Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter! The fight on Heliopolis continues for Kira and Kellan.
As always, let me know what you guys think in the reviews!
Phase 02: Flight of the Archangel
January 25, C.E 71
Heliopolis
Five crew members dressed in the OMNI uniform of the Earth Alliance sat within the bridge of the Archangel-Class battleship, LCAM-01xA Archangel. Two men sat at the helm while a woman with short black hair and purple eyes sat in the middle Captain's chair, and two more men sat behind her, facing opposite directions with screens in front of them.
"We made it through the exit," The Helmsman, Arnold Neumann said, he had short dark blue hair and green eyes. "We're in the colony's interior."
"Morgenroete has been destroyed! The Strike and Siege have been activated," Another crew member, Jackie Tonomura added, he had brown hair and yellow eyes. "No! They're in combat!"
The woman, Natarle Badgiruel, looked surprised before noticing the CGUE flying towards the Archangel. "Evade! Starboard!" She ordered.
Neumann steered the Archangel sharply to the right, allowing the large ship to maneuver out of the way of the CGUE's MMI-M7S 76 mm heavy assault machine gun line of fire.
The CGUE changed tactics, charging towards the Strike on the ground, its blonde-haired, masked pilot, Rau le Creuset intent on destroying the machine. "Phase shit? Then how about this!?" He fired the CGUE's machine gun at the teens and Murrue who were standing at the Strike's feet.
"Get down!" Murrue ordered, pushing Miriallia towards the ground and covering her body with her own.
"Hey!" Kellan charged at the CGUE, slamming into the unit with his shield, surprising the pilot, he didn't even try to fire his beam rifle, not when he was this close to civilians. He kicked the CGUE away before firing the igelstellungs mounted on the Siege's head. He frowned when the CGUE dodged and fired its machine gun at him.
Kellan quickly twisted the Siege out of the way, which allowed Rau to fire at the Strike again, almost hitting Murrue and the teens.
Kira saw this and moved the Strike in front of the group, allowing the Strike to take the bullets which harmless ricocheted off the Strike's armor.
"Not even enhanced APSV?" Rau wondered as he looked at the machine, slightly surprised that the bullets had done no damage.
As the mobile suits fought, the Archangel rounded back towards where they were, Natarle quickly giving orders, "Prepare stern missile tubes seven through ten for firing! Target the enemy mobile suit!" The missile hatches in the oval section trailing the stern opened up, revealing pairs of missiles.
"Laser designator," Natarle said, looking at the crewman sitting behind her, he had short brown hair and blue eyes. "Listen! Under no circumstances are you to hit the shaft or the ground! Fire!"
The missiles fired from the Archangel and headed for the CGUE. Rau fired at the missiles, destroying two and evading the others, causing the missiles to impact against the colony's support shafts.
The group on the ground gaped as they saw the damage done to the colony. "Damn, don't use missiles in here," Kellan muttered, he took aim with his beam rifle and fired repeatedly at the CGUE, hoping to take the ZAFT unit out before the Archangel could try and fire again. Better a beam rifle than missiles in his opinion, but to his frustration, the CGUE unit easily evaded and returned fire with his machine gun.
Instead of raising his shield, Kellan allowed the Siege to be hit dead on, the thicker armor easily absorbing the impact and he continued to fire on the CGUE.
"Wha…?!" Kira looked stunned as he took in the continued damage to the colony, "You've gotta be kidding me!" He had enough, activating the AQM/E-X03 Launcher Striker equipped for the Strike. He raised the "Agni" 320 mm hyper-impulse cannon under the machine's left arm, locking it into a different position before he aimed.
Kellan was still trying to hit the CGUE but the movement of the Strike pulled his attention away and his eyes widened in a mix of shock and horror when he saw that the cannon was aimed at the CGUE. "Wait! Kira! Don't fi-"
"Wait! That's too…" Murrue also tried to stop him when she noticed the "Agni'' building up energy, but it was too late. Before they could stop him, Kira fired on the CGUE when he got a lock on it.
The "Agni" let out a concentrated energy beam as it fired. Rau saw the beam and dodged in the knick of time, but he still lost his gun and the right arm of his machine to the blast. The beam continued onwards, blowing a hole in the exterior wall of the colony.
Kellan could do nothing but stare stunned. "That thing has more firepower than I thought…" He murmured, he noticed the CGUE escape through the hole, but didn't move to stop it. Not like he could…
Kira on the other hand, could only stare in disbelief as he looked at the damage caused. He had only been trying to stop the damage to his home and caused even more than everyone combined.
From inside the archangel, Natarle listened to the reports of the crewmen, "The enemy mobile suit is retreating!"
