A/n

Okay, I know I said I would post "a Phase" but this turned into a much longer affair than I thought it would be. When I hit more than 40k+ I decided the phase needed to be split into two instead of one. Thus, the battle will be broken into three parts but I'll be posting the other half soon. I hope you enjoy the rest of the battle scene in this and the next phase!

Phase 55: Tides Turning

September 26th 71 C.E.

Around the PLANTs, Lagrange 5

The Alliance's Peacemaker task group, which had been assembled for the attack on Boaz, was on its way to L5 and the PLANT colonies. The group was made up of the First and Seventh Orbital Fleets, but they were escorting those carrying out the mission in case ZAFT spotted them before they got into range. The original plan had been to wait at the forward position for the Fifth and Sixth Orbital Fleets to meet up with them. Four Orbital Fleets would increase the odds of success in delivering the intended payload to the colonies. However, the time for the meet-up had passed hours ago, so it was assumed they would join up later. Yet, as the group had moved forward, they witnessed a beam zooming toward the moon. Attempts had been made to contact Ptolemaeus after seeing that, but there had been silence. The lack of communication had many saying the beam had been aimed and destroyed lunar HQ. Should Ptolemaeus be gone, it would be a horrendous blow to the Alliance in space and on Earth. There was also no communication from Earth, which was odd after an attack on the moon was done. The ship captains knew things were bad; if Ptolemaeus were gone, it would be even grimmer. However, those rumors were being played down and managed while the group continued forward.

Azrael, who represented the Alliance leadership in this group, insisted there was nothing to worry about with the beam or the lack of communication with Earth. The fleet's mission remained the same as before: to deliver the nuclear payload and use it on the PLANTs. Azrael and others who agreed with him reasoned that if ZAFT's colonies were destroyed, it would be enough of a blow to cause them to be disorganized and/or give up. If they give up, they would be wiped out, and OMNI would have a victory before moving on to dealing with the Federation. On the other hand, if disorganization were the result, then OMNI would mop them up and finish them. In the end, ZAFT would be out of the picture, and the Alliance could focus on the remaining threat the Federation was. The logic had created the name of the task group "Peacemaker" as it would end the longest part of the war. The fleet escort would help get the nuclear weapons within range of their intended targets and resupply. Since there was the full expectation of ZAFT forces slowing them down, the determination to end the war was strong within the Alliance.

Among the First Orbital Fleet's formation toward the front of it was the Dominion. It wasn't the fleet flagship officially, as the fleet's commanding Agamemnon, the Dolittle, had that title. Technically though, with Azrael on the Dominion, it was the commanding ship of the force heading for Lagrange 5. Natarle still wasn't happy Azrael was on her ship, but standing orders wouldn't let her kick him off. She'd talked to Admiral Maes and another top brass officer to attempt to remove Azrael from the Dominion. Maes had been sympathetic to her plight but said he could do nothing. The other officer had said it wasn't up to her to say whether Azrael would travel on her ship. Thus, Natarle was stuck with the man on the Dominion, and she held in her opinion about it as an officer was expected to. And he hadn't gotten any better; if anything, Azrael had become even harder to tolerate for Natarle. She was starting to be more willing to deal with Tyler's antics than Azrael's presence. Natarle had never thought she would prefer the rebellious teenager's behavior over another's.

When the order to head out came, Natarle questioned why they wouldn't wait for allied reinforcement from Ptolemaeus. The only answer she'd gotten was they couldn't wait much longer, the others would join up when they could. There had been no more detail on the beam which had shot in the Moon's direction. She'd seen it, and it had appeared to come from the direction of Lagrange 5 from what Natarle could figure. Then there had come the rumors of what the beam could've hit on the moon as there had been no conformation as to where it had struck. It could've wiped Copernicus City off the map for all any knew as much as Ptolemaeus. Natarle hadn't missed the wild gossip about the beam destroying Ptolemaeus being the most popular. She didn't want to believe Ptolemaeus could be gone, yet she couldn't deny it could be true. There had been no evidence to the contrary that she'd heard. Some captains had tried to reach out to Lunar HQ when orders had said not to but had gotten nothing from the chatter Natarle had heard. It only added to the worry that was taking root within her heart.

Then there was the "mission" they were to accomplish, which Natarle didn't agree with at all. Using nuclear weapons on the PLANTs was something some in the Alliance had wanted to do for a while, Natarle knew that. It had been a wish and dream to some in the Alliance. Natarle wasn't so blind or deaf to not know that. But n-jammers had made such a foolish idea impossible since the April Fool's Crisis. Yet then, n-jammer cancellers were acquired, which changed everything and made the idea possible again. How OMNI had gotten the cancellers hadn't been stated to officers, but Natarle had her suspicions, yet she kept her mouth shut about those. She suspected the disk Flay had given her contained designs on the canceller Azrael had delivered to the Alliance. Her issue was if the disk came from someone in ZAFT, as Flay had said, the supplier shouldn't be trusted. They were giving the Alliance an advantage which they had for themselves. There was no reason for someone in ZAFT to hand over an advantage such as nuclear tech to the Alliance if they wanted ZAFT to win. So, since Flay hadn't said who had specifically given her the disk, whoever it was had other goals than winning the war, that was clear. Natarle was sure the supplier wanted many to die. Why they wanted that, she couldn't say, but their intentions were not to help end the war for the best.

After hours had gone by since setting out from the forward position, the group slowed to a crawl when the fleets got into view of the colonies at L5. The scene that met the eyes of those in the Alliance force halted them from advancing further toward their target. The battle visible from where the Taskforce was given a view of the fight and showed it was unlike any of the skirmishes which had occurred in the war thus far. Most that could see the conflict could only gape, crew and officer alike. A few things were clear from the view they were getting. The fight was between ZAFT forces and a notably larger force pushing ZAFT back toward their Jachin Due and the colonies. It seemed that the group that ZAFT was fighting was made up of what could be Federation and other ships, but at the range they were seeing this, none in the Alliance forces could be sure. Sensor readings had difficulty accurately identifying ships in the mess the battle was looking to be.

The Dolittle sent out a recon team to look things over at a closer distance and attempt to confirm what the battle involved. The Daggers and a few Moebius armors made their way closer to the battle, trying to keep themselves from being noticed as they did. Once at the edge of what would be the expected sensor range of ZAFT's home fleet, the group stopped and observed what they could. The force fighting ZAFT did appear to be made up of Federation ships and mobile suits, but there were also Alliance machines and even ZAFT suits fighting the ZAFT forces facing away from the PLANTs. And after a moment of watching, it was clear the Federation side was winning. There were observations made, most of them worrisome, but it would be up to the task force leaders to decide how to deal with them. They couldn't communicate back to the task force as there was too much interference with the battle going on. So the recon group returned to the Dolittle to report what they found.

When the recon team returned, they gave their findings to Sutherland, who then called for a meeting of the commanding officers of the task force. That included Azrael and Natarle, along with other ship captains. The summary Sutherland gave to the gathered captains and Azrael weren't encouraging or even well accepted as details only furthered told of the complications they would deal with. The first fact was the conformation that the Federation was fighting ZAFT and they had allies with them doing the job. The recon team's report also said on the Federation side were ZAFT and OMNI forces helping them. That fact concerned the heads fo the task force and caused doubts about their mission returned. It certainly showed the mission they were assigned to do would be far different and more difficult than any had estimated, and that was just the beginning.

Natarle had a nagging feeling things would be worse, seeing ZAFT was already in combat with another group. To have it confirmed it was the Federation were the ones going against them made the point worse. Natarle had nothing personally against the Federation or its principles. The inaction of the Federation had been annoying, but that was their choice and prerogative as an independent faction. But for them to have assembled a force that included OMNI and ZAFT personnel and ships was something else. the implied number the recon team said appeared to be going against ZAFT inferred more Federation vessels than estimates had ever predicted. The only vessels of OMNI's that weren't with the task force were the Fifth and Sixth Orbital Fleets. That suggested that if Ptolemaeus had been attacked, they could've survived. But were that so, why hadn't they come to meet up with the task force and tell them what happened with the odd beam? Then there were the ZAFT forces with the Federation, which was a different matter. They were going against their own military and their allies. There was no reason for them to do that which Natarle could think of.

She had always heard such a force made from all current factions would never come together for any reason. All who had been asked about the idea's possibility had said it would never happen with the relationships between the factions. However, according to the recon team's report, a fleet made from all factions was fighting ZAFT's defending forces. The only purpose Natarle could come up with for the Federation forces to be here was to stop ZAFT's beam weapon. The other possibility was stopping nuclear weapons from being used on the colonies, which could be another task of the large force for all in the Alliance task force knew. If it was to stop nuclear weapons and ZAFT's beam cannon, Natarle could've gotten behind that in a heartbeat. She believed that most in OMNI would've been just as willing to work for the goal at the current year's beginning. But her heart sank since the task force she was with showed the leaders of the Alliance wouldn't do that if given a chance. The fleet fighting ZAFT would see them as enemies like ZAFT should they attempt to fire nukes at the colonies. Natarle didn't doubt that for a second, but she didn't think many would listen to her opinion, definitely not Azrael.

On the other hand, Azrael was fuming at what the recon team had confirmed with their observations. The fleet fighting ZAFT would've been troublesome for those Azrael had command over, he knew it would be. However, the Federation getting here first, engaging ZAFT, and setting themselves right next to the path the task group had to the PLANTs complicated things. The unexpected change made it difficult for Azrael to keep control of his emotions and not blow up about this development. Granted, he suspected the Federation would step into the work to end the war and mess with plans at some point. He'd thought he'd planned for how the Federation could interfere with nuclear weapons use. Azrael and other leaders had to take the Federation into account with operations with them attacking and destroying Orbital Fleets. Their meddling in destroying Orbital Fleets had complicated things and set back plans for a time, and that had been frustrating enough. So changes had needed to be made, much to the ire of Azrael and others.

