at least."

Rey still didn't look convinced. "I don't know… they could've been playing you. Playing all of us. There's still far too much that we don't know about them, after all. We accepted their help at Armory One because the situation was desperate, but our need for their firepower and skill forced us to disregard some very important questions that we should've been asking from the start. They came out of nowhere with incredibly powerful Gundams in a manner quite similar to how Heero and Wing Zero appeared in the First Bloody Valentine War. We know nothing of their origins, and we only have their own words regarding why they're involved in this conflict. Even after the time they've spent fighting alongside us, they're still pretty much a black box. I don't like it."

"Their origins might be a mystery, but they're still a valuable asset," Heine reminded him, "We don't have to trust them in order to make use of them. Heero Yuy might be openly against us now, but the other four Gundam pilots are still fighting alongside us. Maybe three of them weren't willing to directly confront him in battle like Wufei was, but they were still valuable in holding the northern defensive line against the Earth Alliance's mobile suit squadrons. Despite our recent victories in this war, the overall strategic situation remains precarious. Gibraltar and Diocuia are only toeholds on continental Europe for us; the vast resources of the Eurasian Federation as a whole are still arrayed against us. Perhaps they haven't been as enthusiastically participating in the war as the Atlantic Federation, and their navy has taken serious losses, but if they start getting serious about fighting against us then ZAFT is in a heap of trouble. Right now we need every ally we can get, questionable or otherwise."

Durandal nodded. "Indeed, we do, especially in light of recent developments."

"What's happened?" asked Rey.

"It's not a singular event per se," Durandal replied, "The Surface Intelligence Bureau has reported a steady flow of Atlantic Federation reinforcements arriving in continental Europe. Their army strength in the region is growing with each passing day. Some of it might be directed at the internal dissent that's been flaring up within the Eurasian Federation, but I have no doubt that the majority of these reinforcements will be aimed squarely at us. I didn't want to bring this up in front of the others, but the truth of the matter is that our position here on the surface is more precarious than we'd like to admit."

Heine leaned forward. "Are Gibraltar and Diocuia at risk of falling?"

Durandal shook his head. "The Defense Council assures me that we can still hold them, especially if the unrest within the Eurasian Federation continues to escalate and the Alliance devotes greater resources to combating it. That being said, we must continue to present a united front against our enemies. Any sign of internal strife from us would be taken as a sign of weakness, and it might be enough to convince the Alliance that they have a shot at Gibraltar or Diocuia."

Heine nodded. "And moving against the Gundam pilots would almost certainly involve a very violent and visible confrontation, one that would be impossible for the Alliance to miss."

"Precisely," said Durandal, "We cannot make such a move until we are prepared, and the reality of the situation is that we very much still need them on the front lines. They are by far the most effective individual combatants we have against the Earth Alliance; the battles we have seen up until this point are proof enough of that. There's also the matter that you brought to my attention just a few days ago, Heine. The events of last night support the argument you made, and I intend to pursue it."

Rey looked puzzled. "What matter are you referring to?"

Heine smiled. "There is a growing rift amongst the Gundam pilots, more specifically between Heero Yuy and Chang Wufei. I happened to stumble upon them arguing during a sparring match while Heero was still aboard the Minerva, and it seems that the two have conflicting goals and ideologies. The fact that Wufei was the only Gundam pilot to actively pursue and engage Heero last night would indicate that they're now openly hostile to each other. It's an opportunity that we can't afford to waste."

Rey's eyes widened ever so slightly in comprehension. "Pitting Gundam pilot against Gundam pilot... could it really work?"

"That is what I intend to find out," Durandal replied, "I would ask that the two of you take turns in keeping an eye on Wufei. I wish to be informed of his movements so that I might approach him at some point during his stay at Gibraltar. Discretion is crucial, of course. We must play our cards carefully here."

Heine nodded. "Of course."

"It will be done," said Rey, "Do you have any further orders for us?"

"Only that the two of you rest while you can," Durandal answered, "This war is about to enter a new stage, and I will need both of you to be at your best if we wish to triumph in the struggles to come."

….

"You three wanted to talk?" asked Wufei.

The four Gundam pilots had peeled off from the others after the meeting. It hadn't taken Duo long to start scoping out spots in Gibraltar where they could probably talk without too much risk of being overheard, and in this case the spot in question was the shaded gap between two of the warehouses down by the docks. The area was bustling with activity as workers went about replenishing the munitions and supplies of warships or seeing to repairs, which ironically made it a good place for a quick and private conversation; there was so much surrounding commotion that any potential eavesdroppers would have a hard time hearing anything that the four of them said in their little alcove.

"You covered for us back there," said Quatre, "Not that we don't appreciate it, but I'd like to know why."

Wufei leaned back against a nearby wall. "Isn't there an old saying about not looking a gift horse in the mouth?"

"Don't think you're going to walk away without giving us a straight answer," Trowa shot back, "None of us would've felt this to be necessary just a week or so ago, but things have changed, and you know it."

"You're the only one of us that went after Heero," said Duo, "You could figure out just as well as the rest of us that his whole 'attack' was just a diversion, but you still charged in for a duel. Not a show fight, either."

"You attacked him for real, Wufei," Quatre accused, "You might as well have been fighting for ZAFT last night. You could've helped the rest of us fend off the Alliance squadrons and left ZAFT to chase after Heero, but you went full-tilt for him. Then you tell the Chairman that we fought the way that we did last night because it was the best way to handle the overall tactical and strategic situation. You attack one of us, but then you give the rest of us an out."

"You've always been a wild card, even by our standards," Trowa noted, "but this is something else entirely."

Wufei's eyes narrowed. "Do you really believe that I'd sell you guys out to the Chairman?"

"We don't know what you'd do anymore!" Quatre argued, "Wufei, what's gotten into you? We didn't come here to fight each other!"

"No, we came here to find Heero and bring him home," Wufei countered, "Problem is, that mission's a bust now. He's got a new home, and he's not coming back with us."

"Yeah, we all figured that out pretty quickly," said Duo, "He's staying when this is all said and done, and we've accepted that. That's got nothing to do with the way you've been acting lately."

Wufei folded his arms. "Maybe Heero had the right idea about this world. I don't agree with his motives, but I have to say, compared to where we came from, this place has really been starting to grow on me."

It took Duo a moment to fully process that. "Hold on a sec… you actually want to stay here?"

"Yeah," Wufei casually replied, "What of it?"

Duo looked at Trowa and Quatre. Whatever he'd been expecting from this confrontation, that certainly hadn't been it. Trowa actually looked surprised, while Quatre appeared somewhere between that and resignation. It was as if he'd almost seen this coming but didn't want to believe it. Duo could hardly blame him for that.

"That's… rather sudden," said Trowa.

"Where's this coming from, Wufei?" asked Quatre.

"I wouldn't expect any of you to understand," Wufei quipped.

"Try us," Duo shot back."

"The three of you know where you belong, and where we come from accommodates that," Wufei replied, "Duo's got Hilde and the scrapyard, Trowa has Catherine and the circus, and Quatre's got his family and company. All three of you have accepted the new world order and have started your new lives. I don't begrudge you the peace and happiness that you've earned, but where we come from… it's no longer for me. Where we are now, though, is shaping up to be a place that I could truly call home."

Quatre's eyes narrowed. "Because it's at war?"

"Because it hasn't forgotten the value of people like us," Wufei countered, "It wrapped up one global conflict two years ago, but did it disband its armies? No, because it understood the truth of mankind. No mere peacekeeping force would be enough, especially since this world is not united under a single flag. Soldiers still have a place here, and there's a righteous cause that I can fight for. That's what I've been searching for since the end of our war, and it's what I've found here."

Trowa was skeptical. "Have you? The Alliance might have kicked off this war, and while they're the greater evil, ZAFT's conduct has also been questionable. I know you weren't there when they attacked Home One, but we've shown you the data since then. Athrun might be in denial, but you're still capable of accepting the evidence, aren't you?"

"Of course," said Wufei, "I simply see things in a different light than you."

"And what light is that?" asked Duo.

"ZAFT sees Terminal as a potential threat," Wufei answered, "and they're not entirely wrong. After all, Heero and his friends fought against both the Alliance and ZAFT during the last war."

"Because both ZAFT and the Alliance were waging wars of annihilation," Quatre countered, "Of course Heero and the others fought both sides. If we'd been with him, we would've done the same thing, and you know it!"

Wufei nodded. "I do. However, even though the war criminals that once led it are gone, ZAFT still isn't wrong in seeing Terminal as a threat. Given their history of clashes, it's not wrong for them to expect that Terminal might take up arms against them in a new war and launch a preemptive strike."

Duo shook his head. "I can't believe you're actually making excuses for them. Jesus fucking Christ, Wufei…"

"Are you so desperate for a new purpose, a new fight to wage, that you'll turn on your friends so easily?" Trowa asked.

Wufei's eyes narrowed. "I haven't turned on anyone. Heero is the one that cut and ran, remember? He left us."

"To save a young woman's life," Quatre reminded him, "ZAFT was planning to vivisect that girl, Wufei! Enemy pilot or not, no one deserves that fate, and she was as much a victim as she was a hostile."

"You're not seriously going to defend ZAFT on that, are you?" asked Duo.

Wufei actually hesitated. "No… but that has no bearing on my actions."

"Bullshit!" snapped Duo.

"I thought honor mattered to you," said Trowa, "How does ZAFT planning to carve up a prisoner of war for examination and plotting to assassinate an idol hold any shred of that? I always believed that character was important to you, Wufei, and the actions that Durandal has ordered are pretty revealing."

Wufei suddenly seemed quite eager to bring the conversation to a close. "I don't have time for this. If you want to join Heero in fighting on two fronts, be my guest. I'm sure you three can find him easily enough."

"Wufei, wait!" called Quatre as the L5 native began to leave.

Wufei looked over his shoulder at the three of them. "I know what you're really worried about here, so I'll make this quick. I won't reveal any of our secrets to ZAFT, and I have no intention of fighting any of you directly unless you get in my way. You guys always do what you believe is right, and I respect that. Keep walking your own path, and let me walk mine. If they diverge, it's probably for the best. Later."

"Hey, we're not done with you!" Duo growled.

Trowa put a hand on his shoulder. "Let him go. We're not going to change his mind easily. Right now, he needs to sort out his own issues."

Quatre sighed as Wufei walked away. "At least we know he's not going to turn on us."

Duo wasn't so sure. "Do we? He's already picked a fight with one of us."

"Wufei said as much," Trowa countered, "He told us that he wouldn't betray our secrets to ZAFT or fight us himself, and he's always kept his word. We can at least trust him with that much."

Duo shook his head. "I still don't like it… what the hell's gotten into him lately?"

"He's trying to figure out where he belongs," said Quatre, "The end of our war and what came afterwards… it was always going to be harder for some of us to move on than others. I always figured that it'd be worse for Heero, but coming here seems to have been just what was needed. It might be the same for Wufei."

"Look, if the guy really wants to stick around here rather than go home with us when this is all over, I've got no beef with that," Duo replied, "The rest of this is completely ridiculous, though."

"It does put us in a tough spot," Trowa admitted as he looked at Quatre, "How do you want to play this?"

"We'll keep an eye on him the best we can," Quatre answered, "Beyond that, he needs to face his own demons. We're probably on borrowed time with ZAFT as it is, and we need to make the most of it. I want to scope out Gibraltar a bit. Observe incoming and outgoing traffic, access records, gauge force strength, and a few other things. This is the heart of ZAFT's European operations; there's a lot that we can learn here."

Duo nodded. "Sounds good. Watch your back if you go snooping around. Things are pretty dicey."

Quatre chuckled. "No kidding. If you guys want to help, I won't say no, but it's up to you. I know we need to be careful about rocking the boat here."

Duo smirked as an idea came to mind. "If you're looking to get in some primo intel gathering, today's probably the best day to do it. Remember who the Chairman brought with him?"

"His songstress," said Quatre, "and he was going to have her put on a show later today… yeah, I think I can use that."

Trowa nodded. "Security will be more focused on that than other parts of the base. It's a ready-made diversion."

Duo grinned. "And we can make it even better. Trowa, we're attending!"

Trowa raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"ZAFT's already distrustful of us," Duo elaborated, "and what better way to ensure that they've got more eyes on us than by attending a show put on by Meer? Even better, Durandal is practically guaranteed to up the security presence even more once he learns that we'll be there; he won't want to risk his dirty little secret getting out!"

Quatre leaned back against a nearby wall. "How are you going to make sure that he learns you're attending in the first place?"

