Phase-20: Departure
This morning, the pilots and some of the young mechanics of the Minerva were eating together. More exactly, some were quietly watching the more boisterous ones that were romping about. The playful naturally included Heine and Seren. However, they were not only toying with others, Heine also kept flirting with Seren, prompting her to tell him not to joke too much as there were people gullible enough to take him seriously. Meyrin thought she was serious in her refusal, but her sister sighed and called her naïve. Luna believed Seren was just going along and those two were playing the cat and mouse game, with one pretending to run away and the other pretending to give chase... even though Seren had commented about her wearing too short a skirt and not to enroll in the military to pick up men... Athrun merely looked at his reflection in his drink with a guarded expression. Well, that was until Chacha suddenly landed on his head and descended on his face. Thus his gloomy expression was replaced by an annoyed one as he pried his own creation off his face.
While the crew members of the Minerva enjoyed their last moments of peace and merriment before departure, elsewhere on Earth countless clashes were occuring between ZAFT, the Earth Alliance, and the uprisings taking place all over. However, the blue planet was not the only battlefield. A fair share of fighting also happened in space, and Yzak Joule's squadron was quite busy. Be that as it may, considering the current overall state of the war, the one who had the advantage was ZAFT.
"What in the world is going on?!" Djibril yelled at Joseph Copeland, the president of the Atlantic Federation, in a secret video conference.
"You know very well what happened. We went ahead with a plan before we were ready which resulted in considerable damage. On your advice, we pushed through and declared war. But they stopped our attack, leaving us with no choice but to retreat. It's no wonder the citizens from all over are retaliating and the alliance that we forged ahead with is beginning to crumble." Joseph justified their losses by blaming his master's forcefulness.
"I'm not asking you about that!" The Blue Cosmos leader shouted, causing his interlocutor to shrink back. "I'm not interested in listening to this bickering." Of course, he was not interested in his own faults being pointed out by someone else. "What I want to know is how are you people going to deal with this situation. I added so much fuel to the flames, demanding that we defeat, destroy, and crush the Coordinators... Are you now trying to put out that flame?!" He slammed his glass of whisky on the table before standing up. "In the end, the weak will always side with the powerful. The victor will become the righteous one! People are rebelling everywhere because you're still doing nothing to handle the incidents in places like Western Eurasia!" He clearly implied they should oppress the people so much that fear will paralyze them, rendering them unable to think of rebelling.
"But we're doing everything we can! Besides, even your Phantom Pain has done little to contribute!" Joseph once more shifted the blame and subject, as expected of a politician.
"Like I said- ... that's it... Orb..." A sudden flash of inspiration interrupted Djibril in his rant and he smirked evilly. "That nation is now part of our Alliance. And I understand their battle power is quite impressive..." He spoke slowly, coolly, with great composure, like a snake approaching a defenseless, unsuspecting mouse, his earlier agitation having all but vanished. Joseph nodded. "We can just have them go to the Black Sea. As part of its responsibility to the Alliance, Orb will force ZAFT out. They can no longer refuse. The other day, they gave us a bit of a surprise when something unexpected came flying out of there." The head of LOGOS was evidently refering to the escape of the Archangel.
In his office in the Combat Command Center in Onogoro Island, Yuna Roma Seiran explained the orders Orb was given to Captain Todaka and his lieutenants. As soldiers, they had no say in what the hierarchy had decided so they remained silent, but their shock was quite clear.
"The Takemikazuchi will be our flagship. I will personally lead our forces as Supreme Commander. Well... a lot happened, and our nation is currently without a Chief Representative. That's precisely why we must be clear about the stance our nation will take."
"Yes, sir..."
"I want your best effort! This time for sure." Yuna leant forward, weighing each word. He obviously had doubts concerning the escape of the Archangel, and the Minerva before that... that the fleet did spare some effort back then, allowing those two sources of trouble to get away. The soldiers saluted.
Neo was walking in the corridors of the Spengler-class naval carrier John Paul Jones when he heard Stella's voice. She seemed to be throwing a tantrum. It should be time for her, Auel's and Sting's maintenance. He went to see what was happening. She was curled up against the glass lid of her cocoon, holding something close to her chest like an irreplaceable treasure and glaring at the medical officers who were desperately trying to calm her down.
"No! Don't! You can't take this! Go away! Don't touch me!" She hissed like a scared and angry little cat. The boys were waiting for her to settle down. Roanoke came in just then and the staff explained that they tried to take a look at her leg injury before putting her to sleep but the moment they took that handkerchief, she became hysterical.