The long-term plan was after ZAFT was handled and ended, the Alliance would then turn to deal with the Federation. The war couldn't truly come to an end while the Federation existed. Their standing and strength would grind against the needed leadership for the coming future. Azrael and others knew that as the truth and had working with it in mind. However, with things going wonderfully after Boaz, Azrael had hoped the Federation would mind their own business long enough for the Alliance to wipe out ZAFT. Yet, here they were, in the middle of things, not minding their own business and putting plans that had been in the works for years at risk. That was before Azrael had considered what the Federation could do to make serious waves. For them to assemble a fleet of all factions would make delivering nukes much more difficult. It was infuriating to see them once again play the "righteous" and "noble" cards they often held to, working for what they considered was all of humanity.

The recon summary didn't get any better as it kept coming from Sutherland. Recon had said they had spotted the custom GINN colored the way ZAFT's Admiral Treize had in the battle. For Treize to be fighting out on the field did a blow to the task force leaders. Lanus Treize was a brilliant tactician and the bane of OMNI in space, with him leading ZAFT. The majority of OMNI feared Treize with the experiences OMNI had with him from the war. The man had always beaten the Alliance on Earth or in space; even if ZAFT took losses in the process, they were always less than OMNI. He was a problem for OMNI around the battle, even if he was fighting ZAFT's defending forces. Then Sutherland came to the recon team seeing Gundam types on the Federation side. An exact number hadn't been taken, but the team had seen more than one during their observations. There were also custom model machines and the Gundams causing trouble with ZAFT. Gundam and custom models had shown during the war they would be difficult to deal with. They were stronger and tended to have expert pilots in them.

Finally, Sutherland iterated the recon team had reported the Federation was using their customary teamwork mentality even with the new allies to great effect. ZAFT was being pushed back from their normal forward defensive position. The recon team also said they had spotted a few "odd rifles" being carried by Federation forces. They had never seen anything like the rifles before and couldn't guess what they would be used for. But the recon team insisted the rifles had to be important as the Federation forces were protecting the carries noticeably more than was expected. If the rifles were just a new weapon, there would be little reason to defend them as the Federation was doing. In the end, the ideal situation was gone, and the current scenario was one Azrael didn't like one bit.

With the summary finished, the planning session started as to how to complete their mission. The enemy fleet may be occupying ZAFT forces for the moment, which was nice since it gave a potential path to the PLANTs. However, soon after they moved forward, both sides would more than likely notice them and move to stop them. The Federation's force was big enough to fight both ZAFT and the task force at the same time. So, the real question was how long would both sides take to notice them and counter their attempt? Azrael didn't expect it to be long with the Federation, which he cursed with fervur. He knew he wasn't alone in expecting the Federation to turn toward them when they set out quickly. Most of the ship captains thought much the same and voiced their concerns. But they still had to attempt to complete the mission they were here to do, even with the serious doubts that were present. The stakes had been made clear about this mission, and failure could easily spell out the end of the war with the Earth Alliance being defeated. Those among the fleet and even the top brass didn't really agree with using nuclear weapons as planned. But their voices were drowned out by those who shouted that destroying the PLANTs was the only way to end the war.

The escort fleets would be required to defend the task group made up of mobile armors from being attacked along their way. They would be a shield for the armors and do their best to keep back Federation and ZAFT forces from them. Mobile suits would attempt to push back attackers, but the likelihood of them being able to do that was extremely low. They would more delay those pressing from getting to the mobile armors. It would hopefully be long enough for the armors to fire off their nuclear missiles to strike the PLANTs. With that in mind, orders were given for mobile suits to launch out to begin the operation. They would keep attention off the main task force while they went for the PLANTs. Should that be done, the chances of the mission's success could climb a margin that OMNI would take.

The coalition fleet quickly noticed the presence of the Alliance forces as they came into midrange sensors. Long-range sensors couldn't be relied upon with the interference from the battle with ZAFT. The direction they were traveling made it clear that Alliance's forces were aiming at the PLANTs. ZAFT appeared too busy and involved with the coalition fleet to have really noticed the Alliance forces that had popped up. The Alliance couldn't be allowed to send nukes at the PLANTs. That would give a reason for ZAFT to use their gamma-ray on Earth more than they already had. So, a portion of the coalition fleet diverted from the main battle to block the Alliance forces from having a path to the PLANTs.

The Alliance mobile suits consisting of the six GAT series suits, the Strike Daggers, and their other variations, were quickly caught up in fighting the Federation forces after they launched. Even if expected, those in the Alliance fleet cursed enemy forces had moved to block them so quickly. The mobile armors which carried the nuclear missiles hadn't been deployed yet. They wouldn't be sent out until the fleet was closer and a path was made. The First and Seventh Orbital Fleets were slowed to a crawl as the Federation forces closed in. That transitioned into a halt shortly after the Federation began to attack them. Azrael was enraged at seeing Daggers and even a couple of Alliance vessels helping the Federation. Their traitorous actions to work with enemy forces attempting were preventing what should have occurred years ago was ridiculous.

Alliance forces ground to a halt defending themselves from their attackers. Natarle saw rapidly as things were going; two outcomes were likely to happen if things didn't change drastically. The Alliance forces would get through many paying a heavy price. That could very well lead to failing at attacking the PLANTs before they were wiped out. The other outcome was those carrying nuclear missiles would be neutralized before they got into range to deploy. Neither outcome was desirable anymore than the consequences that came with them. And even if the task force got through somehow and attacked the colonies, ZAFT could counter by using whatever they did against Ptolemaeus before any could stop them. She would've brought such up if not knowing the point would be dismissed with the insistence the attempt had to be made.

Honestly, in Natarle's opinion, the focus shouldn't be on destroying the PLANTs as those in charge wanted. Their wish to nuke the colonies would make things worse and give ZAFT nothing to lose for what they did. An enemy with nothing to lose was extremely dangerous to face or fight. The priority should be on the weapon which had fired at the moon, and more than likely obliterated the Ptolemaeus Lunar base ZAFT had to work with. If that weapon was left alone too much longer, it could be aimed and used on Earth. Were that to happen, all the efforts here by the task force would be for nothing. The logic made more sense as Natarle thought about them, and quickly Natarle became fed up and couldn't hold in her opinion any longer. "These actions we are doing are ridiculous," she snapped. "We should focus our efforts on finding ZAFT's beam weapon that shot at the moon rather than striking the PLANTs. It's more a threat to Earth than anything else ZAFT has to work with."

Things were bad enough right now with how things were going for the Alliance. The things going against them were piling up and adding to their current difficulties. They were so close to cleansing a huge group of monsters from the human race. But they were being blocked and delayed in the needed cleansing. That alone was close to setting Azrael off and letting loose his rage that was building. The Federation's interference had fueled Azrael's anger to climb to greater heights. Yet, the woman who was supposed to be following orders and keeping her mouth shut was squawking again. He didn't need her giving her foolish opinion. Her orders which the top brass gave her at his insistence, should have her minding her own business. Thus, he was very unhappy with this ship's captain and her constant questioning of him. "Give me a damn break," Azrael growled grimly and then glared at Natarle. "I've been more than tolerant at this point in letting you state your opinion and not correcting you when I should." He then went over to Natarle and slapped her hard across the face to get his point across, "Now, you listen to me for the last time I will go out of my way to tell you how things are, bi**h. Your only job per your commanding officers is to do what I tell you, whether you agree with me and my instructions or not! You're not in any position to lecture me on what you think needs to be done!"

The feel on the bridge of the Dominion had been uneasy with the tension before, but the temperature dropped a noticeable degree at Azrael slapping Natarle. The ship's VIP had just technically assaulted the captain with the slap, which violated OMNI protocol. Natarle slowly turned back to gaze at Azrael after he struck her. She had every right to kick Azrael off the bridge after what he did. Protocol gave her the authority to remove him, and no officer could argue the decision. And she was very tempted to have that done. She imagined Azrael kicking and screaming as he was dragged from the bridge, making it all the more tempting to have the job done. It would improve the environment on the bridge, which was falling fast with the man acting the way he was. Thus, Natarle glared at the man that was part of the radical part of the Alliance.

She'd been tolerating the man and his "antics" before now due to the orders she had from the top brass. If any other had done what he had, she'd have them thrown in a brig cell to consider their behavior. Even Tyler seemed to know there was a line and where it was, so he didn't cross it. Sure, Tyler put toes on that line and even pushed them across it slightly, but he didn't step over that line while he'd been around her. Azrael ignored the line, crossed it blatantly, and seemed to see nothing wrong with it. He had displayed himself as a man above the law and untouchable. Natarle didn't get along with such types, nor did she like they flaunt they could break laws and get away with it. She'd had the urge to punch the man in the face several times as it was now. But at this moment, the urge was extremely hard to dismiss rather than heed regardless of what consequences she faced. All that held her back was the military discipline her father had instilled.

Meanwhile, Tyler was working his way around the battlefield, helping allies as he was working. The battlefield was a messy affair which Tyler expected it would be with the stakes there were on the outcome. Piloting a Gundam had only made it harder since it set Tyler as a popular target for enemy forces. He was up to the task of fighting in this and holding his own. He also was looking for the opportunity to get specific tasks done to move the battle toward its conclusion. ZAFT's Chairman had to be dealt with, as did their gamma-ray cannon. If those two things weren't handled, the battle wouldn't end. Then the Alliance task force had popped up a short time ago by what chatter Tyler had heard. They would also need to be taken care of before they could attack the PLANTs. In fact, he was working his way over to where the Alliance force was supposed to be and help stop their nuclear delivery.

