Fan Fiction ❯ Kingdom Hearts: The Third Epic ❯ Honor and Cruelty ( Chapter 10 )

Honor and Cruelty

 

The Archangel made its way towards the beach where Sora and Riku awaited them. Captain Ramius at the helm, steadily coordinated the ship to the destination. At the same time, the remaining mobile suits, including the battle weary gundams and their pilots, were brought aboard. Kira and Athrun worked their way down from the mobile suits.

“Man.” said Kira. “I've never engaged in such a fight.”

“You're telling me.” added Athrun. “Those mobile dolls were something else. Even we, being Coordinators, couldn't fight them off.”

“Look on the bright side!” shouted Mwu La Fllaga, descending from the Strike gundam. “At least we're still alive.”

“I know!” added Dearka. “But how in the world did those stupid things manage to elude and retaliate so precisely?”

“Just goes to show you how accurate artificial intelligence is.”-

“Even so.” said Kira. “We should have been able to catch on to their tactics. But it seems no matter how much we were able to find a weakness, they somehow changed their tactics to adapt to our strategy. Now I don't know about you, but artificial intelligence is strictly program set. They can't just adapt without an upgrade. The fight against the Virgos was a good example of that. Those mobile dolls fell easily after we exploited their one weakness. However, in the later battles, they went on the defensive again. Some were even using the ships of the Earth fleet as cover. Now, what mobile dolls use that tactic?”

“So you're saying that there may have been someone behind the mobile dolls, controlling them?” asked Dearka.

“I'm positive.”-

“That's what Cagalli relayed to us.” said Athrun. “She got it from Riku and Sora. The only way to destroy those mobile dolls is to attack them at the source. So that means, we'll have to attack the fleet of the Dark Empire itself.”

“It's seems the only way.”-

“Then, if that's what it takes,” said Mwu, “we'll do it. We'll take on the Empire and stop these verminous little machines. After that last little scuffle, we can't afford to take them head on again.”

“By the way.” Dearka uttered. “Where the heck are we going?”

“From what I understand,” Athrun stated. “We're going to the beach to pick up Sora and Riku. I also understand that they want us to bring up that downed cruiser they were flying in.”

“Alright!” shouted an attendant. “We almost have it! Steady! Steady!”

“That must be it.” said Mwu. The four rushed to see the damaged gummi. “How are things here, Mr. Murdoch?” Mr. Murdoch, the head mechanic on board the Archangel, wrote a few notes on his pad.

“We successfully hauled that weird looking ship on board.” he said. “Look at it. I've never seen a ship like it. It's like a mobile armor, but it's constructed of a different material. A material I've never even seen before.” Kira ran to the open hatch, seeing Riku, Sora, and the others running down the sandy beach.

“Hey!” shouted Kira. “Here they come!”

“There's the Archangel!” said Sora. “And it looks like they hauled the gummi ship a lot earlier than we thought!”

 

However, from out of nowhere, a large ball of fire reigned down from sky and plummeted in the area between the KH group and the Archangel. There was a massive explosion which nearly blew Riku and Sora away. An immense heat wave crashed into them.

“What the heck was that?” said Sora.

“It can only be one man.” Riku replied.

“Wow!” said Donald. “Talk about hot!”

“Talk about making an entrance.” added Goofy.

“Brace yourselves, guys.” Mickey instructed. Their weapons were drawn and the five stood ready to face the oncoming threat. As the smoke cleared, before the group, a crater of glass lay before them. The glass was glittering brightly in the afternoon sun. And behold, above the immense crater, a figure hovered over it. A bright cloak of red and a sun mask covered him.

“Anubis.” Riku uttered

“I can't allow you to go any further.” said Anubis. “I've been ordered to keep you here on Earth and finish you.”

“Nice outfit.” said Sora. “It suits you.”

“I didn't know the circus was in town.” said Goofy. “Did you go to a party and not invite us?”

“Shut up, you idiot!” shouted Anubis. “I didn't come here to amuse you!”

“Well, you're doing a good job right now.” chuckled Donald.

“Then laugh this off!!”-

Anubis fired a powerful ball of fire towards the group. But as the ball drew closer, Riku jumped up into the air and with his sword, deflected the ball. The ball flew into the atmosphere and exploded just beyond the horizon.

“Did you see that?” asked Kira.

“I saw it,” Athrun replied, “but I don't believe it.”

“That guy just threw a ball of fire from his hand.” said Mwu. “But how?”

“Listen!!” shouted Riku. “We don't have time to play with you, Anubis! We have mobile dolls to stop!”

“I don't think so.” chuckled Anubis. “You think I'll just let you walk away from this battle?! I doubt that!”

“That's fine, but let's not make it too long! We have people to save!”-

“You won't be saving anyone, key bearer! I was ordered to keep you and your friends on Earth and that's what I intend to do!”-

“If there's anyone you should fight, it's me! Remember, we have a little score to settle! So what do you say, Anubis?! A one on one fight with me to the death!”-

“Riku!” said Sora, worried. “You can't.”

“Don't do it, Riku!” added Mickey.

“He's terribly strong.” said Donald. Riku shifted his hand towards his friends.

“We're the only ones capable of stopping the Empire.” Riku uttered. “Even if we defeated Anubis, what chance do you think we'd have getting out of here alive once the Empire takes over this world completely?”

“But Riku.” uttered Sora.

“Don't worry about it, Sora. I can handle this guy myself. Just fulfilling an old promise.” Riku turned again to Anubis. “I still haven't received your answer, ninja! What do you say?! Will you engage me in a little skirmish?!”

 

“Why not!” chuckled Anubis. “I'll take you on, one on one!”

“Then it's settled!” Riku turned to his friends. “Alright, you guys! Get going!”

“But first.” uttered Goofy, taking out his Senzu bag. He handed Riku a Senzu bean. “Take this just in case.”

“Thanks, Goofy.” Riku placed it in his pocket.

“You be careful, Riku.” said Sora, placing his hand on Riku's back.

“You too, Sora.” Riku gave Sora a pat on the shoulder.

“Come out, Zeke!!” shouted Sora, thrusting his blade into the air. There was a bright flash of light and once again, the silver organoid made its appearance. “To the Archangel, Zeke!”

Sora, Donald, and Goofy jumped onto the back of the silver dragon and Zeke flew up to the deck of the Archangel. As soon as they reached the open hatch, they looked down to see Riku and Anubis ready to face off in single combat.

“Be careful, Riku.” Sora uttered. “Don't die on us.”

 

The Archangel continued on its way with Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey still gazing out of the open hatch. They watched as the stand off between Riku and Anubis faded into the distance.

“I really hope that Riku knows what he's doing.” said Mickey.

“I know he'll win.” Sora replied. “I know Riku. He won't die. He'll emerge victorious in the end.” He then turned to the silver dragon and padded him on the snout. Zeke growled softly. “Thanks, Zeke, for getting us aboard the Archangel. Van would be proud of you.”

“Excuse me.” said Kira. “What is that thing?”

“This is Zeke. He's an organoid. Van Flyheight's buddy, back in the Zi realm.”-

“You keep talking about realms.” said Athrun. “What do you mean by realms.”

“What we mean is by other worlds.” Mickey explained.

“You mean, you guys are from another world?” asked Mwu.

“That's right.” Goofy replied. “But I thought they were supposed to be a secret.”

“It's no use trying to avoid meddling, Goofy.” said Mickey. “The Empire doesn't intend to remain secret about it. So, we have no choice, but to take our secret out into the open.”

“That'll explain the reason why we've never encountered such things like mobile dolls.” Kira stated. “Despite their simplistic designs, the mobile dolls have proven to be a challenge.”

“A threat is more like.” added Athrun.

Just then, they heard further commotion. They immediately the labor teams assembling to the hanger. Kira spotted Mr. Murdoch on the catwalk.

“What's going on, Mr. Murdoch?!” asked Kira.

“We've just received a distress call from three downed mobile suits!” Murdoch replied. “They're coming aboard now!”