"Simple; we go find Meer and her manager and ask them to swing us front-row seats," Duo replied, "Durandal strikes me as the kind of boss who keeps careful tabs on his pop icon, and I bet that her manager doubles as one of his spies. Actually, better yet; we talk them into letting us go backstage. No way in hell that doesn't pique the Chairman's interest. He'll probably be worried about us trying to turn his manufactured idol against him."

"We play on his deceptions and use his intelligence assets against him," Trowa mused aloud, "It could work."

"What makes you think that the two of you have that kind of pull with her in the first place?" asked Quatre.

Duo smiled. "Quatre, buddy, have a little faith! I've sweet-talked my way into tougher spots than this. With Trowa as a wingman, I'd say we got this in the bag."

"Shouldn't one of us be keeping an eye on Wufei, though?" Trowa argued.

Duo waved a hand dismissively. "He can go without us looking over his shoulder for a bit. You were the one who said we can trust him to keep his word, remember? If you don't think he's going to sell us out, then we don't need to be constantly watching him. Keeping tabs on a looser basis is probably better, anyway. Don't want to spook the guy, after all."

Quatre nodded. "Well, if you two think this will work, then you'd better get a move on. It sounded like the Chairman wanted Meer to put today's show together in a hurry, so if you want to make sure that word gets to Durandal that you're attending then you need to find her and her staff quickly."

"Don't need to tell me twice," said Duo as he patted Trowa on the shoulder, "Come on, buddy! We've got a concert to get into and a songstress to chat up!"

As the two of them set off and left a somewhat amused Quatre in their wake, Duo put his arm around Trowa. "You're going to thank me for this someday, so don't screw it up!"

Trowa looked thoroughly confused. "What are you talking about?"

Duo rolled his eyes. "God, you're as dense as Heero sometimes, you know that? Actually, you're even worse; Heero finally got his act together, although it took him a whole new world war to do it. Look, just roll with me here and play nice with the songstress, all right?"

Trowa nodded, although he still seemed quite bemused. "Okay."

Excellent, thought Duo with a smirk, Quatre, you have fun with your intel gathering. Trowa and I will play our part, but I've got my own priorities here.

Time to enact the next phase of Operation: Get Trowa Laid!

….

"You're looking better," came a familiar voice from behind Shinn, "I take it there's been good news for our patient, then?"

The former ZAFT Red nearly jumped as he looked over his shoulder and saw Heero enter the infirmary. "Heero… weren't you supposed to be out on a mission?"

"I was, but I've been back for several hours now," Heero replied as he came over to stand by Stella's bed, "Sounds like you were asleep for the whole thing. You actually look well-rested for once, which must mean things are improving for Stella."

Shinn smiled as he looked down at the sleeping girl. "Yeah, I think so. They're still sedating her for now, but I overheard the doctor this morning; it sounds like they're close to synthesizing a substitute for the drugs that the Alliance had Stella on."

Heero nodded. "That's good to hear. They're working quickly. Having those samples from the Lodonia labs to study probably helped speed things up considerably."

"Yeah," said Shinn, "Is that why you grabbed them in the first place?"

Heero shrugged. "I figured they'd be useful as part of an evidence display for a war crimes trial down the road, but this works too."

"I would never have thought of that," Shinn admitted, "If I'd gone into the labs with you guys… I probably would've been so disgusted and pissed at what occurred there that I wouldn't have been thinking straight at all."

"That kind of reaction would be perfectly natural, given what we found there," said Heero, "The fact that you're able to recognize the potential downsides of it speaks volumes for the progress you've made in understanding your emotions and not being ruled by them. You're learning."

Shinn nodded. "I guess I am… thanks to you. I don't really get how you did it, but… well, I guess you've helped me grow up a bit. I mean, look at where I am now versus when we first met."

"War has a way of changing us, whether we like it or not," Heero replied, "Growing up quickly under such circumstances is a sign of your sharpening survival instincts."

Shinn shook his head. "That's not what I mean. I was such a hothead, flying off the handle at barely any provocation, and now… well, I guess I'm still kind of like that, but I feel like I've got a bit more control over it. I understand more now than I did when all this started, is what I guess I'm trying to say."

Heero looked at him for a few seconds, and to Shinn it seemed like he was trying to make some sort of decision. "What? Was it something I said?"

Heero glanced at Stella for a moment before turning back to Shinn. "She's looking well enough for now, so why don't you stretch your legs a bit? You've cooped yourself up in here since the moment you arrived aboard the Archangel."

Shinn was a bit surprised by this sudden turn of the conversation, but he supposed that Heero did have a point. "Yeah… I guess I can let her sleep in peace for a bit. Not like I'll do much good for her until she's conscious again."

He gingerly stood up, his legs quite stiff. He had to spend a few minutes stretching before he felt comfortable enough to actually move.

"So, where are we going?" Shinn asked, "The ship's underwater again, right? Can't exactly go topside for fresh air."

"We'll swing by the officers' lounge for a drink, then hit the hangar," said Heero, "I've got a few tests that I want to run you through today."

Shinn raised an eyebrow. "Tests? What kind?"

"You'll see," said Heero.

Shinn gave Stella one last look. "I know she's sedated, but still… what if she wakes up while we're gone?"

"She'll be all right," Heero answered, "The nurses will contact me if anything happens. I've already made the arrangements. Let's go."

Shinn followed Heero out of the infirmary. "So, uhm… what was your big mission? I mean, if you're allowed to tell me. If not, I get it."

"Wasn't all that big, really," said Heero, "Buzzed Gibraltar's defenses so we could sneak a few friends up their mass driver and steal the Gaia."

It took Shinn a couple of moments to fully process that. "Wait, what? You attacked Gibraltar?"

"Not an attack; a diversion," Heero corrected him, "If I was going to actually attack the base, it wouldn't still be in one piece."

From anyone else such words would've been complete lunacy, but Shinn had seen Heero and the Gundam Albion in action enough times to know that he could actually pull it off. "And a mission like that isn't 'all that big' to you? I'm almost afraid to ask what does count as a 'big' mission for you…"

"Stick around here long enough, and you'll find out," Heero as he led Shinn through the ship's corridors.

Fear suddenly pierced Shinn's heart as he realized who had probably been at the base during Heero's mission. "Hey, wait a sec… while you were there… did you fight the others from the Minerva?"

"There was some skirmishing," Heero admitted, "You needn't worry about them, though. I promise that your friends are still alive."

Shinn breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay… thanks."

"I'd save that if I were you," said Heero, "Your friends from the Minerva are still alive, but I did still kill ZAFT pilots last night. Alliance ones, too."

Shinn's blood froze. "What? Why?"

"You know my reputation, Shinn," Heero grimly replied, "I leave death and devastation in my wake. A diversion involving me and my Gundam is by necessity a bloody affair, otherwise the deception wouldn't work. If it makes you feel any better, ZAFT shot first."

It didn't, and Shinn made no effort to hide it. "Hey, when I joined up with you, I did so to save Stella. Killing ZAFT soldiers wasn't what I signed up for!"

"You weren't the one killing them, and I never asked you to do so," said Heero, "but you had to have understood that your actions would put you in opposition to them. You stole the Core Splendor and sprung a prisoner, Shinn. By ZAFT's laws and regulations, your actions are tantamount to treason. You might not want them to be your enemy, but in their eyes, you are most certainly one."

Heero's words gave Shinn pause. "I… I know that, but still… I don't want to fight them, Heero! Even if they consider me an enemy, I…"

"You can't see them as such," Heero finished for him as the two of them stopped in the hallway, "and that's perfectly natural. Your reluctance to turn your gun on those who were once allies is a good thing, Shinn. It means that you're no longer taking serious choices lightly. You understand the gravity of your situation. All that being said, eventually you will have to make a choice."

"What choice is that?" Shinn asked.

"If you want to solely devote yourself to Stella's recovery, then we will do everything in our power to help you with that," Heero replied, "You won't have to fly another combat mission or even so much as pick up a firearm, unless the situation becomes truly dire. However, you have the potential to do so much more."

Despite his fears, Shinn couldn't help but be intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"ZAFT was right to make you a Red straight out of the Academy, as were they to make you the Impulse's pilot," Heero elaborated, "You have the kind of natural instinct for our craft that comes along once in a generation. At the start of this war, though, you had only raw instinct, raw potential. That's been tempered by experience now, but your temperamental nature has still prevented you from becoming what you could be. The fact that you yourself have finally recognized as much tells me that you're ready to take the next step. As of right now, you're an exceptional pilot who's come into his own during this war, but your path can take you so much further."

Shinn folded his arms. "How much further?"

"Let me put it this way," said Heero, "My aiding you in freeing Stella and bringing her here wasn't just out of altruism; I wanted to deprive ZAFT of a valuable asset, and I'm not talking about the Core Splendor or whatever research data they might have gotten from studying Stella. The Impulse's cockpit module can be replaced, and Durandal knows that. As for the Extended, they have the Lodonia labs, which should give them plenty of data to work with. What he can't replace, though, is you. With focus and refinement, your abilities could someday match mine."

Shinn hadn't seen that coming, and he was having a hard time taking it seriously. "You… you're pulling my leg. Flattering me… yeah, that's all this is. You… you gotta be less obvious with this stuff, Heero! Bad joke, even by your standards."

Heero shook his head, and a chill went down Shinn's spine; the Gundam pilot was being serious. "I assure you, it's no joke. I'm not the only one that sees it, either. Why do you think that you remained the Impulse's pilot despite your hotheaded nature and willingness to defy orders? You had someone powerful watching over you and guiding your path while you were with ZAFT… and I think you know exactly who it was."

Shinn did, and he didn't like what it implied. "Chairman Durandal…"

"Yes," said Heero, "I have no proof, but I'd wager that he was the one who intervened following your insubordination during the Minerva's flight from Orb. Yes, Shinn, I heard about that incident. Your defiance of a direct order from Captain Gladys should have gotten you court martialed, and yet not only were you released from the brig after a brief period of confinement, but you were allowed to continue piloting the Impulse. You were even allowed to keep your rank of ZAFT Red instead of suffering a demotion. I can't back any of this up with concrete evidence, of course, but based on how the situation played out I think it's safe to say that the Chairman was very much keeping an eye on you and pulling the necessary strings to keep you on the front lines as an ace pilot."

"Why?" asked Shinn.

"Isn't it obvious?" Heero replied, "He was grooming you to be one of his FAITH operatives. Had you stayed with ZAFT long enough, I'm certain that you would've been given such a promotion. He would've ensnared you just as he did Athrun, wrapping you around his finger and pointing you at his enemies. You would've been nothing more than his attack dog, Shinn, and your anger would've made you all the more susceptible to his manipulations."

Heero started walking again, with Shinn falling in behind him. "That will be one of your tests today; how much you're still willing to allow your anger to rule you. Can you look beyond it and see the bigger picture? Can you rise above the bloody haze of your past and give yourself the chance for a meaningful future? Can you learn to let go of fury rooted in tragedy and forgive those you've believed are responsible for your loss? How you answer these questions will determine your path forward with us."

Shinn had a bad feeling about this. "What exactly are you planning here?"

"A confrontation," Heero answered as they stopped in front of the door to the ship's lounge, "One that can be delayed no longer."

The door hissed open, with Heero being the first to step through. Not sure what else to do, Shinn followed him… and immediately regretted it.

"Hey, Heero," said a familiar female voice, "So, why'd you want to… oh. Oh…"

A young man and a young woman were sitting at one of the tables. Shinn had seen them both before, but he only knew the name of one of them.

"Cagalli Yula Athha…" he hissed, clenching his fists.

Heero's firm hand gripped his shoulder. "Control your temper. Try anything violent, and you'll be spending a lot more time in our infirmary."

Shinn glared at him. "You tricked me!"

"I did no such thing," Heero calmly replied, "I said you would be tested today. This is one of those tests."

"Heero, Cagalli? What's going on?" asked the young man sitting with Orb's Chief Representative.

Shinn took a closer look at him; he'd seen him before, but it took him a moment to place it. "You… you were at the memorial park with Lacus, right?"

The young man nodded. "Yeah… oh, you're that guy. Didn't know you were with ZAFT at the time."

"Who are you, really?" asked Shinn, feeling like he should know but unable to determine why.

"Kira, meet Shinn Asuka," said Heero, "Shinn Asuka, meet Kira Yamato, pilot of the Freedom."

If seeing Cagalli had damn near set Shinn off, knowing now that he was face-to-face with the Freedom's pilot had him downright seething. "You…"

He looked back and forth between the two people who had ruined his life and the one who had dropped him into the same room as them. "Heero… what the hell is the meaning of this?"