However, the skirmish was becoming more heated along the way, slowing down Tyler. That didn't stop Tyler from progressing toward the area he was aiming for; it just took him longer. Yet, he didn't get far when a call for help came from one of the disruptor rifle carriers. If this battle was to end the best it could, then all the rifles couldn't be destroyed. With that in mind, Tyler changed direction to go toward the distress call so he could assist them. But when Tyler got into view of the rifle carrier, he witnessed them being shot fatally. The Delta suit tossed the rifle away before it exploded, saving it from destruction. Tyler had the Aurora rush forward and grab before it could be destroyed or taken by enemy forces. He held it with the Aurora's left hand and checked on its power supply. It was fully charged and ready for use whenever Tyler had the opportunity. So, he shifted the Aurora to its flight mode and resumed his journey toward the Alliance forces.

Tyler continued closing the distance between him and the enemy Alliance force. But shortly before he got within the range to influence to fight the Alliance, Tyler witnessed the Calamity attacking a Federation cruiser. The cruiser had been attacking Alliance ships before the Calamity had started assaulting it. But the Alliance Gundam aggressively attacked the cruiser as Tyler was approaching. That caused Tyler to be fueled with anger. What made Tyler mad was the cackling he heard on the open radio. Tyler figured it was the pilot attacking the cruiser, and it sounded like the male enjoyed shooting the Federation vessel. And the chatter he heard strongly implied the pilot saw this fight was some sort of game. The Calamity blasted the cruiser, causing a chain of explosions that would destroy the ship. Tyler didn't see any escape pods launch from the cruiser before it was destroyed, meaning none of the crew had survived.

After seeing the cruiser's destruction, Tyler surged forward with anger fueling him and his blood boiling. He was now focused on the Calamity. Tyler intended to make the pilot pay for their actions that had taken lives by making them give up theirs. Killing people should never be seen as a game, to do that was to give up one's humanity. A moment after Tyler had started flying toward the Calamity, he felt the onset of his SEED mode. That would give him a serious advantage and pretty much a near-guaranteed win. One thought became clear to Tyler, this Gundam and those like it had to be taken down, or they would continue massacring people. Once that was done, Tyler could get down to making those like Azrael miserable by denying them their goals. Then the criminals could be taken in to be put on trial for their horrible actions during the war.

Tyler took in there were several mobile suits between him and his first target Gundam. Most of the machines were mass-production model OMNI Daggers, so they would be simple to deal with. They wouldn't be an issue normally for Tyler fighting and dispatching mass-production models. And such would be less with his SEED mode going; if anything, the process would go quicker. His hyper-spatial awareness referred to as "eyes in the back of his head," made it easier to dodge and fight. So, Tyler shifted the Aurora into its suit mode, storing the disruptor on his backpack for use later.

He moved forward, taking a beam saber out in the Aurora's left hand and the beam rifle in its right. When Tyler reached the Daggers, he slashed at one, used it as a springboard, while he shot another and kept going toward the Calamity. The Daggers slowed Tyler down a bit, but they didn't stop his progress toward his intended target. As he went, Tyler spotted one Dagger with an anti-ship sword and got an idea of how he could use it against his intended target. Tyler could use the sword to end the Calamity without too much effort. OMNI's design for an anti-ship sword included a penetrating beam edge that formed a dagger-like point at the end. Tyler had read about that on the Information Network, and it was effective against armor, even phase shift, by what reports said. Thus, Tyler shot the suit in front of him and then rushed the one with the anti-ship sword. He stored the beam saber he'd been using before aiming his rifle at the sword carrier. The Dagger got its legs shot off before the Aurora grabbed the anti-ship sword and kicked the suit away. Tyler then shot the suit before turning to the other Daggers and shooting toward them. He ignited the sword he'd acquired, slicing some of the remaining Daggers, and shot his beam rifle at others. It didn't take long for Tyler to mop up the group of Daggers that had been between him and the Calamity. The Calamity was still firing at Tyler's allies, the pilot laughing as they did so. But now Tyler had opened a clear path to get to the Calamity. He would nail the machine well and make the pilot pay for their actions.

Orga had been destroying enemies that had been going for the mobile armors as he and his trio had been told to do. He'd even taken down one of the enemy ships, which others said were hard to take on. That meant he would get bonus points for those in charge at the lab, which was always good. And with the battlefield as it was, Shani and Clotho were far enough away they didn't interfere with his work as they had been before. But just after Orga had dispatched a few enemy suits after the cruiser, he noticed something. When he glanced at what had caught his eye, he found the red machine from the fight around other colonies approaching him. Orga had wanted another go at the red unit since it had embarrassed all three of them back then. Whoever took it down would be the best of the trio; for the time being. It had been an unspoken agreement between them. And Orga wouldn't say no to being the top of the trio, even for a little bit.

Tyler was closing the distance when the Calamity took notice of him coming at him. Orga used his weapons to shoot at the Aurora, but the red machine evaded much as it had in the last two battles. It was as unpleasant to Orga as it had been back then and increased his frustration. The only difference now was the enemy was making avoiding shots look even easier than before, which was a thing in itself. Tyler didn't slow his approach as he evaded the weapon fire coming at him. His SEED mode made evading and setting up for his intended strike much easier. Tyler continued to gain speed pushing the Aurora's thrusters toward their upper capabilities to build momentum. He stored his beam rifle, held the anti-ship sword with both hands to give extra force, and directed the thrust where he wanted. Tyler was aiming at the Calamity's torso right below the beam emitter. It would damage the cockpit scaring the pilot heavily but be a fatal blow that would end the Gundam a little after hitting. Scaring the pilot was a bonus with killing the fool that saw this as a game.

Orga was getting frustrated as the enemy closed it, and he not making any good hits on it. He shouldn't be missing the enemy at the range it was at and decreasing. Orga wanted to somehow take the red enemy down as it would make him better than Shani and Clotho. But the cannons weren't hitting his opponent as they got closer to them, avoiding them. Orga prepared to use his shield ram cannon to nail the red unit at point-blank range before he finished them off. Tyler zoomed at the Calamity when Orga brought up and fired his shield's ram cannon. The shots nicked the Aurora's left leg vent, yet that didn't stop Tyler or even slow him down. He activated the penetrating beam edge on the end of the sword and locked in the thrust path of the weapon. Orga powered his multi-phased cannon to blast the red enemy as they rushed at him. However, before Orga could pull the trigger, the Aurora put on a burst of speed and slammed the anti-ship sword exactly where Tyler aimed it to go.

Natarle had been handing orders as enemies were attacking them and their allies. The Federation and its allies were pressing hard against them. It was likely a matter of time before they would break through the task forces' defense lines. It was questionable that the mobile armors would reach the range to strike the PLANTs. And yet, none of the task force leaders had changed orders to help their situation. Natarle was trying to think of a way to make sure the Dominion at least survived this battle but was coming up with nothing. Then a console operator from the CIC called up an enemy unit approaching. They identified it as a Gundam flying toward the Calamity with the clear intention to attack it. That brought out of her thoughts and looked forward to see what the crewman was talking about.

Natarle blinked and had just enough time to catch a glimpse of the suit Tyler had been piloting before zooming at the Calamity with an anti-ship sword in hand. As she kept watching, the Aurora plunged its sword into the Calamity's torso and rammed it straight through. Tyler's strike had run through the Calamity, and Natarle could see the blow was fatal. However, the Calamity was still one of the Dominion's mobile suits, so the ship was responsible for its fate. So, Natarle ordered the comm officer to open a communication channel with the Calamity. Yet, instead, a voice she knew well was heard, "Let's see you laugh it up now, punk," Tyler growled with clear anger. "This is for those you've killed while thinking it was all a game!" Natarle could understand the anger with how Mr. Sabnak and the other two had been enjoying killing their opponents. The Calamity had dispatched others as ordered but had seemed to enjoy the killing for some reason. All of the Gundam pilots seemed to be like that, which Natarle hadn't liked, but she'd not said anything about it. But watching the Aurora shove the Calamity away roughly with the anti-ship sword still running it through, followed by it detonating, more than worried her.

Natarle swallowed hard, not quite believing she had seen Tyler dispatch another seemingly without hesitation and with clear killing intent right in front of her. Granted, he'd admitted he was a soldier with the Federation in her presence not too long after their first encounter, so he would've been trained to kill others. He'd also fought against ZAFT and had taken down their soldiers to defend the Archangel. But he was still a teenager and didn't come off in any way as a hardened killer like he was right now. As much as he may annoy and irritate her with his behavior, Tyler wasn't cold-blooded like some she'd met were. Yet, the last time Tyler had crossed paths was coming back to her. The memory was as clear as if it had happened yesterday and had come to her off and on. "Make no mistake, mon Capitaine," Tyler had stated in a cold tone, "You got incredibly lucky temporarily. When our paths cross again, if the scumbag is still on the Dominion, I will finish the job, and I won't give you the offer you got today." Tyler's statements had haunted her since the day it occurred and had given her nightmares that she had told none about. Tyler's tone had made it clear he fully intended to destroy the Dominion when he saw it again should Azrael still be on it. And unfortunately for the ship and its crew, the man was still onboard. However, to Natarle's surprise and slight relief, the Aurora didn't turn to target the Dominion after the Calamity was destroyed. Instead, it faced the Peacemaker group with the obvious intent to attack them with little to stop him.

