Author's note: when do double releases occur? When I write a reeeeaally long chapter and ended up dividing it in two. So since instead of just chapter 15, chapter 16 is considered finished as well, I'm posting 2 chapters now. Sorry for the long wait. Here's chapter 7.

Phase-07: Falling

"We're approaching phase three! If we wait any longer, we won't be able to fire the cannon, captain!" Trine urgently alerted his superior.

"But we still don't know where the Impulse and the ZAKUs are!" Heim pointed out.

"Without knowing their positions, we could end up firing at them!" Chen Jian Yi, in charge of fire controls, concurred. Cagalli anxiously whispered the names of her two companions.

"Activate the Tannhäuser." Gladys ordered, shocking everyone on the bridge. "Our mission to stop Junius Seven from falling must be achieved at any cost. Aim at the object to starboard!" She further instructed. Chen repeated the order and obeyed. The Orb leader looked down in dread in frustration. The positron blaster cannon deployed. The ship turned starboard and fired, detaching another large piece.

"Adjusting entry angle. Cooling systems all clear. Automatic attitude control system, on! Set BCS to neutral!" Shinn typed furiously on his keyboard. "Where are those people?" He faced downward and looked around until he found them. Like him, they were facing downward, their shield in front. Athrun lost one of the additional thrusters of his Blaze Wizard Pack that exploded. The ZAKUs were under considerably heavy strain. Those machines were not built to handle an atmospheric reentry without proper equipment, especially not in their damaged condition, with one missing an arm and the other missing a leg. The temperature in those damaged parts was rising too quickly. Seren's more performant ZAKU Phantom joined up with Athrun's ZAKU Warrior and they joined their shields. But at this rate, there were no doubts that they were going to have the same fate as the debris all around them... either disintegrate during the fall, or upon impact with the surface if they survived until then.

The Minerva's QZX-1 "Tannhäuser" positron blaster cannon fired again, shattering another immense chunk whose scattered bits hit others and shattered them too. But they couldn't fire anymore. They entered the third phase of the descent. The ship was shaking and they could no longer see the outside. The crew on the bridge gritted their teeth. Lunamaria, standing at the entrance of her cockpit, asked about Shinn when a jolt threw her back inside. The smaller bits were pulverized but still far too many fell on Earth like a meteor shower, so beautiful and yet so terrible, engulfing the blue planet into a hellish fire. The nations reported to their citizens.

"The demolition of Junius Seven was a success, but the threat of damage from its fragments still exists. Unfortunately, we cannot determine where the fragments will fall at this time. People are asked to evacuate promptly to shelters designated by the government."

However, there were hardly enough shelters and place in those to accommodate the whole population. The people had already deserted the streets and were quickly flocking the shelters soon filling to their maximum capacity, and forcing endless lines of vehicles to turn away. Still, there were some, notably the elderly, who refused to leave their home despite the begging of their family. Helicopters had taken flight and were monitoring the chaos on the ground. The highest risk areas were believed to be around the equator. People living close to the shore were advised to get as far away from the sea as possible and evacuate to higher ground. Depending on the size and mass, the fall of celestial objects could cause cataclysmic mega-tsunami dozens... even hundreds of meters high. At one point, refugees abandoned their vehicles to climb cliffs with their own hands.

Reverend Malchio's orphanage had its own shelter where everyone had taken refuge. The children were getting anxious, not knowing what was coming or how long they would have to stay here, but Lacus reassured them. It was just for a little while. It would be over soon. Everything shook. The youngest whimpered as they held onto the older members of the group.

"It'll be alright. There's nothing to worry about." She hugged and comforted the two children on either side of her who started sobbing against her. Fear made many of them start tearing up. However, they all went quiet when the songstress began singing. Fragments continued crashing onto Earth, devastating cities, sometimes completely erasing them from the map, blasting treasures of mankind's history like the Parthenon or the Great Wall of China. Pieces blew craters in deserts and mountains.

The three EA pilots were also watching from the Girty Lue, safe on orbit as the shreds of the shattered colony fell all over the world, spreading destruction and ruin.

"Will they die? Is everyone gonna die?" Stella looked and sounded particularly horrified. The debris that dropped into the seas caused gigantic tsunamis that ravaged many coasts and engulfed more cities and lives. Djibril was still sitting on his chair in his shelter, tranquilly petting his cat, waiting for the crisis to pass. Durandal had returned to his Chairman office on Aprilius One and was watching statespersons being 'assailed' by journalists.

