Gundam SEED Fan Fiction ❯ MS Seed Girls ❯ The Fading Light, The Heart Of A MS Girl ( Chapter 9 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Baran
The Archangel approaches the relief fleet but ZAFT invites themselves.
Forced to back Koopman or face destruction, the Archangel's crew rushed to the battle.
Alex is forced to show an aspect of herself: The millenium old war veteran.
As the battle rage, the issue become more and more dire.
Cornered, Alex take an ill-fated decision and the Box of Pandora is opened.

Anime/Manga: Gundam SEED Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Mecha | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 01.30.2007 | Updated On: 01.30.2007 | Pages: 22 | Words: 19.7K | Visits: 546 | Status: Work In Progress

MS Seed Girls
 
Disclaimer: I own nothing except Alexandra Kerensky.
 
Da: yes.
Niet: no.
Minia zavout: I am called…
Bhoze moï: my God!
 
 
Chap 9: The Fading Light, The Heart Of A MS Girl.
 
 
As the Archangel progressed to its rendezvous, Miriallia Haw walked to the female Showers Room. As she passed along the main lounge, the honey-haired girl listened to the civilian passengers.
 
“You think it'll be the Moon first, once we join with them?”
 
“I have relatives living in Orb, so I should be okay.”
 
“If I could at least get in touch with my wife and children…”
 
With a sight of relief she entered the facility. Alexandra Kerensky had helped all of the girls to maintain their hygiene with her telekinetic power but nothing could beat a proper hot shower, especially with all they had to do to harvest the precious water.
 
Near the mirror, she remarked a feminine silhouette clad in pink underwear. The person turned around, revealing blue eyes under pinned red hair. Unfortunately, she had also a white mask on her face. The blend and sudden appearance startled Miriallia. “Huwa!”
 
Fllay Allster sighed. “What is it?” The girl rolled up her eyes. She knew that being suddenly seen with a beauty-mask could be a little surprising, but after everything they lived so far, she wondered how Miriallia could be surprised.
 
“What do you mean, Fllay? What are you doing?” What the hell was this girl doing now?
 
Fllay delicately retired the mask. “It's a face pack. Can't you tell?” Really now, Miriallia could asked very silly questions. She smiled as she admired her smooth and unblemished skin.
 
“Of course I can tell. What I'm saying is…” The green-eyed girl sighed. “Never mind!” She renounced to understand the redheaded girl. “I'm surprised that you had something like that with you.” `Come to think of it, I'm surprised you don't have MORE of that.'
 
“Well, because Papa's coming with the advance force I wanna look my best.” A starry look entered her eyes. “My papa wouldn't want me looking shabby as the daughter of a Vice Minister of the Atlantic Federation.”
 
Miriallia began to take off her clothes as Fllay continued. “I haven't seen him in such a long time, after all. It's the least I can do.”
 
Miriallia shook her head. “Whatever.”
 
Fllay pouted as she unpinned and examined her hair. “I wish I could do something about my hair.” She considered asking Alex to do something about it with her telekinesis but decided that it was best to let it go since she was about to seal her New-Type power before they reached the advance fleet. “Well, I guess this'll have to do. We're in a crisis, after all.”
 
As she was about to unhook her bra, Miriallia stopped as voices filtered through the door. Rather strong voices.
 
“Niet! I will not do it!”
 
The two girls looked to each other. “That's Alex, right?”
 
“You must wear a proper uniform while onboard!”
 
Miriallia blinked. “And that's Ensign Badgiruel.”
 
The two girls opened a little the door and peeked into the corridor. A curious sight greeted them: Natarle Badgiruel, in her white dress uniform, was running after an Alexandra Kerensky clad in her white blue-trimmed inner-suit. The Ensign was brandishing a light-purple vest like the one wore by Miriallia. The Russian girl was fleeing, stating vehemently that she would prefer to die than wear something as ugly as that colour.
 
The two teenagers looked to each other, blinked and resumed their activities. After finishing undressing, Miriallia relaxed under the shower. Fllay finished to brushed her hair and put back her pink dress.
 
As she was exiting, the redheaded thought about the earlier scene. “You know what, Mir? I would have never thought that Alex knew something about fashion. That light purple colour would have been truly ugly with her hair colour.”
 
As the door closed, Miriallia face-faulted in the shower.
 
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On the main screen of the command bridge, the crew was looking to the last message from Koopman. “Arrival time at the rendezvous point with our fleet will be as planned.
Once you join us, the Archangel will come under the command of this ship and we'll proceed to the main fleet together. You're almost here. I pray for your safe arrival.”
 
The image enlarged to include a brown-haired man clad in a civilian suit. “I'm Vice Minister George Allster of the Atlantic Federation. First, I'd like to thank you for your efforts in rescuing civilians.” In the CIC, Sai Argyle smirked as he heard the voice of the father of Fllay changing. “Oh, and one other things! I was surprised and happy to see the name of my daughter, Fllay on the list of rescued civilians.”
 
Lieutenant Murrue Ramius, Acting Captain of the Archangel, blinked and put down her zero-gee bottle of water when she heard the Vice Minister continuing his speech with a cheery voice. “I'd be more than grateful if I could get a glimpse of her.” She wasn't the only one to be nonplussed by the attitude of the civilian: In the CIC, Jackie Tonomura and Natarle Badgiruel blinked to each other.
 
On the screen, the grey-haired officer turned to the man. “Vice Minister, sir, you'll see her as soon as they join us.”
 
Sai shook his head. “That's Fllay's father, all right.”
 
Natarle Badgiruel rolled up her eyes at the incongruity of having a civilian on the command bridge of a military vessel. Even if her warship had an unconventional crew, it was, at least, driven by circumstances and they all had remarkably adapted. She frowned as her New-Type intuition echoed in her: Why a Vice Minister of the Atlantic Federation made the effort to come for them?
 
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Inside the Strike, Kira Yamato was focused on his task. His marvellous skill with a computer was making sure that the machine was ready.
 
Kojiro Murdock, chief technician of the Archangel floated to the open cockpit and smiled to what he was seeing.
 
The violet-eyed Coordinator blinked and retracted his control-screen. “What is it?”
 
“Nothing, just wondering how it is.”
 
“I'm just making a few adjustments to match the offset levels.” The young boy blinked as something came back to his memory. “But I guess it's unnecessary.” After all, they'll soon join back with an Alliance fleet.
 
Murdock laughed and tapped his shoulder. “Go ahead and do what's needed. It's still your job until we safely join the others.”
 
The young boy was surprised by the genuine approval he saw from the man. Since the beginning of this odyssey, he mainly had been the target of many prejudices. Even his friends had wounded him accidentally sometimes.
 
“If you want, you're free to volunteer to remain in the military.”
 
Kira's eyes hardened as Murdock floated away. “Not a chance in hell.”
 
Miriallia entered the bridge for her shift. She saluted Sai whom she replaced. “Hi!”
 
At the co-pilot post, Kuzzey Buskirk relieved Tolle Koenig. Natarle discussed something about the ship routine with her Captain.
 
In her cabin, Lacus Clyne was singing for her pet robot, the pink Haro. The small ball was dancing to the song. Her eyes were lightly glowing blue as she projected her emotions along with the song.
 
“In this quiet night I'm here waiting for you.”
“Forgetting the past…”
“Your precious smile has faded away.”
 
In the pilot Ready Room, the Mobile Armour pilot Mu La Flaga was sleeping in a zero-gee sleeping bag. His budding New-Type power was picking echoes of the song and he smiled in his sleep.
 
