Gundam SEED: Kismet Chapter Fifty-One Preview 12/10/10

[rebel_cheese]

Chapter Four: Trigger Pull

We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount. The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living.
-General Omar Bradley

Saburo Uzumaki knew he was about to meet his destiny. In just a few short moments, the operation would begin. There was a chill in the air, surprising in the strictly regulated climate of the PLANT. He knew it should feel somewhat warm, but not overly so-it was supposed to be mimicking late spring. He realized it was his fear, fear of what could go wrong, fear of being shot, fear of being killed or left behind that was making him cold, making him shiver.

Frederick Coolidge looked grave, but calm. The man was a veteran soldier. He knew combat well enough to know what to expect. According to people who knew Coolidge, he had been shot down twice in the last war and had to fight on the ground. So he even knew what ground combat was like, and what measures to take.

Indira seemed to be salivating. She was holding a standard ZAFT rifle with a grenade launcher attachment that fired heat-seeking rocket-propelled grenades. To Saburo, she seemed close to a basket case, but if the Front couldn't trust her she wouldn't be here. Then again, this would be Saburo's first major action, ever. The Front was becoming pressed for recruits, and unless they scored a major blow, their losses would soon become unsustainable.

"That's right, my little angel," Indira whispered, perhaps to Saburo, or to her rifle, or even to her body. "Get ready. There's going to be so much excitement. So much fun."

Basket case, Saburo silently declared with finalty.

The overall leader of the operation was a woman in her early forties who had also survived Jachin Doe, Janeane Cruz, whose name suggested mixed ancestry. She looked as wizened by war as Coolidge, and she spoke quietly, yet with a firmness that made Saburo listen. She seemed to capture the attention of everyone in the safe house, even Indira stopped talking to herself (or to Saburo, or to her gun) to listen.

"Welcome, everyone. In just a half-hour, First Phase of Operation Burning Sky will begin. Take a good look around yourselves, for this will be the first, and last time you will see many of them."

"Not a big loss for me," Indira whispered. Saburo's shivers quickly became worse, and his hands gripped his arms in an attempt to suppress.

Cruz continued. "This is going to be a high-casualty operation, and you will be shooting and watching your comrades get shot. But none of you would be here if you didn't know that. Before you ask why this operation is essential to Burning Sky, let me say that I have seen all of the specifics and naunces of the plan. Attacking Hawking plays a large role in the overall plan laid out by Ezalia Joule, but due to clearance and the likelihood you'll be captured I cannot inform those of you I haven't already told about Second Phase."

Thanks for the morale boost and telling us we're important, lady, Saburo thought.

Cruz said "The reason why we're all here is because we're all pilots. We are all Coordinators of the finest caliber. Most of us have seen combat before or tested well in the simulations. To those who have seen this before; this is going to be the most intense firefight you will have ever experienced. To those who are new; this will be the most harrowing experience, more so than the simulations can predict. For all; anything can go wrong, and we must prepare to improvise as necessary.

"Now for the aspects of the plan. Our intelligence says that the ZAFT collaborators have begun assembling new Mobile Suits, including five special prototypes. One of our people on the inside also says that the ZAFT Chairman is planning on touring the facility today with the head of the Earth Alliance and the Orb Representative."

The sultry, excited grin on Indira's face frightened Saburo more than the combat to come.

"However, I will emphasize that the Chairman and his counterparts are secondary objectives and must be treated as targets of opportunity only. We cannot guarantee their exact location when we begin the operation. If you see them and think you can take them out, do it. Burning Sky will have a better chance of success if the governments are in crisis. But the GUNDAMs are what is most necessary. We need the firepower and the morale boost, especially considering how difficult Burning Sky's second phase will be."

Second Phase this, Second Phase that. What the hell is it? Saburo thought.

"There are five, along with Zakus and Zaku Phantoms stationed there if more than five of us survive and need a Mobile Suit. Our intelligence has mapped them out for us. "Saviour", "Impluse", and "Chaos" are in the largest hangar, Hangar 8. That is where most of the experimental equipment is. Intel suggests that "Gaia" and "Abyss" are being moved to Hangar 9, which means they've been tested and likely more identical models will be made of those Mobile Suits. But, as they remain the only ones in existence as this time they do represent an advantage.

"Hangars 1 through 6 do not contain Mobile Suits, they are mostly battleship and ground combat technology. Hangar 7 contains Zakus and the Phantoms, and the other three hangars contain standard GINNs. Do to the important hangars' proximity to the northeastern corner of the base we will be striking from the north end, and make quick left as soon as we can to reach the Mobile Suits. We will be using vehicles for this task, they are stashed underneath the house and we will be essentially ramming our ways through the gates and to the hangars.

"A lot of the people there are mechanics and engineers and are from Orb. They do not have any particular loyalty to the ZAFT, have limited military training, and will most likely choose to retreat rather than fight us. However, there are a substantial amount of trained ZAFT soldiers based at the facility, along with four squadrons' worth of pilots who will run for their GINNs, and, in one squadron's case, the Zakus, at the first sign of trouble. The pilots have been trained in infantry weapons and they will shoot with accuracy."

This is sounding more and more like a suicide mission, Saburo thought. How was he just going to survive the attack, much less the extraction-by-thievery? How would he be able to get into a Mobile Suit, his only way out, with ZAFT's military shooting at him the whole way? And even if he did get into a Mobile Suit, what would prevent the ZAFT from shooting him down? Especially if he was using just a GINN?

Indira's words weren't comforting to him either. He was left with the conclusion that she had lost her mind. "That's right. Let the mothers all come. Let them try and take me and my baby," she whispered

Please let her rifle be the "baby", Saburo silently begged whoever might be omnipotent enough to be listening.

Cruz was continuing on. Yet she was talking with a renewed urgency. "I have faith in all of you. We are making this blow for all Coordinators everywhere who desire to be liberated from the collaborators. With the new weapons, we will have the firepower capable of changing, well, everything."

She then became more solemn, but her words seemed to be inspiring enough for the group. "And, one last thing: I personally promise I won't forget any of the faces in this room regardless of what happens out there. You are all brave for coming here. Willing to sacrifice yourselves in every way for the cause and for our Coordinator species. Those who try to break our solidarity, our spirit, and try to kill us in body and mind, they will learn a lesson today, I am sure of it."

Noticed she didn't say "We will win today", Saburo thought as everyone in the room applauded. They could learn a multitude of lessons soon. One of them could easily be The Coordinator Liberation Front are incompetent imbeciles.

Cruz nodded and said "Load up. It's time we showed the collaborators what we're capable of."

Yet another ambiguous statement for Saburo to think about as he prepared.
* * *
The simulated weather on the PLANT was as reliable as ever. All it needed was an occasional shower and it mimicked late-spring accurately. One of the things Athrun missed about the ZAFT was the elegance of their surroundings, how they kept everyone happy and giving the people a small taste of what a utopia could appear like.

Hawking Base was efficently designed. Due to the limited amount of space in a PLANT, it had to be. No more space was used than necessary for the crews to function in and be reasonably comfortable. And Durandal's tour was similiarly succinct, with enough detail and sights to satisfy an ordinary person, but quick enough that Athrun couldn't look at the activities for very long.

"A lot of Mobile Suits . . ." Naomi Mitsuda finally said, either in awe or in disguist, Athrun couldn't tell which.

"Yes. And from what the press releases say, you are about to launch a new warship as well," Cagalli said. Athrun silently approved of her still-suspicious stance. She was not going to let herself be taken in by Durandal as much as Durandal wanted her to be.

"Your actions are worrying the Pacific Earth Alliance in particular," Naomi said. "With the North American Federation and Eurasia taking most of the abuse in the last war, the PEA is the predominant political and military force at the moment. And they've always been more aggressive and reactionery than either the NAF or Eurasia. The PEA wants an arms race."

Durandal shook it off with the wave of his left hand. "I have no interest in reigniting the war," he said quickly. "That is the last thing ZAFT needs right now. Too many of her children perished in the last war. They're still being flown back in caskets. I can't put through my people through another wringer."

Good answer, Athrun thought.

"Try saying that to the PEA," Naomi said.

"Right now, my only interest is to show strength so any aggression can be prevented. There are terrorists from both Earth and the PLANTs whose only interest is to essentially to neutralize the moderates in any manner possible. They are my primary concern. They, because of their profession of terrorism, are not bound by politics and niceties like Eastern Asia or any other organized government. They don't have to worry about anyone other than themselves, all they are concerned about is murder. They can strike at any time, with more lethal force than Eastern Asia, Orb, or the ZAFT can."

Durandal seemed to have chosen his words carefully to Athrun. Perhaps too carefully. Like he had rehearsed this whole conversation beforehand. Considering how quickly he had discerned Athrun's true identity, he wondered how intelligent Durandal was-and when he learned these political skills.

"The new Mobile Suits will play an important part of the campaign against the terrorists, and hopefully dissfuse any thoughts of aggression from The Pacific Earth Alliance or any other warlike federations."

He looked at Naomi and Cagalli at the same time and smiled calmly. "My people elected me so I can strengthen the peace. To go to war, without provocation, is betraying them. I have been given a responsbility, to provide for the people and keep them safe. That is all I'm doing. Please refer that to Eastern Asia if you are so worried they will launch a preemptive strike without the support of the rest of the Earth."

Naomi nodded. "I will. Whether they will listen, or simply say you are quote-"spewing more Coordinator lies"-unquote is another matter altogether. Also, the North American Federation and Eurasia both desire revenge over the last war. If there is an attack the Pacific Earth Alliance will have tacit support."

Cagalli said "The best thing to do right now is to figure out how to stop the distrust between all sides. It was quite clear that in the conversation at Durandal's suite that you and Durandal were so suspicious of each other that you two were almost hostile, Secretary-General."

Naomi said "It is only natural, after a brutal war where you spent the entire time viewing the ZAFT as the enemy. It takes time to get used to the idea that we can have common ground and working relationships. Some are so baffled and horrified by the notion they will do anything to stop it before it begins. The fact I came here into PLANT when you could easily hold me hostage already demonstrates that I trust your honor, Chairman."

Durandal nodded. "Perhaps I should visit Earth sometime soon, in return."

"Perhaps." Then there was silence, and Athrun suddenly felt uneasy.

There were Morgenroete everywhere where they were now, and many of them turned their heads and noticed Cagalli. "Princess Cagalli!" several of them shouted.

"She's here, I can't believe it!"

"Does that mean we'll be heading home?"

"It's freaky enough she's even here!"

Cagalli looked slightly embarrassed, and it took the combined wall of bodyguards surrounding the three statespeople to keep the Morgenroete personnel at a safe distance.

Durandal looked at Cagalli. "Quite popular among your people, I see," he said.

Cagalli briefly flushed before regaining her composure. "Yes, I am," she replied.

Durandal nodded. "When the time comes for when you're taking power, Representative, don't abuse your people's considerable trust in you. Too many heads of state when they've become enormously popular over the years believe they have a mandate to impose their will upon the country and their people. It usually backfires before too long."

"I know. I promise, I won't let power corrupt me," Cagalli said.

Naomi cleared her throat. "If I may inquire, the Mobile Suits at Hangar 7 do not look like your standard GINNs."

"Ah, yes." Durandal walked forward, and pointed at the small glimpse of the Mobile Suits through the opened hangar doors. "Those are the Zaku Warriors. Supposed to be superior in most instances to the GINNs, and complies with every aspect with the Junius Treaty. The squadron leaders fly a slightly-different version of the same model, called the Zaku Phantom. It contains more firepower but at the same is more complicated to use-which is why we only let experieced pilots of seniority fly it."

They definitely looked like a match for the Murasame models Orb was developing. More than that for the M1 type. Athrun wondered whether the Zaku was purely just for counter-terrorism or whether Durandal had some ulterior motive. He wanted to trust the ZAFT Chairman, he looked like a reasonable, thoughtful man. But there was something about him that just seemed too measured, too off, that made Athrun wonder whether Durandal was exactly what he seemed to be.

Cagalli said "So this is what you've assembled using Morgenroete," she said.

Durandal said "Yes, and as I've promised, I will return them to you. Though I must ask, have you come up with a plan to provide for them? Be able to give them a living?"

"Of course!" Cagalli nearly shouted. "The Prime Minister and I have been planning this for the last year! They will have work. They will have housing, power, food, whatever it is they need, without cost to the people who remained at Orb after the war. They don't need to be refugees anymore."

"The Representative is an honorable person, Chairman," Naomi interjected. "If she says it, she means it, and she does not lie. She has so much of her father in her."

Durandal nodded. "I understand. If you have been seriously and sincerely planning for their return, then I have nothing to worry about. But, as you can see, they are living rather well here. I've made sure to have them treated as equals. I do not tolerate bigotry and I've made sure that they are secure from any possible hostile attack. Hawking is an example of this. The security here is impeccable."

Everyone thinks that before there's an attack, Athrun thought. He knew all too well that a determined and organized effort could penetrate any base, any shelter.

"You've reassured me about this, and it certainly does not look like you've staged this," Cagalli said. "But that does not change my mind, or my and the Prime Minister's policies regarding the matter. Our people are not mercenaries, and since the country has recovered and can provide for them once again they should stop being used as such."

Neither Durandal or Naomi looked too happy about that. They did not like having the same point being shoved down their throats over and over, but that was part of Cagalli's political style. She was extremely direct and concise. When she wanted something, she would make it extremely clear, without any opening for misinterpretation, and kept reaffirming it until it was embedded in her counterparts' minds. She was determined to keep Orb relevant, and Athrun sincerely hoped she would. Orb likely would have to be more than they had traditionally been for years to come.

"I wasn't trying to change your mind, Representative," Durandal said, his face becoming a mask.

Cagalli's good as anyone at reading political manuevers, Chairman. Might want to get used to it.

Suddenly, one of the ZAFT bodyguards put her hand next to the ear that had a small eabrud inside, as if listening to a message. Much to Athrun's surprise, the woman's usually-stoic face changed to one of horror for a brief second. Then she removed the hand from her earbud and looked at Durandal.

"Chairman, suspicious activity has been spotted in the vicinity of Hawking. We have to leave immediately. The rest of the base is being warned right now, but we likely won't have everyone ready in time if there is an attack."

"Earth terrorists or Liberation Front?" Durandal asked immediately.

"We can't tell at this moment. Right now, the only concern is to-"

That was when all hell broke loose.
* * *
Khalid stared through the 2x scope of his assault rifle. There were ZAFT guards standing around everywhere there, chatting, smiling, laughing without a care in the world. They had no idea that they were all about to die. More than likely most of them would have no idea what killed them.

All he was waiting for was for the order to come down. Then his family would finally be avenged. It was about time the Coordinators received retribution for all that they had done to his homeland. To his people. They would finally learn what it was like to have loss, to have terror in their own homeland.

They were going to learn nowhere was safe.

There were only ten of them left. They would have to venture across the road on foot, across the open. They could decapitate drivers of vehicles and use them as cover, but even so, unless the machine-gun turret was neutralized, everyone would be cut down in an instant.

And after they got inside, they would have to move towards the hangars, and quickly. The element of surprise would be their only advantage. The ZAFT were well-trained and professional. They would be pinpoint shots, especially if they could find cover in time. Khalid was left with the uneasy thought that he would have to hide behind the machines he was supposed to be annihilating.

Suddenly, one of his comrades said "We have reports of another confrontation. Looks like somebody else wants to kill the ZAFT. We can use the distraction to get inside. They wouldn't expect another party to attack when they already have to deal with someone else."

Already, the guards at the checkpoint were frantically trying to organize themselves. They had definitely heard the news, and many of them were already running, obviously being redeployed elsewhere.

One of them said "Now, while they're in such small numbers!"

Khalid looked through the scope again, putting his rifle on the machine-gun nest. He announced "I got the machine-gun nest."

Omar said "Understood. We'll wait for you to take the shot before we begin. Everyone, pick your targets. They must be neutralized or nearly so in order for us to make it across."

Khalid put his crosshairs on the face of the machine-gun soldier. He was young, like a lot of ZAFT soldiers. Probably eighteen or nineteen. Much to his surprise, he saw hair poking out of the back of the soldier's helmet. Did that mean that the soldier was a girl?

He moved his crosshairs to the soldier's chest. The soldier was a girl.

Damn it! Why does the first person I have to kill have to be a girl?

Khalid uneasily trained his crosshairs on the girl's face then. This goes against everything my family taught me. You don't kill women. You just don't. Men are supposed to be doing the fighting. This isn't right.

Making a woman put herself in a position to be killed. What kind of monsters are the ZAFT?

He forced himself to just think of the girl as just a Coordinator. She was the result of genetic engineering. Somewhere, either she had been altered in a laboratory or descended from someone who was. She wasn't quite human. Maybe if he thought of her that way, maybe it would be easier for him to shoot her.

Omar whispered "Want me to do it?"

"No. I can do it," Khalid said. To back down from this was dishonorable. He had said he would shoot the soldier. But he had never imagined it would be a girl. Why did it have to be-

Damn it all. He focussed the zoom to 4X and got a closer look at the girl's face. Despite her fairly innocent facial features, her eyes looked steely. And that was all the confirmation Khalid needed to take the shot. Those weren't eyes of an innocent girl or women. She had undoubtedly killed people before. Most likely his brethren. If she had done so, then there was no reason to back down.

He fired a bullet straight through her left eye.

The first thing he noticed was that his weapon was loud. It was like a thunderclap right next to his ears. He almost heard ringing, it was so blaring.

The second was the blood as the girl slumped toward, the bullet passing through her brain and out through her head. She had been killed instantly.

The third was seemingly dozens of thunderclaps erupting around him at once. His body trembled, expecting some sort of tumult after the thunder, but none came.

He looked out and saw that most of the post had been neutralized, save for a lone solder running for the radio. Before Khalid could get a solid bead on him, he saw a closeup of the soldier frailing as several bullets hit him at once. He collapsed and began bleeding profusely. He was undoubtedly dead as well.

