Gundam Seed: The Federation V 2

by Blackshadow999

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

6. Defining Expectations

A/n

Here is Phase 6. As I do around every five Phases, I will go through my disclaimer so I'm in the clear for my writing. I myself, do not own Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny or anything in the Gundam Universe, nor any of the related characters or the subject. Nor do I own the ideas that I borrow from other universes. All I can take credit for is my original characters and concepts that come from my musings, such as some of the vehicles, suits or other machines that are not in any series. The ideas from the Gundam Universe and other Universes belong to their respective authors, anime, or whatever they belong to. With that out of the way, I hope you readers enjoy the Phase!

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Phase 6: Defining Expectations

January 25th, 71 C.E.

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Heliopolis Interior

Murrue registered pain first as she was regaining consciousness, mostly around her shoulder where she had been shot. She remembered piloting the Strike and fighting against ZAFT if what she had managed could be called fighting. Then after the battle, she had met one of the unknown machine's pilots who had been a teenager. But beyond that was hazy for Murrue and she thought that she must have fainted or something like that. She opened her eyes slowly and found she was still in the park she had been around before things got hazy. Her shoulder throbbing heavily forced her to focus on it as the pain surged, causing her to grunt. She gritted her teeth and pushed through the pain as ZAFT could come back at any time.

Miriallia called to the rest of the gang when she heard the moan. That the woman was waking up was a good sign. It could mean Miriallia and Lacus had wrapped up her shoulder before she lost too much blood. Hopefully, this woman could tell them more as to what had been going on so they could make a plan for what to do next. The silence in the colony was starting to unsettle Miriallia and she doubted she was the only one that felt that way. They need to do something and not just sit around and wait, that much was becoming clear. What that action could be, Miriallia hoped Tyler would have some idea. He always had some idea what to do, and his calm and collected demeanor also helped at times like this. Still, Miriallia was relieved to see the woman stirring. She had seemed nice from what little she and Tolle had seen while they had approached Kira and Lacus. Miriallia gained a soft smile, "I see you have finally woken up," she said in greeting. "That's a relief."

Kira made his way over to the woman when Miriallia had called that she was waking up. He did notice that Tyler and Mr. Mackenzie were staying a small distance away for some reason. What reason they had for doing so could be answered later. With the woman awake, maybe they could get some answers to what had been going on. By the time Kira reached where Miriallia was, the woman was moving more than he'd seen while approaching. She should be taking it easy with the injury to her shoulder in truth. "You really should not move too much," Kira said. "You look to have been injured rather badly and moving could make it worse."

Murrue was hearing the words being said, even if they were a tad murky with her still trying to clear her head. Murrue put a hand to her temple to steady herself and help her mind clear quicker. While it seemed that she wasn't in immediate danger, there still was a need for her to be on guard. She didn't know any around her since she had avoided what contact with the colony's citizens that she could during the project's work. And for her to be around two or more teens that likely would panic at what was going on wouldn't be helpful for her. Murrue needed to contact her allies and see what their status was and go on from there. If she could get help, she could get the Strike to the Archangel. Should it be possible to get one or both the unknown mobile suits there too, all the better in Murrue's opinion. Teens shouldn't be using them anyway with them being civilians rather than soldiers.

Miriallia grabbed the bottle of water that Tolle had found while they had been looking for the others. The woman would likely be thirsty by this point. If she saw how friendly they were being, maybe she would be more willing to answer their questions. "Would you like some water miss," she asked. "It would be a good idea with the injury to your shoulder I would say."

It was nice of the girl who had spoken to her first to offer water. Murrue wouldn't deny that she was thirsty after having to fight for her life however long ago that was. "Thank you, that would be appreciated," Murrue replied. She tried to sit up, but pain surged through her body making it far more difficult to keep going. Kira saw the woman was having trouble sitting up, so he moved forward and assisted her in the task. Once in a sitting position, Murrue took a long drink of the water, and while she drank managed to collect herself somewhat. She was the adult here and should remain calm, so the teens didn't potentially panic and pull the situation into further chaos. If she could keep the calm, they could even help her if she couldn't get any on the radio. Honestly, Murrue knew she wasn't in a position to be picky about who helped her with the current circumstances.

After she had drank some water, Murrue glanced around slowly taking in her current surroundings. There were more teens than before, that was obvious. There were the two that had come out of the unknown mobile suit. Yet, there were five more teens, though two appeared slightly older than the rest. Those two were standing a little farther away for some reason. What concerned her was two of the teens were around the Strike, one standing on the cockpit hatch while the other was below on the ground. They shouldn't be around any of the fruits of the G-Project. It would put them in danger and get them into trouble if it hadn't already. Although, Murrue wasn't in a good position to do much even if she had kept her pistol to work with.

Tolle was amazed with what he'd seen in the cockpit of the mobile suit. Sure, it had scared him when he'd first seen it and the other two when the fighting had been happening. Yet, looking back, the ones that Tyler and Kira had come out of had done some amazing things. Logically speaking, the one that Tolle was in should be capable of similar things if it was made by Morgenröte. Granted, Tolle like most of Orb's citizens knew Morgenröte was among the top development groups in the world and space, but it was different to see things they came up with firsthand. "This is awesome," Tolle remarked. "I think Kira called it a Gundam or something like that, a cool name if you ask me."

Sai had been watching Tolle and Kuzzey, more to make sure they didn't do anything foolish or harmful to themselves. There had already been enough dangerous things faced today without more preventable things being added to them. Tolle being in the cockpit of one of the mobile suits wasn't dangerous as long as he didn't turn the suit on. However, it wasn't a wise thing for it to go on for too long. They didn't know what it could do or what it took to activate it. "Come on you two," Sai called. "You've sat in there for long enough. Come out and then you two can climb down. That mobile suit isn't a toy like you are making it out to be. It can be a dangerous machine if you were to touch something you shouldn't."

Tolle knew that Sai had a good point about the suit not being a toy. The war had proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that such machines were dangerous weapons. Thus, he climbed out of the cockpit with Kuzzey's assistance. Once Tolle was out, Kuzzey glanced at the suit wondering why it was grey now. from the glimpse he'd gotten while running, it had color before. It was kind of nagging at him, "Why do you think it turned grey," he asked. "I remember it having color before when we were trying to get away."

Tolle glanced at the machine for a moment. He knew that Kuzzey had a point with the color having been there earlier, for he'd seen it too. The only explanation he could come up with was whatever the machine used for power had run out. Tolle knew enough about machines and robotics to know that most systems wouldn't work if you didn't have power for them. And mobile suits were giant robots, so the same idea would apply to them as well. "That's probably the case with there being little to no juice in the battery or whatever this suit has to power it. A mobile suit is just a larger robot simply put, so they need power for most of their systems just like other machines, complex as they are."

Murrue was somewhat horrified to see another teen come out of the Strike's cockpit. None of the teens should be near the Strike, let alone inside its cockpit. She wanted to believe they were good kids, but they were "playing" with a military secret like it was a toy. That wasn't acceptable in the slightest and they needed to be made aware of that immediately. So, Murrue got to her feet and took a few steps toward the Strike, "Step away from that machine right now," she shouted. She took out her pistol and aimed at a spot well above the two teens on the Strike and pulled the trigger. The gunshot rang out, scaring most around even if it didn't hit anyone. "Get down from there immediately," Murrue stated in a calmer voice. "That machine is not a toy for teenagers to play with."

The gunshot had Tyler grabbing the submachine gun inside his pack. He didn't bring it out, but the pack was off his shoulder so he could whip out the gun if needed. The woman was reacting badly as Tyler was concerned she would be when awake. Tyler was ready to defend his friends, even should that mean he shoot the woman to disable her. He was hoping things could be settled quickly and peacefully in this. The last thing they needed was a fight with the woman with their circumstances as they were right now. The tense air that had come with the gunshot had Tyler ready to fight and do what it took to protect those he cared about.

Unfortunately, from Tyler's experience, OMNI personnel tended to overreact to things that should warrant the point. A good portion of the Earth Alliance people weren't fond of those that weren't on their side or ZAFT's. Many in the Earth Alliance and its OMNI felt that all of humanity should be involved in their war. Some of those he'd been required to be around didn't think highly of those who were citizens of the Orb Union and the Federation member nations. Tyler had heard the general view often enough with his service in the Federation's Military. Yet, the Federation's stance of neutrality had been the consistent response to those that would challenge the point.

Tyler wasn't the only one that shifted to "high" alert when the gunshot sounded, Rusty had done the same. His hand was in the pocket that he had stored the pistol ready to whip out the gun and use it. He may not know the others there well, but their safety helped his own, Rusty knew that without a doubt. Sticking with Tyler and those around him was the best thing for Rusty to do while he was away from ZAFT. But he also had to be careful not to reveal he wasn't anything beyond a citizen of Heliopolis, that was his best defense. However, should an OMNI officer push for something problematic Rusty was willing to do what he could to mitigate and stop them if need be.

Kira reacted to the tense air that had just come with the woman who had fired the pistol she apparently had. He moved to be between his friends and her, raising his arms, "Hold it," Kira stated firmly, "Calm down. They are my friends and helped you when you fainted. None of them mean any harm by what they were doing." Kira paused as the woman turned to face him, pointing her gun in his direction. "There is no need to be like this, is there?"

Murrue had pointed her pistol at the teen who was defending the others. His actions were admirable, she would admit. He showed courage by stepping in between her and his friends to protect them. But the kids had seen and been around OMNI's G-Project which was still technically a secret. Per regulations, Murrue couldn't let these teens out of her sight until a superior officer cleared it. She didn't want to actually hurt them, for they had helped her in her time of need, which she was grateful for. Yet, she had to be firm and keep these teens in line for the time being as much as she wished she didn't have to. "I am thankful that you helped me against ZAFT when they attacked, truly I am," Murrue stated. "However, that mobile suit is beyond a classified military secret. It isn't something I can allow civilians to be around or play with."

Tyler had glanced at Rusty and silently signaled him to stay back for a moment. Then he quietly moved forward, using his skills in not drawing notice to himself to close the distance and not be seen. He had brought out the submachine gun and had it at the ready position in case he was required to use it against the woman. Her behavior was one of the "classic" OMNI stances that Tyler had seen. She was one that held to the rules even when circumstances made rules pointless to cling to. So, as she made her "civilians" comment, Tyler snuck up right behind her before he cocked his gun to get her attention. "While I applaud the show of gratitude and dedication to those you work for," Tyler began in a calm voice, "You may want to take a moment and consider what will happen should you use that pistol of yours against any of those here." Tyler tapped the muzzle of the submachine gun lightly against the woman's back, "How about you turn around slowly and lower the gun as you do so and we go on from there, hmm?"

Murrue stiffened at the sound of a gun being cocked and loaded behind her. She had heard nothing to warn her that any had been approaching her from behind. The barrel of a gun touching her back told her that whatever type of gun was pointed at her was a bigger one than her pistol. Murrue slowly twisted around, lowering her pistol as she did, but not letting it fall to the ground. She found one of the two older teens, the tan-haired one there holding what appeared to be a submachine gun in his hands. That he had gotten so close let alone behind her without making a sound was scary honestly. Murrue kept her breathing even as she faced the teen pointing a gun at her. The teen motioned his gun downward a bit, "Drop the pistol if you would," he ordered almost casually. "Talking with someone waving a gun around at them isn't nice or helpful."