"As I said earlier," Heero answered casually, "an overdue confrontation. I know that you hold both of them responsible for the deaths of your family, just as I also know that it wasn't their fault."

"Bullshit!" Shinn snarled, "It absolutely was! You weren't there, Heero, so I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"Actually, I was there, remember?" Heero countered, "The entire Three Ships Alliance was present for the Battle of Elysium, and that very much includes myself. Our late arrival unfortunately meant that we were unable to prevent the Earth Alliance forces from breaching the colony, though, otherwise we could've prevented the murder of your family and so many others. However, there were other factors at play, ones that were beyond the control of Cagalli or Kira. If you'll give the three of us a chance, we can explain everything to you. We can give you the real answer as to why your family died that day… and show you the path towards bringing the ones truly responsible for their deaths to justice."

Almost every fiber in Shinn's being was yelling at him to barge out of the room. Perhaps less than a week or so earlier, he would've done just that. He was furious at Heero, and that didn't even begin to cover what he felt at being in the same room as Orb's Chief Representative and the Freedom's pilot. To have this dropped on him by a Gundam pilot that he thought he could trust just about pushed him to his limit.

However, he wasn't the same Shinn that he'd been a week before. Yes, he was pissed, but he had just enough self-awareness and control now to keep it in check, albeit barely. Heero had asked Shinn for a chance to explain, to give him answers…

...and Shinn would hear him out.

Shinn took a deep breath before shooting one more glare at Heero, Cagalli and Kira. "Fine… let's do this."

Heero nodded at the table. "Sit down, then. This might take a while."

….

There was a long and awkward silence as the four of them sat around the table; no one was willing to make the first move. Observing his companions, Heero momentarily wondered if he'd made a mistake in forcing the confrontation at this point. He'd wanted Shinn focused on the true threat, and he knew that the young man couldn't do that if he was distracted by his misguided grudges with Cagalli and Kira; dealing with it before the next round of major fighting began was a priority. However, Heero wasn't sure if he was going about it the right way.

Too late to back out now, he told himself, I've already pulled the trigger. All I can do now is try to steer things in the right direction.

Cagalli gave a heavy sigh. "Before we begin… Shinn, your family… I truly am sorry for what happened to them. They were citizens of the Orb Union, just like you, and I was their ruler… and I failed to keep them safe. What happened inside Elysium… you may not believe me, but there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about what could've been done to prevent that tragedy."

Her words were genuine, but Heero could see Shinn still glaring at her; it would take more than a heartfelt apology to win him over. "Saying sorry isn't going to bring them back."

Cagalli shook her head. "No, it won't. You're not wrong in being angry at my family. Were it not for our petty conflicts, your family would probably still be alive."

"We've been trying to figure out ever since that day why the refugees weren't properly sheltered when the attack commenced," said Kira, "We don't have conclusive proof, but we think that the Alliance forces had help from some of Cagalli's rivals within the Orb Union."

Shinn looked more than a little skeptical. "How convenient. It's the fault of someone who isn't you."

"Hear them out," said Heero, having no patience for quips, "You might actually learn a thing or two."

"After Orb's home islands fell to the Earth Alliance, what remained of our government regrouped in outer space," Cagalli explained, "At the time, I was aboard the Kusanagi, one of the founding vessels of the Three Ships Alliance. We had a lot going on, and I couldn't go to Orb's surviving colonies until some time later. In the meanwhile, Elysium was being administered by the Seirans."

Shinn's eyes narrowed. "The Seirans… weren't you supposed to marry one of them? When Orb was selling the Minerva out to the Alliance at the start of this war?"

"That's what they wanted," Cagalli replied, struggling to keep calm, "but it was never what I wanted, and in any case it never went through. As for what happened with your ship, had I been in control of the government we would never have deployed our fleet to help the Alliance trap you. That was the doing of Unato Seiran and his son, Yuna. They'd seized power in all but name by that point. They were the ones that sold you out to the Alliance… and if our hunches are correct, it's not the first time they've done so."

"What do you mean?" asked Shinn.

Cagalli took a deep breath. "At Elysium, when the battle began, all refugees should've been immediately sheltered. There were procedures in place, evacuation plans drawn up well in advance of any fighting… and yet the Seirans only partially followed through with them. They made sure that the colony's home residents were sheltered, but similar measures weren't taken with regards to refugees. The official reports from back then chalk it up to a horrific combination of negligence and panic, but that's never really sat right with us. Had I arrived before the battle began, I would've made sure that our civilian protection protocols were followed to the letter, but the Seirans did not… and I think that was deliberate."

"The Seirans are anti-Coordinator," Heero elaborated, "and they've never been subtle about it. The refugee population had a large percentage of Coordinators, which would've made them inviting targets for the Earth Alliance forces. I don't hold the Seirans in high regard, but they're not complete idiots; they would've known just as well as the rest of us that the Alliance would be gunning for any Coordinators they could find. At that point in the war, Blue Cosmos's control over the Atlantic Federation government was an open secret. They were the ones dictating policy, and their policy for any Coordinators that fell into their sights was clear; immediate execution."

Heero watched Shinn closely as the young man clenched his fists. "So, what you're saying… is that the Seirans left my family and all the other refugees out to be slaughtered by the Alliance on purpose?"

Cagalli nodded. "That's what it looks like. Unfortunately, everything we have as of right now is purely circumstantial. If we tried to go to trial with any of it, we'd get laughed out of court. There are missing links that we need to track down. If we can take Unato into custody once we reclaim Orb, access his personal communications and files, we might be able to find enough evidence to throw him behind bars for good."

"Prison's too good for what he did," Shinn spat, "Why not just put a bullet in him? Give me a chance, and I'll do it myself!"

Kira shook his head. "No, we need to do this right. Blood for blood isn't the answer here."

Shinn glared at him. "That's rich, coming from the guy who has my family's blood on his hands!"

Heero sighed. "I know why you believe that, Shinn, but it's only seeing half the tapestry with one eye shut and thinking you have the entire picture."

"Cut the fancy talk," Shinn snapped, "I saw the Freedom when my family died!"

Kira nodded calmly. "I'm sure you did, if you were in the refugee camp. I was pursuing Alliance mobile suits that had gotten inside the colony, trying to stop them from targeting you guys. If I had acted more decisively when the fighting was still taking place outside, maybe they wouldn't have been able to breach the colony."

"I reviewed the Freedom's combat data from that engagement," said Heero, "Once the fighting moved inside the colony, collateral damage and civilian casualties was inevitable. You might not believe this, Shinn, but Kira's one of the most precise shooters we have, especially when using the Freedom's advanced targeting systems. However, even that kind of skill and sophisticated technology can only do so much in the heat of battle. I tried to pin it down, but whether your family was killed by debris resulting from the Freedom's fire or that of the enemy… I'm afraid it was impossible to get a precise confirmation."

Shinn glowered at Kira. "So, you're saying it could have been him or the Alliance? Thanks, Heero; that makes me feel so much better."

"You're missing the point," Heero argued, "Your focus is too narrow. You saw the Freedom after your family died, so you zeroed in on it as the culprit for your loss. Your reasoning is understandable, but it denies the truth of the situation."

"And what's that?" asked Shinn, his patience clearly wearing thin.

"Your family wouldn't have been put in harm's way in the first place if it weren't for the Alliance and the Seirans," Heero replied, "I know why your mind focused on Cagalli and the Freedom, but they did everything in their power to save your family and so many others. The justice you seek won't be found by taking your anger out on them."

Shinn closed his eyes for a few seconds, and Heero could sense that they were near the moment of truth. "Even if… if everything you say is right… it still doesn't change what happened. Mom… Dad… Mayu… they're still gone. They're never coming back."

"No," Cagalli said softly, "They're not. Shinn… it's all right if you hate me for what happened to them. Your family were citizens under my protection, and my government failed them when they needed me the most. Nothing I do going forward will ever change that. Even so… I still want to try and help you. I know it won't be enough to make up for my failure to keep your family safe, but I can still at least help give you a future."

In that moment, Shinn didn't look angry or resentful; he simply seemed lost and weary. "How?"

"You and Stella will need a place to go once this war's over," Cagalli answered, "Once we retake Orb from Unato, I can give both of you shelter there. Orb offers asylum to all fleeing persecution, and you two definitely qualify now. I can use our resources to set up safe housing for you, to get Stella into a rehabilitation program, and find peaceful jobs for both of you once you're on your feet. I won't pretend that it would make up for what happened with your family, but even so, I'll support both of you nonetheless."

Shinn's eyes widened ever so slightly. "You'd do all that… for someone that hates you? Why?"

Cagalli smiled. "Because it's the right thing to do. Because if I have the power to make a difference in someone's life, then I want to use it. Because I still think of you as a citizen of Orb, but even if that weren't the case, I'd still offer you help because there's far too much suffering in this world. None of us can fix all of it, heal all of it, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to help where we can."

"Terminal can help too," Kira added, "Anything that Orb can't provide, we can."

Shinn looked back and forth between the two of them before turning to Heero. "It… it wasn't supposed to be like this…"

"Like what?" asked Heero.

Shinn sighed. "For so long, whenever I thought of Cagalli or whoever the Freedom's pilot was, I told myself that I'd make them pay for what happened to my family. Now, I… I don't know."

He looked at Orb's ruler-in-exile and the young man who had unknowingly played a part in his loss. "I hated both of you, and it drove me for two years. Talking to you two like this, though… none of it's what I thought it'd be. Part of me still hates you, or at least wants to, but the other part just feels… tired. I don't really know how else to explain it."

"I think I can," said Heero, "Anger and hatred are corrosive at their core. You might think they're fueling you, but they're really eating away at you from the inside out. The more you rely on them, the quicker the rot spreads. In the end, it leaves you as a husk of a human being. Lucky for you, there's still time to change course."

Shinn closed his eyes for a moment. "Time… I think I'm going to need that."

He looked at Cagalli and Kira again. "I can't forgive either of you yet. I'm sure it's what Heero wants, but I just can't. Maybe further down the line, but… I need to sort this all out, and… if the Seirans really are the ones responsible for my family's death, then I need to know that you're willing to bring them to justice. Even if they're your countrymen or family."

Cagalli gave him a firm nod. "I will. They stopped being my countrymen the moment they sold us out to the Earth Alliance, and they're no family that I recognize… not anymore. I won't rest until they're brought to account for what they've done."

"One of them already has been, remember?" Heero pointed out before nodding at Shinn, "You're welcome, by the way."

Shinn looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Yuna Seiran," Heero answered, "He was on the Takemikazuchi during the fighting at the Dardanelles."

Shinn's eyes widened. "Oh, that big Orb carrier you blew up towards the end of the battle… I completely forgot about that."

"I would've preferred to bring him to trial," said Cagalli, "or at least take him out of the picture without killing so many Orb Union sailors along with him. Still, I can't deny the satisfaction of knowing that he's been dealt with. As for Unato, that won't be so easy. He's much more cautious than Yuna; no way he'll risk his neck by coming out to the front."

"We'll find a way to bring him to justice," Kira reassured her, "He won't be able to operate with impunity forever."

Heero nodded. "His time will come, one way or the other."

"I want to be there when it does," said Shinn.

"Stick with us," Heero replied, "and you will be."

….

"For the record? That was a dick move back there," Shinn growled as he followed Heero towards the hangar, "You could've at least told me that you wanted me to talk to Cagalli and Kira."

"Had I done so, would you have gone along with it?" asked Heero without even looking back at him.

Shinn paused for a moment before realizing that Heero had him there. "No, I guess I wouldn't have. Still, did you have to spring it on me like that?"

"I suppose I could've been a bit more elegant or subtle about it," Heero answered, "but we don't have time for that. I needed to know if you truly could rein in your temper and listen to reason before the fighting heats up again, and you demonstrated that you can."

Shinn raised an eyebrow. "So… does that mean I passed your test?"

"One of them, yes," Heero replied as they entered the hangar, "and that gives me hope for the others. If it makes you feel any better, the next ones will be of a much more straightforward nature."

"What exactly are you dragging me into now?" Shinn asked.

"Flight training," said Heero, "Like I said, a straightforward test this time."

Now Shinn was curious. "What will I be training on? I've got the Core Splendor already, and I'm pretty well qualified on that if I do say so myself."

"You are," Heero concurred, "but without the other modules, the Core Splendor is really only good for aerial recon and limited skirmishing. Those have their place, but if my guess is right, we're going to need something that packs more of a punch. Lucky for you, we have something that should do nicely until we can get you a mobile suit that's worthy of your abilities."