She sighed, shoulders sagging in relief, "We're landing. Adjust speed to match ground rotation." She ordered. "Be cautious of gravity kicking in!"
Space area outside of Heliopolis, ZAFT Nazca-Class Ship, Vesalius
"All unauthorized personnel are restricted from access to areas designated for captured mobile suits,"
A young man with lightly tanned skin, tousled brown hair, and bright turquoise eyes barely paid attention to the announcement as his fingers flew over the keyboard of the cockpit, he was currently in. The GAT-X209 Pincer Gundam…. "It's no surprise Morgenroete was able to come up with this," He muttered to himself, thinking about the core members of the company and who led it. "But what were they thinking with this OS?" He shook his head and pushed himself out of the cockpit and into the hangar, floating just in front of the Pincer as his mind on his encounter in Heliopolis.
He remembered how he had tackled the brunette Morgenroete engineer as he tried to get into the cockpit of one of the mobile suits, he had been so close to stabbing him before he stopped, realizing that it was his older brother.
Had that really been Kellan? Why was he of all people helping Morgenroete and the Earth Alliance?! Did he not care that if the mobile suits had gone to the Alliance as planned countless Coordinators would die?! These questions flew through his mind, frustrating him with the lack of an answer.
He was pulled out of his thoughts as Commander Rau le Creuset's CGUE unit returned missing its arm. He stared in surprise as the mechanics started to cool the heated armor.
"Was it Kellan…?" He wondered, knowing that his brother was skilled enough to fight off any pilot with the right equipment.
Heliopolis, Onboard the Archangel
After the Archangel landed both the Strike and Siege were given clearance to land within the hangar; but before he did, after clearing it with Murrue, Kellan went back to get Lena and her attendants, knowing that he couldn't just leave the Sahaku child by herself. He held all three in the Siege's hands as he landed the machine in the hangar. He also noted that the Mobieus that had been fighting the CGUE before had also landed on the Archangel.
As Kira and Kellan gently allowed their extra passengers off the mobile suits, Natarle and the rest of the remaining crew ran to meet with them.
"Lieutenant Ramius!" Natarle called, a mixture of relief and surprise in her voice when she saw the other woman mostly unharmed.
"Ensign Badgiruel," Murrue greeted back.
Natarle saluted the brunette, "I'm relieved to see that you're safe."
Murrue nodded and returned the salute, "And you. I'm pleased to see that you were able to protect the Archangel. You saved us."
The cockpits to the Siege and Strike opened and both pilots started to descend to the ground, both cautious of the eyes on them.
"Come on. What's going on here? He's only a kid." A man with tanned skin, wavy blue hair that was pulled back in a ponytail and blue eyes grumbled in disbelief. He was the Chief Mechanic of the Archangel, Kojiro Murdoch; and wore a standard orange and white mechanic uniform of the Earth Alliance but had a green handkerchief around his neck. "... and is that the Morgenroete engineer that's helped with the project?" He shared a glance with Jackie. "Those kids piloted those things?" He asked skeptically.
"I'm not a kid," Kellan protested, hearing what Murdoch said, frowning at the older man. He turned when he heard Lena laugh softly. "What? I'm not."
The crew looked at the pilots as their friends gathered around them. "Lieutenant Ramius, what's going on?"
Murrue looked surprised at the question before frowning, unsure.
"Wow, what a surprise." They all looked up when an Earth Alliance officer dressed in a light purple and white pilot suit joined them. He had short, wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. "I'm Lieutenant Mu La Flaga of the 7th Orbital Fleet." He saluted the crew, "Nice to meet you."
The crew immediately returned his salute, "I'm Lieutenant Murrue Ramius of sector 2, 5th Special Division."
"Ensign Natarle Badgiruel of the same division." The black-haired ensign responded.
"I'd like authorization to board this ship. Who's in charge here?" Mu asked.
Natarle looked down at his question and the brunette glanced at her. "The captain and the top officers of this ship have all perished in battle." She reported. "Therefore, I believe Lieutenant Ramius is now in the position of responsibility."
Murrue turned to Natarle in shock and Kellan looked at the Ensign in surprise too. Everyone was gone? He looked at Murrue with sympathy, he wouldn't want to be thrown into a leadership position. But he guessed if it was the worst-case scenario and Olivier was dead, he'd have to step up and reach out to Morgenroete and tell them what happened.
"Only a dozen or so of us were saved. Mostly non-commissioned officers," Natarle continued. "Fortunately, being in the shaft, I was able to escape danger."
"The captain? How could that be?" Murrue asked, not wanting to believe it.