It was then that three mobile suits crashed into the safety net of the entrance hanger.

“But those are...”-

Before the group, the damaged bodies of the Calamity, the Forbidden, and the Raider lay on the hanger floor of the Archangel. Immediately, the personnel began to assemble at the damaged gundams, overseeing their damage. The three pilots climbed out of their cockpits, stricken in uncontrollable pain. Kuroto, pilot of the mobile suit Raider roared out in a raging scream.

“Damn!!” he cried. “Gripheptan!! Gripheptan!!”

 

“Gripheptan?” asked Mr. Murdoch. “What would they want Gripheptan for?”

“That's their medication.” said Mwu. “They're CPUs! Coordinators by force!”

“Gripheptan!!” cried Ollga, falling out of the Calamity.

“Give us Gripheptan!!” roared Shani, falling to his knees. “Give us Gripheptan!”

“Why should we?” said Mwu. “You were the ones attacking Aube! You killed many of our soldiers in your escapade! So, why should we help you?!”

“Please!!” shouted Kuroto.

“What will you give us in return?!” said Athrun. The three looked up to see both he and Kira standing side by side.

“You...two..... Are you the....pilots of those....two mobile suits?”

“That we are.”-

“Give us Gripheptan!!” cried Shani.

“We face a common enemy now.” said Kira. “You have no one else to turn to. If you side with us, then we will do all in our considerable power to help you.” There was only silence. Besides that of the agonizing cries from the three suffering mobile suit pilots. “What do you say?”

“Very well...” Ollga uttered. “Just help us.”

“Alright then.”-

“Just like that?” asked Dearka. “These guys took out 10% of our forces last time. Now, we're supposed to give them aid?”

“We need as many allies as we can salvage.” said Athrun. “We can't afford to be prejudice right now.”

“I guess you're right.”-

“Report to the medical facility.” Kira instructed. “They will give you the necessary prescription.”

“Thank you.” said Kuroto. The three were sent off for medical aid.

“Alright!” shouted Mr. Murdoch. “We have a lot to do and we need to do it quick!”

“We have to hurry!” said Kira. “The Empire has already struck against Aube and wiped out the Earth Atlantic Fleet! Without a doubt, they'll be heading for PLANT and ZAFT!!”

“What is our next destination?!” asked Mwu.

“Orders from Captain Ramius! We'll be going to Kaguya Island!!” Mr. Murdoch explained. “There, we'll refit the Archangel with boosters! Once that's finished, we'll begin our trek to PLANT!!”

 

 

Meanwhile, back on the beach, Riku and Anubis remained at a stand off. Both glared into each others eyes like hawks. The newly formed glass shimmered upon the sand. Riku, with this sword still sheathed, wriggled his fingers just above the hilt.

“You know,” he uttered, “we'll have to break this stand off sooner, or later.”

“I agree there.” chuckled Anubis. “Then, if it is alright with you, I shall take the liberty of delivering the first attack. As to how you will counter, I will leave that completely up to you!!” Anubis suddenly swooped towards Riku. Riku. Dodged the attack, leaping over Anubis's head. Anubis, however, suddenly vanished from sight. Riku landed onto the ground. But as he did, from the corner of his eye, he saw Anubis attacking. Riku dodge rolled and leaped back upon his feet.

“Man, this guy's fast.” Riku thought to himself. “A little faster than I expected.”

“Feast on this, key bearer!!” shouted Anubis. “Inferno Blitz!!”

 

From his hands, a large ball of fire formed, and with all his might, Anubis thrust it at Riku. The young warrior dodged as best he could. There was a terrific explosion amongst the sand and the heat burst out with incredible intensity. Riku rolled over the sand quickly leaped back on his feet. But as he gazed, he saw that there was yet another crater of glass.

“That was too close!” Riku said. “This guy not only has the advantage in the air. He also has the ability to manipulate unbearable heat temperatures capable of melting the skin off your bones.”

“What do you think, Riku!” chuckled Anubis. “Quite an intense move wouldn't you say?”

“Is that the best you have?”-

“Not even close! The Inferno Blitz is nothing compared to some of the other tricks I have packed away for a special occasion! However, I don't think you'll last long enough to witness them!”-

“I don't know! I've been in hotter situations that this!”-

“Well, if my techniques are too cool for you, I can always turn the heat up a notch!”-

Anubis began to power up again. This time, his body began to glow a bright red. Steam began to rise from his body.

“Get ready for this next attack!” shouted Anubis. “This one is what I call the Inferno Strike!!” Suddenly, like a blazing comet, the ninja charged Riku with incredible speed. Riku, saw the attack and dodged in the nick of time. However, the fire accumulating from the tail singed Riku's coat, bringing of the bottom completely.

“Man.” Riku uttered. “With that excessive heat, he could burn me to a crisp. Thank goodness I dodged when I did.”

“What's wrong, Riku?” said Anubis. “Starting to regret ever facing me one on one?”

“Not really. I'm just disappointed.”-

“What do you mean disappointed?”-

“I would have expected you to take this fight more seriously. But if this is all the power you can conjure up, then this one on one fight is just a big waste of my time.”-

“What?!” Anubis sneered at the youth. “You think I'm not taking this seriously enough?! Well, I'll show you! You'll regret ever daring me to use my true strength! Once you see my power, you'll curse the day you ever dared to challenge me to a duel!”

“I highly doubt that!”-

“Then, you're making a big mistake then!”-

Anubis began to increase his strength steadily. The glow of hot red began to intensify and the heat accumulating grew so great, all forms of life surrounding the ninja burst into flames. The sand beneath him melted down until the glass reflected light off its surface like a newly polished dome. Riku, now regretting that he had ever insulted Anubis, began to slowly back off.

“Oh my God.” he said. “Anubis.....Anubis wasn't bluffing. He really has intense heat resonating from his body.”

“Fifty percent of my maximum is all that's required for this conflict.” chuckled Anubis. “Now, no one has ever seen me fight at my fifty percent mark. So, I thought I'd humor you by showing you what hell looks like in its true form. Now, do you regret ever provoking me, Riku?”Anubis stretched forth his arm, raising it above his head. “Hell Slash!!” From his swinging arm, a crescent shaped fired ribbon came charging towards Riku. Riku dodge rolled, but the intense heat melted the shoulder armor off his sleeve. He gazed at the damage. A large enough hole had melted through.

 

“This guy is something else.” Riku said.

“What's wrong? Starting to feel the pressure?” Anubis chuckled. “All I have to do now is figure out how I shall destroy you!”

“If you're gonna think, do it quickly! I don't have much time to deal with you!”-

“Patience, my friend. Patience. These things take time. Besides, I don't want to finish you off hastily. Because you were the one who blew my cover, I'll make sure you suffer greatly!!”-

 

 

At the same time, Sora and the others had reached Kaguya Island. The Archangel was being outfitted with new booster rockets to help increase the speed when exiting out of the earth's atmosphere. Sora gazed in the distance as he saw the explosions ring out in the area where Riku and Anubis were battling.

“The fight between Riku and Anubis has begun.” Sora uttered.

“Isn't there anything we can do?” asked Donald. “We need to help him.”

“But that would only work to Riku's disadvantage. Riku is fulfilling his promise to Anubis. A one on one fight is what he declared. And when Riku says something, he says it succinctly and without question. Only to defy that promise would be an assault on Riku's pride as a warrior. Besides, if we interfere, then Riku would have to worry about our safety as well as trying to fight his opponent.” Sora walked away, not daring to gaze at the battle that commenced. “Besides, Riku's a tough guy. His heart's too strong. He would never allow himself to be defeated by the likes of Anubis.”-

“I hope you're right.”-

“How's it coming along with preparations?” asked Mickey.

“We should be ready to make lift off in about ten, or fifteen minutes.” Mr. Murdoch replied.

“We'll then, we should prepare ourselves for launch.” Kira instructed.

“How are the three pilots we picked up?” asked Athrun. “Kuroto, Shani, and Ollga?”

