The day after our mock battle, the Archangel successfully rendezvoused with the Kusanagi, which had been launched into orbit via Orb's Mass Driver.
The Kusanagi was a modular vessel, designed to separate into bow, midship, and stern sections. However, since the Orb engineers had performed all necessary calibrations and docking on the ground before launch, we were spared the headache of a mid-orbit assembly—a departure from the original timeline that saved us precious time.
"Archangel, do you read me?"
"Loud and clear," Murrue replied to Kisaka, who was acting as the Kusanagi's de facto captain. They spent a few minutes exchanging status reports on their respective ascents into the void.
"As Axel predicted," Kisaka continued, his voice heavy with professional concern, "the Earth Alliance has mobilized to retake Victoria Base."
"The Eurasian Federation and the East Asia Republic are leading the charge?" I asked, leaning into the comms.
"Correct. The Atlantic Federation is staying quiet for now—likely still licking their wounds after their recent defeat. However... they did dispatch one ship. According to Orb's intelligence, it's carrying something called 'Boosted Men.' They're piloting those new transformable units."
The Raider... which meant Victoria was as good as fallen. Kroto was a "Boosted Man"—a biological CPU—who possessed combat capabilities that, while not quite on Kira's level, far exceeded any standard ZAFT pilot. Victoria didn't have anyone who could hold the line against a machine like that. If Yzak's Duel or Rau Le Creuset were stationed there, they might have stood a chance, but as it stood, the base was doomed.
"So, we have a grace period until the Alliance retakes Victoria and pushes into space," I noted.
"And our destination is Mendel, in the L4 cluster?" Cagalli asked, appearing on the screen next to Kisaka.
I nodded. "Yes. We've packed as many supplies as possible, and I can supplement the rest if we run low."
I had spent most of yesterday cramming the Spatial Warehouse with enough logistics to sustain a small army.
"Even so, our resources aren't infinite," Athrun added from the Kusanagi's bridge. "If there are facilities we can utilize, we should."
"There are several functional colonies still drifting in L4," Athrun continued. "ZAFT investigated them a while back following reports of a suspicious group using them as a hideout. They're abandoned now, but several still have working life support and power systems."
"And Mendel is one of them?" Mu asked.
Athrun shook his head. "I only know that functional colonies exist in that sector. I don't know the specifics of which is which. We'll have to verify once we arrive."
"Then it's settled," Kira said, siding with Athrun. The fleet set its course for L4.
"Are you truly okay with this, kid?"
Mu's voice was gentle, but his eyes were fixed on Athrun with a look of genuine concern.
"I don't just mean you. I mean your friend back there, too. I saw the battle at Orb. I know the stakes. I don't care about the color of the uniform you're wearing, but the fact is, our immediate enemy is ZAFT. Are you prepared to take up arms against your own people? You're Patrick Zala's son, aren't you?"
Fighting ZAFT meant fighting Patrick Zala, the supreme leader of the Plants. It meant fighting his own father. For Dearka, it meant facing his best friend Yzak or his commander, Rau. These weren't choices one made lightly over breakfast.
"It doesn't matter whose son he is!" Cagalli burst out. "Athrun is—"
"Cagalli, stop," Mu interrupted, his voice firm. "For a soldier to desert is a nightmare. To turn your gun on the side led by your own father? That's something else entirely. You can't fight a war without believing in your cause. Having that cause turned upside down... it doesn't happen overnight. He's a regular ZAFT soldier, unlike Kira. If he's going to stand with us, I need to know he's in it for the long haul."
A heavy silence fell over both bridges. Athrun took a breath, his expression hardening with a resolve that looked like it had been forged in fire.
"...I spoke with Kira and Cagalli in Orb. And I've heard much from Axel-san. My father... he intends to use a weapon capable of scouring the Earth clean. I don't know who is right in this conflict between Naturals and Coordinators anymore. Maybe no one is. But I know that destroying the Earth is an absolute evil. I have to stop him. I cannot let him carry that sin on his soul. That is my truth."
The silence that followed was respectful, almost somber.
"You've got a good head on your shoulders," Mu said with a faint smile. "You're a lot more grounded than Kira."
"He's always been like that," Kira added, offering a self-deprecating chuckle.
"Lord Uzumi... no, the nation of Orb has placed a massive burden on us," I said, breaking the mood. "The fate of the world is a hell of a thing to carry."
"No kidding," Mu laughed. "Two ships trying to save the world? It sounds like the plot of a bad B-movie. Though, with you Shadow Mirror folks around, the punchline is that we might actually pull it off."
"Hmph. A small band of warriors changing the course of history..." Cornelia murmured, her voice laced with a bitter sort of nostalgia. "It sounds remarkably like the Black Knights."
