Gundam SEED Fan Fiction ❯ Chaotic Outbreak Infinite Energy ❯ Lightning Chapter 6 Spiral of Encounters Part 2 ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6 Spiral of Encounters Part 2

 

“Brett… Brett… come on, its time for our shift.”

 

Asagi's sweet voice roused Brett from his sleep; she was already in her pilot suit along with the other two girls. Brett jumped up and quickly pushed off the bed and out of the room in a hurry; worrying he was late. The girls laughed and giggled before Asagi spoke up; “I'm sorry to do it to him, but he needed the extra sleep… it was so wonderful sleeping with you, but I know you have not been sleeping well... so I let you sleep a little longer.”

 

Brett smiled at the kind gesture, and left for the locker room where he met some more pilots; each met Brett with praise and respect. Brett told them they did not have to be so kind, but they all continued despite Brett's modesty. They left him alone in peace, and Brett was quickly changed into his suit, and left towards the mobile suit bay. This was just watching out for any enemies while they made their way to the Mendel colony, but Brett realized it was an opportunity to improve the other Astrays.

 

“Hey Brett, wait up…” Brett turned to see Cagalli floating towards him from behind him. Brett slowed down and let Cagalli catch up with him. “Hey Cagalli, sorry about earlier, but I'm feeling better now that I got some sleep.” Cagalli stopped in front of Brett, and she looked like something was troubling her. “Brett… Athrun went back to the plants to talk to his father, and well… I'm just worried about him; he is always getting hurt!”

 

It was clear why Cagalli was more then just concerned about Athrun, and it was his turn to help her out. “Don't worry Cagalli; Athrun will be fine… he is actually a soldier unlike me. I think that he is good match for you, after all you are both a lot of trouble from all the stories I've heard.” Cagalli was completely embarrassed; she had not even come to terms with her feelings for Athrun and yet her friend was speaking like he knew all along. “Brett don't even say something like that…!”

 

In the blink of an eye Cagalli had pushed Brett into the wall, but it did not hurt him at all. Brett just smiled at Cagalli's attempt to hurt him for his comments, and Cagalli could tell that he was doing much better. “Sorry Cagalli but I have to go on my shift…” Cagalli nodded just slightly so Brett could barely notice. She wanted to spend more time with him; even if he was with Asagi now, but it was so hard with everything happening.

 

Cagalli had recently lost her father back in Orb, and now they had to stop a war with only a handful of people. It was a daunting task, and Cagalli was one of the leaders everyone looked to for strength. Cagalli however needed her own support from her friends, and Brett was her oldest friend. More importantly he was someone Cagalli always enjoyed spending time with, and she still was not ready to lead an entire nation.

 

The four Astrays took off a short while later and flew in formation; it was weird to think that they were in space, and this was Brett and the girls first time. Each Astray took a side of the ship to watch over no one was worried about the front or back seeing how it was to dangerous the zones were if anything happened. The Mendel colony was just barely visible, and Brett went to work quickly.

 

The keyboard Brett's machine snapped into place, and no sooner did it lock; then Brett matched his speed with the ship, and started running tests. The girls were all conversing between one another every now and then before being commanded to stay focused. Brett offered his two cents despite his incredible pace at tipping while he read over lines of code. Quickly he was working through each and every line of code like reading a simple book. His mobile suit took everything about space and what it was like into account.

 

It wasn't long before Brett had his machine perfectly tuned and Brett breathed a sigh of relief. “There my new OS is done; finally the space portion is complete. Now I just have to perfect it for the other Astrays.” Mayura was a little ticked off at Brett; “you mean you have been working on that the whole time we have been talking? What about if an enemy came after the ship…?”

 

“Don't worry Mayura I have listened to every word, and I have been watching things. This space is absolutely dead, ad there has not been any patrols for a while. I promise I was watching things the whole time” Juri was a little astounded by the shear implications of Brett's accomplishments. “You mean you wrote an OS in the last half an hour; that is not even possible considering how long the last OS took.”

