Donna brought the arms of Sandrock closer to Gaia, the left manipulator touching the back. "Stella, we'll talk about it together later." She comforted her carefully. "Let's go back. I will see if we can get something to eat too." As she prepared to escort Stella back the noblewoman returned to Beta Leader. "I will make sure the debt is fully paid." She replied to Beta Leader. "I acknowledge your men's service. I will fight in future battles to make up for the lost manpower." She looked again at Gaia to see if Stella is ready to go back.

"My thoughts on this whole debacle? It's a well done tactic and I think we're one step closer to wiping out all these god damn spacenoids that are attacking us. I mean how many people are freaking from space in this weird pocket dimension? All that aside the only reason we pulled out is because I don't think they expected us to be so strong individually. Their plan was good and it almost worked they just weren't suspecting just how strong we really were. I bet we made it out without too many loses." Grant stated as he and his group made their way back towards the ship. "Hey Bozos hurry the heck up already if you're going back to the ship. I don't want to drop off this hunk of scrap metal and have to come back for you." said Hiling Care as Grant smacked his head on the back of his seat. "Gotcha sir bitch-a-lot I'll be right there." Grant replied as he really felt like shooting something again...then he remembered he barely got out of there alive.

===

"Understood...falling back to Sundown." Stella commented as Nena finally made her way back as Graham Aker landed on the ground nearby. "Fucking sniper got away from me...I had her and that one gundam managed to take it away from me." Graham grumbled angrily as he looked around at the carnage. "We lost some soldiers? Inevitable but all the same...sorry for your loss leader." Graham said to Beta as he grunted in acknowledgement. His remaining men were silent but it was clear none of them were happy about the circumstances. "Good job Aker you managed to fuck up your one job!" Nena said antagonistically as she moved Virtue but Graham didn't take the bait ignoring her completely. "What's up with sunshine? She not handle the battle well?"

Donna saw the approaching flag, immediately able to tell who the pilot is. "Stress I believe." She answered on Stella's behalf. "She said to me that the battle shook her hard. This is the first time I saw her that... under distress." The Gundam pilot magnified her camera to see where Nena is. "As an experienced pilot, is there any input you can give on this? I will ask Puru later on too for how she deals with this." Donna wondered why someone like Stella is made to pilot in the first place.

"If I'm correct she was like this when she was with the enemy. Something about combat is bothering her. I'm not sure if she should keep fighting but that isn't my call." Graham said quickly before Nena could answer as the boisterous red head gave her few cents, "What? I'm no psychologist hell people usually complain I'm the unstable one. Especially on the Sundown. Stella's probably just not too fond of combat either that or something about this freaking place is making her unstable. Either way she's going to have to deal with it how she will." Nena responded to Donna as Graham looked over the scene. "Hey Stella do you got any companions who usually fight with you?" Graham asked as Stella gave a muffled confirmation that she indeed had a group she usually fought with. "It could be that not fighting with them is causing her to panic too. I don't like not fighting without my own allies but I'm not Stella. As for Puru...well if I know Puru like I think I do then she just doesn't think about it. She probably doesn't like the killing but at the same time I think Puru just sees people as 'bad guys' and 'friends'. It isn't the same mindset I think Stella could adopt." Graham continued to Donna as Paul landed heavily on the ground nearby. "The area is secured any remaining enemy pilots are dead or have fled. I'm ordering everyone to get back to the Sundown as soon as possible." Paul said flatly as he picked himself off the ground and launched back into the air falling back towards the Sundown. Graham nodded and quickly transformed back into jet mode before taking off into the air leaving Donna and Stella alone with SIGMA and Beta as Nena quickly left soon afterward.

Donna saw the other pilots leave for the Sundown. Graham's insight on Stella's condition is something that is beyond their power to fix. She can try to ask Instructor W but it is doubtful if it will help. The Gundam pilot returned to Stella once more. "Let's go back." She said. "Maybe Doctor Wilbur can help you?" As she waited for her friend to responded she chose to lead the way back to the Sundown. The Gundam hovered slowly through the terrain until the point to where the ship is visible to allow Gaia to catch up. She opened a storage compartment to get out her camoflaged-covered tin canteen to drink from while she waited. "I wonder how are odds are here? Will we get out alive?"