With the Calamity dealt with, Tyler turned his attention to the mobile armors he didn't doubt had nukes with them. He could clearly see the nuclear missiles they were carrying on their undersides. Tyler hadn't forgotten what he told Natarle what he would do should their paths cross again back around Mendel. He still intended to take down the ship should Azrael be on it, but stopping nukes took priority over settling things with Azrael. So, Tyler took out the disruptor rifle he'd picked up and brought it to bear on the lead armors. He aimed and had the rifle charge up for the few seconds it needed to be fired. Once charged, he pulled the trigger and let loose a blue beam that looked similar to the videos of ZAFT's gamma ray. Then, Tyler moved the beam to pass over mobile armors as they kept moving forward.

Natarle had seen the odd rifle the Aurora had been carrying, which it hadn't had the last time. She assumed it was one of those the recon team had reported spotting during their observations. Tyler aimed the rifle at the Peacemaker armors and a continuous blue beam shot from the rifle. However, unexpectedly, the beam passed over the armors without damaging them, which caused Natarle to pause. There was no visible damage to the armors that Natarle could spot, which didn't make sense to her. Natarle had continued to watch the odd rifle Tyler kept firing, wondering its purpose. It had to do something if it didn't harm its target; that thought wouldn't leave her mind. Tyler would not use a device that did nothing. The teenager wasn't so foolish or wasteful. It was one quality that Natarle could not say a bad thing about as she could about many of his other flaws and behaviors.

On the other hand, Azrael was horrified when the red machine aimed a weapon at his nuke carriers. The task force was almost where they could fire their missiles at the PLANTs. The Federation had been kept back from them so far, and none had been lost, meaning the maximum number of nukes would fly. The blue beam had zoomed towards them but did seemingly nothing to the mobile armors. Azrael wasn't the only one to be confused at the beam doing nothing to the armors. As Tyler fired the odd rifle a third time at another group of armors, the lead ones reached the range to arm and deploy their nukes. Azrael gained a smirk as the efforts to stop them had failed. Now the PLANTs would go up in flames as they should, and the war would progress toward its end.

However, Azrael blinked when no missiles were launched after a long moment. There should be no hesitation with any of the chosen pilots. Azrael had made sure that all had been questioned by top brass to ensure there would be no second thoughts among them. Then the Dominion's comm officer spoke, "Captain, the leader of Peacemaker is reporting issues with their machines. They are saying the warheads won't arm, and something seems to be wrong with the n-jammer cancellers."

Natarle took in what the officer said, processing what that meant for their mission. It only took a long half minute for things to sink in, and Natarle started to understand what had likely happened. As she had suspected, Tyler wasn't using a device that did nothing to the intended target. The rifle had caused a problem with the n-jammer canceller in the nuclear warheads. That the rifle could do such a thing without harming the carrier was nothing short of amazing for a weapon. It was absolute precision with intention in weapon use, which was sort of expected with the Federation, but this was a really impressive example. That led to the unreal point that the "odd rifle" represented a means to nullify nuclear weapons. Without the n-jammer canceller, n-jammers were a factor and made nuclear tech inert. To tell the truth, Natarle hadn't thought any would come up with a way to neutralize nuclear weapons before they were used to bring ruin and destruction. "The Federation invented rifles that can disable n-jammer cancellers," Natarle uttered. And she felt that maybe there was still hope for this war to end with Earth and even the colonies in livable condition.

Azrael heard what Natarle muttered and didn't like what she'd said. But he could've heard her incorrectly with how often the woman squawked. So, Azrael rounded on Natarle, "What did you just say," he demanded. "I can't have heard you right."

If Azrael wouldn't accept the truth even when he had the same facts as she did, that was his issue. Honestly, she wanted to make the man squirm for all the trouble he had caused her and her crew. Were Tyler to make the offer he had before, she would accept it without hesitation to get the man off her ship. He wasn't worth the trouble anymore, and a court martial was preferred over his company. So, Natarle faced Azrael with a firm expression, "With what we've seen, it's clear the Federation has come up with a means to neutralize nuclear weapons, Director," she replied, almost snapping the last word. "Facts point to the blue beam disrupting or disabling the n-jammer canceller in the warheads." Natarle pointed at the forward display, "You saw it yourself; the beam did no visible harm to the armors when it passed over them. However, their cancellers stopped working just after the beam hit them, preventing the warheads from arming. The beam had to disable the cancellers using logic that you should have." Natarle folded her arms, "In other words, Director, the Federation have a way to stop the nukes you insist on using for your vendetta."

After Tyler had disabled the nukes, he got down to business dispatching the mobile armors. They may be disarmed, but they had tried to use nukes to kill countless innocent people. Their actions were wrong, and they would suffer consequences for them. Those in the Alliance who were "good" or "redeemable" were already fighting alongside the Federation or were denouncing the radicals on Earth. None of those who tried to shoot nukes should or would be shown mercy as they hadn't intended to give any to those on the PLANTs or elsewhere afterward.

Natarle and Azrael were glaring at one another in a standoff after her explanation. She wouldn't back down this time. The man could threaten her in any way he could come up with. She would stand up to him for her crew and ship. She'd had enough and would put her foot down as she had gotten close to doing with Tyler. But before the fight could continue, the sensor operator called the enemy machine was now attacking the Peacemaker force. Natarle and Azrael looked to the forward display and saw the Aurora had switched to its own beam rifle. It was using the rifle against the mobile armors to great effect, not missing with its shots. Others quickly joined Tyler in his task of shooting down the mobile armors, much to Azrael's anger. However, the effort was hampered by the Raider and Forbidden attacking them. Yet, Tyler thought it a good thing it was just those two causing issues instead of the addition of the other Gundams the Alliance had.

As that was happening, Cormag saw the Alliance force aiming for the PLANTs. He'd even spotted the Moebius armors carrying what sure looked like nuclear missiles. Cormag glanced back at the four former students he'd been working with. He felt they would be okay fighting on their own for a time without him. So, Cormag shifted his Delta fighter into its flight mode and zoomed off to where the armors were. When Cormag arrived in the area, he saw things weren't going the best. Allies were struggling against two Gundams that were causing trouble and hampering efforts. There was also a red Gundam helping allied forces try to fight against the other two Gundams. The ID code identified it as the HFS-Z201 Aurora. What surprised Cormag was the pilot was someone he knew. Cormag had crossed paths with Tyler McGregor more than a year ago. The teen had stuck out in his memory as the kid had been a rare individual in a few ways. He'd had skills and talent one didn't often see in a generation. Tyler had held his own against Cormag, who was an elite pilot, that was a sign he had serious potential. So Cormag shot forward, shifting his machine over to its suit mode and readying his DRAGOON barrels to deploy in remote mode.

Tyler was facing off against the Raider after fending off the Forbidden, which had attacked him directly afterward. Then, weapons fire from Tyler's left struck the Raider, causing a pause in the fight between the Gundams. Tyler looked to his left and saw a custom Delta fighter with four pods which appeared to be gunbarrels attached to a backpack. The barrels were docked to diagonal spars on the backpack. Tyler would've wondered who had helped him, but the gunbarrels were a good hint. The one in the Delta fighter was Cormag Swift, a former Earth Forces mobile armor ace, now a Federation pilot. He was a colleague and somewhat of a friend as well to Tyler. Cormag had given him some lessons on piloting as other top elite pilots had. In Cormag's case, it had been with mobile armors and the same man who had given him the experience with the Zero Armors.

Clotho twisted around to face the meddler who had interfered with the payback on the red machine. It was one of the enemy units that could become a space fighter that had been flying around the battlefield. While they did pack a punch, it wasn't enough to be worried about from what Clotho had seen. So, Clotho was about to get down to dispatching the meddler so he could return to what he'd been doing, but part of the machine detached. Cormag deployed his barrels and had them zoomed forward at the Raider. Clotho dodged the incoming projectiles, yet they began shooting beams at him. That forced him to jerk his controls to avoid the incoming shots. Cormag had three barrels keep the Gundam distracted while the fourth moved forward. The fourth barrel's front section split apart just before hitting, becoming a pincer claw. The claw let the pod latch onto the Raider around the hips from behind, gripping tightly to restrict movement.

Clotho had felt the contact but was still distracted by the beams coming at him to do much about whatever had hit him. Cormag used his own railgun rifle to add to the distraction as two barrels stopped firing and moved forward. Like the previous barrel, the two became claws and grabbed the shoulder joints. Clotho felt two more clunks and noticed his movements were being restricted by whatever was hitting him. Cormag's final barrel latched onto the Raider's head from the back, the claws blocking the camera set. The combined work of the four gunbarrels took away the Raider's movement and got the Gundam where Cormag wanted them. As strong as they were, Gundams could still be destroyed when nailed, and Cormag would prove that.

Clotho struggled against the restraints he found himself in, but as his machine struggled, nothing changed. He knew if he was still for too long, an enemy could get a kill shot on him. It was a lesson that was drilled into every candidate at the labs. So, Clotho tried everything he could think of to get free before an enemy nailed him. However, the Raider shook as the barrels holding the shoulder joints fired beam severing the arms off. Alarms went off in the Raider's cockpit, and Clotho saw his machine's arms had been taken off. He became desperate at understanding his opponent was beating him. Yet, the two barrels still held the Raider in place at the hips and head. Cormag had the two barrels that had held the enemy's shoulders return to their docks. Then he took out one of his new beam sabers and locked on to where he intended to stab.

Tyler turned away as Cormag rushed forward and plunged the beam saber into the Raider's torso. The two pods still holding the Raider lit up their thrusters and threw the suit away, sending the Raider flying by Cormag's commands. The machine had arcs of energy randomly going off from multiple places around the suit. Cormag had the two barrels return to their docks as the Raider exploded and disappeared, and only fragments and debris remained. The Gundam had been trouble and couldn't be allowed to continue its activities. Killing the pilot had been the only way to do the job at the time. Cormag bowed his head in respect for the one who had just died. "May you find happiness in what form you wish in the place that awaits you. And may the ire from your death leave you to continue on to what is waiting for you," Cormag recited. It was a prayer and wished those who died to find something better than life had given them.