Shinn followed Heero towards the back of the hangar, where he saw several mechanics looking over a blue and white fighter jet. "What's that?"

"The FX-550 Skygrasper," Heero replied before looking at one of the mechanics, "An old asset from the last war. Murdoch, is it ready?"

The crew chief grinned. "Just needs a bit of a tune up, and she'll be raring to go! Oh, we dusted off the old Skygrasper simulator for you, too. You can fire that baby up anytime!"

"What about the augmentation packs?" Heero asked.

"We gave them a good looking over," Murdoch answered, "They're all fully operational."

Heero nodded. "Good to know, thanks."

"You want me to fly this thing?" asked Shinn.

"If you do decide to help us in future engagements, then yes," said Heero, "The Skygrasper is much more versatile than the Core Splendor because it can equip Striker Packs. We don't have the rest of the Impulse's modules, obviously, so your former mobile suit isn't an option. The Skygrasper and Striker Packs might be a bit older than what you're used to, but don't underestimate the firepower you'll have at your disposal."

Shinn folded his arms. "You know, I haven't actually said 'yes' to helping you guys yet."

"I'm well aware of that," Heero replied, "If you do decide to aid us, though, I'd rather you be able to hit the ground running and already have some familiarity with our equipment than bring you up from scratch."

Shinn looked at the fighter for a moment. "All you want me to do for now is practice, right? I don't have to commit to anything yet?"

Heero nodded. "That's right."

Shinn took a deep breath. "Okay, then… I guess a bit of training can't hurt."

"Then I'll get the simulator up and running for you," said Heero, "and we'll see if you can measure up to the last man who flew this machine."

"Who was that?" asked Shinn.

"Mu La Flaga," Heero answered, "Consider yourself lucky; if you get in this thing's cockpit, you'll be following in the footsteps of the Hawk of Endymion. Few pilots get an honor like that."

Shinn nodded. "I'll do my best."

"I expect nothing less," said Heero.

….

"Jealous?" said Duo as he and Trowa watched Meer embrace Athrun onstage at the end of her last piece.

Trowa raised his eyebrow as he turned to his fellow Gundam pilot. "Why would I be? Pretending that they're still an item is part of his deal with the Chairman. He's simply fulfilling his role."

That was true enough, although Athrun seemed rather reluctant to do so. In Trowa's eyes, the reinstated ZAFT Red looked more than a little awkward being onstage with Meer, although the crowd didn't seem to pick up on it. He smiled and waved at the audience, his posture rather stiff and his good cheer seeming noticeably forced. Athrun was clearly uncomfortable, and Trowa couldn't see why Duo might think he had a reason to be jealous of him.

And yet…

The way he stood with Meer, one arm around her waist, in front of a cheering crowd… something about it rubbed Trowa the wrong way. It had nothing to do with how unnatural it looked knowing that the real Lacus and Athrun had terminated their relationship long ago, or that the FAITH operative was supposedly still involved with Orb's Chief Representative. There was this strange sensation in the back of Trowa's mind, one that he couldn't place no matter how hard he tried.

And Duo, the conniving bastard that he was, had definitely picked up on it. "Right… just who are you trying to kid here, buddy? Me, or yourself?"

Trowa was saved from answering by one of the stage security guards, who was motioning for the Gundam pilots to follow him. "Looks it's time to pay her a visit."

Duo grinned. "See? Told you I could sweet talk us through this!"

Trowa had to admit that Duo had been right. When they'd found Meer earlier, it had taken hardly any effort at all for the L2 native to convince her to let the two of them have front row seats to the show, and even less to talk her into letting them visit with her backstage afterwards. In fact, the latter prospect had excited her even more than the former, and she'd been practically beaming at Trowa before the two Gundam pilots had been ushered to their seats by a member of her staff. Trowa didn't know why, but Meer had seemed quite happy to see him again.

I don't understand any of this, he thought, I just hope Quatre's making the most of it.

Their bet had paid off almost immediately; as soon as Duo and Trowa had approached the songstress, he'd spotted one of the security guards go off to the side and quietly pull out a cellphone. The guard might have thought he was being sneaky, but Trowa had heard him request additional personnel quite clearly. Sure enough, throughout the performance, Trowa had kept one eye on the perimeter, and more guards had joined the security contingent over the course of the show. The two Gundam pilots had definitely gotten attention, although whether it was enough to make Quatre's mission easier was difficult to say.

They were led to Meer's dressing room. As the guard shut the door behind them, Trowa saw that Athrun was there as well. A small table had been set up, with tea and snacks available.

Meer immediately stood up to greet them. "Duo, Trowa, welcome! Thank you so much for coming. I hope you enjoyed the show!"

"We did," Duo replied, "You've got some good pipes on you, lady."

Trowa nodded. "Your performance was uplifting. I'm sure everyone enjoyed it."

For some reason, Trowa's praise seemed to matter more to Meer than Duo's. "Oh, thank you! That means a lot… and I'll work hard to make the next show even better! Please, sit with Athrun and I. The tea's still warm, and the snacks are fresh!"

"Free food and drinks? Who are we to say no?" said Duo.

They all gathered around the table, with Meer being the one to pour everyone's drinks. She tried to be elegant and refined about it, but to Trowa her motions seemed a bit forced. It clearly didn't come naturally to her, even after what had doubtlessly been constant hours of coaching by her staff. That in and of itself was a clue as to who she really was.

She probably didn't come from a high-class background, Trowa thought, I wonder… Durandal would've had to be very careful when selecting someone for this role. Anyone playing the role of doppelganger for Lacus Clyne would naturally be sworn to secrecy, and they'd essentially disappear from their old life. It would be a difficult masquerade to maintain if they had close family and friends… could she be an orphan?

It was possible, and certainly better than a possible alternative; that she came from a household where her family didn't care if she up and disappeared on them. Of course, those weren't the only potential scenarios to consider. Maybe her family was being paid off to keep up the charade, or perhaps they'd even been the ones to put her up for it in the first place. There was so much that Trowa didn't know about her. Meer's past was a black box, her true identity a mystery. She was completely defined by her current role, by a persona that wasn't even hers.

Trowa found it to be quite sad.

Duo nudged him with his elbow. "Hey, buddy, you still with us?"

Trowa blinked as he realized that everyone at the table was staring at him. "Oh, sorry… I was lost in thought. Did I miss something?"

"Lacus wanted to make sure that we're all doing okay," said Athrun, almost wincing at his use of Meer's false name rather than her real one.

"I heard about last night's battle," Meer added, "I was so worry about you all! Trowa, you weren't hurt at all, were you?"

Trowa nodded. "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, though."

Athrun sighed. "We were lucky. A lot of other people weren't."

Meer shook her head. "I simply don't understand it. Is it true that Heero Yuy's turned on us, that he was the one who attacked Gibraltar? I thought he was on our side! He's fought the Alliance up until now, so why would he do this?"

She seemed genuinely distraught, which further reinforced the notion in Trowa's mind that Durandal really did see Meer as nothing more than a tool. The girl wasn't being given proper context or education in the complexities of the war that they were fighting. Trowa understood the logic, of course; in the Chairman's eyes, she only needed to know what was pertinent to her assigned role. However, Meer was so dedicated to that role that she believed a friend of the real Lacus was a friend of hers, and thus Heero's 'betrayal' stung quite deeply. Trowa could potentially use that.

"Don't you remember the meeting from earlier?" Trowa pointed out, "This wasn't a simple attack; it was a diversion. A diversion from what, we do not know, but if Heero meant to strike Gibraltar for real then he could've done much more damage than what was inflicted last night."

Athrun folded his arms. "Diversion or not, it doesn't change the fact that ZAFT soldiers died during the fighting. Heero has a lot of explaining to do when we see him again."

"None of this makes any sense!" Meer protested, "I know he fought against both the Alliance and ZAFT in the last war, but that was different. Both sides were engaged in monstrous campaigns and needed to be fought; the Chairman himself has repeatedly acknowledged that. ZAFT's changed since then, though! The people who sought to wipe out all Naturals have been removed and imprisoned for their ghastly crimes, and the Chairman would never seek to renew their horrific campaign. Heero understands this, right? So why have he and his allies turned against us?"

"Maybe because ZAFT isn't as noble as it's pretending to be?" Duo suggested, trading knowing looks with Athrun and Trowa.

Athrun shook his head. "Duo, don't do this. Not here."

Trowa actually agreed with Athrun, but not for the reasons that the FAITH operative might have hoped for. "We don't know if this is truly a private conversation, remember? This is a ZAFT facility, and one of their most important ones at that; until we've swept it and confirmed otherwise, assume any room has more ears than just ours."

Duo winced. "Oh, right. Good point."

It wasn't something they'd been quite as concerned about at Diocuia, but Gibraltar was a whole different beast. It was well-established and a vital strategic position. Diocuia had been a fresh conquest, and while ZAFT had been quick to fortify it, at the time of their visit Trowa could tell that they were still in the process of properly setting up shop. That had gone as much for their internal security systems as it did for the rest of their facilities. Gibraltar, though, was a property that ZAFT had owned for years; it was safe to assume that the security systems here would be extensive and thorough.

Meer looked disturbed. "That's ridiculous! I mean, I understand the need for certain security precautions, but the Chairman wouldn't have this room under such surveillance. It's my dressing room!"

"And you're a valuable asset for him," Trowa pointed out, "That actually gives him more incentive to watch this place like a hawk."

"Until we confirm otherwise, just assume any indoor conversation is probably being bugged," said Duo, "That's the rule to live by in places like this."

"Is that really what soldiers must become accustomed to?" asked Meer.

"You get used to it pretty quick," Athrun confirmed, "As long as you're not doing something you're not supposed to, you've got no reason to be concerned over it. It's only meant to weed out troublemakers, after all."

Duo smirked. "Can't possibly imagine who might fit that description!"

Trowa shrugged. "It is what it is. Either way, it would be wise to tread carefully."

Meer took a deep breath. "Going back to the subject of Heero and his allies… if he crosses your path again, will you have to fight him?"

"That's something I intend to bring up with the Chairman later," Athrun answered, "I understand his concerns, but we don't have all the information that we need. Things aren't looking good right now, but we might still be able to avoid another confrontation. I just need to find out a few things from the Chairman first."

Meer smiled. "If you'd like, I can pass word along to him that you'd like to speak to him on this matter at some point. The Chairman's quite busy these days, of course, but I'm sure that he'd be more than willing to make time for you."

Athrun nodded. "I'd appreciate that. Thank you."

"Think nothing of it!" Meer replied, "I'll send him a message as soon as we're done here."

"You really have that kind of on-demand access to him?" asked Trowa.

Meer nodded. "Of course! I mean, I can't speak to him whenever I wish, and depending on his schedule it might take a bit of time before he answers me, but he's usually pretty quick about replying to any requests or concerns that I bring up with him."

A good way for him to personally keep tabs on her, Trowa thought, Leave a line of communication open, make her believe that she's special by giving her direct access to him, let her believe she can speak to him about anything… act as a friend and confidant rather than the master holding the leash.

"That's pretty handy," Duo commented.

"Isn't it?" Meer agreed, "I'd be lost if I didn't have such a valuable connection to call upon. I try not to bother him too much, of course; I don't wish to distract the Chairman from his important work, after all. Would either of you like me to pass along a message to him as well?"

Trowa shook his head. "We appreciate the offer, but it's not necessary."

A blonde woman wearing violet shades and a green business suit then poked her head into the room. "Miss Lacus… oh, forgive me for interrupting! I had no idea you were still hosting guests."

Meer smiled. "It's okay, Sarah! Is something the matter?"

"I wanted to discuss a few items in your itinerary," Sarah replied, "We need to schedule the next round of shows so that the other soldiers can catch a performance when they're off duty."

Meer nodded. "Yes, absolutely! Could you please give me just another minute or two with my companions, though? I promise it won't take much more than that."

"Of course," said Sarah before bowing out.

"Friend of yours?" asked Duo.

"One of my managers, actually," Meer answered, "Chairman Durandal assigned her to my staff. She's been ever so helpful, although I do fear she might be overworking herself."

"It sounds like she needs you," said Athrun as he stood up, "We'll get out of your hair. It was good seeing you again, Lacus."

Meer stood up and embraced them. "Please, come back soon, Athrun! I shall pray for your safety when you return to the battlefield."

"Guess we should get a move on, too," said Duo as he and Trowa stood up as well.

"Thank you so much for visiting!" cheered Meer, giving Duo a quick hug before turning to Trowa.

She actually paused for a moment, and Trowa thought she looked nervous. When she embraced him a moment later, though, he was surprised by how tight her grip was…

…and felt one of her hands slip a crumpled bit of paper into his.