"Cool your shit, Hiling. Some of us understand the buddy system. We're en route." He shook his head and continued forward, resisting the urge to lay into Hiling like he wanted to. The pilot in the hand of his gundam had stopped verbally demanding death or release when he realized it wasn't going to get him anywhere and sat silently in the hand. Jack glanced at him before turning to Grant. "How the hell do we manage to meet and ally ourselves with the crazy ones? Like Nena and Hiling."

"That's the thing. We didn't. Nena was a prisoner before you got here. A girl named Saturnalia came to us calling herself a innovator or something like that. She piloted that Virtue Gundam. That wrecked red suit in the Sundown? That was what was left of Nena's suit after Paul and his team got done with her. Paul saved Nena from Saturnalia a few days before you got here. She tried to kill Nena in cold blood. Jason wanted answers and prisoners not corpses. Paul hasn't commented on it since but I got the feeling he doesn't like the outcome. Nena was press ganged into the crew afterwards. She still doens't like us especially the Lieutenant. She's civil at least but only because we got our eyes on her and we're the ones feeding her. On the flip side Hiling Care is new just like you. Hiling is the quagmire here. She hasn't explained as much as we'd like. Personally I want to think we can trust her but I don't think we can." Grant explained to Jack as they neared the Sundown coming across a mass of destroyed suits and scrap metal. In the middle of all of it there sat Puru. "Oh hey you're back! HEY GRANT! HEY JACK! These guys were trying to take the Sundown out but they weren't any match for me!" Puru said as she appeared on their screens and smiled happily at the two of them. "Oh wow you guys look worn out you ok?" Puru asked worriedly at the sight of Grant's expression as Grant lightened up slightly,"It takes a lot more than that to kill me. Is the Lieutenant back?" Grant questioned as Puru confirmed he was just showing up now.

"Personal note: Don't fuck with Elpeo Puru." Paul grumbled as he looked through the carnage made by a little girl in a giant death machine she called the Quebeley MK 2. Paul knew that Puru was strong but this...this wasn't something he had come to expect at ALL. Regardless he stopped and looked back too see Stella and company were limping back towards the Sundown. "Hey you three alright?" Paul asked his gut telling him something was off. "I'm...I'm sorry Lieutenant...I lost control of myself." Stella said quietly as Paul sighed and nodded. "It happens but you could've gotten people killed out there. Stella I believe in you please try harder in the future to keep focus. Graham you're still alive I see." Paul stated as he turned his attention to the jet mode flag which circled above in the air. "It takes a lot more than a lowly sniper to actually take me out." Graham said confidently as he grinned through his portrait on Paul's monitor.

Mask was wheezing in his cockpit, still upset he made such a careless mistake. He snapped back to reality as a friendly hand neared his view screen.
"Thank you." He said taking the hand. He found himself repeating the phrase moments later as Grant praised his work. He had his Mobile suit pick up the remains of its leg, and pushed itself back into the air flying. He headed back towards the Sundown with the rest of the group.
Mask then proceeded to pop his canteen open and drink within his cockpit.
"I'm not fast enough. I thought for sure I could do it." He rubbed his eyes from underneath his mask.
"If this keeps up, I may just end up going berserk out there." He said, then exiting his cokpit.
"Hey, If possible I need a repair for my Elf Bullock's Leg!" He yelled to a mechanic crew member down on the ground.

"Oh shit hey this is Comms Officer Axer here I'm here to inform you that docking bay two is open for recipients we took some minor damage in the fight but we can come down to get you if you're suit is damaged. I'm not sure if our working parts are enough we may need to makeshift some Zaku parts onto your suit. We can't exactly afford to spend our Slaughter Dagger parts at the moment. Do you need medical assistance dude?" James Axer replied to Mask who quickly prepared for units in the docking bay to go and help Mask out if need be. Williams sat next to him resuming her duties as Communications Officer now that the situation was secure. She had been playing a play-by-play role as Jason's eyes on what was going on in the field. She did well unfortunately her work didn't bare much fruit as the Sundown couldn't get much in the way of communcations out. However she had already dispatched units to take in the captured Duel and Zaku units. Hiling Care had reported that she had disabled the unit further and the suit was basically a 'walking tin can' at this point in time.

