Selena made her way for the door when she heard a doorbell ring. At the front door Till Lindemann asked for entry when she greeted, "Of course. Please follow me." It was a short walk to the living room when she introduced, "Mom, there's someone here to see you."
Relena saw Till enter and accepted his apology, "We were all used in a game of manipulation that none of us could see. I only believe you did so having the best intentions at heart."
When had had his second question Heero answered confidently, "Our defenses and actions today allowed them to pave their own path to deciding if we are worth saving or not. They have the ability to change the direction of the world as it is. They only need to decide we are worth saving."
|
"Attention all hands. Briefing by the Admiral is commencing. All ship captains tune to the main channel." The leaders of the ships tuned in for the briefing by Admiral Miles when she began to speak. Several weeks had passed for the fleet but the plans to attack the Invictus had finally been prepared when she displayed a holographic battle map to the right of her.
The Gundam pilots and pilots aboard the Executor Rising were present on the Admiral's deck when she began to present, "We are approximately one week away from approaching the Sol Invictus. As it has been determined by the Gundam pilots, we must be prepared for the worst scenario at every corner." The map displayed the ships making a stop in the northwest direction of the station when she continued, "We will arrive within range of the Sol Invictus after the jump has been accomplished. We will not be facing the weapon directly but we will be able to anticipate the enemy prepared to defend itself on our left broadside. All turrets and batteries must be prepared to fire once we have arrived in range, I want the initiative to be taken from all hands effective immediately." There was a short round of broadside fire from the ships before the mobile suits were launched as she explained, "The enemy Sol Thero units are equipped with an artificial intelligence system that is prepared to destroy us at an unprecedented rate as some aboard my ship will attest. The Gundams will be able to provide us with the power we need to break through their ranks however." Among the simulated mobile suits she pointed to the leading ones meant to be the Gundams, "The Tallgeese Heaven will lead the attack and disperse a viral system capable of offering our units a realistic chance against the enemy. When the enemy units have been destroyed our ships will face the Invictus and offer what assisting fire we can to destroy the station." The hologram shut off when she said, "The importance of this mission cannot be emphasized enough and it is a scale that has not been seen in many years. But the responsibility now lies upon us regardless of our anticipation. We must be prepared to face the worst the enemy has to offer. I do not expect everyone to return alive. But if you are required to make a sacrifice on this day, then see it is done to further the survival of humanity. Do it to see that our mission permits us to have loved ones to return to." She concluded the briefing when she commanded, "All artillery hands prepare for immediate fire once we have made the stop. Once we reach within six hours of our destination, all pilots are expected to remain in the cockpits of their mobile suits. That will be all." Her hologram faded through the fleet and the battle plan was soon to be enacted.
One of the strategists on Norma's ship evaluated, "It's an easy to remember strategy sir. We should just hope the Gundams have the guts to pull off those sorts of stunts in the plans right?"
The Admiral answered, "No. We should hope the pilots have what it takes to do them." She answered with a gaze on the pilots. "When we arrive it will be up to them if we have what it takes to preserve humanity as it continues or if we are to be the final chapter in this human era. I would like to hope that all of you will be able to offer such assurance?"
Dana answered, "We've been through too much to fail now. I think we'll be okay."
Mercurio agreed, "It will be the most difficult mission yet, but it can be done I think."
Oleg agreed, "Yeah, I won't let this be our last hoorah."
Naina was the last to confirm, "This will acheive everything I was sent to do. I only hope that our efforts will prevent anything of this scale from happening again."
"Man your battlestations and prepare for the arrival. Dismissed." Norma ended the meeting with her pilots while she sat hoping to see the remainder preapred to meet with their greatest challenge.

"Then I'll trust them." The Lord responded. "I have seen your son fight well in Tripoli and Brussels. He left a very impressive record in his fights." He stood up, ready to leave. "Thank you for letting me stay for a while. I believe we were once in a same Treize Faction as well Heero." He opened the door and left the comfort of home. He will now invest the future to his children as he's no longer needed in the world. He was satisfied that he was now obscure in the world and patiently waited for his death. "You're in control now." He thought.

***

After words from the Captain, Donna went to the Sangesgeist made sure in full performance by Instructor W. She was thinking about the next hours that would decide the fate of humanity. Thanks to some help from Milou she will die with less regrets if she does. She turned on the OS to speak to Stuart. "Stuart, are the OZ forces ready?" She asked.
"Ready to throw their lives for you." He replied.
"Do I still need to do a speech?" It was something Donna wasn't good at.
"It will make it better." Stuart asnwered.
She took a minute to think of a speech. She switched to the channel used by the OZ forces. "This is Colonel Donna Nada Lindemann, commander of the OZ forces for this battle. What we will see soon is the Twilight of Humanity, where our worth will be tested. There will be casualties but we will prevail."
OZ was once a massive military for the Romefeller Foundation. We may be fragmented groups that is a pale shadow of it's namesake but we will prove to the Heavens that we carry on their legacy.
We will win Ragnarok."
The long speech made Donna needing a drink, but there we rallies of supports with the channel being filled with voices shouting the names of houses.
Milou heard the speech as well when he got into OZ's channel. "She can survive this after all." He remarked, impressed.

Tano gave some final thoughts, where the battle would mark the end of the war. He was a victim of the war, how he was the only survivor in his family. What he will do now may end future sufferings like his. "For the Coalition and the lives that were lost." He prayed.

After weeks of waiting, Franz Kecker saw the monument of his ambitions within reach. The scale of the Sol Invictus's panel wings became more apparent when his shuttle made its approach to the center of the station's hangar area. "Now the time has come. Today humanity will be brought forth on the right path to peace." He promised himself.
The shuttle made its final approach to the entry area before the proper docking procedures were put in place. Franz exited and made his way towards the nearest rail when he found the lead operator greet him. "Greetings Mr. President. We have been waiting for your arrival."
Franz stopped himself from floating when he grabbed the nearest rail and observed, "As you were ordered. Has the Solaris been charged?"
The operator confirmed his request after opening the nearby depressurization chamber, "We are now at optimal levels to fire the Sol Invictus on your order sir."
Franz entered the room when he requested, "I must see that the guardians of the Invictus are prepared for the defense. We cannot have the Coalition come anywhere near this facility."
"Of course sir." The elevator made its roundabout way through the station when it passed through the nearest hangar bay for the mobile doll defenses. Lines of Sol Theros were aligned facing the closed hangar doors while the lead operator elaborated, "As you ordered, we have 45 squadrons of Sol Thero units put on standby to defend the Invictus. Even if the Coalition and Earth Sphere forces were to unite against this station both sides would be completely wiped out."
Franz observed the lines of squadrons while he asked, "And that is why we have prepared the true final defense against such a scenario correct?"
The elevator made its way through the next hangar room when the operator introduced the two greatest weapons the Sol Invictus would have to offer. "As promised we have achieved such ambitions." The elevator passed through the next chamber and before the men stood the two greatest achievements of mobile doll technology in modern times. "The most powerful mobile dolls ever created. Possibly the greatest works of machinery ever conceived." The operator gestured to his left, "The Sol Thanatos." A slender black mobile suit whose limbs seemed to be made out of blades standing at 35 meters. He then showed to his right, "The Sol Atlas." A fat red mobile suit of the same height with heavy armor plating but without any visible weapons but only the fists.
Franz stood in content when he agreed, "Excellent. We have everything necessary to prepare for this day. The Coalition will no longer be capable of seeing this conflict worth maintaining."
"We could probably win the war if we use them this way Mr. President."
"We will. I come today with the first targets in mind and we shall see the station prepared for firing. Report to the preparation chamber. I will head for the main control room."
"Understood sir."
|
Time passed and Franz found himself in the control room where he could observe the targets made for the Inivictus's cannon. Franz looked over the screen and saw the distant asteroid within his sights. "Now it has come to this. Neil, once this has begun we will set humanity on the right course." He opened a communication link with the personnel down below asking, "Is 3 Juno within range?"
"It's there Mr. President. But the L2 colony side is in its way. We'll have to wait until they move from view before we have the chance to fire."
Franz immediately shut off the link and ordered into the voice control panel, "Initiate manual override. Enact Primary Directive."
Once the panel received the command, Franz saw the computer next to him respond with a line of words, ‘Primary Directive engaged. Awaiting further commands.’
“Shut down all access to the station interior.”
|
Along the panels of the Sol Invictus’ span, the entire team of repairmen and operators performed their expected duties to ensure the station was prepared to be used. The lead operator who introduced Franz a few hours earlier found one of the repairmen when he asked, “Is everything up to snub around here?”
“It looks like it. We couldn’t make the cannon panels any more secure than they are.”
“Sounds like we’ve finished everything then. Report to superiors and get ready to head in.”
“Got it sir.”
'Lockdown imminent. Lockdown imminent.' The computer voice sounded through the helmets of the men along the scope of the panels. The station closed all of the doors into the Solaris shuttle and panel hangar bays leaving the maintenance workers to futilely attempt finding a way in.
The operators gave various comments of shock as soon as their entrance was denied, "What the? What's going on?"
"We're being sealed out!"
"Help! Anyone! Anyone out there!"
"They can't hear us! We're stuck!"
|
"Activate the broadcast." Franz ordered. He saw a camera activate in front of him and knew his words were about to be heard. He prepared the final speech he would ever give to the human race.
Franz's face appeared on every television signal that received the Earth Sphere signal. Once he had the signal he began his speech to humanity.
"I am Franz Kecker. Weeks ago I cast down my position as President of the Earth Sphere United Nations. I have no association with any organization now. I am not allied with the Falson Coalition or the Earth Sphere, but simply a human being. A human being who was fortunate to be elected by a governing body desperate for safety.
"It was decades ago we promised to forgo the acts of war and our mobile suits. As time progressed, we have merely found ourselves return to that same moment. 18 years of peace simply gave way to another 11 of war and the highest human mortality rate in history. This is proof enough that our past policies have not worked. Nor will they ever work as long as we progress.
“It has been centuries since human kind has looked towards the stars. We have looked up and wondered what waited for us. We were anxious to see where we would be placed in the universe. What I see before me now however, is a race that has refused to change from its old ways. This has been the shortsighted nature of humanity since this very ambition was conceived. We see the hurdles but we are not willing to trounce them. We see the monsters but we shy from them. We see what can be achieved through cooperation but we only desire individual satisfaction. This mindset we have developed on Earth has followed us into the grips of the frontier we have sought to subdue.
“Through the decades of war, we had believed that an end to conflict was possible. Our last attempt has been nearly three decades ago when we promised to see an end to mobile suit warfare and engage through a path of pure pacifism. As I should hope by now the idealistic creators of this policy have seen what simply oppressing a simple nature of the human mind has done. We stand upon the most demanding war in human history and we are still willing to accept deaths as merely casualties to further personal ends.
“There was to come a time showing what a world simply trying to hold back its old habits has done. We are no closer to achieving a peaceful path forward for the human race. Should we continue along this approach, we will destroy everything that gives us a chance to expand as a species. We will not stop until we have destroyed every chance given to us for a greater humanity.
“Once and for all, it must fall upon the shoulders of one individual to bring an end to the suffering. It will be my hand that sees the human race does not seek further warfare. The answer towards a prosperous humanity has been nothing more than a dream for us. A dream we have not even wished to consider as the necessary step. But as it stands, I see now what must be done.
“We have seen men of the past propose the idea that traumatization is the only path to peace, but they did not have the means nor ambition to see it done. Their desires were nothing more than a chance to see their own goals pursued rather than the face of peace they believed possible. Regardless of their true intentions, I present the true path towards peace and assure that my intentions are purely altruistic. I present to you the greatest technological achievement our species has ever constructed.” His speech cut for a moment when the broadcast showed a view of the Sol Invictus with its panels in full spread to fire.
The broadcast returned to him and the speech continued, “The Sol Invictus has shaken many at the mere concept. The potential hazards and devastation are things I cannot simply place in words. I offer now to the human race, the true path to peace. The only way we will ever stand united against the wickedness of our very nature. My action.” With this portion of the speech finished Franz grabbed a handle within an arm spanning hole in the panel. With a pull motion the lever found itself at the surface before he pushed it back down and in that final moment sealed his fate for countless eras to come.

"What's going on in there?"
"The weapon is activating!"
"Get me ou- AAHH!!!" The men working on the interior of the Sol Invictus were the first to be sacrificed within the wrath of its beam. Unfortunately they would not be the last ones either.

|

The fleet led by Admiral Miles continued to make its progress but a line of light had suddenly become visible once it passed them. One of the operators noticed the action when she asked, "What's that?"
Norma commanded, "Magnify on that location."
Once the coordinates were locked one of the operators managed to report, "It looks like an energy beam sir... It seems to be coming from Kecker's coordinates!"
The Admiral was stood up in shock when she heard the news asking, "He's fired it?!"