“They've been given a few doses of Gripheptan.” said Mwu. “They should be alright.”

“I still don't think we can trust them though.” Dearka explained. “You saw how those three shot at each other during the first attack on Aube. I'm telling you guys, their unstable.”

“That can easily be resolved though.” said Kira. “All we have to do is tell them to attack those mobile dolls. And I can guarantee they will fight their hearts out.”

At that moment, Captain Murrue Ramius spoke over the loud speaker.

“All personnel prepare to launch!” she ordered. “I repeat! All personnel prepare to launch! We are launching in five minutes! Secure yourselves and brace for take off!”

The ship began to ascend into the air at a steady pace. The sound of the boosters generated throughout the ship. Firing the main guns into the atmosphere, the Archangel created a temporary, stream line portal which allowed them to exit out of Earth's atmosphere without burning, or stalling. The Archangel, within minutes of departure from Aube, eventually made its way out of Earth's atmosphere with very little effort and without a huge consumption of the fuel needed. Captain Ramius set her sights towards PLANT.

“Set coordinates to PLANT!!” she ordered. “We'll be giving them a hand.”

“Aye, Mam!” the crew responded.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, nearing the hourglass colonies of ZAFT, the forces of the Empire stalled for a temporary period of time. They had used this time refit the Virgo mobile dolls and set a program to where they would not drop their guards at any time. The speed level was increased and their defensive and offensive abilities upgraded. They were also upgraded to interact with the Taurus mobile dolls for combined strategy. Lord Arakis sat on the bridge of the grand destroyer, slowly sipping a cup of tea.

“I always enjoy these quaint little moments before the storm.” he uttered. “The sound of the calm broken by sudden chaos.”

“I will begin commencement of mobile doll activation!” General Ameba ordered. “General Durovano! Report to the Zero room! Prepare to activate the system and lead the mobile dolls into action!”

“Yes, Sir.” replied Durovano. He ran out of the control room towards the mobile doll main control.

“These fools will never know what hit them. It doesn't matter how genetically enhanced you are. You'll never be a match for artificial intelligence.”-

“Technically,” Arakis interrupted, “if your genes have been manipulated in a way, then you are artificial intelligence.”

“If it is alright with you, my lord. I will not hold back. We have one thousand transport carriers of Taurus and Virgo mobile dolls ready to be deployed. And since each carrier holds up to ten suits, that's ten thousand mobile dolls ready for combat. As well, we also have the reserves for close ranged combat. In case the enemy decides to attack our destroyers. Each destroyer carries ten thousand mobile dolls in reserve. And since there are ten destroyers, that's one hundred thousand mobile dolls on reserve. We, however, being the grand destroyer, hold up to twenty thousand dolls in reserve. So we have at least a hundred and twenty thousand dolls in....”

“Enough!” Arakis said. “By the time you finally shut that hole in your face, the enemy would have already intercepted us and the element of surprise would be lost.”

“I apologize, your Excellency.” He turned to his men. “Send out ten Virgo carriers and ten Taurus carriers at once!”

The main hatches on the destroyers opened, each sending out one carrier of each. The carriers made their way towards the Zaft defense line.

 

Within ZAFT, the chairman, Patrick Zala, overlooked the construction of their new weapon, the G.E.N.E.S.I.S. A massive beam cannon capable of terrific and massive destruction.

He wandered about it, observing how construction was going. Eventually, he worked his way to the main control room of GENESIS.

“I never would've thought you would pay us a visit, Mr. Chairman.” said the commander of GENESIS.

“I just want to see how much you've progressed.” said Chairman Zala. “Is GENESIS operational yet?”

“She's operational, Sir. She just needs to be outfitted with more comfortable accommodations for the crew members who operate her.”-

“I can see your concern, but I want everyone on standby. You don't know when those miserable Naturals will strike again.”-

“I understand, Sir. But I can assure you, those Naturals would never be able to effectively attack out outer defenses.”-

 

But as he had finished his statement, the emergency alarms sounded off. The red lights flashed throughout the facility.

“Attention all personnel!” a voice shouted out from the loud speaker. “Report to level one battle stations! Enemy forces have breeched our first line of defense! I repeat! Enemy forces have breeched our first line of defense!”

“Dispatch Ginns!!” shouted Chairman Zala. “Tell them to intercept! Drive them back!!”

“Ginns are being dispatched there as we speak, Mr. Chairman!” said the commander. They observed as the wave of ZAFT Ginns went into battle. However, within seconds of entering battle, there was a sudden volley from the enemy and the first wave was completely annihilated. Chairman Zala could not believe what he saw.

“That's impossible.” he uttered. “How could the naturals be so effective in those mobile suits?”

“Checking the status of the enemy.” said one of the attendants. However, what they saw on the screen were not the Earth forces. “Sir! Those aren't the Earth forces!”

It was then that they detected the ten destroyers and the mighty grand destroyer.

“What...What are those?!”-

“They've not been confirmed, Mr. Chairman! They're not part of the Earth Military!”

“They are part of the Dark Empire!!” a voice on the intercom shouted out. The cameras spotted a small cruiser coming their way.

“Is that you Rau Le Creuset?” asked Chairman Zala.

“It is, Sir! Request permission to come aboard!”-

“Permission granted!”-

The cruiser eventually made its way into GENESIS. Le Crueze reached the main control room where Chairman Zala awaited his arrival. Yzak Joule, a ZAFT mobile suit pilot, by his side.

“What do you know about this new enemy?” asked Chairman Zala.

“They are the forces of the Dark Empire?” Rau replied.

“The Dark Empire? How come they never made their presence known until now? And how is it that we never knew about them until now?”-

“I have no idea, Sir. They just suddenly appeared on the battlefield, fighting both the Earth forces and Aube.”-

“But they fight the same enemy we do. Why are they attacking us?”-

“That's just it. I think they plan of fighting Earth, Aube, and ZAFT at the same time.”-

“How foolish! Taking on three enemies at once!”

“That may be so, Mr. Chairman! But they already managed to severely cripple both Earth and Aube with those mobile suits! I've seen them in action! Their reaction and battle strategy are quite impressive! More impressive than I thought anyone was capable of!”-

“They may have been more than a match for the Naturals, but let's see how they do against the superior strength of the Coordinators.”-

“I feel that outcome has already been determined, Mr. Chairman.”-

They looked on as Ginn after Ginn fell prey to the advanced AI of the mobile dolls. And ZAFT, without the luxury of knowledge about this new foe, was simply too powerless to make a difference.

 

Meanwhile, back on Earth, the fight between Riku and Anubis remained in a stand off. By now, the coat which protected Riku had been singed and burned. But still it remained in tact.

 

“Come now, Riku!” chuckled Anubis. “Don't tell me that you've run out of ideas already! I would have thought that you could deploy more effective techniques than dodge roll and evade! So far, you haven't even bothered attempting to attack me! What exactly are you waiting for?!”

“When you have one shot, you must wait for the opportune moment!” Riku replied. “Right now! I'm just probing for weaknesses!”

“So that's it, eh? You intend to find out my pros and cons! Well, it won't work that easily against me! If there's one thing I've excelled at! It's long range combat!” Suddenly Anubis began to form more energy within his hand. With a thrust of his arm, he threw out two more fire ribbons. Riku, dodged again without trouble. However, he knew that he could not fight against Anubis as long as there was a great deal of distance to cover. “You see, unlike the other members of the Cavendish Shinobis, I use strictly long range combat to finish off my opponent! No grappling techniques! No secret hand to hand combat specials! I only take the pleasure of finishing off my foe from a nice, safe distance!”

“And you call yourself a shinobi?!”-

“A shinobi's true nature is to outsmart his opponent! Unlike Isis and Horus before, I make sure not to make contact with my enemy!”-

“You coward!!”-

“You can say what you want, Riku! But it's all in vain! Personally, I don't believe in all that honor stuff! The only way to defeat an enemy is to kill them when you're out of reach! I've souly concentrated on perfecting my aim at long distance, so I wouldn't have to worry about getting my hands dirty! And since you can't hover in the air permanently like I can, that gives me the advantage!”

