Gundam SEED Fan Fiction ❯ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Last Impression ❯ Episode 18: Payback ( Chapter 18 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Last Impression

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Episode 18: Payback

Legend

Word denotes character thought

Word denotes setting, time

-Word- denotes sound effect

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Timeline: C.E. 71, February 16; +1830hours

Location: Africa --- Libyan Desert

The citizens of Tassil watched in horror as the `Desert Tiger's' small unit of BuCUEs immediately went on to destroy their city. Instantly, they fled from their homes to escape their attack, with some able-bodied men carefully evacuating all of them in proper order.

“Oh, what's happening?” the town elder wondered, as he was being led outside his modest home by his 10-year old grandson. The moment his eyes caught sight of burning buildings and numerous explosions, he was instantly aghast.

“Grandpa, come on!” his grandson quipped, pulling him forcefully to hurry their pace.

Just outside Tassil's perimeter, the remaining forces of the Desert Tiger were gathered about. Amongst them, the Crusader Squad watched the scene, as they stood behind their parked MS and awaited further orders from their commander.

Ryu clenched his right hand into a shaky fist, as his eyes narrowed at the scene before him. He furrowed his eyebrows, coming up with a different solution to the issue of Tassil's demise.

“This is horrible… no, unjustified! What right does Commander Waltfeld have in attacking this defenseless town, which is just filled with civilians!” he exclaimed quietly.

Standing behind him, Lisa placed a hand on his shoulder, calming him down and prompting him to glance at her saddened expression on her face.

“Ryu… there's nothing else we can do for the moment. We can only believe that his methods are acceptable.”

Standing next to Ryu's left, Barry and Miho shared their captain's feeling, with the latter forming her hands in a small prayer of safety for Tassil's populace and closing her eyes momentarily, and the former folding his arms and shaking his head, questioning the `Desert Tiger's' worth to himself.

An instant transmission from one of the BuCUE unit sounded through DaCosta's walkie-talkie, alerting him to hear it. He immediately filled his commander on it, who stood next him observing his ordered attack on Tassil through his army-standard binoculars. With a quick glance behind him at the Crusader Squad, Andy resumed his attention on his unit's attack. He wryly smiled.

Ah… I bet they're not happy to witness this. But, I suppose it can't be helped, this is a small payback at the rebels for their nosy interruption of my attack on the legged ship last night.

“Commander, there haven't been no casualties from the townspeople or on our side so far, according to Kirkwood from our BuCUE unit,” DaCosta reported.

Listening to his junior officer's report, Andy let down his binoculars, which was held by his left hand. He moved his other hand placed on his right hip, and watched on Tassil's demise.

“Order the BuCUE unit to destroy any food, fuel, or weapons hidden in the caves behind the city. Also, have them alert the civilians to get out of their way. I strictly want no civilian causalities, understand?”

Giving his commander a quick salute in response, DaCosta communicated with the BuCUE unit, giving them their commander's exact instructions.

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Behind Tassil, a BuCUE cautiously took aim at one of the hidden caves, which was said to harbor food, fuel, and weapons. Outside of it, several civilians watched with fright and shock at the ZAFT MS.

“Please move out of the way! I'll proceed to destroy that cave!” the BuCUE pilot warned them through his MS's outside speaker. He prepped the BuCUE's missile pod, as he made sure of his aim at the cave.

Heeding his warning, the civilians immediately fled from the ZAFT MS, before it proceeded to unleash all of its missiles at the cave, destroying it.

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Several minutes followed as Tassil was continuously attacked by Andy's units. The said ZAFT commander checked his wristwatch for the current time and let out a grunt of satisfaction. He glanced back at his junior red-haired officer, DaCosta.

“DaCosta, we're pulling out all our men immediately. I think Tassil has been attacked long enough to get the rebels' attention. I don't want to fight them when they return.”

Giving his commanding officer a quick salute, DaCosta proceeded to carry out his new instruction, talking to the BuCUE unit through his walkie-talkie.

“Maylam, Hadat, Kirkwood, pull out at once! Commander Waltfeld has given the order to retreat!” he exclaimed, pressing the “TRANSMIT” button on his walkie-talkie. He then turned his attention at the Crusader Squad, approaching them, acknowledging their presence.

“Captain Katsuragi, we're pulling out immediately. The commander doesn't want to fight the rebels when they return.”

Giving an affirmative nod at him, Ryu glanced back at the rest of his squad.

“Let's move out, people! It's the commander's order.”

Watching the Crusader Squad heading back inside their MS, DaCosta beckoned Andy to board his army-standard 4x4 jeep, with a ZAFT officer behind the wheel. As the vehicle roared into life, driving on the sandy ground, the junior red-haired officer glanced curiously at his commander, who was seated at the front with his arms folded.

Behind the jeep, Andy's small group of three BuCUEs followed after leaving Tassil in flames and ruins, with its populace watching helplessly at their destroyed town. Behind them, the Crusader Squad followed, their MS running on the sandy ground.

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Back at the Desert Dawn main camp, a flurry of activity awakened as Sahib had half of his men scrambling and heading for Tassil in their army-standard 4x4 jeeps.

Noticing Sahib's jeep leaving minutes after their arrival, Cagalli and Kisaka were greeted by Ahmed, who was onboard another jeep. They glanced at him with worried faces.

“What's going on?” Cagalli inquired, throwing her hands up in the air.

Giving them a nod pointing at the direction where Sahib and half of his men immediately left, Ahmed ushered them both to hop aboard in his jeep, which they quickly complied. He then floored his jeep's accelerator, driving at the top of its speed. He then gave a quick glance at Cagalli, who was at the front seat, with Kisaka at behind.