Rusty made his way over to where the others were standing so he could act if the need arose. He was impressed with how Tyler was handling this situation. It was sort of like an art form with how Tyler was directing the woman into doing what he wanted. Sure, his methods could be seen as rather nasty, but he hadn't hurt the woman yet, so he was "successfully" directing her. Rusty was left to wonder if Tyler couldn't come up with a way to get Yzak to agree to do something without resistance. Rusty's comrade was known for being extremely stubborn, but Tyler was making him reconsider how to handle stubbornness. He was now confident that Tyler would manage the situation better than any of them would. But should he need help, Rusty was ready to step in.

Murrue did as she was told and let her pistol fall to the ground. It was clear this teen was going to set the terms of how the conversation would proceed from here. The look in his eyes was that of someone who wasn't innocent or naïve. With this teen making the rules for how this would go, Murrue's options were limited. Cooperation was the best thing she could think of right now and hope it went well. The teen lowered his submachine gun but kept it in his hands. "How about we start with getting out facts then shall we," he posed. Murrue nodded slowly, not moving much more than that. The teen continued, "You're with the Earth Alliance, specifically with its OMNI Enforcers, correct?"

The rest of the gang were in varying states of shock at the complete change in the situation. Tyler popping up wasn't new, he had a knack for moving or appearing without any warning, they had all seen the point. But this was a starker example of the idea, and this instance was frightening. None of them knew that Tyler had a gun or had picked up one at some point today. Heck, he hadn't said anything to hint that he knew how to use a gun in the first place. There had been no hint of him possessing one before this that any of them had seen. Kira knew that Tyler was willing to protect his friends, he had made that perfectly clear before now. Yet, Kira didn't like Tyler pointing a gun at another to protect them. While the woman had shot a gun, she hadn't been aiming at them when she fired. Sure, she had gotten heated about Tolle and Kuzzey being around the mobile suit, but that didn't mean she should be threatened. "Tye," Kira started, but he went silent when Tyler sent a short glare at him.

Murrue could see in an instant that the older teen was serious. He could and would do her harm if she threatened the others here. It felt unnatural in Murrue's opinion for a teen to be like this, but the war had been forcing soldiers to be younger as it had kept going. In this case, Murrue somehow knew that it was best for her to be truthful and say what she could. Thus, she swallowed for a moment before giving her reply to the question of her being with the Alliance. "Yes, I'm with the Earth Alliance, more its OMNI forces."

All the gang were frozen where they were with how Tyler was acting right now. He was normally a nice and understanding individual to those who met him. His current behavior was different than what they were used to. Granted, he had just implied he was doing what he saw needed to keep them safe, but it was hard to swallow. He was rather scary now with how he was dealing with the woman. Tyler continued, "And with you and your colleagues here working on whatever you are, ZAFT came around to mess it up and steal some of it, right?"

Murrue couldn't deny what the teen was saying without lying. The project had been done in the colony to try and avoid notice of ZAFT, but that had clearly failed. Things for the project had been going smoothly until today as far as Murrue knew. The G-Weapons were about finished, the operating system was the biggest part still needing work. The new battleship, the Archangel, was as far as Murrue understood ready to launch as soon as the suits were onboard. Those that had been selected to be the pilots for the G-Weapons had been scheduled to arrive today from what Murrue had heard. They were supposed to meet with Captain Locke when they arrived and be given a tour of the Archangel.

All those carefully laid plans had gone up in smoke as far as Murrue could see by this point. It was obvious that ZAFT had somehow become aware of the G-Project to some extent. Their attack had caught those on the project by surprise and been paid for with lives. They had come and stolen around half of it if not more of it along with killing many that had worked on the project. Four out of the five prototypes had been taken, she couldn't say if many of her colleagues were still alive after the attack. The colony's citizens had been put in danger because of the oversight which would come back to bite the Alliance later Murrue wouldn't doubt. There were these two unknown suits, but they weren't a part of this directly at this time. In the end, Murrue exhaled heavily, "I can't deny that," she admitted. "We never wanted Heliopolis to get involved in this," she paused and shook her head, "definitely not have ZAFT come in and attack. Our project was to help bring the war to a swifter end so more lives can be saved, not this."

It seemed that the woman was genuinely remorseful about what had happened to the colony. OMNI did play a part in ZAFT coming in and attacking the colony, though they weren't completely responsible for what occurred. Remorse was something Tyler didn't always see with those from OMNI, was a rarer thing from his experience. But that she was willing to admit that she and her colleagues did bear some of the blame was progress. It meant in Tyler's mind that the woman could be educated with the truth given time and opportunity to change for the better. So, Tyler lowered his gun fully before he spoke again, "Well, at least you seem sorry for what happened," he remarked. "I don't agree with your premise for your "project," but that isn't the point right now. You also now have firsthand experience on how foolish it is to quickly resort to aggressive conversation."

Murrue could see that there would be no way she could get the older teen to do what she said if he didn't want to follow orders. He also hinted that he knew something of the G-Project, though not what or to what extent. There was a chance to let the other teens off and not have to keep them under watch when Murrue took a moment to think about it. They could head for shelters and pretend they had never seen the Strike. If they agreed to that, Murrue could say she never had come across them while getting to the Archangel. She would rather they do that, so they didn't get into trouble and potentially involved with OMNI with little choice. "Listen, you've all seen something that you shouldn't have" Murrue stated gesturing to the Strike. "Yet you all appear to be good kids, so if you leave now, it should be okay."

Tyler could see the path the woman was suggesting they do. It would be nice if it were reasonable, and he would be all for it if it was. But Tyler wasn't foolish enough to believe the colony wasn't at a threat level which would make reaching shelters extremely difficult. It was kind of the woman to want to get them out of responsibility for seeing a "military secret," not all would. Most that Tyler had encountered wouldn't be so kind, not in ZAFT, and especially not in the Alliance. So, Tyler grunted, "While I'm a tad surprised that you would offer us a chance to leave, it won't help us now," he commented. "The colony's threat level has been raised with the attack and damage to the colony itself. Thus, the level is likely high enough that getting to shelters will be difficult if they aren't locked down by this point."

What the older teen stated was probably the truth, at least it made sense to Murrue. However, that meant the group of teens was stuck and so it would be required to keep them watched until higher-ups could make a decision on what to do with them. And with them here, they could potentially help her try and contact any of her allies that may be alive. "I see," Murrue replied. "Well, I was hoping that could be an option for you all, but I guess that was wishful thinking. I suppose that means we'll just have to stick together for now." She glanced between the two suits Kira and Tyler had piloted while the rest stared at her. Murrue did some quick thinking and came to the conclusion that the best option would be to get in contact with the Archangel. "If we could use one of the mobile suits to try and contact help, perhaps we could change our positions."

The issue with what Murrue had just suggested was the state of the mobile suits. The Strike's battery was running low, essentially empty at this time with the battle it had been in. She couldn't say what the status of the other two were. If they were anything like the Strike, then using them to communicate wouldn't go very well. The interference ZAFT had established made trying to contact others inside the colony difficult and any without nigh impossible. Should there be a way to charge any of the machines, which could be possibly changed. However, the two places that Murrue could think of for such a thing were Morgenröte and the Archangel. In the condition Morgenröte was in, charging there was not going to happen. Reaching the Archangel would be hard as well with the suits lower on power.

The one option that Murrue could think of that may be viable was a long shot. One of the three equipment sets the Strike had to work with had an external battery to use. However, with ZAFT's attack on the convoy along with the G-Weapons, the chances of the trailer with that set being intact was anyone's guess. Corts had been working on getting the equipment trailers on the road before heading back to the factory when the attack had started. With no word from him, all the trailers with supplies and equipment could've been destroyed for all Murrue knew. She couldn't even say where the trailers or any of the other supplies that had been heading for the Archangel could have been when ZAFT came. But all she could do was work with what they had and go on from there. "With things as they are, we'll have to work with the mobile suits the best we can for the time being." Murrue paused for a moment thinking, "From what I can figure, charging any of the batteries the suits have is not possible right now. However, the suit I have does have optional equipment that has an external battery. That equipment was in a trailer heading toward a different area of Morgenröte the last I knew."

Tyler knew charging the mobile suits would be an issue which couldn't be ignored for long with current circumstances. But charging their batteries wasn't the only problem their group faced right now. Reaching out to others would be difficult in various ways which differed with each mobile suit. The Shadow had no working long-range communication with its radio in its present condition. The short-range one was stuck, and the channel was one that OMNI would unlikely be using. It sounded like the OMNI machine was so low on power it would need more before any effective communication would be possible with it. Tyler couldn't say with the machine Kira had been using but he assumed it would have its own issues to go against. That was all before taking into account if any OMNI personnel were still alive with what ZAFT had done. What Tyler had seen when going through Morgenröte's docking area hadn't been encouraging on many being alive to potentially help.

Tyler glanced at the gang and found they were all looking at him. He took that as they would follow his lead as they tended to during hard times. Tyler was grateful and humble that his friends had such trust in him at times like this. It was also why he didn't take that trust for granted and protected his friends to the best of his abilities. So, Tyler thought for a moment on how to best get things done efficiently and improve their collective position. Contacting others was a good idea, even if it was people that had helped cause the current situation. Their group was limited in what they could do by themselves under circumstances as they were. However, there were a few things which they could do to make things better that Tyler could think of. "Well, contacting others may be difficult without that equipment you mention Miss," Tyler began. "But perhaps we can start with introductions and move on from there."

Murrue realized that the older teen had a point that introductions had never happened or come up yet. It would be easier for them to work together if they knew one another's names. "My name is Murrue Ramius," Murrue stated, "I'm a lieutenant in OMNI. I'm sorry that I haven't introduced myself before this, that was rude of me."

Tyler twisted to the gang and silently gestured for them to introduce themselves. Kuzzey was the first to speak up after Tyler had gestured towards them, "I'm Kuzzey Buskirk."

Sai was the next for introductions, "Sai Argyle."

Tolle, who was standing next to Miriallia spoke next, "Tolle Koenig,"

"Miriallia Haw," she replied.

Kira kept himself in front of Lacus slightly as he took his turn, "I'm Kira Yamato."

Lacus knew she couldn't give her real name in this. Were she to use her real name, there would be serious complications not just for her, but for her friends here too. The name "Clyne" was well-known enough that most could connect it with the PLANTs without too much trouble. And it wasn't that Lacus was embarrassed about her family, she just didn't want to trouble others or be treated differently by friends. Then, with Miss Ramius being with OMNI, the name Clyne would be a red flag and do potential harm for Lacus. Due to those general facts, Lacus had an alias to use when she was away from the PLANTs which she used. "My name is Lacus Christopher."

Murrue's gaze shifted to the two older teens as they were the only ones left who hadn't introduced themselves. Rusty took that to mean it was his turn to give his name since all, but Tyler had done so. Tyler would likely give his name last as it would be the one which would be remembered out of the group the most. Normally, the last name was the most memorable, but Rusty felt the impression Tyler had left would be more the reason his name would stick. So, Rusty inclined his head slightly, "Rusty Mackenzie."

Tyler had the others give their names first so they could get it over with. He would rather his name be in the mind of OMNI personnel more than his friends. Tyler could deal with scrutiny when it was directed at him, even the unfriendly kind when it came to it. Thus, he was working to set up things to have suspicion directed at him rather than the rest of the gang and Rusty. "And I would be Tyler McGregor." It wasn't his real name, but an alias he used the vast majority of the time. Tyler's true last name was kind of well-known which didn't help him in what he tended to get into. It was mostly because his father had been a fairly famous professor and scientist even after his death in the Bloody Valentine. Then his mother was in politics within the Federation, specifically in the political leadership of the Republic of East Asia. None of his friends here knew his real name yet because of his family situation. Kira was aware of his position, and he understood that Tyler had his reasons for doing what he did.

