Fan Fiction ❯ Kingdom Hearts: The Third Epic ❯ Dolls of the Empire ( Chapter 9 )

Dolls of the Empire

 

The gummi ship had just recently arrived on the surface of Earth. Appearing over the ocean, the gummi ship hovered over the watery surface. Donald searched the area for any sign of hostilities. Somewhere in this world coded `the Seed Realm' the next member of the Cavendish Shinobis awaited them.

“Is there any sign of land yet?” asked Sora.

“The scanner's still looking.” Donald replied. He later picked up a significant land mass. “Ah! Land ho!”

“Somewhere out there, the next member of the Cavendish Shinobis awaits us.” said Riku.

“And with that, another clue to Kairi's whereabouts.” added Sora. As they gazed upon the land mass that drew ever closer, they realized there was a blockade of ships before them. “What are those?”

“They're ships!” Donald said, slightly irritated by the stupid question. “What did you think they were?!”-

“No need to get angry. I was just curious.”-

“What kind of ships though?” asked Mickey.

“They look like big fishing boats.” chuckled Goofy.

“Fishing boats, nothing.” Riku said, pointing out at the grey hulls. “Those are battleships and aircraft carriers.”

“You mean...” asked Sora.

“Yes. There's a war going on.”-

“It's just like the attack on the Sanc Kingdom back in the Wing Realm.”-

Suddenly, a transmission message came bellowing forth through the gummi's cockpit.

“Attention! Attention!” said the message. “Unidentified aircraft! This is the Earth Forces calling! You are entering restricted air space! If you do not turn back now you will be fired upon! I repeat, if you don't turn back now, you will be fired upon!”

“Attention Earth Forces.” Mickey replied. “We come in peace! We mean no hostile intention! Please allow us to reach land safely!”

“This is your last warning!” the Earth Forces repeated. “Turn about, or you will be fired upon!”

“Is he serious?” asked Sora.

“Why don't we just do what they tell us?” asked Goofy. “We could find another way to get to land right?”

“That option sounds good to me.” said Mickey. “Let's do it!”

“We'll make a sharp turn!” said Donald. “Everyone, hold on tight!”

The gummi ship made a sharp turn and was almost out of the way of the fleet. There was a sigh of relief amongst the group. But as they neared the end of the turn, Goofy for some reason, lost his grip and slammed right into Donald.

“Sorry, Donald.” said Goofy, humbly.

“I told you to hold on tight, you nitwit!” shouted Donald.

“I said I was sorry.”-

 

But as Goofy stood up, placing his hand on the control panel, he accidentally pushed the button that fired the gummi's beam cannons. Everyone gazed as if in a slow motion effect, watching as the button was pushed. Two energy beams bellowed forth and made impact near the fleet. One blew up dangerously near one of the cruisers, while the other blew the anchor off one of the battleships.

“Goofy!!” they all cried.

“Uh....Sorry?” he uttered, humbly. Another message blew out over the gummi's loud speaker from the fleet.

“You have engaged in hostile activity towards the Earth Forces!!” the message stated. “Prepare to be fired upon!”

“Is that a bad thing?”-

“What do you think, you dip?!!” roared Donald.

“We have incoming bogeys!!” shouted Riku.

“Well, at least this gives us a good excuse to reach land straight away.” chuckled Mickey.

“But I wish it could have been under less hostile circumstances.” uttered Sora.

The gummi's armory fired away at each of the incoming missiles and bombs that dared to strike. However, as they passed the line of hostile ships, they realized the gummi was not equipped with rear guns. So there was nothing to counter the bombs. A sudden explosion rocked the little gummi.

“We've been hit!” cried Goofy. “We've been hit!”

“You think I don't know that?!” shouted Donald.

“We won't last!” Mickey stated. “That last missile crippled us badly! Another hit and we're finished!”

The group looked on as more missiles began to approach. However, there was a sudden energy beam that blasted out, detonating the incoming missiles.

“What the...” said Sora. He gazed up and saw two powerful mobile suits pass over their heads. “Look! Those are mobile suits!”

“Gundams!” added Riku.

“More Gundams?” Donald bickered. Another incoming message reached the gummi.

“Attention!” shouted. “This is Aube calling! Unidentified craft! You are entering hostile territory!”

“We request permission to land.”-

“Request granted! You shall be treated as temporary refugees!” Another message reached the gummi.

“This is Kira Yamato! Pilot of the Gundam Freedom! I'll back you up!”

“Concurred!” said the second pilot. “This is Athrun Zala! Pilot of the mobile suit Justice! I'll assist your withdrawal!”

“Understood!” said Donald. The party watched as the two gundams successfully shot down every incoming projectile.

“That's incredible.” said Sora. “Being able to shoot all those missiles without missing?”

“Now is not the time, Sora!” Riku uttered.

“Slow this thing down!” said Goofy. “Hurry!!”

“Shut up, Goofy!” shouted Donald. “You think you can do better?!”

“Put more pressure on the steering control!” said Sora.

“I can't do that, Sora! I'm putting as much pressure as I can. But too much pressure and the steering control will break! Then, there will be no way to slow down!”-

“The question is, Donald, do you like pancakes?” asked Mickey.

“What does that have to do with anything?”-

 

“Because at the rate of speed we're going, by the time we make impact, we'll end up flatter than the state of Wyoming.”-

“Glass of plastic?” asked Sora.

“What do you mean Glass, or plastic?” asked Riku.

“When we hit land at this accelerated speed, we may end up in either a glass jar, or a plastic bag!”-

Riku smacked Sora at the back of the head.

“You and Mickey aren't helping!”-

“You know....” said Goofy. “I like pancakes.”

“SHUT UP!!!!!” the others snapped.

The gummi ship began to slow, but not slow enough to make a soft landing. The party could only watch on helplessly as their ship made impact.

“Brace yourselves for impact, guys!!” shouted Donald. “We're going in!!

The KH group began to scream out at the top of their lungs as the ship took impact. It first skidded across the surface of the water, slowing the speed slightly. But as it reached the sandy beaches, Donald decelerated the remaining boosters and thrust on the air breaks to maximum. The gummi skipped across the sand, the gang still screaming for their lives. But as the ship went further onto the sandy beaches, its speed radically died down. Until finally, the ship came to a complete stop against a tall sand dune. Despite that however, Sora, Mickey, Goofy, and Donald were all still screaming out.

“Guys?” Riku uttered. Still, his friends kept screaming. “Guy?! Guys?!! QUIET!!!!!”

The others suddenly stopped screaming. They gazed around.

“We're alive?” asked Goofy.

“Of course we're alive!” Donald replied. “Your still talking and I'm still having to hear you talk!”

“Nice landing.” Sora uttered.

“Thanks.”-

“Did you ever consider drag racing, Donald?” said Mickey. “You'd be very good at it.”

The party slowly emerged from the damaged gummi ship and landed onto the white sand of the beach. As they walked about. They was as the enemy ships ceased their fire. At the same time, the two mobile suits that rescued them landed softly on the beach, not more than twenty yards away. The two pilots, one in blue, one in red, emerged from their cockpits and steadily descended from their mobile suits using electronic pulleys. They landed on the sand to meet the strangers.

“Thank you for helping us.” said Sora, walking up to the two. He threw out his hand in friendship. The pilot in blue came up to him and shook his hand.

“A pleasure.” said the pilot. “My name is Kira Yamato. And that is my best friend, Athrun Zala.”

“I'm Sora. And those are my pals Riku, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy.”-

“We thought you guys weren't gonna make it after that tumble.” said Athrun.

Suddenly, a lone jeep began to approach. It stopped only a few yards away from the party. A young blond headed girl jumped out.