Then Omar screamed "Go, go, go!" And then Khalid's movements were automatic. He got up from his position, changed his rifle's settings to "burst", and ran forward across the street, trying to ignore what he had just done-and forcing himself to believe that the Coordinator he had slain wasn't human.

Otherwise, there was no way he would be able to cope with it.
* * *
It was sunset. The few small clouds in the sky shone a curious color, not quite lavender, but not grey or white either. It looked like something a painter would love, with its deep red and orange lights in the distance cooling to violet by her, with white stars beginning to twinkle into existence.

And there he was. He had been missing for a while now, but Lacus no longer worried about that. He always wandered to the same spot. Here, on a small hill, with the sandy beach within sight.

"Kira," she said.

He looked towards her, and smiled slightly. "Hey," he said.

"Watching the sun set again?"

"Yeah."

Lacus stared at it for several moments. The red and orange were slowly receding, and soon everything would be dark, other than the orphanage's yellow lights slowly becoming more prominent.

"Something's bothering you," she finally said.

Kira didn't even bother to argue. The only times he came out here was when somehting was on his mind. "Yeah," he said.

"What is it?"

Kira was silent for several seconds. Finally, just when Lacus was about to repeat the question, he answered. "Something's not right."

"What do you mean?" Kira had had these "prenominitions" before, and they usually portended that something terrible was about to happen. Lacus never knew how he had gotten this ability, but she could take a good guess.

"Athrun . . . and Cagalli. I have a bad feeling. Like they'll be in danger soon, if they're not already."

Lacus nodded, and sat down by him. Athrun . . . please be careful, if Kira's right. Keep Cagalli safe. Considering the insanity of the world, she might be our best hope for peace.

She slowly reached out with her left hand and clasped his right hand. "They'll be all right, Kira. Cagalli can take care of herself, and she has Athrun, who is more than capable of protecting her."

"I hope you're right," Kira said. He looked up at the sky. "I just don't like this."

"Kira, whenever this happens the person affected always comes back. Athrun and Cagalli will come back too. They always have. Everything that's been thrown at them has always made them stronger, in fact. Stronger and closer. If they could survive Jachin Doe they can survive anything."

Kira didn't make an outward reaction. Instead, he said "I wish I didn't feel these things. How am i able to do this? Was this . . . part of my father's plan? Because I'm the Ultimate Coordinator? Did he find a way for me to have this?"

Lacus said "Kira, however you got this ability, the only thing to do right now is simply hope they'll be all right."

"Yeah. That's all I do these days. Lay around and hope while eveyrbody else actually does something meaningful."

Lacus frowned. Kira was letting himself become a mess once again. Not today. Not after he had been in reasonably good spirits most of the day. She didn't want him to cry again.

"Kira, you know it's not like that. Just because you're not out there with Athrun and Cagalli doesn't mean you're not doing somehting meaningful. Look at how you're touching these kids' lives. They like you, Kira, and you're teaching them so much. You give them something most orphans don't have."

"I just wish I was doing something more."

"Kira, listen to me. You are still changing the world by being here, by caring for and educating these kids. You give these kids hope. You give them reasons to be alive. Most of these orphans would be dead right now if we weren't here to care for them."

She hoped those words had gotten through. But sometimes, nothing could pierce Kira's darker moods and she would simply have to wait it out. He usually recovered and apologized after some time.

One of these days the recovery would be permanent. The Kira she saw in him sometimes, when he was not letting his personal demons affect him, was someone she loved dearly. He had a kind of inner strength, a kindness she had rarely seen before. She loved that person. She wanted him to break free of the mental chains he was shackled with. Maybe, one day, he would be able to.

Kira's grip became tighter. "You're . . . you're right. I'm sorry."

She leaned in closer. "Kira, never think you're not making a difference. Even if it's not on a world stage. You are something. If I felt you were nothing, Kira, would I have come out here with you?"

"You threw away your music, your life," Kira said.

"No. I didn't throw it away. I changed my life, my goals. Maybe someday I will record again, but right now, I'm happy just singing to the kids. I love teaching them. Caring for them. Tucking the smallest ones into bed."

She smiled at him. His breathing was becoming slower, calmer. He was regaining control of his emotions. "I'm still reaching people right now. These kids will be able to make a difference in the future, Kira. We are pushing them in the right direction. They'll be good people."

"Lacus," he said as she put her right hand on his cheek. It was so soft, smooth. It took weeks for Kira to grow a noticeable amount of facial hair, but that was one of his more endearing physical traits.

"Don't you ever think you're meaningless, Kira. If you ever let yourself sink that far into despair, you'll fail yourself. Only when you've given up on yourself that much . . . just don't, Kira. Please."

"Lac-"

She interrupted in him then with a soft kiss on the mouth. His lips were warm and moist, like always. She took her left hand and wrapped it around his back, and let herself enfold him.

After five seconds, she separated. "Kira," she said, "Whatever's been done to you, we can't do anything to change that. All you can do right now is to exist. By merely existing you can make a difference. Don't worry about Athrun and Cagalli either, all right? They'll be fine. I know they'll be."

Kira's eyes were watery, but he didn't cry. "Lacus . . . okay."

"Good. Now let's head back to the orphanage. We're supposed to be serving dinner right now. I'm sure the kids are probably pigging out on sweets right now because no one's there to stop them. C'mon."

"S-Sure." Kira said, apparently still reeling in the aftershocks of the kiss. They both got up off of the ground and walked back towards the orphanage, making it inside just as the red and orange vanished from the night sky.

Good luck, Athrun, Cagalli. It's all in your hands right now.

[rebel_cheese]

Okay. I know I suck, but I didn't think I suck this bad.

Anyway, Chapter 5 won't be ready by Sunday unless there's a miracle. If it doesn't make it it'll appear next week.

[Antares]

I actually liked the remake of the Armory One incidence. It felt like an actually guarded facility which had to be hit with actual troops instead of three teenagers running through killing ZAFT grunts sitting on their hands while guarding top secret prototype mobile WMDs. And what really stayed with me was the bit with the sniper taking out the girl soldier, kudos for that.

[rebel_cheese]

Sorry about the double post, my bad.

[rebel_cheese]

I wanted the base (I know I renamed it, I thought that naming it in the ZAFT tradition, after a famous scientist would be better than just "Armory One") to feel more like a traditional military base. I mean, if you're going to have top-secret elite military weapons, you gotta guard it.

I'm glad you liked the sequence with the sniper. My style tends to make things more personal than a general Gundam, and I suppose it reflects that.

Chapter Five is ready, barring any other modifications. It will be up Sunday. Basically it's one loooooooooooong firefight.

[rebel_cheese]

Chapter Five: Frothing Anger

In my beginning is my end.
-T.S Eliot, East Coker

The explosion rocked the ground like an earthquake. Then more. And more. The ground felt like it was going to crumble underneath Athrun as he shielded Cagalli with his body, but it never did.

"What the hell is this?" Cagalli shrieked.

Durandal had managed to maintain his footing, much to Athrun's surprise. His bodyguards had their scope-equipped pistols out, and they were looking for any targets coming. "RPGs. Probably wiped out a guard post or two. The base has definitely been compromised."

Naomi was on her knees, covering her heads. She still mustered up enough courage to stare at Durandal and scream "Who's doing this?"

Durandal faced her. For the ifrst time, Athrun saw actual emotion on Durandal's face. He looked furious. "Terrorists. Probably after all three of us. We have to move."

Suddenly, Durandal's bodyguards began shooting, the noises nearly deafening Athrun. "Get to cover!" somebody shouted.

"Right! Get up, Cagalli!" Athrun managed to say, pulling Cagalli to her feet and rushing her behind a hangar door. Once behind, he drew his pistol, to see Durandal and Mistuda following close behind, while Durandal's bodyguards continued their shootout with the unseen enemy. Already, two of them were down, one motionless, one clutching his knee and appearing to be in a crazed agony.

"I got a look at them. Probably Liberation Front," Durandal said. Another explosion went off in the distance, but it didn't sound like an RPG to Athrun. Probably a grenade.

Athrun moved to the edge of the cover and took a quick peek. Four, maybe five of them. Heading towards the hangars where Durandal had said the special new machines were.

Maybe this isn't just to kill Durandal, Athrun thought. He was spotted then, and he barely ducked back in time for a burst of bullets to fly by him, missing his head by inches.

"Athrun-" Cagalli cried. Athrun tried to silence her with a stare, but the damage was already done.

"Athrun . . . Athrun Zala?" Naomi Mitsuda asked, shocked.

"Representative Athha's bodyguard's identity is not important at this moment," Durandal said. "Getting out of here alive is. Looks like they've penetrated the northern part of the base. That means we have to run-"

Suddenly, rapid gunfire erupted from their right. Two of Mitsuda's bodyguards collapsed with multiple bullet wounds, and Athrun was surprised to see even more attackers rushing towards him. Crouching, he aimed at one of the two gunmen and dispatched him with a double-tapped headshot, as he was trained to do by none other than Andrew Waltfield himself.

The lone bodyguard of Mitsuda's small cadre still standing killed the other attacker similiarly. The enemy, a bearded, middle-aged man, collapsed to the ground, wheezing from wounds to his chest, and the Earth bodyguard shot him a final time in the head.

"The Islamists . . . they're here too?" Durandal asked, looking downright surprised for the first time today.

Looks like a regular party, Athrun couldn't help thinking, as he forced himself not to think about the man he had just killed. He had to do it. He had to protect Cagalli. Not only was she an important person who would soon be about to take over her country, but she was his fiancee`. His lover. He had to protect her, for both personal and professional reasons. That was all there was to it.

Durandal made a growling noise, and picked up one of the pistols one of Mitsuda's dead bodyguards had dropped. "Wished I'd never had to use one of these . . ."

He cocked it. "Mitsuda, Athha . . . I suggest arming ourselves. We're going to have to get out the hard way . . . and we'll most likely have to split up."

Mitsuda still looked too shaken to move, but Cagalli moved to the other pistol before Athrun could stop her. She picked it up, briefly examined it, and then cocked it herself. "I can shoot if I have to," she said.

One of Durandal's bodyguards called out from the other side of the road "Chairman! Chairman! We have penetration from the northern, northwestern, and the northeastern sectors! By the Mobile Suit hangars! Suggest we head to the south."

Durandal nodded. "Understood," he answered. He took a quick look outside and quickly ducked back as a short volley of fire came his way.

He looked at Athrun and the others. Athrun took the moment to take a quick head count. One of Durandal's bodyguards was here, two others were across the street . . . and three were dead. Mitsuda had brought four . . . two were dead, one was here, and he couldn't see where the other bodyguard was. Cagalli, himself, one of her other bodyguards across the street, one missing, and one dead in the street.

From the sounds of the gunfire, it wasn't just the terrorists against the bodyguards, but against ZAFT soldiers as well. He hoped that meant that this would be over before all too long.

Durandal said "They're probably after the Mobile Suits. The new models most likely if that's the case. This could prove to be to our advantage if they don't realize we're here. We have to leave, now, and leave this fight to the soldiers. Understand?"

Athrun nodded. He moved up beside Durandal, in front of Cagalli, who had Durandal's other bodyguard behind her. Mitsuda stayed towards the rear, with her surviving bodyguard right behind her.

"We need smoke of some sort . . ." Durandal said. As if on cue, one of the ZAFT soldiers across the street flung a lit smoke grenade towards the battlefield, obscuring the area in white.

"Our best chance. Go, go!" Durandal said, and all of them took off. Flashes of bullets careened past them, making small whoosh noises as they flew past. The other bodyguards from across the street took the opportunity to run as well, though one of Durandal's cadre was hit in the neck the moment he stood up by chance and collapsed.

Mitsuda's bodyguard collapsed as well, hit in the back. He clawed at Mitsuda's jacket, then at her dress pants, and she turned around, to try to pull him up to his feet. She was hit in the next moment, blood spurting from her shoulder, and she screamed.

"Dammit!" Durandal shouted, and he ran forward. He looked at Athrun. "Get Cagalli behind Hangar Five! Hurry! We'll meet there!"

Athrun saw Durandal and Mitsuda's final bodyguard haul the Secretary-General to her feet, and he grabbed Caglli's shoulder and they both ran.

Dammit, why does there have to be an attack now? Why did they have to choose now to strike? he couldn't help thinking.

He ran behind Hangar Five, and saw a fireteam of ZAFt riflemen run past them. The gunfire sounded farther away now, like they had managed to escape the battle to some extent.

Good. No attack from the north. Thank God, Athrun thought as he struggled to catch his breath.

Cagalli's eyes looked vacant. Athrun looked at her. "You aren't hit, are you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No. I'm fine," she replied. "Just tired."

She looked a lot more decadent than "just tired" but Athrun didn't want to argue with her. No time for it anyway.

He peeked back out, and saw Durandal and the bodyguard bringing Mitsuda forward. Athrun signaled them over and they laid Mitsuda against the wall, the bodyguard immediately applying first aid.

Mitsuda was laughing bitterly. "I thought I could get him out of there. Guess I'm not as strong or fast as I thought I was." There were small tears forming out of the edges of her eyes, Athrun couldn't tell where they were caused by the pain of her shoulder wound or out of sorrow for failing to save her bodyguard.

"Stay still, ma'am," the bodyguard said, and she tore off Mitsuda's left pants leg before the knee to wrap it around the bleeding shoulder wound. "I'm going to try to tighten this as much as I can. But cloth and gause isn't going to be enough. The bullet's stuck in your shoulder from what I can tell."

"Of course," Mitsuda said with the same bitter, graveyard amusement.

Durandal was breathing heavily, and he wiped his sweating brow. "Athrun, get Cagalli and Naomi both out of here at once. Get Mitsuda to the closest hospital at once."

"The Frederick Bismarck has the best facilities for surgery anywhere. We'll bring her there. Protocol calls for Mitsuda's immediate evacuation anyway," the bodyguard said as she wrapped up Mitsuda's wound tightly.

Durandal nodded. "Good. Cagalli, Athrun, I suggest the two of you shelter there as well until this is over with."

Instantly discerning the Chairman's intention, Athrun said "What about you? You can't seriously-"

"I have somewhere else to go. I cannot let these terrorists get away with wanton destruction of a military base and the loss of life. I will be heading towards a military ship to help pursue these bastards," Durandal said.

Great. A politician thinks he can seriously help out in a military matter, Athrun thought. But what was he to refuse the intentions of the ZAFT Chairman?

Cagalli said "It doesn't have to be this way. I am sure the secretary-general can clear you through-"

"I also need to save face. If I hide from terrorism via the Earth Alliance, it will give the radicals the political momentum to usurp me, and that will destroy the negotiations. I have to put on a strong front."

He looked at Cagalli, then Athrun. "The woman I've put in charge of the ship is one of the best tacticians and leaders that survived the war. She will react quickly and stop the enemy before they get too far."

"You talk as if they've already escaped," Athrun said, before he winced as Mitsuda suddenly shrieked in pain. He turned, to see Mitsuda biting her lips as the bodyguard wrapped the wound tighter.

The bodyguard looked up at them all. "I can't stop the bleeding, not completely," she said.

Durandal said "There's too much confusion, and they are going for the Mobile Suits, and they're already inside most of the northern hangars. One of them is bound to get out, whether by pure luck or by other means. It's a reasonable calculation."

Athrun sighed. Arguing this out wouldn't get Mitsuda medical attention in time. But he still had to try. "Chairman, please, listen to-"

"Do what you need to do, Chairman," Cagalli interrupted. Athrun turned to her in shock.

Cagalli, what the hell are you thinking?

Durandal nodded. "All right. I will see all of you later. I've had one of my bodyguards secure you a vehicle, it's by the southern exit. Athrun, take good care of the representative. Likewise for you, Manon." And then he vanished, running towards the southeast.

"How . . . how did he know my name?" the bodyguard asked, her brown eyes widening in shock.

"Does it truly matter right now?" Cagalli said. "Let's get her to her feet and get her to the exit. Athrun, you've got point. If any of the bastards are in the south shoot them."

The steely tone in Cagalli's voice was disconcerting, but Athrun knew that Cagalli was giving the correct order. He needed to have his gun out, just in case someone had broken through in the south, and he couldn't very well let anyone threaten Cagalli nor Naomi Mitsuda.

He nodded. "Right. C'mon, let's get out of here."

And hope Durandal knows what he's doing. Because I'm not sure whether his decision to stay is brilliant or stupid.
* * *
"Dammit!" Shinn shouted as he ducked behind a bunch of steel crates, bullets sailing over his head before he managed to get behind cover.

He had tried to get a burst off and had missed his target completely. He had barely passed his marksmanship test, and he hadn't practiced as often as he should have, and it was showing when it mattered. All of his bullets had sailed to the right of his intended target, and gotten his attention. And now he was pinned.

"What's going on?" Vino Dupre wailed, his hands barely holding on to his pistol.

"War," Rey Ze Burrel said coolly. The commander of Shinn's wing got up to his knees and fired two bursts before laying back down behind the crates, inbetween Vino and Shinn.

"One of them is neutralized," Rey said.

"Yeah. Of how many?" Shinn asked.

"Five. Maybe six."

"Great."

Shinn leaned out again, this time intending to hit his target. The enemy wasn't stupid at all, they had already taken cover, two of them behind a burning vehicle, the flames obscuring their forms. Two others behind a hangar. One of them was in a hangar herself, specifically the Zaku hangar he needed to get to.

Shinn chose the Zaku hangar terrorist. One of them hit her, somewhere in her upper body, and another struck her left shoulder. Her scream was still audible despite all of the noise and she fell to the ground, clearly out of the battle if not dying.

"One of them's down," Shinn managed to say. He was too exhilerated, and too terrified, to think about what he had just done.

"I'm not cut out for this, man!" Vino screamed. "I gotta get to the Minerva! I'm a mechanic, not a soldier!"

"Neither am I!" Yolant Kent unhelpfully added, his big frame resting beside Rey, by the hangar doorway.