"The Black Knights?" Kira asked.
"Yes. In my world, they were an organization formed by a man named Zero, claiming to liberate Japan. Though Axel's intervention brought that to an end. And besides..."
Her voice trailed off, her eyes clouding as she likely thought of Euphemia. I reached out, squeezing her hand—briefly, but with enough pressure to let her know I was there.
"I will set things right for Euphemia," I said quietly. "I promise you."
"Axel..."
"Pardon me for ruining the 'atmosphere,'" Murrue interrupted, her eyes narrowed in a playful but distinctly pointed "jealous commander" look. "But could you save the romantic promises for when you're alone? Or, at the very least, when we are together?"
I offered a sheepish grin as the tension on the bridge evaporated into lighthearted chuckles.
"A small fire, yet it burns bright enough to withstand the darkness," Cagalli whispered, watching us from the monitor.
"Cagalli?" Kira asked.
"Nothing. Just some words my father left me with before the Kusanagi launched."
"There are people in the Plants who feel the same way," Athrun added.
"Lacus?" Kira asked.
"That pink-haired princess?" Mu chimed in.
"Yes. Athrun's fiancée," Kira confirmed.
Cagalli gasped, her eyes widening as she looked between Kira and Athrun, but Athrun didn't notice. He was too focused on the grim reality of his homeland.
"She is being hunted now. Labeled a traitor... by my father."
"What!?"
"Is this because of the Freedom?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"Yes. There was security footage. She helped Kira steal the suit."
"No... this is my fault," Kira whispered, his face paling. "She's in danger because of me?"
Athrun shook his head. "That may have been the catalyst, but knowing Lacus, she would have ended up in my father's crosshairs eventually. Her ideals were never going to align with his."
"Yeah, she didn't seem like the type to sit quietly and knit," Mu recalled with a wry smile, remembering their time with her on the Archangel.
"Regardless, our objectives are clear," I stated, steering the conversation back to the mission. "First, we reach Mendel and prevent the N-Jammer Canceller data from falling into Alliance hands. Second, we disable ZAFT's Genesis. Finally, under the banner of Orb, we force both sides to the negotiating table."
"Easier said than done," Mu countered. "ZAFT won't just roll over. And the Alliance? As long as Blue Cosmos is pulling the strings at the top, they'll never stop."
"I know. That's why preventing the NJC transfer is only half the job. The other half is ensuring Muruta Azrael doesn't survive this war. As for ZAFT..." I turned my gaze toward Athrun. "I want to save Patrick Zala if I can. But you need to be prepared for the worst."
"...I understand," Athrun replied softly.
"Well! Now that the gloom is settled, shall we make for this 'Mendel' place?" Lemon suggested, clapping her hands together to signal the start of operations.
The crews began their final checks, but Cagalli spoke up one last time, her voice uncharacteristically hesitant.
"Um, sorry to interrupt, but... could you send Kira over to the Kusanagi for a bit? I have something... something personal I need to talk to him about."
"Kira-kun?" Murrue looked at Kira, who seemed just as confused as everyone else.
I knew exactly what this was about. Uzumi must have given Cagalli the photograph—the one of them as infants—before she launched. It was a mercy, really. Better she tells him now than let the revelation hit them like a freight train in the ruins of the Mendel research labs.
"Is that alright?" Kira asked.
"Go ahead," Murrue said. "We've got a long flight to Mendel and nothing but patrol duty until we get there. Axel, you don't have any objections, do you?"
"None," I said. "The Alliance is too busy with Victoria to chase us, and the Moon Base won't have the logistics to launch a pursuit until Victoria is secured. ZAFT is the only real threat, but even then... they have their hands full with Lacus's resistance."
That was the half-truth. I knew Rau Le Creuset was the real wild card. He was the one who would leak the NJC data to the Alliance. Part of me wanted to intercept him, to expose him to the Plants and have him neutralized before he could burn the world. But Rau was slippery. If I missed, he'd find another way—one I might not be able to predict.
No, it was better to let the pieces fall where I could see them. At Mendel, I wouldn't just be hunting Azrael. I'd be ending Rau Le Creuset's shadow war once and for all.
Axel Almar - Status
Level: 37
Psychokinesis: LV.10
Inventory: Spatial Warehouse (Capacity: Infinite / Status: Time-Frozen)
Current Goal: Secure Mendel / Neutralize Muruta Azrael & Rau Le Creuset
Kills: 294
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded over 40 chapters of this story on Patreon.
If you're enjoying it and want to read ahead, feel free to check them out here:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thanks a lot for your support, it really helps me keep going.
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"