“Since then now that a little time has passed.”
“Past memories have over time become more precious.”
 
Inside the Strike, Kira had finished his task. As the slight mental emanations touched him, he remembered the first time he met the beautiful pink-haired girl. The mental fingers soothed something raw inside him as he continued to prepare the powerful Mobile Suit.
 
“I find myself, where the stars fall.”
“Right here I wish that you will once again be laughing.”
 
Alexandra Kerensky looked critically at herself in the mirror. She was wearing the uniform of the volunteers in the Alliance forces. The image conjured others images from her past and the light purple coloured uniform changed into countless others she wore during the Millennial War. She hugged herself as she felt the mental warmth of Lacus.
 
“Even today, even now.”
“Though right now you're far away I know we will meet again.”
 
The white red-trimmed warship navigated in the sea of stars, lulled by the gentle song.
 
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Aboard the Vesalius, Fredrick Ades and Rau Le Creuset were briefing their pilots. The ZAFT Captain showed them the tactical map. “This is the estimated route of the Earth Forces' naval vessels.”
 
Rau followed. “The Laconi and Porto Teams are behind schedule. Fortunately, we have the Ashrad Team with us. If those vessels are delivering supplies to the legged ship we mustn't overlook them.”
 
Athrun Zala frowned. “Are we gonna stage an attack? But we're ordered to…”
 
Rau interrupted him with a gentle voice as if he was talking to a child. “We're soldiers, Athrun. Even though we were given a mission to search for Miss Lacus.”
 
The frown of Athrun persisted. He didn't like what he felt.
 
On the radar screen of Romero Pal, three points blipped. “Silhouettes of three ships appearing on the radar!” The crewman smiled to the bridge crew. “They're the escort ships Montgomery, Bernard and Law!”
 
All the people present smiled and manifested their relief. In the CIC, Natarle sighed in relief but suddenly jerked back as her sixth sense horned into her perception. Somewhere in the ship, the green eyes of Alex flashed emerald with the same warning.
 
Natarle switched her control-screen to full active status. “Mr. Pal! Full passive scans around the advance fleet! Quick!”
 
Romero was startled by the sharp command and tension seized the bridge. The intuitions of the second had been too precise in the past to ignore them now. The sensor specialist turned on max the full capacity of his scanners on the zone around the three Alliance ship and frowned as they detected signs of interferences. He gasped as his computer interpreted the interferences as Radar Jamming. His eyes widened. “What's this?”
 
Murrue whirled to him. “What's the matter?”
 
“A jammer! It's now interfering with the whole area.”
 
Natarle and Murrue snarled. They were so close! The sudden Russian-accented telepathic contact didn't surprise them.
 
Captain! Number two! Sound Red Alert! We're in mortal danger!
 
The Vesalius and the Karachi were deploying their Mobile Suits with their linear catapults. The pilots were congratulating themselves about the smoothness of the operation.
 
“The commander really has a knack for sensing these things.”
 
“Athrun! Show us how that thing performs!”
 
Aboard the Aegis, Elite Pilot Athrun Zala prepared himself for the coming battle. “Sure.”
 
As he gained his place for catapulting, the black-haired boy remembered words spoken by Rau Le Creuset, Patrick Zala, Kira Yamato and Alexandra Kerensky. `If those vessels are delivering supplies to the legged ship we mustn't overlook them.' `We fight to protect ourselves. If we cannot protect without fighting, we have no choice but to fight!' `You used to say yourself that you hated wars! So why did you attack Heliopolis?' `Can you guarantee the safety of my friends, Athrun?'
 
He had no time for doubt now. “Athrun Zala, taking off!”
 
The powerful machine rushed to battle zone with the GINNs.
 
Aboard the Montgomery, the Red Alert was sounding. The Captain Koopman directed his men. “Hurry and send out our Mobile Armours! Load all missile and Anti-Beam Depth Charge tubes!” It was a disaster: Koopman had only one 250 metres warship, two 130 metres escort ships and a grand total of 12 Moebius Mobile Armours. There were against two Nazca-class cruisers and 8 Mobile Suits. If one knew that it took 5 Mobile Armours to equal one Mobile Suit and that each ZAFT cruisers had a firepower equal to two standard Earth ships, the issue of the battle was already written.
 
The escort ships didn't have dedicated hangars for their Mobile Armours: The Moebius were directly attached to their hulls. All the ships launched their Mobile Armours.
 
The sensor operator of the Montgomery nailed the enemy. “Heat sources approaching! Eight Mobiles suits!”
 
Most of the approaching GINNs were equipped with the M68 “Cattus” 500 mm Recoilless Rifle to deal not only with the Mobile Armours but also with their carrier-ships.
 
Koopman tightened his jaw. They were doomed but he hoped he could do his duty.
 
George Allster was beginning to panic. “What's going on? How could you not have noticed the enemy until now?”
 
Koopman didn't have the time to speak to the pathetic politician. “Lower bow, pitch angle 20 degrees. Turn to port, yaw angle 20 degrees!” The sudden thrust sent the Vice Minister on the lap of the officer. Koopman pushed him away and turned to the radio operator. “Send a message to the Archangel to turn around and withdraw!”
 
George was aghast. “What? But then…”
 
“What else are we to do in this situation?”
 
“There's no meaning in my coming all the way here unless we meet them!” He must meet with the Archangel. What were onboard were too precious for the interest of the Federation and others. The ones behind him couldn't afford to let go of the prizes hidden aboard the warship.
 
“If that ship ends up being sunk, there's even less meaning to our actions.” At this moment, the only thing Koopman could do was covering the retreat of the Archangel.
 
The ZAFT forces entered firing range with the Alliance forces and explosions blossomed on the battlefield.
 
Aboard the Archangel, Chandra had switched on his thermal sensors. “The heat distribution we're detecting ahead looks like that of a battle! It appears to involve the advanced force!”
 
Sai turned to Miriallia, dismayed. “A battle?”
 
Romero spoke as new lines of code appeared on his screen. “A message from the Montgomery. Message reads, “Cancelling rendezvous! The Archangel is to turn around and leave!””
 
Natarle was dismayed: Her intuition and her military training were screaming that they were indeed in mortal danger. “Captain!”
 
A powerful voice sounded from the entry hatch. “Do not acknowledge the message!”
 
The entire bridge turned to the figure of Alexandra Kerensky. There was something different in her attitude and curiously, she wasn't glowing with New-Type power. To the surprise of everybody, she jumped to the right of the command chair and barked another order. “Mr. Chandra! What is the enemy's fighting strength?”
 
Chandra instinctively answered. The voice of the teenager had changed into a voice of command that any military had heard at least once: The kind of voice that nobody dared to disobey. “Two Nazca-classes at yellow 257, mark 402! Matching heat characteristics. Seven GINNs. And wait a moment. Why, it's…the Aegis! It's X-303, Aegis!”
 
The crew bridge became very still when the true meaning of those words reached their comprehension.
 
Murrue turned and gazed into the hardened green eyes. “Then one of them must be that Nazca-class!” The Rau Le Creuset Team was nearby. The redheaded warrior grimly acquiesced.
 
A Moebius engaged the Aegis. It opened fire with its twin 40 mm Vulcan Cannons and launched two missiles. The Suit dodged with agility the projectiles and used its “Igelstellungs” to destroy the missiles. Athrun aimed his 60 mm High-Energy Beam Rifle and blasted the Mobile Armour into oblivion.
 
Natarle narrowed her eyes as she gazed on her tactical display. She knew from her training and she `knew' from her power that they had not a chance if they retreated. The time had come for some dire actions. “Captain!”
 