"I see. Sorry Stella. Don't worry, no one will take it away." The masked man comfortingly placed a hand on the girl's shoulder before stroking her head, his deep voice gentle and soothing. "Why would anyone want to take away something so important to you? So don't worry and get some rest." He smiled. Successfully appeased, Stella lied down, and the glass lids closed over the three youths. "I feel like I've become a quiet wicked man.'No one will take away something so important'... far from it." Neo spoke again in self-derision once the children were sleeping.
"You always amaze me the way you deal with them."
"Are we happier with memories, or without them? I think about it from time to time. To become that hysterical, she must have experienced something pretty significant." The Earth Forces commander pondered, staring the sleeping blonde girl who still had tears beading at the corner of her closed eyes.
"You're right. She came back with a strong impression of something, but I'm sure it'll disappear."
"I think they're lucky not to have memories." The other medical officer gave his opinion. "They're fighting machines whose only job is to defeat the designated enemy. Any unnecessary feelings would only get in the way. Their efficiency would worsen."
"Yeah, I know. Anything they learn or feel won't do them any good... to these kids..." Neo started leaving.
"Sympathy for them will make things harder."
"It's all because I let them into town. There's a lot they can pick up there." The admonished commander accepted the blame. "Pay special attention to their maintenance." He entrusted the kids to their 'maintenance staff' and left. "That girl fears dying more than anything. In order for her not to die, she has no choice but to continue to destroy the enemy." He muttered almost inaudibly.
In the Minerva, still docked at the Diocuia military port, Heine was officially taking office and greeting the captain and vice-captain in her chamber. Once that was done he joined with Athrun and Seren (and Chacha perched on her shoulder) who were waiting for him outside. In the hangar, Aves gave the manual concerning the ZGMF-X2000 GOUF Ignited to the mechanics and told them to read it thoroughly. Vino and Yolan commented about how new models were likely to keep being introduced. Heine, Seren and Athrun went to the lounge where the other pilots were waiting. As always, Heine was impressed by the brand-newness of the Minerva, a far cry from the Nazca-class, and he established a new 'rule', that was familiarity between pilots, no calling others by titles like 'commander'.
"Commander Zala... we..." The confused Shinn turned towards Athrun.
"Commander Westenfluss is my superior, Shinn."
"Hei-ne." The amber-haired young man rectified. The chastised Athrun lowered his head. "Wait, they call you 'commander'?" He questioned. When Athrun stammered his assent, Rey explained that during battle Zala took command so they addressed him as 'commander'. However, Heine did not believe it was a good idea to build walls between colleagues like that. Once out on the battlefield ZAFT pilots were equals whether they were FAITH, Red Coats or green uniforms. They were not like those idiots from the Earth Forces who couldn't fight unless in a group and under orders. "Ah, or could it be you're using this opportunity to tease him, having just returned and all?" He fixed the younger pilots suspiciously, surprising Lunamaria, but Athrun and Shinn denied him. "Then don't call him 'commander'! And you're in the wrong too, Athrun! Why didn't you tell them to call you by name?"
"I'm sorry." Zala apologized with an awkward smile.
"And what about you, Seren? I thought you would have known better." Westenfluss next blamed the amber-eyed girl.
"Isn't it fine for them to call us however they want? They know better about military rules and hierarchy than me."
"Correcting them is bothersome so you go with the flow?" He translated. "But this is one such instance where you must speak out and go against the flow as you usually do so well."
"...Yes. But you know, Rey and Lunamaria are good, well-behaved kids, but Shinn is a wolf pup that's always going too far, wandering around, and barking and nipping at you whenever you say anything." Seren warped an arm around the wolf pup's shoulder and poked his cheek with the index finger of her other hand, making him growl and scowl and utter various protests, basically proving her point.
"Isn't it because you tease him too much?"
"I'm not teasing him. I'm train-... ahem, educating him so he can tone down his impulsiveness and grow more patient and polite. As a good senpai, I'm going out of my way for the sake of my cute kouhai." She kept poking his cheek. Political skills 101: another crucial point is the way you phrase things.
"Yes, yes." Heine sighed with still a tender and amused expression. Of course, he was not fooled. No one was. "Well, bottom line, we're a new team starting today. Let's work together to the best we can. And you should tone down on your teasing a bit." He petted Seren's head and ruffled her hair a little, prompting her robotic squirrel to climb on his hand and skitter up his arm to his shoulder. He then walked away, followed by Rey and Luna. Canaver combed her chestnut brown hair with her fingers, looking just a bit happy and embarrassed.