The Sandrock was the last to return to the Sundown, making sure Stella enters first to get care early as possible. The Gundam finally entered the hangar and saw everyone was also back. Finding a place she can stop close to Instructor W, Donna moved it there. "Despite the trouble Stella had, she has managed to save me from an enemy commander." The Gundam pilot vouched, and quickly remembered the name Trowa Barton. "Excuse me, Lieutenant Blackstar. The enemy commander stated to me that they are led by a man named Trowa Barton. Did you meet the man in battle?" This is also a question she will have to ask the ever-mysterious Instructor, having increasing suspicions on the man's past relations.

Jack whistles at the carnage around the Sundown that Puru took the credit for. "Damn, Puru. Remind me not to get on your bad side. Ever. Like, for any reason." The young girl was happy and energetic and always looking for a new friend, but she definitely held a power that many of the crew couldn't begin to grasp and a skill that goes beyond her age. He then remembered she'd asked a question about how they were. "We're alright, Puru. Little beat, and my main camera's going to need some repairs, but alive. And right now, that's what matters."

"What'cha talkin' about Mr. Jack? Those guys were bad guys and they were trying to kill us I just protected my friends. You're not a bad guy so why would I hurt you? At least I don't think you are a bad guy. Not like mean old Hiling she's meaner than Captain Bright when he says I can't go and play with Judau." Puru said with an upbeat smile as her suit jumped up and down at the mention of Judau like the suit itself was a little girl. It was a bizarre spectacle as Jason came onto the intercom, "As strange as this sounds I would like for us to leave as quickly as possible. This place can be secured later. I'm sending out a call to all units to return to the ship. We need to coordinate a meeting. I would like everyone from alternate universes to come to the meeting room if possible assuming none of you need medical attention. Jason out." Jason said briefly and calmly as he turned off his link. Hiling Care laughed as she shook her head, "Here we are risking our lives and all he does is brush us off like we're nothing. How militaristic of our good captain." Hiling said with snark as Paul interrupted her immediately. "Captain Jason is a great man and I know he is mourning those lost in his own way. He can't afford to let this get to him Care. Just get to the meeting room once we got the enemy secured in the brig and out of their suits." Paul said firmly as Hiling laughed, "I wasn't insulting the Captain I can respect a man who can so easily handle the horrors of war and see the big picture." Hiling responded to Paul who in return refused to comment. Paul would never let a slight against the Captain go. Jason had done so much for him and he deserved respect for keeping the crew together since they arrived here cut off from HQ.

"I'm landing now prepare for docking. I'm in jet mode so I'll be coming in a little hot." Graham commented as Williams stated she was ready for him to land. Two of the Auxiliary units helped bring in the damaged units and Paul himself aided in bringing in the prisoners. The pilot known as Yzak growled and grumbled as they forced upon his hatch and pointed fully automatic assault rifles in his face. He and the enemy zaku pilot offered no resistance understanding they had no chance of doing anything to the men wearing body armor. It would be a futile effort to resist anymore at this point. Paul watched them leave with a disgusted look on his face. His father's handiwork used by ZAFT. It felt wrong on some many levels. A perversion that alternate realities could create. He only hoped that he could settle the score and deal with the rest of the ZAFT bastards. They caused the war in his timeline and he was sure they did the same in his. Yuri wasn't in the hanger but his aides immediately rushed to check out his suit. Yuri had decided to run maintenance checks on all of the ship's systems with the other crews on the Sundown in order to make sure nothing was too damaged.