Mercurio and the other pilots were observing the beam as it shot past the fleet of Coalition battleships and were brought to a state of wonder about what had happened. "The beam... Has the Invictus been fired already?"

|

Thomas did not have a chance to see the beam of light headed their way when he reported, "We've finally arrived Mr. Lehrer."
"Yes, we can finally be at ease and hope the -AHHHH!!!" Lucas and the entire crew of the shuttle were instantly burned away to nothing when the shot found its way. The two men were spared of any sight of destruction when the colonies were caught within the light of the super weapon. The ones that weren’t hit by the beam became victim to the debris that flew through the carelessness of space. The size and heat of the debris spared nothing in their drift. The L2 colonies were completely wiped out in the arrival of the Invictus' fire.

|

The Generals of 3 Juno overlooked the progress for the evacuation when one asked, "Are the evacuations proceeding as scheduled?"
"Most of 3 Juno has begun its arrival on Mars. They only wait for the remaining population to arrive."
"Prepare the final - AHHHH!!!" For all of them the escape never happened when the beam of the Sol Invictus found its way towards 3 Juno and pierced it to its core. The asteroid was completely annihilated with a hole in the middle of its structure while it began to crumble away at what foundations were still holding it together.

|

After the beam was fired from the station Franz continued with his speech when he explained himself, “Let it be seen and known today, I was the one who brought this about. I was once the elected President of the Earth Sphere United Nations, and I was the one willing to perform what you have witnessed. The intentions of many military organizations who have attempted this have been noble. However in the end proved only to be run by hypocrites or unambitious men. Today I achieve everything that they have sought. This is the result of unquestioned loyalty to leaders. This is the only true path to peace.
"This is not the act of any one nation or any military group. This is my action. This is the choice of one man who sees what must be done to move the human race forward. I now offer a choice to the human race. I now await your reactions of what must be done today.” With the speech ended he signaled for the camera to end its broadcast.
Franz sat back in his chair when he observed the destruction on his . His work was complete. He looked towards the empty scope of space when he spoke, “It is done. I can only thank you for your cooperation in making this possible Nathan. At least one of us is destined for hell now. Regardless of our final destination, rest easy now. Know that what I have done today will ensure that humanity is now on course towards progress.”
|

The beam made its way through the distance but left a horrified mindset for the crew of the fleet. Norma was the first to request among the chaos, “Can we get an estimate on where the beam was headed?”
“Right away Admiral.” One of the strategists confirmed. The area of the inner portion of the Sol System were brought up while he drew a forward line from Franz’s position was when he determined, “If the estimates are correct… It passed right through L2 it looks like.”
Norma was quick to command, “Get me a contact with the heads at L2.”
One of the operators confirmed, “Patching through.”
“This is Admiral Miles. Please report.” There was a moment of silence when there wasn’t even static on the screens, rather just dead silence. The Admiral made an effort to contain her composure when she confirmed, “… There’s no answer. No one is available…”
One of the strategists was shaking when he asked, “No way… Did that beam actually…”
“I fear to consider what may have been the true extent of the damage done is…” The Admiral grimly answered.

The beam of light was witness by those at the hangar. "The laser..." Tano could only say in shock
"The Sol Invictus." Milou only remarked in disbelief of it's destructive force.
Donna hastily returned communication with Stuart. "Stuart, are our morale still there?" She asked, attempting to keep her cool.
"The laser we just saw's possible to have scared more than a wee bit of our forces." Stuart replied.
The OZ commander returned to her forces. "The laser we have witnessed has show that there's more at stake. We must prevail." She addressed before quickly returning to the Allied forces channel.
"Can we win this?" Suchart asked, fret by the raw power.
Tano received further contact from McNeil. "It looks we lost contact with 3 Juno." He informed.
The news meant the the laser was aimed at L2. "Are the Coalition leaders alive?" He asked, deperate for answers. He could only see McNeil shake his head and looking at the floor in mourning, assuming that they were caught in the blast. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" was what the Gundam pilot screamed in anguish with the ideals he fought for were now dead. He returned to speak to McNeil once was able to collect his thoughts once again. "McNeil, once this battle is over, I will resign from the military." He declared.
Quatre lost his ground when he witnessed the laser with his eyes. "It was the light of hatred." He tried to comprehend. The image of billion lives eradicated in a single shot was unnverving even for the previous Gundam pilot. "Donna, you and the others are the only ones that can save us now..."

***

Lord Lindemann was interrupted by a news urgently brought by one of his guards. The lord looked considerably weakneed with his will being drained. "My Lord, intel reported a beam of immense power that wiped out L2."
The Mad Lord of Prussia was shocked. "Then the Sol Invictus was activated." He interpreted. "Are the Earth-Sphere Parliament informed of this?"
"Messengers are already sending the news to them." The messenger replied.
Lindemann expects an emergency meeting to be hastily arranged. "Prepare for my departure to the Parliament building." He ordered.
"Right away sir." The soldier saluted before leaving.

The news had just been broadcast as Kecker’s speech reached the ears of everyone on Earth and those who still inhabited the colonies. Malcolm was reduced to a stupor when he observed, “It… It can’t be…”
The Secretary of State observed, “It has been done…”
Zlata asked for a possible chance, “Can we contact 3 Juno from here?”
Marcel shook his head when he answered regretfully, “Negative Mr. President. The signal is completely blank. There is no one to contact.”
Zlata found herself in the same state of shock as her President when she considered, “An entire colony side wiped out… The main base of the Coalition…”
Elena announced their situation in a depressed tone, “As it seems, we of the human race have taken our first steps into a very bleak period.”
Malcolm clenched his fists when he announced to the members, “One that we cannot see repeated. Only the most soulless of monsters would hope to see this done again.”
Hiram voiced the first concern when he asked, “How can we explain this to anyone however? This conflict has gone on for so long between Coalition and Earth Sphere. Do we accept the responsibility for Kecker’s action?”
Zlata shot down the plan when she evaluated, “Accepting the responsibility will not bring back anyone. Even if we do we will not be blamed any less for permitting things to escalate to this point.”
“It took many years for us to reach this point and the men who proposed this plan are dead with the exception of Kecker.”
“Even worse we do not understand how far this plan reached in order to be achieved.”
One of the representatives denied this when he emphasized, “If we are selected as the ones to blame then the trail will be endless for us all and we will forever be in conflict with one another.”
Relena was the first to point out their issue when she first spoke, “And because of such circumstances we have no one to directly place blame upon other than the events that have led up to this moment.”
One of the representatives voiced her concern, “If we do so then we are not looking at blaming an individual or an organization. We are seeking to place blame on the simple idea of provocation of conflict itself.”
Malcolm lamented the dilemma when he agreed, “It is because of this and the many years of blindness we have been in that we have allowed so many to die today. The fact remains that the Coalition has been all but completely wiped out and we are now the helpless old organization that does not have the means of maintaining peace among the human race.”
Relena brought about her final message pointing out, “Perhaps we do not. But we can still make amends for our unfortunate choices. It is clear now that attempting to bury the past will only see tools of destruction rise from the depths they were cast into. And when they are found they will bring the most disastrous consequences. I am personally able to take solace in the fact that an older member of generation separate from this one was responsible. We may not be able to place association directly on him. But we will have a chance to undo such conflicts before they ever happen.”
Hiram found the motion to be questionable when he asked, “Do you suggest that we enact the peace policies enacted by the Earth Alliance?”
Relena corrected him when she answered, “Peace policies untarnished by corrupt individuals hungry for power. There must be a force willing to maintain the order of peace while the governing body maintains it.”
Marcel was intrigued by the idea but showed signs of concern when he pointed out another wrinkle, “Will we not risk the danger of a military uprising in such a time? That power could go to ones ego quite easily.”
Relena brought the next condition to such a policy when she answered, “Not as long as we have our own military branch to keep them in check. When one side has an individual willing to commit such an atrocity the other must be capable of rising against it to prevent needless destruction.”
Marcel agreed with the position after considering, “Then we will have two sides observing one another and they will be able to see that peace is maintained. But will be capable of standing on their own as well while ensuring the peace is maintained.”
Elena was the next to confirm the situation, “At least a certain kind. We will continue to have conflict. But if it is enough to ensure this day does not repeat itself, then it should be a price worth enforcing.”
Relena reminded them of their effort, “This path to peace will be one requiring considerable adjustment and fixes. But this is possibly the most significant first step we have made in preventing another mad man from holding us under his grip.”
The Secretary of Defense turned to Malcolm when he asked, “Will you be announcing this to the press tomorrow Mr. President?”
Malcolm was in a period of pondering before he requested, “Madame Yuy. I must ask that you present this speech to the people.”
Relena was only lightly surprised when she asked, “Me Mr. President?”
Malcolm nodded when he answered, “Yes. The people require a face that can be easily identified. If they recognize you they will possibly give leeway to the situation that must be confronted.”
Relena recognized her duty when she agreed, “I suppose I might be able to achieve this. I shall do so.”

Two days passed as a portion of Quebec City’s civilian population gathered along with the news press prepared to hear from their government. “We turn now live to the speech from Interim Vice President Relena Yuy at Quebec City.” A reporter announced. With that Relena appeared on camera before everyone who watched the news hoping to hear for an answer on the recent events.
Relena was unshaken when she began her speech, “I send this message to all members of the human race regardless of their loyalty. Calling the events of a few days ago a tragedy would not do justice to the situation. What we have witnessed was as Kecker himself admitted was nothing more than the act of one man. But what does this one man show us? This one man shows that the choice and action of a decades long war can be matched if we do not dedicate ourselves to seeking conflict be prevented.
“I had believed that ridding ourselves of the means to cause such devastation would be enough to end wars and humanity could see progress march forward. As me and my compatriots have learned very dearly, we now see the consequences of trying to deny that such raw emotions still exist in the hearts of men and women everywhere. For that I cannot apologize enough.
“What are we to do in preventing this tragedy from happening again? If we are hopeful to see an era where humans to not allow wars to tear itself asunder, we must begin by preventing the cause of a conflict from occurring. Kecker has all but in a final announcement claimed his seat as an individual faction. He believes that using the Sol Invictus as his fortress will be enough to challenge the future of humanity.
“I ask all of you, even those who will not take my word to truth, will we seek to only destroy one another continuously while the instrument of our mutual destruction lies beyond? We cannot afford to desperately seek those responsible for permitting the destruction of humanity to continue. We must take action and see that Kecker does not have the chance to fire it again.
"I beg all of humanity who hears this message today. Rally against the factors that have brought about this day to occur. Uniting under a banner to prevent such tragedies from ever being repeated.
"It is a harsh and demanding time when we are forced to agree to such a unity with such circumstances, but it will be the only chance we have to stand against further needless death. We must be willing to unite against the very idea of war from this day forward and prevent the causes of war before they ever happen. If we as a race are to prevent future conflicts of any kind then we must be willing to looks at ourselves as a common people seeking only the best for ourselves on a mutual level.”
Heero and his daughters were observing the speech as they listened to every word she hoped to unite humanity under. The television continued with her announcement, "Perhaps this day cannot be achieved in our lifetime. But if we continue to make these steps through the ages, we will one day send a message to all who deny progress towards peace. The human race is not intimidated and will not back away from what must be done. For the sake of our future as a species we must rise against the station and see it destroyed. Our forces are headed to its location and the future will be decided once they arrive. Regardless of the outcome, we must send every ounce of will to them in hopes that we one day see the peace we had strived for. Not just for veterans of the Eve Wars but for the whole of the human race who wished to see an end to conflict.
"I only now pray that it is enough to see that this message and this hope finds way towards the fleet headed for the Sol Invictus. I hope that they understand that the fate of human peace is within their hands." Her speech ended to a light applause among the civilians who observed while the news reporters continued their jobs. She turned away towards the new Parliamentary Building while she remembered the old days of such speeches. It might not make a difference now, but one day it might be enough to show what an older generation had truly intended among the chaos that had been sewn.

|

One of the operators on the Executor Rising announced to the ships of the Coalition fleet, “Attention all hands. Report from Admiral Miles is coming through.”
As soon as the voice made its way to all available ears the Admiral began, “I will not lie to anyone when I give this report. It has taken days to confirm the status of the beam’s direction but it has been confirmed… The entire colony cluster of Lagrange Point 2 has been completely wiped out without any survivors… 3 Juno has been spotted by a number of Mars evacuees as crumbling remains of what it once was…” She cut off the transmission when she gritted her teeth against such figures. The serving men and women already knew she was among those mourning the loss of such a sum of human lives and overemphasizing it would only hinder her speech’s effect.
There was a hesitation in the air before she continued, “This has put the death toll well into two billion. For anyone who has called 3 Juno or Lagrange Point 2 home, I can do nothing but apologize for such a hard time to befall you. War comes to demand the most of us when we participate, but such costs as this one are never even conceived let alone asked for.”
The sympathizing was quickly over when she began to “But what do we say in the face of such a danger? Do we gaze upon it and cower in fear? Do we permit pure chaos to undo every bit of human progress? Because those of you who choose to have lost sight of what waging this war has been intended for so long to achieve. Our purpose as soldiers is to look down the face of adversity and prevent it from ever happening to anyone who does not choose to pay such a price.
“The final question I must see answered today, will we permit this slaughter to occur a second time? Those among you who say that it will not are the ones I am pleased to lead. This is not a question of loyalty to what faction we have hoped to preserve, this is a question of being able to maintain what makes us human!”
Norma heard preparations of rally throughout her own ship and knew that across the others there must have been varying degrees of such enthusiasm. She waited for the noise to die down before she gave a final rally, “Report to your mobile suits and prepare for the break. We will launch towards the Sol Invictus with our battle plan in hand. If we have any desire to see villainy pay for such devastation then we will ensure this weapon has been reduced to nothing by the time the day ends. We will move in to see that no one has to pay for a war they did not want to see occur. Our action will prevent another tragedy such as this one to ever occur again. Today the Himalayas may rise, but we will not cower to scale them!” With the speech finished the pilots and crew made way to their respective stations and waited for the break in the jump to occur.

Dana saw the buster rifle loaded in the bird mode of her Artemis “Looks like this is it. It’s time for us to end this thing.”
“You go anyone to avenge while you’re out there blasting Sol Theros?”
Dana managed to hide her displeasure when she prepared her suit, “Yeah. Two billion people at least. Me and Ramos didn’t survive our missions together just to find that our actions were used to further some kook’s idea of peace.”
“Well at least it will give you a chance to find some keywords for future speeches.”
She answered with a determined tone, “I don’t think we have the timeframe for another one. It’s time we just head in there and cut off Kecker’s ambitions.”
Gawel shrugged when he heard the determination in her voice, “I guess I should be used to that sort of confidence from you by now huh Cap?”
“You’ve caught on if you can guess that Majewski.” She said offering a smack to his bottom when she turned announcing to the other pilots, “Time to move out.”