Lunamaria Hawke crawled besides Shinn, wielding her assault rifle with one hand and a grenade in the other. "Then you two have to get out of here, got it? We'll cover you both. Just run for the Minerva and don't look back."

"Right. Right. Easy to remember," Vino said as he shook fiercer.

Perhaps realizing that Vino was closer to breaking than Yolant, Rey announced "Vino's first! Covering fire!"

Shinn leaned out and fired at the terrorists behind the burning open-wheel vehicle with everything he had, until he heard a click.

"Aw, crap." He ducked back and struggled to open one of the pouches on his belt. An explosion went off in the distance, far away to be of any real danger to him, and he saw Lunamaria holding her rifle with both hands, clearly she had thrown her grenade.

He fumbled with the button pouch until he finally got it opened, grabbed the magazine, and shoved it into his rifle. When he got up to try to take another shot it fell out and Shinn barely caught the magazine in time before bullets spilled everywhere. He reloaded it again and this time made sure it was locked in place.

Stay calm, Shinn. Don't panic. Just because you're in a firefight with a bazillion angry people trying to take your head off doesn't mean you can't reload correctly, he thought. He surprised himself with his black humor. He wondered when he had developed it.

"Vino's across," Lunamaria said, as if ordering dinner.

"Good. Yolant, your turn," Rey said, reloading his own rifle without a hitch.

"You guys did get most of them, right?" Yolant asked.

"I got the two behind the vehicle. Can't say if they've got backup, though. Best to get out of here," Lunamaria said.

Perhaps it was the cold, business-like tone of her voice, or perhaps the warning her words represented, but Yolant looked more than ready to run when Rey shouted "Covering fire!"

Shinn ducked out and fired at the two terrorists remaining behind the opposite hangar, to the left of the burning vehicle. One of them went down in a spray of blood, but he couldn't tell if he had hit him or someone else.

"Yolant's gone," Lunamaria said simply and she reloaded her rifle. "One of the remaining terrorists is down. We've managed to pin the other,"

"Right. Good work, both of you," Rey said.

Lunamaria chuckled darkly. "Yeah. Like the Slant here did anything other than waste lead,"

Shinn glared at her. She had no right to say that, not when he had been risking himself for the sake of not only the two mechanics that escaped, but for her and Rey as well.

Rey said "Hawke, there's no time for this. If you and Shinn have problems with each other, settle it in the boxing ring or something, once we're out of here. All right? We gotta get to our Zakus at once before they fall into enemy hands."

Lunamaria said "Fine. Good idea," and she ran down the street. Surprisingly, she hadn't drawn any fire. Had they cleared out the last enemy somehow?

One thing that puzzled Shinn more than anything else was her occasionally-blatant hostility towards him. Lunamaria's little sister could be quite pleasant, but Lunamaria seemed to have a chip on her shoulder. She seemed to direct her anger towards Shinn in particular. Why she would choose him to be her whipping boy didn't make sense, though, not without even a remote idea of her motives-

"Asuka, head out of the clouds, now," Rey ordered.

"Yes, sir," Shinn said, and he ran across the street, towards the hangar. Suddenly, the ground shook, as if it was going to erupt around him.

Shinn was knocked to his hands and knees. He scraped his hands against the ground, and the rough pain made him gasp. He looked at them, to see blood on his palms.

Crap.

"Shinn get up! They got one of our Zakus!" Rey shouted, and he and Shinn were barely able to roll out of the way before the said Zaku would have crushed both of them. Shinn could only watch it lumber away, before taking off and its legs taking out much of the GINN hangar in the process, with debris covering where he and Rey had been merely seconds ago in that shootout.

He got up and stared. Lunamaria's crisp voice startled him back into reality then, and he turned around. "Lieutenant Asuka! Commander Ze Burrel! We have to chase him down!"

"I know, Lieutenant Hawke. Hurry, get inside. Be sure to broadcast that our Zakus are in friendly hands before we draw fire from our own side. Asuka, you too," Rey said.

"I know," Shinn said, running into the middle of the hangar, searching for his designated Zaku. It took a sophisticated hacking device just to open the door inside, much less the OS, but clearly the terrorists had that much, and more. What could these people be?

He searched for his Zaku, but couldn't see his designated number on any of them. He ran around, searching, praying, hoping it was around.

Oh no. Why me, why me?

But he couldn't see his Mobile Suit. Only the gap where his Zaku was supposed to be.

God damn it!

That bastard stole my Zaku!
* * *
The alarm went off unexpectedly. It was surprising enough for Auel Neider to spit out the juice in his mouth.

Thankfully, it was only on the table, much to Stellar's relief. Auel coughed heavily and Sting Oakley patted his friend's back. "Hey, hey, you all right?" Sting asked.

"What the-hack-what's going on? A drill?" Auel asked weakly.

Their commander, Kende Badaglio, said "No. This is too random. You can almost sense when the 'surprise' drills before they happen. This one is unexpected."

Kende was older than the rest of them, though barely older than a teenager himself, at twenty-three. He had a dead-serious demeanor that contrasted heavily with the goofier and quirkier personalities of most of his subordinates.

Stellar had caught Kende giving Sting and Auel latrine duty all the time on ships and bases, but they never seemed to learn from the experience like they were supposed to. Some things would never change, and Auel and Sting's ability to make trouble likely not going to be one of them.

Suddenly, Kende's walkie-talkie beeped and he answered. "Commander Badaglio here."

He nodded, gave a few "Hmm-mmms," and finally said "Acknowledged."

He hung up and looked at the three of them. "We're being scrambled. Crisis at the ZAFT base and apparently Mobile Suits are being hijacked there. We're being mobilized to prevent them from targeting the Earth base as well. We have no report on the Secretary-General's whereabouts and until we do we will be en route to the ZAFT base to clear the enemy out."

"Which ZAFT base?" Stellar asked, immediately thinking of Shinn. She didn't want him caught up in a hellish firefight. Especially when the machines he piloted were the targets. She didn't care about the Secretary-General, didn't even know her name, but Shinn . . . not after she had finally succeeded in holding on to him. She couldn't lose him yet.

"Hawking," Kende confirmed.

Stellar froze. No, no, no! Not like this! Shinn, don't die on me! Hold on until I get there! Please!

Then she steeled herself slowly. No crying, Stellar. You knew this could happen. You just have to do your job, all right? If he's stranded you can save him,

She said as calmly as she could "Are we leaving now?"

"Yes. Auel, if you're not choking to death, get up," Kende said.

"Yes, sir," Auel Neider replied in a half-moan. He rose up, still coughing, and Sting helped him for the first five steps until Auel found his stride.

"How many of them are there?" Stellar asked.

"I don't know. They didn't tell me much. All I know is that Mobile Suits controlled by terrorists are taking off. We have to intervene for our own safety. Plus command probably wants our Mobile Suits in the air if there's a copycat raid coming," Kende replied as they left the mess hall.

They were running down the hall now. Stellar knew they had a matter of minutes to suit up and lift off. They had been trained in scramble drills before, and this was no different, other than the fact it was real. If she stayed true to the simulation she'd probably be all right. She always made lift-off time.

The problem was how long Shinn and the ZAFT could hold out until they arrived. Considering the confusion, disorder, and havoc, was it even possible for Shinn to survive even though the ZAFT should outnumber a gang of armed terrorists?

She didn't want to think about Shinn' chances. The only thing she could do was suit up and deploy. Hopefully she'd get assigned to assist the ZAFT. Then she could-

"Lieutenant, I know what you're thinking," Badaglio said as he opened the door into the men's locker room. The women's was right next door, and Stellar was about to run past as she heard Badaglio's voice.

She stared at him. How does he . . . I tried to hide it from him the best I could.

"Don't let your personal feelings, especially for a pilot for another government, dictate the battle. Do your duty. You are a soldier, Lieutenant Loussier. Don't forget that today."

"Hey, sir, we gotta get inside," Auel said.

"Yes, yes," Badaglio said, and he left Stellar there, staring into space, wondering whether worrying about Shinn should be her primary concern.
* * *
We're getting cut up, Saburo thought, as he hid behind an overturned ZAFT open-wheel. Two-thirds of the force could be considered casualties and only two Mobile Suits were in the air, and neither of them were the primary objectives. None of what Ezalia Joule desired.

His squad had gotten the closest to the objectives. Gaia and Abyss were to his left. The other three were to his right, right by where he was taking cover. Problem was, he couldn't guarantee that he could make it into one of those machines, not when there were at least four or five still alive in the group. No one wanted to be stranded and become a martyr for the cause.

Frederick Coolidge had come up with another plan. "We have to split up. We're the only ones with a chance of making it out of here with the objectives. Two of us have to head off and grab Gaia and Abyss. The rest of us have to capture the others. That's the only thing we can do."

Great. So who has to be the poor bastards who have to grab those two Mobile Suits?

"I'll go. 'Abyss' sounds potent," Indira said. "And I want Saburo to come with me. He's a good shot."

Figures. If there's a god up there, help me!

Then again, if there was a deity up there, I wouldn't be sent across the street to die, am I? Guess I'm gonna find out one way or another.

There wasn't much time to argue. Coolidge merely nodded. "Good enough. Everyone else, with me. Let's give Indira and Saburo covering fire so they can get across the street."

He just wants Indira out of the way. I'm just the idiot who has to go out there and die with her.

Indira cocked her pistol and slung her rifle over the shoulder. "Kiddo, get ready to run. This is going to be the most exciting part of your life, right here."

Yeah. It's gonna be really exciting to be a pulped body lying in the street, Saburo thought.

Indira cocked her pistol. It looked like it could fire revolver slugs, without actually being a revolver, judging by its size. "Just keep up, babyface. I'll blow them all away."

Why doesn't that comfort me? Oh yeah, because she's a sociopath on the loose! Saburo wisely chose to keep that part silent and he just hoped that he would survive to get Indira reported to an asylum or something.

"Covering fire!"

Suddenly, Saburo felt something shove him forward. And suddenly he was exposed in the street.

:"YAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Saburo ran across, screaming that at the top of his lungs, hearing bullets zing past him and nearly clipping him midrun. He saw out of the corner of his eye Indira easily keeping stride, firing her pistol in the general direction of the enemy, and hopefully killing a couple of them so they wouldn't chase them into the hangar.

Saburo nearly slammed against the hangar wall and barely stopped in time. He struggled to catch his breath, only to be hauled back up on his feet by Indira and half-pulled across completely out of sight of the street.

So, he was apparently still alive. Was that a good thing?

Indira ejected her clip and reloaded it. Yes, those were revolver slugs, loaded in a custom magazine and pistol. How such a thing was possible was beyond Saburo's imagination.

"See? It's all easy as long as I don't miss," she said, admiring her weapon for a second.

"Let's just get the GUNDAMs and get out of here," Saburo snapped. Right now, that prospect seemed heavenly.

"Ah, yes. I got dibs on 'Abyss'. You get the one with the fancy name for the ground," Indira said.

Goody, Saburo said. She wasn't just a sexualized, gun-crazed, killing-machine sociopath, but her maturity was low as well. How messed up was this woman, and why was she brought along for this? How useful could she be?

Maybe it would've been best for him to be cut down in the street. But he couldn't think about such things right now. The only possible thing he could do was push forward. Despite his ire towards his unwanted partner, he was doing this for the cause. If he managed to take off, the Coordinators would be able to get some revenge on the collaborators and Naturals that ran everything.

That was what he needed to devote his anger towards. Not Indira. Not when she seemed to be the best shot in the world.

Just concentrate, Saburo. You're almost out. Just plug the device in, get inside, splice the OS, and you're outta here with the best war machine available.

And then you can worry about everything else. Just do your job, soldier.

Saburo opened the entrance, and saw Gaia standing there, in front of him. Right for the taking. He was about to wander out in the open when suddenly he saw them.

Looked like he had a lot more work ahead.

[rebel_cheese]

This is largely a test to see whether anyone still gives a damn, over a year after the last posting. Chapter Seven will be some time after this.

I'm sorry for the wait, just had . . . a lack of inspiration, and plenty of personal issues to deal with.

_____________________________________________________________

Chapter Six: Hijacking

Patriots always talk about dying for their country and never about killing for their country.
-Bertrand Russell

"Allah's granted us a respite," Omar grunted as he took the explosives out of his pack. "We'll be able to at least take these down before our time is up and we are surrounded by our families once again."

Fatalistic language aside, Khalid was glad that Omar was still alive. He represented a cold, realistic professionalism, and yet, a true love for his lost family that he couldn't quite see in everyone else. Some of the people around him seemed to exist just to murder for no real reason or motivation. They just hated Coordinators for no reason.

But Omar had a reason. That was why Khalid respected the man fully. Omar wasn't in this because of religion or policy or because he somehow felt that Coordinators were the work of the devil or of infidels. Omar had one personal reason: to give the enemy pain, to show the enemy what it was like to lose family members.

It occurred to Khalid then that the ZAFT had lost a lot of soldiers in the previous war, but he dismissed that thought. They hadn't taken enough pain. Another generous helping was needed, and they would need to take more and more. Until everyone in ZAFT lost someone close to them.

Omar handed Khalid a package of explosives. "Hurry, take this, and plant it on the other leg of this monster. Once its planted and armed we have thirty seconds before it'll blow."

"Got it," Khalid said with a nod. He took the explosives and ran over to the right leg while Omar handled the left. There was a vulnerable section that Lord Djibril had pointed out to them in a briefing a week ago, if the explosives were jammed in there, it would wipe out the whole leg and send the mobile suit crashing down, where more damage could be given later.

At the very least, the GUNDAM would be worthless until there replacement legs were built. That could take a long while, especially for prototypes like this model.

He was about to prepare planting when suddenly, the unmistakenable sounds of gunfire interrupted the silence in the lonely hangar.

Forgetting about planting the explosive, Khalid took cover. He awaited Omar's instructions, but didn't hear a sound. Other than a slow wheeze . . .

He turned in the direction of the wheeze, and sound Omar on the ground, a bullet hole in his chest, close to his heart. A bullet that was calibrated to shatter upon impact had hit him square in the chest and had probably ruptured his left lung.

Khalid stood in horror. Omar had seemed to lost all awareness of his surroundings, he had no idea Khalid was staring at him right now. One shot in the chest was all it took to take down a big, strong, intelligent man like Omar and leave him a broken, decrepid shell lying on the ground, choking on his own blood.

Suddenly, Omar's head vanished in a red haze, as another gunshot shook the hangar.

A woman's voice was yelling. Oddly, Khalid recognized it. "Enemy down! I have Abyss! You make sure there isn't anyone around Chaos!"

Khalid took cover. Help me, someone help me, don't let me die here, he thought. Please, anywhere but here.

He didn't know what to do as he heard footsteps approaching the GUNDAM. He stared at his explosives. He could still wipe out one leg. One leg would be enough to make the GUNDAM useless. He reached over for it but saw a shoe step right behind it a moment later.

He stared. He could not believe his eyes.

"You?"
***

Saburo saw yet another surprise as he looked at his opponent, who had been reaching for a pack of explosives right in front of him. The teenager blurted "You?"

It was the boy from the restaurant. The boy Saburo had bumped into. He was here. What was he doing at a place like this? But Saburo's mind already jumped to conclusions. He was here to sabotage the GUNDAMs. He was here to interfere in the mission.

He saw in the boy's eyes that the boy already knew this, too. They were on opposite sides, and only one would be able to accomplish his mission today.

The Arabic boy reached for his pistol, but Saburo already has his pistol out. Saburo fired a single shot that entered the boy's skull. The boy seemed to sit there for a moment, as if not registering the impact, before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell backwards to the ground. A small pool of blood slowly expanded from the head, as the boy's eyes shut.

Saburo froze there for a second. Why? Why him of all people? Why was he my enemy?

He took a deep breath, and tried to focus upon the mission. He had neutralized his only opponent. More would arrive soon. The EA and the boy probably weren't working together, but there was little chance that the EA would pass up the opportunity to shoot Saburo. CLF members were close to evil personified in the eyes of the EA.

He tried to refocus. He had a job to do, and an OS to rewrite. If he moved quickly, the GUNDAM called "Gaia" would be his. But only if he moved quickly. He could hear the GUNDAM called "Abyss" already powering up, and if Indira was already moving, all that would do was attract attention. If he didn't have control of "Gaia" by the time ZAFT soldiers charged in to investigate . . .

His mind was made up then. The boy, as much as he regretted it, was just a casualty of war. That's all he was, in the end. Saburo saw a nearby stairwell and took off towards it. He, at best, only had a few precious minutes to work . . .
***

"Thanks, Rey, for telling me Jackie's code," Shinn said as he examined his surroundings.

"No problem, Asuka," Rey's calm, collected voice said. "I need every pilot I can get up here, and it's my responsibility to have contingencies at the ready."

"Got one for this situation?" Lunamaria Hawke asked.

"Honestly, shoot them before they shoot us," Rey answered.

That's a lot of help, Rey, thanks.

Shinn looked at his surroundings. Zakus were shooting at other Zakus. Either mass confusion was filling the ZAFT ranks, or ZAFT-controlled ZAKUs were doing battle against hijacked ZAKUs. In all likelihood, it was probably both.

And somewhere out there, his Zaku was under the control of some CLF pilot. If he had taken a different Zaku,any Zaku, he wouldn't have been forced to take a Zaku that belonged to a now-dead pilot, who had been grenaded out of existence by the CLF.

"Rey," Shinn said. "Got a list of what's ours and what's hijacked?"

"Working on it," Rey said.

There was a pause, and new data filled Shinn's radar then, as some of the Zakus and GINNs listed as friendlies suddenly turned red. They have that many of our Zakus and GINNs, Shinn thought in horror as he gaped at the screen.

"They're already entering the city," Lunamaria said.

"They're little more than terrorists," Rey said with disdain. "They claim to be liberating Coordinators but all they are is killing our people to satisfy their bloodlust."