“Kira! Athrun!” she cried. “Are you guys OK?”

“We're fine, Cagalli.” said Kira. She soon took notice of the strangers.

“Who are they?”-

 

“Those are the guys who piloted that cruiser. Sora, Riku, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy.”-

“I've never seen a cruiser like that!” Cagalli ran over to the downed gummi. Feeling the surface of the gummi, she could not identify what material it was made out of. “This is incredible! Where did you pick this thing up?!”

“Who are you again?” asked Sora.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce you.” said Kira. “That's Cagalli Yula Athha. Her father, Uzumi Athha is the leader of Aube.”

“You still haven't told us why you've come.” said Cagalli.

“We were looking for this guy named Anubis.” Mickey stated. “He's a very dangerous man and we've been tracking him down.”

“Yeah!” added Goofy. “He's supposed to be the master of.....of uh....of...uh.....”

“Fire.” Donald uttered.

“That's right! Fire!”

“Do you know where we can find him?” asked Sora.

“Anubis?” said Athrun. “I'm sorry, we never heard of Anubis before.”

“You mean like the Egyptian god Anubis?” asked Kira.

“Not exactly.” Sora replied.

“Maybe we can ask my dad.” Cagalli explained. “He might know about the guy you're looking for. He's following us in the other jeeps now.”

“Hold it!!” shouted a voice. The party looked to see none other than, Uzumi Athha, the leader of Aube standing there. His convoy party had recently arrived and soldiers were now being deployed around the perimeter. “Kira! Athrun! Cagalli! Get away from them! Guards!!”

Suddenly, Sora and his friends found themselves surrounded by soldiers. Their weapons pointed directly at them.

“What the heck is going on?!” asked Donald.

“So Blue Cosmos has managed to get their spies onto Aube's soil!” Uzumi pointed his finger. “Have those five arrested and taken to HQ immediately.”

“Hey!” said Sora. He reached for the sword on his belt.

“No, Sora!” shouted Riku. “Best to keep a low profile until we figure out what's going on.” Sora backed down. Their weapons were confiscated and the five were escorted onto a prison truck. Cagalli ran up to her father.

“Father! What is the meaning of this?!” she asked.

“Those five are spies!” her father replied. “They were sent here by Blue Cosmos and the Earth forces to cause influential tension within Aube!”

“But how can that be?! We saw the Earth forces hit them with a missile. Now don't tell me that their spies! Why would the earth forces fire on their own agents?!”-

“Simple. It was the only way that they'd fool us to thinking that they were innocent civilians under the attack of the Earth forces. That way, we'd drop our guard.”-

“But you don't have any evidence proving whether, or not they are spies.”-

“Believe me, I have my sources, Cagalli.”-

“But what if those sources are wrong?”-

“We will let Inspector Takanishi Sibuna settle this matter.”-

“Takanishi Sibuna. I don't trust that guy.”-

 

“You may not trust him. But everything he's told me rings true.” Mr. Athha took his position on board the jeep. “Take them back to HQ and bring them before Inspector Sibuna! We'll settle this little matter there!”

The convoy mounted aboard their vehicles and returned to the main headquarters of Aube.

 

While arriving in Aube's center of communication, Sora and his friends were pushed along forcefully to the main headquarters. They entered a white building with massive glass windows. Uzumi Athha swung open the doors leading to a small room where in front of them, a desk sat. Behind the desk, a man with a broad face and dressed in a blue frock, sat down filling out paperwork.

“Inspector Takanishi Sibuna.” said Mr. Athha. “We have brought them.

“Excellent work.” said the inspector. Inspector Sibuna arose from his chair and walked to the front of his desk. “Your names are Riku, Sora, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are they not?”

“Yes, they are.” said Mickey.

“I knew it. For spies and well trained assassins, you certainly are stupid. Either that, or you're remarkably brave.”-

“Spies? What do you mean spies?” asked Sora.

“Don't deny it! You're with the Earth forces and Blue Cosmos aren't you!”-

“No! We're not!”-

“Another lie! It's what I expect from scum like you!” Sibuna faced Uzumi Athha. “As I have told you, these are the ones responsible for spreading the rumors regarding Alaska and Panama.”-

“Alaska? Panama?” asked Riku. “What are you blathering about?”

“See!” shouted Inspector Sibuna. “Another lie. They are the reason that Alaska met such a terrible fate. Earth and Blue Cosmos knew they couldn't defeat Zaft in a conventional battle. So they made a strategy to help lure all of Zaft's military to one spot so they could all be destroyed in the course of one battle. As a result, they sent these five to PLANT and started spreading rumors regarding both Panama and Alaska. When the head figures of the Zaft Organization got wind of these rumors, they decided to plan a counter attack against Alaska. But in order to fool the Naturals, they started to spread their own rumors saying they'd attack Panama. But that tactic played right into the hands of Blue Cosmos and so they decided to send all their troops to the actual target so as to fool the Zaft Organization as well. Zaft played perfectly into the hands of the Earth Federation and Blue Cosmos's devious little trap. As a result, thousands of people, both civilian and military, were wiped out in an instant. And now, these five have returned to assault Aube!” The inspector encircled the accused group. “Earth and Blue Cosmos knew they couldn't negotiate any terms with Aube, knowing the neutral stance they took. So they decided to take this country by force! But not directly though. Instead, they sent these five assassins to help cause a rift within the nation. Their intention was to deprive Aube of its top commanders and lower resistance so that the Earth forces can drive into this country unopposed.”

“That's a lie!!” cried Sora.

“Silence, boy!” Mr. Athha demanded. “You and your friends have caused enough trouble already.”

“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted.” Inspector Sibuna continued. “They had come here to kill all possible threats. The crew of the archangel, the coordinators, all mobile suit pilots, and especially you, Sir. It was a good thing that I found out about this little intrusion before the situation got any worse. Can you imagine the chaos if those five were allowed to roam around in the country? The results would have been worse.”

 

“Thank goodness for your guidance inspector.”-

“For the tragedy of the Alaskan incident and their involvement in it, I suggest that these five be executed without hesitation!”-

“Then it shall be done. We shall execute them tomorrow at dusk. Take them away.”-

“Wait!” cried Sora. “Don't we have a say in this?!”

“There is nothing for you to say!” Uzumi Athha explained. “Your words are worthless! The words of spies and assassins are not ones to be trusted!”

“At least give us a chance!”-

“I'm afraid that's out of the question, boy.” chuckled Inspector Sibuna. “If you wished to have your lives spared! Then, you shouldn't have gotten involved with the Alaska incident!”

“Please!” cried Sora. “Please give us a chance! Please!!”

The doors closed and the noise of Sora's plea slowly faded into the distance.

“Quite disturbing isn't it.” chuckled Sibuna.

“You certainly gave the information in thorough detail, Inspector.” added Uzumi. “All the evidence was definitely against them. Luckily, you managed to find out about Blue Cosmos's plan before those five could inflict any real damage.”

“Believe me, Sir. The safety of this nation means more to me than anything else.”-

“Well, good work.” The two men shook hands, not knowing that Kira and Athrun were still outside, listening to the whole thing.

“I can't believe it.” said Athrun. “We made contact with those five in a friendly manner, only to find out that they were actually spies and assassins.”

“That's what still bothers me.” Kira replied. “They didn't seem like spies. I wasn't the least bit suspicious of them.”

