Cosmic Era, 73. Two years have passed since the end of the Bloody Valentine War. Two years since Earth and her Colonies finally found a wary, tentative peace. In the ruins of Junius Seven, the three major factions signed a peace treaty, hoping that further bloodshed could be avoided. The Junius Treaty established many things. Bans on Neutron Jammer Cancelers in military use. Weapons of Mass Destruction, be they nukes or GENESIS, outlawed. The Atlantic Federation acknowledging the independence of the PLANTs. And, indeed, the independence of the newly formed Independent Coalition.

Earth was, for better or worse, at peace with being divided. Wounds too deep to heal prevented anything else. Even so, it seemed as if this treaty- and the concurrent memorial dedicated on Orb's colony of Elysium -would finally bring in a lasting peace. Time to recover and reflect.

Were it so simple...

CNS Hood, Approaching PLANT Armory One

"First time we've been this close to a PLANT in years, isn't it?"

Hearing those words, Yzak Joule snorted softly. His piercing blue eyes remained focused on the view beyond the bridge window, not once turning away. Even after living on Elysium or in Orb for the past two years, he had never forgotten his birthplace. The PLANTs were home. That he couldn't return without a serious change in leadership of ZAFT was still a sore point. He understood the logic of it all. That didn't mean he had to, or did, like it. He was too hotheaded for that at the best of times.

Damn Zala and Commander Le Creuset. I had no choice and I'm still being punished for it.

Yzak had fought against ZAFT forces, despite still being enlisted in that military, and Command had long memories. Anyone who had defected to the Coalition's side were barred from serving in ZAFT, and the more high-profile ones- Yzak included -weren't even allowed to go to the PLANTs. That the Hood was getting even this close to Armory One, isolated at L4 and far from the PLANT homeland, was entirely down to Cagalli Yula Athha.

"It's too bad that this isn't a Civilian colony, though," the voice continued, finally prompting Yzak to turn his gaze away. Instead, he looked at the familiar form of his commanding officer. Jane Lacross returned the look, a thin smile on her lips. "Doubt they'd let us land anyway, but it would have been nice to go home again."

Shrugging his shoulders, Yzak sighed. "Never going to happen while Admiral Wallace is in charge. Bastard."

"You won't get an argument from me." Jane idly brushed a lock of blonde hair from her face, bright green eyes narrowed in thought. She tapped her hands against her chair, humming softly. "Hm. This seem familiar to you, Yzak?"

"If you're talking about Heliopolis, I'm going to agree with you." With a sour tone to his own voice, the former Redcoat grumbled under his breath. "I'm still getting people staring at me because of that one, you know."

Unable to hold it back, Jane laughed at the expression her XO and friend sent her way. "To be fair, we are stationed at Elysium. I'm sure more than a few people there are from Heliopolis. Le Creuset's orders or not, you did destroy their home."

"Like hell I did," Yzak protested, more out of habit than anything else. He knew that the rest of Hood's bridge crew were hiding grins behind their work. He turned his glare on each and every one of them, only succeeding in getting more laughter.

By now, the Shadows knew he was harmless. If you were on his good side.

"Joking aside," Jane continued, chuckling softly as she did, "You know that ZAFT is building new machines here. I don't know if they've got anything more than those ZAKUs they're so proud of, but..."

Yzak nodded along with her words, turning to look back at the PLANT. Dozens of Nazca-class warships floated around the colony, flying in standard patrol routes. More forces than he would have expected outside of the homeland. Even if none of them was as heavily modified as the Hood had become. Scowling a bit, he crossed his arms and tapped his foot against the deck. "If they've got more Gundams here, I bet that asshole Durandal wants to show them off."

"Well they do have that new warship." His commander pointed out mildly, raising a finger to point out at Armory One's hangars. "He's almost certainly timing it so that Lady Athha is here for the launch." Smile widening on her face, Jane shrugged magnanimously. She began to speak in a conspiratorial whisper that everyone could clearly hear. "Frankly, I think he's jealous of the Archangel. Gotta show that ZAFT can keep up with a two year old ship."

With a snort, Yzak shook his head. "Damnit, you're probably right. So, what are we going to do about it?"

"Nothing, really. We're just here to keep an eye on things and ferry our guests."

Without their Gundams, at that. Yzak's scowl deepened, at that thought. Kira hadn't brought the Freedom, though Cagalli had forced him to agree on dragging along Green Frame, at least. With his own Gundam and the couple of Murasames that rested in Hood's hangar rounding it out, they could probably fight off any pirates. Or even any remnants of Zala's troops.

So why, then, did Yzak get the feeling it wasn't that simple?

"I don't like this." He finally spoke up, voice dry and deadpan. He spun around from the viewport, walking over to stand next to Jane.

Looking up at him, the Commander nodded back. "Can't say I disagree with you. We've both been through enough to not trust anything, especially when it's outside our control."

