Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY

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Phase 14 - To Do What is Right

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“What do you mean ‘we’re going to wait?!’” Sting screamed.

He stood on the Girty Lue’s deck, staring furiously at Neo. Auel was at his side, looking just as outraged. Lee was nearby as well, and the crews working feverishly on the Girty Lue’s repairs stopped their work to stare in surprise.

“I mean what I said,” Neo said, one hand on his hip condescendingly. “The reports indicate that the Minerva has returned to Port Said. We have no hope of attacking a base of that size by ourselves. We will have to try a different approach to get Stella back.”

“How can you say that?!” Auel shouted. “We’re not leaving her behind!”

“It’s too dangerous to leave her there!” Sting added furiously. “They’ll tear her apart!”

As Neo stood there, calmly weathering a storm of verbal abuse from Sting and Auel, Lee looked away. He remembered his encounter with Stella on the Girty Lue’s deck at Yokosuka Naval Station. She was a simple, kind little girl who liked the sea. She had no business being on the battlefield at all, let alone as a prisoner.

He looked at Neo. “Colonel,” he said, “Sting and Auel raise valid points. We have to do something to get Stella back. If we leave her in ZAFT’s hands, then ZAFT will know much more about the Extended than they would have had they just discovered Lodonia.”

Neo glanced distastefully at Lee. “So now you’re on their side too?” he asked scornfully. “Fine. I’ll get a carrier and some mobile suits. We’ll go after them.” He scowled. “But don’t hold your breath.”

Lee didn’t miss a beat. “I never do.”

——————————————————————————————————————————

Shinn had become a fixture in the Minerva's sickbay; every moment he had to spare was spent at Stella's side, though she was rarely cognizant enough to realize he was there. She had calmed down by now, but this was hardly good news; she was dying. Even Shinn could see that. At nights, when the medical staff ushered him out of the sickbay and all but injected him with tranquilizers to make him sleep, Shinn spent his nights going over the information ZAFT had obtained about the Extended— until Rey finally got irritated enough to swiftly force a sedative down his throat and knock him out.

The nurses were frantic when Shinn entered the sickbay; Stella's vital signs were dropping. Shinn looked around in a panic; the head doctor shouted orders to the medical staff. At the center of the commotion, Stella lay deathly still; Shinn’s eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn’t be taken from him; not now.

Shinn couldn’t bear to watch them jabbing Stella with needles and injecting chemicals into her; he turned away and tried to shut out the sounds. Once again he felt the pressure; Stella was afraid, but this was a vague, confused fear, as if she was sure that there was something around her to be afraid of, but she wasn’t sure what.

Shinn waited painfully until the medics had stabilized her condition. He approached cautiously, as the medics cleaned everything up, frustrated.

“Shinn...” she whispered, cracking open her eyes to stare painfully at him. “Shinn...said he’d...protect...Stella...”

Shinn felt his eyes fill with tears. “I know, Stella,” he choked out.

Stella’s hand took his weakly. “Shinn...promised...”

Shinn looked into her eyes; the light in them was fading away. Her eyes were slowly being surrounded by dark rings; her breath was still shallow and labored.

“I’m sorry, Stella,” he whispered, on the verge of tears. “But...but I don’t know what to do.”

“...Shinn...” she breathed. She closed her eyes and laid back; Shinn’s eyes widened in horror, but a moment later he realized that she had simply gone to sleep.

“Shinn,” one of the nurses said gently, taking him by the shoulder and pulling him away from Stella’s bed. “You should leave. We’ll need to perform surgery to keep her stable.”

“What?” Shinn asked with a gasp. The head doctor turned from a cabinet, as he donned a pair of surgical gloves.

“We’ve been ordered to keep her as stable as possible for as long as possible,” he explained. “I wouldn’t be able to explain the specifics right now. However, for Stella’s sake, I’ll have to ask you to leave the room for the operation.”

Shinn glanced back hesitantly at Stella, before he looked down sullenly at the floor and ducked out of the room.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Neo Roanoke was shaken out of his sleep by the sound of explosions. He donned his mask and staggered up to the window of his room aboard the Girty Lue—smoke was rising from the ship. He angrily activated the intercom to the bridge. Lee was already there, looking stressed.

“Lee! What the hell was that?!” Neo exclaimed. Lee looked tiredly at him.