“That's how spies operate, Kira. They try to get you to trust them so that they'd get you to say anything they want to hear.”-

“I know that, Athrun. But it seemed that all the evidence against them proved positive. And I don't know about you, but nothing is that positive.”-

“So you're not suspicious of them?”-

“I don't know if I'm suspicious of them, or not. But I can tell you this much. The one I'm mostly suspicious of is Inspector Takanishi Sibuna. Think about it. When we heard him ask them if their names were what he said them to be, they automatically said `yes.'”-

“So what?”-

“Think about it, Athrun. They didn't hesitate to say who they were. And I don't know about you, but a professional spy, or assassin would hesitate to respond. They would either deny that they were those individuals, or would ask who those names belonged to.”-

“You're right.”-

“I need to hear the information from their own mouths and see if what the inspector said is really true.” Kira hastily walked to the jail blocks. Athrun just behind him.

 

Meanwhile, Sora, Riku, and the others sat in their cell. Sora and Riku sat side by side. Their heads hung low.

“This is a mistake!!” shouted Donald. “We didn't do anything I tell you! I swear!”

“Stuff a sock in it, Donald.” said Mickey. “Yelling at them won't catch their attention.”

“I have to at least give it a try!”-

 

“Give it a rest. They accused us of a crime and they intend to execute us for it. We'll either have our heads cut off, or we'll be burned at the steak.”-

“Well, if I had a choice,” Goofy said, “I'd take burning at the steak.”

“Why's that?” asked Sora.

“A hot steak is better than a cold chop.”-

“Imbecile.” Donald thought to himself.

“I don't understand what it is we did.” Mickey stated. “I mean I never heard of the Alaskan incident until our trial.”

As the four chattered away, they realized that Riku still sat in that same slumped position. Finally, Sora put his hand on Riku's shoulder.

“What's on your mind?” Sora asked curiously.

“That inspector.” Riku replied.

“What about him?” asked Donald.

“He seemed to know our names perfectly well right?”-

“Yeah.” said Sora.

“But think about it.” Riku continued. “The chances that there are five other guys with the same names as ours is a big, and I mean big, coincidence.”

“How big we talking?”-

“I highly doubt such a coincidence could ever occur. The only people who know about us are outside of this realm altogether. And the only ones who would try to get us in trouble are the members of the Dark Empire.”-

“So you believe that inspector is an agent of the Dark Empire? How do you know, Riku?”

“I don't know if you've noticed, Sora. But Inspector Sibuna was wearing a necklace with a small, symbolic emblem for the decor. That symbol was the same symbol I saw on the sides of Horus's shoulder armor.”-

“So he is a member of the Dark Empire.”-

“More so than you think, Sora. Think about his last name. Sibuna. Now take those letters and put them in the opposite order.”-

They visualized the last name of Inspector Takanishi Sibuna and spun it around backwards. As soon as they got the name, they were shocked at the result and realized who it was that gave them the trial.

“ANUBIS!!” the other four cried.

“Exactly.” said Riku. “Sibuna spelled backwards is Anubis.”

“The next member of the Cavendish Shinobis.” said Mickey.

“We have to stop him somehow!” added Donald.

“We have to think of a plan first.” said Riku. “We can't just fight him with all those people against us. If we could somehow expose him, we'd be able to turn all of Aube against him.”

“But if he had us in our grasp, why didn't he just kill us there and then?” asked Sora. “It's not if anyone could've stopped him.”

“I bet he has bigger plans for us. That's why he wants to keep us alive. But for what, I wonder.” It was then that Riku realized what Anubis's plan was. “I see what he's trying to do. Remember how Thundro said that other Imperials were to be here too? Well, Anubis may be planning to initiate an attack on Aube and destroy it completely, with us still in it. That way, he can do away with us without wasting any of his energy.”-

“Typical villain. Evil and lazy at the same time.”-

 

 

Meanwhile, Inspector Sibuna, aka Anubis, secretly went into the control room. It had been vacated by the personnel. There, he took up the communication system and used the secret line to reach a certain source.

“This is Anubis.” he uttered, quietly. “This is Anubis. Come in.”

Suddenly, an image appeared before him on the monitor. It was none other than Lord Arakis.

“Glad to see that you're still out and about.” said Arakis. “Have you encountered your opponents yet?”

“I have, my lord. Sora and Riku have arrived alright, but they were really easy to take care of.”-

“You dispensed with them so quickly? Bit of an anti-climax though.”-

“They're not dead yet, my lord. I intend to have Aube take care of them. I arrived here before Sora and Riku. So I disguised myself as an Aube inspector and made up a story so that Aube would think Sora and his friends were saboteurs. They're awaiting an execution sentence as we speak.”-

“Excellent work, Anubis. Excellent work.”-

“And how is it with the testing of the mobile dolls that we confiscated from the Wing Realm?” asked Anubis.

“We will be commencing our activity in an hour, or so.” Arakis replied. “We are still programming the Zero system into them. And to avoid detection, we've placed ourselves on the side of Earth, opposite of PLANT.”

“But may I ask why you are bothering to use mobile dolls for the empire's arsenal? Wouldn't mobile droids be just as effective?”-

“Not when it comes to assaults on the space fleets of the Universal Alliance. The mobile droids are not large enough to wield the weapons capable of penetrating the distortion fields of the large battle cruisers. But the mobile dolls, like large mobile droids, are large enough to handle those anti-distortion field weapons. And as a result, we shall test these units in the Seed Realm.”-

“But will these mobile dolls be a match for Coordinators. I know they're more than a match for the Naturals, but Coordinators have abilities that excel two times that of naturally born humans.”-

“The mobile dolls will be more than enough. And with the Zero system in place, even the intellect and advanced physical abilities of the Coordinators will not be enough.”-

“But why not test the mobile dolls ahead of time before attacking PLANT? Just in case the mobile dolls need further adjusting.”-

“I suppose you're right, Anubis.” Arakis pondered. “It's best to test them before we send them to invade all of Earth and space. But where would we test them though?”

“Why not test your new toys on Aube.” chuckled Anubis. “Use the mobile dolls to destroy both Aube and the Earth forces fighting against it. There are also the Coordinators, Kira Yamato, Athrun Zala, and Dearka Elsman stationed here at Aube. If you can take them out, along with all the Naturals, this will be a message to both ZAFT and Earth that they do not stand a chance against the power of the Dark Empire.”-

“Quite a devious plot, Anubis. That's why I like your style of thinking. However, I intend only to attack the military personnel. Civilians are not to be involved. I don't want people to think I've decided to give in to General Ameba's way of thinking.”-

“I understand that, my lord.” Anubis smirked. “Still as chivalrous as ever, I see.”

 

“By the way, Anubis. I hope you haven't done anything that would reveal your true intentions.”-

“Do not worry, my lord. Everyone in Aube is backing me up. The only ones who know are Sora and his friends, but they've been locked up for good. No one will trust so called saboteurs. But then again, there's Athrun Zala and Kira Yamato. They seem unsettled about the whole thing.”-

“You can't have them running about if they know of what you really intend to carry out. Kill them at once!”-

“I understand, my lord. This is Anubis signing out.”-

Anubis shut off the monitor and cut off transmission. He sat there, in the dark room, resting his chin on his locked knuckles.

“Soon Earth and Zaft will know the full extent of the Dark Empire.” he thought to himself. “They will both be wiped out by the Imperial fleet. And with Riku, Sora, and the rest of those bumbling dolts imprisoned here, I can be rid of Naturals, Coordinators, a silly rodent king, and two annoying key bearers all in one blow. Our plan is full proof and there's no one to stop me now. With all of Aube under my thumb, I can sway them in any direction I choose with no one getting wise.”

However, Anubis had spoken too soon. He didn't realize that Cagalli, while passing through, overheard his conversation with Arakis. And now, knowing the truth, Cagalli was filled with a great fear.