"Rey, a little less preaching, a little more shooting. One of the hijacked Zakus is right behind that hangar wall," Lunamaria said coolly.

"Right," Rey said. Suddenly, his voice became commanding. "Hawke, Asuka, destroy the wall and draw him out!"

"Got it," said Lunamaria. Suddenly she began blasting at the hangar wall, and Shinn followed suit.

"Won't this cause the hangar to cave in?" Shinn asked.

"It's either that or one of us gets shot stepping out into the open," Rey said. "As far as I know all the Mobile Suits in that hangar are gone as so are the personnel. We can always rebuild a hangar. We can't replace our pilots."

The grim reality of that propelled Shinn to continue shooting, and the hangar buckled under, exposing the Zaku for a brief moment before smoke starting overtaking its form. Before the Zaku could begin shooting Rey was already putting it under heavy fire, and the enemy Zaku buckled under the sheer volley of fire. Within five seconds the Zaku fall backwards, smoking, and exploded upon hitting the ground.

"Hostile down," Rey said.

A friendly Zaku flew over their heads then, engaging an airborne GINN that was listed as an enemy. The GINN was promptly sliced in half by the Zaku and plummeted to the ground in two fiery pieces.

It's like being in the middle of a civil war, Shinn thought solemnly, before he started searching for more targets.
***
"Manon, can you make this thing go any faster?" Athrun shouted as he tried to change bandages on Naomi Mitsuda.

"I'm trying my best!" shouted the only surviving bodyguard of Naomi's entourage. "We're not that far from the base now!"

Athrun momentarily looked behind him. Chaos was engulfing the area around Hawking now, as GINN and Zaku suits were engaging each other in the city, in and around the base, and now even in the air. It would be so easy for them to become collateral damage on this road, which terrified him. However, as he looked at Cagalli in the front sear, she was somewhat calmer than she usually was. She knew that Manon was doing the best she could.

Athrun realized then that Manon had to be under severe stress, as she not only had one, but two powerful VIPs in her vehicle. And she only had Athrun with her.

"Just get there as fast you can, but no accidents," Athrun said, as a random laser shot flew over their heads and blasted a the side of a building. Before concrete, stone, glass, and brick could come down on their heads, Manon had already driven past the building, and Athrun could only stare as wreckage filled the street behind them, crushing bystanders and vehicles.

Everything is relative, Athrun thought. And in Mobile Suits, nearly everything is little more than obstacles and annoyances.

Naomi moaned. "Can I have more morphine?" she asked softly.

Athrun was about to administer another dose when Manon said "No, Madam, you've had enough. One more would be risking overdose."

"It hurts so much," Naomi said. She had lost a significant amount of blood, and would only lose more, no matter how often Athrun changed the bandages or how tight he made them. It would take the resources of a hospital to stop the bleeding, or at the very least, a stable place where Athrun could attempt to stitch.

"I'm trying the best I can," Athrun said softly.

"I know, but I wish you could do more."

Cagalli finally spoke then. "Athrun would never leave you to die, Madam Secretary-General. He's not that kind of person. He's like Manon."

Naomi Mitsuda smiled grimly. "I suppose you're right," she said softly.

Manon was all-business when she next spoke. "We're turning to the left, we're here." Athrun peered at the hangar, and saw that the Earth Alliance's Mobile Suits were already beginning to mobilize. They all tended to be the new models, the Windams. Athrun couldn't tell whether they were merely on standby or about to be deployed, but either way Athrun hoped the EA wouldn't make the situation worse.

As they drove up to the checkpoint, Athrun wondered how much worse the battle would become. He had seen plenty of war, and had no wish to experience any more of it. It had claimed the life of one of his friends, and consumed the life of another. All he knew was that he didn't want anyone else claimed by the carnage either.

But already, in these first few minutes, so many innocent people and soldiers were already dead . . .

Athrun wondered whether it could get any worse.
***
"We've lost contact with the final member of the cell," said the secretary, in a soft, perhaps mournful voice.

There was no reason to mourn, in the angel's stern opinion. They were all just rabble, just means to an end. Perhaps, the angel thought, it would've been better to hire elite black operations forces instead of conscripting religious terrorists. Problem was, it was so much easier to cover up a terrorist operation than a black ops unit if something went wrong. The angel had erred on the side of caution. And now he was paying the price for that caution.

Next time, he would buy out a black ops unit. The angel knew there would be a next time. There always was one. He didn't know when it would come, but it would. It had always come in the past.

The angel smirked. "I should have guessed they wouldn't have gotten the job done," he said. "But, then again, I suppose their beloved Allah wasn't on their side today. After all, who would've thought the Coordinator hardliners would launch their own operation on the same day?

"Do you think they're out to destroy the GUNDAM units as well?" the secretary asked.

"Perhaps, or perhaps not. Maybe all they're out to do is co-opt them for their own needs. In which case, they'll be hunted down and destroyed."

The angel's smirk grew wider. "In which case, the GUNDAMs would be destroyed regardless. No matter their massive firepower, a terrorist cell would never be able to make use of them the same way the ZAFT could. All that would happen is more Coordinators will die, and that is never a bad thing."

"But, sir, that would kill EA and Orb soldiers as well?"

"They're unimportant. There's people chosen to lead this world, my good man, and those who would fight alongside Coordinators are not deserving of that responsibility. They can die too."

"That's a harsh thing to say, considering Naturals will die in this too, sir," the secretary said.

The angel sighed. "The world will inevitably rush towards another Coordinator/Natural conflict. This operation was supposed to ensure that the world will maintain going down that path, to yet another clash. What matters in the meantime, before the battle begins is that we prepare the true Naturals, those in favor of purity over mingling with glorified science experiments, for what's to come. We will need all of them ready to take over once the chaos is settled, and the Coordinators and their bastardized little cousins, the Slants, are butchered. All we need is more time and chaos," the angel said.

"And," the angel added in a devious tone, "Perhaps this way, there will be more chaos."
***
"Dammit, how many did they get?" Lunamaria grunted as she blasted a GINN. The enemy GINN fell backwards onto the street, its errant gun scraping a building and causing sharpnel to fall to the street below.

"I don't know, just keep your eyes peeled!" Rey replied.

Shinn was getting exhausted, even after just this few minutes of battle. The stress and the fear were taking its toll on him. Urban fighting was the worst kind of battle, as Mobile Suits could be lurking anywhere around, and if Shinn wasn't careful he could squash so many vehicles and people, ending their lifes as if he was stepping on an insect.

He had already taken down a pair of GINNs and shared a Zaku kill with Lunamaria. How odd would it be to place their decals on the side of his newly acquired Zaku at the end of the day?

It seemed they were finally getting the upper hand, but Shinn didn't know for sure. The remaining foes had run into the city, and Shinn couldn't maintain an accurate reading on his radar, the buildings were interfering with that. Below him, tanks using anti-Mobile Suit weaponry were deploying, but they were mere nuisances to Zakus, although they could be genuine threats to GINNs if deployed properly.

"How's your ammo?" Rey asked.

"I'm half-empty," Lunamaria said.

"I'm getting there too," Shinn said.

Rey said "I've heard the Minerva will be taking off soon. If we can, we should attach ourselves to it. It should contain more than enough supplies for us in case this fight drags on for a while."

"It better not," Lunamaria said.

A terrible thought occured to Shinn then. "Hey, Rey?"

"What?" Rey already knew this was going to be bad, judging by his voice.

"Do you think they hijacked anything else besides our GINNs and Zakus? That can't be all what they were after."

Pause.

"Aw, crap," Rey rasped a moment later.

His voice filled the common ZAFT channel a moment later as Shinn instinctively flipped to it. "To any and all ZAFT pilots, can you confirm that the enemy hasn't stolen anything else besides Zakus and GINNs? Answer me."

"I got no idea!" screamed a panicky pilot, probably under heavy fire.

An older, more knowledgable voice answered a second later. "I've heard nothing yet. Communicating with the ground and base is sporadic. All I know is that we're starting to beat them now, we outnumber them and they didn't take as many as we had thought."

That's good, Shinn thought, relieved.

"That's why they ran into the city," the older voice said with bitterness. "They're hoping to use the buildings and our civilians and ground troops to their advantage. They trying to turn the city into a massive hostage."

"I know this," Rey said. "Thank you. Just keep me updated, Commander."

"Will do, Captain za Burrel," the older voice said. Before Shinn switched off to the squad's channel, though, the older voice spoke again, and he sounded a lot less sure of himself.

"Wait, I see something at the edge of the city. It's an odd Mobile Suit . . . I think it is a . . ."

"What?" Rey asked.

"It's coming right towards me, it's rushing me head-on!" the older voice said, in a voice that was approaching panic.

"We're coming, Commander! Asuka, Hawke, hurry! We have to help him," Rey said.

"I'm not doing enough damage, it's got its sword out!" screamed the Commander's voice.

"We'll be there in ten seconds, Commander! What is it? What's the Mobile Suit? A Zaku Phantom?"

Pause. Then the commander screamed something Shinn would never forget.

"No, it's . . . it's a GUNDAM!"

Static.

______________________________________________________________

*sigh* I HAD to write that last line of dialogue, I'm sorry.

[rebel_cheese]

Nothin', huh? Here's another chapter anyway. Making up for a lot of lost time here.

_____________________________________________________________

Chapter Seven: Breakout

A man can be destroyed but not defeated.
-Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

Shinn, hold on, I'm coming. Please, stay alive. Wherever you are, stay alive, Stellar silently pleaded as her Windam flew towards the ever-expanding battlefield. ZAFT Mobile Suits were engaging ZAFT Mobile Suits. She was hearing random screams whenever she searched ZAFT channels, as shouts of something called a "GUNDAM" began to preoccupy everyone on the ZAFT side.

A GUNDAM? What's a GUNDAM? Stellar thought curiously. A new Mobile Suit? Or is it some kind of advanced weapon the CLF are using?

It didn't take a genius to guess who was behind this. In the minds of the CLF, the ZAFT were every bit as guilty as the EA. And it wasn't the usual suspects of Earth's many terrorism organizations, who preferred destruction over anything else. No, this 'GUNDAM' suggested something far more sly than simply blowing something up.

Though, in the end, the 'GUNDAM' things she was hearing about seemed to be about blowing something up. Perhaps they were EA terrorists after all. It probably wouldn't be until after the battle when she would discover the true story.

Her commander, Badaglio, had a firm, commanding tone. "All right, we're entering the field of battle. Get in contact with a ZAFT pilot. A true ZAFT pilot, I've been hearing of hijackings. Gather as much info as you can and act in accordinance with the armistice. Hopefully we'll be able to mop 'em up."

"Auel's ready to kick ass in his Windam, sir!" Auel Neider responded enthusiastically.

"Commander Badaglio's in no mood for your games, Neider," the commander said in a wry tone.

"Sorry, sir," Auel said meekly.

Stellar would have smiled, but something else was preoccuping her mind. She searched through the ZAFT channels, but couldn't hear his voice. Shinn, wherever he was, wasn't talking. And each second she didn't hear his voice, she became more stressed, more afraid.

She searched around the battlefield as she marched near the edge of the nearby ZAFT city. It was just a few hours ago, that she and Shinn had been in the middle of the downtown, shopping in those beautiful parks, now being crushed by gigantic Mobile Suit feet. Sadness and regret gripped her, and she wished that the brass had deployed her faster.

The commander was announcing the EA's presence, trying to keep the probably-panicky ZAFT from shooting at them. Right now, despite their differences, they were allies trying to stop terrorists. Stellar was able to glean that the CLF was definitely behind this one, and hijacking had been their goal. And whatever those 'GUNDAM' things were, the CLF seemed to be in possession of at least three, possibly even four or five, of them. Plus they seemed to have Zakus and GINNs as well.

This is just a mess. A horrible mess.

And Shinn's caught up in it!

Suddenly, a Mobile Suit with a designation familiar to her stepped out. She smiled as she saw it. That was Shinn's Mobile Suit. She had taken care to memorize it in the case they met on the battlefield one day, presumably as allies.

She switched to a private channel to the Mobile Suit, something that would have been impossible just three years ago. "Shinn!" she exclaimed.

The Zaku turned around at her. And then, her smile vanished as she heard a very unfamiliar voice hiss at her.

"Die, you Natural scum."

Stellar was barely able to take cover behind a building in time as shot flew past her. As she tried to catch her breath, she wondered how this could've happened. How could a CLF take control of Shinn's . . .

Her heart shuddered as she realized. Shinn, no . . . not you, not you. Please, not you.

She felt a rage grow within her, something hot that bordered on primal. She had felt this anger once before, when terrorists had invaded her base, threatened to kill Auel and Sting . . . she had killed one and shot two others, and would've killed those two if Auel and Sting hadn't held her back. She had feared feeling like this, but now, she didn't care, in fact, she wanted it.

They . . . they killed Shinn. And took his Zaku. How dare they . . . how dare they!

The CLF terrorist was mocking her as he marched towards her position. "You think you can hide from me? I'm a Coordinator. I'm part of the chosen! You're part of the past. Your precious 'Shinn' is dead because of his Natural-loving ways, and all those who tolerate your existence will die, too."

She gritted her teeth. I'll blow you to hell, you bastard.

She suddenly leaned out and began blasting with a fury. Her M9409 Beam Rifle was at the point of overheating when the Zaku collapsed, hissing, and finally exploded.

She cried. She cried for Shinn. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks as she closed her eyes. Shinn, I wish I had been there. If I'd known this would've happened I'd have defected, I'd have done anything! Shinn, I'm so sorry!

She heard Sting whistle. "Wow, Stellar, talk about overkill. You tore that guy apart."

When she didn't answer, his voice became more concerned. "Hey, Stellar, you okay? Stellar."

She tried to speak, but her voice was too choked up. The rage was gone now, replaced by a sadness so powerful she didn't even have the strength to move her Windam. He was so special, and there was so many things she had yet to learn about him, and he was just gone. Taken away from her. After all of-

"Hey, Stellar, is that you in there?"

Shinn?

"Geez, Stellar, the least you could've done for my Mobile Suit was make it repairable."

Stellar looked at a nearby Zaku. It had a different code, but that was unmistakenably Shinn. "Shinn!" she cried.

"Stellar?" He sounded confused.

"I . . . I thought you were dead. I really thought . . ."

"Oh, uh . . . my Zaku, uh . . . kinda got stolen, and I'm . . . uh, borrowing someone else's right now. Rey, um, can you transfer updated info to Stellar and her squad, please?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get on it, Asuka." This "Rey" had to be Rey za Burrel, Shinn's commander. He didn't sound thrilled at the prospect, but he did at least sound dutiful.

"I'm glad you're all right," Stellar said. "Really."

"I'm just glad you're here, Stellar. Now let's stop these guys together, your squad and mine." Shinn had a determination in his voice that raised Stellar's morale. Right then, she knew she could easily fight, and the strength returned to her arms and she resumed operating her Windam.

"Right," she said confidently.

"Hey, Shinn," said a female voice. "I don't think you had permission to do that."

"Shinn's got the right idea, Lunamaria," said Rey. "We're going to need to work with the EA to mop up if we want this to end quicker . . . especially with the GUNDAMs loose."

Suddenly, Stellar remembered what the GUNDAMs were. Problem was, weren't they supposed to be disallowed, now? How could GUNDAMs be possible under the treaty?

She decided she didn't care about that. If the ZAFT were trying to wipe them out, so would she. And nothing would make her happier right now then to have Shinn at her side when they stopped the GUNDAMs. That, as much as anything else, was certain.
***
Saburo couldn't go five seconds without hearing Indira's cackling over the radio. In fact, it was borderline incessant.

"Oh my God, oh my God!" Indira exclaimed. "They're just like little bottles to shoot at! This is so beyond easy!"

Speak for yourself, I can barely control this thing, Saburo thought. The "Gaia" was a lumbering monster in his hand, good for squishing infantry but he hadn't been able to do much else. It had been about a minute ago when he had figured out how to use the Beam Assault Cannon equipped to his machine.

And he was borderline horrified with the results.

The GINNs were completely hopeless when faced with the cannon. It was like a heavy machine-gun when deployed against infantry, it tore GINNs open at a frightening pace. Zakus could withstand the punishment better but even they collapsed under the withering fire if they took to many shots. Problem is, he was fast running out of ammunition, and he had wasted many, many shots by firing them into buildings and the ground instead of hitting GINNs and Zakus.

He heard Coolidge's voice then, calm and collected. "We have accomplished our mission, we have all five GUNDAMs in our possession. We're going to need to pull back and retreat. The remaining hijacked Zakus and GINNs will buy us time."

"How?" Saburo asked as he watched Indira cleave a GINN through the cockpit with her Beam Lance. She laughed uproariously again, as the GINN anticlimatically slammed into the ground in two pieces.

Indira's highly amused voice entered the conversation then. "Why, silly, we're going to blow open the colony and fly through the hole, that's what."

He then heard the ultimate commander of this operation, Janeane Cruz, speak. Apparently she had a GUNDAM as well. "All right, I have "Savior", and Fisk has "Impulse". I've placed Dettwiller in command of the defense. They can't fall back until we're out of here. The quicker we leave, the quicker they can escape too."

"But I'm having so much fun!" Indira whined.

"Save it, Indira. You're forgetting we're operating on a limited power supply. You don't want to lose power here."

"Hmmph."

At least someone can rein her in, Saburo thought.

A male voice entered the conversation, which Saburo assumed was Dettwiller: "We're down to three Zakus and two GINNs, ma'am. We can't hold out for much longer, the ZAFT traitors have brought Natural reinforcements."

"More cannon fodder," Indira said with relish.

"Hold them back as long as you can. Don't let them notice we're escaping," Cruz instructed.

"Got it, ma'am. We won't fail you."

Cruz's voice became filled with authority. "All right, everyone in a GUNDAM, follow me. We'll blow our way out and head to the rendezvous point. Let's not let everyone's deaths be in vain."

