A/n

Here is Phase 24, sorry it is taking as long as it is, don't have the time I would like to write. Standard disclaimer applies so on with the story!

Phase 24: The Portrait of Betrayal

March 11th, 71 C.E.

Shira, the Republic of East Asia

Nevertheless, when the team got back to Tyler's place, Lisa brought up an issue that brought an amount of stress back. She told him that some within the Archangel's crew had been asking questions about Athrun and Sakura. Tyler was worried that if details were revealed about Athrun that the Archangel's crew may harm him. For Sakura, it was more her doing the injuring rather than OMNI personnel. It wouldn't matter as much to Tyler if it weren't for the point that he would be the one cleaning the mess caused up. From what Lisa said, there had been questions about who Sakura was indirectly. Tyler didn't see the Archangel's crew finding out Sakura was ZAFT's best pilot going over well.

Really, the only ones that knew about Athrun and Sakura along with who they were was Kira and Lacus. However, Tyler doubted he was the only one that saw the building fire that was starting with things as they were. The bad situation Tyler could imagine was if Sakura were to stand beside Lacus. Their resemblance would be undeniable and that would bring up the question of why. That could lead to their last name of Clyne coming up and that would be followed by a slew of problems.

And that was before the stuff Tyler and others had done today, which could incriminate Tyler in the eyes of several. Tyler would be genuinely surprised if Natarle would not accuse him of treason in some way should she find out what he did. The officers hadn't taken the arrangements Tyler had made for the Strike and the Asuka well when he informed them, Tyler doubted it would be any better. Natarle in particular had been miffed when she had found out none of them would be permitted to check on the Strike. In fact, she had marched over to Tyler's place and he had sat through a tirade which he could have done without. To top that off with if it was discovered that the Aegis was at Teswa, Tyler felt he would be in even deeper troubled water. Combine that with the point that the Archangel won't get the Aegis back, Tyler knew his position was becoming more untenable as time passed.

Knowing that Tyler decided it would be best if Athrun and Sakura left the Republic as soon as possible. And the Aegis and Sakura's CGUE needed to go with them and it was preferred the departure not be noticed. Tyler was the most concerned that Sakura would cause an issue should her identity be discovered. And where Tyler did damage control from time to time, he didn't want to clean up a mess made by Sakura. Plus, Tyler didn't want Athrun in the bad position that he would be if the Archangel's officers learned he was one of the thieves that stole their prototypes. Also, if Athrun got hurt, it would serve as motivation for his father to push for harsher things with ZAFT.

With his decision made, Tyler headed off to Shira's Military command center to make a call to ZAFT's Carpentaria base. It was to make arrangements to get a transport over to Shira to extract Sakura and Athrun. Said transport would need to be big enough to carry mobile suits which weren't normal with the request of an extraction. The idea itself shouldn't be too difficult to get to happen, especially if Tyler dropped Sakura's name. However, that didn't mean that Tyler was looking forward to talking to ZAFT personnel to get the job in the works. With his mood as it was, Tyler was irritable and not willing to take a great deal of crap. So, when a comm line connected to Carpentaria and Tyler saw who it was he would talk to, his mood lowered further. The face of Creuset caused a grumble to escape Tyler, "Why does fate have to be so cruel as to screw me over like this? I don't want to deal with seeing your face again Creuset…"

Creuset had been on duty at Carpentaria's command center to cover the normal officer while they were away. It was supposed to be a quiet job that would keep other officers from complaining that Rau did little around the base while there. With Carpentaria preparing for a large upcoming operation, most were on edge and tense. Currently, the operation was being stated to be targeting OMNI's Panama base to capture or destroy the mass driver. Rau know that the target wasn't what those directing the operation were aiming for, they were going for JOSH-A. The doldrum was broken when a call came in and when Rau connected he found himself looking at the teen McGregor. "My my McGregor, this is a very unexpected surprise, to what do I owe the pleasure of chatting with you?"

Many things came to Tyler's mind to reply to the masked man, most not nice and some downright insulting. But little of that would likely hit home with Creuset, man had too thick of a skin from what Tyler had found. Tyler had learned that during the meeting with the PLANTs Supreme Council when Creuset wormed his way out of punishment. Instead, Tyler calmed himself and refocused, "You mind listening for a moment Creuset, I'm calling for a reason and it's not to see or talk to you. I'm calling to ask for a transport to come to Shira from Carpentaria to do a pick-up."

For someone from a Federation member nation was unusual, and for McGregor to ask for a transport was unexpected. It made Rau curious what this was about, "And why would you request that McGregor?"

Tyler had half a mind to just tell Creuset to mind his own business and do as he was told for once. However, a thought came to his mind, which was a very entertaining one as to the potential results. Tyler remembered that Sakura had stated disdain for Creuset, his actions, and his habits. Tyler could whip him, but he felt it would be far more satisfying to watch Sakura do that job as she would be far more thorough. So, a smile came to Tyler's face, "Cause Creuset, as much as I would enjoy seeing the Black Zephyr give you a beating, followed by the whipping of your life, which both would be epic I have no doubt, I don't have the free time to witness such a wonderful show."

Rau paled a bit at hearing about the Zephyr and the chance of having to deal with the woman directly. Most if not all times of dealing with Sakura Clyne hadn't gone well with Rau, she didn't like him or how he did things. He had been relieved when the Zephyr had disappeared after the battle with OMNI's Eighth Fleet, the cleanup had been smoother without her. Nor had Rau been that interested in knowing what happened to her, though he didn't believe she was dead. Sakura Clyne was far too stubborn to die from reentry, she was dogmatic enough to find a way to make it through that process. And with the performance of two of the four pilots in his charge, Rau wouldn't put it past the Zephyr to punish him, "What is that supposed to mean McGregor," he shot back.

Tyler was pleased to see he had made Creuset squirm a bit as the man had been a pain to deal with. Yet Tyler had business to get to and time was of the essence so he didn't have the time to play with Creuset. "The transport is for her and one of your pilots, Athrun Zala," Tyler replied. "They happened to descend with me and landed in the Republic and have been recovering since then. However, things have developed that make it an unwise idea for them to stick around without damage control needing to be done. That clear enough Creuset?"

Rau was almost curious enough to inquire what sort of issues had developed that might require damage control. The Zephyr may be hard to be around, but she did know how not to cause serious issues, especially in non-ZAFT territory. But he wasn't going to be the one that took the responsibility for what the Zephyr may or may not do. "Yes, indeed it is McGregor," Rau returned curtly. "I'll arrange for a transport to be there by midnight."

It looked like Creuset at least had gotten the message to do as told, even if it wasn't for the best reasons. And right now, Tyler would take that to avoid doing major damage control, "Make sure it can carry two mobile suits. The Aegis and the CGUE will be going with them as they need to leave with them to cause fewer issues."

Tyler ended the call before Creuset could say more and wasn't sorry to hang up on the masked man. He headed back to his place and informed Sakura and Athrun to get their things together to be ready to leave tonight. Tyler did imply to keep their activity unseen as possible which made Athrun wonder what was going on. He could see Tyler was worried about something and it was stressing him which he didn't tend to show outwardly. And whatever it was occupying Tyler involved Commander Clyne and himself in some way.

After informing his house guests, Tyler called Carlos at Teswa as he knew his friend would be working late today. He asked Carlos to send the Aegis to the airfield by midnight for its departure. Carlos could hear the stress in his young friend's voice and knew something was going down which he was trying to minimize. So, Carlos agreed before telling others to get the Aegis ready to be moved to the train tunnels.

Tyler once off the call with Carlos got his teammates together and began laying out contingencies that could be used. There was still the chance that what they had been doing could be found out by the Archangel's officers. And with some, Tyler didn't expect them to give the time for an explanation or attempt to learn the truth. Natarle would make her own conclusions and wouldn't likely believe anything else even with the evidence provided. Yet, Tyler was coming to accept that he would soon be seen as a traitor in some way to the Archangel. Tyler didn't regret his actions, he would do them again if given the opportunity and would not change anything. That in itself didn't irk him, though it wouldn't feel nice with some, Tyler could deal with that. It was more what his friends would think that weighed on him heavily as he did care what they thought of him.

Lisa, Luke, and Alan agreed to do what they could to prevent interference with Tyler's damage control. Tyler didn't expect his teammates to be able to hold the officers for all that long, but hopefully, it would be enough. So when 11:30 came around, Tyler, Athrun, and Sakura piled into Tyler's car and he drove them towards Shira's Jing Airport. Tyler took a less used route but also one that wouldn't take too much longer than the straight route. He did keep looking in the rear-view mirror intermittently to check if any were following. Tyler was driving slightly above the posted speed limit due to the building stress he was under.

At the airfield, the ZAFT transport from Carpentaria came into land on an open runway. Nicol was lost in his thoughts as he had been during the flight from Carpentaria. He had been the only one of his team that hadn't descended to Earth after the battle against OMNI's Eighth Fleet. Nicol had found that Yzak and Dearka had made it to Carpentaria even if they had needed help to land. The two had spent time recovering from the descent and were almost good to go again. However, there hadn't been news of what happened to Athrun until the message had come hours ago. Commander Creuset had said that Athrun was in the Republic's capital Shira according to the message. It had also come to light that Commander Clyne was there too and they needed a pickup.

Nicol wondered how both had ended out in the Republic, there had been no information where they had gone down to. The last thing Athrun had said to Nicol was that he was going to get Commander Clyne as she had been in the upper atmosphere. Nicol had questioned Athrun's choice since he would be hard-pressed to make it out of Earth's gravity. Still, to know that Athrun was alright was comforting. Nicol had volunteered to go with the transport to make sure that Athrun knew he hadn't been forgotten if anything. Nicol came out of his thoughts when he heard the order to open the cargo hold. He got up from his seat and headed for the entry door to the passenger cabin of the aircraft.

Once outside the transport, Nicol spotted the Aegis on a platform that was rising from what appeared to be somewhere underground. The mobile suit looked to be as good as new, which made Nicol wonder where the repairs had been done. The Aegis like the other OMNI prototypes had the challenge of being so different from previous machines that working on them was hard. If the Federation had done the job as Nicol suspected, he would still applaud them for the efforts. The black CGUE was the first to be loaded onto the transport and it was smooth and simple. The Aegis followed with it being lifted by a crane and shifted upright before being brought over to the aircraft. Nicol was glancing around, not having seen Athrun or Commander Clyne yet, but found no sign of them.

Meanwhile, Tyler reached the checkpoint at the airport entrance, showing his ID to the guard. The car was let in and Tyler drove it to an inconspicuous spot so that he could leave and not draw attention later. Once parked, Tyler led Sakura and Athrun to the strip where the ZAFT transport should be waiting. Tyler was relieved to see that there was indeed a ZAFT transport waiting as he'd requested. In fact, the Aegis was in the process of being loaded onto to said craft as the three came onto the strip. Nicol saw the three individuals approaching, and it was but a moment that he recognized one was Athrun and another was Commander Clyne. Nicol jogged over the group, "Athrun, you're okay thank goodness," he greeted.

Athrun blinked at seeing Nicol approaching as he hadn't thought he would see his friend so soon again. "Nicol," Athrun question.

The teen coming up to them had looked familiar to Tyler, but he couldn't place the familiarity. Then Athrun had called him out by name and that had clicked in Tyler's mind and had brought back the memory. Tyler had met this teen Nicol Amalfi back on the Nazca-class that Creuset was over months ago. He had found him nice and a good influence on Athrun overall and Tyler was grateful his friend found Nicol. At the same time, Nicol glanced over to the last of the three in the group that Commander Clyne and Athrun were in. It didn't take long for Nicol to realize that the last member of the group was the Federation pilot that had brought Miguel back. If Nicol recalled correctly, the guy's name was McGregor. "You're Tyler McGregor," Nicol greeted, "that was your name wasn't it?"

Tyler nodded, "That's me, Tyler McGregor." He twisted back to look at Athrun and Sakura, "I thought it would be best for these two to head out. Things will get complicated should both stay around here and a mess would follow. Thus, I arranged this so that such could be avoided for all parties concerned."

The mobile suit loading completed in around ten minutes and Tyler gestured to Athrun and Sakura to board the transport. Sakura didn't want to leave, she had enjoyed the time with her beloved over the last two weeks, so she didn't want that to end so quickly. But she figured that Tyler was trying to prevent issues coming up and she could respect that. So, she looked at him once more before she blew him a kiss then she walked towards the boarding ramp to the passenger cabin.

Tyler shivered at the gesture from Sakura then shook his head to clear it from the non-nice thoughts that came to his mind. Nicol was blinking at what Commander Clyne had just done as it made little to no sense to him. Athrun was gazing at Tyler worried as his friend was in a bad position that was only going to get worse if things didn't change. The crew of the Archangel would rail on him at best, call him a traitor at worse. If Tyler came with them to Carpentaria, he could avoid that. Tyler would be treated as a guest at the base or just a visitor as those came and went. "Tye," Athrun started, "come with us. You've completed your mission and don't have to stay around to take the fall should any find out."

Tyler appreciated where Athrun was coming from and the concern that his friend was showing for him. Athrun was kind-hearted and Tyler knew that and didn't hold that against him in the slightest. It was a rare quality unfortunately with the war going on, so Tyler was grateful when it was shown. However, Tyler knew what he was getting into when he accepted the mission and was aware should he get caught what he would face. Also, there were still some things that Tyler wanted to tell Kira of before the Archangel reached JOSH-A. He knew the Alliance and its OMNI wouldn't welcome the Archangel, Kira least of all. So, Tyler wanted to warn his friend of the dangers that were ahead if he stayed with the Archangel.

Meanwhile, Natarle had managed to convince Murrue that something was going on that should be looked into. Tyler had been acting oddly even by her standards and she thought his behavior was rough to begin with. The teen was up to something even if Natarle didn't know what it was, and she believed it had something to do with his house guests. There had been an air with the pink-haired woman that was hard to miss and it was an unsettling one. Plus, the resemblance between her and Lacus was uncanny, they could be sisters easily. But for such to appear here before the Archangel had was suspicious to Natarle, there had to be more of a story. Then Tyler had been absent all day yesterday, not a single sight of him which was again odd.

Natarle had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind ever since Tyler had suggested the Archangel dock here. With the ship's mobile suits were "taken" for work, the nagging feeling grew that there was something more going on. It wasn't that Natarle doubted the Federation's intentions, it was they didn't state them up front. For all they knew, the mobile suits were being dismantled or made less efficient. The repairs on the Archangel could be cover for other things being done, they weren't being allowed to watch. It was frustrating Natarle to no end that they were not a part of any of the work being done on the Archangel or the mobile suits. And with Tyler's absence, it made her all the more suspicious that something was going on.