Tolle understood what they were going to do and turned to his Captain. “But on that ship…” The fact that they had civilians aboard was in the minds of everyone.
 
Murrue didn't have New-Type power but she had a solid formation and an uncanny talent for understanding a strategic and tactical situation. “There's no guarantee that we'd get away, even if we did turn around!”
 
Alex nodded. “Da! There is none. Even if we turned around now, they'll catch us later after destroying Koopman. We can't match their forces alone. We must fight along with the advance fleet to have a prayer to break their pursuit.”
 
Murrue hit the general switch to speak to all the ship. “All hands, level one battle stations! The Archangel will proceed to reinforce the advance force!”
 
Alex gazed into the orange-eyed woman. “With your permission I'll assume total control of the deployment of the Mobile Armours and Mobile Suits.”
 
Ramius tensely nodded, acknowledging silently that the Esper would also take control of the Koopman contingent. Alex turned to the CIC. “Miss Haw!”
 
Miriallia jerked as the powerful voice was directed on her. “Y-Yes!”
 
“Focus your telepathy on me! You'll be the relay between me and Ensign Badgiruel. Do not lose the contact at any cost!”
 
“Yes Ma'am!”
 
As the millennium-old war veteran ran to the exit, Sai turned an incredulous face to his friend. ““Yes Ma'am”?”
 
Miriallia looked at him with hooded and already glowing green eyes. “You want to disobey her?”
 
Sai sweated. “Hum… No.”
 
At her post, Natarle smirked a little when she heard the meek response of the boy. No one aboard the ship would dare to cross such a voice. She frowned. Behind the voice, she heard someone who had given orders in the past. There was the paradox because the appearance behind the voice didn't match the experience required. Alexandra should have been an old war veteran to have cultivated such a charisma.
 
Her violet eyes glowed and widened under a sudden intuition. She was an old war veteran! This wasn't the first time that she fought in a war! She looked sideway on the teenagers in the CIC and promised herself to ask a few questions IF they managed to stay alive.
 
The alert sounded on all the ship. “All hands, level one battle stations! I repeat. All hands, level one battle stations!”
 
Alex almost ran into Kira as he exited his quarters. “What is it, Alex? What's going on?”
 
“Sorry.” Pressed by the time, the New-Type put her hand on his forehead and used her telepathy, cramming a ten minutes explanation into a few seconds.
 
The Coordinator staggered back and blinked a few times as the data set into his mind. “Oh, shit!”
 
“Da! Let's go!”
 
As the two pilots ran in the corridor, the door of the cabin of Lacus Clyne opened and she peeked through it with her pet robot Haro. “Hello. Hello.”
 
Kira and Alex whirled on the songstress. “Lacus?”
 
The young girl looked to the two warriors. “What is it? Things are suddenly lively around here.”
 
Kira sighed. “We're at battle stations. Now, go inside. I hope you'll be all right.”
 
Near his feet, the pink ball bounced. “Haro. Haro. Haro. Haro. I won't accept that! I won't accept that!”
 
Lacus gazed to Alex. “Battle stations? My, are you entering a battle?”
 
“That's right. In fact, we're already in one.”
 
“Oh?” The pink-haired teenager turned to the brown-haired boy. “Will you be fighting, too, Mr. Kira?”
 
The teen deflated as he realized that he would have to kill countrymen of the gentle girl. “I'm afraid I must. In any case, be careful.”
 
Haro approved of the young boy. “You, too!”
 
Alex lightly kissed her friend on the forehead. “Use your power if you must.” She stopped and her gaze darkened. “Pray for the innocents and sing for the dead to come.”
 
The PLANT idol looked longingly on the retreating silhouettes and caught the small pink ball. “Shall we sing, Haro?”
 
“No problem. No problem.”
 
“I find myself…”
 
“Kira! Alex!”
 
The two fighters stopped as the anxious voice of Fllay Allster reached them. The redheaded girl walked, frightened, to them. “What's this about going to battle stations? What about the advance force?”
 
Alex was grim. “They're under attack by a stronger enemy fleet.”
 
Kira blinked to the green-eyed girl. Shouldn't she reassure Fllay instead of scaring her more?
 
The teenager seized the two friends by the shoulders with a desperate grip. “It's gonna be okay, right?” Unshed tears and raw fear shone in her eyes. “My papa's ship won't be destroyed, will it? Will it?”
 
Kira hesitated but silently acknowledged that Alex was right: A lie was a lie, even if it was with good intentions. “I really don't know, Fllay.” Determination entered his gaze. “But, we'll be there, too.”
 
Alexandra Kerensky nodded. “We're going to do our maximum, but there's no guarantee.” She hesitated. “Listen my friend. It's going to be real hard because your power is going to play with your fears. You're going to feel Death and it will be sudden and violent.” She took a breath. “Remember our exercises and prepare yourself.”
 
Kira searched for something to reassure the blue-eyed girl then remembered what Alex did with Lacus. He suddenly kissed the bewildered girl on the forehead and squeezed her shoulder in support. “Pray for us. Be with us. You have the power.”
 
The dismayed young girl saw the two only persons aboard that ship capable to protect them all rushing to a potential death. The fact that her father was equally in danger wrecked havoc in her being. Both of them didn't lie to her, she `knew' it and that frightened her all the more. And it was true: She had the power to be with us in her mind.
 
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EYECATCH
 
The Blitz Gundam appears and shows all it can do: It launches the Piercer Lock “Gleipnir” and catches the weapon of a Mobile Suit. It demonstrates all the options of the Offensive Shield System “Trikeros” with its 50 mm High-Energy Beam Rifle, its Beam Saber and its three Hyperfast Kinetic Energy Penetrator “Lancer Darts”. Finally, it uses the Mirage Colloid to become invisible and reappears behind confused Mobile Armours.
 
EYECATCH
 
Miriallia Haw, in her civilian garb, whirls on herself, beaming. Tolle Koenig, sitting on the grass, is blowing soap bubbles. Half a dozen of differently coloured little Archangels are flying around the couple.
 
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Battle raged around the Alliance ships. The Moebius Mobile Armours tried to swing back the issue of the fight by attacking the Mobile Suits with two Moebius against one GINN.
 
The tactic was sound but the prodigious agility of the GINN tended to negate it. A suit dodged a burst of 40 mm projectiles from a Mobile Armour, then another from the wingman, whirled behind it and fired with its Recoilless Rifle: The Moebius exploded.
 
Two Moebius, protecting an escort ship, opened fire with their Linear Gun. Using the almost panicky way of aiming of the Earth pilots to protect itself, a GINN calmly aimed its weapon and nailed a Mobile Armour.
 
The Aegis entered the fight. He weaved around the defensive fire of the escort ship whose protecting fighter-screen was occupied. The red machine flew along the side of the ship, whirled around its rear and targeted the engines with its Beam Rifle. Athrun withdrew when the crew was forced to eject all their port engine-blocs to prevent a lethal sympathetic explosion.
 
The Aegis rushed to the other escort ship, transforming into its Mobile Armour configuration to gain speed.
 
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Aboard the Montgomery, the CIC could only report that the fleet was cut into ribbons with great efficiency.
 
“The escort ship Bernard has been heavily damaged!”
 
“X-303 Aegis is headed toward the Law!”
 
Koopman swore internally. Already one ship reduced to half its capacity and the main ZAFT ships hadn't even begun to fire…yet.
 
George Allster shook his head in disbelief. “We're being destroyed by our own stolen machine? What could be more ridiculous?”
 
