PHASE 3: The Blunder

[SNT1]

"Hang on Hector---" Carrah says as she dodges one shot from her opponent, but it was too late for her to realize that another unit already had her on his crosshairs. The two shots from an odd angle hit Carrah. She blocks the first one the but the second one destroys her lower right hand, effectively losing her beam rifle in the process. "---gaah!" She groans as she got hit.

But just in time, all of ZAFT was ordered to retreat. Grunting, and kinda angry at herself, Carrah fires a departing spam of railguns on the newcomer that ruined her rhythm, right after fleeing off the battlefield at speed.

She even wonders why Commander Granzi decided to push further when the first naturals were already long gone by then.

~~~~~~

Mike is surveying the aftermath; how many his team lost, how many the enemy lost.

After a while he realizes that while he knew he got a ZAFT kill, the enemy also had their own. "Damn..." was all Mike could mutter.

[ScornMandark]

Stan held his fire as Carrah turned to retreat. Orders were to look like they were retreating until ZAFT gave up, then actually pull back. He sighed. 'At least I didn't have to kill anyone today. Came close, though.' Over his comm, he broadcast, "Falcon Lead, this is Falcon 2. Enemy bugged out, retreating to Turkle as ordered." He waited a moment, then repeated, "Falcon Lead, do you copy?" He checked his squad indicator screen with a growing sense of dread. Falcon 4 was deep orange, heavy damage. Falcon 3 was green, light damage; his own was green as well. Falcon 1 was blinking red... Oh, no... Just then Dalos let loose a primal scream. Crap, he needed him to pull together until they got to the crash cart on Turkle. It had better med facilities than the Mancini anyways. In a slightly shaken voice, he spoke again. "Falcon 3, help me with Falcon 4. Let's all get back to Turkle."

"Falcon 2, this is Falcon 3. Acknowledged." Dodging out of the way of the railgun fire lobbed his way, he vectored towards Falcon 4's suit. Together, Stan and James grabbed Dalos' heavily damaged Dagger and started towing him back to the Turkle. They'd head back to the Mancini after the doctors checked Dalos over. Besides, there would likely be a all-hands debrief on the flagship, so the remains of Falcon team would need to be there.

"Hey man, you ok in there?" James spoke directly to Dalos, checking to see if he was injured at all.

[Sume Gai]

Turkle
-Bridge-

Harken was very unhappy with how things had turned out. An unclear end was worse than a loss in many ways, a simmering discontent would remain between the forces and Harken was sure that negotiating with the ZAFT forces in the future would be almost impossible. Then the news came that turned this sour battle completely bitter.

"Sir Falcon team is calling, their squad leader was KIA and Falcon 4 was severely damaged. They're requesting permission to land here." the coms officer's voice was clearly chilled by the thought of his dead comrade.

Harken was silent and impassive. in his mind he added the name of the pilot to a mental list; the list was fairly short yet it was far to long for Harken's taste.

in the same voice he had been using since the start of the battle Harken said "grant them permission and pass the information along to the Marcini." glancing over to the admiral he stated "I assume you have no objections?"

[ScornMandark]

Turkle Vicinity

Stan and James continued towing Dalos' broken Dagger towards the mobile suit hangar on the Turkle. Stan felt a little numb still, trying not to let the fact that his immediate CO, whom he had known for less than 6 hours, was dead. Dalos' suit was in bad shape, and who knew what shape he was in himself? Breaking through his reverie, his comm crackled to life.

"Falcon Team, you are cleared to land in the main hangar. Proceed on vector 314 mark 6, maintain current speed. Repeat, proceed on 314 mark 6, current speed. Crash crews ready on hangar deck."

Stan nodded in his cockpit. "Acknowledged. Falcon Team, proceeding to land." He switched his comm to inter-team. "Hey there, Ensign, still with us?"

James grinned. "Hey, if he's stuck in there, can I cut him out? I just learned how to use this old-style jackhammer back on Earth..."

Stan rolled his eyes.

[Random Zaku Pilot]

-Helga Hanger

Hector passed out not even aware he was moved or on a gurney being taken back to the medical ward for a second time in this battle. His normal suit soaked in crimson he laid there looking pale from the blood loss.

Flashback

"Hey kid whats with the sour look?" asked a red uniformed pilot. As he spoke There was a blonde haired kid laying in the air due to the zero gravity as what seem his friend pinching the rear end of a female mechanic who was currently beating on the brown haired man.

"This place is a zoo and there is a war out there, and thats sexual harassment, yet everyone is laughing whats with this place" said a tired Hector.

"Oh JV err thats just what he do when he isn't writing those books, and Wee well making sure Greta does not kill him, you need to mellow out kid not good for your blood pressure worrying bout the little stuff here a soda, and da names Aaron" said Aaron handing Hector a cup.

"B-bbut I give up" was Hector drinking the contents before JV shoved a little orange book in Hectors face "Kid first issue free of charge, its time for you to read the perverted misadventures of Koji as he is the tutor of his college campus hottest cheerleader team" was JV words in a excited yet perverted tone.

Hector nose bleed due to it being one of the more graphic scenes as he read the words "help" was all he did as he had to left as everyone who saw the exchange laughed.

Flashback End

"Man this kid annoying get him prepped and ready seems we need to readdress that wound and fix up the shoulder wound" said the doctor

(Currently getting patched up aznd somethin i came up with out of boredom)

[Cardi Doorl]

- Combat Area -
- Team 1 -

"You alright, Duke?"

"DENVER!!!"

"I said," roared Duke, "Get back!"

Nakamura's beam split through Duke's ruined GuAIZ R. Propellant burst into flames and quickly engulfed the entire machine. Then the batteries cooked off.

Nancy...

[Cardi Doorl]

- Team 5 and Team 6 -

The two teams from the Jeanie withdrew to their ship in an orderly fashion. Some guy from one of the other teams had gunned down the Dagger that Team 5 had targeted, but that suited 5 Lead just fine. Before the OMNI pilot died, he'd taunted his ZAFT assailants with accusations of cowardice. They hadn't fazed 5 Lead in the least; he'd figured that, coward or not, he was the one who'd survived.

* * *

- Nazca-class Cynthia -
- Combat Bridge -

With the ships gradually leaving weapons range, the battle was finally over in a more practical sense.

Shema pushed off from her command seat. "Brant, take care of the rest. Inform me once we reach Copernicus."

[Wedge14]

Erin Bruist

The young pilot was quick to return to her ship. Brimming with eager and misplaced confidence she tore off her helmet happy to be free from it's confinements.

She managed to grab a package of water and started to sip on it quietly as the mechanics started to inspect her Mint mobile suit.


Edgle Glendrin

Ed sat in silence over what had just transpired. His mind racing over what happened over and over again at an inhuman speed. Why didn't he shoot? What if he had pulled the trigger and shot at that OMNI mobile suit? Wjhy was he here? If it was somebody else they would of been able to protect Denver.

The Naturals were a strange bunch. Ed garnered no hate to them. But he did feel a strong resentment to the people in power, to the ignorant, and people who craved war.

It wasn't truly clear to the young man why people had to die. If coordinators were supposed to be these perfect beings, why do they still fight and die?