Prologue: The Final Battle

He sat there alone in the cafeteria of the Archangel. His amethyst eyes staring off into nothingness. He was lost in thought from what had happened earlier...

Flashback

He looked Yzak directly in the eyes as he spoke ignoring the gun pointing straight at him. Yzak was once one of his greatest allies and more than that he was his best friend. Now he wasn't sure what they were. Enemies?

"The FREEDOM's pilot is the same guy who use to pilot the STRIKE" Dearka explained. He could see the shock in Yzak's face as he continued to speak "And he's a coordinator too. He and Athrun they have been friends since they were just kids."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm not as devoted to the cause as those two are, but I've seen some things…" His thoughts wandered to the the young natural girl as he remembered the day she tried to take his life out of pure grief and terror. "I watched them. And after I saw Alaska, Panama, and Orb, there's no way I can return to ZAFT if it means fighting like the military tells me to."

"Dearka STOP" he yelled

They continued to stare at one another in silence. Yzak's eyes filled with anger and betrayal, while Dearka showed resolve and also sorrow. Suddenly the ground beneath them began to shake causing both to lose their balance a bit.

"Yzak can you hear me? We're leaving" Rau Le Creuset informed Yzak over the communicator. Hearing this Dearka turned and headed for the BUSTER. Yazk regained his composure from the shaking grounded and aimed the gun back at his former ally.

"If you think leaving ZAFT makes me your enemy, then shoot me."

"You're being deceived!" Yzak replied in a pleading tone.

"I wonder which one of us is really being deceived." He said sadly looking over his shoulder. "There's nothing left to say. I'm going"

End of Flashback

He had been so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice she had walked in. She slowly walked across the room and sat in front of him. She could see the pain in his face. They sat in silence for a while before she finally spoke "I heard that Kira and Mu were pretty rattled from whatever happened in that abonned colony..." Dearka almost jumped hearing her words. He did expect her to speak let alone in such a concerned tone of voice. "I-I thought maybe someone should check on you too."

"I'm fine" he said quickly shooting a don't go there look in her direction. He didn't understand why she was being like this. Normally she was cold and distant towards him. She never allowed him to even speak her name and yet here she was concerned for his well being. He stood up and began to walk away "If you're on a break from your duties you should get some rest. The next battle could begin and any moment" He said bluntly as he began to walk towards the exit.

"And you? When do you plan on resting." She questioned standing up to follow. "If you made a mistake out there because of exhaustion you could d-"

Dearka couldn't take it anymore. Maybe it was the stress of being Yzak's enemy or the uncertainty of the battles to come. But the fact that SHE of all people was being nice to him was too much. "And why the hell would you care?! You have wanted nothing more than for me to leave this ship ever since I arrived. So why would me dieing matter?" he snapped angrily before leaving the room.

His words cut Miriallia like a knife. Before she know what she was doing she chased after him. "Dearka wait!" she yelled grabbing his hand.

He stopped in his tracks feeling her hand in his. He started to feel something he had never felt before. It was like butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He had trouble breathing and his heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. He could feel his face turning a bright crimson. He was at a loss for words.

Miriallia was equally shocked at the feelings enveloping her. She had been pushing him away since they had met. She didn't want this to happen. She didn't want to even befriend him never mind… what she was actually starting to feel for him. It was a war, dangerous and unpredictable. She never wanted to get close to anyone else after what happened to Tolle, especially a pilot.

They stood there holding each other's hands nervous and scared. "What exactly do you want from me?" he asked sadly without turning.

"I...I..." she tried to say something but the words just wouldn't come out. Before she could manage to get any words out the alarms began to sound throughout the ship. They both looked up towards the red flashing lights as the announcement rang out.

"Level 1 battle stations! REPEAT Level 1 Battle stations!"

They continued to hold each other hands as the alarm got louder. Finally Dearka squeezed her hand a bit tighter before letting go. He took off to get ready for the battle, never looking back. As he rounded the corner Miriallia whispered to herself "I can't lose anyone else that I love" this admission caused a single tear to roll down her face. She took a deep breath before turning around and heading for the bridge.

In the Hangar

Dearka arrived in the hangar and was greeted by the STRIKE's latest pilot Mu La Flaga. They had become somewhat of partners on the battlefield. With the BUSTER only being good with long range combat it was important for him to always have a partner in battle to defend him if the enemy got too close. This was once the duty of Yzak in the DUEL but now that they were on opposite sides of the battlefield it this duty fell to Mu.

"Are you ready for this"

"As ready as anyone can be old man"

"Easy with the old man stuff kid." He said in a joking tone before getting serious "Listen I hope you didn't leave any unfinished business. There's no telling if any of us will making it out of this battle alive"

"Isn't that how it always is this is a war after all"

"This time we need to stop the nukes, GENESIS and still fight at the same time. One wrong move and thousands of live could be lost including your own."