“I have to tell the others.” she said. “I have to get Sora and his friends out of the prison block.” She quietly snuck away, heading for the prison block.

 

 

In space, the Imperial fleet of the Dark Empire neared the area where Aube lay. Arakis gazed out to the earth sphere.

“My lord?” asked General Ameba. “What are you thinking?”

“Anubis's plan.” Arakis said. “We will be testing the skills of our mobile dolls on the earth. And we'll start by destroying the nation of Aube.”

“But wouldn't that give away our cover?”-

“We're not trying to be secretive, General. We are only standing by at a safe distance. Besides, it would be interesting to see the mobile dolls go head to head with the toughest Coordinators in this universe. I shall retire to my quarters. I leave you and General Durovano in charge of operations here.”-

“Very well, my lord.” chuckled Ameba. “You can trust me to get the job done.”

“Oh, and by the way.” said Arakis as he left the room. “I only want you to initiate the attacks on military personnel only. Don't involve the civilians.”

“You know my tactics, my lord.”-

“I know and that's why I'm telling you not to involve civilians. We want to establish commerce with them. We don't want countless revolutions as a result of our cruelty.”-

“You didn't seem to care about the fate of civilians back in Traverse Town, when you ordered General Kai to hunt for Sneer and the others.”-

“But I only said `terrorize.' I never said `kill' in my statement. And General Kai knows how I operate and agrees with my philosophy. We want to subdue these people. Not eradicate them entirely. What would be the point, killing people not destined to fight?”-

 

“Well, it's not as if killing innocent people has caused a stir amongst our ranks before.”-

“Tell that to Lord Thundro.” Ameba suddenly went silent as Arakis gave him a glare. “I gave you an order. So you better take heed and obey.” With that, Arakis exited the room.

“Damn that Arakis.” said Ameba. “He thinks he can just order me around like that.”

“You must remember,” Durovano stated, approaching his superior, “he is a lord of the Dark Empire. Not only a lord, but one of the Three Excellencies. Even average lords have no greater authority that he.”

“Why is it, even after so many years placing absolute loyalty to the Dark Empire, I am still ranking in this lowly position as a mere general. To be outranked and overruled continuously by a Death Lord. And not only a Death Lord, but the leader of that accursed squadron.”-

“You must really hate the Death Lords.”-

“They're been cankerous from the start with their no good codes of honor. Not to kill civilians. Only to fight those who wish to fight you. That philosophy of honor goes nowhere. If I had my way, I would show no quarter to anyone. Civilians supply manpower, support, and resources. Take them out, and the enemy would give in more quickly. It's the honor code like not killing them that has proven an obstacle to my influence over the whole of the empire.”-

“But Lord Arakis is highly influential. Showing that battle is only exciting when your own life is in danger. He likes a good challenge and respects those who fight against him. Many soldiers and commanders within the Imperial forces share that same view. So the Empire itself is divided in two, between your philosophies.” General Durovano moved in front of Ameba. “Now, enough of this constant chatter. We have a mission to accomplish.”

“Yes.” Ameba replied. “I suppose you're right. If I place my personal feelings before our cause, we only end up decreasing our progress.” Ameba walked to the bridge and turned about, placing himself before the crew. “Prepare to initiate the deployment of the mobile dolls!”

“Yes, sir!” the bridge operators. Ameba contacted Arakis.

“My lord.” he said. “We are ready to dispatch the mobile dolls.”

“Very well.” replied Arakis. “Dispatch the Virgo mobile dolls. I want to test and see if their speed and agility match the strength of their shields.”

“Acknowledged.” Ameba ended the transmission and smirked. “Arakis. Your philosophies may be outdated, but your tactics are still surprising as ever.” He then turned to General Durovano. “Durovano! Log on to the Zero system. Let's see how well you maneuver your troops!”

“A pleasure, sir.” chuckled Durovano. He walked out of the room and into the special Zero room. He placed an earpiece on the side of his head. A small red screen erected itself before his eye. “This Zero system is quite ingenious for humans. That way, even the soulless mobile dolls can fight with the mind of an intellectual being such as myself.” Synchronizing the computer system with his DNA, making the screen fully active with the movements of his hands. “And now my mobile dolls. Go forth to Earth and let's see a fantastic display.”

The mobile doll cruisers began their descent towards Earth. Arakis, gazed upon the spectacle of the deployed cruisers.

“I only hope that we don't entirely depend upon the use of machines to fight our battles.” he thought to himself. “It would take the pleasure of battle completely out of the picture.”

The mobile doll cruisers made their way, slowly towards Earth and Aube. There, they would be used to destroy, not only Aube, but the Earth forces as well.

 

 

Meanwhile, back in Aube, Sora, Riku, and the others sat quietly in their cell. Goofy had taken out his harmonica and was playing “There's No Place Like Home.” The sound of his harmonica echoed through the cell block.

“Boy,” said Sora, “that song really makes me depressed.”

“Homesick more like.” added Riku.

“So this is where it ends?” said Mickey. “We've come so far, only to be executed by people who've accused us of something we didn't do.”

“I refuse to go that way.”-

“Me too!” added Sora. He stood up and raised his fist into the air. “We can't just kick the bucket like this! We have to prove our point. Even if we have to fight these people to do that!”

“Sora? Sit down before you hurt yourself.” Riku pulled Sora back down by the belt. “Listen, if we start a fight with these people, that will only increase their hostilities towards us. If we want to be able to get out of here alive, we're gonna have to let the truth be known to someone else. Someone influential.”

“We might be able to help you with that.” a voice whispered out. The gang looked to see Kira and Athrun standing outside the cell.

“What're you guys doing here?” asked Sora.

“We thought we might give you a hand.” Athrun replied. “We weren't satisfied with the results of your hasty trial. We want to hear more.” He opened up the cell, allowing the prisoners to step out of the cell.

“Why is it that you guys really came?” asked Kira.

“We explained it to you before.” said Riku. “We're looking for a guy named Anubis.”

“Who is he exactly?” asked Athrun.

“He happens to be a member of the Cavendish Shinobis.”-

“Cavendish Shinobis?”-

“That's right. He has been sent here to take over this world.”-

“Take over?”-

“Correct.” said Mickey.

“But why would this guy want to take over?” asked Kira.

“It's for the purpose of expanding the borders of the Dark Empire.”-

“The Dark Empire?”-

“An organization set out to conquer all worlds.” said Riku. “And you'll be the next in line.”

Suddenly, they heard a voice coming down the corridor. They looked to see Cagalli coming towards them.

“Hey!” she cried. She stopped to catch her breath.

“Cagalli?” asked Kira. “What are you doing here?”

“Inspector Sibuna.” she began to explain. “I overheard him talking in the control room, on the secret line. He said that there's gonna be an attack on both Aube and PLANT!!”

“What?!” said Athrun “Who's going to attack?!”

“He said something about mobile dolls.”-

“Mobile dolls?” asked Kira. “What are those? Some new type of mobile suit?”

“Unmanned mobile suits to be precise.” said Riku.

“Unmanned mobile suits?” asked Athrun.

 

“Special mobile suits that originated from the Wing Realm. Compliments of the Romefeller Foundation no doubt. With mobile dolls, the empire will be able to enter battle without even losing a man.”-

“Unmanned mobile suits?!” said Cagalli. “How cowardly.”

“With unmanned mobile suits,” Athrun stated, “they would change the aspect of war completely! Now, war would seem only a game! The tragedy of war would be forgotten!”

“We have to stop them!”-

“And Sibuna is the one responsible for this treachery.” said Kira. Cagalli pounded her fist against the wall.