With that in mind, Natarle along with Murrue's help even if begrudgingly, convinced Mu and Krystal to check in on Tyler. However, when the four got to Tyler's place, he wasn't there but others were. The woman who answered the door stated Tyler was out with a friend at the moment and so wouldn't be available for a time. Mu and Krystal accepted the point, the kid likely had friends around here, probably spent time with them when he got back. Natarle on the other hand took Tyler being gone as a possible confirmation that she was right that something was going on they didn't know about. Tyler may be trustworthy as far as making sure the Archangel didn't sink, but that's all Natarle would admit. He was still a Federation soldier and thus a potential enemy that could harm OMNI and its chances in the war.

So, Natarle dragged the other three off to a car and Mu drove them towards the dockyard upon her insistence. However, it was along the way that Krystal spotted an aircraft coming to land and one of Shira's airports. And after studying for a moment, Krystal recognized it as a ZAFT transport. That in itself was odd, ZAFT transports shouldn't be coming to a Federation member nation. The Federation had made it clear years ago that active military-minded their manners or was punished period. ZAFT knew that as well as OMNI did, so why would they have a transport here and why would they even have permission?

Krystal pointed out the transport coming into land, and Mu changed his route to head for the airport. He agreed with Krystal, a ZAFT transport coming to the Republic was odd especially in the middle of the night. ZAFT was smart enough to not try an assault on the Federation with a small force, they would pay for that kind of thing. There was only one real way to find out what was going on, and that was to go and see.

Back with Tyler, while he appreciated Athrun's concern, it wasn't needed as Tyler had prepared himself for what could come his way. Plus, time was short and it would be best that he wasn't seen here around the ZAFT transport. Tyler was already in enough hot water with the crew that would catch up with him soon, he didn't need more issues. "Thanks Athrun, the thought is well received my friend," Tyler started then stepped back, "But I'll have to respectfully decline the offer. Our friend Kira still needs a bit of help which I can provide and it wouldn't feel right to leave him on his own. Yes, I will probably take an amount of rap and crap from what went down today, but that's how it goes sometimes. It became clear I would face condemnation at some point from the start of this mission."

Nicol was trying to figure out what was being inferred in the conversation for he couldn't come up with anything. Athrun knew something and whatever it was concerned him for Mr. McGregor's sake. Still, Nicol said nothing simply listening in hopes of more information as Tyler continued, "I'll manage to get through without horrible things happening to me Athrun. I've done it before and I'll do it again, so I hope to see you sometime soon in the future Athrun." Tyler headed to where his car was parked leaving Athrun to watch as his friend went off, his head still filled with worry.

The Archangel's officers got to the entrance of Shira's Jing Airport and were stopped by the guard on duty. Mu merely asked if he knew about the ZAFT transport and what it could be doing at the complex. However, he was cut off by Natarle demanding they be let through to discover what was going on. The argument that ensued between the guard and Natarle bothered Murrue as they weren't in a position to demand things. The crew of the Archangel were guests in Shira, it wasn't Alliance-controlled territory. That meant they had no authority to tell others to do anything and they could get into trouble if they abused their hosts' kindness. Granted, Murrue wanted to know what a ZAFT transport was doing here, but that didn't mean they could demand with an expectation of results.

After a little over five minutes, the guard let them in though it was clear they were frustrated and appeared to be going to report this to their higher-ups. The argument only seemed to make Natarle more on edge and Murrue didn't know what else. Her second-in-command had something getting the better of her, but Murrue couldn't say what it was. Yet, whatever it was that had Natarle so hung up, it was getting worse by the minute. Mu drove forward closing the distance between them and the ZAFT transport.

When they got into view of the ZAFT transport, Natarle was angry when she caught sight of the Aegis in its cargo hold. There had been no mention of the Aegis being here in the Republic and even if the suit had been stolen, it still belonged to OMNI. And Natarle had the feeling that Tyler knew the Aegis was here and had just hadn't said anything. She knew that the teen didn't answer a question he wasn't directly asked, and it was annoying. This was an example of one of the quirks that irritated Natarle about Tyler. He had information which he should share, but he didn't do so for whatever reasons he had. The sight also brought into question whether Tyler's guests were somehow involved in this. If they were, then they needed to answer for their actions and for those that had died because of what ZAFT did.

At the same time, Tyler had jogged back to his car, looking back for a moment wishing his friend well. He was observing the cargo hatch closing when he noticed a van which the Archangel's crew had been using on the airfield. Tyler slid into his car, knowing that he was soon to face at least one angry officer. Said officer was going to blame him for much if not all of the misfortunes the Archangel had received. And Tyler expected the argument that would happen would be one that he couldn't effectively win. Natarle would twist anything Tyler said into what she wanted to have him take the fall and responsibility for their issues. That they had arrived when they did, meant that Natarle and those with her likely saw the Aegis. It would be another "strike" against him which would be shoved onto his shoulders, unfairly he would add.

The ZAFT transport moved into takeoff position as the officers watched before racing down the runway. There was nothing they could do to stop it from leaving even as Natarle clenched her fists in frustration. Nonetheless, Murrue heard what sounded like an engine starting, and when she looked around she saw something coming out of the shadows. A moment later, a car that looked very similar to what Tyler had been driving was heading for the airport entrance. It begged the question if it was Tyler in the vehicle and if so, what was he doing.

The trip home was silent and tension building, Tyler didn't see any following closely, not that meant much. He had been seen, and that said he wouldn't escape the coming argument he expected. But he knew that attempting to avoid something tended to make it worse when faced, so he didn't think about running. Kira wouldn't believe what Natarle would accuse him of, Tyler was confident of that, their friendship was too strong to allow that. The rest of the crew, Tyler wasn't anywhere near as sure of. He had done a lot to help them and protect the ship, both seen and unseen. However, with Natarle that wouldn't count for much if anything, and it could be the same with the rest of the crew.

As Tyler pulled into the garage, he took a deep breath and then entered his house, preparing himself for what would come. His teammates were there waiting for him, which Tyler appreciated the moral support. Lisa came up to him with a sad look on her face, "Sorry Tyler, we delayed them as best we could," she said.

Tyler shrugged, "Thanks for trying, I appreciated it," he replied, "I figured this would come sooner or later. It isn't like all the background help we provided will help our case, OMNI still seems unable to see assistance unless is it blatantly obvious." Tyler paused for a moment, before sighing, "It's not like we can tell them what we were assigned to do or why. Even if we could, the majority wouldn't believe us, it paints OMNI in a bad light and that is ridiculous in their view."

Meanwhile, the four officers got back to the places they were provided to stay after the events at the airfield. Natarle barked orders for soldiers to prepare themselves for apprehending a criminal. Mu could tell the vice-captain was angry and where he could understand that, it was clouding her judgment. If Tyler was somehow involved with what they saw, he should be given the chance to explain why. And with the mood Natarle was in, Mu didn't think Tyler would be given the chance to do so. Also, should said soldiers cause an incident, they all would be in trouble and be punished for it. Records made it clear that the Federation judged people from the other factions by their rules and no outside interference. Mu didn't think shooting one or more of their citizens and soldiers would go over well at all. "Natarle, I understand you're angry, but calm down," Mu began.

Kira and his friends had wondered where the top officers of the Archangel had gone to a little while ago. But that changed to concern when they had returned and Natarle was clearly angry about something. Still, they were silent not wanting to get involved in whatever was going on as it appeared complicated. Natarle rounded on Mu, "Calm," she snapped, "After what we saw, you have the gall to tell me to keep calm!"

Krystal had an educated guess why Mu was telling Natarle to calm down and she agreed with him. The situation was fragile at best right now, and a move in anger would make things much worse than they were. "Mu has a point," Krystal said, Natarle whipping around and glaring at her, "remember we aren't with those in charge here. If we do something harsh, then we answer to the Federation, not the Alliance."

Natarle ignored the two pilots and waved the soldiers to follow her as she stalked out the door of the house. Mu glanced at Murrue, "I seriously think we will need to hold her back," he remarked, "Or else we will pay for a stupid mistake made in anger."

Murrue ran after Natarle agreeing with Mu as things were going down a slippery slope. Kira was scratching his head trying to understand what was going on. "What has Miss Badgiruel so mad Lieutenant," he asked.

Mu sighed wondering how to tell the kid what they had seen. He was still trying to process what had gone down at the airfield. It didn't fit Tyler's behavior, which made him want to know what they had to be missing. "Honestly, I'm trying to figure out what we saw, but it looked like Tyler was helping ZAFT."

The one line made no sense to any of the teens, their friends wouldn't help those that were trying to kill them. Krystal noted the confusion, and nodded herself, "We are as confused as you about that, it doesn't feel right. Normally, I would say to ask Tyler but," Krystal paused and looked to the door, "I doubt Natarle is going to give him that opportunity to explain."

Tyler had been waiting for around five minutes when his front door was forced in and broken down by Alliance soldiers rushing in. He had to admit, this was one of the times he didn't like being right about some people, Natarle in this case. And Tyler had that particular thought that would be coming to his mind frequently in this coming confrontation. Within the next few moments, Tyler and his team were staring down the barrels of multiple guns being pointed at them. While Tyler expected this, he didn't appreciate having guns aimed at him in his own home. He could have them in trouble with just this, however, Tyler knew this was just the beginning of the problem. Nevertheless, he didn't flinch at guns aimed at him, just settled into an attitude of indifference, complete with a deadpanned expression on his face. Tyler gazed back at the soldiers the Archangel had, "You mind lowering those guns boys before you do something you'll regret for the rest of your lives," Tyler suggested flatly. "I would hate to see you all throwing away your career for such a foolish action as having an itchy trigger finger, if not for worse."

"Don't listen to him," Natarle commanded just before she stepped into the room. She wouldn't be intimidated by the teen who had been akin to a thorn in her side from close to day one. Natarle had figured there would come a point she would need to use force to bring Tyler to task and it seemed the time was now. She'd tried to gently educate and guide Tyler to good behavior, but he had ignored her attempts.

Tyler's eyes slowly almost lazily flicked over to her, his expression remained unchanged as he faced the woman. He knew that Natarle wasn't ignorant or stupid, she'd shown herself to be intelligent enough for that not to be the case. With that in mind, she knew there would be consequences should she do something harmful to him. So, either she didn't care anymore or thought that she would somehow get out of said consequences. He would correct the latter and assume the former, "Do I really need to iterate just what you all would face should you shoot any of us Natarle Badgiruel," he posed. "Do keep in mind where you are at the current time, then use the logic you have in your brain to see how this would go. This isn't the territory of OMNI nor the Alliance, so they're not in charge and don't make the rules. You've shown that you aren't as dim as some OMNI officers can be, so exercise that brain you have and think."

The rest of the crew had rushed over to Tyler's place and had heard part of the exchange between Natarle and Tyler. Murrue entered the house and was horrified to see the soldiers pointing weapons at Tyler and others. An incident here would cause issues between the Alliance and the Federation and there were already more than enough of those. "Natarle stop this, it's not the way to do this," Murrue ordered.

Natarle after a moment exhaled acknowledging Murrue even when she didn't want to do that. Tyler inclined his head towards Murrue, "It's good to see at least one person still has some common sense in their head. Things are tense already without adding weapons to the mix, that's how mistakes happen and those come with serious consequences." Tyler saw his friends coming in and that didn't sit well, but there was nothing he could do. So, he continued, "I've done the courtesy of not disappearing when I could have vanished just as easily." Tyler threw up his hands, "Hell, I've even waited for you to come here. And what do I receive for the manners and niceties that I present to you all?"

The silence in the air became comfortable very quickly before Tyler kept going, "You respond by showing poor manners in the form of breaking into a property that doesn't belong to you. Add to that you don't have any inclination to talk with me without pointing guns at in my direction." Tyler sighed heavily, "At first meetings, I would have assumed and expected this type of thing was a running theme for all of you, seen by the messes you leave in your wake." Tyler's words stung much of the crew even when they had been said calmly.

But Tyler didn't stop there, he had a lot on his mind and since this conversation was blunt, he saw no reason to hold back. "I would hope you've enough respect to do better and at least use the intelligence we have as human beings to talk first. I've come to expect that bare minimum from all of you, or at least, I thought I had." He scanned the people in his place now, "Yet, you're acting more like members of Blue Cosmos whose mentality is 'shoot and kill first, ask questions later if you're forced to by someone else'. Don't demean yourselves to lowlifes like them, you've all shown yourselves to be much better than that."

The way Tyler mentioned Blue Cosmos suggested to Mu and Krystal that he'd run-ins with them before now. And unfortunately, Tyler's description was pretty accurate from what the two had seen, Blue Cosmos killed Coordinators and didn't explain why unless forced. Their arguments for what they did were baseless to most, but due to the organization's influence, few were punished for what they did. It was the bad part of the Alliance that wasn't mentioned internally as an unspoken rule. Mu had heard that Blue Cosmos was a big funder of the Alliance and OMNI, but he couldn't say if that was true.

Murrue gestured to the soldiers to lower their weapons as violence just as accusations wouldn't make this any easier to deal with. Tyler had done a lot for the Archangel, so he at least deserved a chance to explain himself. Once the guns were lowered, the tension lessened a small margin. Murrue's gaze locked onto Tyler, "Well then Tyler, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Tyler noted that a good portion of the crew was watching including his friends from Heliopolis. He didn't like they were here as he fully suspected he was about to be "put on trial" for a crime he didn't commit. Tyler fully counted upon at least Natarle would be doing what she could to brand him a traitor and bury him during this conversation. Such had happened before with members of OMNI and others from the Alliance, and Tyler couldn't care less about them or what they thought of him. However, Tyler did care about what his friends thought about him and those he was going to talk to wouldn't help that. With that in mind, Tyler sighed, "That really depends on what you're referring to," he replied. "I can say a lot of different things about myself, though some I'm not allowed to state in the current company. Although, as you serve in a military force, I would think that you know how that kind of idea works."

Tyler's casual attitude was grating on Natarle as it seemed to often enough. The way he waved off things as something else or something less irked her. The teen had been caught around the enemy, far too close for it to be a coincidence. One didn't get close to the enemy unless they planned to attack them, or else they were a traitor. The Aegis had been there and ZAFT took it away from Shira, which was away from the proper owners. What reasons that Tyler had to help ZAFT didn't make much of a difference anymore. Natarle took a moment to calm down before she refocused on Tyler, "Would that include assisting ZAFT forces with the theft of property?"