“We've gotten word that Tassil was attacked by the `Desert Tiger', so that's why we're in a rush!” Ahmed informed.

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Watching the last remaining rebels drive off in their jeep, Murrue stared at their retreating form curiously, with a stunned look on her face, after she exited the Desert Dawn main camp. Standing behind her, Mwu shared the same feeling, scratching his head with his right hand, trying to find out what's going on.

The Archangel Captain gave a quick glance back at the Moebius Zero pilot.

“Mwu, in your opinion, is Andrew Waltfeld a cruel ZAFT commander? If it's true that Tassil is under attack by his unit, then my suspicions of him have been confirmed.”

Mwu shook his head in reply, shrugging his shoulders.

“I never heard of the `Desert Tiger' being a vindictive man. It's not in his nature.”

Murrue furrowed her eyebrows in thought, considering her next course of action. She then glanced up at her fellow comrade.

“Lieutenant, I'm ordering you to fly to Tassil in the Skygrasper, whichever unit will do, since it's the fastest vehicle we have. Also, I'll send out the Archangel's doctor in a buggy, which you'll then lead him there for treatment.”

“Okey-dokey, captain… will you send Kenji and Kira as well?”

“Hmm… I'll have them on standby for the moment. We have to hear word from Sahib on the present situation.”

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Back in the Archangel's hangar bay, Kenji and Kira stepped inside to find Skygrasper-1, noticing Mwu behind its controls, being transferred to the ship's linear catapult. They then spotted Murdoch hastily approaching them.

“There you are! I've got orders from the captain for you two to be on standby in your MS. Lieutenant La Flaga has immediately launched.”

“What for…?” Kira inquired.

Murdoch shrugged his shoulders, pursing his lips in coming with an explanation.

“Don't know… captain mentioned that the Desert Dawn rebels were immediately heading for their hometown of Tassil, which was reported to be under attack by the `Desert Tiger.' The captain had the lieutenant launch in Skygrasper-1 to serve as support for some humanitarian aid to be sent to Tassil's people.”

Kenji's ears perked up at the mention of his former teacher, with his eyes narrowing seriously at the head mechanic/engineer before him.

The `Desert Tiger'… Waltfeld-sensei, so, you've made your move then.

Murdoch patted both Gundam pilots' shoulders, giving a wry smile at them before heading downstairs in the hangar bay. Watching his retreating form, Kira then turned his attention at the Seraph pilot standing next him. He noticed his serious expression on his face.

“Um, Kenji… you ok? What's the matter?” he quipped.

Breaking off his serious expression, Kenji regained composure and smiled little at Kira.

“No… it's nothing. It was just a mere thought, that's all. Well, let's hop onboard our MS and sit there on standby for the meantime.”

“Ah... ok. Let's go then.”

The two pilots then headed to their respective MS, closing their cockpit hatches after them and leaving them sitting silently on their seats.

Kira worriedly relaxed on his seat, his gaze drawn towards the Strike's cockpit ceiling.

I hope this all turns out better for this ship and its crew.

Kenji reached for his small crucifix necklace with his right hand, drawing out and gazing sentimentally at it. In his mind, the image of his former teacher etched in view.

Waltfeld-sensei… must I fight you?

His right hand then clenched over the jewelry in a firm grip, with his eyes shut momentarily.

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Seconds after being launched from the Archangel, Skygrasper-1 immediately flew off towards the direction of Tassil, thanks to a small map provided by Miriallia, who received it from the Archangel Captain. Inside its cockpit, Mwu gripped the control stick tightly, his eyes focused on his piloting.

I hope the town's residents weren't hurt. It'll be another guilty feeling for the captain if they are.

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In the Archangel's main bridge, Murrue was on the captain's seat, her eyes focused on the main screen showing the image of Natarle standing attentively in the hangar bay. Behind her, several buggies were being loaded by Murdoch's team of mechanics/engineers with the necessary supplies for humanitarian aid.

“Natarle, I'm sending you out with those buggies in order to provide humanitarian aid to the civilians of Tassil. I think it's a goodwill gesture to the Desert Dawn if we aid their cause,” Murrue explained.

“Hmm… I suppose you're acting on better judgment, captain. But still… huh…? Professor Hyne?” the second-in-command stammered surprised, as she glanced at the approaching figure of the said guest. She moved out of the way, allowing him to be seen by Murrue.

“Professor, this is a surprise. What is it?” the Archangel Captain asked.

Opening his polo shirt's collar to give his self some breathing space, Peter looked at her image displayed on the mini-com of the hangar bay.

“Captain… let me join the humanitarian aid. I can't sit by and do nothing, while innocent people are being involved.”

“Hmm… if that's the case, the more people, the better. We'll need all the help we can get. You're permitted to go along with Ensign Badgiruel, professor.”

Peter nodded in reply, giving a small word of thanks to Murrue. He then moved out of the way, allowing Natarle to the mini-com, with her image shown once again on the bridge's main screen.

“Our ETA in Tassil should be within minutes. Over and out,” she reported. Murrue nodded in approval, with her image then flickered off from the mini-com's display.

Looking back at the last box of supplies loaded onto another buggy, Natarle then saw the ship's doctor, Kei Reinhardt approaching her, docked in his doctoral attire. He adjusted his thin, silver-framed specs as he spoke.

“All set to go, Ensign Badgiruel?”

“Yes, doctor. Oh, and Professor Hyne will also join us. Ah, there he is.”

