Gundam Seed: The Federation ver 2

by Blackshadow999

Different telling of Gundam Seed. With the conflict between Naturals and Coordinators getting worse as time passes, some nations have banded together and formed the organization known as the Human Federation. Will the Federation be able to help bring peace or will the hatred between Naturals and Coordinators destroy everything and bring extinction of humanity? Cover by Saddle Patch

42. Phase 42: A Promise to Keep

A/n

Here is Phase 42, hope you are enjoying the rewrite thus far. But enough from me, on with the story!

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Phase 42: Promises to Keep

June 25th, 71 CE

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Around Lagrange 1

The time that went by in which Tyler had to wait seemed much longer than it really was. Exterminating OMNI's Second Orbital Fleet had been tedious and a chore to Tyler, more distracting from his worries than anything else. It didn't help that Tyler dreaded he would read about something happening to Lacus and Siegel as he scanned over the Information Network. From the things Tyler was seeing, the National Defense Committee was doubling down on trying to apprehend Lacus and her father. They were even employing their "group" that did off the books cleanup work which was concerning. For the Chairman to call upon those who did off the book work implied several things. First, it said that Chairman Zala knew they were not criminals as much as he had portrayed them to be. Thus, he couldn't publicly call for their execution as the people of the PLANTs loved them. Which led to the narrative that the Supreme Council was using, that they were unstable, confused, and were being tricked. Those working to capture them were likely to kill them, which irked Tyler. It showed Chairman Zala demanded absolute loyalty over anything else for his plans regarding the ongoing war.

So far, both Lacus and Siegel had evaded capture, which Tyler applauded since it wasn't an easy task. As it used to be said, they were moving from foxhole to foxhole, keeping out of the hands of their pursuers. And yet, Tyler was forced to sit around, waiting for the mission to extract the two to be given the green light. If it would work, then Tyler would've gone to Aprilius One himself and gotten the two out. However, Tyler knew the chances of success were far too low for that to work and have them alive by the end. Tyler felt Lacus and Siegel would be needed for a world of peace to come to pass. If the world lost either of them, the possibility of lasting peace dimmed tremendously. Plus, Tyler didn't want to lose a friend, he wouldn't accept that if there was any other option.

But finally, Tyler saw an extraction mission was given the green light to commence. Tyler had tried to get assigned to the job in what ways he could without getting caught. He was attempting to keep under the radar of his boss since if he were found out, he would face her directly. Tyler would still go to help Lacus and Siegel even if it meant he would have to take consequences from Admiral Raine. However, nothing Tyler did could get him to put on either of the two SOLAS teams being sent. All his requests to the second-in-command of SOLAS were declined, the reply saying those being sent would complete the task fine themselves. Yet, Tyler wouldn't accept that, not that he believed the SOLAS agents would fail in their mission. Tyler had complete confidence in the SOLAS teams that would go, and his colleagues would get the work they were assigned done.

Tyler's other point set to go to the PLANTs came from a promise he had made to Lacus before taking the Freedom. And when Tyler made a promise, he didn't do so lightly, especially when it was made with a friend. It was a lesson that he'd learned from his father, you were a man of your word and kept a promise made to the best of your abilities. And so, Tyler fully intended to go and help Lacus out of the trouble she was in. Of course, if he could assist Siegel, Tyler would do what he could for the man. Tyler would willingly face his boss and tell her his reasons for going off on his own and doing what he did. Such an idea was a horrifying situation that Tyler avoided as he could. But for Lacus, he would face the hellish consequences Admiral Raine could hand out.

Tyler wasted no more time and went to the ship's captain and informed him that he would be leaving the ship on assignment. Tyler said he couldn't disclose the details when asked about the assignment as it was a SOLAS mission. The captain accepted that when a member of SOLAS said it was their business, it was better not to know. Tyler raced down to the hangar and boarded the Aurora with that done. He launched out from the Voyager class and headed off in the direction of the PLANTs. Tyler shifted the Aurora into its flight mode as he went and shoved the throttles forward to get to his destination on time. Thoughts of Lacus in trouble, crouching down to hide from gunfire and the like, were running through his head as he went.

At the same time, Athrun traveled along toward the PLANTs in a shuttle he had borrowed from the Archangel. After Cagalli had gotten out her feelings about Kira potentially being her brother, Athrun decided. He would go to the PLANTs and confront his father and do his best to convince him of the wrongness of his actions. If Athrun couldn't convince his father, he would at least make sure the man knew he would be responsible for ZAFT falling and the PLANTs surrendering. Should things go unchanged, the Federation would end this war by defeating the Alliance and ZAFT. Learning that the Federation had already wiped out one of the Alliance's Orbital Fleets showed that ZAFT wouldn't do much better against them.

He had left the Justice back with the Archangel, for a couple of reasons. ZAFT would abuse the machine and take advantage of it having a Federation ID assigned to it. Dearka hadn't been willing to admit Athrun may not come back from his "trip" to the PLANTs, so he hadn't accepted the pilot seat offered. However, Athrun had to plan for the worst that he would be killed or imprisoned when he got back. The implications that Tyler had given were bouncing around his head as he sailed along. Tyler hadn't said it directly, but he might as well have. Patrick Zala had fallen into madness, whether by his own choice or another leading him into it. However, there was still the possibility that his father was still in there somewhere, and Athrun wanted to see if he could find him. It was for Athrun and the good memories of his mother that he was firm in taking the slimmest of chances. Cagalli's objections hadn't helped his resolve as she had tried to stop him. Yet, Kira had been on his side and convinced Cagalli to let him go.

Kira had been with him for around halfway before Athrun had continued alone to Jachin Due. When Athrun had arrived at the base in the Alliance shuttle, he had been detained, which he had expected. He had been given a "state of the art" mobile suit to bring back its twin unit or destroy it before returning. And with him returning without the mobile suit he had left with wouldn't be seen well at all. But Athrun was prepared for the questions demanded of him when he arrived. He didn't answer much of them but was polite about those he did answer, even if those interrogating him weren't giving the same curtesy. However, two things saved him from further questioning, which he hadn't expected. The first was that someone came upon the interrogation, Admiral Treize of all people who had been touring the base at that time. He had asked what was going on, and those trying to get information from Athrun couldn't come up with a response for the man. The second point that got Athrun out of the questioning was that orders came that he was to be escorted to the Chairman's office immediately.

Meanwhile, Tyler had been traveling for a few hours before he came into the area considered Lagrange 5. He spotted the hourglass-shaped colonies laid out in six rows, with ten in each row and another grid of the same size below the first. By the last collection of information that Tyler had looked at, Lacus and Siegel were on Aprilius One. Tyler headed toward Aprilius One, aiming for the central control structure where docking facilities were located. Once Tyler got close enough to see the outer hull of the control sector of the colony, he began looking for a usable airlock to enter by. Tyler quickly found what he needed, exited his suit's cockpit, and used his suit's thrusters to get to the airlock. With Tyler's skillset, getting past the ZAFT's security was a simple task for him.

Upon entering the colony, when the airlock cycled, Tyler began searching for the SOLAS team that had been sent here. Tyler kept to unused paths in the control sector, the maintenance corridors being what he favored. As Tyler made his way toward the colony interior, he came across the SOLAS team he'd been looking for. He was forced to stop when he had guns pointed at him by the SOLAS team members. Tyler put up his hands before bringing out his ID stick and projecting his military creds. The team leader signaled the rest to lower their weapons, "Commander McGregor," she started, "I wouldn't doubt there's a story to why you're here."

Tyler put away his ID stick before gazing at the SOLAS team leader, "Indeed, there is," he replied. "But as time isn't a luxury we have in plenty, it would be better if I don't get into it. I know I'm not assigned to this mission specifically, but I will face the consequences from above."

After a moment, the team lead shrugged, "So be it, you can join us, but we aren't responsible for what you do should Admiral Raine inquire."

Tyler nodded in agreement, "I accept that, and I'll take the fall should that be needed and drag no one with me."

Tyler fell in with the rest of the SOLAS team as they moved forward toward the colony interior. He didn't know anyone on the team as he hadn't met any of them on a previous mission. But then, Tyler tended to get missions with small teams or work by himself on the assigned tasks. Most in SOLAS knew who Tyler was because he was the youngest member and tended to get infiltration missions. He had earned a reputation even when he didn't want to have the "kid" that "managed" to pull things off. And that reputation was something he had worked hard to prove to others it was untrue at least the kid part. Tyler also found the team he had joined up with was the one that was heading for where Lacus was assumed to be hiding.

The team traveled through the maintenance corridors of the control sector, which were empty and clearly not checked often. That ZAFT had areas in their colonies they didn't watch much if at all, showed they didn't expect outside forces to get inside. The team met none as they moved forward, though they were still on guard just in case they encountered anyone. So, the SOLAS team met no trouble before reaching an airlock that would lead into the habitation area of the colony. The team opened the airlock and looked down toward the ground far below them. The team lead signaled the rest to ready themselves to descend to the ground below. All on the team activated their optical camouflage systems with their suits before jumping and starting the drop to the colony interior. Using their suit's thrusters, the descent took close to ten minutes, so they remained unnoticed by any that may look up.

After landing, the team quickly moved forward to the house that information pointed to the one they were to rescue. Tyler saw that the place they were approaching looked like a house for multiple families. He would guess it had more than five bedrooms and could support several people living within. The team sped forward and hid in the greenery at the edge of the property. The SOLAS team's view was a few vehicles that were both in green uniforms and men in black suits. Those in green uniforms also wore helmets and bullet-resistant vests, while those in black suits had guns with silencers. Obviously, the soldiers were "guarding" the place and would prevent any from leaving while they were there. There were also gunshots coming from the inside of the house, which Tyler didn't like to hear. "McGregor," the team leader said, "Take half the team and go inside and deal with those there. The rest will be with me, and we'll take care of those outside." Tyler acknowledged the order and moved forward, and others filed into a double line behind him as they headed for the house. As Tyler's group prepared to enter the house, the rest of the SOLAS team moved over to where the ZAFT soldiers were. They quickly got down to dispatching the ZAFT soldiers quickly enough that they didn't know what was happening.

Meanwhile, Aisha and the soldiers with her were holed up in one of the bedrooms inside the house. The windows to the outside had been blocked so that none could target any of them from the outside. Twelve of the soldiers who had joined the cause that Lacus stood for now, along with Aisha. Three soldiers were at the door with sub-machine guns firing in the direction of the invaders and assassins. All in the bedroom were dedicated to protecting Miss Clyne and would give their lives to shield her from death. If Siegel and/or Lacus were lost, then those against the way the war was going would lose pretty much all but one chance to stand up to those in power. Lanus Treize was the only other that could stand up to the Supreme Council and have a hope of succeeding.

Lacus didn't like the current circumstances that she and others found themselves in right now. She had never meant for others to become involved in the mess she and her father knew would come their way after the theft of the Freedom. Both she and her father had gone into hiding the same day Tyler had taken the Freedom away from the PLANTs. Siegel had gone one way while Lacus had gone another, they kept in contact through secret channels. That had been working with keeping them out of the hands of those Chairman Zala had been sending out to find them. That had worked for close to a month, and they had kept one step ahead of the hunters from catching them. However, this time ZAFT forces had gotten the jump on them before moving to their next hiding spot. It was questionable if they would escape alive from the ZAFT forces Chairman Zala had sent at them.

With how things stood, Lacus may end out being why those here lost their lives. While she believed in what she spoke about in the broadcasts and felt it was worth risking one's life for, it was more than just hers in this. Lacus really would love for Tyler to appear now, he would come up with a plan to get all of them out alive. Tyler always had a plan for any given situation, and he seemed to have a knack for the idea. He'd promised he would come to help her out of a jam, and if she wasn't in one now, Lacus didn't know what a jam was. Lacus was torn from her thoughts when one of the soldiers protecting her cried out and fell backward. She looked at the man and saw he had taken a bullet in his right shoulder, bleeding.

Aisha moved forward and glanced over the man and the injury he'd just taken. The wound to the shoulder wasn't serious at the moment, if the bleeding could be stopped soon. They were losing ground and would soon be overrun if things didn't change seriously. Andy was too far away to be able to help in this since he was at a ZAFT dock with the Eternal. Those trying to get to Miss Lacus had more in the matter of numbers than they did, and that would win in the end right now.

Tyler's group moved into the house's foyer and found there were soldiers in the adjacent rooms. By what Tyler saw, the attackers looked to be part of the group as those outside, so they were likely the same force. They were firing their weapons into a room toward the back of the house. However, the gunfire in that direction was being shot back at by those they were trying to kill. From what Tyler could count, there were twenty on the attacking end, and there were fewer on the defending side in his estimation. Tyler ordered that smoke grenades be used to make a screen for his group to be able to move in and dispatch those they were here to stop. The smoke quickly spread into the rooms, and Tyler ordered his group to activate their thermal filters on their visors. His group moved in and began clearing the rooms, killing the ZAFT personnel and shooting at whoever was in the house.