"I wish I could be a little more like that. But I can't do it well." Athrun pondered slightly regretfully. Such casual friendliness was not easily imitated by self-restrained people after all.
"Commander..."
"It's Athrun, Shinn." He smiled weakly, truly admirative of Heine's social ease and finesse... and envious of them.
"That's because you've always been an overly serious guy." Seren commented; unaware of what went on in the Savior's pilot's heart. Openly envying Heine's friendliness was one thing. But only regarding Heine's relation to Seren, Athrun could never reveal the anxiety, jealousy, and other dark feelings that he held, at least not in public. Westenfluss called them and they ran to them.
The Orb fleet was sailing towards their destination. Aboard the Takemikazuchi, the seasick Supreme Commander was vomiting into a trash can. The sea was getting rough after all. Todaka and his vice-captain Amagi were discussing. They still had an hour to go before leaving this area. There weren't any major low-pressure systems in their path.
"Although I probably shouldn't be talking about it, I have serious doubts about this dispatch of troops." Amagi looked down. "We will not invade another nation, we will not allow another nation to invade us, and we will not interfere in the conflicts of other nations... that should be Orb's ideal, and our ideal as Orb military... Yet..." Here they were, so far from home, about to fight not to protect their homeland from invasion, but to fight ZAFT under orders from the Atlantic Federation...
"Yeah, I know. But this can be considered as a dispatch to protect our country too. Although the truth is, no matter what the situation may be, we're hoping for the Archangel and Cagalli-sama to help protect Orb's ideals. If they can't take action in time, at least we can pray that Cagalli-sama is watching this battle from somewhere."
"Yes."
Meantime, at the Earth Alliance base of Suez, Roanoke was hearing the news about
Orb's reinforcements that should be arriving the next day in the evening and that were going to accompany them to the Black Sea. That was certainly going to be a difficult battle, but that area was one they had to get under control. Sting, Auel and Stella were also waking up. The boys were drinking and stretching. The girl was staring at the handkerchief, wondering what it was, before putting it down and leaving it without a care, having forgotten how precious it used to be to her.
And so, the next day, the Orb fleet arrived at Suez. Informants immediately notified their contacts... among which were the ZAFT base of Diocuia and freelance photographer Miriallia Haw. Milly didn't hide her dismay upon learning of the involvement of her home country in this conflict. Of course, the Minerva was also told about it, and the captain was conveying this to the three other FAITH members, pouring over a map in the bridge. The mechanic animal was behaving, hidden in its owner's uniform. As Gladys-kanchou pointed out, they still didn't know whether the joint fleet would target Gibraltar or come their way, but this timing suggested an attempt to take back what they had lost. They surely wanted to reclaim their route to Suez, and Headquarters felt the same way. It was truly an endless battle over it. Heine inquired about the total battle power of Suez.
"A bigger concern than their numbers would be that they've got that ship, the Earth Forces carrier we faced in the Indian Ocean." Talia replied. Athrun and Arthur gasped as they instantly understood what she was talking about... the carrier with those stolen mobile suits... Seren though did not show any particular reaction. At this point, she had already understood that this squad was going to be to the Minerva what the Le Creuset team had been to the Archangel, pursuing them to the end of the Earth like hellhounds. "That's what makes it rather difficult. Those mobile suits will likely come too." She inferred. When Heine seemed unsure what she was referring to, Seren whispered to him that the captain was talking about the units stolen from Armory One. "In any case, the ship is leaving. We will head for our first line of defense at the Dardanelles Strait at the entrance to the Sea of Marmara, and take guard position. We will leave at 0600 hours." The captain gave her instructions. Everyone stood at attention and rogered. Trine announced they were immediately going to prepare for take off.
"Excuse-me Gladys-kanchou, but do you know where those reinforcements came from? Due to the forcefulness of the Atlantic Federation, the alliance is falling apart, especially the Eurasian Federation, right? Is it the Republic of East Asia? The South Africa Union? Or maybe..." Seren could not finish her sentence. But unfortunately, her fears were proven true. The newest addition to the World Security Treaty boasting great military power that would be...