“And we trusted that guy! The bastard! I'll kill him myself!”-

“Now that isn't very nice.” a voice uttered from behind. The party looked to see Inspector Sibuna standing there. “Mr. Athha!! I found them!!”

From the doorway, Uzumi Athha, several advisors, crew members from the Archangel, and a hand full of soldiers appeared. He stood there, appalled at what he saw.

“I can't believe what I'm seeing.” he said.

“As I told you, the assassins have gained some sympathizers.” said Sibuna.

“Get away from them, you three!!”-

“No, Father!!” shouted Cagalli.

“That is an order!!”-

“No!! We won't move until we hear their side of the story!”-

“But the inspector has already told us the whole story!”-

“But you've only heard it from one perspective.” said Kira. “Please allow them to talk.”

“That is out of the question.” said Inspector Sibuna. “You have been brainwashed by these five. They always use that type of tactic, to see if they can gain sympathizers by telling some sob story. The truth is being judged. What is it with the new generation now a days? They believe the truth isn't good enough for them? So they want to hear the story from the liar's perspective?”

“What's that?!” said Sora, angrily. “You were the one planning a conspiracy! We knew that you were here before us! So, in our absence, you decided to come to the Aube high officials and offer your services and absolute loyalty because that was the only way you could gain their trust! That way you could turn the people of Aube against us when we arrived!”

“With a little research, you took down the facts of the conflict and the dates when they occurred.” Riku continued. “That way, if anyone questioned your loyalty, your intention, anything that might reveal your true plan, you would have a way to counter it. By manipulating these people to believe you to the letter, you could easily turn them against innocent people.” Riku stood before the group. “Isn't that right, Anubis!”

“Anubis?” said Uzumi Athha.

“That is Sibuna's true name! When spelled backwards, his last name makes up his real one!”-

“That is only a coincidence.” said Sibuna. “Just because my name is spelled the way it is doesn't mean I am this person you speak of!”

“Your plan was flawless Anubis.” Riku said. “However, I can prove that you are an imposter. You are not Inspector Sibuna, who is an undercover agent from Aube. You are in reality, Anubis of the Cavendish Shinobis!”

 

“Alright! If you are so smart, then where is your evidence.” There was a dead silence soon after. The inspector began to chuckle. “Oh, that's right! You have no evidence against me!!” He turned to Mr. Athha. “What did I tell you?! They are liars! They have made up such a fantastic tale! And yet, they have no evidence against me! You haven't planned your scheme very well have you! Otherwise, you would at least have one fact of evidence against me.”

“It's true, you managed to play your cards right, not revealing what your true motive was.” said Riku. “And there is no evidence for us to use against you. Except one.”

“And what may that be?”-

“Tell us.” said Uzumi.

“It's quite simple.” Riku continued. “Remember our trial?”-

“Of course!” replied Sibuna.

“Now of course, everyone present at the trial remembers when he asked for our names. But the fact is, we never told our names. Sibuna did that for us. However, how could he have known about our names?”-

“That is simple! I had done some research on you five. You are Riku, Sora, Goofy, Mickey, and Donald. I picked your names up from a reliable source.”-

“But if you were smart, you would have asked who we were instead of having us answer a `yes and no' question. Instead of asking us who we were, you instead asked if we were these particular individuals. Because we had no idea of what was going on, we thought that it would be best to answer your question. However, when you poured on the evidence against us, you had us right where you wanted us. With the outstanding evidence in your favor, you could easily turn Aube in your favor.” Riku began to walk up slowly to Sibuna. “However, you made one fatal mistake that has remained unnoticed until now. When you asked for our names, we immediately responded positively.”-

“And what point are you trying to make here?”-

“If we were real assassins and spies, wouldn't it have been a basic reaction to question the names you were talking about, or to deny that those names belonged to us? If I were a spy, that would be my number one priority. To keep my identity a secret.”-

“That's right.” added Kira. “I heard you ask that question.”

“Same here.” said Athrun. “That's why I wondered why they would be so truthful about their names.”

“I would have to agree.” said Uzumi Athha. “I recall you asking that question. Is there something that we should know?”

“You said they were highly trained spies and assassins!” said Cagalli. “If they were, I'd doubt they give their identities away that easily. They would know better than to reveal who they were.”

“The evidence is starting to turn against you.” said Riku. “What do you plan on doing?”

“You wanted us arrested and executed so that it would save you a lot of time and energy.” added Sora. “You wanted us executed hoping to rid yourself of the only possible threat capable of revealing your true colors.”

“Your conspiracy ends here, Anubis!”-

Suddenly, Inspector Sibuna began to run out of the corridor, but the guards took hold of him and brought him before the now angered Uzumi Athha.

“You lied to us!” Uzumi shouted. “You told us that they were spies! You let us condemn innocent young boys and almost led them to their deaths! How could you do such a thing?! Why?!”

It was then that the skin on Sibuna began to boil red hot. The guards released him when their hands were burned. The skin on Sibuna began to melt off.

 

“A fake skin.” said Mickey. As the face of the real demon protruded through the latex skin, the ninja jumped out of the corridor, away from the mob. He stood up and chuckled.

“You are very perceptive!” he chuckled. “But this is far from over for you five! Our battle has only begun! As for Aube, Earth, and PLANT, they are far from being helped! In only a few minutes, the mobile dolls will be here to wipe you all out! And there's nothing you can do to stop them! But then again, I won't allow you to escape! You have seen my true face! And so you must die!!” Anubis threw his arm out and formed a ball of fire above his head. The heat was so great, it melted and burned the building's interior. “Now die all of you!!”

“Not so fast!!” shouted Donald. Stretching his hand out, he fired a shot of Blizzaga. The ice came at the shinobi. The minute the ice shards touched, Anubis began to scream out and grasped his body in pain. The fire ball diminished, leaving him curled up. He sneered at his enemies.

“You might have won this one, but it's not over yet!!” he roared. “You have not seen the last of me!! And you!!” He pointed at Riku, who worked his way to the front. “You I will kill myself! And you will curse your own folly for daring to stand against me! Captain Anubis! Fifth member of the Cavendish Shinobis!” Suddenly a great flame bellowed forth and the ninja disappeared from sight.

“Next time, Anubis,” Riku stated, “You will be the one I kill.”

As he turned, he gazed upon the faces of his former enemies. Uzumi Athha walked forward.

“I am terribly sorry for making such an incorrect assumption against you and your comrades.” he said. “Can you please forgive us?”

“This should teach you a lesson!” said Donald, angrily. But Riku smacked him in the back of the head.

“Mind your manners, numbskull!” Riku uttered. He turned to Uzumi. “There is nothing to worry about. You managed to realize the truth in time and no one got hurt.”

“The question is what are we gonna do now?” asked Sora. “Anubis has escaped to later retaliate against us when we least expect it. Now, there are mobile dolls on their way.”

“There's only one thing we can do.” said Riku. “We're gonna help these people! We're gonna save this world from destruction! The lessons we've learned from the past is to always help those in need! And we will confront the Dark Empire head on!”

“That's the spirit, Riku! We'll stand and fight! We'll defeat these invaders!”-

“That is our alternative obligation to rescuing Kairi!”-

“Wow, Riku. I never thought you would have considered helping the other worlds. Before, it was only to defeat the Cavendish Shinobis and save Kairi.”-

“I guess when you compare the personal goals, we started with, to the bigger picture, you realize that our own achievements are insignificant, or in vain if all worlds fall to such a tyrannical power. I guess Kai was right. Perspectives and causes change over time.”-

“I'm glad that you've decided to help save this world.”-

Suddenly, a powerful siren sounded out. The facility flashed with bright red emergency lights.

“All personnel to level one battle stations!” A voice shouted over the intercom. “I repeat! All personnel to level one battle stations! Enemy attack!”