"I don't know about you but I have no intentions of dying out there. And as for unfinished business..." his began to think about Miriallia. He knew she had wanted to tell him something. Something that may have even been important. But she wasn't ready to. "There is no one here that I need to tie anything up with. But I think you might" he said seeing the Captain in the distance.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll just have to wait and see" He said as he set off for the BUSTER.

On the Bridge

Dearka didn't know what to say to the CIC. After the moment they had just spent together it was hard to ignore the increased tension between them. "So, they want us to stop the nukes and GENESIS while fighting at the same time!?"

"Then why don't you just give up?" Miriallia retorted with a serious and cold look on her face.

"Hey, I didn't mean-" before he could get all the words out she shut the communication between them down. He looked at the blank screen for a moment in shock before her face repeared"

"Just kidding. I'm sorry." she said, her face still serious. It softened a bit as she spoke again "Be careful out there."

He could hear the sincere concern in her voice, and rather than push her for more he simply replied "Thank you."

Later in the battle

The intensity of the battle was like none they had ever experienced before. Pain, fear, anxiety and anger could be felt by all. The three ships alliance was fighting hard to reduce the amount of lives lost the best they could but it wasn't easy.

Dearka looked through the battlefield. He could see Yzak his former comrade being attacked but the DOMINION team. He took aim and fired to help his former teammate. "Dearka" Yzak said softly to himself. They continued to fight defending against all incoming assaults.

The STRIKE ROUGE was about to be attacked from behind by the FOrbIDDEN when suddenly another gundam appeared in between them saving her. Much to Cagalli's surprise it was the DUEL. Dearka fired off a shot towards the enemy mobile suit as Yzak launched forward finishing him off. Allow Cagalli to continue on heading towards Athrun leaving Dearka and Yzak to sort out where they stood with one another.

In the chaos of the battle Dearka had lost sight of his partner the STRIKE. His location was made clear when a bright light shot out from the DOMINION's ARCHANGEL. It was too late for the ship to evade, the ARCHANGEL would fall. Dearka felt knots in his stomach as thoughts of Miriallia raced through his head. He closed his eyes expecting the worst "No...I-I can't lose her" he whispered in a sad scared voice. He opened them just in time to see it. The STRIKE had moved in front of the blast saving the ARCHANGEL being destroyed in the process. He was shocked. Mu was gone. The ARCHANGEL fired in retaliation. Destroying the opposing legged ship.

"I demand ZAFT cease fire on GENESIS immediately" Lacus announced to all on the battlefield. "We've experienced the pain of sorrow of nuclear attacks and yet we are inflicting the same sorrow on them anything be made right if we fire it? If more innocent men, women and child keep losing their lives is this justice? Don't you realize what these attacks on each other are giving birth to? Do we want even more sacrifices? "

The situation was getting critical. The ship was greatly damaged and the opposing sides didn't seem to be backing down. "In coming mobile suit" Miriallia cried out. Informing the ship's crew.

"Is that one of ours? I don't recognize it!" Yzak exclaimed. It approached quickly and took aim at the BUSTER.

"Why now of all times?" Dearka asked returning fire.

Unknown to both Yzak and Dearka the pilot was none other the Commander Rau Le Creuset. He began to fire again at Dearka when the FREEDOM suddenly appear to join the fight. Rau took of the fight Kira. this however didn't stop the all out assault on the BUSTER.

"WHAT the?!" Dearka cried out as he began getting attacked by guns that seemed to move on there damage they were causing was increasing fast and with no way to escape it seemed he would be killed soon.

As Miriallia watched on the ARCANGEL she gasped in horror. Dearka had been holding his own so well this whole battle barely getting any damage and now. Now he was about to be killed before her very eyes "Please no… he can't" she thought and tears built up in the corners of her eyes. First Mu… and now… Dearka. This couldn't be happening.

"DEARKA!" Yzak yelled out as he watched his friend meeting what was certain doom.

"Dearka! Please respond! If you can you have to get out of there! DEARKA!" Miriallia cried out over the communicator in hopes that he would escape somehow.

"KIRA!" The voice of Fllay rang out across the battlefield causing Rau to turn his full attention on FREEDOM's pilot.

The BUSTER floated motionless in space. Dearka attempts to move or communicate with others failed. He could hear Miriallia's pleas for him to return but he couldn't do anything. Sparks flew inside as warning lights flashed throughout. He was a sitting duck. "DAMMIT!" he cried out.

Yzak moved in to check on his friend's condition. He was unsure at this point if Dearka was even alive or if his mobile suit had become his tomb. He was about to grab hold of the BUSTER when shot rang out in his direction. He turned to see where they were coming from. It was the RAIDER. The final surviving member of the DOMINION.

The DUEL grabbed onto the BUSTER to defend it as he began to return fire. "YZAK!" Dearka cried out knowing his friend couldn't hear him.

The RAIDER fired with such crazed speed that there was no weapon that the DUEL had that could stop it. "GIVE ME THAT WEAPON" he cried out taking the largest gun from the BUSTER.

"YZAK!"

"HE'S NOT BEATING ME!" He yelled firing the large cannon destroying the opposing mobile suit.

