Phase-26: Sea of Sorrow
"'Tristan', 'Isolde'! Fire!" Arthur Trine yelled. The beams and shells dispersed the approaching units and fell into the sea between the ships. The 40mm CIWS guns blazed relentlessly, forming a barrage that disintegrated the oncoming Murasames. The Fortuna fired its rifle, targeting the wings and rear of the mobile armors.
"The Orb fleet is still closing in at 9 o'clock!" Burt Heim reported, right as said fleet launched a volley.
"Arthur, anti-ship missiles! Have Seren, Rey and Lunamaria hold them off." Captain Gladys instructed. She looked at the monitor. As their ship was leaving the Aegean Sea, dotted with multiple small islands, and entering the Sea of Crete, the enemy had divided their forces that were arriving from either side of Crete and taking them in a pincer attack. The enemy's plan was definitely to corner them against the island. This wasn't good. If they could not go back and all their courses were closed off, they had no choice but to break through.
Seren was mainly using her powerful 'Caelestis' plasma beam cannons and 'Invictus' rail cannons to scare the enemies away and break their formations while using her less destructive weapons like her rifle, 'Eos' beam cannons, and CIWS guns to incapacitate them. However, her fellow ZAFT pilots had no such consideration. Luna and Rey fired their weapons, defending the Minerva by any means. And Shinn destroyed a Murasame with his Blast Silhouette's 'Kerberos' high-energy long-range beam cannons.
"So you're green today!" Auel commented as the Abyss sprang up from the sea and turned back into a mobile suit and shot his 3-barrel beam cannons, having obviously decided on the Impulse as his prey for today. Already alerted, Shinn had turned to face him and was gliding backwards over the surface while maneuvering to avoid being hit. He retaliated using the 'Kerberos' cannon but the amphibious model quickly escaped underwater again. "Can't defeat me with that!" Neider taunted. Asuka tried to get him with the 'Deluge' high-velocity rail cannons, but the Abyss's underwater mobility was simply too great for him.
"That guy..." Shinn muttered. That pilot's ability to control his unit was off the charts for a Natural. "As I thought, he's also..." Stella, who used to operate the Gaia, was an Extended. Then surely the pilots of the Chaos and Abyss were the two 'brothers' from that time at Diocuia, to whom they had returned her... and surely, those two were also Extendeds...
"I'm sick and tired of your face already!" The X31S jumped out again and fired its chest-mounted 'Calidus' multi-phase beam cannon at the Impulse that suddenly and sharply reduced its speed, dodging the beams before blocking the Abyss' beam lance with its beam javelin.
Orb units in MA and MS mode attacked the Savior. Athrun shot one's beam rifle with his own, took down another, and sliced a third. He looked over at the Fortuna that was in a similar situation. Seren sliced the wings and arms of those she could, while keeping others at bay by pivoting her binders and firing the beam cannons and machine guns mounted on those binders. She was clearly doing her best to spare their lives but deaths were of course inevitable. As they kept ending the lives of Orb soldiers, Kira's words came back to mind... "But... Seren, Athrun... I do understand what you're saying, but even so, we still don't want you fighting against Orb. Actually, not just Orb... because what is lost in battle will never return..." Zala gritted his teeth and swore. Right, those lives he- no, they were taking won't ever return. But it couldn't he helped! He couldn't let them kill him! It was all because Kira and Cagalli had not returned to Orb and made the country leave the Treaty like they had told them to! The Savior transformed into a mobile armor and evaded a Murasame's fire. However, his movements clearly lacked sharpness and luster.
"Hey, hey, hey! You asleep or something?!" Sting mocked him, shooting the red ZAFT machine with his beam rifle. The X23S Savior swerved to dodge him and flew away. He really didn't want to fight this battle.
"You'd rather not fight, would you? Against Orb. Then who wouldn't you mind fighting?" That was what Heine had asked him. But he really didn't want to fight... against anyone... yet here he was again...
"Stop running away!" Oakley snarled, firing his beam rifle and the 'Picus' 76mm machine guns mounted on his cruising mobile shield. An Orb unit came as reinforcement.
"Stop worrying about it. We're in war, and we're soldiers. Otherwise, you'll die." That was what Heine had said. Those who showed hesitation on the battlefield and stopped moving became sitting ducks. His priority should be to protect himself and his comrades. Wearing his nerves down would impair his abilities.