With introductions out of the way now, the group could move onto the things they could do to help their situation. So, Tyler wasted no more time, "With that out of the way," he started before turning to his friends, "Tolle, take Kuzzey and Miriallia and go search the nearby area for basic supplies we can use. Do see if you could snap some first-aid stuff among other basic supplies while you are foraging. There was a vehicle on the south side of the park from what I saw, you can use that to get around and carry stuff back."

Tolle was starting to relax a bit with Tyler clearly taking charge of things. Tyler was the kind of person that put off confidence and seemed to be a natural leader when he saw the need to be. His instructions were clear enough and should be easy to follow for him and the other two. So, Tolle nodded before he grabbed Miriallia's shoulder and waved at Kuzzey to follow him so they to get to work. They were close enough to the commercial district they could go there for basic supplies for the gang. There would unlikely be any around to deny them and who would in the current situation? Thus, gathering things should be simple enough for the three of them and shouldn't take long.

After Tolle, Kuzzey, and Miriallia headed off, Tyler faced Kira. The machine that Kira had used may still be able to contact others, though Tyler wasn't all that optimistic about the possibility. But his friend could make an attempt while Tyler and Rusty went off looking for the trailer Miss Ramius had mentioned. "Kira, you, Lacus, and Sai stick around here and see if you can use the machine you were in to reach someone that could help us. Don't worry if you can't, it wouldn't be surprising to me if you are unable but try nonetheless." Tyler glanced at Murrue, "Do you have any further information about the trailer you mentioned that could help me and Mr. Mackenzie find it and make sure it is the right one?"

Murrue had been a tad surprised at how efficient McGregor was showing himself to be with delegation. He was handing out tasks much as a good officer would by what Murrue had seen. As for his question, there was some info about the trailer with the "Launcher" equipment set. It had a serial number, and she knew where it had been which was a start. She was somewhat curious why McGregor was taking the most difficult task himself, but that could be just how he was. So, she nodded in response, "Yes, it will have a serial number, and I know where it was before the attack happened," Murrue replied. "The serial number is AMQ-EX03. It was on highway twenty going toward Morgenröte's Entry 3. I can't say much beyond that sorry to say."

It may not be a great deal of information to work with, but it was still something. And right now, Tyler wasn't going to complain about the lack of data with things as they were. Plus, while looking for the said trailer, Tyler could get a better view of the colony's condition. So, Tyler grabbed Rusty, and they headed to the car they had used to go to the pharmacy earlier. The two headed away from the park and turned onto one of the back roads that would connect to the highways further on. Tyler was a tad worried about what they would find while they searched. He still felt that time was against them and would only push harder the longer they took to try and change their current situation.

Meanwhile, Natarle Badgiruel started regaining consciousness when her back hit something. When she opened her eyes, everything was blurry for a long moment before they started to clear and sharpen. As her vision became clearer, she saw there was a body right in front of her. Natarle took a second to scan around her immediate area and identified debris and wreckage floating everywhere. There were also other bodies floating among the wreckage. From what Natarle could see, the bodies looked to have been harmed though she couldn't say to what extent. It appeared that she was still in the boarding tunnel that led to the Archangel from what recognizable things Natarle could spot. Her mind sharpened as she recalled what had happened before everything had gone dark for her.

The last thing she could remember was heading toward the Archangel to carry out the orders the Vice-Captain had given her and a few others. It had been confirmed by other officers that ZAFT had started attacking the colony from what she'd heard. Whether that meant ZAFT had gotten forces inside the colony, she couldn't say. Natarle assumed that Captain Locke was working as if the worst-case scenario was playing out and ZAFT had entered the colony interior in order to get to them. Depending on how much ZAFT could know about the G-Project, they would be searching for the Archangel and the G-Weapons. Were that the case, those at Morgenröte's factory where the G-Weapons were would be in danger. Thus, the Vice-Captain's orders to get the G-Weapons to the ship would make logical sense. Natarle vaguely recalled some saying Captain Locke had shouted something, but she couldn't remember what he could've said. Whatever the captain could've said, it had gotten all members of the crew to hurry up with their tasks. Then, there had been shouts before there had been loud bangs and then Natarle had hit the back of her head and things had gone dark.

Natarle moved a hand to touch the back of her head and found it was tender, but nothing beyond that she could feel. Nothing felt out of place for her body, so she seemed to be okay after whatever had occurred. If something bad had happened, she would need to see if anyone else was hurt or in need of help. So, Natarle focused forward and examined the body in front of her. She put two fingers against the crewman's neck searching for a pulse and found nothing. She looked away and realized the one in front of her was dead from whatever had happened to disrupt those working on the G-Project. Natarle went to the next body and found it was the same, and the next few were no different. After the fifth body, Natarle couldn't stop the pained sigh that escaped her, "They're all dead," she muttered. "What the hell happened to result in all of this?"

Natarle floated to the entrance to the boarding tunnel she was in that led to the docking area. The door didn't open on its own, she had to work to move it open herself. When Natarle moved out of the tunnel, she found the scene was no different to what she had woken up to. There was wreckage and debris everywhere with bodies littered among it all. For a moment, Natarle had to work to keep down the gag reflex at seeing so many dead. The reflex was stronger as they had been people she'd worked with over the last close to two years. And in moments, so many of them had been killed by whatever had happened around the docking area. The chances any had survived the attack whichever kind it was were slim. But Natarle knew that didn't mean the search shouldn't be done, thus she set out to see if she could find any still alive.

Nevertheless, Natarle quickly wished she hadn't set out on her search for any survivors. No matter where she went around the docking area, the scene she had woken up to and seen didn't change. Wreckage and dead bodies were everywhere Natarle went around Morgenröte's docking are. She looked in the all the work areas she was aware of from the work she had helped during the G-Project. All she was able to find was the results of the attack on the dock. It was clear that the crew hadn't known what was coming that had ended out killing them. It was heartbreaking when she saw those that she had known personally floating dead. Natarle had forced herself to turn away from the control booth after seeing the Vice-Captain floating with close to half of the primary bridge crew along with him.

However, the search wasn't completely a waste, there were some things that Natarle was able to take away from the point. The attack appeared to have involved some sort of explosives by how the wreckage and how it was spread. Yet, there had been no signs that she was aware of that had been reported before things went bad. That would suggest that a group had slipped into the colony and gotten around the docking area to set the explosives. The most likely to do that was ZAFT in Natarle's mind. How ZAFT had slipped a team into the colony, she couldn't say or even guess. Morgenröte's docking area should be restricted with its access from any that came from other districts in the colony interior. Natarle couldn't think of any other way to get to the docking area, though that didn't mean there wasn't a path. But should there be one, ZAFT had used it well and made a surprise attack that had been extremely effective. Thankfully, it appeared the Archangel herself was okay and didn't look too damaged that it wouldn't be able to sail away from the colony.

Natarle was working her way toward the control room Morgenröte had for the work area the Archangel was in. She wanted to see with her own eyes if Captain Locke had been killed by the attack to the dock. What she had heard from others about Locke saying there was some need to hurry wouldn't leave her mind. If the Archangel lost its captain, that would indeed be a harsh blow that would be very difficult to overcome. Sure, there was a line of succession for the officers the G-Project had to direct and deliver the fruits of the project. Natarle was in that line but quite a bit down to have her come up as a potential commanding officer. But after seeing several officers dead in the docking control room, Natarle was worried how many officers may have been killed.

Nevertheless, Natarle was brought to a halt when she heard noise in one of the rooms ahead of her, which gave her some hope. Up till this, the silence that had settled around the dock had been pressing in on her. She had found nothing but death and silence wherever she had looked thus far. And the more she had seen, the dimmer her hope had become within her heart. The thought that she could be the only one that had survived the attack had quickly haunted her. She had tried to dismiss the thought as unlikely since she wanted to believe there had to be at least one other alive. But as she had traveling around the docking and work area, the haunting thought had been dancing hard around her head. So, hearing noise, potential evidence that she wasn't the only one still alive fed her hope a little. Natarle zoomed into the room that the noise had come from and glanced around to find the source. Yet, a light was shined in her face, blinding her from seeing what had drawn her to the room.

Arnold Neumann along with another non-commissioned officer had been searching the docking area after waking up after whatever had occurred. They had been in one of the boarding tunnels the Archangel had been connected to. Arnold felt being there had played a part for him and a few others surviving whatever had happened. He and others had gone onto the ship and found a number of the mechanics had made it to the ship before the "attack." Yet, the vast majority of the crew hadn't been on the ship when things had gone bad. Arnold had insisted to the other non-commissioned officers with him that they should search for any that were still alive. They had broken into three groups to see if they could find anyone that was alive even if injured. One in each group had a short-range radio to keep in touch with one another in the docking area.

For the first five minutes of their search, none had found anyone that was still breathing at all. Arnold and the one with him had headed to the control room and found none alive there. Arnold had identified Captain Locke among the bodies in the control room which had been a painful blow to his heart. To lose the man who had been directing the G-Project was harsh to be sure. Captain Locke had been firm yet an understanding man that the vast majority respected and was willing to work with. Arnold and his colleague continued from there to see if they could find anyone still alive. They really needed officers to help organize them and respond to whatever attack had been made against them. Whatever had happened had killed a good portion of the crew from what Arnold and the other non-commissioned officers had reported. Arnold didn't want to be promoted to a commanding officer because of this. If he wanted to be a higher officer, he would've trained for that at the OMNI academy.

Arnold had been saying to his colleague they should keep moving when there was movement on the corner of his vision. He had swung his flashlight to the doorway of the room to see what had moved. If whoever had attacked the docking area had come back, then the flashlight should at least blind them for a moment. It would give Arnold and his colleague a chance to run and get to the ship where it was safer. However, Arnold stopped for a moment as the figure looked to be in an Alliance uniform. He blinked as he recognized the face his light was now shining upon, it was none other than Ensign Natarle Badgiruel. She was the first they had found still alive, but she was also one of the project's officers they had been looking for. Arnold let out a relieved sigh, "Ensign Badgiruel, you're alive," he exclaimed, "Thank goodness for that."

Natarle recognized the voice she had just heard. It belonged to a non-commissioned officer she had worked with several times before this. The man was Arnold Neumann and had been near the top of his class when at the OMNI academy. He was one of the backups pilots the Archangel was assigned to have and the best of the three. From what Natarle had been told by another bridge officer, Captain Locke had been seriously considering Neumann to be the primary co-pilot for the ship after he had some experience at the helm. Even if he wasn't an officer, he was still a member of the crew and was alive, Natarle would take that right now. Natarle shielded her eyes from the light being directed at her, "Petty officer Neumann," she questioned. The light was shifted away, and she saw in front of her was the petty officer in question along with another non-commissioned officer. If he was using a light to search, then perhaps he'd found others she hadn't reached yet. "Have you found any others alive?"

Arnold would love nothing more than to say he had found more of the crew still alive before reaching the Ensign. Heck, even if it had been one of the other groups that had found someone, Arnold would report that since it would give a little hope. Yet, there had been nothing reported which Arnold took as no one had been found by those searching. So, his gaze fell to the deck plate, "I wish we had," Arnold replied, "but you are the first that any of us have found so far. From what I've been able to figure, the few non-commissioned officers that are still alive only managed it being in one of the boarding tunnels or on the ship when whatever attack happened to us. A number of mechanics did make it onto the Archangel and are seeing what they can do to get the ship ready right now. There are a few pairs searching for any survivors," Arnold hesitated for a moment, "but nothing has been reported in. All I've seen is dead bodies and wreckage sorry to say so far."