Personally, Saburo just wanted out of this colony. Honor and sacrifice was something he did not want to hear about right now.
***
Talia Gladys sighed. It was, at last, time to take off. The Minerva still didn't have a Mobile Suit squadron attached to it, but considering the chaos happening throughout the colony, she knew she had to deploy. Hopefully, if the terrorists had any backup, the Minerva would be able to take care of it. She was sure she had the finest crew available to her, despite the youth of some of them.

"Malik, prepare to take off," she announced. "Madd, if you don't have your crew secure, do it now, we're about to leave."

Madd Ares had something to say about that over the intercom. "What, right now? Captain-"

"Do it, Madd. You have ten seconds. We have to deploy now or we'll lose any chance of stopping those terrorists."

"You could surely wait for me to be seated at least."

Talia recognized that voice. She knew it all too well.

"Chairman Durandal, I wasn't aware you were given permision to be onboard a military vessel."

She heard her first officer, Arthur Trine, blurt "The Chairman of the Supreme Council, here?"

Gilbert Duranadal seemed most amused. "Yes, yes I am, First Officer Trine. I decided to observe operations from the new flagship of the ZAFT fleet."

Talia Gladys didn't like politicians, and she had thought Durandal wasn't the type of person who submitted himself to politics. This decision he was making bordered on silly and dangerous at the same time, and she disapproved of it. But at the same time, she knew the reasons why.

Durandal needed to seem strong and in charge. Especially as the Earth Alliance was interfering in the battle. Durandal needed to show he didn't need the EA. It had to seem that it was the EA's choice to help the ZAFT, instead of the ZAFT being so weak they needed EA reinforcements.

Of course, Talia knew full well that EA were operating according to the treaty, which meant that they were going to come anyway. The problem was that it could all too be easily assumed that Durandal had begged for assistance more than anything else. If he had seemed to have taken charge, accusations of him being an EA puppet or stooge, or simply an incompetent, would be isolated to the radicals.

The power of perception controlled public opinion as much as anything in the ZAFT. And, if there was one thing Durandal was good at, it was making people perceive him in a positive light. Talia had learned that long ago.

She sighed. "Just know this isn't a cruise ship, Chairman. It can get rough, especially in a battle."

"I know this and I'm prepared for it," Durandal said firmly.

Talia knew Durandal had made up his mind and nothing would change it. "Understood. We're taking off."

She shouted orders into the intercom. "All crew members, get to safety positions! Begin lift procedures! Begin the countdown, secure all apartments!"

The orders fired from her as fast as any machine-gun. "Close all the bulkheads! Open the gate! Radar and sensors better be 360 degrees, Bart!"

"They are," assured Bart Heim.

The gate had opened, and the Minerva was now hovering above it, right by Hawking base, with the city to its left. Talia smiled. So far, everything was going without a hitch, as long as everyone had been seated in time.

Suddenly, Bart began shouting from his station. "I have five Mobile Suits fleeing towards the exterior of the colony! Their designation is coming as GUNDAM-class!"

"They have the GUNDAMs?" Talia said in surprise. Immediately, she knew what had to be done.

"Durandal, I ask for permission for operational control of pursuing the GUNDAMs," Talia said.

"Permission granted. Until further notice, control is yours, Captain Gladys," Durandal said in a gracious tone.

Talia turned to her youngest officer, Meyrin Hawke. She was a teenager but was extremely intelligent, quick-thinking, and collected. Considering that ZAFT had lost so many adults in the previous war, Talia was willing to gamble on Meyrin's potential. "Signal the closest Mobile Suits to our position. I don't care of they're ZAFT, EA, and Orb, or GINN, Zaku, Dagger, Windam, and Astray. Whoever's close by has just been transferred to the Minerva and will help us pursue the GUNDAM machines. Try for the closest twenty-four Mobile Suits to our position."

"Twenty-four, ma'am?" Meyrin did not sound happy about that.

"Just a general call for them to rally around the Minerva."

"All right," Meyrin said with a sigh.

I'm not letting them off that easy. GUNDAMs or no, none of those terrorists are getting away today. Not on my watch.
***
"We've pinned them down into a small section of the city," one of the Earth Alliance commanders was saying. "Can any of you attempt to surround them?"

"My squad's currently stuck," Rey said to the Earth Alliance commander. The three Mobile Suits under his command had backed a GINN up against a building and separated it from its allies. Eventually, it was taken apart under withering fire and collapsed into the street, destroying many cars, the street, and both sidewalks in the process.

"Correction," Rey said. "We're free to loop around."

He was getting tired, and he did not like the amount of ammunition he had left. His Mobile Suit would need to be recharged soon too. If this battle dragged out for too much longer he would need to leave it to the Earth Alliance to mop things up, and Rey didn't want the EA to finish the fight. Not without a ZAFT presence, at least.

Suddenly, a new voice entered his com. "This is Ensign Meyrin Hawke of the battleship Minerva. Five enemy Mobile Suits are attempting to escape the colony. By the power vested in her by Chairman Durandal, Captain Gladys of the Minerva implores you to join her in pursuing the GUNDAM machines. Whether you be Earth Alliance, ZAFT, or Orb, please help us stop the terrorists from escaping this colony."

"Sis?" Lunamaria blurted.

"Rey, what do we do?" Shinn asked. "We need to finish these guys off, but-"

"It's not just the ZAFT she's calling, it's the Earth Alliance too," said a Earth pilot. "We all should go and those who didn't get contacted can handle mop-up duty. I don't know what GUNDAMs are doing here, but if they anything like the last war's we don't want to escape."

"Agreed," Rey said. "Asuka, Hawke, we're joining the Minerva. Activate thrusters. Looks like we've found our ship."

Lunamaria was already taking off, but Shinn sounded hesitant. He heard Shinn ask "Stellar, did you get contacted?"

"I did, Shinn. Don't worry, I'm coming with you. So is the rest of the team."

Shinn's voice was filled with relief. "That's great. Let's go."

Rey normally didn't care if his pilots were in romances, but he had a feeling this one was going to be a problem. Things were going to be extremely delicate from this point forward, and if EA/ZAFT relations deteriorated, that would mean that Shinn and this "Stellar" flame would wind up on opposite sides. He needed to be able to trust Shinn to fight for the ZAFT, and he wasn't sure he could do that.

But that didn't matter right now. He supposed he could worry about that later, such as after the battle. For now, his primary concern was stopping those GUNDAMs. Rey activated his thrusters, and blasted out of the city, charging towards the colony wall. He had just enough fuel to catch and engage the GUNDAMs for a few precious minutes . . .
***
Rick Dettwiller was in trouble. His position was becoming untenable, and he knew it. The enemy Mobile Suits, whether ZAFT, Earth Alliance, and now the Orb, vastly outnumbered him, and he was running out of energy and ammunition, to say nothing less of his surviving troops. But they had to buy Janeane Cruz and her group more time. The fight was winnable with the GUNDAM machines, but the GUNDAMs would not be able to escape and the longer war would be lost.

So, he had to sacrifice himself for the greater purpose. But he knew it didn't have to come to that. All he needed was to buy a couple more minutes, and he'd try to escape with his remaining troops. He could still do it. He still had the energy to do it.

That little strand of hope was motivating him to keep fighting on despite the overwhelming odds. But, as he was pinned down by an overwhelming barrage of firepower, he saw that little strand become thinner and thinner, until it was almost nonexistent.

I need just another minute. Just another minute. Please, Commander Cruz, get out of here!

Suddenly, he saw that several Mobile Suits were taking off around his position. For a split second, he thought that his troops were abandoning him and the mission, but he quickly saw that all of the Mobile Suits were adversaries. Why would they be taking off when-

He knew why. And he immediately got on the radio.

"Commander Cruz, we've got Mobile Suits taking off in pursuit of you! We can hold them off no longer, get out however you can and as fast as you-

"Major Dettwiller, we have a Dagger charging-GYAAAAA-" Then there was nothing.

Dettwiller turned to see his last remaining GINN sliced in half and exploding after impacting the ground. To his left, his last Zaku was torn apart by ferocious fire. Dettwiller, knowing time was up, prepared his thrusters to take off, only to see the enemy Dagger that had destroyed the GINN rushing right for him.

I won't get killed by a mere Natural!

He aimed his MMI-M633 Beam Assault Rifle and began shooting a consistent volley at the Dagger. He saw the beams impact and explode, but hte Dagger kept coming even as it was progressively torn apart. It occurred to Dettwiller that the Dagger's pilot was killed, but the Dagger was out of control, going at full speed, and nothing was going to stop it.

He ran out of ammunition then, and as he tried to reach for his MA-M8 Beam Tomahawk, he saw it was too late. The Dagger's beam sword cleaved into his cockpit, and then the rest of the Dagger plowed into him. The Zaku Phantom was driven backwards into a building, and promptly exploded.

The building crumbled then, on top of the burnt, pathetic, blackened remnants of the Zaky Phantom and the Dagger. Within ten seconds, a morbid, makeshift gravestone was created for both pilots.
***
"Did they get Dettwiller?" Saburo asked no one in particular as he reached the edge of the colony. At this point, all pretenses of a sky were gone, and it was quite obvious they were staring at a bulkhead.

Janeane Cruz's voice came back grimly. "It won't be in vain. It is because of him and the troops under his command why we're here right now."

"He said that we have pursuit coming. Hurry," Coolidge said, stress entering his voice.

"I'll tear them all apart myself," Indira said.

"No, Indira. We don't have the energy or the time do that. We have to make it to the rendezvous if the mission is going to be a success," Cruz said coolly.

"Dammit." Indira's reluctance was audible.

Cruz aimed her most powerful weapon available to her, the MA-7B Super Fortis Beam Cannon, specifically built for giving damage to ships and high-armored exteriors. She let loose, and moments later, a gaping hole was created in the colony. Atmosphere leaked out, and Saburo felt a slight pulling sensation as the vacuum beckoned to his GUNDAM machine.

Suddenly, laser shots flew past them. Saburo turned around, and saw a ship he had never seen before coming right up to them. A scan told him it was called the Minerva.

"You!" Indira was infuriated. "I'll tear you apart!"

"Now's not the time, Indira! We have to go, and go now!" Cruz was already entering space in the "Savior", and Fisk and Coolidge were also gone in their machines as well. It occurred to Saburo that he should leave too, and he accelerated towards the gaping hole in the colony.

I have to get out of here. If I do, my mission's done. And hopefully I'll get a break. I need one, really bad. He had killed quite a few people today, and he hoped it would be a very long time before he had to kill again.
***
"Lady Joule! Lady Joule!"

"Yes?" asked Ezalia Joule softly.

"We have reports from Janeane Cruz. We have all five-I repeat, all five GUNDAM machines. They all belong to us now. The other GUNDAM pilots include Fisk, Coolidge, Mehrvash, and Uzumaki."

"Good, good." Ezalia Joule sighed. This would not only establish her organization as a credible alternative to the ZAFT, but it made her something to be reckoned with. But she had no doubt in her mind they had taken a lot casualties to get those GUNDAMs.

At least my son wasn't there, she thought. Ezalia had been careful to operate where her son wasn't, to avoid the possibility of him being killed by her troops. Yzak was too good of a son to die right now, especially when he had so much raw potential. Ezalia sincerely hoped when she took power in the Supreme Council that she would be able to fly Yzak through the ranks in a hurry.

She took another deep breath, and forced herself to relax. "Any other survivors?"

"No, Cruz just confirmed it's just everyone piloting a GUNDAM."

Ezalia nodded. That was about what she was expecting. "Fine. Decloak at once, and launch the Mobile Suits. We'll buy them time so they can board. I have no doubt they are being chased."

"They are. I'm hearing of a battleship and assorted Mobile Suits."

Ezalia nodded. "All right, deploy now . . . and prepare Mehrvash's meds. I'm going to need Ilia for a while, not Indira."

"Understood, Lady Joule."

Ezalia nodded to herself then. Phase One was down. Now would come the most difficult part for her, emotionally and physically.

They don't have any idea what's about to hit them . . . especially those Naturals. They think they have earned the right to peace? No, they haven't. They'll learn there'll be no peace for them until the ZAFT are dominant, once and for all.
***
The angel couldn't help but laugh.

"I can't believe it!" the angel cried. "This will cause the most chaos of any scenario I came up with! I can't believe we are so lucky! The world will burn, and the Coordinators will seal their fate!"

Yes, their fate will be sealed, all right. They'll being closing their own little coffin. I do love irony.

He forced himself to calm down. The work of his little Slant informant was useful, but he couldn't keep himself preoccupied with assumptions. There was still a chance things could go wrong, there was still so many alternate scenarios that could happen.

But the chance of the most destructive scenario had increased by twenty percent. It now had nearly a quarter chance of happening. And the other scenarios also had their destructive moments as well.

Naturals can use science for more than just genetics, Coordinators. It's time you learned that once and for all. We made you, and we can just as easily destroy you. Coordinators are nothing but a misguided science experiment, and when experiments malfunction, when they react unpredictably in a bad way, they must be destroyed.

You are no different, Coordinators. You will all learn that oh-so soon.

But first, I will observe a little longer. Yes, just a little longer. Just to see if the most glorious scenario increases in likelihood, even just a little bit.

He smirked.

Just a little bit indeed.
***
He will need your help soon.

What did you say?

My brother. He will need your help soon.

Your brother? Why?

Something terrible will happen to him soon. It will kill him if you're not there for him.

What do you mean by that?

My brother isn't supposed to die. But something will make him die. Make everyone die. Even I can't protect him from this. I need help.

I don't understand any of this!

You'll start seeing the signs soon. And the true cause of my brother's death, and everyone's death, will come from a person you believed you could trust.

Are you just playing games with me now?

I will talk with you again soon. I hope you will see the signs.

Hey wait! Don't leave me here! Don't leave me so confused! Why can't you just tell me what's happening?
***
He woke up.

[rebel_cheese]

Double post, sorry.

[DAG101]

Wow, this is pretty good work. Makes a lot more sense than the real GSD. Can't wait for the next one.

[rebel_cheese]

Wow, this is pretty good work. Makes a lot more sense than the real GSD. Can't wait for the next one.

That's kinda the point. XD But I'm actually hewing pretty close to the start of GSD and will be for the next few chapters . . . but I'm making some very major differences while following the same general plotline (note who got the GUNDAMs. Not the EA, not the ZAFT . . . terrorists).

The next one is . . . right now.
_____________________________________________________________

Chapter Eight: Pursuit

No cloud above, no earth below-
A universe of sky and snow.
-John Greenleaf Whittier, Snowbound

Naomi Mitsura woke up to feeling one of the most intense headaches in recent memory. She sat up, only to hear a female voice say "Hey, don't sit up so fast. Calm down and lay down."

Naomi knew the voice from somewhere, but couldn't place it. Couldn't see the source either, the room was much too bright. The voice didn't sound hostile, though, so Naomi laid back down. She was starting to remember before, she had been shot, and the pain had become gradually more and more intense.

She squinted, and recognized the familar blonde locks of the youthful Representative of Orb, Cagalli Yula Athha.

"Okay," she said in a sardonic tone, "Why the heck are you of all people sitting here? That's a position reserved for my husband."

"Well," Cagalli said casually, "As far as Orb intelligence goes, you don't have a husband."

Naomi froze up, and then laughed. "Of course," she said.

"Orb intelligence has its moments of competency as well, you know," Cagalli said.

Naomi sighed. "Seriously, why? Don't you have anything better to do than sit around here, Representative Athha?"

"Wish I did. I'm stranded here for the moment, locked onboard your flagship: the Leighton Abrams. Your ship's received emergency authorization to chase after the terrorists and as of right now I'm honestly stuck."

"But you're not a hostage, right?"

"No. Just couldn't leave before lockdown. I gave the Kusanagi a call, they're on the way. Once everything settles down I'll transfer there."

Naomi nodded slowly. She wished the headache would go away, and soon. It was honestly starting to drive her crazy. The lights had dimmed somewhat, and she could see Cagalli's face, but sharp pains would enter her head every now and then.

Naomi looked towards her IV. A bag of blood was right under it, with a drip looked up to her arm. She looked towards Cagalli.

"Yeah, it's mine. I've faced a lot worse than needles, I'm no crybaby."

"Yes, but-"

"Don't worry about it, Madam Secretary-General. I'm not out for a thanks, you just lost a lot of blood, Athrun's an O-positive when you need a negative, and your bodyguard doesn't share your blood type at all."

Cagalli sounded somewhat embarrassed, and Naomi decided not to press the subject. She sighed as she stared at the ceiling. "I suppose negotiations will have to wait for later, then," she said.

"Yeah, I guess so." Cagalli kicked back against the chair. "I hope we can get them back underway. I do want my people back in their country."

"I understand. I'll make arrangements once this is over with. I think the Earth Federation's used Morgenroete personnel long enough regardless."

Cagalli smiled warmly. It occurred to Naomi that she had never seen this young woman, still in adolesence somewhat, ever smile like that before. In fact, Naomi couldn't remember the last time she herself had smiled like that. So happily, so openly. "Thank you," Cagalli said.

"No problem. Like you said earlier, I'm not out for a thanks, it's the right thing to do." Suddenly, Naomi felt extremely amused and began laughing softly.

"What?" Cagalli asked, confused.

"I think your blood brought some of your personality along for the ride, too. Despite the headache I haven't felt this energetic in years. I want to stay in bed and yet get out of it."

Cagalli sounded amused too. "That has to be a strange feeling."

Before Naomi could reply, Cagalli stood up. "Your bodyguard, Manon, is back. I'm going to leave now, I do have some official business to conduct. You just rest. We got out of there alive, Madam Secretary-General. That's what matters, most of all. We can still make a difference even with what happened."

And then Cagalli was gone, and Naomi was left with a very different impression of the young woman than she used to have.
***
Talia Gladys' face slowly contorted into a stern glare as she saw the enemy ship seemingly materialize out of nowhere. Mirage Colloid, she thought in both exasperation and disgust. Terrorists never have to play by treaties and morals. They have no honor at all.