"Captain, we can now switch to aerodynamic control." Trine reported. Gladys ordered the deployment of the main wings and told her crew to move cautiously. The Minerva's wings unfolded and the ship switched to atmospheric flight. The captain asked about the communications and sensors.

"Offline. Radio waves are unreliable due to the falling fragments." Meyrin replied. Cagalli was keeping her head down, like afraid to look up and hope.

"Well, use laser or thermal sensors or something! We need to find the Impulse and the ZAKUs!" Talia shot back. That made Cagalli gasp.

"Are you suggesting that they've descended safely?" Arthur had a hard time believing such a thing.

"You may find it strange after I fired the Tannhäuser without hesitation... but I want to believe."

The two ZAKUs had managed to pass the critical zone but they had no way of breaking or even controlling their fall. Seren was pushing her thrusters beyond their limits. One of her shields broke away, just like another part of her leg and of Athrun's unit's arm. It was just impossible without a booster after all. Their instruments were going crazy. Then they heard Shinn calling them.

"Athrun-san! Seren-san! Stay where you are! I'll be right there!" He headed over to them. They tried to dissuade him. The Impulse's thrusters could not withstand the fall of three machines even with the Phantom's thrusters to lessen the burden! But yet again, Asuka didn't listen and grabbed them. "Why must you always insist on telling us what can't be done?" His sulky face appeared on the ZAKUs' monitors. Athrun asked what they should have said then. "Something like 'help us, you bastard!'... or the like..." He mumbled. Zala closed his eyes and smiled.

"Then... Help us, you bastard! How's that?" Seren inquired.

"Wha- it was just an example! Y-you really said it!" Shinn was shocked and somewhat creeped out... that person suddenly being so obliging...

"Of course. That is but a little reward for how cutely you clung and cling to us despite your hostility." The girl teased with a smile.

"I'll drop you!" The pilot of the Impulse menaced out of obvious embarrassment.

"Yes, yes, yes." And she just as obviously saw through his bravado. Athrun told her to stop teasing Shinn, although he sounded much more amused than angry. "I can't help it. Lovingly teasing the pure and innocent is a Ledford trait." Seren quoted the words her cousin, Rayner Liam Ledford, had spoken to her after having teased his beloved Cagalli, and having been warned by Seren the very same way Athrun had just warned her. And Shinn was aggravated since those two both knew he was putting up a front.

The Minerva detected something at seven o'clock, distance 400. Filled with hope, the Orb leader bolted upright. It was the Impulse, no... Meyrin brought up a visual on the captain's order. It was really the Impulse! And the ZAKUs were okay too! Cagalli whispered her companions' names. She couldn't sound more relieved. Gladys ordered Arthur to give them a sign using the flares and Malik to take the ship closer. If they didn't catch them quickly, those three would crash together into the ocean. The three pilots noticed the signal above the clouds and headed towards the point from which they estimated the flare had been launched, knowing the Minerva would be there. The Impulse landed and put the ZAKUs down. The mobile suits were retrieved. Once in the hangar, Athrun and Seren came down. They were surrounded by maintenance staff and their fellow pilots. A flying squirrel floated above them and landed on Seren's head. Lunamaria and a mechanic were shoved out of the way when Cagalli rushed past them to hug her sister. Ledford gently and reassuringly patted her back. Zala smiled at them. Suddenly, the ship shook slightly. What was it this time? Rey explained it was most likely the shockwave from the impact of the first fragments after traveling full circle around the world. The two Orb Coordinators looked down, remembering that fanatic's words.

"Rome, Shanghai, the Gobi Desert, Quebec, Philadelphia, and the North Atlantic... there's no way of telling how high the number of casualties would climb." Chairman Durandal was standing, his hands clasped behind his back, and looking out the panoramic window. "It's an extremely painful tragedy. But the real problems are what we must deal with from this point on." He was speaking to a long haired young woman sitting at a table next to him.

"Approach angle satisfactory. Flaps down." Trine said.

"Inputting estimated ocean surface wind velocity. Water landing checklist 1 through 24, all clear." Malik reported. However, the ground effect was higher than in the simulations, forcing them to adjust for it.

"Attention! All units brace for impact as we land on the surface!" The captain warned the crew through the phone. The underside of the ship touched the water. Its resistance caused the vessel to shake and slow down. The pilots and Cagalli were sitting in the lounge. Chacha was on Ledford's lap. The Minerva safely completed the sea landing and Arthur cancelled the alert. All sections were checked and no leak was detected but they would continue to watch for leakage. He also ordered the damage control staff to head to the lower sections. Everyone else started to unbend and return to their posts or quarters. The pilots went to change into their uniforms – or clothes.