Cao and her squadron were leaving the locker room once the order had been relayed through the Executor Rising. She saw Oleg line with her squad when he announced, “If that thing ever manages to hit Earth I’m going to take it down with me in the process.”
Cao pointed out to him, “Will McNeil be happy with that kind of attitude though?”
Oleg shrugged when he answered, “Maybe not. But I don’t think he signed up for this war expecting to be treated like the modern day Michelangelo.”
“Is his work at least worth the salt he gave for it?”
“Sims don’t tell us everything. But I’ll make sure there’s enough Sol Theros out there to see why we’re unhappy with their commander’s recent decisions.”
“Then be sure to provide as much effort as we are. We have a planet to one day return to.”
“Yeah. I hope it’s there for all of us after all this.” Oleg agreed as he made his way towards the Golem’s hangar bay.
Cao was preparing her suit and following the other mobile suit pilots when she saw Tano make his way down the halls. She found a moment next to him when she offered, “Lieutenant. I hope for the best for you out there. I want to see Kecker pay as much as anyone else. Most of all I want to see us return from this with a future to look forward to.”

Mercurio followed Naina as soon as she prepared her flight suit and asked her, “You’ll be leading the forces out there right?”
She confirmed the reminder when she answered, “That is my position in the plan. These mobile suits may not be able to handle their shields but at least provide a distraction while the Invictus is raided.”
He observed the dedication in her eyes when he told her, “You’re prepared to accomplish this mission as much as we all are. Just don’t lose sight of what our goal is.”
Naina crossed her arms when she admitted to herself, “As unrealistic it may be, I hope it be possible. If we hadn’t covered this topic prior it would be worth confirming. Right now I simply have a mission to carry out. It will be for the better of all humanity once we accomplish it.”
He offered a final parting, “Just good luck out there then.”
“I hope for the same to you Mercurio.” Naina agreed as she made her way to the Tallgeese.
The Uriel stood before him when he prepared for what he imagined would be the final mission for this war. It was a few moments before he saw Donna nearby preparing to make her way to the Sandesgeist. “Donna…” He said to get her attention. He held her shoulders when he gave a brief gaze into her eyes. I probably won’t have to live this down… He thought to himself. He placed a light kiss on her left cheek before he let go of her and made his way to the Uriel offering, “Good luck out there.” He entered the cockpit of the Uriel when he waited for the next few hours to pass. He watched the bay doors intently while he waited for the final launch.

Donna was surprised with Mercurio's surprise kiss. It made her realise that this will be a battle that anyone will die. "You too." She replied. "Don't die."
Suchart was there to witness the kiss. "Screw it!" He shouted. "Did I give the prize to the wrong winner or is Donna some kind of Goddess?"
Milou also saw the kiss but remained indifferent. "That is the better guy I was talking about." He remarked. "He will be dying with regrets if he does but he did let Donna know of his feelings." He climbed into the cockpit of the Aquarius, activating the OS and the AI system.

McNeil heard the conversation with Oleg and Cao. He caught up with Oleg. "While paintings are made to be viewed at, shoes are made for walking, Mobile Suits are made for fighting." He told the pilot. "I would only be considered a Michaelangelo if you can show results with the Golem. Good luck." He gave him a pat on the shoulder as he returned to his post. "Avenge L2 for us!"

***

Lord Lindemann remained stern, thinking about the annhialation of L2. He looked at the window of his temporary residence, where the sun was shining under the false sense of peace. He also listened to Relena's broadcast of a new political system, something that resembled an early Roman political structure of "Duoviri" or two joint leaders to ensure one is not corrupt. He returned to his bed shortly.

“We’ve got the time for talking done. Right now we’re going to see these things work in action.” Oleg agreed with McNeil’s observation. He found the Golem nearby and made his way into the cockpit. “Against all we have lost we aren’t going to let this happen a second time.” He promised himself.

|

Franz overlooked the vastness of the holographic map within range of the Sol Invictus. 28 red lights appeared headed in range to the battle station. “So the first attempt is already underway. Humanity may not be prepared for facing the Invictus. But a loss of this size will give emphasis on what they are facing.” He commented to himself. He turned to the computer screen when he commanded, “Activate primary squadrons. Prepare for enemy engagement.”
The screen displayed, ‘Sending Primary Squadrons.’ Down below he could hear the hangar bays opening and saw on the map the Sol Thero squadrons being sent to prepare their defense of the home base. He turned to the computer screen when he commanded, “Charge the main defense units for battle.”
The screen switched to display the Sol Thanatos and Sol Atlas down below as they were exposed to the sun’s rays from behind the station. “Unfortunate they arrived so early. Once they are fully prepared for battle however, they will regret makings such as hasty decision.” He promised to himself.

|

The fleet of Coalition battleships began to meet their destination before one of the strategists managed to catch sight of enemy presence on the battle map. “The enemy’s been deployed sir. It looks like they knew we’d be bringing these numbers.”
The strategist next to him pointed out, “We’re getting 23 squadrons of those Sol Thero things Admiral. They’re lined up to block our way around the Invictus. A forward push is probably going to be our only way through.”
Norma gave a stark reminder of her situation, “He certainly knows to understand his enemy and anticipate his enemy’s tactics.” She commanded thorugh a loudspeaker to the hands on deck, “Proceed with the countdown. Prepare for the jump break.”
One of the operators found the fleet of Coalition ships making their destination when he announced, “We’re reaching the point of break Admiral.”
The Admiral had a moment of tension when she did her best to prepare for the upcoming battle. “Begin firing once we hit the stopping point.” She ordered reemphasizing the strategy.
“We’ve hit it sir!”
“Fire!” With the order given the ships of the fleet fired their broadside cannons of energy fire. The Sol Thero units saw the incoming fire and had their planet defensor shields prepared for such an occasion. Despite their shields the mobile dolls determined through their programming and Zero System’s guidance to avoid every possible area of fire. Despite their survival they couldn’t move anywhere without risking being hit by enemy fire or losing sight of their target.
One of the operators overlooked the enemy mobile dolls maintain their position when he announced, “We seem to have the enemy stuck in place right now sir.”
The Admiral took the announcement as an opportunity when she ordered, “It is time to move forward with the next part of our plan. Prepare all mobile suits to launch. All Division Leaders report.” The communications system patched her through to the other leaders of the fleet when she heard,
“7th Division has units prepared to launch.”
“1st Division prepared for launch.
“6th Division prepared for launch.
“2nd Division prepared for launch.
“5th Division prepared for launch.
“3rd Division prepared for launch.
After the six leaders gave their report Norma finished, “The 4th Division is prepared to launch. All hands prepare for close range combat. Break through and we’ll have the station within our range.”
One of the operators agreed to the order when she confirmed, “On it sir.”

The operator’s voice sounded through the Executor Rising when it ordered, “All pilots prepare for launch. All pilots prepare for launch.”
Naina saw the bay doors open and braced herself for the push forward when she announced, “Tallgeese launching.” The Tallgeese Heaven made its way through the doors and towards the vastness of the battlefield the battleships had begun to attack.
Dana allowed the jets of the Artemis in bird mode to reach their fullest when the crew was clear and announced, “Artemis launching.” The bird of a mobile suit launched forth following suit. Dana activated Zero System and saw her course clear for entry. The bird mode of the Artemis sped its way through and prepared for the first opportunity to begin firing on the enemy mobile dolls.
Mercurio was next to follow as the Uriel was prepared when he announced, “Uriel launching.” As soon as the unit launched he prepared the Zero System to activate and watched the information flash before him. He observed every shot being made and every chance the enemy had to move forward as he did his job to push back the enemy.
Oleg saw his turn was next when he moved the new Gundam towards the launch pad announcing, “Golem launching.” Three of the Gundams had launched while Naina observed them from behind. She had a brief moment to collect herself when she turned back to focus on the enemy that was before her.

One of the strategists overlooked the battlefield when he saw not only the Gundams make their way to the frontlines but the well over a thousand Saggitarius and Leo III mobile suits forming a line of defense for the battleships. He turned to the Admiral announcing, “The mobile suits have launched sir. We’re meeting with the enemy at their defense line.”
The Admiral held onto her chair arms when she ordered, “Prepare for the attack. Don’t let up on the assault on the station.”
The battleships continued to fire towards the Sol Invictus but found their shots were either missing entirely or being met with resistance by the Sol Theros. One of the strategists warned, “I don’t think we can get a decent hit sir. The enemy is trying to hold back our shots.”
The Admiral wasn’t deterred when she ordered, “Provide as much support for our troops as we can. Don’t let them face the enemy alone.”

Dana saw the mobile dolls firing on their position when she followed alongside the Tallgeese warning, “We’ve got them in our sights. All units prepare to engage.”
Naina announced on her channel, “Follow suit behind me. Engage all units within the viral radius.”
Oleg had the gatling guns of the Golem prepared while locking onto what targets would be available for the missiles when he hoped to himself, “Hope you’re watching McNeil.”
The assembly of Gundams and mobile suits made their way into the sights of the Sol Thero units as they avoided their fire. Naina saw the Sol Thero units enter range when she announced, “Viral dispersion is within range. All units move in for the attack.”
Oleg was among the first units to attack with the Golem unleashing its volley of fire from gatling gun fire and multitude of missiles coming from the opened panels. He saw the Sol Thero units unable to defend themselves from the multitude of angels and were forced to take the hits. Some of them had their shields depleted while others were destroyed in the process. Oleg continued to fire in the nearest directions when he commented, “Now I really feel like making a dent.”

One of the Coalition mobile suits contributed to the fire when he observed, “Looks like they didn’t see us coming. Thought these were supposed to be tough to take down.”
Cao’s Sagittarius unit was firing when she warned, “Don’t let your guard down. We need to get through their shileds before they go down.”
One of the operators warned their action, “Make sure to keep an eye on the Tallgeese. She stays flying and we’ll have a decent chance of breaking through.”

The Artemis began to change from its bird mode and managed to take several hits from the enemy Sol Theros with ease. It prepared the buster rifle in hand before Dana warned, “All units stay on the lookout from fire from the Artemis. She’s about to let loose.”
One of the Coalition pilots began to pull back his Leo III asking, “Damn, is it going to be that powerful?”
The Artemis aimed the mighty bust rifle when it began to charge with Dana announcing, “Time to see how much they’ve got left in them.” In the next moment a mighty beam fired forth with every bit of wrath as the stories of the Wing Zero’s destruction of an entire colony invoked. A multitude of Sol Thero units were caught within the fire while they attempted to resist with their shields but ultimately cut through as nothing. Dana looked over the damage that had been done before she asked, “Hell yeah. Who’s next?” She used the Zero System and found a line of targets that permitted her to fire with destruction she didn’t think was possible against the mobile dolls. She fired at every chance she had.

The Uriel followed close behind the Tallgeese Heaven when it fired its Testudo cannon on every enemy that came in range. The Tallgeese sliced through two Sol Thero units at once as it made its way through the ranks and fired its buster rifle on the units prepared to make their way towards the Artemis. She warned the units following her, “They are prepared for a concentrated attack on every individual Gundam. It seems to be the most they can consider right now.”
The Uriel prepared its buster sword into shield mode when Mercurio warned, “They’re closing in on the fleet!” The Uriel threw the shield into a spinning motion as it made its way through the defensor shields and through the ranks of Sol Thero units attempting to make their stand. “Keep an eye on the Coalition units, the enemy is going to have an easier time breaking through.”
The Tallgeese Heaven readied its buster rifle when Naina warned, “The ones that aren’t nearby have already found a weakness. These confrontations are about to become more close range.”

One of the strategists overlooked the situation on the battle map when he warned, “The enemy is attempting to advance. We can’t let them near the fleet or we’ll be easy targets sir.”
The Admiral ordered the nearest mobile suits, “Mobile suit forces engage the enemy. We must maintain our position to offer the Gundams a chance to move in.”
She heard one of the squadron leaders announce, “We copy that Admiral. Moving in.”
One of the strategists was able to see from the view of the battlefield that a Sol Thero unit was making its way towards their location when he warned, “They’re getting too close! Don’t let them towards the ships!”
The Admiral called for the nearest squad commanding, “Form a perimeter around the flagship of 4th Division!” It was after that command she saw several blasts come from behind the Sol Theros enough to stop it from firing. The pilots outside seemed to recognize the potential damage when the Leo III kicked it out of the way and away from the deck of their Admiral’s ship.
Norma heard a signal from outside assure, “They should be kept within sir. These things are taking a serious beating.”
“Leave the rest to the Gundams and our forces outside. We have to hold our own out here.” The Admiral commanded.
She heard the leader of the 7th Division announce from his channel, “We’ve got enemy buildup coming from around the flanks Admiral. They’re proving to be a problem out here.”
The destruction was confirmed when one of the strategists warned, “They aren’t kidding Admiral. We’re already reaching nearly 10 percent destruction of our forces.”
Norma lamented to herself for a moment, “Even with the Gundams on our side we’re already suffering mass losses…” She prepared another command when she said, “Give a request to any Gundams out there to provide us with covering fire. We have to maintain our current position at all costs.”

"Donna Lindemann, Gundam Sandesgeist Trabant moving out!"
"Milou Peacecraft, Gundam Aquarius Wasserman launching!"
"Suchart Nantakarn, Panther launching!"
The Mobile Suits launched out of the battleship to group with the Gundams already out. To catch up the Trabant Booster was used to increase the moving speed.

Behind Donna followed the Lindemann squadron, whom replaced their Maganac IIs for Panthers and the OZ forces mustered by her father. Although the majority of the Moile Suits were Panthers there were even sights of outdated Taurus and Leo refitted with space verniers of a Panther's caliber. "We're all at your disposal Colonel." Stuart told her, dashing next to her in a Leo carrying an old standard of OZ.
"Thank you." She gave her reply. "All forces follow for attack and give support to the Gundams as well!" Her orders were followed when machine gun fire created a diversion that made a Sol Thero use it's planet defencer in one direction only to be attacked by the Sandesgeist from another. The next Mobile Doll charged at the Gundam only to have the attack parried and subsequently destroyed with a dober gun fire.

Receiving the battleships' call Milou gave his reply. "I'll return to reinforce them." He declared, leaving the other Gundams.
Donna also received the call of distress from the battleships. The Zero system allowed her to think of a good order. "Send the Lindemann, Sinclair and Andalusia squadrons with the Aquarius!" She ordered sternly. Without hesistation the ordered squadrons made their move to support the Aquarius.