“Sting and Auel just launched,” he said.

“WHAT?!” Neo screamed. “Stop them!”

“They’ve already blasted their way out, and they’re threatening to shoot down any mobile suits we send after them,” Lee responded. Neo growled in rage, pounding his fist against the wall.

“What the hell do they think they’re doing?!” he snarled. Lee paused for a moment.

“They said they’re going to rescue Stella,” Lee said.

Neo blinked in disbelief for a moment.

“Those fools!” he exclaimed. “They can’t get her out of Port Said! They won’t even get close! What were those idiots thinking?” He slammed his fist against the wall again. “We can’t launch anything to pursue them?!”

“No sir,” Lee said, “none of our mobile suits are operational.”

Neo stared out the window furiously.

How the hell did they get so rebellious...?

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“Neo’s gonna kick our asses for this when we get back,” Auel warned; the Abyss Gundam streaked along the water, with the Chaos flying next to it. Sting glanced warily at Auel.

“Since when did you care what Neo thinks?” he asked with a smirk.

“I don’t,” Auel said, sounding slightly offended. “I mean, I’m totally on your side with this. But, y’know, he’s still gonna be pissed.”

“Neo can go to hell,” Sting snorted. “If he isn’t gonna do anything to get Stella back, then we will.”

“Just fair warning,” Auel said. “So what’s our plan?”

“You attack the Minerva underwater,” Sting instructed with a hint of authority. “The Abyss is designed for that. I’ll distract their mobile suits in the air.”

“By yourself?” Auel asked, arching an eyebrow.

“I’ll manage,” Sting said dismissively. “Just make it quick. Get onto the Minerva, find Stella, and get out.”

“Okay,” Auel said with a sigh. “Fuck, Neo should be the one doing this. Stella always thought he’d protect her.”

“If Neo won’t protect Stella, we will,” Sting said. “Someone will protect her. She’s owed that much.” Auel glanced inquisitively at Sting. “You remember, on Lodonia, don’t you?”

“How could I not?” Auel growled, clenching his fists around the Abyss’s controls.

“We both remember,” Sting hissed. “She was just an innocent little girl, all she wanted was to be hanging out by the sea, she just didn’t want to die...so they took her and...you remember, that night, don’t you?”

Auel’s face darkened. “I know,” he said dourly. “She was gone for six months, and when they brought her back...” He trailed off.

“They raped us,” Sting snarled. “They took us, they violated us, they altered us. I won’t forgive them for it. Someday I’ll pay them back for it.”

Auel glanced at Sting. “What do you mean?”

Sting clenched his teeth angrily. “You remember,” he said, “all the training, all the classes, all the surgeries and therapies. I remember. They turned us into their little war machines, and there’s nothing we can do about it now. The most we can do is stick together and wait until the time comes when we can fight back against the bastards that did this to us.”

Auel said nothing.

“Until then,” Sting said, “we have to stand by each other. It’s the only way we’ll ever eventually be free and get to lead the lives we want.”

“No we can’t,” Auel said quietly. Sting glanced at him in surprise. “I mean...we’re Extended.”

“So?” Sting asked.

“We’ll never stop being Extended,” Auel added. “We’ll always have it, we’ll always have the modifications and the block words. We can’t leave it behind.”

“No, we can’t,” Sting agreed solemnly. “But we’ll make the most of our lives anyways, even if we are Extended. No asshole with a bucket on his head will control us forever.”

Auel smirked. “I like the way you think, Sting.”

Sting smirked back. “’Course you do. Now let’s go rescue Stella.”

The Abyss and the Chaos took off.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The wailing alarm was cutting into Shinn’s mind like a knife as he strapped himself into the Core Splendor’s cockpit, not even bothering with his flight suit. The bridge reported that two mobile suits were approaching; Shinn silently swore to himself that he would protect the Minerva at all costs. He could not let Stella die.

“Shinn Asuka, Core Splendor, going out!”

The Force Impulse formed in the night sky and took off towards the horizon before the Savior Gundam and GOUF Ignited had a chance to launch. Shinn glanced over his shoulder distastefully at them; two FAITH members hanging over his head.

Far ahead, inside the Chaos, Sting narrowed his eyes at the Impulse.

“It’s the combiner,” he growled.

“The bastard who took Stella!” Auel exclaimed. “I’ll tear his fucking head off!”