It wasn't what Natarle was hoping to hear, but it was what she expected. She had seen much the same thing while she had been searching the docking and work area. For some mechanics to have made it onto the ship was helpful and she would be grateful for that surprise. But without a crew, the ship would be hard pressed to do anything effective against the ZAFT forces outside the colony. The attack had been vicious and precise as it had killed many. So, Natarle bit her lip, "I figured that would be the case, but I was hoping I was wrong," she returned. "I haven't had any better luck than you or your companions in finding anyone still alive." Natarle knew time was of the essence now, they couldn't search for survivors that may not exist any longer. She didn't like the call she was about to make, but Natarle knew it was the right one to go with. "Call off the search, there isn't time we can spare for it any longer. Have those who have been helping you return to the ship. We need to get her up and running as we can so we can do something for the G-Weapons and those with them."

Arnold knew Ensign Badgiruel was right that searching for survivors was something they couldn't afford to do any longer. It was clear that the attack had kill most and trying to deny that wouldn't help those still alive. The dock may have been attacked, but it was unlikely the only place. If ZAFT, who was probably the ones who attacked, had found out about the docking area and the ship was still around, it was just as likely they were aware of the existence of the G-Weapons. There wasn't a doubt in Arnold's mind that those with the G-Weapons would fight whatever ZAFT sent at them. But they would need what support they could get from those still alive. If the Archangel could enter the colony interior, they could pick up the survivors and the G-Weapons. Thus, Arnold nodded and took out his radio and told the others to head back to the ship. Then he waved for Natarle to follow them to the nearest boarding tunnel.

Natarle knew they needed to do what they could for those potentially still alive around the factories. If the Archangel could be activated and move out of the dock, then they could provide some support against ZAFT forces. It may not be much, but it would be something and anything was better than nothing for the time being. There was still a slim chance that ZAFT hadn't obtained the G-Weapons. And Natarle was willing to take that chance even if just one of the G-Weapons could be saved. The Alliance needed as many of the fruits of the G-Project as it could get. It was the only way the war could be ended sooner and more lives be saved from the terrible war.

At the same time, Tyler and Rusty were driving along the back road heading for a highway. Rusty was still wondering what they would do next in the current circumstances. It seemed the OMNI personnel around the colony were in chaos if they were still alive. With the explosives set, those around the ship dock should've been killed for the most part. If some had survived, then they were certainly lucky for the moment. Yet, as far as Rusty was aware, OMNI was at a serious disadvantage right now. ZAFT forces would be sent back into the colony to handle the last prototype and the two unknowns. They would be outnumbered and outgunned in the battle ahead. If Tyler was involved, then the balance would be somewhat different, but Rusty couldn't say right now.

Then while helping Miss Ramius was all well and good, it was a gamble in the end which may not pay off. Should there be other OMNI personnel alive, the electrical interference would make reaching them a difficult task. And from what Rusty remembered from the briefing, those going out in the GINNs were supposed to attack the colony's port control. It hadn't been the port, which was the true target, it had been the colony's com-exchange. If the com-exchange was damaged or destroyed, communication would be seriously affected. Communications out from the interior would essentially impossible if the exchange was damaged enough or destroyed. Yet, communication around the interior would also be bad even if they could work somewhat. So, talking with others would be a challenge regardless of what equipment they used.

Nevertheless, what Rusty was more curious about was something that was implied that hadn't been expanded upon. Tyler had hinted he knew something about OMNI's project they had been working on here in the colony. And Rusty had a feeling Tyler knew far more than anything the data Commander Le Creuset had provided for the brief. With him being a Federation agent here at the colony, Rusty could only wonder what Tyler could've learned. He'd been around the colony for a time and so could've found out quite a bit about OMNI's Project. That led to the Federation knowing about OMNI's work. ZAFT coming in could and likely had interfered with Federation Military operations. Doing that rarely went well from what Rusty had heard, and he didn't see a reason why this would be any different. So, he turned to Tyler, "Forgive me if it sounds nosy," he started, "But you implied you knew of OMNI's project. You care to give more details? For I feel it is more than the data I saw for ZAFT's mission brief had."

Tyler couldn't say what the "data" Rusty was referring to had included, but he doubted it was as much as he and his teammates had gathered. Discussing the subject would be a problem around others, but Rusty was already aware of the project to some extent. He couldn't say the "methods" used to obtain the info that the team had gathered, but that would be simple enough. Tyler was kind of impressed that Rusty had picked up upon the implications Tyler had put out. Not only that, but he had connected more dots than his friends likely had even if he only had a little more info to work with. Tyler kept his eyes on the road, but smiled a bit, "Not bad, you connected more dots that I expect most to manage to do," he remarked. "You aren't wrong, I do know more about OMNI's project than I let on. Technically speaking, I'm part of an investigation team sent here to look into what OMNI could be doing. I mean no offense to you or your comrades, but that mission was coming to a close before you lot came and royally messed things up."

Rusty had been getting the hint that ZAFT infiltrating the colony had not just done damage to the colony. The Federation being around meant they were looking into things or handling a situation. Regardless of which was the truth, Rusty knew this wouldn't end well or silently for ZAFT. The Federation didn't like others "interfering" with business they saw as their own. They normally pushed consequences to those that interfered from what Rusty had heard. It only brought the suspicions that Rusty, Athrun, and Nicol had back during the briefing back to his mind. None of them had been comfortable with infiltrating the colony, it was a neutral territory and doing military operations in such came with risks and consequences. Thus, Rusty bowed his head, "I am once again sorry about what ZAFT has done in this," he replied. "Honestly, I don't think it should've happened."

Rusty paused for a moment thinking about something that had nagged at him. The mission being given the green light had been rather quick in his mind. ZAFT protocol was clear that mission commanders were supposed to check in and consult with ZAFT administration and/or some from the National Defense Committee. That consultation was a requirement as far as Rusty was aware, more to prevent political incidents than anything else. The orders to move out had been quick enough that a proper consultation occurring was unlikely. "The go-ahead for the mission was too quick for it to be proper," Rusty commented. "There couldn't have been enough time for a proper consultation."

When Tyler heard the word "consultation," he was left to wonder what that meant. He wasn't aware that ZAFT's mission commanders had to consult about anything before they went off. If there were missions that commander in ZAFT were required to consult with others, Tyler was curious what the qualifications for such a thing were. "I beg your pardon," Tyler said. "What reason would a mission ZAFT does need a consultation? That is the first I've heard of such a thing being required for a ZAFT mission myself."

Rusty didn't want to make the commander look bad. Commander Creuset was one of ZAFT's good commanders. Sure, he had a somewhat mixed reputation for the results he got with missions. But overall, the commander had done what was expected of any ZAFT mission commander in defense of the homeland. "Consultations are required for a mission which could probably cause a political mess," Rusty answered. "Such is to prevent avoidable issues with the neutral nations of Earth and the Federation as I understand it."

Tyler blinked at Rusty's answer to his question. ZAFT's attack on Heliopolis would certainly show why the idea Rusty had described had serious merit. The mission commander had really created a serious political fiasco if not worse. They had attacked territory which belonged to a member nation of the Human Federation. That could be seen and taken as a declaration of war from ZAFT against the Federation. Tyler doubted it would, but the situation would be handled differently than others and involve the PLANTs' Supreme Council without a doubt. The mission commander would be on the hook for a lot which the Federation would be pushing for. So, Tyler exhaled heavily, "Oh boy," Tyler began, "If that is the case, then what has happened here is a prime example of why such is critical to follow that idea."

Now it was Rusty's turn to blink with slight confusion. Tyler clearly knew something that Rusty didn't about the current circumstances. And he was getting the nagging feeling that whatever Tyler knew, it would make how bad the situation was worse. Rusty couldn't say how things could get worse, but he knew there had to be ways it could. "I'm worried to ask," Rusty began, "But I will anyways to sate my curiosity. What do you mean by this situation being a prime example of what consultations are wise? I can't see much of a way this situation could get worse than it already is."

Rusty couldn't know how wrong he was about things having difficulty with getting worse. Tyler was aware that Orb's government hadn't announced the nation's acceptance into the Human Federation. He couldn't say why its leader, whose name was Uzumi Nara Athha hadn't made the point public. He'd met the man as he was a friend of his mom with them both being political leaders. So, Tyler shook his head, "Oh, you will understand it is worse than you think when I tell you a specific fact. And I ask you to keep it to yourself for the time being, it will do you well to do so." Tyler paused for a moment, "As it happens, the Orb Union is actually a member nation of the Human Federation. With that in mind, I wouldn't doubt you can comprehend how much of a political mess this whole situation really is and could end out being before it's finished."

Rusty paled somewhat at Tyler saying the Orb Union was a member of the Federation. He hadn't heard any news that would suggest that. Granted, there were rumors the Orb Union was seriously considering the idea from what his friend in the Intelligence Division had said. Should Tyler be right and there was little reason to doubt what he was saying, Commander Creuset and the whole mission team had just stepped into a metaphorical "mine field." And the said mine field was among the most dangerous kinds one could walk into. Getting out of the mine field only minorly injured would be so much harder than walking into it had been by a ridiculous degree, doing so unscathed would be an impossible feat at this point. Rusty swallowed hard, "Did you just say the Orb Union is a part of the Federation," he questioned slowly. "I don't want to doubt, but if that is true, then this situation is much worse than I imagined it was, and I've been picturing it rather grim already."

Tyler could see that Rusty was understanding just what ZAFT had gotten into with infiltrating the colony. The mission commander really put ZAFT in a seriously bad position with the Federation with attacking Heliopolis. Tyler would be shocked if Federation military leaders hadn't reached out to ZAFT leadership by this point. Heck, those on the PLANTs' National Defense Committee would probably be quaking in their shoes when they were made aware of what one of their own commanders had done. Tyler frowned at Rusty's reply, "I'm not joking, they joined around a year ago. I can't say why Orb's government hasn't made the point public, but it isn't my business either. However, the point of the matter is ZAFT infiltrated and then attacked a colony that belongs to the Federation through one of its member nations. I know it was to go after OMNI and their project, but in the end that won't matter a great deal. The damage to the colony and threat to the citizens will be what is judged."

Tyler glanced over at Rusty for a moment and that one look was more than enough for him to see Rusty did comprehend the real issue that had been created. Rusty's expression said more than words would, he was beyond concerned with what was coming ZAFT's way. Tyler didn't want Rusty to be worried about himself and his friends like Athrun. They hadn't known what they were doing fully. If needed, Tyler would put in a good word for them on their behalf so any consequence that came their way would be lighter than it would be for their mission commander. "You and your friends like Athrun won't need to worry," Tyler remarked as he turned off the road and onto a highway. "You aren't fully at fault for what occurred. And if required, I'll put a good word in with some to get the consequences lightened for you and others. Your mission commander will be the one on the hook as the phrase goes for the results of your mission. He gave the green light for it to move forward, and I agree with you that he likely didn't consult before he did that."

Tyler glanced ahead and saw what appeared to be a collection of vehicles on the highway. He hoped that the vehicles included the one that they were searching for. Tyler was still worried that things had been quiet for a time now inside of the colony. He felt that the more time that passed without something bad happening, the more likely things would go wrong. Whether that came in the form of ZAFT coming back or OMNI doing something, it wouldn't matter in the end. To take his mind off the problems that could happen, Tyler turned some of his attention to the original question that Rusty had asked him. "Shifting back to what you asked be about OMNI's project," Tyler iterated. "I can't say what the "data" you mention your mission used, but I would assume it didn't have much other than something on OMNI's prototype mobile suits. While my team and I did find out about their construction from sensitive data we obtained, that wasn't all. We were able to gather info and data on all five prototypes along with other stuff they were working on. I can't say what the sensitive data was, but it was more than concerning enough to send it along with Federation Military higher-ups."