 

Brett could only laugh and begin to downplay what he had done not wanting to enflame what others thought. “Well I only had a basic space one till now, and it's really more of an upgrade. I need to experience it before I can improve it, and now my mobile suit is operating at least the level of the Strike's recorded data. Now if all I have to is take the same program for mine and improve it for all the other Astrays.” Mayura looked at Asagi through the monitor; “he's your boyfriend; you cannot tell me he does not worry you.”

 

The Kusanagi and the Archangel were approaching the Mendel Colony, and the shift of Asagi, Brett, Mayura, and Juri was ending. Erica was suddenly heard the request for everyone to return, and al the girls breathed in a sigh of relief. Piloting these things was hard enough, but Brett was not quite so relieved. “Mrs. Simmons; I need to go ahead and scan the area by my self; too many will only attract more attention. Take the girls back in, and I will proceed alone to make sure it is safe. If we are spotted then this will become a death trap.”

 

Everyone was hesitant, but Erica gave him permission to go on in; and the girls went back only being able to wish him good luck. Brett started off slowly towards the colony when suddenly he was joined by the Strike. “Hey kid… sorry but you are not going alone, and besides I need more practice piloting this thing anyways.”

 

Brett nodded in agreement feeling it may be a better choice, and slowly the two mobile suits began to check the colony. Nearly and hour passed; Brett had disappeared even though Mu was checking back regularly. The Strike had returned finding no enemies, but still nothing from the Astray, and everyone was becoming more anxious by the second to end the curiosity. Asagi waited on the bridge with the other girls, and together they waited for any news.

 

Then a small light was scene plowing through the derby, and Brett's voice came back over the airwaves. “Sorry about the delay, but we had a surveyor… I followed him, and when he started to move into a position to see you; I took him out. The rest of the colony is clean though, but when that pilots command unit hears nothing… you can bet Zaft will be here.”

 

Everyone was breathing easier knowing Brett was ok; Erica however was eager to get him back to the ship. “Okay Brett that is good for now; I need you to come back and rest for a while. Your machine is probably running low on energy anyway so proceed back here now.” Brett came back over the line; sounding almost eager to come back. “Alright, but I have the new OS ready for the other Astrays, and I want it installed before any more Astrays launch.”

 

Erica was a little astounded to hear Brett so agreeable for a change, but she could only guess it was because he had finished the OS. Mu came on Brett's monitor as he started to return; “Kid… you had us worried sick that something had happened to you. Just please do not tell me that you were working on the OS the whole time you were tailing the recon unit.”

 

Brett gave no response back, and Mu was becoming upset with him. Quickly Mu switched to a secure line, and was more then aggravated with someone he wanted to make it through the war. “Listen it is great you are responsible and caring and all, but that was totally foolish of you! No one's life is worth an OS and there are a lot of people who don't want to see you dead so remember that. Now get back to that ship and I don't want to hear that you were doing any work unless there is a battle. Got it…?”

 

Brett stayed silent; the whole time, and even afterwards he was still quiet. Mu sighed and wondered if his words were too harsh. Mu always was astounded to hear a natural keeping on pace to a coordinator, but all the time he did not want young people on the battlefield. They were words of wisdom, and Mu always though no one should fight who still had there entire life before them. “Listen Brett… I know I'm being hard on you, but you cannot do that to the people who care about you. You still have your whole life ahead of you, and you should not throw that away just because you think you are not good enough.”

 

This time Brett nodded even though he was still silent, but on their way back Brett eventually needed to ask a question. “Mu… What if I can't live with doing any less then my best? How could I go back to the people that I love and care about with a straight face?” The question stumped Mu for a moment, but he eventually figured out his answer. “Well… you are just going to have to stop expecting so much out of yourself. Your first priority should always be to the people you love, they are going to suffer if you fail them… and I guess even if its not right; you have to put them first before everyone else.”

 

“Mu… I just don't want anyone to die because of me; especially not Asagi. I can't look at her because I have not done my best… nothing is enough for me to think that I'm good enough for her…” Brett paused just thinking about how he had to do more; “well I'm sure she feels the exact same way about you. I mean you do all these amazing feats of skill and accomplishment to her, and you are still beating yourself up about doing more. You should just be with her; that is probably what she wants right now… simply put you both just have to be together, and especially seeing that you are in a war where you could die tomorrow.”