“That’s my job,” Sting said quickly. “Your job is to get her back.”

Auel paused for a moment. “Right,” he said resignedly. “You have fun, then.” The Abyss transformed to its mobile armor mode and dove underwater.

Inside the Impulse, Shinn raised his beam rifle, aiming at the Chaos Gundam. He sneered at his opponent.

“You won’t lay a finger on the Minerva,” he snarled. “I’ll make sure of it!”

The Chaos fired a storm of missiles; Shinn scowled and cut them down with a CIWS burst. A cloud of smoke rose up in front of him; the Chaos dove through it with a beam rifle barrage, pounding its shots against the Impulse’s shield. Shinn cursed under his breath and dove to his right, dodging the Chaos as it stormed forward, its beam claws ignited. As the Chaos turned back towards the Impulse, the GOUF charged towards the Chaos with its beam sword raised.

“Now I’ve got you!” Heine cried. Sting glared back at the GOUF.

“No you don’t!” he shouted. The Chaos fired its booster, diving up over the GOUF’s head; Heine’s eyes widened in disbelief—

The GOUF shuddered as Sting sliced its right arm off at the shoulder and right leg at the knee. With a final kick to the side, the GOUF went tumbling into the ocean.

“Heine!” Shiho exclaimed; the Savior darted across the sky in mobile armor mode, opening fire on the Chaos. Sting twisted out of the path of its shots and fired back with a beam cannon barrage of his own; the Savior transformed to mobile suit mode to deflect the Chaos’s shots with its shield.

“Where did he come from?!” Shiho grunted as the Savior rattled. She raised her beam rifle to return fire, but the Chaos showered missiles on her before she could pull the trigger. As she cut the missiles down with her CIWS, she saw Shinn charge at the Chaos, beam rifle blazing.

“You won’t touch Stella!” Shinn screamed, ramming into the Chaos with his shield and forcing the Chaos aside. The Chaos slammed the Impulse in the stomach with its own shield and boosted away, firing its beam rifle.

“Shinn! Shoot at him from below!” Shiho shouted, as she transformed the Savior back to mobile armor mode. She took off into the sky, lining up for a shot from the Savior’s cannons—

The Savior rocked violently as a flurry of beam cannon shots blew off its cannons and one of its legs, knocking it out of the sky with a trail of smoke. Shiho stared in disbelief at the water as the Abyss Gundam burst out of the ocean, shoulder shells open.

“Auel!” Sting shouted. “You’re supposed to be attacking the Minerva!”

“They closed off the port!” Auel yelled back; he opened fire with a beam cannon blaze on the Impulse, as it dove out of the way. “I guess we’ll both take out that combining motherfucker!”

Sting fired off another missile salvo; Shinn snarled under his breath, glancing over his shoulder at the Savior as it splashed down helplessly in the water. He dove towards the ocean surface, dodging the Abyss’s beam shots and letting the Chaos’s missiles slam into the water.

“You damned Alliance bastards!” Shinn screamed, twisting out of the way of another volley from the Abyss. The Abyss charged in, beam lance drawn back; Shinn kicked it in the face before it could swing, but up above the Chaos dropped in on him with beam saber drawn. Shinn deflected its saber stroke with his shield and drew his own saber, swinging back—the Abyss’s lance blocked his saber blow, and the three mobile suits were left helplessly pushing against each other.

“He’s not budging!” Auel shouted.

“We can’t keep this up forever!” Sting shouted. “The base will be sending more mobile suits soon!”

The Impulse jetted away from the Chaos and Abyss and charged again.

“You go after Stella!” Sting shouted. “I’ll take him on!”

The Chaos boosted towards the Impulse, brandishing its beam saber; both mobile suits met in a shower of sparks. The Abyss turned and rocketed towards the dock, wielding its beam lance. Shinn narrowed his eyes at the Abyss.

“I won’t let you!” he shouted.

The Impulse somersaulted over the Chaos’s head, kicking it in the back and knocking it towards the ocean. Shinn fired the Impulse’s booster at maximum, drawing his beam saber back. The Abyss turned around in surprise; Shinn screamed, and the Impulse slammed into the Abyss with its shield, knocking it forward and into the water. He raised his saber for a killing blow; the Chaos dove into the fray and blocked Shinn’s finishing swing.