The said guest approached them and shook hands with the Archangel's doctor, prompting both of them to make a small introduction.

“Well met, professor. Shall we?” Kei asked.

“By all means, doctor. Ensign, you'll take the lead presumably?” Peter quipped, giving a small smile at the second-in-command, who nodded in reply.

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Arriving at the burnt town of Tassil within 10 minutes, Skygrasper-1 flew over the place, with its pilot fearing the worst as he glanced down at the devastated state of the town.

Horrible… judging by the look of things, it's more likely there are civilian casualties.

His eyes immediately caught sight of a medium-sized group of people gathered outside the town, then widening with amazement.

What…? It can't be.

Mwu then flipped on his com-link, contacting the Archangel. Seconds later, Murrue's image appeared on its display screen.

“This is Skygrasper-1, I've arrived in Tassil. Unfortunately, it's been reduced to burning ruins. It seems that Andy's forces really started their attack on it. Speaking of which, I see no sign of him and his forces… they must have withdrawn,” the Skygrasper-1 pilot reported.

Murrue's face turned grim as she heard his report.

“What about civilian casualties, lieutenant?”

“That's the amazing part I'm about to tell. There were none. In fact, I've spotted the town's populace gathered outside within a distance away from their burned-down town.”

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Meanwhile, half of the Desert Dawn reached their hometown, with their jeeps screaming to a halt, as their passengers caught sight of Tassil's destruction and exiting immediately to hurry to the gathered civilians huddled outside. They rushed to their loved ones, sharing relief and joy while conversing with them.

Amongst them, Sahib wandered around, and began asking the people to treat the wounded. At cue, Tassil's town elder limped forth, with his 10-year old grandson holding onto him for support. Sahib immediately went to them, helping him out.

“Father…! Are you alright?” he asked, concerned for the old man, who gave a small nod and saddened smile.

“Ho, ho, ho… yes, Sahib, there's no need for worry, I'm well. Yaru helped me escape from the attack as soon as it begun. Also, none of the townspeople were injured.”

The Desert Dawn leader looked at him with surprise, then at his said 10-year old son.

“Grandfather just tripped while escaping, that's why he was limp,” Yaru explained his grandfather's condition.

“Impossible… how can there be no casualties?” Sahib wondered, stroking his grizzled beard with his right hand.

“We were given a warning by them before the attack began, that's why no one was injured,” the town elder replied, answering his question.

Just then, Mwu approached the large group, after parking Skygrasper-1 in a nearby spot where the Desert Dawn left their jeeps. Tucked under his right arm was his pilot helmet. He spotted the Desert Dawn leader and went up to him, acknowledging his presence and managing to hear some bits of the above conversation.

“The `Desert Tiger' must have been kind to warn the townspeople before attacking,” he quipped, trying to lighten the dampening mood around the atmosphere.

Running over to him after hearing his remark, Cagalli angrily yelled at him, cutting the air with her outstretched right hand.

“How can you say such a thing? The `Desert Tiger' is a just coward for attacking Tassil!”

Placing his free hand in front of him to calm her down, Mwu explained his reasons for his remark.

“He probably didn't want to fight you, so the attack on this town was just punishment for your previous actions, regarding your involvement with the Archangel last night.”

Seeing Cagalli seething in anger, he tried a different approach to quell her anger.

“Uh… well, he's a conniving bastard to have come up with that attack, right?” he feigned insulting the `Desert Tiger'. He looked around to find many of the townspeople angrily looking at him. With an ashamed face, he nervously rubbed behind his head with his free hand.

Meanwhile, several of the Desert Dawn harbored revenge on the `Desert Tiger', for attacking their hometown.

“Sahib, we must have revenge on the `Desert Tiger' for attacking Tassil! He deserves to pay!” one rebel exclaimed to his leader in suggestion.

“Yeah… how dare he cowardly attacked our town and run off!” another rebel exclaimed.

“It's not too late… we can still catch up with him and his forces! They shouldn't be far off from here!” another one cried out.

Sahib waved both his hands at his resistance group and let out a cry for silence, getting their attention.

“We should concentrate on helping our families! We can do no more in pursuing them!”

Disgruntled with his reason, all of the Desert Dawn immediately left, heading for their jeeps and driving towards the direction where Andy's forces headed off into. Sahib desperately tried to reason with them once more, as he watched their retreating forms.

“Wait…! It's not worth it, I say! Gah… what's there to reason with them? Malik, Mohammad, come with me! We must go after them!” he exclaimed, beckoning the two-said rebels to come along with him. They hopped in another jeep, driving off after the remnants of the Desert Dawn and passing by Cagalli, who motioned for Sahib to stop.

“Sahib…! Wait! -Cough- -Cough- We have to follow them, Kisaka!” she suggested to her close bodyguard, who stood behind her.

Just then, Ahmed drove close to them in his jeep, beckoning them to hop in.

“Thanks, Ahmed. Let's go!” Cagalli exclaimed, pointing at the direction where Sahib's jeep drove off into.

Watching the jeeps' retreating forms, Mwu sighed defeated at himself, shaking his head.

“Jeez… they're all hotheads! Huh…? Ah, help has arrived.”

He turned around at the sound of buggies from the Archangel arriving on the scene. The vehicles' passengers proceeded to unload the supplies brought along with them, beginning the humanitarian aid for Tassil's people. The ship's doctor, Kei Reinhardt, sprung into action, motioning several of the townspeople to fall and wait in line, as several of the ship's crew brought along started making makeshift tents and stretchers, and laid down the supplies for distribution.