"Thank you for coming to my performance, and for chatting with me afterwards!" she said as she released him, "I'd like to sing for you again sometime, so please come to another show if you're able to do so."

Trowa nodded. "I will. Take care of yourself."

The three of them bade her farewell before heading back to the Minerva. The whole way, Duo was smirking at Trowa; he'd clearly seen her pass that bit of paper to him. Once they'd reached the ship, Duo dragged Trowa off towards their Gundams, claiming they needed to perform some maintenance.

"All right, out with it, buddy," said Duo after they checked to make sure none of the mechanics were paying attention to them, "What'd she give you?"

"I'm not sure," Trowa replied as he unfolded the note, "Let's find out."

There were only a few words written, and from the look of things Meer had been in quite a rush while doing so; she'd probably composed it either just before her show or immediately afterwards.

'The dock outside the Minerva. Tonight. Midnight. I need to talk to you. Please.'

'M. C.'

Duo raised an eyebrow. "M. C.? She used her real initials? Why?"

"I don't know," said Trowa, "What should I do?"

Duo smiled. "What do you think? She's asking for a private late-night rendezvous, so give it to her! I'll keep watch and make sure the coast is clear for you guys."

Trowa's eyes narrowed. "No eavesdropping. She wants this to be private, and I want to respect that."

Duo grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "Trowa, buddy, don't worry! I'll give you two your space, I promise. You just have to promise me one thing in return, okay?"

"And that is?" asked Trowa.

"Don't screw this up!" Duo replied with a wink.

Then the God of Death headed up to his Gundam's cockpit, leaving Trowa even more confused now than he had been before.

….

November 16th, C.E. 73

Despite the fact that she was cleared to go just about wherever she pleased within the bounds of Gibraltar, Meer couldn't help but keep looking over her shoulder nervously as she approached the dock. She'd ditched her stage clothes for a much more low-key outfit consisting of little more than jeans, a dark blue sweater and black jacket; Mediterranean fortress or not, it was still after midnight in autumn, and there was more than a bit of a chill in the air. Meer had gone out of her way to avoid people on her way here, staying out of sight as much as she could unless she had to identify herself to security guards. No one stopped her, although she did get a few odd looks once the soldiers got over being starstruck.

I hope the Chairman and Sarah don't mind that I'm doing this, she thought as she looked around, I shouldn't get in any trouble, but I have a feeling that they wouldn't like it if they knew I was roaming around without supervision.

For a moment, she feared that Trowa had disregarded her note, but then she caught sight of him poking his head around a nearby cargo container. He quickly looked around before waving her over, and she hastened to get behind cover with him.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me like this," she said.

"Don't mention it," Trowa replied, "What exactly did you need to speak to me about? Must be important if you're doing it in the dead of night like this."

Meer took a deep breath. Truth be told, her head was a bit of a mess at the moment. Her thoughts were all jumbled and confused, a bunch of half-baked justifications mixed with desperate pleas. She couldn't make any sense of it.

Not on her own, at least.

"I… I've been thinking," she started, "The last time we talked… back at Diocuia… you said some things that I didn't understand… or maybe that I just didn't want to hear. Who I really am, what I'm doing with this role, who I'm trying to be… I didn't give any of it serious consideration until you… called me out, I guess."

His demeanor softened somewhat. "You're having an identity crisis."

Meer blinked a few times in confusion. "I'm what?"

"It's not that complicated," said Trowa, "The role you've taken on is in conflict with who you really are as a person, and you're suffering from the clash. Given your particular position, it's natural."

Meer shook her head. "No… that's not right! This is who I've always wanted to be! More than anything else…"

"Perhaps you believed that when all of this started," Trowa replied, "You got the job offer when the world was at peace, right? The Chairman didn't just pull you out fully formed from the ether, I'm assuming."

Meer slowly nodded. "Yeah… it was several months before the Armory One attack. There was a lot of prep work that went into it, and a lot of secrecy. I didn't make my official debut until after the incident with the falling Junius Seven debris."

"That's what I thought," said Trowa, "The timing makes sense. Durandal knew that he would need you as a calming influence once tensions began to rise, and he needs you now to keep both the armed forces and the civilian population supporting him. You're one of the key pillars of his regime."

Meer shuddered. "The way you're talking about me… you're making it sound like I'm nothing more than a tool! I'm more than that! I'm keeping people's spirits up in a time of crisis, giving them hope in a new age of conflict. I'm not doing this just for the fame or the chance to be who I've always wanted to be; I'm trying to help people! I want to do what I… what she did in the last war."

She met his gaze, struggling to keep what remained of her composure. "You believe me… don't you?"

Trowa nodded. "I believe you truly want to do what's right, and that you're trying your best to follow her example. However, you're in over your head. The Chairman's intentions aren't nearly as noble as yours."

"He's trying to protect our people and bring about a new age of peace!" Meer protested, "There's nothing more noble than that! I know he's had to make some difficult decisions, but they've all been in the name of the greater good."

Trowa folded his arms. "I'm sure you've heard this expression before; the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Durandal's well on his way there, or have you already forgotten what we told you back in Diocuia?"

Meer winced. "I know what you said back there, but… why? Why would the Chairman go after her like that? Why not reach out and try to work with her? They want the same thing, don't they?"

"Clearly not," said Trowa, "otherwise he wouldn't have ordered the assassination attempt on her. Tell me, which do you think is more likely; that the renowned songstress of peace deviated from her ideals, or that the Chairman has a very different vision for the future of the world in mind than she does?"

Meer knew the truth; the Lacus Clyne that had helped bring the First Bloody Valentine War to a close would never stray from her beliefs of coexistence and equality. Meer had studied her icon's history and archived footage to the point of obsession, and she felt like she'd come to understand the songstress better than she understood her original identity. Two years had passed since the last war, but Lacus would not have changed. That could only mean one thing.

Meer's voice caught in her throat for a moment, and she struggled to speak again. "I… I don't… I don't want this. The Chairman and her… they should be on the same side! We should be on the same side!"

"Had the Chairman played things differently, perhaps we would be," Trowa replied, "I doubt that, though. If he believed that a true alliance was possible, then he would've made a genuine diplomatic outreach to her. We were wary of him, but not to the point of open hostility. The fact that he jumped straight to orchestrating an assassination attempt is quite revealing. Whatever he's truly after, he knows that she wouldn't approve of it, and by extension, neither would the rest of us. It fits the pattern he's shown."

"What pattern?" Meer asked, almost afraid of what the answer might be.

Trowa looked at her for a long moment, and from the dark edge to his gaze Meer knew that this wouldn't be good. "She's not the only innocent girl that the Chairman's gone after in this war. The Alliance has a human augmentation program, and they've been using war orphans as their test subjects. We captured one of the pilots created by that program during the raid on Cagliari."

Meer's stomach churned. "I heard rumors, but… I wasn't sure if they were true. About the Alliance super soldier program, what was found in Lodonia…"

"Rumors don't do that nightmare factory justice," said Trowa, "The pilot we captured was one of the program's few survivors. Although she fought against ZAFT, it was against her will; she's just as much a victim of the Alliance as those that they've directly killed in this war. Your Chairman, though, saw her in the same light as the Alliance; nothing more than a lab rat. He ordered her to be vivisected, which is why Heero busted her out and took her to be treated by our allies."

Meer wanted to retch as the full weight of Trowa's damning accusation sank in. "No… he wouldn't…"

"Don't believe me? Ask the Captain of the Minerva," Trowa calmly replied, "Shinn Asuka overheard her talking to one of the ship's doctors. That was why he went to Heero for help, and why the two of them absconded with the prisoner. First your namesake, then a torture victim… who can say where it will go next? Whatever Durandal's vision may be, it's one that he has no problem with spilling innocent blood to achieve."

She wanted to deny his words. By rights, she should have. He wasn't a ZAFT pilot, and he was friends with someone who had not only betrayed them but even attacked them. Meer's faith should have been with the Chairman, with ZAFT. They were the ones she was working for, the cause that she believed in and had sacrificed her very identity for.

And yet one look in Trowa's eyes was all she needed to know that he wasn't lying.

Her legs buckled, and she nearly fell over. Trowa was at her side in an instant, catching and gently lowering her so she could sit with her back leaning against the cargo container.

"Easy…" said Trowa softly, "Breathe… that's it. Deep breaths."

Meer tried to do so, but it wasn't easy. "I don't understand… why?"

Trowa sighed. "That's what my friends and I are trying to figure out. I'd say ask Durandal, but knowing him, he'd probably start considering you to be a problem if you began making inconvenient inquiries."

Meer shook her head. "No… he needs me… they all need me! I help give them hope, inspiration… just like she would do!"

"Your voice and the persona you've assumed are potent," said Trowa, "but I think part of you knows that they're both being used for something that she would never support. For Durandal, you're a valuable implement, but only to the extent that you remain pliant and subservient. Too much independence or uncomfortable questions will change that status, and it likely won't end well for you. You believed you were being given the opportunity of a lifetime in taking on this role, but from what I can see you unwittingly made a deal with the devil… and the bill is coming due."

"What do you mean?" asked Meer, dreading what he might say next.

Trowa closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again his pity for her plight was all too clear. "As I said at the start, you're suffering a crisis of identity. I think our conversations here and back at Diocuia were the few times in this war that you've been your true self. Your interactions with everyone else, consciously or otherwise, are in the persona that you took on for this role… and it's threatening to consume you in more ways than one."

"Maybe… maybe that's what I want," Meer tried to argue, although even she couldn't tell if her heart was really in it or not, "I… I was nobody before this job offer came along. Just your average girl with a pretty singing voice. Someone overheard me one day and said I sounded just like her, and word got around. Then comes along a woman from the government, and the next thing I know I'm meeting the Chairman himself. Suddenly… I wasn't nobody anymore. I could become someone who I'd always looked up to, who could make a real difference in the world. The world doesn't need who I was… it needs her."

Trowa shook his head. "I'd say it needs both… and it could have both. You may think you've become someone that the world finds valuable, but you're robbing both it and yourself of who you truly are. You think the world is better off with only Lacus Clyne? You think that you're better off being her? I disagree. This role is going to destroy you, both figuratively and literally. Some part of you surely recognizes that."

Meer slumped back against the container; she'd never felt so exhausted and terrified in her life before. "It might… but it's too late to turn back. I've come too far already. I'm in too deep. All I can do is play my part to the fullest and embody who the world needs me to be."

"But you don't even know who that really is," Trowa argued, "You're convinced that the world needs Lacus Clyne, and perhaps it does, but it already has her. She is already doing her part for this world, taking on very real risks for a chance to restore peace. She knows what she has to offer and how best to play her part, but what about you? If you really want to make a difference, maybe you should try doing so as the real you rather than as a persona that you only think needs to be you."

She looked up at him in trepidation. "Trowa… the real me… what can she really offer now? If I take off this mask now… everything I've done… it all goes down the drain. All those who saw me as valuable will view me with disgust… and worse. If I set aside Lacus and become Meer again… they'd kill me, wouldn't they?"

"Only if you stay with them," Trowa answered, "At the rate you're going, though, staying with them will probably result in your death whether you remain in your role or not. There's another path, though."

"And that is?" she asked.

"The same one Shinn took," Trowa replied, "Come over to the other side… the side that the real Lacus is on. You could meet her eventually, you know? You two would undoubtedly have a lot to talk about."

Meer blinked a few times; she couldn't have heard him right. "Come over… to your side? You mean leave ZAFT? You… you're joking."

Trowa shook his head. "I'm not exactly known for my sense of humor. Besides, I wouldn't joke about something like this."

Meer was frozen. It should've been a no brainer; as far as ZAFT was concerned, she was Lacus Clyne, which meant that she had everything she'd ever wanted with them. Staying with them was the obvious choice.

And yet…

…part of her wanted nothing more in that instant than to jump ship.

A strange image appeared in her mind. She saw who she once was, only for her old self to morph into what she looked like now… and then shift back again. Meer to Lacus, Lacus to Meer… back and forth it went, with no clear victor.

"You're losing yourself," Trowa pressed, as if he was reading her thoughts, "but there's still time to change that. Where there's life, there's hope. The longer you stay with ZAFT, though, the grimmer your prospects become."

Meer clutched her head as the world began to whirl around her. "I… I can't… I'm Lacus… Lacus Clyne! I need to be here!"

"Is that what you really believe?" asked Trowa, "Or is it simply easier to believe that than the truth?"