“If you were a true warrior, you'd come and defend your honor!”-

Anubis thrust down more fire balls. Riku dodged the attacks again, but this time his evasion was slower and he was nearly caught in the explosions.

“I told you! I have no honor! I made sure to purge myself of such limitations! Certainly, my techniques are cowardly, but they always work! Horus could've succeeded, but his honor was at steak! And because of that, he fought you face to face and that's what caused his downfall! Isis was the same way! He thought he could hold his own when fighting face to face! He would have succeeded had it not been for that gravity cannon that crushed him with his own attack! If it wasn't for those Zoidians interfering, you would have been dead and my plans wouldn't have been stopped!”-

“A person who has know sense of integrity, or honor has no right to rank themselves amongst the greatest warriors of the universe!”-

“Talk! Talk! Talk! That's all you can do, Riku, is talk! The last time I checked, I still had the advantage and if you ask me, actions speak louder than words! Get ready, boy! You wanted to see my true skills! Then, I'll be more than happy to oblige you!”-

As the aura of power began to encircle Anubis more intensely, Riku knew that the second round was about to begin.

 

 

In the depths of space, the mobile dolls of the Dark Empire continued to advance. The Gins of ZAFT fell one after the other. The Coordinators lost continued to suffer heavy casualties while the mobile dolls lost none in the engagement. General Ameba gazed in awe as the enemy troops fell like flies to the onslaught.

 

“What fools these ZAFT boys are!” he chuckled. “Despite being Coordinators, they still obtain that sense of fear and weakness! The mobile dolls however, have no limitation to hold them back! At this rate, victory will be ours soon enough!”

“Don't put too much faith in the use of machines.” Arakis pointed out. “You must remember that Coordinators and Naturals have one thing in common. Their ability to adapt. Once they catch on to a certain weakness, they'll use it to their advantage.”

“But we've reprogrammed the mobile dolls to be rid of their weaknesses. And with the use of the Zero system, we can manipulate the mobile dolls to our will. So it isn't always determined by the computer system itself! We too have the ability to adapt.”-

“I only caution you. That's all.”-

“Your concern is touching, but hardly necessary, my lord. These ZAFT insects will fall sooner, or later.” He turned to the personnel. “Get ZAFT headquarters on line! It's time they hear our declaration!”

 

Amidst the chaos, the tragedy only grew heavier for ZAFT and it's forces. The once proud and seemingly unbreakable defense line of the Coordinators, to which the Earth forces had no way of even approaching in the twelve months of warfare that occurred before, was easily overrun by the Dark Empire in a matter of minutes. Yzak Joule and commander Rau Le Creuset took their mobile suits and began their attack against the mobile dolls. Even Le Creuset's mobile suit, which had been arms with deplorable, remote controlled weapons called funnels, could do nothing to outwit the sudden cunning of the mobile dolls. In the process of the fight, they had managed to shoot down thirteen dolls. However, in the meantime, another fifty of their fellow Coordinators were killed.

“We won't last here much longer!” shouted Yzak. “There are too many of these new mobile suits!”

“I don't understand this!” said Rau. “How is it possible for mobile suits to act so precisely and without hesitation?!”

“It's as if they can predict our every move even at the last minute.”-

“Well, if we managed to take down thirteen already, then there shouldn't be an excuse not to take down anymore!”

 

Meanwhile, on board GENESIS, Chairman Zala was giving orders to fire their ultimate weapon.

“Get this thing ready to fire as soon as possible!” he ordered.

“But generating the GENESIS cannon will take some time, Sir!” said the commander. “At least five minutes the most!”

“Then, stop wasting time! The time has now come for us to display to true power of ZAFT's ultimate weapon!!”-

“Sir!!” shouted one of the attendants. “Our main resource satellite, BOAS, has been overrun!”

“But that cuts our defense strength in half!” said the commander.

“Then, we have no choice!” shouted Chairman Zala. “We must fire the main cannon and stop the advance of the Dark Empire! We must protect the PLANTs at all cost! Our homes depend upon this one action! For ZAFT!!!”

“For ZAFT!!”-

 

“Oh, isn't that touching!!” chuckled a voice over the intercom.

“Who was that?!”-

“Sir!” another operative shouted. “We've received an incoming transmission from the fleet of the Dark Empire!”

“On screen!” said Chairman Zala, angrily. “I wish to see the face of the pig that dares to threaten our homes!”

“Yes, Sir!” The operative turned on the transmission screen and for the first time, both sides saw each others faces. Before Chairman Zala, the face of General Ameba gazed at him.

“This is General Ameba!!” the Imperial began. “Commander of the 3rd Imperial Fleet of the Dark Empire!”

“What is it that you want, General Ameba?!” shouted Chairman Zala. “This attack on ZAFT is unforgivable!! Why have you attacked us when we are fighting against the same enemy?!”

“First of all, we have no treaty with either you, Aube, or Earth! Therefore, we hold no loyalties towards you, or anyone else! Secondly, we do this because we seek to prove that our forces are far more advanced than you could ever dream of imagining! And finally, we intend to prove to you that resistance if futile! We demand the immediate and unconditional surrender of the ZAFT organization! Then, they are to yield all resources to the Empire's benefits and declare their total and absolute loyalty to his Excellency, Master Cavendish! Do this and both you and the colonies shall be spared! Do not and we cannot guarantee the safety of you, or the ZAFT citizens! Defy us and I guarantee that we will see the annihilation of you and your pathetic race!!”-

“Sir!” shouted one of the attendants. “GENESIS is ready to fire!”

“Setting coordinates to the grand destroyer!” shouted another. “Commencing fire!”

“This is my answer!” chuckled Chairman Zala. “The answer you will never get the chance to here! Fire!!”

A massive energy wave bellowed out from the GENESIS mirror and went charging into the think of the Imperial line.

 

“An incoming beam is heading straight for us!” said one of the attendants.

“Why is it that they insist on doing things the hard way?” Ameba uttered. “Up the distortion field. Compliments of our adversaries from the `Nadesico Realm.'”

The beam intercepted the ship and slammed head on into the hull. However, the distortion shield was deployed in time. So the powerful wave of the GENESIS could not break through the defense of the grand destroyer.

“Status?”-

“We've taken no damage to the destroyer, General Ameba!” said one attendant. “But we lost the majority of our mobile dolls in the explosion.

“What a bother. Send out ten more carriers of each mobile doll model. And send this message to all other destroyers. Pincer formation! We're going to attack the colonies!”-

 

Patrick Zala could only look on in horror as the beam was absorbed into the shield. The attack had was in vain. The GENESIS had proven completely ineffective against the Empire. He could only watch as ZAFTs state of the art and most powerful weapon, ever manufactured, was rendered obsolete after one attack.

“It can't be!” he uttered. “That was our last hope!”

 

“Well this has all been very entertaining.” said Ameba, continuing with his transmission. “But seeing that you have decided to remain defiant, I can no longer guarantee your safety, or the safety of your beloved citizens. And as you watch our eventual takeover, you can all curse your own impotence while we continue towards the PLANT colonies of ZAFT. Their fate has already been sealed. Personally, if you look at the situation, you are no different from the Naturals. You are incompetent and too proud for your own good. And that's what makes you weak. Natural, or Coordinator. It's all the same to me.”

The transmission ended there and Patrick Zala, the once arrogant and headstrong chairman of ZAFT, fell to his chair and lowered his head. He gazed up to his people.

“Your orders, Mr. Chairman?” asked the commander.

“Inform the council.” he uttered. “Send an emergency message to the colony citizens to begin evacuation. We will continue to fight head on. I must not let the people think we've given up. I must not allow them to lose hope. I will not allow them to lose their way of life!” He stood up suddenly, with a gripped fist. “And I will not go down in history as the man who abandoned his people to oppression! We will fight on to the last man! Understood?!”