“This way, this way…! Unload those makeshift tents! I need more stretchers! Distribute the supplies to the needy ones!” Kei barked out orders in rapid succession to the buggies crew. He brought out his stethoscope, readying for examination of the townspeople for any injuries.

The buggies crew divided themselves into two groups, one group for putting out the fires in the destroyed town, while the other group helping out with the supplies and treatment for the townspeople.

Mwu then saw Natarle and Peter quickly approaching him, prompting him to give them a relieved smile.

“We got here as fast we could. I hope we're on time?” Natarle asked.

“Yep, indeed you are. Thankfully, none of the townspeople here seem injured. It seemed the `Desert Tiger' attacked the town as a payback for the rebels' involvement with us last night.”

Peter wiped off sweat from his brow, smiling lightly with relief.

“Well, I guess it was a hit-and-run tactic he used. Where are the rebels anyway?”

Mwu glanced at the direction he last saw the Desert Dawn drove off.

“Apparently they decided to pursue the `Desert Tiger' and his unit. They were hell-bent on revenge.”

Natarle looked at the Skygrasper-1 pilot in disbelief.

“What…! And you didn't stop them…! They'll be slaughtered fighting some of the ZAFT MS in his unit, the BuCUEs, with their standard weapons. Don't they know that?”

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As the chase for the `Desert Tiger' continued, Ahmed's jeep managed to rejoin Sahib's, prompting the Desert Dawn leader to look back at its passengers in surprise.

“Cagalli…! Don't go with us! It's dangerous!” he warned, noticing the short blonde-haired girl.

“No way… I'm not going to let him have his way for attacking Tassil!” Cagalli angrily retorted at him. She then motioned for Ahmed to speed up his jeep.

Sahib watched at its retreating form, aghast.

“Cagalli…!” he cried out once more.

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Inside Skygrasper-1's cockpit, Mwu flipped on its com-link, contacting the Archangel. Murrue's face immediately appeared on-screen.

“Captain… I'm sorry to say this, but the rebels have decided to go after Andy's forces,” he reported.

Murrue looked at him astonished by his report.

“Why didn't you stop them?”

“Well… they probably would have turned against me if I tried, it couldn't be helped.”

The Archangel Captain pondered her options, contemplating on the present situation for a few seconds. She then came up with the next course of action.

“We can't let the rebels die… it'll be disastrous if they do. I'll send out Kenji and Kira to launch after them.”

“Aye-aye, ma'am,” Mwu gave a reassuring nod at her image, before it flickered off-screen.

Meanwhile, the emergency relief of Tassil's people went well, but there was only one minor problem: low supplies. The supplies brought along by the buggies crew seemed not enough to cater the needs of the townspeople.

Spotting a crying boy being consoled by his mother, Natarle walked up to them, then kneeling down by the boy's small height. She removed her officer's hat and placed it on his head instead. Then, she fished out some rations she picked out from one of the supplies, and gave them to him.

“Here you go, little one. Don't cry now,” she comforted. The said boy and his mother smiled thankfully for her unselfish action, with the former munching hungrily at the rations.

Instantly, a small group of children gathered around the Archangel's second-in-command, begging for food. She looked down at them uncertain, not knowing what to do with their situation.

I don't know what more I could do for these ailing people.

On the other side, Kei had his hands full doing one-on-one checkups on the townspeople. Finished checking up on the town elder and his grandson, he motioned for the next civilian.

“Next! Ok, let me check up on your vital signs, now. This won't take long,” he softly spoke to his next patient, beckoning him to take a seat on a small chair provided. He then went into work starting his check-up.

Peter was helping out distributing boxes of supplies to the townspeople, as they gathered in one line, waiting patiently for their share. Handing out one box to an elderly woman, he gave a small smile at her.

“Here you are, ma'am… oh, let me carry your box for you. Just lead me to your tent.”

“Thank you, kind stranger. This way, please.”

Nodding to the elderly woman, Peter motioned one of the buggies crew, who was helping out, to take his place of distributing the boxes of supplies.

“Excuse me… can you take over my place until I get back? I have to carry this for this elderly lady, and she's in no shape to carry a heavy box.”

“Sure thing, professor, leave it to me!” the buggie crewman replied, complying with his request.

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Back in the Archangel's hangar bay, a transmission from Murdoch reached the Strike and the Seraph Gundams' com-links, with his image appearing on-screen.

“Kenji, Kira, the captain has given the order for you both to launch. Kira, the Aile pack will be loaded onto the Strike, for it seems the best choice for the present situation,” he informed.

“I understand, Mr. Murdoch. Thanks,” Kira replied, before the head mechanic/engineer's face flickered off-screen.

Kenji then contacted the Strike pilot with the Seraph's com-link, opting for a voice transmission.

“Kira, you're first to launch. I'll follow.”

“Ok, Kenji.”

The Strike Gundam was then loaded with the Aile pack, before being transferred to the linear catapult. The launch sequence window popped in view from above as the launch doors opened.

LINEAR CATAPULT LAUNCH SYSTEM

GAT-X105 AILE STRIKE GUNDAM

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…1

LAUNCH!

“Kira Yamato, Aile Strike, taking off!” Kira exclaimed, as his MS was shot off into the desert, with its PS armor kicking in after flying a small distance from the Archangel.

Last to go was the Seraph Gundam, as it was transferred to the linear catapult. The launch sequence window popped in view from above as the launch doors opened.

LINEAR CATAPULT LAUNCH SYSTEM

GAT-XP01SERAPH GUNDAM

…3

…2

…1

LAUNCH!