Aisha peeked around the doorframe and spotted smoke filling the room, and she was trying to process what was going on. If the smoke was from their attackers, why was it filling the room they were in and not the hallway they were shooting down? Something didn't feel exactly right to Aisha, and she wanted to say she was missing something in this. What she saw didn't match any ZAFT strategy that Aisha knew of.

As smoke filled the rooms, the sounds of coughing filled the air, which was good enough for Tyler to order his group forward. With the Thermal filter in the visors of the SOLAS team, they could see the layout of the room without the smoke interfering. While moving through the smoke, Tyler and his group were using blades rather than guns on the ZAFT soldiers. With Tyler's group dispatching the attackers, things were going as smoothly as possible. But then one of the ZAFT soldiers threw open a window, and another did the same on a second one. With the windows open, the smoke quickly began moving out of the room Tyler was in, which required a change of tactics. Tyler ordered blades away and guns out to finish cleaning up the mess they were in now. After giving out instructions, Tyler sheathed his own knife and took out his "Hornet" SMG he preferred to use on missions. SOLAS operatives tended to have the Federation's "Avenger" assault rifle as the standard gun they used. Tyler flicked off the gun's safety, took aim at the nearest ZAFT soldier, and got to business.

The ZAFT soldiers had bullet-resistant vests on as was standard for operations to deal with insurrectionists. But this "enemy" which had come with the smoke and had been taking them down was not like any of the criminals that had been in the mission brief. And now this unseen force was using guns that the vests didn't seem to block bullets well, if at all. Truthfully, Tyler almost felt sorry for the ZAFT personnel and what they faced, they were outmatched and didn't even know it. Yet he ignored the sick feeling of killing others and focused on the task at hand, which was saving Lacus. Aisha was listening with the two at the door to figure out what was going on in the dining room. Firing bullets was odd as it didn't sound like any weapon that ZAFT would use that Aisha could think of.

The sound of gunfire died down after a couple of minutes, and silence filled the house. There had been gunfire from outside, from what Aisha had heard. It made her wonder who was here now that had likely just wiped out the ZAFT forces sent to kill them. She and another peeked around the doorframe and saw the dining room with dead bodies on the floor. From what Aisha could see, the bullet-resistant vests hadn't been much help to the soldiers. However, there was the faint sound of footsteps in the house in different rooms further away. That could mean whoever had mowed down the ZAFT force was still here in the house and potentially on the outside too.

Tyler had told his group to fan out and search the rest of the house to make sure there were no other ZAFT soldiers there to cause issues. It was better to be safe than sorry, as the old phrase used to go, and Tyler had learned the wisdom of the adage. Tyler joined the house search to make sure the coast was clear for Lacus and those who were with her. It took five minutes to make sure the house was clear of any that could cause problems. Tyler was back in the foyer when the "all clear" was reported. He was stepping into the dining room when he gave the order to drop their camouflage they had been using. Tyler holstered his SMG as he moved towards the room ZAFT personnel had been shooting at. He figured that the room was the most likely place for Lacus to be, and he was here to save her.

Aisha had been talking to Lacus when one of the soldiers at the door whispered to her that they had seen something. Aisha moved to the door, peeked around the frame, and saw some in the dining room and foyer. The thing that caught her eye was the figures she was seeing were in Federation spacesuits. She could think of no viable reason for Federation soldiers would be around Lagrange 5, let alone on Aprilius One. Aisha was grateful for the assistance of the Federation soldiers since they had gotten them out of a bind. However, there was no clear motive for them to be here or help Miss Lacus. Aisha didn't like to make assumptions, even if they could be good ones for her. She signaled some of the soldiers to move out into the hallway to stand as a defense for Miss Clyne.

After seeing four ZAFT soldiers coming out of a room into the hallway and aiming their guns at him, Tyler stopped. He raised his hands slowly to show he didn't have a weapon to use against them. A moment later, he heard guns clicking, and Tyler knew some in his group had come into the room and were covering him. The standoff didn't last long as Tyler signaled his allies to lower their weapons. Pointing guns at one another weren't helping this situation, and time was of the essence. Aisha was still in the doorway to shield Miss Lacus, but she kept an eye on the standoff. The Federation soldiers had what appeared to be assault-style rifles even when it was a model she wasn't familiar with. Aisha was surprised that the Federation soldiers' team leader told them to lower their rifles while her allies kept their guns raised. Aisha whispered for the four soldiers to do the same as the Federation soldiers with them likely not to kill them. She would rather deal with the Federation than ZAFT personnel right now. Tyler exhaled when the ZAFT soldiers lowered their sub-machine guns and glad things were not escalating.

Lacus wondered what was going on outside the bedroom since there had been silence for minutes now. From what Aisha had whispered, Lacus was led to believe that "Federation soldiers" had handled the ZAFT personnel hunting them. Lacus wanted to believe the Federation being here was good for them. Lacus's group needed a stroke of luck in this situation if they were to get out of their circumstances. Two of her protectors had been hurt, one with a gunshot wound to the shoulder. The other had gotten a gash when a window had been shattered from an explosion. She had apologized to both of those hurt, defending her as she wished they hadn't been injured. However, she was done hiding behind others right now, and they get hurt for her. So, Lacus rose and walked toward the door to face those here now.

A woman stepped out of the room, and it was a second before Tyler recognized her. The woman had been one of Lacus's "helpers" during the theft of the Freedom. He assumed that he and Waltfeld were still assisting Lacus while she was on the run. Tyler guessed the ZAFT soldiers and personnel had likely defected from the regular forces to do what they were. He would applaud their dedication as their lives were on the line with protecting Lacus. Tyler would be shocked if their hunters showed any mercy to Lacus's protectors, they would gun them down without hesitation. Tyler refocused and decided to take off his helmet to be recognized and move things along potentially.

Lacus stepped around Aisha and gazed at those in Federation spacesuits. Much like Tyler's pilot suit, the visors blocked any view for the face of the wearer. However, as Lacus took in their "rescuers," she saw they had more equipment than Tyler would normally possess. Yet, her attention was drawn to one Federation soldier taking off their helmet. It was unusual as the Federation was well-known for being mysterious and not revealing much information about themselves. Nevertheless, once the face was there for all to see, Lacus felt warmth in her heart seeing Tyler's face. She rushed forward and embraced her friend, so happy that he was there. Yes, he had promised that he would come to help her get away from those that would hunt her down. Lacus had believed Tyler when he'd said he would come back, but she had worried he wouldn't make it in time.

Aisha blinked at seeing the face of the Federation soldiers since it was oddly familiar to her. A moment later, she remembered where she'd seen the young man which had been during the theft of the Freedom. He was the "pilot" Miss Lacus had chosen for taking the mobile suit away from the PLANTs. Aisha hadn't imagined she would see the young man anytime soon again after the theft. Aisha would have said something but Miss Lacus shot past her and hugged the young man. Aisha decided they were safe for the moment as the young man was a friend of Miss Lacus and wouldn't hurt her.

Tyler returned the hug Lacus gave him, "It's good to see you're okay, Lacus," he greeted warmly. "I'm here like I said I would be to help you get out of this situation. I just got help, which had speed things along tremendously." Tyler knew they couldn't stick around for long, and they needed this group to get moving before ZAFT sent more to finish the job. "Nice as it is to know you're alive and okay," Tyler said, "we need to move before others come and continue what those we handled were doing."

Aisha agreed with the need to move away from the house stated. Section 2 and ZAFT soldiers had been sent to kill them, which was worrisome. Soldiers were expected more than some from Section 2, who normally did dirty work that the public didn't even know about. However, with Section 2 and soldiers failing, the next step usually was for special forces to be deployed. While she and the others protecting Miss Lacus had dealt with that, they would not do well against special forces. Federation soldiers had bailed them out of a tight situation, and such an opportunity shouldn't be wasted. "I would agree, Miss Lacus," Aisha said, "We should move away from the house before more come for us," Aisha told the soldiers to ready themselves to move and carry the two injured comrades they had.

Tyler noticed that two of the ZAFT personnel here with Lacus were hurt, likely from the fighting they had been doing. The female ZAFT soldier looked to have her arm wrapped in bandages but could move fair enough on her own. On the other hand, the male soldier had a bloody shoulder likely from a bullet wound that would cause an issue. So Tyler moved forward, taking out one of the vials of "stim shot." It was an emergency injection that would stimulate the individual and help them ignore the pain and get through things. The idea was temporary, but it was effective most of the time. Tyler knelt by the injured man, "I have something that will help for a time to get you through this." Tyler paused, squeezing the levers on the side of the vial, so the injection needle popped out. "You'll still need medical attention when you get it, but this will temporarily help." Tyler stabbed the needle in and pressed the button on the top of the vial, and the liquid in it drained into the man. While Tyler was injecting whatever he was into the injured soldier, another wrapped their shoulder with bandages.

After a few minutes, Lacus's group gathered what they needed and were ready to head out of the house. Once outside, Lacus's group was shocked to see all their hunters dead and more Federation suited people. It was an unofficial accepted fact that Federation soldiers were better trained than either OMNI or ZAFT. However, it was another thing actually to see the point proven to them. Aisha wondered if these soldiers were Federation special forces of some kind. There had never been any mention of what kind of soldiers they were that Aisha could recall. She wouldn't be shocked if they were special forces or even the Federation's SOLAS with their skills. If any of them said they were members of SOLAS, Aisha would believe it without much difficulty.

As they moved away from the house, the Federation soldiers vanished from sight. However, Aisha could see faint disturbances in the air, which could be mistaken for a heat haze of some sort. There was little argument that the Federation was superior regarding stealth technology. Neither OMNI nor ZAFT could compete with the Federation on stealth, which was very much detested. Yet, Aisha wasn't against having "invisible" allies as if ZAFT special forces did catch up with them, they would have a hard time for it. If their group could get to the docks and onto the Eternal, they would be clear.

Meanwhile, the trip to Aprilius One was quiet for Athrun, and then the walk to Patrick Zala's office was the same. The two soldiers said nothing as they escorted Athrun, nor did they give any expression to say anything. Athrun focused on controlling his breathing and keeping calm for what lay ahead of him. Upon entering the office, Athrun noted it was darker than the last time he was here, adding to the uncomfortable atmosphere. The expression on his "father's" face was even less kind and somewhat understanding than when he received his mission to find the Freedom. If Athrun needed any other sign that this conversation would be anything but pleasant, then Patrick signaled for the soldiers to leave. After the soldiers left, Patrick came around his desk and stood in front of Athrun. "You've returned from your mission, Athrun, not a single report before this which I'm disappointed with. However, as this was a top-secret assignment, I would normally be willing to forego that. And yet, by what I'm to understand, you came back on an Alliance shuttle and not the mobile suit you were given." Patrick glared at his son, "Where is the Justice? What happened to the Freedom?"

Athrun's intention was to confront this man that was his father in the hope of understanding why he had been doing things that got so many people killed. The man Athrun remembered from when he was a child had been a good man, stubborn at times and stern, but a good-natured man who stood up for others. However, the display of the man in front of Athrun was not even a shadow of that man. It was pretty much as Tyler had implied the "leaders" of ZAFT would be and it was a stab in the heart for Athrun. But for the good in him that Athrun still wanted to believe he had, he would attempt to reason with him. "Father, I need to know what your true feelings and intentions concerning this war are?"

Patrick became more irritated at the question being asked rather than the answer that should be coming out of the boy's mouth. There were enough issues to handle currently, with the two Clynes sowing doubt and discord. Managing the rumors that those two had been putting out had kept several in the National Defense Committee. Then Section 2 had been having little success at apprehending either of them. The Clynes seemed to keep a step ahead and were away from the hiding places discovered. One team of soldiers was looking into a promising lead on Lacus Clyne, and hopefully, the girl would be caught or killed soon enough. There were far more important facts to confirm than this boy asking foolish questions. Thus, Patrick stared for a moment before gaining an expression of annoyance on his face, "What did you say?"

Athrun didn't back down, and he would have a straight answer regardless of how painful it could be. "You heard me, how much longer must we continue fighting," Athrun continued. The inquiry that questioned this conflict's purpose and reasoning were important, and Athrun had to know. "What do you believe must be done so this war can end with peace and not destroy the human race?"

Again, Patrick Zala paused at the question, not quite believing that the one in front of him was asking this. This boy had been given an important mission to complete, and he shouldn't be wasting time on nonsense. "What nonsense are you blathering," Patrick snarled. "What's important now is the mission you were assigned to do! You're to report on that and not ask ridiculous questions that are childish nonsense!"

That reply and tone didn't give Athrun hope that he would do what he wanted to come back here. No, it only showed how far gone the man was, which hurt far more than any words did. "I've returned because," Athrun paused, "I felt the need to ask you this question directly. How much more of this fighting, this destructive war must there be for it to be enough," Athrun snapped, "How many more lives will be lost before it ends?"

Patrick was becoming angry at this boy who wasn't doing as he should. Athrun was being childish at a time when that was a hindrance. So, Patrick gained a look of growing anger, "Enough of this, Athrun! I will not have a child who doesn't understand a thing talking to me like this! There are far more important tasks to be done right now, and you are impeding them!"