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On the Archangel, Miriallia directed the launch of the fighting forces of the warship. “Moebius Zero, La Flaga unit, please proceed to the linear catapult.”
 
With efficacy, Mu La Flaga launched himself into space with the right linear catapult.
 
In the main hangar, Kojiro Murdoch turned to an arriving Kira Yamato. “You're late, Kid!”
 
Clad in his pilot suit, Kira rushed into his cockpit. “I'm sorry.”
 
Near the hatch, Alexandra Kerensky was already in her Power-Armour with the Full Chobham Armour configuration. In order to save time, she had decided to launch at the same time as the Strike. Her small size enabled this rather dangerous manoeuvre.
 
In the CIC, Miriallia briefed her friends on the situation. “The enemy consists of two Nazca-classes, Seven GINNs, and the Aegis. Already one escort ship has been severely damaged and the Mobile Armours screen is being routed.” At the confirmation that the machine of his friend was present, Kira's eyes narrowed. “Be careful, you two.”
 
As the two fighters were prepared for the launch, Sai opened a channel. “Kira! Alex! Fllay father's with the advanced force. Please keep that in mind.”
 
Kira nodded. “Sure thing.”
 
“We'll do our best, Sai.” The New-Type was preparing herself for the battle. An icy control spread in her being. The pseudo-circuits of her Power-Armour hummed and throbbed with her internal energy.
 
Focused on her controls and still maintaining a contact with the incredibly clear mind of Alex, Miriallia continued to direct the Strike. “Connected to catapult. Aile Striker, stand by.” The “Aile” configuration was the best for the situation: high-speed fighting. “Systems all green. Course clear. Go ahead, Strike, NT1 Alex.”
 
The electromagnetic field captured the two armoured forms and ejected them in the void of space. Alex and Kira separated and kicked in their thrusters at full throttle.
 
In the corridor of the living section of the Archangel, Fllay Allster took her decision. Touching her forehead where the violet-eyed Coordinator had kissed her, she went to the main lounge, seat down on a chair and closed her eyes. A blue aura formed around her.
 
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The Alliance ships intensified the rate of their Anti-Aerial covering fire. A Moebius launched two missiles but a GINN landed right on its upper hull. The Suit fired its Recoilless Rifle at point blank range. Another Suit aimed its weapon and nailed the solitary wingman head-on.
 
The Archangel arrived in range of its weapons. Natarle Badgiruel focused on the situation. The two Nazca-classes weren't yet in fire-range of the Alliance ships but their vectors were too sharp to prevent her warship to maintain a good fire-lane. First, they needed to eliminate most of the GINNs and regroup before taking care of the cruisers. She narrowed her eyes on her tactical screen. “Valiant number 1, number 2! Fire!”
 
A GINN rushing to the command bridge of the Montgomery was cut in two by the long range fire.
 
Koopman'eyes widened in disbelief. “The Archangel is…”
 
George Allster was elated. “They've come to help us!”
 
The officer punched his armchair. “They shouldn't have.” Now everything was lost. Even with another warship, they were still outgunned and outnumbered.
 
On the Vesalius, Rau le Creuset smiled. “The main character has made an appearance.” He barked his orders to the crew. “Don't waste your time on the small fry!”
 
It was then that ZAFT and the Earth Forces met the full might of a millennium old New-Type clad in a Mobile Suit Power-Armour.
 
PREPARE TO EMBRACE OBLIVION, ZAFT!
 
Alexandra Kerensky broke the dynamic of the fight by emitting at full power a simple phrase on the whole battlefield. It was a devastating psychological tactic: Never confronted before to a mental contact, all the protagonists faltered. Athrun gasped and his attack run on the escort ship Law was aborted as he searched the menace.
 
As she rushed to the heart of the conflict, Alex gave her orders to her partners. Kira! Neutralize the Aegis! Mu! Form with the Moebius and regroup them around their ships!
 
Kira winced but he knew as well as her that he was the best to deal with the Aegis. The Russian girl knew that she was pitting friend against friend but they didn't have any choice.
 
Athrun detected the approach of the Strike and transformed back to the humanoid form of his machine. Kira tightened his jaw as he rushed to the attack.
 
The two old friends were determined to do their best: One for his duty to his country, the other for his loyalty to his friends. They opened fire as the same time. The energy beams passing at a few centimetres of their armour. The two suits began immediately to circle each other, each pilots searching for the opening as they continued to fire at each other.
 
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As Mu La Flaga flew to the Alliance ships, he instructed the remaining Moebius to form around him and the ships. Suddenly, two GINNs jumped him. A few weeks ago, he would have been hard pressed against two Suits attacking at the same time but the exercises with the redheaded Esper had paid.
 
Trusting in his instincts, Mu ejected his four Gun-Barrels. Normally, he used them on one target to overwhelm it in a multi-directional fire. This time, his heightened awareness enabled him to direct them in separate vectors.
 
A GINN began to be pounded by two Gun-Barrels as Mu aimed his Linear Gun. The ZAFT wingman rushed to flank the Moebius Zero at close range but Mu maintained its trajectory as the remaining two Gun-Barrels opened on the approaching Suit. The enemy pilots believed they had only one target, they found themselves under the fire of five units acting separately but still in concert. The targeted GINN exploded as its wingman found itself severely damaged and incapable to continue the fight.
 
Mu chuckled. “Surprising, right?” He hardened his eyes and switched on his radio, ignoring the military chain of command. “I repeat! All Moebius form on me! Link with the CIC of your mother-ship and use defensive-circle tactic to lure the Suits in the AAA-Guns range!”
 
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The crew of the three Alliance ships gasped and quite a few seized their head as an imperious external thought invaded their minds.
 
All ships regroup! CIC, open links with your fighter screen and direct them in your defence! All engines at full power! Come to starboard 45, up bow 30. All main guns and missiles are to aim to the leading enemy vessel! Let your triple-A deal with the Suits!
 
Koopman whirled around, searching for the incredibly powerful and scary voice. “What…?! Where…?! Who are you?!”
 
Minia Zavout Lieutenant Alexandra Kerensky, pilot of the NT1 Exo-Frame. Your current tactic is suicidal! Obey my orders and have a chance to live or continue and die like a dog!
 
Koopman blinked and sweated. The Vice Minister asked himself if the captain was insane and come to think of it, was he also? “I am the Commander of this fleet! I…”
 
Alex didn't have time for delicacy in the present situation. She ruthlessly crushed the ego of the officer. OBEY!
 
The Earth captain gasped and his eyes glazed. “Engines at full power! Come to starboard 45, up bow 30. All ships regroup in V-formation!”
 
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In the lounge, Fllay Allster was the prey of her own power. The emotional charge of the battle battered at her identity. Her power was fluctuating wildly between subjects, ranges and sensibilities. She winced as others sensations invaded her and her aura intensified under her stress.
 
A Moebius pilot died, his last breath calling his mother.
 
Rage, betrayal and determination warred inside Kira and a black-haired green-eyed boy as they did their best to destroy the other machine.
 
A GINN pilot gibbered in insane fear as a pale pink beam obliterated his Suit, delivered by a redheaded armoured angel of death with green eyes.
 
Koopman tried to reassert himself as the Commander of the advance fleet. He couldn't let an Orb Junior Officer took control.
 
Mu La Flaga screamed in frustration as another Moebius was destroyed in front of him and forced himself to retreat in a better position instead of mindlessly avenged his comrade's death.
 
Her father called for help as his ship exploded around him.
 
A demonic-looking Alexandra laughed wickedly as she fired repeatedly on a group of armoured silhouettes. The Russian girl was clad in a blurred emerald-haloed black Power-Armour of an unknown design.
 
