“Yes sir. I will let Captain Houston know the request.” Mercurio agreed. He allowed Donna to have the photo while he added, “I can only hope we are able to provide further answers in such areas as this one.”

Several Earth Sphere soldiers made their way down the halls before they found Klaus making his way towards the backdoor entrance of the Parliamentary Building. Not expecting anything out of the ordinary the leading one announced, “General, the assembly requires your presence. If you are finished with your current business we will escort you to the hall.”

Malcolm summoned for the final part of the meeting when he announced, “We shall now accept Coalition General Edward Blare to the hearing.”
Edward followed the Earth Sphere soldiers when he stood before the representatives of the Earth Sphere. It was here Edward had to rely on the efforts of his silver tongue. “I thank you for permitting me to present my case House members of the Earth Sphere. I have come here today to provide the Earth Sphere with the critical information because I like any other decent leader, only wish to see an end to this war. With how the Coalition has continued to act over the past decade, we have seen that its lack of unity has ultimately been among the factors that brought them to fail today. The short minded ambition of General Rayen Vasquez has been an example of the divisions that infested the Coalition years ago.
“This was during a time when the Earth Sphere had begun to win its right to exist while squabbling military leaders hoped to achieve their own ends. The four years of internal fighting was the result of a united effort among me and other leaders to see we would provide humanity with what we honestly hoped was the best path forward for a peaceful Earth. And I was among those who most fervently believed it would work… In my years as a Colonel of that time, I commanded the regiment that would see to the end of President Hermine Falson due to her inability to unite the military leaders against their ambitions. But under the hopes of her son Nathaniel, I had a renewed hope that the Falson family would realize its dream of undoing the wrongdoings of Earth Sphere presidents who have long since left the area of politics.” His short speech had ended after he provided his request, “I realize that my past actions as a military leader for the Coalition can in no way permit me to have a future with the Earth Sphere military. It is therefore my intention to request a new position as an intelligence provider for OZ. I shall provide information to them while offering what the Earth Sphere will require to push forward against its enemies.”
There was small talk among the representatives before Malcolm ended the case early when he warned, “We leave the decision to its leaders but you will still have your actions as a prisoner of war to answer for.” He reminded the representatives of a situation such as this when he explained, “Currently we must reform the image of the Earth Sphere. OZ will be among those who shall serve as a specialized force to end the conflict that has arisen.”
Edward gave his courtly bow when he agreed to the decision. “I shall accept the judgment of the House. I only ask for the simplest request that I am no longer associated with what has become a pit of those who choose to put their own ambitions ahead of a unified effort towards peace.”
Hiram was the first to point out a possible flaw when he asked, “I should like to know House Speaker, even if we do manage to officially disassociate ourselves with OZ to the public eye, how will we explain what their actions along with our own as well?”
Edward turned around while the soldiers nearby escorted him away but commented to himself, “A conundrum indeed. Perhaps the good President will provide something to alleviate this concern from this nation.”

The General looked at the soldier. "Yes, please tell the representatives that I'll be there when I'm finished." He answered. He left the parliament building and had a car waiting for him. He got on and signalled the driver to make a move out to a military depot outside of the city.

***

Lord Lindemann was skeptic to have someone that has a bad habit of backstabbing. "Mr. Blair, perhaps we should discuss this is private on how you will work with OZ." He responded. "I will meet you after I have another business done." He left the hall with his daughter and Stuart with Instructor W remaining to hear the rest of the session.
As the three made their way across the corridors to find an isolated room, they began a conversation on what they'll roughly do.
"We will have to develop a structure quickly." The Lord declared. "It's best to get these things done quickly."
Stuart gave a sigh. "No time for a drink?" He asked. He only received a glare from his best friend. "Right, right. It's the Lindemann being the stuck-up he is routine."

Milou analysed the defecting Coalition General by his background. He had every good reason not to trust him at all. He walked to Mercurio. "I don't trust him." He told his cousin. "Those types will need to be watched for any betrayal."

As soon as the General found his way to the car, the soldier who followed him reported to his sergeant, “We’ve found the General sir. It appears he’s making his way to somewhere out of the area.”
He heard the other line respond, “He is? In the middle of the meeting?” There was a brief pause before he was given a second order. “Have surveillance ensure his safety. Make sure that his path is clear from any possible Coalition activity.”
It was a convenient reason to see the General would return when the soldier agreed, “Yes sir.” He changed the frequency of his radio to signal to various forces who had begun to prepare through the city, “We have to secure a path for a military official. Make certain that all areas near the city are free of enemy activity.”

Edward had achieved the pitch he wanted the Earth Sphere to take now that his life was in the hands of another organization. As he made his way for the exit he accepted the OZ leader’s request when he promised, “Very understandable Lord Lindemann. I do not expect to be welcomed with open arms but I only hope that my first acts as a mere opponent of the Coalition is a first step to showing what I can provide.” He turned with a friendly wave when he parted, “I shall see you after your business is concluded sirs.”

Mercurio was quick to agree when he heard Milou give his observation, “I can’t say I do either. Our past experiences with Coalition members haven’t usually been mutually beneficial. Even his case for defection is very familiar.”
Dana had her own piece to add to the conversation when she saw Edward leaving for the entry room. “Even Tano was pretty much just a one-time deal. I’m going to guess that if the good General sees an opportunity to stir up his own chaos he’s going to take it.” She tried to determine if Edward’s acceptance was even plausible for now when she added, “We’ll have to see if Stuart and Lindemann decide to just have him executed in secret.”
Mercurio nodded when he added, “I suppose so. We’ll need to make sure he is given some really close observation if he does get accepted into OZ though.”

Malcolm saw Edward leave while he was reported by one of the guards, "Mr. Representative, we have a status update on General Ulbricht. He says that he has some important business to attend to but will be returning shortly."
This left Malcolm somewhat curious on the General's decision and asked, "Did he specify on what?"
"No sir. He left without any report. We shall see that he returns."
Malcolm finally decided ti must have been worth the General's time if he was called to something and continued, "Very well. His account will be addressed at a later time while we determine the autonomy of OZ. Despite our current numbers we shall continue to operate as we have prior. All representatives please determine your suggestions on our connection with the new OZ."
Before the subject was addressed one of the restless representatives stood while voicing her concern, "With all due respect Mr. Representative, how is it that we are supposed to recognize the safety of this man? We have seen him offer a warning to us when we were under siege from the Testudo."
Malcolm knew the decision was going to be remaining on his conscience for the rest of the meeting but tried to remind the representative, "True as it may be, we must see if he is sincere in his offer of providing enemy intelligence. It will be up to Lord Lindemann and his assistants to decide if the General's information is enough to keep the Coalition from planning another invasion of the capital."
The Representative sat down while she gave agreement, "I suppose we should accept any honest information he has to offer. As you said however, he will still have to answer for his actions now that he is in our custody." Malcolm didn't answer back and saw some of the military personnel being escorted out. At this point they had their standing. They would only now have to wait for how the Earth Sphere would treat them in later days. Mercurio offered a salute to his mother and father while they saw him from below and made his way to the exit.

The General realised by how his path was being secured, there is no way to escape questioning of the whereabouts of the President. He got a cyanide capsule out of his pocket, something he will use if the situation is truely dire. His car arrived at a disused depot occupied by the Berlin forces and disembarked to a communications tower. He entered the abandoned control room and began typing at one of the computers. He wrote the serial number of the shuttle to communicate one last time to the President.