"I don't want to fight. Don't make me fight." He was feeling the same as Kira!"Cagalli, Rayner, Murrue-san, me, everyone... We're also doing what we can to end this conflict." Then why didn't they return to Orb and made the country step back?! Then at least he wouldn't have had to fight the Orb soldiers!
"Damn!" Athrun swore, turning his gundam back into a mobile suit and rushing towards his attackers, shield in front. The Minerva's defense system sank a few more Murasames as well as some Windams. Having reduced the number of mobile suits, Seren went to silence the ships. The Fortuna, in mobile armor mode, headed towards the fleet, mostly composed of Kuraokami-class destroyers, and fired her 'Invictus' rail cannons.
"The cannons and missile launchers on the Sokowatatsumi and Amatsumara have been destroyed. Kuramitsuha is moving to the front."
"The target has changed its bearing to 240." Updates were flying thick and fast on the bridge of the Takemikazuchi, the flagship of the Orb fleet.
"Come on! Send the second battle array closer to the front! We have to keep the pressure on them!" Yuna Seiran barked, his voice dripping with frustration and exasperation.
"The Minerva still has full use of her weapons. We can't move our forces forward carelessly." Todaka cautioned him especially since another of their ships had been silenced by the ZAFT mobile suit.
"What are the Murasame teams doing?! Why haven't they taken it down yet?!"
"Real battles are different from the games you're so good at! It's not that simple!" The Orb ship captain and veteran soldier sharply scolded the army commander who gritted his teeth like an overconfident child rebuked by his father.
"Ignore the mobile suits! Leave them to the Earth Forces! We're going after the Minerva!" First Lieutenant Baba of Orb forces and leader of a Murasame squad ordered. "The fight is over if we can just sink it!" He and his men descended on the ZAFT warship.
"Twelve Murasames approaching from our starboard, rear!" Meyrin reported.
"Don't let them lock onto us! Shoot them down!" Gladys yelled. The CIWS guns pivoted, discharging non-stop. Baba roared. Rey and Lunamaria directed their fire at them. The Orb machines launched their powerful 'Drache' air-to-surface missiles. While about half fell into the sea around them, the other half caused significant damage to the ship, and to the white ZAKU that lost an arm. Rey clenched his teeth and typed on his keyboard, trying to contain the damage. Luna looked at the hole a missile had made right next to her and glared at the enemies.
"I won't let you do more than that!" She fired her 'Orthros' cannon. Seren, hearing of her comrades' plight, swore and returned to her mothership, only to be soon swarmed by Windams.
"Move it!" Canaver yelled, somehow holding back less against them than she did against Orb units. Back into MS mode, she sliced away with her four beam sabers. Her CIWS guns and binder-mounted weapons were all blazing. Athrun also came to help, the beams from his rifle finishing one Murasame and hitting the head of another. However, he was immediately engaged by the Chaos again, forcing him to escape in mobile armor mode.
"Like I said, don't run away!" Sting raged, chasing after his prey. Athrun grunted, turned his machine back into a mobile suit and shot his 'Amfortas' plasma beam cannons. "I'll finish you!" Oakley evaded and retaliated but the Savior hid in the clouds, and reappeared somewhere else in mobile armor. Gladys asked about the Impulse, Fortuna and Savior. Meyrin told her the Impulse and Savior were in battle with the Chaos and Abyss, but the Fortuna was coming over. The Murasame squad led by Baba plunged towards the Minerva for their next assault. Shinn and Athrun gasped, but they were not in any position to help as their opponents were sticking close to them. Seren though had broken free after dispatching most of her enemies and quickly went to reinforce them. She fired her plasma beam cannons and rail cannons in hope to break their charge. Two Murasames were destroyed but the others did not stop.
"Captain!" Trine yelled.
"Hard to port! Engines at maximum thrust!" Talia commanded. The vessel's CIWS were still blazing ceaselessly. Rey targeted the approaching enemies with his beam assault rifle. Three Orb machines were destroyed and Seren got two others but Baba managed to break through. He transformed his unit into a mobile suit, stopping right in front of the bridge. Seren tried to shoot him down but one of his subalterns protected him, dying in his stead. However, right as he aimed and was about to shoot, his rifle exploded in his hand, having been hit by the beam from the Freedom's rifle. Baba quickly got away. Much to the ZAFT soldiers' shock, the Freedom further defended the Minerva by slicing the wings of two other Murasames. Soon, the Strike Rouge and Blast Wave joined him, Athha's unit in the middle. The Archangel appeared as well at their back.
