The Minerva was quickly descending, keeping up pace with the remaining chunks of Junius Seven.
"We're approaching phase three. If we wait any longer, we won't be able to fire the cannon, Captain!"
"But we still don't know where the Impulse, GuAIZ and ZAKU are! We might end up shooting them by accident!"
Talia tensed herself, trying to make a decision. Cagalli watched as they drew closer to Earth. "Athrun…"
"Activate Tannhauser!" Talia commanded, as everyone turned to her in surprise. "Our mission to stop Junius Seven from falling intact must be achieved at all cost! Aim at the object to starboard!"
Cagalli frowned as the order commenced.
"Aiming Tannhauser at the object to starboard."
The cannon on the ship opened up, ready to blast.
"Fire!" Talia commanded.
The blast slammed into the side of the colony, breaking off a chunk.
Several miles below, Shinn was rapidly typing away at the controls of the Impulse. Though he seemed calm, he was panicking inside. "Adjusting entry angle. Cooling systems all clear. Automatic altitude control system, on! Set BCS to neutral!"
He turned his machine around, keeping the shield up to protect the machine as best as he could.
"Mayu… Mayu where are you?!" He looked around on the radar, before catching the sight of two machines.
Athrun's ZAKU was plummeting towards Earth, keeping the shield up to protect itself. But to his surprise, it also was protectively holding Mayu's GuAIZ R in its arm, as she used the shield to help reinforce the reentry. Shinn's momentary relief went away as he saw a part of the ZAKU's leg fly off and explode.
"Tch! The damage from earlier is heating up the right leg too quickly." Athrun realized, trying to keep a grip on the GuAIZ R. "Can we make it?"
The Minerva blasted Junius Seven again, causing more damage to split off. Several of the smaller chunks entered the atmosphere. The smaller ones burned up from reentry speeds, but several of the larger pieces made it through. The ship's cameras started to take damage as they drew closer to the planet.
"We've entered phase three!" Arthur shouted, as the effects of gravity began to take place on the crew.
Meyrin was receiving a call from her sister. She tapped it to see what the situation was in the hangar. Lunamaria was standing in her cockpit, struggling to stay upright. "Meyrin, where's Shinn and Mayu?!"
The call was cut-off before Meyrin could answer, as another tremor knocked Luna over.
On Earth, several cities were evacuating to escape the destruction. One such bunker was filled with orphans from the previous war. Two little mechanical creations were trying to keep everyone calm.
"Haro. Haro. That's a problem!"
"Birdy."
"What's coming? What's coming?" One of the orphans asked.
"Do we hafta stay here forever?!" Another one whined.
"Everything will be fine." Lacus reassured them. "We'll only be here for a little while. This will be over very soon."
Kira was staring off, with Birdy on his shoulder. The lights started to flicker above them from the impact.
"Don't worry." Lacus rubbed the head of a scared girl, pulling a younger boy into a comforting hug as they started to cry. "There's nothing to worry about."
She began to sing, as the frightened cries of the children went away. Kira looked up, a bit of light returning to his eyes.
Up on Bogey One, the three pilots of the stolen mobile suits watched as the destruction fell upon the Earth. Stella's eyes were trembling, seeing the explosions light up the planet. "Die…? Are they all going to die…?"
"Captain, we can now switch to aerodynamic control." Arthur said.
"Deploy the main wings! Be extra careful!" Talia ordered.
"Deploying main wings. Switching to atmospheric flight."
"How are communications and sensors?" Talia asked, as the Minerva shifted in shape.
"Offline." Meyrin said. "Radio waves are unreliable due to the falling fragments."
"Well, use lasers or thermal sensors!" Talia commanded. "We have to find our missing mobile suits!"
Cagalli looked up as Arthur spoke. "Are you suggesting they've descended safely?"
"You may find this strange after I fired the Tannhauser without hesitation, but I want to believe they're alright." Talia said, a look of belief in her eyes.
Athrun grit his teeth, as his ZAKU was on its last legs. The shield broke off as it and the GuAIZ R plummeted.
"Are you alright?!" Athrun shouted to Mayu.
"Ugh, yes…" Mayu winced, feeling the force of gravity increase as they fell.
"Without a booster, I guess there's just no way to enter the atmosphere!" Athrun muttered. "Can your GuAIZ fly for both of us?"
"No!" Mayu shouted. "It got damaged earlier and isn't functioning at full power!"
Their communicators started to stutter with static as a voice came through. "Athrun! Mayu!"
"Big Brother?" Mayu widened her eyes. "Big Brother, is that you?!"
"Stay where you two are! I'll be right there!" He shouted.
"Stop it!" Athrun shouted. "Even the Impulse doesn't have the strength to withstand the fall of three machines!"
The ZAKU and GuAIZ R shook, as the Force Impulse grabbed them from above.
"Why must you always insist on telling us what can't be done?!" Shinn shouted. "And you're out of your mind if you think I was gonna let Mayu fall!"
"Big Brother…" Mayu smiled.