Paul walked over towards Gaia Gundam and saw Stella shaking as he hurried over and grabbed his shoulders. "Hey hey calm down now please Stella. Everything will be alright I promise. Someone get her to Wilbur please. He'll make sure she's fine. I'll be down in a bit." Paul said as Stella nodded and a nearby engineer stopped his job and led Stella away as Paul breathed in and out calming himself down. Seeing a fellow unhinged always got to him. It was Donna however that came up to him as he shook his head head clearing his thoughts. "Trowa Barton huh? I think that may have been the gundam pilot I fought. I don't think he mentioned his name if he did I forget but it was probably him. Orange suit, fired beams from his Gatling gun on his suit's arm? He had missiles in his chest along with more gatling guns. It was like fighting a pilot with an unending supply of guns. He wasn't anything Raigo couldn't handle though. The suit is built to deal with machines like that. I won't lie he was pretty good. My shield is pretty busted up." Paul said casually to Donna as he leaned against a railing pulling off his helmet and shaking his head to get the sweat off it.

Hearing the captain, Jack turns to the others and sighs. "Alright, let's get back on board. I've had enough of this place to last me two life times." Helping the Alpha pilot get the recovered Zaku on the Sundown, he locks his own suit into it's charging dock and disembarks, removing his helmet once he was out of his cockpit. He arrived in time to see Yzak escorted to the brig and grimaced. "Capturing him's going to be a mistake, I can already tell..."

Donna listened to how Paul shrugged off the specifics of enemy pilots as nothing. Maybe it was one way to deal with the stress. "Thank you." She replied, though a bit disappointed that she didn't learn much. The Gundam pilot left the catwalk to the floor of the Hangar. She observed wrecked Duel and Zaku being brought over but her thoughts were on elsewhere. She looked to the area where the Slaughter Daggers were being repaired and found Instructor W.

The Instructor saw Donna coming to his direction. "Good work there, Donna." He greeted her. "Does the Sandrock need repairs?"
Donna shook her head. "I just came here for some questions." She explained. "One of the enemy commanders have mentioned the name Trowa Barton. It sounded like he recognised the Sandrock."
The man knew what she was talking about quickly. "He is one of the Gundam pilots." He explained. "The first generation of Gundam pilots for Operation Meteor. The pilot of third Gundam. the HeavyArms."
Donna listened as her mentor explained vividly. "Sorry Instructor." She interrupted with an apology. "Also with Mariemeia claiming to know you, I feel more should be explained. Who you actually are."

The man took off his goggles, showing his blue eyes without anything to hide it for the first time. "I was a Gundam pilot as well." He explained. "I was the pilot of the original Gundam Sandrock. Quatre is my name. I fought alongside Trowa, Heero and others thirty years ago originally for the independence of the Colonies."
Donna listened carefully. She thought of asking more questions but refrained, knowing he hid the past for a reason. "I think I will have to make sure Stella is fine." She ended the conversation. "But thank you Instructor." The pilot walked off to the elevator, looking at Quatre once more. She didn't want to press him further if it brought painful memories.

"Hm what's wrong Jack angry you couldn't get revenge? Maybe that will come later." Hiling said suddenly appearing next to Jack who had been staring at Yzak's depature. Hiling was smiling not an especially cocky smile but one that definitely shouted 'I'm interested in this' as her green eyes focused on Jack the rude young woman shook her head. "The captain won't let him out. He can't. He's ZAFT and your OMNI. From what the Captain told me and what I can gather you're mortal enemies like my A-laws and Celestial Being. It's quite the conundrum isn't it? You want to kill that fool so bad but you don't want to displease your superior officer. What would Jason say if he came across you standing over the bloodied corpse of that monster. Would he even care? I don't think he would. Jason seems like a fine soldier and he wouldn't alienate his crew over the death of one little man...but what would that say about you exactly?" Hiling said with a calm voice as she studied Jack. He smile didn't leave and she held none of her usual snark. She tilted her head to the side, "And what of the others around here? Nena and that Reve girl are both members of a terrorist cell yet they're allowed to roam free, no one knows who Donna really is, and doesn't Paul seem too young to be an actual officer? So many questions...So so few answers." Hiling continued as she leaned herself against the railing running a hand through her short cut green hair too wipe some of the sweat off of it.