“Damn you both!” Shinn screamed. “Why won’t you die already?!”

“Auel, are you alright?!” Sting shouted. Auel grunted angrily as the Abyss righted itself. “We’ll both take out the combiner and then we’ll get Stella!”

“This asshole is DEAD!” Auel screamed, charging at the Impulse with his lance drawn. Shinn narrowed his eyes at the Abyss as it stormed towards him.

The Impulse kicked the Chaos’s arm aside; Sting grunted in surprise as the Chaos went staggering back. Shinn charged through the opening right into the Abyss’s face. Before Auel knew it, the Impulse had rammed him again with its shield, throwing him back again.

The Chaos dropped in with its beam saber raised; Shinn deflected its blow and kicked it in the stomach, sending it back again.

“He just won’t fall!” Sting growled as he regained his balance. He glanced anxiously over his shoulder; there were mobile suits launching from the base.

“We’re not done yet!” Auel cried; the Abyss charged with a beam cannon volley. Shinn leapt over its shots, dodging the Abyss’s finishing lance thrust, and charged at the Abyss’s exposed back. Sting launched a volley of missiles at the Impulse, cutting it off; Shinn charged instead at the Chaos, swiping at it with his beam saber as he chased it into the air.

“We’re not leaving yet!” Auel shouted, firing a beam cannon volley after the Impulse. “We won’t leave until we get Stella!”

Missiles and machinegun fire began to pelt the Chaos and Abyss; inside the Chaos, Sting grunted in surprise, pulling away from the Impulse behind his shield.

“They launched reinforcements,” he growled. “Does this mean we...” He shook his head. “We can’t...but we have no choice!”

He glanced down at the Abyss as it pulled back behind its shoulder shells.

“Come on, Auel!” he said. “We’re going back!”

“What?!” Auel exclaimed. “But we didn’t—”

“I said come on!” Sting shouted. “We’ll just die here, and that won’t help Stella at all!”

The Abyss took two more missile hits before it rocketed off towards the horizon. Sting gave the Impulse a final glare and took off after the Abyss.

Inside the Impulse, Shinn watched the Chaos and Abyss retreat, breathing heavily.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Lord Djibril was furious.

He stood in his screening room, clenching his fists furiously, staring at the screen and the face of Neo Roanoke upon it.

“How could you let one of our Extended get captured?!” he shouted. “Especially a Class III like Stella! Do you have any idea how much modification went into her?!”

“Yes, Lord Djibril,” Neo said tiredly. “However, the Minerva captured her and it’s in Port Said right now.”

“Fool!” Djibril roared. “We can’t let ZAFT have any information about the Extended! God knows what they’ll do with it! And this is even after you let them get to Lodonia, and get away! Incompetent fool!”

“Lord Djibril,” Neo began, “I was stopped by factors outside my control—”

“Don’t give me that!” Djibril cut him off, with a furious sweep of his hands. “You were amply supplied! You had a next generation mobile suit, you had three ZAFT prototypes, and you had six Special Forces mobile suits! Ten mobile suits against the Minerva’s FIVE! Must you make me regret finding you and rehabilitating you, Phantom Pain?!”

Neo clenched his teeth angrily.

“Recover Stella at once!” Djibril shouted. “ZAFT already has the lab at which we produced the Extended! They cannot be allowed to have a live Extended as well! Recover her IMMEDIATELY!”

“Lord Djibril, Stella is as good as gone!” Neo protested. “She’s on a ZAFT ship deep inside an enemy base! We’d have to mount a major campaign to be in any position to recover her!”

Djibril purpled. “You incompetent fool!” he roared. “No Extended is ‘as good as gone!’ Have you any idea how much work goes into even a Class I Extended?! Stella took fifteen years to fully develop and mature! And even then, she required enough modification and indoctrination to make her a Class III! We can’t replace Extended the same way we can replace regular cannon fodder! Extended take time to cultivate! We cannot allow even one to be ‘given up!’ Now recover her at once!”

Neo gritted his teeth. “Yes sir,” he said resignedly, saluting. The screen went dark.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The infirmary door closed, and Shinn glanced disdainfully over his shoulder. Once again the nurses had kicked him out, though he figured this time they had just gotten sick of him. He knew they wouldn’t let him back in, so he sullenly decided to head back to his room.

