The railgun tore through the blast silhouette, and the winged mobile suit's legs, taking them off completely. It had evaded destruction at the last moment but didn't escape in one piece.

"...Not bad..." That man's voice crackled over the comma net, before the mobile suit flew back to it's fleet faster than any human mobile weapon could.

---

Kenny's Murasame got a hold of the Wraith Dagger's arm and began pulling it along toward its home ship. Wait... "Can't find up the Girty Lue amongst the fleet. Jesus, what a fucking disgrace..." He muttered to himself, then opened a channel to the Escutcheon's bridge, "Commander, I secured the Wraith with the help of some ZAFT Reds. This guy's Extended, right? The damn Girty Lue isn't around anymore, do we have everything we need to look after our buddy here on our ship?"

---

Lucia's Impulse flew up beside Zerenis as the battle began to quiet down, the ships and mobile suits on both sides retreating for much needed recharge and repair. Unfortunately, so many human mobile suits had been destroyed.

"Zerenis, what now? I'm running really low here." Lucia said.

"Return to the ship, you two. We're done here - Maddox went and got himself killed apparently so we're going back to the mainforce." The Captain told the two, his tone heavy now. The losses suffered to the mobile suit forces were simply horrific...

"If Maddox is still alive, he'll be executed by firing squad for sure after this. Recon mission my ass..." Calthorn said over the comms, sounding like someone who was bottling their own anger.

Zerenis stowed his rail gun on his hip, before grabbing the Impulse and beginning to make it's way back to the Furious.

"I should have enough juice to get us back to the ship... Izumi, if you're still alive... Stay safe kid." Zerenis said to Lucia, and several minutes later, he entered the catapult with the Regen Duel with the Impulse in tow.

"What the hell was that thing?" Zerenis thought to himself.

---

As the ZAKU flew into the Catapult, Mark quickly checked Izumi's pulse, before Cronic's voice echoed over the comms.

"Mark, the medical team is standing by. Once the ZAKU is in the hangar, get the pilot to them immediately." Cronic said, as the Airlock to the Hangar opened, allowing the ZAKU entry.

Wasting no time, Mark opened the Cockpit. "Follow me little one." Mark said to the Haro, stepping out of the cockpit, carrying Izumi as he did so, before using his legs to launch himself off the ZAKU down to the med crew below, taking Izumi's helmet off during the descent.

---

Once Mark was safe and secure, Cronic responded to Kenny.

"We could probably cobble something together for short term, but without the proper hardware, we can't cater for him long term." Cronic said, sounding a little bit irritated at the whole situation... Course, that could be the hangover talking.

"And the only SOB with the hardware that I know of just ran with his tail between his f**king legs!"

"Zerenis," Lucia called over, kicking away from the Impulse and stopping herself when she made it to the Regen Duel. "You think there's a chance she's alive? It's weird, but.. I can't just say 'she's gone', ...maybe I just can't come to terms with it, you know?" She sighed, shaking her head. The Saviour got blown to pieces right before their eyes, but Lucia felt something in the back of her mind telling her that wasn't where it all ended. Not that she believed her subconscious... People die in war, and that's all Lucia could say on the matter.

---

With Izumi's helmet off, blood began to run down one side of her face while her sky blue hair spread freely behind her. The low gravity left little droplets of red floating around in the hangar. Miracle didn't seem to be the right word, to say Izumi was still alive despite all this trauma.

"...Light everywhere..." Her mental voice struggled to say, but she sounded much happier than she was drifting around helplessly in the freezing cold void of space.

---

"Cronic, leave it to R&D. We'll dedicate a few of our guys to creating one of the uh.. would you call it a.. 'hibernation chamber' or something?" Glitch said as he entered the bridge, looking on at the damaged Wraith Dagger as the Murasame guided it in.

"...Oh... That's... Izumi Zala... Oh dear." Glitch chuckled nervously, visibly trying not to freak out.