Some time later, the occupants of the Minerva were allowed to take turns to get some fresh air and relax on the deck... although the wind was a bit chilly, both the sea and sky were of a monochromic iron gray and lightning was sometimes zooming through the clouds... not the most beautiful and relaxing scenery. They had landed on the Pacific Ocean. Vino couldn't believe how enormous it was. Yolan reminded him they were not here on vacation. Why was he always like that? Inside, leaning on the wall next to the open door, his arms crossed, Shinn peered sulkily at the three Orb civilians before looking down again. It looked like jealousy towards Athha for monopolizing these two's attention... or a similar sentiment. The mechanic squirrel was flying around. Cagalli asked her companions if they were alright. They reassured her. She had been really worried though since they didn't tell her they were going out in mobile suits. The two apologized for acting on their own.

"It's okay. I have no problems with that. I know your abilities. In fact, I'm kinda glad you did go out." She walked away. Seren and Athrun appeared surprised. Shinn lifted his head and Lunamaria, Rey, and their young friends stared at them, sensing something. "Although what's happened is extremely unfortunate, if it wasn't for the Minerva and Yzak's team, it would've been a lot worse to say the least. I'm sure the people of Earth understand that."

"Stop it, you idiot!" Shinn angrily cut her off as he stepped forward. Cagalli hadn't noticed his presence, or how fiercely he was glaring at her, or how her two assistants had lowered their heads. So that new outburst shocked her, but also his own comrades. He was at it again! "You must have been on the bridge, right! So I'm sure you know what really happened here!" He yelled. Athrun shouted his name. But the pilot of the Impulse was unable to restrain himself when he saw that head of state's clueless expression. "The fall of Junius Seven wasn't some natural phenomenon! There were culprits behind this! The ones who did it were Coordinators!" He reminded her. The blonde girl recoiled, horrified, as if she had suddenly been thrown back into a harsh reality. "Men whose families had been killed there and who still held a grudge about the incident! They dropped that thing, saying 'Naturals should perish!'" And Shinn was reminded of his own grudge, the death of his own family, and that resentment was seeping through his voice.

"I-I know that! I know about that... but still..." Cagalli stammered. "You guys did everything you could to try to stop it!"

"Of course we did!" They couldn't just sit by and let billions of people and living things die.

"But fragments still fell on Earth. We couldn't stop it." Athrun explained, balling his fists in frustration. "Even though it was done by only a handful of people, it doesn't change the fact that it was done by Coordinators. I wonder if they will forgive us... despite that." He closed his eyes. The other Coordinators were pensively staring in the distance. The young man left.

"It would indeed be naïve to think that those who survived will simply be happy to still be alive. Even if they're alive, they were utterly ruined. Stricken with grief after having lost their families, their homes, everything, they will look for someone to direct their anger at. They will start demanding answers." Seren developed, her arms crossed. "And when they learn that Coordinators caused that, what do you think will happen? When people start saying: 'Coordinators still wished to destroy us after all!' 'They were bidding their time to prepare for that attack! They just made a show of fighting those terrorists to feint innocence!' 'Coordinators are truly the source of all chaos! They should be destroyed!' 'We must kill them before they kill us!'... What will happen? You can't very well reason with grief-stricken people, right? And if Blue Cosmos and the Earth Forces take advantage of that to start another war..." She trailed off and smiled at Cagalli but it was one of those terrible smiles poignant enough to rend a heart. She felt guilty, and so did Athrun. How many had died? How many had survived? How many loved ones had been lost? How many tears would flow? How many screams of anguish would echo? She didn't know yet but the children of Reverend Malchio's orphanage too were crying the loss of their home. A little girl picked a doll half buried in the sand amidst the debris. Ledford extended her arm to the side and Chacha landed on it before returning inside her pocket. She left too, watched by Cagalli. She stopped before Athrun in the hallway. He hadn't gone far inside. She leant against him, and they embraced as tightly as they could.

"The last thing said by the leader of those guys who self-detonated was: for us Coordinators the path of Patrick Zala was the only one and correct path!" Asuka spoke, his words shocking everyone. They hadn't told her much about it, but Cagalli knew that Seren and Athrun had both witnessed Patrick Zala's death, and despite what that person had done, she understood a son's love for his father, and that it was also because of that love that Athrun could hardly forgive his father for what he had done, himself for having been unable to stop him. And she understood how Seren must also be deeply affected as someone who had seen, and who loved Athrun... Then... how could those two have felt when they heard that?! Distressed, Cagalli looked at the door. Inside, Athrun and Seren walked away, supporting each other like wounded comrades leaving a battlefield. They had heard. Athha made a move and tried to join them. "You really have no idea about anything, do you? Even though they esteem you so much, how can you be so oblivious? Are you really worthy of their loyalty? I feel sorry for them!" Shinn ranted, glaring at Cagalli, before returning inside.