Considering his own experience from Heliopolis, Yzak couldn't deny that point. It felt too familiar to him. An isolated factory in a colony. Far from any potential support, other than their own defenses. Experimental warship and possibly Mobile Suits. More than enough lined up for him to feel entirely comfortable with it. And he wasn't the one who lived through that damn War twice over!

"Yamato, you had better know what you're doing." Yzak grumbled, watching as a shuttle gently flew out from Hood's hangar and towards Armory One. "If I have to drag your ass out of there, you're never hearing the end of it."

Armory One

It was a strange feeling. Being on a PLANT, with absolutely no foreknowledge to help him adapt. For someone who had lived his life twice, it was an uncomfortable feeling. Kira Yamato didn't like it. He didn't like feeling as if he wasn't in control, with no idea of what to expect. The past two years had been like that, far more often than he would like to admit. With no idea of if war would come again or...

"Relax, Kira, you're going to stress me out."

Beside him, Cagalli Yula Athha tiredly rubbed at her face. She was dressed in her usual maroon suit and pants, not bothering to change for this visit. To her, image didn't matter beyond looking like she took her job seriously. As the Chief Representative of Orb, well, that went double. She was young and inexperienced at the best of times. Cagalli, more than anyone, was aware how much she relied on Mina Sahaku and her...odd friendship with the woman. For this, though? She had to do it herself.

Kira, despite his reservations, respected that. He smoothed his own blue Coalition uniform down, reflecting that he stood out even more than she did. "Sorry, sorry. This is all new to me."

"Yeah." Cagalli put more into that one word than most, just as Kira had put more meaning into his sentence. They'd both been through a lot together.

As for that very moment? The two of them were currently sitting outside the office of one Gilbert Durandal, waiting for the Supreme Chairman to arrive. Both of them had drawn more than a few odd looks in the process of getting here, from civilians and military alike. The only one that had really gotten to Kira was a blonde girl, with eyes only a shade lighter than his own. More pink than violet.

She seemed different, for some reason. I didn't recognize her though.

Sighing softly, Kira shook his head. He was overthinking things again, like he always did, since the War ended. "You know, Cagalli, the Chairman probably can't do anything." Looking over at his girlfriend, the Coordinator nodded his head at the window they sat beside. At the swarm of Mobile Suits doing their jobs. "The people who left Orb don't want to go back. And they want to keep doing what they always did."

Cagalli glared at Kira, her hands clenching tightly. "I know that, Kira! But...it isn't right, for ZAFT to be using our people and technology like this. It violates everything that Orb stood for."

"I'm not sure they see it like that." Kira's reply was soft, completely unaffected by the force of Cagalli's glare. He had seen worse. "The Coalition uses Orb technology. And if they use it, ZAFT probably doesn't see any problem with doing the same."

The old Kira, the one who had died at Jachin Due, would have agreed with Cagalli. He was idealistic and believed in the best of people. The Kira that had lived through the War twice was a much more jaded man, who understood the necessities of politics more than he ever would have wanted.

"...I know that. I know that, damnit." Cagalli deflated, her shoulders slumping down. "I'm the one who offered to let Morgenroete do it, too. I'm the one who let our technology go to Eurasia and Scandinavia and the Equatorial Union. So, maybe, I don't have a leg to stand on."

Reaching out his hand, Kira gently placed it on his girlfriend's shoulder. He gave Cagalli a gentle squeeze, the most he would show in public. "Don't worry about that, Cagalli. You're doing the best you can and we all know that. We need our allies to be strong. Especially after what happened in South America."

No one really liked talking about that event. The Atlantic Federation hadn't taken kindly to Eurasia leaving the Earth Alliance, and it showed. It was largely what happened to Buenos Aires that had prompted the technology sharing in the first place. Now? It wasn't uncommon to see a Murasame in Scandinavian colors or an Astray painted with the flag of India.

And it all only proved to help the case of the PLANTs using Orb expats for their own military.

"I apologize if I'm interrupting your conversation," a smooth voice spoke up, before Cagalli could say anything back. A deep male voice, that had both teenagers turning around to look.

Standing in front of them, a tall man in an unusual suit smiled down on them. His long black hair reached well-past his shoulders, framing what could almost be called a pretty face. Intelligent orange eyes stared out of that face, as he held a hand out towards the Orb representatives. "It is quite a pleasure to finally meet you, Princess. And you as well, Kira Yamato. I've heard quite the stories about your actions during the war."

Cagalli looked at the hand as if it would bite her, before sighing and reaching out to take it. She let the man tug her up, acting as much as anything else. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Chairman Durandal. However..." Tightening her grip, the 'Princess' narrowed her own golden eyes. "Don't call me 'Princess', please."

"Of course, Representative Athha." Gilbert Durandal acquiesced easily, smiling at Cagalli and at Kira, as the latter climbed to his own feet. "Shall we get this meeting going? I'm told you're quite busy these days, with all the efforts you're leading in the Coalition."

Both Kira and Cagalli shared a look at that, before following Durandal into his office.