It was the accusation that Tyler knew would come his way from Natarle, wrong as it was. From the one scene they had seen, it would lead them to blame him for things that happened before to the Archangel. That would of course, include what ZAFT did at Heliopolis which Tyler had nothing to do with. And while Tyler had a good solid defense, he felt he wouldn't get to use it to clear his name of what he would be accused of. Although Tyler was a tad surprised that Natarle didn't shout her line, he expected her to. "Nice of you to use an inside voice Natarle, I would rather not hurt my hearing," Tyler replied. "However, that's quite the accusation you're making considering I didn't assist ZAFT forces, nor the Alliance forces, thank you."

Natarle held herself back from lunging forward and manhandling Tyler and getting answers from him. "Then what happened earlier," Natarle asked evenly.

Tyler stared at Natarle for a moment, "Admittedly, you are showing quite some anger control, I applaud that." He paused, then continued, "The event earlier tonight that you happened to see the tail end of and base your information off of was me helping a friend and another leave." Tyler was still wondering if it was worth even iterating what he had done and why. The stuff he did in the background for others both filled him with pride and drove him nuts depending on who it was for. He ended out shrugging his shoulders, "Honestly, I was playing the peacemaker and taking care of issues before they became real problems, I prefer to be proactive when I can be."

Mu and Krystal were trying to figure out what "issues" Tyler was working to prevent becoming a problem. It had to have something to do with his house guest, but what neither of the armor pilots could say how. Both the teen around Kira's age and the woman that had been there hadn't given any impression of trouble. Although the pink-haired woman did put off a slightly unsettling air somehow. Yet, Tyler continued, "Although admittedly, said friend is with ZAFT and was put on the team that was at Heliopolis. He now pilots one of the OMNI prototypes, but one point doesn't affect or have to do with the other in this."

What Tyler just said didn't make sense with what he said before that to Murrue. That Tyler knew some from other factions was believable, and that wasn't problematic. It was more the one he knew was a part of the attack on Heliopolis and now used one of the G-Weapons. Murrue was fairly sure Tyler hadn't been helping ZAFT as Natarle seemed to now think. Tyler's defense of the Archangel cast too much doubt for that to be likely. However, the Aegis had been at Shira's airport and on the ZAFT transport and Tyler had been there as well. Such facts were hard to use to conclude Tyler doing something that put the Archangel and its crew in danger. "That mobile suit being the X303 Aegis," Murrue remarked.

Tyler didn't see any reason to deny what they had seen at this point, it wouldn't help only hinder really. He expected to be grilled followed by being accused of things he never had done and not be able to answer due to military protocol. The mission Tyler and his team were assigned was still officially ongoing, so they couldn't discuss it with those from the Archangel. So, in essence, Tyler wouldn't be able to defend himself effectively against a dumb accusation, a lose-lose situation in his view. With that in mind, Tyler shrugged, "Sure, you were seeing right and don't need your eyes checked or anything. Would you have a logical and valid point you're trying to make in this Miss Ramius?"

That Tyler knew one of the stolen machines had been here and said nothing about it was ridiculous. Him waving it off as little to nothing was crossing a line that Natarle wouldn't let go unchallenged. The teenager's behavior had been annoying and unhelpful before now, but it was going beyond that and endangering their mission. So, Natarle banged her fist down onto the coffee table in the room expressing her anger. "The point is you helped a thief get away with what they stole. And while your behavior before has been borderline rebellious, this crosses a line," she snapped.

For a second, Tyler thought it cracked the furniture, but he didn't see any sign that the hit had done so. Tyler knew Natarle wouldn't like the current situation, but the destruction of property was not the way to show such. Plus, the table wasn't his and he didn't want to pay for a replacement as it wouldn't be cheap at all. But what really irked Tyler was Natarle happened to be calling his best friend Athrun a thief. Athrun was no thief and Tyler would certainly not stand for him being branded as one. Athrun had been ordered to do things he wouldn't have done if he'd known the whole picture and Athrun had said he had doubts going in. That was good enough for Tyler and he would take the fall himself and Athrun would not share the blame for it even if he had to let Natarle get the better of him in this argument.

Thus, Tyler's expression, or rather lack thereof would appear to be carved out of stone by this point as it didn't change at all. He would face this and make sure Natarle didn't have the satisfaction of breaking through his skin. "Would you please refrain from damaging or breaking the furniture here, a portion does belong to me, but not all of it? And I take back my comment earlier about keeping calm and repeat myself in saying you need anger management Natarle." Tyler paused as Natarle glared at him, "You know that glare of yours doesn't work with me missy, it's only going to give you wrinkles sooner."

"You still aided a thief and in doing so endanger our mission," Natarle growled.

Tyler exhaled heavily before cutting over Natarle, "You need to learn to actually listen sometimes to what is said and not change it to what you want to hear Badgiruel. As I just told you minutes ago, I helped one who's a friend to me and he isn't a thief any more than any of you are," Tyler stated firmly. "And I certainly don't appreciate that you label someone you have never met as such. It is unbecoming of you and lowers you to the same level as thugs and some terrorists these days."

Natarle wasn't going to let Tyler have the upper hand in this argument, not when he crossed the line. She would nail him and then grill him for what information he had been holding back at the very least. Tyler's holding back information was dangerous before but was now proving to be far too much to ignore. And then, there were needed answers as to if the Federation had been involved in hampering the G-Project. "Friend or not, they are in possession of property of the Atlantic Federation," Natarle replied. "It should have been returned to the rightful owners, not sent with the thieves."

Tyler shook his head, "You're confusing things with your black and white view of the world which is completely bias. The Aegis may HAVE belonged to you, however, ownership changed months ago, get over your issue of that," Tyler returned insistently. "Like most OMNI officers I meet, you fight and disagree about things you have little to no say and/or control over. It would be nice if you stopped acting like kids and grow up, behave as adults should."

Natarle wouldn't let Tyler turn things back to have them on the defensive, "And when were you going to mention that the Aegis was here," she demanded. "That is something rather important to bring up."

"Maybe to you it is," Tyler remarked rolling his eyes, "Yet, none of you ever asked about whether I came down with anyone else or by myself, so that's your problem since you had the opportunity before now. And before you ask the question in whatever demeaning way you would why I never said anything, I have my reasons. One of which being you lot blowing up about something that already happened and demanding retribution." Tyler shrugged, "Did it ever once occur to you that maybe some of those who took OMNI's prototype mobile suits didn't entirely agree with what their orders were. Or have you never been given orders that you have some sort of issue with, because if so, then you need to get out more."

The rest in the room were staying back not wanting to get between Natarle and Tyler. It was a somewhat familiar scene, the two arguing and having a go at one another figuratively speaking. It certainly wasn't the first time the two disagreed, far from that, it was something that happened half the time when the two were in the same room. That was one of the reasons that Murrue tried to have Tyler and Natarle on different shifts when on the Archangel. But this argument was escalating quicker than previous ones that had happened. Natarle kept glaring at Tyler, "That's an excuse," she shot back.

Tyler was getting annoyed that Natarle was dragging this out, she should just get to accusing him so he could get this over with. Yes, Tyler knew, in the end, he would lose the argument, and that wasn't a nice thought. But he would rather just get the charges slapped onto him and move on than for it to be done slowly. He was already trying to figure out a way to help his friends understand what Natarle was saying wasn't correct. Tyler couldn't properly tell his side with the Archangel's crew in the room, which was what made this unfair. Knowing that had Tyler groaning in response, "So, you have never been given orders that you didn't like and/or agree with? Are your views so black and white that you unable to comprehend some using their position or authority for gain? I find that hard to believe honestly, it's just as common now as it used to be historical as I understand it."

Natarle ground her teeth at the counter Tyler used since it was unfair in her view. Plus, he was getting the discussion off his actions which was what this confrontation was about. She would admit that the teen had a knack for changing the direction of a conversation, but she wouldn't let that happen in this case. If Tyler had helped ZAFT tonight, there was a chance he had been assisting them before now. And even if he hadn't, the teen had admitted he was around Heliopolis on assignment for the Federation. She would make him accountable, "So then," Natarle started, "Did you come back to the Archangel just to sabotage it and stop our mission? Is that what you did when you walked around the ship. Playing nice to gain our trust to steal data for the Federation to use?"

Tyler was relieved that Natarle was getting out the accusation instead of wasting time on other things that didn't matter. However, at the same time, she put it in a way that smeared him incorrectly, but he couldn't give a truthful defense for himself. Federation mission protocol for priority one, you cannot reveal anything to anyone until either the mission is complete and declassified or given express permission. Also, even if Tyler could tell the truth, Natarle and likely much of the crew wouldn't believe anyway. The Federation had good reason to not trust the Alliance or OMNI, but the public didn't know the facts that made it so.

Thus, Tyler was silent to Natarle's accusations, knowing also that anything he said would be twisted against him. In truth, OMNI nor the Alliance had data worth stealing from what he understood, and he believed that. And though he was technically quite talented in the art of sabotage, Tyler had done none of that to the Archangel specifically. It had been one of the suggestions from some of the higher-ups of the Federation's military to handle the G-Project. Or the other action recommended was to just destroy the Archangel and be done with the matter. Tyler had considered both options suggested by those of higher rank than him, several times in fact. The only thing Tyler would have to do was get his friends off the ship and then let ZAFT do their part and his job would've been done.

ZAFT could have done the work for Tyler in his assignment and there was no lack of opportunity. Three were four different chanced in each of the battles that Tyler had seen starting with Artemis. During the journey to Earth, Tyler could have tried less to help the Archangel and none would have suspected anything. The battle of OMNI's Eighth Fleet and ZAFT was the most prime opportunity for him to have the ship go down. Nonetheless, Tyler had chosen the hard route and wanted the crew of the Archangel to live. And it was that which made the current argument ironic as well as ridiculous. Tyler had been doing what he could to help the Archangel survive and yet, he was being accused of trying to harm it.

The mental conundrum was that Tyler couldn't say he was trying to hamper their mission for the right reasons without having to kill them. He had technically done "sabotage" with what he did earlier concerning the mobile suit data the ship carried which the crew didn't know about. And that fact alone was enough for most OMNI personnel to accuse and condemn him for wrongdoing. Not that Tyler really had much of an issue with the crew thinking he was a horrible person, there was nothing he could do about that anymore. However, he would need to get his friends separate from the rest of the crew to explain what was going on. Tyler didn't think he would get that chance since they were a part of the crew now. With Tyler branded a traitor, the crew would be told to have nothing to do with him going forward, including his friends.

As the silence lengthened, Natarle took that as Tyler had no defense for himself and she had caught him. He wasn't denying sabotage or stealing so he likely did that to the Archangel. There would need to be systems inspected to find out what Tyler had done on the Archangel. The teen couldn't be punished by the Archangel's officers as he was a member of the Federation's military. However, they could deny him entry to the ship going forward and Natarle would do that herself. "Nothing to say for yourself, McGregor?"

Kira hadn't been liking the conversation from when he came in and started listening to it. Tyler was a good person, he wouldn't do things to put others in danger if there was any way to avoid it. And where Kira had noticed that Tyler and Miss Badgiruel didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things, he didn't think they would be at each other's throats. Clearly, Tyler had done something that others didn't like, but Kira was trying to figure out what that was. By what Tyler said, he had helped Athrun and Sakura leave, that was simple. The two had been off-duty but they were still with ZAFT when all was said and done. That could make things tense between those here and Tyler had done what he could to minimize that. Kira couldn't figure out how that translated into Tyler having done something wrong.

Tyler's mentioning of Blue Cosmos Kira figured he knew about them with his mother's work as the Republic's prime minister. Kira heard such groups did protest against the Federation and probably with their leaders. But Kira wondered if there was more to Tyler's dislike of Blue Cosmos. He would ask Tyler about that point later when he got the opportunity, but now wasn't the time for that. His friend's mention of military jobs explained that Tyler couldn't talk about what he had been working on. It made sense to Kira, military organizations wouldn't talk about everything they did for several different reasons he imagined. However, it was when Natarle accused Tyler of helping ZAFT that rage ignited inside Kira. Tyler had defended the ship and its crew just as much as Lacus and he did when called upon. For him to be charged with harming the ship or those on it was crazy.

Lacus was watching the situation unfolding and it was hard to see it as Tyler was a good person being wrongly accused. Yet, she saw Kira was taking this worse than others, and she could understand his discontent. He was listening to one of his best friends get accused of doing horrible things to hurt others. She didn't like others saying such things about Tyler any more than Kira did, but snapping at the officers wouldn't help. And by what Tyler said, he was getting her sister and Athrun out of potential trouble which she appreciated. It was obvious to her that Tyler was taking the fall for something instead of Athrun, what she didn't know. Nonetheless, things took a turn when Natarle accused Tyler of sabotage and stealing. Lacus had to put a hand on Kira's shoulder and hold him in place.

However, Tyler said nothing to counter Natarle's charge against him, he didn't even defend himself. That confused Lacus as he wouldn't do what Natarle said he would, he wasn't that kind of person. So, why wasn't Tyler saying anything to help himself?

Tyler knew he had lost and this conversation was essentially done, better to end it and not make it worse. Lisa stepped forward, fully intending to tell this woman to shut her mouth and cram her conspiracy theories up her rear. Tyler had done more for their ship and them than any of their own comrades had considered doing. The Alliance was embarrassed about the Archangel, even if they hadn't stated that publicly. The crew would likely face discipline soon enough for what they had done. So they had no right to charge Tyler with being responsible for their issues both known and unknown. Yet, Tyler put up a hand stopping her from coming to his defense. He appreciated Lisa trying to help, but he knew this was going to happen, he was ready. "No, Ensign Badgiruel in your view, it's clear that no matter what I say now you will see me as nothing else but a traitor period."

Tyler sighed at the foolishness of the whole situation and what had led up to it as it was beyond ridiculous. "I could tell you several things that would counter your claims," Tyler remarked indifferently. "And there would be not a single thing that would change your mind, no matter how much irrefutable evidence I and/or others can provide you to show what I say is true. So, why waste the time for all of us here when none are going to listen? Whatever I say would be twisted into an attack against me," he continued calmly before he let out a tired sigh. "Honestly, it's like having to deal with any given member of Blue Cosmos I've encountered before now." Some within the room flinched at being compared to the Anti-Coordinator Organization, yet Tyler continued. "They've always had their justification to try and kill people like me since I'm a Coordinator and that's all that's needed to said for me to deserve to be condemned and executed. And here, I was beginning to think that all of you were different than them and a good portion of the others within the Alliance. But apparently, I was wrong, suppose it's one of those you live and you learn lessons."