Bart Heim was already yelling out updates. "We've got Mobile Suits ma'am. Lots of 'em. They're heading towards our cadre."

Talia's frown eased. She couldn't let emotion rule her right now. She was a professional soldier and a leader among everyone else here. Her eyes turned steely as she said "Meyrin, get in contact with the Mobile Suits and organize them. They're going to meet our foes head on. I want Tristan and Isolde armed and ready to fire. We all better be ready for a fight."

"Got it," Meyrin said, and she set about her task, more comfortable than she had been moments earlier in the colony. Talia nearly smiled knowingly, Meyrin was adjusting fast despite her youth and inexperience.

Abby Windsor of primary armaments announced "Tristan and Isolde are online and ready to fire. I'm targeting the bogie vessel in front of us."

"They're not bogies, Abby," Talia said coolly.

"They're not?"

"No." Her voice became every bit as steely as her eyes. "Classify them as vampires. You all know as well as I do that there's about to be a fight."

Arthur spoke up. "Wouldn't it help to try to negotiate? It could buy us some time."

"We don't negotiate with terrorists. Never have, never will," Talia said firmly.

"That's right," Gilbert said, sounding dead serious himself. "If we negotiate with them, all that will happen is that they'll scheme to subvert us and prey upon our weakness. We need to defeat them now before they can regroup elsewhere."

Arthur looked disappointed and intimidated at the same time. "I-I understand."

Malik Yardbirds spoke up then. "We're within firing distance."

"Right," Talia said. Her eyes narrowed as she peered at the distant vessel. "Let them have it. Fire Tristan and Isolde!"

Almost immediately, the big guns fired, suggesting Abby already had her fingers on the triggers. The battle had begun, and Talia hoped that it would end as quickly as it had begun.
***
"Where the hell did these guys come from?" wailed an Earth pilot.

That's something I want to know myself, Shinn thought as he entered the firefight between CLF and allied Mobile Suits.

It was supposed to be just chasing down five Mobile Suits. But now, at least a full squadron, maybe more, was fighting him and his own allies at close range. And to make matters worse, a couple of the hijacked GUNDAM machines were hanging back, and by themselves the machines were making the battle even strength, even though the CLF was technically outnumbered.

"Rey, you better have a plan for getting us out of this!" Lunamaria Hawke cried.

"Just stay in formation!" Rey shouted. "Don't scatter! That way, if one of us gets in the way of a GUNDAM, we all can fight it!"

One of the GUNDAMs was brandishing a kind of beam lance that reminded Shinn of a medieval halberd. There was wreckage of various Mobile Suits all around it, and Shinn was left with the rather creepy thought that the GUNDAM had destroyed allies to kill more enemies.

He did a scan. Apparently, any secret codes that hid the identity had been broken or disabled, for it came back as "Abyss". He found that oddly fitting, for the paint scheme was so dark it almost blended in with space.

Rey's voice came back, and it was harried. "We have two remaining GUNDAM machines out here: "Saviour" and "Abyss". Our orders are to let the Minerva's guns soften 'em up before we move in for the kill."

"Sounds like a good plan," Shinn said. Then he realized he had spoken too soon. "What about if they're charging us?" Shinn cried.

"Damn!" Rey growled. He and Lunamaria joined Shinn in a all-out barrage on the enemy GUNDAM, but then Shinn's worst nightmare came true.

I'm out.

He futilely fired the trigger a few more times, and then screamed "Rey, Lunamaria! I'm out! I have to pull back!"

Lunamaria offered no help. "I'm out too!"

Only Rey was still shooting, and the GUNDAM was dodging Rey almost effortlessly. Shinn engaged his thrusters and immediately set his course for the Minerva. He would literally need to dive into the bay with Lunamaria if he was going to survive this.

Rey shouted "Hawke, Asuka, head for the Minerva! I've got this one!"

Shinn knew there was no point in arguing. All that would happen is that they'll be exposed, with only beam sabers against a fully-equipped, highly-advanced killing machine. At least with his gun Rey still had a chance.

The GUNDAM rushed Rey and cleaved both of his Zaku Phantom's legs off in one stroke, but spared the cockpit. However, doing that had knocked Rey's control system out of wack, and he was floating around the field of battle out of control. Surprisingly, the GUNDAM didn't decelerate to finish Rey off. Instead, it kept pursuing Shinn and Lunamaria like the Headless Horseman after a hapless victim.

"Damn it, what does it want with us?" Lunamaria growled.

"I don't know!" Shinn answered. Must go faster, must go faster, you better go faster you blasted thing!

Lunamaria signaled her sister to open the hangar bay, and despite reluctance for obvious reasons, Meyrin managed to get the hangar to open. Lunamaria and Shinn both rushed towards it, with Lunamaria giving strict, panicky instructions to close the bay before the GUNDAM could reach them.

Shinn immediately saw that the bay would close too late. And he knew what he had to do, considering that he was behind Lunamaria.

He stopped at the entrance of the bay, as Lunamaria's machine dove in, and Shinn drew his beam saber. At least this weapon remained charged, and he could take it on this way.

He suddenly heard a deep, mature woman's voice. "Shinn Asuka, who apparently is a Slant. How amusing that a Slant was able to get into the pilot's ranks."

Is that the terrorist? How did she-ah, forget it. She has our communication codes, we built the damn thing! Shinn thought.

"DIE, SLANT!"

The GUNDAM barreled towards him at top speed, and Shinn was barely able to block her blow in time, but the GUNDAM nevertheless drove him deep into the hangar bay, and they slammed against Lunamaria's machine.

Lunamaria screamed something unintelligible but it was undoubtedly a string of rapid-fire curse words. Shinn kept his beam sabre out, and saw that it was grinding against the halberd-like lance.

"Damn it," he growled.

The woman suddenly acted weird to Shinn, almost if she was getting some perverse pleasure from this. "Oh, you have such a cute voice, Slant! You must be an adorable little boy. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to kill you because you're also a pathetic Slant trying to hide in the bosoms of someone bigger and stronger than you."

Is this woman frickin' psycho? Shinn thought.

Lunamaria growled "Shinn, my radar better be wrong, or so help me . . ."

"I need the help! She's going to break my saber!" Shinn cried.

Suddenly, he heard Stellar scream a battle cry as she rammed into the GUNDAM, causing Lunamaria and Shinn to be driven against the wall hard. The GUNDAM, however, brought out an unpleasant surprise: she had yanked out Shinn's backup saber from its "holster", and was now using it to defend against Stellar.

"I won't let you kill Shinn!" Stellar snarled.

"Ah, the adorable little boy's been taken. That seals both of your fates as well as I'm concerned," said the woman, in a tone that Shinn could only describe as casually insane.

"Shinn, get the hell off of me!" Lunamaria shouted.

"I can't!" Shinn yelled back.

Damn it, she's got me and Stellar in a stalemate, and my saber's running out of energy. How long can I hold out like this?
***
Madd Aves was furious. He cocked his vacuum-ready bazooka and marched out into the hangar with a spacesuit on, and he instructed an extremely nervous, also suited-up Vino Dupre to load the weapon.

"No one barges into my hangar and gets away with it," he snarled.

He let loose with a double barrage of vacuum-capable rockets right at the GUNDAM's left arm that kept the Windam at bay.
***
Indira saw it, but it was too late. Cursing, she tried to dodge it anyway, but her left arm took so much damage from such a close-range assault that she dropped the sword she had procured from the Zaku. Knowing that she had to leave and hurry, Indira poured on the thrusters and drove the enemy Windam out of the hangar bay, grinding it against the bottom as they went.

I'll have to toy with you some other time, cutie.

She heard the female pilot of the Windam scream as it was driven against the ground, and Indira took pleasure in that. She liked facing teenagers. They made such a pleasurable sound when they screamed, like children, only with deeper voices. Such a fragile state, adolescence was. Indira loved to exploit that as much as she wanted.

She blasted out of the hangar, and the Windam fell free and spiraled into space, out of control. Indira was about to engage the Minerva when she realized that her rifle was out of energy, as well as her lance.

Damn it! I was hoping 'some other time' would be in a few seconds! Indira thought.

She suddenly heard that bothersome woman, Janeane Cruz, yelling at her. "Indira, you need to return to base now! I don't know what stunt you just pulled, but if you don't get out of there you're going to be shot down!"

"I'm out of energy anyway. I was going to pull back."

"Then do it!"

Janeane Cruz was such a stickler. However, Indira saw that without charged weaponry, the amount of damage she could cause was minimal. So, before the gunners on the Minerva noticed her, she turned around and blasted off, heading back for base. She could not wait until she got to face that darling young man again, and his apparently close Natural girlfriend. Oh, the pain she could cause with that pair . . .

She could only salivate.
***
Shinn tried to take some deep breaths. "I'm alive. I'm alive. I'm alive."

Slowly, that chant-like saying turned into a whoop. "Hey! I'm alive! I made it! Lunamaria, we made it!"

"Wonderful. Get off of me."

"Oh, sorry." Shinn positioned his Mobile Suit accordingly, and Shinn breathed sighs of relief. The GUNDAM had left, and apparently wasn't able to do any real damage to the ship. There was just one problem . . .

Shinn's face fell. "Stellar."

He instantly contacted Stellar's Windam, which apparently was close by but indeed had been jettisoned out of the hangar. "Stellar, Stellar! Are you all right? Answer me!"

"I-I'm fine, Shinn."

She sounded woozy, but at least her talking to him was a good sign. "What happened, Stellar?"

"She tackled me with her damaged arm and drove me out of the hangar bay. I have a bad headache and I have cosmetic damage to the back end of the Windam, but I can still move this thing. Can you tell your friends to let me in, please?"

She did sound shook up. It didn't surprise Shinn at all. He didn't want to imagine what that experience had been like for Stellar. At least she hadn't been killed. At least that psycho of a pilot hadn't thought to cleave Stellar in two while she was at it.

"All right. I'll do that. I'm just glad you're okay. That was one of the scariest moments of my life."

"Hell, that was the scariest moment of my life, Shinn. I can't wait to hear what was worse than this."

Stellar had clearly been joking in a graveyard way, but that hit Shinn hard. He had experienced things worse than this, far worse, in a personal way.

Mayu . . .

"Shinn?"

"I-I'm sorry. I'll call Madd up. I think he was the one who damaged the GUNDAM's arm, by the way. Make sure to thank him."

"I will. I'm coming in, Shinn. I'll talk to you soon."

"Yes. I can't wait to see you," Shinn said, with a small smile appearing across his face.

"Ah, young love," Lunamaria said sardonically.

"Oh, shut up. Like you're one to talk, crushing on Rey at all."

"Why, you-"

In just a minute, it seemed like a GUNDAM hadn't penetrated the hangar bay at all.
***
"So, Vampire One's falling back?" Talia said.

"Yes, Captain," Bart said. "They've apparently retrieved both of the GUNDAM machines still operating outside, and they're accelerating away from the ship. It's incredibly fast."

A ship of such speed, and yet the strength to withstand our salvos like that . . . I wouldn't be surprised if we have encountered the CLF's flagship. Talia thought.

"All right. Tell all Mobile Suits in need of resupply to head for the hangar. Hopefully Madd's done enough clean-up in there so we can admit them. Any fresh Mobile Suits will pursue Vampire One with us," Talia said.

"Right, Captain," Malik said. "We're accelerating now."

"Good," Talia said. She sighed and closed her eyes for a brief moment. This was by far the most intense experience she had had since the Bloody Valentine War, and she hoped that this will be over with soon enough so the ship could return to peace. She knew that as long as those GUNDAMs remained in the CLF's possession, the CLF would continue to wage war against the ZAFT, the EA, and the Orb. It would be like the Bloody Valentine had never stopped.

Suddenly, Bart shouted "Our sensors are picking up bulbous devices in space in front of us! I can't identify them!"

"Malik, halt the ship!" Talia shouted.

"Slowing down, ma'am!" Malik said.

Bart, meanwhile, was reading his sensors' report out loud. "They're large devices, potentially dangerous . . . oh damn it, they're mines! We have mines on timer right in front of us!"

Talia knew there was no time to hesitate. "Malik! Reverse thrust! Get us out of here!"

"I'm on it!" Malik instantly switched power to the emergency engines, and the Minerva ever so slowly began to creep backwards. The engines were small and didn't have much fuel, and Talia could only hope they got the ship far enough away to make a difference.

"Meyrin! Get every Mobile Suit out there to pull back! Now! We have mines!"

"Yes, Captain!" Meyrin shouted, and she immediately began broadcasting. "All Mobile Suits, fall back at once. We have mines close to our position. I repeat, we have mines close to our position. Fall back immediately-"

Suddenly, bright flashes of light erupted right in front of the Minerva, sending out shockwaves that caused the whole ship to shake. Talia's hands gripped the handrests as hard as she could as the ship weathered the shock.

Arthur had slipped and fallen, and through a pained moan he said "Are we still alive?"

"Apparently. All departments must report damages at once? Everyone isn't injured, right?" Talia asked.

"I don't feel so good . . ." Arthur moaned.

"Well, you seem fine, so get up."

"Yes, ma'am." Arthur said meekly.

She turned to the ZAFT Chairman. "Are you all right?"

"I had my seatbelt fastened," he said coolly.

"All right. Everyone, get back to your posts. Meyrin, how many Mobile Suits were destroyed in the blasts?"

Meyrin sounded horribly shaken up. "T-T-Ten, no twelve of them . . ."

Talia sensed Meyrin was going to need some help later. She was a teenager, after all. If Meyrin needed a minute to vent Talia was more than prepared to give that to her . . . once the ship was back in order.

"It's not your fault, I didn't see the mine coming, Meyrin. You got on there as fast as you could. You can still keep everyone organized?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am."

"All right, then organize everyone. You're a soldier, Meyrin."

Before she could say anything more, the screen in front of her came to life. "This is Captain Sven Johanssen of the Leighton Abrams. We're here to assist in the pursuit of the terrorists."

Talia smiled grimly. "Glad you can be of assistance, Captain. Could you please help in organizing the Mobile Suits still out there, while preparing to move at the same time? They got a head start on us because of those mines."

"We saw. We'll help as quickly as we can." Then Johanssen's monitor switched off, and Talia leaned back and wiped her brow. It looked like her life was going to remain stressful for just a while longer . . .

[rebel_cheese]

I think I may have one more post up tomorrow or Thursday, but anything else will have to wait until the weekend.

I would appreciate feedback on the story so far. If you don't like the direction, please let me know.

[rebel_cheese]

Chapter Nine: Time to Waste

How like a mirror, too, her face. Impossible; for how many people did you know who refracted your own light to you? People were more often . . . torches, blazing away until they whiffed out. How rarely did other people's faces take at you and throw back at you your own expression, your own most trembling innermost thought?
-Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Lacus Clyne was tired. Reverend Malchio couldn't come back soon enough. Her voice was worn out, the acoustic guitar and microphone she had been using was put away, and all of the little children had finally been tucked in now. The big kids could go to bed when they wanted to as long as it wasn't too late, and Lacus was looking forward to a break.

But she also loved her job anyway. She was gone from the excesses of pop music, away from the corruption of politics. Living her life like this brought her great joy, even with the sadness and stress. In other words, Lacus was experiencing every aspect of life, and that was something she did not regret.

Most pop stars would have been horrified at the prospect of being "reduced" to singing to children three years after churning out hit song after hit song. But Lacus knew that she needed to take responsibility now. The time to be working in the studio and with producers had ended. It was time to make something meaningful out of her life, and she was going to pursue that.

Living a quiet, charitable life with Kira. That's what she wanted. That's what she was going to try to get. She was halfway there. She hoped that with just a little more time, a little more healing, Kira would be fully there. And she would be happy, and so would Kira.

That was the plan, at any rate.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps from behind her. She turned around, and saw Kira. And he looked horrible.

"Kira?" she asked.

"Lacus, I'm losing it. Help me," he pleaded softly.

He was going to collapse on the floor, but Lacus got him and slowly kneeled him to the ground. She was a little stronger physically now than she was before they came to the orphanage, but even underweight Kira still stressed her arms to their limits. She ignored the sudden pain and let Kira's head rest on her shoulder.

"Kira, Kira, it's all right. You're not crazy. I know you're not crazy."

"I am crazy, Lacus. You don't understand."

Lacus couldn't hide her skeptism in her voice, no matter how hard she tried. "Tell me why, then."

"Why does this little girl come to me in a dream and say everyone's gonna die?"

Lacus paused. This wasn't the usual Kira nightmare. Usually no one spoke to him in a civilized manner in his nightmares. They all screamed at him, in anger, fear, and sadness. Cradling broken, dead loved ones in their arms. Or, more often that not, they were zombie-like horrors, undead ghosts, making sure he never rested until he would simply die.

"No one's gonna die, Kira. Everyone's safe."

"No one's gonna be safe, Lacus. The girl said something's going to happen. From someone I thought I could trust."

"You can trust me, Kira."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Lacus got angry then, but stifled it. The last thing Kira needed was a tongue-lashing. In his state, if she got angry, he would completely lose it. Apparently, some deep, dark part of Kira's mind was messing with him, and he was trying to drive himself crazy. She had to fix it before it was too late.

She scanned the room, and hoped the kids weren't around. It seemed there hadn't enough noise to attract their attention. They were probably all watching their television screens, watching some super robot show piloted by an unquestionably awesome group of individuals who didn't deal with the pain of killing other human beings because they took down monsters.

If only life could be so simple.

"Kira, if I were going to betray you, do you think I would've done it by now?"

"I don't know anymore."

"Kira, I have stood by you for three years. Ever since this started happening." Her voice was beginning to break. "I have done nothing but support and love you. I don't want you to . . . to . . ."

She was crying now. She was going to lose him, she could feel it. And this morning he had started out so much better than usual too. Why was this happening? Why couldn't she slay these demons that assaulted his mind and heart?

"I'm sorry, Lacus. Please don't cry. You're right. It's not you."