Armory One Hangars

Far away from that office, in a place that was quite familiar to at least one occupant, three teenagers stood silently. A boy with blue hair idly twirled a submachine gun in his hands, a wide grin crossing his lips. "You know, Sting, this is going to be fun."

"Quiet, Auel," a green haired boy, Sting Oakley, grimaced. He locked a magazine into his own submachine gun, twisting his head around a doorway. ZAFT soldiers, all Greencoats, walked around three dull-grey Mobile Suits. Gundams.

Turning back around, Sting looked over at the two younger members of his team. Auel Neider, the boy, returned his look with a grin on his lips. Beside him, Stella Loussier completely ignored Sting. She simply ran her pink eyes over a knife, an almost whimsical look on her face.

"Alright, you two know the plan." Sting inwardly sighed, sometimes regretting how he had taken the leadership role. He may have been the most mature of the Extended, but that didn't really mean much. "Get in there and kill them all before anyone sounds an alarm. Those Gundams should already be set up, we just need to upload the OS that our friends gave us."

Auel snorted, "Yeah, yeah. It matter which one we take?"

"No. Grab whatever one you want."

Listening to what was being said, even if she didn't pay attention, Stella nodded her head. "Stella understands. We have to fight."

"Yes, we have to fight." Sting gave a return nod, before sucking in a breath. Right, it's just a bunch of Coordinators. We've fought tougher fights at Lodonia.

Nothing more was, or needed to be, said. Sting tossed a grenade around the corner. Screams echoed through the hangar, as the explosive went off. ZAFT soldiers flew in spurts of blood, the Extended taking the chance to sprint around the corner. Sting was in the lead, his weapon firing short bursts into the Greencoats. For all that Coordinators preached about their superiority, the guards were caught completely flat-footed. Men fell with bullets spraying their bodies, shocked expressions on their faces. Only a couple managed to react quickly enough to fire back.

They were promptly gunned down by Auel, who laughed with every shot.

"Stella! Take the one on the right!" Sting shouted out, firing a long burst to suppress a pair of ZAFT soldiers.

There wasn't a reply to his words, beyond a short nod. Stella jumped into the air, her enhanced legs carrying her higher than any human had a right to. She elegantly twisted her body, bullets spraying by close enough to tug on her long dress. No more emotion than a statue crossed her face, a grim scowl lingering on her lips when the blonde girl fell to the ground. Her knife flashed out, blood spurting across her face as a Coordinator fell, clutching at his neck. Stella hesitated for no more than a split second, before spinning around and tossing her blade through another Coordinator's eye.

It was only a second before a pistol was in her hand, barking out at more of the ZAFT soldiers. Stella fired upon them, running towards the leg of a slim Gundam. Without even blinking, she was in the cockpit, already discarding her weapon and inputting the needed OS changes.

Well, Stella always was quick at this. Damnit!

Sting cut off his internal musing, ducking a shot from a ZAFT soldier. His return fire put three neat holes in the man's head, before he began to sprint towards the third machine in the line. "Auel! Get the middle one!"

"You got it! Come on, Coordinators!" Auel continued to fire wildly, yet, each shot found a mark. Even when he ducked a round that cut his blue hair. "Bite me, assholes!"

Shaking his head, Sting clambered up the bulky machine in front of him, dropping into the cockpit. His eyes saw a welcome familiarity. It was the same style of cockpit as the GAT-series simulators he'd trained on. It took only a matter of seconds to pull up the OS and begin modifying it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Auel finish off the Coordinators, jumping into his own Gundam. Nodding in satisfaction, Sting began to pull his own Gundam to its feet.

"Hm. Chaos." Noting the name in passing, Sting smirked when he looked at the equipment. "Oh, I like you. ZAFT has the best toys."

Had he cared to notice, he would have seen a small smile on Stella's face inside her Gaia Gundam. Or a wild laugh from Auel in his Abyss Gundam. As he didn't, Sting's entire focus was on the mission. Getting into the cockpits wasn't enough, if they didn't destroy all that could pursue them. This wasn't Heliopolis and a few Mistral pods.

Right, time to finish this. Come on, Coordinators, let's see how you like having it done to you this time!

Hangar Area

"You need to understand, Representative Athha, that sometimes power is necessary." Durandal was saying, walking past rows upon rows of assorted ZAFT Mobile Suits. GINNs, CGUEs, ZAKUs...everything other than a Gundam. His orange eyes were boring into the teenagers, conveying every emotion under the sun. "I would have thought you, and Captain Yamato, understood that. After all, you were instrumental in forming the Independent Coalition. Exactly because you realized that Orb could never stand alone."

Cagalli spun on her heel, glaring up at Durandal. "That's different! We created the Coalition as a defensive alliance, because the Earth Forces didn't give us a choice! It was the only way to-"

"Protect your nations and people? Defend against potential aggression?" The Chairman listed off, holding up a hand. His voice remained mild, despite the lecturing words. "I'm sorry to say, Representative, that what you're describing is exactly why ZAFT needs new weapons. None of us desire conflict or go looking for it. In that, I agree with your late Father."