Lacus Clyne, clothed in black, shed tears and sung in a giant graveyard with all the names of her friends and family. The graveyard seemed limitless.
 
Natarle directed with a terrible efficiency the weapons of the Archangel. Fear was present but strictly leashed and redirected on her abilities and willpower.
 
Miriallia glowed with a soft amber aura as dozens of thoughts flashed through her between the Archangel's crew and the combatants outside.
 
Alex drew her Beam Saber and cut the Recoilless Rifle of a GINN. Her return slash decapitated the Suit and a burst of her head-Vulcans in the headless body ignited chained explosions that engulfed the machine.
 
Murrue Ramius stood up on the bridge of her vessel and regally directed its attack. The crew seemed to follow instinctively her lead with an unearthly grace.
 
Rau Le Creuset laughed as he floated above a decimated Earth surrounded by broken pieces of colonies. He retired his mask and revealed the insane face of George Allster who also ripped his flesh to appear as a skeleton clad in a business suit and holding a scythe.
 
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The Strike sped across space as the Aegis pursued it. Kira whirled on himself and fired a double shot. The Aegis dodged and returned the compliment.
 
On the Vesalius, Rau watched attentively the high-speed duel as Ades bolstered the morale of the troops after the shock of the mental contact. He found interesting that a civilian could equal one of his elite pilot. Even if Kira Yamato was a Coordinator, he never followed the same formation as Athrun Zala.
 
Natarle was feeling her throat sore as she continued to order. “Gottfried Number 1, aim and fire!”
 
The captain Ramius was focused on the main screen. “What is the situation?”
 
Miriallia answered. “All units are in close combat with the enemy! Aegis is still neutralized by Strike! The fighters screen is spread thin! GINNs are now attempting to bypass NT1!”
 
Romero continued from his consol. “Alliance ships are now in formation but damage is cumulating! Tactic is efficient but we are only hitting them now loss for loss! The Karashi's fire is lessening due to structural damage!”
 
Chandra interrupted. “A missile's been shot from the Vesalius! It's aimed for the Law!”
 
Natarle snarled. The Archangel still wasn't in an ideal position to flank the two Nazca-classes. If they loose an escort ship now… “Damn!”
 
There was a shimmering in front of the command chair and a redhead clad in a pink dress materialized in a burst of blue energy. Murrue's eyes widened. “Fllay?”
 
“Fllay?” Sai blinked and rapidly exited the CIC to see what happened with his girlfriend.
 
Shrouded in blue wisps of New-Type energy, the girl whispered as she searched something on the main screen. “Papa… Where's Papa's ship?”
 
Murrue's eyes narrowed. “We're in a battle! Non-combatants are not to enter the bridge!”
 
As if she didn't hear, Fllay continued. “Which one's Papa's ship? Ha! Here it is.”
 
“Fllay!” Sai reached to take the arm of the young girl and gasped as an almost invisible force-field stopped his hand.
 
“Papa. Where are you? I can't feel you.”
 
An explosion filled the screen. Blocked by the GINNs trying to swarm her position, Alex had been incapable to intercept the missile of the Vesalius who had manoeuvred and took profit of the thin fighters screen to deal a lethal blow to the escort ship.
 
The mental shockwave of all those suddenly dying people hit head-on an already too open Fllay whose eyes widened in horror.
 
Chandra raged in frustration. “The Law's been sunk!”
 
Sai tried to reach his girlfriend with words. “Fllay! Listen! Now, let's go! You mustn't be here. Come on.”
 
The destruction of the escort ship threw momentarily the Alliance formation askance. The CIC reports became grim.
 
“Two GINNs are heading toward the Montgomery. Only three Mobile Armours left!”
 
Despite the force-field, Sai hugged the girl. He was appealed by the raw naked fear he could read in her completely opened glowing eyes and dilated pupils. “Fllay.”
 
“Where's that boy Kira?” her voice became louder. “What's he doing?”
 
Sai tried to reassure her but felt himself not very optimistic. “He's fighting the best he can. But he's up against the Aegis, so things aren't going smoothly.”
 
“Yes…? Yes…! I can feel him, now! Rage…! Despair…! Fear…? Fear for us!”
 
Another emotion entered her gaze: Anger! “They told me that they'll do their maximum…” She suddenly seized Sai by the shoulders. “They told me “we'll be there, too.”!”
 
The Aegis flashed across the targeting screen of the Strike. Sweat burned the eyes of Kira as he launched another insane high-gee manoeuvre and drew his Beam Saber. The Aegis rushed to the attack with his right Beam Saber activated. The two energy blades sparked against the shields of the two Mobile Suits locked in a contest of strength.
 
In the background, already damaged at the beginning of the battle, the escort ship Bernard exploded finally. The two Coordinators remained locked into the struggle, each one fighting for what he believed in it.
 
They separated as a GINN, now free to attack since the Alliance ship exploded, flew between them. The ZAFT standard Suit exploded, victim to a mind-boggling long-range rear shot of the MS Girl. Sensing the danger for him, Athrun reinitialized the close-range duel with Kira.
 
Now that he could touch her, Sai tried to move away from the bridge a sobbing girl who had just received another wave of Astral death-echoes from the destruction of the Bernard. “Everything will be fine, okay? Your dad's ship is unharmed.”
 
As he neared the exit, a hit shook violently the ship. This jolted the blue-eyed girl who escaped the arms of the bespectacled boy.
 
“Fllay!” Sai whirled to her and caught her again.
 
“No! I'm also… Let go! Let go of me!” This time, Fllay waved to Sai who found himself suspended in an invisible net.
 
The boy's eyes widened at this demonstration of violence from the blue-glowing girl he loved. “Fllay!”
 
Fllay's aura suddenly winked out as she perceived another Mind Voice in the Astral background.
 
“In this quiet night I'm here waiting for you.”
“Forgetting the past your precious smile has faded away.”
 
She blinked, incredulous. “It's…that girl.”
 
Sai raised an eyebrow. What girl? “Fllay!”
 
In her cabin, haloed in a pink aura, Lacus Clyne is softly singing in the Astral Plane.
 
“Since then…”
 
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A GINN flew in reverse, flipped back and nailed at close range an approaching Moebius Mobile Armour.
 
The Vesalius finally manoeuvred along the damaged Karashi and into a good firing position. It began to open the ball with its twin 120 cm High-Energy Beam Cannons.
 
Natarle Badgiruel continued to orchestra the fighting. The ZAFT vessels had entered the combat, but one of them was damaged. If they could finish it… “Prepare to fire “Lohengrin”!” The Assault Cannons were their best chance even at this distance and angle. She swore internally as a new threat blipped on her screen. “A GINN's coming!” She reached the mind of Miriallia. Miss Haw! Contact Lieutenant La Flaga! We need support now!
 
The young girl acquiesced. Since the beginning of the battle, an amber aura had developed around her as she solicited more and more her New-Type power. Beads of sweat shone on her forehead as her eyes glowed with her full power.
 
Aboard his Moebius Zero, the blond pilot's eyes glowed as he received the transmission. Loud and clear, Miss! Help is already on the way. The Mobile Armour rushed to the help of its mother-ship. Pushing his machine to the max, Mu used his power to reinforce his body against the acceleration.
 
Murrue narrowed her eyes. They must break the stranglehold quickly or they'll be destroyed soon.
 
The Strike and the Aegis bounced back from each other after another unsuccessful simultaneous melee assault. Athrun transformed into Mobile Armour Mode and fired his 580 mm Multi-Phase Energy Cannon “Scylla”. Kira dodged the blue and red beam and flew in a higher relative position to pass behind the fire-zone of the cannon.
 