The OZ members found themselves an unused room to use to discuss their matters. "Blair is difficult to accept in this situation." Lord Lindemann explained. "He was willing to backstab the Coalition."
"But he helped in liberating Brussels." Stuart added. "We can give him limited power as a small gesture. However, we should keep a close eye on him."
"I met a similar general that betrayed the Coalition on Mars." Donna related. "He can try to hijack OZ under our noses."
Lord Lindemann concluded the topic of Blair. "I will say we accept him but we will keep him on surveillance." He said. He brought on a new topic. "Another topic is to organise the organisation." He continued. "I'll create a charter for our structure and we'll see what else the parliament will say."
Donna listened to her father. She didn't have much to say on OZ but it sounds like her father would get a place for her. She looked back at the old photo again to compare the change that happened across the years.

Milou was glad that Mercurio agreed. "There are numerous assassination attempts within the Coalition." He informed. "You really can't trust anyone from there. Before we left Mars I think there was one going on also."

One of the soldiers managed to see the General enter the old military facility and reported back, "The general has made his way in sir. Current activity is unknown."
The voice on the other line ordered, "Wait for him to exit. He will be escorted back once he his finished with his work."
The observer asked for orders, "Should we inquire his work sir?"
The voice on the other line turned down the idea when requesting, "Once he returns we will begin inquiry on what he may know of todays events."

While Franz continued his trip he found the message hailing system being activated. Someone had found his signal or at least knew it was time to contact him. After permitting the signal through he found that the final steps of his plan were safely moving forward. He greeted Klaus, "General. Has the Parliament has been secured?"

Keijo wondered about the amount of distrust that seemed to be prevalant through their enemies when he pointed out, "It's kind of a wonder how the Coalition managed to hold itself together for so long."
"Perhaps that is the reason the Coalition was able to remain intact." Mercurio pointed out. "There will be some who want to use it as a grounds simply for seeing that the most powerful military leaders are the ones who become the next to rule. As it is however, it seems Hermine Falson didn't account for how soon they would wish to achieve that system."
Edward was able to hear those words when he observed his captors from afar while his guards were taken in for interrogation. The question of Edward's loyalty had grown so significant that even the common soldier was able to question it. "Gratitude cannot be expected from everyone it seems. It shall be a matter of circumstances if they should be useful pawns sometime soon however."

About an hour passed before the members of the house managed to gather the possible motions to treat the new OZ while Malcolm stood before the meeting to anonunce the next motion, "It seems General Ulbricht has yet to return, so I must bring forward the succeeding motion to our previous case. Have the results on Nathaniel Falson's body returned?"
He saw one of the guards bring the results to him and while reporting, "Yes Mr. Speaker, we have recieved results from the recent medical studies. It is him indeed."
Malcolm updated the house members, "It has been confirmed then. The Coalition President has been killed. We cannot confirm who was his killer but we can now begin talks with the Coalition announcing these recent events."
Relena was the first to agree with the position, "It will possibly bring forth a new President for us to negotiate with, but we can hope that their new leader will be more open to talks than the previous Falson administrations."
Another house member managed to voice his concern when he reminded, "Will they even consider the idea of a ceasefire? The death of their President at our hands will permit the conclusion we will demand something of their sovereignty."
Malcolm reminded him, "We will not demand anything from the Coalition other than peace. Our prior contact with the Coalition has been made impossible due to Nathaniel's commitment to see our fall. We must approach the situation now with a new attempt at ending this conflict for the sake of all humanity."
One of the representatives near Malcolm nodded in agreement when he observed, "Perhaps it is better to approach this scenario with a hopeful mindset. At least we can see if a fresh start is possible."
Malcolm brought the motion into a summary when he offered, "As soon as the proper facilities have been built I suggest that we make contact with 3 Juno and attempt our new talks with the Coalition."

The General gave his reply. "Yes Mr. President, the parliament is secured." He answered. "Will you be informing them of your safety at any point sir? They are demanding answers on what happened at Amsterdam."

Lord Lindemann finished the charter. "That can be our foundation." He commented as he wrote his signature. He then beckoned his daughter and friend to sign the charter as witnesses. He had one more thing. "One more thing." He informed them. He gave each sealed envelope. "When I'm injured or killed, bring it to the Parliament." He instructed. "It's our insurance in case something bad happens."
Stuart nodded. "Got it." He replied.
Donna placed the envelope inside her jacket. They moved out of the room to return to the Parliament to hear the rest of the session. They will find Edward as well to discuss further matters.

Milou lauded the suggestion of peace-talks with the Coalition. Both sides already faced heavy losses, especially the Coalition with the loss of the President. He was however concerned if it will bring true peace to the Earth-Sphere for both sides can fight again.

***

The Anaconda travelled for nearly a day away from Brussels. Orders were passed to regroup at Konisberg, where the Coalition's Eastern European forces used as their centre of operations. Tano saw the the Gundam is getting low on fuel when they were getting close and the pilot himself didn't sleep since the withdrawal. "We're almost there." He muttured to himself.

Malcolm saw the soldiers and leaders of OZ return to the meeting hall and prepared his speech for the decision of the meeting. He stood presenting, “Members of the Earth Sphere Parliament, members of the new OZ organization. We have now arrived to several conclusions in response to the events of today. The Earth Sphere has been able to avoid the edge of death from its enemies thanks to the valiant efforts of the men and women who chose in the face of many conflicting factors to serve their nation. The only regret we have now is what we must subject the new OZ to.” He hesitated before he listed the conditions that had been decided earlier. “As of this meeting we now have the following we shall now implement the following motions on how OZ shall operate. The first motion is that the leaders of OZ are responsible for managing all resources and shall not make any attempts to meet or exceed that of the main government. OZ is requested from this point on to act as an independent body in service to the Earth Sphere United Nations but it will not be open with its affiliation and avoid all possible attempts at communication with the common Earth populace. We hope to find further progress in the line of seeing OZ maintain its place.” Malcolm tried not to see contact with any of the OZ leaders while he listed the two conditions and made his way towards the final decision of today. “The final decision we have made is in relation to our relations with the Falson Coalition. We have concluded Nathaniel Falson is in fact dead. Once the Coalition has received this news, there is a chance we shall come under scrutiny. We can only hope that with new leadership we shall have a chance of bringing back the peace talks to end this conflict. This may be our first chance for some form of peace in many years to come. We must now take this opportunity with these factors in mind, we must seize this chance at declaring a ceasefire with the Coalition.”
There was a solemn applause among the House when Malcolm finished the speech. Relena nodded to the progress that had been made today. The heavy price that had to be paid was one of the most regrettable things she would ever have to live with but it was a chance to see the war ending soon.
Mercurio saw his parents from across the room with their appreciation for the decision and knew that there was a chance for this conflict to end. He had committed himself to this war with the intention of seeing his mother have a chance at vindication. Perhaps now his mission was complete.

Edward was among the audience to applaud Malcolm’s ruling while he commented to himself, “So it appears that they are now prepared for a beginning. Perhaps this OZ will clear its name.” He questioned his fate when he lent a look towards Till when he pondered, “Can you demonstrate the wisdom to show that my information is necessary then?”

With the long amount of time Oleg had forced himself to embrace the remains of the Anaconda, he seemed to lose almost all senses except for his grip. Both hunger and sleepiness were threatening to overtake him even after such a battle but he was capable of maintaining his willpower. The only thoughts lingering in his mind were the final moments battling the Sandesgeist. He had lost the most powerful machine he ever piloted while being forced to endure this long trip. He rubbed his eyes with his hand while he tried to determine his destination wondering, “… Where did we end up?”