"It's Orb... It appears the Earth Forces reinforcements are from the Orb military..." Talia told the truth. Even if that was something Seren and Athrun did not want to hear, they had to know. The former Orb ambassadress winced and balled her fists. She appeared like the wind had been knocked out of her. Athrun did not look much better. That was one powerful blow for them given their relation with Orb. Arthur was shocked too. Heine worriedly gazed at his two fellow pilots. But while the captain of the Minerva naturally felt compassion for them, she also had to make sure they would properly do their job as ZAFT soldiers. "It's difficult to say... but right now, that nation is one of them..."
"Orb is... that can't be..." Athrun muttered.
"But all ZAFT forces in the area have been given the order to stop the Earth Forces from invading the Black Sea. There is no way to avoid it. Right now, Orb is part of the Earth Forces. Is that clear? Will you be alright?"
"...Yes."
"Do not worry, I understand. I thought this day would come ever since Orb signed that Treaty... I know what it is that I must do as a ZAFT soldier." Canaver, no, Ledford evidently meant to say she had been prepared for it, but although she had tried to, there was no way she didn't hurt inside. It was obvious from the poignancy of her smile and the trembling of her fists she was desperately trying to control. Talia was still worried after all, but she had no choice but to believe that Seren's sense of duty would overcome her sadness and hesitations. Look, she was already recovering.
While Yuna Roma Seiran, Supreme Commander of the Orb Union, was shaking hands with Captain Neo Roanoke of the Earth Forces, in the Archangel, Kira and Cagalli rushed to the bridge. The girl's face fell as she learned what her country's forces were doing. In his room, Shinn placed the shell shard Stella had given him in a jar and closed it, smiling gently.
And then, the LHM-BB01 Minerva sailed off. Shinn was eating with Lunamaria in the dining hall. She told him the news about Orb coming as reinforcement to the EA in Suez. Or rather she was complaining about it. To think they'd come all the way here... unbelievable! But as she thought about it, she realized it wasn't that weird since they were now part of the Earth Forces. Those things happened so she was no longer bothered... unlike Shinn. First he had looked as shocked and distraught as Cagalli, Seren, and Athrun... but his expression soon grew full of rage and rancor.
Seren was in her room. As soon as she had closed the door, she had started punching things and rampaging. Chacha escaped to a corner. She had managed to fix her façade before the captain and wait until now to let a bit loose. Right, she did surmise that Orb would one day be made to actively participate in the war. But to think that day truly came, and so soon too, and she'd have to fight them... It hurt... No matter how much she rolled on the bed, the pain did not lessen. There was no way out. She was going to fight Orb. She was going to fight her home country. She was going to fight and kill people she should be protecting. She had left because she had thought she could better protect them this way. She felt like her heart was being quartered. They might have received orders from Headquarters, but as a FAITH member, she should be able to strong-arm her refusal to participate in that battle if she so wished. The thought was so tantalizing. The others would surely understand, on the surface at least. But after all, they would doubt her loyalty, her dutifulness, and her very qualifications as a FAITH member as she would be basically abusing her authority to escape responsibility... and things could get complicated... She also wanted to protect the Minerva and her comrades here. And she had no right to run away further than that. She was the one who left Orb and chose to enroll in ZAFT. Now she had to accept the consequences. What would Cagalli, Rayner, and Kira... and everyone think... and say? But... they were also the ones who didn't stop Orb from partnering with the Earth Alliance despite being in a position to act...
Will you be watching this battle? Will come to stop it? Will you fight me, Kira, Cagalli, Rayner...? Will you fight us? Not only them, but also Murrue-san, Waltfeld-san, Lacus, everyone on the Archangel...
Although still dyed with sadness, her amber eyes were getting suffused with determination. She knew she was not the only upset over it. But did it occur to Athrun that they would likely have to fight their friends? She doubted it. Seren considered keeping quiet. After all, even if they knew, there was nothing they could do about it, except agonize once more over their helplessness. But... that guy would certainly want to know... He'd probably be angry at her if she didn't tell him... But she didn't want to pile more on his plate... Was it something he needed to know? Guess she had to tell him after all... Seren stood up and left the room, followed by her faithful pet.
Athrun was on the deck, thinking about all those he had left in Orb... Kira, Lacus, Cagalli, Rayner, Murrue, Waltfeld, the orphans... He had returned to ZAFT to protect them, and now, Orb had become ZAFT's enemy, and he will have no choice but to fight them. The Archangel had left too and nothing had been heard about it since then.
"So you were in Orb, all that time after the great war." Heine suddenly walked over to him. "I hear it's a wonderful country."