"Oh man, what a disaster," Mu sighed, "In any case, please permit me to be on the ship, Lieutenant Ramius. The ship that I came in has been shot down."
"Ah," Murrue turned to Mu, surprised by the request, "Sure, I give you permission."
Mu then turned to the civilians, looking particularly at Kellan and Kira. "And who are these two?"
"As you can see, one is a civilian teenager. The other is Kellan Hallowell, he's a Morgenroete engineer and was assisting with the G Project," Murrue explained. "For some reason, the teen was in the factory district while we were under attack."
"Talk about bad timing, huh, Kid?" Kellan asked, rubbing the back of his head.
"I let him on the Strike while Kellan took control of the Siege," Murrue explained, becoming flustered when she noticed Mu turn his full attention on the pilots. "T-thanks to them, we were able to fight off the GINNs… and protect these two machines."
"Fight of GINNs?" Natarle asked. "These two did that?"
"You don't have to look so surprised," Lena spoke up from beside Kellan, stepping forward despite his attempts to shield her. "Kellan did a few simulations for the machine, so in a real-world scenario, he should be able to pilot one of the mobile suits with no problem."
"I came here as an escort to the young pilots trained to pilot these machines. Where are they?" Mu asked.
"We were bombed when they were in the control booth…. Being welcomed by the captain. So, they too…" Natarle trailed off regretfully.
"I see…" Mu nodded before making his way to the pilots, the rest of the Archangel crew trailing behind him. He looked at them both closely.
"W-what is it?" Kira asked, nervous and Kellan pushed Lena behind him again, ready to protect her if anything happened.
"You're both Coordinators, aren't you?" Mu asked.
There was a shocked silence before Kellan nodded, noticing that Kira had grown uncomfortable. "I am. What of it?" He stood tall and met Mu's gaze.
Kira looked at Kellan before nodding, "Yes." He noted some soldiers aimed their guns at him when he confirmed what he was. Tolle pushed his way in front of Kira defensively, glaring at the Earth Alliance soldiers.
"W-what do you think you're doing?!" Tolle demanded, "They may be Coordinators but they're not the enemy!" He insisted. "Didn't you see what went on earlier? You've gotta be out of your mind!"
Murrue sighed, "Lower your rifles!" She ordered, looking at the soldiers who had their guns aimed at Kira and Kellan.
The soldiers hesitated and Lena stepped forward when she saw that, shoving Kellan out of her way and walking towards them, back straight and chin held high. "This is ridiculous, lower your weapons! Despite the circumstances, this is still a neutral colony."
"And who are you?" Natarle demanded.
"I am Lady Rondo Lena Sahaku, my family is one of the five noble families of Orb. But more importantly, it's my family who's in charge of Heliopolis. Do as I say and lower your weapons."
Immediately there were murmurs among the crew and civilians. A Sahaku? What was one still doing in Heliopolis after the attack? Should they follow her orders?
The soldiers glanced at Murrue, and she nodded. Finally, they lowered their weapons, but Natarle didn't look too happy about it. "Lieutenant Ramius! Please explain yourself!"
"There's no puzzle is there? The Heliopolis Colony like Morgenroete belongs to a neutral nation. Naturally, some Coordinators would come here to avoid being involved in the war. Am I wrong, Kira?"
"No, you're right," Kira confirmed. "Especially with me being a first-generation Coordinator."
"First generation?" Fire control operator Romero Pal asked.
"Meaning your parents are naturals," Mu summarized before glancing at Kellan.
"I'm a second-generation Coordinator," He shrugged. "My parents moved to Orb when I was a kid."
"But why would a Coordinator agree to help with the G weapons even if you're part of Morgenroete?" Romero asked.
"Because I was asked too," Kellan sighed, "Lena pushed for me to be part of the G Project and since she pushed so hard for it, I couldn't say no."
"The Sahaku family is in charge of Morgenroete," Murrue said, "It makes sense that they would do what they requested."
Mu looked satisfied with the answers he got and walked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I apologize for causing such a stir, I was just curious. Nothing more."
"Lieutenant la Flaga," Murrue didn't seem to like his flippancy, but instead of answering her, he looked up at the machines.
"On my way here, I observed a fair number of simulations... involving the guys who were expected to pilot these... but not one of them could do much more than get it to move." He started to walk away, "Man, oh, man." He sighed.
"Lieutenant! Where are you going?" Natarle asked.
"Where? To plan, I landed after being shot down and the team waiting for us outside is Le Creuset's." He noted their surprised gazes before continuing to walk. "He's one persistent fellow, if you ask me, I don't think we can afford to spend too much time here."