One of the operators heard Milou announce his progress when she said, "We're receiving aid from the Aquarius Admiral. We should be able to hold our own at this rate."
Norma saw the cannons were charged again on her panel when she ordered, "Fire towards the defensive line. Ensure that our troops have the support."
"Right away sir." One of the strategists relayed the order, "All broadside cannons prepare for a second volley of fire!"

The Uriel sliced its way through another Sol Thero while the Zero System gave Mercurio a warning on his back side. He warned to the units nearby, "Descend below! They're getting ready to fire!"
One of the Coalition soldiers confirmed the warning, "Copy that." As soon as the order was given the fleet of Coalition battleships gave their second volley of fire towards the defending Sol Thero units.
Dana found her job easier when she bashed the next unsuspecting unit with her shield commenting, "That fire is providing support alright. Doesn't look like they can get a decent hit on that station though."
One of the nearby Leo III pilots found the beams colliding from afar when she reminded, "The enemy is still trying to keep those shots from getting through. It looks like they have another defense line from back there."
Oleg was nearby when he fired his gatling guns towards the nearest enemy units, "If we just have to endure another round of this I think we can handle it."
Cao was firing her unit’s sniper rifle when she hit a planet defensor warning, “Try not to do anything reckless out there. We still have a chance of breaking through thanks to you guys.”

The conflict was dying down slightly when Norma observed the battle map and requested, “Are we any closer to breaking the enemy’s line?”
The first strategist reported, “We’ve taken down approximately 61% of the enemy lines sir. Our units haven’t been able to make much of a dent though.”
“Without the Gundams I doubt we would have breached this far in all realistic terms. Our combined forces have lost 30% of their numbers at this point.” The other strategist lamented.
The Admiral felt more regret creeping in as she commented, “Damn… To think we had to take this much of a loss.” She remained vigilant when she pushed the crew, “Don’t let their sacrifices be in vain. We have to give the Gundams a chance to push through.”

Franz saw the computer screen display ‘Mobile Dolls charged to optimum levels.’
"Charged at last. The Gundams may have taken a chance but they will see how impenetrable this station is." He turned to his nearest panel when he ordered, "Launch the Atlas and Thanatos. Eliminate all enemies within the ready area."
The screen confirmed, 'Launching final mobile dolls.' Moments after hearing the bay doors open he saw the Sol Atlas and Sol Thanatos fly out of the station and towards the battlefield where their smaller variants waited for their assistance.
The assembly of the Coalition fleet displayed on Franz’s battle map as he prepared to execute the next decision of his strategy. He observed the Invictus’s position and observed, “They are all that separates me from the next available target.” He ordered the computer panel, “Rotate the station. Prepare to direct fire on next target.”
The computer was obedient when it displayed, ‘Rotation is in progress.’

Dana was pressing her way through the Sol Thero ranks when she took out a beam saber and defended herself at close range. "Captain, we've got another two objects headed this way!" Zachariah warned among the crossfire.
She turned to her left computer screen when she asked, "What? Is it more of the enemy?"
She heard Mercurio report the enemy status, "I've got two signatures sir."
Dana was brought to attention when she noticed the speed of the signatures, "It's coming in fast!"

Norma searched the scope of the battle map when she heard the chatter among the units of the defensive line. She turned to the nearest panel asking, "What's going on out there? All squad leaders report!"
One of the squad leaders reported back, “The enemy must have reinforcement’s sir. They look like… Holy shit… Those things are big.”
One of the strategists saw the two signatures making their way to the lines when he agreed, “It seems like the enemy has received some assistance sir.”
The Admiral turned to the front of the deck when she commanded, “Give us a visual on the reinforcements.” It was a quick moment when the deck view displayed the two mobile dolls before the crew. The operators were silenced as soon as they saw the mobile dolls as tall as the Testudo itself launching into the battlefield. Out of instinct Norma compared the sight to one of her past asking, “The… Mercurius and Vayeate?” Despite their size, the appearance of both managed to bring back the memories of those decades ago.
She wasn’t able to observe their activity but was snapped back to attention when one of the operators announced, “We’ve got a massive energy reading on the red one.”
Norma turned to the battle map and found the energy was building beyond the anticipated maximum for a mobile suit. “Is it preparing to self-destruct? It can’t be planning to handle that kind of power.”
One of the strategists found the answer when he warned, “Sir! It’s firing!” With the announcement given the hands folded back into the Sol Atlas and the massive beams of light shined forth from the recesses of its arms and the Coalition fleet saw its full power. The fleet did not see the fire of the Sol Invictus up close, but the devastation the two blades brought would be the closest experience.

Mercurio caught his shield when the beams made their way through the battlefield. “It’s too powerful! Watch out for those beams!”
Dana had the Artemis change to bird mode when she tried to escape the devastation. She found the Zero System displaying the possible positions of the Sol Thero units when she warned, “Get around them! The enemy units are trying to use it to their advantage!”
The first sight of the beams brought the Golem to fire its missiles towards the source only to find they would not hit anything. Oleg tried to warn the others when he announced, “Nothing’s getting through! I can’t hit it!”
Dana saw the beams make their way through the field and not only to the Coalition mobile suits. She warned the nearest units, “They’re hitting through the line. It’s going through to the fleet!”
The Tallgeese Heaven fired its buster rifle in the direction of the beams but found they only ended up colliding to a minor effect. Naina was the next to warn, “Averting it is no good… I’m sorry to say that the fleet is in trouble.” Mercurio heard this warning and was left to stare in terror at the destruction before him.

“Commander! We’re reaching maximum tolerance from those beams!”
“Evacuate the ship! Move out forces to the rear qua- AHHH!!!”
Dialogues were repeated to this same effect among the Coalition fleet as the energy blades made their way through in calculated motions. The Sol Atlas turned its head from left to right while searching for the next movement to make while its work continued. The beams swiped through the battleships as a sword would make its way through fish leaving explosions in their wake while the survivors scrambled to find safety.

The crew of the Executor Rising deck gave a collective, "AHHH!!!" The sight of the beams was not only frightening but almost became too much for the human eye to look into.
Norma realized this when she ordered, “Shield the dock view!” One of the operators managed to hear this request among the chaos when the view of the deck was sealed off
A few minutes passed before one of the strategists collected himself and reported, “Energy reading is gone sir… Systems are stabilizing.”
Norma forced herself up when she requested, "D... Damage report?"
One of the operators lifted himself from the panel when he answered, "Somehow we're still alive..."
Norma accepted the report when she asked, "Easy enough... Can we still operate?"
One of the operators overlooked the status of the ship when she answered, "Our ships integrity is still intact sir."
The Admiral was reluctant to ask the final question when she asked, "How many of us is still out there?"
One of the strategists was audibly regretful when he answered, "It's not looking good sir. That attack has just wiped out 75% of our fleet."
Norma made her way to the seat when she forced herself to take up a leader’s position again. “Damn it… Those numbers are going to keep going up.” She cursed before giving an order into the units in her perimeter, "All surviving units. Please respond."
One commander responded, "We read you flagship. It's not looking too good out there."
"Do we have any sign of the Gundams?"
"They're still at the defense line. They should be able to push them back but that recent attack was too much for any of us."
"Quite observant." She agreed. She decided the next order, "All units proceed to the rear lines and avoid contact with the new enemy out there."

One of the captains overseeing the destruction of the fleet saw Cao’s sniper team in position. He noticed a lack of activity when he requested, “Private Nhung. Are you still out there?”
Cao answered with a weak, “I’m here sir...”
“Anything wrong at all?”
“I don’t think I can do much about my sight sir. I’ve been blinded to my right…”
“Damn it. Those beams were too powerful for us to even look at.”

Mercurio looked out to the destruction of the fleet and saw the true scale of the event. With how many casualties were made the feeling of defeat couldn’t be avoided. He heard Dana order, “We have to make our way back. This will be our only chance to gather what we have left. Before the enemy attacks again.”
“Roger that Captain.”
Oleg looked through the debris that made its way through the fleets orbit when he asked, “Damn it… Here I thought numbers and brawn would make a difference. What are we supposed to use now?”

One of the captains who managed to survive the attack of the Sol Atlas couldn’t find the source of the beams but was quick to agree with his Admiral, "We have to head back. They're not going to survive for much longer at this rate."
"Is anywhere safe after something like that?"
"Probably not. But it's better than taking our chances."
One of the units from his squadron saw the explosion when he asked, "Captain! What happ-" The units continued to explode when the Coalition pilots tried to figure out what was destroying them now.
The situation was emphasized further when a Coalition leader requested, "Second squad pl- AHHH!!!"

"What's going on now?" Norma saw the Coalition numbers making their way back to the fleet but being stopped by what seemed to be nothing.
One of the strategists could only determine, “It seems the enemy has something else in store for us sir. There’s no energy beams but the speed shouldn’t even be possible.”

Dana saw the destruction of the Coalition mobile suits coming from behind when she warned, "The enemy has moved in again."
Oleg tried to comprehend the idea asking, "After that attack? Was it from the same one?"
Naina’s voice sounded when she saw the destruction making its way through, "It doesn't seem to be." She turned the Tallgeese around when she ordered, "Head into the Coalition ranks. Don't let them take any more targets."
Dana was the first to question the decision, “You plan on taking that thing on?”
Naina had the Tallgeese’s virus activated when she promised, “If I can slow it down it should be target at least.”
Mercurio requested his entry, “Let us go in for back up. We need to make sure we can destroy this thing as soon as possible.”
Naina didn’t show any disagreement when she permitted, “Just be sure to let me know when I have the target in range.”

There was a few moments before the gathering of Gundams made their way through the destruction when Mercurio saw the slender mobile doll in his sights. “That has to be the one.” He announced to the nearby Gundams when he readied his weapons, "We have an enemy mobile suit engaged. Preparing to move in."
Mercurio prepared his shiled when he threw it towards the target. The mobile doll that seemed to be made of blades was only in existence for a period before it disappeared again and made its swiping motions through the debris.
The Uriel fired its Testudo cannon in every area but only managed to hit varying pieces of debris before he heard Naina warn, "Stay out of its way!" Naina fired her buster rifle when she tried to hit the target cursing, "How is it moving this fast? At least Mercurio should be safe.” The Tallgeese drew in its buster rifle when it drew its heat rods while it avoided another throw from the Uriel’s shield. With the correct precision the Tallgeese managed to slice into the Sol Thanatos’s left arm and through one of its accelerators.
Mercurio found the Uriel’s cannon reaching empty when he warned, "It's moving faster than our radar is able to pick up!"
Naina promised them, "It should be slowing down at least. Prepare to engage."
Dana had the Artemis’s buster rifle at the ready when she finally saw the "What is that?"
"That's no mobile suit..." Oleg commented.
Dana didn’t let anything else distract her when she ordered, "Open fire! Don't let it survive the attack!" The Gundams fired every shot they had when they tried to hit it but found their efforts to no avail.
Mercurio threw the shield into the direction of the Sol Thanatos when he announced, "It's still going! I can't get a good lock!"
Oleg saw the damage of a quick duel when a wing of the Tallgeese Heaven was clipped away from its original model. "The Tallgeese has been hit!" He warned to his allies.
Mercurio sped the Uriel towards Naina’s location when he announced, "Out of the way! I have to help!"
The Golem let forth a volley of missiles on its locked target before Oleg saw a notification and cursed, “Damn. Those are my last missiles. I can’t hit it from here and risk hitting the Tallgeese as well.”

The Uriel retrieved its shiled and prepared to engage in sword mode when the Sol Thanatos did everything to push the Tallgeese Heaven away from its allies. Naina saw the Uriel prepared to make its next strike when she tried to warn, “Get out of here!”
“Naina!” Was all she heard when Mercurio charged forward. The thrust of the sword made its way into the Sol Thanatos before the mobile doll made another dodge.
The Tallgeese matched with every motion and sweep the Thanatos had before one of its arms joined the clipped wing. “I can’t keep up with it!” Naina cursed as she saw her means of attack lost. Despite the Uriel’s efforts the Thanatos continued to avoid every attack of the blade. She opened a channel to her brother when she reported, “Milou… I’m sorry this has happened…” She was breaking when she tried to answer, “I didn’t expect to see…” There was a moment of static flashing across her screen when she endured another hit from her enemy. She gave a final word to him, “I didn’t mean it to end like this…”
“Naina!” The chance to move in was too slow when the Sol Thanatos swung around to dodge Mercurio’s shield and the incoming fire. With the opening given, the Sol Thanatos pierced its remaining blade into the backside of the Tallgeese Heaven. Time slowed down and the observers saw one of their own fall while being forced to consider their strategic loss.

“Naina!” Donna screamed as she tried to make her way to help the Tallgeese but the path was blocked by three Sol Theros.
The Mobile Dolls engaged in close combat to stall support, preventing hits while countering unsuccessfully with the Sandesgeist dodging them. They were about to overpower her until Tano’s Anaconda appeared and mauled one from behind. “I’ll help you get to the Tallgeese as fast as you can.” He said.
The damaged Sol Thero was finished off by a missile launcher from a Panther. “I’m in this war as well.” He reminded them.

The voice of his sister made Milou turn around. “Sis, you can’t go!” He shouted. “You’re better than me in any other way!”
While the distraction could’ve cost his life the Lindemann Panthers gave supporting fire. “Damn it we’re working hard here!” Flake frustratingly shouted.

The two Gundams were unable to reach Naina in time when the rear torso was lunged through into the cockpit. Donna was unable to speak with what she saw now but realized that it’s worse for Milou. The Zero system get her out of the sense and reminded her to regroup the OZ forces. “Stuart, how are our forces?” She asked.
“We lost the Di Vinzo, Marco and Beckett squadrons!” The OZ commander reported. “But casualties could’ve been worse without your instructions.”
After remembering the new Mobile Doll units that showed up she gave her new order. “Get the surviving squadrons to focus on the Sol Theros!” She commanded. “Support for the new Mobile Dolls must be eliminated if the Gundams are going to have a chance!”

Milou saw how the monitor was working until Thanatos’ sword lunged in and briefly smeared blood into the camera before transmission ended. While he was used to seeing those he love died now, his sister took the hardest hit like a numeriously repaired wall wrecked by a cannon shot. The AI of the Aquarius came active to guide him as he was losing lucidity in battle, allowing him dodge multiple beam shots and countering back with dober gun projectiles.