Before now, Athrun would have likely backed down and not argued with the man. His father had been in leadership for long enough to be "wise" in how things should be done, that's what Athrun had believed. But not anymore, so much had changed in the months of the current year that Athrun couldn't accept the man knew best. Athrun wasn't ignorant of the world around him, nor any more of the rising cost this 'war' was taking. This war was slowly but surely bringing the extinction of the human race, and the pace had been accelerating in the current year. So, Athrun glared right back at the man, "It is you who doesn't understand a thing! Alaska, Panama, Victoria, and then the battles that resulted from those. Do you even know the exact numbers of those who didn't come back because of the bloodshed?!" Athrun breathed a bit and lowered his volume a bit which had risen before he continued, "You attack another, and then you're attacked again because you attacked, it's a cycle of never-ending revenge! All the lives that are lost in this count for nothing, it doesn't make sense at all to anyone with logic. This war only escalates, and more people die, yet nothing changes, the same responses and reactions don't solve anything. This war and its disasters will never stop with the current mentality. It will only keep spiraling into the death and destruction it has, and it's getting out of control!"

The subject matter was far too similar to the garbage Clyne and his daughter were putting out to the public. With Athrun having been away, Patrick would've thought he wouldn't be swayed by such nonsense. The boy was clearly lost and blind to see that, yet it wasn't helpful that he was rebelling in the end. "Where did you get such crazy ideas," Patrick demanded, "Have you been deceived by that girl, Lacus Clyne, and her lies?"

The replies coming from his father were becoming more ridiculous each time. He wasn't listening to the subject matter, just thinking of the justifications for himself and his goals, whatever they were. The effects the war was having even now were doing horrible things and were going beyond the original arguments that brought it about. From what Tyler said, Lacus and her father were doing what they could to help the PLANTs. And by the sound of it, she was broadcasting messages of peace which some didn't want. It was more evidence that Tyler had been right, this man wasn't his father, Patrick Zala. "Father, do you seriously think meeting power with power will end this war," Athrun questioned incredulously.

If the boy hearing the truth could get him back on task, Patrick would tell him. The fact had become clear years ago, and the war wouldn't end with peace talks. Only when one side stood in victory over the remains of the other two would the war end. "Of course, it will," Patrick shouted, "The moment every last Natural is exterminated is when the war will end!" Athrun was dumbfounded at the last line as it was one he would have never expected from the one in front of him. What was more worrisome was the conviction it was stated in as it made it clear the man would see it through. And that transition into Athrun feeling Chairman Zala saying "every last Natural" he included those that were citizens of the Human Federation. The sheer amount of lives that would end and be destroyed were such a thing come to pass… it went far beyond mass genocide, it was pure evil. This was more a mantra or answer Athrun would expect from groups like Blue Cosmos, not his father. The parts that Tyler had said ZAFT was going down the same path as the Alliance came back to Athrun's mind. Patrick continued, "Now tell me, Athrun, what happened to our machines, the Justice and the Freedom," Patrick Zala snapped, regaining Athrun's attention. The chairman closed the distance between himself and Athrun and grabbed his son by the collar of his uniform. "Be aware that even you may not be forgiven depending on your answer!"

He had to ask the question on his mind, and though he was almost certain of the answer now, his heart urged him to ask it. Athrun truly wanted to believe his father could be saved from this madness, but it seemed impossible. However, Athrun wanted to make sure this man understood what he said. "Father, do you really mean what you said about killing every Natural?" Athrun inquired seriously. "Do you really believe that extermination is the solution to this war?" Athrun paused for a moment, "Please, tell me you don't mean that, tell me you don't want all Naturals to die."

This boy had lost sight of the goal ZAFT had to achieve to protect the PLANTs. "That's the whole point of this war! That's why we're fighting it in the first place, how could you have forgotten that," he snapped angrily. "No Coordinator is safe while a Natural lives! They deserve to die for the suffering they caused us."

Each line made this conversation worse as if a knife was being twisted in Athrun's heart. Those in the Federation didn't hate Coordinators, they welcomed them and treated them with dignity. If not for the Federation, the Coordinator population would be close to half of what it was now. The Federation's principles protected all human types from oppression and had done so for years, even before the war. And yet, his father was implying that even those who had welcomed Coordinators deserved to die. "And do you include those who are members of the Federation?" Athrun questioned, hoping that somehow, he could make his father realize what he was saying and take back what he claimed. "They welcomed Coordinators and gave them a place to call home. They have defended us and our rights but are still Naturals themselves."

The boys still didn't understand the point, Naturals were evil and threatened Coordinators, it was their nature. The Federation was no different as it was infected with Natural-type thinking. "Of course it does, they are no different than any other Natural type! The Federation can't be trusted, Naturals have corrupted them to their core. They are as much a threat as the Earth Alliance!" Before he threw Athrun forward to the floor, Chairman Zala barked, "They will die along with the rest of the horrid Naturals for the future of all Coordinators!"

Athrun hit the ground and bounced once before he hit the ground, rolled a few feet, and came to a stop. It had been like the knife in his heart had been jerked and ripped a part of his heart out. To hear his father declare that he would keep this war going until every Natural was dead brought the conclusion Athrun had been unable to accept before. Such an action wouldn't end the war, Athrun knew it without a doubt. The Coordinators who had loved ones that were Naturals wouldn't allow it. The only thing that action would bring would be to continue this vicious cycle of war until humanity utterly destroyed itself. Athrun's thoughts were of why would his father do this and go so far as to keep this war going? However, the click of a gun being loaded and readied to fire snapped Athrun back to the present. He glanced up at Chairman Zala, "A gun, father," Athrun asked, tones of disbelief mixed with sadness entering his voice.

"Now, stop giving me that garbage and answer me! Where are the Justice and the Freedom?" Chairman Zala demanded.

Athrun gazed downward, at last, realizing what Tyler had been trying to tell him when it came to the man who was the Chairman of the PLANTs was right. The man in front of Athrun looked like Patrick Zala and sounded like him, to the point he was a carbon copy. But the man wasn't Patrick Zala, he was akin to a stranger and nothing more. The man who had been Athrun's father, Patrick Zala was gone forever, and nothing could change that now. And the awareness sinking in hurt far more than any of the words which had been said for Athrun.

At the same time, Lacus's group, escorted by the SOLAS team, got to the colony's central elevator that would get them to the control sector and spaceport. Aisha contacted Andy and told them Miss Lacus's group was en route to the Eternal just before their group had reached the colony elevator. The plan was for him to have those who weren't in on the operation to get Miss Lacus away from the PLANTs to get off the Eternal. It appeared to Tyler that Lacus and those with her already had a plan to escape the PLANTs. Tyler couldn't say what that plan was, but as she had kept herself and others from being captured for around two months, the girl could plan things for herself. Tyler knew he would have to find his own way out and get back together with the Aurora. It would be simple enough once in the control sector as Tyler could use the maintenance accessways to find a way out of the colony. And while Tyler wasn't fond of leaving Lacus, she had a SOLAS team with her. The SOLAS team would make sure Lacus would get to wherever she was going, he was confident.

And so, as Lacus was exiting the colony elevator, she heard a whisper in her ear, "Lacus," Tyler's voice said, "This is where we part, for now, I'll see you later." Lacus glanced to her right where Tyler's voice had come from, but there was nothing there she could see. She didn't like Tyler going a different way to leave Aprilius One. There was so much that could happen or go wrong for him, and he was high on the list of people those in control wanted to be rid of. She didn't doubt Tyler could take care of himself, and he'd proven that several times during the journey to Earth.

Tyler quickly slipped into a shadowy corridor that led to the maintenance access ways in the colony's control sector. Tyler met no one as he moved through the corridors and came into what Tyler felt was a "military" area of the spaceport docking section of the colony. Tyler felt the area he was in would be classified as such because of the mobile suit docks and the occasional ZAFT personnel he would see. It looked similar to where Lacus had taken him for the theft of the Freedom. Tyler used his infiltration skills not to be caught by any he encountered. His suit's stealth system certainly helped him from being found or seen, but it wasn't perfect. But Tyler was searching for a place he could have the Aurora come to pick him up and potentially resupply. And after five minutes of searching, Tyler had the good luck of finding a dock that would work for his needs. Tyler entered the docking area, went to a console, and put in some commands to see what he had to work with. The dock would be able to resupply the Aurora quickly enough for the short time that Tyler had.

Tyler heard some noise from out in the hallway the dock was connected to, so he stopped what he was doing. Tyler popped out into the corridor and saw two individuals coming down the hallway. One was in a ZAFT uniform, implying they were a soldier, while the other was in a mechanic's uniform, meaning they were probably an engineer. If they walked by and didn't do an inspection, Tyler would be fine, and he hoped they did. Should they not, Tyler would have to "take care" of them, so they didn't interfere with what he was doing. However, Tyler's luck didn't hold, and he saw the two were glancing into docks as they were moving along the corridor. So, Tyler floated over to be behind the two as they walked down the hallway and readied himself to do what he needed to. As the two were passing, Tyler hit them hard on their heads to knock them out. He then dragged the two further down the hall until he found a storage room and shoved the two inside the room.

After the two were dealt with, Tyler made his way back to the dock he'd found and returned to the console he had been working on. He hacked into the colony systems and managed to get the airlocks to the dock to open without notice. With the way in clear, Tyler used his arm control pad to give his machine remote instructions for it to come here. The response from the Aurora was quick, and it was moving from where he'd left it to the tunnel Tyler had opened. As the Aurora came into the dock and landed, Tyler wondered how ZAFT could be so lax in the PLANTs' security. He connected the cables and other lines to have the Aurora star resupplying. Now it was a matter of Tyler waiting for the process to finish and not getting caught before that was completed. With how unused the area of the sector seemed to be, Tyler should be fine. However, he had come across the two he'd had to store in a different room, so it was still possible he could be found.

Back with Lacus's group, they kept moving toward the main spaceport area to reach the ship they were trying to get to. The Eternal was in one of the ZAFT docks but could be accessed from the main spaceport. They took less used and watched routes to get to their final destination. With Lacus's appearance being as well-known as it was, she needed to be out of sight with her being hunted by those loyal to Patrick Zala. And yet, a few soldiers who were part of what was being called the 'Clyne Faction' met up with them along the way. They didn't bring welcome news to Lacus, while they had escaped their pursuers, it was being countered. That was expected, but the other piece of news that they brought got Lacus to bring the group to a halt.

They told her Athrun Zala had returned from the "mission" he was on. The mission was top secret, so few details were available as to what Athrun had been assigned to do. The only information that those who were telling her this could get was Athrun had been given the Justice for the job. What was strange was that he hadn't returned with the mobile suit he had been sent out with. Instead, Athrun had returned to Aprilius One on an Alliance shuttle, and the shuttle's flight log had been erased. Athrun was now in the custody of the regular ZAFT forces under the command of Chairman Zala. They had dragged Athrun to meet with the Chairman for a "debrief," as it was referred to.

Nothing was being said about the content of the meeting, but it was assumed not to have gone well. Athrun had been "escorted" out of the Chairman's office by several soldiers which members of Committees had seen. After meeting with Chairman Zala, Athrun was being taken to be 'questioned' or really interrogated by some from the Justice Department. Lacus figured Athrun had been trying to confront his father, but she couldn't say for sure. She couldn't blame him for wanting to try talking reason to one who had been at one time a good person. It showed that Athrun had a good heart that Lacus already knew. At hearing that news, Lacus wanted to help Athrun out of the situation he had been put in. Should Athrun be taken away and interrogated, Lacus feared she nor anyone would see Athrun again. With how things were, she believed Athrun would be killed to have him silenced, much as Lacus or her father would be if caught. So, she asked Aisha if there was any way to help Athrun out of the predicament that he had gotten himself into.

What Miss Lacus was asking was a tall order to put it simply. Saving people from the attack dogs of the current ruling body was a difficult task in any event. It was doable, but it took work and planning to pull it off successfully and not pay a high price. So rescuing someone on such short notice was going toward suicide. Yet, Miss Lacus was clearly set on somehow helping Athrun Zala out of the hands of Section 2. That was standard procedure in ZAFT, if the Supreme Council member had someone they wanted investigated, Section 2 was tapped for such things. There was an opportunity to get Zala out of the hands of those guarding them during the exchange from soldiers to members of Section 2. Aisha quickly assigned Martin DaCosta, Waltfeld's right hand, and went to complete the task of getting Athrun out of his situation. A few men went with DaCosta after Aisha had given him the job and told them to catch up to the ship after he had Athrun with them.

At the same time, Andrew had already gotten to work on his end to have the Eternal ready to go. The ship to which Andrew had been assigned, the FFMH-Y101 Eternal, was a pinkish dark red color overall with an overall length of three hundred meters. It had a single mobile suit catapult on the forward half of the ship and the majority of the ship behind the catapult. The ship had ten engines in total, with two on each wing pod structure and the other six on the rear of the main ship body. For armaments, the Eternal had forty missile launchers spread throughout the wings, central section, and the ship's rear. The main offensive weapon of the ship was a large beam cannon mounted above the catapult deck. Three smaller beam cannons supported the cannon on both wings for a collective total of six of them. On the defensive side of things, there were twelve CIWS guns and two double-barreled CIWS to intercept incoming fire. Then last but not least, the two Mobile suit Embedded Tactical EnfORcer, or METEORs, were docked to the front of the ship just forward of the mobile suit catapult. The METEORs were a weapon system in themselves, with four high-energy beam cannons, beam swords, and missiles with each unit.