Tyler recalled the message that had come from Federation High Command a month or so ago. He had assumed the team would get a response from the report and data they had sent in. OMNI's project was more than concerning should it be employed by the Alliance in the ongoing war. If they started mass-producing mobile suits based on their prototypes, that would be dangerous. Thus, the reply from Federation High Command to keep a sharp eye on OMNI personnel while a response was planned had made sense. Tyler hadn't been the happiest with the time it had taken for a response to be put in motion. However, he couldn't say what was going into it since that was above his pay grade to know or have a say in. "The higher-ups were just as concerned with the data which was sent to them as my team and me," Tyler continued. "The Federation doesn't want OMNI to start using mobile suits in the war any more than I would assume ZAFT does."

The threat of the Alliance getting and employing mobile suits would only make the war worse than it was already. Tyler fully agreed with the mentality himself as he believed those that led the Alliance would use mobile suits to push for dominance. Yet, with that in mind, the time it had taken for a reply and a plan to be returned to Tyler and his teammates was a tad odd. He couldn't help but wonder if there hadn't been unseen points in this situation than he knew of. So, he hesitated for a moment, "I didn't like how long the decision on what to do about OMNI's work here took," Tyler admitted. "But I can only assume there was more going on behind the scenes that I'm not aware of personally. In the end, it doesn't matter what the reasons it took so long to get things moving was I guess."

Rusty was curious about what the Federation had intended to do about what OMNI was working on inside the colony. Tyler wasn't wrong about ZAFT having serious issues with the Alliance gaining access and using mobile suits. The Alliance getting mobile suits could only push and make the war worse than it already was, there was no doubt about that. Rusty assumed that the Federation had similar reasons of self-defense as the PLANTs and ZAFT possessed. However, if there was one thing which could be said about the Federation and its military, it was you couldn't assume much. It was the "mystery" about them which was that they never confirmed or denied much about themselves to the other two factions. "What was to be the response if you don't mind me asking," Rusty questioned. "If you can't tell me, that's fine, I would understand, yet I can't help but wonder."

It wasn't that Tyler didn't want to tell Rusty what had been planned to curtail OMNI and what they had been working on at the colony. Protocol wouldn't exactly forbid Tyler telling him what had been in the works. Sure, he couldn't give specific details to Rusty, but that wouldn't prevent telling the general facts. The plan had been for the patrol to come and essentially confiscate all of OMNI's project. Granted, it had been expected the OMNI personnel would resist and complain about what the Federation would be doing. Yet, they would be told as Orb was a part of the Federation, anything Morgenröte had helped them with fell under agreements between the Federation and the Earth Alliance. Thus, they could complain and whine as they liked but it wouldn't change the confiscation.

There were a few agreements and treaties that were being broken or pushed against with OMNI being in Heliopolis and doing what they were. The one that came to Tyler's mind the most with this whole situation was the Federation's Latinan Protocol. The protocol had to do with scientific developments and not sharing such with the other two factions in essence. Tyler knew that there were pieces in the protocol that specifically addressed assistance from the Federation for military development. With Orb being a member nation of the Federation, Morgenröte was seen as a resource of the Human Federation so would fall under the Latinan Protocol. So, since OMNI's project had Morgenröte helping in its development, they were in the wrong. The Latinan Protocol was clear that anything developed by another faction with Federation resources for military application was to be confiscated.

Tyler was still driving on the highway the car had come onto as he was thinking. He didn't know how familiar Rusty could be with the Latinan Protocol. There were those in ZAFT and the PLANTs' Supreme Council that were well-aware of the protocol and what it meant. However, that didn't translate into general soldiers and pilots knowing of the agreements between the factions. Tyler only knew of the Latinan Protocol because of his dad and the friends that worked in the science community. "Essentially, there was a group coming to the colony to confiscate OMNI's work here," Tyler stated. "What they are doing violates a few agreements the Alliance has with the Federation even if they aren't aware of that. After all the data was gathered up along with what they built, they would've been sent on their way. However, with ZAFT coming into the picture, that plan is pretty much out the window now."

Tyler would've said more but he spotted a collection of vehicles ahead that had a large vehicle that fit the description Miss Ramius had given for the trailer. Their search took precedence over the conversation they had been having right now. So, Tyler waved a hand to point ahead of them, "But it looks like we may have to continue the talk later," he said. "If my eyes are seeing right as they normally do, I see a potential trailer ahead of us. We can check it to see if we are going to be lucky and find what we are searching for with the first collection we come across. It would be nice to have some good luck if you ask me, and I wouldn't be complaining if that happens."

Tyler pulled the car up to where the collection of vehicles was before turning off the vehicle. The two exited the vehicle and made their way up to the trailer that was in the center of the group of vehicles. As they weaved through the vehicles, they didn't miss the dead bodies that were littered around them. It was clear that at least one pass of the GINNs had hit this group and essentially wiped it out. Half the vehicles had been destroyed while others had merely been damaged to some extent. However, the trailer seemed essentially unharmed from what Tyler could see as they approached it. He couldn't say if ZAFT had intended it to be that way, or if it was just a fluke that they had missed hitting it. But if the trailer was the one they were looking for, it being intact was all the better for them.

Rusty and Tyler each took a side of the trailer, looking for markings they could inspect to see if the vehicle was the one they were searching for. The two knew that time was still of the essence as circumstances could easily go bad at any time. It was Tyler that found the first set of markings which he found was the trailer's serial number. The number was AMQ-EX02 from what Tyler could decipher. That didn't match what Miss Ramius had told them, but likely carried a different equipment set for the suit she had. Rusty and he would mark the location so others could potentially come and pick it up later. The woman then could be a bit grateful that they were going further to assist them during the crisis they were in. Tyler had been getting more than a tad frustrated with OMNI and what their work had brought about. "Rusty," Tyler called, "this isn't the trailer we are after."

Rusty had been scanning the left side of the trailer for markings that could say if it was the one he and Tyler were searching for. Then he'd heard Tyler calling from the other side that the trailer was the wrong one. He assumed that Tyler had found the serial number for the trailer, and it didn't match what the woman had told them. So, Rusty made his way over to the side Tyler was on and saw him standing more than halfway toward the cab of the vehicle. He walked up to Tyler and glanced in the same direction as Tyler was and spotted the markings which were the trailer's serial number. It was close to what Miss Ramius had told them, but it was off by a number with the end being two rather than three. Rusty assumed that the trailer contained equipment for the last OMNI prototype but wasn't the right set. It made him wonder how man equipment sets the last machine had to work with. "So I see," Rusty remarked. "Then we will be moving on to find the trailer we are searching for I assume?"

The trailer didn't have the set they needed from the serial number. Miss Ramius had been specific on the serial number which had Tyler assuming any other didn't have a battery connected to it. Thus, regardless of what the set in the trailer in front of them could do, it wouldn't help them. If it didn't have a battery, then the set was of little interest for the time being in Tyler's mind. So, Tyler nodded to Rusty, "Indeed," he began, "It isn't the one we're after. I can only assume that the set we are looking for is the only one that has a battery with it. That likely means any other set doesn't have a battery to work with. Thus, this trailer is of little interest to us for the moment. We can mark its location on a map to make the woman less likely to snap at us for crap."

Tyler and Rusty went back to their vehicle and resumed driving on the road after getting around the destroyed convoy they had stopped at. It was around half a kiloliter up the road they sighted another collection of vehicles with what appeared to be a trailer the shape and size of the one they had already come across. Tyler pulled the vehicle to a stop next to the wreckage of the collection of vehicles before he and Rusty exited their car. Much as they had with the last trailer, they each took a side and began scanning for the serial number. Tyler made his way to where the serial number had been on the last one and found it was on the same area on the trailer. He read it and was pleased to see the serial number was a match with it being AMQ-EX03. They had gotten lucky on the second try which was a relief since Tyler was getting stressed the longer nothing happened. He called to Rusty on the other side of the trailer and told him that the trailer was the one they were after.

At the same time, inside the back of the truck's cab, there was a group of people hiding in the darkness. They had been directed inside by one with them when ZAFT had begun their attack. The one was their leader who was Lieutenant Holland Corts. He had a height of five feet eleven inches and possessed a fit figure that was better than average. Holland had short grey-taupe colored hair and bluish-grey eyes. He was wearing a black jacket with red and white details on it along with a pale-yellow scarf. He also had military green pants and military boots. Holland was trying to come up with what those with him could do next. They couldn't stay hiding in the truck cab as they had done to evade ZAFT when they had been attacking the convoy.

Holland glanced back at those with him and took in once again their conditions in the dim light which filtered into the space. The two soldiers there were sitting and breathing slowly, attempting not to aggravate their injuries they had received from defending those with them. The four factory workers were next to the soldiers, all clearly scared by what had been going on. Those six were all that Holland had managed to save out of the twenty-five that had been under his command when ZAFT had struck. He hadn't gotten out unscathed either, he'd smacked his head and took a piece of shrapnel or two before ducking into the back of the truck cab. While he was glad he'd saved some, Holland cursed that he hadn't managed to save more. Good men and women had been killed in ZAFT's attack today. There hadn't been much warning other than the message from Murrue thirty seconds before a GINN zoomed into view and attacked the convoy. He'd ordered some to do what they could to distract the GINN while non-combatants were hidden. Holland had known those he gave that order to would likely die, but it was to save others, so they understood. That didn't excuse the results of ZAFT's attack, nor bring any of the lost back, but at least some had been saved.

Holland had attempted to use his radio to contact Captain Locke to tell him what was going on, but that had been for nothing. It hadn't mattered what he tried, nothing from his radio got through to the control room, the dock control, or even the Archangel. That had more than concerned him with the shaking that had occurred shortly before the attack. It was very possible that something had happened to those around the docking area, there was no way to say yet. Holland had tried to reach Murrue around the factory after getting into the truck cab, but there had been no more luck with that than contacting the other officers had been. That told him they were on their own for the time being, probably until further notice. Holland didn't like being in that position, but there was little which could be done to change that right now.

Nevertheless, the faint sound of a vehicle approaching snapped Holland out of his thoughts. He quickly had those with him be silent so whoever was approaching wouldn't be tipped off to their presence. It was very possible that ZAFT had sent some to make sure OMNI personnel were dead or to find the equipment for the G-Weapons. There was the chance it was allies looking for survivors, but Holland wouldn't consider that unless there was solid proof of it. He would do all that he could to protect those with him against any that would do them harm. He owed those that had sacrificed their lives to keep those saved safe as he could. Holland still had his submachine gun and an extra clip to work with. Thus, he was ready to shoot any ZAFT soldier that popped their head into the back of the truck cab. The sound of the vehicle stopped and was replaced by footsteps approaching the cab section. Holland tensed up and readied himself to defend himself and his group as the footsteps stopped. Then there was a voice that Holland didn't recognize calling out something about the trailer.

Back with Tyler, Rusty had come around to meet him and he showed him the serial number for the trailer. Tyler glanced to his right and found the entrance to the trailer's inside was open. He could only assume that some had thought to hide inside to evade ZAFT's attack. Tyler gazed around Rusty and him to see several bodies littered throughout this convoy. With the sight, Tyler felt that none had made it to the trailer or the truck's cab. Even if they had potentially, there was little reason to think any part of the vehicle would protect them. Tyler shook his head and focused back to the task at hand. Rusty and he needed to make sure the equipment in the trailer was still usable, or at least the battery was still viable. Tyler gestured to Rusty toward the entry and took two steps before there was noise from slightly ahead of them.

