Yzak Joule stood in my way, blocking the exit of the briefing room. Dearka stood just behind him, wearing a weary, apologetic half-smile.
"Hey! You promised we'd have words!" Yzak barked.
I blinked, the memory of our mid-battle agreement resurfacing. "Right. I did say that. What's on your mind?"
"You think I'm going to talk to you here?" Yzak's eyes darted to Murue, who was still holding my arm. "And what exactly do you think you're doing? Have some dignity! There's a time and a place for... for that!"
He sounded remarkably prudish for a frontline ace, but then again, Yzak had always been high-strung.
"Sorry, ladies," I said, looking at Murue and Lemon. "Go on ahead. I'll catch up once I'm done here."
"Alright," Murue said with a playful wink. "Don't keep us waiting too long."
As they left, Dearka stepped forward. "Sorry about this, Axel. He's been obsessed with talking to you since you got out of the cockpit. He wouldn't take no for an answer."
"I made a promise," I said. "Though I wish he had better timing. So, Yzak, what is it?"
"Fight me!"
I stared at him. "Come again?"
"He means," Dearka translated, "that he's sick of losing to your Blitz in a Mobile Suit. He thinks the machine's specs were the deciding factor. He wants to see how you hold up in a fair, hand-to-hand fight. One-on-one."
I looked at Yzak's determined face. While the Blitz was indeed a high-spec machine, personally, I felt the Duel's separate shield and weapon configuration gave it a tactical edge in a fair fight. But Yzak wasn't looking for a technical debate—he was looking for a way to reclaim his pride.
"Fine. If it'll satisfy you... where?"
"There's an athletic facility in this docking sector," Dearka suggested. "It should be empty."
"Sounds good to me," I replied.
The gym inside Mendel was cold and silent, a relic of a dead colony. There were no spectators, just me, Yzak, and Dearka acting as the referee.
"Bare-handed. No strikes to the vitals. Agreed?" Dearka asked.
We both nodded. Yzak's eyes were narrowed, his body coiled like a spring. He wasn't going to hold back.
"Begin!"
The moment the word left Dearka's mouth, Yzak surged forward. He opened with a flurry of jabs—fast, sharp, and disciplined. He was easily the second-best coordinator of the Academy's elite class, and it showed. But my physical capabilities were already far beyond the "human" standard, even by Coordinator measures.
"What—?!"
Yzak gasped as I parried every single one of his strikes with my right hand alone, knocking his fists aside with effortless precision.
"Focus, Yzak. You can't afford to be surprised."
I stepped in, delivering a controlled low kick to his outer thigh.
I felt the resistance of well-trained muscle, but against my strength, it was like paper. His leg buckled instantly.
"Gah!"
He collapsed to one knee, his face contorting in pain. Yet, he gritted his teeth and forced himself back up.
"Yzak, that's enough, isn't it?" Dearka called out, his voice laced with concern. Having seen me in action off the coast of Orb, Dearka knew better than most what I was capable of. But his pity only added fuel to Yzak's fire.
"I won't... be beaten... by a move like that!"
He took a deep breath, steadying his shaking legs, and lunged again. He tried to replicate my low kick, but I stepped back, letting his foot whistle through empty air. As he stumbled, I closed the gap. I thrust my left hand forward, momentarily blinding him with the palm, and followed through with a right-hand palm strike aimed just below his jaw.
Crack.
The blow didn't break bone, but it rattled his brain. Yzak's eyes rolled back, and he slumped forward. I caught him before he hit the deck.
"I assume that counts as my win?" I asked, looking at Dearka.
"Yeah. Is he...?"
"He's fine. Just a concussion. He'll be awake in an hour."
Dearka sighed in relief. "Did you have to knock him out, though?"
"You saw him. He would have kept standing until his bones turned to dust. I wanted to end it with the leg sweep, but he has more grit than I gave him credit for. I can't afford to have a frontline pilot crippled four days before we hit Jachin Due."
"Fair point," Dearka muttered, taking Yzak from me. "Though explaining that to him when he wakes up is going to be a nightmare."