The bridge crew worked on having the ship's systems good to go and not being vulnerable to any from the dock taking them over. Andrew picked up the ship's phone and put it to his ear, "Attention, this ship is entering its final preparation," he announced. "I repeat, this ship is entering its final preparation, so let's get to work." Those working with the Clyne faction understood the code that was being stated. It was time to get all of those that were allies off the ship so they didn't get involved and could be safer. Others on the ship stopped and looked at one another, wondering what captain Waltfeld was talking about. The Eternal had no launching orders from the National Defense Committee yet, so they were to standby until they did. However, that confused ZAFT personnel quickly found guns pointed at them by their comrades. Questions were asked about what was going on, and they were told that they needed to exit the ship. Should they do so, they would be okay and not get into trouble with anyone on the Defense Committee.

While that was going on, Athrun was escorted out of the administration building by the soldiers. A truck waiting would take him somewhere to be 'questioned' and 'ruffed up' if necessary. Athrun had tried as hard as he could to convince the man that was supposed to be his 'father' that what he was doing wasn't right. But, in the end, his effort had not been since the chairman hadn't listened to him. The realization the Patrick Zala Athrun had known was gone forever had shaken him to the core. All Chairman Zala had been insistent on knowing was what had happened to the Freedom and the Justice and their locations.

Athrun's next action of attempting to assault the chairman was foolish, and he knew it. But the anger he felt at the man that appeared and sounded like his father burned. Fuel was added to comprehending how blind this man who led the PLANTs was, and it had become immense. When Athrun had asked how this war would end, the chairman had shouted that the war would end only when all Naturals were dead. At that moment, Athrun had fully understood how Tyler had felt when he had performed for the security camera before stealing the Freedom. It had snapped something within Athrun, and he couldn't stop himself from attacking the man using his father's face and voice. Accepting his father being gone hurt far more than the pain of the bullet going through his shoulder. The only thing that Athrun and Chairman Zala agreed upon was the mutual disappointment in one another.

As he was being escorted out of the government administration complex, looks of confusion and incredulity were visible on people's faces as they passed. Thoughts swirled around Athrun's mind as he moved forward. Echoes from those like Lord Athha stating that Chairman Zala justified what ZAFT was doing by claiming Coordinators were a new and separate species. The man who had been his father 'ruled' the PLANTs and ZAFT now instead of the council. Kira said it wasn't his time to die just before they parted, making sure Athrun knew that echoed in his head. Tyler's final sentence also rang in him, of doing what it took to stay alive. Tyler's voice helped Athrun make up his mind about what to do.

The soldiers on either side of him gestured for Athrun to get into the truck that had two black-suited men sitting in the back already, Athrun knew the time to act was now. The black-suited men were from "Section 2," who were supposed to officially be part of the Justice Department. Unofficially the group was those who settled things that the public never found out about. Athrun shoulder one of the soldiers and then spun around and kicked the other backward, followed by body-slamming the first soldier into the nearest wall. Athrun then ran away from the truck, looking for a place he could lose the pursuers that he would have.

What surprised him was when many soldiers turned on the others and opened and began firing their guns at them. One of them followed Athrun, throwing a flash grenade at the black-suited men, stopping them in their tracks. Athrun ducked behind a stone wall of the building he was next to and sunk to the ground feeling lightheaded, probably from the blood he'd lost so far. The soldier told Athrun to turn his back to him so that he could shoot his cuffs to get them off. There was a bang, and Athrun felt the cuff loosen, and he let them fall to the ground, "You're being far too reckless," the soldier said, chucking another flash grenade. The soldier turned to Athrun, "Are you trying to kill yourself? You even knocked over one of our own men in this."

Athrun was trying to figure out what was going on, for it wasn't making sense. Soldiers had been escorting him to those that would make him disappear, yet now some of them were helping him. Athrun stared at the man, "Who are you," he asked.

The man pushed his helmet up, showing red hair, "I'm with the so-called 'Clyne Faction.' You've made this a lot more complicated than it's supposed to be, so cooperation would be helpful!"

As a second soldier slowly walked backward by them, the man handed Athrun a gun, "DaCosta, hurry it up! They're recovering from their confusion!"

The three hurried along and managed to escape their pursuers and make it to a shuttle that was hidden out of sight. The three boarded the craft, quickly got it into the air, and flew, heading for a tunnel out of the colony.

Meanwhile, Lacus, Aisha, and the rest of their group continued onward towards the Eternal's dock and took less-watched routes. The SOLAS team was still with them, some in front and the rest behind. But the group finally came to an observation lounge above the Eternal which they would take to leave Aprilius One. Aisha led the group to the dock's maintenance entrance, which wasn't being watched. She and the other soldiers made sure the dock control room saw them, so they distracted from Lacus boarding the ship. The Federation's SOLAS team used their stealth systems to make Miss Lacus invisible to any looking at the docking area. Once in the cargo hold, Lacus and those with her quickly made their way to the ship's bridge. Andrew heard the door to the bridge open, and when he turned in that direction, he saw Lacus coming in. "Miss Clyne, welcome aboard the Eternal," Andrew greeted, "Are you ready to blow this pop stand?"

Lacus took the seat behind the captain's chair, "Yes, it would be best for us to leave while we can," she replied.

Aisha came onto the bridge and took a seat near Andrew, "I would have to agree with Miss Clyne in this," she said, "but we're still waiting for your father."

The leader of the SOLAS team had been getting in touch with the second SOLAS team that had been working to save and extract Siegel Clyne. The exchange between two team leaders wasn't the best, but nor was it the worst. The other SOLAS team had managed to save Siegel Clyne though the man had been injured during the rescue. The SOLAS team had put down ZAFT forces that had been attempting to kill Mr. Clyne. However, due to the fight to rescue Mr. Clyne had closed the original extraction route planned. The team had to improvise for the extraction route that a special team member had suggested. They were ZAFT expert, so they knew the PLANT layout and how ZAFT responded to situations. The fact of the matter was Mr. Clyne wouldn't make it to the docks as had been loosely planned. Thus, waiting any longer to leave wouldn't help any on this ship, so the team leader spoke, "Siegel Clyne is no longer able to reach this ship, others are helping him."

Lacus and others turned and saw the Federation team becoming visible at the back of the bridge. The voice had been mechanical even if it had been feminine, and Lacus assumed it had come from the leader. What had been said instantly worried Lacus as it suggested that something had changed. It could mean her father had been hurt or killed by ZAFT. Lacus hoped her father was okay, and the implications suggested that Siegel was alive. While Lacus worried, Andrew took what was said as plans had changed, and he needed to adapt. The Eternal needed to leave as soon as possible now, "Very well then," he said with a nod, "let's get this ship moving."

"Laying in departure plan C," one of the bridge operators announced, "forced exit subroutine one nine two zero, online."

"Adding logic array, security disengaged. All systems are go," said another operator.

The bridge lights came on, Aisha glanced around, and from what she saw, the ship's systems responded as expected. The Eternal was as ready as it could be to launch right now, "Charge engines for forward thrust," ordered Aisha, "Prepare to head out."

Those manning the consoles in the dock control room started to notice something was not going right. While odd, the unscheduled crew switch was not unheard of with Commander Waltfeld. He sometimes gets some crew members shore leave without approval, so the crew switch was not questioned. However, the Eternal was powering up, and the engines were charging for active use. There were no orders for the ship to move out from the National Defense Committee. The lead operator got to the Eternal radio, "Commander Waltfeld, what are you doing," they asked desperately. "Take-off orders haven't been given for your ship!" There was a pause, but no response came from the Eternal, "Respond, Commander Waltfeld!"

No one on the Eternal paid attention to the dock controllers, but their actions did bring up a problem. The pilot turned to Waltfeld, "Commander, they altered the code to the main gate control system."

Andrew Waltfeld sighed and the new trouble they would now have to deal with. Instead of opening the gate, the Eternal would need to use weapons to rip the doors open. Aisha, on the other hand, giggled at the turn of events. The dock operators assumed the ship wouldn't have its weapons up and running. The weapon systems had been finished last week ahead of schedule by a week, so they were ready to go. "They're clever doing such I will give them that," she remarked. Andrew smiled at his partner's comment, "Well, damn, it would've been better if they had left things as they were," he replied.

While Andrew was correct, it didn't matter what damage would happen upon their exit for those on the Eternal. The responsibility for the damage would be on the dock operators, among others that would be blamed for this. So, Aisha nodded, "Well then, the damage from our exit will be on their heads," she said, "it just means that it will be rocky." Aisha's reply made him shake his head, but her banter amused him. It was a quality that he loved about her, and she could make him crack a smile. Thus, Waltfeld nodded and faced forward, "Alright, prepare the main cannon, stand ready," he ordered, "Target the main gate, blast it off its hinges!" The main beam cannon lowered its pitch angle to aim at the gate that led out of the dock and began charging up.

Lacus focused on the journey ahead, "Ship Eternal, it's time to launch," she commanded.

"Engines half ahead," Aisha commanded. The Eternal's engines burned and propelled the ship forward slowly, even as the dock controllers were continuing their pleas for the Eternal to stop. The main beam cannon of the Eternal fired at the wall ahead, and the gate was ripped open, and the ship flew out of the dock. Andrew Waltfeld turned to Aisha, "Where is DaCosta," he asked, "Wasn't he with you?"

Aisha frowned since DaCosta had been sent off on the job Miss Lacus had asked them to do. She had told him to be quick about it and get back to the ship as fast as possible, and Aisha had hoped he'd be back by now. "I thought he would have made contact by this point. We were given information that Athrun Zala had gotten himself into a bad situation. Miss Clyne wished to help him, and I sent DaCosta and a few others to do what they could. I haven't heard anything from them yet," she replied, "That is odd since he does quite a good job at being prompt and reporting in at least."

DaCosta was flying the shuttle upward to one of the control sector tunnels that would lead outside. After the craft got into the access tunnel, drones moved to intercept the shuttle. DaCosta weaved in and out of the weapon-fire path and shot past the drones toward the tunnel exit. The moment the shuttle shot out of the colony, DaCosta spotted the Eternal clearing the dock it had been in. He turned on the radio and connected a channel to the Eternal, "Commander," he called, "Sorry to keep you waiting, sir."

Aisha smiled as one could almost set a timepiece to how impeccable DaCosta's time could be. She just had to talk about him, and he seemed to pop up magically and was ready for any job she could have for him. Aisha was glad she'd convinced him to trade with another commander for DaCosta, the trade had been more than worth it. DaCosta had proven handier than most ever came close to being, and Aisha would compliment him. "My, there he is now," she remarked, "DaCosta still has impeccable timing, doesn't he, Andy?"

It was one of the many times that Andrew had to admit he was grateful he had listened to his partner on a decision. Aisha had convinced him to trade an officer that he hadn't really had an issue with most of the time with another Commander who wanted to get rid of DaCosta. DaCosta had been one of Andrew's best men working under him. He was a trusted friend now, and Andrew wouldn't have anyone else as his right-hand man. So he sighed, "That he does, my dear, that he does," he muttered before turning his attention to his subordinate. "DaCosta, move to the rear hatch." He paused and closed the com-channel, "As soon as they get on board, I want maximum thruster speed! That way, we'll shake those who attempt to chase us."

While that was happening, Sakura Clyne was making her way towards the office of the PLANT's Supreme Council's chairman, Patrick Zala. To say she was in a fairly bad mood would be an understatement for her right now. Most of the time, she had to be required to meet with the man or others from the council would end out being annoying talk that was a waste of her time. The majority of those times had been while Zala had been the head of the National Defense Committee. And Sakura didn't see any reason why the man would change from how he was before. So, Sakura was prepared to receive a lecture on why she should do what the committee says above all others. That was coming from fools who didn't know what goes on around a battlefield since they were politicians.

If talking to Zala was the only thing Sakura had to deal with, then she wouldn't be in the mood she was right now. The other piece that added to her current mood was the rumors she'd begun hearing upon her return to the PLANTs this morning coming from Earth. The rumors implied not only had her father and sister committed some sort of crime, but one of massive proportions. It was completely ridiculous, and Sakura's glare sent at those who had been saying such things had silenced them. To even hear the suggestion that her father or her little sister Lacus would betray those living in the PLANTs was as ludicrous as Lanus choosing not to work to protect the homeland. And to even hear it suggested, even in jest, angered Sakura enough to scare those who faced her. She wasn't someone you wanted to be angry at you if you wanted to live long. Thus, when Sakura entered Patrick Zala's office, she didn't have a pleased or nice expression on her face.

Patrick Zala was just as unhappy as Sakura since he had been told minutes ago that Athrun had somehow escaped from the soldiers escorting him to interrogation. ZAFT was searching for him, but it would take time for Athrun to be found if he didn't escape first. The meeting with Commander Clyne was to get information from her as to the whereabouts of her family. "Commander Clyne, how nice of you to come by after getting back," Zala said flatly.