He paused at a corner as he heard the voices of Captain Gladys and the head doctor.

“What do you mean ‘self-destructing’?” Talia asked.

“Based on the information you provided to me, and my own research in treating Stella,” the doctor explained, “I have determined that the Extended are reliant on a particular person that is demarcated as a ‘psychological benefactor.’ They essentially control the Extended subject. And it seems as if the Extended are, ah, ‘programmed,’ you could say, to automatically shut down their bodily functions in the event of being separated for too long from their benefactor.”

“And that’s what’s happening now?” Talia asked grimly.

“The 'self-destruct' takes time, so as to provide a window of opportunity for the subject's rescue and recovery, but that appears to be the case," the doctor said.

Shinn’s eyes widened in horror; he remembered the name Neo.

“Can you reverse the process?” Talia asked.

“It doesn’t appear so,” the doctor said dourly. “The best we can do is slow the process of organic shutdown, but we can only do this for so long. She will probably die soon; the only way my research shows that we can save her is to give her back to the Alliance and put her back under the auspices of her psychological benefactor.”

“That’s not an option,” Talia said solemnly. “I’ve received orders from the Chairman about her.”

Shinn felt his blood run cold. Even Gilbert was in on this.

“The Chairman wants her kept alive as long as possible, so that he can use her to justify continuing the war effort,” Talia said, with a hint of distaste in her voice that went unnoticed by a horrified Shinn. “He is having trouble keeping the Supreme Council behind the war. He’s planning an attack on Arzachel Crater to finish it all, but support is waning. He believes the Extended would bolster support for the war.”

“Then what are we to do about Stella?” the doctor asked.

Talia was silent a moment. “Does Shinn visit her often?” she asked at last.

“Whenever he has time,” the doctor responded. Talia sighed quietly.

“Don’t tell him, then,” she said. “He’s already attached to her; knowing this would only hurt him.”

“I understand,” the doctor said. “We’ll keep her alive for as long as we can.”

Shinn heard no more, as he turned and ran down the opposite way, tears stinging his eyes.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The deck of the Spengler-class carrier John Paul Jones was silent. Sting stood defiantly before Neo, glaring at him. Neo had his arms crossed in frustration.

“If you’re going to punish either of us,” Sting said challengingly, “then punish me. It was my idea.”

Neo glanced to his left; Lee stood impassively by, watching everything.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Neo asked. “You knew you couldn’t get her back. Even now, we won’t be able to get Stella back, even with this force; we’re only doing it because I’m under strict orders to do so. What made you think you could pull it off?”

Sting said nothing. Behind him, Auel glared pugnaciously at Neo.

Neo shook his head angrily. “You should have known,” he said, “that this would be a f—”

“No!” Lee interjected loudly, drowning out Neo’s voice. All eyes turned towards him; Neo uncrossed his arms, turning in surprise on Lee. “You are too quick to use their block words, Colonel,” Lee added, staring resolutely at Neo. “Although their actions were unauthorized, they also damaged two of the Minerva’s mobile suits badly enough to ensure that we will not face them in this engagement. This makes our job easier.”

Neo glowered at Lee. “I would’ve just erased all their memories of Stella and had done with it if it hadn’t meant keeping them in the pods for a week,” he snapped. “Why are you siding with them now, Lee?”

Lee straightened up. “I have learned from my mistakes in the past,” he said plainly. “I commanded a ship with Extended on board. I treated the Extended like weapons, just as you do. Their conditioning failed, and they rebelled and nearly destroyed my ship. Now here I am, once again commanding a ship with Extended on board. I will not make the mistake of mistreating the ship’s mobile suit pilots again.”

Neo snarled under his breath and stalked away; Lee glanced at Sting and Auel, staring at him in surprise.

“Your actions were unauthorized, though,” he added quietly. “I do not recommend doing it again.”

“Why are you sticking up for us?” Sting asked warily. Lee turned to leave.

“You are part of my vessel’s crew,” he explained quietly. “I will not allow any members of my crew to be abused by anyone, be they subordinates or superiors.” He paused, turning around to face them again. “If you like, you can think of me as your father.”

“Father?” Auel echoed. Lee gave them a curt salute; Sting blinked in surprise and returned it. Lee glanced at Auel; he saluted as well, and Lee allowed himself a small smile.