 

“Why does everyone keep saying I should stop doing my best; I just can't live with that and lose the people I love.” Mu was only starting to understand why he was so dedicated, but he knew Brett needed to hear what he had to say. “Look you did something amazing, and if you feel that you can handle it then go for it, but just don't get yourself killed. Asagi is lucky to have you, and that is how she feels, but all that luck does not hide the fact that you could be dead tomorrow. If you seriously like her then she has to come first before all others, but don't worry because you will do fine.”

 

The advanced Astray carrying Brett traveled back to the Kusanagi, but before Brett left Mu he thanked him for the advice. The Astray landed in its spot, and Brett exited his machine to be greeted by two technicians. “Master Brett; we have been instructed to take care of all the software upgrades for the Astrays… in the mean time we have been asked to send you to the bridge.”

 

Brett nodded in agreement and handed over the disk with the upgrades, but as he left he turned back to them and called for their attention. “Hey…! Please make sure that you install the proper programs to the proper mobile suits. I made sure that teams with certain roles have proper systems, and you don't have to call me lord.” The technicians nodded in agreement, but they turned and wondered how he had time to monitor and design an individual operating systems for different teams.

 

Fearing that he was already in trouble, and taking what Mu had said to heart; Brett did not even bother changing and went straight to the bridge. He entered to see Erica floating as if she was waiting for only him. “Brett… I just wanted to thank you for taking the initiative out there to search the colony first. You saved us a lot of trouble, but I ask that you keep in constant contact from now on. I also heard that you were designing new operating systems for the Astrays, but you are no longer a technician… you are a pilot now so please leave that to other members of our team to handle.”

 

“It really is no trouble; I'm the commander, and I want to personally take care of every last one of my men. I do not anyone to kill any of them… and I promise I will stay in constant contact from now on.” Erica sighed at Brett's military tone; “Brett you know you are not a soldier. You volunteered to help with the design and afterwards you volunteered for this position. You have gone above and beyond, and I know full well why you did… she is waiting for you in your room.”

 

That was Brett's cue to leave, and he left immediately; he was going to make sure he enjoyed his time with Asagi after taking Mu's words to heart. He traveled down the hallway, but as he turned the corner he saw Cagalli floating towards him. Brett could only imagine what Cagalli had to say to him, and as they passed Cagalli grabbed him and together they drifted down the hall together. “Brett, are you alright…?”

 

Not a hint of anger or aggravation was in Cagalli's voice; Brett was more shocked he had ever been in his life. Brett nodded and Cagalli stared into his eyes for a second before finally breaking the silence. “I'm glad you are ok… you had me worried when we lost contact, and I already know I cannot stop you from being you… but please don't get killed out there. Since my dad died… I just don't want to lose anyone else close to me.”

 

“I'm sorry Cagalli, but you know that I don't have any real family; now that I have all of you … I just don't want any of you to die because of the lack of things I could have done to help out. I know how much you all do not want to die…”

 

“No… you don't Brett… If you did then you would not be putting us through this. Just don't ever die on us; none of us wants to hear to hear that you did… and even if you're my childhood friend… I still consider you like a brother; so just don't go dying on me, and Asagi really wants to see you right now.”

 

“Yeah thanks Cagalli; I will go see her, but I want you to know I'm glad you have acted like a sister to me. You have always been looking out for me, and that means a lot; I won't die out there. But I'm getting tired of all of this, don't worry I won't die; I promise. ” Brett was smiling at Cagalli; he knew they were close even if he pretended not to be.

 

Brett pushed off the wall and continued to his room; right now he just wanted to see the girl he wanted to see more then anyone else. Brett turned back to look at Cagalli who had not moved; he looked at her with a smile, and he could see she was still unsure. “Don't worry Cagalli; I promise that I will be ok; you can believe me on that…” Cagalli watched him float off, and she really wanted to believe him, but he had only been in a few battles, and she was still worried about him.

 

The door opened into his room, and the only person that was there was sitting on his bead. Asagi looked up to see him with her tear soaked eyes; in the blink of the eye she leapt off the bed towards Brett. Little droplets of tears came off her and floated through the weightless environment. Asagi drifted slowly into his arms, and Brett caught her, and together they floated through the room.