"Man, this is problematic," Kellan sighed, he was in the crew quarters of the Archangel a few rooms away from Kira's group. The teen had looked exhausted and needed rest. Hopefully, he could get some before things became even more hectic, but first, he had to make sure that Lena and her attendants were getting situated. Due to Lena's status, she had demanded a private room for herself and her attendants, glaring up at Natarle when she tried to protest. "I never thought I'd be pulled into the war this way..."
Lena sat straight in her chair as she gazed up at him, "It can't be helped... maybe we should have foreseen this happening. My brother should never have gone behind Lord Izumi's back and made the deal with the Earth Alliance." She looked down at her hands in guilt. "I'm sorry you're being pulled into this Kellan."
Kellan shook his head, "I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to work for the G Project. And you had my back and believed I could be of help here. I didn't want you to be proven wrong. Praise from a Sahaku is hard-earned after all."
She smiled at him, "Do you think we'll have to stay with the crew? I can demand they release us."
Kellan shook her head, "I think they're being polite right now. They technically have no reason to listen to you since they have no allegiance to Orb or the Sahaku. They may also be our only way out of here, so I think it's our best bet to stay with them." Especially if Le Creuset and Adrien are out there. It would be a blood bath to get out themselves.
Lena huffed at his words, "And you weren't able to get a hold of anyone in the Astray Project?"
Kellan shook his head, "Hopefully they were smart and decided to go to the shelters."
"Doubtful," Lena said, "Olivier may hate my brother. But she'd be against destroying the Astrays as much as him. She'd probably try and get them out."
"Endangering herself and Bryn probably." Kellan finished. He knew that she was probably right. The one thing Olivier loved more than being bossy was her machines. "I hope we can see her again..."
Lena was quiet, and for a moment he swore she looked a bit put out. "... I'm sure that she's fine. She's harder to get rid of than a bug."
"Persistent too." Kellan laughed, about to say something else when raised voices further down the hall caught his attention.
"Look Kira," Kellan peeked out of the room he was in to see Murrue talking with Kira and his friends, "I can't let any of you off the ship now, not only were you and your friends shown top military secrets, but now there is nowhere to let you guys go to."
"What do you mean?" Kuzzey asked.
The Lieutenant didn't get a chance to answer, Sai answering before she could, "They must have locked down the shelters," He explained glumly, "Makes sense, after the first round of attacks."
"So, what do you want from Kira?" Tolle asked, worried for his friend.
Murrue closed her eyes for a moment, knowing that Kira wasn't going to like what she was going to say next, "Kira, I hate to ask this of you, but I'm afraid you're the only person we have who can pilot the Strike-"
"You've got Lieutenant La Flaga," Kira interrupted, "And you have Kellan piloting the Siege. You don't need me." He said, looking to Kellan for help when he noticed the older boy was listening.
"We do have Kellan and the Siege... but, Kira, with the OS you designed he won't be able to pilot the machine," Murrue said.
"Captain Ramius, bridge to Captain Ramius!" Natarle called out through the comms of the ship. Murrue went to the closest communications panel.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
Mu then came onto the communications line, "ZAFT mobile suits have been detected, you have to come up here and take command!"
"ME?!" Murrue asked stunned.
"Yes, you are the captain after all," Mu told her. "Even though I am the more experienced Lieutenant, I know nothing of this ship."
"Understood," Murrue told him, lowering her head in defeat. Kira may not realize it, but they were both in the same situation; in positions they didn't even want. "Prepare the ship for take-off. All hands, to level one battle stations," Murrue ordered the ship. "What of your mobile armor Lieutenant?" She asked Mu.
"Useless, unless Murdoch somehow pulled off a miracle and fixed my machine, I will have to sit this one out. We'll have to rely on Kellan and Kira for this one." Mu sighed.
"Alright, then I leave the CIC in your hands," she told him. With that, the panel shut down and she turned to the civilians as well as Kellan. "As you just heard, this ship is going into another battle. As the shelters are already at Level Nine, I can't allow you to leave." She informed them, "If we can somehow overcome this and escape Heliopolis..." She began watching as Miriallia and Tolle held hands.
"You people are not being fair!" Kira said, his hands tightening into fists.
"Kira..." Sai sighed.
"Kira," Murrue turned back to him.
"And you'll tell us that there are only two mobile suits on board this ship... and that right now Kellan and I are the only ones capable of operating them, right?!" Kira demanded, distressed.
"Well, it's the truth kid," Kellan stepped in, running a hand through his hair. "I don't like it either, but the reality is that we have to fight right now or we won't survive. The only other option you have is to sit back and do nothing... but then all your friends will probably die."
"Kellan!" Murrue scolded him and the older pilot shrugged.