“Give them the news that I must engage in my own personal mission. It is now their time to prepare for this operation’s final outcome. The executive succession shall proceed with an Interim President.” Franz instructed. He showed a graphic of the Earth slowly spinning while the small landing pods from Luna made their contact. “The Sol Thero units will be making their drop to the Earth’s surface within a matter of hours. The fate of the Parliament shall be in the hands of the military leaders. The time to decide the true leaders of humanity shall arrive.” He gave a final instruction to Klaus when he finished, “Let them know of this much for now, in three weeks’ time they will see an end to this war and the end of all conflicts to come. When you are asked for information on anything I am discussing now, answer them that you have no other information on where I will be located. It will be a matter of time now General… The Eclipse is coming.”

"Yes sir." Ulbricht replied. "I will give them the news of your mission." He ended the transmission to the President. He placed his cyanide pill away for he has another task before leaving the room. He saluted the guards that guarded the entrance to the room and walked out to his transport. "Back to the parliamentary building." He ordered. The driver immediately complied and began driving out of the depot.

Instructor W got updated news on his mobile phone on the parts for the Sandesgeist. The parts successfully arrived and are now ready to be used to upgrade the Sandesgeist. What he found strange is that there are some packages from Luna delivered at the same time. "That's weird." He thought. "Didn't order anything from there. Did Architect I want to send something and forgot to tell me?" He thought to himself.

Lord Lindemann agreed that OZ should act independently as a cover of a splinter group for the time being. "Very well." He spoke to himself. "It may be better to pose as a splinter group." He joined with the applause as a gesture of approval.
Donna found the Instructor making his way to her like if here's some news. "The parts to upgrade Sandesgeist arrived." He informed her.
Sandesgeist's pilot was happy with the news. "That's great." She replied.
The Instructor brought the next news. "Also it looks like something's sent from Luna as well." He added. "I think it's for either Mercurio or your captain."
"I'll go tell them." She answered. She brielfy came to where Mercurio and the Rogue Wings are. "It looks like there's some package from Luna." She informed and made her way back to the Instructor.
"I'll go begin the upgrade now." Instructor W said. "You want to come along to see how it will turn out?"
Donna thought of how she wants to clear her mind for a while. "I'll head there later." She replied to the offer. "I'll take a stroll before going there."

Ulbricht's car arrived at the parliament building with soldiers awaiting him. He gave them a brief salute before being escorted to the parliament. He was taken outside of the main chamber to wait for his turn to speak on the podium.

***

Tano saw that they're near the rallying point. There were multiple signals near Konisberg, all presumably from the survivors of Brussels. However the numbers were too large to include survivors from the city so there could be others that were evicted.
"Unit, identify yourself." Came a voice from the communications tower within the city.
Tano gave his reply. "Lieutenant Tano Kiprotich, Anaconda Gundam." He reported. "I am also with Oleg Tsubarov. We retreated from Brussels after the Earth-Sphere liberated the city."

Dana and Mercurio heard the report from Donna and knew they would have to find out what had just arrived. Dana could tell at least one of them would have to leave in escort with Instructor W though she didn’t see the need to push Mercurio’s day of military activity any further. “You feel like seeing what’s there Yuy?”
“Probably not. I should see if anyone needs help out in the streets.” He answered. It seemed like a convenient reason.
It was probably going to lead to some more work for him but he would at least have a chance to meet with some fellow citizens for a change. She agreed to his choice reminding, “If you offer any support, just remind everyone you’re with the Earth Sphere.”
Mercurio saluted before leaving, “I’ll do that Captain.”
Dana offered a final word, “I’ll be sure to let you know what this thing from Luna is too.” She made her way to the entrance with the Instructor at her side, “Time to have a gander at what’s come in it sounds like.”

A short amount of time passed before Malcolm heard on his personal radio, “Mr. Representative. We have received word that General Ulbricht has returned from his personal business sir.”
He was quick to contact back, “Very good. Let him in.”
As Klaus began to make his way in, Relena introduced, “The House recognizes General Klaus Ulbricht before the remainder of the Earth Sphere Parliament.”
Malcolm saw the General standing at attention and welcomed with his request, “General Ulbricht. We are fortunate that you and your men have been able to assist in the retaking of our city capital. We are also aware of the chaotic demands the siege required. In response to what has transpired today, the House request a report on what has passed in the past few hours. We must know the current location of President Franz Kecker and how his administration is to be handled in light of his absence.”

Heero waited until the General gave his report before he added to the hearing, “You’re aware that a suicide squad was present within the city of Amsterdam sir? According to Captain Houston’s report they destroyed themselves after being questioned of the President’s whereabouts and being offered an escort to Brussels. Can you offer confirmation these men were required to respond with this action?”

Naina had left the meeting when she saw the device on display for the Parliament to view. By now there wouldn’t be anything to offer she didn’t know. She found one of the hallways and noticed Devine had been waiting for her to arrive. He greeted, “It sounds as though you’ve decided your Earth alias has outlived its use.” Naina nodded to his observation while hearing out what he had to evaluate. “From what has begun, it is apparent President Kecker is prepared to move forward with his plan.”
“I have brought the Earth to the point of ruin. If I had remained committed to the mission, I would have found the methods necessary to expose the President’s plans sooner.” Naina added to their exchange.
Devine tried to ease the burden of her actions when he explained, “You did what anyone concerned for their family would do. The real diversion from what we have planned came when General Blare attempted to break his President’s hold on the city. He managed to secure this chaos when your uncle was willing to follow on the offer.”
Naina shook her head when she answered, “We can point the blame at anyone who was involved. It will not prevent Franz from achieving the mass destruction he is looking for.”
“Regrettably that is the only outcome now. Starting today however will be your chance to undo those mistakes.”
Naina saw the only way to stop Franz from his plan. “Perhaps it is. If they accept me into OZ, then I will be able to achieve my mission.”
Devine gave a reminder when he pointed out, “Be certain to remember that at a point in the future, your mission will be the same as that of this new OZ. Cooperation will be the only way to see they believe your actions.” Naina nodded again while she chose to find her way back to the main entry hall. There would possibly be another chance to enlist once the meeting had concluded.

|

Oleg looked towards the gathering of Konisberg and for the most part saw what looked like Coalition insignias. “You better hope this isn’t a trap Lieutenant. I don’t think we’d have the resources to get out of one.” He muttered to himself. Against the condition of enduring the trip he had come to expect the worst as the remains of the Anaconda made its way further into the enemy territory the Coalition was barely able to break through. Being caught now would make him and Tano official prisoners of war and they would likely have no chance to escape.

Ulbricht took a second of breath before explaining to the parliament. "I can assure that President Kecker is safe from harm of the Coalition." He began, speaking to the microphone. "He has told me he is on a personal mission to end the war and authorised an interim president to take his place in his absence. Sol Thero units are making their descent to Earth within hours."
Lord Lindemann raised his hand for his question. "What is this Sol Thero?" He asked.
Milou gave the answer on the behalf of the General. "They are Mobile Dolls." He explained. "We first saw them in Luna."
The Lord was in disbelief. "You mean the President authorised Mobile Doll production?" He questioned rhetorically. "I don't believe this. He wouldn't think of Mobile Dolls if he wants to keep his support."
Murmers were heard among the crowd with what the President's bringing. The silence was calmed with Heero's questions on the squad in Amsterdam.
Ulbricht thought he had no choice but to answer. "Yes, I am aware of one of my squad in Amsterdam." He responded. "Their mission was of top secret nature and were ordered to prevent anyone else from knowing." He thought of how he became authorised to reveal the President's current status. "It is now harsh to believe that good men were wasted on this. They escorted the President to Amsterdam's spaceport and unfortunately I cannot give his whereabouts. That is all I can say. He has however said that the parliament will be in the hands of the military and that 'an Eclipse' is coming." He left the podium to let the interim President to speak.