 

“Why did you do that to me; you have no idea how worried I was when you did not come back on time. Don't you ever do that to me again…! I can't believe you some times… and you always get away with it to and go off and do it again.” Asagi had always acted so timid against Brett, but the fact that she was standing up to him was intimidating “I'm sorry Asagi; I know it was not right, but I do not want anything to happen to you…”

 

“I know Brett… you care to much about everyone, and I always loved that about you, but… I don't want you to ignore me! You are so amazingly smart, and yet you cannot figure this out! I want you to be my boyfriend and have something normal like Mayura and Juri. I want you all to myself, and for you to care about me the most and just have a normal teenage relationship with you!”

 

Asagi's face was trembling over the thought of losing him; this was her first serious relationship, and Brett was beyond important. After over a year of wanting to be with him; now that she was she did not anyone or anything to take him away but more she wanted it to be a relationship. Brett was quickly coming to terms with how serious she was, and he knew he had to promise Asagi to comfort her. “I'm so sorry Asagi; I guess I took you for granite and that was wrong. I promise to be there for you first of all from now on… I'm sorry.”

 

Those words caught Asagi completely off guard; she never expected it to be so easy. After the war they would be able to live a happy life together, and even though she was still young; she pondered the thought of getting married to him. A smile was clearly visible across her face, and she backed her head up to look at Brett; “what should we do now…?”

 

The question made Brett pause; they floated right beside the door and gently bounced off the wall while continuing to stare in the others eyes. “Well I'm open for what ever you want me to do with you Asagi… I'm yours till our next shift. I made a promise to be yours, so you can ask anything of me.”

 

Asagi started to blush at the thought; she wondered if he would even go with that. After feeling like she had almost lost him; she only had one thing on her mind. Thoughts of death just wanted her to do something in case they would not make it, but more then that it would make them each others. Her blush kept getting deeper hue of red, and then she finally decided to ask Brett for a huge favor. “Brett… there is something I have always wanted you to do with me ever since we met... Back in Orb… when we were dancing… I really wanted to be in your arms and well… I…”

 

Brett was a little confused still about what she possibly could have wanted from him, but he decided to encourage her sharing her feelings. “Come on Asagi… you know I'm your boyfriend… you can ask anything of me, and I will gladly do it for you.”

 

Asagi was still very nervous about what she was going to propose, but she still wanted to ask. Her hand drifted backwards till it found the door's controls, and she pushed buttons till she heard it lock. Brett was starting to wonder just how private the thing she wanted to do was. Asagi looked at him with her glistening eyes, and readied herself to ask her bold question. “Brett… I want you to have sex with me! I don't want to die not knowing what is like, and I know you are right for me!”

 

Brett was really caught off guard by this request; they had only been dating for so long, and this was a large request. “Asagi… that's a big step isn't it…?” Asagi was all of a sudden felt very rejected; all the nervousness disappeared from her face as she changed to rage for her next statement. “Excuse me; am I not that attractive that you do not want to have sex with me!”

 

Quickly Brett came to terms with the insult he had unintentionally said, he wanted to dispel all the wrong doing he did. “NO; No that's not it all… you are very attractive and I did not want you to think that at all I swear.”

 

“Then what is it Brett; if you love me and you said you would do anything right? I want you to tell me why; because I don't want to die without having done it once. Come on, I want this so why are you so hesitant!”

 

The tone in Asagi's voice shook Brett, and he knew that he had possibly hurt her. “Asagi it's not that I don't want to… it's just that I never wanted to do this here in space when we were at war. I thought that most couples waited a while…”

 

Even though Asagi thought he was partially right; she did not believe for a moment that she wasn't ready. “I know, but I don't want to die with ought experiencing it with you. I trust you, and I have gotten to know you over the last few years that we have known each other, and I have always really wanted you to be my first. I trust you, and I really want you to be the one… you know to take my…”

 