Meer shook her head as she struggled to her feet. "It's the truth to ZAFT, to the Chairman… to the PLANTs… and so it's the truth to me. It has to be…"

Trowa gave her a dark look. "And what happens when it no longer is? With the world ablaze with the fires of war, do you really think that she will remain in the shadows forever? When the time is right, she will take the stage. You know this even better than I do; after all, you surely studied her obsessively in preparation for your role. When that reckoning inevitably comes, how do you think that's going to play out for you? You're a gifted singer, but can you match the charisma and grace of the songstress that united people from all sides in the last war against the madness that threatened to consume the world? Whether you like it or not, as you stand now, you're on the path to a confrontation with her. Even with Durandal and ZAFT in your corner, do you really believe that you'll come out on top here? In the end, there can only be one Lacus Clyne."

He was right, whether Meer would admit it or not. She had studied Lacus obsessively once she'd gotten the offer from Durandal. Every concert, every public speech, every interview, every photograph and shred of evidence about her private life; Meer had absorbed it all like a sponge. She knew just how formidable her idol could be when she was roused to action.

"There's still time," said Trowa, "You can still walk away. Say the word, and I'll help you do it."

He held out his hand, and time seemed to freeze. Once again, Meer was torn. Part of her wanted to accept his offer and leave this behind, but the other was determined to keep her place in the sun and continue playing the role of her icon.

"I…" she began.

Before she could say anything else, Duo suddenly poked his head around the cargo container. "Hate to break things up, but we've got company inbound. Trowa, we got to go!"

Where had he even come from? Had he been watching them the whole time? Before Meer could ask him either of those questions, Duo grabbed Trowa by the arm and yanked him away. Her gaze met his one last time, and the look in his eyes was one of regret and resignation. Then the two of them were gone, and Meer heard the footsteps of several people approaching.

Coming out from behind the cargo container, she saw Sarah along with several ZAFT soldiers on the dock. "You said she was spotted in this area, right?"

One of the soldiers nodded before spotting her. "Yes, but we don't… oh, there she is! Miss Clyne!"

Sarah and the others rushed forward, and Meer quickly found herself surrounded. Thankfully, her handler and the soldiers looked more worried than anything else; if they'd seen her meeting in private with one of the Gundam pilots, she imagined that they'd be more than simply concerned.

"Miss Clyne, what are you doing out here?" asked Sarah, "You should be in bed!"

Meer gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Sarah. I… I needed some fresh air, a chance to clear my head."

Sarah shook her head. "This is a huge base, Miss Clyne. You shouldn't wander about without an escort. What if something were to happen to you?"

"I'm perfectly safe here, Sarah," Meer argued, "This is Gibraltar, remember? If I'm not protected here, then I'm not safe anywhere on Earth."

Sarah sighed. "Even so…"

The woman then looked over at the warship looming over them, as if she'd just realized it was there. "The Minerva… Miss Clyne, did you come here to see Athrun Zala?"

Her handler had unwittingly given her the perfect cover, and Meer instantly latched onto it. "Oh, yes… I suppose it was a bit rash to come out here at this time of night, though."

Sarah gave her an indulging smile. "Miss Clyne, I know you haven't been able to spend much time with him, so I can understand you wanting to see him tonight. However, you and he both need to get some sleep. I'll try to contact him in the morning and see if he'll be available to visit with you, okay?"

Meer nodded. "Thank you, Sarah."

Sarah put a hand on her shoulder. "Now, let's get you back to your quarters, all right? It's far too late at night for this sort of thing, and you're going to have a busy day ahead of you."

Meer gave a theatrical sigh as she allowed her handler and the accompanying soldiers to escort her back to her room. Before they left the dock, though, she looked over her shoulder…

…and caught a glimpse of Trowa peeking out from behind another cargo crate.

Had Sarah not come along when she did, would Meer have accepted his offer?

She didn't know.

There was so much that she didn't know now.

….

Entering the hangar, it didn't take Murrue long to find Heero. Just as Crew Chief Murdoch had reported, he was standing outside the Skygrasper simulator, arms folded and eyes narrowed as he watched their potential recruit test their mettle.

"How's he doing?" she asked as she came to a stop next to him.

"He's a natural," Heero replied, "Prior experience with the Core Splendor certainly helps, but there's more to it than that. It's a good thing we poached him when we did."

Murrue raised an eyebrow. "You think he'd have been a genuine threat had he stayed with ZAFT."

Heero nodded. "Absolutely. I'll say this much for Durandal; he has an eye for talent. Assigning Shinn to pilot the Impulse and making him a ZAFT Red was a good move on his part. Given enough time, he would've been an ideal attack dog for the Chairman. Thankfully, that's no longer something we have to worry about."

Murrue put a hand on her chin as she studied the simulator. "He might not be a threat to us now, but do you really think he's willing to become an ally? We're definitely throwing the dice with this one."

"With Stella here, he has far greater incentive to fight for us than ZAFT," Heero pointed out, "Even if he decides to stay on the sidelines, that's still a win for us since it means he's not fighting for Durandal. In the end, though, it's ultimately his call to make."

Murrue sighed. "Well, I hope he decides to go all the way with us, because we're going to need all the help we can get. Things aren't looking good."

Heero looked at her. "Has something happened?"

"I just wrapped up a call with Natarle and Eric," she answered, "According to the latest intel his contacts in ZAFT have been able to send our way, the Earth Alliance reinforcements are beginning to land in Europe in force now. It's not just troops, supplies and mobile suits, either; they're bringing in some very heavy equipment."

"Such as?" asked Heero.

"Multiple Hannibal-class land battleships," Murrue replied, "although they're really more like heavily armed and armored carriers. At least four have been confirmed so far, and we definitely could have missed some."

She saw Heero's brow furrow as he considered the implications. "Hannibal-class land battleships… those are meant to support full-scale invasion campaigns and long-term occupations. You don't send those merely to 'reinforce' an ally."

Murrue grimly nodded. "It seems the evidence supporting our fears is growing; the Atlantic Federation appears to be preparing to subjugate one of its partners, or at least coerce them into taking a more active role in the fighting. The Eurasian Federation is already a powder keg, and this is pouring gasoline on it."

Heero concurred. "The internal dissent they're experiencing now is only going to escalate. In fact, the Atlantic Federation may be hoping for just that. It'd be the perfect excuse for them to crack down and seize the reins."

"That's what we were thinking," said Murrue, "The land battleships were brought over in pieces and assembled in northern Germany. They're on the move now. We're not sure of their ultimate destinations, but their current courses take them deeper into central and eastern Europe. At least one looks like it might be heading for Moscow if it maintains its projected course, and I think another is going towards Berlin. Of course, this could all change at any time."

Heero nodded. "Agreed. What's our play?"

"You probably already sensed the shift in the ship's direction," Murrue replied, "I'm taking us as close to southern France as I can. That'll at least give you a good launching position for when things heat up in Europe."

"At the rate things are going, that'll probably be sooner rather than later," said Heero, and Murrue didn't like the look in his eyes, "I've got a bad feeling about what's coming."

Murrue put a hand on his shoulder. "That makes two us. Are we ready for it?"

"We have no choice but to be," Heero answered, "Too many innocent lives are counting on it."

Murrue sighed. "All too true. There's more, although whether it's good news or bad news is open to interpretation."

"What's up?" asked Heero.

"According to news reports, police officers and military personnel have begun joining the various protesters," said Murrue, "We don't have concrete numbers right now, so there's no way to tell if this is just a few disillusioned troopers or the start of something more. Army garrisons are on high alert, and riot police and demonstrators are currently at a stalemate. Various government officials have either joined the protests in solidarity or given speeches condemning them. It looks like battlelines are being drawn within the Eurasian Federation; you're either pro-war or anti at this point, and dialogue appears to be breaking down quickly."

Heero's conclusion echoed the one that Murrue had already come to. "Sounds like just about everything you'd need to kick off a civil war. All the ingredients are there."

Murrue shuddered. "Yes… no matter which way things play out, I think it's going to get ugly."

Heero's eyes narrowed. "Agreed. It might fracture the Alliance and play to our advantage, but even so… a lot of people who want nothing to do with all of this are going to get caught in the crossfire."

"And we won't be able to help them all," Murrue despaired, "There's just not enough of us to handle something like this! If we can gain new allies, then perhaps we'd stand a chance, but right now… I don't even know where to start, Heero."

Heero took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We go where we believe we can do the most good, just like the last war. We set an example for those who want to bring the senseless carnage to an end and bring them under our banner. It's going to get worse before it gets better, Murrue, but we can still do this."

Murrue smiled, her confidence bolstered by his words. "Yes… we can. It won't be easy, but when has it ever been for us?"

"Never," Heero replied, "No reason for it to start now."

All too true, she thought solemnly, I suppose we'll just have to grit our teeth and persevere.

Too many innocent lives are counting on it.

….

"Ah, Athrun, welcome," said Durandal as the FAITH operative entered his office, "I'm sorry I couldn't get you in earlier today. My schedule has unfortunately been quite full as of late. Please, sit down."

Athrun nodded as he took the seat across from the Chairman's desk. "Thank you for agreeing to see me."

Durandal smiled. "Of course! Truth be told, we've really been overdue for a meeting. You and I haven't really spoken privately since you rejoined our ranks and became a member of FAITH in the first place. Tell me, how have you found our reformed ZAFT? You seem to have settled in well enough, but I'm sure it's still taking some getting used to. Much has changed since the last war, after all."

Athrun shook his head. "I've had no difficulties. Much of the original organizational structure remains, and the changes haven't been hard to get used to. Everyone's been quite accepting of me, too."

"I would hope so," said Durandal, "While I understand that some might not have trusted you given the fact that you defected from ZAFT during the prior conflict, you left the organization's ranks for noble reasons. Your defection was necessary to stand against the dark path that ZAFT was taking, and you were acting against no less than your own father. The example you set for others was an inspirational one, and I hope that the new ZAFT has proven itself to be worthy of your service."

Athrun tensed; this was what he'd been preparing for, but actually confronting the Chairman like this still wasn't something that would be easy. "That's part of what I wanted to discuss with you, sir. I have some questions regarding certain policies that were implemented… and some concerns."

Durandal leaned back slightly in his chair. Outwardly, his demeanor remained relatively relaxed, but there was a subtle shift in his gaze. His guard was up, and Athrun knew he would have to play things very carefully.

"Please, speak your mind," said Durandal after a moment's pause, "I made you a FAITH operative in no small part so you would have the independence needed to address any potential problems within ZAFT. If one has arisen that you feel is serious, I would very much like to hear what it is."

Athrun took a deep breath. "Certain recent events have been… bothering me. I'm not just referring to the engagement with Heero at this base. The sequence of events leading up to it is worrisome."

"You're referring to when Heero left the Minerva and convinced Shinn Asuka to join him, absconding with both the Core Splendor and our prisoner, correct?" Durandal surmised.

Athrun nodded. "I am. I've been thinking about what happened, and something's not adding up with it. Shinn didn't get along with Heero from the moment they first met following the Armory One attack, yet he was willing to go AWOL with him, stealing the Core Splendor and abducting the captured Alliance pilot in the process. Heero might be better known as a pilot, but he can also be rather persuasive when he puts his mind to it. Still, him talking Shinn into abandoning his post? It doesn't make sense. There's no way Shinn would go along with it… or at least, he wouldn't if he didn't have a very good reason to do so."

Durandal sighed. "Athrun, I can understand wanting to believe that your fellow pilot might have been acting with noble intentions, but we have to face the facts. Shinn betrayed us, and in doing so he inflicted considerable damage to our war effort. The Core Splendor is the heart of the Impulse, and while one of the reserve modules is being shipped down here as we speak, we don't exactly have an infinite supply of those. As for the prisoner, the information we could have gleaned from her would have been invaluable to our efforts in countering the Alliance's super soldier program, but that knowledge is now lost to us. All of that thanks to Shinn's treachery."

"But why would he have done so in the first place?" Athrun pressed, "It takes a lot for someone to turn their back on their nation and people. I would know. This didn't come from nowhere."

Durandal nodded. "I agree. An investigation is underway, and I'm sure we'll be able to discern Shinn's true motives in due time."

Athrun knew the Chairman was deflecting. "I don't think it hurts to speculate. Shinn seemed unusually close to the prisoner. He refused to leave the infirmary when she was in ZAFT's care. He had to have understood that ZAFT could provide her the best treatment in the Cosmic Era, so if he cared for her well-being then it doesn't make sense for him to spring her loose."

"No, it certainly doesn't," Durandal conceded, "It makes his actions all the more inexplicable. I'm all for a good puzzle, but I truly am lost with this one."