Natarle wouldn't be swayed by Tyler's attempted sob story, he had admitted he had worked against the Archangel's crew. The teen had little to no loyalty, even to his friends apparently as he had betrayed them too. Him trying to use Blue Cosmos as a reason as to why he did what he did wouldn't fly with her. Tyler's deceptions wouldn't blind her anymore, "One could say the same of you," she returned.

As Tyler expected, there was literally nothing he could say to convince Natarle of the truth. He could tell her what was likely ahead, how her own allies were going to trick them and turn on them. However, she wouldn't believe it even if he could show her proof of what the Alliance thought of the actions of the Archangel. The woman and through her the rest of the crew would continue in their ignorance and pay the price. And that price is what Tyler had tried to help them avoid facing and they had refused the final offer of help he could give. So, he shrugged, "If you wish to keep moving forward with your eyes shut, you go right ahead," Tyler said. "Have fun finding out how long that works out for you and keeps you alive. Don't blame me when you get woken up to the truth and it's too late to change things."

Tyler's attention shifted off Natarle since she had her view of him and only if she were to see how twisted the Earth Alliance's politics and military have become would that view change. Her reply only went to prove his point that he couldn't change her view, she took an insult into an attack on Tyler. Instead, his gaze landed on those he thought of as friends from Heliopolis, and it was like being stabbed in the heart. He knew that it would be hard as he couldn't tell them the truth while the rest of the Archangel's crew was around. If he could do that there would be so much more understanding between them, Tyler was sure of that.

With the conversation done, all but Tyler and his teammates filtered out of the room. Part of Tyler was glad the argument was done, it had been more than annoying, definitely the worst one with Natarle to date. Yet, there was another part within him that was aching and hurting with the ending results that came with the end. Having to see his friends' faces with expressions of pain and shock hurt Tyler more than he had prepared himself for. And all for trying to prevent fighting between his friends and having the war get worse than it already was. It was irking Tyler that all the work he put into the assignment and while it was completed in the end, it wasn't in the way he had wanted.

After the crew of the Archangel left the room, there was no sound other than the noise of the appliances in the house along with the breathing of the occupants. Lisa was watching Tyler and could see he was having a hard time with how things had ended. His face had kept indifferent for the majority of the conversation and Lisa had to applaud that as it couldn't have been easy. But the indifference was fading and emotions were starting to show faintly on Tyler's face. Lisa wasn't the only one seeing Tyler's normally schooled expression going away and other feelings beginning to show. All three of Tyler's teammates kept staring in growing shock as tears began coming out of their team leader's eyes. Tyler wasn't one to shed tears due to events that any of them had seen. Luke was the first to speak up, "Uh mate, you doing alright?"

Tyler looked over at Luke, opened his mouth but his voice didn't do as he instructed it to, which got Tyler to stop. He wasn't one to have trouble speaking when spoken to, no trouble with speaking to anyone. Tyler took a moment to breathe in and out before opening his mouth again, "Wrong Luke," he questioned, "I'm doing peachy! The mission is done and now," Tyler hesitated, "now we'll hopefully get some well-deserved R&R. So, what could be wrong?" Tyler's voice started breaking halfway through his reply which he noted, but he waved it off as stress building up affecting him. It had been a long day and after some sleep and a chance to talk with friends, he would be fine.

None of Tyler's teammates took what he said seriously, it was obvious that things were not fine for him. The tears were still coming down his cheeks though he seemed not to notice them at all. Alan was the next to speak his mind, "Tyler friend, you're crying."

At Alan's comment, Tyler was about to ask him what the heck Alan was talking about as he didn't cry. Tyler hadn't shed tears for years other than when he was laughing hard enough he couldn't help it. He had steeled himself to not do that type of thing since the Bloody Valentine and he held to that over the passing years. But when he touched a hand to his face, Tyler found that his teammate was absolutely right. He was crying, and he couldn't stop the tears that just kept coming without seemingly any reason. Tyler had prepared himself for the pain that would come from his friends' disappointment or he thought he had. But apparently, that hadn't been enough to be ready and keep the pain from really affecting him. And as the realization sunk into Tyler's mind, he lowered his head unable to face his teammates.

Tyler could handle a bloody battlefield, even if he hated the environment it had. He had learned to cope with the baggage that came from fighting and killing others in the war. Tyler wouldn't be surprised if someday he had some form or variation of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but soldiers tended to. But it had been time with friends that had really gotten Tyler through hard times and he would admit that. Oh, there were the quirks those from Heliopolis had, but Tyler looked past those to enjoy their company. However, the expressions of pain and shock of betrayal cut directly to Tyler's heart better than anything really had for a long time. Shortly after Tyler's head fell, his breathing became ragged and his face contorted in pain. It was some of the first genuine pain he'd shown in the years since the Bloody Valentine.

Lisa could see Tyler was hurting, and it was different to see him like this. Tyler had always been the strong one on the team, could make the hard decisions when it counted. He didn't falter when circumstances became harsh, he kept moving forward making a path. So, for him to show hesitancy and regret outwardly was hard to watch, "Tyler," Lisa began, putting a hand on Tyler's shoulder, "we can help you, we're here for you."

The pain was tearing Tyler up on the inside, it was so similar to what he'd felt learning about the Bloody Valentine. Tyler didn't like to lose those that he cared about, that one event had taught him how horrible that feeling was. That was why what happened to Kira and the others matter so much, Tyler didn't want to go through loss again. Tyler brought his head up, the tears flowing down his face faster than before. "Why," he uttered before his voice caught in his throat one more. Tyler swallowed and tried again, "Why does this," he hesitated, "hurt so much? Why does this pain feel like," Tyler's voice caught again, "what I felt when I fully understood my dad and little sister were gone forever?"

Tyler's voice was wavering frequently, but he couldn't help it by this point. The horrible aching in his heart hurt so much and past pain washing over him only added to the feeling. He'd been trying to help those he thought of as friends and protect them as well, which normally gives the opposite feeling. And while Tyler admitted that he didn't show plenty of real emotions much anymore, he couldn't hold it in right now. His normal coping mechanisms weren't working as they would before, it was like they weren't even there.

"Tyler, old boy, you've been trying your best, that is all any of us can do," Alan remarked.

Tyler knew what Alan and the others have said was right, they had all been doing what they could to get the best outcome. It was just things didn't work out for the best and the Archangel and its crew were going to be the victims. It hurt more as Tyler had vowed to himself that he would do everything within his power and capabilities to not have to feel the pain of loss like he had back when his Dad and Lana had been killed. And by golly, he'd been busting his rear end to help the Archangel's crew survive and live, not just his friends. However, in the end, it wasn't enough to save them from what peril loomed ahead.

He did not doubt that the "welcome" they would get should they reach OMNI's JOSH-A base wouldn't be nice. To the contrary of what the crew might be hoping for or expecting, it would be anything but nice. And the ship's crew would only comprehend the truth when it was far too late to do anything to change their positions. Their faith in their allies would be their downfall and Tyler cursed that and the insistent blindness they had. And while Tyler's teammates did try to help console him so they could start to deal with the situation, it still took time.

Meanwhile, the crew of the Archangel gathered in one of the houses that'd been provided for them to stay in while the ship was being resupplied and repair. The mood in the place was a mix of gloom and feelings of betrayal, and the silence that was filling the air served to increase the emotions all had.

Mu hated the feeling in the air, it didn't sit right and it was not helping anyone and it was irritating him. Granted, the argument that Natarle and Tyler had was the worst the two engaged into to date. However, Mu felt that there was more to whatever Tyler did earlier than he had said. Perhaps, if Natarle had given the kid a chance there could be more sense made of the situation. It was once again, a time that Mu wished Natarle listened to Krystal and him on giving Tyler a chance to explain without interrupting him with accusations or questions. Krystal and he had learned that Tyler's actions while they may not make sense upfront, the kid did what he did for a reason, even if he was the only one that knew it. Heck even if the kid had said he couldn't say due to military reasons, that would have been an explanation at least.

There came a point that Mu just couldn't stand the silence any longer, "Man oh man, the current feel around here is just beyond awkward," he said rubbing the back of his head. "Can we just get on with discussing this and get this dread and gloom to go away? I know what Tyler did is questionable, but I still don't think we can say he's against us, not after what that kid has done, he isn't malicious like that by what I've seen."

Krystal agreed with Mu, Tyler didn't seem the type to help ZAFT or sabotage the Archangel given the chance. Natarle's claims of Tyler doing horrible things to the Archangel and its crew didn't feel right to most of the crew. Tyler had worked hard to protect the ship and the crew during its journey, which was hard to deny. "Indeed, he didn't seem the kind of person to help ZAFT, especially after how hard he defended the Archangel. I just feel there has to be something else, but I can't see what more there could be to this," Krystal remarked.

There was another moment of silence that hung in the air, which only added to Kira's growing anger. Kira was more than just frustrated as he had been while Tyler had been taking the rap from Natarle. And Kira didn't get angry easily but, having to listen to Natarle paint Tyler as a criminal was wrong and infuriating. One of his best friends was being seen and labeled as a bad and horrible person that tricks people, and for what? For helping out their other best friend that they share along with Lacus's older sister get back to ZAFT territory to prevent issues coming up between them and the crew of the Archangel.

Yet, that was apparently enough for Natarle Badgiruel to accuse that Tyler had been attempting to sabotage the Archangel as well. It was as ridiculous as it was dumb to Kira more than anything had been before! If there was something Kira knew about his friend Tyler McGregor, then it would be that he didn't do anything he did without a viable reason and he didn't like hurting people if there was a way to avoid it. Tyler had clearly shown to Kira himself that the destruction of the Archangel wasn't his goal at all. He had defended the Archangel far too hard for that to be his objective. And whatever his real job was, it was causing him grief enough, that he was going out of his way to do what he was at a cost to himself. There came a point that Kira couldn't hold himself back and hit the nearest wall with a fist, "How can any of you accuse Tyler of betrayal?! He hasn't done anything wrong," he shouted angrily.

Most in the room were shocked at Kira like this taking into account his normally calm demeanor. Granted, those from Heliopolis and Lacus understood Kira's feelings and agreed with them, but his reaction was so out of character. It was sad to Lacus that Kira felt the need to defend his friend when Tyler's efforts should do that for him. Tyler had worked hard to protect the Archangel and its crew, that point shouldn't be in doubt. "Kira is right," Lacus piped up, "Tyler has been helping by working for the best interest of us all! How can any of you accuse him of being a traitor with everything he's done for all of us?"

Natarle could comprehend it would be difficult for the teens to accept the truth about Tyler. It was hard for her to understand he would throw away everything to assist ZAFT, but the facts showed that. Tyler had helped a ZAFT agent, the enemy that had been trying to kill them, he had gone against those that he'd been helping. He had proven that his loyalty wasn't to friends but others whether the Federation or not, whether the teens would take that as truth or not. So, Natarle stepped forward, "I can understand that this will be hard to accept, but the fact of the matter is Tyler helped out the enemy. He has taken your trust along with all of ours and used it to pull a fast one over us all. It's more surprising that he would do such to you two," she commented gesturing at Kira and Lacus, "but apparently, loyalty means little to Mr. McGregor."

That was the final straw for Kira, to hear someone say that Tyler had little to no loyalty to his friends, that was one of the lowest blows and Kira wouldn't let that stand without challenge! Tyler went above and beyond for friends period, even when it stressed and hurt him, there was no hesitation with Tyler. "YOU'RE WRONG! TYLER ISN'T LIKE THAT AT ALL," Kira bellowed to the shock of everyone else. Kira then kept going, but his volume was less than a full bellow or shout, "You're just pinning the blame on him for everything that's been going badly from the start! You have no proof of wrongdoing or that Tyler had anything to do with your issues, you just assume it! Clearly, you haven't taken the time to get to know Tyler at all!"

Kira, after yelling the line turned towards the door of the house and stormed out, slamming the door after himself. No one spoke after Kira's outburst, most there couldn't come up with anything to say after hearing the young Coordinator's defense of his friend. It was again Mu that found the use of his voice, "Got to give the kid credit, he's loyal to his friend."

Lacus knew the reasoning that Kira had, and she didn't blame him for his outburst even if it was unlike him. The friendship that Kira, Athrun, and Tyler shared was strong, so much so that others would not be able to break it. The trust the three had in one another was pretty much absolute and had been for a while from what she understood. There was nothing that any other could say about any of the three that they would take over what any of them said. "Their friendship is more than strong enough for them to trust one another to not accept your claims Miss Badgiruel," Lacus stated. "Unless they come as a confession from the other personally there is nothing you can say about Tyler that Kira will believe." Lacus then left the room not wanting to hear anything else about Tyler as she didn't believe the claims any more than Kira did. He had been preventing a fight between the Archangel's crew and her sister, which she was grateful for.

Meanwhile, Kira was stomping outside to vent his anger at hearing the insults and accusations against Tyler. It had hurt to have to listen to Tyler be seen in the picture that had been given by Miss Badgiruel. He knew that Tyler was no traitor and would never be, his views and beliefs wouldn't allow that. Tyler had always been there for Kira when he needed it and he wouldn't let what others said to blur the truth.

Kira, without thinking, had been walking towards Tyler's place, and upon noticing this he thought it would be nice and good to tell Tyler that at least Kira himself, did not see him as a traitor in any way. Tyler would likely know that but being told always helped and Kira would do just that. However, as Kira approached the house, he heard voices from within the place and what he heard stopped him from where he was. The sound that had frozen Kira was the sound of Tyler speaking in a way he hadn't for a long time, five years in fact. The tone and wavering in Tyler's voice shocked and hurt Kira, much like it had when Athrun and he had found Tyler curled up in his dorm room at the lunar prep academy.

"Tyler, old boy, you've been trying your best, that is all any of us can do," Alan remarked.

While Tyler appreciated his teammates trying to help and comfort him, this was something they couldn't help with. A few minutes passed before he spoke again, "Being cursed isn't what hurts, I've unfortunately gotten used to that by now. But," Tyler hesitated for a moment, knowing what was really doing the damage to him. "The expressions of shock and pain from my friends," he stopped again, "it won't stop playing through my mind, it just hurts and aches so much."