His grip on her back became tighter. Lacus let out a brief gasp. "Kira . . ."

"You could've hurt me anytime you wanted, but you never do. Instead, all I've done is hurt you."

"Kira, don't do this to yourself. And don't tell me you're going to listen to some little girl conjured in front of you."

"I've never seen this little girl before. She has this dark hair and eyes . . . and she doesn't look evil. Just sad."

"Sad?"

"Sad."

Lacus was confused now. So the girl wasn't tormenting him in anything but the words she spoke? The girl wasn't accusing him of being a mass murderer, a war criminal?

Kira continued to ramble. "She told me she wanted to protect her big brother, but she wouldn't be able to from this. She said I have to protect everyone. Someone I trust . . . someone probably very close to me, like Athrun or Murrue . . . is going to do something terrible soon. Something that'll kill everyone."

"Did she name anyone?"

"No."

"Then this is just another nightmare, Kira. This isn't anything supernatural. You nearly started to fight me just a moment ago because of it, right?"

"Yeah?"

"It's nothing, Kira. Just something trying to tear you apart. Now stand up, and I'll help you to bed. I'll be right by your side all night once I'm done here."

He took a deep breath. "O . . . Okay."

She turned and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Good. Now get up."

She brought him to his feet, and held his hand all the way to the bedroom.

I won't let your dark side take you away from me, Kira. I love you. I will continue fighting this battle because I love you. And we will win, Kira.
***
Saburo just wanted to get some rest. He was one of five-five people who had survived that mission. Who had returned to base. All of them who now had a GUNDAM to call their own. The CLF's next phase, whatever it was, was said to have a much higher chance of succeeding because they now possessed the powerful GUNDAM Mobile Suits.

"Gaia" now belongs to me. Who would've thought it? Saburo thought.

He had control of one of the most powerful Mobile Suits ever made. And yet, he didn't feel excited about having so much power. This wasn't something he was used to. He was always used to being at the bottom rung, of struggling just to be on a playing field. He should be relishing the prospect of finally having the advantage.

But he couldn't. He just couldn't help but feel that they all had made a mistake by attacking that ZAFT hangar and getting so many CLF personnel killed for just five advanced Mobile Suits. Were the GUNDAMs a suitable price to pay for all of those soldiers, gunned down in and around Hawking?

He knew he would find his answer out soon enough. And he had the strangest feeling that the answer wouldn't be favorable.

As he walked into his newly designated sleeping quarters, he thought about what it would be like sleeping alone from now on. For no longer would he have to bunk with some person. The privilege of being a pilot meant that he would get his own room, and Ezalia Joule had stuck to that promise.

He supposed he should be happy he finally didn't have to share a room with some other guy. But a part of him was left wondering I fought and survived that mission just to have my own room?

He had no girlfriend. He had no family. If he had a home it was this ship in perpetual jeopardy. He had been reduced to having practically nothing. Even the small amount he had now seemed miniscule compared to what he had before the war. None of this seemed to be worth it anymore.

And yet, he knew he would need to take the GUNDAM back out. He would need to fight. He was in possession of a property worth even more than gold.

He was trapped and there was no way out.

And then he found out how that felt like physically.

Indira Mehrvash suddenly appeared when he opened his door. He gaped at her. She was dressed skimpily; she was wearing shorts that bordered on hot pants and she had scissored off the midsection of her tank top. And, considering the slightly dazed look on her face, and the strange, aromatic smell of her breath, she was drunk.

"Hello there, handsome," she said. She was definitely drunk, but her words weren't slurring, just spoken lazily.

"Um, why are you in my room?" Saburo asked uneasily. He immediately tried to back away, but Indira matched him stride for stride until she backed him up against the hallway hall.

"I'm not in your room now, silly," she said.

Someone save me, please! "Don't you have your own room?"

"I don't feel like having my own room. It's so lonely in there," she said in a strange half-whine. Then, much to Saburo's dismay and horror, a smile that was both seductive and crazed spread across her face.

"I feel like sharing my room right now."

She placed both of her arms so her hands touched the wall around him, and she edged in closer. Saburo thought about attacking her, kneeing her in the stomach and running, but he quickly saw it would be pointless. In fact, she'd probably find resistance amusing.

Can't someone save me from her? I don't want to be . . .

"What's the matter? Why are you so scared?" She sighed. "That's the problem with your generation. You always take things so serious, you rarely take time to have any fun at all."

This isn't fun.

"C'mon, seriously," she said. Her smile became demented. "Why so serious?"

That was it. Saburo aimed his knee at her stomach, but she dodged it with ease and then pushed him into the wall, but then her arms wrapped around him and she drew him in close.

"What a rush that was!" she said. "Oh god damn, Saburo, you're just a match for my fire."

She's even more drunk than I thought! Saburo said. But her reflexes didn't seem to have been dulled at all. And if they were dulled, what kind of reflexes and strength did she have without alcohol?

"C'mon, Saburo. Live a little bit. I need life."

I can't break free! Damn it, this isn't what I want! Get off of me!

"Indira, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Indira just gave the woman who said that something Saburo could only describe as a look. "Oh come on, I just got back. Let me have some fun with the virgin."

Saburo turned his head, and saw, much to his surprise, the woman was none other than Ezalia Joule herself. And she looked disgusted, although not altogether surprised, about the scene. It looked like she was experienced with this type of thing, which made Saburo somewhat nervous.

Ezalia sighed. "Indira, if you had one hint of self-control-"

"Let me live, Ezalia! Seriously, I've had enough of structure. Enough of rules. Enough of ethics. I just want to-"

"There is no way I'm letting you finish that sentence, Indira."

Indira gave Ezalia a snotty look. "You're no fun."

Suddenly, Ezalia loaded some kind of needle into a gun. "You're right. I'm not. And right now I need someone who isn't fun, either."

Indira's eyes widened. And then she started screaming, and forgot all about pinning Saburo. "Oh no! No, no, no, nonononono! I am not going back! I am not becoming that bitch! Not again! I have had enough of her!"

Ezalia didn't look fazed at all. "Right now, Indira, there's no purpose for you. I need Ilia. I don't need you."

Indira suddenly pulled out a gun. "I am not going-"

Ezalia fired her weapon. Indira tried to dodge it, but the needle slammed right into her stomach, and immediately injected its contents.

Indira instantly seemed weakened. She fell to her knees, and her shaking right hand dropped the pistol onto the ground. "No," she said in a pained, betrayed tone. "NO!" she screamed. "I. Am not. Getting beaten. This time."

Saburo finally spoke as he witnessed Indira went to all fours, screaming in pain. "What is this?"

Ezalia's voice was calm and collected, as if this was simply routine. "Indira is the dominant personality of this woman. I'm currently forcing Ilia out."

"Ilia?"

"Correct. Don't worry, Ilia is actually pleasant."

"I'm still here, you know!" Indira forced out through intense pain.

"What's happening to her?"

"Indira is resisting the shift, like she always does. Resisting puts her mind in anguish until she either gives in or loses consciousness. It interferes with her brain waves so the brain must switch to the Ilia personality or risk a hemorrhage."

Indira, still resisting, glared at Ezalia and tried one final snarl. "I'll gladly take that . . . uh . . . ah . . ."

Saburo instantly detected a change in Indira's voice. It was getting higher, softer. Indira's frantic twitching and spasming slowed down, and there were more calm breaths.

"Ah . . . ow . . . God . . ."

Ezalia smiled, which was the last thing Saburo expected. "Welcome back, Ilia. I'm sorry about the long wait."

Indira, who was now apparently a woman named Ilia, managed a response. "I really hate it . . . when I take over . . . and I'm dressed like this."

Ezalia sounded understanding. "I know. By the way, you have one very confused teenager to your right."

"Huh?" Ilia looked at Saburo.

Saburo instantly saw a change in the woman's eyes. They seemed to have gotten wider. In fact, her whole face had generally gotten softer. The tense, wild moods Indira always gave off were completely gone. The woman, despite still seeming like she had finished a run up and down Mt. Everest, seemed to be the very embodiment of calmness.

"Oh . . . I'm sorry. I'm Ilia. Ilia Mehrvash. Chief biological scientist for the CLF."

She sighed. "I'm sorry about this, Saburo. I couldn't stop her. I do not have any control over her at all."

Saburo backed up against the wall. "How do you know my name?"

She looked at him sadly. "Just because I have no influence over Indira does not mean I do not have awareness. I know full well what she's doing, and it is like watching a nightmare." She shuddered. "It is undoubtedly the same for her."

Ezalia said "Ilia Mehrvash accidentally created her . . . let's just say, "alter-ego", in an accident involving quantum brain waves. Indira took complete control away from Ilia, and it took several months before this "antidote" was created so we could bring her back."

"That's pretty much the story." Ilia rose to her feet. After a brief stumble, she regained her footing, and sighed. "Indira is, essentially, a combination of my inner child with all of the repressed desires and temptations I've had in my life . . . along with an unusual aggression for which I don't have an explanation yet."

She looked at Saburo. "I hope to talk with you soon and apologize formally, Saburo," she said, and then wiped her brow. "Ezalia, do you have a change of clothes? I'm going to need a shower too."

"I'll show you the way in a moment," Ezalia said, but first she approached Saburo and placed two needles in his hand.

"This is in case Indira goes after you again," she said. "One of these is a backup. If you so choose, you can inject Ilia with one of them to turn her into Indira, but, as you undoubtedly know, that's not recommended."

Saburo stared at the needles. Finally, after several seconds, he finally spoke.

"You just expect me to just be okay with this?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Ezalia didn't seem to have heard him, or had pretended not to.

Saburo exploded. "You have any idea how embarrassing, how terrifying all of that was? That woman right there was about to rape me and I'm just supposed to accept that she had an alternate personality that just happens to be a complete maniac?"

"Yes," Ezalia said without hesitation.

Before Saburo could speak again "Ilia" intervened. "Listen," she said softly. "I know what you're saying. If we have time we'll talk soon, all right? I'm willing to . . . well, help you through everything you're experienced. After all, I'm living through the nightmare myself."

"Like I can just trust you?"

Ilia sighed. "I don't expect you to."

Ezalia interrupted the conversation then, with an "This is over" tone in her voice. "I'm sure Ilia can explain more to you later, soldier. But right now, be aware you've been exposed to classified information, and you are not to talk about it. You talk about it Indira will be allowed to have her way with you."

That put the fear of God into Saburo. "I . . . I get it," he said dejectedly.

Before a minute had passed, Ilia was escorted away from Saburo, leaving him in the hallway, confused, fearful, and angry. This was not right in any sense of the word . . . and there was nothing he could do about it.
***
"We'll be able to pick you up within a few hours, Cagalli."

"Thank you, Admiral Kisaka. It's much appreciated. I'll talk to you more onboard the Kusanagi."

"Understood, Cagalli. Kisaka out."

Athrun had only caught the tail end of the conversation, but that was all he needed. Cagalli was being worn out. She was tired, and that was understandable. After all, the day had been practically hell on earth, and so much had spiraled out of control it was a miracle the three VIPs were all still alive.

"So, we'll be heading to the Kusanagi soon, Cagalli?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said with a sigh. "Kisaka reacted quickly when he found out we're on the Abrams. The Kusanagi is playing catch-up, but it'll catch us within a few hours; Kisaka's pouring on the engines."

Athrun smiled. "With the Kusanagi it'll almost be like old times, an Orb ship, an Earth Alliance ship, and a ZAFT vessel all working together."

Cagalli offered a melancholy grin in turn. "Yeah, except almost everyone involved in that isn't here. They've all been replaced, and I can't exactly deploy in the Strike Rouge either."

Athrun nodded. He understood Cagalli's feelings. Heck, he missed a lot of those people himself. People he idolized like Andrew Waltfield, friends like Kira Yamato and Dearka Elsman, they were all missing. It was as if he was part of an old guard replaced by the new, even though he was the same age or only slightly older than a lot of the new soldiers in this force.

"Also," Cagalli added, "You had your natural hair color back then, too."

Athrun laughed sardonically and sat down on Cagalli's bed. "Yeah, that too. I guess I'll just let it grow out and let my hair color come back. It's not going to be long before it's leaked that I'm alive. And good luck on me setting foot in the PLANTs again, I'm a deserter."

"I'm sure I can have Chairman Durandal pull some strings," Cagalli said. "Problem is, I'd probably have to compromise on something else in exchange for your amnesty or pardon."

Athrun nodded. He stared into space for several seconds, thinking. Then he finally said "No, don't bother. I'm not going to be part of the bodyguard detail for not much longer either, and I don't have any family staying at the PLANTs. I don't need to see them again."

"Don't say that. They're your home, Athrun."

"Cagalli, my home is with you."

Cagalli paused, and then stared at her ring. "Oh yeah, that's right." She smiled, in genuine happiness. "It's beautiful, Athrun. So were the flowers. We definitely need to plant them in the ground when we get back home, I don't want them to be cooped up inside a pot forever."

Athrun smiled. "Yeah. We could even build our own small garden, you know?"

"Nah," Cagalli said. "I'd rather have them planted in a public place, where everyone can enjoy them. I would even tolerate kids picking a blossom up to give to their mothers."

That's Cagalli all right, the populist.

Cagalli's eyes seemed to look distantly for a second, which caught Athrun's attention. What was she going to say now?

"Athrun, when do you want to start a family?"

"Huh?" Athrun was dumbstruck.

Cagalli sighed. "Never mind, you're clearly not ready for that."

Athrun tried to save himself. "W-Well, I, uh, am not used to such a question . . ."

Cagalli stood up from her seat and paced around. "I was asking. I know Yuna is not going to approve of this, not for a second. We may be newly engaged but I'd like to be married as soon as possible before Yuna decides to be Yuna."

In other words, being disruptive.

"He's your cousin. I'd think it would be kind of odd for you and him to marry."

"It's not just that he loves me. He's after status as much as anything else. The Sierans have wanted power for some time and if Yuna married me they'd have a larger piece of it and likely some children to try to mold. Either way, it is lose-lose for me."

"It's not like you to want power," Athrun said.

"I wouldn't want it if Yuna wasn't an idiot," Cagalli pointed out.

"Point taken," Athrun said as he noted that Yuna definitely wasn't the brightest bulb.

Cagalli sighed. "I'm caught between three sides. There's those who want Orb and the EA to grow close, then there's others who'd rather throw our lot in with the ZAFT. Then there's others who'd prefer to be isolationist. The Sierans are definitely pro-Earth Alliance, while you and I . . . especially once it gets leaked that "Alex Dino" is Athrun Zala . . ."

"It'll be seen as a pro-ZAFT gesture," Athrun said. Suddenly, he wondered what Cagalli was trying to imply. She had said outright she wanted a family, but now she seemed to be making the engagement a bad thing. Athrun couldn't make sense of her at all in this moment.

"Even though it's not, it'll be taken that way. The fact of the matter is that you're a ZAFT exile, you have no reason to be pro-ZAFT. And that's the angle that'll have to be played constantly and consistently."

"Scheming, huh?" Athrun said teasingly.

Cagalli gave him a look that was clearly not amused. "I just want both of us to be happy, Athrun. Our family will have enough difficulties because our children will be born Slants."

Athrun nodded and became serious again. As brief as a decade ago, Slants were a nonissue, there had hardly been any of them. But while the population hadn't exactly exploded, the massive reduction in both Naturals and Coordinators, along with a slow, steady increase in the Slant population had made them a lot more important.

Cagalli sighed. "Maybe I'm just playing politics too much. I'm going to be the ruler of the country once I'm twenty-one. I have to do what's best for Orb."

"As long as there's no war it's a nonissue."

"You never know, Athrun."

"That's right, but still. I don't think there's a good chance of there being another war. Not for another decade at least."

Suddenly, Cagalli said something wildly different. "I have to ask you for a favor, Athrun."

"Yes?"

"Could you take the Strike Rouge and take command of the Kusanagi's Astray squadron?"

Athrun stared for a long moment before he could open his mouth. "What?"

"We hardly have any seasoned soldiers left, after the Earth Alliance strike on Onogoro and the campaign to stop the Bloody Valentine War. I have a feeling we're going to face the GUNDAMs again soon, and if the Astray pilots have an experienced commander . . ." her voice began to tremble. "More of them would come back alive."

Athrun nodded without hesitation. He fully understood the reasons why. What better than a GUNDAM pilot to stop GUNDAMs, especially as the Strike Rouge was in all practical purposes a GUNDAM itself?

"All right. But you better explain to me how you snuck the Strike Rouge under my nose," Athrun said with a reassuring smile.

Cagalli returned it. "I'll tell you when you come back." Her voice turned hard, and her eyes became steely. "You better come back, got it?"

"I will," Athrun said. "I've come back before. I came back from Jachin Doe, even. If I can survive that, a clash against a bunch of terrorist should be-"

"This isn't child's play, Athrun, and don't get cocky. From what little I've been able to get out of the ZAFT, the GUNDAMs are stronger than the Strike Rouge, even the updated version I have on the Kusanagi. You will be the one thing that stands in their way of complete battlefield dominance. And they will come after you because of that."

"And yet, knowing that, you'll still have me go out there?"

Cagalli didn't speak for a long moment. Finally, she said "It's for the best. They need you, Athrun. Otherwise, they'll be cannon fodder. And that'll make the Kusanagi vulnerable, and GUNDAMs have been known to wipe out whole ships before."

Cagalli's hands were shaking. Athrun held them softly. "I'll come back. I won't let them kill the squadron or the Kusanagi. Especially not you."

"Just come back, Athrun," she said softly.

Athrun leaned in to embrace her, only to be surprised by a sudden kiss. Athrun relaxed and held her, softly, as she trembled and sniffed, but did not cry. Even in this moment, in one of the hardest decisions of her life, she refused to cry.

But Athrun knew full well if he died out there she would cry. Cagalli was strong but not invincible. She'd shatter into pieces on the spot. And he didn't want that at all.

I'll come back, Cagalli. I mean every word of that. I'll come back, and then we can set up our future.