A GINN managed to manoeuvre in the front of the Montgomery and fired its Recoilless Rifle, scoring the main turret of the ship.
 
The Damage Control operator swore. “Main turret's been hit!” The vibrations of the hit proved to be problematic as others damages appeared. “The Engine section damaged! Sealing bulkheads!”
 
George Allster shook his head. He must be hallucinating. “What are they doing? Why can't they shoot down that single GINN?”
 
Koopman managed to control his shudder. It was the end: Without the main turret, they were reduced to the secondary guns array against two cruisers. “Vice Minister, proceed to the lifepod!”
 
Athrun attempted again to finish the fight in close combat. He went high with his Beam Saber and cut down. Kira dodged and bought him some space by firing his twin “Igelstellungs”.
 
Fllay was frozen near the exit hatch of the bridge and looked to the rear of the ship. “I don't believe it…! She's singing…!”
 
Sai grasped her arms and shook the teenager. “Fllay!”
 
“She's singing for the dead to come?!”
 
The Vesalius opened fire again on the Montgomery. Fllay's eyes widened as her power perceived the two beams lancing through space to her father's ship and gasped when an armoured silhouette cut their paths.
 
Alexandra Kerensky screamed as she poured her power through the pseudo-material of her shield, temporarily reinforcing it to the level of ship-scale armour. The relative small panel of red metal stopped one of the two beams. The other continued, unhindered, and hit the Montgomery on the right side of the armoured front. It was very fortunate that the ship followed the earlier instructions of the MS Girl or the attack would have struck the thinner and more vulnerable side of the Earth vessel and destroyed it.
 
There was an instant of hesitation as the protagonists dealt with the fact that an Exo-Frame had stopped a ship-scale weapon. Electric arcs coursing the hull of the Montgomery provoked short-circuit in many systems and blinded the vessel.
 
Aboard the ship, George Allster rushed to the lifepods to save his skin. The captain Koopman hyperventilated as he listened to his men shouting the many irreparable wounds of his vessel and took an ill-fated decision.
 
Was it the fact that his psyche had been severely shaken by the mental contact of Alex or was the Earth Captain grasping at straws as he listened to the blaring of his instinct of conservation. History won't know but the grey-haired officer rushed to a still functioning communication consol.
 
Shield still smoking from the interception, Alex panted as she considered the situation: They were cornered. If nobody did anything right now, they were doomed! Her whisper was `heard' by Natarle and Miriallia still in mental contact with her. `No turning back.'
 
Alex never thought she had to use this option. From many days, now, she had gathered and accumulated New-Type energy in order to seal Fllay's power. Her friends never really asked her why she was referring to the NT1 “ALEX” configuration as the first one she used. Through the Millennial War, her New-Type power had developed and with it the configurations she could summoned. For now a day, she could have summoned a more powerful configuration of her Power-Armour. She didn't do it because of the side-effect.
 
It had been Charlotte Aznable, who first, discovered that MS Girls weren't limited to one configuration. She also discovered the weakness of the Configuration Change: During a limited time, the MS Girl was accessing a well of power almost limitless. She could do anything within her capacities at full power but after that she was completely helpless for a variable amount of time. Worse, some MS Girls had tried to push over their limits. It was discovered that they could but they were burning their very life-force during the process: The MS Girl could literally tire herself to death.
 
The emerald aura burst at full power around the armoured teenager. “CONFIGURATION CHANGE… ON!”
 
The NT1 Chobham Full Armour Gundam disintegrated into particles as the nude silhouette of the young girl was obscured by the brightening aura.
 
Alex retained her white blue-trimmed inner-suit but another Power-Armour formed around her. First was a blue gold-trimmed upper torso-armour with a red centre. Blue coloured shoulder-pads with a gold trim followed. The hips were encased by white hip-protectors. The forearms were covered by a large blue and red armour piece with gold trim. White gold-trimmed armoured knee boots with the secondary propulsion unit and red sole materialized. Black red-trimmed inverted wings deployed with the main propulsion in the back of the torso. Finally, the white blue-trimmed headpiece with the golden V-fins appeared to complete the Power-Armour.
 
As the sphere of energy began to diffuse, the external weaponry appeared: An elongated black Beam Rifle in her golden-gloved right hand, an elongated black and red Shield on her left forearm and a very impressive blue Hyper Mega Launcher as long as her new Power-Armour fixed itself on her right shoulder Weapon Mount.
 
In the CIC, Natarle and Miriallia pronounced the name of the new configuration. “Mobile Suit Power-Armour Zeta Gundam...”
 
Eyes still blazing as two emerald pools, Alex fixed her Beam Rifle to her left shoulder Weapon Mount and aimed the Hyper Mega Launcher to the leading Nazca-class Karashi.
 
Targeting!
 
To have an idea of the destructive potential of a MS Girl, one must make some comparison with the power equivalent of their weaponry. The output of the Beam Rifle of NT1 “ALEX” was 1.3 MW. The power output of the Zeta Gundam's Beam Rifle was now at 5.7 MW, but the power level of the Hyper Mega Launcher charging up on her shoulder was an impressive 8.3 MW. Worse, all those weapons, powered by New-Type energy, fired a stream of Mega-Particles issued from pseudo-Minovsky Particles and unknown in this universe.
 
A lance of pure yellow energy seemed to suddenly link the small human-scale armoured silhouette and the gargantuan vessel. After an infinitesimal fraction of eternity, the beam dissipated. A smoking round glowing hole could be discerned in the armoured hatch of the Mobile Suit hangar of the Karashi. A corresponding hole was emitting arcs of electricity in the rear of the cruiser.
 
The Nazca-class cruiser Karashi exploded.
 
Everyone was paralyzed by the sheer power demonstrated. And then, an almost panicked voice broke the moment.
 
“Attention, ZAFT forces! This is the Montgomery of the Earth Alliance Forces!”
 
Still flabbergasted by the earlier events, the ZAFT radio-operator managed to analyze the emission. “It's a broadcast from the last Earth ship on all frequencies.”
 
Koopman was sensor-blinded and too panicked to remark what happened near his vessel. Even his men didn't know how to react. “Currently in the care of the Archangel is PLANT Supreme Council Chairman Siegel Clyne's daughter, Lacus Clyne!”
 
Aboard the Aegis, Athrun suddenly stopped his duel with the Strike as he heard the Earth officer. “What?”
 
Kira could only gape as he heard the message.
 
Alex whirled to the severely damaged Earth vessel. `What the hell is he doing?!'
 
An image taken from the databanks of the Archangel and expedited with the crew list to the advance fleet a few hours ago appeared on all the screens: Lacus Clyne exiting her lifepod in front of the bridge crew of the Archangel with four armed soldiers.
 
Fredrick Ades's eyes widened. “Miss Lacus?”
 
Seeing that his ship wasn't blown into pieces, Koopman continued, an edge of viciousness tainting his voice. “They came across a lifepod with her on board and took her in, for humanitarian reasons. However, should you decide to attack those ships, we shall consider that as abandonment of your responsibilities to protect Miss Clyne. We will then take care of this situation as we see fit!”
 
Athrun Zala tightened his jaw in impotent rage. “Bastards!”
 
Kira was aghast by the dishonourable tactic.
 
Alex's eyes widened as the impact of the statement echoed in the consciousnesses around her. `Insufferable FOOL!' The Hyper Mega Launcher began to charge anew. `I can't even retract the statement just like this or I'll initialize our slaughtering. Damn you, Koopman! You're a dead man!'
 