Athrun took a deep breath; what he was about to ask, and the Chairman's reaction to it, would tell him what he wanted to know for better or worse. "Sir… if the Minerva had arrived at Gibraltar with the prisoner still aboard… what was ZAFT going to do with her?"

"The order was to transfer her to the PLANTs," Durandal replied, "for evaluation, treatment and interrogation. She would have been confined, of course, but that's only natural since she was fighting for our enemy. Still, care and fair treatment would have been provided, and arrangements made to repatriate her at the end of the conflict. Alas, that is no longer possible."

The words rolled off his tongue smoothly… too smoothly. As if they'd been rehearsed for the cameras or idealistic subordinates.

Rehearsed for someone like Athrun.

Despite fighting alongside Shinn for some time now, Athrun couldn't claim to know the young man very well. Not as well as those who had been by his side since the ZAFT academy, at least. One thing that had struck Athrun, though, was the boy's loyalty to both his friends and his adopted homeland. When he'd left Orb for the PLANTs, it was clear that Shinn had fully dedicated himself to protecting his new home from the fate that had befallen his last one during the First Bloody Valentine War.

Shinn would not have betrayed ZAFT lightly. There was clearly a connection between him and the Gaia's pilot, but that alone likely wouldn't have been enough to convince him to jump ship and leave his friends behind, especially if the prisoner was promised fair treatment. Weighing all of that, Athrun could only come to one conclusion; that fair treatment wasn't what had awaited Stella had ZAFT been able to transport her to the PLANTs.

Which meant that Durandal was lying to him.

It took every ounce of restraint and training for Athrun to maintain his composure. He suddenly wished that he'd taken lessons from Heero; the Gundam pilot had one hell of a poker face, one that Athrun could've used right about now.

All Athrun could do now was try his best and hope it would be enough. "I see. If the investigation uncovers anything, I'd like to be informed. I want to understand why Shinn acted the way he did. That knowledge might help us bring him back to our side should we meet him again."

Durandal smiled. "Of course. If any information that might help in that endeavor comes to light, I promise that you shall be the first to know."

Athrun didn't believe him, but it would be foolish to say that here. "Thank you, Chairman."

Durandal nodded. "Of course. Did you have any other concerns that you wished to address while you're here?"

Oh, he had concerns all right, but giving voice to them here would be foolish. If Durandal was lying about Stella, then he would have no compunctions about deceiving Athrun with regards to other topics… including the one that concerned him above all others.

The attempt on Lacus Clyne's life.

Athrun had spent the hours leading up to this meeting trying to figure out the best way to bring up that topic with the Chairman, as well as considering the possible answers. The most likely scenario he had been considering was that the attack had been made by remnants from his father's regime, operatives that had managed to lay low and avoid Durandal's purge. Had Durandal said as much, Athrun would have probably believed him.

At least, he would have if he'd led with that topic rather than that of Stella's fate.

Athrun wanted nothing more in that very moment than to slap himself. Cagalli, Kira, Heero, everyone else with Terminal; they'd been all but shouting the truth at him at the top of their lungs, and he'd brushed them off. He'd been so eager to buy into the idea of a reformed ZAFT that he'd refused to consider the idea that it had simply become a different kind of beast than the one commanded by his father. Patrick Zala had been authoritarian, brutal, determined, and wrathful. Durandal was charismatic, cunning, elegant, and patient. Both were dangerous…

…but only now was Athrun beginning to realize just how dangerous the latter truly was.

Athrun shook his head, hoping the gesture didn't look nearly as nervous as he felt right now. "No, sir. Thank you for your time."

Durandal nodded. "Of course. By the way, I hear that the Saviour's repairs are coming along well. Sounds like it'll be ready for action within the next day or so at the most."

"That's what I'm hoping," said Athrun as he stood up, "If all goes well, I'll be ready to fly again soon enough. Good day, sir."

How much longer I'll be flying for you, he thought as he left the room, remains to be seen…

….

Taking a break from monitoring Shinn's training, Heero was sitting in the cockpit of Wing Zero Albion. There was no mission scheduled or anything that would require him to actually launch; he was just running through basic system checks and maintenance. It was the sort of thing that he could do pretty much on autopilot, which meant that he almost missed a notification on his screen indicating that he'd just received a burst transmission.

One that had been sent over the frequency he'd given his fellow Gundam pilots.

"Quatre," Heero muttered as he opened the message, "What do you have for me today…"

He found out in short order, and it actually took him a moment to process the full implications of it. The message consisted of a series of data files…

…containing a complete ZAFT order of battle for the entire European and Mediterranean theater of the war.

Ongoing and future planned operations, a comprehensive breakdown of force composition and expected reinforcements, anticipated supply expenditures and replenishments, extensive breakdowns of involved units; all that and more was now at his fingertips.

He could only have gotten these from Gibraltar's command center, Heero thought, a small smile coming to his face, Quatre… I don't know how you pulled this one off, but you've outdone yourself. Not even Eric Bristow's web of contacts have been able to get us this kind of information.

He took a few minutes to scan the various file titles, trying to figure out where to start, when one name caught his attention.

Operation: Angel Down.

Opening the file, it only took Heero a moment to confirm his suspicions. He wasted no time in forwarding Quatre's message to both Murrue and Natarle before downloading the contents to a data drive and exiting his Gundam.

Terminal had work to do.

….

Mihaly scowled as he lowered his mug. "They're just handing you over? Never thought I'd see our superiors roll over so easily."

Across the table, Marius sighed as he finished his beer. "It can't be helped. At least if we present this as willing cooperation on our end, it should help blunt any negative impacts towards our people."

"There's nothing 'willing' about this," Mihaly growled, "You and your team are hostages for them. You know that, right?"

Marius solemnly nodded. "I do. Hostages meant to keep you flying on their side. If they're resorting to this, then I can only imagine what horrors the Americans have in store for everyone else."

Mihaly looked out the window as a transport jet touched down on a distant runway. "With the way things are going, I'm sure we'll find out sooner rather than later."

The airbase he and Marius found themselves at now was no longer Orange-Caritat in southeastern France. The Eurasian Federation ace had been transferred there shortly after the chaotic battle that had broken out at Gibraltar, a move that had taken Mihaly completely by surprise; if anything, he'd expected to be rotated out of the French base and to one of the facilities in the Iberian Peninsula so he could be closer to the front should his superiors need him to scramble. Instead, he and the Wyvern had been sent in the opposite direction, with man and machine now taking up residence at Wunstorf Air Base in north-central Germany. Marius and his team had arrived shortly thereafter, ostensibly to give the Wyvern a good tune-up.

Just a pretext, of course, Mihaly bitterly mused, With our superiors submitting to the Americans, it's really their way of showing that those closest to me are under their thumb. I don't have any close family for them to threaten, so Marius and his team are the only leverage they have. Bastards…

"You've heard the rumors, then," Marius surmised.

"Rumors? It's been all over the damn news," Mihaly replied, "Military personnel and cops either showing up at protests to support the demonstrators or intimidate them, bar fights between off-duty troop escalating into lethal encounters… all while the Atlantic Federation brings in more of their 'reinforcements'. Things are getting ugly, and it's all downhill from here."

"Most likely," Marius conceded, "You know why you're really here, don't you?"

Mihaly nodded. "I have a pretty good idea. The demonstrations have been the fiercest in Berlin. It's almost certainly where the crackdown's going to kick off first. First sign of trouble for our forces, and the Americans will roll in. Once they do what they do best, it probably won't take long for a certain pilot to show up and do what he does best. That's where I come in."

"Pretty much," Marius confirmed, "They haven't said as much to us, of course, but it's not hard to put two and two together. Once you and Wyvern are airborne, Berlin's just a short hop away. You'd easily be able to arrive in time for a showdown… assuming he would enter the fray in the first place."

Mihaly's eyes narrowed. "He will. It's who he is."

Marius raised an eyebrow. "You seem awfully certain about that."

"Best way to know another pilot is to fight them," Mihaly argued, "He and I have gone head-to-head twice now. Even if we hadn't spoken during the fight, I would've learned plenty. He'll come once fireworks kick off. Count on it."

"What will you do, then?" asked Marius, "I know you want to fight him, but doing so in this context means playing directly into the Atlantic Federation's hands. While he's stuck dueling you, the Americans will be doing God only knows what to our people."

Mihaly took another swig from his mug. "I know what you're getting at. If I fight him, I'm keeping him from stopping the Atlantic Federation from likely massacring innocent people. However, if I don't fight him, you and your team are going to bite it."

"You don't know that for sure," Marius countered, "The Alliance needs our expertise. We're amongst the few that were able to design a mobile suit truly capable of competing with their deadliest foe. They can't afford to snuff us out."

Mihaly shook his head. "I know it's tempting to think that this is all just a bluff. Believe me, I want to think that, too. It's not, though. I don't have proof, but my gut's telling me the threat's real."

"I've always gone with my head over my gut," Marius replied, "It's what I'm supposed to do. Still, I won't discount your instincts on the matter. Logic would dictate that our expertise makes us far too valuable for them to cast aside… but logic has hardly been the guiding factor for the Americans in this war."

Mihaly gave a bitter laugh. "If logic was a factor at all, we wouldn't be at war to begin with."

Marius sighed heavily. "All too true. The world has gone mad once again."

Yeah, Mihaly thought wearily, and a new round of insanity's probably going to kick off any day now…

….

Staring at one of the side displays in the cockpit of his Gundam, Yzak nearly jumped out of his seat when Dearka poked his head inside. "Hey, you about done in there?"

Yzak swore under his breath before looking at his friend. "Dearka… what's up?"

His fellow former ZAFT pilot raised an eyebrow. "I could ask you the same thing. You seem a little out of it. Everything okay? Maintenance checks don't usually take you this long."

Yzak sighed as he started shutting things down. "Yeah, I've got it all wrapped up. Just got some stuff on my mind."

Dearka nodded. "Any of that stuff have to do with our most recent battle?"

Climbing out of the cockpit, Yzak knew that there was no point in denying it. "Yeah, it does. Athrun… that idiot. I get what he was thinking back when all this started, but now… I can't wrap my head around why he's still with ZAFT. Having to fight him… it doesn't sit right, you know?"

Dearka gave a rueful chuckle. "You know, the old you wouldn't have minded the chance to throw down with him."

Yzak rolled his eyes. "The old me was an idiot. Old you didn't exactly cover himself in glory, either. We both came around in the end, though, right?"

Dearka smiled. "We did… and we both had some help there."

Yzak smiled as well as he thought of Flay. "Yeah… we did."

Dearka patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, let's grab some food. Miriallia and Flay should both be on break right now, so we can probably catch them if we hurry."

Yzak's stomach grumbled. "Sounds good to me."

As the two of them headed for the hangar exit, Yzak glanced over at the simulator set up in the back. Heero was standing outside it, watching the exterior screen as Shinn went through another set of Skygrasper training programs.

Dearka followed Yzak's gaze. "You think the new guy's going to pull through for us when it counts?"

"We'll find out one way or the other soon enough," Yzak replied, "We all have to start somewhere, you know? I'm sure our friends here had similar questions about you and me back when we first started fighting alongside them."

Dearka nodded as the two of them left the hangar. "Good point. Guess we should keep an open mind on him. I mean, we're former ZAFT pilots like him, after all. His shoes aren't all that different from ours back then."

"Exactly," said Yzak, "Besides, he came here with a girl, remember? Some of his motives might not be all that different from ours."

Dearka shrugged as they made their way towards the mess hall. "Maybe. I don't think Miriallia or Flay had quite as many issues as Stella, though."

Yzak shuddered. "Yeah… ex-Alliance super soldier experiment, tortured in a lab where kids had to fight to the death… lot to unpack there."

"No joke," said Dearka, "She's got a long road ahead of her. Her and Shinn, really. Not sure what the deal is between those two, but I hope things start looking up for them."

The two of them entered the mess hall a few moments later. It didn't take long for them to spot Flay and Miriallia at one of the tables, and after they dished up the boys went over to join them.

"Room for two more?" asked Dearka.

Miriallia smiled as he sat down next to her. "Of course!"

"Everything okay down in the hangar?" asked Flay as Yzak settled in next to her.

Yzak nodded. "Just wrapped up the usual maintenance. If there's a fight in the near future, our machines are ready for it."

Flay traded an uneasy look with Miriallia. "There probably will be one… sooner than any of us would like."

Dearka raised an eyebrow. "Did we miss something while we were working on our mobile suits?"

"Not one 'thing' per se," Miriallia replied, "Flay and I were watching some Eurasian Federation news outlets on break. Things are… well, they're not looking good."