"Orb forces! Cease fighting and withdraw your troops at once!" Cagalli ordered as the Archangel fired its 'Gottfried' cannon into the sea, blocking the advance of the Orb ships. Roanoke clicked his tongue. "Orb mustn't participate in a battle like this!"
"Kira!" Athrun shouted. Seren glared in their direction and swore, hitting the side of her cockpit in exasperation. Apparently she hadn't hammered the nail hard enough. Or was it Kira's fault? She thought she had managed to shock Cagalli into paralysis, but Kira must have shaken her out of it. She was grateful he had saved the Minerva but this was an entirely separate matter. If he had this power, why didn't he use it when they were still in Orb being crushed by the ministers?! That was when they needed it the most! But now that power was just a nuisance, something that only served to increase the number of victims... like Heine... and yet he refused to even see that?!
"They're doing it again!" Shinn angrily commented, voicing the feelings of his fellow ZAFT pilots.
"You won't protect anything like this! Don't be a slave to the Earth Forces! Remember the ideals of Orb! What purpose serves our military if not to protect those ideals?!"
"Why do you... spit out such idealistic nonsense... time after time!" Shinn roared. She was always spouting those pretty but empty words. Because of those words, his family was killed at Onogoro, and Heine died at the Dardanelles. So, to shut her up, he sent a volley of missiles at the Strike Rouge, making Gladys, Ramius, and Todaka gasp. Cagalli was too shocked to react but Rayner moved to shield her. Kira stood protectively in front of them both and detonated the shells with his head-mounted CIWS guns before bursting through the resulting cloud of smoke, beam saber in hand, charging the Impulse. Rayner stayed by Cagalli's side to protect her.
"Kira!" Athrun headed towards them as well. Seren surveyed the Strike Rouge and Blast Wave, but it did not seem like they were going to move. She decided to leave Kira and the others to Athrun and Shinn. Entrusting the protection of the Minerva to Rey and Luna alone would be too heavy a burden considering their lack of mobility compared to the numbers and maneuverability of the Windams and Murasames. Her job was to sweep out the mass-produced enemy mobile suits, throwing an occasional shot to the ships getting too close while blocking their waves of missiles, and keeping an eye on the stronger pieces on all sides, meaning Rayner and Cagalli, Shinn, Kira, Athrun, the Chaos and the Abyss. Asuka fired at the Freedom that evaded with the least movement and closed in on him.
"You too... stop messing with me!" The operator of the Impulse bellowed, his emotions, his SEED exploding. He ducked under the Freedom's slash by leaning backwards, to Kira's great surprise. The two flew in parallel above the Sea of Crete, the Freedom above the Impulse. Shinn howled again and swung, prompting Kira to back away. The Blast Impulse recovered his stance.
"Stop it, Kira!"
"Athrun!" The Freedom and Savior locked beam swords against shields.
"I told you to stop doing this and to go back to Orb!" Athrun took over the Freedom. However, Shinn was not out of trouble yet. His mobile suit detected the oncoming Chaos and Abyss.
"I don't get what's going on but you're always showing up and muddling things!" Auel was in fact of the same opinion as the ZAFT soldiers.
"What are you daydreaming about, Yuna Roma? Have you forgotten what we talked about?" Neo's harsh voice sounded in the bridge of the Takemikazuchi, making Seiran jump like a bad student caught sleeping during class by his teacher and being scolded. "We'll destroy both vessels!"
"Captain Todaka..." Amagi expressed his protest. The Minerva was bad enough but now the Archangel and Cagalli-sama, Rayner-sama as well...
"...We don't have the authority to refuse." The ship captain reminded him, closing his eyes, frustration and reluctance strong in his voice.
"I-I know that! The Minerva! Hurry up and destroy the Minerva!" Yuna stammered. "A-all we're required to do is sink that thing!"
"Pull back, Kira! All your power does is create confusion on the battlefield!" Athrun was slashing at Kira who merely flew backwards. Neither of them was really fighting. The Savior was simply taking the Freedom away from the Impulse. Sting laughed and tried to take advantage of the situation, having those two in close combat, preoccupied with each other, to fire at them. He missed though, and only managed to separate them... and leave himself vulnerable. Just as Kira and Athrun had been focused on each other, he had been focused on them. But unlike them, he failed to react in time as the Fortuna shot his weapons pods that exploded, damaging the suit's head and propulsion system. The wrecked Chaos fell into the sea.