“Asagi… I'm so sorry I never realized how scared you are; so I would love to if that is what you want.” Asagi jolted her head forward over Brett's shoulder. The sudden stop that followed sent tiny droplets of water floating into the weightless environment. “Thank you Brett for understanding; I don't want to die out there having never experiencing real love with someone that I love. I have loved you for so long, and this does feel right; I know we are right for one another. This is the right time for us…”

 

Asagi and Brett continued to float near the wall together; Brett would do anything for Asagi after how poorly he had been for her earlier. “Asagi I just want you to know that I'm really glad we ended up together. I'm lucky to have need up with a smart, strong, beautiful young woman; that will be very successful and happy… and I promise that I will keep us both alive till the end of this war, and that I'm yours…” and those words were so beautiful that Asagi moved her head over and locked lips with Brett, but this was only the beginning of an amazing time together.

 

Later the two sat peacefully together from an observational point where they could both see all three ships. Brett and Asagi were already in there pilot suits; waiting for their next shift to begin together. Asagi was still so very satisfied with how she had chosen to spend their time together, and she was eagerly awaiting a second time. She could still feel the warmth of their love, and despite what her friends told her; it was amazing. Brett was also in bliss of having such a happy moment; a complete distraction away from the war.

 

The warm after glow feeling of making love was still upon both of them, and it was wonderful. The two were starting to become even closer, and they were so amorous together. Together they were now laughing and joking around, and Brett felt like Asagi was starting become less shy around him. The choice to make Asagi the most important was the right one. Brett loved seeing her teenage attitude, and it was only making him love her more.

 

“Brett I love this… I always want to feel this wonderful… I guess I'm just never going to let you leave me, and you better not do anything stupid.” Asagi's voice popped with just the right amount of attitude to make it obvious that she was joking, and she soon followed with a playful giggle. “Yeah… I feel the exact same Asagi… I love being with you. After the war I want you to live with me; that way I will always have what I want most.”

 

“YEAH…!” Asagi sounded so excited over the prospect, and to any observer; they were just a couple of teenagers in love at the moment. They leaned over and let their lips gently press together, and for a brief moment the war did not even exist. Nothing could ruin this moment, but the two dreaded leaving it. They both were happy with the decision they had made, and they never felt closer, and each had made a vow to protect the other.

 

Their lips parted, and together they turned to see Lacus in Kira's arms, and Asagi was in awe. “I guess Kira knows Miss Lacus; it's nice that love can still exist during war. Those two look like they would be a great couple just like us.” Brett smiled and he felt the urge to express how he felt. “Maybe Asagi, but I like the girl that is with me more… that's the girl I really care about, though I still am glad those two have each other as well.”

 

Time drew closer and closer to Asagi's and Brett's next shift; Mayura and Juri would be joining them, and no doubt they had questions about what happened. The two slowly wandered back to the Kusanagi; they wanted to put off separating as long as possible. The two slowly floated there; putting off the inevitable; unaware of what had already been discovered to be waiting outside for them.

 

Brett and Asagi entered their own respective mobile suits, and took off out into the dock. Suddenly with no warning the entire colony shook violently; just after the Archangel had started to move out. Brett was very worried and incredibly confused, but his immediate priority was to find out what was going on. “Mrs. Simmons; what's going on out there… what are our orders.”

 

“You and the girls are going to escort our ship out; the Archangel is going out first, and we will launch right away. The Justice and Freedom are heading out, but the Eternal is not going out since the ship is still not ready. Brett, Juri, and Mayura I want you all to return to the ship now.” The girls nodded and returned, but Brett went to exit the Mendel Colony; “sorry, but where ever Asagi goes I go. She will need support and I'm not going to leave her.”

 

Erica understood and knew there was no way to change his mind, and with a few last words to be careful; the Kusanagi launched well behind the Archangel and Brett and Asagi escorted it out. The Freedom and Justice were already engaging the three machines they had fought from the Alliance. It took every ounce of Brett's restraint to stop him from just running in and attacking, but he remembered Asagi was out to, and she needed him more. Brett had his responsibilities straight now, and he had to stick to them.

 

The Kusanagi continued outwards towards the battle; when suddenly it found it self tangled in a single long cord. Asagi was immediately ordered to free the large ship, and she quickly got the cutting tools and went to work. Brett floated by her; watching out for any signs of movement, and he began to reassure Asagi. “I'm right here Asagi, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you; so just concentrate on the job.”