Gesturing over at the various machines, Durandal sighed heavily. Genuine regret crossing his features, as he pointed to each and every one of them. "Lord Uzumi was a wise man, who did the best he could with what he had. He and Chairman Clyne were heroes that we should all remember and respect. However, even Lord Uzumi recognized that power is necessary, sometimes. Until we live in a world where that power is no longer needed."

Silently watching, Kira raised his opinion of this man. Durandal was speaking things that he grappled with himself. His own experiences warred with what Lacus and Waltfeld had told him, in two lifetimes. Kira was, at his heart, someone who hated conflict and wished it would end. He fought to disable, not to kill, because he believed that senseless death only caused more suffering. And yet, here he was. Formally enlisted in a military, and shooting to kill even when it wasn't necessary. What did that say about him?

It says that you understand the world isn't as nice as you thought it was. You've experienced war, in a way that no one else can claim. You know, deep down, that her idealism won't work without something changing the fundamental nature of humanity. Yet, you still fight anyway. That is what makes you human, Kira Yamato. A flawed human, just like the rest of your kind.

Shuddering slightly at the ghost of Le Creuset, Kira refocused on his girlfriend and the Chairman. Just in time to catch the tail-end of Cagalli's newest argument.

"...it's different, when we're doing it ourselves!" The blonde spitfire had jumped in front of Durandal, uncaring of the way the Greencoats escorting them reached for their pistols. All her attention was focused on the Chairman. "Orb will never attack another nation, nor let our power be used to attack another one. We can guarantee that with the Coalition. Even if one of our allies betrays us!"

Snapping her finger at Durandal's chest, she waved her other hand at all the Mobile Suits surrounding the little group. "What about ZAFT, though? We don't even know what you've taken from our people, and we can't do anything if you use it to attack someone!"

Durandal could only shrug his shoulders in response, shaking his head with that sad smile remaining in place. "I'm afraid there is little I can do to assuage your fears, Representative Athha, other than give you my word that we will never be the aggressor in a conflict. I, and I'm sure most in the PLANTs, only desire peace. So long as the Atlantic Federation allows us to live our lives in peace, we will never have cause to use our power."

"It's not that I don't trust you," Cagalli deflated, just enough to let her glare fade away and her voice lose the harsh edge. She ran a hand through her hair, frustration still evident in her actions. "I don't trust that the rest of the PLANTs feel like you do. Not after what happened at the end of the War."

"Ah. Zala and GENESIS." Durandal nodded, turning to his escort, prompting them to stop so he could talk more easily. "You see, I can understand your point. I would love to say that none of his kind are left in ZAFT or in the PLANTs. However, I'm sure we're both aware that would be a lie. Just as it would be a lie if you told me that Orb had no supporters of the Atlantic Federation."

"That isn't-"

Whatever else Cagalli may have wanted to say, was cut off. The incessant blaring of an alarm echoed over the PLANT. Kira's head instantly snapped up, a curse on his lips. Faster than any other Coordinator could move, faster than the guards could track, he had pulled Cagalli to his side and drawn a pistol.

"Kira!" Cagalli shouted in surprise, as the two of them rolled to the ground behind a truck.

A small part of Kira's mind noticed Durandal being tackled to the ground by his own guard, even as a massive explosion echoed from a hangar not more than a dozen feet from them. "Heliopolis...are they really doing this again, here of all places?"

Green beams pierced through the door of the hangar, soon joined by more. Across from the ruined door, ZAFT machines detonated in plumes of flame. From the smoke, came three tall Mobile Suits. Three machines that Kira and Cagalli both recognized instantly. They vaguely heard Durandal barking orders behind them, but neither bothered listening. Cagalli's eyes were wide with shock...Kira's narrowed in frustration. Reliving things a second time wasn't any fun, not even now.

"Gundams." Kira bit out, as the green one in the center raised its rifle and shot a DINN clean out of the sky. The black one on the right jumped away and began firing wildly, each shot hitting a target. As for the blue one on the left, it twirled a beam spear and began to stab through GINNs and ZuOOTs alike.

Gritting his teeth, Kira pulled Cagalli to her feet, and looked over at Durandal. "Chairman, let me help. I-I was at Heliopolis. I know what they're going to do."

"You were..." Durandal cut off whatever he was thinking, shaking his head. As explosions continued to roll over the base, the man nodded sharply. "Right. It is hardly proper to ask for aid from the Coalition, but I'm not one to say no to an honest offer of aid. Rogers!"

A Greencoat stepped forward, snapping off a salute at the Chairman. "Sir?"

"Get Mr. Yamato to Hangar 12, please. It isn't ready yet, but we may have to take it out sooner than anticipated."

Rogers blinked and opened his mouth, even as the rest of the Greencoats stared askance at the Chairman. "Mr. Chairman, you can't be serious! That's one of the Second Stage, and you're going to let a Coalition pilot have it?"