Tyler heard Cormag's prayer to the Raider's pilot, even when they didn't deserve it with the joy they had when killing. That was something Tyler had learned about Cormag since he wished those he killed well. Tyler didn't fault the man for that as it was a good quality. It was Cormag's way of honoring the dead, and everyone had their own way of doing such, even Tyler. It was a reminder of what this war had produced for the human race. What it had brought out and encouraged in some was truly horrible. But there was still work to be done to protect humanity from the darkness it was facing should nuclear weapons be used. Tyler glanced over to where the Forbidden was and found it was being kept busy by allied mobile suits. He turned back to the mobile armors and resumed dispatching them. Cormag joined Tyler in the task of having his gunbarrels link to their wires and then deploy firing beams at the armors.

At the same time, Athrun had seen Alliance forces heading for the PLANTs and allies moving to intercept. When he'd seen that, Athrun had headed in that direction, leaving Nicol and Miguel fighting where they were. He may be seen as a traitor to the PLANTs, but he wouldn't see them destroyed by nuclear ruin. They were still home to him for the moment; they would likely not be so for a great deal longer. But they held memories for him that he didn't want to be erased by others. Athrun had witnessed the Aurora defeating the Calamity with an anti-ship sword along the way, which had amazed him. Yes, he knew Tyler was good when it came to piloting a mobile suit. His friend had proven he wasn't to be underestimated, or there would be serious consequences. That still didn't answer the question as to how good his friend was, and Athrun couldn't help but wonder. The Raider had then moved to attack the Aurora, which Tyler had defended himself. Then the Raider was taken down by the Federation fighter which had appeared. Allies were keeping the Forbbiden busy while the fighter and the Aurora went to dealing with the mobile armors. But the Forbbiden was giving allies a hard time, so Athrun would help there before helping Tyler, and the rest would stop the Alliance from attacking the PLANTs. By the time Athrun had gotten into the general area, the Forbidden had broken away from those who were delaying it. So, Athrun changed his path to follow the Forbbiden to strike them.

Shani was angry at what had been happening in this fight recently. The red machine which had made a fool out of him was around and had taken down Orga. Clotho had no more luck taking the red one down as another had defeated him. Shani would succeed where the other two had failed and take down the red machine. He would prove he was the best of his trio, so Dr. Moss would assign him to another trio and not dispose of him. With that in mind, he broke away from those who had been distracting him and rushed toward the red enemy. Tyler was forced to barrel roll out of the way of the Forbidden's scythe, slicing an arc where he'd been. The Aurora had its plasma cannons port at the Forbbiden and fired them. Shani deflected the beams away with its shields, but it had been a close thing. Cormag fired missiles to help Tyler, and those slammed into the Forbidden's left shield and suit's side. Shani was shaken as the projectiles struck the shield and side of his suit. The attack infuriated Shani more as the other was meddling in his business of taking down the red machine.

Athrun put on a burst of speed to get behind the Forbidden and ignited the METEOR's left beam cannon's saber form. He wouldn't let another kill one of his best friends while he could do anything about it. And the Forbidden didn't seem to notice the Justice slipping behind it, so Athrun had the element of surprise. Thus, Athrun blindsided the Forbidden with its beam sword hitting it in the back where the shields couldn't block. For a second, the image of the Alliance Gundam was silhouetted with a thick magenta line behind it. The next moment, the beam sword cut through the suit, slicing the machine half at the torso. The two halves then exploded, and the last of that trio of Alliance mobile suits was destroyed. Tyler was glad to see Athrun around and was grateful for his assistance. He would thank his friend for the help after this battle was over when they got the chance to talk, Tyler would ensure that.

With the three Gundams who were hindering those trying to take out the nuclear payload to the PLANTs out of the way, those on-site redoubled their efforts. Athrun used the METEOR's collection of anti-ship missiles and beam cannons to help speed along the process. Cormag, Tyler, and the rest were shooting down armor after mobile armor. The group intercepted the armors since none could arm and fire their nukes with their cancellers fried. As the number of mobile armors decreased, the desperation of the Alliance forces ramped up. While Athrun, Cormag, and others had joined the efforts of dealing with the mobile armors, Tyler looked beyond them.

There were still the ships he didn't doubt had more nukes to work with. They also needed to be dealt with, and the rifle wasn't needed for that. Tyler brought out the Aurora's plasma cannons and aimed at the Alliance ships. The destruction of the nuke-bearing mobile armors was good, taking care of the ships that likely carry more nuclear weapons would be better in Tyler's view. It's best to be thorough and make one scumbag, if not many, who brought things to this point have a beyond horrible day. Tyler charged the plasma cannons to half-power and then started to shoot the ship he was aiming at. He kept firing his cannons, and the plasma beams punched through vessel after vessel, destroying the ships and the horrible thing they were carrying.

Meanwhile, the battle between ZAFT and the combined forces that the Federation had brought together was quite something to watch, Mina had to admit it. The force was unexpected, as many had said it would never come to be. Mina wouldn't argue the logic in that assumption since it was believable. But she couldn't help the eye roll that came when Captain Sutherland silently panicked with the sight of combined Federation forces and ZAFT ships moving to stop OMNI's progress towards the PLANTs. The reaction was expected from them, they wouldn't just let a clear path to attack the colonies be sued by the Alliance. However, things turned worse when Azrael "panicked" and ordered the mobile armors equipped with nuclear warheads to deploy. They were to attempt the colonies even when they were at the longer range for an effective deployment. The second problem was the response from both ZAFT and the Federation forces, with their increased speed of interception. The Alliance gave the two fighting sides a reason to put aside their battle somewhat.

Her girls were resupplying their mobile suits currently so they could go out and work. But things became even more volatile after the Calamity took down a Federation Cruiser. The red mobile suit her candidates had gone against before appeared using one of the Strike Daggers' anti-ship sword and put it through the Calamity's torso. The mobile suit had exploded shortly after that, and Mina had considered calling the other two back with that event. The red machine had used an odd rifle some Federation units had in their possession. The blue beam over the mobile armors, which by what she was hearing, it had somehow neutralized the nukes. Mina would applaud that the Federation had come up with something to counter nuclear weapons. It couldn't have been easy to do, though they certainly had as much, if not more, motivation than ZAFT. From what she'd heard, the Alliance planned to use nukes on the Federation after this mission, and the Federation probably knew that.

Mina's intuition had told her to pull back, or she would lose a great deal of her work. Her work was more important and valuable than anything Azrael or the Alliance could do or offer her. And they were being very reckless with her work which she wasn't happy with at all. But the Raider was overwhelmed and destroyed before she could get the other two to return. The Forbidden shortly followed the other two to their own demise. And so, one of the good-performing trios had been wasted on this endeavor which irritated Mina. However, there was still time to prevent her girls from being "thrown away" as the boys had been.

Mina took her leave and left the bridge at that point, weighing the risks of continuing to assist Azrael. The cons were growing far faster than any benefits, and most of those pros were diminishing. Then, there came a call for Mina, which was Lori telling her that she'd done as Mina had asked and taken their case to others. Lori had managed to make a deal with the Federation to move their work from the Alliance. Some things would have to stop with the Enhanced Human Project, which had been expected and calculated. The way Lori put it, the deal was beneficial overall, they would just have to change some processes and stop some ideas. Mina thanked Lori and ended the call before heading down to the ship's hangar. Along the way, Mina put on a space suit of her own as she now intended to leave the ship with the girls. Azrael had no more hold over her or her work, so there was no reason to stay and help them with his insanity. She and those who were smart would be working for the Federation going forward. So since it appeared the Federation was doing far better than the Alliance in this battle, Mina felt it would be better to switch over to them now.

Mina had begun to realize all three of her star girls had started becoming more than just candidates to her. They were her best performers, but there was more to it than that. She didn't want them to die, and it wasn't just because of the work which had gone into them. Yes, Mina Moss, the cold, unchanging, unyielding, and terrifying head of Lodonia and the Enhanced Human Project, had started opening up to the three girls. While she'd found in a small town the war had destroyed, they had been little more than material at the time. She'd used their attachment to her and the label of "mother" to have them obedient. Mina couldn't say when the change had begun, but the effects were more apparent now. And the other reason she intended to leave was to get away from Azrael. The man was irritating, intolerable, and just plain got on Mina's nerves. Plus, the man had gotten to be seriously hazardous to work for or with. It wasn't worth the funding Blue Cosmos provided any longer, not by a longshot. When she got to the hangar, Mina saw that all three of her girls' suits were still there.

Deborah was the first to spot Mina making her way toward them and was in a space suit. It was odd for her to come down to where they went out. Mina tended to watch from the bridge of a ship, so her being down here was different. And the air around her had changed, Deborah could see that straight away. Deborah couldn't say what had changed, but she felt that she and her sisters wouldn't be doing what they thought they would. Lafter and Rosswiess came up after seeing Mina there to listen to what she would say. "Mother? Why have you come down here in a space suit?" Mina stopped in front of the three, "I will be leaving with the three of you," she answered. "Things have changed, so there is no reason for any of us to remain on this ship."