 

Asagi nodded; the protection of Brett was a solid and reassuring promise that she could trust. She was so happy that he was watching over her, and she was going to get this cut quickly. Brett watched and waited; till he spotted two Strike Daggers coming from below and Brett told Asagi to focus on getting it cut; while he went after them and protected her.

 

The Astray traveled towards the stray enemy mobile suits which opened fire. Each shot was accurate, but Brett was blocking them with ease. He stopped without notice and shot through the Daggers legs; the pilots lost their focus and dropped their shields. The Astray fired again at both, and each shot pierced the armor and destroyed the two Daggers. Shani floated just away from the battle and noticed Asagi who was defenseless, and he smiled; “looks like easy target practice; time to die you stupid little insect!”

 

The only person who had noticed was Athrun, and he quickly warned Asagi. Asagi turned her attention when the warning signal went off; she turned to see the Forbidden ready to take her life, and her world froze. The huge machine carrying the scythe terrified her to her soul's depths. She was not ready to die; she still wanted to live and experience Brett's touch again, and her friends company. Athrun was already ready to step in; when he heard Brett shouting; “get away from her you bastard!”

 

The Blue Astray came from below and slammed his shield into the Forbidden before it had even been considered close. Shani was in shock, but quickly recovered from the state and looked at the Blue Astray in disgust. “Brett thanks for that…” Asagi said breathing a sigh of relief, but so happy that he had been the one to save her. Shani was very upset that this thing had stopped him, and he was ready to kill it. “You insect; I will destroy both of you right now!”

 

The Forbidden switched to its close combat mode, and charged and fired a red plasma beam from its central cannon in an instant. Brett quickly told Asagi not to worry, and his mobile suit braced his shield. The angle deflected the plasma beam off, and the force was hard for Brett to contain. The beam bent and was deflected off and melted part of the rope that held the Kusanagi from engaging any enemies.

 

“God damn that bastard; how could he have used my beam to his advantage like that?” Shani asked, but Brett was already firing at the Forbidden with his rifle; each shot pushed him back but reflected off the shield. “Hey Shani you dumb bastard, how bout you get back here and help us!” Clotho said to his teammate with no respect, and Shani was disappointed in the loss of an easy kill because of this same guy who had gave them so much trouble in Orb. “I'm coming… hope you enjoy your life for now; cause I'll be back to take it later.”

 

The two were left in a momentary peace; the Blue Astray had its shield behind it, and Asagi could see the deep gouge in Brett's shield that had been melted by the beam, and Asagi was amazed by Brett's skill. Still it was close then Asagi wanted, but she focused on the positive. “Brett I love so much; you are so amazing!” Brett was happy to hear that, but he still had a job to do. “Glad I could keep you safe… Asagi move away from the cable; I'm going to cut it.”

 

The red Astray that Asagi was piloting moved quickly away; Brett replaced his rifle with his Saber, and cut through the remaining cable in a single slice. The Kusanagi was now free, and a large portion of the Astray force launched from the freed ship. Brett could already see the wave of Strike Daggers that was approaching, and he was going to become the leader they needed. He would not fail Asagi who had given him so much and he would stay safe.

 

“Astrays…! Form up and take defensive positions around the Kusanagi; I don't want a single shot to get through! Asagi, Mayura, Juri…! All three of you are in charge f them so make sure you are ready when I give the word! I'm going on ahead to clear these guys out…!” Everyone was quick to agree except Asagi who looked at Brett through the monitor with a concerned expression; “just be careful…”

 

Brett was quick to agree; not wanting for Asagi to fret over his next bold move, but then he took off away from his team to play the hero again. Brett landed his astray on the Kusanagi for amount before launching off the ship; combining the two momentums to give him an extra speed boost. He flew towards the approaching Daggers and slashed through one of them with his saber.

 

Everyone was a little surprised to see that he had left any behind; Mayura however knew that it had been on purpose. Brett passed the remaining Daggers, and turned switching his saber for his rifle, and began to fire at the back of the Daggers. With no other options; the Daggers turned trying to protect themselves. “Astrays now…!”