“SIR!!” everyone cried within the room.

“We must fight this enemy. But we can't do it alone. Already, our defenses have proven useless against the Dark Empire. Therefore, I am ordering a temporary cease fire with the Earth forces.”-

“What?!” said the commander, shocked as what he was hearing. “Are you saying that we request aid from the Naturals?! What good will that do?! The Naturals have no use on the battlefield whatsoever! They don't even have the right to live in the same universe as we do!”

“Listen, commander.” said Chairman Zala. “I hate the Naturals just as much as you do, but if we can't even protect our homes any better than they, then we have no right to begin passing judgment on them. What chance do you think we'll have if we keep fighting alone at this rate? We need the earth's unlimited manpower and resources if we intend to survive this.”

“But Mr. Chairman...”-

“What other option have we?”-

“Mr. Chairman. Please think this over at least. We'll be siding with the Naturals. The one enemy we've been fighting for the past year. They'll only use this kind of excuse to show themselves off. Saying that we, being Coordinators, couldn't even defend our homes when we had to.” There was a sudden silence between the two.

“Then perhaps its about time that we look from the Natural's perspective.” Chairman Zala uttered. “And now that I have, I realize that we are no different from them. We consider ourselves stronger to them, but they continue to fight, despite the odds against them. Now, we are placed in the same position. We now defend ourselves against more powerful enemy forces and we have proven only ineffective against them.”-

“But the Naturals! If we side with them, that'll make things worse once the fighting between Earth and ZAFT begin again after this! How can you expect our soldiers to kill the enemy Naturals when they realize their humanity is the same as ours in a way?!”-

 

“Then, perhaps this is the best course of action! Natural and Coordinator can some how find a way to live in peace! They've suffered just as much as we have! But if we don't stand with them, both Naturals and Coordinators will be eradicated!” Chairman Zala stood over the groups of operatives. “From here on out, Earth, Aube, and ZAFT must drop their differences!! Only when we fight together can we succeed!! Send a message to the Earth forces and Aube!! That united we will stand to fight this cunning scourge!!”-

 

Within the control room of the grand destroyer, they encountered a barrage of messages leading to Earth.

“Sir, it seems that they're requesting aid from Earth and Aube!” said one of the attendants.

“So, the mighty Coordinators have finally discovered that they are not so mighty after all!” chuckled Ameba. “Now they stoop themselves down to the point where they are trying to rally the Naturals! The lower form of human life that has been their enemy for the past twelve months! They first fight each other because they are different! Now, they seek each others aid in times of need! How ironic is that?!”

“You must understand that the entire situation drips with irony.” said Arakis.

“Does it, my lord?”-

“Drips. When the Naturals were put on the defensive, the Coordinators scoffed at the futility of their efforts. But when it's the Coordinators who are placed in the same situation, they don't find it as amusing as before.”-

“Well, let them combine forces! The more men they send in to fight, the more casualties will be inflicted on them by our superior mobile dolls.”-

“I wouldn't be so arrogant about the situation until we see whether, or not, the outcome is entirely in our favor. They may soon catch on!”-

“Nonsense, my lord! They will never stand a chance against us! Because we have might on our side!”-

“General Ameba, Sir!!” cried one of the operatives. “The Archangel has entered the vicinity!”

“On screen!” As the monitors scanned the area, they saw the legged ship slowly approaching from behind. “Well, well, well. They intend to attack us from behind, eh? As if there efforts will make any difference.”

“They've dispatched several mobile suits!” said another operative. The scanners picked up the Strike, Freedom, Justice, Buster, and surviving of the Aube Mobile Division closing range with them.

“Dispatch the mobile dolls!” shouted Ameba. “Let them feel the full extent of our power! Send in one hundred of our reserve mobile dolls! We'll see how well these fools can endure!”

 

As the Archangel neared the fleet of Imperial destroyers, they immediately saw mobile dolls taking the defensive.

“Mobile dolls!” shouted Kira.

“What do we do?!” asked Dearka.

“We'll split our forces into two! Athrun, Dearka, and myself will aid the ZAFT forces while Mwu, Cagalli, and the rest of the Mobile Division stay behind to protect the Archangel!”-

“Roger that!” said Athrun.

“Roger that!” added Dearka and Mwu.

“Roger that!” said Cagalli and the members of the Mobile Division.

“Alright!” shouted Kira. “Let's go!”

“You stay safe!” Captain Ramius stated. “All of you!”

 

 

Meanwhile, in the hanger of the Archangel, Mr. Murdoch and his mechanic teams were quickly repairing the gummi ship.

“How are repairs coming along?!” asked Sora.

“The repairs are almost finished!” Murdoch replied. “We've done some upgrading to the gummi ship! We also added a special beam cannon, capable of breaking through electromagnetic shields and stuff! Unfortunately, because it was meant for mobile armor, we couldn't use it for any of the mobile suits! But as you can see, it fits perfectly with the gummi ship!”

“Well, when it's completed, transfer it over to the launch ramp!” Mickey instructed. “Then aim us towards the grand destroyer of the Imperial fleet!”

“What?! But that's suicide!”-

“Don't worry! We have a job to do! The only way to stop the mobile dolls is to destroy the main source of power! And I am confident that it's on board that mother ship!”-

“Well, it's your call then! But don't blame me if you get killed!”-

 

The mobile suits of the Archangel had spread out to deploy their strategy. While Mwu and Cagalli stayed behind to protect the Archangel, Kira, Athrun, and Dearka moved out to fight the bulk of the mobile doll units. At the same time, Rau Le Creuset and Yzak Joule continued to fight in the midst of the battle. Surrounded by mobile dolls, their mobile suits were slowly giving way as they lost precious time and energy.

“We'll be lost at this rate!” said Yzak. “There are too many of these mobile suits!”

“Who the heck is piloting them?!” Rau uttered. “They can't be Naturals! We wouldn't have this much trouble! Could it be Coordinators?! No, not even Coordinators are this precise!”

It was at that moment that they saw a squadron of Virgos coming at them with their beam cannons blazing away at them.

“This can't be!” shouted Yzak.

Just then, from out of the depths of space, several powerful energy beams hit the mobile dolls and the unites were easily obliterated. Yzak and Rau looked to see who was coming to their aid.

“We're on our way!!” shouted a voice.

“Athrun?!” said Yzak. “Is that you?!”

“He's not the only one!” added another voice.

“Dearka!”-

“It's nice to see that you two are alive!” chuckled Rau. But as he soon noticed, the gundam Freedom had also accompanied them. “Why is Freedom trailing you?!”

“We've joined forces with him!” said Dearka.

“You can't be serious!” shouted Yzak. “That guy's the enemy!”

“Tell that to the mobile dolls.” Kira uttered.

“Mobile dolls?”-

“What do you mean by mobile dolls?” asked Rau.

“The reason for why the mobile suits are able to react and fight so well,” Kira stated, “is because they are being controlled by artificial intelligence.”

“That means that they show no remorse and no hesitation when fighting their opponent.” added Athrun. “That's why it seems that they can predict our every move.”

“Well, how do we counter it?” asked Yzak.

 

“Simple.” said Kira. “We must split the mobile dolls up into individual units. Break up their formations and destroy them one at a time. By doing that, we must attack them simultaneously. One of us draw their attention. Once the dolls drop their guards, then we can concentrate our fire to where the first member was. That'll be the strategy we use for the Virgo mobile dolls. The ones with the shields. As for the swift Tauruses, we just attack them. Try and confuse the computer system. Catch them off guard.”

“Understood!” said Athrun.

“Affirmative!” added Yzak.

“Roger that!” said Dearka.

“Now we'll show these fools the true art of battle!” chuckled Rau

The five mobile suits deployed themselves and took on the bulk of the mobile doll force head on. Now, however, because they had been exposed to battling the dolls before, they had finally caught on to the weaknesses of their deployment. Despite the reprogramming of the mobile dolls, they were still as vulnerable as before.