"...I'm not too sure myself. During that fight, I could've sworn I heard her voice in my head... But at the same time, my head was aching like hell." Zerenis said as he emerged from the cockpit of the Regen Duel.

"...People die, this is true. But it hurts a lot more when it's someone you view as a very close friend you lose." Zerenis said, shifting down towards the exit of the hangar.

---

"I did say the light was coming to you. You're safe now. Feel free to sleep now if you need it. Your injuries won't heal themselves" Cronic's telepathic voice said in return to Izumi, as Cronic turned to look at Glitch, before nodding.

"Make it happen Glitch. We've got to catch up with the rest of the fleet. Maddox is going to be on Admiral Yamato's, and I suspect the Extended he left to die's shit lists, along with the lists of those who still live." Cronic said, and then heard Glitch's remark about Izumi.

"Glitch, right now it doesn't matter who she is. Right now she needs our help more than anything." Cronic said to him, as he turned to the helmsman.

"Set a course for the Colonial fleet. Someone's gonna get it in the neck for this, and my money's on Maddox."

---

Mark set Izumi down on the stretcher the med team had bought with, and catching the Haro, before placing it on her chest, putting her arms around the Haro to keep it in place during transit to the med bay, and the team left the hangar soon after.

Calthorn exited what was left of the Wraith, spiking his helmet against the inside of the cockpit. Right now anyone could tell he was clearly pissed off at just about everything. But most importantly; Maddox's decision to go straight into a skirmish against an enemy they knew little about, save for the fact that they had automated mobile suit units.

"Nononono, i don't think you understand man! If she dies on my watch, Admiral Zala will personally come aboard and beat the snot out of me!" Glitch shivered, "...Long story." He said before dashing off the bridge and heading to the med bay.

---

"Thank you~!" The Haro chirped in Mark's direction as it and it's owner were taken away on the floating stretcher. It was a damn miracle... Looking realistically at the situation, Izumi should've been dead the moment the beams tore through the Saviour. That kid had luck on her side. That, or she was being guided by something that transcended logic.

---

Sighing in relief, Kenneth Black descended from his Murasame, floating through the low gravity towards Calthorn. "See, this is why Mr. Crystalis up on the bridge is great. If he ever gave us the order to dive into a massacre for our side, nobody in the CSC would hesitate to tell him he was an asshole, and proceed to put his ass in the brig. ...But I guess the Extendeds don't have a say in the matter. That, and Maddox was always a prideful bastard. He'd never listen to a Coordinator's opinion, either." The casual-sounding Ace Pilot said.

"Maddox was always a loose cannon. But also the only one that knows the means of leadership... Whatever good that does. I swear to god, if I see him again, I'll kill him myself." Calthorn said, repressed anger on his voice. "I'm guessing your captain knows not to act based on partial information, much less send us to our deaths needlessly."

---

Mark turned to look at the damaged Wraith, before launching over to it, to evaluate the damage. That girl's lucky as all hell. Given that the Saviour's cockpit was compromised... Anyone else would've assumed KIA... And then she would be dead. He thought to himself as he inspected the damage on the Wraith. Hm... This Dagger's still functional... But even so, repairing it won't do much against the ETs... I'll need to get the pilot's opinions on the matter. Why they suddenly went nuts mid-fight. Mark thought to himself, making notes on possible improvements that could be made.

---

Cronic watched Glitch as he left, before folding his arms and turning to look out the bridge's viewport to space. "Maddox, you god damn fool. There's still so much we don't know about the ETs, and yet we figure out one thing about their forces and you go in guns blazing without a second thought. If you get executed for this, it's your own damn fault. Mobile suits can be replaced or re-built, but lives cannot." Cronic said to himself, as the Escutcheon flew back towards the Colonial fleet.

"Cronic's not entirely like a commander to us. He's our comrade and a good pal, that's why you find people flocking around the CSC. Still, he's the boss." Kenny said, shrugging before he made his way to debriefing. "Admiral Yamato is going to freak out when he hears about all the MS pilots that died today... Fuck it. At least we still have a fleet to go back to."