"Yes, it certainly is."
"I'd say this place is beautiful too."
"Yes."
"Did you stay in Orb to be with Seren?" Westenfluss could not help but question.
"Well..." Athrun avoided giving a clear answer, sounding rather awkward. While he had chosen Orb partly for its ideals, he could not deny it was also in great part to be with Seren. However, he could tell that admitting that here would convey too much of his deep attachment to Seren, her importance to him... his affection, his... 'love' for her... – especially considering the way Heine had phrased things - so Athrun had to remain silent.
"You'd rather not fight, would you? Against Orb."
"No."
"Then who wouldn't you mind fighting?"
"Huh?" Athrun was at a loss for a moment. "No, it's not like there's someone I'd rather..."
"Ah, I thought so. Same here." Heine placed a hand on his own chest, sounding happy to have found a like-minded comrade. "That's how it is, isn't it? Stop worrying about it. We're in war, and we're soldiers. Otherwise, you'll die." He advised his friend, more serious than ever before. Athrun looked at him, then lowered his head.
"R-right..." Zala balled his fists.
"Seren too... she tried to make it look like she'll be okay... and she'll surely do her best her to overcome it, for us... even though she's definitely devastated inside... So Athrun, we must protect her."
"You don't need to tell me that."
"By the way, I thought for sure she'd be here with you..." The GOUF's pilot sounded disappointed. The young man with midnight blue hair hung his head, his bangs hiding his eyes. Seren... he had been drunk and acted a bit inappropriately with her but after all, he didn't regret it. He had to drive his point home. That much should be alright. He understood where she was coming from, but could he just sit by and watch her drift away from him? Could he just sit by and watch another man growing closer to her? He certainly could not, even if that man was Heine. But just then, the door opened and Seren came out. The robotic squirrel he had gifted her when they were children flew out and drew large circles above their heads. Speak of the devil...
"Ah... sorry, I must have interrupted something." Ledford stopped when she saw them apparently engaged in some discussion or male bonding. She was about to return when Heine caught her and brought her over.
"Now don't try to run away, you'll hurt our feelings. Or is it something one of us can't hear?"
"No, it's just..." She stammered, wondering for a moment if she should let Heine hear. Heine should be fine. More like it might be for the best since he had a knack for comforting people, and making them feel more comfortable. "Athrun, I think the Archangel is likely to come to the battle." She disclosed, shocking the men who demanded to know the basis behind her assumption. "Given Orb made such a show of coming to Suez to reinforce the Atlantic Federation, I'm sure they heard about it. The Archangel always tries to stop whatever conflict they can by disarming both sides. And if Orb is involved, wouldn't it be stranger if they didn't come? We might have to fight them..." She said slowly, looking straight at Athrun. Now that she was facing him, she was trembling again. Athrun hit the railing with his fist. She wanted to comfort him... and be comforted by him... because she loved him, and he was the one who knew best her feelings for Orb, for those people they were certainly going to fight... And when he looked at her again, she saw the very same yearning, the same emotion in his green eyes. But right as Athrun lifted his hand and was reaching out to her, Heine outpaced him and pulled her to him in a tight hug. Both Zala and Ledford froze in surprise.
"Heine, wh-"
"I told you you could rely on me. Seren, you don't have to fight your family. You can withdraw from this battle. You have that authority as a FAITH member. I'm sure everyone would understand. I'll back you up, and Athrun too..."
"...I've left Orb and joined ZAFT. I've run away from my obligations towards my country, my family... and now, you're telling me to run away from the consequences of my actions as well? You're telling me to run away from my duty again, this time as a ZAFT soldier?" She glared at the man imprisoning her in his arms, pushing against him. But he did not let go.
"Fighting the army is one thing... but can you fight against your family?"
"I... I can't let the Earth Alliance keep acting as they have. I want to protect my current comrades. I will stop all those who try to harm you. And... Cagalli also needs to remember that just will is not enough. You also need strength to force your ideals through. She was too weak to bear the country. And we were too weak to support her. Because of that, the ministers took hold of the country, and those results were brought about. That's why, I, too, must fight..."