“Report to your battle stations!” shouted Uzumi. “Fight off the enemy!”

 

The personnel rallied to the front. Kira and Athrun rushed to their mobile suits while Sora, Riku, and the other members of the KH group hurried with Mr. Uzumi Athha and Cagalli to the control room. They entered to see the battle on screen.

“What's the status?” asked Uzumi.

“We're being under attack, sir.” said one of the attendants.

“Is it the Earth Forces?”-

“No, sir! They're different mobile suits! They've never been placed into our data! What's worse, they are attacking the Earth Forces as well as us!”-

On screen, they saw black colored mobile suits armed with large beam cannons. As well, they deployed disks before them which acted as electromagnetic shields. They flew and hovered amongst the fleet of the Earth forces and destroyed many of the planes and cruisers who dared to strike them down. At the same time, they breeched the defenses of Aube's first line.

“What kind of mobile suits are those?” asked Cagalli.

“Oh no!” said Sora, shocked. “They're Virgo mobile dolls.”

“Virgo mobile dolls?” asked Mr. Athha. “What are they?”

“Those are unmanned mobile suits that are armed with a powerful electromagnetic shield and a beam cannon.”-

“But who would create such monsters? They're even more powerful that the mobile suits we designed.”-

“They were created by the Romefeller Foundation from the Wing Realm.” said Riku.

“Romefeller Foundation?” asked Cagalli. “Who are they?”

“They are an organization in the Wing Realm who attempted to settle all unnecessary disputes within the earth sphere. As a result, to limit the consumption of man power, they created artificial soldiers called mobile dolls. These mobile dolls are computer controlled and are absent of a pilot.”-

It was then that several screens appeared. They were the elite pilots of the Aube forces.

“This is Mwu La Fllaga! Mobile suit Strike! Taking off!”-

“This is Dearka Elthsman! Mobile suit Buster! Taking off!”-

“This is Athrun Zala! Mobile suit Justice! Launching!”-

“This is Kira Yamato! Mobile suit Freedom! Taking off!”-

Soon, another image popped up on the screen. It was the command bridge of the legged ship, Archangel. There, before the crew, Captain Murrue Ramius sat at the head.

“This is the Archangel!” she said. “We'll be backing you up!”

“Confirmed!” said Athrun Zala. “Our targets are those Virgo mobile dolls!”

“We'll show the Dark Empire and Romefeller what Coordinators are made of!” cried Kira.

“Athrun! Kira! You and the others be careful!” shouted Cagalli.

“Don't worry!” said Athrun. “We'll be alright! We are after all, Coordinators!” Soon after, the transmission ended, leaving those in the control room to watch the battle.

“Coordinators?” asked Sora. “What's a Coordinator?”

“Coordinators are humans who have been genetically altered.” Cagalli explained. “They are stronger, faster, and more intellectual than humans who were born naturally. In fact, that's how this war started. With Naturals and Coordinators fighting each other. But now that the Dark Empire has arrived, perhaps both sides have found a common enemy to fight.”

“Let's just hope that they are a match for the mobile dolls.” said Riku. “The ability of the dolls are equal to Coordinators.”

 

 

At the same time, the Earth fleet was suffering heavy damage as the mobile dolls continued to fight. Commander Azreal, the leader of Blue Cosmos was appalled at the results of the battle.

“Damn those mobile suits!” he shouted. “They're taking out our forces like they were nothing.”

“Is it possible they are from Zaft?” asked the admiral.

“Possibly. Only Coordinators can fight so precisely. Where are the mobile suits Raider, Forbidden, and Calamity.”-

“They are preparing to launch as we speak, sir.”-

“Get them on line!”-

The admiral hooked up to the line of the three mobile suits.

“Commander Azreal wishes to speak to the three pilots of the Forbidden, Calamity, and Raider! Please respond!”-

“What is it?!” said Kuroto, pilot of the Raider.

“I want you and the others to protect this ship!” Azreal commanded. “The enemy is swarming in incredible numbers and our own forces can't possibly stop them all!”

“We gotcha.” replied Shani of the mobile suit Forbidden. “We'll take out these guys. Every last one of them.”

“We'll kill them all.” added Ollga of the mobile suit Calamity.

“I don't care what you do!” said Azreal. “Defeat them! No matter what the cost!”

“Those things are going down.” chuckled Shani. “We'll show them that they're no match for us.”

The three gundams of the Earth Forces were deployed to fight the Virgo mobile dolls. Ollga checked the screen.

“There are only thirty of those things.” he said. “That's ten suits each.”

“Now for a little dance.” added Shani.

“This'll be the easiest thing we've ever done!”-

 

 

Back aboard the destroyer of the Imperial Fleet, General Ameba watched as the new gundams appeared on the scene. These seven gundams were piloted by the most skilled amongst all other mobile suit pilots. However, despite their superior abilities, they were not able to match the power of the Zero system and the mobile dolls.

“Quite impressive.” said Ameba. “Those fools can't even take out one mobile doll unit. First of all, even though they are well skilled, they can't effectively deploy themselves against the mobile dolls without some form of strategy. Meanwhile, General Durovano has deployed the thirty dolls into groups of three. That way, they can isolate the gundams one by one and tire them out quickly.” Suddenly, a message screen emerged before him. It was Lord Arakis.

“How are things progressing?” he asked.

“Well enough, my lord. We have only deployed thirty Virgo units, but thanks to the Zero system, they've been more than a match for Kira Yamato and those other defenders of Aube.”-

“We shall make our intentions known. Contact Aube and the Earth Forces and inform them to surrender immediately and unconditionally. If they do not agree to this demand, then we will eradicate them from existence. Once we are finished here we will continue our assault against ZAFT and PLANT! These people will fear the forces of the Dark Empire!”-

 

“As you wish, my lord.” The transmission ended and Ameba turned once again to the bridge. “Get Aube and Blue Cosmos on line!”

“Yes, Sir!” the attendants cried, relaying the message to Earth.

 

 

At the same time, the battle was slowly turning against Kira and the others. The mobile dolls were so precise and well coordinated. The power of the mobile doll beam cannons were equal to that of the Strike. The shield they confronted was something that neither ZAFT, nor Aube had ever seen before. Instead of a standard shield that protected specific perimeter around the mobile suit, the mobile dolls had deployment disks which accumulated an electromagnetic pulse which deflected any incoming projectile and held off any physical attack trying to strike it. When combined into parties of three, the mobile doll shields were almost impossible to penetrate. To top off the situation, the mobile dolls also had the ability to use their deployment disks as projectiles. The Gundams, even though piloted by highly skilled Coordinators, could not get within an effective striking range.

“Man! These mobile dolls are tougher than we thought.” said Dearka.

“Tougher?” said Mwu. “We haven't even taken down one!”

“Their tactics are flawless.” added Athrun. “So this is how effective artificial intelligence is when placed into the combat system of a mobile suit.”

“We somehow need a strategy.” Kira suggested. “We have to somehow exploit the flaws in the mobile dolls' strategy.” He then gazed to see their adversaries, the Calamity, the Forbidden, and the Raider, fight off the mobile dolls, but to no prevail. “Even the Earth Forces are having trouble.”

 

At the Aube headquarters, Sora and the others watched as the battle turned against them slightly.

“There's no way they can beat the mobile dolls as they are now.” said Sora. “And who knows how many more units await them. Right now, it's only thirty and they haven't managed to take down one.”

“Don't say that!” shouted Cagalli. “They can win! I know Kira and Athrun! They won't give up! They'll fight to the end if necessary!”