 

Brett shouted to his team which opened fire; the Daggers falling victim to the fire coming from both sides. Soon the Daggers were destroyed leaving only the Alliances three main machines, and Brett was not going to stop here. The Astray team cheered for Brett's brilliant strategy, but Brett only reminded them to focus on protecting one another, and left to go aid Kira and Athrun.

 

Azrael sat upon the bridge of the Dominion watching the battle unfold, and he could not help but comment on the performance. “My, my… that one mobile suit out there seems to have followed us from Orb, and its still causing us trouble. To think he can even stand against our three machines with that weak one; he must be an amazing pilot…” Natarle looked over at him wondering what he could possibly be thinking; “Natarle… if at all possible I would like to see that machine gone for good today… think you can handle that?”

 

The Blue Astray swooped in on the Calamity trying to finish it in one swift blow, but Shani was well aware of his presence. Orga pulled his machine out of the way in plenty of time, and fired at the backside of Brett's machine. Brett flew to the side just in time and paused to try and catch his breath. He was still having trouble getting use to such high speeds, but he was not going to stop here.

 

Orga was laughing non stop at this; “looks like the wanna be hotshot is back… he must really want to die or something! Why don't we give him what he wants, right guys?” Orga's question spurred his to comrades who fired there strongest attack driving the Freedom and the Justice back. Clotho was getting excited over the prospect; “yeah this guy really wants to die alright; let's Annihilate him!”

 

The shield cannon of the Raider began pounding on Brett's mobile suits shield; paralyzing him from trying to escape. The Forbidden and the Calamity surrounded the blue Astray and readied there weapons. Kira and Athrun could already see what was about to happen, and Kira was fearing the worst outcome for his friend. “Athrun…!” Athrun looked at Kira and recovered with the Justice's thrusters; “I know Kira, but were too far out to help.”

 

Brett looked and realized how much peril he was in; there was no easy way out, and if he did not do something then he was as good as dead. Shani was quietly chuckling content with his prey being helpless. “You are dead this time…” Orga had his fingers ion the trigger ready to fire; “time to make you pay for embarrassing us earlier!” Clotho was already ready to switch and fire his beam; “time to… Annihilate!”

 

The three enemy machines all fired large beams, and with Kira and Athrun still rushing to try and help Brett. But he already knew he was on his own, and that no one could get him out. Asagi prayed for his safe return, and for him to be safe, but she could see no way out. The beams closed in, but as they did; the whole world slowed down, and Brett entered a state where all his senses were heightened. Only one thought was driving him now, and it was the promise he made to Asagi. Brett knew exactly what to do; Brett had entered Seed mode, and all the power he needed seemed in his grasp.

 

The beams started to close in on him, and he broke his machines grip on the shield it carried. The beams impacted and forced a massive explosion in the space where Brett could last be seen. Every person watching who knew Brett froze; there was no way to escape that blast. Asagi broke down crying, and she would not let herself except the fact he was gone. Kira had also froze; he wished that he could have got their sooner to save him.

 

Memories of Brett doing his best filled everyone's mind, and they were all saddened by the loss of their friend. Now that he was gone; no one could blame him; only mourn his memory. Asagi wanted revenge, but knew that if Brett could not beat them; then she could not, and her heart sank. With his smiling face no longer present; she wondered how she could live. Something that she had took for granted; something that was no longer present, and she would never see again.

 

The pilots of the three Alliance machines laughed and rewarded their own egos; satisfied with the kill. The smoke burst downwards from the bottom of the cloud the same time as a black metal object flew towards the Calamity; while the top portion of a shield flew towards the Forbidden. From the bottom of the cloud came the unscratched

Blue Astray; with Brett still alive and unharmed.

 

The shock had paralyzed the pilots of how he could have survived, but it was clear as day that he had survived. The thrown rifle slammed into the Calamity; while the broken shield fragment hit the Forbidden's shields. The force that each object had been thrown with easily shook the mobile suits to the core, and Shani and Orga were still trying to overcome the shock.