Sakura wasn't in the mood for pleasantries with the rumors she'd been hearing. She had about thrown some at walls for even whispering the foolish rumors. So, Sakura glared at the man, "Don't waste my time Zala," she growled, "get to the point you 'requested' to have me make the trip here. I can think of other things to do with my time, and I'm not in the mood to stand and listen to lectures."

It was normal for Sakura not to wish to mince words with others, rather, she wanted to get to the main point of what was being discussed. Patrick could respect the mentality more so these days than in previous ones. So, Patrick smiled a bit, "To the point as you always are, I can respect that these days," he remarked. "I want to know where your family is currently."

The request or demand more than irritated Sakura, especially with who it was coming from. Lanus Treize was the only one who could make a request, let alone a demand of her. He had earned her loyalty and respect while no other had done so. And now Zala had the gall to ask something of her that had nothing to do with her duties. So, Sakura let out a snort, "That is a personal thing not relating to my duties. But since you asked, I haven't heard from them since I was last around the homeland." Sakura folded her arms, "I've been busy cleaning things up on Earth since there have been several messes to clean up later. Perhaps you are too busy with things here, as the Council Chairman noticed, but keeping the Alliance in check is no picnic as it used to be put." There was a pause before Sakura continued, "And the second I return to the homeland, fools saying they're from Section 2 confront me. They say my father and sister have disappeared before they demand I tell them where they could be." Sakura gave Patrick a cold glare, "Either Section 2 employs ignorant idiots, or they forget I don't answer to them any more than fools from the Defense Committee. If that wasn't frustrating enough, I hear a ridiculous rumor being whispered that both my father and sister have committed treason in some way." She then closed the distance to the desk and banged a fist down on it, "So perhaps, you can logically explain to me with evidence of why I'm hearing such crap? Rest assured, I'm more than ready to strangle the next person who whispers the nonsense before you get to deal with the bodies I leave behind."

Instead of answering vocally, Patrick revealed and activated a screen to Sakura's right and showed her the recording. The video showed Lacus helping someone in a ZAFT red pilot suit entering a mobile suit dock. As Sakura watched the recording, she wasn't buying what was inferred by this recording. There was information missing with this, and the lack of info was being used to make Lacus appear guilty. The 'pilot' in the video did give an amusing gesture to the camera, which was clearly directed at the Chairman and other leaders. The silent message the gesture was giving was something she agreed with as of late. The pilot then got in a new mobile suit before leaving with it. There was little to nothing done to stop the pilot from stealing the suit. Those on duty were as much to blame for the theft since they did not appear to be doing a thing to impede the pilot. Once the video finished, Sakura looked back at Patrick again, "If this is all the evidence the ridiculous rumor is based on, tell me what is known about the one in the pilot suit?"

Patrick wasn't interested right now in the thief, and they would be dealt with later when they were caught. Lacus Clyne had clearly helped the thief, and that was treason helping an enemy agent gain ZAFT technology. So, Patrick glowered at the question, "There is little information on the pilot," saying pilot in a venomous tone,"but what does that matter? They will pay when they're found, I assure you. However, you can clearly see that your sister has betrayed us and what we stand for! Now I order you, Commander Clyne, as the Chairman of the PLANTs, to tell me where they are," Zala bellowed.

Sakura kept calm, even with this man yelling at her when he had little to no reason. However, she did feel the strong urge to send her fist straight into this idiot's gut in response to his bellow and the demand. Sakura wouldn't mind or have an issue doing the same idea with Patrick's face since it would achieve what she was going for. Zala had become a fool from this war, and he ranted about how ZAFT needed to do anything to win the war. And now, for some reason, Zala had something against Sakura's father and wanted him out of the way. Sakura didn't appreciate that this man was abusing his position's power to try and eliminate those he disliked. What was ticking her off was Zala was also going after her baby sister Lacus, and Sakura wouldn't allow another to do that without consequences. And now he demanded that she betray them by helping Zala. She had no intention of helping Zala even if she did know where her father and sister were. Thus, in response to Zala, she shrugged her shoulders, "I haven't the faintest idea where my father or sister are. And even if I did somehow know, what reason is there for me to assist you in this foolish witch hunt of yours, Zala?"

"Siegel and Lacus Clyne are traitors to the homeland and must be punished for their crimes," Patrick barked. "You honestly think I would believe that you would know nothing about their whereabouts?!"

Sakura was close to slugging the man for the response, but she managed to hold herself back. Her anger had morphed into fury at the man in front of her who was threatening her family and herself. Sakura could easily deal with those who threatened her, it was a rare thing these days, but it still did happen sometimes. Yet, Sakura wasn't going just to take another trying to use her to get to her baby sister and father. So, she glared at Patrick, "Did it ever occur to you," Sakura growled, "that others, along with yourself, drove them both into hiding? I've been on Earth cleaning things up, so they haven't contacted me, Chairman?" She folded her arms but continued to glare at the man, "Or did that conveniently slip your mind because I'm now tempted to make you shut up with physical means. And rest assured, I'm one of those that would make you shut up, and few, if any, would argue with my actions."

Patrick knew Commander Clyne didn't make idle threats, and her reputation left no question about that. And he was inclined to believe that the woman was telling the truth that she didn't know where her father and sister were. Recent reports had confirmed Commander Clyne had been on Earth fighting against the Alliance. While on duty, ZAFT personnel weren't allowed to make communications with family or friends, it was policy. So, Patrick took a moment to calm down before he continued, "My apologies, Commander, I've seen the reports of your work on Earth, and you have been busy. However, do understand that your father and sister are traitors now due to their actions in espionage. Helping them is now a crime, so be careful and know what is more important. Choose whether obeying your superiors or being loyal to a family that discards its values is better."

The statement more than infuriated Sakura and drove her past boiling point. She moved forward, closing the distance between where she had stood and Zala's desk. Sakura reached forward, grabbed Zala's uniform collar, and wrenched the man up. The gesture caught Patrick completely off guard as there hadn't been any cause for this. "You listen and listen good, Patrick Zala," Sakura began in an emotionless tone. "Just because you've taken the position of chairman of the Supreme Council doesn't make you superior to everyone else around you. That is an abuse of power, and I'm one of those that volunteer for those that deal with such crap when it comes up. It makes no difference whether you are the head of the council or if you were a fresh green pilot it was my job to give a wake-up call. You nor any other can tell me what to do and expect me to an unquestioned acknowledgment, not before now nor ever with that be so! Lanus Treize, and no other is the only person who can give me an order and expect me to follow it without telling me why I should give them the time of day. Don't you ever forget that fact, Patrick Zala or I will show you first-hand how I got the reputation I have as the Black Zephyr."

Sakura released Patrick after saying her piece before she left his office and lost herself in her thoughts. She continued to fume about Zala as she stalked toward the Black Jade. If the fool to have the gall and the stupidity to attempt to tell Sakura what to do just enforced her dislike of Patrick Zala. Sakura's mood had been foul before with the rumors around, but it was even worse now. The two soldiers who were escorting her to the Black Jade could see Commander Clyne was in a very bad mood, so they kept silent. They were terrified of the woman, much like most in ZAFT were with her record. The two just looked at each other and silently agreed to do nothing to make it worse so they could keep living as they were.

As Sakura's group came up to a group of ZAFT soldiers and engineers gathered together, the three came to a stop. Sakura demanded to know what was going on with a "mild" snap. She knew that taking out her frustrations on others that weren't involved didn't help things. And the second that those Sakura was talking to understood who it was in front of them, they snapped to attention. One of the engineers answered Sakura and said that they were finishing up an inspection of the less used areas of the colony as per their orders. However, some had not been reported in and were missing so there was a discussion to decide what to do.

Sakura managed to contain her annoyance and irritation at seeing the incompetence of the soldiers here. Those on Earth had at least done their best, admitted mistakes, and attempted to improve themselves. Instead, Sakura took charge and quickly organized the soldiers and engineers into teams to search for those missing and figure out what was going on. She also went searching, it was something to do, and it took her mind off of Zala and his idiocy. Within ten minutes, Sakura and those with her came across a room that contained two missing personnel. The engineer and the soldier were out cold and looked to have been disabled by a blow from behind. Sakura ordered those with her to call for medical personnel to their location right away, and one of the soldiers did as she said to. While the soldiers and engineers were helping their comrades, Sakura started inspecting the surrounding area. While she wasn't pleased with the failures of those she had been helping, she was also curious about what had happened. The soldier and engineer that had been found out cold didn't do that to themselves. So, logically, someone had to have struck them, and there might have been evidence to point to the one responsible. Sakura was glancing into the viewing ports of the two closest docking facilities and found nothing that could be potential evidence.

At the same time, Tyler was still waiting for the Aurora to be resupplied, and time seemed to be moving slowly as he waited for the process to finish. There would be fighting ahead of him, and Tyler didn't doubt the point as he would be a fool to think otherwise. Things were going dandy for him, notwithstanding the two he'd had to disable and stuff in a room. However, Tyler began to hear voices and other noises outside the docking area in the corridor. That meant people were coming Tyler's way, and he wasn't ready to leave. Tyler rushed over to the switch for the lights and shut them off, throwing the room into shadowy shapes and blackness. Then, Tyler dove downward and out of sight of the entryway to this dock, using equipment and supplies to hide from being discovered by any that may check into this room.

Sakura was still looking into docks along the corridor, and she came to the third. She stopped as she spotted something inside the dock from what she could see at the door. From what the engineers had mentioned, the mobile suit docks along this section of the control sector should be empty. Sakura opened the door to the dock and entered, drawing the gun she had with her if there was someone in here. The room was dim with all the lights off except the dull light from the doorway. So, Sakura found the switch for the lights and flicked them on so she could assess what was in the room.

Sakura turned around and viewed the mobile suit sitting on the dock with the lights on. Even with the years of service Sakura had given to the ZAFT military, she hadn't seen a mobile suit like she was seeing now. The head appeared to be similar to the stolen Alliance machines that those pilots stuck with Creuset used, and it had the same grey coloration. Its frame was different from those suits, but they had clearly been some of the basis used in the design process. There were also vents on either side of the torso and the front of the shoulders. Also, with the shoulders, short wings stuck out at the end of either shoulder cover. The legs did have large vents above the ankles and beside them on the outside were short wings and thrusters. Behind this mobile suit were two long guns or cannons and a pair of long wings. Sakura shifted her attention to the armaments that this machine had, noticing a shield attached to the left arm, and it was white and shorter than any GINNs or CGUE shields. In the right hand was a good-sized rifle that looked to be a tad bulkier than beam rifles being produced now by ZAFT R&D.

Now, this mobile suit being there in the unused dock and none knowing about it was odd, even by Sakura's standards. If others stored it here, the engineers should've at least known that this dock was being used. It would've been the same whether they were told to keep away from the dock due to classified equipment or some other excuse. Sakura assumed the suit before she was a product of the Integrated Design Bureau. They always worked on improving mobile suits or just making new ones for ZAFT to use in the war. But the question on Sakura's mind was why those from the Bureau would store one of their machines in a place like this. It didn't make sense for them as security conscious as they were the majority of the time to leave a machine where any could access it.

As Sakura was walking in, Tyler sunk lower behind a group of liquid tanks below the entry-level to the room. He was listening to the sounds outside the docking area to figure out who or what had come in. Tyler couldn't tell what was happening or who was talking outside the docking area. The lights coming on weren't a good sign in Tyler's mind and he had enough problems to deal with. He hoped that whoever had come in would glance around and leave, moving on to something else. The likelihood of such happening was slim to none, but Tyler still wanted that so he wouldn't have to harm another just because they were doing as told. He poked his head up over the tanks and spotted the shadow of whoever it was that had come into the dock. They were staring at the Aurora from halfway between the doorway and the forward control console by the shadow's position. However, the sound of a gun clicking as it loaded a round into the chamber dismissed any chance of there being an easy out for Tyler.

Sakura glanced at the suit, which appeared to be hooked into cables and other things for supplying the suit. While a mobile suit linked in for power and supply while in the dock wasn't unusual, this setup didn't feel right to her. She pushed off from the catwalk and floated slowly forward, looking around for any evidence of something being off. Tyler decided it may be good for him to dash for the Aurora's cockpit and get inside and leave. He began moving, using the shadows to hide from the one searching the docking area. Sakura had reached the console for the dock and the machine within it and looked over the readouts. The suit was drawing energy from the colony's power grid, however, it was doing it so as not to draw notice. Sakura had to admit the way the machine was recharging was quite smart, no one would note any real draw from the colony control center. Nevertheless, Sakura still had a nagging feeling that something was off, which she couldn't shake off. She had this sixth sense of there being something off more than long enough to know it wasn't wise to ignore.

Tyler was at the ground level of the dock, still using the shadows to get to his machine. He felt that if he could get to the Aurora and get behind it, Tyler could get up to the cockpit and get out of here. Tyler had been here longer than he should have been, ZAFT was poking around now. Lacus was likely already heading out from Aprilius One, and he was going to help her get away from her pursuers. Tyler stopped just short of the short distance of lit floor to the Aurora as it was the last length to cover to get to his machine. However, Sakura caught slight movement down below to which she swung her gun to point in that direction. "Stop, come out with your hands up," she shouted, "Or else I'll shoot!"