None of them argued the point, as habit wouldn't have them disagree with Mina. The girls boarded their assigned machine, and Mina entered the Bandit with Deborah, moving behind the pilot seat. None of the mechanics said anything about Mina entering the Bandit. The woman was odd and scary, so they didn't want anything to do with her. The Raptor, Sinister, and Bandit headed out, Mina directing them toward the Federation's combined fleet. That told them they would likely be helping the Federation now with what they were doing. But as they passed the area the Dominion was in; Mina decided to make things official. Plus, she could take a parting shot at Azrael, and she was all for doing that. She had Deborah open a com-channel to the Dominion, "Muruta Azrael," Mina stated clearly.

Hearing Mina's voice caught Azrael off-guard, "Mina," he questioned.

"Consider our transactions and business officially ended. The labs, my project, those involved in it, and myself are no longer employed by you or required to provide services to the Alliance," Mina said clearly. She took a breath before continuing, "And this couldn't come about fast enough in my view. You've always been annoying, frustrating, and ridiculous with your mannerisms and expectations. You're so blind to the real world that it's more than sad and mind-boggling. So, I say good riddance to you." Mina smiled a bit at the image that came to her mind of how Azrael was reacting to her informing him she would have nothing to do with him anymore. With how that man had gotten under her skin and the damage he had done to the work, it felt very satisfying to imagine.

With the statement done, Mina directed her girls to continue over to the Federation fleet. Deborah quickly found which ship was directing the Alliance forces working with the Federation. Mina told her to get a connection to that ship and found the man named Duane Halberton. Mina had heard of the man as he was supposed to be honorable, a rare thing in the Alliance from what she'd seen. She informed the man of the changes of her and the girls coming to them. She gave a simple explanation, and Mina clarified the point by saying her girls and their Gundams were at his disposal. Halberton wouldn't say no to helping hands, even when they were a part of a project he'd never heard good things about.

As the skirmish continued, a shuttle went unseen by those on the battlefield, traveling towards the Dominion. On board the shuttle was a full team of SOLAS veteran commandos. As given to them directly by Admiral Raine, their objective was to apprehend the war criminal Muruta Azrael. From what informants said, the man was confirmed to be on board the second Archangel class known as the Dominion. Ever since McGregor's report on the second Archangel class put the man on it, several mission plans had been made to attempt to capture the man. The war criminal Muruta Azrael had evaded capture for years with the varying attempts made. The instances that SOLAS teams had been sent to apprehend the man had failed like the other attempts. It had become a form of embarrassment to a number within the Federation's military, and SOLAS was no exception. Thus, with the opportunity presented during this battle, the SOLAS team's motivation was high to apprehend the criminal once and for all. They would succeed where others had fallen short and make sure the dangerous man was taken in and the world saved from him.

Each team member wore a special variation of spacesuit, similar to what the MSC special forces pilots wore. The differences were the optical camouflage network system built into the suit instead of being a separate piece of equipment and the toolset they came with standard. That toolset came with a gun, other offensive equipment, a small exterior emergency air tank, and a system hacking tool. The pilot of the shuttle flew above the Dominion, looking for an airlock to provide a way for the team a way inside. He spotted one and maneuvered the craft to be above the airlock. Then he gave the thumbs up to the SOLAS team leader for the soldiers to go and wished them luck. The team moved to the center of the shuttle, opened the hatch, floated out, and to the airlock with the team leader in front. The codes that kept the airlock shut and others from accessing it were quickly superseded, and the outside hatch of the Dominion opened.

The SOLAS team moved on to the Alliance vessel activating their suits' camouflage as they went. The outside airlock closed, and the room went through the process of pressurizing to match the rest of the ship. A device had been slotted in so the bridge wouldn't see any sign of the airlock was cycling. The less hint the criminal Azrael had to escape capture potentially, the better things would be. Azrael's reign of terror and freedom he used to do horrible things would come to an end. The man would be apprehended this time, so he could be put on trial for his crimes.

Once the room was pressurized, the team moved into the corridor from the maintenance room the team used to slip onto the ship. They all knew the general layout of the ship since it had been required to study the blueprints of the ship class. The group split into two teams, one went right, heading for the engine compartment to take control as needed. The others with the overall SOLAS team leader, began to make their way toward the Dominion's bridge. Both teams met little resistance along their path. The soldiers encountered who managed to see something and raise their guns were shot without hesitation. Those who were just unknowingly in the way were either directed or pushed into rooms off the corridors.

When the team that was heading for the bridge reached the elevator to their intended destination, the lift was sent up without any of them being inside. There were likely soldiers on the bridge who were loyal to Azrael, and they would kill if the man ordered them to. So the elevator would be a death trap for any that used the lift itself as intended. The shaft would still provide a path to the criminal, just not with the lift within it. Thus, the doors to the elevator shaft were forced open before the SOLAS team entered the shaft. They then used their suits' thrusters to go upward, following the elevator toward the top.

At the same time, Azrael was livid at the turn of recent events, so much his blood was boiling. So close, they had been within freaking spitting distance of destroying the PLANTs and taking a major step to winning the war! The human race would've been purified, and the cancer Coordinators were removed. So much planning had come to not, just because a group of fools who thought themselves so high and mighty. But when victory was in the Alliance's grasp, it was snatched from them by the cursed Human Federation's military! They believed it was their calling to interfere with a war when they claimed neutrality in. They insisted on saving the abominable Coordinators they wrongfully claimed were human when they weren't.

The three male candidates Mina had supplied had failed and gotten themselves killed. The Federation had invented and used a means to neutralize the nukes and destroy the others. That would complicate any efforts to deal with the Federation to bring an end to the war. Nuclear weapons had been planned to be used against the Federation. Azrael was one of those that felt a few nukes dropped on their member nations would get the Federation into line. But that wouldn't be possible if they had the beams to neutralize nuclear weapons. Then Mina herself had the gall to dare tell him that their business was over right in the middle. This day couldn't get worse in Muruta Azrael's mind. All that helped even a little was the thoughts of what would be done to those in the Federation to make them pay for this.

His rage was boiling over when the lift to the bridge reached the bridge level, and Azrael flew off his handle. The ship had been at battle stations for a while now, and if there were someone that wasn't at them, this would be their unlucky last day. He had soldiers on the bridge to enforce his will even if the captain argued against him. Thus, Azrael commanded the soldiers on the bridge that had come to keep order to shoot their guns at the elevator. Seeing blood would relieve some stress that Azrael was feeling at the moment.

Natarle heard the order Azrael spouted and snapped. She wasn't about to let the crazy man fly off the handle and harm her crew in the process. Natarle would have Azrael dragged off the bridge and thrown in a brig cell until he cooled off if he could. But before she could order some to restrain and take Azrael away, the soldiers turned and did as the man ordered. Natarle watched as bullets made holes in the lift doors as the guns fired. Should any be in the lift, they would be dead, riddled with holes themselves. Yet, Natarle shouting after a moment after the gunfire started did nothing to stop the soldiers.

In the elevator shaft, the SOLAS team had followed the lift up to the top of the shaft, and then they waited below the lift. It was expected the soldiers on the bridge would shoot at the lift, killing any that could be inside. And the sound of gunshots echoing along with metal being punctured by the bullets being fired verified the assumption. Two team members readied sonic grenades while two others prepared smoke bombs to use when the gunfire stopped. The peppering of bullets ceased, and the SOLAS agents moved to be directly under the lift floor. Shortly after the gunfire stopped, there was the swooshing of the elevator doors opening.

After the soldiers stopped using their guns and the lift door slid open, Natarle blinked. As expected, the lift was riddled with bullet holes, but the space was empty. The lift shouldn't move with none on it; the controls shouldn't allow that to happen. However, Natarle was too angry to think about why the lift had moved when it shouldn't have. She would consider that after she'd dealt with Azrael. Natarle twisted back to face Azrael and glared at the man, "What the hell are you thinking, Azrael," she bellowed. "You are a VIP on this ship, not an officer or crew member. You don't give orders for any on this ship, that is my responsibility, and you will not take it from me!" Azrael glared at Natarle as she kept going, "You have gone too far; enough is enough, and I am putting my foot down. I will personally make sure you are dragged and shoved into one of the brig cells and keep you there until further notice, Director of the National Defense Industry Association or not." Azrael's mood was bad, and Natarle's actions weren't helping, "You care to repeat that bi**h," he growled.

With the chatter or rather shouting that was going on around the bridge, the SOLAS team knew the distraction would help them. The team leader signaled the two with sonic grenades to toss them onto the bridge to begin the capture of Azrael. They lifted one of the floor plates of the elevator and lobbed their grenades into the bridge area. The SOLAS commandos dropped back down into the elevator shaft, letting the floor plates move back into place quietly. The plates would shield them even though their suits would do the job. The grenades would disable the soldiers long enough for the agents to dispatch them.

Both sonic grenades tumbled through the air, moving out of the elevator before the doors slid shut. One of the Alliance soldiers stationed on the bridge spotted both objects, "Gren-" the soldier started to call. However, the warning came too late since the sonic grenades went off, and the concussive sonic waves exploded midway through the word. The blast wave threw all but those in the CIC away from the grenades' location, stunning most of the bridge crew to varying degrees. Natarle was shoved back from the blast itself, nicking the captain's chair as she flew back. A moment later, it felt like something had slammed into the back of her head. The world around her blurred, but she could tell things were still happening around her, just not what.

Seconds after the sonic grenades went off; the smoke bombs were chucked in to add to the maelstrom happening. Smoke quickly filled the bridge, obscuring the vision that any on the Dominion's bridge had before. With the smoke thick and heavy, the SOLAS team came up through the floor plates and moved into the bridge area to get to work. Capturing Azrael was the priority; nothing was to stop them from apprehending the man. As they entered the bridge, the SOLAS team's visors had been switched to its inferred setting. The first targets were the soldiers who were identifiable as they were holding guns. The Alliance soldiers had been coughing but sweeping around for enemies. However, they were shot before seeing an enemy around them. The SOLAS agents made their shots count, each being fatal, ending any problems they could create.