Aboard his Moebius Zero, Mu's eyes narrowed. “I didn't expect this.” He then blinked upon feeling the mounting rage emitted in the Astral background. `Uh oh! It's Miss-Glowing-Eyes!'
 
Suddenly, all the New-types jerked in dread as their senses detected something dire. In the gutted entrails of the Montgomery, the energy blast of the Vesalius had dealt much more serious damage than everybody believed.
 
The damage control operator paled and whirled to Koopman. “CAPTAIN!”
 
The Montgomery exploded, engulfing the exiting lifepods in its fiery death pyre. George Allster screamed as a bright light reached him.
 
Murrue jumped up and paled as her widened eyes gazed on the explosion.
 
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
 
The entire bridge whirled to the screaming young girl. Sai went to seize his distressed girlfriend in his arms and jerked back in pain as an intense blue aura manifested.
 
“No…! No…!”
 
The raw despair visible in her eyes ripped out the heart of the young boy. Murrue's eyes narrowed as she considered with alarm the growing aura.
 
In her cabin, Lacus Clyne stopped to sing, eyes widened as the sensorial Astral wave reached her. “Oh! My! God! Have mercy! Not that!”
 
Alexandra Kerensky froze as she felt a very characteristic resonance on the Astral background. `BHOZE MOÏ! Not that! Not now!' She blinked off in the emerald flash of her teleportation.
 
Rau Le Creuset snorted. “That's gotta feel awkward for them. They come to help, and once they find themselves in danger, they resort to this?” He smirked. “Too late concerning the Montgomery.”
 
Ades turned to him. “Commander! Why using such a cowardly tactic since they have a weapon capable to wipe us out?”
 
Rau shrugged. “Because they can't use it again. If they could, they should have used it at the beginning. The Exo-Frame must have limits even with the Orb Black-Project Coordinator piloting it.” He sighed. “All forces, cease attack!” He internally frowned as he considered that his “all forces” consisted in two GINNs and the Aegis.
 
Natarle exited her CIC and swore as she came into view of the glowing and floating distressed girl. “Evacuate the bridge!”
 
Everybody gasped and turned to the Ensign. “I don't know what's happening but we're all in danger!”
 
There was a whooshing sound as the Russian Esper materialized on the command deck and banished her Power-Armour. Her eyes widened as she looked to Fllay. “NIET! SHE'S ACCESSING THE MS GIRLS POWER!”
 
There was no time for explanations. Alex rushed to the glowing pink-dressed girl. The blue aura seemed to explode as she went through it. An emerald aura zapped into existence around the two girls and seemed to stop and contain the blue one.
 
The bridge crew could only assist to the struggle because they could all feel the awesome power liberated in the air.
 
Alex and Fllay were locked into a battle of wills and powers. Their New-Type energies melded, clashed and neutralized each other. More exactly, Alex was neutralizing the uncontrolled waves of energy from Fllay. The first transformation of a MS Girl was the most traumatizing because of the very way of accessing this kind of power.
 
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Very early in her original universe, almost everyone tried to unlock the secrets behind the MS Girl Transformation. It was determined that the power could only be accessed by female New-Type in an abrupt traumatised situation.
 
The New-Type was suddenly confronted by an event that shattered everything that mattered to her. In despair, her power reached for any type of anchor to instinctively stabilize the psyche. In those deep desperate situations, the female accessed a direct link to the Astral Plane.
 
The Astral Plane is a dimension that can only be reached by psionic powers and is composed entirely of psionic energy. The female New-Type is so suddenly connected to an infinite well of power. By a still unknown process that History assigned the discovery to Charlotte Aznable, the MS Girl fashioned the energy into a suit of armour that multiply her physical might by an immense factor.
 
Many theories had been written about the fact that if there were male New-Types, only a female New-Type could become a MS Girl. But none proved to be the right.
 
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As the struggle continued, Fllay was incoherent. She lashed on everything she could reach around her and unfortunately, Alex was on the first rank.
 
“FLLAY! NIET! DON'T GO THERE!”
 
The blue aura of Fllay suddenly began to throb and red swirls sparked inside. Alex was in agony. As she was focused to stop the potential devastation that the uncontrolled telekinetic power of Fllay could unleash, she let herself opened telepathically. Fllay's considerable budding power ripped open a zone of shadows in the mind of the displaced Esper and images flashed through the consciousness of everyone on the bridge and all New-Types in vicinity.
 
A space colony hit Sydney in Australia.
 
A colony was ravaged by two green Mobile Suits Zaku. They were later destroyed by a vengeful MS Girl Rei Amuro in her RX-78 Gundam configuration.
 
An operation led by MS Girl Charlotte Aznable failed to capture Jaburo, the headquarters of the Federation Forces.
 
A Russian colony is destroyed by Zeon Forces as they attempted to capture a new MS Girl configuration. Alexandra Kerensky, a Mobile Suit test pilot, managed to access the template for her first transformation but was unable to prevent the destruction of the colony by nuclear weapons.
 
Rei Amuro led the attack that broke Zeon Forces but was severely wounded by Charlotte Aznable in the battle and witnessed by an impotent Alex.
 
MS Girl Lieutenant Commander Anabel Gato stole the nuclear-armed Gundam Mobile Suit GP02A right under the nose of Alex and MS Girl Kou Uraki by using her friendship with the Russian girl.
 
A colony fell on the North American continent. Alex killed Anabel in an apocalyptic battle as she was confronted to her Neue Ziel Power-Armour configuration.
 
New-Type female Camille Bidan participated in the stealing of…
 
“NIET! STOP!”
 
Alex managed to clamp down the leaking of her past memories. But the sheer pain hidden in those memories finally triggered the direct link to the Astral Plane.
 
Fllay's aura suddenly changed to a bright red colour and Alex found herself projected against the bulkhead as the aura condensed into a sphere around the traumatized young girl.
 
Zeon MS girls discovered early that they could save energy by taking a template for their first transformation or the succeeding Configuration Changes. Generally, the template was the configuration of an admired MS Girl or an existing Mobile Suit. Fllay must have stolen something from the memories of the Russian teenager, because the Power-Armour materializing in the crimson globe stopped the heart of the immortal Esper.
 
The pink dress disintegrated and was replaced by the same inner-suit as Alex but with a red white-trimmed colour. Then, the Power-Armour formed around her. First was the completely red upper torso-armour. Next were rounded red-coloured shoulder-pads with an impressive metallic exhaust nozzle. The hips were encased by red hip-protections. The forearms were covered by an elongated red armoured gauntlet with metal-grey trim. Red armoured knee boots with the secondary propulsion unit materialized. Red wings deployed with the main propulsion in the back of the torso. Finally, the red helmet-like headpiece with the left antenna appeared to complete the Power-Armour.
 
All in all, as the sphere of energy dissipated, the Power-Armour of Fllay had a distinctive organic look with curves in place of the sharp angles of Alex's own Power-Armour.
 
Still shining with despair, the blue eyes of Fllay trailed her newly armoured silhouette, then the young girl fainted as her psyche couldn't take anymore. In the zero-gee condition of the bridge, she floated unconscious as her Power-Armour dissipated, letting her clad in her red inner-suit with grey gloves and slippers.
 
Eyes still widened, blood staining her hair, Alexandra Kerensky could only whispered the name of the configuration and the name of a ghost of her past. “Bhoze Moï… The Gerbera Tetra configuration…! A new “Red Comet”…?”
 
She suddenly realized that she was shaken by the shoulders by Sai. “Alex?! Alex?! Answer me?! ALEX!”
 