The noise brought Tyler and Rusty to a stop immediately. They looked at one another then to the truck's cab where the noise had come from. The noise meant there may be some alive which would be something to find. But Tyler and Rusty weren't with OMNI and if whoever was inside had weapons, there was the chance they would shoot them. So, Tyler dug in his pack and brought out the submachine gun and flashlight while Rusty took out the pistol that Tyler had given him. Tyler took point and had Rusty move to be behind him before moving forward slowly again. The two moved to be on either side of the entry to the cab's rear. Rusty gazed at Tyler who gestured that he would go in first and Rusty would then follow to cover him. Once Rusty nodded, Tyler took a deep breath, whipped around the corner, flipped on his flashlight, and brought up the submachine gun. Tyler quickly took in the group that was in the space behind the main truck cab. It was made up of seven people, six of which seemed to be in two groups of three. The one apart from the other was in front and had a submachine gun pointed in Tyler's direction. He assumed the one in front was the leader of the group and would have to be dealt with first. However, Tyler didn't want to make a mess if he could help it, so he would attempt conversation first and see where that went. "Hold your fire," Tyler stated clearly. "We aren't here to kill or harm you."

Holland had been blinded for a moment by the sudden light being aimed in his direction. But he didn't lower his gun even after the person spoke. ZAFT had used that same trick before to kill OMNI soldiers, so Holland wasn't going to believe another at face value. Once his eyes got accustomed to the light he blinked and found a teenager standing in front of him. A moment later, another teenager appeared on the right holding a pistol in their hands. Holland may be in pain, but he kept his hands steady with holding the gun. Plus, the teens were pointing weapons of their own at his group, so what had been said didn't hold much. "You expect us to believe you aren't here to kill us when you are pointing guns at us," Holland remarked. "You're going to have to do better than that kid."

Tyler knew that it would be best to take a chance and lower his gun first to get potential cooperation from those here. There wasn't the time to fight, ZAFT forces were probably planning to come back and finish what they had started. And more helping hands would help things along for all of those in this mess right now. So, Tyler lowered his gun and waved a hand for Rusty to do the same. "Look, we aren't here to kill you," Tyler stated. "I can understand that you're on edge and with ZAFT's attack, I wouldn't hold that against you." Rusty nodded his head in agreement with Tyler's statement but said nothing. Tyler continued, "We were sent to search for this trailer by another by the name of Ramius. She said the equipment in the trailer would be able to help in the current situation."

The mention of "Ramius" caught Holland's attention as it seemed to be reference to Murrue. It gave him hope that Murrue and others could still be alive after ZAFT's attack on them. He would take what allies he could get help from right now. But there was still the question of if the kid was telling the truth. He seemed to have information of some sort to identify this trailer with him saying something about equipment. That information could serve as a way to confirm or deny the two teenagers knowing Murrue. "How did you identify this trailer as the one you were sent to find," Holland posed. "Ramius would've had to given you something pretty specific to be able to know the equipment you are after would be inside."

Tyler figured that the man was asking for some sort of proof that Rusty and he knew Miss Ramius. He couldn't blame the man wanting to be sure the two of them weren't enemies. ZAFT's attack had shaken the OMNI personnel, Tyler would be surprised if they weren't that way right now. And just the brief glimpse Tyler had gotten, those in the trailer could really use medical help to varying degrees. The two in vests looked like they needed the most medical help, or they would likely die in the near future. Tyler focused back on the leader of the group and nodded, "We were given the serial number AMQ-EX03 which this trailer has on it from what I saw. Miss Ramius told us the trailer with that number would have the equipment that includes a battery for the machine she has."

The reply gave some optimism to Holland. Not only did it say the kid had been telling the truth, but that at least the Strike was still under allied control. It also meant that possibly more of the G-Weapons could've been kept from ZAFT. There was no guarantee that any of the other G-Weapons were still under OMNI control with ZAFT's attack. It would be some of the little hope that his group had been able to have since the attack had occurred. Holland wouldn't complain about some good coming their way. So, Holland lowered his submachine gun and exhaled heavily, "Sorry," he said, "as you said, ZAFT's attack has us on edge right now. There are a lot of good people dead because of it."

It appeared that the group of OMNI personnel were willing to cooperate with Tyler and Rusty. That was helpful for them to get the trailer moving back toward the park. Things were still quiet for Tyler's liking and had been for a worrisome time now. The sooner the trailer could get moving, the better Tyler would feel. He wanted to be around the Shadow should ZAFT come back and attack a second time. And he felt it was more a question of when rather than if the event would happen. When ZAFT came back, their attack would put Tyler's friends in danger, and he wouldn't stand for that and do nothing. "Then you lot stay in here behind the truck cab while my companion and glance at the equipment in the trailer and then I drive the trailer back to where the group we were with are," Tyler stated. "We'll try to make the ride as smooth as possible, but I can't promise it won't be bumpy with the roads as they are. But I would still close up this space were I you."

Tyler twisted around and grabbed Rusty before going to the trailer's entrance. The two ducked inside the trailer and glanced around for some sort of light to see by. Rusty found a switch and tapped it causing a few lights to come on. Both saw the collection of equipment in the trailer and studied it for a moment. From what Tyler could see, there weren't any holes from weapons' fire penetrating the trailer directly. And the equipment certainly appeared to be untouched by ZAFT's attack from where Tyler was standing. That was what mattered for the two of them as it meant they could get the equipment back to the park to be used. So, Tyler turned to Rusty and nodded, "The stuff here looks good to me," he remarked. "Let's get this truck on the road and head back to the others."

They headed for the truck's cab seeing the back of the cab had been closed up after they had gone to check the trailer. The two found the main truck cab was unlocked so was accessible to them without assistance. Tyler slid into the driver's seat while Rusty moved into the passenger's seat. He quickly pushed some buttons and flicked switches to have the truck start. He was relieved to hear the engine respond and rev up when the startup process had been done. Tyler and Rusty glanced over the readouts from the vehicle's displays denoting the status of the engine and running gear of the vehicle. From what Rusty could tell the trailer was fully functional. It may have scratches on it, but it hadn't been hit by either Lester or Miguel when they had been attacking OMNI's convoys. "It looks like the vehicle itself is good to go," Rusty remarked. "The engine and drive train are working as they should at least from what the displays are showing."

Rusty wasn't wrong about the vehicle being good to go from what Tyler could see from the displays. Thus, Tyler nodded with a slight smile, "So it would seem, one of the good strokes of luck for us in this for the moment." Tyler then reached for the restraint belt and buckled himself into the driver's seat. The drive back wouldn't be as smooth as the one getting here had been, he was sure of that. Not only was the truck's handling going to make the driving more challenging, but the route they would have to take would make it taxing. Rusty could be the navigator while Tyler would do the difficult driving the truck would require. "If you would draw out a feasible route for us to get back to the park I would appreciate it."

Rusty nodded and buckled himself into his seat and then tapped the display closest to him to see what roads could take them back to the park. The road they had taken to get to the main highway seemed the best to use to return to the park. Getting to that road would be a bit of a chore but shouldn't be impossible. While Rusty was working on the route, Tyler had the truck inch forward. He had to push his way through the wreckage ahead of the truck, but the vehicle was able to get through. It took a few minutes for Tyler to get the truck out of what had been OMNI's convoy. By the time he had separated the truck from the wreckage, Rusty had drawn a route for them to take back to the park. The route was a tad long but would avoid the damage to the roads they had seen getting to the trailer. So, Tyler nodded, "That route works for me," he commented. "Let's get on it."

Tyler drove the truck up the highway before turning down another road which would connect to the original road they had taken to get to the were some bumps along the way, even with how careful he was driving, but it couldn't be helped. Once he turned onto the road the route required him to take, things did smooth out a bit. From the route that Rusty had drawn out, it would take around ten minutes to get back to the park. Tyler didn't like the time it was taking, but there was nothing he could do to speed up things. He would control his concerns and stress by not letting them show. Tyler would be ready as he could be for when ZAFT would come back to do whatever they had in mind. He just hoped that he would be close to the Shadow when things went south again.

Meanwhile, Kira had been trying what he could to reach out to those Murrue had told him to. He had tried using the machine she had been in. That had been harder than Kira had thought it would be. He'd had to do some work on the operating system to get things working a bit so he could get the radio to respond to his commands. The OS had been about the same state as the Asuka's had been in when Kira had first activated it. Tyler and his own work for Kato had been in this OMNI machine as much as it had been in the Asuka. It made Kira curious if Kato's project had been for OMNI in some way. If it was, Kira wasn't the happiest about that since he didn't want something he worked upon to be used in the ongoing war. He felt that Tyler would be even less happy than Kira was about Kato using their work with mobile suits.

The "Strike's" radio hadn't been able to reach any even after Kira had done some fixing for the operating system. All he had heard to his calls had been static, regardless of the channel the radio had been on. It had been no different when Kira had tried the same with the Asuka. He'd even tried the general colony communication channels and had the same result. Kira had attempted to use the suit Tyler had used, but that hadn't gone well. As Tyler had said, his machine's communications equipment wasn't working properly. It was stuck and the channel couldn't be switched to other channels, it seemed to be some sort of hardware issue from what Kira could figure. That made Kira wonder if something hadn't happened to the systems and equipment that the colony had which handled communications through the colony. If that was the case, it would explain why Kira was only hearing static through radios right now. Tyler had mentioned something about him not being surprised if the radios wouldn't work. Perhaps, he knew more about why communications weren't working properly. Instead, Kira returned to Miss Ramius and told her of the results of his attempts.

Murrue appreciated that Mr. Yamato had made attempts to reach out to others for he hadn't needed to do that. She had been hoping that Mr. Yamato's efforts to reach others would be a success. She knew the chances of that were slim as things were right now. If the Strike had more power to work with, the radio's signal could be boosted more to increase the chances to reach allies. ZAFT's attack could have done damage to the colony's communications systems, it wouldn't be a great surprise to Murrue. Added to that, it was extremely likely that ZAFT was still putting out electrical interference to disrupt communications. Whether it was one, the other, or both didn't matter in the end as the situation was the same. They were back to waiting for McGregor and the other older teen to find and return with the needed equipment set.

The hope that Murrue had before of there potentially being other survivors was fading from Murrue's mind. She didn't want to be the only one from the G-Project left alive after the ZAFT attack. However, she knew she may have to come to terms with the real possibility that may be the truth. Murrue wasn't willing to give up the hope yet, but thoughts were haunting her that she was the last alive. She couldn't deny that ZAFT's attack had crippled the project with so many dead now. Even if the Archangel was still intact, should there not be enough personnel to crew her, the ship wouldn't be of much help. The more Murrue thought about the situation, the worse it seemed to get in her view. She did thank Mr. Yamato for his efforts and said they would have to wait for those that had gone off to return.

The first of the two groups to return to the park was Tolle's. By the time that Kira got out of the machine Tyler had used and to the group, his three friends had begun laying out what they had found. From what he could see, they had gotten food and water along with first-aid supplies while they had been out and about. What they had gathered would help their group for a time and that was something to work with. It would provide time for Tyler and others to come up with what to do next in Kira's mind. They couldn't go to shelters with the colony in the condition it was right now. Tyler had essentially said the point, the threat level was likely high enough to make even getting to a shelter difficult, and much harder to get into one. Thus, they would need the supplies that Tolle's group had gathered until things changed. Instead, those in the park got to talking on what to do while they waited for Tyler and Mr. Mackenzie returned from searching for the trailer Miss Murrue had mentioned.