 

Meanwhile the Astray ripped out of the smoke and towards the stunned Raider. The Astray moved at a speed that was thought never to have been capable of achieving. At the last second Clotho moved to his machine out of the way. The Astray's sword cut through the Raiders shield cannon despite Clotho's best efforts to evade. He released the shield cannon mere instants before the cannon exploded.

 

Brett stopped his machine, and turned like his machine was now an extension of his body. The long saber was brought around, and the Raider backed away in time for the tip to miss by a few meters. Brett pursued the foe; slashing and stabbing through space, and Clotho was starting to panic at how close his opponent was to killing him. “Orga… Shani… get this guy off me now!”

 

Shani smiled at the prospect of another chance to take his opponent's life; “gladly…” The Forbidden and the Calamity opened fire, but Brett was already anticipating this. The Astray began to dance in between the weapons fire; dodging like he knew where and when each beam was coming. Each time he moved towards the Raider; his saber swung in for another kill, and each time it made Clotho sweat more and more.

 

“Kira....! Brett's lost control; we have to help before he gets killed!” Athrun was absolutely right about Brett's position, and Kira needed to help his friend. Brett yelled at his opponent fiercely and readied him self for the kill. The saber swung in, but was stopped by the Freedom's shield, and all his focus was lost the instant he saw the Freedom.

 

The Justice opened fired to provide cover, and signal flares lit up space. The Alliance was retreating, and the three pilots knew they had to return with ought a kill. All three were disappointed that they had missed their golden opportunity to finish him, but they would get another chance. Shani looked back and growled, but Orga still had confidence; “next time we will get him!”

 

No longer was the Astray moving; the pilot inside was exhausted mentally and physically. With the danger gone; Asagi rushed over in her Astray to see Brett. She cried his name out, but not a single sound came from Brett. Asagi looked over at Kira with almost tear soaked eyes; “Kira… is he ok? Please let him be ok…” Kira looked at Asagi and knew she was incredibly worried; “He is fine Asagi; just worn out… you better take him back to the Kusanagi, and take care of him.”

 

The Freedom handed over Brett's Astray, and with no further exchange of words; Asagi was off with Brett. Kira breathed a sigh of relief at the eased situation, but he already knew Mu and Dearka had gone off somewhere. “Athrun stay behind and protect everyone; I'm going to find Mu and Dearka.” Athrun looked over at his friend in disbelief; “you sure you do not want me to go with you?”

 

Kira shook his head; “no… the Dominion is still nearby and they could attack soon. Besides something tells me Brett is not done yet, and he nearly got himself killed again. He is probably going to get back out here; so just make sure he is safe. He will need your help more then me…” Athrun smiled at his friend; “yeah… that's probably true. He's pretty ambitious; I will make sure he is okay while you're gone.”

 

Kira smiled and thanked his friend; “thanks Athrun; I'll be back soon.” The Freedom then took off towards the interior of the colony; it flew past Asagi who carried Brett's machine to the hanger. Inside all the Astray pilots waited to see their commander safe and sound. Brett's machine had virtually no damage, and all the other pilots were in awe at the miraculous event.

 

Asagi set Brett's machine down, and quickly docked hers and rushed out to see him. She pushed her way through the crowd of pilots; Juri and Mayura kept the others back and demanded to move to let Asagi through. When Asagi made it to the cockpit; it opened to see Brett still breathing hard, and Asagi undid his seatbelt and quickly took him from his chair. On the way out Brett turned to Asagi; “Asagi; my mobile suit… it needs the new equipment. I need my new equipment for next time…”

 

Two technicians floated nearby; after what he had been through they were confused about him going out, but then Asagi made her mind up to support him. “You heard him…! Get working on his machine and install his equipment!” The technicians went immediately to work; no longer questioning the order, and all the Astray team was cheering Brett for his strength. Brett was so happy; thinking that his efforts had helped everyone, and this time he really was satisfied with his efforts and his actions saving Asagi.

 

Asagi was glad he was safe, and she was going to make sure he knew how she felt. After this battle she realized that she could never match his skill, but she was glad he was hers. The two floated towards the exit from the hanger, and Mayura and Juri decided they were going to take over. “Come on everyone; the commander needs some rest but we are going to give him the time he needs… now get to work!”

 

To be continued…