"Even if they don't have any hostile intention towards us now, we suffered extensive damage because of that ship's intervention last time. We will consider that ship to be an enemy!" Gladys decided. The crew members voiced their acknowledgment. Kira was once more headed towards the Impulse but Athrun fired at him and blocked his way. Shinn was momentarily distracted by them, until the Abyss broke the surface and fired his 3-barrel cannons. Shinn turned around so only the Blast Silhouette was hit. The ZAFT pilot discarded the add-on that detonated. The explosion propelled the Impulse and damaged its back but not that much. Asuka threw his beam javelin that pierced through the abdomen of the Abyss, to Auel's shock. The X31S fell into the ocean where it soon exploded, causing a geyser of water.
"Auel!" Roanoke cried when the signal of the Abyss was lost. A rescue helicopter was sent to the Chaos and another to the last known coordinates of the Abyss. Kira and Athrun looked at the half-immersed Impulse amid the floating smoking debris.
"Minerva! Send out the Force Silhouette!" Shinn also glared in their direction and contacted his affiliated ship. Meyrin obeyed. Soon, the Force Silhouette zoomed out and fastened itself onto the back of the Impulse. Then she activated the Deuterion Beam. The laser hit the symbol on the unit's forehead and filled the suit with energy. The recharge of the hyper-deuterion engine was completed with seconds, and a moment later, the X56S was shooting the Windams with its rifle. Sting had been retrieved, injured but still alive.
The order was given to all members of the Orb Forces to attack the Minerva. The Orb fleet carried out their leader's command and concentrated their fire on the Minerva. Likewise, after a moment of hesitation, Baba instructed all platoons to follow him. Once more, the Murasames swooped down towards the ZAFT vessel. Seren cursed. She could afford to pluck only their wings when they were still at sea but when they got too close to the ship she had no choice but to completely blow them. She just could not risk a suicide attack being successful. She aimed at what seemed to be the commander unit.
"Stop it!" Cagalli shouted as she went to stand protectively in front of the Minerva.
"Cagalli-sama?!" The startled Orb officer turned his unit back into a mobile suit, halting the charge so he wouldn't ram into the Strike Rouge. The other machines remained in their MA mode though and stayed nearby, waiting for the results.
"Seren!" The Blast Wave suddenly appeared in front of the Fortuna.
"Rayner..." Seren glared, storing her rifle back in place, taking her beam sabers out instead.
"What reason does Orb have to sink that ship?! You mustn't attack it! Orb mustn't attack anyone who isn't an enemy of the nation!" Athha declared, her words causing the Orb pilots to doubt her identity again despite their flagship having decreed that she was an impostor. Maybe she was the real one after all?! Baba gritted his teeth and opened communication with her.
"Get out of the way! This is an order that comes directly from our nation's current leader, Yuna Roma Seiran! In that case, that is the will of our nation. It is our duty as Orb soldiers to obey it!" The mobile suits commander proclaimed. Cagalli was left speechless for a time as she recalled her sister's words "The army listens to orders from the head of state. And the actual head of state now, is Yuna Roma Seiran. And he repudiated you." Her heart trembled but she recovered and tried to protest. She was however given no time to dispute. "This is our path! No matter how difficult or repulsive it is we must stick to it, whatever it takes! Do you understand that?!" Baba raged. The pilot of the Strike Rouge gasped before attempting to argue again.
"It's exactly as he says." Seren concurred, her voice dripping with cynicism. "Rayner, you and Cagalli failed the moment you surrendered your authority to the Seirans and allowed this battle to happen. It's already out of your hands so why don't you sit back and watch as you did when the World Organization Treaty was signed? You're the ones who can't protect anyone as you are now. You have no credibility or authority. To the world you're nothing but outlaws trying to play heroes."
"So that's how you justify fighting Orb?!"
"This battle is between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance. And it is the Earth Alliance that attacked us."
"This is Orb! Are you saying it's wrong for us to want to protect our people?!"