"I see you've resolved yourself..." Westenfluss heaved a sigh before smiling. Seren was truly dear to him after all. Even though she loved Orb and her family this much, and that was despite how upset she must have been because of the path Orb had recently taken... even though her battle must be so painful for her, even while wavering... she did not stop. She kept trudging forward, always forward, through her chosen path... all while being lacerated by thorns and having her feet sinking in the mire. Shinn and many others would call her stupid. There was no need for her to suffer for the country, for the people, for the leader that had betrayed her and other Coordinators. But her eyes were still resolutely fixed on something, in the distance. Something they could not see... something that pulled her forward, no matter what. She had already given up on the idea of giving up. That was why, more glaring than pain, her amber eyes reflected a strong, dazzling light.
...And that was why he wanted to stay by her side, all throughout her path, her life... he wanted to see her struggle and help her overcome them. He wanted to reach that blinding scenery she was seeing with her. He began stroking her head but then, his eyes were fixed on Athrun behind her. Zala gasped, having instantly realized Heine's intention. His expression turned to stone as his nails dug into his palms. He wanted to put a stop to it right then and there, snatch his beloved woman back and imprison her in his arms. Instead, he closed his green eyes, and through grueling efforts, excercised self-control and just walked away according to Heine's wish. The mechanic animal landed on his shoulder. He heard Seren call him but he ignored her. He returned inside the ship without a single glance back. Otherwise he was not sure he would have been able to maintain his self-discipline. He wanted to stop Heine himself... but he had no choice but to leave that role to Seren. After all, when they had just reached out to each other, he had ascertained her feelings... she still loved him and needed him... her heart still fully belonged to him. That was why he trusted her.
Heine cupped the girl's face with his hands and made her look at him. Once he had captured her gaze he smiled tenderly, lovingly, and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. She stiffened as her heart started pounding against her ribcage like a hammer against a gong, sounding the alarm.
"Athrun is still very important to you, huh?" He asked her. She didn't answer, but her silence was enough of an answer. "You're very close, always thinking of the other, caring for the other, but in the same time, keeping a distance, holding each other's at arm length. I must say, it's sometimes hard to determine what type of love you have for each other. Still, Athrun has chosen Lacus. But what about you? It's painful, right? How long will you keep that up?" He questioned her further. That was when she should be denying him, say she was not such a child that she would feel jealous over her friend being stolen away. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. "Seren, you're always escaping whenever I come after you, but isn't it time to stop running away?" So he could tell after all. He could tell she wanted to run away this very instant. She lowered her eyes.
"Hei-" The young woman began, but he pressed his fingers on her lips blocking her words.
"I fell in love with you. It hurts whenever I see you fighting alone. I want to support you, right by your side, wherever you chose to be, the battlefield, the PLANTs Supreme Council, or the Orb ministry. You showed me the glimpse of a dream. Won't you let me help you fulfil it with you and watch it together? I love you, Seren. And I hope you'll consider me..." Heine declared his love. He was even ready to defect from ZAFT and follow her to Orb if she chose to 'take over' that country. However, it was impossible for her to rejoice. His words of love cut her heart like blades, because it was impossible for her to return his feelings. She took a step back, shrinking, and was about to shake her head when he stopped her. "You don't have to answer now. I know you're not ready to accept me yet. So please don't suddenly reject me. I just needed you to know my feelings, and that I would be there. It's you, so you might feel like you're taking advantage of me, but I'm telling you, that's not the case. I want you, so I'll be waiting for you, no matter how long, until you can settle your emotions." He petted her head again, kissed her forehead, and left. Seren silently watched him walk away. She hung her head and looked into her heart. Certainly, Heine had a place there... but definitely not the one he wanted. Even now, that place was full of Athrun.
"Heine!" She called him mid-way and he turned back. "Don't wait for me! You must not wait for me! You can't!" She begged him.
"Sorry, but I don't go back on my words!" He yelled back at her.
Athrun who had stayed by the door, quickly and stealthily got away. He trusted her... but there was no way he would be totally unperturbed...
In the joint Earth Alliance fleet, the officers were having a strategy meeting. Yuna Roma was first to expound his theory. He wanted to wait for that ship to arrive and confront them as it came out of the strait. Roanoke nodded. Seiran understood that the Minerva among ZAFT was a cause of concern, but everything hinged on the plan. If you thought about it another way that ship being the core of their defense meant that if it was destroyed the whole line would collapse. Neo praised him for his encouraging words and left the vanguard to Orb. Whichever way they lured ZAFT, the Atlantic Federation would be there waiting for them. The Orb supreme commander confirmed. It would be very pretty. On the other hand, Todaka and Amagi were having rather lukewarm attitudes. The captain closed his eyes and hung his head while his lieutenant sighed. What prettiness was there in such a battle? And their superior was acting just like a dog eager to please its master...