Tyler reacted on reflex and moved back to get behind metal equipment before he heard a bang of a gunshot striking metal. However, what was irking Tyler the most was the voice belonged to none other than Sakura. He wasn't in the mood to deal with the antics that came with dealing with his stalker. Tyler was also surprised that of all times for their paths to cross, Sakura and he had to come to be in the same place at the same time now. And by how loud the striking bullet metal had been, the woman that chased Tyler got close to hitting him with the said bullet. He knew that his next action had to count, or else Tyler might get a bullet hole in him somewhere. As much as Tyler didn't appreciate Sakura and what she did around him, he wanted to avoid getting shot by her much more.

Sakura kept her gun trained on where the "figure" had ducked behind equipment to avoid her bullet. She floated forward toward the equipment the intruder had taken cover behind. Sakura would get answers to what was going on that no one was saying anything about. Tyler was quick thinking about how he could distract Sakura to either calm her down or escape. Those were the only two options that Tyler could think of to get out of the current issue he was in. Then an idea came to Tyler, and he took off his helmet and tossed it upward with the intent for it to be a decoy. Sakura scanned the shadows to spot the intruder before motion caught her eye. She swung her gun to point at whatever she had seen and blinked after a moment. What was floating up in front of her was a helmet for a space suit, and after a second, Sakura recognized it as a Federation space helmet.

Sakura's pause was all Tyler needed as it was an opportunity to make a move against her. He surged forward and kicked the gun out of Sakura's hand before getting behind the woman. Tyler wrapped his arms around Sakura, clamped down in a bear hug, and held on with all his strength. Sakura was surprised when her gun was knocked out of her hands. However, she was snapped back to attention when arms encircled her and held her in some kind of bear hug. Sakura struggled against the hold she was in, and she had to admit the one holding her was not weak. However, as strong as they were, they wouldn't keep Sakura bound for too long. Once she was free, Sakura would catch and interrogate them for information on what was going on. Tyler could tell he was fighting a losing battle and was short on time. The only other option that Tyler could think of was to appeal to Sakura's fondness for him to save himself. He just hoped for one time in his life that Sakura's liking of him would trump her military discipline, which would kill him. "I don't have the time for this today, Sakura," Tyler said with an effort, "I have other things to do."

The foul mood Sakura was in instantly vanished at the voice speaking, and Sakura felt her heart have a tingling warmth. Sakura was filled with happiness at knowing her beloved was here. She twisted around and embraced Tyler, who was in the blue Federation spacesuit. It didn't matter to her right now why Tyler was here in a Federation spacesuit. Tyler was the only one who could put her in a good mood no matter how angry she was before. On the other hand, Tyler was being "crushed" by Sakura's affection for him. And he knew there was no time for this, not with Lacus and Siegel being extracted by SOLAS. "Sakura," Tyler began, "contain yourself, I'm in the process," he gasped, "of helping your little sister, and I'll be unable if I don't go soon."

The mentioning of Lacus got Sakura to ease up on Tyler since she had little on her sister lately. It sounded like Tyler had more valid information than any Sakura had talked to after getting back to the PLANTs. She didn't believe any of the rumors heard from others about Lacus or their father. However, the video the Chairman had shown her did raise the question of what had happened with them. If Tyler could give her more info, Sakura would be grateful, "You're helping Lacus?"

Tyler didn't blame Sakura for questioning the point of him helping her baby sister, not with the rumors going around the PLANTs. Sakura wouldn't have missed others saying Lacus and their father were traitors. Tyler was surprised that no one had already been hurt or maimed by Sakura. The woman had a history that left doubt that Sakura would go above and beyond to "protect" Lacus. It was more how frightening how far Sakura would go in her view to protect her sister. In the end, Tyler sighed heavily, "Undoubtedly, you've heard the crap flying around that she and your father are being accused of. And yes, I call it crap as that's what it is since the two are many things, but traitors they are not. They have done what they could to help prevent horrible events from being worse than they already could be." Tyler paused, took a breath, and exhaled, "I tried my best to get as much attention off of them as I could, and from what I've heard, I've gotten quite a few mad at me for it. However, it wasn't as much as I wanted, so here I am doing what I can to get them out alive."

Sakura would argue with her beloved normally, especially when describing the rumors about Lacus and her father. The claims that her father and sister had violated the trust of the homeland's citizens were, as Tyler said, crap. Zala's uproar merely enforced the point that calling them traitors was an excuse to get them out of the way. Yet, Tyler mentioned he had tried to draw attention away from them and that others were mad at him for it got things to click. Zala had nothing on the "pilot" in the footage he'd shown her, which had annoyed her at the time. But it had been clear that Zala had been angry with what the pilot did in the video. The way he'd said "pilot" had made it clear the man wanted to make the individual suffer if he could. And the dots connected point to Tyler being the one in the ZAFT red suit in the footage. Sakura's eyes widened, "You were the one in the ZAFT red suit," she uttered.

Tyler knew Sakura would figure out what he'd implied in his last two sentences. The woman was not as dim as those leading the PLANTs right now. But again, time was of the essence, so Tyler didn't have much time to spare. So, Tyler nodded, "Yep, that was me," Tyler admitted, "As for the truth, your father asked for my help, and I didn't say no to the request. He wanted to have some to make countermeasures for nuclear tech that is becoming available. However, it was satisfying to show what I thought of those running things for ZAFT these days. And with the "crackdown" on speaking out against Council members, I felt actions speak better than words."

Tyler was right about the crackdown on those speaking out against the radical Council, and Committee members were happening. She could speak her mind, and most were too afraid to argue with her about her opinion. But there weren't as many that would stand up and be against those in power as there once were. And Tyler's action had certainly set off the Chairman and had made him burn with irritation, and Sakura doubted Zala was the only one irked by Tyler's display. So, she snickered, "Indeed, the Chairman wasn't happy about the gesture you showed in the security footage. I gather that he wants you to suffer greatly before being publicly executed for some crime can be applied."

Tyler blinked as the public execution was a new twist to him as consequences he'd heard for his actions. Sure, Athrun may have implied something along those lines, but not specifically a public execution for the end. "Well, the public execution bit is new, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," Tyler remarked. "Guess it says that I really got the attention of those I wanted, even if not in the way I had hoped for."

Sakura shrugged, "While that may be true, I can assure you, you're not the only one that feels that way about the man's actions," she returned. Sakura felt Tyler needed to be on his way to help Lacus and their father. Time was of the essence if the two were trying to escape the attack dogs of Zala. So, Sakura released Tyler, "Go then, help Lacus, for I can't right now even though I wish to. Keep her safe while I am unable to, or you will answer to me." Tyler was starting to turn towards the mobile suit, but Sakura didn't want things to end there as they were. So, Sakura moved forward, grabbed both sides of Tyler's face, and pressed her lips to his in a kiss. Sakura craved this contact with her beloved and was often denied it for one reason or another.

Tyler was too stunned by Sakura's action to fight her or even push her away from himself. The kiss was so unexpected that he had been caught so off-guard that he couldn't be flabbergasted. Tyler didn't have words to describe what the kiss felt like, and his brain had frozen for a moment as Sakura had pressed her lips to his. It was fairly obvious that Sakura was enjoying the gesture of affection she was doing. Tyler barely felt Sakura pull back and push away from him, and he was still in mild shock from the kiss. His mouth was open in surprise before Tyler's brain began functioning again. He grabbed his helmet and shoved it on his head before turning away from Sakura. Tyler could feel his cheeks were on fire due to the kiss, and he couldn't get it out of his mind. As Tyler adjusted his helmet's connection to his pilot suit, Sakura was floating to the dock door. She had a smirk on her face due to the expression she had seen on Tyler's face after kissing him. Tyler may not have expected her kiss, but he certainly hadn't hated it or even rejected it. That meant Sakura had a chance with her beloved, and she would work and fight for that chance with all she had.

Tyler got his helmet locked and his suit sealed before going to the dock console. He heard the door to the dock sliding close as Sakura left the room, and the kiss was still playing in the back of Tyler's mind. However, Tyler took some deep breaths and then focused on typing in the commands to get out of here. The cables and lines hooked and linked to the Aurora began popping off and disconnecting. Tyler programmed the airlocks to open and look like a routine maintenance cycle. He hoped that Sakura could spin the point in a way to get others to wave off the event as nothing to worry about. Tyler had the program start running before he shoved himself off and sailed to the Aurora's pilot seat. He caught the seat, moved himself to be in it, and locked his suit before descending into the cockpit.

Sakura watched Tyler working at the console from outside the dock before moving to the mobile suit. An engineer approached Sakura then and said the airlocks in the dock she was looking into were opening. Sakura said that the airlocks were doing a maintenance cycle, she had seen the countdown on the console. When the engineer said that shouldn't be happening, Sakura said it likely was a malfunction and nothing to be concerned with. She silently wished Tyler luck on whatever he would do. Sakura was confident he would protect Lacus in whatever she would get into after leaving the PLANTs.

Tyler brought the Aurora's operating system up, and after the quick booting process, he gripped the controls firmly. Once the tunnel was fully open, he had the Aurora leap upward and raced through the tunnel to get outside Aprilius One. He shifted the Aurora into flight mode before activating its phantom stealth system and the phase shift armor. It was one of the nice things about Federation stealth technology Tyler had found, it was separate from the phase shift armor, so it didn't require one to be one and the other off to work. The Aurora vanished before it could be noticed by ZAFT, at least Tyler didn't see any sign that the patrols had seen him. So, Tyler flew the Aurora in an arc around the colony and came around to the opposite side before he began searching for a ship leaving the colony. Lacus had mentioned the "ship" she would be using to leave the colony would be easy to spot. And Tyler saw an explosion around the spaceport before a pink ship emerged from the smoke. Tyler tilted his machine and moved into a path that would have him following the ship. However, Tyler had to shove the throttle close to full to catch up to the ship with its cruising speed.

As Tyler was closing the distance between the dark pink ship and himself, a message came to the Aurora from the second SOLAS team. It said that Siegel had gotten out from Aprilius One, but he'd been injured with a bullet to one of his shoulders. The injury had been treated as a field injury to the best as it could be wrapped up so that it wasn't a serious issue. Siegel was being escorted back to the dreadnought around the area right now, and the SOLAS teams had come from. Reading that news brought peace to Tyler's mind, as he wanted both Lacus and Siegel to be alive when leaving the PLANTs. The two had suffered more than what they deserved and earned none of the persecution they had been under.

Meanwhile, accompanied by DaCosta, Athrun left the hangar, making their way towards the Eternal's navigation bridge. There was a bit of a jerk as the Eternal increased its speed, but that didn't affect either Athrun or DaCosta. Athrun was still thinking about what had transpired with his father and what followed it. His father had rejected reason and had doubled down on the vendetta against Naturals. Tyler had been right as he normally seemed to be that the leaders of ZAFT and the PLANTs were going the same direction as the Alliance. Athrun had chosen the side he would fight on, and it was the opposing side from the Supreme Council. The knowledge left a sick feeling in Athrun's heart, but he knew such was needed now more than ever. The two soon came onto the bridge, and Athrun could only stare around since the bridge of this ship was unique. The captain's chair was slightly above another seat for potentially a vice-captain, which wasn't standard for ZAFT ships. There was usually a captain's chair and one for the mission commander for ZAFT vessels. The rest of the bridge stations were set in a 'U' around the room's outer edge. Yet, Athrun's gaze settled on Lacus Clyne, who was in the captain's chair, it was the last place he expected to see her.

When the lift to the bridge had opened, Lacus turned to see who was coming onto the bridge. All the crew was at the condition red stations as resistance was expected soon enough ahead. She wasn't surprised to see Athrun coming onto the bridge since he was rescued at her request. However, she spotted Athrun had his arm in a sling and a bandage on his shoulder. Lacus was concerned about what could've happened to Athrun for him to have injured his shoulder enough to need bandages and a sling. It was possible, and even likely he had been hurt by his own father was horrifying to imagine. Thus, Lacus got out of her chair and sailed towards Athrun, "Are you okay, Athrun," she asked in a worried tone, "Your shoulder…."

Athrun looked at the floor, somewhat ashamed and saddened at the memory of what had occurred between him and his father. "It's the price I paid for trying to reason with the Chairman." Athrun paused, "While it hurts, it isn't as bad as understanding the facts that came out of it." Lacus frowned at what he said, not fully understanding what Athrun was referring to. It was clear that Athrun had confronted his father, likely about the direction of the war. Athrun had a good heart, which was a good quality, but it didn't help him in this instance.

Andrew Waltfeld turned in his seat towards Athrun, looking over the kid. That Miss Lacus wanted to save him made Andrew think the kid was not just anyone but potentially a friend. Miss Lacus had interesting friends, Andrew would admit that since the one he'd met had been anything but ordinary. He assumed that Mr. Zala would also show he was an unordinary individual, much like Mr. McGregor had. "Hey there, youngster," Andrew greeted, "Welcome to the ship of the songstress. I'm Andrew Waltfeld, and the lady next to me would be my second in command and partner, Aisha."