[DAG101]

Yeah, I really like how this fanfic's looking so far. Eagerly awaiting Chapter Ten.
But, is Shinn going to get the Impulse? And what about Athrun and the Savior?

[rebel_cheese]

Yeah, I really like how this fanfic's looking so far. Eagerly awaiting Chapter Ten.
But, is Shinn going to get the Impulse? And what about Athrun and the Savior?

Glad you're enjoying it so far. I've been trying to throw in new wrinkles in the familar setup (I'm sure you see some things coming). I also threw in a nod to Gundam 00 with quantum brain waves. Chapter Ten . . . probably tonight or Sunday.

Will Shinn get the Impulse? Well, he'll definitely have to fight it in his Zaku. Athrun will NOT pilot Savior, though, he'll be flying something else after his spin with the Strike Rouge. Savior will belong to someone else.

[DAG101]

Is it just me, or is Cagalli's line about not being a crybaby sound like a poke at her (real) GSD character?

[rebel_cheese]

Is it just me, or is Cagalli's line about not being a crybaby sound like a poke at her (real) GSD character?

It is, but I didn't realize it was until I was done with the scene. It just snuck in there.

I'm going to go back and edit some of my posts, making corrections and trying to add some polish, the formatting didn't go through correctly with some of the sentences and paragraphs.

[rebel_cheese]

Chapter Ten will be out tonight or tomorrow, it's been finished, but posting largely depends on several factors. Have also started work on chapter eleven.

Ten will feature a plethora of characters and also introduces Dearka and Yzak to the story for the first time, while chapter eleven focuses on Shinn and Stellar pretty much exclusively.

[rebel_cheese]

Chapter Ten: Uneasy Alliance

The unapparent connection is more powerful than the apparent one.
-Heraclitus, 500 B.C.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes, Lady Ezalia."

"Begin Phase Two."
***
"I am not attacking your defenses, Chairman Durandal. What I am saying is that this whole matter could have been prevented, or been on a smaller scale, if you never manufactured the GUNDAM machines. There is a reason why no new models under the GUNDAM aegis have been manufactured since the end of the war."

Talia stared at Naomi Misora on the monitor, and fought the urge to grin. She is really letting the Chairman have it. If he was just slightly more hawkish he'd want me to turn her into space dust.

"A show of strength is necessary to deter further war and actions," Durandal said, his normally calm demeanor showing annoyance.

"Fat lot of good that did you." This was Cagalli Yula Athha. "Now terrorists hold five GUNDAM machines."

There was a slight head tick Durandal had when he was starting to get angry, and Talia saw it. With Cagalli joining in on the bash-Durandal bandwagon, it seemed that the Earth was somehow winning Orb's favor, even though Durandal had gone through a lot of hard work. And now, everything Durandal has done to curry Orb's favor was going up in smoke.

"Our defenses were strong. We just weren't prepared for such a brazen attack," Durandal said. "Perhaps we should have been ready for such an event if that occurred. That is my regret, not building the GUNDAMs. They are a necessary peacekeeping tool."

"You're just threatening to start off an arms race that completely ignores the treaty," Naomi said.

"Why were they needed in the first place? What purpose do they have for you? GUNDAMs are typically used in offensive manuevers, not defensive," added Athha. "Your actions here aren't making a lot of sense to me, Chairman."

He's getting eaten alive, Talia thought.

Durandal sighed again. "Listen to me, the vast majority of casualties were to the ZAFT forces. A lot of good soldiers died in that base, and more civilians died in the city. We have paid a heavy price."

"I'm not denying that. I'm saying everything could have been prevented had you not begun producing the GUNDAM Mobile Suits. Not to mention that your security was lax enough to allow them to break into the base and steal them away from your grasp. How you failed to anticipate this possibility is beyond my comprehension, considering your nation's forces perfected that art in the middle of the Bloody Valentine War," Naomi said.

And that is the first real low blow of the conversation. The EA Secretary-General isn't holding anything back. If she is not careful she'll turn this alliance into a group of rivals, Talia thought.

Remarkably, the precocious Princess of Orb seemed to recognize that. "Let's not discuss who is at fault further," Athha said. "What matters right now is tracking these terrorists down so we can stop them from using the GUNDAMs for their ends. It is bad enough they are well-organized and armed for a terrorist organization. With the GUNDAMs, the amount of destruction they can cause will be much, much larger."

Durandal still stood up straight, but Talia could see his shoulders sag a bit. He had calmed down as he realized the bulk of the heat wasn't on him anymore. Durandal said "That is exactly right. Whatever happened, these GUNDAMs are capable of causing mass destruction on a wide scale. One of them even penetrated the hangar bay and it took the combined effort of a Windam, a Zaku, and an angry tech support officer to chase it out. If a GUNDAM can enter an enemy hangar bay and survive, this will be a difficult fight ahead for us."

"Orb will fight with the alliance on this," Athha said. "This is our test to see how much we are committed to stopping terrorism. The Kusanagi has a squadron of Astray Mobile Suits onboard that it can and will commit. How is everyone else?"

"We're . . . still trying to get some pilots back to their proper ships," Naomi Misora said, with a twinge of embarrassment in her voice.

"The same goes with us, we still have some Earth Alliance personnel onboard," Durandal said. "However, the Minerva can deploy a full squadron. I've also got in contact with another ship which will be providing reinforcements."

"As do we. As it is, we will have five ships and five squadrons of Mobile Suits. As long as the terrorists don't have a significant fleet and just that one vessel, even with their GUNDAMs they will be defeated," Naomi Misora said.

Suddenly, Bart Heim began shouting. "Captain, there is a communication for Chairman Durandal from the Supreme Council!"

"What?" Durandal said, visibly surprised.

"Should I temporarily cut communication?" Talia asked. It wasn't unusual for such an action to be taken if there was breaking news.

Durandal shook his head. "It must be urgent. Lieutenant Heim, let me hear your report."

"Yes, Chairman." Unlike many of the other officers, Heim didn't seem bothered or pressured in the slightest towards personally communicating with the ZAFT Supreme Council Chairman. That was one thing Talia liked about Bart Heim. He was professional, through and through.

"Chairman Durandal, the Supreme Council just received a report from a reconnaissance team before communication was cut off! Junius Seven has broken free from its orbit and is heading towards the earth!"

"What?" Athha shouted, rising from her seat.

"Durandal, I demand an explanation this instant!" Naomi Misora was even louder, if that was possible, than the Orb representative.

Durandal kept his head level. "Any other details?" he asked Heim.

"Yes! We are going to deploy a Mobile Suit team called Jewel to Junius Seven with a Meteor Breaker. Our sensors already indicate that it is impossible for us to have enough ships and Mobile Suits to push Junius Seven back into orbit in time. Our only option is to destroy it."

Talia froze. Junius Seven was a symbol to the ZAFT. How could they destroy it? But then Talia's more logical side took over, and she knew that it would have to be done. Junius Seven was doomed either way. It would be destroyed by plummeting to the Earth, or in prevention of such a tragedy.

Durandal sighed then. "Secretary-General Naomi, Representative Athha, a new wrinkle has been thrown into our plans. We're not that far off from Junius Seven. In fact, I have a feeling that the same terrorist organization that hijacked the GUNDAMs committed this horrid act."

"How could the CLF get so powerful, so quickly?" Naomi Misora asked.

Durandal shrugged. "I have honestly no explanation, other than some brilliant ZAFT minds have cast their lot with them. But, even with their grievances, this is a criminal and horrific act. Junius Seven crashing into the Earth will be the equivalent of the meteor that made the dinosaurs extinct."

"Then that is what we have to do, then," Athha said. "We have to destroy it. Let's head to Junius Seven. If you're right, Chairman, our quarry is already there, making sure it goes down."

"We must help as well," Misora said. "I will not allow my planet to be hit by that thing."

We just have to hold together a while longer . . . Talia thought. Easier said than done.
***
"Well, Ilia, my old friend, you were able to accomplish the impossible: making Junius Seven fall."

"It's what has to be done, like you said, Lady Ezalia. I am just performing my service to you." Ilia sighed. Her right wrist began trembling and she grabbed it with her left. "Ezalia, I need another dose. Indira is threatening to take over. She is learning how to fight the treatments."

Ezalia sighed. "I am not sure that is such a good idea. We may need Indira and her penchant for destruction soon. I have heard that we have multiple ZAFT and EA vessels, along with Orb support, en route to Junius Seven."

"I understand." She spoke like she did, but her eyes told another story. Ezalia's heart went out to her. Ilia had to put up with a lot, being aware of every instance where her psychotic alter ego killed and pillaged. More than once, before she had joined the CLF, her alter ego had raped a man, usually younger than her. Indira was a wild woman, barely kept in check. With the GUNDAM, she would be an unstoppable berserker, annihilating everything . . . and having fun while doing so.

"How long do you think you have?" Ezalia said.

"A few hours. Three, maybe four," Ilia said.

She grabbed her stomach then. "Ow," she whispered.

"Her body type is already asserting itself," Ezalia said.

"Yes," Ilia said. Her eyes watered, and an expression that screamed help me appeared on her face. "Please, I don't want her to take over just yet. I want to be me. Just for a little longer. I still need to apologize to Saburo."

Ezalia nodded. "I understand what you're saying. I'm not sure Saburo will accept it. Had I delayed myself any longer, he would have been victimized, and he knows it."

"I'll fall on my knees to apologize to him if I have to," Ilia said, as her face visibly calmed down. Indira had realized she couldn't take over quite yet, and had settled down to pass the time.

Ezalia sighed. "I wish I could grant it for the boy. I truly do. But it's not just his reaction I'm worried about."

"What is it?" Ilia asked.

"Your alter-ego. Seeing him will undoubtedly energize her. Indira could attempt to take over, and if she's desperate enough she could break through what's left of the current treatment and assert herself. And despite what I gave Saburo, I doubt he'd be able to inject you with the treatment before Indira did something about it."

Ilia looked like she was going to cry. "That poor boy." She choked back a sob. "That poor boy, having to deal with her."

"Indira is a monster," Ezalia said, "But she is necessary for this operation regardless. Her combat capability far surpasses most other Coordinators. If it weren't for her brazen behavior, she would be a perfect soldier, or as close to perfection as you can get."

"Please," Ilia begged. "Give Indira something that'll mellow her out at least. I don't want to hurt him."

"I will," Ezalia promised. "I have it right here. It'll buy you another couple of hours and it'll create a fusion of Ilia and Indira when she takes over . . . although it's only for a little while."

"Thank you," Ilia injected herself with it. "Damn it, it hurts," she whispered.

"We'll find a cure someday, Ilia," Ezalia said. "We'll fix your head so you can be Ilia and only Ilia. Then this long nightmare will be put behind you."

"I hope so, Lady Ezalia," Ilia said sadly. "I really hope so."
***
"You know, when I met you, I thought you were just a little hothead who had nothing better to do than to rage at a specific GUNDAM."

"And haven't I turned out to be more than that?"

"Um, no."

"Come on . . ."

"Oh, I'm just messing with you. Don't you realize that-"

The door opened, and Dearka Elsman just stared at the sight.

"I'm interrupting something, aren't I?"

He was about to turn and walk away extremely awkwardly when Yzak Joule sighed and stopped him. The mood was ruined, there wasn't any point to try to rebuild it when all they would be thinking about is when someone else would interrupt.

"What is it, Dearka?"

"Um, well . . . Shiho, you, and I have to deploy. We're needed in the briefing room in about ten minutes."

Yzak sighed. Figures that an emergency or a surprise drill would have to begin right when things were finally looking up. He was starting to win over a girl and now the life of a military pilot wasn't quite as attractive as it once was.

Shiho, bashful, said "Um, I'm not exactly in regulation clothing . . . could I have some privacy, please?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. Go ahead," Yzak said, and he followed Dearka out the door.

And the moment the door whooshed shut Yzak let loose.

"Okay, what the hell is going on? I finally had everything perfect and she was about to kiss me, dammit!"

"You've been with Shiho this long and she still hasn't kissed you?" Dearka asked in bewilderment.

"Well, not on the mouth or-"

"Too much information."

Yzak scoffed. "Whatever."

Dearka sighed. "You know, she is right, you have been mellowing out."

"You were eavesdropping, Dearka?"

"Only for the last ten seconds!" he pleaded, holding up his hands. "I'm sorry, I got kinda envious for a second, I mean, you're starting up a relationship with a pretty girl right when I'm getting over a breakup with a pretty girl. You understand, right?"

Yzak wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face and watch as he floated through zero gravity into the wall, but he knew better. So he clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and exhaled. "I guess," he finally said.

"I won't do it again. I'm sorry."

Yzak wanted to drop the conversation, so he asked "What's going on?"

"There's an emergency. I heard that Junius Seven is falling from orbit and is going to crash into the Earth?"

Yzak was dumbstruck. "What? How? The way PLANTs are set up is so they never fall out of orbit, even when they're just debris!"

"Well, that's what I've been hearing. Either it rammed into something, or . . ."

Something ran into it.

And Yzak had a strong feeling who was responsible for that.

Mother . . .

She had been bailed out of prison two years ago by ZAFT hard-liner rebels, and under her direction a rag-tag group of hard-liners became the organized, potent Coordinator Liberation Front. It seemed while in prison that his mother had become immersed in the same creed that Patrick Zala and the others followed, which were that Coordinators were inherently superior beings and Naturals deserved to be second-class citizens, if not slaves or dead.

"We should prepare for an ambush, Dearka. Remind the captain of that."

"Ambush?"

"I have a feeling my mother's behind this. Since she was thrown into prison . . . she hasn't been the same person. She followed Zala but knew when to back off on some things . . . now, it's like she wants to go farther than Zala ever did."

Dearka looked down. Back in the day, they had both felt the same thing, and their past bigotry was not something they were proud of.

"You sure you want to lead us into battle if your mother's there? Shiho or I are qualified to take command if you-"

"No, Dearka. This had to happen someday. If she's in there, I'll have to convince her to stop."

"And what if she doesn't want to stop? What if she doesn't listen to you?"

Yzak paused for a long moment. He knew the answer he had to give, but he didn't like it, not one bit.

"I'll do what I have to. In the end, it'll be a battle. And she's an enemy soldier."

"Yzak . . ." Dearka sighed. "I'll do it if you can't reason with her. I'm not going to let you kill your own mother."

"Dearka . . ."

"It's just not right for the son to have to kill his mother, all right? I'll do it. If you can't convince her to stop, and killing her is the only other way to stop Junius Seven from falling, and that's assuming she's there-"

"She is. I have no doubt about that."

"Then that's what happens. I don't think we want to see the Earth get destroyed or wrecked by that thing."

Yzak nodded. Junius Seven was a ZAFT memorial, but it would have to be destroyed. Yzak hoped that his intuition was wrong, that his mother wasn't actually there. If she was . . .

"I don't want that to happen either."
***
The angel wore a wide grin as he stared at the latest reports his ever-reliable agent was giving him.

"Oh, this is just too delicious," he said aloud as he paced throughout the commons area of his mansion. "Junius Seven hurtling towards Earth? Fascinating, just fascinating. My wildest dreams seem to be inching closer to fruition."

He sighed then. "Unfortunately, the most destructive scenario cannot happen. Because that would mean a quick apocalypse for all on Earth and a slow dieoff in space for the Coordinators. As interesting as it would be to watch the end of the world, the end has to be stopped, at least partially."

He grinned. "And if they are only able to partially stop it, well . . . the ZAFT will take the blame for everything. After all, they were the ones who let their precious GUNDAMs get stolen out from under their noses . . . exactly as planned."

The Middle Eastern terrorists were only a distraction, something to further confuse and scatter the defending ZAFT forces at Hawking. This was what he had intended all along, the Coordinators to bring their own destruction onto themselves by using GUNDAM machines pilfered from other Coordinators. There was a lot of irony in that, and one of the many things the angel loved was events playing out in an ironic fashion.

It was almost like having a front-row seat to a Shakespearan drama.

And, just like Shakespeare at his finest, people were going to die. Families were going to shatter. Peace would forever be broken. People would become disillusioned and distrustful.

"'Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold. Anarchy will be loosed upon the world'," the angel said, quoting W.B. Yeats' famous poem about the apocalypze.

And, just like any apocalypse, a savior would rise from the wreckage and the rubble.

The angel planned on having his people, as well as the angel himself, of course, being that savior for the Naturals.

The Coordinators and Slants? They could all just die like the science experiments they were.

Death gave birth to hatred, after all. And after what the CLF were going to do, there would be hate. So much hate. And then hate gave birth to blood, and blood gave birth to death. It was a vicious, never-ending, yet poetic cycle.

The angel's job was to make sure that cycle kept turning.

For generations, his predecessors had made sure the cycle continued on and on endlessly with no remorse for the people. The angel had no intention of letting that tradition end with him. His organization, while saving the people, would also make sure there would still be wars to fight. People needed to hate. They needed to see blood. They needed to kill.

In this, the angel controlled the most primal of human desires.

And, in the end, that wasn't a bad thing to control after all.

Because this way, I can have the most fun.
***
"Do you think he can be trusted?"

"No. I think he's lost his mind, personally."

"Insane or no, he has gotten us reformed and back together."

"But at what price? What if his scenarios don't happen, or, I should say, what if the wrong scenarios happen?"

"Then we all die."

"And you're just going to accept that?"

"No like we have much choice. He is in control after all."

"This is why I thought giving him control was a bad idea."

"Listen, let's just see if the positive scenarios begin happening before we do anything rash. If his good scenarios come to fruition, it was the right decision. If his bad scenarios happen, well . . ."

"We kill him."

"No, we can't afford to spill blood personally. But yes, you have the gist of it."

"Good. I'm glad we've managed to stay on the same page. We observe for a while longer?"

"Yes."

"Fine. But the moment things start falling apart . . ."

"We all know what has to be done. Now, let's adjourn until the current matter is settled."

"Right."

[DAG101]

Once again, pretty good.