Quatre felt another pain while he was working on the quick repairs of Leo III units. “Naina just died?” He asked himself before getting to work. He also had the bad feeling that the death will not be the last either.
McNeil ignored pleas for help that flooded the hangars to focus on the refuel. “Quickly refuel Brown Squadron, then move on to Verde Squadron!” He ordered. “Leave some space for any refuel the OZ lads or the Gundams will need!”

Oleg saw the Tallgeese stabbed from behind and was left to curse his luck. "It seems that thing is beyond what we can pull off..." He snapped back to his senses when he saw the Sol Thanatos leading squads of Sol Theros towards his locaiton. "This isn't looking good. The enemy is trying to close in on us!" The Golem brought its gatling guns to firing when he gave the warning.
Mercurio sent his shield to another few Sol Thero units when he agreed, "Of course they don't have the humanity!" The shield spun from one end back to the Uriel while Mercurio aimed the Testudo cannon at the nearest Sol Thero units. With every shot given he eventually found Zero System giving him the opening to the Thanatos. The Zero System displayed the Artemis moving in from behind and began to give Mercurio a strategy.
Dana saw her Zero System alert the next area of attack when she ordered, "Move in from behind! Don't let it have a chance!"
Before the Sol Thanatos could move in and begin its assault on the gathering of Coalition mobile suits, the Uriel thrust its blade into its back. "Take the shot now!" Dana had taken the initiative when she saw the opening for the mobile doll. The Artemis fired its buster rifle and a beam fired down towards the face of the Sol Thanatos. It was a short time before Naina's death was avenged when the mobile doll exploded.
Dana saw the mobile doll's signature fade when she told herself, "That makes one down..." She turned the Artemis to face the remaining Sol Thero units searching for the next targets. She didn't wait for another chance to aim but simply began to fire towards the Sol Thero units waiting to be cleared up.

One of the remaining sniper squad of Sagittarius units saw Cao's mobile suit taken away while the others tried to stand their ground against the incoming fire. "Damn it! These things are still trying to gain on us!"
The Captain tried to figure out the situation, "How many of us are still out there?"
One of the nearby pilots tried to overlook the destruction before him and saw the final Sol Thero untis closing in, "Most of the squads have been wiped out! The enemy unaffected by the viral transmission is making its way to our ranks!"
"They keep trying to group in on us! We're trying to push them back as much as possible sir!"
The Captain’s concern could be heard when he warned, "It's either our survival or theirs out there, don't let the enemy have the chance to remind us!"

Cao stepped into the hangar bay and saw the ship medic make his way to meet her. He supported her while she held her right eye as she asked, "How have things progressed out there sir?"
"We're being reminded that we have a war going on out there. That's one thing we couldn't avoid."
"The Gundams?"
The medic tried to overhear some of the chatter among the crew when he answered, "Can't say how many survived but it sounds like one of them went down."
Cao was more concerned when she asked, "Was it the Anaconda?"
The medic shook his head when he answered, "We've got reports its still out there. It's probably going to take more than a few squads to destroy it."
Cao looked down when she entered the depresurization chamber commenting, "Even then someone has lost their life out there. I suppose we had best hope they weren't too close to one another."
The medic sighed in reluctant repsonse, "Even if they weren't, we may have already lost one of our key tactics towards reaching the station."

One of the Coalition squad leaders announced, "Take this!" He managed to find the right shot as he took out one of the final Sol Thero units without the Zero System working for it. He contacted the channel of his squad ordering, "Don't let any of them reach us!"
Dana overlooked the destruction while the Coalition mobile suits made their way back to the fleet. "The final squadrons are making their way here. It shouldn't be long now."
Oleg continued to fire the Golem’s gatling guns when he observed their situation, "The enemy seems to be thining out right now. We might have a chance." He fired towards another three units before he asked Dana, “The Tallgeese’s pilot was a good one when I worked with her. If I could have helepd I would have Captain.”
Dana accepted his apology answering, “Some of us are going to take it harder than us. All we can do now is hope this doesn’t interfere with our objective.” The Artemis prepared its buster rifle a final time before Dana warned to the nearby units, "Here comes another shot!" The beam fired across the battlefield and the Sol Thero units were helpless to defend themselves against the might of the beam. Dana checked her radar when the number of Sol Thero units disappeared from her sight. She ordered the other mobile suits, "That should be all of them. The others are retreating back for now."
The Coalition Captain next to her agreed, “Let’s head back to the fleet. We have to be ready in case the Invictus is preparing to defend itself again.” With that suggestion many of the Gundams and Coalition mobile suits made their way back to the fleet.

Norma saw the enemy mobile suits making their way to the station when she asked, "Do we have the enemy on the run?"
One of the strategists checked the effects of the field when he answered, "It appears they are making their retreat sir. We haven't had another sign of the mobile doll that fired those beams from before. It appears to be resorting to a defensive now."
She saw the battle map display the remaining Coalition battleships firing in the direction of the Sol Invictus only to find them meeting within beams coming from across the field. "Then I suppose that is what our shots have been colliding with."
One of the strategists overlooked the shots being made from the fleet, "Confirmed. It hasn't damaged any of our remaining fleet but by now I wouldn't be surprised if those were its plans."
The other one pointed out, "There's something odd happening with the station sir. The solar panels seem to be folding into themselves."
Norma saw he was right when she noticed the new shape of the Sol Invictus. In the midst of the battle it had not only moved itself to face northwest of its original direction but the closing panels gave it the look of a flower in reverse bloom. The Admiral decided that now was the last chance she would have to end it diplomatically when she ordered, "Bring me a connection with the leader in there."
"I'll see what channel's open sir." It was a few moments before the operator found a channel announcing, "We've got something."
On the view of the deck Norma was face to face with Franz and began her offer, "Mr. Kecker. I see you have been the one behind this. 3 Juno has been destroyed and what remains of my fleet is facing the most dire odds in history. Have you not proven yourself to the human race by now?"
"I have not Admiral. The destruction you have witnessed is only the beginning of what will come to pass."
To the dismay of the Admiral’s realization she recognized the true reason the Sol Invicuts had turned. "You are referring to..."
"Yes. Earth.” Franz answered. “The people of Earth will see the devastation up close. I do not wish to destroy the planet, but the power of the Sol Invictus will be able to concentrate enough to see that you and the others are among the first people to be killed in the shot. It will be the beginning of humanity’s ultimate realization."
Norma didn’t choose to divulge him with this question and simply faced him when she asked, "If there's no negotiation then tell us what's happening. What are you trying to gain?"
"I do this because I choose to." Franz answered before he shut off the channel. The Sol Invictus continued to close in front of them
Norma turned to her crew when she announced, "We can assume this man has lost whatever humanity he once had. There will be no further negotiations." She turned to the strategists ordering, "Align the fleet to prepare for a final assault. Be ready to offer whatever support fire we can issue."
One of them objected to the plan, "Admiral if we line up in this formation we'll be within the target range of the station."
Norma shook her head when she answered, "That's the idea. We have to face them one final time before we go down fighting."

Franz shut off the channel when he continued the answer to himself, “Because I choose to. And I hope to see humanity finally see what the true face of destruction is. The more that is destroyed, the more we will detest the idea of seeing more. Even if I am defeated today, I have accomplished my objective.” He looked over the panel with the Sol Thero units and lead mobile dolls to find that the squads were not only wiped out but the Thanatos as well. “Future generations may be grateful one day. This only marks humanity’s first step to freedom.” He observed. He turned to the computer screen when he ordered, “Deploy the secondary squadrons of Sol Theros. Have the Sol Atlas prepared to resist all fire.”
The screen before him displayed an answer, ‘Deploying second defense line. Sol Atlas in the lead.’
The next line of Sol Thero units made their way to form a circle around the Invictus’s range of fire while the Sol Atlas stood alongside them. The sight gave a stark reminder of what the Coalition fleet would have to face.

Norma saw the enemy prepare itself again and could only struggle to maintain her composure. “They have further reinforcements… Are our forces prepared for another run?”
One strategist overlooked the numbers when he shook his head, “Our forces aren’t looking good sir. First we need to reload our units and after that we don’t even have the units to make a decent stand.”
The other one voiced, “Agreed. We only have 38 squads left and the enemy is back to the numbers it was before. We won’t be able to make the same sacrifices from last time.”
The Admiral stood face first into the eye of their destruction when she told them, “If that is the case then we will have to see the Gundams are capable of delivering our final hopes of destroying this thing. We can at least hope they won’t assume an offensive. The station will be ready to wipe us out as it is anyway.”

The Gundams made their way back to the Executor Rising when several pilots gave their collective regret on the recent losses. Dana cursed her recent luck as she looked into the panels of the Artemis, "Damn it... Damn it all... How much longer before this ends?"
Oleg landed the Golem next to the loading station but didn’t bother getting out when he asked himself, "Losing all those numbers. How are we supposed to accept this?" He turned his thoughts to Naina’s defeat when he prayed, “I’m sorry Agent… Naina… Here I thought I fought at your side for a good reason.”
Mercurio was the next to wonder about the recent loss as he wondered to himself, "How was anyone able to accept a day like today?"

Mercurio left the pilot seat of the Uriel when he was ready to give his instructions to the mechanics on reloads and repairs but heard one of the mechanics announce, "Bring it in. There we go." He turned around and saw the white mobile suit that followed his group all the way to this final battle.
"How did the Tallgeese get here?" Mercurio asked himself.
One of the mechanics seemed to overhear this question when he answered, "One of the squads managed to drag it back before the retreat."
Mercurio was reluctant but managed to ask, "Is the pilot in there?"
"Uh... Technically yeah..." He was given a gesture to see the inside of the cockpit and made his way towards it. He moved forward and saw one of the men lift a particular part from the Tallgeese. The crew lifted a frozen upper half of a human body that was stuck in a face of shock. Mercurio gasped when he was forced to see his cousin and felt the weight of a heavy loss more than any other fellow soldier lost in the war. The sight left a bleak mark on Mercurio's mind when he forced himself to one of the nearby hangar bay walls when he tried to hold in his sickness.

With the retreat of the Sol Theros seen Donna was given the luxury of rest but in front of the Tallgeese. "Colonel, we lost more than half our squadron." Stuart informed.
Donna heard him. "We'll get some rest as well then." As she was going to leave, she was unable to leave the fallen Mobile Suit behind. "Please order a squadron to retrieve Nain- I mean the Tallgeese." She added the request.

Milou was trying to deny that he lost his sister minutes ago. When her body was being dragged out he ran with dark hope to find her alive. He was hit with the brutal truth to find what remained of his sister being brought out by Coalition crewmen. He took off her helmet to seal her lifeless eyes while hiding his tears. McNeil rushed with a white cloth to cover the unpleasant sight. "Please hand her over to me after the battle." He requested. "I need to bring her back to Mars for a burials she deserves."
McNeil gave a quick nod as a sign of compliance. "I'll get a bodybag for you later." He replied before moving away with the body.

Tano was there to see Cao being escorted ot for treatment. "She was the victim of the light?" He asked himself. He saw how the Earth-Sphere pilots were gathering over the Tallgeese. He barely recalled Agent Zelma through a dossier and respected her abilities but he felt that she didn't deserve an end like that.

Donna averted her eyes at what remained of Naina trying to look away. "This is the worst I've seen." said one of the OZ soldiers that docked in the Executor Rising. "At least she wasn't vaporised by the reactor explosion." Another one commented. It was this insensitive comment that made Donna briefly lose her mind. She made her way and grabbed the soldier to kick him in the stomach with her knee. "You do not respect the dead like that!" She yelled, grabbing him by the neck and making sure hers and his helmet brought the message. "If you are a soldier, you would know respects for officers and those that died!"
Suchart tapped Quatre's shoulder to notify him of Donna's corporal action. He quickly moved to stop the scuffle, pushing the insubordinate soldier away. "Donna, stand down!" He ordered with a stern voice.
Donna was trying to keep her frustration in check. "But I had to let him know that it isn't acceptable." She poorly attempted to reason.
The Instructor gave a sigh. "Although discipline is important, you can't beat the respect out of your men." He explained. He gave her a slap but the helmet reduced the impact and only made her dizzy. "The goggles were passed on to me by Rashid as a sign of respect. I passed it on to you for the same reason. If you can't be a leader then you're not worthy of the goggles." The harsh lecture was given but being Quatre he found it unnerving of himself to say it.
Sandesgeist's pilot was left to interpret what her mentor said. She returned to the pilot she was beating earlier. "I'm sorry for the disproportionate action." She apologised. "But remember that the dead are worth respect for what they sacrificed their lives for." She left him alone to return to her Gundam.

Cao looked up to notice the men who were making their way to the infirmary and saw Tano among the observers through her remaining good eye. "Leiutenant, it's good to know you made it out alive."
The medic prepared his vital readings when he reminded, "Right now it sounds like the one who didn't isn't exactly up for discussion."
Cao looked down when she recognized the loss of Naina and agreed, "You're right. Some of the pilots aren't happy about her passing."

Dana wandered through the halls of pilots requesting medical attention when she cursed to herself, "Damn. Another notice to write up..." She noticed the other mobile suit pilots were next to her when she asked Mercurio, "Yuy. You said your Uncle Milliardo was her father right?"
He looked up when he answered, "... Yeah. That's him Captain."
"I'll be sure to write up the notice to him. It sounds like Milou is going to need it for his return."
"Yeah..." He turned to look at the row of pilots healing themselves when he lightly commented to himself, "At least hoping we make it out of this."