Azrael cleared his head after whatever the blast had been which had thrown him back. And upon hearing the commotion and gunfire from behind him, he knew things had changed. The blast had been more than likely from one of the Federation's sonic weapons they used exclusively. If the Federation was here, there was a good chance they would be aiming for him. Azrael hadn't missed the Federation's attempts to capture him for what they called "war crimes." If not for his allies in Blue Cosmos, Logos, and some within the Alliance, the Federation would've caught him. And should he be captured by the Federation, Azrael would have no freedom for the rest of his life. With that in mind, he pulled out the pistol he had to fend off any Federation soldier that came his way.

Natarle was floating, trying to regain her bearings and understand what was happening. As she was doing so, Azrael pointed his gun at Natale, who had annoyed him so. Before Natarle could do anything to defend himself, Azrael pulled the trigger of his gun. Yet to his shock, the vice-captain of the Dominion had come out of the CIC and put himself between Natarle and Azrael. Azrael gritted his teeth and intended to shoot at the woman again before any could stop him from doing so. However, Azrael then felt someone grab his right arm and wrench it back. His pistol was yanked from his grip before he could use it on anyone. The smoke was beginning to settle as things kept happening around the bridge. So, when Azrael looked to his right, he saw someone in a non-standard Federation space suit holding him. The next thing he knew, a small number of these Federation-suited people surrounded him. Azrael struggled against their restraining holds, but the Federation personnel didn't let go at all. The SOLAS team brought out restraints and put Azrael's hands and forearms into them, making the man unable to use his arms effectively.

Natarle began to return to the world around her and took in what was happening. The first thing that she saw was her second in command was close by, but he now appeared to be seriously injured. A crimson spot was growing on his right side, which she couldn't explain but hadn't been there before. Second, there were people on the bridge in Federation spacesuits similar to their pilot suits, yet she'd never seen the version they had. Third, Azrael was being restrained by said Federation personnel literally in handcuffs holding his arms as well. Natarle watched as one of the Federation-suited people moved to be in front of the blonde man, "Muruta Azrael," stated a female voice. "For the crimes that you have been involved in and committed during the war and before it, which fall under the United Nations Charter, Article 4, Section 7, you are hereby placed under arrest. As per Section 7, Clause C, subsection 2, regarding your involvement in the Bloody Valentine, you no longer have any rights or privileges other than the most basic. You will appear in front of the Ecumenical Humanity Court of Law, where your sentence and punishment will be decided."

Natarle was processing what had just been said by the Federation soldier since there were some very significant points to it. First, the Federation had evidence, a great deal by the sound of it, which said Muruta Azrael had committed war crimes. For them to have evidence was unexpected and concerning as it meant the Alliance had been harboring a war criminal. Second, if Natarle recalled the referenced material being referred to right, "war crimes" were seen as much more serious than others. There were different sets of rules and laws for war crimes made by the United Nations Charter. Finally, Azrael had been involved in the Bloody Valentine Incident itself. That meant Tyler had known what he had been talking about before calling Azrael a war criminal. And one other fact became clear to Natarle, Muruta Azrael could no longer be covered by any from the Alliance or Blue Cosmos. It was something she had heard rumors about before now. The way the Federation could prosecute someone, and no others could interfere with them, old standing laws were on their side.

Azrael was tugged upward and then dragged to the elevator with an escort of six Federation personnel around him. That left a few still on the bridge of the Dominion, and the one that Natarle guessed was the leader turned towards her. "You are the captain of this vessel, are you not," they posed in the same feminine voice as they had spoken to Azrael. The voice was not natural; it was mechanical. Natarle nodded before the leader continued, "Then, it would be in the best interest of this ship and its crew for you to disengage your attempted assault on the PLANTs."

The other Federation soldiers headed for the lift along with the leader and left the bridge as if nothing had happened. Natarle was now left to decide what to do in the current situation as it stood, as it had changed drastically. She wasn't inclined to keep fighting with the task force the Dominion had come with as they were falling. Plus, the Federation's goal was one she could get behind far more than what those like Azrael had been wanting. Natarle ordered that the Dominion's vice-captain be taken to the infirmary immediately so he could get help with his injury. After that, the best thing she could think to do with all on the bridge looking to her for orders was to give instructions that would have the Dominion assisting the Archangel. Helping them would provide the best chance of survival for the Dominion that she could think of.

Meanwhile, Kira was still going against Creuset in the Gundam he was using. Kira found the machine Creuset was in was more than likely from the same series as the Freedom, as he suspected. Then, Creuset wasn't a normal pilot either, and Kira had noticed that during previous battles. The masked man had been good when using ZAFT's CGUEs. He was doing even better with a Gundam. So, Kira knew he couldn't take this clash lightly, or Creuset would kill him. The METEOR unit may have been of help if Kira had kept it, but it could've been destroyed by the Providence just as easily.

Rau had been caught off guard by the boy's reply to the jab he'd sent at him as the two fought. It wasn't what he had expected to get from the boy since it wasn't the same as back at Mendel. Rau had shaken this teen at Mendel by telling him about his father and what the man had done. Hibiki had done so much to create Yamato, many of the more horrible things buried by himself and others. And it had seemed that Yamato had been shaken knowing his sire had done what many saw as evil to make him the way he was. Rau had hoped to do so again and mess with the boy to get shots at Hibiki. Yet, Hibiki's child had countered him in a way that was the last Rau would've thought. The boy was different than his sire having a more positive view of the human race. He wasn't as Hibiki nor the shining example of human potential that the man wanted to display. However, Rau refocused on the battle and the goal of taking down Hibiki's perfect child. "You shouldn't have been allowed to exist, boy," Rau challenged. Rau pushed forward and worked hard to take down Hibiki's perfect child

As the two Gundams fought one another, they were observed by Graham. He'd stopped at seeing the two and watched them fighting. Graham recognized one of the two as he'd seen it around Tyler's Gundam in a previous battle. Yet, his attention was drawn and stuck to the Providence more than the Freedom. The Gundam's fighting style was familiar as Graham kept watching. A moment later, Graham realized the style was familiar since he'd seen it several times before. Rau Le Creuset used a style that was almost a signature if one knew what to look for. And from what Graham was seeing, Creuset still fought as dirty as he did before since winning was more important than honor or fairness.

Graham had a score to settle with Rau Le Creuset before he'd left the PLANTs. Creuset had set off the chain of events that required Graham to go to Earth, not to be killed. Graham's death would cause more problems with the homeland than those who were his critics wanted to admit. So he'd had to cover his tracks not to have any of his enemies find him and use his death for their benefit, hurting the PLANTs' citizens. While Graham had found it nice for a time to be in "retirement" and not be fighting in the war, a mess had still come with him out of the picture. The war's direction made Graham wish he had returned sooner to make a difference. Those who had looked to him for hope and safety were under threat and fear. Creuset was one of those that had brought that on and Graham wouldn't let that stand. The Thanatos got above the two, pointed its beam rifle down at the Providence, and pulled the trigger.

Rau had made his first strike on the Freedom and was going to send out his DRAGOON pods to get things going in the direction he wanted. Hibiki's perfect child would die at his hands, and Rau would do whatever it took to bring that to pass. Yamato dying at his hand would be the best top off for the realization of Rau's dream that would come true today. However, as Rau was making progress in his wish, he was interrupted. It came in the form of a beam that came down from above, stopping Rau from moving forward. When he glanced upward, he saw a blue Gundam pointing a beam rifle at him. Once Graham saw he had Creuset's attention, he spoke, "I see you have a new suit to work with, Creuset. But that is the only thing that has changed with you. Your style is the same as ever, which is a sad thing really."

The voice was one Rau couldn't forget as much as he would love to be able to. It belonged to a man which Rau detested with a passion as much for what he represented as what he was like to be around. Rau had put forth a lot of work and effort to get rid of the man known as the Comet. The man was beyond annoying with his "humbler than thou" crap he radiated and spouted. He was a freaking example of the historical view of what a hero was, and that sickened Rau to his core. Rau hated those who acted or, worse, were the heroic types. They were problematic for those like Rau, who wanted humanity to fall and were extremely difficult to deal with and be rid of. Graham swooped down at Creuset with a beam saber in hand. Rau barely dodged Aker's slicing motion but gritted his teeth as he did so. "Aker," Rau snarled, "How are you still alive?!"

Creuset's response was almost an expectation for Graham and was the strongest he'd seen it. He knew Creuset hated him for what he did for the PLANTs' citizens and the hope he gave them. Graham had always been ready to step into the role of the hero when called upon. And the citizens of the PLANTs had called upon him from time to time in the war. Graham had figured Creuset played a part in the threats that had come his way. Creuset had been looking for a way to get rid of him, and Graham hadn't been blind to that. The fact of him being a Natural being revealed and made a big deal was the kind of thing the masked man would do. "Why Creuset, you almost sound like you missed me," Graham replied. "After all your effort to shoo me away from the homeland, one would think you would be saying more colorful things. Still, I, Graham Aker, the hero of the people and their Comet, have returned in their time of need. And I believe we have a score to settle. No time like the present to do that, wouldn't you agree, Creuset?"