"Now isn't the time to whine," Kellan said from over his shoulder as he made his way toward the hangar. "ZAFT is here."
The Archangel lifted off the ground of Heliopolis, Murrue in the Captain's seat. "Our top priority is to escape Heliopolis," She said, "Be careful not to damage the colony during battle."
"That's impossible," Jackie muttered, looking up from where he was sitting.
Elsewhere in the ship, the Siege and Strike were getting ready to launch. "Open number three container! Attach the Sword Striker!" Murdoch could be heard yelling at his engineers. "Hurry up and get that beam sword attached to the Siege!"
"Hey Kid," Kellan called to Kira from the Siege's cockpit, looking a bit sheepish. "Sorry if I was harsh back there."
"It's fine, you're right. If I don't fight right now, my friends will get hurt..." Kira looked down at his lap, images of his friends and Athrun flashing through his head, "But I... I don't want to fight. It's why I came here to Heliopolis."
"I understand," Kellan sighed again. "Honestly, fighting is troublesome. It gets me so stimulated, and I'm left with a banging headache after. Man, what I wouldn't give to have a nap right now."
"Are you fighting to protect your friends too?" Kira asked.
"Of course," Kellan smiled, "I wouldn't be where I am now if it weren't for Lena. She stuck her neck out for me to get me here, the least I can do is protect her." He was about to say something else but Mu interrupted him from the bridge.
"Get ready to launch Kids, we've detected a GINN and it's equipped with heavy bombing equipment."
"What?! Do they plan to completely take out Heliopolis?!" Kellan asked, he couldn't even begin to imagine what ZAFT must be thinking. "Kira, are you ready for this?"
"I am," Kira said, the certainty in his voice causing Kellan to relax a bit, he knew he'd be shot down if he was worrying too much for the kid.
"Good, things can get hectic out there so be careful," Kellan said, tightening his grip on the controls.
Without another word, the two mobile suits were launched out of the Archangel, their phase shift armor activating.
He looked around and besides the GINN he saw the GAT-X303 Aegis and GAT-X209 flying through a newly created hole in Heliopolis' exterior.
"Well, that's not good..." Kellan trailed off, his mind flashing to Adrien and their unhappy reunion.
"They're already sending the Aegis and Pincer back into battle?" Murrue asked in disbelief over the comms.
The Archangel started firing its lasers against the GINNs and stolen mobile suits but they dodged easily.
"Kira! Here they come!" Kellan said as he charged the Siege at the GINNS carrying the heavy bombing equipment, he pulled out the Siege's DES-G07D+ long anti-armor sword and easily cut through the nearest GINN. He saw Kira going for the Aegis but he was blocked off by a GINN carrying a Heavy Ion Cannon. "What the hell is he doing?" He muttered, he never expected Kira to go after one of the stolen mobile suits.
He dodged the strike of another GINN, forcing it back with the igelstellungs mounted on the Siege's head before activating his beam saber, slashing through the missiles the GINN fired before bursting through the smoke, the beam saber cutting through the GINNs cockpit before the pilot could react.
He glanced at his monitors and was relieved to see that the Archangel was keeping any GINN that got too close at bay, and even better, they were somehow able to fight without destroying the colony. Good. I don't know how much more Heliopolis can take.
He checked up on Kira again and saw that he was still facing the same GINN, while the Aegis kept back. Why aren't they using their Ace? He wondered for a moment before catching the flicker of movement to his right.
He shifted the shoulder-mounted shield on the Siege just in time to block the anti-armor lance, his eyes widening when he saw the Pincer in front of him.
The mobile suit almost looked like the GAT-X102 Duel, but it was colored black, cerulean, and deep navy blue. The Pincer also had more weaponry attached to it and shoulder-mounted binders on either side of it, as long as its arms.
"Kellan, is that you?" His eyes widened when he heard Adrien's voice through the comms and shoved the Pincer away from him. "Why are you fighting for the naturals?" He demanded, charging back at him, his lance poised to strike.
"I'm not fighting for the Naturals," He shot back, not bothering to answer Adrien's question. His brother wouldn't be here if he wasn't certain that it was Kellan piloting the Siege. He fired a volley of blasts from his beam rifle before quickly switching it out for his anti-armor long sword as the Pincer neared. Their weapons clashed, pushing against each other until one would give way. "I'm fighting for the Neutrals."
"Heliopolis is no longer neutral." Adrien shot back, shoving the Siege away only to slam the Pincer's lance down on its head again. "If they were ever... if anything this proves that they never were! And you're protecting them!"