“You’re not normal soldiers,” he said. “So I can’t treat you like normal soldiers.” He turned again to leave. “We will likely be reaching Port Said soon. Go prepare your mobile suits.”

“R-Right,” Sting said, watching as Lee walked away.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Rey found Shinn on the Minerva's deck, staring angrily at the setting sun. He was giving off waves of anger and frustration and helplessness; Rey steeled himself and approached.

“Shinn,” he began.

Shinn glanced back at him and returned his gaze to the sun.

“Stella’s going to die,” Shinn said quietly. Rey came up beside Shinn, and noticed the streaks of tears on his face, over the three scars Stella had left.

“It is inevitable,” Rey said calmly. “Human beings cannot withstand so much modification after they have been born.”

“That doesn’t make it right,” Shinn snarled. “Everyone’s just going to let her die.”

“What else can be done?” Rey asked. Shinn curled his fists angrily around the railing.

“You didn’t hear, then?” Shinn asked, finally glancing back at Rey; Rey eyed Shinn carefully, noticing the hatred burning in his eyes. “The Chairman’s already heard that Stella’s on the ship.”

Rey’s face did not betray his surprise, or the warning bell going off in the back of his mind.

“The Chairman wants to use Stella for propaganda,” Shinn snarled. “The only way to save her would be to give her back to the Alliance, but they’re just going to let her die. She’s been forced into the war against her will, she’s a human weapon who never wanted to go out and fight, she’s so gentle and harmless when she’s not scared, but the Chairman would rather let her die so that he can escalate the war than let her live.”

“If she went back to the Alliance, she would just end up fighting again,” Rey pointed out.

“At least she would get to live!” Shinn shouted, turning to face Rey angrily. “At least she would have a chance! She won’t have any chance if she dies!”

He stared angrily at Rey for a moment and turned back towards the sun.

“My family died because I couldn’t protect them,” Shinn growled, gripping the railing furiously. “Now Stella wants me to protect her. Should I just let her die, Rey?!”

Rey stiffened. “We are soldiers, Shinn,” he said. “It is not our place to judge the Chairman‘s actions.”

Shinn turned his blazing eyes on Rey, and for a moment, Rey almost felt his blood chill.

“The Chairman relies on you,” Rey continued. “You will be the one to create his new world. You must trust his judgment.”

Shinn turned around in fury, staring at Rey with burning eyes. He was trembling with rage, but couldn’t bring himself to speak. At last he turned and ran away, into the ship.

Rey watched him go, his face impassive.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The infirmary door opened with its familiar hiss; with her back to the door as she worked, the nurse on duty sighed.

“Back again, Shinn?” she asked. “It’s so late.”

She turned around; Shinn slammed his arm into her stomach, and she slumped against him into unconsciousness. Shinn set her down against the wall and set to work untangling Stella from the jungle of IV tubes and wires attached to her.

“Shinn...” she murmured. Shinn looked at her face; she was truly dying now. Her body was deteriorating; she was sweating and trembling, her eyes were dim and unfocused.

“It’s me, Stella,” he said, touching her cheek gently. “I’m getting you out of here. I’ll take you back to Neo.”

“...Shinn...said he’d...protect...Stella...” she whispered painfully.

“I know, Stella,” Shinn said, tears in his eyes. “I’m taking you back to Neo.” He felt a burst of pain rising up in his heart, but forced it down with sheer willpower. “It will make you get better. I’ll protect you.”

Stella said no more, but she was still alive; Shinn finished unhooking her IVs and lifted her up in his arms. She was limp and languid; Shinn looked at her face in pain for a moment. A fire of determination rose up through him; he narrowed his eyes and took off out of the infirmary.

The halls of the Minerva were eerily silent in the middle of the night, as Shinn sprinted towards the hangar. In the midst of a military base belonging to a friendly nation, the Minerva’s own security forces were taking a break, as were the exhausted repair crews. Nonetheless, Shinn took the most secretive ways he could think of to the Impulse’s hangar. He could not afford to be caught; he would not be stopped.

Shinn raced into the Impulse’s hangar, shutting the access hatches behind him. He paused at the side of the Core Splendor’s lift, his fingers flying over the catapult’s manual launch system. Once he had it configured, he leapt into the Core Splendor’s cockpit and started it up, Stella still in his arms, curled up against him.