Kira understood where his friend was coming from, he had been trying to help and it was not being seen as an attack. And the reason it was seen that way was the officers didn't know who Athrun and Sakura were. It was better in the end that they didn't know who they were due to the complications it would bring up. And Kira felt for Tyler, he wanted to rush in and comfort him, much like he had just after Junius Seven had been destroyed. But Tyler didn't stop talking for long, "And if that's not enough, then there's how I've been trying to handle finishing our assignment AND have the Archangel still be in one piece with her crew alive and kicking. The amount of work done both in the open and more in the background hasn't been small. Yet, it's like no matter what I do, they're still going to be screwed, and because the crew of the Archangel is decent people make it worse."

Lisa would applaud Tyler stating that the OMNI personnel on the Archangel were decent people, especially with his experience with OMNI and the Alliance. However, Lisa knew not all the crew of the OMNI ship had gotten along with Tyler. "You say the crew of the Archangel are decent people, would you say that of its second in command, Natarle Badgiruel?"

Tyler understood what Lisa was getting at and while she had a bit of a point, it wasn't enough of one for Tyler not to care. He and Natarle may not get along or agree on most things, but that didn't mean that Tyler wanted her dead. So, Tyler snorted, "Natarle Badgiruel is a tight-reared officer and a royal tight ass, far more so than your average tight-reared one true, but at heart, she's not a bad person. She can and normally is strict as hell, but think that comes from something else, family perhaps, I can't say. That woman, nor any of the other members of the crew of the Archangel deserve to die and that's what is ahead of them."

What Kira was hearing didn't sit or bode well in his mind. The mention of death ahead stuck out to Kira as he could think of nothing that would point to that. However, that Tyler had done "background work" said there had been things going on that weren't visible. Tyler tended to know what he was talking about most of the time, so there wasn't a reason to suspect him lying. Regardless of what others like Miss Badgiruel may say about Tyler, he did what he could to protect others from danger.

Tyler continued, "Heck, even if I had told them what the heads of OMNI and the Earth Alliance think of the Archangel and her crew, they wouldn't believe me." Kira was worried at that statement, it implied that the Archangel's crew was in trouble with at least some of their superiors. And as if to confirm Kira's thought, Tyler spoke again, "They don't 'appreciate' what the Archangel has done at Heliopolis or afterward as those events have already come back to bite the Alliance in the butt hard. Specifically, the Atlantic Federation has been put in a worse than they have been in for close to a year. They have been distancing themselves and denying any involvement with the events and doing so loudly to everyone else. Those rebuttals do include the existence of prototype mobile suits and that the Archangel had been built at Heliopolis," Tyler paused for a moment, "which is ironic in several ways."

Kira was left to wonder several things, some of which he hadn't before and others he had. The Atlantic Federation had a reputation for being aggressive, and a bully when not chastised about it. There were also rumors that the Atlantic Federation had been trying in different ways to get the Federation to side with them. However, Kira doubted that as the Federation's standing was consistent and clear, the war was a horrible thing and was wrong. "Honestly," Tyler kept going, "the only real reason the Alliance hasn't sent out forces to sink the Archangel, which would solve some of their problems is what the Archangel carries. Sure, the Atlantic Federation denies the existence of their prototype mobile suits, but they still want the results of the work that was done at Morgenroete. The data the Archangel has onboard is far more valuable to the Alliance, much more than the ship or her crew are."

To Tyler's teammates, what he said was an obvious fact, the mission they had just completed was a testament of it. "You're right mate," Luke pipped up, "but what does that have to do with what's ahead of the Archangel?"

The corrupting of OMNI's mobile suit blueprints had much to do with the reception of the Archangel. That data was the major reason the ship was not being hunted down and "taken care of" before now and Tyler knew that as fact. So, when it was discovered that the blueprints that OMNI wanted were unusable, they wouldn't be happy about that. And the first they would turn to as responsible and blamed would be the Archangel's crew even when it wasn't their fault. "It has quite a bit to do with the idea Luke," Tyler replied, "even when it isn't the fault of those on the Archangel at all."

Kira was still listening and was becoming very concerned with the direction the conversation was going. What Tyler had said about there having been data on the Archangel was odd and Kira didn't know what to think about that. It sounded like this "data" was important to OMNI and Tyler's tone made it seem like the data was dangerous. "I would be amazed if the Archangel and her crew receive anything but a harsh welcome should they make it to JOSH-A," Tyler continued. "The crew have and are being made into scapegoats for the Alliance to get out of recent events. They definitely won't be happy when they find the data they want so much is now unusable and the blame for that will fall on the crew of the Archangel."

Tyler paused, knowing that stating what he was wouldn't help in the long run, it was the results that were more pressing. What was done to the blueprints was done and couldn't be reversed nor would he do so if there was a way. The mobile suit blueprints were dangerous in OMNI's hands and would have been used to do serious harm to others. OMNI once they found out what had happened would do "clean up" and mitigate things in a way to benefit them best. "But back to the main point, the Earth Alliance is all about making themselves appear confident and infallible. So, they will separate those they believe can still be controlled and used by them from those they can't effectively. Meanwhile, the rest they have no intention of keeping around will be sent to die on some kind of suicide mission at worse or simply silently handled at best." Tyler paused again for a moment, "Honestly, it's frustrating that good people are gotten rid of regardless of their value and skill!"

If what Tyler said was correct and Kira didn't have any reason to doubt or not believe him, then Kira was now more than worried. However, it did prove to Kira that Tyler had been doing as he knew he was by helping others even when others didn't see it. It was clear that his friend had been doing a lot to help the Archangel and its crew behind the scenes. Kira had no doubt about that but now he had proof that others could listen to and believe which would defend Tyler for his actions. He was close to entering Tyler's home and tell him that he had a friend more than willing to believe what he said and ask what could be done to help. However, Tyler kept going before Kira could, "What haunts me the most is what will happen if Kira and Lacus are still on the Archangel when or if it gets to JOSH-A."

The mention of Lacus and himself got Kira to halt and return to listening, "Kira I fear will be quietly assassinated. Then his body disposed of in such a way that few will ask further and for those that do will either be silenced or just killed." Tyler stopped as thoughts of what would happen to Lacus filled his mind which made him hesitate. "Yet, Lacus will face worse than that, especially once those there figure out who she is. Being the daughter of the chairman of the PLANTs Supreme Council will have OMNI use her as a hostage. The majority of the Earth Alliance's leadership wouldn't hesitate to do something as low as to use a hostage to get what they want. Hell, they will threaten to torture and kill Lacus in a heartbeat to get Siegel Clyne to cave in to their demands. Not like the man could give in to the threats for it would conflict with the best interest of the citizens of the PLANTs."

It was clear to Kira that Tyler was torturing himself with thoughts about what could happen to Lacus and himself. What Tyler said he would face had Kira wondering several things, first of which was "why". What had he ever done to have others want him dead? Yes, he was a Coordinator and that was enough of a reason for some to do horrible things. However, Kira would like to think enough in OMNI's leadership and those under them wouldn't sink to the level that terrorists did. Kira feared that Tyler was correct when it came to what could happen to Lacus if others found out who she was. It was the main reason that she didn't use her real name, her connection to her father and sister. But for others to use her to sway her father to do things he wouldn't normally do was painful to swallow.

Kira didn't have much time to ponder those thoughts as Tyler continued, "It's why I understand the reasons Federation High Command has for not wanting the Earth Alliance and its OMNI to have mobile suits. I'm in full agreement that if the Alliance were to have them, they will use them against the Federation starting with the member nations first. Heck, the message my mother received from the Atlantic Federation is a prime example of how the Alliance is run now. Their 'urge' to assist them in the war against ZAFT is ridiculous and is a poor mask. I'm more surprised they just didn't outright say help us kill "mankind's enemy" like some of them do anyway. Then the suggestions they gave were disgusting, they were telling us to demean Coordinators to less than human."

Kira had been hearing rumors that relations between the Federation and the Alliance were souring lately. However, Kira hadn't given much thought to those rumors until last month while traveling on the Archangel and still not a great deal of consideration. It sounded like the rumors were more true than Kira had imagined them being. That the Federation's military was so seriously concerned with OMNI getting mobile suits said a lot. The expectation of them using said machines to attack the Federation member nations both shocked and scared Kira. The war was already bad with just ZAFT and OMNI going against one another, if the Federation was forced into it, things would become worse.

There was solid silence after that, Kira backed away from where he had been listening to Tyler speaking. He didn't think anyone in the house had noticed him being in the vicinity, but he didn't want to interrupt either. Plus, Kira had a great deal to think about from what he had heard from Tyler and those with him. Some of the information filled in holes that Kira had been meaning to ask his friend about with his actions. It also confirmed that Kira had been right that Tyler had done nothing to harm the Archangel nor its crew. Tyler may have been working against the interest of OMNI and the Alliance, but that was different even if some would disagree. Then there was Tyler showing genuine emotion which he didn't express such often since the Bloody Valentine.

Kira made his way back to where the Archangel's crew was, or at least he still hoped they were all there. He would clear and defend Tyler of the accusations being put to him or else Kira couldn't call himself Tyler's friend. And with what he now knew, Kira would tell even Miss Badgiruel in a way that she would comprehend that Tyler was not their enemy nor a traitor. Kira knew that his friends would understand and side with him on Tyler helping them rather than harming them. And to his good fortune, he found the majority of the people from the ship were still there, though there was not talking much going on.

Lacus had been worried when Kira has stalked off, not that she didn't understand to an extent why he was mad. Tyler didn't deserve any of the accusations that were being placed on him, not with the efforts that he made to help. Tyler for all his faults had a good heart and a valiant soul to match it. He wasn't perfect but then no one was, all had faults and Tyler was no different. His humor was not always appreciated whether due to timing or wrecking the mood for example. However, she had found that Kira's and Tyler's friendship was strong and pretty much unbreakable much like their relationship with Athrun was. So, for another to say that Tyler had betrayed them, she knew Kira wouldn't take that well. With that in mind, it was somewhat relieving to see Kira return and look calmer than when he had left.

Lacus may have been the first to notice Kira enter the house, but that didn't last all that long. Mu spotted the teen and was glad to see the kid seemed to have blown off steam and was less likely to argue and fight. Mu had been worried that he and Krystal might have to physically separate the two. Natarle hadn't been seeing what her attempt to reason with the teen had been leading to. Mu knew Natarle hadn't meant to anger the teen, she was just laying out the truth as she saw it. But Natarle didn't get that some people didn't see that as help or assistance but as lighting fires and burning bridges. "Good to see you've cooled off Kira," Mu greeted, "you were pretty mad when you went out the door."

Kira would admit that he hadn't left this house in the best way and it was a tad embarrassing now looking back. However, he had been furious with Natarle as she had been accusing Tyler of things he wouldn't do. Yet, all of that was beside the point now as he had information that would prove Tyler was helping them. "Yeah, sorry for walking out as I did," Kira returned. "But listen, while I was out, I overheard Tyler talking and by what I heard, he is as I've said been working for the best interest of the whole crew. He isn't a traitor or an enemy."

There was silence at Kira's claim from all in the room, not because they didn't want to believe him, but wondering what he could have heard. Mu wouldn't say no to more info on what he and the other officers had seen tonight. Tyler working with ZAFT didn't fit his behavior at all from what he had seen before now. Krystal was thinking along the same lines as Mu, that there had to be more to what Tyler had done. And if Kira could shed light on such, she was more than willing to give the teen a chance to speak. "Well, what is this information you heard," Krystal asked, "I for one, would certainly like to hear it. I have a hard time seeing Tyler as a traitor, doesn't seem the type to do that kind of thing."

Kira began going through what he had overheard even though there was a lot to cover in what he'd overheard. He started with the part about how those in leadership positions in the Atlantic Federation denied any involvement in what the Archangel had gone through or caused. About how the ones that the crew of the Archangel considered their superiors said there were no prototype mobile suits built or designed at Heliopolis and the Archangel hadn't been created at the colony. Kira even told them Tyler firmly believed that the Alliance had considered sinking the ship to cover up things.

Much of the crew was shocked and appalled at the information Kira was telling them. To hear that the leaders of their military thought so little of their efforts and even saw them as problematic was harsh. Murrue was trying to process that OMNI higherups and even some within the Atlantic Federation denied the G-Project's existence. It had been the secret hope to turn the tide of the war, so why would they state it never happened? With all the difficulty they had faced and gone through, did that mean nothing to those they had been working for? So many questions were coming to Murrue's mind she couldn't sort them out well in a short period.

Mu and Krystal on the other hand, actually believed that Kira had been hearing right with their "allies" denying the G-Project. With the other factions finding out about it, that put the Alliance and specifically the Atlantic Federation in extremely hot water. And for politicians at least, when something made you look bad, you did one of two things; either admit what you did or deny it in every way possible while hiding or destroying evidence. The latter was more common than the former from what both armor pilots had seen during their military service. But that left the question, why then not handle the Archangel in some way and rid themselves of evidence?

Nonetheless, Kira kept going not letting them interrupt or counter what he was telling them. He continued by saying Tyler believed the reason OMNI hadn't tried sinking the Archangel was the ship had special and valuable data which the Earth Alliance wanted badly. Kira didn't go into a lot of detail as Tyler hadn't mentioned where or what that data exactly was. Yet, it had been clear to those Tyler had been speaking to that they already knew about it. From what Kira could figure, it had something to do with mobile suits though he didn't bring that up specifically.

Mu wanted to ask more about the data that Kira mentioned, but the kid didn't give him a chance to do so. Whatever the data could be was the reason according to Kira that OMNI hadn't sunk the Archangel. It made him wonder what could have been hidden that none of the crew or officers knew about. And Mu had been suspecting that some within the G-Project were doing things they hadn't told anyone about, but this was the first real evidence that showed that clearly. Although, Mu was irked that this "data" was seen as more valuable than the ship and her crew who had been protecting it even if unknowingly.

Next, Kira got to what was said about the type of reception that would be waiting for them at Alliance Headquarters at JOSH-A. It had sounded like more than a guess as to what Tyler believed would occur like he had evidence of some kind. The details Kira heard, he mentioned the crew being separated into the two groups of who they wished to keep and those they didn't. Those they didn't want would shoulder the blame for what had happened essentially using them as scapegoats. However, Kira left out what had been said would happen to Lacus and himself apart from the others as he didn't want to tell Lacus and everyone else would then question why Lacus would be used as a hostage against the PLANTs.