I chuckled. Yzak's stubbornness was on par with Cagalli's—the only difference was that Yzak actually had the skill to back it up.
"Tell him this: if he's still unsatisfied after the war, he can come to Orb. I'll give him a rematch. If he comes to the White Star, I can even arrange for a Mobile Suit duel."
"You mean it?"
"He's hot-headed, but he's not a snake. I can respect that. Just make sure he knows that Shadow Mirror doesn't take kindly to actual treachery."
"Got it. I'll tell him."
"Good. I'm heading back. Lemon and the others are waiting."
Dearka watched me go with a look of pure envy. "Must be nice, having a girl—or three—waiting for you."
"Milliaria has Tolle, Dearka. Give it a rest."
"Hmph. If I could give it a rest that easily, I wouldn't have fallen for her in the first place. Just watch—I'll win her over eventually."
"Just don't start a knife fight over it," I called back as I headed toward the Archangel.
Four days later.
The repairs were finished. The resupply was complete. The Three Ships Alliance was ready for the final gambit. We were currently positioned in the void just outside Mendel, with the Archangel, Kusanagi, and Eternal gathered around my command ship, the Trinity Gain.
I sat in the Trinity Gain's cockpit, running through the final mission briefing over a multi-channel link to every bridge and pilot.
Tactical updates had been interesting. Natarle was back in the C.I.C. of the Archangel, but Flay Allster—who had been recovered from the pod—had requested a post as an operator on the Eternal.
Her reasoning was simple: she wanted to be where Kira was. This had created a spectacular three-way tension between Kira, Lacus, and Flay. Athrun was reportedly spending his downtime venting to Cagalli about the sheer awkwardness of the Eternal's bridge, while Waltfeld apparently found the whole thing as entertaining as a soap opera.
The "Super Coordinator," the "Songstress of the Plants," and the "Daughter of Blue Cosmos," I thought. It's the distilled essence of the SEED universe's drama.
I shook my head and focused on the monitor. "One last check on the plan," I said. "We jump to Jachin Due via the Trinity Gain. Once we arrive, I switch to the Glowsaver. I'll use the T-LINK to locate GENESIS, which is likely hidden behind a Mirage Colloid."
I continued, "My priority is the primary reflection mirror. I'll check for life signs; if anyone's inside, I'll force-eject them in pods and then use my Spatial Storage to 'sequester' the mirror itself. Then I move to the GENESIS main body and do the same. While I'm neutralizing the superweapon, the rest of you will engage the Jachin Due defense fleet. Cornelia has tactical command."
Everyone nodded. Even Yzak and Natarle looked ready, despite their initial shock at the plan.
"Aileen Canaaba and the Clyne faction are already in position inside Jachin Due," I reminded them. "They'll move to secure Patrick Zala when we strike. Don't worry about IFF—Clyne faction units won't fire on us. Everyone else is fair game. We are the anvil; the coup d'état is the hammer."
Lacus looked pained at the mention of no-holds-barred combat, but she stayed silent. She knew there was no other way.
"Any questions?"
Silence.
"This is it. The fight to end this ridiculous war. When we're done, I promise you all: a victory party at the White Star. My treat."
I took a breath and gripped the controls. "Activating System XN. Coordinate input... generating transfer field."
A cocoon of brilliant light erupted from the Trinity Gain, expanding with incredible speed. Unlike the mass-produced units in the Glowsavers, the original Aguyeus system in the Trinity Gain was terrifyingly fast. The light swallowed the Archangel, then the Kusanagi, and finally the Eternal.
"Field stabilized... Jumping!"
The universe blurred for a fraction of a second. In the next instant, the darkness of L4 was gone. Looming before us was the massive, T-shaped silhouette of the Jachin Due fortress.
The endgame had begun.
Pilot Status: Axel Almar
Level: 37
Kill Count: 361
Spirit Commands: Accel, Effort, Focus, Direct Hit, Awaken, Love.
Tactical Update: Three Ships Alliance has successfully jumped to Jachin Due. GENESIS neutralization protocol in effect.
Objective: Locate and capture GENESIS. Support the Clyne faction coup. Survive.
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