====

Paul left as soon as the instructor started to get personal. He didn't want to invade Donna's privacy if the instructor wanted to share something with his protege then he should be able to do it without him listening it. He wouldn't want someone getting in between him and Jason if they were having a private conversation about Jason's past after all. He looked around at his soldiers some of them were fine but many of them clearly weren't happy with today's battle results. It was an awful thing to lose a fellow soldier let alone some of the best pilots on the ship. Beta Team...their best squad....now only left with a handful of members. Paul absolutely despised the ZAFT Bastards for doing what they did. He remembered fighting alongside Beta's members on many missions and it was....a hollow feeling knowing they were now lost. If Paul was younger then he would certainly have cried for them...but he had long since gotten over the tears of his youth. Instead he knew he could keep it bottled up. Unleash it when it was most needed. In a couple days they'd undoubtedly attack that coastal city which held more ZAFT soldiers. Mariemaia may assist them in the matter hopefully. But he didn't count on it. Commander Kenta didn't strike him as the sort to risk soldiers on a city attack with so many unknowns. But Jason was more forceful he saw a threat and he would eliminate it if possible. When Donna arrived in the elevator he saw her eyes and he felt her sorrow with his newtype senses. He breathed in deeply. "Do you need someone to be with right now? I'll be a shoulder for you too lean on for the moment. I know you saw a lot of death out there today and seeing Stella freak out like she must have isn't something I relish. If I can help you get over some of that I will. If not then I'll leave you be. But remember Jason want's us too come as soon as possible to the meeting room so either way whatever you need is going to have to be short." Paul said trying his best to keep a professional aura around himself...but he couldn't help leaking out some of that kindness. Maybe he was channeling some of the stuff Lacus often said to him when he finally came back to her. She should really start doing music more often...it'd give her something to do while he was off being a...soldier.

Donna noticed Paul in the elevator with her when he spoke. Her mind was filled with thoughts that she didn't notice him until he spoke. "Thank you Lieutenant." She replied to the pilot's offer. "While many in our ranks died today, Stella took the shock hard. She saved me once in the battle and I cannot leave someone that save me suffer like that." She thought of Instructor W's reluctance to talk about himself, but chose only to speak of it when he does himself. "Noted, I will head to the meeting once I check on Stella." She responded and got off at the floor with the medical bay. Before the meeting, the Gundam pilot wanted to check on Stella's state one more time, and to give her thanks for saving her once.

Jack didn't answer Hiling right away, his mind lost reviewing the war crimes that had made Yzak such a wanted man in his own universe before he was shot down. Eventually, he turned to the green haired pain in his arse. "It's not about revenge right now, it's about practicality and my standing orders from the Earth Alliance. ZAFT aces are to be killed on sight, no exceptions." He sighs, turning back to where Yzak had been escorted off to. "But then this isn't home, so it's hard to say if I'm making the right call. As for Reve and Nena? None of my business. They get the job done when they need to and for me, that's good enough. Should they turn on us, I'll put 'em down same as I would mutineers back home, but only then. Biggest issue we face right now? We're all from different time periods and universes, with preset ideals and alliances. Much as I hate to say it, but I think whatever issues exist between every one, including you and Reve and Nena, need to be put aside until you can settle them at home."

He turns and starts to walk away, heading for the locker rooms, and then stops. "Oh, and you might want to be careful, Hiling. Betraying your inhumanness to me like you did was a rookie error." And then he walks away, entering the locker room and getting changed.

"It's just how things go people die in war. Sometimes the people who die hit harder to home than people who don't. As a Lieutenant I must be aware myself that death is just a part of war. Betrayal on the other hand is something I cannot forgive personally. I knew a man who was very dear to me. He was my brother. We grew up together, fought the same bullies together, ate together, slept in the same bunk room together, hell he was even chosen to pilot one of the gundams my father made. George Kyleson was his name and as far as I'm aware he is alive somewhere. I want to make him pay for what he's done to me...sorry I kind of went off a person tangent there. I usually keep that story buried in my dirty laundry but knowing some of my finest brothers are dead reminds me of that fateful day in London." Paul said apologizing for his sudden rupture in protocol he didn't honestly mean to tell her what he just did it just sort of felt like it needed to come out. He could only hope that the info he did spill didn't change anything. "But yeah Stella should be in the medical bay just about now along with the rest of the soldiers who may or may not be injured. I'll come with you just in case." Paul said as he pressed the button to bring them down into the floor for the medical crew. Paul hoped he wouldn't be intruding on Doctor Wilbur. Wilbur had a lot of stuff to do as it was he didn't need to add to that mess. As they entered the floor Wilbur's staff directed them right towards Wilbur who in fact was helping Stella. There weren't many soldiers down in the medical bay but a few of them were suffering from heat stroke it seemed. Well...they were in a desert. Another few were treated for burns probably due to that one sniper shot that hit the ship's armor super heated an area and Jason had the men go into check. They'd be fine of course the crew on this ship knew their stuff.