Krystal was worried at the stated "reception" Kira iterated was waiting at JOSH-A. The details provided made it hard for Krystal to believe that it was made up or a wild guess. The Archangel's actions along its journey would potentially explain why several in OMNI would be miffed. But how that transitioned to "weeding out" loyalists from the Archangel's crew Krystal couldn't say. It did make her wonder that if true, then what would be the qualifications of being "saved" rather than "thrown away".

Finally, Kira laid out what had been said about Tyler's mission and why the leaders of the Federation Military viewed the Alliance getting mobile suits as a serious problem. The position and viewpoint weren't all that hard to understand in Kira's mind for it was based on the assumption that OMNI would attack the Federation. And with recent events within the war, it was possible that such could happen. With that in mind, to protect their citizens, they had sent a group to do what they could to prevent the Alliance from getting access to mobile suits. It's why Kira himself thought that the 'data' had something to do with mobile suits, mostly from what Tyler said later on. However, Kira left out the mentioning of some sort of virus or program that was 'taking care of the data. By what Tyler had said, it didn't sound like it would hurt the ship itself just do something to the data mentioned. If Kira had mentioned something about the program, then it would likely be used by someone to say Tyler was a traitor again.

Still, Kira did mention the document that Tyler had said had come to the Republic leadership. He knew that would mean that Tyler's mother would be the one to have received this document whatever it was. Tyler's mother was the Republic's prime minister though Kira wouldn't say that as he knew Tyler didn't want that to be public knowledge. And while Tyler hadn't said much about the "document's" content, there had been enough inference to say it had not been what most would say nice or good. It made Kira a tad curious what it said but at the same time, he didn't want to if it was as bad as Tyler implied. Once finished, Kira waited for the reaction of those who had been listening as it was them he was attempting to convince.

The whole story that Kira told was quite something, Natarle would give the teen that. She would also applaud his attempt to defend and exonerate his friend for it was commendable even if misguided. The claims of "denied involvement" from OMNI and the Alliance would be a public task to mitigate rumors and damage to the Alliance. It was a process that existed for when things didn't go according to plan and normally very wrong. She didn't doubt that behind the scenes their allies would help them finish their mission and it would benefit OMNI and the Alliance.

The mention of "data" only proved to Natarle that McGregor was making up things to cover for his actions. If there were data on the Archangel, Murrue and her at least would know about it as they were a part of the bridge officers group. Not that she needed more confirmation of Tyler working against them or not having their best interest in mind, but Kira had kept going. The "reception" he spoke of was nothing more than a twisted view of an outsider that knew little to nothing about OMNI. The Archangel and her crew had performed admirably and she assumed once debriefed would be commended.

Then Yamato had revealed some more interesting pieces of information whether he knew that or not. That Tyler had been on a mission for the Federation's military said a couple of things, foremost of which was they were aware of the Archangel's mission. The second and perhaps more troubling point what the Federation apparently didn't want OMNI to have access or use of mobile suits. The reasoning or logic they used didn't matter, it was that the Federation was and likely had been actively preventing mobile suit development for OMNI. That did, however, bring up the question of if there really was data on the Archangel, though Natarle doubted it, could it have to do with mobile suits?

Lastly, there was the so-called "document" that Yamato talked about which the Republic's leadership received from the "Atlantic Federation". Whether the Atlantic Federation's president or any others in its leadership sent messages to other nations of Earth was not the point. Politics was something she stayed out of as her father long ago had suggested and it had helped her steer clear of horrible messes. So whatever it was that said document if it existed was of no concern of Natarle's. It was a distraction from Tyler's actions which were still against the interest of the Archangel and its mission. Instead, Natarle was the first to speak up, "Quite the story you've told, I'll admit Kira. Nevertheless, there's no proof that any of this information you have provided is true. Mr. McGregor could just be making all of it up to cover himself and that's just as likely."

Kira frowned as he had been telling the truth but it seemed even that wasn't enough for some people. It assisted Kira in understanding Tyler's view of the Alliance and OMNI, there would be those of them that wouldn't listen. No matter what you told them true as it could be and even with evidence provided, they wouldn't agree. A sign or effect of the ongoing war perhaps, the distrust of other human beings? Of course, Kira wasn't going to let Natarle continue to call Tyler an enemy or traitor, he was his friend after all.

Lacus saw Kira shifting himself into a position to defend Tyler by whatever means he saw necessary. She didn't want Kira fighting others from the Archangel and she doubted Tyler would be any more comfortable with it than she was. So, she put herself in front of Kira shaking her head, "No, Kira, don't do this, he wouldn't want you to."

The room was tense until Mu hummed in thought, "If everyone would calm down and not be at each other's throats, I have a thought I would like to say." All in the room turned to look at Mu, who continued after a moment, "From what Kira just said, Tyler is either extremely well-informed or really good at predicting how people can act. And honestly, from what I've seen watching the kid, I'm more inclined to go with the former rather than the latter," Mu reasoned putting a hand to his chin. "I mean, some of the information Kira gave is pretty specific and it makes me wonder if there isn't something to it. The denial of the Atlantic Federation leaders sounds like what most politicians I've been around doing, deny what makes them look bad." Mu paused for a moment thinking about what concerned him more, "Although what has my attention is the 'reception' that's supposed to be waiting for us at Alaska."

Krystal knew that Mu would not miss the reception mentioned any more than she had. It was too detailed to be a story pulled out of a hat. With that in mind, either Tyler knew some things about how some disgusting people acted, or he knew things the crew didn't. And with experience, Krystal was inclined to believe the latter over the former. The older teen had been uncannily accurate in what he said would happen thus far, that unlikely would change now. The weeding out was what worried Krystal the most as that had several implications, and most weren't good. So, Krystal nodded in agreement, "That caught your attention as well Mu? The reception sounded worrisomely specific and makes me really more than just curious too," she commented.

Natarle was kind of irked that Krystal and Mu were giving any credence to what was being said. None of it was true, Tyler was lying to save himself from being caught helping the enemy, there was nothing else. This conversation was not worth continuing before Yamato left with him unable to accept the truth. It was now beyond that and ridiculous as nothing said would change the facts and it was a waste of time. "That point alone says Mr. McGregor doesn't know what he's talking about. It's utter nonsense," Natarle stated with finality.

Mu didn't need proof or more examples that Natarle didn't get along with Tyler any more than Tyler got along with her. However, this wasn't the first time and he didn't believe it would be the last that Tyler would be right to some extent while Natarle wouldn't admit he was. Mu stared at Natarle, "Really," he posed. "Would it be the same kind of utter nonsense he told you about ZAFT with the battle with the Eighth Fleet before he went out? That turned out to be rather on the money as I recall whether you admit that or not Natarle."

Natarle was at a loss for words at that reply from Mu, for she couldn't think of an answer to it as he had a point. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but what Tyler had said before going out in that battle had been correct. That didn't change her views or standing by what she said about Tyler having betrayed them and working with the enemy. She would keep stating that Tyler had helped ZAFT as that is what he had done. However, Murrue spoke up before she could say anything, "There's no reason to debate this right now, we depart tomorrow on route to Alaska. Everyone is to go and get sleep, be on the ship at 0800 hours."

People began exiting the room heading to the beds they had until all that remained was Kira, his friends from Heliopolis, and Lacus. The other teens were trying to process what had been said about Tyler, both by Kira and Natarle. It was hard to believe Tyler would do anything that would harm them, he wasn't that kind of person. Sai was the first to speak, "Kira, after hearing what you said," Sai hesitated, "I don't know what exactly to think. Tyler helping that ZAFT pilot is hard to dispute by what the officers said."

Lacus figured the best way she could help Tyler and defend him is to tell their friends the truth that she had been keeping from them. She had wanted to tell them who she really was when they had met. It had never been nice to hide her identity from others though she understood the need. With the fame, her sister had gained from the war while her father was a well-known diplomat and a defender of the PLANTs the name Clyne was known by most. Yet, with Tyler having helped Athrun and Sakura, to reveal the truth of why Tyler had helped them needed to happen. "The one that Tyler helped wasn't just a ZAFT pilot, but one of his best friends by the name of Athrun Zala. So, Tyler wasn't helping ZAFT, he was assisting his friend and trying to prevent fighting from coming up. And the other was," Lacus paused while glancing at Kira who was nodding, "my sister Sakura Clyne."

Those from Heliopolis were silent at the mention of the name "Clyne" since they had all heard it before. The news networks mentioned Clyne every now and then, but it was in reference to the PLANTs Council leader Siegel Clyne. Nevertheless, Lacus's last name was Christopher, not Clyne, and she hadn't mentioned a sister before now. Although, the older woman had looked a lot like Lacus herself which they had all noticed but had said nothing out of courtesy. Everyone stared at Lacus, "You said the name Clyne right," Tolle asked. "But your name is Christopher, isn't it Lacus?"

Kira had known that should Lacus's real identity be found out by their friends, there would be questions. He'd hoped to avoid it, but now it would serve as a way to show Tyler had been doing what he could to help rather than to do harm. But with all the effort that Tyler had put forth during the journey to Earth, he deserved that much. Lacus was looking down at the floor not able to gaze at any in the room. "No, it actually isn't guys," Kira admitted, "and it's my fault that you think it is." All attention shifted to Kira, "With Lacus's last name being so well-known, it seemed a really bad idea to have anyone else know what it was."

Kira's admittance made their friends wonder why Lacus's last name was such a big deal. It was not like she was related to the leader of the PLANTs, "But why is it such a big thing for you to have the last name Clyne Lacus," Miriallia questioned. "I mean, it's not like you're related to the one with the Clyne name in the government of the PLANTs right?"

Lacus hesitated for a moment not because she didn't want to be connected to her dad or anything. She loved her father and was proud of what he did for the PLANTs and its people. But because of what he did, many in the Alliance and through them OMNI saw him as an enemy and despised him. Any related to her father were seen the same, yet in her case, she could be used to get to her father. That was the major reason she didn't use her own last name when she went outside the PLANTs. Lacus sighed, "Actually, the one you're referring to is named Siegel Clyne," Lacus paused, "and he's my father. His job and position are that of the chairman in the PLANTs Supreme Council while my sister is one of the best ace pilots and commanding officers that ZAFT has. And then, my career being an idol singer does contribute to the issue."

Kira was somewhat relieved and happy that Lacus had finally been able to tell their friends the truth about her name and family. He knew that much more would have to change for Tyler to be able to do that if that ever became possible. Not that Kira didn't understand why Tyler didn't discuss his family or who they were, there were good reasons. But with Lacus explaining her father's and sister's professions, that brought back to mind what Tyler had said would happen to his friend Lacus should she reach JOSH-A. A frown formed on his face at the disgusting thought of Lacus being used as a hostage.

Lacus took note of Kira's expression as a frown was a rare thing for him most of the time. And she felt there had been things that Kira hadn't said when he had been telling the rest about what Tyler had been saying. She couldn't show proof of that, it was more "woman's intuition" more than anything else. "Kira, are you okay," she asked worriedly while moving to be right in front of him.

Kira focused on where the voice came from and realized that Lacus was right in front of him looking worried. He didn't want to worry her, and if he told her what Tyler suspected would happen to her that would likely occur. Yet, Kira couldn't think of a way out of telling Lacus what Tyler believed would happen to her. "Oh well," he muttered hoping Lacus would drop the subject and he wouldn't have to continue.

Lacus however, could see Kira was trying to dodge the subject as he did sometimes on things he didn't like talking about. She felt that what he wasn't saying was too important to let it go, so she would persist. Lacus didn't move from being in front of Kira and didn't let him break her gaze. Kira took Lacus pressing as she was to say that she wouldn't take his mutterings as an answer to leave it be. He exhaled heavily, "Tyler said that you and I Lacus would be facing something a bit different were we to go to Alaska with the rest." Kira took a breath, "He believed I would be killed in such a way that most if any would know about it happening."

There were gasps at Kira's admittance from all but Lacus herself. She figured that with the things Sakura had said about those in OMNI and the Alliance, that such could happen. Sakura hadn't spoken highly of many in the Alliance, really only Admiral Halberton that Lacus could recall. And then as Tyler likely got much of his information from the Federation's Information Network, he knew what he was talking about. Kira hesitated as he didn't like what Tyler had described what awaited Lacus at all, though he believed it was right. "Tyler said that you would be used as a hostage against the PLANTs and wouldn't be let go."

Everyone minus Lacus gained a horrified expression, however, the pink-haired girl herself nodded in sad acceptance. It was a very plausible outcome, and with the actions of the Alliance lately, it was also quite likely to happen. It also lent credence to Sakura's warning to her in orbit about the Alliance, specifically the Atlantic Federation. With a lot of them being members of Blue Cosmos, using a hostage to get an advantage over ZAFT was something they would do. "Yes, I would imagine it would be as Tye says," Lacus stated. "Sakura also said not to trust the leaders of the Earth Alliance and it would fit."

Lacus's agreement to what Kira said hit home for their friends of how dangerous this war actually was. For there to be people that would be selfish enough to see nothing wrong with using another's life to advance their own interest and the evil intention was horrible. But there was still the point as to how Tyler could know what Kira said he did, it was odd, even when Tyler had a knack for knowing things. "How would Tyler know or guess any of that," Tolle asked while the others nodded in agreement.

"Because," Kira started before he took a deep breath, "Tyler is a member of the Federation's military, and he has been for two years according to him." There were gasps from all but Sai as Tyler being an agent for the Federation's military made some sense to him. Their friend's skills and how he was so good at not being noticed when he didn't want to be could have been learned from military training. But that raised the question of what a member of the Federation's military would be doing around Heliopolis and then the Archangel. "I believe what you say," Sai began, "Yet, what would the Federation be doing at Heliopolis and the Archangel?"

Kira sighed, not because he didn't understand the reason for the question being asked, but because he didn't know himself completely. He had an educated guess from what he'd heard from Tyler, but Kira couldn't be sure if that was correct. "I don't know for sure," Kira replied, "But from what I gathered, the Federation is extremely concerned with OMNI getting and using mobile suits. Tye mentioned that its military leaders fear that OMNI would use such to attack their member nations. And that now apparently includes the Orb union for some time."

Miriallia blinked at what Kira said as there had been a couple of things he had revealed. The Federation was concerned about the recent actions of the Alliance and was paying attention to the war likely more than was publicly known. And second, Orb was a part of the Human Federation when she couldn't recall there ever being an announcement about that. It would have been rather big news as it had been almost twenty years since a nation joined the Federation. "Wait Kira," Miriallia said, "Orb is part of the Human Federation?"