“Shinn...will protect...Stella...” she murmured.

“That’s right,” Shinn said gently. “Just hold on a little longer.”

The intelligence reports had said that Bogey 1 had docked at Athens; Shinn would take Stella there under a white flag. The Core Splendor shuddered as the lift rose; by now the Minerva crew was beginning to wonder why the Impulse was launching, but it was too late to stop him now. Shinn refused to be stopped; he would deliver Stella back to the Alliance, no matter what the cost.

The lift stopped; the catapult activated; Shinn narrowed his eyes.

“Hang on, Stella,” he whispered.

The Core Splendor took off with a roar.

——————————————————————————————————————————

“Why is the Impulse launching?!” Arthur cried in a panic, standing on the Minerva’s bridge and watching helplessly as the Force Impulse Gundam formed in front of the Minerva. “Captain! What’s going on?!”

Talia stood at the back of the bridge, her uniform collar still unbuttoned, watching as the Impulse took off. Shinn was leaving; Stella was undoubtedly with him.

Maybe, she thought ruefully, this is for the best.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Shinn watched his sensors carefully; there was an object that looked like a carrier up ahead. Down below, he could see the Chaos and Abyss Gundams standing on its deck. He closed his eyes; there was pressure down there, a pressure he had felt before. He mentally crossed his fingers, praying it was Neo. He keyed in the most general frequency he knew, and broadcast it to the carrier.

“Earth Alliance carrier,” he said, his voice quavering as he looked at Stella, “I have Stella with me. Clear a path for me.”

On Shinn’s screen, the face of a masked man in a black Alliance uniform appeared. Shinn blinked at him.

“Neo...” Stella murmured.

Neo stared at Shinn emotionlessly for a moment. “You have Stella,” he said. “You are returning her?”

Shinn nodded wordlessly.

“Then what are your terms for giving her back?” Neo asked carefully. Shinn glanced at Stella again.

“Let me leave once I’ve given her back,” Shinn said. Neo stared at him for a moment; Shinn stared back. He could not be unnerved now; he silently prayed that Neo would accept the deal, for Stella’s sake.

“Very well,” Neo said simply. The screen went dark.

The Impulse landed and crouched on the deck of the Alliance carrier; Shinn opened the hatch, holding Stella, and looked down at the deck. Armed Alliance soldiers were everywhere, staring expectantly at him. Down below was Neo, watching Shinn carefully. Shinn steeled himself and lowered himself on the zip line, holding onto Stella tightly.

Neo approached Shinn slowly. Shinn stared back at him carefully.

“Wait,” Shinn said; Neo paused. “I...I want you to promise me...that you’ll protect her.” Neo began to walk towards Shinn again; he backed away, holding Stella possessively. The soldiers raised their rifles. “Promise me!” Shinn said, glaring at Neo.

Neo paused a moment. “I’ll promise you,” he said. The soldiers let their rifles fall.

Shinn looked at Stella. “Neo's here,” he said. “He’ll make you get better.”

“...but...Neo...didn’t protect...Stella...” she whispered.

Neo took Stella from Shinn’s arms gently. He backed away a step and looked down at Shinn inquisitively.

“I never would have expected you to come,” he said.

Shinn glanced forlornly at Stella. “Take care of her,” he said. He turned to return to the Impulse; he blinked, pausing in surprise, as he was suddenly blocked by two more figures.

Shinn’s eyes widened in surprise as he found himself face to face with Sting and Auel.

“Y-You’re—!” he began.

“The Impulse’s pilot!” Auel exclaimed. “It’s you! The guy who was with Stella in Port Said!”

“You’re Alliance soldiers!” Shinn said disbelievingly.

Sting interposed himself between Shinn and Auel. “You seem to be Stella’s knight in shining armor,” he said. “This is the second time you’ve saved her life.” He paused, and extended his hand. “Thank you.”

Shinn stared at his hand for a moment and shook it uneasily. Sting wordlessly stepped aside, pulling Auel with him; Auel glared suspiciously at Shinn.

Shinn returned to the Impulse’s zip line. He looked over his shoulder at Stella; she stared back at him. Shinn’s eyes filled with tears as he jumped back into the Impulse’s cockpit and took off.

The Impulse took off into the horizon. Stella watched it go.

“...Shinn...”

——————————————————————————————————————————

To be continued...