"We at the PLANTs, cannot express the great sorrow we feel concerning this calamity of unprecedented proportions. I have no word to describe my feelings on the unthinkable damage that has been caused to the world." Chairman Durandal declared at a press conference. "I'm sure that the resulting scars are deep and our sorrow endless, but please, my friends on Earth, I ask that you stand up once again from your despair. We are committed to offering you any help we can to face this unimaginable hardship." And indeed numerous shipments of food, medical supplies, other first aid items... were sent, as well as the manpower to actually participate in the rescue effort, manage the refugees, and help with the clearing of the wreckage and rebuilding.

The members of LOGOS were also having a post-catastrophe meeting. Earth had really been hit hard. The Parthenon had been blown away but Djibril couldn't care less about that old building whose destruction wouldn't change a thing. More importantly, Durandal was acting quickly. While spewing sugar-coated words, he had already extended his hands into the affairs here on Earth.

"I believe you should all be receiving a copy of this right about now. Phantom Pain has sent us something very interesting." Djibril typed on his computer and shared pictures of GINNs High Maneuver type II installing flare motors on Junius Seven. So that 'incident' was really ZAFT's doing. The Blue Cosmos leader sounded happy to have been so unexpectedly dealt the ultimate trump card. "Not one human in the world will forgive them for this. And it will allow us to form the strongest ties with the people. This time, they will surely meet their deaths! For the preservation our blue and pure world." He raised his glass of wine.

Seren and Athrun were spacing out in the darkness of their room. She was resting on the bed, Chacha next to her head, while he was sitting on the armchair. They thought about the recent battle against those terrorists. "Why can't you realize... that for us Coordinators the path of Patrick Zala was the only one and correct path?!" Those words had deeply affected them, and of course, particularly Athrun, and Seren was worried about him. He shook his head, trying to shake his thoughts off. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at his lover.

"Rest up. I'm gonna get some water. Want some?" Ledford offered.

"Yeah." He took her hand. She planted a kiss on his forehead and headed to the door. He held her hand until the distance forced them apart.

On the bridge, the captain was looking at the rain rivering down the windows. She looked back when she heard Heim's response to Representative Athha's inquiry. He still couldn't get into contact with anyone. The atmospheric disturbances were still too great. Not even laser communications were possible right now. Cagalli thanked him.

When the rain stopped and sunlight leaked through the clouds, Rey, Lunamaria and Meyrin came out onto the deck for a shooting practice. Gladys told Cagalli they would be heading to Orb once the checks and emergency repairs of the ship had been completed. The Orb leader thanked her. She understood that talking to those people at this point was probably meaningless. The captain sympathized with the young head of state's worry for her own country. After all, Orb was an island nation. After arriving at Orb, Cagalli had hoped to give the Minerva all the accommodations possible as a token of her appreciation for their bravery and distinguished service, but with things as they were, she couldn't make any promise and asked the captain to forgive her. Embarrassed, Gladys replied there was no need to apologize.

On her way to the dining hall, Seren saw the Hawke sisters practicing their shooting. And after almost two dozens rounds fired, Lunamaria sighed, dissatisfied with her performance. Indeed, most had hit the outer circles of the target, and some were completely out, and very few were at the center. On the other hand, Rey had the opposite result for the same number of rounds... and that annoyed Lunamaria. And he was younger than her too. She noticed the ambassadress staring at her and suggested that she joined them but Seren turned her down.

"I know how proficient you are with mobile suits, but maybe you are not familiar with guns? I believe you didn't receive military training after all."

"Indeed, I never trained to become a soldier. But I do know how to protect myself, and others." Ledford smiled politely. Chacha had climbed onto her shoulder again. "To thank you for your generous offer, shall I help you with your practice?"

"Eh?" Lunamaria was surprised. It was then Shinn came in too.