Kira nodded, "As far as I understand it yes, I took some time to check the Federation's Information Network while we've been here, and it is true. The Orb Union was officially welcomed into the Human Federation on December 20th 69 C.E. though no announcement was made by Orb's leadership about it."

"But why then was Tye at Heliopolis," Kuzzey asked.

Kira had heard the story from Tyler and Athrun had added a few details later, but the overall explanation was simple enough. Tyler had been around the colony on an undercover mission for the Federation which was to look into possible OMNI activity. "Tyler was there to look into OMNI doing things at the colony due to rumors," Kira answered. "That doesn't mean he didn't enjoy the times we all had with him. Tye sees you all as friends and because of that he has gone out of his way to help and protect you all."

Lacus had heard from her dad before the visit to Heliopolis that there were rumors of OMNI doing "development" more lately. Of course, that hadn't meant that ZAFT had ways to prove those rumors like the Federation's military did. And looking back, Lacus could only guess the stress that Tyler had been going through with the events that had unfolded. Yet, he had kept it to himself and put on a good face that none had noticed until recently. In the end, Lacus could only smile weakly, "It always seems that Tye is being a kind of unsung hero, doing good but never being seen for that. He doesn't seem to care about what others think of his actions in general since he throws his own image away to help others. Nevertheless, he always appears to be unaffected by what's going on around him putting on a calming face."

Those from Heliopolis looked at the floor, thinking about what Lacus and Kira said, and came to the slow realization that they were right. Whenever Tyler was around, things may sometimes not be pleasant, but they weren't horrible when they likely should be. Tye seemed to be the first up and around the Archangel and the last to bed most days no matter what was happening. The more they considered the point, the more the students began to notice the subtle signs of the things Tyler would "help" with. Sai ended out sighing, "With time to think back, I can see what you both mean," he remarked. "Guess it is proof that we rely on Tye more than we admit, that he is a pillar of strength to us."

Tolle nodded before he exhaled, "I think we all knew deep down we relied on Tye a great deal, but now, I wonder if we really understood how much he does for us. I mean, every time I needed help with something, Tye would drop what he was doing and assist me, I don't know about any of you."

"No, that sounds right for all of us," Kuzzey commented, "Like Sai said, Tye is a pillar of strength and we all know that. It makes believing the Vice-Captain even for a moment feel horrible as we should know our friend better than them."

Miriallia brought her head back up though it had a frown on it, "Only Kira and Lacus defended Tye when we all should have been. I mean, I know that Tye and Miss Badgiruel don't get along, but even when he does nothing to improve that, it doesn't mean that he should be accused of being a horrible person."

Sai agreed with what had been said, but where did they go from here was still a standing question. In his mind, the image of Tyler's hurt face had been popping up over and over for Sai. But then Sai felt a smile come to his face as a thought came to mind, which was they could apologize to Tye when they saw him before leaving tomorrow. Tyler would unlikely travel on the Archangel, so they could at least send him off the best they could. "Perhaps we may have a chance to apologize to him before we leave tomorrow, that would be helpful I would think," he suggested.

The suggestion resonated with those in the room and after agreeing upon it, they turned to small talk. After Kira's explanation, Sai, Miriallia, Tolle, and Kuzzey believed as Kira and Lacus did, that Tyler was no traitor. Tyler had been and was a friend doing his best to help and protect them from what had come their way along the journey. Even when it had been hard on Tyler, he had gone out of his way apparently to help them and through that the Archangel to stay safe. And looking back, it was quite easy for them to see that Tyler had been helping them. After that, the group of teens separated to their beds to get at least a little sleep before tomorrow.

The next day dawned and the crew boarded the Archangel in a solemn mood as things changed for them last night. It was easy to see that not all of the crew believe as Natarle did that Tyler had been tricking them the whole time. Yet, there was no discussion about Tyler or the accusations Natarle had pinned to him. The boarding to the Archangel was hurried along so that the teens didn't get the time to talk to Tyler. And the Alliance vessel's departure was quiet, but not unnoticed by anyone as it was watched by several.

Tyler had gotten up early and witnessed the ship leaving the dock and shortly the port itself. As he watched, he silently wished his friends safe travels, but his worries didn't leave him. His friends were sailing toward danger and he was convinced that if nothing changed it would be the life-threatening kind. He knew what most leaders in the Alliance and OMNI were like, previous missions had made it clear. Most leaders in the Alliance were either stubborn "war dogs" or "Coordinator-hating" fascists. There were few exceptions with those in leadership positions, and they tended to not last in the spot. Halberton was the longest-standing exception, and Tyler doubted OMNI higherups like the man, but he got results that were hard to argue.

But the Archangel was still sailing into a horrible situation and his warning had gone unheeded. Tyler had expected Natarle not to believe what he said, her views were too set for them to be changed by words. He assumed that came from her military background, which he had read over when he had peeked into the file the Federation had on her. The woman came from a military family who had served the Alliance and the organizations that came before and made it up. In essence, a career soldier, and while Tyler normally had little issue with that type, the blind faith in their superiors was problematic in his opinion.

Truthfully, Tyler kind of hoped that Natarle would learn the truth about the Alliance and its goals before it was too late and she paid with her life. Oh, Tyler didn't like her attitude, but that didn't mean he was fine with her dying, and he wasn't. Natarle was similar to Halberton when Tyler had first met him, which was before he enlisted official. Halberton had seen the horror this war was feeding and so he tried to do what he could to end it with lives intact. Tyler wanted to believe that when Natarle Badgiruel saw the truth of what those in Alliance and OMNI leadership were willing to do to achieve their goals, she would fight for the right reasons going forward.

That's how Tyler saw a lot of the crew on the Archangel, good people blind to the truth of what direction the war was going. If things didn't change drastically, things would become far worse than they already were. Tyler had read some unverified information on the Federation network that attempts were being done to get around the N-Jammers. If nuclear weapons came back into this war, there would unlikely be an Earth or Colonies for that matter left intact or habitable. Tyler hoped such rumors were untrue, but a nagging feeling in him said they weren't. The Alliance would love nothing more than to send nukes at the PLANTs like some of them did with Junius Seven. And Tyler would be there were some in ZAFT and the PLANTs radical enough to not just consider doing the same but follow through on it.

If nuclear weapons came into play, the Federation wouldn't stay out of the war, there was that opinion. It may not even be that idea that drew the Federation into the war, Tyler knew things were just too tense for that to be the only reason. Should or rather when OMNI became able to mass-produce mobile suits, they would use them. Tyler would bet a large sum of currency that the Federation member nations would be the first on the list of places to attack for them. As their "suggestions" had gone unanswered and unheeded, they would use that as their reason to "force" their will Tyler would imagine. He wasn't looking forward to the time the Alliance would be foolish and make themselves enemies of the Federation. It was going to be a messy business and that was never fun or even okay in most cases.

So, Tyler's was low and he figured it was going to be for a time, which irked him as he could do little to change that. The next two days proved his assumption right as his mood was still gloomy and miserable. Tyler had decided to make a written report for his team's mission, more so he didn't have to give it orally. He wasn't in the mood to talk about things since he was brooding and he knew it. His worries about some of those on the Archangel hadn't left him, they were more haunting Tyler, especially for Kira and Lacus.

Tyler knew those at JOSH-A would not be happy in any way when their blueprints were found corrupted. And that in turn would have them pin the blame on the ship crew even though they had no idea what they had been carrying. Heck, Tyler wouldn't be at all shocked if the officers and the crew were grilled for their actions along the journey to Earth. The Alliance had been taking flak for what had resulted at Heliopolis and beyond that and rightly so even if they wouldn't admit it. Along with that, those in charge at JOSH-A would be mitigating responsibility for what the Archangel did. Naturally, if possible they would have the consequences fall on the Archangel's crew rather than themselves.

Yet, none on the Archangel knew what was ahead of them, and Tyler hated being right in this case. But now, he was in a far less able position to lend assistance to those on the ship which didn't sit well. There was still a ways to go from Shira to JOSH-A and lots of opportunity for others to delay or try and destroy the Archangel. Tyler hadn't forgotten that Creuset was at Carpentaria, prime position to attack the Archangel along its way. True that would put him and his force in Federation territory, but that hadn't stopped or slowed him down before now. However, as things were, Tyler was forced to wait until more was known about the situation. The Archangel was no longer his primary problem even when he thought and wanted it to be.

As was the normal routine procedure with the Federation's military, Tyler and his teammates were given R&R time now that the mission was done. It was a way for those at high command to say thanks for a job well done and so it was expected. Tyler and his team hadn't gotten much of that after Heliopolis, but circumstances had been rather precarious back at that time. Nonetheless, with the time he now had, it was only dragging his current mood down since the Archangel left since it only fed Tyler's stress and nightmares. And with nothing to do, Tyler stuck around his place moping as his position was one he detested and he couldn't do much about it.

Meanwhile, Ellen had been keeping herself busy over the last week, even with the OMNI vessel coming and leaving. The ship's crew had not caused any issue during their stay, so there was no extra work for her. And with the workload Ellen had lately, she didn't need or really want more to deal with. The Earth Alliance was already seeing to problems whether creating them or just making them worse. The Atlantic Federation's "insistence" on helping them in their war efforts had become more than just annoying. There came a point that Ellen needed a break from the foolish blind idiocy that she was dealing with. So, she decided to go and check on Tyler as he was apparently free of duties for the time being.

Ellen traveled to his home and when she entered, she found her son moping about something. It was rare for Tyler to let emotion get the better of him, an effect of the forced growing up he did after the Bloody Valentine. It had been hard for Ellen to see Tyler's pain at the loss of his father and sister. The coming to terms hadn't been short or smooth at all, the venting he'd done had been alarming at the times it happened. It had been several years since Ellen and seen Tyler in a "negative" mood like he was in. It certainly made her wonder what had happened to have her son in the state he was. "What is troubling you Tyler," Ellen greeted, "I can't say I've seen you like this in years."

Tyler twisted and focused on where the voice had come from and found his mother standing at the entrance to the living room. His mother didn't visit often, it was normally him going to see her rather than she come to him. Tyler's mother kept herself busy, even more so than Tyler tended to be and he wasn't lazy or given the opportunity. Yet again, Ellen had proven to Tyler that she put family first when it counted the most. Tyler had seen the point time and time again, his mother making time to spend or watch him. Tyler had been grateful to his mother for the time she put aside for him and his younger sister. The security that had accompanied her on most of those trips hadn't been as nice as her coming. However, after Tyler had grown up more, he understood the reason that security personnel was around her. There had been at least one assassination attempt on his mother before, a failed one true, but one nonetheless.

Tyler considered his response but was too irked to come up with an excuse that his mother would more than likely see through. So instead, he sighed, "Rare for you to come to see me, normally it is the other way around mom," Tyler replied. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, just not in the best mood for visitors, wouldn't doubt you know how that goes."

Ellen could understand not wanting to entertain visitors at times, and depending on who it was visiting. She'd had more than her fair share of those she wasn't fond of insisting to have time with her, politics had made sure of that. But she could tell that something was really bothering Tyler and her son had a thick skin, she'd made sure of that. However, it still hurt to see times that her son was in this kind of state, much like she felt any parent would feel for their child. "It will help if you talk about what's bothering you Tyler," Ellen suggested. "I know you don't always agree with that idea, but I assure you it tends to be true."

Tyler knew his mother was right, even though it was one of those times that he wanted to disagree. Keeping in the turmoil hadn't been helping at all, it had been only making the brooding worse. And Tyler's mother was one that listened and rarely judged upon what was said, he would appreciate that. So after a few moments, Tyler sighed, "Where do I start with the mess I have become involved in?"

Ellen's eyebrows rose at that opening as it said a lot of things about what Tyler had been involved in. She had heard the general summary of what the OMNI ship had gone through to get to Shira, but little detail. And with how Tyler had gotten back to the Republic, it had Ellen wondering several things. "The beginning tends to be the best place," Ellen said, "And you can leave out any classified information even when I'm privy to an amount of it."

Tyler paused at the last line, "And what makes you think there is classified info involved mom," Tyler asked.

Ellen smiled slightly at the question as she knew what Tyler did things that the public didn't know about. She had read some of the reports from Tyler's missions, they had both worried her and had her proud of her son. He did work behind the scenes to keep not just the Federation's citizens safe, but innocent human beings in general. "Because," Ellen began, "I've read enough of the mission reports that you were on to know that tends to be the case. The missions you involved in tend to be classified or have classified information a good portion of the time."

Tyler sighed, "I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that with your position you can read classified information to some extent." He paused for a moment before he continued, "I don't know if I should see it as a good thing that you can read the reports I write or be worried that you can. There are some reports that I mentioned things that I would rather you not see or read."

Ellen could guess what Tyler was referring to even when she didn't call him out on the idea. There had been times that Ellen had read things that Tyler wrote that if he'd said in her presence, she would have been giving a stern talking to. But she had kept that urge to herself and attributed Tyler's wording in some of his reports to stress. "Do get on with your story Tyler, you have brooded long enough I would think," Ellen replied.

"As blunt and to the point as ever I see mother," Tyler returned, "I can't fault you on that as I respect such really." Tyler took a moment to gather and order his thoughts about the journey to the present. "As you know, I traveled to Heliopolis around a year ago officially on an educational exchange, which was a cover story as you no doubt know." Ellen nodded as she had made the paperwork originally and had wondered what Tyler's decision had been based upon. "The real mission was to investigate possible OMNI activities there. And it turned out to be correct and things got worse when ZAFT got involved and just kept going downhill."

Ellen exhaled, "I assume when you say ZAFT getting involved you are talking about its Commander Le Creuset attacking the colony," she posed. She had not been please with the man's actions and had been with those that were calling for him to be held responsible. And yet, the PLANTs Supreme Council hadn't punished the masked man. It would likely fall to the Federation's Military to apprehend Creuset and bring him in to face the consequences. Ellen knew that those like Creuset needed to be held responsible or they would keep going and usually do worse if given the opportunity. "Reports about what befell Orb's colony were frustrating to read I will admit."

Tyler shrugged his shoulders but also frowned, "It was worse to be there in person to watch the event happen. But as bad as that was, it was made worse with the meeting with the PLANTs Supreme Council."

Ellen put a hand to her temple, "I would hope that you were on good behavior while meeting with them," she questioned.