"Hardly." Durandal chuckled mirthlessly, as the black Gundam- Gaia -transformed and began to run in its BuCUE mode. Green bolts fired from the back of the Gundam, immolating a pair of Ceremonial GINNs.

Looking up at the rampaging machines, Durandal shook his head and turned back to the escort. "To be frank, its too late to be concerned about that. If those machines escape, then we've already lost."

"Second Stage?" Kira mouthed, before rapidly shaking his own head. Didn't matter. "If its a Gundam, I can handle it. I won't let them hurt anyone else!"

"Kira..." Cagalli tightly clenched his hand, knowing exactly what was going through his head.

With another grim smile, Durandal gave them a sharp nod, and turned to give out more orders. "Scramble everything we have, and someone get me a line to the Minerva. I want them to give us whatever aid they can!"

Nothing more was, or needed to be, said. Kira tugged Cagalli along, the Greencoat grumbling in annoyance as he lead them down side-paths. Neither Kira, nor Cagalli, saw Durandal give them a little nod while they ran past...

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"What's in Hangar 12, anyway?" Kira asked, not even panting as he ran alongside the ZAFT soldier.

"One of the machines you saw back there." Rogers replied, not missing a beat. He stopped for a second, as the sound of an explosion echoed between the various hangars. Holding a hand up, the Greencoat sighed and looked back at Kira. "It's not quite complete yet, which is why we had it in a different hangar. Why the Chairman wants you to use that instead of going to a shelter or a ZAKU..."

I'm not sure myself, but I'm not going to complain either. I won't let Cagalli be hurt like this, or let those Gundams destroy Armory One. Not again. Never again!

Shrugging his shoulders, Kira nodded. "I understand. Don't worry, I'll bring it back in one piece."

"I'm going to hold you to that!" The Greencoat shouted back, lowering his hand. He stuck his head out past the corner, grimacing slightly. "Goddamnit, those things are better than we expected..."

Kira didn't need to look to know what he meant. He could still hear the dull thumps of impacts and the roars of explosions. Beside him, Cagalli looked around with wide eyes. She was used to this, of course, since she was in Orb during the Invasion. But there was a world of difference between being in a Mobile Suit above the conflict, and being at ground level. Even Kira wasn't really used to it. His friends had run around during Heliopolis. He'd been in the Strike with Murrue.

"Why is this happening?" Cagalli cried, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. She always had been the more emotional of the two, and that hadn't changed. Not even now. "The War's over...we finally had peace!"

Gently squeezing her shoulder, Kira sighed softly. "Some people can't let the past go." He was very well aware of how hypocritical it was for him to say that. "Come on, Cagalli, we need to keep moving."

Indeed, Rogers had waved them forward, standing by the door to an intact hangar. Whether they were attacking at random or following some kind of pattern, the stolen Gundams hadn't touched this one yet. It was probably only a matter of time until they did. Knowing that, Kira didn't hesitate to rush towards it. Cagalli followed along, feeling a little of Kira's strength leak into her own body.

It was impossible to keep the smile off his face, when Kira felt her grip tighten. The Cagalli he knew wouldn't let something like this keep her down for long.

"In here, Yamato!" Rogers flung the door open, warily watching for the stolen Gundams.

Without a moment to spare, Kira ran into the hangar. And promptly came to a halt, Cagalli slamming into his back. He didn't even grunt in surprise, too busy staring up with wide eyes at the Gundam before him. At first glance, he could be forgiven for mistaking the machine for the Freedom. The smooth and graceful curves of the frame spoke of a similar lineage. As did the wings, spreading out from the back in their rest position. Even the beam sabers were in the same place on the hip.

"Kira?" Cagalli spoke up, walking around her boyfriend. Her own eyes went wide when she saw the Gundam. "Wait, that's the Freedom!" With her voice dropping an octave in her anger, the Princess turned to look behind her. "I thought you said this was a new machine!"

Those words were directed at Rogers, who had hastily slammed the door shut behind them. The Greencoat raised an eyebrow, chuckling lightly despite the situation. For he knew something that Kira had already noticed.

This machine was not the Freedom.

"Actually, that's just the wings. This is actually based more on the Testament and Justice than the Freedom." Rogers smirked, getting just a little enjoyment from the reactions. "I was assigned to guard it, which is why the Chairman had me bring you here. Think you can handle it, hot-stuff?"

Kira, shaking his head as he realized this wasn't a rebuilt version of his own machine, smiled softly. "...yeah. I can do that."

Turning away from the Gundam, Kira looked over at Cagalli. She stared right back, the worry clear in her eyes. He couldn't find it in himself to blame her. He was taking an incomplete and untested machine that he had never seen before, against three Gundams. Three very-much complete Gundams. Even he felt a little concerned at the idea. But...he was Kira Yamato. He had relived his life, entirely because he wanted to protect everyone he cared about. If he didn't do his best to protect Armory One, what did that make him?