"Those who left Orb have no right to speak about protecting it!" Seren sharply lashed out at her cousin, making him falter. "You should have stayed and protected it! You should have stopped it from entering the Treaty! You should have returned to Orb to make it withdraw properly as Chief Representative and her aide! It's too late now!" But despite all her anger, her voice was cracking. She resented them, and resented herself, her own powerlessness, just as much. She was speaking for herself as much as she was speaking to them. After all, she was also one who had left Orb and was in no position to protect it no matter how much she wanted to. And that self-reproach did not escape him. She was also torn up between her feelings and duty. "I will not let anyone sink the Minerva, not even you guys. I will protect it and my comrades as a ZAFT soldier. Just as they have their resolve, I have mine. If you want to protect the Earth Alliance and their dog, fight me. If you want to help me protect the Minerva, fight them. If you can't choose, then leave. The battlefield is no place for the indecisive." Now was she trying to convince him... or herself? "If you won't leave on your own then I will make you!" She charged at him. Rayner blocked with the Svalinn Shield. "So, what will you do?"
"We came to protect Orb... and the Minerva as well! No matter what you think, that is OUR resolve!" Ledford asserted strongly. The female FAITH agent closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she was in SEED mode.
"I see... but Rayner, if you run after two hares then you will catch none. As I said, you can't do it!" Before he could retaliate she severed his right arm, then his left, before cutting through all his weapons. Murrue and Kira cried his name. After a few last words to him, Canaver went on to slice some Windams that had gotten too close and tried to take a shot at the Minerva while she was being stalled.
"Please move aside! We have been prepared for this the moment we left our nation, that this could be where we die." There was no doubt he was speaking the feelings of every single Orb soldier present in this battle so far from their home. Indeed, although the combined army was dealing critical damage to the Minerva, the counter-blow was just as severe. The ZAFT mobile suits, despite being infinitely fewer in numbers, far outclassed them in machine and pilot performance and decimated their own. The ships that had gone as a vanguard were starting to sink and their crews were attempting to flee. There was also the Archangel firing warning shots but whose sheer power split the sea and caused waves that moved their ships.
"But that's-"
"If you don't move aside, I will remove you by force!" The Orb officer charged and violently shoved her away.
The impact and momentary loss of her unit's control made her scream. Ramius and Kira worriedly cried her name as well. The Blast Wave took place behind her and acted as cushion. Rayner immediately asked his lover if she was alright. She reassured him, and then noticed the state of his machine. He smiled bitterly. Seren hadn't touched his propulsion system so he could retreat to safety, and she hadn't touched his head so he could witness this battle to the end. That was what she had told him as she had been plunging straight back into the fray.
"You will witness our tears and our resolve!" Baba's Murasame turned back into a mobile armor and the attack resumed, backed by the missiles from the ships. Luna swore and aimed in the middle of the formation, but her beam was avoided, unlike Seren's beams. Still, it was not enough.
"You guys!" Cagalli yelled, but there was nobody to hear her voice anymore. The Minerva was bombed. It was the location of the red ZAKU.
"Lunamaria!" Rey and Seren called out in fear and concern when they heard her scream as her unit was hit.
"Sister!" Meyrin exclaimed. Talia and Arthur sharply turned towards her, hoping for more information.
"Damn you!" Shinn fired his beam rifle, downing an enemy mobile suit each time he pulled the trigger. The Freedom tried to interfere again, likely to protect the Murasames, but Athrun intercepted it, warningly shouting Kira's name; Kira who clicked his tongue in annoyance. More missiles fell onto the Minerva, although Seren had detonated half of them. Rey was shooting at Baba's unit but given the damage his own mobile suit had suffered, his accuracy had dropped too much. However, a beam from Shinn's rifle grazed the Orb mobile armor that started smoking. Gladys and her Deputy-captain gasped when they realized the Murasame showed no sign of swerving and was rushing straight towards them. Having launched all its missiles, its navigation system impaired, it was speeding down its only recourse left, a suicide attack.
"Maximum thrust! Hard to port!" Talia yelled. But it was too late. The bridge crew members braced themselves for impact. Baba roared. However, before his unit crashed into the 'Isolde' 3-barrel cannon, the Fortuna blocked his path. Canaver calmly aimed and fired both her 'Caelestis' plasma beam cannons and 'Invictus' rail cannons. The Murasame exploded, ending its pilot's life.
"I will keep carrying the weight of your lives, your regrets, and aspirations, your determination and devotion for as long as I live. And I'll make sure your deaths were not in vain. That's what I decided when I chose to participate in this battle." Stern and solemn, Seren spoke quietly but resolutely. Sinking the Minerva was not their true wish. It was for their Cagalli to understand the consequences of her actions, her decisions, her weaknesses, and upon learning, that she would grow and return to their nation to assume command. However, while Seren had prevented the worst from happening, the bombing had still caused extensive damage...