---

After Task Force Sabre's very costly victory over the ET Forces, the remaining elements of the small fleet rejoined the mainforce, being repaired in the rear of the massive formation by the Junk Guild and the multi-factional Fleet Auxilaries. As it was before Maddox took a portion of the fleet on the suicide run, there was no movement from either side. The ETs must not be very confident after that little display, as Maddox intended to show them humanity's fighting spirit - it worked, but at too high a price. Meanwhile, the Colonial Fleet remained still also. Nobody made a move for almost two weeks while they nursed their wounds.

---

"Feel really stiff for some reason... Wha... Where am I...?" Izumi asked, but all she could see was light. It took a moment, but her eyes grew accustomed to her surroundings quite quickly. An infirmary? It was empty, save for a strange looking bed with a glass cover in one corner. This wasn't the Minerva-class she was used to. Where was this? She struggled at first but managed to sit up in the bed, then lean on the wall behind her pillow for support. Her arm was in a sling, plasters and bandages all over the parts of skin she could see in the pajamas. Wait, pajamas? This was one luxurious ship! ...But how long was she out for?!

"Let's see here..." Izumi whispered as she pressed in an intercom beside her bed, "...Uh... I just woke up. So whoever's on the receiving end of this thing.. Please come to the infirmary?"

"Well thank fuck for that. Oi, Cronic - sleeping beauty's awake now if you wanted a chat." A familiar young Irish accent came through. Glitch. Or as Izumi knew him...

Jerry? The hell's he doing here? Am I on a Junk Guild ship?

Sure enough, several minutes later, Cronic stepped in to Izumi's infirmary room, pulled up a chair and sat down on it.

"Good to see you're awake. For a while, I thought you'd never wake up." Cronic said to her before continuing.

"Long story short is, you're on a CSC ship right now, specifically the Escutcheon, the flagship. Consider yourself lucky to even still be alive. From what the guy who saved you said, it's a miracle you were even still alive, considering the cockpit had taken a bad hit. Though your little helper was a welcome blessing as well." Cronic said, before pointing to Izumi's Haro, before stopping to let his words sink in.

Izumi looked to the table beside her after the CSC Officer finished speaking, noticing her Haro flapping it's ears to express happiness. She smiled at the mechanical pet and patted it twice before turning back to the man. "Well, I can't remember a thing other than seeing two stupid-big beams flying at me. And the pain..." She said slowly, still getting her bearings.

"Wait... I know your voice. I remember that, too..." Izumi tried to recall, but there was nothing.

"Your Haro's electric shocks kept your heart beating. Probably saved your life. Just take it easy for now. You've been out for just shy of two weeks since the incident. That and your arm was pretty badly beat up." Cronic's voice said into Izumi's mind, but if she was looking at him at the time, she'd notice his lips were not moving an inch.

"Up until now, we hadn't seen each other, From your perspective anyway. But when you were wounded, you mentally cried for help to anyone who could listen. I answered that call." Cronic said, before folding his arms.

"And my manners have slipped past me in the amount of headaches your father's been giving me during your time in my care. I'm Crobalt Nicholas Crystalis, the CSC's "Boss" if you will. Everyone calls me Cronic though." Cronic said, before rubbing his chin in thought.

"...Oh, then thank you and your people very much for saving me, Cronic. ...We're telepathic, dude!" Izumi said with a confused yet amazed smile. She held her good hand out to him, "You probably already know seeing as Dad's been freaking out. Izumi Hana Zala, ZAFT Redcoat and.. I guess I'm the Princess of ORB. But that title makes my skin crawl. Izumi is just fine."

It was after Izumi finished speaking that Glitch was pushed into the room, by what looked like Kenny's arm. He stood there with a bewildered look on his face, almost refusing to pay attention to Izumi. Just act natural... Be professional. She's a ZAFT Red and I'm an R&D God. Nothing else matters...