Tyler nodded, "As with official functions, give the best impression you possibly can just like you taught me, mom. I wish that the same courtesy had been extended instead of having to be in the middle of a kind of shouting match."

Ellen blinked, "What do you mean a kind of shouting match Tyler," she asked. The summary that Tyler gave disturbed Ellen in several ways as it worried her about the direction the PLANTs' leadership was going. Ellen had confidence in some of the leaders like Siegel and Eileen Canaver, they would see the issues with what occurred to Heliopolis. What was concerning was those like Patrick Zala, their views were dangerous if fed. It also showed how far Patrick had descended since the loss of his wife. That Creuset hadn't been called to task and punished for his horrible actions, and he had kept going after that. Granted, Ellen was worried about OMNI perhaps getting mobile suits to use as they saw fit. It was a concern of the Federation, OMNI attacking the member nations to enforce their will.

The things that Tyler told Ellen weren't any better than what happened to Heliopolis. The lives lost were regrettable even if they weren't Federation personnel, there were still people. And even with the refugees rescued and safe, that had come at a cost. Then Tyler's time around Shira hadn't been the rest he should have been getting after reentry. Although according to Tyler he had managed to handle the "issue" he was assigned to take care of. But through that, the crew of the OMNI ship which included some of the friends Tyler had made at Heliopolis had accused him of betraying them. That event had caused Tyler to mope for days now as he had been hurt by his friends feeling he'd betrayed them.

Tyler was grateful for his mother listening to his story and the baggage that came with it that he really needed to get off. He knew that she wouldn't judge him for his actions or what had happened during his trip back to Earth. Once he was finished, Tyler was silent waiting for his mother's thoughts. "It seems like usual, you've gotten yourself into a precarious position once again for the sake of helping others," Ellen remarked. "You are so much like your father in such things even when it doesn't help much."

To be compared to his father was the highest compliment in Tyler's view since he respected his father the most just as he did his mother. Hence, a smile came to Tyler's face though it was mixed with a bit of nervousness. Waving off what he did was something Tyler could manage when needed, but it rarely worked with his mother. And it was a personal challenge for him to strive to be like his dad. "Always strive to be the same kind of man that dad was," Tyler replied.

Ellen was glad that Tyler at least got or learned some of the good qualities Lance had within him. There were some of those said qualities that Ellen Tyler didn't show often as they had a tendency to put his life in danger. However, his selflessness was still something she was proud of and she wouldn't deny that. Nevertheless, she also wanted Tyler to snap out of this mood he was in so, she pinned her son with a serious gaze. "And do your regret any of your actions in these events Tyler?"

Tyler stared at his mother for a moment with the question she asked, for it was one he thought he answered some time ago. He wasn't one to regret the choices he made, even when the results of said choices weren't nice. That was how Tyler had lived his life since the Bloody Valentine, live without regret of choices and actions to the best of his abilities. "Absolutely not, I regret nothing of what I did in any of these events any more than I would anything else I do," Tyler returned firmly.

Ellen knew as was proud that Tyler lived with his choices since that meant he thought things through the majority of the time. True, there were times and things that Tyler got involved in or did that Ellen didn't appreciate. His habits that went into prodding others or pulling pranks were quite annoying when they came out. Yet, Ellen loved Tyler for who he was, both the good and the bad parts of him. So, she nodded at his response, "Then all you can do is move forward from here and let the past be."

Tyler mulled over what his mother said and it didn't take long for him to know she had a good valid point. The past couldn't be changed as much as some may wish it could be, and even if it were possible, it shouldn't be done. Tyler just needed to move forward and the first step was to quit moping and get to work. "I really don't know how you do it, mom," Tyler said, "You always seem to know what to say, so thanks."

Ellen smiled, "It may seem that way, but I just speak from my heart and that tends to work the vast majority of the time." She left as there was work for her to still do and she felt there would soon be much more.

The visit from his mother had worked as a type of pep-talk for Tyler and gotten him more focused on the present. While he hadn't gone with the Archangel due to issues with the crew, that didn't mean he wanted the ship sunk. Tyler's friends were still on the ship after all and so, if the ship went down they would likely die for that and that wasn't okay. Thus, that translated in Tyler's mind that he needed to know where the Archangel was and get there simply put. The lives of the crew were of value but not as much as his friends' lives were to him.

So, Tyler wasted no more time and got to work with going through the Federation's Information Network. And while Tyler didn't want to wait for what he needed, in the end, it took a few days for the information to come in about the Archangel. By the information he'd seen from the Network, the Archangel was on the way to the Orb Union. It was likely for the reason of resupply one last time before making a break for JOSH-A. Tyler wasn't the happiest that they were still blindly marching into a horrible situation with their so-called "allies", but there was nothing he could do to change that. The standing issue was a certain ZAFT Commander was still dead set on hunting down the Alliance vessel. It was much as he'd done at Heliopolis and so he intended to sink the Archangel and all onboard.

However, there was a twist in the circumstances that hadn't be present before now to the extent it would be. Tyler suspected Creuset had managed to convince enough at Carpentaria to send a force out to intercept the Archangel before it got to Orb. That was the only logical explanation Tyler could come up with as the Archangel would still technically be in Federation territory by the time ZAFT could reach them. And Tyler didn't doubt that Creuset would be involved in the said assault in some way, shape, or form. Honestly, ZAFT commanders and other officers would and should know better than attack Federation territory. They knew the consequences just as the Alliance did, you became targets whether you agreed to that or not. Things further became complicated with that ZAFT force with its current course and speed would intercept the Archangel before they reach docks in Orb.

Honestly, Tyler had little to really no interest in helping the Alliance or its OMNI in their war efforts. And helping the Archangel was akin to helping OMNI with getting the ability to mass-produce mobile suits. When that came to pass the war would become worse than it was already, Tyler had no doubt. Plus, after his last fight with Natarle, most wouldn't blame him should he let the Archangel deal with its own problems. However, should Tyler not help, there was a chance the ship would be destroyed and his friends along with it.

Truthfully, that was only half Tyler's issue and the other half was the harder part. The other part was an internal and moral issue that Tyler had known could come up but he had hoped it wouldn't. He had a best friend on both sides of the developing conflict and they would be put in the position to fight one another and likely worse than before. So, the question for Tyler that was tearing him up was who does he help, Kira or Athrun? Siding with either of them would automatically label him the enemy of the other side. Where Tyler would rarely side with the Alliance due to his past experience with them, the Archangel wasn't the same to him anymore. Then Tyler couldn't agree with the views of Creuset as he's a warmonger and Tyler didn't like those at all.

The longer Tyler thought about the conundrum, the more it irritated him since he couldn't see a way to help and prevent death from being a result for some he didn't want to lose. If Tyler did nothing friends would die, but if he did interfere, friends would still possibly die. In short, Tyler was seeing just how much of a lose-lose situation he was facing and it was one of the harsher ones he'd dealt with for a while. And yet, while he would admit that, Tyler would not let that fact stop him from trying to help no matter how small the percentage was that he could help. He knew there was a moderate chance that attempt could end out doing rather problematic to potentially lethal things to himself, but Tyler accepted that.

With his decision made, Tyler grabbed the pilot suit he had and then headed to his car with the intent to go to Teswa to grab the Shadow and go. Tyler also had left without telling his teammates, he didn't want them to go into what he was. He was willing to risk his life to save friends, but he didn't want others to do that for him. Along the way to Teswa, Tyler contemplated what he was going to be heading into, he knew the Shadow's normal equipment wouldn't be enough. And the only option he had to go with would be the Kale Artillery pack, which would help with the firepower issue. Tyler needed any advantage he could get as he would be on the side which would be outnumbered.

After arriving at Teswa, Tyler didn't waste time and headed to the mobile weapons development area. Carlos was a bit surprised at seeing Tyler and he had a serious expression on his face which rarely boded well. "Tyler," Carlos greeted, "What brings you around here today?"

Tyler didn't have a lot of time to explain himself or what he was doing, time was of the essence. "Carlos, I'm sorry to say I don't have the time to regale you with details," Tyler replied. "I'm in a hurry if it isn't obvious, I need the Shadow made ready for launch with the Kale Artillery pack equipped. Got a place to be that I'll be needing my machine to work with."

Carlos knew better than to ask about what his young friend had gotten himself into, it was normally better not to ask. So, instead, he had others ready the Shadow as quickly as possible so that Tyler could head out. At the same time, Tyler found an empty room and slipped into his pilot suit, and sealed it up other than the helmet. He returned to the work floor to find the Shadow getting the equipment pack linked up. It was a short time later that Tyler entered the cockpit of his machine and booted up the OS.

Tyler flew out of Teswa via the top exit he'd used previously, engaging the Shadow's mirage colloid after leaving. He headed off in the direction that would have him at the Marshall Islands where the Archangel would likely be when ZAFT got to them. Tyler's thoughts were going over the possible scenarios he might find by the time he caught up. Reaching his friends too late was about as bad as not reaching them at all in Tyler's mind. And the silence Tyler was in wasn't helping him keep those thoughts at bay. Still, Tyler was keeping focused on his goal as he would do whatever he could to achieve it or die trying.

Along the way, Tyler came across a fleet of five Federation ships going in the same direction he was going. With the information Tyler had scanned over that had gotten him moving, he assumed that they were looking into the possibility ZAFT was going to skip over territory lines. The number of ships was average for a moderate patrol group, perhaps a tad heavy, but with what they were going towards understandable. The next thing Tyler knew, three Federation Valkyries were coming up from behind him to fly alongside. The aircraft wasn't surprising to Tyler as the Shadow was by this point registered in the Federation's military database as an allied machine so it didn't need an escort.

Lisa and the others of Tyler's team had agreed that he had gone off when they couldn't find him that morning. It hadn't taken a great deal to figure out that Tyler was heading for where the Archangel had been going. With that in mind, the three had grabbed Valkyries and headed off towards the patrol group heading in the direction of Orb. It was around the same time that the three caught up with the expected patrol ship group, that Lisa spotted the Shadow flying close by. She opened a comm-channel to the machine, "Tyler," she began, "I understand you want to rush off, but take a moment to make a plan. Or else you will end out saving those you are out to try and rescue."

Tyler hesitated at Lisa's statement, her reasoning was sound and he knew it. He didn't want to admit the point as he was focusing on getting to where his friends were to save them. But Lisa was right, if he rushed in, then he could end out failing to do what he had set out to do. Tyler knew time was short, but he also knew that not having some sort of plan was just as bad as not having enough time. So, Tyler changed his path to come into land on the deck of the largest ship in the patrol so he could make a plan.

The largest ship was a Lapis-class carrier, which had a length of two-hundred-seventy-five meters from stem to stern with the shape of a long rectangle with rounded corners. The forward half was for launching fighters or mobile suits with the main runway and two separate catapults on either side of the runway. The back half had helipads for rescue operations to be sent out and behind those was the command bridge tower. The ship didn't have as many armaments as the Sea Cutters possessed, but with the ship being able to hold ten to fourteen aircraft or other mobile weapons if they squeeze in, the armaments weren't necessarily needed. The Lapis-class was pretty much the leading ship of the ocean fleet of the Federation's earthbound naval forces.

Tyler landed and then followed the directions of the deck workers to one of the service elevators to the carrier's interior. Tyler exited the Shadow and met with his teammates before they headed to the command bridge to meet with the ship's captain. From the captain, they learned the patrol was heading towards Orb's territory due to information received from High Command. The information was that a "hunting" group of ZAFT subs had left Carpentaria and were making their way toward the Marshall Islands. A ZAFT "hunting" group was normally made up of three of their Vosgulov-class subs which could carry six mobile suits, if not up to eight including the two underwater machines.

And while Tyler knew those facts, he didn't like it repeated and expanded upon. A ZAFT hunting group would definitely make trouble for the Archangel. Tyler didn't doubt that Kira, Lacus, and the armor pilots would try their best to defend the ship. But in the battle that was coming, they would be outnumbered and outmatched, that was being nice really. It showed that ZAFT was serious about wanting that ship sunk. It was also the reason that Tyler figured ZAFT was taking the risk of being caught by Federation forces. A ZAFT hunting group would get whipped by a Federation patrol the size that Tyler was traveling with. And with the Ordea treaty that the Alliance and ZAFT had with the Federation crossing borders was not to be done without a valid reason and hunting wasn't one. So technically, ZAFT's hunting group's action could be seen as an act of aggression against the Human Federation itself, which could be taken as an act of war in the extreme stance. ZAFT was already fighting against the Earth Alliance in their war which had been going for five years. Tyler believed that even a child could see it was a dumb idea to take on another group that could take you on and wins.

So, Tyler was left pondering two things, do these orders come from those leading the ZAFT military, or was Creuset doing this without others knowing and hoping that he doesn't get caught. Second, say ZAFT does what they want, the point was their actions would be seen as a violation of a major standing treaty. There's no way Creuset would convince any in the Federation that his hunt was justified in this case. And the PLANTs Supreme Council won't be able to cover him as they had for Heliopolis. The weird thing to Tyler was Creuset should already know all of the trouble he would be in. He had proven that tactically speaking, he wasn't an idiot so, why make and take such a serious gamble, all for an obsession?

Phase end

A/n

And that's where I'll leave off for this Phase. This turned out longer than I thought, but I would like to think it is better than it was originally. Now most of this Phase is of course the argument between Natarle and Tyler and the fallout from it as you readers know. Yes, there turned out to be longer than I thought it would be, but I expanded it out from what it had been before. However, I will highlight a few things that changed. The first point was the conversation between Tyler and Creuset as I expanded that one. As I've been doing, I've been adding the view points of other characters that weren't in the original version of this story. It I would like to think fleshed out this part as we get more detail more on Creuset's end which is interesting to me.

Second, the argument between Natarle and Tyler. If it isn't obvious by this point that Tyler and Natarle don't get along, go back and read previous Phases. This is the culmination of their dislike to this point in the story. Natarle wanted to nail Tyler for something, but didn't have enough "evidence" to do that in her view until the airport scene. I did change the tone a bit but the argument is much the same as before. Finally, the fallout from the argument is a bit more detailed, but still overall the same.

For those that have read the original story, you are aware that a battle phase is coming up. I have no time frame as to when it will be done, work is sucking up time and life may get more busy. I will write as fast as I can without giving up quality. As I seem to always say at the end of pretty much every phase or chapter I write, some of you please take the time to write a review and tell me your thoughts about the story, the phase. Comments help more than most would think, else I take it that there's nothing wrong and no questions at all.