Murrue had to admit that she was impressed by the teens at this point. They were in dangerous circumstances with ZAFT's attack on the colony. The general response from average people to such things was to panic and run for safety. Yet, these teens remained calm and were doing basic things to improve their situation. None of the teens had shown signs they had any military-style training, so that they were not panicking notably. While OMNI protocol would have her detaining them for seeing the G-Weapons, Murrue wasn't feeling inclined to do that. The teens had helped her thus far when they didn't have to do that. They also were willing to follow instructions she gave them to get tasks done. All in all, they certainly seemed like good teens that had just had the bad luck by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Nevertheless, Murrue's thoughts returned to the oldest teen that had gone off to search for the equipment trailer with the other older teenager. She felt that the older teen had an effect on the group, more than any of the others when it came to influence. He had shown clear leadership skills with how he had delegated tasks to the other teenagers. And yet, he'd also proven he wasn't an average teen with how he'd sneaked up on her and put a gun to her back. The hint of stealth skills alone more than worried Murrue about that kid. McGregor was either extremely talented naturally at stealth or he had some sort of training for the point. Murrue couldn't say which was the more likely explanation or if it could be a mixture of both or something else. The kid had also hinted that he knew things about the G-Project though not to what extent that could go. McGregor was certainly a concern for the time being, Murrue wouldn't deny that. He could be friend or foe, and she wouldn't honestly be able to tell the difference until it would probably be too late. As the discussion between the teens kept going, Murrue turned back to hoping McGregor and the one with him found the needed trailer and brought it back soon.

It was what felt like a very long period later the sounds of an engine came to Murrue's ears. She wasn't the only one to hear the noise of the approaching engine. All in the park turn to the road that ran along the northern side of it. A moment later, a vehicle came into view and began turning toward the park. Murrue instantly recognized the vehicle as one of the large equipment trailers that had been heading for the Archangel. That had her cautiously optimistic that McGregor and his companion had found the trailer she had sent them to find. If the Strike could equip the launcher set, they would have a fresh battery to work with. That in turn would allow the Strike's radio signal to be boosted and potentially reach allies. Their group needed help to improve their circumstance further, Murrue knew that. So, they needed to contact others to get assistance to move forward.

Kira quickly spotted Tyler in the driver's position in the truck's cab while Mr. Mackenzie was in the passenger's seat. With Tyler back, Kira hoped that a plan could be made for them to make their situation better than it was right now. There were still unknown factors making things horrid, and he felt Tyler would have some idea about those. The longer things were quiet, the more edgy Kira was getting. The attack had already put Kira on edge and made him tense. He hadn't been able to calm down much since ZAFT had pulled back. He had a nagging feeling that ZAFT would be back in the near future. Kira didn't want that, but he feared that he and his friends wouldn't have much of a say in that event. Needless to say, Kira was worried about what they would face soon.

Tyler had the truck turn into the open park area from the road. The route he and Rusty had taken to get back to the park had been a challenge for Tyler to drive. He certainly had to put his "driving" skills he'd developed over the years since getting his license to use. Granted, Tyler wasn't used to driving a truck like the trailer had, but he managed it just fine. They had made decent time back to the park at least. That wouldn't only make Murrue Ramius pleased, it would help those who had been in the trailer as well. Tyler wasn't against having more helping hands to potentially improve circumstances. He knew now wasn't the time to be picky where the help came from or who the people were working for before everything went south. That didn't make Tyler happy about what had been done to Heliopolis because of OMNI and ZAFT. But Tyler would tolerate the crap somewhat as long as his friends were safe along with as many colony citizens as possible.

Tyler brought the truck to a stop in the center of the park before shutting off the engine. He and Rusty then exited the truck and climbed down to the ground. Tyler gave a smile to his friends before he faced Murrue. The woman was still the biggest representative of OMNI that they had to deal with right now. Those in the back of the cab weren't in the condition to put up a great amount of resistance to what Tyler had been able to see. He inclined his head toward the woman, "We managed to locate the trailer you wanted," Tyler remarked. "It has the serial number you gave to me by what I could check."

Murrue was relieved that McGregor and Mackenzie had managed to find the trailer with the Strike's Launcher set. They had done the task in a shorter period than Murrue had hoped they could. It would give the Strike a fresh power supply to work with for tasks that needed to be prioritized. Also, should ZAFT send forces back into the colony, the Strike could be employed to fend them off. It was the first step to improving their current standing, which was best. If they could get into contact with the Archangel, then more could be done for them. Should they get assistance from the Archangel and the crew, then the other two mobile suits could help in any needed work. So, Murrue sighed in relief, "Thank goodness you found it," she replied. "You two were more efficient than I expected you to be. I'm grateful that you were. I fear ZAFT will be back give time."

The woman had interrupted Tyler before he could mention they had found other "survivors" in the trailer. The leader clearly was familiar with the woman since he had recognized the descriptions when Tyler had given them. And some of them could help get the mobile suit the woman had used equipped with what was in the trailer. Tyler didn't disagree with the fear of ZAFT coming back and causing trouble again, but that was a different point. Tyler cleared his throat to regain attention, "If you wouldn't interrupt me, please," he stated clearly. "It wasn't the first trailer we came across. However, we did find more than we expected to."

Those listening to what Tyler was saying couldn't help but wonder what he could be talking about. He had only hinted at finding more than just the trailer yet little more than that. Murrue blinked at the last two lines that McGregor had said. That he'd found another equipment trailer gave her hope that some of the equipment that had been on its way to the Archangel may still be intact. That would be good news to her and there had been very little of that today with ZAFT attacking. Yet, the last line had her pausing for a moment. Honestly, Murrue would have considered finding the right trailer in the time they had been gone to be one out of four at best. But it sounded like they had found more than just the trailer which Murrue couldn't begin to guess what they could've seen. "What do you mean," Murrue questioned. "What did you find around the trailer?"

Tyler figured that it would be better and faster to explain things by showing what or rather who they found with the vehicle. Time was still of the essence, and he felt it was only more, so the longer things were "quiet." Thus, there wasn't the time for long-winded and intermittently interrupted explanations. So, Tyler shrugged his shoulder in response, "It would probably be better if I show you what we found." He walked over to the entry to the cab's rear and banged on it hard to signal to those inside it was safe to come out. There was a brief pause before the hatch over the cab's rear opened and swung down to form steps to get down to the ground.

Holland had risen when the banging had come from the outside of the cab. He assumed one of the teens from earlier was signaling they had arrived at the intended destination. Holland turned to the four factory workers and gestured for them to help the two soldiers up. The two were in the worst condition out of the group so would need assistance the most. He got nods in response to his unspoken order before he moved forward and hit the switch to have the entry hatch swing open. Hopefully, the two teens had brought Holland's group to friendly people that could do something to help. They hadn't gotten much in the way of help in the last hour with ZAFT's attack inside the colony. Many had died while they had barely survived the slaughter that ZAFT had brought about. A change in luck and circumstance would be more than welcome to Holland and those with him.

Murrue blinked, not quite believe she was seeing what or rather who she was coming out of the truck's back compartment. Coming out was her fellow lieutenant that had been working with those that had been responsible for the G-Weapons, Holland Corts. Every attempt she had made to contact allies had failed thus far. Because of that, she had been forced to consider that there had been no other survivors other than her. However, she was now seeing the first evidence that there could be others that made it through ZAFT's attack. It fed the small hope she had been holding onto since surviving ZAFT's assault. "Holland," Murrue uttered, "You're alive."

Holland gave a soft smile in response to Murrue's "greeting." With recent events, the reaction was certainly understandable. Only six that had been under his charge had survived ZAFT's attack on Morgenröte and the roads to the docking area out of the near fifty that he'd been responsible for. ZAFT hadn't done much when it came to sparing any that weren't soldiers, they had killed them too. Those they sent had been thorough enough to have eliminated most of those under him and it seemed killed most that had been with Murrue. "Yeah," Holland replied. "I managed to save some, but not as many as I would've liked."

A moment later, six came out of the compartment that Holland had exited. They were in two groups of three, two factory workers appearing to be helping the soldier in the group. The soldiers seemed to be injured worse than the others by what Murrue was seeing. That was better than them being dead as those who had been with her were, but it was still regrettable. Yet, Holland had managed to save some, which was more than Murrue had managed to do with those under her. Having more help would improve the group's situation even if only a little and she would take that for the moment. If they could contact the Archangel, then things could get moving in a much better direction. Murrue felt time was of the essence as ZAFT could come back at any time and attack again.

With that in mind, Murrue had the two injured soldiers move over to the nearby benches so they could be attended to as possible. It became clear to Tyler that the adults were trying to take charge of all in the park, and he wasn't okay with that. So, he turned to his friends and handed out instructions to them before Miss Ramius did the point instead. Tyler told Lacus and Miriallia to do what they could with the first aid supplies that had been brought back by Tolle's group to patch up the two soldiers. He silently signaled Rusty to go and keep an eye on that activity which Rusty nodded and moved in that direction. Tyler turned back to the majority and found that the guy that Tyler and Rusty had saved was directing the four factory workers. They had moved to the trailer that Tyler and Rusty had brought back to the park.

As the soldiers were being helped by two female teens, Holland had called back the four factory workers to the trailer. Murrue had brought him up to speed on the current circumstances. They weren't good which he'd expected with what had happened to his group. She had also explained that the two teens that had come for the trailer had been sent out by her for the battery the "Launcher" set the Strike could use. The Strike was running low on power and couldn't spare enough to boost its radio while trying to reach potential allies. Holland didn't disagree with attempting to reach others to get more assistance. However, he was trying to be realistic and assume there likely was little to nothing in respect of allies for their group to contact after ZAFT's attack. Yet, they needed something to occupy their time, so they didn't have to think about ZAFT coming back right away. Holland ordered the factory workers to open the trailer and have it shift to be capable to attach the equipment to the Strike.

While Holland was directing the factory workers that had come with him, Murrue had turned to Mr. Yamato. She asked him to board the Strike again and move the mobile suit to the trailer once it was opened. Of course, Murrue was well aware that attaching equipment to the Strike would be much smoother and faster on the Archangel. She would love nothing more than to have the point done on the ship, but that wasn't an option for the moment. Discussing the current situation with Holland had served as a reminder to Murrue how bad things were. ZAFT's assault on them had been bad, she wouldn't deny it looking back. They had been taken by surprise somewhat and that had cost lives. It would've been likely worse if not for hearing the colony-wide announcement to evacuate hadn't come a few minutes before ZAFT had attacked.

Then there was a point that Holland had suggested which Murrue hadn't wanted to consider with it came up. He had suggested the shaking which had come before the attack could've been a strike against those in the docking area. Murrue knew that Holland's suggestion was a real possibility as much as she didn't want to admit it. However, it could potentially explain why the previous attempts to contact others had failed. Murrue didn't want to consider the idea that the crew had been attacked in some way and killed. Their group really needed assistance to improve their current circumstances. Having the Archangel help them would be ideal and Murrue would love nothing more to have that be the case. Yet, it the crew had been attacked, getting the Archangel moving could be difficult to impossible.