Dearka looked on. Relieved that his friend had saved him. He thought being on opposite sides of the battlefield would have caused a large rift. But maybe just maybe their friendship was stronger and greater than the war was. He took a deep breathe as he felt blood trickle down his face.

"Dearka? Can you hear me?" Yzak asked over the communicator to no avail. "Is he really dead... or" He thought "DAMMIT!"

"Huh?" Miriallia exclaimed before speaking to the captain. "Captain the DUEL it requesting to bring the BUSTER back on board"

"What?" Murrue exclaimed before the DUEL pilot's face appeared on the screen.

"This isn't something I happy about having the request. But the truth is that it was my commander that attacked Dearka. If I bring him back to ZAFT there is no telling what they will do to him" Yzak face filled with sadness as he continued. "I tried communicating with him. But there was no response which means the function in the BUSTER is either down…or.." He hesitated for a moment. He had already thought Dearka had died once and it nearly tore him apart. To think of losing him again was too much.

Seeing him struggle Murrue responded "Bring him aboard we will have the medics meet you in the hanger to deal with any injuries he may have"

Yzak swallowed his pride and replied "Thank you" as he ended the communication and headed towards the landing gate.

Murrue picked up the phone on her arm rest "Mechanics, set up the emergency landing mat. The BUSTER and the DUEL will be making an emergency landing. Have the medics on standby" She hung up the phone and turned her focus back on the battle playing out in front of them.

Miriallia wanted nothing more than to be able to run and check on the pilot's condition. But she was needed here. At least she knew that he was safe now.

In the Hangar

The BUSTER and the DUEL landed safely. Yzak quickly jumped out of his mobile suit and headed towards the BUSTER hoping his friend was ok. The mechanics and doctor followed as the all wait eagerly to see if he was ok.

"That's a lot of damage do you really think the kid is ok?" Chief Murdoch asked looking the BUSTER up and down.

"HOW DARE YO-" Yzak started to yell before he was interrupted by the sound of the BUSTER's cockpit opening.

Slowly the former ZAFT soldier pulled himself out of the mobile suit and made his way over the the men waiting for him "That was one hell of a battle. Thank you Yzak for having my back"

"You were right. You weren't the one being deceived. The Chairman needs to be stopped"

"Then we are in agreement." He said taking of his helmet to reveal the large amount of blood now streaming down the left side of his face. "You should get back out there BUSTER and I are in no condition to fight right now"

"And you what do plan on doing?"

"If you need me I'll be on the bridge. I can't sit ideally by why the biggest fight in the war rages on.

"Make sure you get check out first. We don't need you bleeding out on us." With that he turned around to get ready to go back out the. The doctor walked over and began cleaning up Dearka's wound.

Back on the Battlefield

Things hadn't slowed down on the battlefield. Explosions continued throughout as they wondered if GENESIS would be fired again or if Athrun and Cagalli could stop it. Kira kept fighting with Rau after being devastated by the death of Fllay. The battle needed to end soon or there was no telling many thousands or even millions of lives could be lost.

Miriallia sat witnessing everything when a familiar face popped up on her screen. It was the same guy who requested to bring Dearka back on the ship. "You're heading out?" she asked.

"Of course there is still a fight going on out there right?!" He said in a nasty tone.

"Yes" she replied "DUEL you are cleared for launch"

"YZAK JOULE, DUEL LAUNCHING" he exclaimed as he launched back into the battle. At the same time the doors the the bridge flew open revealing a certain blonde haired young man. His head was wrapped in bandages and from the way he walked they could tell he had some bruised ribs. He watched his friend shoot off into battle as he made his way to Miriallia's side. They looked into each others eyes for a moment before turning their attention to the battle. No words were needed. They were just happy to see that one another was ok.

Yzak made his way in front of the ARCHANGEL showing them that he was going to defend them not fight against them. It came as much relief considering all their defending pilots were gone. They all watched as ZAFT soldiers began evacuating Jachin Due. They all questioned what could be happening there for this to be happening. Moments later their questions were answered as a large explosion came from that direction.

GENESIS exploded causing a bright light to englof the battlefield. The were all shocked. Dearka leaned close towards Miriallia to get a better view and also to support his hurt body. They all were wondering the same thing. How many lives were lost just now, and how many were those of their comrades. Where was Athrun… Cagalli… and Kira. Did they survive? Or did the explosion take their lives as well.

"ATTENTION I have an announcement for all members of ZAFT and the EARTH ALLIANCE forces in this region. At this moment the PLANTs are preparing to conduct negotiations between the EARTH forces and the PLANT sponsored nations. Immediately following the commencement of these negotiations the PLANTs judicial supreme council will propose a requested that the EARTH forces decease all combat activities in restricted regions."

The date was September 27, C.E. 71. It was a date that was about to go down in history. The day the fighting finally stopped. The day the final battle took place. It was all over. It was time to go home. Wherever that was. It was time for them to finally enter an Era of peace.