"Then what would you rather I tell you?" Athrun asked.
"Something like, "Help me, you bastard!" or "Forget about me, save your sister!"" Shinn said.
Mayu sighed while Athrun chuckled. "Would you prefer that?"
"No, that's just an example." Shinn said.
"Seriously, Big Brother…" Mayu put a hand on her face."
"Sensors have picked up something! Seven o'clock, distance 400! It's… The Impulse?"
Cagalli stood up, while Talia leaned forward.
"Can you bring up a visual?" Talia asked.
"Yes, in a moment!" Meyrin typed away.
Appearing on the monitor in front of them was the Force Impulse Gundam, carrying both the ZAKU and GuAIZ R.
"Both the Zaku and GuAIZ R! Are okay too!" Arthur said.
Meyrin let out a breath she didn't realize she held in. "Mayu's alright. She's safe…"
Cagalli smiled in relief. "Athrun…"
"Arthur. Give them a sign using the signal flares." Talia said.
"Yes ma'am!"
"Malik, take us to them." Talia said. "We'd better catch them quickly, or they'll both hit the ocean's surface."
The signal flare was launched, and it wasn't long before the Impulse flew over with the ZAKU and GuAIZ R, landing on the ship.
"The Impulse, ZAKU and GuAIZ R have landed." Meyrin announced.
Shinn was the first to step out of his machine once they entered the hanger. He quickly went over to Mayu's GuAIZ R and stood beneath it as she lowered herself on the cable.
"Mayu, are you alright?"
Mayu nodded. "I'm okay."
"You're getting the hang of piloting pretty quickly." Luna smiled as she walked over.
"It's like riding a bike, actually." Mayu said, surprised at how much she had improved on her second outing.
"Athrun!"
They turned to see Cagalli running up to Athrun, who had just lowered himself from the ZAKU. He smiled at her, before the ship started to shake.
"Wh-What?! What is it now?!" Vino said, annoyed.
"That's the impact of the first fragments after traveling full circle around the world." Rey answered calmly. "Most likely."
Mayu's face dropped, as she thought of all the lives they could have saved.
"Rome. Shanghai. The Gobi Desert. Quebec. Philadelphia and the North Atlantic." Lord Durandal looked out a window as he listed off the names of the places affected by the falling fragments. "There's no way of telling how high the number of casualties could climb. A tragedy beyond words. But the real problems begin now."
Someone in the room with him was fiddling with a chess piece as she listened to his words.
The Minerva was approaching the ocean, preparing for a water landing.
"Approach angle, satisfactory. Flaps down." Arthur said. "Calculating estimated ocean surface wind velocity. Water landing checklist one through twenty-four, all clear."
"The ground effect is higher than in the simulations!"
"Adjust for it!" Talia picked up the phone. "Attention! All units, brace for water-landing!"
As the ship hit the water, tremors went through all of the Minerva. Thankfully, they calmed down once the water landing was complete.
"We have landed safely." Arthur announced. "Reverting to normal status. All sections checked and no leaks currently detected, but we will continue to watch for them. Damage control staff, make your way to the lower sections."
Meyrin let out a breath of relief as she leaned back in her chair.
Several of the crew members took a moment to step out of the ship, taking in the sea air. It was rather gloomy with the overhead clouds, but that didn't seem to bother anyone.
"So we're on Earth." Yolan said, looking out at the ocean.
"I think we've landed in what they call the Pacific Ocean." Vino said, amazed. "It's enormous!"
"We're not here on vacation, you know." Yolan reminded his friend. "Why are you always like that?"
Mayu took in a deep breath of the ocean air, remembering how there was a similar smell back on the beaches of Orb. It was a rather nostalgic feeling for her, considering how long it had been since she was on Earth. She guessed the Representative had a similar idea, since she and her bodyguard were on the deck as well.
"Are you alright, Athrun?" Cagalli asked her bodyguard.
"Yeah… I'm fine." He said, looking out at the ocean.
"But what a surprise. I was so worried." Cagalli said. "You never said anything about going out in a mobile suit."
"Sorry about that, acting on my own." Athrun apologized.
"It's okay. I have no problem with that. I know your abilities." Cagalli said. "In fact, I'm kinda glad you did go out."
Athrun looked rather surprised at her words.
"Although what happened is extremely unfortunate, if it wasn't for the Minerva and Yzak's team, it would've been a lot worse to say the least." Cagalli said. "I'm sure the people of Earth understand that."
"Enough of your blabbering!"
Mayu turned to see her brother walking out onto the deck.
"Oh, no. Not again." Vino realized.
"You were on the bridge! So I'm sure you know what really took place here!" Shinn shouted.
"Shinn!" Athrun narrowed his eyes.
"The fall of Junius Seven wasn't an accident!" Shinn said. "There were people behind this! The ones who did it were Coordinators!"
Mayu quickly went up towards them, as Cagalli widened her eyes at Shinn's words.