Milou looked for his sister in the room but couldn't find her. "Damn it, sis." He thought. "Why did you leave in a crucial time?" He squeezed his way out of the parliamentary hall to leave the room.

Instructor W saw Mercurio leave while Captian Dana approached him. "So I believe you got the news on the package from Luna?" He asked her. "Please, follow me." They both exited the parliamentary building, with the Instructor leading her. He brought her to a makeshift garage for the Rogue Wings, They walked through the Panthers nearing the end of their repairs and the Aquarius being under restoration as well. He stopped when found two containers with each having different labels, one clearly marked 'Winner Corporation' was opened up while the other had the logo of the Luna development labs where two of the three Gundams were manufactured. He touched the container from Luna. "This seems to have come from Luna as you can see." He explained. "Is there any message whatsoever on what this might be? I thought I should consult you before it should be opened." Behind him the Sandesgeist was going through the needed upgrade with the new parts.

Donna got herself in a changing room to return to her usual attire. While she was taking off her jacket the envelope from her father dropped on a desk, reminding her to keep it with her. She placed the OZ uniform back into the briefcase it was presented in once she was back in her normal clothes and left the parliamentary building. She observed the damages the city took as she walked around. Unexploded remains of Mobile Suits that scattered the city could be compared to corpses of human beings. She tried to ignore the casualties near her to find somewhere where there isn't much damage. The Gundam pilot stopped when she saw Milou looking about uneasily. "Milou, what's the matter?" She shouted?
The Martian noticed her. "Looking for sis." He replied. "I have more questions to ask her but I can't seem to find her."
Donna didn't have any idea where she would be found either. She walked close to where he stood. "I don't think I would know where she went." She answered back.
Milou scratched his head. "Yeah, she's pretty good at espinage I guess." He remarked. He found an intact bench he can sit on for a break and took a seat.
Donna took the seach next to him. "So did you lose anyone important?" She asked him.
Milou was able to give an answer. "If you're an agent, you're bound to lose people." He answered. "Lost a number of good friends in my life. I also heard from Gawel that Water- I mean Po lost her life during our escape."
Thinking of Sally's sacrifice gave Donna some understanding. "My mother died Before I could remember." She followed. "Killed with a shot to the neck." She still kept a hold of the photo of her young parents.
Milou knew that the death of a parent is especially hard. "I'm sorry to hear that." He responded as best as he could. He gave Donna a brief hug for her to mourn on. She grabbed it to give a silent cry. The Martian realised that they mutually became attached. He already experienced how becoming attached to someone can be painful but the feeling was strong. He also wanted to help her but he felt that he could only bring more misery.

***

The Anaconda reached the gates of the Central European city guarded by Leo IIIs as a Coalition base of operations should be. As he apporached the path was unblocked by the Mobile Suits, clearing the road for them. It took a couple more minutes to find a vacant garage in the city with most of them already filled with Mobile Suits battered from the battles they were in. Once the Anaconda stopped, the palm that carried Oleg was lowered for him to exit with a medical team ready to treat him. Tano himself got out of the cockpit for the luxury of rest as well.

Malcolm overlooked the Parliament and realized that there was only one choice of him now. As unthinkable as the situation was, he now had to accept the position the General had brought to him. He stood before his audience when he announced, "Regrettably it would seem that circumstances have brought me to this position. Understand that I have no prior ambition to take this position, but without a leader we will not be able to maintain a secure government. As conditions now stand, I shall take up my position as Interim President for the Earth Sphere United Nations." He brought about the final moments of the meeting when he thanked, "Thank you for your time General. If you have any information on the President's mission we hope that it will be safe to issue." He gave his final announcement, "The meeting is now adjourned until the communications have been repaired. Once complete we shall begin our talks with the Coalition."
With the meeting at its conclusion the representatives made their way to the exit while Hyrum reminded them of their duty, “Be sure to return by sundown. We’ll have the communications back up by then.” It wasn’t long before the meeting hall had been cleared and Hyrum saw a few meeting of citizens to Brussels to give the city at least an air of calm that had been lost.

Malcolm was forced to consider what he had recently accepted while considering what General Ulbricht permitted to be known. “Madame Yuy. We still have the common enemy to face while this war continues. I shall require your full support as this comes to pass.”
Relena understood his concern when she explained, “I understand that you have led the First Priority Party for the past few years Mr. Hunter. Do not concern yourself however, we only need to convince the new leader of the Coalition that we desire an end.”
Malcolm was relieved when he thanked, “Thank you. Hopefully it won’t be long before we end this war.” He made his leave with the others while carrying a critical question in mind. He hoped if Klaus was in a close environment he might be able to obtain more direct answers.
Before the General had begun to make his exit, Malcolm found his way towards him with a gesture of welcome from his stretched out hand. He met eye contact with Klaus when he asked him, “I should like to know General, did you have any prior information of the Sol Thero mobile dolls prior today? If the Parliament did not have any information, the President must have permitted it at some point.” He did his best to not remind what a significant cover-up this would pass for, especially if it managed to slip by Representative Mumelj herself.

Relena began to leave with Heero while “It seems that we have finally met with my brother’s children.”
Heero agreed when he answered, “Not really how I expected to meet my niece but it seems like this war will permit anything to pass.”
Relena showed her disappointment when she reminded, “I would have wished for them to meet in a peaceful time. But they at least seem to offer help for our boy.”
Heero knew it was a proper moment when he placed his good arm on her shoulders and assured, “If this war ends soon, we may have a chance of ending it soon. We’ll all be able to enjoy one another’s company as it was meant to be.”
Relena was comforted when she heard these words and decided to have her husband act on his promise. “Until then, you’re going to keep to our agreement.”
Heero embraced Relena slightly before he confirmed, “Of course.” The two made their way out headed for the infirmary.

Mercurio saw the communications systems atop the Parliamentary Building being repaired while he made his way through the streets. It was a difficult to handle all of the things that had happened in the past few hours but he now had a chance to see the capital city of Brussels have a chance to be free from enemy occupation. It would be a peace long overdue but a peace to only last a short time.
As he searched the streets for issues in the city he saw Milou and Donna together when he heard Naina was missing at some point. He managed to overhear them discussing what had happened earlier in the war until it reached the question of who had died, both Milou losing Sally and Donna losing her mother. At one point in the conversation he saw Milou was offering some form of assurance for Donna. Both of them clearly needed the moment. After their group was together for as long and as adventurous the journey had been, connections like these were all but inevitable.
He couldn't help but remember everything he had attempted to be for Donna though. With all he had been through she managed to remain dedicated to every mission while having an independent attitude towards the approach. She was a fighter as much as he was and every bit as much of a worthy pilot. As late as he had come though, Milou managed to show he was far from a toss away item as well. And he offered something Mercurio wasn't able to it seemed.
It was a few moments before he recognized what Milou was able to offer what Mercurio wasn't. "Perhaps I couldn’t relate after all. I haven’t even experience loss it seems like." As he said that aloud he began to wonder to himself, did he really want to hope for sympathy from someone else at the expense of another? He remembered how he had almost lost his mother today while his father was critically injured. He remembered his status as a soldier and made his way further down the streets while he offered a quiet prayer to the Parliamentary Building, "Keep leading them Mom. Dad. I'll make sure not everything you fought for is lost.”