"The problem is not the gun. You have a habit of twisting your wrists when you pull the trigger. That's why your pacing is inconsistent. Look." Seren approached, took the gun, changed the settings of the target to rapid appearances and disappearances at different places and with varying sizes. And she fired, and received perfect marks, to her student's amazement... but also Meyrin's and Shinn's, who looked a bit peeved at this. Only Rey showed no emotion. Shinn had a hard time understanding why a peace-loving person like her could be so proficient with weapons. That was contradictory. Athrun appeared behind Shinn. The girl looked down. "I hate weapons. But, I also understand they're still necessary. There are still people who don't wish for peace, we saw that. If people attack me, I must protect myself. But if I gain in speed and accuracy, I can disable them without killing them. And you know the proverb, as long as there's life, there's hope. Besides, I didn't want to be a burden to my bodyguard." She smiled at Athrun who smiled back.

"You are never a burden. Although it would have been nice if you had returned to me before I needed to come and pick you up."

"Oop- err... sorry?" The ambassadress clamped her hand over her mouth. The boy sighed and asked if she had actually got the water. "Ah!" She suddenly recalled before grinning sheepishly. She had completely forgotten. Her lover sighed again. She really couldn't be helped. But there was no mistaking his tender gaze when looking at her.

"By the way, I heard you're quite skilled with a gun too. Could you show us?" Luna handed her gun to Athrun who hesitantly took it and displayed his abilities. And again, everyone was stunned, and Shinn was more irritated. "Wow, as expected of you! Former ZAFT Red, with the Le Creuset Team. In the middle stages of the war, you single-handedly defeated the Strike and the Blast, said to be the strongest. After that you were affiliated to ZAFT Special Forces that report directly to the National Defense Committee. Then you became the pilot of the ZGMF-X09A Justice. Athrun Zala, I don't know much about your father, but you're a hero among us, especially with what you did at the battle of Jachin Due."

"A hero... huh? Receiving honors for killing an assigned enemy... but... who's the enemy?" Athrun smiled in self derision.

"Being praised for the number or quality of the people you killed, this is just like a race game. But those who die are people just like us. Without guns or mobile suits how many people do you think could be spared?" Seren added.

"Is that why you became an ambassadress? Seren Elvira Ledford, living peacefully and incognito in Heliopolis before you became the pilot of the Blast. Responsible for the destruction of several of our battleships, you also consistently topped our elite pilots until that battle in the Marshall Islands. You disappeared and reappeared as the pilot of the ZGMF-X08A Independence before fighting at Athrun Zala - your former enemy's side at the battle of Jachin Due where you saved both the PLANTs and the Earth. And after the war, you became a prominent figure in the reconstruction of Orb and the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. You really force admiration."

"I learned that there were many things that I couldn't protect by fighting on a battlefield. Battles are consequences. I wanted to be able to do something about the causes."

"But I think many people have wondered... why did you side with the Earth Alliance and against ZAFT even though you're a Coordinator?"

"I still get that a lot, huh?" Seren muttered, looking down and sighing, but smiling good-heartedly. She recovered her serious demeanor and looked at Lunamaria again. "Because it was ZAFT who attacked. Because I had Natural friends with me. And I couldn't leave on my own and abandon my friends to face certain death. And because I learned that the crew of the Archangel, at least, were good people that I could trust. And if you want to ask why I didn't join ZAFT before that, it was because there are Coordinators and Naturals among my family and friends. It was – and is impossible for me to declare that some of them must be the 'enemy' while others are not... just because someone said that was 'reality', that is was 'how things are', or that it 'couldn't be helped'."

"Seren, Athrun..." They heard a weak voice. Everyone looked up. It was Cagalli. The two Orb Coordinators started leaving.

"I hear the Minerva's heading for Orb." Shinn informed them. "Will you also be returning to Orb?" He questioned. They confirmed. "Why is that? What do you do there, Athrun-san? Seren-san, it seems you're expecting something from Orb but can you really trust that country? People from Orb submitted to the Earth Alliance once, that's why those things happened at Heliopolis. It can happen again. You two have the strength, the skills to back your words, so why are you wasting your abilities in a country that's all talk?" He needled them. However, they left without a single word or back look under the eyes of the ZAFT soldiers.

Lacus joined Kira on the beach. The wind was cold and strong. The swell was growing. The clouds were dark and menacing and moving rapidly.

"A storm is coming." The girl said.

"Yeah, I know."

Destruction spread until it shrouded the entire world. People are frightened of encountering the end of their lives. Everything burned. And Earth was dyed with the blue of overwhelming sorrow. What we could and could not protect weigh like lead on our hearts. Let us pray for the countless lights that have vanished, and those that still exist. In the end where the sky goes, the waves of the future can't be seen yet.