"Still trying to figure out the limits, but as far as I know, only those with similar abilities can hear or repl-" Cronic said, shaking Izumi's hand while speaking, before noticing Glitch, causing him to stop talking mid-sentence.

"...Glitch. Kenny push you in here or something?" Cronic said, standing up from the chair before turning to face Glitch, giving him time to answer the question.

"You need to talk to her alone, or...?"

"Nah, no. I was just coming to ask some questions about the.. whatever happened out there." Glitch said, clearing his throat and walking on over to stand behind Cronic's seat. "From what we gather, you and that Extended pilot, Calthorn, were overcome with pain. And the enemy flagship released some kind of weird energy reading only moments before-"

"...Hi, Izzy, it's nice to see you! How have you been all these years?" Izumi mocked Glitch.

Glitch rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat, "Oh come on! I'm trying to be serious here!"

"We're in a god damn infirmary! I just woke up after nearly two weeks in a coma! Wrong time for an interrogation, ya' think?"

"Look, I'm sorry- Just- And even more sorry for back at the Academy- But just chill, 'chillax' and stuff."

Izumi shook her head and looked back at Cronic with an indifferent expression. "Oh well... We were about to have a conversation about weird psychic powers. You feel like going ahead with that?" She asked as she began to tie her hair into three tails like she usually did. Meanwhile, Glitch couldn't help but start blushing. He tried to cover it up by acting tired and yawning, with his hands covering his face.

"Actually, my suspicions are this. Us "Psychic" types are susceptible to whatever it was that the ETs fired off. And from the looks of it, that Angel-like MS was out to eliminate said types of pilots." Cronic said, going over to lean against a nearby wall.

"Hence why if I'd personally gone out to assist you, I'd just have been making myself a target and a liability. You keeping up so far?" Cronic said, folding his arms, giving Izumi a chance to process this.

"And according to Calthorn, the Enemy's troop composition isn't just limited to Mobile Dolls. From what he heard, the Winged MS had a Pilot. He and 3 other pilots were able to drive it off... But the most concerning thing about the matter is the voice sounded... Human." Cronic said, and a look of irritation spread across his face soon after.

"This is why I condemn Maddox's actions. He was willing to sacrifice your lives based on a small amount of intel on the enemy."

Izumi nodded along as Cronic spoke. He'd said that this 'Calthorn' heard a voice. ...A voice? Out of nowhere she grabbed her head and leaned forward, choking. All she could feel was that piercing cold, and the fear that came with the voice. It told her to die, too - there was a strange feeling she couldn't shake off now that she was focused on it. Glitch was quick to pull Izumi back onto her pillow, where she began to breathe normally again. "No, ...not again... I don't want to feel it ever again..." She whined in fear, pulling the covers up over her eyes. Obviously she wasn't taking this as well as the Extended pilot was.

"Izzy..." Glitch hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch. "We're here. Cronic and I won't let anything happen to you. You hear?"

"Oh man... Whatever that energy pulse was, it must've been bad. I've never seen someone curl up like that before. PTSD is a thing, but this? It's like something horrible got burned into her mind." Kenny said as he entered the infirmary, pulling up a chair beside Cronic and sitting on it backwards to use it like an arm rest. "Gonna need a countermeasure."

Cronic looked at Kenny and nodded. "Us "Psychic" types, be they full psychics or partials, will need that countermeasure. If they can invade our minds like that and wreck it badly... Even with the new units the CSC and the Junk Guild're cooking up, we're simply dead weight if they're giving us a nightmare of a headache to the point where we can't focus on what we're doing." Cronic said, before looking towards Izumi, a look of concern spreading across his face.

"As for her, it's not just that, either. You've got to understand that winged MS almost killed her too. That's not something that'll pass by quickly. Physically the injuries should heal... But whether or not she'll be mentally fit for duty at this point... It's too early to say for sure. While her father would be glad to hear she's alive, it would probably break his heart to see her like this." Cronic said, as he closed his eyes in thought.