Dana followed Instructor W towards the makeshift mobile suit garage while the repairs rang through the wide open area. When she was asked to observe the container from Lunar Development Sciences she tried to find something indicating its contents. Dana made a sweep over the container and only managed to find a label confirming its origin. There didn’t seem to be anything offering indication but Dana decided the contents would only be determined once opened. She shook her head when she answered, “Sorry. Can’t say any late arrivals were planned. Not sure if those guys on Luna had anything special planned but seems like there’s only one way to find out.”
The management arms began their work on removing the lids from the containers and in a short time Dana was able to look in with a deal of enthusiasm of what she was offered. Within were several plates of shields designed for a Gundam use judging from the ES-03 number on one of the shoulders while a new engine stood out from the others.

|

It was later in the day when Oleg managed to bring himself out of his deep sleep. When he finally came to his consciousness he saw he was in a friendly base camp that both he and Tano had been looking for. He sat up to look around and found a plate of standard military food next to his bed stand. He didn’t even bother with the taste, he was only glad something got rid of the weak feeling his body had to endure. He was only glad there wasn’t anyone nearby when he stood up, he didn’t want to answer any questions at the moment.
When Oleg made his way out of the room he searched for signs of fellow Coalition soldiers as well as the man who saved him. To his initial curiosity he found Tano waiting outside the other hall but couldn’t guess that he was his superior. He only recognized it to be so when he spotted the Coalition insignia with his rank below. He saluted, “Afternoon Lieutenant. Say, could you tell me where we are? I kind of lost track when we made our way towards the edge of the forest.”

General Ulricht was unable to shed the light on the Sol Thero. "Unfortunately the President has not told me the nature of the Sol Thero." He answered. "I assume they are made with expections for them to change the tide of the war." He was also concerned with what the 'Eclipse' the President meant. "I'm afraid that I do not know anything on those units."

Instructor W was impressed with what he saw out of the container from Luna. "Looks like upgrades." He commented at them. "We can get to work in installing them Captain." He walked to where the Sandesgeist was getting upgraded. "I think Majewski would be interested in taking charge of it as well." He told her.
He returned to overseeing the Sandesgeist's upgrade. The mechanics worked hard to get the job done, continuing the installation of the legs to the main body. He ha d acloser look at the legs. "They're larger than I thought." He said in his mind.

Tano had a few hours rest since he arrived in Konisberg. He found other Coalition soldiers, some injured, some exhausted, some dejected and any of the three combinations. It seemed that the defeat in Brussels left a blow of morale to the military. Tano himself wasn't immune with how he failed to defeat the Gundam again. He sat on a chair in a hall of hours, uncertain with his future. He was snapped out of his worries by Oleg. "We're in Konisberg." He explained. "Or as some prefer to call the place Kaliningrad. Here is one of our remaining bases in Eastern Europe. After our defeat in Brussels I received the order to regroup here. It turns out Brussels was only the beginning and a large number of occupied cities began rebelling." Around him were soldiers with different insignias, proving him correct.

Malcolm didn't find the lack of information Klaus offered to be anything assuring, but it seemed that he was every bit as clueless about the matter. He accepted his information, "Understandable. I couldn't accept the notion the President would hold anything back from the Parliament. But authorizing mobile dolls as a means of advancing our forces? ... We'll be lucky if Lord Lindemann still considers our government to be worth maintaining." He answered himself as he remembered the Lord's disdain for the use of mobile dolls. He didn't question the issue any further when he left answering, "None of this I am sure is your doing General. I only hope that your contributions in this war will continue to be as invaluable as they have been." He left for the Presidential office when he prayed to himself, "I suppose now all we can do is hope that this 'Eclipse' he promises will be worthy of the secrecy."

Dana agreed with the Instructor's suggestion and was able to find Gawel right next to the computer with the containers. "You feel like telling me what the cat dragged in Majewski? And give me the "for dummies" version if you don't mind."
Gawel looked up and agreed to begin, "Oh sure Cap." Gawel began to pull up the blueprints to the screen when he found the terminology he was talking about. The overview of the equipment focused on the engine when he explained, "What we've got here is a Overdrive Catalytic Conversion Engine with full compatibility to the Artemis." He showed a simulation of it fitting onto the back of the Artemis where it seemed to stick out from the rest of the Gundam's features at this stage. He continued, "If you're looking for why this is here, well that Stymphalia Armor plating you have for the Artemis is going to build an entirely new Gundam. The Stymphalian Artemis Zero if you will. This platting is going to add about twice the usual weight to the mobile suit and add another meter to the overall height but it will be able to give you the same usual speed of the Artemis but with that much better defense." As soon as he pointed them out he saw the armor plates assemble onto the simulated mobile suit to form the armored creation. Gawel finished the explanation, "Simple terms, bigger bitch to hit but harder to drill and none of the speed sacrificed as well." He saw Dana give an unpleasant stare at the comment before he quickly added, "Er... I meant a bigger target... I'll just get started on the installation process sir."
Dana gave a playful push on his shoulder while chuckling at her earlier act, "You do that. Make sure the Aquarius is ready to move, we'll need as much new firepower possible."
Gawel was relieved when he agreed, "That one will be done sooner sir."

|

Oleg was close to home but it was probably the closest thing to assurance he could think of when he heard the news. He managed to survive but it seemed like there was no longer a chance for him to take back the enemy capital. The Coalition was close to finally ending the war but the chance had been lost thanks to the flaw in the Coalition system many had hoped finally ended. "I guess we couldn't expect anything like that to happen." He commented when he tried to sound like a patriot to the cause but knew what his foremost concern was. He could only lightly slam his fist in his hand when he cursed the luck of him and his men, "We practically had the enemy in our hands. That damn General Blare had to usurp everything at the last second." There was one concern that rushed to his head when he considered everything the occupation had lost. Three generals and a the leader of the nation were all present within the capital but only one of them was his foremost concern. "The President. Is he alright? Is he still fit for leadership?"

Lord Lindemann showed blatant displeasure on the Mobile Dolls. "I can't believe he would produce Mobile Dolls behind our backs." He commented.
Stuart gave a word. "I think we can say Chivalry is dead." He added.
The Lord had to face that he now fights for those that betrayed his ideals. "It feels like I'm betraying what I once stood for." He lamented. "But we can't cease our support in a desperate time."

A mechanic walked to Instructor W with the reports on the latest repairs. Instructor W accepted it and read through. A number of Panthers are now repaired and the Aquarius is restored but with a weaker (but stable) reactor, unabling it to use beam weaponry. "Well that's one news I guess." He said to himself.

***

Tano didn't have the answer either. The question also reminded him of his failure. "I have no news on President Falson's whereabouts either." He replied. It was possible for him to be imprisoned or executed by the Earth-Sphere but hoped he survived Brussels.

Franz watched the rotation of the Earth and saw its moon make the launches along its path. "The Eclipse is soon to arrive. I cannot have it interrupted now." He activated an automatic voice control box before he gave the order, "The first quarter of the Eclipse begins."