"Not everyone on Heliopolis worked on these machines. Maybe get the full story before you judge them!" Kellan snapped back, dodging out of the way. He fired the Igelstellungs again, forcing the pincer to dodge. Kellen quickly took the opening he created, grabbing onto the Pincer's leg and tossing it as far away from him as possible.
The Pincer fell through the air before using its thrusters to forcefully right itself. "Kellan!" Once the Pincer was steady Adrien charged at him again.
However, the Pincer stopped once a large explosion shook through the air. Both brothers looked just in time to see the remnants of the explosion.
"Miguel!" Kellan caught the distressed cry through his comms and blinked.
"Miguel... no way..." Adrien sounded shaken as he looked to where Miguel's GINN used to be before shifting his attention to the Strike. "You!" He charged at the Strike but Kellan moved in between them, blocking the Pincer's attack with the Siege's shield.
"Kira, are you okay?" Kellan asked, knowing that the teen must be a bit shocked that he had taken a life. "Back off!" He snapped, slamming the shield against the Pincer's cockpit, forcing his brother away. I'm sorry about your friend. He added silently.
"... yeah..." Kira's face appeared on his monitor, looking a bit shell-shocked at what he had just done.
"Kira! Kira Yamato!" The pilot of the Aegis suddenly called out over their comms.
"Athrun...?" Kira asked weakly, then more loudly. "Athrun? Athrun Zala?!"
"They know each other...?" Kellan questioned quietly, his eyes going to the Pincer which was floating a few feet behind the Aegis, ready to strike.
What were the chances of both of us knowing someone on the enemy's side? He wondered silently, his attention leaving the Strike and Aegis and turning to the Archangel just as it shot the last GINN down, however, it had already launched its last missiles, but they were off course. Instead of flying towards the Archangel, all four missiles hit the support structure, causing it to become destroyed.
"Shit!" Kellan cursed as the pillar came apart, crashing down on the colony's ground, breaking the buildings and roads apart, the exterior of Heliopolis splitting open before anyone could do anything. "Kira! Kira! We have to retreat!"
Kira ignored him and impressively, ignored as Heliopolis ripped apart below them, "Why, why are you here Athrun? Why did you join ZAFT?!"
"That's what I should be asking you!" Athrun shouted back. "Why are you in that thing?!"
Kellan looked over at the Archangel and saw that it was struggling to stay upright, fighting to stay inside Heliopolis. "Damn it! Kira, we have to leave!" He grabbed onto the Strike's shoulder and started flying towards the Archangel but the pull from the vacuum of space was too strong and both mobile suits began to be sucked out of the colony.
"Son of a-" Kellan cursed as Kira yelled as they pulled out of the colony and tumbled through space. He made sure not to lose his grip on the Strike and once they were far enough away, both of them were able to steady their mobile suits.
They were silent, unable to do anything but stare in stunned shock at what remained of Heliopolis. "Kellan, is it really gone?" Kira mumbled.
"Yeah, Kira, it is," Kellan admitted. It felt surreal if he was being honest. Despite the battle, he had believed that Heliopolis would have made it through intact. Olivier, Bryn I hope you two made it out alright. He thought silently.
"X105 Strike! X407 Siege! Kira Yamato! Kellan Hallowell, if you two are okay please respond!"
Kellan blinked, "This is the X407 Siege, we're both okay, if not a bit traumatized." He responded, hearing Natarle's call.
"X105 Strike... Kira here," The teen said after a moment, taking a deep breath to calm himself.
"You both are alright? No injuries?" Natarle pressed.
"Yes," Kira replied.
"Do you know our location?" She asked over their comms. When she got his confirmation she continued, "Then return. You can return right?"
"Yes." Kira nodded again though he knew Natarle couldn't see him.
Mom. Dad. You're safe, right? Kira wondered as he stared out into the void of space.
"Kira, what are you waiting for? Come on, let's go." Kellan said, already moving the Siege in the direction of the Archangel when he heard a series of beeps coming from the Siege. "What is it now?" He sighed, scanning the debris in front of him.
"It's a Heliopolis lifeboat," Kira said in amazement.
Kellan zoomed in on the Siege's monitor and saw that the teen was right. A Heliopolis lifeboat was floating helplessly through the debris. "Huh, are they stuck here?" He wondered, "H-hey! Wait a moment!" Kellan called in alarm when he saw the Strike shoulder the sword from the Sword Striker and fly to the lifeboat. "What are you doing?"
"They need help, there's something wrong with the pod! I'll bring them back to the Archangel with us." Kira insisted.
Kellan sighed again, he knew that the crew of the Archangel wasn't going to like that one bit, but still, he trailed after the Strike. Maybe he'd find Olivier in there.