"We're counting on you."
"Yes, leave it to us. I will show you just how great our forces are."
Miriallia arrived at the strait in a hurry, having found a perfect place to oversee the beautiful scenery that was soon going to turn into a battlefield.
"Distance 3000 to the Dardanalles Strait." Burt Heim spoke.
"Announce Condition Red! Lower the bridge! Prepare for anti-battleships and anti-mobile suits combat!" Captain Gladys commanded.
As Athrun finished donning his pilot suit, he heard a loud noise. Shinn had hit the door of his locker too strongly, causing it to bounce back. He hit it again a bit more gently this time and properly closed it. The obviously irate child marched away and joined up with Seren who had been waiting for them. Chacha was hidden in her pilot suit. Athrun caught up and asked what was wrong with him.
"Nothing at all. Even if it's Orb, now it's part of the Earth Alliance, right?" Asuka reasoned, clearly bothered even though he maintained the opposite.
"If it's nothing, why are you looking and sounding twice as ill-tempered as usual?" Canaver inquired. She would not normally take the trouble to fuss over it every single time he made that expression, far from it... but things were different right now...
"I don't want to hear that from you." The Impulse's operator shot back. The three went into the elevator.
"If only Cagalli..." Zala started, causing Shinn to glare at him. "If only she had been there, I doubt something like this would have happened."
"What are you saying?! That bitch..."
"There's still a lot that she can't do but at least Cagalli's feelings are sincere and honest."
"But that's not enough, is it?" Seren pointed out. "Even if her feelings are just and she would indeed lead the country to the right path, it's meaningless if she cannot enforce them. She buckled under the weight, and the ministers, instead of helping her, crushed her. The way she is right now, I can't imagine things would have been much different even with her presence. Neither will alone, nor power alone are enough..." She glared at the ground. The boys remarked that she too was twice as irritable, no, much more than that. She was always the quickest and fiercest to defend Cagalli... usually. So they had been quite surprised by her critical outburst. "I dislike when people who don't know anything about her badmouth her... like you, Shinn. But it's fine if it's me. And of course I'm angry! This is Orb we're talking about!"
"Right... because you love Orb, you're angry about its current state. You can't stand watching them take that path... And Shinn, since you're reacting the same way, that means that you too actually really liked Orb, don't you think? That's why you resent the Orb that couldn't save your family at Onogoro." Athrun mused.
"You're wrong! There's no way!" Asuka denied vehemently.
"Still trying to deceive yourself? If you truly didn't care, you'd react a lot more coolly, like Luna or Rey." The pilot of the Fortuna countered. The door opened and they headed out to board their respective units.
As the Earth Alliance fleet approached the Dardanelles Strait, Yuna Roma Seira declared the start of the Operation Dardanus Dawn. Todaka and Amagi looked back at him quizically.
"What? Don't you know? The son of Zeus and Electra, it's where the name of this strait came from. Greek mythology. A cool name for an operation, don't you think?" The Supreme Commander smugly pointed at the ship captain and winked. Todaka neglected to reply, closed his eyes, and focused his attention back in front of him.
"Mobile suits squads, begin launch! He gave his order that Amagi conveyed.
"Squad One, Two and Four, take off! Activate Igelstellungs! All weapons free!" The lieutenant continued.
As they watched the launching of the MVF-11C Murasames from the John Paul Jones, the Earth Forces Commander noted how energetic Orb seemed to be despite the distance they had to cover to get here. Neo answered it was because they still had something they desperately wanted to protect. Such people were strong. They should pray that they would come out as victors from this battle. It would be great if they could finally sink that ship. The Chaos, Gaia, and Abyss were also getting ready to sortie.
"Thermal identification confirmed! One o' clock! Twenty enemies!" Burt Heim, in charge of enemy detection, reported. "They're mobile suits! Type verified: Murasames and Astrays from Orb!"
"Savior, Fortuna, Impulse, take off. Ascend from water surface 10 to port." Gladys ordered.
The Core Splendor launched from the central catapult and the Savior and Fortuna from the linear catapults on either side. The Silhouettes combined into the Impulse gundam. The trio avoided the missiles aimed at them. Shinn instantly went after the mobile suits, shooting and cutting them down. "Shinn, since you're reacting the same way, that means that you actually really liked Orb, don't you think?" Shinn recalled Athrun's words, as well as that time two years ago when he had been running with his family on Onogoro Island, protected by the Astrays. The Independence too had tried to keep the enemy units and fire away from the island. But Orb couldn't protect his family, and now, those Astrays were trying to destroy him, and the Orb vessels were firing at the Minerva. They were all shooting at Seren too. Even though she had tried so much to protect Orb back then, even though she still loved that country so much...