The communications had been fully repaired at the Parliamentary Building and the first contact with the Coalition could begin between the new leaders. Hyrum reported to Malcolm, "The House has been assembled Mr. President." He gestured to the assembly as they had their seats.
Malcolm nodded when he saw the represetnatives before him along with the new heads of OZ present for the meeting. "Very good. Continue to ensure the safety of the House. We will be making contact shortly."
"Yes sir." Hyrum saluted.
As soon as Relena was standing at his side Malcolm saw the executive branch members make their way to the front of the hall before him. He began the meeting, "Assembly of the Earth Sphere Parliament. We have gathered to this meeting today to begin the first diplomatic meeting with the Falson Coalition. For those who have missed prior agreements, it has been determined that due to the unofficial resignation of President Franz Kecker and the death of the Vice President that new leadership was forced to be implemented. As the next in order as House Majority Speaker, I have been required to accept position as Interim President."
The Secretary of Defense stood to confirm the new President, "We recognize your new position Mr. Hunter. This meeting shall continue as planned." The executive members remained seated in recognition of their new leader.
Before the meeting began Malcolm brought the first request to Lord Lindemann's attention, "Has the fate of the Coalition General Edward Blare been decided?"

As the meeting began to take its course, Mercurio and several of the other pilots had made their way to the makeshift hangar to oversee the progress on repairs. He first noticed how the Artemis had a significant amount of armor prepared while the Uriel was having some flight booster packs attached along with a new blade. He found Dana nearby and asked, "So how have the repairs been going sir?"
"Quite a pleasant sight Yuy. If the Coalition talks aren't going to make any progress I'd say we're ready for a trip to 3 Juno and we'll be able to save ourselves a few invasion forces." "If you want to know about your suit, Majewski is calling that new piece of work the 'Blazing Uriel Zero'. It's got an additional flight pack that should make her fly at twice the speed and with the additional stabilizers allow blade swinging abilities to only be hindered a small bit." "That new blade you got there, slicing and blasting at its most convenient if he's good on his promise."
Mercurio chose to end the description when he asked, "Have the recent casualties even bothered you sir?"
Dana gave a sigh when she looked over the list of surviving Rogue Wings agreeing, "Yeah, not many of us are left. At least we might be able to give some room for Milou and Naina to bolster our ranks."
He tried to consider Naina's possibility for the position but knew that if he could trust her with his mobile suit then he could see her on a road to gaining trust with OZ. "I guess they might be able to help with our ranks. I hope Naina agrees to something like this after all we put her through."
Dana reminded him of their previous experiences, "From what I heard she was the one who wanted to stop the fighting in the first place. She might be glad it's this soon rather than either of you dead."
He moved on from the suspicion when he asked, "So where did you find the time and parts to make the upgrade for the Uriel?"
Dana gestured to the remaining devastation outside the city, "Majewski said he found a few spare parts lying around the Testudo and wanted to do some creative thinking."
Gawel wiped himself with a rag when he dropped down from one of the newly constructed parts, "Hope you like it Mercurio. There is something that I'll need your help with though."
Mercurio already had a feeling there was something wrong but allowed Gawel's offer when he asked, "Okay, how can I?"
Gawel took a breath before he answered, "I need to know if this sort of upgrade design can actually work on a practical level."
Mercurio quickly took another look at the Uriel to make sure it would work and saw the boosters were at least making the Uriel stick out more from the back. "You didn't even consider the dimensions of the mobile suit before trhying the upgrades?"
Gawel quickly shook his head when he explained, "Of course not. Otherwise the Uriel would be crushed under its own weight by now. I need to find out if there's a practical energy source you can dig up that will be compatible with the weapons tech the Testudo had. The original thing would work great, but considering these Coalition guys were dumb enough to make this thing walk around without its ammo makes me wonder just what sort of plan they had going on."
The situation was a strange one indeed. But if he was going to achieve anything for the future of the missions Mercurio knew he would have to find what the Coalition might have lost. "I'll see if the survey teams turn up anything. You still think there's a cache of ammo just lying around though?"
"Pretty much just my assumption. I thought if the Testudo did run out of ammo we found an empty container lying around somewhere though." Gawel answered.
Mercurio decided it would be something to look into but he had make sure of his suit's most critical function, "I'll still be able to use the weapons right?"
"Like the original Uriel. If you do find the ammo, just slide it into the area where the square hole is." Gawel promised.
Mercurio shook Gawel's hand when he offered, "Thanks Gawel. It's great to work this efficiently."
Gawel grinned when he was complimented, "Any time. Just mark a few dozen kills so I can say my work pays off."
Dana stood up and reminded, "Great to see you're a professional for a change Majewski. Let's make sure the Aquarius and Tallgeese are flight ready ASAP. We got to have every available suit ready in case the Coalition has any last minute tries."

Across the world from the eastern end of Russia to the border of Belarus, the capsules from Luna had made their landing. Within the city of Orsha, the Coalition military had begun its movement. Colonel Adam Andreeff overlooked the information while he saw the report on Tano's men a short distance away. "Ensure that our men in Kaliningrad get back here in one piece. We'll have to see what we can do to rally them back to the war."
He was answered back from one of his subordinates, "Yes sir. Their spirits shouldn't be completely broken." The call ended and Adam adjusted his frequency to speak with another soldier from only a short distance away.
The Colonel contacted his Major overlooking the recent impact when he asked, "Do we have any word on the landing?"
"Negative sir. We haven't found a way to open these things."
The Colonel decided it was time to return to the "Maintain perimeter. We must discover their purpose."
The Major saluted to the order, "Yes sir." The call was ended and Adam proceeded to return to business on the supplies and assignments of the Kaliningrad evacuees.
His occupation was interrupted only after a few seconds when he saw his computer screen flash up with a different soldier on the screen. "Colonel! We have an emergency report!" From the background Adam could tell that it was the crash sight he had sent men to investigate.
"What is it?" He asked trying to comprehend the soldier's anxiousness.
"Mobile suits are stepping out of the capsules sir! They're ai-" Before the Colonel could hear the warning there was a sound of gunfire that erupted through the screen and in a matter of a flash went to a 'Lost Signal' screen.
"Major? Report Major!" Adam went against his usual calculating demeanor when he saw the suddent interruption before him. He rushed over to his coat rack to don a trench coat while worrying, "The Earth Sphere couldn't have assembled something this elaborate." The trip would only be a few miles but a thunderous sound made its way to his ears by the time he was ready to reach the door. He didn't bother with the door and instead chose to look outside for what was coming. "Oh damn..." He cursed as he saw the flames and mobile suits making their way towards the city.

Lord Lindemann spoke when was asked about Blare. "We will add Edward Balre to our ranks." He responded. "He will however be supervised for trust is very complex at the moment." He allowed the session to proceed as his answer's been given.

Donna and Milou went to the improvised hangar. What Donna was seeing was an upgrade to her Sandesgeist. She found Instructor W reading more documents on the clipboard. "The legs are big." She commented on the Sandesgeist.
The Instructor sighed to the reply. "I know." He dismissed. "The size is however there for defence."
Donna walked closer to the Sandesgeist. There was also something new on it's back, replacing the ground-type backpack. The new backpack was white with two long and flat objects as if they are wings.
"That's the new backpack." Instructor W explained. "The Sandesgeist is now compatible for both Earth and Space combat. If you activate the backpack during combat, it will unfold to be your high-mobility thrusters."
Donna nodded as she liked the sound of this. "Thank you Instructor." She thanked.
Milou had a look at the restored Aquarius. "I guess I'll be piloting this then." He thought.