“Kenji Hyne… Seraph, launching!” Kenji exclaimed, as his MS was shot off into the desert, with its PS armor kicking in after flying a small distance from the Archangel.

Both Gundams' com-links then received a transmission from Miriallia, whose image appeared on-screen.

“Kenji, Kira, according to the captain, the rebels are pursuing the ZAFT unit led by the `Desert Tiger'. They shouldn't be far off from Tassil. Please hurry to the rebels' position, for they might not fare well against the MS of the ZAFT unit,” the MS communications operator informed them.

“We'll hurry there immediately, Miriallia,” Kenji replied.

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Meanwhile, in the Allsters' quarters, Fllay was getting a severe scolding from her father, George, who seemed appalled by daughter's recent actions after hearing out her explanation regarding her relationship with Kira.

“This is unbelievable… you sleeping with that Strike pilot! What were you thinking? No wonder I wasn't able to find you easily… you slept with him in his quarters!” he exclaimed, throwing up his hands in the air.

Back when she was a little girl, Fllay never received a scolding from her father, who cherished her warmly after her mother's death. Before heading back to Earth for his job as Atlantic Federation Vice-Minister (and leaving Fllay in the care of his trusted assistant, when she was around 8 years old), he spent a great deal of time with his beloved daughter, seeing her mother's spirit in her. This led to him making her born with a silver spoon in her mouth, giving her all she ever wanted (materialistically speaking) and even expensive things, thanks to his large salary from his job. In truth, he wanted her to be happy.

But now, he realized it was the first time he ever gave Fllay a scolding. He expected his daughter to be ashamed of her actions, but he was surprised at the new image of her putting up a brave and undaunted front.

Standing up from her seated position on her bed, Fllay eyed her father defensively.

“I did it because I love him! He's kind, caring, and all the other good things I want in a boyfriend!” she reasoned.

George did a double-take, rubbing his brow with his right hand before diverting his eyes on his daughter.

“For love… oh, Fllay… is that also the reason why you wanted join the EA? For his sake…?”

Looking away from him for a moment, Fllay thought of her boyfriend, from her first encounter with him, to his deeds protecting the Archangel with the Strike Gundam. She then remembered his emotional breakdown, noting his fragile side. She then looked back at her father with shimmering eyes.

“Daddy… I know I should have asked you first… but… when you were onboard the Montgomery, and I heard that it was under attack by ZAFT forces, I was concerned for your safety. It was Kira who promised me that he'd try his utmost best to protect your ship. Although it was Kenji who saved you, I felt that Kira was partly responsible for it. You never saw how hard he fought, trying to protect the Archangel! You never knew how it hurt him badly when he couldn't save innocent lives! It showed he was a kind person who never wanted to fight, but was nonetheless forced to. I wanted to comfort him, and wash away his tears of sadness… that way, he'll find a better reason to live!” she cried, her body shaking with small tears flowing out from her eyes.

Awestruck by her words, George managed to hold his gaping jaw back in place. He observed closely at her teary eyes, and took in heart the intensity of her words, sweeping away further doubts of the Strike pilot in his mind. Gradually, his face loosened, now understanding clearly the bigger picture of her daughter's relationship with Kira. With a heavy sigh, he stepped close to Fllay, placing his hands on her shoulders to calm down her shaking. He gently lifted her chin up, seeing her teary-eyed.

“Fllay… you've truly matured into a young lady. You'll make a fine woman in the future… when you and Kira get together.”

Fllay's lips quivered in a gladden smile.

“D-D-Daddy…?”

George then smiled in defeat.

“I approve of your relationship… I can see you really love him. You remind me much of your late mother.”

Instead of tears of sadness, the tears flowing out from Fllay's eyes were that of joy. She then hugged her father, crying out on his chest.

“Daddy… oh, daddy…! Thank you… thank you…”

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Meanwhile, the `Desert Tiger' and his unit were on the run from the vengeful Desert Dawn, heading back to a ZAFT base in Banadiya. In Andy's jeep, DaCosta then caught sight of multiple jeeps on their trail. With a worried look, he pointed his commander the sight of them.

“Oh…? So, they've decided to pursue us… they really acted on hasty judgment,” Andy commented with his arms folded.

“Commander, shall we speed up our pace?” DaCosta suggested.

The `Desert Tiger' waved off his suggestion with his left hand, then putting it back in place, with his face etched in an easy-going look.

“I'm not worried. Their standard weapons can't damage the BuCUEs, and even the GINNs the Crusader Squad are in.”

Now finally caught up with the `Desert Tiger' and his unit, the Desert Dawn (half of them the most, the other half were back in the main camp) had their jeeps pulled up close to the ZAFT unit, then starting a flurry of bazooka-firing at Andy's jeep.

“Shit…! Bazookas…!” DaCosta cried out, dismayed at the sight of the said projectiles seeking their intended target.

The ZAFT officer driving Andy's jeep quickly swiveled the wheel, moving the vehicle to dodge enemy fire. A nearby bazooka exploded inches from a swerved spot Andy's jeep just left, knocking it upwards to its right side. Luckily, the jeep managed to regain balance, and continued on.

Giving a dissatisfied sigh, Andy glanced back at the pursuers.

“DaCosta, order the BuCUEs and the Crusader Squad to attack those jeeps. They're beginning to be small annoyances.”

Complying with his instruction, DaCosta contacted the BuCUE unit and the Crusader Squad through his walkie-talkie, giving out his commander's order. He then motioned the driver to step on the pedal, hurrying about at the top of Andy's jeep's speed, widening the distance between them and the rebel jeeps.