Archangel Bridge
"So, what do we do now?" Mu asked, he had left his CIC station and was looking at Murrue.
"Our ship is still in battle. Can you detect the ZAFT ship's movement?" Murrue asked.
"Impossible. There are lots of heat sources among that debris." One of the crewmen reported. "So our laser and thermal detectors are of little use here."
'The same will be true for them too," Mu said when he saw Murrue sigh. "You expect they'll come after us?"
"I think we should move based on that assumption," Murrue said, "Although if they attack us right now we'd be finished."
"You're right, all we have is those two precious mobile suits, the Strike and Siege... and my damaged Zero. We may have held them back once, but I doubt our luck will last against the mobile suits ZAFT stole and any other GINNs they may have with them."
Mu sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It also doesn't help that the ship itself is greatly understaffed. We're in no shape for a fight. Shall we sail at maximum speed to shake them off?"
Murrue looked at him and Mu continued, "This is quite a speedy ship, I understand."
"Their Nazca class is a high-speed ship as well," Murrue immediately countered. "There is no guarantee that we can shake them off."
"Then shall we surrender?" Mu asked, glancing up at her, almost daring her to. He laughed lightly at her incredulous look, "That's also an option you know."
"A surrender should never be an option," Lena said as she entered the bridge, her two attendants flanking her. "Not as long as you have the will to fight and win."
"Lady Sahaku!" Murrue said in surprise when she saw the teen. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm checking on the situation, you did send one of my engineers out into the battlefield." Lena sniffed. "I assume the Kellan and Kira are on their way back."
"Yes, they're on their way back now," Murrue informed her.
"Good," Lena nodded. "Kellan and I need to regroup and figure out what we'll do."
"There's not anywhere you can go right now," Mu said. "May as well stick with us." He shrugged.
"For now we will," Lena agreed. "Like you said, we can't get anywhere easily. But when it's safe, I'll have to contact my siblings to let them know I'm safe."
"Of course," Murrue conceded. She was about to say something else when Natarle's shocked voice brought all their attention to her.
"What did you say?" Natarle demanded. "Wait a minute! Who gave you such authorization?"
"What's the matter Ensign Badgiruel?" Murrue asked, glancing down to where she was.
"The Strike and Siege have returned. But the Strike brought a lifeboat." Natarle informed the captain.
"A Heliopolis lifeboat?" Lena asked softly while Murrue and Mu looked surprised.
Outside of the Archangel
"You can't accept it? What do you mean you can't accept it?" Kira asked stunned, the lifeboat held protectively in the Strike's hands.
"I told you that's what they would say," Kellan sighed, but he agreed with Kira. They couldn't just leave the lifeboat like that, especially with the state it was in. "The Archangel is a secret battleship, after all, I doubt the crew wants more civilians to be on it."
Kira ignored him and continued, arguing with Ensign Badgiruel. "The propulsion section is broken. It's drifting out of control." He glanced down at the pod in his hands. "Are you telling me to throw this back out there again? People who have evacuated are on this ship."
"Reinforcements will be here right away! But the Archangel is fighting a battle!" Natarle insisted, "There's no way we can accept refugees at this time!"
"Captain, if I may?" Lena's voice crackled over their communication channel and Kellan blinked in surprise. Hadn't he told her to stay in the room she'd been given until he came and got her? He sighed, he should have known she wouldn't listen to him.
Lena was a much kinder Sahaku than either of her siblings, but the one thing she did share with them was that she never took orders. She was more used to giving them.
"Go ahead Lady Sahaku." Murrue allowed.
"Take the civilians in. They are Orb civilians who chose to live in Heliopolis, and now their home is gone. The Sahaku family oversaw Heliopolis so the people who evacuated are my responsibility. I must protect them to the best of my ability, as is my duty. Right now, the Archangel is the safest place for them." Lena said.
There was a long silence on the other end of the comms, but finally, Murrue sighed. "All right. I authorize it."
"Captain," Natarle protested.
"I don't want to waste time arguing over such things. Bring it in quickly!" Murrue ordered. "We still have ZAFT on our tail!"
"Thank you, Miss Murrue!" Kira said thankfully, flying back into the Archangel when the catapults opened, letting the mobile suits back in.
Archangel Bridge
Murrue looked at the crew on the bridge around her, "I'm well aware of the severity of our situation. But I have no intention of surrendering." As she spoke, her eyes specifically met Lena's, the teen looked approving.
"There's no way I'm going to hand over this ship, the Siege or the Strike to ZAFT." Murrue continued. "We must take them safely to Atlantic Federation headquarters."
"Captain, I suggest that we make our way to Artemis," Natarle spoke up.