"Main cannons and starboard catapult have been hit! Fire on board!"
"Hurry and extinguish the fire!" Someone shouted. Firefighters in white suits were struggling against the flames and protecting the mechanics attempting to evacuate their wounded comrades. Others had gone to the red ZAKU to retrieve Luna.
"Only 40% of the CIWS still active!"
"Lunamaria's unit is badly damaged and inoperative! It's being taken back in!" Meyrin reported as well. Talia gritted her teeth. But Cagalli had started weeping. There was nothing she could do, nothing but helplessly watch her people die in this nonsensical battle. She was still powerless... always... when she was in Orb, and still now. Seren was right. She was the one unable to protect anything. Even now, her sister was charging down her chosen path, protecting the Minerva against Orb. If she had been a stronger, wiser ruler, Seren wouldn't have gone to ZAFT and would be at her side right now. If she had been a stronger, wiser ruler, this battle wouldn't be taking place. Was it already too late? What was it that she could do now? What was it that she could protect?
"We're almost there! Finish it off!" Neo Roanoke commanded.
"Th-this is good! This is what we should be doing! As long as we can sink the Minerva...!" Yuna Seiran rejoiced, restless due to the imminence of the anticipated victory and everything that depended on it, and unaware of the sheer vexation Todaka and his men felt.
"Minerva! Send out the Sword Silhouette! I'll crush every ship out there!" Shinn barked another order. Meyrin complied instantly.
"Athrun!" Kira bellowed angrily as the Freedom repeatedly crossed beam swords with the Savior.
"It's the Earth Forces who attacked us! Are you saying that the Minerva should sink?!" Athrun shot back in the same tone, literal and figurative sparks flying between them.
"Why do you...?"
"That's why I told you to go back! Why are you here despite saying you don't want to fight?!"
It was then Todaka decided to have their flagship move forward as well. He paid no heed to Amagi's and Seiran's surprise and instructed to advance at maximum speed. His lieutenant quickly recovered though and repeated the order, having likely inferred his intention. Yuna though was quite reluctant. It was one thing to shout orders from the safety of the rear. It was another to face danger and death at the frontline. But Todaka stood firm. They were supposed to sink the Minerva, right? Then they had to go.
Indeed, it was folly to expose their flagship to the Minerva's cannons as the loss of the Takemikazuchi spelled their loss in this battle. But even so, Todaka wanted to teach Seiran the true meaning and horror of war, what it was to be a true leader of men, to lead the charge, even if it meant risking your life, for the sake of your country and convictions. Cagalli-sama understood that aspect well, which was why even now, she was on the battlefield, piloting the Strike Rouge, in order to save her compatriots. And because she was like this, because she truly cared for them and understood the meaning of 'life' and 'loss', because she was someone who would cry for them, the people loved her and wanted to protect her.
Asuka howled and evaded all the missiles aimed at him. He landed on the deck of an Orb vessel that he sliced apart with his 'Excalibur' anti-ship laser swords that had been combined at the hilts. He jumped onto another vessel, separated the swords, and slashed the bridge, quickly flying away right before the explosion.
"STOP IT!" Cagalli wailed at the top of her voice and zoomed towards the Orb fleet, obviously intending to stop the Impulse.
"No! Cagalli!" Rayner yelled. Murrue and Kira screamed her name as well, their tone dripping with concern. The Freedom disengaged and went after her, Athrun hot on his trail, intent on keeping him under control. Shinn directed his hatred-filled towards the Murasames shooting at him and hurled his 'Flash Edge' beam boomerang at them, bisecting them before cutting down another. The focus of battle had changed thanks to Shinn. Orb no longer had the leeway to attack the Minerva as the Murasames were intent on protecting their own fleet, or what remained of it. Seren went forward as well in order to stop the enemy before they got close to her mother vessel and dropped some Windams before intercepting a wave of missiles.
"I understand... I understand what you're saying..." Kira began softly but ruefully. "But... but Cagalli is crying right now!" He ended shouting. "She's crying right now because she didn't want things to turn out like this! Why can't you understand that?! And yet you are saying that this battle, that these sacrifices can't be helped?! That this is all Orb's, and Cagalli's fault?! Will you say that and destroy the very things Cagalli is trying to protect?!" Kira raged in defense of his sister as Shinn destroyed more Orb ships and mobile suits.