The introduction itself didn't shock Athrun as much as the unsaid implications that came with it. Athrun had heard of Waltfeld, and he had the nickname of the "Desert Tiger" for his work in the African Community. But for, a high-profile ZAFT commander assisting Lacus and Siegel showed the state ZAFT was heading for. Yes, the last visit when he had come back to the PLANTs after what had happened around Orb had shown that things had changed. Nevertheless, he hadn't thought that ZAFT itself was becoming internally divided between the chairman and Admiral Treize. The differing opinion wasn't new, but for the split to drive things to armed forces being divided into two different sides was disturbing. It would have given the Alliance an advantage if it wasn't following a similar mentality. However, the introduction was interrupted by some things, "Mobile suit battalion approaching! Fifty GINNs and a few Nazca and Laurasia classes behind them," one of the bridge operators announced.

Tyler was following the Eternal as Lacus had referred to the ship she said she would use to leave Aprilius One. He was catching up slowly but surely as the Aurora traveled along. However, as Tyler was in visual viewing distance of the Eternal without zooming in, Tyler also saw a massive structure ahead. The structure was made up of an asteroid, which ZAFT had made into a military base called Jachin Due. The place could take a nuclear bombardment and have taken a moderate one earlier in the war when nuclear weapons were sometimes employed. It was also the main base of ZAFT's that stopped attacks that were to be directed at the PLANTs themselves. And its defending forces were already approaching the Eternal. Tyler scanned the quickly building battlefield and estimated fifty GINNs heading in the Eternal's direction. They were accompanied by a couple of Nazca and Laurasia-class ships approaching. And from what Tyler could see, the GINNs were armed with artillery-type weaponry.

The equipment being used and the amount of force used to stop one ship were extreme to Tyler. He figures some idiot has a serious problem and anger management issues that aren't properly dealt with. Tyler did imply to Athrun that the current Chairman of the PLANTs Supreme Council was off his rocker or heading in that direction. Tyler hadn't told Athrun directly the one who had been his father was nothing but someone who wore Patrick Zala's face and used his voice. And now the Chairman was showing how unstable he was by sending an army after one ship. It was the actions of a dictator or a tyrant who feared those that stood up to them and would get rid of them.

Back on the Eternal, Aisha figured out the Eternal's chances of getting past those they were facing. They were facing Jachin Due's defense forces, and she knew they weren't lax or an easy-going group. They were responsible for defending the homeland, so they couldn't afford to go easy on any opponents that came their way. It was one ship against many ships and fifty-plus mobile suits in the looming battle. There was the possibility of the Eternal outrunning the Jachin Due forces. However, Aisha could see some of Jachin Due's forces moving ahead to prevent the Eternal from cutting and running. "Jachin Due's defense force," Andrew posed. Aisha sighed, "You have to ask the question when you know the answer, Andy," Aisha remarked, "And they're setting up to block us from leaving Lagrange 5."

Andrew could see what his partner was referring to with the last half of her sentence. He could see some Nazca and Laurasia classes moving ahead of them to block a quick escape. So the Eternal would have to fight its way away from the Jachin Due forces. And their chances currently weren't great right now as they stood. The Eternal did have one mobile suit on board, but it wasn't ready for deployment to a battlefield. And there wasn't the time to do the needed adjustments to the said mobile suit. So, the Eternal was in a bind with a very low chance of getting out of it. "Of course they are, not all that surprising with our course," Waltfeld agreed. But Andrew knew it was better to move on and get on with the battle, "Ready the main cannon to fire and activate CIWS systems."

At seeing the coming fight, Athrun's restlessness returned as he felt close to useless as he was standing there. He wanted to help, do something to assist those fighting for the human race's survival. While he may be injured, Athrun couldn't sit around doing nothing, and he wouldn't accept that. He had promised Kira and even Cagalli that he would return to them. Athrun could see there needed to be a change in standing for the Eternal to make it through the battle if faced. Athrun may not be good with bridge operation, but he was still a pilot. So, if there were a mobile suit on board, Athrun would be more than willing to pilot it. He was well aware that he wasn't in a position to ask to help, but Athrun couldn't stay silent. "Does this ship have any mobile suits on board," Athrun asked, "I want to help somehow."

There was silence to the question, not because there wasn't an answer, but neither Andrew nor Aisha wanted to admit it. The Eternal did have a mobile suit on it, but it wasn't ready, so it may as well not have a unit on board. The theft of the ZGMF-X11A Regenerate had been Lacus's idea since she wanted to have a mobile suit to use if it was needed. She'd made it clear she didn't intend to sit by and have to watch Kira, Athrun, and Tyler put their lives on the line for everyone else. She would go out and be right next to them if that would make a difference when the chance came. So, while the boy's offer was a nice one, it was one they couldn't accept right now with the current state the Regenerate was in. As there was silence, Athrun took the answer to his question: There were no mobile suits on board this ship. That would complicate things and make things harder for the Eternal to escape from Lagrange 5. However, Andrew spoke up, "Well," he said before pausing, "technically yes, we have one mobile suit on board."

Athrun's head snapped up at being told that the was a suit on board. Yet, there was an implied point that the suit was somehow not usable right now. "What do you mean," Athrun asked, "If there is a mobile suit on this ship, is it not usable?"

The young man had no idea how right he was about the machine in the hangar right now. "Indeed, it still needs adjustments before serious use," Aisha finished. "Thus, it isn't an option right now to use in our plight."

"This ship was originally meant to be used exclusively for the Justice and the Freedom," Andrew added. He thought about the discovery that the Design Bureau hadn't stopped at the two X series they had already made. Another had been made, and two more were in production currently by what reports had been obtained. "The Eternal was to be the carrier ship exclusively for the Freedom and the Justice originally. Yet, the Integrated Design Bureau didn't stop with those two, they kept going with the series which the Eternal would have been the carrier for."

Aisha nodded in agreement with Andy about what the Design Bureau had worked on. "They made another one already, which is now on the ship," Aisha commented. "But as I said, the unit needs adjustments before it is deployed out to battle. And the Bureau is in the process of constructing a fourth and fifth unit for the X series."

It was stunning to Athrun and disturbing that not one but three other mobile suits were designed with similar features to the Freedom, the Justice, or both. While the Freedom and the Justice capabilities were impressive by themselves, it showed the series was a serious advancement in mobile weapon technology. However, Athrun also saw the dangers of employing or further developing what had gone into the Freedom and the Justice. The other units of the X series would possess nuclear reactors as their power sources, but there would also be more than that. For example, were the Aegis's transformation abilities be further developed and applied to a unit, it could be a nasty machine to go against.

Athrun was about to inquire further, but Lacus spoke up before he could. "Open all channels for outgoing communications," she ordered. Lacus wanted to attempt to convince others of the wrongness of what ZAFT was doing currently in the ongoing war. So many brave soldiers were throwing their lives away when it wasn't needed at all. What was needed wasn't nuclear weapons but talks between all sides to come to an understanding. Lacus was confident there were enough that wanted the peace and that talks could work in the end.

While Waltfeld could guess what Miss Lacus wanted to try doing, he respected that she wanted to spare as many lives as possible. It was unlikely she would be unable to persuade few in the Jachin Due forces. But Andrew would still let Miss Lacus try to convince others as it was what she wanted to do. So, he nodded and faced forward, "Roger," he gave the nod to Aisha, and she acknowledged what Andy was asking her to do. She gave the command to the com-officer, who did as instructed, and opened all the ZAFT channels. Once Andrew saw that communications lines were open, he spoke again, "All com-channels are open." Aisha frowned as she knew what Miss Lacus was trying to do was good in principle but would unlikely make a difference in practice. "Let us hope some listen," Aisha remarked quietly, "though I doubt the ones that could prevent issues will."

Even if it was a "fool's errand," as it could historically be called, Lacus wanted to try still to convince others not to fight. If it saved one life, then Lacus believed it was worth attempting to speak and persuade another. Lacus took a deep breath before she began, "Soldiers of ZAFT, this is Lacus Clyne. I do not doubt you've heard much from Chairman Zala about me. I know we hope for different futures, and due to our differences in view and opinion, I do not wish to fight any of you. The future that Chairman Zala is working towards is a dark and cold one that ends all of humanity. All parts of humanity deserve a better future than that, and we are capable of creating and better future. Please allow us to pass in peace, and I ask each and every one of you to think about what it is you are fighting for. And what we should all be really fighting against in this conflict."

While Andrew and Aisha would applaud Miss Lacus's words as they rang true for many, it wasn't the time. They both say the response to Lacus's petition came from the sensors detecting incoming projectiles. There had been the slightest pauses with some, but that wasn't enough to avoid this fight. Andrew sighed at seeing the Jachin Due forces still advancing, "Well, I'd hoped for a moment that they would listen, yet alas, it seems they aren't going to." Andrew paused, "It's not so easy for them. The military is unknowingly taking commands from two different sources, and they have different objectives in mind with their orders."

Andrew was right about the growing division that ZAFT was unknowingly dealing with behind the scenes. Admiral Treize was doing as Lacus suggested with fighting for the right reasons. However, the National Defense Committee orders were close to the opposite, producing confusion. Aisha nodded sadly, "Unfortunately, I believe that Jachin Due's forces are taking orders from Chairman Zala rather than Admiral Treize."

"Commence our counterattack," Waltfeld ordered.

Lacus still wanted there to be the least bloodshed possible. She now had her own experience of battlefields and what happened to them. Her eyes had been opened to the horrors of the war, and the value of life was so precious. "Mr. Waltfeld, please avoid hitting the cockpit the best you can," Lacus requested.

Andrew hesitated as Miss Lacus was asking was more than a tall order with how things were. The Eternal was already about to fight an extremely difficult battle against many mobile suits. To also attempt not to hit the cockpits, which was the simplest area to hit to dispatch an enemy unit. Andrew exhaled heavily, "That's easier said than done, but we'll try our best to do that, yet I make no promises about how successful we are at it."

Tyler heard Lacus's "speech and plea" to the ZAFT forces they were facing. And Tyler would've loved nothing more than for her words to change minds and convince soldiers to stop fighting. It was clear to Tyler that Lacus had learned war was horrible, and it took lives so easily. Lacus had a heart of gold, Tyler would state and argue that to any that would disagree with him. And if those could move the world as Lacus spoke, it would be a very different place. However, the reality was much less kind and idealistic Tyler knew that all too well and cursed the point on occasions like this. So, it wasn't very surprising that ZAFT forces didn't give a response much if all other than continuing to move forward.

The Eternal was already using their CWIS systems to intercept GINNs and CGUEs. That was more than enough for Tyler to move forward to take action and help the Eternal. It was time for Tyler to get to work and fulfill the points of his job description, which he saw being a good guy involved. He would save the Eternal from getting destroyed and kick ass while he did, and Tyler would do so with style. Tyler rocketed forward as he pushed the throttle against its stop. He swung the Aurora to start an attack line that would cross five GINNs, bringing the Aurora's crosshairs of its 90mm Vulcans to bear on the first GINN. Tyler began his attack run, peppering the first GINN with a clean line of bullet holes. Tyler's shots hit the second's artillery setting it off and causing the GINN's destruction. Tyler used his beam rifle on the third and fourth GINNs, getting clean shots in the torsos and destroying them. The fifth GINN noticed that its fellow had been destroyed and pulled away. Tyler followed the GINN and launched missiles at the machine, which found its target and eliminated it.

Tyler turned back to the Eternal and shut off the Aurora's stealth system to use the power it was for the fight. He flew back toward the ship and saw missiles and projectiles were sailing in their direction. Tyler could see the Eternal's defenses were doing their best to fend off the attacks but were slowly being overwhelmed. Tyler aimed his plasma cannons just ahead of the Eternal and fired. The beams engulfed the projectiles and sent the Eternal's way, destroying them. Tyler closed the distance between him and the Eternal so he could defend the ship from whatever ZAFT could send their way.

Those on the Eternal's bridge hadn't known they were being helped until the crimson beams shot in front of them, eliminating the missiles aimed at them. The angle of the beams made it clear it wasn't a ZAFT machine just missing. Plus, beams such as those seen weren't put out by mass-produced weapons ZAFT used yet. Then there was a report from the sensor operator, "Commander," they called, "Unknown unit has appeared to our starboard."

Andrew looked in the direction indicated and saw an odd-looking fighter craft flying among the ZAFT forces. It appeared crimson with white lining overall and looked based on earth aircraft. Yet, it had two cannons in front and what appeared to be a beam rifle and shield on the bottom side of it. The equipment suggested the "fighter" was more than likely a mobile suit that could take the form of a space fighter. The unit certainly didn't have any markings or equipment that ZAFT had produced, so unlikely a ZAFT machine. The Alliance wouldn't waste time helping the Eternal, and they would be attacking ZAFT instead. That left the unknown being a Federation unit, which was possible as the Federation had already helped Miss Lacus. Aisha had also mentioned that the young man from the theft of the Freedom had popped up. So, for all she knew, the kid could have a mobile suit to work with and was assisting them now. It wouldn't shock him if that were the case with how Miss Lacus had talked about him.