The three BuCUEs and the four GINN High Maneuver Types leapt into action, rolling across the sand, and preceded knocking away and smashing the rebel jeeps.

Dodging a fellow rebel jeep knocked awry, Ahmed's jeep pulled under one BuCUE and maintained speed to keep up with it. Behind the said driver, Cagalli and Kisaka took out two bazookas brought along by Ahmed, and took aim at the ZAFT MS's underbelly, firing.

-ZOOM- -ZOOM-

-BOOM- -BOOM-

Unfortunately, there was minimal damage, for such two small exploding projectiles could hardly nick a ZAFT MS. The BuCUE pilot noticed Ahmed's jeep on his CIS.

“Huh… so that's where you pests are! Away with you!” he exclaimed.

He then prompted his MS moving to kick Ahmed's jeep in a sudden motion. Ahmed tried hard to swivel his jeep away from the ZAFT MS.

“JUMP, EVERYONE…!” Cagalli warned aloud. However, she and Kisaka were the only ones who managed to bail out, with Ahmed forgetting momentarily her warning. His eyes caught sight of the BuCUE's hind legs kicking at his jeep, then widening with fear.

-WHAM-

It was then, Ahmed saw darkness.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“Uh-uh… not a chance…!” Barry wryly quipped as he brought his GINN to block several bazookas targeted at Andy's jeep. He lurched about as his GINN took the burnt of the exploding projectiles.

Oof…! It's a good thing they're bazookas and small too. Otherwise I'd be mince meat.

“Ye----sh… be gone now!” he exclaimed, prompting his GINN to right-kick the rebel jeep where the last bazooka attack came from, knocking it back to the ground.

“I don't like doing this… but… I've got no choice,” Miho uncomfortably remarked while she brought her GINN to punch away another rebel jeep, flinging its passengers like trash to their quick demise.

“Normally I'd prefer to take on the big fish, but I don't mind taking on the small fry!” Lisa ironically spoke while her GINN left-punted another incoming rebel jeep, not giving time to its passengers to react. It instantly flew back like a football, with the vehicle exploding in a small ball of fire while its passengers flung aside like dolls.

Meanwhile, Ryu batted aside another pursuing rebel jeep with his GINNs heavy sword, then doing the same to another one. He gritted his teeth as he struggled not to let guilt cloud him as he took many rebel lives.

Damn… this is like an unfair advantage… those rebels are like ants from my view!

Suddenly, four beam shots trailed downwards at the BuCUEs and the Crusader Squad, with two separately. Both ZAFT MS groups instinctively dodged the shots, seeing them coming within seconds.

“What the…? From above…?” Ryu wondered, his GINN looking up at the source of the shots. His eyes immediately widen with amazement at the sight of the Aile Strike and the Seraph Gundams arriving at the scene.

“Captain, two MS approaching us…! It's the Strike and the unknown one!” Miho warned the rest of her squad via com-link.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Inside the Aile Strike's cockpit, Kira wondered at the miscalculations of his two beam shots.

How come…? The beam rifle must have been misaligned?

Inside the Seraph's cockpit, Kenji on the other hand, somehow expected the ZAFT MS groups' action. He then contacted Kira via com-link.

“Not bad… that white GINN group is starting to be no pushover. Kira, you engage those three BuCUEs, while I take care of the four white GINNs!”

Kenji watched the Aile Strike giving an affirmative nod at him, then engaging immediately with the three BuCUEs.

“Ok… time to take care of business at hand.”

He flexed his grip on the control sticks and floored the thrusters right away, diving headfirst at the Crusader Squad.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Nearby the battlefield, a bruised and unconscious Ahmed was in a distressed Cagalli's arms. Standing behind her, Kisaka looked on, fearing the worst for him.

“Ahmed…! Ahmed…! Come on now…!” Cagalli exclaimed, trying to wake him up from his unconsciousness. A second or so, his eyes fluttered open, with his teary-eyed crush looking worriedly at him. He reached his right hand trying to grab hold of her.

“C-C-Ca… Ca… Cagalli… I'm sorry.”

With that said, he wearily smiled before slowly passing away.

Cagalli let out a scream of disbelief at the heavens, amidst her tears for her dear comrade.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The Aile Strike took a hasty aim at one BuCUE with its beam rifle and fired away. The beam shot trailed towards its missile pod, as the BuCUE tried to dodge the attack a second sooner, blowing it off.

“Well, at least it's a hit,” Kira commented, his eyes deep in concentration.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

On the other side, the Seraph fired off four quick shots with its beam rifles at the four white GINNs, as they encircled around it, while dodging its beam shots.

“Four on one… I kind of like the odds,” Kenji remarked as he jerked the control sticks to have his MS narrowly dodging two sword slashes from Crusader-02 and Crusader-03.

“Come on now, we won't bite! Well, now we are,” Barry joked, as he brought his MS to do a thrust at the Seraph with its heavy sword.

“Tch… don't take us lightly like last time!” Lisa retorted while flooring her MS's thrusters to charge at the Seraph as it brought up its experimental armor assault rifle, spraying out bullets.

-BA-DA-DA-DA-DA-

Shielding the machine gun fire with its right “Angelus”, the Seraph glanced back to see Crusader-01 bringing down its heavy sword at it. By a split second, it parried the attack with its left “Angelus”, then delivering a savage left kick at Crusader-01's chest, knocking it back far away.

“Gah…! What a quick reaction…!” Ryu commented amazed, while he brought his MS up to its feet.