Norma observed the numbers on the battle map when she tried to figure out the next strategy and swiping her forehead of sweat. "What is the current medical condition of our pilots?"
One of the operators reported, "A good number of them were exposed to the light radiation from the beams earlier. They must have been strong enough to induce blindness. As it is we may have to swap some of our battle station crew for pilots. That's how problematic their condition is."
"If we're going to continue making this desperate of a struggle then we probably will have to go down to the last pilot remaining."
One of the strategists added, “If we must then it is our final hope in making an attempt to save the human race for further destruction.”
The other agreed, “I’m sure anyone can tell from here that if we stay here we’re finished and if we make our move we’ll probably die faster.”
Their Admiral emphasized the need for success when she answered, “Either way the latter is the best option. The people who suffered Kecker’s judgment at Lagrange Point 2 were enough to cement his reputation as an enemy of humanity. And we cannot let him free to whatever plan he wants done.”
One of the strategists picked up on this conviction when he reported, “Refueling and repairs are underway Admiral. Should be pretty soon. Hopefully before the Invictus finishes its transformation process.”

Mercurio entered the holding area for the mobile suit pilots when he found one of the only pilots who managed to survive the recent ordeal. He greeted Zachariah, “I guess you had the chance to see the line out there.”
“Hey Mercurio. Yeah there’s not a whole lot of room for the infirmary. We’re just lucky we don’t need it.”
Mercurio noticed the regret “Sounds like you’ve just lost someone.”
“Yeah, just the typical stuff about a post battle situation.”
“Are you feeling responsible for the recent casualties?”
Zachariah shook his head when he answered, "I don't even know how to feel about this."
"About Naina's passing?"
Zachariah took a breath when he heard this request before confessing, "She took out several of our guys when we were trying to get to Brussels and then she turns out to be someone you knew. Right after that there were some guys talking about getting her when her back was turned."
Mercurio looked out the window to the hangar bay when he asked, "You didn't choose to though. Was it because of what happened after we took back the capital or was it because you found she was trying to redeem herself?"
"The guys back home will tell you it was the first choice. I want to think some of us had faith in the second one but I don't even know how many people will allow that kind of forgiveness."
"After the taking of Brussels I briefly cursed myself for not having even endured a loss of this scale. I almost lost my mother but it was averted... I wonder if I could ever face Uncle Milliardo now?"
"If you ever do meet him one day, just try and remember he knowingly sent his kids into a war. The odds of coming back alive were not in anybody's favor."
"I was lucky to see Keijo and the others make it all the way to St. Johns. He probably thinks the same as I do right now."
"I can tell you from experience that Roy was my pal and Ludwika was one of a kind. Unfortunately this whole thing has been affecting all of us. You see what's happened to Suchart?"
"I guess not. But I take you it you think he has the same idea on Naina's involvement in our squad."
"Yeah at least I hope so." Zachariah craned is neck to observe the ceiling above when he asked, "Well the Sol Invictus is still out there and I think we have a mission ahead of us. Do you think you can handle a do or die situation this time?"
Mercurio corrected him, "Most of our missions have been based on a life or death situation. Unfortunately we can't afford to lose this time when there's so many more people at stake."
"I saw you give your last assurances to Naina and Donna before you left. You didn't part with Donna just for the heck of it did you?"
Mercurio was looked down with some regret answering, "No. I only wanted to let her know about me before we left."
"So you gave her the right idea right?"
"I think so. I thought she still wanted Milou at her side."
"We got lucky this time. You should go to her before we go out there again."
Mercurio picked himself up from the wall when he agreed, "I don't have much to lose at this rate. May as well."

The pilots still alive were gathered into a meeting room where Dana waited for their arrival with Gawel hearing about the recent results. “I guess this solves a moral dilemma some of us had… Next time I’m feeling suicidal let me bring that up.” Dana gave a brief nod when she promised him.
Once the Gundam pilots were gathered she gave the report, “Listen up everyone. We have to be ready for the next assault if we are sent out. The fact is the Sol Invictus is out there still and as long as we’re in its way we have the chance to stop this sort of destruction from happening. Times are tough and we’ve endured a lot of losses. But we were trained to prepare for this day. We’ve been conditioned to prepare for do or die situations. And the fact is we’re being given the roughest one in recent human history. I can’t bother making a rousing speech this time around or promise we’ll all come back alive. For right now though, let’s get our heads in the game. The fact remains we can either let Kecker win this next one and take us with him or we can stop whatever he’s trying to pull.”
Most of the pilots agreed with, “Yes sir.”
Dana nodded to their conviction when she ordered, “Be ready as soon as the repairs and refuels are done. Minimum of 45 minutes. I’ll let you know when the Admiral has the next say.”

After the meeting Mercurio found the chance to meet with Donna again. He introduced, “Donna… About last time, I apologize if I did anything you objected to. I want to end this upcoming battle with a clear conscience and I have no intention of ending anything with anyone on bad terms.”

As Naina’s remains were sealed the possessions were put in separate bags by the medics. One of them stood out when a medic recognized what may have been a necessity for a blood relative. He was grateful the information was made public at this point in the war. He met with Milou and presented a slip of paper to him, “Mr. Peacecraft. I believe you may want a look at this.” No one was able to learn what Naina's true objective was until the message was found reading, 'Milou. If you have received this message, please carry out father's wish. Destroy the Tallgeese once and for all.'

"I didn't know much about Naina." Tano replied. "But she died doing her duty." It also made him wonder if his death will be in vain with the Coalition effectively dead. "I'm sure the Gundam pilots will fight to take her place because she show what's more at stake."

Milou took the message to his heart. "I will sis." He vowed, his tears becoming droplets in low gravity. He brushed the ones still on him away before going to McNeil. "Excuse me, is there a high mobility vernier that can used for the Tallgeese?"
"Aye, I should have one somewhere but your Gundam is fast enough," The mechanic answered.
"I was thinking of an improvised explosive." The Martain elaborated. "I want the Tallgeese to be used as an explosive that can render the Sol Invictus unoperational if done right."
McNeil was impressed with what he heard. "Let me see if there's an analysis available yet." He ended the conversation. "But if there isn't any weakness it can be used to destroy a good number of those Mobile Dolls."

Donna looked at Mercurio. "It's fine." She brushed off. "Your kiss... It kind of made me realise that you didn't want to die with regrets either. It woke my eyes that all along you loved me as well." She felt that Milou knew about Mercurio's feelings for her. "With how I became a pilot through politics I thought I would be left out but I was wrong. You saw me as an equal and not some princess of fairytale." She was the need to say one last thing. "Please don't die." She asked of him.

"We certainly didn't have that kind of luxury did we?" He agreed to her place as a pilot. When she recognized his real reason for this conversation he confirmed, “I was worried you thought I might have taken advantage of a moment like this. Or I suppose for what you’ve been worried about.” At her final request Mercurio gave a brief gaze into her eyes. There was no need for an answer when the two had their promise made right in that moment. It was a short silence before he embraced her into a kiss and permitted that moment to be their sealed moment of trust.

Cao found one of the nearby captains evaluating his line of troops he had when she asked, "Have the sniper squadrons managed to rally themselves to support the flagship?"
He turned to her answering, "We've got a decent number of them. Unfortunately we don't have the quality right now. Most of them haven't even touched a mobile suit outside of repairs."
She understood this and found one of the newly picked pilots who seemed less than happy about going in. She ordered him, "Private. Please return to the battle stations of the broadside cannons. They need you there more than me."
The man didn’t show any protest when he saluted, "If... If you say so." He went off to the hallways when he was given the room.
The captain tried to understand her decision, "You're dedicated to remaining out there then? We don't exactly have the time to replace your condition."
Cao confronted this concern when she promised, "I still have one good eye. It should be all I need to hit the right spot against those things."
The captain saluted to her when he agreed, "In that case we certainly could do better with the best. Good luck out there Private."

The forty-five minutes it took for the final preparations passed when Dana ordered the pilots, "Let's get ready to move out. The enemy has begun to rally around our position and we'll be facing the same numbers as before."
Zachariah saw the others preparing for the launch when he made his way towards his Panther asking, "I take it it's not going to be easy like last time is it?"
"Without the virus system it's about to be a little piece of hell in space. If we're lucky the Gundams should be able to handle them."
"I'll be out there to offer what support I can sir."
"Just don't try anything heroic."
The conversation was cut short when a voice on the intercom reminded the pilots in waiting, "All pilots prepare for launch. All pilots prepare for launch."
Mercurio had his space suit prepared when the minutes began to count down towards the next attack on the Sol Invictus. He saw Dana standing next to the Artemis in bird mode when he asked, "Captain. With your permission, I'd like to see Architect I's message a final time."
Dana considered the request and decided it wasn’t going to be anything demanding when she answered, "Sure thing."
Mercurio found the message system within Artemis’s cockpit when he added a finger print scanner installed back on Earth. As soon as he found the message a holographic message of Architect I standing before him. "Mercurio. If you have received this message, I am gone. For whatever reason I have gone down with the intention of revealing those in the Earth Sphere who have attempted to insight this new war we are now part of. When we last met it seemed that you would be loyal to the Earth Sphere until the very end. Understand that if you are to one day face the Earth Sphere leadership with the truth that I have so far uncovered, there will be many who would rather see you dead than see peace return. As I have implied before however, I will not live to see this day come around. There is however one hope I have maintained since my days here. The hope that there are children of the past who do everything to maintain what was accomplished even if it is done by destroying some successes made in their time." As he lifted his hand the Architect showed the plans of the twin buster rifle just recently used in the battle from before. "These are plans for the Artemis Twin Buster Rifle. These plans will give you the means to defend yourself against any number of enemies who will challenge you and will mark the past coming to our period in full circle." He dropped his hand when he continued and delivered a final piece of his message, "As far as what we have seen in this past decade Mercurio, I wish to leave you with a question. Are you fit to be a successor to the achievements made in the past or are you merely a shadow? Regardless of your answer, will your place in this war be enough to make others see what it is that you have longed to achieve for humanity? Will you consider this as your mission in life and see it as the true reason to end conflict?" The message faded from the cockpit.

One of the strategists overlooked the final battlefield and announced, "We have deployed our entire remaining mobile suit forces Admiral. It's an all or nothing campaign now."
Norma had herself braced in her commanding seat when she ordered, "It's time to see our efforts pay off for something. See that the OZ mobile suits are given their support and prepare to fire all broadside cannons."
“Roger that sir. We’ll have as many survivors come out of this as possible.”
The other strategist maintained is pessimism when he commented, “If there are to be any today.”

"Their desperate last act has begun." Franz saw as the last remaining number of Coalition mobile suits made their way to the superweapon. The Gundams were about to lead them in tow and knew this would be the definitive final battle between his forces and this first attempt to break the Invictus. He turned to the computer when he ordered, "Prepare the Sol Atlas to lead the forces. Don't let any of the mobile suits reach within range."
The computer screen displayed the Sol Atlas in progress of being charged and up to battle standards before the computer screen confirmed, 'Engaging all primary defenses.' He saw his battle map display the Sol Thero units make their way around the entrance of the Sol Invictus that had been formed. It had now become an eye of hell gazing its imposing might upon the far off distant home planet.
"Before me now stand only mere insects who hope to avert this progress." Franz told himself.

Mercurio prepared himself in the cockpit when he answered to his launch confirmation, "Mission Accepted." With the launch given the Artemis in bird mode took off from the launch bay and Mercurio immediately entered the request for Zero System. It was mere seconds before the control systems and manuevers were imprinted into his mind and the Gundam was prepared to begin its next encounter. The Sol Theros waited for him around the weapon while the assault began.
Gawel was in shock when he heard the news from Zachriah asking, "Seriously? Yuy and the Captain switched Gundams?"
"That's what I got to see."
"Hope nobody was bluffing about how Zero System is supposed to turn pilots into super soldiers in an instant."
"I don't think that's the only thing." Zachriah said as he watched the Artemis closing. "It's possible he's out there about to realize something he didn't have a chance to strive for." He prepared his own Panther when he reminded, "Get ready for the launch. Support the sniper squadrons at the left broadside."
Gawel had his Panther closing when he confirmed, "I got the mission."
The Golem made its way to the launching bay when Oleg announced, “The Golem is ready to lead.”
The Uriel was next when Dana reported, “Captain Houston here. Uriel is taking off.”
Zachriah had his Panther prepared alongside Gawel’s when he followed, “Maddox here. Heading out with Majewski to support the snipers.”
“Form up on me. This is Private Nhung. I’ll make sure the new guys have their support.” Cao reminded them.

The final assembly of Coalition and OZ mobile suit squadrons made their way towards the Sol Invictus and made a defiant flight towards Kecker’s defenses. Mercurio saw the enemy forces before him and announced to the gathering forces, "We're heading out now. And we're not alone!" He said this as he felt the powers of the past coming forth to his support. Architect I’s hope had some merit where there was a new generation, it would be up to him to maintain the progress of the old. He heard this through every pilot who brought forth their promise.
Dana promised to the enemy, "It's too bad those mobile dolls can feel fear. They're about to see why we made it this far." She said this and the spirit of Duo Maxwell resonated through her…
Oleg answered his entry, "They want to make a final stand against us? I'm not letting them have a chance to return and report about it." He said this and the spirit of Trowa Barton resonated through him…

Donna was off-guard again with Mercurio’s kiss but it was the reply for the promise. The pilot left for Sandesgeist again to join and lead the battle once more.

Milou saw how the two interacted. “I was talking about him.” He commented. “You’re a better man than I, Mercurio Yuy. Please take care of her.”
He found McNeil with some news. “I got the verniers on the Tallgeese.” He reported. “But to send it off to explode you will have to remote control it.”
Milou heard the result. “That will still work.” He replied. “I will give it a worthy sendoff.” He returned to his Gundam shortly after.

With the new order to launch Suchart thought about how he came far. “Guys, we’ll avenge you. Watch okay?” He thought.

Donna gave her prayers before the launch. “I will make sure nobody suffers a life of deceit again.” She promised to the heavens. She felt some feeling of approval coming from her mentor.
“Whichever way the winner writes history and justice.” Tano thought. There was something that he felt, some approval from a previous Gundam pilot.
“Please watch over us sis.” Milou prayed. “I’ll make sure to survive on your stead.”
Quatre found that the new Gundam pilots now carried on the will of the previous generation of pilots. “I trust you.” He thought about Donna. “You are all the new guard.”

As the pilots launched the OZ units followed as well. “Colonel we’re still going to fight alongside you.” Stuart reported. “I also heard you’ve beaten the respect out of a guy.”
“I did.” She verified. “But I was impulsive.”
The veteran remembered how she’s new the role of a large leadership. “But for a new senior officer you’re doing well.”