Paul went up to Wilbur and saluted him the man nodded at him but was busy chalking notes down on his notepad. "Fucking hell...of course there was another universe where Extended existed. And more over of course there was one that made a higher grade level of Extended. I thought that she was like the ones we had but it turns out Stella is a bit more advanced than that. She doesn't need the serum. Though I wonder if the dose I'm giving her is causing more harm than good. It could be the wrong sort of thing for a patient like this. I don't know I'll just have to figure something out." Wilbur growled as he looked down to Stella who was breathing in deeply and slowly her eyes looking around nervously twitching. "Of course there's a problem...don't worry sir I have the up most confidence in you. You've done wonder for us in the past." Paul stated as he looked down at Stella and smiled at her. "Everything's going to be alright. Donna wanted to talk to you some more." Paul said motioning for Donna to come over and say what she had to say.

====

Hiling laughed at Jack and shook her head. "Whatever do you mean?" Hiling said shaking her head and looking up at Jack with no hint of anything being wrong. "I'm just like you just better. Don't worry I don't intend to stab you in the back Jack you're just as interesting as anyone else here is. Donna has her secrets, Nena Trinity is with Celestial Being and not independent, Jason has a crew full of soldiers who are watching our every move, and Lieutenant Blackstar, and Puru remind me an awful lot of those people we call innovators back where I come from. I'm told you had a person called Saturnalia on this ship and she informed you of their existence. I won't try to hide them from you but it does bring up a lot of questions. So are we going to see Jason or not? The Captain won't be happy if we sit on our hands. I guess I'll wait up for you then since you're going to go get changed." Hiling said with amusement as she passed by Jack and went into an elevator that had just come back down and leaned down inside of it waiting for someone to come in.

Getting changed didn't take Jack long at all, considering he knew Hiling had a point about the captain. Stepping out, he joins her on the elevator, leaning against the back wall. "You know, Hiling, I've had to wonder something. You knew we had Nena and Reve with us, some one who, clearly, is your enemy back in your universe. So why help us? Why not kill the pair and move on?" It had been bothering him some, and he honestly wouldn't have blamed her for it. Everyone else was fine to keep her under observation, but Jack was more of a direct route guy anyways.

It didn't take long before someone else had arrived in the elevator with them. It was SIGMA Leader he wasn't happy but he didn't say anything to either of the parties. His frown spoke volumes about what he thought about the last fight in general. He put himself in the back corner of the elevator as Hiling moved up front. Hiling giggled at Jack's question and shook her head. "Because you can keep your friends close and your enemies closer. The more I can find out about Trinity and that other girl Reve the more I can understand how to take them out when this is all over. We will be going back to our own timelines or universes or whatever be it. I'm sure my own timeline may be different than either of those two. But if I study their tactics and understand them better I can fight them more effectively. That and I'm curious about the people on this ship in general. Don't you find Lieutenant Blackstar intriguing? What about the good instructor? How about the Capt-" Hiling said as SIGMA suddenly interrupted the conversation. "If you even try to betray us Care I will personally make you regret ever been born. I'll keep what you said in mind but I have no love for either of those other two whores myself. One's a sociopath and the other is also a sociopath. The only reason I think that Captain keeps them around is because he doesn't trust them enough to let them go off on their own or risk killing them himself. Be mindful Lieutenant that you don't listen to her bull shit." SIGMA said bluntly as Hiling raised an eyebrow at the troop captain's comment and a subtle smirk came across her face. The elevator arrived at it's destination soon after SIGMA left immediately and walked towards the meeting room. Hiling looked at Jack, "Not the friendliest of sort is he?"