Athrun was staring at the crimson machine and observed it shift into a mobile suit he'd seen before. It was the one Tyler had used in defense of the Republic, the Aurora, as Athrun recalled Tyler called it. For Tyler being out here explained something Athrun had been wondering about. Tyler had mentioned he had a "promise" to keep with someone that being in space would make easier. Tyler's promise had been to Lacus, likely to help her escape the PLANTs and her pursuers. It was how Tyler was, help a friend no matter the cost to himself. It was a quality that Athrun was more grateful for from recent events than he used to be. Still, after seeing the machine, Athrun couldn't help but mutter its name, "The Aurora."

Lacus twisted around to look at Athrun as he knew of this unknown machine that had appeared. Andrew also turned to look at the blue-haired boy since he had called this machine they were looking at by a name. "You know of the unit helping us out," he posed.

Athrun nodded, "It is called the Aurora," he stated, "It was designed and produced by the Federation. It is also the mobile suit that a friend is piloting who I talked to recently."

Lacus's eyes widened, "Wait, Tyler is piloting that suit," she questioned.

Athrun nodded in response to the question, "Correct, and it is the machine he has been using since the Alliance attacked the Republic, as I understand it." Athrun would've gone on, but most on the bridge were distracted as the Aurora began doing amazing moves. Not only was it doing acrobatics to evade ZAFT attacks, but it was also shooting its beam rifle and nailing its opponents.

Tyler had something between a soft smile and a smirk as he kept up his antics by distracting ZAFT. He did take the opportunity to test out the Aurora's beam rifle's secondary mode, named its stream mode. Tyler had looked at the option but hadn't had a chance to employ it before this skirmish. During the defense of the Republic, it hadn't been an effective option since Tyler had to watch his weapon fire back at the time. However, Tyler had still been quite curious about the option ever since reading about it. The feeling he had when he tested new stuff for Teswa had come to him, but he hadn't heeded it at the time. Yet, Tyler could have a chance to try out the stream mode without issue since the Eternal was behind him, and that was the only ally he needed to be concerned with. Upon switching the rifle's mode over, the front half of the weapon split open, revealing a long and thick barrel.

Tyler had the Aurora take the secondary handle on the rifle, and then he aimed at the nearest group of GINNs. He pulled the trigger, and the rifle emitted a focused beam that blasted through the GINN Tyler had been aiming at. Tyler swept the rifle to the left, and the beam followed the motion. The beam cut through the suits by the first one much like a beam saber would do. Tyler was impressed by the stream mode, and he didn't impress easily, and those at Teswa knew that. Next time, when he was around Teswa, he would praise Carlos and his colleagues for this invention. The stream did drain the Aurora's power supply more than the beam rifle normally. From what Tyler could tell, it was comparable to using the plasma cannons. And while that was something he would keep in mind, the attack option was awesome to Tyler.

After Tyler had used the stream mode of his beam rifle for a second time, he caught sight of an explosion from one of the Nazca classes. When Tyler looked in that direction, he found the explosion had been caused by something puncturing through the ship. And above the ship was a custom Delta Fighter model looking down at the damaged ship. It had a different color scheme than the mass-production Delta Fighters came with. It was dark grey overall and had a non-standard arsenal to go with it. First, it had smaller railguns than the standard Delta Fighter possessed, and then the shield had a pair of 80mm Gatling guns on either side attached to it. The last piece of equipment was a unique weapon combo in the form of a long rectangular beam rifle with a pole coming out from the butt of the weapon.

The custom machine shifted into its mobile suit mode, took out the pole, and ignited the two emitters on the end of the pole, producing a long-curved beam blade shaped like a scythe. With the entrance through the Nazca, which was a classic move of one Tyler knew, it wasn't hard to guess what was inside. The mobile suit what piloted by only one man, he was infamous for his preference to use a scythe-like weapon. Something about the best tool to open "tin cans" or warships to the rest as Tyler recalled the man's reasoning. The man was named Kurt Gream, and he was a colleague of Tyler's and was the pilot above him in ranking. Tyler had never beaten the man, even one in a mock battle, and he'd tried his best to do so, even with SEED mode, Tyler had failed.

And it was because of those mock battles Tyler was glad Kurt, and he was fighting on the same side in this battle. Kurt's fighting style had scared the crap out of Tyler when he'd faced it, and he still had nightmares about it. Even as Tyler kept defending the Eternal, he saw Kurt was proving why he chose the weapon he did. Tyler almost felt sorry for the ZAFT soldiers as they were unknowingly going against one of their Champions, and they hadn't a clue. Tyler opened a channel to the Delta Fighter, "Kurt, I appreciate the help in this," he stated, "And I'm glad we're on the same side, no offense."

Kurt swung his scythe and sliced two GINNs in half as he heard the message from another. The voice was instantly recognizable as it belonged to Tyler McGregor, who Kurt had found to be a very interesting teen. The kid had held his own against him for longer than most ZAFT soldiers had a prayer of doing. Tyler had a style of his own and stood up for himself when others criticized him for it. Kurt respected those who did things their own way and then defended it, he'd done that himself a few times. Honestly, Kurt had volunteered for the extraction mission SOLAS had mounted to repay a debt. Sakura had saved his team on the moon when the Alliance had used their Cyclops system to end the Battle of Endymion. His team had been family to him, so Sakura had done Kurt a serious favor. Rescuing her father from being killed by those under the command of Chairman Zala was his way of repaying that debt. Kurt chuckled at Tyler's greeting, "It is a rare thing for the two of us to be on the same assignment, Tyler," he remarked. "But we can catch up after the work here is done, work before pleasure, Tyler." Tyler agreed with the sediment, but it was still something to see Kurt using his scythe and the flechette rifle on the end of the weapon's pole. The rifle operated much as a shotgun, firing a spread of beams with each discharge.

At the same time, Kira had been waiting for Athrun to return from Aprilius One. Athrun had been gone for hours now, and Kira was worried about him. Cagalli hadn't been pleased with the idea of Athrun going to the PLANTs, and she had been firmly against it. She had Kira promised he would make sure Athrun returned to them after his "attempt." Kira's attention had been drawn when ZAFT forces became active near their Jachin Due base. Something had set them off, but Kira couldn't see or come up with a reason for that to be so. Then he'd seen the pink ship heading away from the PLANTs and toward the waiting ZAFT forces. As Kira kept watching, he saw the ship fending off ZAFT. Then there had been the crimson mobile suit appearing and helping the ship. Kira decided to jump in and help this unknown ship and go on from there.

The situation became even more interesting in Tyler's view when the Freedom appeared, and Kira added his efforts to the mix. Tyler wondered where Kira had been hiding and watching things from. He couldn't have appeared as quick as he did if he hadn't been close by. Truthfully, ZAFT's defending forces' advantage with numbers was canceled out by the efforts of the three opposing mobile suits. The three managed to shoo away what was left of the mobile suits of Jachin Due facing the Eternal. The Eternal kept moving forward, looking relatively undamaged from the battle due to the efforts of Tyler and his companions.

Kira flew alongside the Eternal, hoping he could find out what was going on and what he had been involved in. It was dangerous for the Freedom to be seen by ZAFT right now, Tyler had made that clear when explaining things to him. ZAFT wanted the Freedom back and were willing to kill any to get it back under their control. And Kira had promised Tyler that even if he hadn't liked some of the conditions, he would not let ZAFT have the Freedom back. So, Kira opened a channel to the ship, "This is the Freedom, Kira Yamato here," Kira identified himself.

Lacus was shocked to hear Kira's voice as it had been months since they had parted ways. She believed that Tyler would get the Freedom to Kira as he had said he would. But to hear his voice from the machine was somewhat comforting for Lacus. She had missed Kira so much since returning to the PLANTs. She had worried about what Kira was doing and what was happening to him. "Kira," Lacus uttered in surprise over the com-channel.

Tyler listened to the exchange as he swung around to have the Aurora fly along the Eternal's right side. He shifted his machine into its flight mode and matched his speed with the Eternal's cruising speed. Tyler was in the view of the bridge as he sailed along beside the Eternal. Tyler was working to contain the mirth filling him at the exchange between Lacus and Kira. The interaction between the two was cute and amusing, even if it was frustrating. And Kira's appearance was one of the instances of "impeccable timing" he could show. It wasn't a fluke as some may claim, it occurred too often to be a random chance. Plus, Tyler was happy to hear Kira's voice as it had been more than a week since they talked or saw each other. Thus, Tyler couldn't stay silent for very long, "One of the instances of your impeccable timing, Kira. Nice to see you are as dependable as you normally are, my friend."

Kira cringed a bit at hearing Tyler's voice as he hadn't expected it in this event. Tyler had disappeared more than a week ago. He had said he had to return to the Republic to defend it from the Alliance, that had been the last that Kira had heard from his friend. Athrun had mentioned Tyler had told him the three would meet up in space and catch up on things. So, this was the last place Kira expected to cross paths with Tyler. "Tye," Kira questioned in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"Were you expecting someone else then," Tyler posed. Tyler had made sure that Athrun and Kira had no doubt about the distance he would go for friends. "Granted, I've been keeping myself busy lately, but I try to do what I can to help those in need. It is part of what I like to call being one of the good guys, and that should be in my job description."

The conversation quickly turned to where the group would go since they couldn't return to the PLANTs soon. Kira mentioned that others he had been with, like the Archangel, had gone to the L4 colony cluster. When Tyler asked what Kira meant by "others," Kira said it was the Archangel and an Orb Union vessel he called the Kusanagi. It wasn't long for an agreement to be reached, and the Eternal and the Freedom and the Aurora started going in that direction. It would take over twelve hours to reach Lagrange 4 and a little longer to reach the colony the group Kira mentioned was at.

Tyler was left to his thoughts as the group went along, considering what lay ahead. With what had occurred around the PLANTs, there would be repercussions that would follow. Tyler feared that ZAFT's leaders were rapidly becoming the same as the Alliance's leadership. Instead of "Natural supremacy," the only difference was "Coordinator supremacy." That standing would only make the war a worse conflict in the long run. It would certainly make the work of the Federation more cut and dry. It was clear to Tyler that the work he would be involved in would pick up and keep those like him busy. Tyler just hoped that once the group he was in arrived at the colony, they would get some time to relax.

A/n

Okay, I'll leave off there for the phase and continue on from there in the next one. Now onto the part were I elaborate on things from the Phase that I want to highlight. So, originally this and the last phase were one phase themselves but it was getting too long in the rewrite. I also have been expanding things if it hasn't be clear to you readers and I hope you appreciate more depth to the story. With that out of the way, let's start with the "rescue" portion as there were some changes there. So, first, Tyler wasn't assigned, and he will have to face consequences later, I wanted to establish that now. I want to point this out as it shows how far Tyler is willing to go for his friends and I wanted to make that clear. For all that he does, Tyler has his priorities in the right place even when it may not seem like it. Second, I did jump back and forth from what was going on with Athrun and Tyler as the events were happening about the same time. I hope it wasn't too confusing the jumping but I felt it worked better than just separating them. Next, I want to point out the conversation between Athrun and the Chairman. The coversation is overall the same, but I wanted to show that Patrick Zala had lost touch with what his plans would do. Athrun understands thanks to Tyler's help back in the Republic. However, I feel that Athrun needed to try to reason with his "father" even when it was doomed to fail. It gives him more character and shows he cares and isn't a "plot armor" character as Kira can sometimes be.

Moving on to the escape and the interaction between Sakura and Tyler. The escape is not too different than canon except the Regenerate is on board the Eternal. I do want to point out the quirk with Waltfeld and Aisha which I describe in this. Andrew may be the one in charge, but Aisha works with him and gives him advice, kind of like a married couple. The example is the "acquision" if you will of DaCosta. Andrew hadn't been sure but Aisha said to do it, and it works out well. Then we have one of those scenes I know you readers like as I get questions and comments about them, the interactions between my main character Tyler and Sakura. In this instance, Sakura shows she don't take crap with the Chairman, which I think all of us wanted someone to do, correct me should I be wrong. Then as Tyler is doing resupply Sakura is helping the ZAFT inspection team. Yes, I felt it amusing that the interaction end with a kiss from Sakura, I know many of you wanted to see such happen at some point. Besides, Sakura got the jump on Tyler, and he didn't push her away (wink wink). On to the battle the Eternal got into while escaping the PLANTs, which did change somewhat. So, granted Tyler whipped ass in the original, but why not make it better I say. And this is the first battle that will be neater than the original, just a peek at that point.

That is it for the closing notes on this Phase, however, I do have one thing to bring up to you readers. I have made a poll for you all to vote on and give me your opinion. It is for future plans, whether to change another story of mine from 1st person to 3rd person since this one has been going so well. Feel free to vote on it should you wish, it will be up for a while as I want input on where to go after this story is "finished" or is where I want it to be. As always, some of you take the time to write a review and tell me what you think of the Phase. I appreciate those who do and let their voices be heard. I will see you all in two weeks or so with the next Phase titled: "Call to Stand." Peace out all!