Tano observed how the Coalition Mobile Suits were prepared for the last stand with some information on pilots with little to no experience. “The Gundams will have to be the trailblazer.” He thought.

"This will be our final mission..." Mercurio said this and the spirit of Heero Yuy resonated through him. "... If peace is the result of conflict, then this conflict has reached its end!" The Artemis flew forward and fired its buster rifle at the nearest Sol Thero units.

The Sol Thero units moved forward in squadrons as they prepared for the defense. The broadside cannons of the Coalition fleet took their shots only to find them being blocked by the shields of the Sol Thero units while the offense had begun. Cao pointed to her squadron, "Aim at their defensor units. We'll have an opening once they're taken out."
The Sagittarius units found one of the Sol Thero units deploy its planet defensors and found the proper opportunity to fire. With the simultaneous shots the shields were taken out leaving one of the Sol Thero units open to be destroyed. One of the pilots pointed out, "Looks like our guys have a chance now. Those shields have become easier to break."
Cao encouraged them, "Be sure to keep doing it. If we make the job easier out here we'll reach our final outcome easier."

Dana had the Zero System brief her on the capabilities her new Gundam was capable of and found the first targets making their way towards her. "Looks like that's what the Uriel has to offer." She said as she shifted Zero System into combat mode. "Let's see what you have girl!" The Uriel took its buster sword into shield mode and threw it to several nearby Sol Thero units while it avoided the missiles and gunfire from every direction. "Not bad. Could use a bit more maybe." The Zero System warned of three Sol Theros coming in from behind when she used the Testudo cannon to fire on the surprise attack. "Oh right. I can do that." She saw several explosions appear from behind on her radar when she commented, "And it looks like the help doesn't hurt either."
Oleg warned. The Golem was filled with missiles again and it would prove to be the great destroyer many feared it would become. "Be sure to stay on your six Captain. These things want to take every opening they can find."
"And the ones we don't even think are possible." Dana agreed. "Move back to the fleet and keep the enemy from advancing."

Norma oversaw the battle begin on the battle map when she requested, "Report on our current status."
One of the strategists answered, "We've got the battle underway sir. We outnumber the enemy three to one and they're still taking us down like we aren't doing anything."
The Admiral denied the evaluation when she answered, "I Doubt that's actually happening. Our sniper forces have been able to take out their shields. Our broadside cannons should have the opening to hit the station."
The other strategist overlooked the line of Sol Theros around the station when he promised, "The Artemis is making another pass sir. It looks like it's ready to fire on the enemy again." A group of enemy units had disappeared when he reported, "Confirmed. An opening to the enemy station has been found."
Norma turned to the operators when she ordered, "Fire all broadside cannons! Start the job for them!"
A voice range through the halls of the Executor Rising ordering, "All broadside cannons fire at these coordinates!"

Franz saw the attack begin and the odds began to seem more equal in the eyes of his enemy. “Perhaps they are about to pass these defenses sooner than expected. Either way I have sealed my fate. This final encounter is only the next necessary step towards progress.” He promised himself. Franz turned to the computer monitor when he ordered, "Defend the Invictus. Have all Sol Thero forces on the offensive but do not permit the enemy to have their way through."
The computer screen confirmed the order displaying, 'Engaging Sol Atlas defensive maneuvers.'

The Sol Atlas had its systems prepared but had its programming changed to a defensive mode. It saw the battleships from far off preparing to fire and thanks to the Zero System was able to determine where they were about to hit. Instead of the previous long beams utilized, the red mobile doll folded its hands back and fired beams of light from the emptiness of its arms. The Sol Atlas moved towards the opening made by the Artemis and began to fire its cannons with the projected hits.

The desperation rose in the air of the Executor Rising’s bridge when one of the strategists pointed out, "Admiral, it's no good. The enemy is meeting our hits with theirs."
The other one agreed, "That red mobile doll out there is interfering with our shots. We have to see it taken down."
Norma turned to her broadcasting channel when she ordered the mobile suit forces, "Attention all available mobile suits. Focus fire on the red mobile doll, we need to get past it."

Cao was among the first to receive the order when she agreed, "Roger that." Her unit prepared a clip and found the red target where the Artemis was doing its work. She fired the Sagittarius rifle towards the mobile doll and found the target not bothering to move. What might have been a moment of success was quickly dashed as soon as her group saw the result of the volley. The shots only left a small dent on the armor of the Sol Atlas as it continued to fire at nearby mobile suits and projected battleship shots. Cao warned the bridge, "It doesn't look like it's any good. That armor is able to withstand our shots."

One of the operators heard the unfortunate results when he relayed, "It looks like far range combat from here isn't an option. The mobile doll has the armor capable of taking those shots."
Norma was determined with her hopes against the Sol Thero forces when she decided, "In that case we must prepare for close range combat. It must be the only way to affect it at all."
One of the operators heard this and relayed the order, "Prepare all close range weaponry. The red mobile doll is the target."

The Artemis flew through more of the Sol Theros closing in on it while it was in the middle of transforming to its normal mode. It prepared its buster rifle when Mercurio warned, "Front squadrons. Avoid the upcoming fire." The Artemis took aim and with the help of Zero System managed to find the right path the Sol Thero units would not be able to avoid. Right below the Sol Atlas a line of Sol Thero units on the defensive were destroyed by the Artemis’s weapon. "That should give us an opening." Mercurio promised.
He heard Zachariah remind him of the fleet’s problem, "Yuy, we've got the red mobile doll headed our way."
The Sol Atlas had its hands opened and was gathering energy with its targets determined. The Golem fired a volley of missiles in the direction of more enemy units when Oleg warned, "It's trying to fire the beams again! We have to stop it somehow!"
The Artemis moved in and found the course the shots would make and Mercurio set the buster rifle to full power. "Stand back!" He warned. In an instant the Artemis prepared its buster rifle and found the open spot the Sol Atlas had left. In anticipation the red mobile suit saw this action and used its free hand to prepare an energy shield to block the shot but found it was prepared on the wrong side. “Looks like it can’t anticipate me to go against the Zero System from time to time.” Mercurio confirmed to himself. The two beams collided when Mercurio announced, "Move in! Its guard is down!"
"I'll be sure to clear the way!" The Uriel prepared its sword into shield mode again with a final throw. The action managed to be too much for the Sol Atlas to prepare for when it was unable to turn attention towards the weapon. In the next moment its left arm was dislodge and forced the red mobile doll to defend itself with its remaining arm weapon. After a few shots it flew back and began to make way for the enclosing Sol Invictus. "We got one arm down. Looks like it's trying to retreat."
The Artemis lifted its buster rifle when Mercurio requested, "Probably to charge for another shot. I need a reload."
The Golem retrieved the weapon before Oleg requested to one of the nearby mobile suit pilots, "You heard him. Get this thing reloaded."
"On it sir!"

The crew of the Executor Rising allowed themselves to view the sight outside before Norma requested, "Damage report?"
One of the operators reported, "None to speak of sir. It looks like the Artemis managed to stop that blast from getting to us in time."
The Admiral turned to the strategists asking, "How are our forces with the Sol Thero units?"
One of them oversaw the field when he answered, "We still haven't been able to get past them sir. Our forces are already about 40% destroyed and we can't get an opening to the station's entry point."
Norma turned to the view outside when she ordered, "Focus our fire on those mobile dolls don't let any more casualties occur than we need to permit."

When this order was given the attacks on the Sol Invicuts subsided and the Sol Thero units were forced into a defensive maneuver to avoid being destroyed. The help of the Zero System however managed to be enough to provide the precise moments when to defend against them and retaliate when possible.

One of the strategists shook his head when he reported, "Damn. Doesn't look like we can get a decent hit. The Sol Atlas is still in the way and they're able to meet with our shots."
Norma didn’t let her final offer be wasted when she ordered, "Don't let up on the fire. We can't let a single shot be wasted."
One of the operators reported from behind her, “Admiral, we’re getting a request for a reload for the Artemis Buster Rifle.”
Another one sounded worried about the request when he asked, “Do we even have any energy carts left?”
The Admiral addressed the concern when she ordered, “If we don’t then give them one of the artillery ammunition batteries.”
One of the operators voiced his objection, “If we do that then we’ll be opening one of our sides to an attack!”
Norma faced him when she corrected, “We won’t do any better if we keep it to ourselves and continue failing to reduce the Sol Thero numbers.” She said this before turning to one of the operators reminding, “Proceed.”
“Yes Admiral. Attention docking deck, you are clear for buster rifle reload.”

Several minutes had passed when the two colliding forces continued to dwindle but the intensity of the battle refused to go with it. The Sol Thero units were having a desperate final struggle and many believed it was due to the absence of the red mobile doll. Regardless of their luck the battle continued while Mercurio was forced to use his beam saber on any enemy unit that came close.
"Yuy!" The Golem handed the Artemis the buster rifle it had been waiting for when Oleg asked, "I think you ordered for this to be reloaded right?"
The Artemis grabbed hold of its weapon and Mercurio confirmed, "That's it. I can move in now."
One of the nearby Leo III mobile suits observed the situation from far off when its pilot asked, "Where's the mobile doll headed now?"
The Artemis had transformed into its bird mode when Mercurio answered, "It's probably headed in the station to recharge. I'll have to head in and face it myself."
Oleg tried to get one final promise from him when he requested, "Don't make this a suicide run!"
The Uriel was finishing off one of the Sol Thero units with its shield when Dana turned to notice the bird mode gundam and the target red mobile suit making its way towards the Invictus cannon. "Where does the Artemis think it’s headed?"
Oleg was quick to answer, "Yuy thinks he can take it out on his own. We're about to find out if he has the guts to pull it off." The two grand pieces of technology and human development made their way into what was now the fully developed chasm the Sol Invictus had made itself. The fires of the hallway reached them both as the forces outside were forced to wonder if the superweapon was about to fire.

The OZ Forces have focused on weakening the field created by the Planet Defencers to allow them to be shot down. Donna ordered them to retain their mobility to avoid counters. Although they had advantages in numbers they were slowly dwindling. The weakened Sol Theros were taken by the Aquarius, Sandesgeist or the Anaconda

The counter from the Sol Atlas was also aimed at the Sandesgeist. Stuart noticed the mega particle cannon heading at his leader. “Colonel!” He warned as he tackled the Gundam away to take the shot.
Donna was only able to notice the shot only after her second in-command was vapourised in her place. “Stuart!” She screamed.

The counter was also hard to Suchart, trying to avoid all the shots. He was eventually hit in the reactor. “Oh shi-!“ Before he can finish the Mobile Suit exploded.
Milou was the closest person to witness the destruction. “This war’s toll is too brutal now.” He thought. He saw how the Artemis and the Sol Atlas were moving toward the Sol Invictus to continue their battle. “Mercurio! Are you able to find the weakness to the Sol Invictus?” He asked. “I will send a bomb there to cripple it at least.”

Donna tried to find the Sol Atlas in the battlefield, only to be elsewhere. “Milou, where did the red Mobile Doll go?” She asked him.
“Close to the Sol Invictus now.” He told her. “Mercurio’s there as well.”
Mercurio being there gave her another reason to go. “I’ll go there to give support!” She announced. “Can you take command while I’m gone?”
Milou would chide her for leaving her post but he didn’t bother. “Sure.” He replied. Stuart was dead as well.
With his agreeing to take over, Donna boosted to the laser to give help in the fight. She was worried that she wouldn’t arrive in time to help.

When Mercurio heard the bomb was prepared he searched the scope of the Sol Invictus hoping to find the weakness that might be enough to damage it. After a brief search he answered, “The red mobile doll is trying to block down the barrel of the station. Its weak point should be somewhere down there.” He saw the Aquarius make its way towards him when he prepared the remains of the Tallgeese for the way in. The Artemis changed to bird mode and flew towards Milou’s location when he confirmed, “Taking it in now.” The Tallgeese’s remains were following behind the Artemis as it began to speed its way towards the Sol Atlas.
The Golem followed behind while Oleg promised, “Don’t worry this thing will be easy to deliver once we have the enemies out of the way.”
Mercurio tuned to his channel when he offered, “Thanks. Just make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the enemy units trying to take us out. If this blows too early we won’t be able to destroy the station.”
The two Gundams made their way further into the enemy lines when Oleg agreed, “Easy enough.” As if on cue a squadron of Sol Thero units made their way to the front with their gunfire in an attempt to hit the leading Artemis. The Golem fired a volley of missiles as the planet defensors went down and Oleg reminded, “Like I said. It’s not going to be easy for you bolt heads!” The Golem fired its gatling gunfire when they were fully exposed and left a trail of wreckage for the Artemis to pass. The progress towards the end was further in sight until Oleg saw more Sol Theros attempting to gang up on him.
Mercurio saw the Golem being stopped from progressing when he asked, “Are you okay Tsubarov? Can you handle things from there?”
The Golem continued to fire its missiles when the pilot promised, “I’ll hold them off here. You just worry about getting that bomb of yours into the station.”
Mercurio prepared the jets towards the Invictus’s entrance when he ordered, “Hold them off and see what support you can get.” He saw the mobile suit forces doing everything to end the carnage but kept his gaze forward when he promised, “It’s up to them to make sure we can still make our way towards that station. Every price we pay will only bring us closer.” He kept this determination within his mind when he tried to focus on the mission at hand.
The situation had become direr when the red mobile doll prepared to utilize its beam arm again and Mercurio could see this one would be enough to wipe out what remained of the fleet. The Zero System warning only offered escape maneuvers but not a way to stop it. It was in this moment he hoped for Naina’s final sacrifice to be worthwhile.
The Artemis made its dash towards the red mobile doll before making a quick upward movement to dislodge the mobile suit from behind it. Within the remains of the cockpit the systems were activated to utilize the self-destruct mechanism before a mighty explosion blasted forth between the Artemis and Sol Atlas. While the two machines avoided the explosion it managed to be enough to reach the edges of the Sol Invictus’s entrance cracking several areas of the Invictus cannon.
The explosion subsided after a few seconds but the rest of the station was still intact and was preparing its fires within. The Sol Atlas from the front was no longer red but a mechanic gray that showed its interior with most of its armor plating removed. With its current position compromised it made its way further into the burning halls the Invictus had formed. Mercurio gave a final warning when he contacted the other forces, “The red mobile doll is still active. It’s heading its way down the station.” Without any consideration the Artemis primed its jets and flew towards the remains of the Sol Invictus prepared for a final encounter.