“Keep it up, you guys!” shouted Dearka, giving support fire. “Keep this up and we'll finish them off in no time!”

“How are things coming along at the Archangel defense?!” asked Kira.

“These mobile dolls must have taken the stupid pill, or something.” chuckled Mwu. “So far we've managed to take out twenty two of those brainless machines.”

“Keep it up then!”-

 

The battle had turned against them and General Ameba could only watch in a manner of shock as the mobile dolls, despite the use of the Zero system, slowly began to fall like flies.

“Impossible!” he said. “This can't be! General Durovano! What is going on here?! Why all of a sudden are the mobile dolls losing the battle?!”

“I don't know, Sir!” replied Durovano from the Zero room. “It was all going well! Then all of a sudden those damned mobile suits began to gain ground against the dolls!”

“Well, you better change your strategy!”-

“I can do that, Sir! But it won't change the reaction time of the dolls!”-

“Damn!”-

“Well,” Arakis uttered, “it's just as I had predicted. The mobile dolls have somehow hit a flaw. And their effectiveness on the battlefield has been cut in half. Such a pity.”

“What do you propose we do, my lord?”-

“That's simple! The gundams certainly have the skills, but they still have a limited amount of battle energy. The best course of action is deploy our forces one at a time and prolonged the battle to the extent where the gundam pilots can no longer continue to battle. As well, if our destroyers fire their barge cannons, we can further complicate matters for both ZAFT and earth. Concentrate all fire power on the GENESIS. We take that out and ZAFT has lost a powerful ally. Give them a blast of the Gravitron Wave. Compliments of the `Nadesico Realm.' Then we'll see how effective they are after that.”-

“Excellent strategy, my lord!” Ameba turned to control. “Tell destroyers nine and ten to commence firing on the colonies! And dispatch the mobile dolls! Let's see if only those five mobile suits can cover that much ground!”-

“Aye, Sir!” shouted one of the attendants. “Relaying the message to destroyers nine and ten! Commence attack on the ZAFT colonies! I Repeat! Commence attack of ZAFT colonies!”

 

 

As they continued to fight, the gundams soon realized that the front had extended to the point where all of ZAFT was entirely surrounded by the enemies. The destroyers were now commencing with firing their barge cannons. The gundams now had not only mobile dolls, but incoming energy beams from the destroyers to worry about as well.

“Man!” said Dearka. “They certainly don't make it easy for us!”

“We have to fight on!” said Kira. “We can't give up! All humanity depends on it!”

“Still siding with the Naturals, Kira!” shouted Rau. “How could you count them in when you know they were the ones who started this war!”

“He's right!” added Yzak. “If it wasn't for those Natural bastards, the Bloody Valentine tragedy would never have occurred! It is we, the Coordinators who are the true humanity! We are the new humanity!”

“Do you still believe that?” Kira asked. “As far as I'm concerned, the Naturals have fought just as hard as the Coordinators! If we are so high and mighty, why is it that we can't take down these mobile dolls without any trouble?!” Yzak and Rau suddenly grew quiet. “If you ask me, we are no different from the Naturals! Even if we are genetically enhanced and have superior abilities to them, we still share the same feelings of sadness, joy, and hatred! It's time that we stop being arrogant and envious! The only way for this conflict to ever end is for us to lay down our differences and the events in the past and put them to rest!”

“But how can we forgive the Naturals for what they did to us?!”-

“Tell me, Yzak?” Athrun uttered. “Annihilating them would fulfill our revenge, but would you really consider that to be a victory? Would it prove that we are better by doing the same as our enemies? Finally, would taking such revenge bring the dead back to life?” There was silence amongst the five.

“It would end the conflict!” said Rau. “Only if one side is annihilated can peace truly be obtained!”

“Then tell me this. Could you so ruthlessly kill a new born babe in such a cold hearted manner as you do soldiers on the battlefield? A babe who has no knowledge of what is going on and has done no wrong to you?” Rau grew silent again. This time, he did not speak further. “Perhaps the best path of the Coordinator is not to praise our strength, but to praise our weakness. That we must realize that we're not as superior as we thought.”

“I guess you're right.” said Yzak. “They may be Naturals, but they're still human.”

“Then so be it.” Rau uttered. “But I will not bend to such a notion unless the Naturals prove themselves to the extent where they have earned my respect.”

“Then, gaze upon the Archangel!” Dearka stated. “And see if they live up to your expectations!”

 

The Archangel now hovered amongst the chaos of the battle. More mobile dolls had made their way into the fray and the battle increased with every passing minute. One by one, the mobile suits defending the Archangel fell one after the others. Only Mwu and Cagalli managed to hold their own.

“We won't last at this rate!” said Mwu. “Our power is at fifty percent!”

“Where the heck are all those mobile dolls coming from!” added Cagalli. “It's as if there's no end to them!”

“Consider us lucky that they're not overwhelming us!”-

“You must continue the fight!” Captain Ramius ordered. “We'll do what we can to back you up!”

 

“I suggest that you withdraw the Mobile Suit Division!” said Cagalli. “Allow them to rest! We'll take it from here!”

“Just the two of you?! How long do you think you'd last if only two of you are there to stop the countless numbers of mobile dolls?!”

“It won't be just the two of them!” shouted a voice. From the launch ramp, three other mobile suits made their way to the battle front. It was the Calamity, the Raider, and the Forbidden. Speaking to the battle weary gundams was Kuroto of the gundam Raider. “We'll take over! You two get back into the Archangel and rest up!”

“We'll take out these insects ourselves!” chuckled Shani.

“It's the least we could do for your help!” added Ollga.

“To the battle front!” shouted Kuroto. “Let's see how tough these mobile dolls really are!”

“Thank you very much!” said Cagalli as she and Mwu withdrew into the Archangel. The infamous three, who had made hell for Aube in the first engagement back on Earth, now put their heart and soul into defeating the mobile dolls. And because they had learned from their passed mistakes, they quickly made a strategy to work as a group. As they deployed themselves into different formations, the effectiveness of the mobile dolls began to decrease. They were no longer as invincible as they once were. As they used supportive attacks on the Virgo mobile dolls, they used the element of confusion to elude and destroy the faster, and more agile Taurus mobile dolls.

“Look at them go.” said Cagalli, overlooking the battle from the observation room.

“I'm sure glad they're on our side right now.” added Mwu. “We had a hard enough time trying to fight them back on Earth.”

“Make sure not to waste your energy!” said Kuroto. “The fate of this battle depends on our conduct!”

“I know! I know!” Shani replied. “Don't worry! So far, after confronting them before, these mobile dolls aren't so tough as we thought they were earlier!”

However, as they continued to knock out one mobile doll after another, the three noticed that several hatches had opened on the grand destroyer.

“Look at that!” said Shani. “It looks like that destroyer's about to do something!”

But as they gazed on, they soon realized, with a sudden blast bellowing forth from the destroyer, that the barge cannons of the mother ship were firing upon them. The mobile dolls, sensing the incoming energy, easily dodged the barrage, leaving the three gundams open to attack.

“Dodge! Now!” shouted Kuroto. The three gundams quickly evaded the incoming beams.

“Evade!” Captain Ramius ordered. The Archangel quickly moved out of the range of the aimed guns. “Give them a volley! Valiant guns fire!”

“Give them hell!” shouted Ollga. The assault was pressed on.

 

“What fools these people are!” chuckled General Ameba. “The mobile dolls might have been easy to take down, but the destroyers are something else!”

“With overwhelming numbers of mobile dolls, the gundams will soon reach their limit and will have to retreat.” Arakis uttered.

“I take it that Earth has refused to help ZAFT! I wouldn't blame them! Coordinators and Naturals still haven't dropped their hatred towards each other in order to come to each others aid. And because there is such a small force opposing us, our victory is well assured!”-

 

“General Ameba, Sir!” shouted one of the attendants. “The GENESIS cannon is about to open fire again.

“No need to fear!” said Ameba. “How is it with the Gravitron cannon?”