"Come on, Cagalli, let's get up there. I need to get out there and stop those Gundams."

To her credit, the blonde just nodded back. Her own eyes narrowed slightly with the lingering anger she felt, as another explosion shook the entire hangar. "Show those bastards what you can do, Kira!" Slapping her hand into his, the blonde drug him towards the Gundam. "You're the best pilot there is!"

Without another word, the two teenagers clambered up the ladders towards the cockpit of the Gundam. While the opening was more akin to the Strike than the Freedom, Kira found it quite familiar when he was actually inside. The panoramic screen was exactly like Freedom's. Smiling at that, Kira moved aside and let Cagalli clamber in beside him. The moment she was securely locked against the back of the cockpit...he cracked his fingers. A keyboard came up and his eyes quickly began streaming over the data before him. There wasn't as much to change as there had been on the Strike.

All he had to do was change some of the operating system to compensate for the missing parts of the machine. And tune it towards his own, higher than average, abilities. Simple.

Mobile Suit NEO OPERATION SYSTEM
Generation
Unrestricted
Network
Drive
Assault
Module
G.U.N.D.A.M

Letting out a soft sigh, Kira pulled the keyboard up and properly activated the Gundam. Orange eyes flashed to life, as the machine began to shift from the dull-grey of all Phase-Shift Mobile Suits. Deep blue covered the arms and legs, as the chest became a brilliant white. Orange covered the cockpit while the faceplate turned as white as everything else. The only splash of color was the purple covering the V-fins. Kira, of course, couldn't see any of this. All he saw...was the name of the machine.

"Kira Yamato, Legacy Gundam, launching!"

Hangar Area

Inside the Chaos, Sting was having the time of his life. He may not have been laughing mad like Auel or rampaging around like Stella, but it didn't change much. He was firing with precise shots, each and every beam blowing a ZAFT machine to hell. Sometimes even more than one. He was particularly fond of a shot into a crowded hangar that had detonated six of those fancy new ZAKUs. With a grin on his face, he turned Chaos around and aimed at another hangar.

Only for a green beam to shoot from inside the hangar.

What the hell?!

Quickly flaring his thrusters, Sting dodged to the side. His sudden panic had drawn Stella's attention, the Gaia jumping towards the hangar with a beam saber drawn. Something in the smoke from the door pushed her aside, knocking the Gaia into a wall.

"Stella!" Sting called out, warily watching the smoke. "You okay in there?"

"Bastard!" Stella replied, not really directed at Sting.

Letting out a sigh of mixed relief and bemusement, the Extended looked away from the slowly rising Gaia. Only for his eyes to widen in shock at what he saw. Standing in the clearing smoke, was another Gundam. One that looked entirely too much like the Freedom for comfort.

"What in the-" Cutting off the question, Sting quickly pulled his computer out and began typing. He was looking for something, anything, on this new machine. His eyes snapped between the screen and the Gundam, narrowing slightly.

"Legacy...a command unit?"

Anything else would have to wait, as the taller Gundam drew a beam saber from the hip and lunged at Stella. The Gaia drew a blade of its own and brought it down on the Legacy. The two Gundams crashing into each other as they tried to overpower the other. At first, the Gaia was winning. Dust and debris kicked up around the machines, Stella pushing her stolen machine to its limit.

Before anyone could react, the Legacy snapped out with a kick that sent Gaia flying.

Gritting his teeth, Sting ignored Stella's cry of rage, and pushed Chaos forward. His own hand held a blade of frozen fire, angled directly for the other Gundam's cockpit. "Come on, show me what you've got!" Bringing the blade down in an overhead swing, the Extended met the Legacy's own blade in a lock above the two machines. "Think you're hot stuff, ZAFT? You won't beat me!"

As if to taunt him, the Legacy looked up, slowly. Purple fins gave way to a bone-white faceplate, orange eyes gleaming in the smoke of the burning factories...

Don't think that will scare me, Coordinator! Sting didn't show any reaction, using Chaos' superior thrust to spin away, his beam saber clashing against the command unit's shield. I'm not your average pilot. You're not going to take me down that easily!

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Inside the Legacy, Kira grimaced. His machine stumbled back. Chaos managed to knock his shield aside, though Kira pulled his arm back quickly enough to avoid any damage. It wasn't easy. This Gundam was clearly still incomplete, the movements slow and jarring compared to the smoothness of Freedom. Each stab and jab was telegraphed in ways he would never do. When he spread the four wings to push against Chaos, he only managed to knock it around a little. Red lights flashed at him.

Missing weapons, thrusters misfiring, warnings about pushing the machine too hard.

"I can't fight like this." Kira muttered, eyes rapidly scanning the various alerts. Legacy isn't Freedom, but I shouldn't be having this much trouble. I'm out of practice.