"If the Izzy I know is still in there, she'll just tough through it. She'd charge straight through it like she does with all her problems. Frickin' alien brainwave nonsense never hurt anyone, eh?" Glitch said, giving his old friend a nudge.

Izumi slowly brought herself out of the covers and began to sit up straight. The girl still looked horrified, but nodded in agreement and placed a hand on her forehead, "...We need a countermeasure."

"And we shall make one. On that note, I'm gonna go see about getting the project started. The sooner the better, right?" Glitch said as he stood up and walked to the exit. Before he left, he popped his head back into the room and smiled at Izumi. "Get better soon. It'd suck to keep Luci' and that Zerenis fellow waiting."

After Glitch left, Izumi sighed and looked between Cronic & Kenny with a sad expression. All she could think about now was that pain. It's like it shot through her very soul... But there was something interesting she found in Mr Crystalis' earlier speech. No matter how screwed up her mind felt right now, her love of all things technical shone through that cold feeling.

"...New units?" She asked, the Haro floating into her arms.

"Yeah. New units based on tech we pulled from the mobile doll we captured. We did the grunt work, then the Junk Guild do the R&D. We're keeping it hush-hush for now, for obvious reasons. If the ETs catch wind of this, they'll be on us like a swarm of locusts." Cronic said, looking to Izumi.

"Specifically, new Gundam units. It'll be a while before they're field ready, but let's hope no-one else gets any bright ideas before then. Hell, given the chance, we could provide upgrades for existing Gundam units to bring them to the level of the new units, such as Zerenis' Regen Duel. The Saviour was a total write off though. And I'm assuming you'll be looking for a little payback for what they did once you're back on your feet. So one of the new units will be assigned to you... If you're up for it." Cronic said to Izumi, as he nodded at Kenny before standing up.

"I'll get on the horn to Lucia and Zerenis. Let them know you're awake. They could use the good news. They've been worried sick about you ever since Maddox screwed up. Who knows, friendly faces just might be what you need. You need anything, just let us know. Till then, take it easy, alright?" Cronic said, before leaving the room, headed for the bridge.

---

A few minutes after Cronic left, the door opened once more, only this time Mark arrived, carrying a tray of food meant for Izumi.

"Spending two weeks out cold can't be good. Figure you could use a little nourishment, all things considered." Mark said, setting the tray down on Izumi's lap for her, before petting the Haro for a few seconds.

"I was the one who bought you aboard when the Saviour got trashed. I was in a hurry and you were in no fit state to introduce yourself at the time, so I couldn't give you my name. Allow me to rectify that." Mark said to Izumi as he stepped towards the wall Cronic was leaning at, pulling up a chair.

"Mark Artemis Astaroth. CSC's R&D and Mobile Suit specialist."

"And you probably get the idea of who I am by now, so... Hello Mark, nice to meet ya', and thank you very much for saving my life." Izumi chuckled, throwing her one good arm open and hugging her saviour with an honest smile on her face. "Hell, if we had time I would buy you a drink in a bar on the Cradles. But maybe a coffee will have to do, hm?" She laughed, quite enjoying the fact that this guy was all that stood between this happy moment of her life, or that slow death in the freezing cold of space. Of course she had no idea that the CSC was loaded with alcohol. That was mostly Kenny & Glitch's idea.

With the offer of buying Mark a drink standing, Izumi started eating her food.

"I can't take all the credit. You owe your Haro one too." Mark said, as Izumi began to eat.

"It used controlled electric shocks to keep your heart beating long enough for me to get you back to the ship." Mark said, as he looked at Kenny, whispering in his ear.

"Let's keep the fact that since we're not strict military, we have alcohol reserves quiet for now, alright?" He said, before looking back to Izumi.

---

Cronic, meanwhile, took the captain's seat on the bridge, and proceeded to take out a small communication device. He then proceeded to call Lucia. During the time Izumi was comatose, Cronic had met her personally, and told her of Izumi's condition. Being one of Izumi's closest friends, He figured he should probably tell her first. He planned to tell Zerenis soon after if Lucia didn't beat him to the punch.