The Artemis found several Sol Theros in its way but saw a familiar shield spin its way through their blindsides. The Uriel prepared its Testudo cannon and fired while Dana contacted Mercurio, “You take care of that little girl Yuy. We’ve been through too much together to both get fried.”
Mercurio continued his path through the wreckage while he answered, “No problem Captain. I have to make the final run into the station though. I don’t think assistance will be possible.”
Dana recognized the heat signatures building within the charging weapon when she checked the readings on her nearby panel, “That stymphallic armor is proving to be something really invaluable. Just don’t let it go to waste.”
“I’ll be sure it doesn’t Captain. Just be sure to prevent any of the enemy from killing more of our guys out there.”
The Uriel turned to face the escaping enemy when Dana asked, “Orders aren’t really on this field right now are they?” The Uriel swept down and made another attack on the nearest Sol Thero unit. The way was clear for now but the enemy continued to build on its efforts to reaching the fleet. “At least when it’s a matter of human survival!” Dana answered herself when she threw the disc shaped shield towards the Sol Thero units before her.

Franz oversaw the damage report flashing on the battle map when the programming warned, ‘Warning. Panel damage reaching 14%.’
He shrugged off the damage when he promised, “It should still be enough. Even then this fleet will not be the one to destroy the station.” He saw two signatures making their way through the interior of the panel halls when he observed the Sol Atlas trying to stage off against another. “And just how much more of an issue will the will of their Gundams be?” He wondered.

The Artemis made its way towards the encircling flames and saw the red mobile doll prepared to make its way in. The readings on the bird mode Gundam recognized the intense heat signatures building but the stymphallic armor was for the moment able to handle them when Mercurio did a systems check. He only had the final mobile doll to worry about for his encounter. The red mobile doll turned to face the incoming Gundam and prepared a beam from its remaining arm. The Artemis transformed with a beam saber in hand and met with the Sol Atlas’s strike. A duel had begun as the two flew within the limits of the flames while attempting to slice one another.
Mercurio kept focus on the Zero System patterns when he turned to his communication channel for the Sol Invictus. “Attention all station personnel. Evacuate the station immediately.” He didn’t hear anyone on the channel for a while before he tried again, “Is anyone picking up this signal?”
“There is no one to evacuate here. This station is under my command alone.” Franz answered to the pilot’s hails.
“Franz…” Mercurio saw the face of Franz Kecker appear on his channel and accused, “You caused all of this. What reason did you have to force the Falsons into this war?”
“This war is all done for the good of humanity. The destruction you have seen before you is only the beginning. This war shall end today and it will at last give all of humanity a reason to fear the true face of travesties.” The Sol Atlas took an opening to the Artemis and only managed to miss from a small edge but managed to slice at the left side of the armor.
The Artemis flung its beam saber to meet contact with the Sol Atlas beam when Mercurio confirmed from Franz’s reasoning, “You believe the human race has yet to learn from its past actions. Despite that you didn’t have any major supporters. That’s why you have mobile doll technology.”
Franz was no less deterred when he answered, “It is because there are too few humans in existence who are willing to do what is right. They cannot see that destruction of this scale is necessary to begin the progress towards a united humanity. It is only greater destruction that leads all into a more perfect unity.” The Sol Atlas prepared its strikes when the Artemis began to circle around behind it. The beam was growing in power and was more difficult for the Artemis to block with its comparably smaller beam saber.
Despite these odds Mercurio was able to accuse his former leader, “And you take it upon yourself to be that cause of the greater destruction. You’ve already caused more pain than anyone in human history with this weapon. Your place in hell has already been sealed!”
Franz didn’t show any regret in his voice when he agreed, “I am well aware of this. But it is my place in hell that will grant the greater scope of the human race a chance towards redemption. Even without me another war would soon erupt. Perhaps it may erupt despite my effort. It is only my responsibility to achieve what the previous generations who promised such devastation have failed to realize. For they are the only ones who saw what such death of this scale would achieve for our race.” The Sol Atlas moved away from the dueling area with the Artemis and the Zero System was able to determine the next area of attack. The Sol Atlas prepared a beam from its ultimate attack while the Artemis was able to project the next hit. Even if it missed him the fleet outside would be next to be destroyed. The beam shot forth from the empty arm of the Sol Atlas leaving the Artemis a precious few seconds before it could be stopped.
The Artemis prepared his beam saber when he dashed forward into the quickly moving swipe up when he promised, “No more!” With a final slice the beam melted away at the Artemis’s armor on its right side but still lost connection with its original area. The beam was active for only a few seconds more when the arm separated and sliced into a small portion of the Invictus’s halls. The taller mobile doll was defenseless now but began its attempts to ram into the Artemis with its body. Mercurio found contact with Franz again when he warned, “You are a lost cause. You actually believe the human race must be disciplined this way. Your faith in this beginning has only brought about forces that you did not account for… Those with the will to accomplish what must be done to defend humanity!”
Franz had by now become familiar with the status of the Sol Atlas when his voice was more frustrated but stating, "You have such hopeful insights to the progress of the human race don't you child? You truly expect the strength of humanity as it is now to succeed beyond a power it cannot yet fathom?" He offered a final challenge to Mercurio when he told him, “If you so truly believe that the human race has already achieved the state of unity necessary to overcome the worst it can conceive, then perhaps our work here has concluded.”
The Artemis took its beam saber and thrust it into the Sol Atlas when it began to make another charge. With this final motion the Artemis pushed it forward to meet with the inner areas of the Sol Invictus. The damage around the station began to accumulate when the lower areas where struggling to stay intact but the Artemis began to speed its way away from the area of destruction. At the advice of the Zero System the Artemis used the procedures necessary to dislodge the stymphallic armor that remained attached from the previous duel. The systems warnings showed that it would only be able to handle the extreme temperatures for another few minutes but Mercurio saw the escape route he needed to make.
Mercurio gave a choice few final answered when it transformed back into bird mode. "This day will mark the end of such destruction. The power you demonstrated us today is only another challenge for the human race to overcome. Like any challenge it is only faced by the determination of those who wield it. As it is, today's human generation is beyond what you give it credit for." The Artemis flew towards the edge of the station when it avoided the building flames. "It shines bright through the hard times." The Artemis transformed into its bipedal mode with a buster rifle in hands facing Franz’s command station. "It burns its way through the conflicts and deaths it sees." The Artemis took aim with its programming and found the area deep within. "It's strong enough..." Mercurio waited before he had the location fully within his sights and gave the final promise to Franz, "TO SHINE THROUGH AN ECLIPSE!!!" With that final statement the Artemis prepared its buster rifle to full power and fired within the depths of the Sol Invictus. The beam made its way above Franz’s command station but the power reactors behind him were exploding for him to hear.

"This can't be!" Franz gave his final proclamation when he saw the destruction in progress.
The programming screen gave a futile warning when it displayed, ‘Warning. Extreme damage to all systems critical. Evacuation is recommended.’ It gave these warnings before a beam of light flashed its way through and destroyed everything within its area.
An area of his command center erupted when there was nothing but the engulfing flames and vacuum of space waiting for his body. Franz pressed himself against the nearest wall when he listened to the remaining explosions when he observed, "So I see... The strength of a united humanity... is truly beyond something... even of this scale..." He lay back when he assured himself, "Now at least... I die knowing my mission... has fulfilled its purpose..." At those last words the Sol Invictus command center erupted in a mighty explosion that was dwarfed by the destruction of the entire station.

The explosion eventually subsided after a few seconds and Norma was trying to maintain her shock at the sudden explosion that had become a second star above Venus. She viewed the two strategists overlooking the sight before them with their mouths agape at the sudden destruction. “They… They pulled it off…” Norma commented to herself.

Zachariah and Gawel overlooked the battlefield and saw the Sol Thero units that managed to survive the explosion didn’t continue in their now worthless battle but didn’t deactivate either. “Hey, those things… They aren’t doing anything…”
Zacharia tried to snap him to his senses when he asked, “That’s the first thing you noticed? The Invictus just blew up into am million pieces already!”
Gawel briefly considered what had just happened when he agreed, “Shit you’re right! These things don’t have programming beyond failing an objective!”
Oleg’s voice sounded when he tried to figure out the aftermath of the entry, “Hey have any of you guys heard from Yuy? He had to have pulled off that stunt of his right?”
Gawel tuned his channel to contact the Artemis, “Contacting the Artemis. Contacting the Artemis. Mercurio do you read us?” There was nothing but static for a short while before Gawel tried again with a brief face of horror, “Hey Yuy. Do you read us?”
In that next moment Mercurio’s voice sounded through the channel answering, “This is the XXXG-02SG Stymphallic Artemis Zero. Reporting target objective destroyed. Mission accomplished.” The Artemis had entered bird mode again and made its way from the destruction of the Invictus in time to be mostly intact. It no longer had the armor but now had a faint red glow from the heat it had absorbed within the halls. It had become a phoenix standing out from the blackness of space behind it.
“Hell yeah!” Gawel cheered.
“Well god damn!” Zachariah gave his observation.
Dana saw the sight they were praising when she added, “That’s what I call taking care of my baby.”
Oleg agreed when he observed, “It’s a regular miracle out there isn’t it? And here this whole thing was supposed to be a lost cause.”

The sniper leader contacted Cao when he asked, “So Private. Did you get a good view of the explosion out there?”
Cao confirmed her observation when she answered, “I didn’t need both eyes to be able to tell we pulled it off. It seems we managed to pull off this final assault in the end after all.”

The crew of the Executor Rising had varying levels of cheers when the mobile suit forces made their way back when while one of the strategists tried to report with a leveled head, “Admiral sir… It’s been done… We’ve pulled off the mission.”
The other evaluated the forces, “Not many survivors. 78 of our mobile suits are still out there but at least we’ll have the ships to accommodate them.”
Norma nodded when she told everyone, “We knew there would be insurmountable sacrifices on this day. What matters is that we had the will to undo what the forces of destruction were promising to bring. These men and women who gave their lives today have earned their place in human history as those who chose to defy the voice of madness and bring the human race a future.” She gave an order to the lower crew of the ship when she contacted them through her panel, “Bring all of the pilots in. Give them as warm a reception as possible. They’ve done everything to earn it.”

Zachariah was shaking his head when he entered the pressurized waiting room connected to the hangar when he told everyone aloud, “God damn, god damn. I never thought a day like this was possible.”
Dana turned to them when she ordered, “We’ve got a hero to welcome out there. Let’s make sure he gets pampered as much as possible.”
Oleg tried to remind them of the team effort when he commented, “Hey it’s not like this was a solo mission you know.”
Dana confirmed the concern when she pointed out, “Of course. But you know who’s going to get all the praise for being able to pull off that explosion right?”
Oleg showed a sign of content from the idea when he simply shrugged, “Good point.”
Gawel made his way between Zachariah and Dana when he suggested, “Let’s just hope for a trip home after this. I swear some of us have probably earned a retirement after this.”
Zachariah agreed with the idea when he added, “And for those who didn’t at least they can rest easy knowing the mission has been accomplished.”

The Artemis had cooled down significantly when it made its way into the hangar bay of the Executor Rising while Mercurio made his way down to the waiting room where the other surviving pilots were waiting for him. His mind flashed to all of the things that had happened within the scope of just a few hours when he expressed his regret. “The sacrifices were so huge out there. At least now they can know it was part of something that was worth preserving.” He promised himself when he made his way for the entrance to the pressurization chamber.

Donna tried to catch up to Mercurio but the duel was moving everywhere, making it confusing on where they went. At the same time the Tallgeese on self-destruct was launched as an improvised bomb and to avoid the blast she was forced to leave the station.
The explosion created by the Tallgeese was seen by Milou. "You can rest now sis." He thought.

The destruction of the Sol Invictus was seen by the surviving pilots. "Sol Invictus is destroyed!" Tano exclaimed.
"But where's Mercurio?" Donna thought. Her worries were remedied when the Artemis escape from the blast safely.
Milou fond her observing the explosion. "Sorry Donna, Your brothers didn't survive." Milou informed her through the channel. "I heard how they fought to the end."
The Gundam pilot felt that she expected the outcome. She had a larger chance of surviving compared to them with the Gundam. She had the thought of the only surviving member of the famity left while she returned to the Executor Rising, She entered the depressurisation chamber before entering the locker room.
Quatre was waiting for her there. "I got the news also. Sorry for your loss." He said.
Donna noticed the Instructor's voice. "But I think winning this was all that mattered."
"Mercurio's back." Quatre pointed out to his student just when he entered the room.
Donna gave a hug to Mercurio and feeling the embrace she was happy to find him real. She was worried with how Milou would react but seeinf his approval she returned to Mercurio. "You survived..." She said to him. She was also reminded of how he kissed her suddenly and decided to give him a light slap. "Also never kiss without consent again." She told him before hugging him again. "I also found out that the money collected for the huge was for wine. Suchart left it for me and Milou but we haven't touched it."

Tano thought about what is going to do now. "I'll resign from the Coalition military." He thought. "My work is done, but is there anywhere else I can go?"
Milou had in mind about how he is now forced to take Naina's role as well. "I'll have to tell dad." He pondered with reluctance. "I just hope I can do as well as how sis was meant to..."

With their mission complete Donna wondered about what everyone will do. "Milou, you're returning to Mars right?" She asked him.
"Have to." He verified. "Also have to take sis home." It also reminded all of them that the victory's price to heavy.
The Gundam pilot went to Quatre next. "Instructor, will you be returning to the Colonies?" She questioned.
Quatre thought about it. "I'll be organising reparations from there." He replied. "I wasn't also able to attend to Katherine for a long time so I'll go see her as well."