“It's ready to fire, Sir!” said another operative. “We are awaiting your order, Sir!”

“Commence firing when they begin their attack!” Ameba sat down in the commander's chair and sighed. “Those pitiful insects, they don't stand a chance against us. Little do they know that even if they do fire the GENESIS cannon, if we fire our gravitron wave, it will automatically deflect their beam. Once the gravitron wave makes contact with the GENESIS, that facility will be blown to bits. Thus, with that cheap cannon out of the way, then ZAFT will be at our mercy. There will be nothing left that can effectively defend it. And with the Naturals keeping a closed ear to ZAFT's plea, it won't be long before the Coordinator finally meets his match.”

“Apparently, the battle strategy is going rather well.” said Arakis. “I must commend you on a job well done, General Ameba.”

“Quite a flattering statement, my lord. Perhaps my reputation will spread after this victory.”-

“For your sake, I hope so. I'll make sure to put a good word in it for you.”-

“You are too generous, my lord.” Ameba turned his back towards Arakis, so as to hide his smirk. “That's right, Arakis. I've already made you sweat. When news of my success reaches the heads of the Imperial council and his Excellency, Master Cavendish, then my influence over the Empire will increase. My philosophy of merciless tactics towards all will guarantee success every time. And you will lose your stamina with the new generation of Imperial loyalists.”-

 

Meanwhile, aboard the GENESIS, people and personnel were beginning to be evacuated. Only Chairman Patrick Zala and the GENESIS operatives stayed behind.

“How is the status with the GENESIS?” he asked.

“A new icon has been placed in position and generators are running at maximum capacity!” one of the operatives stated.

“Excellent! On my command, prepare to open fire on the mother ship!”-

“But Mr. Chairman.” said the commander. “Our first attack had no effect on it before!”

“Perhaps, if the distance is closed between us and them, the fire power will have more effect! Wait until they are fifty kilometers from us! Then fire with everything you have! Keep the generators running over their limit!”-

“But Mr. Chairman! If we do that, then the generators will explode! If they explode than the GENESIS will be rendered useless!”-

“Then, you better find a way to exceed the possible limits and prevent the generators from exploding! We need maximum power!”-

“Mr. Chairman!” a runner came in to deliver a message. “All civilian personnel and working crews have been evacuated, Sir!”

“Good! If this fails, we can limit casualties to only ourselves! Any word from the Earth forces?! Have they answered our plea?!”-

“No, Sir! We've received no word from the Earth forces! They intend not to help us whatsoever, Sir!”-

 

“Damn those Naturals! Damn them all! Even when we face a common enemy, they refuse to help us! What good are scum like they?!” Chairman Zala fell silent though as he watched ZAFT carriers and ZAFT Ginns fall easy prey to the mobile dolls. Left and right, their defenses fell. There masses were easily wiped out by only a hand full of dolls. It took the dolls less than a second's period for them to target a Ginn and shoot it down. Whereas, the Coordinators needed five seconds the most in order to target their fast moving foe. A great deal of difference between the two. “Then again, what good are we when we prove no more effective than they? Maybe the time has come for the Coordinator to realize he is only human, not a god. And because he is not a god, he has no right to pass judgment on his fellow man. In the end we fight for survival and our way of life. Difference in superiority no longer has any meaning.”-

“We're prepared to fire the GENESIS!” shouted an operative.

“Generators to maximum!” added another.

“Enemy mother ship!” said another. “Forty five kilometers away and counting!”

“I repent my beliefs and hatred for the good of Earth and ZAFT!” shouted Chairman Zala. “This final act is for all of Humanity! Open fire!!”

With that, another mighty beam of energy bellowed forth with greater force than the previous attack.

 

Meanwhile, Kira and the others fought gallantly against the swarms of mobile dolls. However, the front had extended beyond their limits and the group found that they could not defend the entire front all at once. As they fought, they gazed upon the spectacle as the GENESIS cannon activated and fired another power energy wave. They watched as it headed straight for the grand destroyer of the Imperial Fleet. However, soon after, there was a mighty blast from the grand destroyer itself and a powerful energy beam was deployed. What they witnessed was the activation of the Imperial Gravitron Wave Cannon. As the two collided, the GENESIS beam was immediately deflected.

“Did you see that?!” said Kira.

“Oh no!” cried Yzak. “GENESIS!!”

They watched as the gravity wave slammed itself into the GENESIS. Destroying the main mirror.

“NO!” shouted Dearka. “Our last hope gone!”

“It can't be!” added Rau. “Our greatest weapon! Destroyed?!”

A transmission suddenly reached the pilots of the gundams. It was a message to all of Earth and space.

“My fellow Coordinators!” uttered a voice. It was the voice of Patrick Zala. “No... My fellow members of humanity, Natural and Coordinator.”

“That's my father!” said Athrun.

“Mr. Chairman...” Yzak uttered.

“This war we have fought...no longer has....any meaning.” Patrick Zala continued. “We...have fought each other...because of the...differences we held... against...each other. But...now...the time has come for us to drop our...differences...To forget the events of the past...and unite to stop this...cunning scourge...I admit that I was wrong to pass judgment on humanity, believing that the Coordinators...were in fact the best of the two and were the ones who...deserved to live. But this conflict has proven to me that we still have a long way to go... We still obtain our weakness...and we still obtain a sense of helplessness...As my final act as chairman is to weld the bonds...between Earth and space once again....and unite all of humanity...Whether we are born naturally, or genetically enhanced...we still share the same human emotions....Let us unite as one again...and help our world from being...destroyed....”

“Father! No!” cried Athrun.

 

“The...future...lies with the next....generation...Let them not repeat the mistakes and crimes we have committed...Let them have a greater aspect on human value...That they shall never cast aside...their fellow man....Long live humanity.....”

Suddenly, an explosion occurred within GENESIS and the great facility began to break apart. The transmission turned to static. Athrun could only gaze on as he saw the mighty weapon begin to sink. His eyes were filled with tears.

“FATHER!!!!” he wailed. The mobile dolls continued their relentless assault against the gundams, but enough was enough for Athrun. He rushed into the fray head on and attacked the bulk of the mobile doll unit. “DAMN YOU!!!! DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!!!!”

“Athrun!!” Kira cried. “Athrun!”

“Come back, Athrun!” shouted Dearka.

“Are you stupid, man?!” Yzak roared. “You'll be killed at this rate!”

But Athrun continued his onslaught of the dolls and slew another ten units without trouble. However, the mobile dolls continued to be deployed at an alarming rate and Athrun soon found himself surrounded by an overwhelming swarm. As he continued to battle, a Taurus mobile doll, using the sharpened edge of its arm armor, thrust itself into the cockpit of the Justice. Athrun was struck as metal shards cut its way into his side. Athrun cried in pain as the blood seeped from the wound.

“ATHRUN?!!” cried Kira. Driving the mobile doll away and destroying it before it could inflict further damage. “Athrun are you alright?!”

“I'm...fine...” Athrun uttered.

“I'll get you out of here! I'll take you back to the Archangel!”-

“But Kira...!” said Dearka. “We can't take on these mobile dolls by ourselves!”

“But I...”-

“It's alright.” Athrun uttered. “It's better...this way...We can't weaken the line anymore...than it is...”

“Athrun!!” cried Kira.

But as he gazed on, another mobile doll rushed forth to destroy both the Justice and Freedom. Kira could only watch as the inevitable descended upon them. Suddenly, from our of nowhere, a mobile suit came crashing into the scene and destroyed the incoming dolls. Kira and the others looked to see what had happened. Before them, a red mobile suit of a different model.

“I hope I'm not too late for the party!” the pilot chuckled.

`Who...who are you?” asked Kira.

“Hmm? Aw come on, kid! After saving your life once before, you think you'd remember! Oh yeah, you were unconscious the entire time.”-

“What do you mean saved my life once before?”-

“When you fought that red mobile suit on the way to Alaska! Remember?! Haven't you ever wondered how you got to the Clyne estate?!”-

“Who are you?”-

“The name is Lowe Gear! Pilot of the mobile suit Astray! Red model!”-

As he conversed, another mobile doll made its attack. However, another Astray model, this time a blue model, came crashing in, destroying the mobile doll instantly.