Flay shook her head, looking genuinely haunted. "That's an understatement. I still can't get that last image out of my mind…"

Yzak put his hand on her shoulder. "What was it?"

Flay took a deep breath. "At one of the protests in Berlin… when the riot police teargassed the crowd… they fired directly into them. Gas cannisters hit demonstrators right in their heads… and the police just trampled them as they were lying on the ground, crying for help. Then the officers tried to attack the journalists filming it all, and the crew had to run… I hope they got out okay."

Dearka winced. "Look, I'm all for keeping informed, but still… is this really the sort of thing you should be watching in your off time? Doesn't really sound good for your mental health."

"It's not," Miriallia agreed, "but it's important to bear witness to what's happening, to remember it. Those people out in the streets demonstrating against the war deserve at least that much."

"There's got to be something more that we can do than just watch!" Flay protested, "People are dying just for protesting the war! We have to help them!"

Yzak sighed. "It's not that simple. Believe me, I want to jump in there too, but most of our mobile suits don't do well in tight urban environments. If we intervene, we could cause far more civilian casualties than the police have."

"Not to mention the fact that it's in the heart of enemy territory," Dearka pointed out, "The Alliance would be able to summon reinforcements and eventually overwhelm us. Even if we managed to get out, that would still leave the people stuck back where they started, or even worse off."

"That's true," Miriallia grimly concurred, "I wouldn't put it past the Alliance at this point to kill them in reprisal."

Flay looked down at the table. "This all feels so wrong."

"We're at war," said Yzak, "Everything went wrong quite a while ago."

"But we're the ones who are supposed to protect innocent people from getting caught up in all of this!" Flay argued, "What good are we if we can't help those that are demonstrating against this war?"

Yzak put his hand on her shoulder. "I know it's difficult to accept, but we can't put out every fire in this world. Our numbers are just too limited. We have to pick our battles carefully. It's the only way we stand a chance at being able to make a real difference."

"Not to mention survive," Dearka muttered.

That too, Yzak silently agreed, I'll be happy if we're able to do that much. Things are only getting crazier…

…and we're caught right in the middle of it.

….

The song of seagulls rang overhead as Wufei sat at the edge of the dock and looked out at the sea. Assembled ZAFT warships gently swayed with the waves, and a light breeze was in the air. It was an idyllic and soothing scene, one that almost made Wufei forget that it was taking place in a world at war.

He heard the footsteps coming up the dock behind him well before the voice of their owner spoke. "That looks awfully relaxing. Mind if I join you?"

Wufei looked over his head at the Chairman of the PLANTs Supreme Council. "No bodyguards? I thought you were supposed to a head of state."

Durandal smiled. "Oh, believe me; the head of my security detail took some convincing before he agreed to let me walk about the facility like this. It's only because Gibraltar is such a secure location that I'm allowed this degree of personal freedom. Even then, it's hard to keep my guards from shadowing me."

Wufei shrugged. "Well, if they're watching us from the shadows, that's fine by me. If I was going to assassinate you, I'd pick a better spot to do it than this."

Durandal chuckled. "How reassuring."

The Chairman sat down on the edge of the dock to Wufei's right. It was a rather absurd image; a Gundam pilot and a head of state relaxing in the late afternoon sun looking out over the sea while the gulls called out overhead.

"I know I've said it before," Durandal began, "but I truly am grateful for all that you've done for us since the attack on Armory One. I've studied the various combat recordings, and your skills are truly a marvel to behold. Few pilots in the Earth Sphere can match you, and I would certainly hate to have you as an enemy. I can only imagine how the soldiers of the Earth Alliance feel, knowing that they have to fight against a warrior with your incredible abilities."

Wufei raised an eyebrow. "Trying to flatter me? That's not going to play well."

Durandal sighed. "Forgive me, I promise it was not my intent. I'm afraid that one gains certain instincts when they go into politics. It can be hard to turn them off. You're a man who clearly prefers frank speech to flowery praise, and I'll endeavor to respect that as best as I'm able to."

"It'll save us both some time," Wufei agreed, "Now, what do you want? You're not here to just shoot the breeze and enjoy the view."

Durandal smirked. "Straight to the point. I really should have expected as much. Tell me, Wufei; what are you hoping to achieve by fighting for ZAFT? Don't get me wrong; I'm glad you've remained with us, and I'm sure our soldiers feel the same way. Still, since you are not officially part of our forces, surely you must understand that both myself and others wish to comprehend your motives. Some have concerns, and I would wish to set them at ease."

Wufei had seen this coming. "If you're worried that I'll cut and run like Heero, don't be. I've got no intention of leaving. ZAFT's giving me everything I want with this little arrangement."

"I'm glad to hear that," said Durandal, "but I must confess to being a bit confused as to what 'everything you want' truly entails. You spoke back at the meeting of your desire to fight Heero, but surely that's not all of it. You weren't fighting him back when you and your fellow Gundam pilots first allied with us, after all."

Wufei rolled his eyes. "No offense, but I wouldn't understand a politician to understand the motives of a warrior."

"Try me," Durandal challenged, "You'll find that I can be quite open minded."

Wufei studied the man for a moment before responding. "All right, then. To put it simply, ever since the last war, I've been looking for purpose. Peace is… difficult for someone like me."

Durandal nodded. "Your profession is defined by combat, and your talents can only be fully expressed on the battlefield. You might not be a man that hopes for violence, but it does define you. Am I on the right track?"

"Closer than most," Wufei conceded, "It's not that I want the world to be engulfed in war. I've seen enough of it to know what it does to the innocent people who get caught in the crossfire. I don't want that horror to be visited on anyone. However, fighting is where I find fulfillment. Conflict is something I'm familiar with. Peace? Not so much."

"For someone in your line of work, that is undoubtedly an unfortunate reality," said Durandal, "Still, peace must come at some point. It did two years ago after much blood was shed, and it will come again at the end of this war. ZAFT will remain vigilant, but my soldiers will not fight forever."

Wufei's eyes narrowed. "No, but they'll be prepared to fight if they have to, right?"

"Of course," Durandal replied, "In an ideal world, we might disarm, but with how quickly the peace brought by the Treaty of Junius seven has been shattered, that is clearly not an option. Maintaining our forces will be a grim necessity in order to ensure security."

Wufei smiled. "But you will maintain them. Perhaps a drawdown, but no idealistic disarmament. Some soldiers will certainly return to the civilian sector, but for those that found purpose in ZAFT… there will still be a place for them."

"There will indeed," Durandal confirmed, looking at Wufei curiously, "Is that what you're looking for when this war is over? A place to belong?"

"Something along those lines," said Wufei.

"Then why not join ZAFT officially?" asked Durandal, "Your place would be secure, both during this war and after it. A pilot with your talents would always be welcome with us. It doesn't matter to us that you're a Natural rather than a Coordinator. You are exceptionally talented, Wufei, and that's not flattery; it is a simple statement of fact. Say the word, and your place in the force that will keep the peace in the Earth Sphere once the fighting is over will be assured."

Wufei shook his head. "No. At least… not yet. There are things I still need to do that require me remaining independent."

"Is fighting Heero one of them?" Durandal inquired, "I don't see how it could be. You would be able to clash with him just as easily as a member of ZAFT as you can now in your current position."

"That's not it," Wufei replied, "I'm not just looking to test myself against Heero, although that's definitely part of it. I don't just fight for a sense of fulfillment. I fight for my idea of justice. To oppose the strong who would trample the weak, the fools who would toss soldiers who had served them faithfully aside, the cruel tyrants who would seek to dominate the world in the name of sick ideologies. ZAFT was once in that camp, and I need to be sure that it won't regress before I make any kind of commitment to it."

Durandal nodded as he stood up. "I understand. I would say that ZAFT will never return to what it once was under the late Patrick Zala, but I know that you are a man who cannot be convinced by mere words. Instead, I would make a request."

Wufei raised an eyebrow as he looked up at the Chairman. "And that is?"

"Stay with us, and allow us to demonstrate through our actions that we are not what our organization once was," Durandal replied, "Let us show through our deeds that we will never again tread down the dark path that Patrick Zala's radicals wanted us to walk. Help us restore peace to the world and bring justice to those that started this horrific war, and in return let ZAFT prove to you that we are worthy of your abilities and service."

Wufei turned his gaze back out towards the sea. "Perhaps… I'll think about it. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, so I see no harm in sticking around and seeing if you do more than just talk a big game."

Durandal smiled. "That is all I ask, Wufei."

November 17th, C.E. 73

Leaning forward slightly, Lord Djibril's eyes narrowed as he studied the latest report. Operation: Suzerainty, the 'reinforcement' of their erstwhile allies in Europe, was on schedule. It was so nice to actually have good news for a change, but the head of LOGOS wasn't about to rest on his laurels. To have transported so many troops and their heavy equipment across the Atlantic so quickly was no small feat, and that wasn't even getting into the considerable effort that had gone into convincing their 'partners' across the pond to allow them to land in the first place. The situation needed to be carefully monitored still, but they were getting close to the point where they would reveal their true intentions.

Provided we're able to contain the expected variables this time, he mused, I imagine this will go down in the history books as one of the most ambitious and cunning invasions ever conceived. We've landed so many troops already without firing a single shot, and we're not done yet.

So far, things were on track. The massive Destroy units had been shipped over in secrecy and were even now securely hidden away in the specialized hangars of the Hannibal-class land battleships that had been designed to carry them. The first shipment of the new limited production Grognard assault mobile suits had arrived as well, and Djibril was looking forward to seeing what they could do when working in tandem with the much larger Destroy units. Squadrons of Dagger-Ls and Windams, infantry and artillery divisions, and much more had also made landfall. The Eurasian Federation diplomatic offices had sent messages of mixed gratitude and worry; no doubt some of them suspected the true purpose of these 'reinforcements' but lacked the nerve to do anything meaningful about it.

Not that it would've mattered. It was far too late in the game for that now. The Eurasian Federation had been given plenty of time to show that it fully supported the broader Earth Alliance war effort, and what had they done? Offered half-hearted commitments, a few squadrons and ace pilots, some naval support, and not a whole lot else. Djibril had been hoping to see them galvanized in the aftermath of ZAFT's surprise attack on Cagliari, but the exact opposite had taken place. The Eurasians had lost their nerve, along with control over their people. The frightened masses were rioting, and the Eurasian Federation's attempts to reassert their power over their people had been disorganized and mixed at best. Their security forces and military could restore order, but they were becoming more fractured by the hour.

It was an absolutely intolerable state of affairs, and Djibril intended to rectify it posthaste. The pieces were almost in place; final preparations would soon be complete. Pulling up the calendar on his computer, Djibril smiled as his eyes fixated on the date that would mark a long-overdue assertion of authority and power.

November 18th, C.E. 73.

Then the process of bringing the Eurasian Federation to heel would begin. It would be bloody business, of course, but that couldn't be helped. Drastic measures were needed, and Djibril knew that only the Atlantic Federation had the strength and will required to implement them. They would show their 'allies' the proper order of things, and the prices for failure to comply with it. Then, once their house was in order, the full might of the Earth Alliance could be brought to bear against the PLANTs.

The great crusade could recommence in earnest. The Coordinators could be purged, the Earth Sphere purified…

…and the Atlantic Federation would reign supreme.

LOGOS would reign supreme.

Djibril would reign supreme.

Preview for next time!

At last, the simmering pot that is the Eurasian Federation finally boils over. With his forces in position, Lord Djibril commences a brutal crackdown, intending to crush the growing unrest across Europe and bring his ally to heel. The opening shots are fired in Berlin, and the situation rapidly escalates into a full-scale assault. Both Terminal and ZAFT scramble their forces to respond, and it quickly becomes apparent that this is the beginning of a brutal new phase of the Second Bloody Valentine War. Next time, on "Destiny's Call", Episode Twenty-Three: The Berlin Calamity.

Begun, the Eurasian War has.

Author's Notes: Regarding the Grognard mobile suits that were mentioned in the last scene, big thanks to KentLinuxStadfelt for coming up with those. You'll get to see the actual machines in the next chapter, along with the devastation they can cause in a dense urban environment.

Well, I'd normally save this for the actual 10-year anniversary date from when I posted the first chapter for Journey to a New Battlefield, but knowing my pace of writing this is the closest I'll get to it. To celebrate the milestone for this trilogy, I thought I'd have a bit of fun here, so I'm going ahead with the Q & A. So, post questions in your reviews if you want to, and I'll answer them in the PMs. If any are particularly entertaining, I might repost them and my answers in the author's notes of the next chapter.

Thank you all so much for reading! Hope you liked the new chapter. Please review, stay safe, and I'll see you next time!