T he trailer opened as the other friends of Kira and Tyler's watched. The way it opened appeared to be for assisting or attaching things to a mobile suit in the field from what they could see. There hadn't been much said on what the equipment would do to help improve their circumstances. Tyler had been telling them to remain calm and let him manage things with the adults. They had nodded and done as Tyler had said since he had already shown he could handle Miss Ramius. Granted, he had threatened her with a gun which was out of place for Tyler from what they had learned while getting to know him. However, Tyler had protected them thus far during this craziness that had come up today. Tyler's friend would put their faith in him as he had a knack at getting them out of trouble when it counted. And if there was ever a time, they needed good luck or something like it that Tyler seemed to have, it was now. They watched as the mobile suit the woman had used rose and moved over to the trailer and sit down on it.

Kira had brought the Strike to the trailer and positioned it where the workers directed him. He did glance at the "equipment set" that the trailer had. Kira wondered what piece or part of the set contained the battery that had been mentioned earlier. The mobile suit certainly needed more power as the readouts that Kira had seen made it clear the machine was running low on it. He'd seen fifteen percent on the display that showed the status of the battery the Strike had built into it. Kira figured that the machine hadn't been fully charged before being activated by Miss Ramius during the attack. Some systems had worked, but others had not responded alerting him to there being a lack of power at the time. Kira hoped that with a fresh battery, he could use the radio and get ahold of someone that could provide assistance to them. Tyler may be managing things okay for the moment, but their group really needed more assistance to change their circumstances.

Lacus came up to Tyler's small group who were watching the mobile suit on the trailer. She and Miriallia had patched up the two who had been brought over to them as they could. The two would need rest and a doctor looking them over when they could get that opportunity. They should be out of immediate danger from their injuries they had sustained. Thus, Lacus had come over to the others to see what was going on with the rest of the group they were in right now. When she reached where Kira's friends were, Lacus began overhearing what some of the adults were saying. Those who had come out of the truck were chattering about the process of getting the "Strike" equipped with the stuff in the trailer. The workers seemed familiar with the idea from what Lacus was hearing.

However, Miss Ramius and another were talking about other things from what could be heard. The two appeared to be discussing something beyond the mobile suit and equipping things to it. The other thing which Lacus picked up was them talking about getting help from their "allies" that were somewhere around Morgenröte. The man seemed to think the chances of there being a lot of other people that could help them was low. On the other hand, Miss Ramius said they had to be sure if others were dead or alive. All the talk was worrying Lacus as it left holes with what had been going on. She didn't like that ZAFT had attacked the colony when they shouldn't have even considered it. Lacus planned to have some research into why the attack on Heliopolis had occurred at all. She didn't doubt that her older sister Sakura would be able to find out something about the event.

Murrue paused in her discussion with Holland and glanced at the factory workers working on equipping the Strike with the equipment set. She was once again reminded working with the trailer was slower and rougher than it could be done on the Archangel. They were pressed for time for a few reasons which were all related to ZAFT probably coming back to attack again. It would be best to get the Strike to the Archangel and the ship considering exiting the colony. If the two unknown machines could also get to the ship, it would be even better in Murrue's opinion. The sooner the Archangel left the colony with what it could get on it, the more beneficial it would be for the colony. So, Murrue shook her head, "This would be faster on the Archangel," she uttered. "We really should get the Strike to the ship as soon as possible Holland."

Holland knew that Murrue had a good point, even if with things as they were, such would be difficult. The roads to any of the gates that would lead into Morgenröte and to the docking area that the Archangel was in were likely wrecked by ZAFT. Because of that, reaching any of the gates would be a challenge due to the route not being straightforward or short. So, while it was easy for Murrue to say what would be a great idea, accomplishing the point wouldn't be easy at all. Even should they be able to contact any that could be alive, reaching them with the Strike or other supplies would take a good amount of effort. "While I don't disagree," Holland began, "getting to it will be anything but easy. The trailer had to take backroads to reach here because of the main highways being unusable. I fear that will be true for most if not all routes to any of the gates to Morgenröte's interior."

Lacus was confused by most of the conversation she was hearing between the two. She had taken away a few things, but little else beyond that. Miss Murrue wanted to get the mobile suit she had been using to a ship called the Archangel. What type of ship this "Archangel" was, she couldn't say with what she'd heard so far. Yet, OMNI had made mobile suits for themselves, so it wasn't a stretch for them to build a ship that was likely to be the carrier for them. Still with how confused Lacus was, she couldn't stop herself from asking the question about the name of the ship that had been referred to by the two. "The Archangel," she questioned. "What is this Archangel Miss Ramius?"

The question snapped Murrue out of the discussion she'd been having with Holland. She hadn't thought about the teens potentially overhearing what they were saying. The teens had already seen too much and had learned more than they should about the G-Weapons. Their knowledge was already to the point that OMNI officers above her would have to decide what would have to be done about the teens. The one who would likely decide their fate would be Captain Locke since he was the superior officer in this. Murrue doubted that the captain would do anything harmful to them. Captain Locke was a good and honorable man, Murrue had seen enough evidence to know that for a fact. The captain would know better what to do about the teens once their group got in contact with the Archangel. That didn't help with an answer to the question that the pink-haired teen had brought up.

Tyler watched Miss Ramius and the guy he and Rusty had saved as they simply stared at Lacus after she had asked the question. While he understood the view military organizations had about secrecy, it was a moot point honestly. ZAFT's attack proved that information about OMNI's project had been leaked by some. To deny that point now was foolish and would only waste time which they really didn't have time to spare. For Miss Ramius to not answer just said she was conflicted which she should've gone beyond by this point. Tyler felt it was better to just move things forward by answering the question the woman wouldn't. "As Miss Ramius seems unwilling to answer your question Lacus, allow me to do so," Tyler stated. "The Archangel is the first ship of a new class for OMNI within the last few years. It was designed and built at Morgenröte and had the help of those who work at the complex. The ship was to be the carrier and work with the prototype mobile suits OMNI also had constructed at Morgenröte."

Murrue and Holland snapped their gazes to McGregor as he had been talking. The information that the teen had just given shouldn't be known to those that weren't working on the G-Project or who were made aware of it. McGregor shouldn't know any of what he'd just said about the Archangel or the G-Weapons. Sure, there had been hints that Murrue had picked up on that the teen could potentially know something about the G-Project. But with what he'd just revealed, the question came up of not if he knew of the project, but how much of the project he was aware of. If a teen like McGregor knew about the project, it strongly said that data had been leaked somewhere. OMNI higher-ups would be very unhappy about that point when it came to their attention. And Murrue doubted that Holland had much more to say than she did in response to the teen.

Tyler could see that he had made the two OMNI officers speechless with his answer to Lacus. He'd expected that would be the case since he knew about their "secret project" that they believed they had kept to themselves. Yet, Tyler had made it clear that it would be best to be truthful and come clean for them. They were all in bad circumstances because OMNI had been working on their project at Heliopolis, thinking they wouldn't be discovered. So, Tyler didn't see a reason to be nice and let OMNI personnel off the hook for what they had been doing. Thus, Tyler smiled a bit before he continued, "If I got any points wrong or am off on things, then please, do tell me. You are free to correct me should anything I just said is wrong, I welcome you to do so."

Neither Holland nor Murrue could think of what they could say to the teen. He had put them in a position that forced them onto the defensive. Murrue didn't like that the teen had caught her off-guard and gotten the better of her for the moment. He shouldn't know anything about the G-Project, yet he somehow did. The teen was proving more dangerous the more that Murrue learned of him. She couldn't say if Tyler McGregor was an enemy or something else. He was definitely not a mere spectator as the other teens had been, that much she could say with confidence. He would have to be watched more than the other teens even with all that was going on currently. Still, Murrue couldn't think of anything to say in response to McGregor's challenge.

The teens observed the stare down that had started with Tyler's answer to Lacus's question. Tyler had said a collection of things which none of them had heard before now. He certainly seemed more than just "well-informed" about this Archangel that had been mentioned. Sure, the gang hadn't forgotten that Tyler had some sort of job which had him working for a journalist doing research. He hadn't said much beyond doing research for the said journalist even when they had inquired. But in this instance, it was hard not to ask for more of how Tyler could know what he had just stated. And it was Sai who was scratching his head that voiced the question on all of their minds, "So how do you know that, Tye?"

Tyler couldn't exactly tell the truth of how he'd found out the data about OMNI's project to his friends. His mission to Heliopolis was still an active one from Federation High Command, thus he couldn't talk about it with those that weren't involved right now. Also, Tyler didn't doubt that OMNI would be very displeased were or rather when they found out the Federation was looking into their activities. Granted, Tyler's backstory would cover him enough that he could slip out of accusation sent his way. His "job" of working for a journalist allowed him to go all sorts of places to do "research." However, Tyler was not inclined to lie to his friends if it could be helped and/or avoided. But in this case, he couldn't tell them the truth, though he could tell them somewhat how he came by the information. So, Tyler shrugged at Sai's question, "The journalist I've been working with has been looking into some rumors the last few months. They were having me do research on them and some of the workers at Morgenröte mentioned the idea."

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A/n

And that's where I'll leave off for this Phase to pick up in the next. There is an amount to talk about in this Phase as you readers may guess. This phase was originally going to be longer, but there just came a point I had to accept that the original phase would have to be split into multiple phases. The last Phase should've hinted at that, but it is turning out to be developing into much more of an expansion than I thought it would. It's mostly due to my policy of keeping Phases below 30k words the best I can so you readers aren't overwhelmed. Sorry if that sounds like an excuse, but personally, I find if a chapter is too long, it is easy to get confused or lose interest and I want to avoid that. But let's get onto the highlights and explanations these notes are written for.

Starting with the first scene in this Phase, it is different than the original and I like this version better. Granted, it shows Tyler in a slightly darker light, but that isn't what I was going for. I wanted to show just how far Tyler will go for friends and those he cared about. I also wanted to give Rusty some screen time and show he has a good heart as well even if he is from ZAFT. He also comprehends that the welfare of Tyler's friends affected his own. That will change as the story goes on, but I won't spoil the fun to come for you readers. Murrue isn't shown as mean and unfeeling as she is in canon, and I say she comes off better this way than she does in canon. Tyler also does what he does to draw the attention of OMNI to him rather than possibly going to his friends or Rusty.

Let's move on to the third scene as what happens with Natarle doesn't have much to go over. Tyler and Rusty are searching for the trailer with the Strike's Launcher set there is an amount to go over. Their discussion is the place I will start as I want to talk about a few things. First, Rusty is smarter than he may come off as. We don't see this in canon since he is killed in the first episode which is a shame. So, Rusty will get character development in this story so expect that going forward. Second, Rusty brings up a ZAFT protocol which this story works with and it was put in place by Admiral Treize. The need of it should be obvious with this conversation as ZAFT's action have created a political mess. That leads to the third point which is Orb is a part of the Human Federation at this time.

Moving on from the discussion to the other part of the scene, let me talk about what comes in when they find the right trailer. I decided to introduce a new character in the form of Holland Corts. For you readers that are anime lovers, you may recognize the description as his appearance is based on Holland Novak from Eureka Seven. I wanted to expand the Archangel's starting crew a bit so I have more to work with for the stuff ahead. Holland isn't your classic military officer, I state that for the record. He does great work in the field and managing small groups. However, his original assignment was a go between for the officers and non-commissioned crew. I will get into that more as the story goes on, but I wanted to lay that out in this Phase.

In conclusion, I hope that you readers are liking this version of the story thus far. I am really putting in work to make this great to read since finding a good story can be hard to do these days unfortunately. As I ask at the end of each Phase, if some of you readers will please take the time to write a review and telling me what you think. You can ask questions or even point out things that need correction in my writing. I appreciate the input from others as it helps me improve and get better. Peace out until the next Phase!