“But they won't succeed without a strategy.” said Riku. “Even if they did, you have to place the time, weapons, and fuel consumption into the equation. If they fight for an extended period of time, then they will eventually wear down and become vulnerable. If that happens, then there will be nothing left to stand against the Empire and the mobile dolls.”

“What do you propose we do?”-

“We have to somehow exploit the weaknesses of the mobile dolls and use it to our advantage.”-

“But what weaknesses do they have?”-

 

“I seem to recall what Heero Yuy said.” Mickey explained. “He said that the shields of the Virgo mobile dolls are only effective when used against a single target. The dolls concentrate the bulk of their shield energy against the intended target. However, when they focus on a single target, if a second enemy enters the fray, the mobile doll will be vulnerable to an attack. The reason why is because the shields are designed only to protect the front and flanks of the mobile dolls. Their rear, however, is vulnerable to attack. That is why the mobile dolls have converged into groups of three. So that they can avoid that weakness, covering each other's backs.”

“What do you have in mind, Mickey?” asked Sora.

“We must somehow break up their tight formation. Break their synchronization some how.”-

“The best strategy is for one of the gundam pilots to be a target and attract the attention of the mobile dolls. Once their guard has been lowered, the others can strike.”-

“That's an excellent plan!” said Cagalli. “We must contact the other's immediately!”

 

 

Amidst the battle, the gundams were fighting to the best of their abilities. However, the mobile dolls were well synchronized and their defense could not be broken.

“There must be some way for us to break their battle formations!” said Dearka. “We haven't even taken down one of those stupid mobile dolls!”

“Our forces won't be able to hold for much longer!” added Mwu. “Damn these mobile dolls!”

“We have to spot a weakness!” said Kira. “If only we knew more about them.”

It was then that a message entered the cockpits of the for Aube defenders. It was Cagalli.

“Listen you guys!” she said. “There is a way to break their defense! One of you will have to somehow draw their attention towards you! Mwu La Fllaga! Rush into the bulk of the mobile doll line! The rest of you will concentrate your fire where Mwu was!”

“Right!!” shouted Mwu La Fllaga. The Strike rush towards the mobile dolls, but instead of entering combat, the gundam flashed by. The mobile dolls turned their attention towards him. But as they did, Kira and the others fired upon the mobile dolls. With their shields down and their backs exposed, the Virgos fell easy prey to the attack. There was a series of explosions and several of the mobile doll units were destroyed.

“We did it!” cried Dearka.

“Let's keep it up then!” added Athrun.

“Archangel!” Kira requested. “Give us cover fire!”

“We understand!” replied Murrue Ramius. She turned to the bridge. “All personnel, concentrate on mobile dolls and provide back up for Lieutenant Yamato and the others!”

“Activating main cannons!” said one of the crew members.

“Prepared to fire!” said another.

“On my signal!”-

The gundams rallied to the battlefield, acting as decoys to the mobile dolls. The minute the mobile dolls turned their backs, the main cannons on the Archangel commenced firing. Several more Virgos were destroyed.

 

At the headquarters of Aube, everyone watched and cheered as the tide of battle turned in their favor.

“They're doing it!” said Cagalli. “They found a way to successfully break up their defenses!”

“Great work, you guys!” added Sora. “Fight on!”

“We finally exploited the one great weakness of the mobile dolls.” said Riku. “It's game over for the empire.”

 

 

However, aboard the destroyer, General Ameba was not as enthralled by the results. He watched as more of the Virgo units were demolished.

“What is happening?!” he said. “Why, all of a sudden, are the mobile dolls proving ineffective against those gundams?!” He contacted General Durovano in the Zero room. “General Durovano!! What is going on in there?! Why aren't the mobile dolls proving effective anymore?!”

“The gundams have somehow come up with a strategy.” said Durovano. “They have been able to exploit the one weakness of the Virgo mobile dolls. They are meant mostly for offensive and defensive tactics. Not blitzkrieg tactics. They lack the speed to react in time for the deployment of their shields!”

“Send in more Virgos then! We can always beat them with our overwhelming numbers!”-

“Withdraw that order at once.” a voice uttered from behind. Lord Arakis had stepped onto the bridge and gazed at the screen. “Despite overwhelming force, the gundams had managed to seek out the weakness of the Virgos and will most likely use that weakness to their advantage.”

“Then, what do you suggest we do, my lord?”-

“First, see if you can reprogram the dolls to maintain vigilance with multiple targets. In the meantime, dispatch four carriers of Tauruses and one carrier of Virgos. The Virgos will act as long range fire support. While the Taurus mobile dolls grapple with the gundams.”-

“Understood.”-

“By the way.” Arakis said, while exiting the bridge. “Have you relayed the message to Earth and Aube yet?”

“Not yet, my lord.”-

“Relay it as soon as the Tauruses and Virgos arrive for battle on Earth. Sooner, or later, they will realize how futile it is to fight against us. Also, relay a message to Anubis. I don't want him to interfere with the operation. His only goal right now is to eliminate Riku and Sora. They are the primary targets.”-

“Understood, my lord.”-

Arakis left the bridge again, leaving Ameba with the responsibility of relaying the message and deploying the dolls.

 

 

Meanwhile, on Earth, the situation grew terrible for the mobile dolls. Already, fifteen units had been destroyed and fifteen more would suffer the same fate. The gundams now knew how to handle the situation. However, some of the tight Virgo groups proved to be more bothersome than they were worth. As they maintained their tight circles, the inflicted more damage upon Aube and the Earth forces.

“Even after exploiting their weaknesses, these stupid mobile dolls still won't go down.” said Dearka. “When will they ever give it a rest?”

“As long as they are operable,” Kira explained, “they won't stop. The only thing we can do is fight them off and destroy them one by one.”

“Besides, we shouldn't hold back.” Athrun added. “They're just machines. Nothing more!”

However, as the last of the Virgos made their final stand, and victory was in sight for Earth and Aube, another frightening sight emerged over the skies.

“Oh no!” cried Mwu. “Look up there, you guys!”

 

The gundam pilots looked to see fifty, or so mobile dolls descending towards them. These mobile dolls, however, were not Virgos.

“What kind of mobile dolls are those?” asked Kira.

“Whoever they are,” said Dearka, “They won't be able to attack effectively from that distance. But I can!” Using his buster cannon, he aimed it at the incoming mobile dolls. With one massive shot, he fired into the thick of the oncoming units. However, the dolls quickly reacted and evaded the beam with very little trouble. “What the....”

“I've never seen mobile suits react that quickly.” said Athrun. “They're completely different from the Virgos!” But as soon as he had finished that statement, the Taurus mobile dolls flew over their heads and quickly transformed into their humanoid form. “Amazing! They can transform from a mobile armor into a mobile suit like the Aegis mobile suit I piloted before! But the reaction time is far greater.”

“But they lack in offensive and defensive capabilities.” Kira pointed out. “All we have to do is out maneuver them and take them by surprise!”

However, the mobile dolls had proven to be more trouble than expected. The reason lay behind their design. Not only did they have a faster reaction time, but they were also hooked up to the Zero system. Thus they were subject to General Durovano's every command.

“We have to some how strike at them up close.” said Athrun. “Long range weapons won't work on these guys!”

“But even at close range, they're hard to attack.” Kira replied. “It seems whatever we do, they somehow predict our every move. At the same time, I see that their tactics change every so often. So, I believe that there is probably someone manipulating them.”

 

Back at the Aube base, the attitude had changed. Once again the tide of battle turned. And this time, it was against them.

“Where did those things come from?!” said Cagalli. “Are those mobile dolls?”