Another burst of machine gun fire trailed towards the Seraph, with the bullets bouncing off from its PS armor. However, it had no time to glance at the source (which happened to be Crusader-04), for it blocked another joint attack done by Crusader-02 and Crusader-03. The impact of the attack pushed the Seraph within inches.

“Tch… persistent, aren't we?” Kenji commented.

“Our attacks aren't getting through that MS! Captain, if we keep this up, we'll be in a disadvantage,” Miho spoke, contacting her squad via com-link.

“I know, Miho. But until Commander Waltfeld gives us the word, we must keep fighting against that MS!” Ryu replied back.

The Seraph then ejected its “Swallow Edge” from both of its “Angelus”, activating them. Kenji eyed the Crusader Squad warily on his CIS.

This is getting to be tiring and meddlesome.

Crusader-01 then pointed its heavy sword held by its right hand at the Seraph, with its eye flickered a menacing red.

“That's it, no more games! Barry, Lisa, Miho… time for the grand finale!” Ryu exclaimed.

Noticing their captain's action, the rest of the squad was stunned at the realization.

“You don't mean…?” Barry wondered.

“Finally… it's about time we did this,” Lisa remarked confidently.

“It has come to this then. May the Lord watch over your soul, pilot of the unknown MS,” Miho lamented, uttering a small prayer for the Seraph pilot.

The Seraph crossed both its beam sabers, then letting them down as a mocking gesture at the Crusader Squad.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

As Kira tried to calculate the abilities of the remaining BuCUEs, the first one, whose missile pod was blasted off, arrived by Andy's jeep, after its pilot received a recall order from DaCosta via com-link. Opening its cockpit hatch, the pilot jumped down to the ground, meeting up with his commander and DaCosta, and removing his pilot helmet.

“Commander, you recalled me?” he asked.

Andy gave a small grin, unfolding his arms.

“I'll switch places with you, Kirkwood. Go with DaCosta here. I want to be up-close with the Strike.”

“Uh… yes sir?”

Taking his subordinate's pilot helmet from him, Andy glanced back at DaCosta one last time.

“DaCosta, make sure to also observe the other MS, which is fighting the Crusader Squad as we speak. I believe it's also a key player in this battle.”

The junior dark-red haired officer gave an affirmative nod, watching his commander leaping inside the damaged BuCUE and activating it. It then rejoined with the other two BuCUEs.

“Maylam, Hadat, follow me! We'll converge at the Strike using a delta formation!” Andy contacted the two said BuCUE pilots via com-link. Their MS then broke off their attacks on the Aile Strike, rejoining their selves in a delta formation.

The Aile Strike backed off from them, wary of their next move. Inside its cockpit, Kira monitored their movements on his CIS.

“What are they doing now…?” he wondered.

Inside his BuCUE, Andy smirked to himself as the Aile Strike's image appeared on his CIS.

Enough hits from a conventional warhead will overpower the Phase Shift armor. Plus, the Strike's beam rifle sucks power out of its battery.

The three BuCUEs unleashed a flurry of missiles at the Aile Strike, prompting it to duck and weave through them, avoiding being hit. It countered with its beam rifle, but with its beam shots easily avoided by the more agile ZAFT MS. Inside its cockpit, Kira took a quick glance at the Strike's power levels, which was dropping to a critical level.

“Tch… I can't take much more of this! I've got to do something!” he implored to himself, gritting his teeth.

At that instant, he suddenly went into SEED mode.

As the BuCUEs continued their synchronized attack on the Aile Strike, it unexpectedly threw its shield at one of them, cutting deep into one's cockpit and killing the pilot. The Gundam then dived towards the sand, throwing up sand clouds obscuring the view of the remaining BuCUEs.

“Hadat!” the first BuCUE pilot, known as Maylam, exclaimed at his comrade's demise.

With its thrusters balancing it, the Aile Strike came out of the sand clouds, firing off its beam rifle at the first BuCUE's cockpit. Maylam flailed his arms in front of him, helplessly warding off the explosion erupting instantly from the damage.

“Gah…!” he cried out, before being reduced to ash.

-BOOM-

The third BuCUE, piloted by Andy, tried a dual-beam saber charge at the Aile Strike as it stood up to its feet.

“Let's rumble…!” the `Desert Tiger' exclaimed heatedly.

At the exact moment, the Aile Strike took out its right beam saber, slicing off the BuCUE's left wing while it narrowly missed hitting the Gundam.

-SHWAK-

Landing at the other side from his charge, Andy clucked his tongue at the result. He then spotted the Crusader Squad fighting the Seraph desperately, as it easily warded off their attacks.

“It looks like things are no longer in my favor…” he concluded.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“A group attack…?” Kenji wondered inside the Seraph's cockpit, while he monitored the Crusader Squad's movements on his CIS. The four white GINNs grouped their selves in a triangular attack formation, drawing out their heavy swords and experimental armor assault rifles. Leading the fray was Crusader-01.

“CRUSADER CHARGE…!” Ryu battle cried, flooring his MS's thrusters to the max and starting his squad's move.

At that instant, the four white GINNs converged at the Seraph as one, firing off their experimental armor assault rifles, despite knowing they weren't much useful on the Gundam. Their bullets ricocheted off from the Seraph's PS armor, while it decided to take the burnt of the attack.

Crusader-01 first charged head-on at the Seraph, then delivering a backhand sword slash, which was blocked by the Seraph's left “Angelus”. It then leapt up behind the Gundam, giving way for Crusader-02 to deliver a savage right kick at its left “Angelus”; however at the same time, it used the force of its attack to jump off from the Gundam, peppering it with bullets from its experimental armor assault rifle, finishing its last magazine.