Snapping a hand down, the Coordinator drew a beam rifle and fired a brace of shots to force Chaos back...as Gaia jumped into him from behind. The black Gundam had transformed back into BuCUE mode and tackled him. Legacy fell to the ground, beams glowing atop Gaia's back.

"Kira!" Cagalli called out, worry lacing her voice and her entire body. Her hands gripped tightly against the seat behind him, though Kira couldn't- wouldn't -dare look back. "Don't let them win! I know you can beat them!"

Sucking in a breath, time slowing to a crawl...Kira did just that. Legacy's eyes flashed with a burning light, the incomplete Gundam lashing out with a punch direct to Gaia's wolf-like head. The black machine stumbled back, as if stunned by the impact, allowing Kira to flare his thrusters and take to the sky. He scowled at the sputtering that resulted, even while taking advantage to fire the machine-cannons mounted to his wings in place of Freedom's plasma cannons. It did no damage to Gaia, or to Chaos for that matter, but it forced the stolen Gundams back.

It gave him breathing space.

"I need to figure something out, quick." Pulling to the side to dodge a beam from Chaos, Kira chanced a glance over his shoulder. "Hang on back there, Cagalli. This is going to get rough!"

Cagalli scoffed, wincing only slightly when Kira divebombed down on Gaia, slamming directly into the now-humanoid machine. "Nothing you can do will worry me, Kira! I trust you."

"Thanks for that." Smiling, despite himself, Kira kicked the Gaia again, getting the distinct feeling he was annoying the pilot.

Just a feeling, considering the way it drew both beam sabers and charged wildly at him. Kira raised his shield and beam saber, prepared to meet the charge head-on. He pushed Legacy's legs forward, moving much as he would in Freedom...

Only for a flash of fire to come from the main thruster.

"No!" Kira cried, the cockpit blaring with an alarm as Legacy stumbled and fell to a knee, smoke pouring out of the machine's back. He could see the grin on the face of Gaia's pilot. Feel the killing intent coming from the pilot of Chaos, the sound of stomping feet echoing through the air.

Damnit. I pushed it too hard!

Kira was never one to give up. He forced Legacy to its feet, straining joints and gears grinding against his ears. The Phase-Shift sputtering and fading to grey before snapping back into place. He was going to push this machine to its limit. He wasn't going to let Cagalli die here. He couldn't.

"I won't let you hurt anyone else!" The teenager shouted, raising his beam saber to meet Gaia...

...in time to watch the machine stumble and nearly fall, rockets blasting into the back. The other Gundam stopped charging, staring skyward. Kira followed the gaze, eyes locking onto a small fighter jet flying above. Behind it, what seemed to be the chest and legs of a Mobile Suit. Of a Gundam.

Cagalli was the first to say anything, her jaw hanging open. "What the hell is that thing? Is that a Gundam?"

Whatever Kira wanted to say, he could do nothing but watch. The fighter discarded its missile pods, the wings folding together. It hovered in place for the barest of moments. Before, as everyone watched with dumbstruck expressions, the chest and leg pieces merged with the fighter, forming around the obvious cockpit. A final flyer detached a flight pack with a pair of anti-ship swords and what Kira recognized as beam boomerangs.

The obvious Gundam- with a head disturbingly similar to Strike -fell to the ground. Anti-ship sword drawn and pointed at Chaos, forcing the green Gundam back; red-and-white covering the new machine, the distinctive effect of Phase Shift taking it. Standing tall, the Gundam drew another sword, combining the two at the hilt. With a twirl over its own head...the Gundam brought both blades to bear in a clear challenge at the stolen machines.

"So, you want to start another war?!" A familiar voice cried out, filled with righteous rage. Kira and Cagalli let out identical gasps of shock, as the red Gundam charged forth. "I won't let you! You'll have to get through me first!"

Inside the cockpit of ZGMF-X56S Impulse, Shinn Asuka grit his teeth and narrowed his crimson gaze upon the Gaia. He was taking these machines back, no matter what it took!

AN: ...so. Yeah. Blame DX for getting me to put this together. Or thank her, take your pick. Here we are again. Now, since it's been a hilariously long time...some explanation is in order.

As I said in the (now replaced) AN on the old fic, as I've gotten older, I've seen more and more flaws in Angel. I didn't expand on the cast enough, and Kira didn't really develop as a character all that much. I missed chances to really buck the trend and break from the Stations of Canon, as well. These things have really kept me from writing a sequel. Every time I started, and by extension reread the old fic, I kept thinking of things I wanted to change. Second guessing myself.

In the end, this isn't going to really change here. I'm going to soft-retcon things here and there, to reflect things I feel should change. Nothing story breaking, don't worry, but certain political things or some characters will change a bit. We see that a bit with Yzak at the start...but we really see it with Kira. Because...well. Here's the thing:

This Kira Yamato is not the canon!Kira. He's lived through the war twice. He died at Jachin, after watching his best friends killed in front of him. Between his 'death' and the changed experiences of living through the War twice, he's not the same person. He shouldn't be. This Kira is more jaded and cynical, haunted by what he did and what he continues to do. He's still the Kira we know and love, but he's lost all of that innocence and naivety that still clung to him, even in Destiny. I'm trying to reflect that, here, and I'll be doing more of it as we go along. Like I said above...I consider the reviewer (here or on SV) who said that 'Kira doesn't really develop' to be right, these days.