“I…am…listening…Sai.”
 
“Will she be all right? Tell me?! Will she be all right?!”
 
Alex looked down. “She will be all right…physically.” She heard the sharp intake of many on the bridge. “Her transformation is unfortunately just another trauma to add to the death of her father.” She sighed and closed her eyes as she felt her power running to the end of her Configuration Change-induced boost. “Let her sleep for now. It's the only thing we can do until she awakes.”
 
Murrue Ramius and Natarle Badgiruel sighed as the very first MS Girl of this universe was taken out of the command deck.
 
Murrue shook her head. “What a situation. We loose all the advance fleet despite our efforts. Fllay has just witnessed the death of her father, a Federation Vice Minister, AND transformed into a MS Girl. ZAFT will now believe that we retain Lacus Clyne as a hostage. And, finally, the Le Creuset team is breathing down our necks again.”
 
Natarle sighed and massaged her temples. “You know that we cannot afford to have the Strike and the Archangel destroyed here.”
 
Murrue felt very unhappy because they had profited of the honourless method used by Koopman. “I know, Natarle.”
 
“Good thing Koopman died in the explosion of his ship.”
 
The two officers turned and blinked to the exhausted girl. “What do you mean?”
 
“I would have killed this coward myself.”
 
The cold statement froze the captain and her second and Alex continued.
 
“I was charging again my Hyper Mega Launcher. If his ship didn't explode because of its internal damage, I would have just waited for his men to evacuate and then…” The green eyes hardened and narrowed. “…I would have vaporized his command bridge with him.”
 
Natarle gulped. She had actually thought of using the PLANT civilian like that. Perhaps not as a hostage but as mean to buy them safe passage.
 
Alex had a weak smile. “I hope you won't need me for some times because I don't know when I'll emerge from unconsciousness.”
 
Her eyes closed and she began to slump and floated in the gravity zero under the alarmed gaze of the two women who now remarked the blood in her hair.
 
“ALEX!”
 
“ALEXANDRA!”
 
In the infirmary, a very anxious Sai was looking to his girlfriend. Fllay was having a very troubled sleep as nightmares ripped into her psyche.
 
In her cabin, Lacus Clyne had ceased to sing and was looking to the floor.
 
Her pink pet robot was trying to understand. “Haro. What's the problem? What's the problem? Haro.”
 
The pink-haired songstress revealed her crying and glowing blue eyes to her small bouncing friend. “Someone has just loose her innocence, Haro.” She closed her eyes. “And Death has come…”
 
“I won't accept that!”
 
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Preview:
 
“I just wanted to never lie to her.”
“I only wanted to save her, that's all.”
The words heard in a quiet mutter repeated at the back of one's heart.
Does true tragedy come from the pulled trigger or from the kindness that keeps it from being pulled?
The situation continues to betray Kira and Alex and ripples spread from the scars in the youngsters' hearts.
 
Next, On MS Seed Girls, “Crossroads, Crossed Swords”.
Grasp those tears and move on, Gundam!
 
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Notes: here is the result for the poll about the future girlfriend of Alex so far.
Fllay: 5.
Natarle: 2.
Miriallia: 0.
Murrue: 0.
Lacus: 0.
Cagalli: 0.
Aïsha : 0.
I think I'm going to stop here. And so Alex is fated with Fllay. You can continue to vote if you want. You can even propose others polls.
 
With the help of a few persons and my amazing collection of RPG, I managed to detail what a New-Type entitles with the Mekton Z rules (what's following is a guideline as I use dramatic licence in my stories):
 
Basic powers of all New-types: Heightened awareness, 3D spatial sense, low level Clairvoyance, low level Emotion Scan, low level Psi Blast, low level Psi Block and low level Telepathy.
 
Natarle: Her main focus is an amazing intuition. High level Danger Sensing, mid level clairvoyance, mid level Emotion Scan and high level Precognition.
 
Miriallia: Her main focus is telepathy. Mid level Aura Viewing, high level Emotion Scan, high level Illusion, high level Mind Lock, low level Possession, high level Psi Blast, mid level Suggestion and high level Telepathy.
 
Fllay: Her strength is with psychokinesis. Low level Aura Viewing, mid level Clairvoyance, low level Danger Sensing, high level Energy Manipulation, low level Healing, high level Levitation, low level Precognition, mid level Psi Block, high level Pyrokinesis, mid level Regeneration, mid level Stat Boost, high level Telekinesis and low level Teleportation.
 
Mu: His strength is within his spatial sense. Mid level Danger Sensing, low level Precognition, low level Regeneration, high level Stat Boost and mid level Telepathy.
 
Lacus: her main focus is with empathy. High level Aura Viewing, high level Danger Sensing, high level Emotion Scan, high level Psi Block, high level Psychometry, low level Suggestion and mid level Telepathy.
 
Here is the new configuration of Alex's Power-Armour:
 
Name: Mobile Suit Power-Armour MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam.
 
Height: 1.87 m. Weight: 62.3 kg.
 
Propulsion: 112.6 kg. Maximum thrusters acceleration: 1.81 G (494 km/h).
 
Fixed armaments:
Two fire-linked Vulcan-Gun 6 mm, 600 pseudo-rounds per gun, one thousands rounds per minute, mounted in head.
Two 2-tube Grenade Launcher, 2 pseudo-rounds per tube, one array per forearm, mounted in forearms.
Two Beam Sabers, power rated at 0.65 MW, stored in hip armour, hand-carried in use, can double as orientable fire-linked Beam Guns with power rated at 1.3 MW total for both.
 
Optional fixed armaments:
Grenade Launcher Cartridge, 18+1 pseudo-rounds, serves as extended ammunition magazine for Grenade Launcher.
Standard Shield with Anti-Beam Coating, mounted on left forearm.
 
Optional hand Armaments:
(BOWA) XRB-M87A2 Beam Rifle, power rated at 5.7 MW, doubles as large Beam Saber, can be mounted on shoulder Weapon Mount.
Hyper Mega Launcher, power rated at 8.3 MW, doubles as large Beam Saber, can be mounted on shoulder Weapon Mount.
 
Notes:
This configuration was the most agile of its time period.
The Power-Armour was capable to make an atmospheric re-entry from space on its own without the aid of Ballute Packs or other external re-entry systems.
This configuration was one of the most successful attempts to have an integrated amplifier for New-Type powers which boost them to the Mobile Suit scale. A surprising side-effect was that high emotions or total focus could amplify the power, speed and strength of the Armour for a short period of time.
 
And just because I'm feeling generous, here is the configuration for the Power-Armour of Fllay Allster:
 
Name: Mobile Suit Power-Armour AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra Gundam.
 
Height: 1.8 m. Weight: 73.2 kg, 86 kg with Sturm Booster.
 
Propulsion: 216 kg, 316 kg with Sturm Booster. Maximum thrusters acceleration: 2.95 G (1580 km/h), 3.67 G (2575 km/h) with Sturm Booster.
 
Fixed armaments:
Four 11 mm Machine Cannon, mounted in pairs in arms, each pair fire-linked.
Two Beam Sabers, stored in hip armour, hand-carried in use.
 
Optional hand armaments:
Beam Machine Gun.
Standard Shield with Anti-Beam Coating.
 
Optional features:
Sturm Booster.
 
Thanks for their reviews to Holyknight5, James Axelrad and Vampwriter.
 
Thanks for the ideas to Holyknight5.
 
Thanks for the comments to Vampwriter.
 
Read, review, comment and send your ideas. Thanks and please.