"Men whose families were killed there and still hold a grudge about the incident!" Shinn shouted. "They dropped that thing, saying "Naturals should perish!""
"I-I know that!" Cagalli said. "I know about that… but still…"
"But what?!"
"You guys did everything you could to try to stop it!"
"Of course we did!"
"Big Brother, that's enough!" Mayu yelled, walking up. Shinn turned to his sister, and his anger slightly seemed to drain.
"And yet its fragments are still wreaking devastation upon Earth." Athrun said, clenching his fist. "We couldn't stop it completely."
"Athrun…" Cagalli turned to him, seeing the grief in his eyes.
"Even though it was done by only a handful of people, the fact remains that we Coordinators were responsible for this." Athrun said. "Do you think the people will forgive us with that in mind?"
Mayu watched as Athrun left, walking back inside.
"The last thing said by the leader of the men who self detonated was: "For us Coordinators, the path of Patrick Zala was the one and only correct path!"" Shinn remembered, getting everyone's attention.
Mayu looked back at the door Athrun left through. The realization hit why Athrun seemed so shaken up after the battle. Cagalli was about to follow him, but Shinn spoke up again.
"You really have no idea about anything, do you?!" He glared at Cagalli, who stopped to face him. "I feel sorry for him!"
He left with all the others, leaving Cagalli alone with Mayu.
"Lady Cagalli…" Mayu turned to her, seeing how downtrodden she looked. I'm sorry for my brother's words. But if I just keep apologizing for him, nothing will change… I need to do something…
Some time had passed since the landing, and as most of the crew relaxed, those on the bridge were deciding on their next move. They tried using the radio, but all that came up was static.
"As expected, nothing." One of the bridge members said to Cagalli. "The particle density is too great. Not even laser communication is possible right now."
"I see. Thanks." Cagalli nodded.
The door opened and Mayu entered. "Pardon me, Captain."
"Mayu? What is it?" She asked.
Mayu handed the captain a data disk. "This has all the information the chairman will need."
Cagalli looked confused, hearing those words. Talia looked down at the disk, before taking it.
"So you have made your decision?"
Mayu nodded, determination in her eyes.
"I'll have this sent to the Chairman as soon as possible." Talia said. "I'd suggest keeping this under wraps from the others for now."
"I understand." Mayu nodded.
"Very well. Dismissed."
Mayu gave one more salute, before leaving. Cagalli frowned as she watched her leave. Though it wasn't long before Cagalli and the captain left the room themselves and entered the elevator.
"We are planning to proceed to orb as soon as we're done checking the ship and have cleared emergency matters." Talia said.
"Yeah, I know." Cagalli nodded. "I understand that there's no point in talking to them from where we are. I do understand that, but…"
"Orb is an island nation after all. It's only natural you'd be worried." Talia said.
As the elevator door opened, Cagalli stepped out. "As a token of my appreciation for your distinguished service, let me know if there's anything I can do for the Minerva. But at this point, I can't make any promises. Please forgive me, Captain."
"No. There's no need to apologize." Talia was a bit taken aback by the offer, before the two parted ways.
Mayu walked down the hall to where she knew the others were having target practice on one of the smaller decks. Though she heard a conversation over the few shots every so often. Walking out onto the deck, she saw Luna talking with Athrun.
"Can you show us a bit?" Luna asked. "The truth is, I'm not too good at this."
Athrun took the training pistol from Luna and stepped up as he put the target setting to the highest difficulty. He took aim as Shinn walked onto the deck, curious. With the starter announcement, the targets rose and fell within seconds. But Athrun landed bullseyes on the chests and headshots dead-on without missing a beat, surprising everyone with his skill.
"Wow! You're using the same gun, but what a difference!" Luna said, amazed.
"It's not the gun. You have a habit of twisting your wrist as you pull the trigger." Athrun explained. "That's why your spacing is inconsistent."
He glanced up, noticing Cagalli was looking through the window above.
"Although, it's pretty useless to be good at things like this." Athrun handed Luna back her gun.
"I disagree." Luna said, as he walked away. "It's necessary to protect yourself and your friends from the enemy."
"And who's that enemy?" Athrun asked, making Luna pause.
"I hear the Minerva's heading to Orb." Shinn said. "Will you also be returning to Orb?"
"Yeah."
Mayu looked out at the ocean, in the direction of the nation she once lived, hand slightly trembling. Meyrin put a hand on her shoulder.
"Why is that?" Shinn asked. "What do you do there?"
Luna was also curious, staring at Athrun's back as he remained silent.
On one of Orb's beaches, Kira and Lacus stared out at the crashing waves.
"A storm is on its way." Lacus said.
"Yeah, I know." Kira agreed.
Neither of them were talking about the weather.
A/N: It's always fun adding more text with Mayu around, while slightly changing Shinn's attitude here and there
And now we head back to Orb. We're seeing it through different lens with Mayu around. Nothing much to say for now as we keep going on. Hoping we reach some of the bigger changes soon.
Feel free to leave a review. See you all next time.