(relatedly: I didn't want to have Kira just 'do what Athrun did, but with Kira instead'. Hence the changed events. Kira would totally, 100%, offer to help. Regardless of it being canon or Angel-verse Kira.)

Similarly, expect some big changes to Shinn, considering the different result of the Battle of Orb for him, personally. As well as the Extended, which you already see a bit of here with Sting very much in the leadership role.

To round things out...

Yzak and Jane not being back in ZAFT/Yzak not being in charge of his own team.

Well, this one is pretty easy to answer. I'm playing this with a more realistic approach. Yzak (and the Shadows, really) are very high-profile traitors. Yes, they tried to avoid directly fighting ZAFT after the Eternal escaped. Yes, they were fighting to prevent Patrick Zala destroying the human race. For all of that, the old guard in ZAFT are still bitter about their betrayal, and refused to let them back in. Very few are the militaries that would allow deserters who fought against them back into their ranks. It's a political thing that bars Yzak (and Dearka+Nicol) in particular from the PLANTs. Much as Athrun was, canonically, though we don't know the details of that. As for Yzak not being in charge...well. He never commanded his own team in Angel. That said, he's basically co-commander with Jane. He has command of the Mobile Suits, she has the ships and overall tactical/strategic stuff.

And to finish this entirely too long AN off, the obligatory tech sheet:

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"Legacy...it's a fitting name for someone like me. Someone who has lived through so much and carries the memories of that around with me. You may not be Freedom, Legacy, but I think we can work together as partners." -Kira Yamato
Legacy Gundam:
Description:
Intended as a commander unit for the other Second Stage machines, much in the vein of the old Aegis Gundam. Following this intention, it can not transform and lacks many of the unique features of her sister units, replacing them with special commander equipment. To compensate, the Legacy is modeled heavily off the ZGMF-X12A Testament Gundam, including the ability to use the 'Testament Strikers'. It is, however, incompatible with the Impulse's Silhouette Packs and can only change equipment in the hangar of a warship.

Model Number: ZGMF-X75S
Code Name: Legacy
Unit Type: Second Stage Prototype Command Unit
Manufacturer: Integrated Design Bureau
Operator(s): ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty); Coalition Volunteer Squadron
First Deployment: 2 October C.E. 73
Accommodation: Pilot only, in standard cockpit in torso
Dimensions: Overall height 17.92 meters
Weight: 72.5 metric tons
Powerplant: Ultracompact Energy Battery
Equipment and Design Features: Sensors, range unknown; Variable Phase Shift Armor; Deuterion Beam Energy Supply System, allows for remote recharging of energy with battleship; Ability to mount 'Testament Strikers'; Specialized commander functionality
Fixed Armament: 2× MMI-GAU25A 20mm CIWS; 2× MA-M941 "Vajra" Beam Saber; 2x M71-AAK "Folding Razor" anti-armor knife
Optional Hand Armament: 1x MA-BAR72; 1x anti-beam shield
Optional Equipment: Testament Strikers
Pilot: Kira Yamato
Appearance: A mix of the Justice and Testament Gundams. The overall body shape trends more towards the Justice, though simplified in-line with the other Second Stage units. Of these, it is closer to the Impulse. The head is near-identical to Testament, save for lacking the 'horns'. Shoulders are also more similar to Testament.
Color: The eyes are orange. Orange cockpit, though mostly white torso and head. The arms and legs are primarily blue, with white-highlights on the inside of the limbs. The V-Fins are purple in coloration.
Notes: The Legacy is an...interesting machine. I knew from the start that I didn't want Kira to fly a ZAKU. I didn't want him to 'do Athrun's scenes, but with a different voice'. In this regard, I needed a new Second Stage Gundam. With all the major environments (land, sea, space, air) already taken and a desire not to steal Shinn's thunder...I went for this route. A commander unit, like the Aegis was supposed to be. Heavily based in design off the Justice and Testament (the latter is criminally underused) to avoid just using an expy from another series, the Legacy has similar functionality to the latter. However, again to avoid ripping on the Impulse, it can't use the Impulse's equipment, nor change on the fly. Kira will use the 'Airmaster Pack' the most. This is based on the Freedom, though I'll go into more detail later.

The Testament Strikers are ZAFT's first attempt at copying Striker Packs. They would eventually be developed into the Silhouette Packs, with the work being repurposed for the Legacy.

With this way-overlong AN done, all I can say is this: I hope my old readers enjoy the fic, and drop a review or two. I'd like to know if I've still got it with SEED. And if people are still around.

(I also wouldn't mind people popping over to Fallen Sword, which did prompt me to do this)