“Those are mobile dolls alright.” replied Sora. “Taurus mobile dolls. Their level of maneuverability far surpasses those of the Virgos. Therefore, they cannot be shot down with long range weapons. The only possible method is to engage them in close range combat.”

“But at this rate,” Uzumi Athha interrupted, “the our mobile suits will run out of power and will need time to rejuvenate. They can only remain in combat for an extended period of time.”

It was then that a message appeared upon the screen.

“An incoming message.” said one of the attendants.

“Where from?”-

“The Dark Empire, sir.”-

“On screen.”-

As the screen bleeped on before all the personnel in the control room, the image of General Ameba made itself present.

“He's the guy we saw at Traverse Town!” said Sora.

“General Ameba.” added Riku.

“This is General Ameba of the Dark Empire!” the Imperial began. “We demand the immediate and unconditional surrender of the Earth forces and Aube! Resistance is futile against us! As we have proven, the mobile dolls are more than a match for you! If Coordinators are having difficulty defeating them, what makes you think that Naturals like you will do any better! If you meet with our demands, we will guarantee the safety of your remaining forces! If you surrender now!”

 

“Damn those bastards!” shouted Cagalli.

“We have no choice, but to surrender!” said Uzumi.

“But father...!”-

“We've already lost over 75% of our forces and the mobile dolls have broken through the first line of defense. If we continue fighting, then we'll be wiped out entirely. And you know as well as I that Kira, Athrun, and the others won't last much longer at this rate.”

It was then that another transmission was intercepted. It was the Earth Fleet under Blue Cosmos.

“This is the Earth forces calling General Ameba of the Dark Empire.” said a voice.

“Azreal.” said Uzumi.

“Who is he?” asked Donald.

“None other than the leader of Blue Cosmos.” They listened further to the relayed message.

“We, the military forces of Earth, have suffered more than 80% damage to our fleet.” Azreal continued. “Therefore, we would like to declare our immediate and unconditional surrender. We submit ourselves entirely to you. I order all forces to stand down.” Aube could only watch as the earth forces began to withdraw back to what remained of their fleet. All except the three gundams: Calamity, Raider, and Forbidden.

“Excellent decision.” Ameba responded. “However, I only made such a declaration so that you'd drop your guard!” The mobile dolls continued their attack and Aube could watched in horror as the last of the Earth Fleet's warships were scuttled and sent sinking between the waves. The death cries of men echoed on the intercom. Cagalli's eyes filled with tears.

“How could they?” she said. “How could they kill all those men? Even after their surrender?”

“It just goes to show you that the Empire has no intention of taking prisoners.” said Riku.

“Then, we must fight, or face total annihilation!” said Uzumi. “But even so, we may have to face total annihilation. Sooner, or later, the gundams will eventually fold. The Archangel will be unprotected and will fall easy prey to those mobile dolls.”

“Those mobile dolls don't seem to be letting up the fight!” said Cagalli. “We've already lost over 80% of our forces now!”

“We have to attack the mobile dolls at the source.” Riku suggested.

“What do you have planned, Riku?” asked Sora.

“If we can some how attack the source of the mobile doll's power! Once we take that out, then they'll cease to function! Thanks to all the information that Trieze and Heero gave us back in the Wing Realm, we're able to exploit the weaknesses of the mobile dolls! And the main weakness is the system that connects all the mobile dolls!”-

“But in order to do that, we'd have to attack the Imperial Fleet itself.”-

“And that's exactly what we're gonna do!”-

“But how will we get there? The gummi ship was totaled!”-

“Mr. Athha! Contact Archangel! Tell them to pick us and our damaged gummi up at the beach!”-

“What's the plan?” asked Uzumi.

“The Archangel has mechanics right?” asked Riku.

“Yes.”-

 

“Well, what I plan to do is this. We have the Archangel pick us up, they exit out of Earth's orbit to confront the Imperial fleet. We then take our gummi ship and fly it into the chief destroyer. Without a doubt, that is where we will find General Ameba and the main control center for the mobile dolls. We take out the main control and the mobile dolls will cease to function.”

“That's an awfully large risk we're taking.”-

“What other choice have we?! If we don't take that risk, the gundams will eventually lose all power, Aube will fall, and the Empire will move on to the next target!”-

“Very well, then.”-

 

 

On beard the chief destroyer of the Imperial Fleet, General Ameba watched as Aube slowly lost ground. The mobile dolls had proven more effective than he had thought. He gazed on as Lord Arakis stepped onto the bridge.

“That operation went better than I imagined!” Ameba said. “I especially enjoyed the death screams of those humans when the mobile dolls finished their fleet off!”

“I'm sure you did.” said Arakis. “It's just like you to commence with such a strategy.”

Ameba grinned. It was then the transmission screen appeared. It was General Durovano from the Zero room.

“Quite a bit of fighting, eh sir?!” he said. “The Zero system allowed me to manipulate the movement of the mobile dolls as easy as manipulating the movement of my fingers! Those Natural bastards never stood a chance!”

“Excellent!” chuckled Ameba. “You certainly turned the tide of battle in out favor again!”

“Well, now that Aube has been severely weakened, and since they have not declared their surrender, shall I finish them off for good?!”-

“There will be no need of that. Call back the mobile dolls.” Durovano was confused now.

“But, sir! I can easily wipe them out as they are!”

“We've already proven that they pose no threat to us, General Durovano. I'm more worried about the Coordinator fighters of ZAFT. We take them out first.”-

“I understand, sir.” With that, transmission ended the conversation between the two. Ameba then gazed at Arakis.

“I hope that doesn't conflict with you, my lord.” said Ameba.

“Do what you want.” Arakis replied. “This is your operation isn't it. I'm only here to act as a spectator.”

“You mean I can do anything I want?”-

“Anything.”-

“Even when it comes to killing....civilians.” Arakis walked off the bridge once again.

“It's not my conscience that will come back to haunt me.”-

“So, I have your permission?”-

“Do you need it?”-

“No, my lord.”

“Then off with your work then. Don't need me to order you around. I just hope you didn't make a mistake.” The doors closed behind Arakis, leaving Ameba alone on the bridge again.

“Excellent.” said Ameba. “Arakis may be an arrogant, despicable old bastard. But he certainly knows how to give leverage when the time comes!”

 

 

 

Back on Earth, they saw as the mobile dolls ceased their fighting and returned to their carriers, ascending back into space.

“They're retreating.” said Cagalli. “But why?”

“Whatever the reason,” Riku stated. “They've just given the one chance we need.”

“Contact Archangel!” said Sora. “We're running to the beach now! Tell them to meet us where our downed gummi ship is! Let's get out there and show the Empire what Naturals are really made of!!”

“YEAH!!!” cried the rest of the KH team and they ran out of the control room, heading for the beach.

“Well, you heard him!” shouted Uzumi. “Contact Archangel and tell them to pick Riku and the others up! Tell them to repair that craft, they came in, too! In fact, tell them to repair our remaining mobile suits as well!”

“You have a plan of your own, Father?” asked Cagalli.

“That's right, Cagalli. If we fight, we'll fight on the Imperial fleet's home turf. Then, we'll see how they like it when they're under threat of attack!”-

“Right! I'll spread the word!” Cagalli rushed out of the control room. Uzumi gazed at the aftermath of the battle, displayed in the screen.

“My people of Aube! No, my people of Earth and space! We have met a common enemy and perhaps, this will bring us together at last! For all my friends and people who have fought and died for the protection of your nation, I will see to it that your deaths will not be in vain! We will meet this cunning scourge and drive them back into the depths of Hell from whence they came!”-

The battle would continue. But this time, it was humanity's turn to strike. And the retribution they held against the Imperial fleet would be inflicted upon the foe a hundred fold.