"Kira..." Zala spoke, overwhelmed, but not just by his friend and opponent's ardor.
"If that's the case, I'll defeat you!" Yamato activated his SEED mode and lunged. Athrun lunged too, but as he wasn't in SEED mode, the gap was simply too great. After a shockingly short exchange, the Savior's right arm was sliced off. And immediately after, the unit was totally dismembered, leaving only the torso untouched that fell into the sea, to Athrun's shock.
"So what if she's crying?!" The Fortuna in mobile armor flew over at high speed, shooting its plasma beam cannons and rail cannons at the Freedom, drawing its attention and taking the tip of one of its 'feather'.
"Seren!" Kira howled full of resentment as he turned to her and blocked the beam saber of the ZAFT unit that turned back into a mobile suit right before the clash.
"Athrun-san!" Meyrin yelled. The Captain and Vice-captain turned to her. "The Savior is..."
"Orb carrier approaching!" Burt reported. "12 o'clock, distance: 2000! Incoming missiles!"
"Evade! Intercept!" Talia snapped. "What is that carrier doing, coming up front like that?!" She growled. The wave of missiles was mostly eradicated but some still hit. However, the Orb flagship had come within firing range; so while she did not know why it had done so and that confusion threw her off, the ZAFT commanding officer took full advantage of that opportunity. The Minerva's 'Tristan' dual beam cannons fired away, inflicting heavy damage. Meyrin reported that Seren had taken over fighting the Freedom.
"Tears won't save the country! They won't save anyone! A ruler can't be weak!" The Fortuna swung her leg upward, severing the Freedom right hand at the wrist. "Things came to this because she was too weak to support the country! And I was too weak to support her! We had the will but lacked the power!" She disengaged. Kira aimed his 'Xiphias' rail cannons at her but she shielded herself with her aerodynamic binders and rammed into brother's machine. She took a 'Libra' anti-ship sword that was stored in the back and sliced the Freedom's shield. Kira let go of it and backed away, shooting her with his CIWS guns, damaging her unit's head. One of his rail cannon took a good bite out of her left shin. Seren retaliated with her binder-mounted 'Eos' beam cannons and 'Orcus' machine guns, damaging his head and breaking some of his machine's feathers. Yamato took his second beam saber and the siblings clashed again.
"So you're calling weakness a sin now?! Are you flaunting power now?! You, who hated this power as much as I do and advocated for peace with all you had?!" He cut off the upper part of her right binder. Because they knew each other's fighting style so well, they knew where the other would aim, and the amount of movement needed to avoid it. But because their rage was so fierce, they were also a lot more aggressive, hence these wounds on both sides.
"If a ruler is weak, his country and ideals will be trampled on! Just as Orb's trampling its own ideals now! Because we were weak, we had no choice but to fall back on this hateful power, both you and me! Because you all left Orb, it's been completely taken over by the Atlantic Federation! And now Orb is trying to destroy us, destroy the PLANTs and eradicate all Coordinators! THAT is the current Orb that you're trying so hard to protect! And because you're protecting Orb, and by extension, the Earth Alliance, because you're indiscriminately taking everyone down, bringing chaos and confusion to the battlefield, you'll be considered as enemies not only by ZAFT, but also by all the population who were oppressed by the Earth Forces!"
"Mistakes might have been made along the way, but it's not too late for Orb or for Cagalli! We're trying to save everything and everyone that can still be saved here! Why are you stopping us?!"
"This late in the game?! Stop messing around! It IS too late! It is far too late for those Orb soldiers who died here and at the Dardanelles! I told you battles are only consequences! This battle was because of Cagalli's powerlessness and your inertia! You were there, Kira, so why didn't you support her and stopped the signing of the Treaty?! Why aren't you right now taking control of the council and making Orb withdraw?! Then there would be no need for Orb and ZAFT to fight each other anymore! This battle wouldn't be happening if you had done so! So Kira, you, Cagalli, and Rayner, look well! Look at all those people, at your people who pointlessly died here! And hear their agonized screams! All the blood needlessly shed here will be your cross to bear for as long as you live! And it will be mine as well! I won't ever forget! So you too feel this pain! Etch it into your hearts! Remember, this is growing pains! This is the pain of building a nation! And if your power is only going to bring chaos, then it is my job to stop you!" Seren blocked his swing. Knowing she was going to aim for his remaining arm Kira moved his leg to kick her but she was faster. She sliced his leg and gashed his arm and was the one to kick him down.