“Surely, you forgot to introduce me!” chuckled the voice of the second pilot. “The name is Mercenary Gai Murakumo! I pilot the Blue frame Astray!”

“Typical of you Coordinators!” chuckled Lowe. “Always doing things the flashiest way!”

 

“Typical of Naturals! Always mouthing off in the flashiest way!”-

“Where did you guys come from?” asked Yzak.

“Didn't you hear?! And you call yourself a Coordinator!!” chuckled Lowe.

“Excuse me, but I've been fighting battles all day! So don't you be getting all over me, Natural!!”-

“Whoa. Somebody needs to relax.”-

“Heard what?” asked Kira.

“The Earth received your message and they're sending their entire military force into space to assist you, silly! They're relaying their message to ZAFT now!”-

“Now, enough standing around!” said Gai. “We'll take it from here! It's best you get your friend to safety!”

“Thank you.” said Kira. He took hold of the Justice with the wounded Athrun still inside and worked his way to the Archangel. “Hold on Athrun. Hold on.”

Kira connected transmission with the open line in the meantime, hearing the declaration of the Earth forces.

“We, the citizens of the Earth sphere, hereby declare that we shall assist ZAFT and its people in its time of need. We concur with the philosophy that its time we put aside our differences and begin a new era where both Natural and Coordinator can live side by side in peace and harmony. We further declare that once the battle has ended, both the Earth and ZAFT delegates shall compromise and begin our path to reconstruction. We will do all in our considerable power to confront this cunning foe and drive them back to the depths from whence they came.”

Soon, another message entered. Kira listened closely to the voice, realizing that it was none other than Lacus Clyne.

“We must sing the song of peace.” she began. “The peace which we have so longed for. We can no longer hate each other for what we are. We can no longer be arrogant, or envious. Let us learn from each other and learn to live with one another. To integrate ourselves to the point where it no longer matters whether you are a Natural, or a Coordinator. We are children of humanity and we are all unique in every way.”

“This war has been waged on revenge and hate.” Kira thought. “And as an outcome, the path to destruction. But perhaps, with us as the new generation, we can eliminate the prospect of war and focus on the value of humanity itself.” As he neared the Archangel, he saw as thousands of ships from Earth coming forth to fight the Imperial fleet. “Both Earth and space have somehow found the value in each other's lives. That we are not so different as earlier expected. The aspect of our cause has changed over the passed year. And this time, it was for the best of both sides.”

 

 

Sora and the others aboard the Archangel listened to the relayed message that were sent between Earth and ZAFT.

“The perspectives have changed and they have found a sense of comradeship between each other.” Sora uttered. “Riku was right. The perspective always changes at times. For better, or for worse.” His thoughts soon dwelled on Riku, who was still fighting Anubis back on Earth. “It hasn't been thirty minutes yet and already so much had happened in that small period of time. The Empire gained domination, they lose domination, worlds come together to fight against a common foe and they have realized their own faults in the past. All if right with the world.”

 

Just then, the Freedom and Justice reentered the hanger, landing safely onto the floor. Kira jumped out of his cockpit and onto the Justice. He slowly took Athrun out of the cockpit. By now, Athrun had lost a lot of blood and he was barely hanging onto life. Kira picked him up and descended to the ground. He lay Athrun on the ground, still holding him in his arms. Athrun's eyes were closed. His blood continued to seep from the open wound. Kira placed his hand on the wound, preventing the blood from spilling any further.

“Athrun.” Kira whispered. “Athrun are you alright?”

“K...Kira.” Athrun uttered. His breathing grew heavier. “K...Kira? Are you there?”

“I'm right here, Athrun.” He reached for his dying friend's hand, which so desperately tried to grasp his. Kira could feel as Athrun's grip grew tighter.

“K...Kira. I'm...sorry... I should've listened to you. But...I was just so...angry... The Empire... they killed my father... They killed him... I grew blind with...rage... But this is the result...of my blindness...” Athrun gazed down at his wound. His eyes half open. He then gazed up at Kira. “Kira? K...Kira?”-

“Hang in there, Athrun!” cried Kira. “You'll make it! You'll make it! Get a stretcher over here!!”

“What's happening?!” asked Sora, rushing to the scene.

“It's bad, Sora! Athrun! He's been wounded!”-

“Goofy!”-

“I gotcha!” Goofy replied. He reached into his bag and pulled out a Senzu beam. He broke it in half and gave it to Athrun. “Here ya go, Athrun! A nice Senzu bean for ya!”

“A...bean?” asked Athrun.

“It'll restore your strength.” said Sora. Athrun gazed at Kira. Kira nodded his head and Athrun raised his head slightly to swallow the bean. Goofy slowly placed it in his mouth. Athrun chewed the bean slowly in his mouth, swallowing it within a few seconds after. Suddenly, as if waking from a dream, Athrun stood up in a state of shock.

“What the...?!” said Kira.

“I feel....I feel great!!” said Athrun. He gazed down to where he wound was. Smearing the blood away, he realized the wound was gone. “My wound! It's healed?! There isn't even a scar, or anything!”

“How did you do that?!” asked Kira.

“Special beans from our friend, Goten!” chuckled Goofy.

“Senzu beans have the ability to heal wounds, mend broken bones, and restore health to its full capacity!” said Sora.

“How does it work?” asked Kira.

“That's the thing. We don't know.”-

 

“Hey, Sora!!” shouted Mr. Murdoch. “Your gummi ship has been repaired! If you still want us to launch you, you better hurry up! We're already beginning to load it onto the launch ramp!”

“Alright! We'll be there!” the three ran to where the ramp and gummi awaited them. “We gotta run! Thanks guys!”

“Take care of yourselves!” Kira replied.

“We expect you to come back alive!” added Athrun.

 

“Which is more than I can say for you two!” shouted a voice. Kira and Athrun looked to see Cagalli charging towards them. She embraced the two tightly with tears in her eyes “You morons! I thought you wouldn't make it back!”

“Cagalli.” Kira uttered.

Meanwhile, Sora, Donald, and Goofy boarded the gummi ship. The engines ignited with great ferocity.

“Gummi ship `Kingdom!' Launch!” shouted Sora. The gummi ship exited the Archangel with great speed and headed towards the mother ship of the Imperial fleet.

 

Detection of the gummi ship's approach was swift. It wasn't long before sensors picked up the incoming cruiser.

“General Ameba, Sir!” an operative shouted. “We have an incoming cruiser attempting to enter out boarding dock!”

“What?!” said Ameba.

“Checking status on incoming, enemy ship!” the cameras closed in on the incoming vessel. “It's the Kingdom!”

“The gummi ship?!”-

“They're coming at us at an incredible speed!”-

“Maximize distortion field!”-

“Distortion field up!”-

“Now, Sora.” Arakis uttered. “Don't be foolish. You'll end up involving yourself in Imperial affairs. There will be no rest for you if the Empire marks you as an enemy.”

“They'll never break through the distortion field!” said Ameba.

But as they observed, the Kingdom suddenly fired its new beam cannon, which created a temporary access hole in the shield. The ship made its way through and landed on the boarding dock, through the transparent airlock.

“Damn!” shouted Ameba. “They must've come to destroy the main control of the mobile dolls! Send all available troops to stop those intruders!”

“I guess it couldn't be helped.” Arakis said to himself. “You are too caring and pure hearted. You and your friends, Sora. To protect this world, you were willing to endanger your own safety. Now, because of the act committed, I cannot fully guarantee your potential survival.” Arakis arose from his chair and walked away to the door.

“Going, my lord?”-

“I just have some business to sort out. Continue with your business, General.”-

“Very well.” Ameba turned to the bridge operatives. “Don't sit their, you blithering idiots! Deploy our troops to stop that key bearer from penetrating into the ship any further!”