"Artemis? That's a Eurasian military satellite, isn't it?" Murrue asked surprised.
"Artemis and its umbrella." Mu mused, looking at the two women.
Natarle nodded and looked at the monitor in front of the captain's chair. "From our present location, it's the easiest allied forces location to get to."
Lena nodded along, "If the goal is for protection, then Artemis' umbrella is the best bet."
"But you realize that we're in a situation where neither G-weapons nor this ship has a recognition code acknowledged by allies forces. Would Eurasia?" Murrue questioned.
"I'm aware that the Archangel, Siege, and Strike are all regarded as top military secrets of the Atlantic Federation. However, should we set our course for the moon..."
"We wouldn't make it," Lena finished thoughtfully, looking at the map.
"Rather, we can't expect to get there easily without confrontation," Natarle said. "We also need supplies badly since we left without sufficient provisions."
"I realize that," Murrue nodded.
"I'm sure Eurasia will understand our situation." Natarle pressed. "As things are, the most realistic measures would be to avoid confrontation, replenish at Artemis, and try to contact the lunar headquarters from there. Lady Sahaku can also try and reach her family from there as well."
"Artemis huh? I wonder if things will go as we hope." Mu said.
"However, it truly appears to be our only option," Murrue said, as she glanced at Lena. "Is that alright with you Lady Sahaku? We can't contact your family right now."
"That's fine." Lena nodded, "As long as I can eventually reach them, I won't be on your backs to get me in contact. There is a place I can think of where we could resupply this ship... but if you don't want Eurasia to know about these G-weapons... then you most likely wouldn't want to go to where I suggest. So Artemis it is."
Archangel Hangar
Kira looked out from the Strike's cockpit as the mechanics worked on prying the door of the lifeboat open. Once the door was open a familiar girl with brilliant red hair immediately floated out, looking around uncertainly.
Kellan was also looking down at the girl from a catwalk, curious. He didn't know her, but she was pretty.
"What?" Kira asked himself, unable to take his eyes off her. He made his way to the pod and that's when Birdy left his shirt and began to fly to the girl too.
"Birdy!" It chirped, as it flew to the redhead.
The redhead looked up and smiled, "It's you! Sai's friend!" The girl said happily as she pulled herself from a mechanic's grip and launched herself towards Kira, hugging him tightly.
"F-Flay!" Kira mumbled, blushing deeply. "Is it you, Flay Allster? So you were on this boat!"
"You know her, Kira?" Kellan asked, pushing off the catwalk and joining the two teens. He watched as the other civilians filtered out and felt his shoulders drop, Olivier and Bryn weren't on the lifeboat.
"Hey, what happened to Heliopolis? What happened there? What went on?" Flay asked Kira question after question, completely ignoring Kellan after a glance at him. Tears were slipping out of her eyes.
"I... I... I got separated from Jessica and Misha in a store in Florence. And I ran to a shelter alone and then...!" Flay cried. "This is a ZAFT ship, right? What's gonna happen to us? What are you doing here anyways?"
Kellan watched as Kira floated away from him with Flay and ran a nervous hand through his hair. Man... that girl just wouldn't stop asking questions. He didn't think he'd be able to handle a girl like her.
"T-this ship belongs to the Earth Forces," Kira revealed.
"You're lying! There's a mobile suit on board." Flay said, turning to look at the Strike.
"No, these machines are ones designed by the Earth Forces and Morgenreote." The doors to the hangar opened and Lena floated in, immediately grabbing onto Kellan's shoulder to steady herself. She had left the bridge as soon as their destination had been decided. She needed to speak with Kellan immediately.
Flay turned to look at her and froze. "Aren't you Lady Rondo Lena Sahaku? You're here too?"
"Yes, they saved me when we were still in Heliopolis, you can trust these Earth Forces soldiers," Lena said reassuringly.
"I-I see," Flay said before turning back to Kira uncertain. "Well, if that's the case..."
"Sai and Miriallia are here as well, you'll be fine," Kira said, noticing her attention back on him.
Kellan and Lena let the two teens eagerly talk to each other before turning towards each other. "So, what's next for us Lady Sahaku?"
"You may call me Lena, Kellan. I've told you multiple times." Lena said, giving him a small smile.
"Lena... what's next?" Kellan asked again, blushing slightly when he saw the pleased look appear on Lena's face.
"Artemis. We're heading towards Artemis."
And this is the end of this chapter! As always let me know what you think in the reviews.
This chapter covered Ep. 3 and the very beginning of Ep 4- Silent Run from the anime. Next chapter, I plan to switch gears a bit to properly introduce some Astray characters and hopefully, it should help with chapter flow too!
Have a great night or day!