The report of unidentified Mobile Suits heading to Kaliningrad spread like wildfire. Tano heard the news from a communications officer. "There's a group of Mobile Suits coming for the base! All Mobile Suits that are operational report to the hangar!" He heard. He ran to the hangar with the Anaconda, one of the smaller hangars. Near his Gundam was an engineer with a tourniquet wrapped on his forehead. "Engineer McNeil, reporting the completion of the Anaconda sir." He reported. "Save all we have left sir."
Tano nodded as he climbed back to the Gundam. He qucikly activated the OS and brought it out of the maintenance area. He was immediately out in the centre of the city. "Anaconda Gundam please reinforce the E-Field." He was instructed by the communications tower. With the order he began moving eastwards, where the unknown units are attacking from. once he began seeing explosions from a distance, he zoomed his main camera to find jet-black Mobile Suits approaching the base, destroying anything that moves. "My God." He whispered.

Within the capital building of 3 Juno, the long hours had passed and Lucas Lehrer was forced to be among the many to wait for a return. He tried to keep sleep from overtaking him as he waited in his office. He was disturbed from his thoughts when he saw one of the Coalition Generals enter while saluting to his presence. “Mr. Lehrer, has the communications with the Earth Sphere come through yet?”
Lucas rubbed his eyes when he answered, “I’m afraid not. There is still something wrong with the communications.”
“Do you believe the President is still safe?”
“I wish I could say not with absolute certainty. But perhaps the Earth Sphere Gundams are proving to be more resilient than we anticipated.”
“We made them enemies of the entire human race and they still choose to battle for their old superiors?”
“It has become apparent that we are not utilizing the same chaos of Operation Meteor. We cannot rule out such a possibility.”
Lucas’s secretary entered their conversation when he reported, “Mr. Vice President, we have a contact signal coming from the Earth Sphere capital.”
Lucas stood up when he told the General, “Perhaps now is the time to find out.” He instructed his secretary, “Prepare the assembly.”

"It has now been decided. Edward Blare shall now be considered as part of the new OZ and is hereby for now exempt from trial."
Edward knew it was time for him to remain at peace when he simply thanked, "Your decision is most favorable Mr. Hunter. I will serve the new OZ to every extent I have at my disposal." He was escorted out of the meeting hall and back to the new hall for OZ members. He found the Earth Sphere guards along with his own escorting him and once again had a feeling of significance among men. Now I need only to continue playing this small game correctly. He thought as he made his way out. Before any discussion about Edward's case could be argued, the signal had reached 3 Juno and the representatives knew the time had come for diplomacy to run its course.
When the signal made its way to 3 Juno, a hologram of Lucas appeared before the assembly in the Parliamentary Building. He greeted the parliament with a displeased look, “Vice President Lucas Lehrer. Who am I currently speaking to?”
Malcolm greeted diplomatically, “Greetings Mr. Vice President. I am Interim President Malcolm Hunter. We have assembled the Earth Sphere government to bring about the first diplomatic speech between our two government bodies since the installment of Nathaniel Falson.”
Lucas was prepared to dismiss the offer when he answered, “As much as I would like to hear what the Earth Sphere has to answer for, I’m afraid that this form of business is only possible with the President himself.”
Malcolm took the opportunity to prevent being cut off when he added, “That is part of the news that I wish to bring. I have been required to take up position as Interim President due to Franz Kecker’s recent disappearance. Second, I regret to be the one to report this but Nathaniel Falson is dead.”
Lucas was visibly taken aback when he asked, “What? Are you trying to fool us Mr. Hunter?”
He prepared a link with the video feed at the nearby hospital. “We have live feed of his body and a DNA structure mapped out. It is yours to determine.”
A short amount of time passed before a background voice confirmed, “Mr. Lehrer… It’s a match.”
Lucas gave a sigh when he questioned the new president’s intentions, “Then… It would seem that we are forced to come to discussions. What are you here to offer?”
Malcolm was able to resume his formal explanation when he answered, “Mr. Lehrer, our two sides have dragged out this war beyond the point of sustainability. If we continue, we will not be able to claim anything left for the future of humanity other than a scorched planet that cannot support life. We must at the very least begin the discussion of a truce.”
Lucas gave an accusatory tone when he answered, “You may have been fortunate to claim the life of Nathaniel Falson. But this Coalition that he and his predecessors have built will not sink to the will of the Earth Sphere politicians. We began this war with the full intention of seeing humanity protected from the policies the Earth has threatened to reinstate and it will not end with our submission.”
Malcolm saw what Lucas warned him of and was quick to answer back in his favor, “Please understand our plight. There are areas of the Kecker administration we have not even come to fully grasp.” He saw Lucas was paying attention to this development and waited for his explanation. “While I cannot speak for the previous actions of our president, I can promise that I will offer an agreement so that both sides can begin our recovery. It has only been through the acceptance of our prior president that we were able to consider these dialogues. I beg you, please consider a truce until we can determine the root cause of this conflict.”
Lucas did not sound as displeased as before but was still giving an unsatisfied answer, “This conflict became unsalvageable when Neil Goslin was elected for executive office. Your people chose to elect the man who deliberately sabotaged the Earth Sphere economy and permitted for the future line of presidents into power. This conflict cannot end until he and his associates have answered for destroying the principals he was sworn to uphold.”
Malcolm saw some members of his house murmur in confusion when he pointed out, “I beg your pardon Mr. Lehrer but it was President Goslin’s policies that brought our economy out of ruin. He was even present for the funeral of Ewan Falson.”
Lucas easily struck down the support for the old politician when he answered, “President Goslin fixed the economy. Not the Secretary of Treasury.”
Malcolm had become more concerned about what was being hidden from the government when he tried to maintain his professional demeanor asking, “What… How could anyone determine this?”
Lucas saw into Malcolm’s confusion and could see how the influence of Kecker’s administration did not spread. “I see. Your administration is ignorant to what Hermine Falson’s agents were able to discover.”
Malcolm tried to remain hopeful on the observation when he asked, “You have the information we need to see about this matter?”
“The Coalition has sent this information for the past decade. Every time it has been dismissed as circumstantial at best.”
Malcolm was quick to take this opportunity when he found Lucas was possibly on the same page as him. “Then our administrations have withheld information from us. Surely you must permit new leadership to fix what has been conveyed.”
Lucas considered the offer before he agreed, “If your actions should permit it then yes. Be warned however that the first sign of aggression regardless of its scale will mark the reigniting of conflict between our forces.”
Malcolm was relieved when he thanked, “Of course sir. But while we are able to confirm the information can we at least understand what has brought about this conflict from years ago?”
Lucas remembered the document that served as the rallying cry for the Coalition for the early days of the war. “The most that the first Falson administration was able to find was an undocumented file on the Recovery Profile of AC 207. It contained a message between anonymous individuals with one stating, ‘Sir Albert has the key’. Find him and we shall extract what information he has in beginning this conflict.”
He agreed with the proposal when he promised, “We shall search every case possible to find a ‘Sir Albert’. Thank you for your time sir.”
The hologram faded after Lucas thanked, “As with you Interim President.”