Rau clenched his jaw at hearing the reply since it irked him greatly. This man, Graham Aker, had been a serious thorn in Creuset's side! Creuset had gone through a lot to get rid of him, to be rid of his bravado and the rest of his irritating behavior. He'd been the one to let slip that Aker was a Natural, so the man Aker would be killed or at least disappear. The desired result had come after his efforts, Graham Aker had vanished from the scenes. Creuset believed it was the end of the man's interference until Rau accomplished his goals. And yet, again, here Aker was, interfering with Creuset's plans, which was so frustrating! As the fight continued, it was obvious to Rau that Aker hadn't lost any of his piloting skills or their caliber. Rau wasn't an idiot, Aker was no novice pilot; he was arguably one of the best pilots in history thus far. Graham drew a beam saber, then shot forward at the Providence, clashing against one another. The two mobile suits quickly became involved, fighting each other, oblivious to most else.

Kira stared at the fighting between the Gundams going on in front of him. It was a clash unlike anything Kira had seen before now. Creuset was having a hard time against whoever he was fighting in the Blue Gundam. It took Kira a moment to recognize the blue Gundam as one of the two that had helped during the second battle around Mendel. Tyler had seemed to know the pilot but had not given more detail about them. Creuset knew the pilot and, from what he could tell, hated them more than he did Mu. Mu has told Kira in passing that he and Creuset had a bad history which had the two of them at odd, but gave no more detail. However, the blue Gundam's pilot had Creuset fighting angrily.

Lanus had been going around the battlefield before coming upon the face-off of Graham and Rau. Seeing the two reminded him how much they didn't get along with one another. He'd known the two had issues with each other for various reasons. Creuset cursed Graham for all he could do, which Rau couldn't, along with being the hero when called upon. On the other hand, Graham had been one of those who had cleaned up Creuset's messes he produced on missions assigned to him. He had, like Sakura, been chosen to rein in Creuset on occasion as well. However, Lanus had his own issues with Creuset that hadn't been addressed any more than Graham's. Rau had warped his friend Patrick into the blind monster the Chairman was now. Creuset had also been responsible for many unnecessary deaths in this war and hadn't answered for any of them. So, Lanus looked for an opening to join in the fight against Creuset so the man could be dealt with.

Rau was defending himself by parrying a blow from Aker's saber when alarms warned of an attack from behind. He jerked his controls left, swung around with his shield up, and blocked the beam that came at him. After lowering the shield slightly, Rau knew things had just worsened for him. The custom GINN with the colors Treize used was facing Rau with a beam saber in one hand and a beam rifle in the other. "You've been rather busy, Creuset, even since the inquiry with recent events," Lanus stated. The Gundam Creuset was using was the fourth of the X series the Freedom and Justice belonged to. Lanus didn't doubt Creuset had gotten the Chairman to give him the machine to employ. "And you got yourself a Gundam to use," Lanus paused, "Whatever your plans are, they seem to be moving along." Rau knew the fight he was facing was one where the chances of him winning were slim at best. He was set to go against arguably the two best pilots history knew of to date, and they were working as a team. One was a brilliant tactician, while the other was a talented piloting genius, which was a dangerous combo.

Kira watched the three for a moment as they danced with one another. A dance was the best term Kira could come up with to describe the battle before him. It was clear the blue Gundam and the GINN were being used by experts or more than that. Kira would question if Tyler would be able to hold his own against the two for long. However, Creuset was holding his own against them for the time being but with clear effort. After watching for a few minutes, Kira felt he could help elsewhere on the battlefield. So, he headed off to help others in this battle elsewhere in order to bring it to an end. As Kira moved to a different area of the field, a sight caught his attention. Out of nowhere, two objects appeared a short distance from the Jachin Due base, the Mirage Colloid that had hidden it deactivating. One of the objects was larger than the other, but they were in line with one in front of the other.

The larger object was made up of a huge dark grey ring that appeared to be some kind of emission dish array. That was connected to a cylindrical structure behind the dish. Then the other smaller object looked like a cone or funnel-shape with eight veins forming the funnel. The next thing anyone saw, the ring structure's color began to change, as phase shift armor was enabled, making the ring a lighter grey and the mirrors that it encircled turn an ocean blue, showing their reflective qualities. There was a small hole in the center of the array of mirrors as well, but the purpose of the coalition fleet was unknown. Kira wasn't the only one to notice the object's appearance, for attention shifted to it. The structure was most certainly ZAFT's nuclear-powered gamma-ray cannon.

A/n

This was the best point to split the Phase that I could see, so I'll pick up in the next one.

Now, to say I spent time on the phase and the next would be an understatement. Should it not be obvious by now, I do take care and put effort into the content for the stories I write and this one a great example of the point. But let me get to the details I highlight at the end of each Phase.

Okay, let me start with the first scene with the "non-good" Alliance group that come into this battle. First, I want to say Azrael is still as evil as he is in canon if not more so, or maybe I just tried to highlight it more, I'll let you readers be the judges of that. Second, I decided that Ptolemaeus being struck worked better in my story line before this battle. In canon it happens during this fight, which is fine, but just doesn't sync in my opinion. And third, as before this Phase, the addition of the Federation has changed how the war is playing out. This fight is no exception to that point, if anything it is a testament to the "what if" question if there had been another side to the story.

The next thing I want to point out which is much more apparent than in canon, is Natarle's growing doubts. Yes, the woman is having conniptions about what the "Alliance" is fighting for in canon, but not like she is in my story. Azrael is affecting her and feeding her doubts unknowingly. It does make her actions later much more believeable and simplier with the transitions. However, I would also say Natarle's view is quite telling when it comes to the war. She sees the contridiction that is clear with those like Azrael, which they deny. She realizes nuclear weapons will be the end of the human race rather than just a part of it. Natarle also is seeing some of the signs of a rat which Tyler had seen long before this.

Now, let me switch to Azrael's view of the fleet and what it represents. You readers should know by this point that Azrael hates the Federation and what it stands for. This Phase shows one reason why Azrael dislikes them as he does, their interference as he puts it. He does reveal the Alliance planned to take on the Federation after ZAFT was "dealt" with. We can also see the parallels that exist with the leaders of the factions, specifically in Azrael and the Chairman. And I'm not talking about their radical views exactly, but that they are choosing to be blind/ignore reality around them. They stick to their views being all that matters, which leads to their downfalls but I'll get to that later.

So to the fight between Natarle and Azrael as we all could see it coming. It was a matter of time, it was more predictable than Natarle's frustration with Tyler in all honesty. And yet, Natarle standing up to the man I think helps build her character, which I've been trying to cultivate. I did seriously consider having Azrael dragged of the bridge, more for the sheer fun it would be to describe the idea. However, I decided against it as Tyler messing with Azrael's plans wouldn't be as neat if the man didn't get to watch it. Heck, Natarle even compares Azrael's behavior to Tyler's and we all know what Natarle thinks of our main awesome pilot.

Next, Tyler's part is mostly unchanged other than some polishing here and there. But with how much he was kicking ass during this part of the battle, there was little to improve if you ask me. What I would point to, is that Natarle hadn't forgotten Tyler's threat to her made during the second battle at Mendel. And at this point, she would accept Tyler's previous offer to hand over Azrael which is a big change. The other thing I would highlight is Natarle knows Tyler isn't a "killer" because he wants to be, but because he chooses to defend others. She also has realized the teen isn't wasteful which gives her a hint to the Federation's disrutpor rifle's purpose. Yet what is the "sweetest" part of this scene to me, is Natarle finally standing up to Azrael and putting her foot down. We expected it with Tyler, but that never came to pass, but this was worth the wait if you ask me.

The next scene I would like to discuss is the one with Mina Moss. The two big points I want to make clear are the changes with her and her project going to the Federation. First the changes with her. Mina is as I have portrayed her, cold, unfeeling and as close to a sociopath as you can get without being a tectbook case. However, the interactions with the Galiena sisters have changed that slowly but surely. The girls are important to her beyond being part of her work, which is significant. Then her project going to the Federation was hinted before now. For those that have read the original, you know that plays a part in future Phases.

The second to last scene with the capture of Azrael. I know in canon he is killed when the Dominion is destroyed. But if it isn't obvious, I ain't going to have that ship taken out, I got plans for it and its crew later. Thus, Azrael has to be capture or let go since the Dominion won't be going down. I wasn't about to let Azrael worm away since the Federation has been after him for years as mentioned. So, the best option was to have the Federation capture him. And I say why not have a team of elites take the guy in and totally embarrass him during the process? This scene is similar to the original, but I polished it up for better reading for all of you. I have streamlined the documents quoted in this and it is similar to the actual United Nations Charter. But, it is just hard not to like this scene when the scum gets what they deserve, am I right?

And finally the last scene where Kira and Creuset are duking it out from the last Phase. If it wasn't clear, Rau wants to kill Kira, but wants him to suffer for what his biological sire did to make him. However, unlike the original, I felt Graham deserved a bit more sceen time in this battle. The two have a history and I wanted to show that it wasn't a good one for either. Rau just curses Graham and Graham had to deal with Rau's antics, a bad relationship on both ends. Of course, Graham has the better piloting skills out of the two of them, but that doesn't make this fight any more neat for the brief part we see of it. And adding Trezie in was even funner since the man has his own bone to pick with Creuset. I mean three pilots going at it, two among the best and the other a rat, how couldn't this be cool?

In conclusions to this Phase, I hope you readers appreciate the work that's gone into writing this. I split this phase up as I have kind of a rule to keep chapters/phases I write at 30k or less. I don't want you readers to feel lost due to a chapter's length which has happened to me before. I again apologize for the length of these closing notes, but there is just so much to discuss in these now. Still, as always, some of you take the time to write a review about this Phase. I hope to have the other half which is the next phase up by Saturday by the latest. Pease out to you all!

DCDGojira

Let me say, I appreciate that you write a review for as far as I've been able to tell each phase. As for Tyler's friends seeing Sakura cuddling him, it may happen in future, haven't decided yet. But I have something in store with Tyler's friends relating to Sakura, yet I won't spoil the surprise.