"Stop it! Don't do this, Takemikazuchi!" Cagalli pleaded with all she had, her tears flowing twice as much. Still, the Takemikazuchi started falling apart and tilting due to the water filling its insides. Of course, Seiran blamed Todaka quite violently, grabbing him by the collar, for his obviously bad decision to come forward, which had resulted in this disastrous consequence that was the sinking of their flagship.
"Yuna-sama, please evacuate! All hands, abandon ship!" Todaka sharply instructed. Unlike Yuna who was panicking, he appeared quite calm. The order rang through the ship and the crew evacuated... except for the bridge officers.
The Strike Rouge approached, its operator still begging the Takemikazuchi to stop its advance. Rayner was screaming after her but she was paying him no heed. And because his unit's propulsion system was beginning to malfunction, he was lagging behind. Shinn noticed Athha's approach and fired at the pink mobile suit, forcing Cagalli to dodge and back away. A Murasame shielded her, and was hit in her stead. She heard the pilot enjoining her to stay away, right before his unit exploded. Rayner rushed towards her the best he could.
"I'll carry out your orders to sink the Minerva to the very end! I will also take full responsibility for the ships and soldiers lost! After this I'm sure the whole world will hear of Orb's bravery!" The captain of the Takemikazuchi declared, breaking free. Yuna, already weakened, subdued by Todaka's resolution, by the strength of his voice and will, simply let the situation reverse. Todaka grabbed him by the collar and roughly shoved him away. Seiran's back hit the door and he collapsed against it.
The Minerva and Rey were still shooting. However, the white ZAKU's rifle and remaining arm were destroyed by a shell from the Freedom's 'Xiphias'. Seren clicked her tongue.
"Kira!" She shouted and lunged at him again, fully intending to do the same to him he had done to the Savior, but he deftly avoided her and kept his distance, knowing he was at a disadvantage given the state of his machine.
"Escort the Supreme Commander! You are all to leave this ship as well!" He shocked his subordinates. "That's an order! It's not for Yuna Roma, but to protect the nation!" Once he had clarified, they all saluted. However, Amagi insisted on staying with him. He persisted despite his superior's refusals. "I will take responsibility for everything! You're in charge from now on! If you've decided to sacrifice your life, then take those who share your beliefs and go to the Archangel!" Only after those words did Amagi stop protesting. "I'm sure that someday, they'll open a path! Please!" Todaka begged seizing his collar. "For me, and to exorcise the regrets of all those who perished today! Now go!"
Under Cagalli's tear-filled eyes, the Impulse finally reached the Takemikazuchi. It did not matter to Shinn that it was already sinking or that the flames had reached the command center. Todaka was still there, calmly staring at the head of the ZAFT mobile suit. None of the two had any idea. The Orb officer had no idea that the pilot of the gundam about to kill him was actually the boy he had once saved on Onogoro Island. Likewise, Shinn did not know that the captain of the ship he was destroying was the man who had helped him following the death of his family two years ago. In their ignorance, they faced each other. Full of fury, Asuka raised his sword, roared, and struck, ending his benefactor's life. He quickly flew away as the Orb's flagship, the Takemikazuchi went up in flames. Kira looked on sternly. The crew of the Archangel had dismayed expressions. Seren had stopped chasing the Freedom and was saluting. Neo Roanoke and his adjudants also saluted, just like every single Orb soldier who had evacuated. Cagalli burst into tears again and howled in anguish. Shinn, however, was still gritting his teeth, his face distorted by rage and hate.
A blade of light that cuts through the chaos of the battlefield... that is the will of the azure king flying on the wings of freedom. But is his power truly 'order'? What if the clash between kings and queens gives rise to further chaos? What then must the blade cut? That day, it was innocence that vanished into the sea, their lives, and our hearts. People are linked again in agony and anger. Will the seeds be crushed, or grow into strong fruits and ripen under the weight of responsibility? We wanted to believe that hope was somewhere beyond the despair.
Author's note: the first real fight between Kira and Seren. Yeah, they're both quite pissed off. Not your usual siblings fight. Well, it's gundam seed. gotta have the right amount of pain, rage, and tragedy... or it wouldn't be gundam seed.
Next chapter: Phase-27 'Entrusted Wish'