The assembly of the Coalition officials accepted the judgment of their new president when he permitted the truce to take place. Among the first questions he saw his secratary make his way with a concerned face. “Lucas. They were honest with the report weren’t they?”
Lucas nodded solemnly before he answered, “I’m afraid so Thomas. Your father knew what he was prepared for as he instructed you to be as well.”
Thomas tried to consider the best situation they had when he observed, “Indeed. But we can at least confirm that his legacy will not go without its accomplishment.”
Lucas made his way to the office halls before he agreed, “Should these new leaders of the Earth Sphere prove to be honest, yes. We will see a possible end to the conflict.”

Dana confirmed Milou’s question when she answered, “About right. You’re our best out of the group after all.”
When the repairs on the mobile suits had completed Zachariah and the other Panther pilots were able to marvel at the accomplishments the repairs had made. Zachariah found Gawel preparing several coding programs on the mobile suits when he asked, “So how long did it take for you to attach the plating anyway?”
Gawel thought for a while before answering, “About an hour fifteen. That extra ten came from a jam in the right shoulder that wouldn’t let up until we dug around for it in the right shoulder. Turned out to be a safety latch that could only be removed manually.”
Nasir found it to be an odd addition when he asked, “Anything special about that thing?”
Gawel scratched his head when he remembered, “Something on the sides saying ‘Sir Albert is German’. Not sure what that was doing there exactly.”
Mercurio overheard this message when he asked, “Wait, Sir Albert?”
Gawel nodded when he confirmed, “Yeah that’s what it said.”
The idea was much of a longshot but decided that it was at least worth considering. “Do you think you could find some German variation of Albert?”
Gawel moved out of the programming section and used a website to show the variations of the name Albert on a website. “Yeah, there’s some right here. What’re you looking for?”
There were results on the page but one name stuck out to Mercurio. “Ulbricht…” He saw Dana was nearby when she was only lightly curious on the coincidence. “Captain, is General Ulbrict still stationed at the Parliamentary Building?”
She decided that this was probably the only way they would have the way forward if there was any real substance on the revelation. “He should be. You got questions for him?”
Mercurio prepared his jacket when he answered, “A few yes.” He headed for the nearest jeep towards the Parliamentary Building regardless of anyone following him.

As soon as he found the General headed for a nearby office Mercurio announced his presence, “General. I apologize if this is an inconvenient time but I have to confirm something.” He waited a moment before he asked, “Were you in any way involved in oversight of the Lindemann case 19 years ago?”

The Sol Thero units made their way through Belarus without any mercy and leaving a fire in their wake. There was no humanity or forethought, there was only destruction for these mighty creations.
Oleg and his squad mates made their way to the hangar when he tried to find out, “The hell is out there?”
One of the soldiers prepared to make his way into a nearby Leo III when he answered, “Can’t say, something is basically blazing its way through the countryside right now.”
Oleg was amazed at the fact that this was happening when he asked, “How many dozen mobile suits have they got out there if they managed to set an entire portion of the Coalition operations ablaze?”
Another one of the soldiers was reluctant to answer, “From what our early reports managed to find out, maybe three.”

Stuart saw how Edward was escorted out by a large number of guards. "That should be enough of them." He thought as he counted.

Hearing Mercurio's intention on seeing General Ulbricht, Donna tagged along. She was able to get on the jeep to the parliamentary building. Milou noticed the jeep leaving and knew he would have to follow, getting another one.

The general noticed Mercurio and Donna running to him. "Yes, I was infact the overseer of the investigations." He was reminded of how the Lord was persistent on answers years ago. "It was an unfortunate case. We never caught the assassin. Lady Lindemann was a friend as close as her husband. I just hope that her death can be avenged." He showed sympathy to the plight of the Lindemann family.
Donna thought something was off. "So were the evidence." She asked. "If there is any it can help "
The General was blunt with his answer. "All the evidence we have are in Berlin." He answered. "I can have it send to you in a matter of days."
Donna thought for a moment with how Mercurio found the name. "Does the name Albert ring any bells General?" She moved on.
The mention of the name brought a sudden change to the General. "Not that I am aware of." He answered. He gave a subtle sign to his guards to shoot if they ask too much questions.

Fortunately there to provide backup Mercurio found Donna escorting him to the Parliamentary Building while Milou followed in suite. As soon as the jeeps parked Mercurio prepared to enter while he asked for a last second safety plan. “Milou, do you think you can just check a few feet behind us and make sure our sixes are safe?”

Donna managed to bring up the name he had been hoping to uncover. They had confirmed Ulbricht’s position during the Lindemann assassination and it managed to line under a fitting time period. After his answer, Mercurio would have to explain and it would determine if his superior was hiding anything.
When the General denied knowledge of the name Albert he decided that now was as good a time as ever to explain his findings. “We discovered a file on the Lindemann case and we hope that this might be a coincidence. But there was someone named Sir Albert who was contacting another by the name of Garret. I cannot offer insight on who Garret might be, but there is a reason I asked you about this case General.” The tension began to rise as the reveal was brought forth. “Recently it’s believed that Architect I sent a message to us. ‘Sir Albert is German’. I believe you might understand why someone might see you as a candidate for questioning.” He pointed this out subtly noting the German variation the name Albert had. “I only ask this with intention of finding justice sir. I don’t want to believe the possibility but I must hear it from you firsthand. Did you have anything to do with the Lindemann assassination?” It was a perfect moment to bring up the question. The events that had just occurred would be enough to make anyone wonder about the possible connections. As he gave the question he noted the oversight the General had over his questioners. There was something being planned at the moment. Milou. It’s up to you to give us a heads up. Mercurio thought as he kept his right arm steady waiting for Ulbricht’s next answer.

"Got your back cuz." Milou replied. He got out his pistol to prepare for any trouble. He made sure the two were in before he followed shortly. Once he entered the parliament building he eavesdropped at the conversation. "Sis' done quite a work there." He thought.

The General was stern with his answer. "I told you a minute ago that I was merely the overseer of the investigation." He answered. "I have nothing else to say."
The General's guards were shot down with well-placed shots. "I believe there is much more to say." Milou interrupted, appearing. "Your men are merely paralysed with the shots."
The General was speechless and it took a few more seconds to speak. "That's treason!" He yelled.
"I think not." Milou answered. "I am the Ambassador of Mars for the Earth-Sphere United Nations. I believe I have something called 'Diplomatic Immunity' as a card." He was ready to aim for the General's head. "The real charge for treason may go to you."
Ulbricht grabbed Donna and got out his cyanide pill in his palm. He hit her in the head before placing the pill swiftly into and covering her mouth. "Choose wisely Ambassador." He ordered. "If you try to go closer She'll suffocate and swallow cyanide. If you try to shoot me she will be shot instead." He advanced backwards to make an exit while still holding Donna by the neck to choke her into swallowing.
The hostage situation was grim for Milou. Even an experienced agent such as him can fail in these circumstances. "Damn it. He can't be shot from the front. Where are you sis?"

***

All the Mobile Suits entrenched around Tano, opened fire at the approaching Mobile Dolls advancing slowly. The massive barrage was stopped with a signal from a commander's Leo. The smoke cleared to find the Mobile Dolls defending themselves with Planet Defensers to nullify the weak attacks."Is that a Gundam?!" Shouted a soldier. Before his question can be answered a beam cannon from one of the approaching Mobile Doll disintegrated him.
Tano look at the damage left behind by the single shot. "Son of a bitch!" He thought with with claw prepared. "It's not a Gundam, it's a monster!" He will strike when the Mobile Doll approaches closer.