“Damn it…!” Kenji cursed inside the Seraph's cockpit, knowing he was being forced into a defensive position.

Third to go was Crusader-03, as it delivered two punches in succession, trying to knock away both the Seraph's “Angelus” in order to open it for a weak spot. Seeing it didn't do the job, Lisa had her MS lunge at the Seraph, then grabbing it around by the waist, restricting its movement. The Gundam tried to shake off Crusader-03 in order to break free from its grasp.

“Let go of me!” Kenji exclaimed, gritting his teeth.

“I got you now! Miho, he's open!” Lisa exclaimed to her said squad mate via com-link.

At cue, Crusader-04 grabbed hold of Crusader-02's heavy sword thrown to her by Barry, now wielding two heavy swords while rushing at the restricted Seraph.

“Take this!” Miho uttered a battle-cry.

-SHWAK- -SHWAK-

-KA-TINK- -KA-TINK-

Had Crusader-04 wielded beam sabers instead of heavy swords, it would have sliced the Seraph in half. However, such wasn't the case here, for the Seraph managed to deflect the twin sword attack in a split second, and cut off Crusader-04's arms after it passed by behind the Gundam. The white GINN knelt down to the sandy ground, with electricity cackling out where its arms have been.

“Ah------!” Miho shrieked with fright.

“Miho!” the rest of her squad mates exclaimed, surprised that their group attack didn't work on the Seraph.

“Why you… now you're starting to piss me off!” Lisa angrily retorted.

Kenji shared the same feeling, but with annoyance instead of anger instead. He gripped the control sticks tightly, as he felt his mind going into SEED mode.

“I've had enough with you…” he muttered darkly.

With a sudden surge of strength, the Seraph finally broke free of Crusader-03's grip, catching its pilot off-guard. It then grabbed hold of the white GINN's left shoulder, and threw the ZAFT MS over its shoulder and down to sandy ground.

“Argh…!” Lisa exclaimed in disbelief, as she lurched about inside her GINN's cockpit, due to the impact of the throw.

“Keep pressing him!” Ryu exclaimed, bringing his MS to charge again at the Seraph and beckoning Barry to follow his lead.

The Seraph reached and grabbed hold of its “Agni”, holding the hyper-impulse cannon by its left hand. It then took a hasty aim at them, firing off a massive shot.

-PHOOSH-

Crusader-01 and Crusader-02 immediately dodged the shot. However, the Seraph's “Panzer Eisen” was fired off, heading towards Barry, while the Gundam drove off Ryu with its beam rifle, widening the distance between the two ZAFT MS.

“Why me…?” Barry groaned, seeing the worst to come for him. The Gundam's rocket anchor wrapped around Crusader-02's left leg, then bringing it down towards the Seraph, which readied its dual-beam sabers.

-SHWAK- -SHWAK- -SHWAK-

Amidst the three fatal beam slashes, the Seraph then threw Crusader-02 aside like a rag doll, which then had its head, arms, and legs sliced off, leaving the body intact.

“Barry! No…! You…!” Ryu howled angrily, feeling his frustration of not defeating the Seraph reach to a whole new level. He floored his MS's thrusters to the max, diving headfirst at the Seraph with its heavy sword.

Noticing Crusader-01's desperate attack, the Seraph fired off its heat-rod, which wrapped around the ZAFT MS's hands holding its heavy sword. A jolt of intense electricity traveled towards them, raising the temperature to an all-time high, igniting their explosion.

-BOOM-

“Ugh…!” Ryu cried out in dismay, with his MS dropping down to the sandy ground without its hands. He clenched his right hand into a shaky fist, banging on his CIS showing the Seraph's image displayed in exasperation.

“Damn it! Whoever you are, pilot of the unknown MS, I'll regain my squad's honor!” he exclaimed.

At that instant, a voice-transmission from Andy reached him.

“Captain Katsuragi, we're retreating. We must cut our losses.”

Ryu nodded affirmatively at his voice, and contacted the rest of his squad.

“…I understand. Crusader Squad, retreat! Lisa, carry Barry along with you, I'll carry Miho with me. We're in no shape to continue fighting.”

The Seraph then watched the bruised Crusader Squad beating a hasty retreat. Inside its cockpit, Kenji felt his SEED mode dissipating back to normal, breathing heavily. He could still feel the adrenaline flowing in his veins, heightening him in an alert state.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

After the battle, Kenji and Kira got out of their deactivated and parked Gundams nearby the gathered remnants of the Desert Dawn rebels. Tucking their pilot helmets under their left arms, they went up to the rebels, finding them standing around Ahmed's body, with Cagalli grieving over her comrade's loss.

“What are you all doing? It's foolish to die in the desert for nothing!” Kira sadly asked Cagalli.

The blonde-haired female teen gritted her teeth angrily, seemingly ready to deliver a slap to him.

“You bastard…! Everyone fought bravely, can you see that?” she emotionally remarked, pointing to Ahmed's body.

Narrowing his amethyst eyes, Kira gave a quick angry look, about to slap some sense into her. However, he was instantly surprised when Kenji beat him to it instead, sharing the same feeling.

-SLAP-

The rest of the rebels winced at the sound, aghast to see one of their own being given that treatment. Cagalli slowly reeled back from the Seraph pilot's right slap, nursing her left cheek which colored a bright red. She eyed shockingly at Kenji with her shimmering golden-brown eyes.

“What do you think you can possibly protect with only your feelings?” he asked.

That question seemed to raise questions for the Gundam pilots and her.