"Daaaaammnn!" He bellowed.
"30 to port, establish the Tannhauser's firing axis." Talia commanded, surprising her deputy. "If they've come to block the strait, we'll mow them down. That carrier must be behind them somewhere."
Miriallia was lying on her stomach, taking pictures of the battle when she decided to change location.
"What are you doing?! There are only three enemy mobile suits! Corner them!" Yuna started yelling, obviously losing his composure. He seemed to have forgotten how dangerous ZAFT could be as an enemy. "Send out all of our mobile suits!" He barked. Todaka tried to protest. "We'll surround each one! That way, even they will eventually fall. That's an order!" And soldiers could not defy orders no matter how much they hated it.
The wise ones never threw all of their forces into a battle, they always kept a reserve in case of emergency. Or if they appeared to have thrown everything, one should expect them to have some trump card up their sleeves... but Yuna Roma Seiran evidently did not count among the wise. The Atlantic Federation was obviously just using them as cannon fodder. They might be allies now but there was no telling how a battle, how war might evolve. Hence the necessity to have hidden reserves. However, they had already learned how useless it was to argue against that man. And so, the rest of the MS corps sortied.
Athrun cursed as he shot the ones aiming at him, trying to avoid hitting the cockpits. Shinn roared as he bisected an Astray that exploded. Seren beheaded one Orb unit, cut the arms of another, held more enemies at bay by firing her binders' "Orcus" machine guns and "Eos" beam cannons. Since the Fortuna was not equipped with the Multi-lock Weapons System, holding back was much harder when using all her ranged weaponry, leading her decision to currently focus on melee fighting. She mostly employed her beam rifle as well to shoot down the weapons, heads and limbs while keeping the "Caelestis" plasma beam cannon and "Invictus" rail cannons as deterrent to contain the movements of the Astrays and Murasames or simultaneously detonate waves of warheads aimed at the ZAFT vessel. The LHM-BB01 Minerva fired its M10 "Isolde" 42cm triple cannons, its "Parsifal" ground missiles and "Dispar" interceptor missiles. The ZAKUs were still inside the ship. Their poor flight capabilities made them unsuited for aerial battles. The Guardian Of Unity Forerunner could equip a flight pack, improving its mobility to that of a DINN, but its performance in the atmosphere still fell short to that of the Fortuna, Savior, and Impulse. Nonetheless, Heine, Rey and Lunamaria were of course ready to sortie any time.
"Tannhauser, firing axis ready!"
"Okay, activate! Target: the enemy escort fleet!" Gladys-kanchou instrusted.
"Activating Tannhauser. Target: enemy escort fleet. Contacting primary weapon bank. Rating output. Releasing safety lock." Chen Jian Yi, in charge of fire control, reported as the positron cannon deployed and started charging.
"Enemy vessel ready to fire positron cannon!" An Orb soldier notified.
"Evade! Starboard 20!" Todaka yelled.
"Fire!" Trine shouted. However, right as it was about to fire, a beam pierced the cannon, causing a large explosion, all the bigger due to the accumulated energy. The ship shook as a thick pillar of black smoke rose. All the ZAFT pilots gasped. The ones in the hangar did not know yet what exactly happened but those outside looked for the origin of the beam. A gundam descended from the azure skies. It was the Freedom... Kira!
And so we went forward, along with our unseen enemy. At some point during the arduous journey, we all became one. But then some smiles turn sorrowful and pierce the heart. Unseen tears are flowing. Only anxiety strokes the cheek. We moved forward, praying that there would be a path for us tomorrow, and that none would be lost today.
Author's note: The Minerva finally departed from Diocuia. Likewise, Orb fully departed from its cherished principle of neutrality and non-interventionism.
More drama! Heine's presence and actions also cause a shift in Athrun's and Seren's relation. If bitterness gets an addictive quality, that's likely because I adjusted the flavor in chapter 19 with some... savoriness? umami taste? for something more juicy and yummy. Here I added some sour (and sweet) citrus.
...No, I swear this isn't some cooking anime fanfic or a recipe book.
Next chapter: "Phase-21: Battle of the Dardanelles"